Doctor With Cancer

perhaps we who think that health is but the absence of disease may be in error. There has got to be more to health than to be without illness I reasoned. How many people have I seen in my clinic who would come in complaining of fatigue, tiredness or just not feeling good, and after running many exams, be forced to tell them I could find nothing wrong. (In many cases, depression which is so rampant was not even the answer though.) Maybe an analogy would be in order. Perhaps health could be compared to a boat in a lake. A boat that has a hole in it and is filled with water and submerged could be compared to a dead or dying body. While a boat that is dry without a hole is as a healthy body, but any degree of water in that boat represents varying degrees of ill health and just because a boat containing any degree of water is able to function that still doesn’t represent a whole or healthy situation! As I have talked with several of my experienced colleagues of different ages our experience in medical school was similar in that most of us (if not all), received but a token one hour of training in nutrition. As I reflect back upon the many years of my practice my traditional mantra was “eat a balanced diet -do not take supplements for you are making but expensive urine and also get some good exercise”. Yet, most doctors are uneducated, inexperienced and even ignorant regarding nutrition and even proper exercise. By that last statement I am not speaking of just the number of calories contained within a certain amount of food but indeed the chemicals needed in the body to work properly and the food which contains those chemicals and how the cooking affects the outcome. Indeed, there is a Scripture found in the New Testament in which the Savior says that men “choke at the gnat, but swallows the camel”, that is how from my perspective nutrition is observed in medicine. More and more minutia is given about less and less important things while the major importance of nutrition can be overlooked. Indeed it can be said that nothing becomes a part of us and our bodies that doesn't originally pass through the mouth!!! In the computer world the statement has been often understood “junk in-junk out”, how vital it is to our health to understand that concept!

 

After receiving the inspiration regarding the need to pursue health, I thought “where do I find this?” I started looking around but could not find what felt right. But I found on my desk a DVD (I had ordered to replace a seminar I was to have attended the same week I was in the hospital being diagnosed with cancer). When I had called the registrar explaining I could not attend the seminar as I had hoped, I purchased the seminar on DVD. I later noticed on the DVD, there was a presentation by a M.D. who gave a brief presentation of how he treated stage 4 cancers with mostly over-the-counter medications. I began to listen and in it the doctor talked about using low-dose aspirin, melatonin, vitamin D3, and some other chemicals that have been shown to not only fight cancer but reduce metastasis and yet were by in large mostly innocuous.

I resolved to begin to supplement with vitamin D3, curcumin, and melatonin. About this same time, in September, I began to have the sensation that my prostate was involved as well. I asked my urologist to do a follow-up biopsy on my bladder as well as the prostate which he did and found now that the bladder cancer had now spread to the prostate.

 

I was now technically in stage 4, and my internist friend suggested that I visit a local oncologist. The first time I saw Dr. D. She was wearing a white lab coat and with light from behind her she looked like an angel from my weakened and hope-starved situation. After reviewing my case she told me that she felt like she could cure my cancer! I a few days later began to get IV chemotherapy of cisplatin and Gemzar. The chemotherapies did not affect me that much initially except they did cause me to become anemic which required several transfusions. As I ceased the oral chemotherapy my appetite returned, and my nausea and vomiting improved. As I received several months of IV chemotherapy, my laboratory work continued to improve to the point at which we moved into a watch and wait attitude. We noticed that my severe bloody urine which would stain urinals was improving to the point there was no more detectable blood seen on dipstick urine analysis. However my kidneys began to show early impairment (probably due to the cisplatin). But even with that complication, I was yet alive.

As I began to read and study more about health I became aware that hormones are absolutely vital to health and well-being. As I visited with this Dr. who had lectured on this DVD teaching of the importance of vitamin D3, melatonin, he asked me to do certain blood tests such as: total and free testosterone, DHEA-sulfate, pregnenolone, 25 hydroxy Vitamin D. As I did these tests, I was amazed that the laboratory reference ranges for total testosterone was 300-1000, and for free testosterone 5 to 25, and for DHEA sulfate it was 30-560!!!! My initial test results showed I did not have any detectable DHEA!!!! As I have learned more about the importance of these hormones I've come to appreciate how vital vitamin D3, testosterone, and DHEA (all hormones of one kind or another) are to the functioning of the immune system. I remember being taught in medical school and reading in other places that as the cells of the body are being replaced, errors in DNA replication are made, but fortunately with a normal immune system these mistakes are recognized early and destroyed. Perhaps while so many cancer researchers are looking to cure cancer, perhaps as much attention should be placed on the immune system to allow the body then to heal naturally. To put it simply, allow the immune system to do what the immune system was made to do. It is also clear to me that while many devoted researchers are looking for “The” cure for cancer, inasmuch as many things have been shown to cause cancer there may not be a single cure!

 

DHEA
DHEA is a vital hormone which has been shown in its deficiency to be related to many diseases but when replenished can actually help treat many diseases such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), diabetes, arthritis, obesity, anxiety and depression, hypertension, immune deficiency, and other maladies. Above I mentioned one laboratory reference range of DHEA-sulfate was 30-560, that must strike most of us as being incredibly wide and nonspecific. Can you imagine anything being made to those specifications or can you imagine boarding a plane to go to Palm Springs, California and upon arriving at your destination you were told you had safely landed in Palm Beach— Florida!! To look at this another way, if your heart rate range (which is normally in a range of 60 to 100 for the average individual) were to be the same wide variance we could conclude, a heart rate anywhere from 10 to 186 beats per minute is normal!!! Very strange. Yet these ranges are derived by taking the average blood value of thousands of individuals in various stages of health and then extend from the average two standard deviations which gives us these vast reference ranges. Science tells us for the average individual who is deficient and hormones and without hormonally sensitive cancers ( such as prostate, breast, of ovarian, cervical, uterine) mean in women have a certain sweet spot within this reference range that they may feel and do better. (Along the assumption of 2 standard deviations of average is that one is to conclude that over 95% of all people are normal, which stretches credibility!) If one observes enough people, one does not come to the conclusion that over 95% of all people are healthy and normal! I take 50 mg of DHEA per day and that keeps me at a desirable level even though I have prostate cancer, it is a matter of weighing possible benefits to possible risks. It is a personal decision to make, but I would suggest but one checks their DHEA-sulfate levels and then read about the benefits and risks of DHEA and then make a prayerful decision about what to do. If one wants to read more about this and other powerful and healthy hormones (as one should before blindly taking it), the book “Women’s Hormones” by Pamela Wartian Smith M.D. and “Hormone Optimization in Preventive/Regenerative Medicine” by Ron Rothenberg M.D. would be two excellent primers on the subject.

 

VITAMIN D3
Vitamin D3 Is actually a pro hormone called “cholecalciferol” in that it is made active in the kidneys and liver from an inactive form. Every cell in the body have vitamin D receptors and appear to require a minimum amount of vitamin D in order to function correctly. Many peer-reviewed published studies demonstrate the great benefits from having adequate vitamin D3 levels within the body including prevention and treatment of many causes of cancer, bone health, heart disease, depression, thyroid diseases, and etc….. It has been well documented that the vast majority of Americans and of many civilized countries suffer from a vitamin D deficiency. While I have checked many individuals vitamin D levels I have found few (if any) that were optimal unless they were already supplementing with oral forms of vitamin D3. I keep my levels checked by running the “25 hydroxy vitamin D” blood test. For many laboratories deficiency is less than 30 mg/dL and normal is considered to be anything between 30 and 100 mg/dL. Again this is a large range at I prefer to keep mine close to 90 mg/dL. This is achieved (by me) by taking 10,000 i.u. (international unit’s) per day. In order to read more, I'd suggest reading Michael D. Holick’s book “The Vitamin D Solution” a well written book explaining the importance of this vital
chemical by arguably the world’s foremost authority on the subject. I would also suggest reading from the website www.vitamindcouncil.org/ which is written and compiled by John Cannell M.D. as a means to keep the public notified of the ongoing research pertaining to the benefits of vitamin D. It Is amazing to see the almost daily research published showing the benefits of vitamin D.

As I began to feel better my energy and stamina continued to increase to the point I was able to study more, I even began to exercise physically and exercise self-restraint in my dieting. Dieting for many people is a restrictive term but to me it means choosing the better course and that I was consuming far too many fast foods, carbohydrates and indeed multiples of junk food daily. Too many people when offered a choice of foods choose on the basis of what looks more appetizing and not what they need. If one will consider how complex the human body really is and that it is a amazingly sophisticated electro-chemical plant, they would realize that our bodies and the cells thereof are made up entirely of what we eat. The body with which our mothers passed to us have long since been replaced through our own nutritional choices. We must make sure we eat foods that contain the elements (chemicals) with which our bodies need to be healthy. As I began to eat more vegetables and lean protein and much less chips, processed drinks, breads and burgers, I began to see the change in body composition. As I was down to 139 pounds I was absolutely skin and bones with not enough muscles to get out of bed unassisted for several months. I was now seeing more muscles and muscle strength with more of a healthy glow in my countenance. Within weeks of changing my diet, supplementing with DHEA and testosterone, I began to feel a surge of vitality and optimism.

As I would visit my cancer doctor occasionally I got glimpses of how I was doing relative to others. The nurse assistant said to me “Dr. Cudd you don’t look like our other patients” to which I didn’t enquire further. But finally the oncologist said to me “the protocol I recommended for you was to have bought you 2 years at most of additional life” . In fact the doctor later said to me after I thanked her for saving my life, “you have saved your own life”. Well that is certainly not true, but the things I have done have been borrowed from other doctors research, and other people’s writings. But it is also interesting to me that despite living with this cancer for seven years now (and remember that within the first 3 to 4 months of its diagnosis I became a stage 4 patient), I now feel by-in-large youthful and hopeful. In fact, while I don’t profess to be an oncologist yet my experience in treating cancer is very personal but seeing many principles that apply to others as well. I now strongly believe that stress provokes many diseases and especially cancer. One needs to find peace and harmony in order to combat severe disease states. Ultimately, one needs to find peace with the Creator and not see himself or herself as a victim. One thing I did not do for some reason was to wonder why I had cancer nor did I blame God for this. Referring again to my personal beliefs, I believe that my God is also a masterful tutor, and He has much to teach because I have much to learn. And much as the wise coach who sees a exhausted runner about to give up encourages him to take just one more lap! I have learned much through this process about myself, healthy thinking and my divine Creator. It is interesting how we can develop negative messaging or self-doubts, fears even. It is my belief that fear is negative and can be destructive, while hope and peace is from divine realms and is edifying.
Furthermore since being diagnosed with cancer I have never had a bad day. In fact with each pain or wave of nausea or undiagnosed symptom I am reminded——I am alive. The dead have no pain, nausea, or malfunction!

 

In addition prior to the diagnosis of cancer, I saw opposition in any form as being undesirable, threatening to me in my progress. Opposition would expose my self-doubt and I feared it, but now I see opposition in the same light as exams in school. They are given (by a wise and loving teacher) as a means to help us evaluate how our efforts have been in learning the material, not to trip us up. I have now come to view them differently in that just as a test is given at the completion of a chapter of teaching helps evaluate how complete the learning processes has been, I now view opposition the same way as an opportunity to self evaluate and perhaps to see if my FATHER has more to teach me on the subject!

Another interesting development, is that if I had gone into remission I would be like millions of others; but in as much as my urine cytology still reveals high grade urothelial cancer cells, that reinforces the conclusion that daily this cancer is held at bay by virtue of this protocol. I have visited with several doctors who have not concluded otherwise, when shown the evidence! Therefore, to what application this has to others fighting cancers or other diseases affected by an incompetent immune system and hormonal system, needs to be studied further. The individual who reads this must decide for himself or herself the application of these principles. Yet to me, it is clear that this program has not only been effective but continues to be effective to the current date.

 

I have waited as long as I dare wait, because countless individuals are diagnosed or are dying daily. I was trying to ensure that with less years having passed this wasn’t but a fluke. But in as much as I have now passed well beyond seven years, I can hesitate no longer.

Within this blog, I have included a list of supplements and prescriptions that I take for cancer which I would advise the reader to carefully study before taking. Furthermore, it is my personal belief that battling this disease can teach us much about ourselves and ways to improve ourselves. Therefore I would strongly encourage the reader to self educate and become truly knowledgeable that they may then approach a physician aware of the potential benefits and the potential consequences (if any), that may exist. Many doctors would like to help as long as they know there are no absolute contraindications to the patient’s trying the supplements. But again, because a very strict and regimented boards doctors are concerned about practicing in a way that would be different from their colleagues. However, this is your life and you should have the final say as to what approach you take to treating a disease. Your doctor is a consultant and is under the Hippocratic concern of “first do no harm”. There may come a time in your life as it came in mine it which doctors had run out of options and could no longer reasonably expect a favorable outcome from recommended protocols. I then chose under the spirit of hope and faith another route, which has in my case been beneficial. Realize also that while doctors want to be up front truthful and honest yet, the balance that with the desire to be hopeful and encouraging. I was never told that I would but have two more years to live. If a doctor had done that that money is undermined my hope and faith and healing. After all these anticipated mortality estimates are but “ estimates” and even represent an average. As one would expect our death may be the result of a compilation of many factors including how we lived our lives, and how healthy we were before the cancer. It would be unreasonable to expect that two individuals living very different lives would live but the same length of time.

 

Having said the above yet I need to make a disclaimer further that one’s expectations needs to be reasonable. Death comes to us all. I have seen patients full of faith and hope when I explained to them that they had disseminated cancer throughout their body. And I watched in awe is that persons countenance became absolutely translucent and a most beautiful and peaceful smile appeared. Furthermore the same individual expressed he would not do anything to further lengthen in his life, because he said “ he had lived his life in preparation for this day, and looked forward to seeing his Father in heaven, and his living Redeemer. I’ve also seen people absolutely crumble emotionally and physically when given even the hint of having a possibility of cancer. In my case, while I would like to live more years on earth yet I’m excited about the prospects also of seeing my divine Creators and many of my heroes and family members who no longer dwell on this side of the veil we call mortality.

Within this blog I've also included a video taken fairly recently demonstrating how I’m doing physically. I have also included a copy of the most recent cancer normal CT scan of my thorax and abdomen into my pelvis. in addition there is also “pathological reports” demonstrating the seriousness of the disease originally to the most current evaluation. It is my desire, to play a very small part in the understanding of both what causes cancer and how to go about eradicating it from the human race. Inasmuch as my life has been blessed so very much by the protocols included within this blog, I hope others can also see benefits as well. It is my belief that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure and as such cancer not only needs to be treated but prevented as much as possible. If you have found any benefit please feel free to share your experiences with me. While I am not in active practice and certainly not soliciting patients at all I have an interest in many people benefiting and hopefully learning from my experiences.

 

-July 20, 2015 Dr. Cudd