Category Archives: Cancer Care Tips

Cancer Care Tips, Living with Cancer

Do Depression and Stress Lead to the Spread of Cancer?

Don't Let Stress Get To You! Take a Deep Breath.
Don’t Let Stress Get To You! Take a Deep Breath.

It’s been well-documented that stress and depression can cause a wide range of physical, cognitive, and behavioral problems such as chronic joint pain, listlessness, and lack of concentration. Do these mental difficulties have any effect on the onset or spread of cancer?

The Connection between Stress and Cancer

An article published on the National Institutes of Health website gives a comprehensive overview of studies on the link between stress and cancer. While there is little evidence to suggest that stress and depression can trigger the development of tumors, there is strong evidence to support a relationship between stress and cancer metastasis.

Metastasis occurs when malignant cancer cells break free of their original location and spread to other parts of the body, forming new tumors. Researchers have discovered that chronic stress and depression activate hormones that promote angiogenesis, which is the process of creating new blood vessels.

While angiogenesis plays an important role in the healing process, it also provides the dedicated blood supply needed for cancer cells to grow and spread. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter that’s in short supply in patients experiencing chronic stress or depression, inhibits angiogenesis and impacts the tumor microenvironment.

Combating Stress and Depression

The role of dopamine in restricting angiogenesis makes it a promising factor in immunotherapy for cancer. Having a strong support system can also relieve stress and depression while improving the outcome of treatment.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Boosting Your Body’s Natural Defenses

At Issels®, our state-of-the-art immunotherapy for cancer treatments target both the tumor and its microenvironment. Contact us to learn more about our integrative, personally tailored protocols.

Cancer Care Tips, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, News

Which Foods Have Probiotic Benefits for Cancer Care?

Which Foods Have Probiotic Benefits for Cancer Care?
Which Foods Have Probiotic Benefits for Cancer Care?

Have you been hearing about the dietary benefits of probiotics? These live microorganisms found in fermented dairy products create a balance of “good” bacteria in your gut. In addition to promoting digestive health, probiotics appear to have properties that serve as protection against cancer.

Simply adding these foods to your diet can reduce problems such as gas and diarrhea while aiding the ability of your immune system to fight tumors.

Yogurt

Yogurt is one of the more publicized sources of probiotics. Look for brands that include “live and active cultures.”

Sauerkraut

The pasteurization process kills probiotics, so opt for the unpasteurized variety, which also includes vitamins that help prevent infections. If you like it on the spicy side, the popular Korean dish kimchi has the same properties.

Soft Cheeses

Probiotics are sometimes too fragile to survive in the digestive tract, but certain types found in fermented soft cheeses such as Gouda hold up well.

Kefir

During immunotherapy for cancer, beverages may be easier on your stomach than food. Kefir is a yogurt-like drink that originated with the shepherds in Eurasia’s Caucasus Mountains.

Sourdough Bread

The organisms that give sourdough bread its distinctive tang are loaded with probiotics.

Supplements

While probiotics come in convenient capsule, tablet, liquid and powder forms, they lack the additional nutrients provided by foods and beverages. Talk to your doctor before beginning a course of supplements.

Issels®: The Leader in State-of-the-Art Immuno-Oncology

A healthy diet is part of the integrative approach we follow at Issels®. Contact us to learn how our non-toxic immunotherapy for cancer treatment is tailored to accommodate your individual lifestyle, environment and other factors.

 

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

How to Lower Your Stress Level during Cancer Treatment

Lower Stress
Lower Stress

Psychological stress is a normal part of life, and moderate amounts can even help you perform better by improving focus and motivation. But stress can reach unmanageable levels when a person feels a lack of control over their life. How does extended stress affect cancer patients?

Physical Effects of Stress

At present, a direct link between stress and the development of cancer is weak at best. However, it can be an indirect cause due to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as smoking or drinking that carry an increased risk of cancer.

More significantly, chronic stress can weaken the immune system, thereby giving cancer a greater chance to gain a foothold. Studies on mice carrying human tumors have shown that the cancer was more likely to grow and metastasize when the mice were subjected to stressful conditions.

Stress Relief Methods

Stress-related depression and anxiety can seriously affect a cancer patient’s quality of life and even cause them to forgo treatment. Having a strong support system is an effective means of combating harmful stress.

Other techniques to release stress include:

  • Counseling and therapy, both individual and group
  • Cancer education sessions
  • Meditation and relaxation training, such as yoga
  • Exercise and physical activity
  • Medication to treat depression and anxiety

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Defense against the Effects of Stress

Stress is one of the lifestyle and environmental factors that make each cancer patient’s case unique. At Issels®, our individually tailored immunotherapy for cancer treatments boost the immune system’s ability to fight tumors naturally. Contact us to learn more about our state-of-the-art protocols such as cancer vaccines and hyperthermia.

 

Cancer Care Tips, Living with Cancer

Should I Tell My Grandchildren I Have Cancer?

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When a Caregiver Gets Cancer
Should You Tell the Younger Members of Your Family You Have Cancer?

If you’ve received a diagnosis of cancer, your family will serve as the anchors of your support system. But should that include the younger members? Here are some helpful suggestions for sharing the news with grandchildren.

What Do I Tell Them?

• Before any decisions are made, consult with your children and their spouses. They have the ultimate responsibility of raising their kids, so they should have the ultimate approval over what they are told along with when and where.

• Formulate the content of your discussion based on the child’s point of view. Depending on age, he or she may not even know what cancer is, let alone have any frame of reference for it.

• Children are naturally self-centered, but not in a bad way. They simply don’t have the life experience to think outside of themselves. While they will be concerned for you, be prepared to assure them that their life will go on as normal.

Do I HAVE to Tell Them?

Children are more intuitive than most people think. If they sense that something’s wrong, lack of knowledge will frighten them more than the truth. It’s also better that they learn from you rather than from an outside source which may be misinformed.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Giving Hope to Patients and Families

Former President Jimmy Carter is one of a growing number of patients who have successfully received immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Contact us today for testimonials from patients at our Issels® clinic who have benefited from personalized treatment protocols for cancer in all forms, including melanoma, leukemia, and breast cancer.

 

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Living with Cancer

Tips for Settling Your Stomach While in Cancer Treatment

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Better Eating
Better Eating

Nausea is a common side effect that occurs with cancer patients, whether from the disease itself or from treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. While the physical discomfort is bad enough, nausea can prevent you from absorbing valuable nutrients when you need them the most.

Relieving Nausea during Cancer Treatment

Drugs called antiemetics can help control nausea, but here are some cancer treatment tips you can use to naturally reduce your symptoms:

  • Don’t try to counteract nausea by eating your favorite foods. A more likely result is that you’ll lose your taste for those foods because you associate them with the nausea.
  • Sip liquids throughout the day, but not during meals, when it can cause bloating and a feeling of fullness.
  • Sitting comfortably for about an hour after eating helps digestion.
  • Wear loose-fitting clothes that are less restrictive around your midsection.
  • If you’re experiencing nausea during therapy sessions, avoid eating for a couple of hours before treatment.
  • Soft foods such as oatmeal, yogurt and canned fruits and vegetables are easier on your stomach. Avoid spices along with foods that are high in fat or sugar.
  • Track your episodes of nausea to identify specific triggers and adjust your eating habits accordingly.

Issels® Offers State-of-the-Art Immunotherapy for Cancer

We know that your environment and lifestyle contribute to successful cancer treatment. Visit our website for more cancer treatment tips and contact us to learn more about our individually tailored therapies such as cancer vaccines and NK cells.

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer

Does Treatment Cause Cancer to Spread?

Can Cancer Treatment Causer The Spread of Cancer
Can Cancer Treatment Causer The Spread of Cancer

One of the obstacles to immunotherapy for cancer and other traditional treatments is that the disease can reoccur. While it was believed this was due to cancer cells developing resistance to drugs, recent evidence suggests that the problem may be the treatments themselves.

“A Double-Edged Sword”

Penicillin and other antibiotics were once hailed as “wonder drugs,” but overuse resulted in many forms of bacteria adapting and becoming immune to the toxic effects. The medical community felt the same process was behind the tendency of cancer to reoccur and spread to other areas.

A recent discovery by a team of Israeli scientists has shed new light on the problem. Their study involved mice with multiple myeloma, which is produced in bone marrow and spreads throughout the body. They received treatment with bortezomib, an anti-cancer drug with the brand name of Velcade.

The researchers were surprised to find that Velcade caused inflammatory cells in the bone marrow to accelerate the cancer, arming the cells with resistant properties. While they emphasize that “treatment with Velcade is essential and necessary,” the team is working on methods to inhibit the body’s response so treatments are more effective.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: A Personalized Approach

Our Issels® immunotherapy treatments are developed to meet each patient’s individual needs. These integrative programs attack cancer cells directly and treat the underlying causes to reduce the risk of tumor growth and reoccurrence.

Contact us to learn more about cancer vaccines, NK cells and the other non-toxic immunotherapy for cancer treatments offered at Issels®.