A quick update from Annie Appleseed conference

Killer mushrooms - in a good way.

Well my friend Ashlie and I finally made it to West Palm Beach for the Annie Appleseed Conference.  I was wondering if we’d ever get here, given the five-hour delay with our flight. Snow closed Chrissy’s school, as well as most in the city. It was sunny and in the sixties when we arrived, but was getting dark by the time we got to the hotel.

It was bittersweet coming here. My dad and Stepmom lived in Boca Raton, and we always flew in to this airport when we visited. My dad passed away two weeks after I was diagnosed in 2002 and Jean, my Stepmom, passed away last year. I could almost see them pulling up and hurrying us to their favorite restaurant for the early bird special.

When we arrived, the conference had a nice organic buffet and an opportunity to visit vendors’ booths. I am particularly interested in a supplement called Avemar, which has been reviewed by more than 30 peer-reviewed medical journals and has about 100 studies associated with it showing it reduces the chance of recurrence. My friend Pattie, who is being a treated by a naturopath, told me about it a while ago. It is all very scientific, which usually makes my eyes glaze over, but Avemar is fermented wheat germ extract that is shown to enhance the body’s immune response and work in conjunction with standard treatment.

Another thing that caught my eye was a Japanese  supplement called AHCC, which is derived from medicinal mushrooms.  Columbia Presbyterian, Yale School of Medicine and UC Davis Cancer Center have done studies on its ability to reduce chemo side effects and increase the number of the body’s killer cells that destroy abnormal cells in the body.

There is so much information, it made my head swim a  bit. I had the chance to pass out my new cards for this blog and network a bit. The sessions don’t begin until tomorrow. I’ll make sure to share the highlights.