CancerCompass message board discussion started by Cheryl F. on 11/18/2002 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,620,0.htm Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ It is too late for my dad but I want to share some information that doctors don't seem to tell anyone. See a nutritionist ASAP. Anyone going through chemo should be on a high protien diet. Anyone with any form of cancer should eliminate sugar from their diet. Sugar feeds cancerous tumors and causes them to grow and spread like wildfire. This information is repeated in every cancer care book but is not told to patients by their doctors. My father ate lots of pudding because it was the only thing that he could swallow. If I knew then what I know now I would have made sure that his diet was different. Cheryl F. Mon, 18 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMT Thanks for providing information regarding sugar and cancer. I just completed my cancer treatment. Over the past 14 months I have been dealing with rectum cancer. I have experienced 3 surgeries, 7 weeks and 18 weeks of chemo and 7 weeks of radiation. The last 6 weeks of chemo have been the worst. Having much trouble with different foods and at times push sugar in my diet. It has been difficult finding a nutritionist or information who is up on cancer, diet and exercise during and after treatments. Starting today I will take away the sugar from my diet, start getting more protein in my diet and get regular exercise. Don L. Mon, 18 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMT Are you doing any vitamins? antioxidants? Marsha Mon, 18 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMT I have liver cancer and have had 3 treatments of chemo at 5 days each. You are correct that the doctors do not tell you anything about nutrition or such. If you ask questions they sort of hem haw around and try to think of something fast for an answer. Yes, I do crave sweets at times. The doctors do not seem to have very good bed side manners now a days either. I have heard that I need to eat vegetables or fruits that are bright in color, the brighter the better. Who can give me some input on these matters? Thanks and God bless. Charlene P. Mon, 18 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMT If you can, by all means, eat the "green" vegetables...they provide nutrients that will help you fight cancer (and are good for you otherwise). For those undergoing radiation therapy and chemotherapy, I personally would take a HIGH quality (pharmaceutical grade) multivitamin/mineral, and other antioxidant enhancers, like grape seed extract. The vast majority of physicians will advise you adamantly against doing this be/c they think the antioxidant activity will interfere with the chemo and rad therapy. This has NEVER been proven, and in fact several scientific studies have shown that use of nutritionals during these therapies minimized the NEGATIVE side effects, AND kept the patients healthier overall. I personally had to confront my father's doctor about this when my dad was going through chemo and rad. therapy for lung cancer. My dad, of course, yielded to what the physician said, not me, since I'm not one, and lived a horrible quality of life during his treatments, and for months after. To this day, he will not take nutritionals be/c his physician doesn't tell him to, and he doesn't like taking pills, so that's that. For those who crave sweets, check with a health food store and get a natural sugar to substitute for the "white", refined sugar. You're right. Cancer cells THRIVE on sugar...that's the basis behind PET imaging. Patients are injected with a form of glucose tagged to a radioactive substance, and that is taken up readily by the cancer cells, even if a few cancer cells. They take an image, and see where the radioactivity is (or isn't) and are able to see very subtle areas because of this. That's why PET can detect cancer presence much more than other imaging modalities, like CT. Didn't mean to get off the subject, but thought you'd like to know that. While I think you SHOULD consult someone about nutritional needs during a chronic illness, like cancer, be forewarned that most nutritionists and dieticians are of the same ilk as physicians when it comes to the use of nutritionals, and may not advise against the use of sugar in the diet be/c their philosophy is if that's all the patient can stomach, give it to him, even if it's also feeding the cancer. I don't understand the logic...again, they COULD advise to get a natural sugar substitute that won't do that, but I've never heard a nutritionist give that advise. Having said all this understand that, as I indicated above, I'm not a physician. I also don't mean to sound as if I'm bashing physicians, because that's not my intent. However, the evidence that is mounting in the scientific arena for therapies other than drugs (i.e., chemo agents) needs to be circulated and discussed among physician circles. That won't happen as long as pharmaceutical companies are the main source of information to physicians about treatment options. And why should pharmaceutical companies provide nutritionals to keep people healthy? That would cut significantly into their drug profits. The system is driven by illness, not health, remember? So, I'm not an MD, but I AM a health care professional who's made it my mission to seek out things that can be done to promote health, not just treat disease, so I'm self-taught on these matters. I DO keep up with the latest scientific literature, and I understand that there ARE numerous therapies that could be used to help people improve their specific conditions and overall health. Unfortunately, physicians aren't aware of them and/or rebuke them be/c they weren't part of their medical training. They also don't know HOW to treat the whole person, only the physical disease process. I for one am working to change that, and you can, too, by how you spend your hard earned money to maintain your health. The public has already sent a loud message to the traditional medical system that they're willing to pay out of pocket for other therapies that will help them resolve their health issues. Practitioners in the traditional system are finally starting to listen be/c it's making a financial mark on their income, which is already being hit hard from other sides. Didn't mean to post a diatribe, but I'm passionate about helping people stay healthy, and hope this information is helpful to someone. Becky L. Tue, 19 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMT I agree with other writer about the importance of vitamins and antioxidants. Dark green vegetables are extremely important, but SO ARE yellow/orange vegetables such as sweet potatoes and squash (I was told to avoid carrots and corn because they act like sugar in your body). Although I have breast cancer, I believe that nutritional guidelines when fighting cancer as very much the same for all types of cancer. There is an excellent booklet entitled "Chemotherapy and You - A Guide To Self-Help During Cancer Treatment" distributed by the National Cancer Institute. You can obtain a FREE copy of this booklet (and many others) by calling 1-800-4-CANCER ask for NIH Publication No. 99-1136. It provides a lot of nutritional information for people going through chemo. They have another booklet entitled "Eating Hints For Cancer Patients: Before, During & After Cancer Treatment" which I don't have but will request tomorrow. You might also contact the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for a copy of their "Diet and Nutrition During Treatment" materials - their number is 1-800-462-9273. I've found a very interesting website that provides information and breaking news on alternative cancer treatments around the world. You can sign up to receive their free bi-monthly newsletter (at www.cancerdecisions.com) and check their archives (http://www.cancerdecisions.com/archives.html) for many valuable articles on nutrition and healthy eating for cancer patients. May God bless you and bring you recovery. Julie J. Tue, 19 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMT For anyone interested in learning more about the effects of nutrition on fighting cancer, I recommend you read "The Cancer Battle Plan" by Ann Frahm. It is an amazing story. Molly J. Thu, 28 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMT I have been taking a multi-vitamin, selenium, and coral calcium each day. Starting to feel a bit better. Still really tired. Started to workout again. Just taking it a day at a time. Don L. Fri, 29 Nov 2002 00:00:00 GMT Hi-- I hope this gives you a little info that you can use. Yes fruits and vegetables are great. If you have a farmer's market or have access to organically grown produce, that's the best. Mass produced food contains less of the good vitamins and minerals you need. They also use more pesticides. Fruits and veggies contain antioxidants, which help your body to maintain good cells, while helping fight the cancer. That's the general idea I got from all the books I have read. If you want more info, your local library is a great place to look. Blueberries and other berries in general are very high in antioxidants as well as dark green leafy veggies. Try to eat a generally healthy diet avoiding white sugars flours and rice as well as fatty foods. Also try to find a good nutritionist who can help you with your particular kind of cancer. Susan B. Sun, 01 Dec 2002 00:00:00 GMT I must correct the info. on the book I recommended. The title is A cancer Battle Plan. The correct spelling of the author's last name is FRAHM. Molly J. Molly J. Mon, 02 Dec 2002 00:00:00 GMT