Fanny wrote...

My mother was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma stage IV. She has multifocal metastases in both lungs and big tumor in her adrenal. Currently, she is undergoing a chemoimmunotherapy. After reading your very inspiring story about your cure, she had requested me to ask you some questions regarding the unconventional treatment you have taken. I will be grateful for your help!

Question 1:  What was the composition and the doses of the vitamins and minerals in the FORWARD PLUS formula (Whitaker vitamin program)?

Bob replies...

Dear Itamar, the following list gives the amount and percent of the RDA for each of the ingredients in the Whitaker program (* No U.S. RDA has been determined):

Question 2:  400 mg of CoQ-10 is a very high dose. Were there any side effects or toxicity resulting from taking it? For how long do you recommend taking it?

I have been taking 400mg per day of CoQ-10 since June 1998 and have had no side effects. I intend to drop to 200mg per day as a preventative beginning in March of 1999.

Question 3:  What are the benefits of grape seeds extract?

The grape seed extract contains proanthocyanidins which are very strong antioxidants and may act similarly to the CoQ-10. I have read that they may have anti-tumor effects. The brand that I took also contained 400mg per capsule of MSM (methyl sulfonyl methane) which is purported to have effects similar to DMSO(dimethyl sulfoxide) in enhancing transport of substances into the cells. MSM occurs naturally in food and in human blood and tissues. I don't know if the MSM is important, but it could be the substance that potentiates some of the other therapies. A controlled study would be necessary to determine if it has any effect, but meanwhile I would add MSM to any complementary program in case it is effective.

Question 4:  What is "healthy diet"?

Whitaker (and any nutritionist or health practitioner) recommends a diet low in fat, high in fiber, with increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Question 5:  Have you come across other unconventional treatments that were proven to have beneficial effects on cancer in such an advanced stage?

I have not studied the literature recently, but I am sure your oncologist would know of any treatments that are proven to be effective.

I'd like to elaborate on the reasoning behind the 10 chemo treatments I received, because that is not the norm. From postings, I gather that many people get neuropathies (nerve damage) much earlier in their course of treatment. I think the nerve damage is caused by the platinum.

My oncologist originally told me I would have 6 to 8 chemo treatments, but I was only scheduled for 6. The x-rays after the 6th chemo showed 50% shrinkage of the primary tumor and since I had no side effects from the chemo we decided to go for 2 more treatments. The x-rays after the 8th chemo showed an additional 50% shrinking from the previous x-rays, and I still had no side effects, so we again decided on 2 more chemo treatments. After the 10th treatment I experienced a slight numbness in the balls of both feet. Fortunately, by this time my lymph nodes had all cleared up and my primary tumor was no longer detectable.

The doctor said that more chemo could cause irreversible loss of feeling in my hands and feet and possible loss of hearing. As of 3/27/99 I have regained feeling in the balls of my feet and no longer have any numbness. I suspect that the vitamins and essiac may have protected me from side effects and aided in my regaining feeling in my feet, but there is no way to know for sure.