Study: Veggies may impact cancer recurrence

Chad Aschtgen, N.D., FABNO will be one of the presenters at the 2nd Annual Cancer Survivor Celebration. For more details on the event click here >> Registration is free for you and a guest.

Fear of recurrence is real, and something we spend a lot of time talking about with our patients.

Dr. Cobie Whitten has explored this topic in two posts:

• Understanding the fear your cancer will come back
• Five strategies for coping with fear of recurrence

Recently new research was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2012. One study followed 1,807 cancer survivors for more than 18 years. Here are the facts:

• 1,807 cancer survivors followed for 18.2 years
• Over the course of the 18 year study, 776 individuals passed away, but only 51% of these individuals died from cancer. The other 49% died from other causes. Source.

So what does this mean?
As a cancer survivor it’s still important to pay attention to your overall health. How? A recent study at Vanderbilt University found modest results in decreasing recurrence among breast cancer survivors:

• Those who ate one or two servings a day of cruciferous vegetables were attributed a 21 percent decrease in recurrence risk.
• Those who ate more than two servings a day of cruciferous vegetables were attributed a 35 percent decrease in recurrence risk. Source.

Cruciferous vegetables include greens, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. However, there’s more to eating correctly than just adding in more green vegetables. If you are looking to improve your personal eating habits take a look at these other articles:

• A few guiding principles around food...
• Understanding whole foods

Still considering Integrative Care Services? Here's what others are saying

Integrative Cancer Care Staff & Advisors: Back row: Jana Wiley, LAc, RN, BSN, MPA, OCN; Evan Hirsch, MD, ABHM; Chad Aschtgen, ND, FABNO; Maureen Oar, RYT; Chris Lower, Rosemary Spyhalsky, RN, OCN, HN-BD; Karen Buckley, LICSW, ACSW, OSW-C; Dennis Clarin, MTCM, LAc, Dipl.Ac Front row: James Stegenga, LAc; Joanna Cashman, RN, E-RYT Patients at Providence Regional Cancer System have access to body-mind-spirit resources, which complement traditional therapies, enhance quality of life and encourage the best possible outcomes for the whole person.

Here's what people are saying about these resources:

• I had cancer the first time in early 1980’s; there was no supportive care. I am so grateful to have it for my second (and recent) cancer diagnosis. It has made the healing process (including mental, physical, nutrition and support) all extremely valuable to me in my recovery. Thank you for being in Thurston County!
• I would not want to go through cancer treatment without these services − they all help so much.
• These programs are great and help in all ways to help us fight our battle with [being] 'just a statistic;' gives us more tools for the fight.
• My naturopathy visits have provided a wealth of information to strengthen my diet and supplement program. I feel this has given me the best possible plan to support my traditional treatments.
• One day, out of the blue, it dawned on me that the burning sensation was gone from my feet. Hooray for acupuncture!
• t’s great to have an experienced person doing the massage since deep tissue massage is not good for those during chemo.
• The yoga class is a wonderful journey, interacting with and supporting each other as we go through the cancer journey together.

Integrative Care Services

• Therapeutic Yoga
• Oncology Massage
• Naturopathic Oncology
• Acupuncture
• Nutrition

You might also like:

• Integrative care basics and what others are saying
• Have you considered acupuncture?
• What happens in a yoga class for cancer survivors?

Boosting your gut - Probiotics and chemotherapy

There’s a good body of research around probiotics helping with the side-effects of cancer treatment—especially those currently undergoing chemotherapy.

What are probiotics?
Formally, probiotics are live microorganisms existing in the human body. Informally, probiotics are the good bacteria found in our gut. While that may seem harsh, consider this. When our bodies are functioning correctly there is actually more good bacteria living inside us than there are actual human cells.

So how does this affect chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is like a really big antibiotic treatment. Its mission is to try and kill as many rapidly dividing “things” in our body—which, unfortunately, includes probiotics. This is a common reason why those undergoing chemotherapy suffer from diarrhea.

There is evidence that a huge dose of probiotics following a chemotherapy session could reinvigorate your gut helping to get your body back on track.

Probiotics is in no way a universal cure for cancer, but it can drastically help the person going through the cancer.

If you think probiotics can help you talk with your doctor about how to safely build probiotics into your cancer treatment plan.

You might also like:

• A few guiding principles around food ...
• Integrative care basics and what others are saying
• Hirsch Holistic Family Medicine Blog (external link)

Understanding whole foods

As a naturopathic physician, I know that nutrition is a foundation of health. Because of this, I encourage my patients to make whole foods the basis of their diets. Whole food is food in its natural state. It is unprocessed, unrefined and does not contain added ingredients such as sugar, salt, vitamins or fat. However, just because a food is whole does not mean it is organic, pesticide-free or locally grown (and vice versa). What it does mean is that the food contains a whole host of nutrients that the body can use to enhance health.

Examples of whole foods include:

• Whole grains
• Beans and legumes
• Nuts, seeds and berries
• Brown rice and wild rice
• Herbs (such as basil, rosemary and others)
• Eggs
• Fish
• Shrimp, lobster and crabs
• Chicken, pork and beef

Processed and refined foods, in contrast, have lost many of their healthy nutrients during the manufacturing process. White flour and rice are two common examples. In the refining process, they lose their germ and bran, which takes away many of their nutrients. At the same time other components – such as sugar and fat – are often added.

Whole food benefits:

• Take longer to digest, meaning more nutrients are absorbed in your body.
• Have a higher fiber content which helps to regulate your blood sugar
• Allow healthy bacteria to grow in your intestines, which helps get rid of disease-producing bacteria
• Have strong antioxidant properties which may help to protect the body from developing cancer and from cancer recurrence. Source.
• Provide the best source for vitamins and minerals As an added bonus, foods in their whole state are usually less expensive than processed foods. However, they can take longer to prepare.

Remember, make changes that you are comfortable with; otherwise you won’t stick with them. As long as you are striving to decrease the amount of processed foods and increase the amount of whole foods, you’re on the right track.

You might also like:

• A few guiding principles around food ...
• Reader response: Changing your diet to recover some energy
• Crockpot oatmeal recipe

A few guiding principles around food …

As a naturopathic physician one of the most common questions I get from my patients is, “What do you eat at home?”

Instead of sharing what I specifically eat, I think it’s more important to share the guiding principles I follow when feeding my family and myself.

First, the majority of my diet consists of whole foods. This doesn’t mean you have to shop at a specialty store to find them. Whole food is food in its natural state, and it contains a whole host of nutrients that the body can use to enhance health. If you can’t picture the food in nature, chances are there is a significant portion of it that’s not real food. (Have you ever seen a Twinkie tree or a TV dinner plant?)

In contrast to whole foods, processed and refined foods lose many of their healthy nutrients during the manufacturing process. Additionally, other components – such as sugar and fat – are often added.

Second, I try to get my basic vitamins and minerals from my diet, not from a supplement. That’s not to say that supplements are bad, because many can be useful and therapeutic. However, supplements cannot replace the vitamins and minerals found in a nutritious diet.

Finally, I make sure to get the appropriate amount of calories. I tell my patients all the time, your body needs calories to function – especially if you’re undergoing treatment for cancer and you need to keep your strength up.

• Eat a well-balanced diet. Your diet should include:
  - Whole foods
  - Plenty of vegetables (6-8 servings) and fruits (2-3 servings)
  - A variety of grains, beans, nuts and seeds
  - Protein spread throughout the day (not all in one meal)
• Your diet should not include:
  - Fast food, junk food, soda pop and any foods high in refined sugar/simple carbohydrates
  - A lot of bread—shoot for no more than one serving daily (this includes pastries, pasta and potatoes)
  - A lot of alcohol—limit your intake to no more than 3-4 drinks per week

You might also like:

• Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's safe
• Cancer and your diet: The hidden connection
• Take a minute, and just breathe