Induced Hypothyroidism (Hypothyroxinemia)

My opinion:

This is one of the very interesting potential anti-cancer treatments and I am very enthusiast about it. It is relevant for most type of cancers, it is cheap and accessible and can be performed at home, while tracking some of the thyroid hormones via weekly blood tests. Its effectiveness in prolonging life (or even obtaining complete remission)  has already demonstrated on humans and published recently, while the theory is 20-30 years old.

As a result, I would strongly suggest to discuss this option with your doctor.

Summary & Mechanism

Hypothalamus sends signals to pituitary gland via the hormone TRH. Pituitary gland than sends the signal to the Thyroid gland via the hormone TSH.  As a result Thyroid gland will start producing T4 hormone as well as T3. However, most (95%) of the hormone produced in thyroid is T4 (Thyroxine) while T3 (Triiodothyronine) is produced based on T4 in other organs, but most in the liver.  T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone which is produced as a result of one iodine being cleaved from T4.

In a study from 2015, 23 stage IV cancer patients, were treated by inducing hypothyroxinemia, which means lowering thyroid hormone T4 levels. This T4-depleting therapy far exceeded the expected survival in most cases. They achieved this simply by lowering the activity of the thyroid with the help of a common drug and at the same time supplementing the T3, via oral administration of T3 capsules. In case of the patients with low thyroid function, previously on T4 supplementation, they just had to stop T4 supplementation and replace that with T3 capsules. As a result, T3 has been maintained in normal range while T4 was pushed down below the normal range.

Note: About 60% of the T4 is converted into T3, 20% is converted into an inactive form of thyroid hormone known as reverse T3 (irreversible), and the remaining 20% is converted into T3S (T3 sulfate) and T3AC (triiodothyroacetic acid). Reverse T3 can be problematic; even though it is inactive, it will still bind to T3 receptors and block T3 from binding and working its magic on metabolism.  Too much or too little cortisol that is produced by the adrenal glands will increase circulating levels of reverse T3.  This mechanism is due to suppressed liver detoxification and clearance of reverse T3 from excess cortisol production.  Stress can not only cause signs of hypothyroidism but it will also impair the liver€™s ability to detoxify.  Cortisol will also suppress TSH production resulting in low thyroid function. (Ref.)

Case reports

2015: Medically induced euthyroid hypothyroxinemia may extend survival in compassionate need cancer patients: an observational study.

Spontaneous remission of cancer–a thyroid hormone dependent phenomenon?

GBM ON L-T4 GBM O L-T4 -3 WEEKS GBM ON L-T4 GBM O L-T4 -On T3 ON L-T4 O L-T4 -3 On T3 HYPOTHYROXINEMIA MEDIATED BY EXOGENOUS 3,5,3′-TRIIODO-L-THYRONINE [T3] IS ASSOCIATED WITH TUMOR RESPONSE IN CANCER PATIENTS: A COMPASSIONATE CARE EXPERIENCE

67 year old woman on L-T4 supplementation pre and post CRANIOTOMY and biopsy -of 3.5×3.5 cm L. parieto-occipital glioblastoma[GBM]. Rapid Performance Status deterioration while on post-operative radiation therapy [3960cGy] and Temodar –From ECOG 1 TO 3[KPS80 to 40] –patient incapacitated No response to high dose dexamethasone. Memory impairment and visual eld loss. MRI showed signicant tumor enlargement, 6X5cm contralateral spread and vasogenic edema. Recovery not expected. Patient’s 75 ug /day L-T4 discontinued –exogenous T3 initiated . After 7 days signicant clinical and neurological improvement-patient become ambulatory. At 3 weeks MRI shows signicantly smaller tumor and decrease in vasogenic edema. CLINICAL COURSE radiation therapy and chemotherapy. L-thyroxine supplementation 88 mcg/day. Exogenous T3 initiated 6.25mcg x 3 /day.

Safety/Toxicity

See the above case report.

Preparation & Administration

Methimazole 40€“50 mg/day (single dose or divided doses) and L-T3 5€“6.25 mg 3 times per day were used initially while adjusting doses at 2- to 4-week intervals until serum TSH concentration was reduced to the lower limit of the reference range and FT4 had fallen below reference range and stabilized.The final doses of methimazole ranged from 20 to 50 mg/day in single or divided doses and L-T3 ranged from 5 to 12.5 ug 2 or 3 times per day up to a maximum of 37.5 ug/day. (Ref.)

T3 should be taken on an empty stomach, 2h after food 1h before eating again.

Source & Cost

Methimazole can be bought at online pharmacies on the web

Source T3

Both are cheap enough to be accessible to anyone.

Synergists & Antagonists

Not available

Other relevant links:

1981: Inhibition of Local and Metastatic Hepatoma Growth and Prolongation of Survival after Induction of Hypothyroidism http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/41/8/3040

2013: Thyroid hormone, thyroid hormone receptors, and cancer: a clinical perspective http://erc.endocrinology-journals.org/content/20/2/R19?cited-by=yes&legid=erc;20/2/R19

2015: Medically induced euthyroid hypothyroxinemia may extend survival in compassionate need cancer patients: an observational study.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25410096

Cancer Cell Gene Expression Modulated from Plasma Membrane Integrin αvβ3 by Thyroid Hormone and Nanoparticulate Tetrac. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25628605

Integrin αvβ3-Targeted Cancer Therapy http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901818/

Spontaneous remission of cancer–a thyroid hormone dependent phenomenon? http://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/10697597/Spontaneous_remission_of_cancer__a_thyroid_hormone_dependent_phenomenon

Mitotane Treatment in Patients with Adrenocortical Cancer Causes Central Hypothyroidism. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26221968

Thyroid hormones and cancer: clinical studies of hypothyroidism in oncology http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.658.2074&rep=rep1&type=pdf Accumulating clinical evidence may justify new, broadly-based controlled studies in cancer patients of the possible contribution of thyroid hormone to tumor behavior

Disclaimer:

This site is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. Through this site and linkages to other sites, I provide general information for educational purposes only. The information provided in this site, or through linkages to other sites, is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. I am not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain through this site. This is just my own personal opinion regarding what we have learned on this road.

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80 thoughts on “Induced Hypothyroidism (Hypothyroxinemia)

  1. Dear Daniel,
    One more time ,you are exactly right.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4558111/
    Finally, the hormone may limit chemotherapy-induced apoptosis by shortening intracellular residence time of anticancer drugs that are pro-apoptotic. All of these factors are possible clinical contributors to chemotherapy resistance.

    How i miss hormone section from lots of months?!!!
    T4 is anti-apoptotic.
    We all have to talk more on hormones.

    Kind Regards
    Ergin

    1. Thanks Ergin, it is indeed amazing what the impact of hormones is, and in this case that of T4. Endocrinology and its relation to cancer is a very important field but also a very complex field. What is good to start with, is to focus on the most well known hormones and try to address that. For now, don’t try to go immediately too deep into endocrinology as you will be lost there. Just go step by step. 🙂

    1. Dear Paul,
      When i see you message,i shout and say yes:).I am happy about you.
      Now we are together.I am nearly 18 days before you.
      T4 is declining slowly,it takes more than 30 days to reach nadir.But you will see TSH will rocket for some days.
      And we saw no side effect.
      Kind Regards
      Ergin

      1. Dear ergin,

        We started lowering T4 around new year, we came down from 24 to 15 so far, it takes its time. Site on top of page for T3 purchase is not functional. As TSH is 10 we need T3 supplement badly.

        Kind regards
        Paul

  2. Good results is begining to come from T4 strategy from our Dr.He said we are more powerful with this strategy with iv curcumin +iv vitc.Some of the patients respond quickly.But the only problem is time needed to see long results.And i dont know who didnt respond honestly.
    I wrote every step to Emad.I can not say try it.I am not proffesional like doctors,after a bad happening they dont care.But i cant live with this with all my life.I hope you understand.
    Some of my mothers tumors gone and lowered in volume on periton on scans this week.
    We will see on coming weeks if gemzar alone will work with T4 strategy or not.
    Because of late begining to T3,hypothyroidism occured.And markers rose to 400 because of ascid.
    I think they are gone now.
    I also wonder Paul is doing this strategy or not.

  3. Dear Friends,
    Good results is begining to come from T4 strategy from our Dr.He said we are more powerful with this strategy with iv curcumin +iv vitc.Some of the patients respond quickly.But the only problem is time needed to see long results.And i dont know who didnt respond honestly.
    I wrote every step to Emad.I can not say try it.I am not proffesional like doctors,after a bad happening they dont care.But i cant live with this with all my life.I hope you understand.
    Some of my mothers tumors gone and lowered in volume on periton on scans this week.
    We will see on coming weeks if gemzar alone will work with T4 strategy or not.
    Because of late begining to T3,hypothyroidism occured.And markers rose to 400 because of ascid.
    I think they are gone now.
    I also wonder Paul is doing this strategy or not.

    1. Thank you Ergin, this is off course a great result and may be great news and useful for many reading this!

      I would have many questions to ask but I will limit my questions to only one now: From your report, I understand the Dr. in Turkey is seeing positive results in other patients as well after implementing the T4-depletion strategy. Do you know what type of cancers are those that responded and have you actually met with some of those patients? Thank you.

      1. Dear Daniel,
        I also have lots of questions to Dr but didnt get exact answers as you know.I couldnt talk with patients one by one.
        But talked some of them.They look happy and believing this strategy.
        Dr said he saw also good responces with pancreas with T4 strategy.And some other types respond quickly.
        (I am not responsible for his words)
        My mom is the only one who got CT scan because we began T4 depletion strategy 2 weeks before his patients.

        He already has a very effective treatment.Iv curcumin+Iv vitC+Hyperthermia.I saw 3 complete responces when we go there for chemo in 2 days.
        They are coming for only Iv vitc there weekly after remission.2 of them are lung cancer,1 of them is kindey.
        1 of the lung cancer patient has said to go to home and no treatments could be effective for him.Than he went near Dr.
        He said he has lots of complete responces.There is a very positive environment in hospital.He is very positive.
        Dear Daniel,this is a summary but when i hear stg positive from dr or from my side i will directly write it here.
        We need may be 2 more months to see exact results.But what i am thinking is:it is working .And we dont forget these are very early results.Depletion of T4 takes minimum 6 weeks.
        Some of the patients began metimazole whose thyroid is functional.I have blood counts of a patient who uses it.
        Any question any help i am here for answering if i can.
        AND thank you Daniel for finding and sharing this strategy for us.I hope it works for all patients who will try it,if not
        i wont forgive myself because i have little knowledge about hormones and cancer.I can only talk on how to arrange T3 or metimazole for not entering hypothyroidism.I hope you understand me.I feel alittle bit nervous and took too much responsibility.187,000 people entered this site.How are you managing with this Daniel?
        Kind Regards
        Ergin

        1. Hi Ergin,

          Thank you for the details. I very much appreciate them and also the way you explained. As I understand from your post, the point is that there may be some very good results, that could be in line with the scientific article discussed in the post above, the doctors feels he sees results in at least a few patients, however it is too early to claim that.

          As I also understand, from the latest CT scan you have seen tumor regression but is difficult to attribute that to the T4-depletion strategy. Am I right? It could be also due to the chemotherapy you are currently using, right?

          Your last question is hitting exactly at the core of the thoughts I often have. So here are some incoherent words from me on this topic and I would very much appreciate your comments and that of other people as well:

          The point of this website is to offer information, unbiased. Everything started with our need (that of my wife and myself) to find a solution to cancer and not an anecdotal story. One that is based on real science and real successful cases when applied on humans. That is what I searched for us and I share here: unbiased science, consolidated, trying as much as I can to filter out the noise that is allover the internet, with the best for the people in mind. I like if the website is used, but I really do not care if it is not used. I do not have any financial of popularity needs and with that I am free and thus unbiased.

          However, what I am afraid of is being unconsciously biased when presenting the info. This is why feedback of those like you with right questions and comments can balance that if it happens.

          I often thought if I should continue going down this road Ergin. Even if the website is meant to share info only and nothing else, I still feel huge responsibility for the info I share. But in the end this is just info already available, I explain to myself. What I am doing is to only consolidate what I find of value. Now the questions is: Is it truly valuable or misleading? The answer to that comes from two directions to me: one, it is the type of info that added years to my dear wife’s life. Second, a large part of the info is produced by some of the best Universities in this world (i.e. the teachers of the oncologists). If this is not valuable, than there is nothing valuable in this world, isn’t it?

          When I am wondering if I should go forward with sharing the info here, or stop with it, I am also thinking: what if all the world will stop sharing the info and what if all the doctors will stop treating the patients, in order not to be part of someone’s else problem? Would that be good? These are a bit of my thought & questions and it is really difficult Ergin, so I would need some thoughts from all of you as it comes nearly every day in my mind. What is clear is that would be so much easier for me to stop with all this and go on with a typical life … but is this the right way to go when we know that so much value is available in academic space and it is not used to help improve and extend life of patients …

          Besides trying to be unbiased, and allowing visitor comments on the posts that can balance my post in case they are unbalanced, the only thing I can do is to pray to God that the info I share here will only have positive impact on this world.

          I will very much appreciate comments/questions on the above from anyone reading it, and I thank you in advance.

          Kind regards,
          Daniel

          1. Dear Daniel,
            I can not sleep today because of your very kind message and Emad.
            Please dont leave us.People need you.It is our home, our hope.When i feel bad i read and read and read phlorizin+dapagliflozin.You are not responsible of anything,it is all our choice..
            1 more time i will read phlorizin patent today.If you know me a little bit,you know that i will try it.For me the most effective cancer treatment in the world.Which i learned from you.It keeps me alive,believe me.
            And i hope i will say that it works for cancers which expresses SGLT.
            I gave you a promise Daniel that if T4 strategy or phlorizin works,i will create a twin of your site with same name in my language.
            I feel that the time is coming to create it.
            Kind Regards
            Ergin

            1. Hi Ergin,

              Thank you for your kind msg as well. I do not want to leave, but I just share with you some of my thoughts that represent a constant pressure in myself. Oncology, is clearly a very difficult field with multiple sensitive aspects …
              Great to hear about the Turkish translation you are planing. I am looking forward to see that, and even more to see that some of the strategies discussed here are effective as expected 🙂

              Kind regards,
              Daniel

            2. Hi Daniel,
              As you know I have just discovered your website, and it is a fantastic resource for people like me who are desperately trying to find a way to stay alive.
              However, if you feel it has become a burden, then you should let it go.
              It is not your job to save us all, especially after all you have been through already. I’m sure there is nobody on here who would want to deny you a chance to live a life without thinking about cancer every single day. However, if you find it therapeutic, or if it is helping you to heal your grief by helping others, then that is OK. But if you are asking the question, I think perhaps you already know the answer…There is great info already on here thanks to you which is helping us all. You mustn’t feel it is your duty to keep this site going every day.
              You are a breath of fresh air when it comes to this massive money-making cancer industry on the internet.
              I am particularly disillusioned by some of the doctors in Mexico and Germany who charge hundreds of thousands of pounds for their treatments, yet offer no guarantees at all. I cannot see how they can justify their charges, except that they know we are desperate people looking for anything that might help us or our loved ones.
              At first I thought Ty Bollinger, Lee Eular etc were in it for the right reasons, but at the end of the day they are all making a million dollar fortune on the back of desperate people like us.
              Sorry, but that is the truth. Everything is about selling their books, videos, supplements or incredibly expensive stays at their hospitals. I have already spent tens of thousands of pounds to no avail. But I am still looking for the right doctor who will cure me, or at least help me live with cancer as a chronic disease. Do they exist? I still believe, and it’s people like you, Daniel, who give me hope that there is something or someone out there for me and others like us. Bravo, you are an amazing guy!

            3. Dear Hectoria, thank you for your kind message. Indeed, oncology is a difficult field. It would be indeed easier to just do something else other than continuing my activity in oncology. Everything else seems easier than this. However, I saw that there is so much that can be done for advanced cancer patients. There are so many findings in the academic world that can add value to the life of a cancer patient. We have experienced the benefit of that, and knowing how difficult is when a patient is left without treatment options, it would be a pity not to try and share what I learned and with that hopefully have some positive impact on people in need. I could spend my time trying to enjoy life like anyone out there, but in the end what is our purpose on this planet? If the purpose would be just to enjoy life, such as traveling, BBQ with friends, etc., I feel it would be too little to justify the complex human life and what comes after that. And if all people would take the easy route in life, we would probably not see much evolution. So, some people have to sacrifice part of their life time for evolution, and I am and intend to continue being between those doing that. Now I do that in my free time but next year will do it full time. That is a little of the way I think that made me decide to start up with the Foundation. But off course, I will not be able to do much without the support of others. So I will do my best continuing on this road with a clear goals in mind, i.e. improve and extend life of advanced cancer patients, and hope that in time there will be enough momentum to make a difference, beyond this website.
              I so much understand your points regarding the large amount of money we need to pay everywhere when it comes to advanced cancer. We spend so much money as well and indeed nobody could guaranty anything. (And a good part of what I learned on this road while paying a lot of money is shared here for free 🙂 ) This is why it is so important to understand what are the clinics that offer real chance based on the treatment methods they are using and the quality of their doctors. But it is difficult to identify them, I know. I have so many stories on this line as well … but this is why I am also thinking that one of the Foundation activity should be focused on identifying the valuable clinics.
              There are some other organisations doing that, but as long as the “filtering” activities are not financed by the patients there is always a chance that those activities are actually supported by the clinics, as an advertisement tool.
              This will be one of the challenge of the Foundation, and this is why I will need to find an independent financial source to support such activities. I did met doctors that at least they have the best intentions, they are doing their best and also going deep enough into science to understand what they are doing and try to improve that. So I am sure there are doctors like this, but off course not many.
              Thanks a lot again and hope you will find something on this website that will help you!

          2. Daniel,

            I can give you a few reasons why your website is so important.

            There are many cancer forums on the internet with a lot of information regarding conventional treatments. People who want to push the limits have to search deeper. I also follow Jane’s and Steve’s sites for repurposed drugs but your site has many more strategies.

            There is a lot of sites about alternative/conventional treatments for cancer. Most of them have commercial interest and try to promote supplements, certain clinics, etc. I don’t bother much with these sites.

            There are alternative clinics that charge thousands of dollars/euros for the strategies you describe on your site. Most people simply do not have that kind of money but would like to try the treatments.

            Your site offers real hope. If somebody wants to keep fighting there is always one more strategy to try.

            I would like to ask anybody who visits your site to post their experience. Good or bad results – it all matters, it can help someone one day. I will post soon about my results.

            Cancer not only kills the host but it persists after your death in the grief of your family (I am getting poetic after I cleared chemo brain). We all want our loved ones to be happy, with us or without us.
            Daniel, if this website will become too much for you one day, I think, cancer patients will forgive you for leaving. But I hope this site will have a long life and you will be named a pioneer of some of these strategies.

            Tanya

            1. Thank you so much Tanya for sharing these very helpful thoughts. Can you please share with us Jane’s and Steve’s sites for re purposed drugs? I am not sure I know them already. And maybe it helps others too. Thank you.

            2. i agree Tanya. so sad and true about what you wrote about family. 🙁

            3. Tanya

              I would like to know more about Re-purposed drugs. Could you give us the website of information on Jane and Steve?

              Paul

            4. hi Paul
              i dont know what sites Tnya referred to exactly but
              https://repurposingdrugs101.com/
              provides some useful info.

              nice article:
              http://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-and-analysis/features/repositioning-existing-drugs-for-cancer-treatment/20068778.article

              Personally I think its an awesome area, mebendazole, cimetidine, accutane, chloroquie and metformin seem to be the most researched pills. Be aware of the brutal side effects of chloroquine- the other pills are less dangerous. Also, cimetidine makes many other pills (like chloroquine) a lot a stronger, so take care with any combination.

            5. One site is called “our brain tumor cocktails and stories”. Also Jane McLelland off label drug for cancer Facebook group. I think these are widely known sites. I’ve seen references from Daniel’s site there. There is also a good Facebook group on keto diet, i think it is “practical keto”.

              I’ve read hundreds of patients stories on official cancer forum sites. I did see quite a few successful stories about using complementary treatments for different cancers. Not cure stories but mostly slowing down the progression of cancer, staying off chemo for longer, that type of stories.

              Also the book by Ben Williams – “surviving the terminal cancer”. I think he is a pioneer of using repurposed drugs for cancer. “Curing cancer with immunotherapy” by Rene and Edward Chee in another interesting story of success by perseverance and outside of box thinking.

            6. Tanya

              Thanks for this information. i will look at these two sites.

              Paul

          3. hi Daniel,

            i think you ARE unbiased, you always mention dangers and never claim things that are not backed. It is a not a site that sells something and keeps lying.

            You provide VALUABLE info. Even if you write only a few articles per yr, the existing ones are here and people help each other here.

            thank you really,
            W

            1. Thanks a lot for the feedback W. This helps me to keep my motivation up. I still have a full time job and that leads to low nr. of articles/year. Once I stop my job, there will be much more added value around this website and beyond.

            2. You are welcome. The low number per year i meant for the future for the sake of less stress, was not low so far…especially with so much details ..

            3. Hi W. Thank you. I see. Well it is not the articles that are inducing stress. That is a pleasure for me, i.e. connecting the dots and seeing patterns – that is what I like the most and can do best. But it is the responsibility that I feel it comes with the existence of this website. But I guess in the end that strong feeling of responsibility regarding the info shared will only help improve the content.

            4. Maybe you should take more breaks and have days off when you dont read the comments . dont put too much pressure on yourself, especially in this difficult period of life. Maybe it helps though..you know better!

          4. Dear Daniel,
            Thank You for this website filled with valuable information and kind atmosphere here.

            There are so many research papers around the web that it takes very much time to understand true issues.

            I see Your website as the catalyst who points to the most valuable information from all the research world.

            It took years for me to understand that there are more options outside the official guidelines. My oncologist does not recommend even aspirin.

            You and this website gives hope!

            Thank You,
            ieva

            1. i fully agree ieva. My oncologist told me not to lose weight and buy protein drinks. Nothing else matters in her view.

            2. Thanks a lot ieva. I just shared some of the thoughts and questions going through my mind. Is just that every now and then I need to check if the website goes in the right direction, and since there is no feedback mechanism sometimes I am wondering if I am doing the right thing moving forward on this line. How are you? Are you now close to starting again radiation? I hope you are doing well.
              Btw, what is your opinion about Rigvir, as you may be closer to the location (or maybe I am wrong?) where it is produced and often used? Thank you.

            3. Thanks, Daniel,
              I feel fine – some days very good, some days so tired, but that is usually after long previous day. I am like full day worker – my kids do not attend kindergarten, so we teach them by ourselves. And sometimes this mean that reading fairy tales is more important than scientific news in cancer research ;)…
              Now we live outside city, near the sea, but if I want to go to my oncology clinic, then 150km one way to go. But I love to ride a car, while I can :). Since I have bone mets in my right femur, sometimes I feel pain in the leg and in the hip joint. Since my kids use to vomit during car ride, it is challenge to get till destination in time :).
              I also for the first time have 5 rows of vegetable garden 😉 – Not much but for feeling the soil smell and hearing nearest sea waves this is enough and emotionally fulfilling.

              Ok, sorry for this off topic :), but this is why I do not post so often.

              According to my medical situation – next week I will see my immunologist who few weeks ago agreed to prescribe Tevagrastim for me. We also had discussion about Rigvir last year and maybe I will start this one just do not now which time would be the best. IN my country Rigvir is in guidelines for melanoma and this is the only case the state will cover the costs of this medication.

              Tomorrow I will know will I get ImmunoMax from Russia.

              According to other medication – I got
              Loratadine in the place of Desloratadine,
              Ranitidine in the place of Cimetidine. (we do not have cimetidine in my country but I can try to get it from Romania :))

              Next week I will go to radiation measurement and after 2 weeks my radiation course will start.
              When would be the best time to start some immune activating medications?

              Thank You,
              ieva

            4. Dear ieva,

              Thnaks you so much for your e-mail. Sorry for the delay of my response but I was traveling these days and did not had the chance to respond. i just took the msgs one by one added earlier and tried to respond those first. I actually tried to respond last night when I was back in the hotel but I fell asleep while trying to write responses 🙂

              Great to hear you are fine. The details you added first are so beautiful and I think they matter so much. I think it is great that you are balancing the fight with cancer with actually making the best out of every day by taking care of your kids, reading them stories, and enjoying the nature.

              I was wondering, what is the price of Rigvir in your country?

              Regarding the replacement of Cimetidine with Ranitidine, based on the following reference Ranitidine would not lead to the same anti mets effects: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10919677 since besides the antihistamine activity, there is an off target effect of Cimetidine that seems to not be present for the other anti histamine: “Cimetidine inhibits cancer cell adhesion to endothelial cells and prevents metastasis by blocking E-selectin expression”

              Cimetidine is not available in Romania anymore but it is available as an over the counter in US or Asian countries and can be accessible via Ebay: Reference It is also available at German pharmacies but there it is on prescription.

              What are the Immune activation medication you intend to use? Maybe I can check them shortly to see if there is any time dependence related to them.

              Kind regards,
              Daniel

            5. Oncolytic virus Rigvir in yesterday`s news – our government decided to keep Rigvir in the list of reimbursable medicines for melanoma despite the force of the Society of Oncologists to remove it from this list of reimbursable medicines. The Society of Oncologist requires stronger scientific proof of treatment effectiveness.
              The cost is around 100 eur for latvian citizens with oncologist prescription and 350eur for non latvian citizens. For free for melanoma patients in specific conditions (not in late stages).

            6. hi Sirsna, how much do you get for 100 EUr / 350 EUR? one injection? what is the “usual” amount people take?
              cheers
              W

            7. Hi W,
              Yes, the price is for 1 injection.
              About treatment protocol – I do not know exactly, but something like this – the first week 3 injections, then slowly to 1 injection per week for a very long period.

            8. Sorry, I was incorrect about Rigvir protocol in previous post.

              This is protocol for Melanoma. It can change depending on lymph status etc
              https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4560272/

              “Method of Rigvir administration

              Treatment was started after surgical excision of the primary melanoma tumour when the wound had healed. First, Rigvir (2 ml) was administered intramuscularly regionally for 3 consecutive days. After about 4 weeks, administration was repeated for three consecutive days and repeated about 4 weeks later. Subsequently, a single administration of Rigvir (2 ml, intramuscularly) was performed at monthly intervals during the first year, at 6-week intervals during the first half of the second year, at 2-month intervals during the second half of the second year and at 3-month intervals in the third year. Rigvir is not to be used during an acute infection.”

          5. Daniel

            Please do not stop anything you are doing with the website. I have spend years searching for a site that has this much comprehensive information on so many different treatment modalities. There just is no where else to find this much complete information in one place.
            You are helping so many people with your kind thoughts and words of encouragement. We all look up to you and are so glad to have this made available for all of us to share. Thank you for what you do.

            Paul

            1. Thanks a lot Paul! I will use your feedback and that of others as a reference point for deciding on next steps. Kind regards, Daniel

    2. Hi Ergin,

      Really glad you’ve found something which works for you. I’m wondering: are you using just the T4 depletion strategy or have you combined it with chemo or other treatments?

      1. Dear Meech,
        Thank you very much.She is on chemo(Gemzar 1400 mg) with this stratgey(T3 :2 X12,5 mcg/day) +metformin(2x1000mg/day)+iv curcumin(600mg) before chemo+hyperthermia(1hour)+lansoprazole(30mg)+exforge(hypertension).
        But before,she tried mebendazole+chloroquine+itraconazole+(hca+citric acid:sure not worked and i hate both)+dca+
        collodial silver+iv vitc+melatonin+quercetin+artemisinin+beta glucan+1 shot dapagliflozin before chemo.
        So Dear Meech it is very hard to say that which one worked.But in next 4 weeks, i can say that T4 worked or not.
        Because she is taking only Gemzar as chemo.
        In theory if T4 is a working strategy,it should work alone also.It is a good angiogenesis inhibition strategy.
        I highly recommend you to search for dapagliflozin.We need Daniel to enter this subject.
        If we are talking on glyco inhibitors and believe that they works,dapagliflozin looks best for my opinion.
        On mice tests after 1 hour iv dapagliflozin,there is no glucose inside the tumor.(oral type is sold in pharmacies)
        If glycolitic inibhitors are told us as a cure of cancer,isnt dapagliflozin the cure of cancer?
        For me it is not,but it should work perfect and helps to the other treatments.
        Kind Regards
        Ergin

    1. Dear Tanya,
      I can take the responsibilty of all drugs that Daniel find,experienced and put here for people to
      read,to talk about it and maybe use it.You can try all drugs and look for the results for 1-2 weeks.Nearly all drugs.
      But this is a total different strategyThis is not only a drug.
      All the load is on my shoulder now.It is too heavy for me to lift.So i have to talk honestly what i saw and experienced.
      May be cancer history is changing in this page.At least for some.

      I have no luxury to write Dr’s results because he is secreting lots of knowledge from me,it is his job and we are the patient.
      He will write an academic paper about it later i think.A serious clinical trial he began about T4 depletion strategy.
      I hope i will write lots of valuable results about it on coming weeks,months,years.
      Kind Regards
      Ergin

      1. Hi Ergin,

        If the doctors is finding useful the info shared on this website, it would be nice of him to also say a “Hello” here when he finds the time. Also, please send him my (and probably of all of us) appreciation for being so open minded and implementing so fast the T4-depletion strategy.

        If he gets good results, we will make sure through this website that the world knows.

        Kind regards,
        Daniel

          1. It is probably one of the most simple treatment approach, extremely cheap and accessible. The only drawback is that requires a two weeks thyroid hormone check. Anyway, lets hope we are going to continue seeing positive updates from Ergin on this subject.

        1. Hi Daniel,
          I believe one day he will come here and say hello to world.And say thanks to you.
          I hope it works and helps people.
          He has good relationships with German clinics.Next week he will be on the biggest oncology conference in Germany.
          I believe he will use 3BP+SAL+Phlorizin on coming years.He is bored of me and my questions.Imagine how i give him a pressure to work on phlorizin. I know how i make you bored from my questions.
          We have to read and work always but we have to use some of the treatments while cancer is working inside.
          Kind Regards
          Ergin

          1. Hi Ergin,

            Let’s hope that indeed it works and helps many. When that happens I think the doctor should say thanks to all the “players in the chain”, from the paper authors yo you bringing the info to him, and we should say a big thanks to him for further demonstrating that what the authors of the papers cited above have started.

            I think the doctor is not border of you. You brought to him very valuable ideas that can help both the patients and the doctor. I am sure he appreciates that but I can imagine that he is also very busy. It is very difficult for them to see new patients, treat them and at the same time stay up to date with recent developments and even implement new treatments.

            Off course I am not bored of your question Ergin.

            Yes, what I constantly learned from all what I see, is that We Need To Act Now when dealing with cancer. Time is essential. And my conclusion is that acting on different lines at the same time is very important since the time is limited. Even if sometimes we will not know what are all the possible interactions. In the end nobody knows that. A high level check they are not working against each other should be enough. But adding more strategies at the same time it will likely lead to increase the chance for effectiveness. That is my conclusion based on what I see so far.

            Kind regards,
            Daniel

  4. Dear D, yes I have been having doubts about being an anti-cancer fighter too. I am sure that there must be others out there that could help out all those in need. Yet, for whatever reason these people usually do not step forward. So, we are left with chemotherapies and other treatments that have been used sometimes for half a century or more.

    Yet, at the same there is this overwhelming torrent of cancer research published every day. For many cancer patients all of the research that has been done for all these decades and decades never in any way benefits them. The river of research is so enormous that it is allowed to flow away from the people it could benefit. You have provided a way for people to capture some of this knowledge so that it can be digestible to those many who are coping with this illness. The nearly 1 million visits to your site
    clearly show how much others value your contribution!

    One also need look no further than the 3-BP saga to see the importance of citizen participation. Years and years after the initial research had been published there still had been not a single published patient. Then a teenager went to Germany and changed the conversation. Sometimes when we are feeling down about things we need to remember that change is possible — even with all the forces that seem to oppose it. The initiative of a single person can change everything! We now might only be a year before the start of a phase 1 trial! I am so happy! Somehow a grass roots effort has forced a clinical trial to occur.

    Best Wishes and keep up the great work!

    {Heard of thapsigargin? The Arabs call it “death carrot”.
    http://www.inspyrtx.com/product-pipeline mipsagargin (G-202)
    http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/drug_from_mediterranean_weed_kills_tumor_cells_in_mice }

    1. Dear J. Thanks a lot! Your msg is very refreshing and helpful. About the trials we would have to discuss on Skype maybe to start thinking what can we do on this line. I just arrived at the hotel (I am in a business trip due to work) so I will have look at Thapsigargin in the coming days. Thank you.

  5. Hi Ergin,

    You mentioned in one of your posts that you got in touch with Dr. Hercberg regarding T4 depletion strategy. I am thinking to try it too.
    I would do it if I am under supervision of an endocrinologist or somebody experienced with this strategy. It is too scary to mess with your hormones on your own. I really would like to get in touch with Dr. Hercberg and see if he can be of any assistance.
    Was it difficult to for you to get in touch with him? Is he willing to talk to cancer patients who are interested in this strategy?
    Thank you.

    Tanya

    1. Hi Tanya,
      He is a very kind doctor.I am sure he will help you.
      What i did:A very short mail because he is very busy with mails.
      Just write your illness,stage,chemo or not.And your hormone counts ofcourse.
      You can write i dont want to take your too much time and very interested for your treatment etc etc.:)

      Kind Regards
      Ergin

  6. Thank you, Ergin.
    Is he involved in your mother’s treatment or turkish doctor manages it by himself?
    I am trying to understand how much he is willing to be involved in care of patients trying his strategy.

    Thank’s.

    1. Dear Tanya,Dr Aleck Hercbergs is ofcourse very interested in this strategy.He has lots of patients through internet i think.
      May be he will be very very popular on coming years in the world.I hope it works for everyone but time will show us.
      If nothing works,how many chances do we have?
      You have to read his protocol carefully.It is not very hard to manage dosages.You dont need a doctor if you follow his protocol carefully.Frequent blood counts is must.
      Kind Regards
      Ergin

  7. I have learned lots of things about T4 depletion strategy.
    We unfortunately left this strategy because of side effects,because of age of my mother.
    But i have good feelings about hypothyroidism and chemosensitivity.But hypothyroidism also have some side-effects like edema.
    Both T4 and T3 is antagonist to chemo and T4 is much higher.
    Dr Aleck Hercbergs said also that the important thing in this strategy is not TSH levels.
    With minimum T3 hormones which you can live and see no side effects is the dosage i think.
    That is my experience,not knowledge.

    1. I’m so sorry brother.
      i’m not sure but what if the edema is something the body creates to kill and encapsulate the “enemy” in our case, the cancer tumor.
      Take care bro.
      Alex

      1. Dear Alex,
        How is your mom and you?
        Do you remember my mothers all ca markers was rising after hypothyroidism.
        Like she is breast cancer,lung cancer etc.
        That was clearly because of edema
        Best wishes
        Ergin

        1. Thank you brother

          I hope things go better for your mother and you.
          For now my mother is taking Tarceva and it seems to be helping with her pain.
          I remember before her paralisys her CA-19-9 was very high but CEA was lower.

          My best wishes to you and everyone here,
          Have a great weekend.
          Alex

  8. When I started, four weeks ago my numbers were:

    TSH: 6.07 mIU/L
    T4 Free: 18 pmol/L
    Free T3: 3.4 pmol/L

    After two weeks and three days they were:

    TSH: 0.14mIU/L
    T4 Free: 13pmol/L
    Free T3: 5.4pmol/L

    It’s been almost two weeks since that last test, and I should be going in for another blood test next week. I don’t feel any shrinkage in palpable tumours. My liver has started to hurt heavily in spots. So for 2 days it’ll hurt in one spot, and refer to the shoulder, then it’ll completely go away, and pain will start a day or two later in another spot in the liver, and that one subsequently completely disappears, etc. Seems like some sort of inflammation or something.

      1. Dear Meech,
        There is stg wrong with your blood counts.
        You have used T3 too much.
        It is not what we want.
        Tsh is too low.Please call me or write an email

  9. Hello all,

    Thanks Daniel for this very interesting article. I knew I needed to dig into this subject, and the more I research, the more I find it relevant.
    My wife had a thyroïdectomy 8 years ago(cancer). She has been on T4 since then(150mcg). It’s a pretty high dose which aimed to have undetectable TSH. From what I understand and in regards with the low risk of relapse of her cancer, this dosage was totally unjustified.
    Recently she has a huge raise in TSH at 47(15 times normal range) and her T4 is 9.2(a bit above lower limit). Surprinsgly she doesnt have any symptoms of hypothyroidism. She is taking 60mg of melatonin per day and I suspect Mel to explain this TSH raise. I would normally be concerned by this lab test but (I) she is well and (II) I really prefer her to be on the hypo rather than hyper side. Anyway, I would like her to stop T4 as it’s very likely oncogenic and could have contributed to the genesis of her cancer. Besides, there is positive datas of induced hypothyroidism on soft tissue sarcoma. This strategy also adress my main target which is angiogenesis.

    I ll talk soon to her endocrinologist about T3 supplementation instead of T4.

    Your thoughts are welcome

    Julien

    1. Hi Julien,

      I also think this is a very relevant subject.
      I think the best is to contact Dr. Aleck Hercbergs at hercbergs (at) gmail.com
      To my understanding he is responds his e-mails and is trying to help people.

      Kind regards,
      Daniel

  10. Thanks Daniel,

    I just sent him a mail ; Interestingly, I just read a paper saying that Ketruda, the curent cancer star drug induce hypothyroidism ; I wonder how much this aspect is involved in the reponse rate of this medication.

    1. HI Jullien,

      Yes … these are very interesting points that we need to follow and see if pasterns emerge. I also thought is very interesting to realise that T4 is upregulating Na/H exchange on the cell membrane, which is known to be elevate in cancer and used by the cancer cells to maintain a suitable pH. It’s very nice to find such connection points between field of science, i.e. immunotherapy, hormones, metabolism …

      Kind regards,
      Daniel

  11. WOW! In his 2019 review Dr. H says something that is extraordinary in my opinion. He wrote “In the absence of T4, cancer cell mitogenesis and proliferation does not occur.” Taken literally, I read this to mean that if we eliminate thyroid T4 from a body by any means, then (most) cancers stop growing completely! WOW! Not even the most expensive drugs, surgery, chemo or radiation procedures can guarantee this!
    He seems to have used this therapy with many patients, so he has quite a bit of experience. He seems to deplete T4 in the body (either by the use of Methimazole, an inexpensive antithyroid drug used to treat hyperthyroidism or, in the case of hypothyroid patients, by stopping their use of levothyroxine) and administer T3 to the patients 2 or 3 times a day to replace the T3 the body would normally make from T4. Depleting the T4 stops their cancers growth. The T3 is used so that patients would not feel the lack of thyroid function.
    Most of the patients listed in his review experienced some improvement as a result of this cancer growth arrest, and some got complete response, i.e. remission. The list includes breast, pancreas, NSCC, lung, RCC, HNSCC and HN cancer and various gliomas.
    If this simple and affordable regimen works for a large number of people, this may be the biggest breakthrough in oncology in decades.
    I am thankful that Daniel set up this forum where we can learn about these things that most of us would not find out otherwise.
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2019.00565/full
    Anyone in this forum with experience in this therapy that would’t mind sharing their experience with the rest of us?
    Does anyone know of a T3 medication that is sustained release, so that it can be taken just once a day?

    1. Hi Bob,

      Thanks a lot! This is a great review of the field!

      My conclusion is that: There are some types of cancer (CRC and HCC) where we may have to reconsider if we are actively pushing for lowering thyroid hormones, but overall “Several population based studies have demonstrated increased cancer mortality in hyperthyroidism, with opposite outcomes in hypothyroidism, supporting the assumption of growth promoting effect of thyroid hormones.”

      I also like this point “in a recent study of 51 non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor (160), 21% of patients developed hypothyroidism requiring thyroid hormone replacement, with 80% developing positive antithyroid antibodies. Overall survival (OS) with pembrolizumab was significantly longer in subjects who developed thyroid dysfunction”

      I like it, because some years ago I’ve made exactly this point somewhere on this website: in some cancer patients anti PD-1 inhibitors may work just because of their influence on thyroid and not necessarily because of their direct action against tumors via the activation of the immune system against tumors. So is nice to see that this review makes the connection here.

      Kind regards,
      Daniel

  12. Hi

    I can’t wholly understand the mechanism behind my case, but what i know is that:
    – mesenchymal chondrosarcoma tumor generates small bone alike calcifications within tumor’s soft tissue. This should probably mean that mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is heavily relies on Calcium for tumor proliferation and efflux its excess to extracellular space.
    – Article “Evaluating the Role of PTH in Promotion of Chondrosarcoma Cell Proliferation and Invasion by Inhibiting Primary Cilia Expression” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264140/ shows relation of parthyroid hormone to the chondrosarcoma cell proliferation.
    – There are articles stating relationship between thyroid hormones and blood pressure
    – There is another article “Effects Of Verapamil On Bone Cancer Cells In Vitro” http://www.heraldopenaccess.us/openaccess/effects-of-verapamil-on-bone-cancer-cells-in-vitro where verapamil alone induces saying:
    “We report here some of the possible interactions of growth factors and verapamil with G292 osteosaroma cells with respect to their cell activity. Co-culture of G292 osteosarcoma cells with Human Platelet Lysate (HPL) and Platelet Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) enhanced their activity. However, when treated with verapamil at relatively high doses, this cellular activity was significantly decreased.”
    – patient has low blood pressure (90/70). Using calcium blocker (e.g. verapamil) isn’t a choice therefore as blood pressure will be reduced further. Also cytotoxic doses of verapamil isn’t achievable using conventional drug delivery (either IV or oral) except when it is delivered locally, as it is done by clinical researchers in China (the link to article was posted be me)
    – Apparently heartbeat is unusually high (80-90) and according to caregiver it was the same before the chemo’s started (so subjectively we can exclude cardiotoxicity as a reason for high heartbeat)
    – interestingly patient’s caregiver reported good impact on overall health when Verapamil was administered in standard doses. (though no direct impact on tumor size was measured as administration was interrupted due to low blood pressure). Probably that related to heartbeat decrease due to Verapamil.

    Now i feel that i could make a progress if that puzzle above could be solved from hormone treatment point of view. Any ideas?
    Appreciate for help!

  13. Is the regulation of thyroid hormone a mechanism the Low dose Naltrexone may act on?

    Slowing Down Hashimoto’s with Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
    https://www.ldnscience.org/lp/ldn-slowing-hashimotos
    It has been widely reported by patients taking LDN who are also on thyroid replacement medication that they can often lower their hormone dosage as the immune-normalizing effects by LDN slow down the autoimmune process.

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