My Shocking PSA Results - 061
It had been six months since my last prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, and I knew it was time for another set of labs. I arranged to have them done at my radiation oncologist's office. As the day of the blood draw drew near, I started feeling that low-grade anxiousness I call PSAnxiety.
I try not to let the anxiety build by reminding myself that I feel fine. I've been having fantastic gym workouts, which is how I grade my overall health.
Still, anxious thoughts crept in. What if my PSA had doubled? Will I do another positron-emission tomography (PET) contrasted tomography (CT) scan after I get my lab results?
Radiation exposure
I’d just read the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine reporting that 103,000 lifetime cancers are expected to result from CT scans performed in 2023. The most frequent types projected are lung cancer, colon cancer, leukemia, bladder cancer, and, in women, breast cancer.
I have had so many CT scans that I’ve honestly lost count. From the first CT scan in January 2018 as part of a cancer staging protocol to my last PET scan in October 2024, I’d estimate I’ve had ten CT scans.
That doesn’t count the numerous planning CT scans for my radiation therapy from August to November 2018, and for proton therapy from January to February 2023. With all the radiation I’ve absorbed, I could probably light up a small city.
PSA results
On Friday, I drove to my radiation oncologist’s office after work and had my blood drawn. I was already scheduled to meet with my favorite nurse practitioner, Katrina, on Tuesday to discuss the results.
I got through the weekend okay, but when Monday rolled around, the anxiousness started creeping in again. Since I knew the anxiousness was mainly about me not knowing the results, I emailed Katrina on Monday afternoon, asking her to send me a copy of the labs, and told her I’d see her in the morning.
My last PSA on February 4, 2025, was 369.14, reflecting a doubling time of 9 months.
Please, God, don’t let it be much higher than that.
Within an hour, I got a notification on my phone that her office staff had emailed me. My heart started racing as I opened the email and clicked the secure link to access my labs.
I clicked on the PDF containing my labs and slowly started scrolling down. I first saw a comprehensive metabolic panel with normal liver enzymes (no liver metastases), including a low normal alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which can be high with bone metastases.
The second thing I saw was a normal complete blood cell count, which can be low with metastatic bone marrow infiltration.
I slowed my scrolling, unsure if I really wanted to see the PSA.
316.33. What? At first, I didn’t realize it had dropped, probably because I was so used to seeing my PSA go up each time. Then I looked at it again and realized it had fallen 52.81 points! Thank God!
It’s so strange to be in shock, preparing for bad news, and then seeing good news but not feeling like it was good news. I don’t know how to describe it other than it literally took about an hour to kick in that my PSA had dropped 53 points. Then I started feeling happy about it.
When I told Mike the results when he got home from work and saw the look of incredible happiness on his face, I began to feel ecstatic. It was very strange how my emotions rolled out over time like that.
The next day, I met with Katrina and discussed the results. She had already addressed my labs with Dr. Stroud and Dr. Ackerman. She said Dr. Ackerman had immediately asked her what I was doing, and she told him she didn’t know yet.
We laughed, and then I told her what I had been doing differently - the new drug and supplement regimen I was on. I told her I would increase the doses and see them again in three months with labs.
As I was writing this part, I looked up at the clock and it was 2:22. Since I work with angels in my spiritual life, I looked up Angel Number 222 and it says:
“Number 222 concerns balance and manifesting miracles. The message is to keep the faith and stand strong in your personal truths. Angel Number 222 also reminds you to keep up the good work you are doing, as the evidence of your manifestations is coming to fruition.”
The hard part
I know I promised I’d tell you the new regimen I’m taking if my PSA dropped, and it did. But I’m nervous about telling over 1,000 people what I’m taking. That’s because I’m very science-oriented when it comes to medicine.
Yes, I believe in Functional Medicine and angels, but my core is deeply rooted in science. Yet, I also recognize that science doesn't hold all the answers. My belief stems from the tangible impact these experiences have had on my life, which is my truth.
Some doctors are touting drugs in this regimen as the cancer cure we have all been looking for. And even though my PSA dropped more than fifty points taking them, I want to be cautious and not seem like I’m promoting a panacea for cancer.
Correlation does not establish causation. Could this current PSA be a lab error? It’s possible, but unlikely. Could this current PSA be lower because my testosterone level is lower? It’s possible, but unlikely, given that my workouts are as strong as ever and I’m not taking anything that would lower my testosterone.
My last testosterone level was 870 on December 10, 2023.
What could be the cause of this PSA drop? The new regimen may be working.
Could it be a placebo effect? I’m not sure. I have taken these drugs before, but not together, and not in unison with this specific protocol I’m on. And my PSA didn’t drop then.
The placebo effect often requires prior exposure to a drug or therapy for the body to learn a physiologic response. But, open-label studies in which people know they are taking a placebo have been effective, such as with irritable bowel syndrome, chronic low back pain, and migraine headaches.
Studies show there is a placebo effect inherent in every therapeutic encounter and in every medication we take. To date, no placebo-controlled study has demonstrated the ability to lower a cancer tumor marker like PSA. If such an effect exists, it would challenge many current assumptions in oncology. Are scientists ready for that? I’d say, probably not.
So, what do I think caused my PSA to drop? As always with the human body, I’d say a combination of many things, possibly including this most recent regimen.
Everything I’ve done thus far on this cancer journey - every prayer, affirmation, alternative therapy, and traditional therapy. Also, the multitude of things I’ve done to make my body less favorable to letting cancer take hold - drinking a liter of green tea daily, regular juicing and detoxification shakes, the variety of supplements I’ve taken and continue to take to shore up my body’s systems, regular exercise, and most importantly, a positive mindset.
If I could take a survey of five hundred doctors who work with prostate cancer patients and ask them if they ever treated a patient whose PSA went from 63 to 369 with no signs or symptoms of prostate cancer, and had three normal PET scans in a row. I’d bet their answer would be “no.”
I am an enigma, and am this way because of everything I believe and do to stay this way.
A warning
So, as I reveal this regimen, I do so with a word of caution for my readers. Please do not assume that this regimen is effectively treating the prostate cancer and thus lowering my PSA. While that could be so, nothing I write about here proves this.
I say that because there is the risk that someone could misinterpret what I’m writing here as a cure for prostate cancer, and then take the same regimen and harm themself. This regimen is risky, especially for someone who is already very ill and on multiple other medications.
This regimen has drugs and substances in it that can have dangerous side effects when combined with other medications. Please discuss this regimen with your doctor if you are considering taking it, and don’t go out on your own and start taking it.
Strangely, these drugs and substances can be obtained on the internet without a doctor’s prescription. That is the world we live in today. And this is why I’m so cautious about revealing the regimen.
But I have been candid and transparent with you since I started writing this Substack. Some would say to a fault. TMI! I’ve told you everything I’ve done on this prostate cancer journey and will continue to do so.
The origin of the regimen
I had seen some of the drugs in this regimen on the internet and briefly subscribed to a doctor’s Substack who touts this medicine as a potential cure for cancer. I read many of his “case examples” and wasn’t impressed, from a scientific standpoint, by any of them.
In the vast majority of the case examples, people were concomitantly on proven anticancer drugs or therapies, or had recently stopped them. In other case examples, there wasn’t enough detail to know exactly what else the patient was taking or the timing of the traditional and alternative therapies.
I’m all for people having choices, especially when their lives are on the line, but we must use caution when experimenting with potentially harmful medications and substances.
I’m not naming this doctor because I don’t want minions of keyboard warriors coming after me as if I’ve said or done something wrong. I’m as open-minded as the next person, but people can lose their ability to think critically when highly passionate about something.
I had discussed some of those case examples with my friend and physician, Dr. Kessler. He told me his friend from medical school was practicing in Arizona and using these medications to treat his cancer patients. He offered to arrange a three-way Zoom call for us to hear about what Dr. X is using with his cancer patients.
Dr. X came across as very intelligent and compassionate. I immediately liked him. He told me he hadn’t heard of the doctor I had mentioned earlier.
He had developed his regimen based on years of practice and research, and as he noted what other physicians were using in their integrative oncology practices. He then created a “best of” regimen for his cancer patients.
He told me about several successful case examples of using these drugs in various cancers, including prostate cancer.
In addition, Dr. X had been an advocate for Ivermectin during the COVID-19 pandemic and told me some pretty impressive statistics about his COVID-19 patients. I didn’t get the impression he was exaggerating.
The regimen
Here is Dr. X’s regimen:
Ivermectin 0.4-2 mg/kg/day
Fenbendazole 500 mg seven days on/seven days off
B17 500 mg daily
Methylene Blue 12 mg twice daily
On February 13, 2025, I began the following regimen:
Ivermectin 34 mg three capsules daily on an empty stomach in the morning.
Fenbendazole 500 mg one capsule Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Methylene Blue 12 mg one capsule twice daily
I also increased my melatonin from 140mg to 200 mg at bedtime. Melatonin is not FDA approved to treat any medical condition.
[Update to this post: Taking 200mg of melatonin disrupted my sleep, and I dropped the dose to 160 mg, which is my sweet spot.]
I continue to take CuraMed 750mg (curcumin) two capsules three times a day with meals. If I'm fully absorbing it, this supplies me with 3 grams of pure curcuminoids daily. CuraMed (curcumin) is not FDA approved to treat any medical condition.
I’m no longer taking itraconazole or valacyclovir.
I am getting the ivermectin from a compounding pharmacy and the others from various internet sources, including Amazon.com.
Risks of this regimen
All drugs and supplements come with risks. Click on the links to learn more about the potential side effects of taking these drugs.
I decided not to take B17 (amygdalin) after reading about potential side effects, including cyanide toxicity. Ivermectin is not FDA-approved for treating cancer, and fenbendazole is not FDA-approved for treating human diseases, but is used to treat animal parasites. Both have the potential for dangerous side effects, especially at higher doses.
Methylene blue as an intravenous formulation is FDA approved to treat a limited number of conditions and has a multitude of potential drug interactions as it is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, which can cause a dangerous serotonin syndrome in people also taking antidepressants and opioids.
Oral methylene blue is not FDA approved to treat any condition. In addition, methylene blue is contraindicated in individuals with a common inherited enzyme deficiency, G6PD deficiency, due to the risk of hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia.
Ironically, intravenous methylene blue is FDA approved to treat methemoglobinemia, but in people with G6PD deficiency, it can paradoxically worsen the condition by inducing hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells) and oxidative stress.
Methylene blue is thought to act as an electron carrier within the mitochondria's electron transport chain, generating ATP, the cell's primary energy currency. By potentially improving electron flow, methylene blue may enhance energy production and reduce the generation of reactive oxygen species, unstable molecules that can cause cellular damage (oxidative stress).
Why would I do this?
Why would I take these medications when there are no clinical trials that show efficacy in prostate cancer? I decided to take this regimen because I've run out of options.
I will not retake any testosterone blocker or inhibitor because of the terrible quality of life I had when I did do that. Chemotherapy has never been proven to offer any long-term benefit in men not on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or androgen -signalling inhibitors.
I’ve endured eight weeks of intensity-modulated radiation therapy to my pelvis and five weeks of proton therapy to my peri-aortic lymphatic chain. Those radiation treatments have resulted in long-term side effects, which I choose not to discuss because they are too personal.
Based on my last three PET scans showing no evidence of disease despite a PSA over 300, the prostate cancer has lost all PSMA expression, so I’m not a candidate for PSMA radioligand therapy, even if I wanted to go to Germany for off-label treatment.
After my last proton therapy, my PSA continued to climb, doubling every nine months. In my mind, I had nothing to lose starting these medications because if I didn't do something, the cancer would eventually manifest in detectable tumors in my body, and at some point, kill me.
So, it is literally an act of desperation for me to take ivermectin and fenbendazole.
But I’m glad I did, because based on the drop in my PSA, this regimen may be helping me. Either that or I just experienced a statistically unlikely drop in my PSA after over seven years of a rising PSA with a fairly rapid doubling time.
If my PSA continues to drop on this regimen, and especially if the cancer goes into remission, I will write it up as a case study and submit it for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Whether it would be accepted is not in my control.
Doctors and scientists want “proof” from a scientific perspective. Sometimes people forget that not everything can be proven by the scientific method. Examples include the many documented cases of spontaneous remission of cancer:
Disclaimer
While preclinical research has shown some intriguing anti-cancer properties of drugs like ivermectin and fenbendazole, there is currently no high-quality clinical evidence proving their safety or effectiveness in the treatment of cancer. As such, any claims suggesting that these drugs are effective cancer therapies are not supported by randomized controlled trials or regulatory approval.
This Substack is intended solely for educational and informational purposes. It is not medical advice, nor is it a recommendation for any specific treatment. I do not endorse or advise the use of any drug or supplement discussed here, including those I may personally choose to take. Always make medical decisions in consultation with a qualified healthcare professional.
I’m encouraged
So, the plan is set. I’m increasing the dose of ivermectin and adopting the seven-on/seven-off fenbendazole cycle. As always, this decision comes after careful consideration, research, and weighing the potential risks and benefits for me.
While correlation isn't causation, this result inspires me to continue integrating evidence-based medicine with complementary experimental approaches. As always, I pay unwavering attention to my mental and spiritual well-being.
The real test, of course, lies ahead with the next set of labs in three months. I remain committed to transparently sharing my experiences.
Until next newsletter, I wish you good health and much love.
Keith
Love reading this. Thanks for being brave and sharing
Evening Keith, I was happy to read that your PSA has dropped. What great news. Keep on keeping on. What else can we do? Take care, Jeff