Tag Archives: Living With Cancer

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Cancer Survivors, Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Living with Cancer, Uncategorized

Taking Care of Yourself: Important Safety Reminders About Your Cancer-Compromised Immune System

Keep in Mind Your Immune System

When you’re undergoing cancer treatment, it demands the full attention of your immune system, leaving the door open for bacteria and other germs to sneak in. Use these food-handling tips to reduce the risk of disease and infection.

Food Preparation

  • Wash hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water before and after food prep and before eating.
  • Keep foods at the proper temperature. Hot foods should be above 140° F, while cold foods should be below 40° F.
  • Don’t thaw proteins at room temperature. Use a microwave or place them in the refrigerator with a pan to catch drips.
  • Defrosted foods should be used right away and never refrozen.
  • Don’t take chances. If any foods look, feel or smell strange, dispose of them immediately.
  • Wash produce under running water using a vegetable scrubber. Don’t use soaps, bleaches or other chemical cleaning products.

Cooking

  • Always use a clean spoon when tasting foods while cooking.
  • Don’t guess when cooking meat. Use a food thermometer for accuracy. Beef should be cooked to 160° F while poultry should be cooked to 180° F.
  • If your microwave doesn’t have a turntable, rotate the dish a quarter-turn a couple of times during cooking to ensure that food is evenly heated.
  • When reheating leftovers, cover food with a lid or plastic wrap and stir frequently.

Immunotherapy at Issels®: Personalized Non-Toxic Cancer Treatment

Our immunotherapy treatment programs are designed to boost your immune system, allowing it to fight cancer naturally. Visit our website to learn more about how our state-of-the-art cancer treatment has helped many patients achieve long-term remission.

Cancer Caregivers, Living with Cancer

I Have Cancer, Who Should I Tell?

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Finding the Best Way to Tell Others you Have Cancer.
Finding the Best Way to Tell Others you Have Cancer.

If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, it’s important to maintain a support network of friends and family, but discussing your illness can be awkward and uncomfortable. How do you decide whom to tell and what to tell them?

Sharing Your Cancer Diagnosis

  • Your situation is unique. How and when you inform loved ones is up to you, not some arbitrary timetable. Take time to explore your own thoughts and emotions, giving yourself permission to experience them honestly.
  • Once you’re ready to start telling others, make a list of those you want to talk to in person. This group will most likely include your spouse or significant other along with other family members, followed by close friends. You may want to let these people break the news to more casual acquaintances.
  • If you work, not everyone in the office has to have the same level of information. You should tell your supervisor and human resources manager, since treatment will probably affect your work schedule. With co-workers, you might want to let them know with a general email or statement and then share details individually as you see fit.

Handling the Reactions

  • Most people will offer assistance, so be prepared with an answer. If you do want help, give them specific suggestions.
  • Sometimes people make inappropriate or thoughtless comments. Keep in mind that such behavior stems from their own discomfort or insecurities and shouldn’t be taken personally.

Personally Tailored Immunotherapy for Cancer Programs

At Issels®, we have decades of successful experience using immunotherapy for cancer to bolster our patients’ natural defense mechanisms. Visit our website to learn more.

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.

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, Living with Cancer

Eating Tips for While You’re In Cancer Treatment

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Be The Healthiest You Can Be With These Eating Tips!
Be The Healthiest You Can Be With These Eating Tips!

Cancer treatment can be very hard on your body, especially if you’re undergoing intensive chemotherapy or taking medicine with extreme side effects. Many times, cancer patients will go through a dramatic loss of appetite, which can make keeping your body healthy even more difficult if you don’t have the strength to eat, or keep down, a minimal amount of food.

Cancer Treatment Tips for Meals

Many of these tips work well for anyone who is ill, not just cancer patients, but it’s especially important for you to stay strong during your treatment.

  • Eat smaller meals – Smaller meals are more likely to stay down and it doesn’t take as much strength to eat them.
  • Eat what you like – If you’re going to be eating less, stick to foods you like since it can make it worse if you force yourself to eat foods you don’t enjoy.
  • Salty foods are healthy – The extra salt content of some foods, especially saltine crackers, tend to improve water retention, which can be an issue if you have other side effects such as diarrhea.
  • Avoid spicy foods – These types of foods are harder to digest, especially when you’re undergoing cancer treatment. A little bit of chili powder may be OK, but you may want to cut the jalapenos out of your diet.

Our team at Issels® is committed to giving you the best possible outlook for your cancer diagnosis. We customize non-toxic treatment plans to best fit every individual. Give us a call at 1-888-447-7357, or visit us at Issels.com, to find out more about how we can help you fight your cancer with advanced immunotherapy techniques.

Living with Cancer, Stress Management

Tips on What to Eat While in Cancer Treatment

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Start Your Day and Body Off Right with a Healthy Diet!
Start Your Day and Body Off Right with a Healthy Diet!

Cancer does not exist in a vacuum. Immunotherapy for cancer takes a patient’s lifestyle, environment, and genetic tendencies into consideration in developing personalized protocols. It’s not surprising that nutrition can play an important part in successful cancer treatment.

Here are some tips from WebMD regarding healthy eating habits and dietary choices to follow during your treatment for cancer:

Healthy Eating Habits

  • Instead of waiting until you’re hungry, eat smaller meals at scheduled times of the day.
  • Eat dense, nutrient-rich foods such as avocados, nuts and beans that pack a lot of power into a small amount.
  • Make a point of plating your food using garnishes and other decorative touches to make it visually appealing.
  • During treatment, you may be more susceptible to germs. Use proper treatment methods such as washing and rinsing produce and cooking meat thoroughly.

Healthy Dietary Choices

  • At least 50 percent of each meal should come from fruits and/or vegetables, and aim for meatless meals two to three times a week.
  • Choose whole grain breads and cereals instead of so-called “white foods” made with processed and refined flour.
  • Avoid high-sugar foods that provide empty calories with no nutrition.
  • Keep items like carrot sticks, apples and berries on hand for convenient snacking.
  • Get nutrition from natural sources rather than supplements. In any case, consult your doctor before using dietary supplements, as they can interfere with treatment.

Issels®: Leading the Way in Immunotherapy Treatments

Immunotherapy for cancer is designed to boost your own immune system’s ability to identify and fight tumors. Contact us to learn more about our non-toxic treatments such as cancer vaccines and activated NK cells.