New Alt Doc, New Hope

(Quick note: for a full description on Dr. Hickey’s explanation of the cause of cancers and how to treat it, see the section below named “Dr. Hickey’s Convo”)

On Tuesday, Amanda and I walked out of the offices of Dr. Hickey – an alternative cancer treatment doctor recommended by a friend who has had some troubles, as well – with a stack of papers and a headache. It was a great conversation that had many unexpected twists that was unlike any doctor (and he is a real doctor, FYI) visit either of us had ever had. In short, the doctor is a firm believer in chelation as a way to help make sure cancer doesn’t come back. He also understands the Vitamin C IV protocol the Riordan Clinic recommends, and that we are interested in using very well. So that’s great.

Yesterday was a much better day for Amanda. With pain manageable, we started the day at First Watch – a favorite breakfast place of ours. The kids and I went to the HHI Library while she did a hyperbaric ‘dive’ at HH Hyperbarics that made her stomach not hurt for a bit. She was very appreciative to have even an hour of not having pain in her stomach, while getting to watch a bit of Home Alone 2. Bonus! Afterwards, we spent some time Wright Family Park in downtown Bluffton. It’s such a beautiful park, and felt great to have some warm weather and sun.

Last update on the journey for today – one downside to chemo is hair loss. We were hoping that we would be on the long end of the hair loss spectrum, which can begin anywhere from 1-3 weeks after initial treatment. She is on the shorter end of the spectrum. In a couple of days she will likely be bald. She’s very upset by it, but not at how it will affect her beauty. It’s more that it will be a very constant and blatant reminder that she has a very serious form of cancer. There are times now that she can ignore it for a bit, and that ability is being taken away now. I’m positive she’ll figure out ways to overcome this hurdle/reminder.

Here are some pictures from our afternoon at the park:

Alternative Doc Conversation

As mentioned, our conversation with Dr. Hickey was good, but convoluted. He is a very smart guy, but it is hard to get a clear and direct story from him. The analogs to how I can sometimes be were not missed on us, but it was like me on my worst day times 100. Here’s a breakdown of what was discussed:

Heavy Metals being the cause of many issues

Dr. Hickey specializes in chelation therapy – which is a process that removes heavy metals from the body. It pretty uncontroversial to say that heavy metals are present everywhere, and can cause cancer in higher dosages. The soil in most places still has traces of lead from automobiles using lead in gas up until 1970-90s when it was mostly banned. If you see a private airplane, there’s a good chance they are still using leaded gasoline, which I find crazy. There are other sources of lead and other heavy metals that we are constantly exposed to in our lives.

Now on to the more controversial stances that Dr. Hickey has – he believes these heavy metals are the source/cause of cancer. There is definitely some research to back him up, see here, and here, and this last one that specifically talks about how heavy metals in industrialized areas make breast cancer more deadly in urbanized areas the rural. These heavy metals insert themselves in the place of normal minerals like zinc and calcium in various processes in the body. This creates the conditions ripe for cancer. For example, he mentioned how a skin cell uses zinc in the process of healing sun damage. If a heavy metal replaces zinc, that cell can no longer repair itself properly. With the right conditions, this will lead to skin cancer.

Thus, according to him, if you can eliminate heavy metals in the body, you can eliminate this breeding ground for cancer. And this is why he recommends chelation therapy for everyone.

Amanda and I are still doing some research on this type of therapy, and have some concerns about possible interactions with her current chemo regiment. If anyone reading this far down has experience in chelation therapy, we welcome all experiences and opinions. Please send me an email at mthompson@trackingpixelmedia.com.