Category Archives: Cancer Care Tips

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips

American Institute for Cancer Research List Cancer-Fighting Foods

Cancer Fighting Foods
Cancer Fighting Foods

Do you need more motivation to consume a healthy diet? According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), excess body weight is a cause of more than 130,000 new cases of cancer in the United States each year.

Consuming nutritious plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, provides a double-whammy against cancer. Fewer calories mean no weight gain, while the vitamins and minerals are strong tools against developing cancer.

What’s on Your Grocery List?

Fortunately, there’s a wide variety of delicious foods to choose from. Here are some of the products that rank high on AICR’s list.

  • Dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach and romaine lettuce contain carotenoids that attack free radicals, which are unstable molecules that cause cell and tissue damage.
  • Tomatoes get their red color from an antioxidant called lycopene. They’re also rich in fiber, which protects against colorectal cancer.
  • Coffee has gained a bad reputation with some, but it’s actually full of antioxidants that may become more potent during the roasting process.
  • Kidneys, black beans and other legumes are a good source of fiber and protein. They also contain a resistant starch used by “good” bacteria in the colon to manufacture protective short-chain fatty acids.
  • Blueberries are considered one of the “superfoods” that have some of the highest antioxidant content.

Good Nutrition and Immunotherapy for Cancer: A Powerful Combination

At our Issels® center, diet and other lifestyle factors are taken into consideration when creating our personalized immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Contact us for more information about non-toxic protocols such as cancer vaccines and NK cells.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research

National Cancer Institute: Environmental Cancer Causing Agents Act at the DNA Level

Cancer Can Be Caused at The DNA Level
Cancer Can Be Caused at The DNA Level

Reducing your risk of cancer involves more than eating a healthy diet that is low in fat and high in nutrients. Exposure to certain environmental factors can set the stage for development of cancer by actually causing damage to your DNA.

Everyday Exposure to Cancer-Causing Elements

As explained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), cancer occurs when genes mutate in such a way that cell replication and growth is severely altered. While this can occur naturally, specific elements of the environment have been found to inflict this type of damage on DNA.

Here are some of the environmental carcinogens that present the biggest risk of causing cancer. Some are difficult to avoid, but others are more easily controlled.

  • Aflatoxins, which are associated with risk of liver cancer, are produced by mold that’s most often found on crops such as corn and peanuts. Aspergillus is the most common variety of aflatoxin-producing mold.
  • Tobacco smoke is one of the more highly publicized carcinogens. One obvious solution is to quit smoking or never start, but second-hand smoke is harder to avoid.
  • Asbestos releases minute fibers into the air when damaged. Ingesting these fibers can lead to lung cancer or mesothelioma. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration has instituted strict measures governing the use of asbestos, which have greatly reduced its risk.

NCI emphasizes that exposure to these elements doesn’t guarantee cancer. Factors such as length of exposure and individual genetic makeup also play a part.

Issels® and Non-Toxic Immunotherapy for Cancer

At Issels®, we understand that lifestyle and environment make each patient’s case unique. Contact us to learn more about our individually tailored immunotherapy for cancer.

Cancer Care Tips, Immunotherapy, News

National Cancer Institute Launches Mole vs Melanoma Info Site

Are You at Risk for Skin Cancer?
Are You at Risk for Skin Cancer?

It’s important to understand the difference between common moles that often occur on the skin and melanomas. To the untrained eye, the two can look very similar, and they can result in people either worrying unnecessarily about the condition of their skin or overlooking skin irregularities that require immediate medical attention.

At Issels®, we’ve worked with many people who have been diagnosed with melanoma, and immunotherapy has been shown to be a very promising alternative to traditional cancer treatments. Even so, identification remains a serious challenge, and the National Cancer Institute has come up with a tool to help.

The Moles to Melanoma Tool

The Moles to Melanoma tool from the National Cancer Institute provides individuals with pictures that help to understand the three types of moles that can appear on the human body. They are:

  • Common Moles
  • Dysplastic Nevi (or DN)
  • Melanoma

Common moles are those that are non-cancerous, and their characteristics are not a cause for concern. Dysplastic Nevi moles are those that aren’t cancerous, but that possess qualities that would cause doctors to keep an eye on them for any changes that could indicate melanoma. Finally, melanoma is characterized by moles that fit into the ABCDE category of identification.

Are You Concerned About Melanoma?

If your family has a history of melanoma, or if you have moles that cause you to be concerned, this tool can be very useful for you. However, it’s important to remember that no diagnostic tool should ever take the place of a professional diagnosis from an experienced physician.

At Issels, melanoma can be treated with non-toxic melanoma immunotherapy. Contact us to learn more.

Cancer Care Tips, Immuno-Oncology, News

July is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month – Do You Know the Bladder Cancer Risk Factors?

Men Are More Likely to Get Bladder Cancer Than Women... Are You at Risk?
Men Are More Likely to Get Bladder Cancer Than Women… Are You at Risk?

This July, you may see people sporting a yellow ribbon for Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. What do you know about the risks for this type of cancer that accounts for five percent of all new diagnoses in the United States each year?

Demographic Factors

  • Bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in men. According to projections by the American Cancer Society, in 2016 new diagnoses of bladder cancer in men will outnumber women three to one.
  • Approximately 90 percent of bladder cancer occurs in people over the age of 55.
  • Caucasians are twice as likely as African-Americans and Hispanics to develop bladder cancer. Occurrences are also lower in Asian-Americans and American Indians.

Lifestyle Factors

  • Smoking is the most serious risk factor, tripling your chances of developing bladder cancer. In addition, roughly half of all bladder cancer cases with both men and women are caused by smoking.
  • The diabetes medicine Actos, along with certain dietary supplements, has been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer.

Medical Factors

  • Previous chemotherapy or radiation treatment can increase your risk of developing bladder cancer.
  • While direct cause-and-effect of bladder cancer has not yet been established, a link has been found with chronic urinary tract infections or bladder and kidney stones.

Issels® Offers Non-Toxic Immunotherapy for Bladder Cancer

Patients at Issels® have been successfully treated with immunotherapy for bladder cancer as well as other common forms such as lung cancer, breast cancer and melanoma. Contact us to learn more about our cancer vaccines and other personalized, integrative treatment programs.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Survivors, Immunotherapy, Living with Cancer

Cancer Survivors: Tips on Living Healthy After Treatment

Cancer Survivors: Tips on Living Healthy After Treatment
Cancer Survivors: Tips on Living Healthy After Treatment

Here at Issels®, whenever we talk with cancer patients about their fears, they’re most concerned about being told that their cancer has returned after being declared “cancer free.” There are actually a lot of things that can be done to reduce your risk of a recurrence and improve your overall health.

Risk Factors for Cancer Survivors

Staying healthy is very important for cancer survivors, and if you fall into certain high-risk groups, there is an elevated chance that your cancer will return. These groups include:

  • Those who are obese or overweight
  • Those who have a heart condition
  • Those who have high blood pressure
  • Those who have been diagnosed with diabetes

While it might seem as though you can’t really do much to change any of these physical ailments or conditions, making small changes to your everyday routine can help. Not only will you feel better overall, but your body will be more equipped to fight off cancer if it does attempt to make a comeback.

Help for Cancer Survivors: Getting Healthy

To get and keep your body in the best possible physical condition, you should consider making these changes to your lifestyle:

  • Start eating healthier foods, and talk with a nutritionist to find out what’s recommended.
  • Add exercise to your daily routine – even a small amount each day can work wonders.
  • Stop all tobacco use.
  • Find healthy ways to deal with stress.
  • Cut down or eliminate the amount of alcohol you drink.

At Issels®, we can help you find the right combination of changes that will help you thrive! Contact us to learn more about immunotherapy.

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Survivors, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Living with Cancer

How to Survive Cancer – Tips from Sam Donaldson

These Tips Can Improve Your Outlook on Life!
These Tips Can Improve Your Outlook on Life!

When veteran TV journalist Sam Donaldson was diagnosed with melanoma, he thought he had three months to live. That was in 1995, and thanks to successful treatment he went on to live another 20 years and counting. He has since passed on some important lessons to his fellow cancer survivors.

Dealing with a Cancer Diagnosis

The reporter’s mother had died of melanoma at 93, while his brother succumbed to liver cancer at 49, so Donaldson thought he understood what he was in for. One thing he knew is that melanoma is a “bad actor” that takes an unpredictable course.

Since Donaldson’s treatment began almost immediately, he had little chance to do any research. Over his post-treatment years, Donaldson has done extensive research on cancer as a member of the “Cancer Club, Melanoma Division.”

Top Three Tips for Cancer Patients

Here are Donaldson’s top three tips for people who have cancer, as told to the National Institutes of Health:

• While cancer can still be fatal, it’s no longer an automatic death sentence and the “Cancer Survivors Club” is growing each year.

• Get a second opinion, and even a third if need be. Consulting more than one specialist improves the accuracy of your diagnosis and helps you find the expert best suited for your treatment.

• Stay optimistic. As Donaldson says, a positive attitude doesn’t cure cancer, but there’s no question that it makes a difference.

Our personalized immunotherapy programs at Issels® have introduced many patients to the “Cancer Survivors Club.” Contact us today to learn more about our cancer vaccines and other non-toxic treatments.