Sunday, September 11, 2016

The Link Between Lifestyle and Breast Cancer

The first step towards beating cancer is recognizing the link between lifestyle and the risk of getting breast cancer, or having breast cancer reoccur.  The following is a list of easy to digest pieces of advice that have been well researched and proven to link lifestyle choices with the increased risk of breast cancer.
                                                                        Edited by Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital

1.)     Maintain a healthy body weight. Throughout your entire life, it is important to maintain healthy body weight. Medically speaking, doctors suggest that a person’s body mass index (BMI) should always be kept below 25. Weight gain during the middle years of your, has been shown to significantly increase breast cancer risk. Gaining more than 70 pounds as an adult doubles a woman’s risk for breast cancer. Additionally, and elevated BMI has been conclusively shown to increase the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer.

2.)    Minimize or completely avoid alcohol. Alcohol use is the most well established dietary risk factor for breast cancer. Research studies have consistently shown consuming more than one alcoholic beverage a day can increase one’s risk for breast cancer by as much as 20-25 percent.
3.)    Consume as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Eat seven or more servings daily or cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower); dark leafy greens (collards, kale, spinach); carrots, and tomatoes and do wonders for boosting the immune system. The superheroes against cancer include citruses, berries and cherries. Remember, eat your cruciferous vegetables raw if possible (or lightly cooked) in order to get the best nutritional effect. 

4.)    Exercise regularly…not just for short periods in your life when getting ready for the summer. It is important to find an exercise routine you enjoy and maintain it for the rest of your life. Many studies have shown that regular exercise provides powerful protection against breast cancer. Aim for 30 minutes or more of moderate aerobic activity (brisk walking) five or more days a week. Consistency and duration, not intensity, are key!
5.)    Do your fats right! The type of fat in your diet can affect your breast cancer risk. Minimize consumption of omega-6 fats (sunflower, safflower, corn and cottonseed oils), saturated fats and trans fats. Maximize your intake of omega-3 fats, especially from oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, lake trout and herring). Consume monounsaturated oils (canola, olive oil, nuts/seeds, avocados) as your primary fat source, as these foods have potential anti-cancer properties.
6.)    Understand Carbs. Minimize consumption of the "Great White Hazards" - white flour, white rice, white potatoes, sugar and products containing them. These foods trigger hormonal changes that promote cellular growth in breast tissue. Replace these "wrong" carbs with whole grains and beans/legumes. Beans/legumes because of their high fiber and lignan content are especially protective.

7.)    Consume whole food soy products. Regularly eating such foods as tofu, tempeh, edamame, roasted soy nuts, soy milk and miso have been shown to lower a woman’s risk for breast cancer. Additionally, try eating organic; genetically modified foods have been shown to increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer.
8.)    Minimize exposure to pharmacologic estrogens and xeno-estrogens. Do not take prescription estrogens unless for a specific medical purpose. Lifetime exposure to estrogen plays a fundamental role in the development of breast cancer. Also avoid estrogen-like compounds found in environmental pollutants, such as pesticides and industrial chemicals. Buy organic produce if you can afford it; otherwise, thoroughly wash all non-organic produce. Minimize exposure to residual hormones found in non-organic dairy products, meat and poultry.
9.)    Take daily general vitamin supplements.
10.)  Maintain your mind AND body. Engage in self-nurturing behaviors regularly. Develop rich, warm and mutually beneficial relationships with family and friends. Get adequate sleep (7-8 hours per night). The mind-body associations with breast cancer are significant.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Four soups recommended for alleviating nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy

As a major treatment for cancer, chemotherapy can deliver therapeutic effect to the primary lesion, metastases and subclinical metastases; it can also reduce the occurrence rate of postoperative recurrence and distant metastases of early and medium stage cancer. Chemotherapy drug kills cancer cells while it also destroys normal cells and immune cells. The common side effects of chemotherapy are bone marrow suppression, gastrointestinal reaction, hair loss, urinary tract toxicity, cardiotoxicity, etc. To prevent and minimize the side effects, cancer patients are advised to have traditional Chinese medicine during chemotherapy, take decoction that can tonify the kidney, the spleen, the stomach and produce blood and receive acupuncture and moxibustion.

Chinese traditional and Western medicine compliment to each other in treating cancer, especially during the course of chemotherapy as the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine can prevent and minimize the side effects of chemotherapy and help patients tide over courses of chemotherapy. Notably, cancer patients should take traditional Chinese medicine as directed by traditional Chinese physician instead of randomly taking anti-cancer folk prescription or anti-cancer secret prescription.

In addition, diet adjustment is also very important during chemotherapy. Patients should have more food rich in protein, such as dairy products, lean meat, fish, animal liver, red dates, etc. and avoid oily, cold and nondigestible food.

For patients who have low white blood cell count and immunosuppression, herbs and food materials, such as Chinese date, astragalus membranaceus, ginseng, longan pulp, angelica sinensis, polygonatum kingianum, polygonum multiflorum, mud fish, quail will help increase the white blood cell count.

For patients who have poor appetite, dyspepsia, nausea and vomiting, ingredients that can activate spleen, promote appetite, regulate vital energy and control vomiting can be added into daily diet. The ingredients include crataegus, white hyacinth bean, turnip, mushroom, dried orange peel, perilla leaf, and Chinese parsley.

Food therapy during chemotherapy
●Stewed young pigeon with American ginseng and yam

Ingredients: 1 young pigeon, 15g sliced American Ginseng, 30g yam, 10 red dates, 6 pieces of ginger (for patient who have deficiency-cold syndrome, add 5g red ginseng)

Directions: wash American ginseng, yam, red dates (without pit), ginger and the young pigeon. Cut the young pigeon into bite size. Put all ingredients into a stew pot. Add appropriate amount of boiled water into the stew pot. Simmer gently for 2 hours. Add salt for taste. Serve warm.

Efficacy: it is sultable for people who have damaged Yinqi, fatigue, loss of appetite, dry mouth after chemotherapy.

 ●Beef soup with astragalus membranaceus, caulis spatholobi and red dates
ngredients: 30g Astragalus membranaceus, 30g Caulis Spatholobi, 5red dates, 150g beef, 3 slices of ginger.

Directions: dice the beef and put all the ingredients into a clay pot. Simmer gently for 2 hours. Add salt for taste. Serve warm.

Efficacy: It can tonify qi and produce blood. It is especially suitable for those who have bone marrow suppression and declined WBC after chemotherapy.

●Stewed soft-shelled turtle with yam and longan

Ingredients: 15g lucid ganoderma, 15g astragalus membranaceus, 15g rhizoma polygonati, 15g caulis spatholobi, 100g lean meat

Directions: boil all the medical materials for half an hour and then remove the slag. Put the lean meat into the pressure-cooker and stew for half an hour. Add oil and salt for taste. It can replenish qi to invigorate the spleen, nourish blood, and enhance the immunity.

Efficacy: the soup is suitable for patients who have dizziness, weakness, poor appetite and fatigue after chemotherapy. Purple lucid ganoderma or rainbow conk can replace lucid ganoderma if the lucid ganoderma is too expensive.
                                                                
                                     Edited by Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital