Tag Archives: Probiotics

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.

 

Living with Cancer

PubMed.gov: Probiotics Play a Cancer Protective Role

Eating healthy can boost your immune system!
Eating healthy can boost your immune system!

For the last few years, yogurt commercials have been touting the value of probiotics for gastrointestinal health. A growing body of evidence shows that probiotics may also play a substantial role in protecting against the development of cancer.

Probiotics: Nature’s “Good” Bacteria

Fermented dairy products like yogurt produce lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which slows down the spoilage process. As “good” bacteria, LAB releases enzymes into the intestinal tract that improve digestion and increase absorption of nutritional substances.

LAB also has a number of properties that appear to suppress cancer. It reduces mutagenic cellular activities leading to genetic changes, as well as enzymes that promote carcinogens and other tumor-related substances. Other cancer-specific benefits include:

  • Activation and modulation of the immune system’s response
  • Facilitation of pathways for cytokines, which are proteins that help to govern cell-based immune responses
  • Regulation of interleukins and other tumor necrosis factors

What Does the Future Hold?

Both in vitro and in vivo tests have shown promising results regarding the inhibitive effect of probiotics on colon, liver, and bladder cancers. Reports suggest that probiotics boost the activity of anti-oxidants which protect against cell damage, which can increase the risk of cancer.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Aiding the Body’s Natural Defenses

Probiotics assist your body’s immune response, which is the same goal of immuno-oncology protocols such as cancer vaccines and gene-targeted therapies. Our non-toxic, personalized treatments have successfully helped patients with all forms of cancer, including breast, lung, and liver. Contact us today to learn more about how you could benefit from immunotherapy for cancer at Issels®.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

What Are Probiotics? How Can They Help Me?

Get Your Probiotics
Get Your Probiotics

Living healthy. This is something we see, hear, and read about on a daily basis. For many, healthy living is a choice, for many others, it’s necessary due to health issues. Either way, living a healthy lifestyle is a positive goal to focus on. At Issels ®, we focus on providing you with the help and support you need to live healthy including nutritional tips for cancer patients.

Another word you might have heard in the world of health is “probiotics.” These friendly bacteria and yeasts are good for the digestive system. They’re found in the digestive system and in certain foods such as yogurt, honey, cheese, oats, and pickles. There are also over-the-counter supplements for these friendly bacteria.

Benefits of probiotics include:

  • When your body loses bacteria, probiotics serve as a replacement
  • Probiotics keep bad bacteria that can lead to infections at low levels
  • Probiotics work as a monitor to keep good bacteria and bad bacteria balanced

For patients who are going through cancer treatment as well those who have completed treatment, studies show certain probiotic strains help reduce issues of diarrhea due to radiation treatment.

According to an article by Vanessa Wada, MS, RD, studies indicate,”these organisms have demonstrated their potential in minimizing cancer treatment side effects and reducing cancer risk.” That is encouraging.

Her report also notes liver cancer may also be affected by probiotics as well as breast cancer and bladder cancer. As positive research continues into the healthy effects of the bacteria, Dr. Wada suggests adding probiotics to the diet.

If you have questions or need information, contact our staff at Issels in the USA, Canada or abroad by phone. Or use our convenient online form and we’ll respond to your email.

Living with Cancer

Starting an Exercise Plan While in Cancer Remission

 

Fighting Cancer With Exercise
Fighting Cancer With Exercise

Exercise has been called a “magic pill.” Exercise plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy immune system and helping your body fight off disease. There also appears to be a strong link between physical exercise and not only cancer prevention, but also reduced risk of cancer recurrence.

At Issels Centers for Integrative Medicine, our holistic approach to cancer treatment recognizes the benefits of exercise in achieving long-term cancer remission. Education in exercise and nutrition are included in our individualized immunotherapy plans. While some level of physical activity is encouraged during and after cancer treatment to strengthen the immune system and promote healing, we understand that most patients will need to adjust their physical activity to match fluctuations in strength and energy.

Cancer survivors should use the following tips to help manage their post-treatment exercise programs:

  • Start slow and build on your progress. Strengthening your immune system is a process. Increase activity levels gradually and don’t be upset by setbacks. It is normal for strength and energy to fluctuate after treatment. Give yourself time to heal. Do a little more when you’re feeling energized; a little less when you’re not.
  • Do what you enjoy. Immune system benefits can come from any physical activity. You’re more apt to exercise if you’re doing something you enjoy.
  • Try yoga. Yoga is an excellent low-impact exercise. Yoga does not require physical strength or stamina but offers an excellent workout.
  • Build stamina and muscle mass. Eventually, your exercise program should include a mixture of aerobic exercise to increase stamina and resistance training to rebuild lost muscle mass.
Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips

What Are Probiotics and How Are They Beneficial

Probiotics
Probiotics can benefit cancer treatment

You have many options for receiving treatment for your cancer, and the use of probiotics may be one companion treatment you’d want to investigate.

The link between cancer and probiotics is still being assessed by researchers, but there’s evidence that this “good” bacteria often found in a healthy gut may lessen the often damaging side-effects of chemotherapy.

About probiotics
Probiotics are live-culture organisms like bacteria and yeast, which grow naturally in our body’s digestive systems. Although the word “bacteria” may sound risky (think about all the antibiotics prescribed for various ailments), when processed correctly these organisms actually contribute to a healthier gut and a boosted immune system.

Cancer and probiotics
Probiotics’ benefits to the immune system is particularly relevant in terms of cancer treatment. If you have undergone chemotherapy, you know that this treatment works by seeking out and killing not just the cancerous cells, but fast-growing cells of all descriptions – that’s why you lose your hair.

And among other targeted cells are the ones that contribute to your immune system. When those are killed off, you risk infection. So a regimen of probiotics may help keep your immunity stronger during and after chemo.

Forms of probiotics
Because they are a supplement and not a drug, probiotics are widely available over the counter, added into products like yogurt, chocolate and granola bars. You can also find probiotics capsules.

Probiotics can become part of an alternative or  holistic cancer treatment program. But before jumping into probiotics on your own, make sure to check with your cancer team at Issels for their recommendations and program.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Probiotics May Help Prevent Cancer, Slow Tumor Growth

Probiotics may suppress the growth of bacteria that convert procarcinogens into carcinogens.
Probiotics may clinically suppress the growth of bacteria that convert procarcinogens into carcinogens.

Probiotics are live microorganisms, the “good” bacteria, that live in our digestive tract. Available in foods, notably yogurt and cheese, and supplements, probiotics are believed to not only help mitigate the deadly effects of chemotherapy, as discussed in our previous post; but may also help prevent cancer and slow the growth of cancerous tumors.

The human gut is home to more than 500 strains of bacteria whose primary role is to assist in food digestion and maintain a healthy intestinal tract. But probiotics also seem to play a role in boosting the immune system, aiding it in fighting invasive bacteria and rogue cancer cells.

One of numerous international studies linking probiotics to cancer prevention, particularly colon cancer and breast cancer, an Argentine study concluded:

“Probiotics may suppress the growth of bacteria that convert procarcinogens into carcinogens, thereby reducing the amount of carcinogens in the intestine.”

Separate Australian research that supports that finding also found:

“Probiotic bacteria and prebiotics suppress tumour development in animals” indicating a possible similar reaction in humans.

On Heal Thyself, Pat Robinson provides a comprehensive review of research linking probiotics and cancer available on PubMed.gov, the online publication of the U.S. National Library of Medicine maintained by the National Institutes of Health.

Probiotics are classed as a dietary supplement and are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. If you are considering adding a probiotics supplement to your diet, choose a supplement made by a well-known company that lists the names and amounts of the specific bacteria it contains. Current cancer patients should talk to their Issels cancer treatment team about including probiotics in their immunotherapy treatment plan.