By Jack P. Bleeker

Proper nutrition is important for all individuals, but can be critically important for those who are battling cancer. For this reason, proper nutritional regimens are now being included in comprehensive cancer treatment plans and are a staple of integrative oncology. While proper nutrition cannot, in and of itself, cure cancers, it can provide strength and health to a patient who will need it as they battle their disease. It is not only symptoms of aggressive cancers like mesothelioma, but also their treatment with methods like chemotherapy that will demand proper nutrition.

Malnutrition can be extremely harmful to a cancer treatment regimen, and must be kept in mind when considering each individual patient’s treatment roadmap. Cachexia and anorexia are common causes of malnutrition in cancer patients. Nearly all patients who develop extensive disease will battle anorexia, with common symptoms being weight loss and loss of appetite. Cachexia is a debilitating wasting syndrome causing weakness and loss of weight and is particularly common in those battling cancers of the lung (such as pleural mesothelioma), pancreas, and gastrointestinal tract. Cachexia is similar to starvation in healthy individuals, but cancer patient’s bodies are unable to make the adjustments to slow down the use of nutrients.

Proper eating habits for those battling cancer and undergoing cancer treatment can help fight the breakdown of muscle strength, enhance tissue reconstruction, and stave off infection in those with compromised immune health. Those who are able to maintain their health through nutrition and exercise will typically be eligible to receive more aggressive dosages of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Each individual patient’s treatment plan will require the advice of cancer specialists and physicians who are able to make an assessment of the patient’s overall health. Dr. David Sugarbaker of the Brigham and Womens Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA will work closely with each of his patients battling thoracic cancers, including malignant mesothelioma, and develop an individual mesothelioma treatment guide, including recommendations on proper cancer nutrition.

While malignant mesothelioma is far from the only cancer that demands proper nutrition in patients, it is particularly important given the current lack of a mesothelioma cure in those patients battling aggressive later-stage disease. That being said, all cancer patients will benefit from the strength and overall health that proper and sound recommendations doctors and nutritional specialists can provide them with. Cancer patients as well as family members and caregivers seeking further information about proper nutrition in cancer care should seek the advice of these individuals and apply them to a patient’s particular circumstances and needs.

Reference

National Cancer Institute. Overview: Nutrition in Cancer Care 2005 
Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University. Nutritional Resources Overview . Boston, MA 2009 
 
Information courtesy of Mesothelioma.com 

Brace Up Immunity to Combat Health Concerns

We live in a world full of microbes, bugs.  These organisms thrive in our air, water and soil and even in our bodies.  We survive and sometimes thrive because of the complex actions of our immune systems.

Over the past short years, the germ theory has been tackled by antibiotics.  The use and overuse of antibiotics have caused bacteria to mutate and develop resistance to all forms of medications.  This is our present situation with the swine, avian flu in combination with the human flu.  There are 37,000 people a year, who die from the various strains of flu a year.   The latest epidemic, pandemic is growing in places, where people have compromised immune system.  The victims live in impoverished situations without the benefits of good supplements, healthy eating and exercise. 

As a nutritionist, I have learned that the body is medicine.   The body has the innate ability to heal  itself. We are born healthy, our immune systems takes on the job of being the body’s defender.  It is “up to us” to defend against and defeat bacteria, overcome infection and re-balance our systems if it is harmed by outside forces.  I sound like Luke Skywalker of Star of Star Wars, Defender of the Galaxy.  In the solar system of our body, we are the steward of our bodies.  We are the defenders against the Darth Vadar’s  of disease.  I personally find this image empowering.  You might want to create your own images of strength. 

So what can you do to protect your health?  Prepare for a Pandemic without fear as you know what to do so you are not experiencing overload.  As a busy nutritionist, I get run down from traveling, not sleeping well and exposing myself to different bugs, pathogens.    

Antioxidants will  protect your health from free radicals.  Antioxidants are powerful nutrients found in certain foods.  They protect your health against free radicals in your body and prevent damage from oxidation.  Antioxidants are a necessity to every diet as we are exposed to free radicals every day.

Some free radicals are created by the immune system to neutralize viruses and bacteria.  The problem is that free radicals attack healthy cells, causing them to weaken and become more prone to disease.

You can create free radicals, if you:

Eat  a mostly junk food/ processed food diet

Don’t get enough sleep

Are experiencing a lot of stress

Then you can become overwhelmed and damage may occur.

So the easiest and most important way to stop free radical damage is to have an antioxidant rich diet.

For instance, flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants.  Among the top ranking antioxidant values are berries, including blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, stawberries, and beets and artichokes and cherries.

I like to make a protein shake every day with some kind of berry in particular blueberries are ranked #1.

The quickest way to make bring antioxidants into your body is vegetable juice.  Limit the amount of carrot and apple and add fresh greens to the juice.  Most people who juice usually use carrots. The reason they taste so good is that they are full of sugar. I would definitely avoid all vegetables that grow underground to avoid an increase in your insulin levels.

An excellent example of the right vegetable to juice is:

• Cabbage
• Chinese Cabbage
• Bok Choy

An interesting side note: Cabbage juice is one of the most healing nutrients for ulcer repair as it is a huge source of vitamin U.

Other examples are:

Kale Collard Greens Dandelion Greens Mustard Greens (bitter) When purchasing collard greens, find a store that sells the leaves still attached to the main stalk. If they are cut off, the vegetable rapidly loses many of its valuable nutrients. The main reasons why you will want to consider incorporating vegetable juicing into your optimal health program:  (Dr. Mercola’s article on Juicing)

1.  

   Juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. This is important because most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years. This limits your body's ability to absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. Juicing will help to "pre-digest" them for you, so you will receive most of the nutrition, rather than having it go down the toilet.

2. Juicing allows you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner. If you are a carb type, you should eat one pound of raw vegetables per 50 pounds of body weight per day. Some people may find eating that many vegetables difficult, but it can be easily accomplished with a quick glass of vegetable juice.
3. You can add a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. Many people eat the same vegetable salads every day. This violates the principle of regular food rotation and increases your chance of developing an allergy to a certain food. But with juicing, you can juice a wide variety of vegetables that you may not normally enjoy eating whole.

Another protection for your immune system is raising your body temperature.  Increased body temperature is a function of the immune system.  I can tell when I am getting ill, because my body temperature drops and my extremities get icy. 

Higher body temperatures increases your metabolism and circulation, which help to fight off bugs such a colds, flu and other infections. 

You can raise your body temperature by taking cayenne pepper.

Other natural helpful tips: Zinc gluconate lozenges which can cut the duration of the cold in half and elderberry extract to shorten the duration cold and flu. Sambucol is available in health food stores.

My intent in sharing this information is not to frighten your or create a feeling of helplessness, but you need to be aware of the dangers and prepare for them.

Many people are under the assumption that a flu shot will take care of the problem.  It won’t. The different flu viruses mutate. Have the tools you need to make positive change in diet and exercise and align your body to build a foundation for health.  Let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you in acquiring the support of your body’s immune system to prevent and treat health problems.  I accept most insurances.