It is a reality for most cancer patients that part of your protocol will involve surgery, chemotherapy or radiation either as stand alone treatments or in combination. With that said, it is of great importance that patients and their caregivers understand the necessity of preparing for cancer treatments and have strategies for dealing with their side effects.
Preparing your mind and body for treatment coupled with certain lifestyle adjustments can enhance therapy efficacy and reduce both the incidences and severity of side effects. For instance, as noted in this report, Nutritional intervention and Quality of Life in Adult Oncology Patients by Marin Caro et al Marín Caro MM1, Laviano A, Pichard C 20071:
“Nutritional intervention accompanying curative treatment has an additional and specific role, which is to increase the tolerance and response to the oncology treatment (and) decrease the rate of complications”.
When side effects do occur it is of great benefit to have options in front of you to deal with them. If too these side effects can be dealt with by natural means, medical intervention may be avoided.
In my own cancer protocol my medical treatment involved surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. As I made my way through each I took both mental and physical notes of what I felt helped me and of those moments when I thought “boy I wish I had known that”. And it is from this exercise coupled with my professional training that I have created my ebook.
Chemotherapy, Radiation, SurgeryNatural Strategies for Preparation & Dealing with Side Effects of Cancer Treatmentsis a reference manual for patients and their caregivers to use before and during treatment. It begins with strategies and tips for preparing for treatments and then moves in to chemotherapy, radiation and surgery succinctly dealing with common side effects by offering pointed complimentary strategies for dealing with each them.
I truly hope that you will find the information that is contained within my book of great benefit to you as you move through your treatments and into recovery. Click on the button below to download this great resource for free!
February is Heart Month in Canada. It is a time during which awareness is raised about the importance of cardiovascular health and ways to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease are discussed. Coinciding with Heart Month is a recent release in the journal Circulation. In this issue the American Heart Association warned that breast cancer patients and survivors who have undergone certain chemotherapy and radiation treatments could be at risk for heart failure and other cardiac problems both in the near term and sometimes years after treatment. The American Heart Association was quick to state that they are not recommending that treatments should be avoided. What they are saying is that the study offers to us the understanding that counteracting these possible cardiovascular side effects of treatment should be attended to by breast cancer patients and their oncologists.
I found this excerpt from the study of particular interest:
Improvements in early detection and treatment of breast cancer have led to an increasing number of breast cancer survivors who are at risk of long-term cardiac complications from cancer treatments. For older women, CVD (cardiovascular disease) poses a greater mortality threat than breast cancer itself.
So what does attending to our cardiovascular health look like after treatment?
I don’t think that is it surprising to learn that the primary tenets of a heart healthy lifestyle include regular exercise and maintaining a healthy diet.
Regular Exercise
Exercise has many positive effects on our cardiovascular health, including managing weight, regulating cholesterol and controlling blood pressure. Exercise is anything that makes you move your body and burn calories. For overall heart health American Heart Association recommends
At least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days per week for a total of 150
OR
At least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity at least 3 days per week for a total of 75 minutes; or a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity
AND
Moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days per week for additional health benefits.
Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet is vital for heart health. A heart healthy diet should:
include a wide variety of whole foods
be devoid of processed foods
be primarily vegetarian
be as organic as possible
aim for 30-40 grams of fiber a day
Diet and lifestyle are where we must start in building a heart healthy lifestyle after breast cancer treatment. And this is a plan for life.
When we know the possible side effects of treatment we can start to build a strategy to get ahead of them, at worst minimizing them and at best avoiding them all together.
A common thread among cancer patients is chronic inflammation. In an acute reaction, inflammation is a natural and beneficial response by our immune system to rid the body of unwanted pathogens. However, inflammation in a sustained and chronic engagement impairs and weakens our immune system.
Among many factors influencing inflammation is our diet. Diet can either mitigate or fuel the fire of inflammation as exampled by a new study published January 18, 2018 in the journal JAMA Oncology entitled “Association of Dietary Inflammatory Potential With Colorectal Cancer Risk in Men and Women”. This study highlights how processed meat and other foods have inflammation-promoting properties that can be a risk factor for colorectal cancer in both men and women.
This was a cohort study that followed 121 050 adults for 26 years. Its purpose was to examine whether pro-inflammatory diets are associated with increased colorectal cancer risk.
The study showed that:
intake of pro-inflammatory diets as evidenced by higher scores on an empirical dietary inflammatory pattern score was associated with a significantly higher risk of developing colorectal cancer in both men and women.
The findings are not too surprising. And although not a part of this study, the underlying premise may extend to more cancers.
Food matters. What we choose to plate and palate impacts our health.
Changing our diet can be an intimidating notion so let’s start with some basics tips for a cancer prevention diet.
5 Tips to Start Your Cancer Prevention diet
Eat whole foods. Avoid the processed ones.
Cover at least 80% of your plate with vegetables.
Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables to get a complete source of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Think a rainbow of colours!
Increase your fiber intake. Aim for between 30-40 grams of fiber daily. This may seem like a lot but if you adhere closely to tips 1 through 3 you are well on your way!
Eat organic foods as much as possible. This will help to reduce the toxic burden on your body and will increase the nutrient content of your food.
Implement these tips over time and avoid the all or nothing attitude.
