Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

news.ycombinator.com

301–310 of 380 posts

Re: Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

#301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All cancer treatments are probabilistic. There are no cures, just interventions that increase survival rates. There are no honest sentences that begin with "every cancer".

There is no diet that will even intervene with cancer, unless the patient dies. Cancer is the patient's own cell that has mutated to a point beyond apoptosis and adapted to be able to draw nutrients from cells around it. It started from just one cell. It has already evaded dietary fluctuations and adapted. EDIT: the reason I'm a spaz about this is I feel too many people focus on diet as the focus of cancer. While it…

I'm with you on this: Anyone that rejects clinically studied treatments in favor of "alternative" treatments is an idiot.

That said, the keto diet is being studied clinically and preliminary research does seem to indicate that it has an effect. So it may be an "in addition to" treatment. That said, the news isn't entirely good:

https://www.cancer.columbia.edu/news/study-finds-keto-diet-c...

The bottom line is ask your oncologist. They're probably paying attention to these keto studies and they know more about your cancer than HN does.

Re: Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

#302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

a) Nobody here is talking about unfounded things nor demanding anyone do anything. b) There are not thousands of things to try. In fact in most cases there will be no options since you will need to be in a clinical trial, asking a Doctor to try something unproven and unethical or need substantial resources.

a) Well founded things are roughly the things your doctor recommends. The rest is unfounded. Some unfounded things might really be worth trying if you have time and strength. Most aren't. Yet people who know you that mean well but have very limited capacity to evaluate what is worthwhile and what is not will firmly believe that the idea they are bringing you is the one that will cure your illness and the only hurdle…

I think the point here is that the OP was asking for moonshot suggestions...and people responded. Whether the person with the illness wants to hear these suggestions or not is between them and the OP. It is a sensitive area and people are all over the place in how they want to deal with it and its important to respect that.

Re: Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

#303
post #77

so sorry for your friend. I've wondered about the studies you linked as well as these from some previous links from HN you may or may not have already seen: mRNA Cancer Vaccine Reprograms Immune System to Tackle Glioblastoma in 48 Hours( https://www.insideprecisionmedicine.com/topics/oncology/mrna... ) 406 points|birriel|8 months ago|230 comments Researchers develop treatment that can kill glioblastoma cells in brain…

Here are those links, passed through HN's threadography software: Ask HN: Help with Glioblastoma - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41299748 - Aug 2024 (11 comments) Researchers develop treatment that can kill glioblastoma cells in brain pathway - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41144021 - Aug 2024 (19 comments) Doctor cancer free after novel glioblastoma self-treatment - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id…

Thank you @Dang! That's so much clearer.

Re: Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

#304
post #186
post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This fucking pisses me off. The current treatments ARE essential oils, and EVERY FUCKING ONE is recommending my friend he goes through chemo, radiation therapy and risky surgery, all of which are proved to be extremely debilitating, in the sake of following the standard protocol, with a potential reward of living some weeks more. Meanwhile, it is proven that the Zika virus does kill GBM cells in humans. This is what…

> Why not try a moonshot? It’s stupid not to. I'm a researcher in the biosciences, and know how unlikely it is that these one-off and in-vitro findings are likely to work but I would 100% scour the literature and try experimental treatments on myself if I were in this situation. You've made a good start in looking at some interesting ideas, and there are a few more in the replies. At the very least, it might provide…

I'm not sure I'd call Ray Peat's ideas "radical but not stupid". He claimed that eating a tablespoon of honey could cure almost any fatal injury.

Re: Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

#305
post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Addiction and other disorders are common among people with terminal or not-so-great prognosis It's horrifying that we don't just give them what they want . Who are we to judge?

I think that's a kind sentiment, but the counter arguments would be (1) they could very likely overdose and die, and (2) an addiction changes who you are, so it's not that "they" want it, it's the addiction that wants it. Your friend is the "they" before the addiction, and likely hates themselves after every time they fall off the wagon. To be clear we don't know the exact details, so we're speculating ; I could imag…

That sounds incredibly patronizing. For some people, just being comfortable and happy for the remainder of their brief miserable life is meaning enough.

Re: Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

#306
post #110

You should ask them if they want you playing doctor. I have a chronic disease, not fatal, and totally manageable. But the most annoying thing is when someone finds out and suddenly pretends to be the expert. Of course my doctors and I investigating it for years were completely wrong! I should’ve ate more apricots! Please just check with them if they want their limited time spent like that.

I have a friend who is an MD, and he recently asked me what I’ve been doing to manage my seborrheic dermatitis. Since dermatologists have no cure for it, we often have to resort to anecdotal treatments. Moreover, big pharma doesn’t invest in studies for treatments they can’t patent. Blind trust in medical professionals isn’t necessarily wise. Anecdotal solutions still hold significant value, in my opinion

What have you been doing? Asking for a desperate friend (me).

Re: Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

#307
post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it is ok to seek some alternatives or "hacks" for some hard to diagnose chronic stuff like fatigue, as there are so many things that can cause this. However, when you know you have certain disease there is nothing like talking to an expert in the field. Internet is filled with garbage and misinformation now. People selling snake oil. HackerNews is also filled with people who think they know better than expert…

Reminds me of the joke: What do you call alternative medicine that works? Medicine. If any of the wild things posted in threads like these actually worked, those things just be considered standard care.

For sure, I have an example from my life even.

I've seen a well regarded specials for a neurological issue I am having. She knows everything I've learned over the years and all about emerging research and treatments.

Suggested supplements I already knew about and meds. Also, said nothing is a silver bullet.

Re: Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

#308
post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why not try a moonshot? It’s stupid not to. I'm a researcher in the biosciences, and know how unlikely it is that these one-off and in-vitro findings are likely to work but I would 100% scour the literature and try experimental treatments on myself if I were in this situation. You've made a good start in looking at some interesting ideas, and there are a few more in the replies. At the very least, it might provide…

I'm not sure I'd call Ray Peat's ideas "radical but not stupid". He claimed that eating a tablespoon of honey could cure almost any fatal injury.

"Since the contextuality of communication is always in the foreground when I talk or write, you know that someone is confusing me with an authority when they talk about my `protocol' for something. Context is everything, and it’s individual and empirical." —Ray Peat

I suspect you are removing so much nuance and context as to make a reasonable idea seem quite stupid. Do you have a reference to that specific claim?

His general approach is to figure out what biological systems are impaired in a particular health condition, and rationally think through the possible underlying bottlenecks and regulation - including things like the nutrient substrates for metabolism, and hormones that trade off metabolic energy between different systems.

At a philosophical level, he was generally opposed to any type of prescription or protocol that claims to "cure almost any[thing]" and emphasizes the need to understand the individual context and biology for a certain situation. He flat out refused to give any general health or diet protocols, and only said what he did for himself in very specific situations related to his own personal health problems- which ignorant people with no biological knowledge have inappropriately tried to translate into general prescriptions and diet protocols.

They're cargo culting his personal diet, etc. when really following his philosophy would involve deeply studying and understanding the biology with an open mind, and thinking of creative solutions on your own.

If one is treating him as an authority, and copying what he did or said personally, they are already entirely missing the point, and acting completely against his actual philosophy of problem solving. His goal was mostly to strip authoritarianism from medicine, and replace it with an orientation towards personal deep understanding and creative problem solving.

It is my belief that people are so conditioned to expect simple nonsense "universal protocols" from both mainstream and alternative medicine, they refuse to listen when his whole point is to get people out of that kind of thinking... and try to still extract them from whatever he says.

Re: Ask HN: A friend has brain cancer: any bio hacks that worked?

#309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It could be birthday paradox, but it could potentially be enough to get someone to come check for contaminants. Looks like benzene, some pesticides, and formaldehyde are the common workplace exposures that can trigger leukemia. But some of those can turn up near housing.

> benzene, some pesticides, and formaldehyde are the common workplace exposures that can trigger leukemia. That rings a bell. I remember that someone mentioned a recent repainting of the building. The incident happened at least a decade ago, so I can't remember all details.

I just finished Silent Spring last fall and was shocked to learn they already knew DDT and other pesticides were causing leukemia back in 1960. I guess PR from the chemical companies is working, because I would have guessed 1979-1985.
Post reply on HN