The Role of Proper Nutrition when Dealing with Cancer

Jillian sent this post. It goes along well with my beliefs about proper nutrition; if we eat properly we can overcome many obstacles. If you are interested in reading more from Jillian head on over to Center Yourself.

In order to maintain strength and increase your chances of a successful recovery from cancer, it's helpful to integrate proper nutrition into your diet. While eating right isn't a cure within itself, it's extremely advantageous and can improve your overall quality of life. With that being said, let's discuss the role of proper nutrition when dealing with cancer and some of its primary benefits.

Increased strength and higher energy levels are two positive effects that many people experience with healthy nutritional habits. By consuming foods such as raw vegetables and others that are packed full of antioxidants, your body will be better equipped to deal with the stress that cancer places on your body. This is especially helpful if you're implementing chemotherapy or other forms of radiation. It can also help equip your body to maintain its strength. In fact, patients who are well nourished tend to respond better to therapy and often have an improved prognosis. As a result, you should experience more energy and it should make dealing with cancer more tolerable.

It's also important because your immune system can greatly benefit from a healthy diet. During the stages of cancer and treatment, your body is placed under large amounts of stress that can wreak havoc on your immune system. When this happens, it tends to make you more prone to negative side effects. However, eating a balanced diet and avoiding unhealthy foods can give your body the boost that it needs to combat cancer.

Along with this, you are likely to have a considerably quicker recovery time after treatment is over. By nourishing your body with essential nutrients, it tends to give you the edge while in recovery. Not only will your body respond better to treatment, you should be at a lower risk of developing an infection as well. On the other hand, failing to eat a proper diet makes it more difficult for your body to begin the recovery process.  Consequently, you are more likely to experience negative symptoms like fatigue, nausea and decreased strength.

In addition, your general quality of live should improve when eating a healthy diet. Since many cancer patients experience adverse effects such as weight loss and depression, providing your body with adequate nutrition for mesothelioma or other types of cancer should be helpful. This is mainly because improved physical health tends to positively impact your mental health. When you can maintain a positive state of mind, it's only natural that your quality of live will improve and your chances of recovery are often increased.  For more information regarding developing a healthy diet while going through cancer please visit- The National Cancer Institute.

Knowledge is Relief

It’s been a while since my last blog entry and it’s time for an update.

First, I created my blog with the hope that I could help others suffering from digestive problems and acid reflux find an alternative to prescription medicine or surgery to resolve or control their issues. I have found success in that the blog is searchable; several times a year someone contacts me and I share strategies that have worked for me and recommend finding a Naturopathic Physician in their area to assist them with their endeavor.

I returned to my naturopath in early May. I was still feeling the effects of my “Acid Relapse” event in March. I was almost recovered but not quite there yet. I confessed to her that I thought part of the problem was my hiatal hernia ( I had not shared that info with her ever). A hiatal hernia occurs when weakened muscle tissue allows your stomach to bulge up through your diaphragm. You can learn more by following this link http://www.medicinenet.com/hiatal_hernia/article.htm. That was the cause of the pressure in my chest and then the burning sensation was from GERD or acid reflux.

Dr. Miller-Lane gave me some exercises to do if I have another hiatal hernia episode (with a disclaimer: seek medical attention in case of heart attack or stroke).  Also, because I was still having some issues with acid reflux she put me on a regimen of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, papaya enzymes and DGL. If you are familiar with my past blogs they explain DGL and the importance of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. The papaya enzymes were new to me and they help with digestion. I was aware from my early days of suffering that papaya was good for creating enzymes in the stomach. For a while I use to drink papaya juice and eat fresh papaya when I could find it. 

Today, May 23^rd I feel very good and my body is back to feeling normal. I still believe that diet, exercise and stress management are key to feeling the best you can. Because of the weather I have been able to be active cycling, hiking, gardening, washing car and doing yard work. Certain foods trigger acid reflux; I am very aware of what they are and either avoid or eat in moderation. I am still a  vegan and eat mostly organic or non-GMO foods. I also do 15 minutes of breathing meditation each day and think it is a crucial part of being healthy.