Tag Archives: Eating Tips

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Living with Cancer

Tips for Settling Your Stomach While in Cancer Treatment

1 Comment
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.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

Cancer Treatments May Affect Nutrition – What to Know

2 Comments
Food is Life
Food is Life

Food is life. You’ve heard these three simple words many times, but if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer they take on a whole deeper meaning. Ironically, the disease can interfere with nutrition at the time you need it most. Use these helpful guidelines to create a healthy eating plan with your doctor.

Why good nutrition is a valuable weapon against cancer

Food is more than just fuel to run your body’s engine. Nutrients in your diet protect and renew tissue cells, maintain your weight for maximum strength, and boost your immune system. A well-balanced diet improves quality of life and may even aid your chances of recovery.

Cancer can alter the digestive process

Certain tumors, especially those found in the stomach or intestines, produce chemicals that limit absorption of nutrients. While you might feel that you’re ingesting a sufficient amount of calories and nutrients, your body may not be able to use them fully.

Side effects of cancer and its treatment can affect appetite and eating

It’s not usual for cancer patients to experience vomiting, diarrhea, dysphagia (difficulty with swallowing), and other side effects that disrupt eating and prevent healthy snacking, particularly when undergoing treatment. Psychological effects like depression and anxiety can also reduce appetite.

Discuss any diet and nutrition concerns with your doctor

Don’t get discouraged if you have problems getting enough food and nutrients. Medicine and other therapies are available to help you meet your nutritional needs.

Our non-toxic immuno-oncology therapies are personalized to incorporate your individual lifestyle elements, including diet and nutrition, environment and genetic predisposition. Visit our website to learn more about the Issels® difference.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Living with Cancer

Cancer Treatment Weight Loss Guidelines from the American Cancer Society

Vitamin D To Reduce Risks of Cancer
Add In Some Milk

Even if you’re a little on the “fluffy” side, weight loss during cancer treatment is not good for your recovery. At Issels®, we want you to be as strong as you can during treatment, so we’ve put together this simple guide from the experts at the American Cancer Society.

Why does weight loss make recovery slow and difficult?

  • Surgical incisions require protein for repair and new tissue creation.
  • Cells killed by chemotherapy need protein for replacement.
  • Without the necessary nutrition, your body has to dip into lean muscle mass (in addition to fat stores) to find the necessary building blocks for new tissue.
  • Dipping into lean muscle mass reduces stamina and energy.
  • The culmination of the above effects can weaken your immune system and postpone treatment.

How much weight loss is too much?

  • 1-2% of your body weight in a week.
  • 5% in a month.
  • 10% over three months.

Maintain independence and take control of your treatment by focusing good nutrition.
Get close to your starting weight before your next treatment. Add about 250 calories per day to your diet by:

  • Adding a glass of milk to each meal.
  • Eating a snack in the car on the way to appointments.
  • Have ice cream as a bedtime snack if your mouth/throat is sore or appetite is poor.

Still losing weight?

  • Eat every two hours.
  • Add more frequent snacks.
  • Boost calories in foods you already enjoy.
  • Consider discussing an appetite stimulant with your doctor.
  • Develop a plan for your specific needs with a dietician. There may be free programs in your area.

Hungry for successful results? Contact Issels ® today.