Category Archives: Stress Management

Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Living with Cancer, Stress Management

Holiday Eating Tips for Cancer Patients

Holiday Eating
Holiday Eating

Just like there are some friends and family that you only see in person during the holidays, there are many beloved snacks, treats, and entrees that are holiday traditions. At Issels® Integrative Immuno-Oncology, we understand how a cancer diagnosis can disrupt every aspect of your life. But you can still celebrate that life and the holidays with loved ones. Keep these eating tips in mind as you enjoy the festivities.

  • Talk to your doctor about whether it is ok for you to drink alcohol. Complete abstinence is sometimes easier than moderation.
  • The same is true for many food items. Eat some healthy snacks before you leave your house to head toward a dinner or other gathering. You will find it much easier to avoid the temptation of decadent culinary creations.
  • Most get-togethers have a buffet. The American Cancer Society recommends you select items from the inside of the table and away from the edge. The area out of reach of small hands is less likely to have germs.
  • Be mindful of which items you can eat before you start filling your plate.
  • Take it slow and have small portions. This will prevent that lethargic feeling of being overfull.

Many holiday favorites will overwhelm a sensitive stomach. Try to avoid anything with heavy cream, gravy, or a mayonnaise base. You may have a weakened immune system and be more vulnerable to food-borne sickness. Avoid undercooked foods such as sushi, dishes with mayonnaise, and anything that may have raw eggs.

We continue to make progress in the fight against cancer. To stay informed on the latest cancer treatment breakthroughs and to get more health and nutrition tips, sign up for our e-newsletter.

After Cancer, Living with Cancer, Stress Management, Testimonials

Three Tips to Understanding your Cancer’s Prognosis

Understanding Cancer
Understanding Cancer

Cancer is the giant bugaboo that eventually invades everyone’s life if they live long enough. Still, if caught early and treated agressively, a prognosis of cancer is not necessarily an untimely death sentence. Here are the most important things to know about your prognosis once you have defintively been diagnosed with cancer:

It is Fact Based

Though it may mystify the patient to some extent, a doctor’s cancer prognosis is thoroughly grounded in his own and his peer’s medical experience. The doctor will look at such things as the type and location of the cancer, its metastatic stage – that is, how much it has actually spread – and the cancer’s grade – how abnormal it looks and how likely it is to spread even more.

It’s Mostly Statistics

While Mark Twain facetiously opined that there are “lies, damn lies and statistics,” the actual truth is that stats really do tell you a lot about your prognosis. By analyzing various factors such as the specific characteristics of the patient’s disease, the available treatment options and any other health issues, the doctor will make an educated guess as to what will happen.

It is Not Completely Certain

While your prognosis is your doctor’s “best guess” as to the likely course and outcome of your disease, it is by no means 100% certain. Remaining positive throughout the process is always the best medicine.

As you can see, a prognosis is as much art as it is science and the best doctors combine both when making a prognosis. For more detailed information, please contact us at Issels® or you can reach us directly at 1-888-437-7357.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Living with Cancer, Stress Management

Alternative Cancer Treatment Is Popular with Patients

Alternative Cancer Therapy
Alternative Cancer Therapy

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation have dominated Western medicine for decades. But a new player on the cancer team is earning cheers from patients. An estimated half of cancer patients now include some form of alternative cancer treatment in their cancer treatment program.

Alternative Treatments Go Mainstream

Many alternative cancer treatments are not actually “new,” although their therapeutic value has only recently been recognized by Western oncologists. Acupuncture, massage, nutritional immunotherapy and meditation are just some of the alternative therapies now being employed at university hospitals and U.S. cancer centers that have a long history of successful therapeutic treatment of disease in other cultures.

What’s Old Is New Again

Traditional medicine’s focus on immunotherapy as the future of cancer treatment is another example of mainstream medicine’s belated acceptance of alternative cancer treatment. Genetic and cellular research have added scientific proof to the experiential findings of alternative therapy practitioners who have long understood the critical role the body’s immune system plays in cancer treatment. While many U.S. cancer researchers are heralding immunotherapy as “new,” integrative immunotherapy has been practiced with beneficial results at Issels Oncology Centers for more than 60 years.

Merging Two Approaches

Cancer patients are benefiting from traditional medicine’s broadening view of cancer treatment. When used in conjunction with traditional cancer treatments, alternative therapies have been shown to greatly reduce the painful and unpleasant side effects of traditional treatments. More importantly, merging traditional and alternative cancer treatments improves your immune system response and enhances the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

Issels Oncology Centers works with many patients undergoing traditional cancer treatment. Contact us today for information about adding alternative cancer therapies to your cancer treatment program.

Living with Cancer, Stage Four Cancer Treatment, Stress Management

The Tough Questions – How Long Will I live?

How Long?
How Long?

If you receive a cancer diagnosis, it is normal to ask, “How long will I live?” Despite the tremendous strides made in battling cancer and extending the life expectancy of cancer patients, The Big C still carries the death stigma.

An Unanswerable Question

None of us can know how long we will live. Whether or not you have cancer, life eventually comes to an end. Sometimes cancer hastens those final days, but more and more frequently it does not. There is no magic calculator that can predict with 100% accuracy when your last day on Earth will dawn.

Prepare for Tomorrow; Live for Today

The advice of people who have faced fatal illness is to prepare for the worst but live with hope. Survivors say knowing your affairs are in order and your loved ones are taken care of frees you to live each day to the fullest.

Many Will Outlive Cancer

Today, many people with some of the most common and most prevalent forms of cancer, such as breast and prostate cancer, can realistically expect to beat cancer, live long and happy lives, and die of old age or other causes. Certain forms of cancer are now considered so slow growing and unlikely to impact patients’ lives that testing and treatment are no longer recommended. You’re more likely to die of something else before you feel cancer’s effects.

Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment

Scientific progress in genetic and cellular research and recognition of the immense value of immunotherapy are revolutionizing cancer treatment and increasing life expectancy. In Issels’ more than 60 years of experience, many stage 4 cancer patients have achieved long-term remission with integrative immunotherapy.

Living with Cancer, Stress Management

Dealing With Cancer Related Stress

The Stress Of Cancer
The Stress Of Cancer

Dealing with the stress of cancer is difficult, both for the patient and his or her family. Aside from the obvious worry and questions about the illness and treatments are the overwhelming details that must be handled regarding health insurance, medical appointments and financial concerns.

For the Patient

  • It’s OK to not be OK. Your mind and body are reacting to many new challenges, and if you feel sad, tired, confused, angry, lost, or afraid, it’s OK.
  • You may not think a support group is for you, but connecting with others going through similar situations, whether in person or online, can reinforce the idea that you’re not alone. And your insight might help someone else. Sometimes that is enough to make you feel more positive.
  • Give your body a break. Don’t push it. Give yourself permission to rest more by simplifying your routine. Treat yourself to massages, eat healthy and exercise as little or as much as you want.
  • Prioritize what’s really important to you and unplug from anything that causes undue stress.

For the Family Caregiver

  • Remember that your loved one is feeling very out of control, so sharing input in as many details and decisions as possible will keep the paths of communication open and ease stress between you.
  • Maintain a good support system of family and friends. Don’t become overwhelmed with the stress of caring for a family member with cancer.
  • Keep yourself healthy and watch for the warning signs of stress and depression – sleeplessness, irritability, forgetfulness and exhaustion to name a few.

Don’t let cancer related stress diminish the quality of life you or your loved ones deserve. The Issels Treatment® uses natural, alternative protocols, individualized for the patient’s health and well-being.

Living with Cancer, Stress Management

Living with Cancer – Attitude is Everything in Living with Cancer

 

Attitude Is Everything
Attitude Is Everything

Attitude is everything whether the cancer diagnosis is for a family member, friend or you, the aftermath of diagnosis is often devastating. A range of emotions are soaring through your mind, and you’re wondering if you have what it takes to beat this disease. Fortunately, when you equip yourself with the right attitude, used in conjunction with traditional or alternative cancer treatment programs, you can build the strength necessary to fight with all you have.

Changing your attitude about any situation is difficult, and you’ll want to make sure to surround yourself with people who support your cause. Build a team of support whether it’s through family members, your church group or all of your best friends from college. Positive attitudes can have a profound effect on you well-being. Once you have found that group, you can also begin to focus on what it is that you are fighting for.

You might be fighting to live longer for your children, or you may be fighting because you don’t feel as though you’ve completed your journey here yet. Setting a goal and giving you a passion for the journey are two powerful tools. This positive attitude can also be tied to religion or spirituality. By connecting yourself to God or a higher power, you can tap into a powerful force that helps you to retain your positive “I can win” attitude.

Incorporating religion or spirituality of some type into your “I can win” attitude lets you know that you are not alone. Prayer and meditation can also be a part of your plan as you work to enhance attitude.

Consider using immune boosting programs to get your mind, body and spirit all in line with one another. No matter what your treatment plan is be sure to discuss all of your goals and ideas with your doctor first to ensure that you are moving in the “right” direction.