Search Results for: blog nutrition for cancer survivors

Coping With Cancer Related Fatigue

Cancer — and cancer treatments — leave some people with a condition known as cancer related fatigue (CRF). Cancer related fatigue is different from everyday tiredness. The main symptom of cancer related fatigue is an overwhelming feeling of tiredness. Even the simplest activities (like shopping or eating) can be exhausting. Other symptoms that are common in people who are being treated for cancer whether or not they experience CRF include: Sleep difficulties. Stress. Loss of appetite. Low blood counts. So what can you do to pick up your energy levels? Here are some tips to help you cope with cancer … Continue reading →

Is Your Lifestyle Putting You At Risk For Breast Cancer?

That’s the question I asked soon after my mother was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. After all, I was my mother’s daughter and besides indulging in more chips than the average person, my mother was the picture of health. My mother’s diagnosis came just a few months after I gave birth to my daughter. I knew from my obstetrician (prior to my mom’s diagnosis) that women who gain more than 38 pounds during pregnancy had a 40% higher risk of developing breast cancer after menopause. Mainly due to the fact that higher blood levels of estrogen during pregnancy fuel … Continue reading →

Is Your Diet Putting You At Risk For Breast Cancer?

Three years ago this month my mother was told she was cancer free. The good news came after major surgery, months of treatment and a complete overhaul of her diet. My mom’s breast cancer diagnosis acted as a severe wake up call to our entire family. As you likely know by now October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What you may not know is that breast cancer affects over 200,000 women in the U.S. each year and about 40,000 women die annually from the insidious disease. As I mentioned earlier my mother is still with us, but as a … Continue reading →

Treating Lung Cancer

Lung cancer treatment is generally determined by type of lung cancer (small cell or non-small cell) and stage of the disease. Treating non-small cell lung cancer: In stage one and stage two, treatment focuses on dealing with the tumor. While the tumor is being removed, doctors will often look at other areas of the lung that may be close to the tumor or involved with the tumor. If other areas of the lung are involved, your doctor may suggest chemotherapy. For patients who can’t handle surgery to remove the tumor, chemotherapy may be the sole treatment option. Stage three patients … Continue reading →

Nutrition For Cancer Survivors

Regardless of which cancer treatment you choose, your body needs fuel to fight the disease. The side effects of various cancer treatments can be worse if you aren’t eating right. Your body needs enough food, and it needs the right kind of foods. Be sure you are meeting your body’s basic calorie needs. For people with cancer, you need approximately 15 calories per pound of weight. If you weigh 150 pounds when healthy, you need 2250 calories per day. Have you lost weight during your illness? Add an extra 500 calories daily to your diet to help your body return … Continue reading →

Treatments Over Now What?

When you have finished your cancer treatment plan what do you do? Treatment plans vary person to person but there are things that are the same for everyone, there is always a start and a stop to the treatment. When you are done with the treatments the effects of the treatments and the cancer diagnosis just don’t stop. You will have decreased energy for quite a while. You will slowly start feeling back to normal but it does take a while. Do not think that you will wake up after the treatments are done and all of a sudden be … Continue reading →

Tropical Periwinkle

Have you heard of tropical periwinkle? If you’re looking for home remedies, look elsewhere. This plant is too strong for home or amateur use, but has great promise as a medicinal plant in professional hands. Eli Lilly and Company came across tropical periwinkle in a survey of plants popular in folk remedies. Extracts from tropical periwinkle leaves were able to prolong the lives of lab mice with leukemia! The extracts were used to develop two cancer-fighting drugs: vinblastine sulfate (Velban) and vincristine sulfate (Oncovin). Vinblastine sulfate is used to treat certain types of skin and lymph cancer. Vincristine sulfate is … Continue reading →