Foods to eat after treatment

HellieC said:

Thanks llight for the anti cancer foods links
Thank you so much for the anticancer food links. I have been looking for some sites where I could get recipes etc. In England we have a place called the Bristol Cancer Centre, which also advocates a similar wholefood diet to the Dr. Oz approach. There are some minor differences (the Bristol diet allows a little white meat e.g. chicken) but it is broadly the same.

But Dr Oz includes a daily glass of red wine - so that's the diet for me! LOL!

I will be finishing my 6 cycles of carboplatin/taxol on 19th January, so I am researching various vitamin supplements and alternative therapies to take once conventional medicine takes a break for me. So far, I seem to have a supplements list which includes Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, Digestive Enzymes, Vitamin B17 (apricot kernels - a very hotly debated issue), multivitamins, alkaline water etc. At this rate, I will be spending my day popping pills instead of getting on with living! So there is a balance to be found!

But I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels the need to be "doing something active" to keep my cancer at bay for as long as possible. I would always choose conventional medicine over alternative therapies as my primary regimen, but when there is no conventional approach being taken, then I feel the need to fill the gap!

Thanks for all your information.
Helen

More good nutrition info
I recommend that you read: Anticancer A new Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD
You can also check out the website at: www.anticancerways.com

A great source of GOOD info....

Karen

kkstef said:

More good nutrition info
I recommend that you read: Anticancer A new Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD
You can also check out the website at: www.anticancerways.com

A great source of GOOD info....

Karen

Book
Another very detailed book I'd suggest --

FOODS TO FIGHT CANCER, Essential foods to help prevent cancer
by RIchard Belkiveau, PhD and Denis Gingras, PhD

Happy reading,
Jan

HellieC said:

Thanks llight for the anti cancer foods links
Thank you so much for the anticancer food links. I have been looking for some sites where I could get recipes etc. In England we have a place called the Bristol Cancer Centre, which also advocates a similar wholefood diet to the Dr. Oz approach. There are some minor differences (the Bristol diet allows a little white meat e.g. chicken) but it is broadly the same.

But Dr Oz includes a daily glass of red wine - so that's the diet for me! LOL!

I will be finishing my 6 cycles of carboplatin/taxol on 19th January, so I am researching various vitamin supplements and alternative therapies to take once conventional medicine takes a break for me. So far, I seem to have a supplements list which includes Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, Digestive Enzymes, Vitamin B17 (apricot kernels - a very hotly debated issue), multivitamins, alkaline water etc. At this rate, I will be spending my day popping pills instead of getting on with living! So there is a balance to be found!

But I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels the need to be "doing something active" to keep my cancer at bay for as long as possible. I would always choose conventional medicine over alternative therapies as my primary regimen, but when there is no conventional approach being taken, then I feel the need to fill the gap!

Thanks for all your information.
Helen

Food thoughts
Hi Helen - we have already 'met' on a UK website! I didn't know the Bristol Cancer Help Centre was still going. Anyway, over Christmas I've been studying Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber and it makes a lot of sense to me (I'm a freelance medical/health journalist and I'd already written up a lot of these studies for a website I used to work for). I already do a lot of these things - been a vegetarian for 30 years, we eat lots of berries etc. I have been taking 2000 IU Vit D3 ever since I was diagnosed (I have a colleague who has done a lot of work on vit D and I respect his efforts) I have added Sencha green tea to my daily routine and the turmeric/black pepper/olive oil combo (just bought big bag of turmeric from local Tesco Asian dept). Also since the diagnosis I've been taking Viridian beauty oil - just pouring a couple of teaspoons onto food - it's got a mix of omegas in it with flax seed oil etc. Got given a couple of bottles as a freebie at a a press event several months ago and never thought anything of it - because then I didn't have cancer lol. Then when I had a another look at it, I thought why not give it a go...
Husband is very keen on this approach also - he's always been very keen on healthy eating and we're both big red wine fans.
But I don't want to be too 'alternative' - at heart I am a scientist and I will be going to start my chemo on Tuesday in a positive ('chemo is my friend') state ne of mind - and will also mention the vit D supplement to the doctor in case it is contraindicated. The self-help is to stop me feeling too helpless in this situation, really. I have seen so many brave posts on this site and others about people just getting on with their lives - I don't find it so easy!
I was interested to see the doctor Oz tips - my hospital offers aromatherapy etc but no nutritional guidance. It's interesting that the Servan Schreiber approach is being tested at MD Anderson. And how his book describes why that's so unusual!
Take care
Susan

Susanna23 said:

Food thoughts
Hi Helen - we have already 'met' on a UK website! I didn't know the Bristol Cancer Help Centre was still going. Anyway, over Christmas I've been studying Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber and it makes a lot of sense to me (I'm a freelance medical/health journalist and I'd already written up a lot of these studies for a website I used to work for). I already do a lot of these things - been a vegetarian for 30 years, we eat lots of berries etc. I have been taking 2000 IU Vit D3 ever since I was diagnosed (I have a colleague who has done a lot of work on vit D and I respect his efforts) I have added Sencha green tea to my daily routine and the turmeric/black pepper/olive oil combo (just bought big bag of turmeric from local Tesco Asian dept). Also since the diagnosis I've been taking Viridian beauty oil - just pouring a couple of teaspoons onto food - it's got a mix of omegas in it with flax seed oil etc. Got given a couple of bottles as a freebie at a a press event several months ago and never thought anything of it - because then I didn't have cancer lol. Then when I had a another look at it, I thought why not give it a go...
Husband is very keen on this approach also - he's always been very keen on healthy eating and we're both big red wine fans.
But I don't want to be too 'alternative' - at heart I am a scientist and I will be going to start my chemo on Tuesday in a positive ('chemo is my friend') state ne of mind - and will also mention the vit D supplement to the doctor in case it is contraindicated. The self-help is to stop me feeling too helpless in this situation, really. I have seen so many brave posts on this site and others about people just getting on with their lives - I don't find it so easy!
I was interested to see the doctor Oz tips - my hospital offers aromatherapy etc but no nutritional guidance. It's interesting that the Servan Schreiber approach is being tested at MD Anderson. And how his book describes why that's so unusual!
Take care
Susan

Hi Susan
Small world! I guess we ladies are part of quite an exclusive club so we are bound to come across each other wherever we post!
Thanks for your information and particularly your thoughts about vitamin D3. I think those of us who live in the northern hemisphere and have indoor jobs (I work in clinical research, reviewing the data from patients in clinical trials) are pretty likely to be vitamin D deficient, so it seems a good place to start.
I am not naturally into "alternative" therapies, but I know that once my chemo stops that I will need to feel that I am doing something else to fight off the cancer. So I find myself embracing things that my "pre cancer" self would not have even considered at the vaguest level.
From my internet research, I reckon that there is only about a 30-35% chance that the taxol/carbo chemo combo I am taking will result in a complete response. My remaining cancer is also microscopic, so we have no way of knowing what response we have achieved, because it is too small to measure (my CA 125 started at 14 before treatment and is now at 12, so that isn't really telling us anything as there is a margin for error in all these results). We can only measure succcess or failure by whether it recurs (or not)! That's pretty scary.
I am thinking positive, eating lots of veggies and fruit, trying to wean myself off my sweet tooth (terribly hard) and will be popping the supplements, including the apricot kernels, vitamins D3 and C and digestive enzymes. It may be mumbo jumbo, but at least if the cancer comes back, I will feel that I have done everything I could do. I don't want to look back and think "if only I'd tried this or that".
However, apart from the dietary changes, I am not introducing anything until after the chemo, as like you, I am fundamentally a scientist and want to give conventional medicine it's full shot before I turn to the slightly whackier approaches!
Kindest wishes
Helen

Teemac said:

RADIATION
I JUST STARTED RADIATION. THE DR TOLD ME THAT DURING TREATMENTS I NEED TO DRINK PLEANTY OF JUICE OR GATORADE AND EAT LOTS OF PROTEIN. HE ALSO SAID TO STAY AWAY FROM GREEN LEAFEY VEGETABLES.

Unscientific opinion
Here's my unscientific, unmedical, uneducated, totally personal opinion. I get my advice from people who are educated, academic medical professionals, and I also recognize that they may be wrong, but their opinions are based on a heck of a lot more knowledge and medical problem solving abilities than I have - in addition to knowing my personal health issues.

Dr. Servan-Schriber's book makes a lot of sense to me. I continue to and plan to read and learn more. Luckily I like to eat everything and anything so it's not like I don't like healthy food. The Vitamin D thing also makes sense to me (mine had been very low prior to diagnosis). We all know about the benefits of eating a primarily plant-based, high fiber, low fat diet for our cardiovascular system and general health. I would like my cardiovascular system and overall general health to be in as good a shape as possible in case I have to fight either this cancer or breast cancer or another cancer again - or some other health crisis. If in addition to being in as good health as I can, I've also achieved the benefit of keeping cancer away, that's fabulous. And if I want a cheesburger and French fries on occasion, I'm going to have one.

Suzanne

HellieC said:

That's a great approach Suzanne
Oh Suzanne - I do so agree with your approach!
It makes sense to eat healthily, think about supplements where appropriate, take exercise, stretch our minds and do everything we can to give our bodies a chance to fight whatever illness comes our way.
But let's also enjoy life - which might mean the occasional cheeseburger (or, in my case, good old English fish and chips)!
Life is for living after all!
Helen

I agree Suzanne & Helen
I'm in tune with the eating as well. Know our bodies are like cars, if we put in water-filled gas, we'll putter down the road and stop. On other hand, if we put in good fuel, we'll run for a much longer time.

The Anti Cancer book is my bible, as I've read it numerous times. He has many good points and also know he's a 15 yr brain cancer survivor...that should tell us something about his approach.

Not only should we eat the "plant-like" foods, but watch the "dirty dozen" which have more pesticides (such as apples, lettuce, etc). In this case, go the "organic" route for no pesticides. Watch the meats and dairy products -- loaded with hormones which many of us should avoid with uterine cancer. I've almost entirely off any dairy products, only using Unsweetened Almond Milk or Soy Milk. Then my chicken is grass-fed which isn't laced with hormones.

On the other side, I'm only human and will eat that occasional piece of lasagna or apple pie, but do it very infrequently. I'm starting to notice my desires for these foods is diminishing over timer ..yeah!

Happy eating ladies....
Jan