Michael Greger, MD FACLM from NutritionFacts.org fills his is quick videos with science backed information on many subject matters.
As he reports in this video, daily low dose aspirin may help prevent some forms of cancer. But there could be gastrointestinal side effects. The solution many be found in food.
Watch here for full details.
Eating for cancer prevention does not have to be an onerous task. It may sound off coming from a nutritionist but I really do my best to avoid recipes that have a laundry list of ingredients. Whole foods prepared simply is my mantra. And often I feel we miss the boat with our focus. We concern ourselves with the main dish and leave the fixings as an after thought. But here is the thing. The supporting casts in meal preparation can offer some of the greatest health benefits. Case in point. Take a look at this lunch.
Now I love my avocado toast. Avocados offer a host of health benefits such as healthy fats, fiber and potassium. But what I want you to focus on in this exercise are the add ons to the dish and how including such things on your plate really ups the anti cancer properties of a meal.
Fermented carrots and celery
Fermented vegetables are stars for gut health and nutrient absorption, both essential for cancer prevention. These fermented carrots and celery serve as both pre and probiotic foods. By adding fermented foods to your meal you are not only adding gut friendly foods you also are adding foods that actually help with the digestion of the rest of your meal.
Onions
Onions are another gut friendly food falling in to the prebiotic category. They are also amazing for liver support. Rich in allicin they aid your liver in its detoxification process.
Ground Flax Seeds
Flax seeds are rich in lignans which are fiber-related polyphenols. They contain Omega 3 fatty acids and they are a great source of antioxidants. Although we do naturally produce some antioxidants, our bodies rely a great deal upon dietary sources and antioxidants are a vital component of cancer prevention.
Himalayan Salt
Himalayan salt offers trace minerals, helps in detoxification and may lower blood pressure. If you are a salt person definitely switching from table salt to this lovely pink gem is important.
So there you have it! In life we try not to sweat the small stuff. But in plating it could make the world of difference.
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, Surgery Natural Strategies for Preparation & Dealing with Side Effects of Cancer Treatments is 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!
I am a Holistic Nutritionist, a certified Professional Cancer Coach and I am a breast cancer survivor. In my protocol for treatment I used both the medical path and the alternative path. So going toe to toe with the medical profession is not a road I wish to travel. But every once in a while I read an article that points my inner compass in that direction.
Recently I read an article entitled “Yet another woman with breast cancer lured into quackery by Ty Bollinger and “holistic” medicine advocates” by David Gorski, a surgeon who publishes under the name ORAC. He takes aim at Ty Bollinger and the film series he created called “The Truth About Cancer”. I am not going to speak to this aspect of his prose. Rather my issue is with his broad-brush swipe of alternative therapies painting a negative hue on their validity in cancer care. I cannot vouch for all holistic practitioners, only to those in the circle in which I practice. We look to oncologists as primary care and offer research based adjuvant therapies to support medical treatment such as acupuncture[i] [ii] for pain management, supplements to reduce various side effects of medical treatment i.e. glutamine[iii] to reduce the severity and duration of stomatitis, and lifestyle strategies such as meditation[iv] to mitigate the stressors of a cancer diagnosis and to positively influence cortisol and blood pressure levels. Our goal is to work with the medical team to offer the best overall protocol for cancer patients. Gorski offers no place for complementary therapies in cancer care as noted in this excerpt:
“Irritatingly, though, both used the example of… to promote their “integrative oncology” programs—and regular readers know that both Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic are heavily into “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) and “integrative” medicine and that both are very active at “integrating” quackery with conventional medicine”
It is my very strong opinion that to dismiss alternative therapies as a whole in cancer care as “quackery” is an irresponsible swing of the pendulum in the opposite direction of his target Ty Bollinger.
Although not taken on in Gorski’s article, the importance of nutrition within a comprehensive cancer protocol is also undervalued. Working within my own scope of practice, I find it particularly irresponsible when cancer patients are advised that their diet is of little consequence in fighting their disease. I have encountered this in clinic with cancer patients that I have seen. To avoid cachexia, or excessive weight loss, some patients are misguided and misinformed by the notion that any calorie is a good calorie so mowing down on cookies and chocolate bars are within reason. Without going in to the argument of whether or not processed sugar is a fuel source for cancer, let’s just agree shall we that it has minimal if any nutritive value and dare I say may actually be detrimental to overall health.[v] [vi] [vii] And that processed foods are really not a recognized nutritive food group, offering little to no positive health value during a time when the body needs proper fuel to fight and repair.
So let’s flip the mat then and talk about macronutrients shall we:
Along with the macronutrients, the well-studied importance of vitamins, minerals, plant polyphenols and the like draw a straight line to the conclusion that yes, diet does matter. Why then would any doctor throw open the doors and say eat anything that makes you feel just fine? As I draw on my personal experience, I surely had a progressive oncologist then who told me to avoid soy products and limit my red meat intake. He saw some validity of dietary influence.
I strengthened my body prior to treatment using many “complementary” therapies including diet modification, yoga, meditation, supplementation and exercise. I maintained most of my routine during treatment and with the consent of my oncologist. And I continue to incorporate complementary therapies along with my medical therapies today as my prevention path.
Please do not throw the baby out with the bath water. Build a team of responsible practitioners who understand the importance of working together and with you to build the best possible protocol for your disease. Complementary therapies do have a valid, important place in cancer care.
[i] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26977172/?i=6&from=acupuncture%20pain%20cancer
[ii] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26853524/?i=11&from=acupuncture%20pain%20cancer
[iii] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9762946
[iv] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26963792/?i=5&from=meditation%20stress%20cancer
[v] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9020271?dopt=Abstract
[vi] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18326601
[vii] http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/6/1455.abstract?ijkey=ad2ca9646513cd58a5e03142c5db3b95bdb63c45&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
The coming of spring brings new flowers, bright colours, warmer weather and for many people the aggravation of seasonal allergies.
Allergies are an over reaction by our immune system to an otherwise harmless substance called an allergen. In the case of spring time allergies, the allergen is pollen. Pollen initiates an immune response causing the release of chemicals in our body such as histamine and resulting in various symptoms including sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy eyes and post nasal drip. This can surely take the joy out of spring.
So let’s take a look at some things that we can do to survive the Spring season.
First and foremost we must pay heed to our gut as the bulk of our immune system resides there and its tolerance is strongly influenced by our gut bacteria and intestinal function. So we must:
When it comes to diet:
Supplements to consider in support of the diet recommendations include:
On the lifestyle front:
Take the time now to prepare your body for the spring time so that you too can enjoy the riches of the season!
