What is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy refers to the use of drugs to treat cancer. For many people the very thought of chemotherapy evokes horrific images of debilitating nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and weakness. In fact chemotherapy can induce those symptoms and many more, however newer medications have made most chemotherapy regimens much better tolerated than in the past. Nonetheless, chemotherapy can produce a wide range of undesirable side effects. Which side effects will occur has much to do with the type of chemotherapy, the dosage and timing of the treatments, the general health of the patient and the history of prior chemotherapy.

For a complete discussion of natural approaches to cancer, consult How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine (Riverhead, 2001).

What dietary factors are important in chemotherapy support?

The nutritional support for the cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy is a spectrum, for someone with a minor cancer with good energy levels, appetite, and nutritional status, following the general guidelines for a healthful diet may be all that is necessary. However, at the other end of the spectrum are people with advanced cancers or those going through chemotherapy will usually be challenged with such things as low energy levels, loss of appetite, and nausea (and, possibly even vomiting). For these individuals, the following dietary suggestions can help improve nutritional status:

• Eat small frequent meals (every 1-2 hours), rather than larger meals less often.
• Stay well hydrated and drink 18 to 24 ounces of fresh vegetable juice daily. Can be taken with food, or better yet take a mid-morning "juice break."
• Drink a high-protein smoothie once or twice daily (discussed below). Smoothies can take the place of breakfast and as a mid-afternoon snack.
• Try ginger - nature's nausea and vomiting remedy - as a tea, juice (use fresh ginger) or in rice.
• Use extra seasonings, spices, and flavorings to improve food's taste appeal.
• Avoid flavorings that are very sweet or very bitter. A higher sensitivity to the taste of food may cause them to taste flavorless or boring.
• Eat soft, moist foods like smoothies, bananas, brown rice, yams, etc; and avoid hard, dry foods like cereals, crackers, and hard candies.
• Take small bites and chew completely.
• Drink at least 48 ounces of water daily in addition to the 18 to 24 ounces of fresh fruit or vegetable juice.

In patients with anorexia or cachexia, it may be necessary to suspend healthy eating habits and focus on eating the things that appeal to them. That is fine for the short-term, but I cannot stress enough on the importance of high quality nutrition to effectively fight cancer.

Cancer patients often need to increase their intake of protein, especially if they are showing signs of cachexia or they are on chemotherapy. Protein helps maintain muscle mass, nourishes the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, boosts blood counts, heals tissues, and boosts the immune system to help fight cancer and prevent infections. On the other hand, inadequate protein intake slows recovery from illness and decreases resistance to infection. Undergoing conventional cancer therapy may require as much as 50 percent more protein than usual.

Smoothies are an ideal-and delicious-way for people with cancer to consume lots of high-quality protein. Protein Essentials from Natural Factors provides both whey protein isolates and concentrates along with fermented soy protein. Whey protein has the highest biological value (BV) of all proteins. BV is a measure that indicates how much of the protein you eat is actually absorbed, retained, and used in the body (as opposed to the amount that passes out of the body unused.) One reason the BV of whey protein is so high is that it has the highest concentrations of glutamine (an amino acid) and branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) found in nature. Glutamine and branched chain amino acids are critical to cellular health and protein synthesis.

Increasing the intake of soy foods also appears to be helpful in most cancers. The possible exception is in women who have estrogen-sensitive breast tumors. Fermented soy not only makes the soy protein more easily to assimilate, but also liberates the beneficial soy isoflavones.

What nutritional supplements should I take for chemotherapy support?

For a complete discussion of natural approaches to cancer, consult How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine (Riverhead, 2001). Here are some basic recommendations suitable for most chemotherapy agents.

Foundation Supplements. There are three products from Natural Factors that I think are critical in supporting good health:

• MultiStart (age and gender specific multiple vitamin and mineral formulas). Follow label instructions.
• Enriching Greens - a great tasting "greens drink" containing highly concentrated "greens" like chlorella, spirulina, wheat grass juice, barley grass juice, etc., and herbal extracts. Take one serving (one tablespoon) in 8 ounces of water daily.
• RxOmega-3 Factors - A true pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplement. Take two capsules daily.

Protein Essentials from Natural Factors (see above). The recommended dosage for chemotherapy support is two scoops twice daily. This dosage will provide 34 grams of high quality protein. If additional protein is required, utilize a high quality whey protein.

Zymactive from Natural Factors is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes. Proteolytic enzymes (or proteases) refer to the various enzymes that digest (break down into smaller units) protein. These enzymes include the pancreatic proteases chymotrypsin and trypsin, bromelain (pineapple enzyme), papain (papaya enzyme), fungal proteases, and Serratia peptidase (the "silk worm" enzyme).

Proteolytic enzymes have a long history of use to support cancer patients. Clinical studies have shown improvements in the general condition of patients, quality of life, and modest to significant improvements in life expectancy. Studies have consisted of patients with cancers of the breast lung, stomach, head and neck, ovaries, cervix, and colon; and lymphomas and multiple myeloma. These studies involved the use of proteolytic enzymes in conjunction with conventional therapy (surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation) indicating that proteolytic enzymes can be used in conjunction with these conventional therapies.

Zymactive and other proteolytic enzyme complexes should be taken on an empty stomach when being used for effects other than as a digestive aid. Take 2-4 tablets of Zymactive High Potency three times daily twenty minutes or so before meals.

Maitake Gold is derived from the maitake mushroom (Grifola frondosa). In the early 1980s, Dr. Hiroaki Nanba of Japan was researching the immune enhancing properties of mushrooms when he came to the conclusion that maitake extracts demonstrated more pronounced antitumor activity in animal tests than other mushroom extracts. One of the key benefits to maitake was the ability to be quite effective when given orally. In contrast, the other mushrooms Dr. Nanba was studying such as shiitake were only effective when injected into the bloodstream.

In 1984, Dr. Nanba identified a fraction of maitake that possessed a significant ability to stimulate white blood cells known as macrophages (literal translation "big eaters"). These specialized white blood cells phagocytize or engulf foreign particles including cancer cells, bacteria, and cellular debris. Dr. Nanba termed his discovery Maitake Gold (U.S. Patent #5,854,404).

Maitake Gold appears to help reduce the side effects of conventional chemotherapy (and radiation) while at the same time enhancing its effectiveness. In 1994, a group from China published findings from a pilot study on 63 cancer patient reporting a total effective rate against solid tumors at higher than 95% and the effective rate against leukemia higher than 90%. In a preliminary study conducted by Dr. Nanba, 165 patients with advanced cancer were given maitake extract. In the patients who were also on chemotherapy, 90% of the patients experienced a reduction in the side effects common to chemotherapy including hair loss, decreased white blood cell counts, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Maitake was shown to effectively reduce pain levels in 83% of the patients. The results were best in breast, lung, and liver cancers. Dr. Nanba reported significant improvement in symptoms or regression of tumors in 73.3% of patients with breast cancer, 66.6% in lung cancer, and 46.6% in liver cancer.

The dosage of Maitake Gold is based upon body weight, 0.5mg to 1.0 mg for every 2.2 pounds (1 kg) of body weight per day. That translates to a dosage of approximately 35-70 mg. For best results take 20 minutes before meals or on an empty stomach.

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric (Curcuma longa) - the chief ingredient in curry. It has demonstrated significant activity in many experimental and clinical studies involving inflammation and anticancer properties. It exerts a complex set of actions beneficial for the prevention and treatment of cancer. The recommended dosage for curcumin is 200-400mg three times a day. Take with an equal amount of bromelain to enhance absorption.

Coenzyme Q10 is very important to supplement in people taking the drug doxorubicin. This drug is especially harmful to the heart and can produce serious damage to the heart (cardiomyopathy). In fact, the damage to the heart is often life threatening. A number of studies have shown CoQ10 can prevent the cardiac toxicity associated with doxorubicin without reducing the anti-tumor effect. Take CoQ10 in soft-gelatin capsules for enhanced absorption at a dosage of 100 to 200 mg daily if taking doxorubicin.

How do I know if the program is working?

First of all, there are no guarantees here - believe me, I wish I had a guaranteed cure for all cancers. Cancer patients often ask tough questions about their expected lifespan, chances for cure, risk for recurrence, and so on. The numbers given by oncologists only apply to large groups, not to individuals. Each cancer patient is unique, with different characteristics, strengths, weaknesses and genes. Physicians talk with patients about average survival for people their particular type and stage of cancer. Often, they will refer to the "five year survival rate." If the 5-year survival rate is 50%, it means that half of the patients will die within 5 years while the other half will live more than 5 years. On one end of the spectrum is the patient with rapid disease progression and early death. On the other end is the patient that enjoys complete cure, long-term remission, or many years of disease-free survival. Most patients will fall somewhere in the middle between these two extremes. I sincerely believe that the program detailed in my book How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine moves each cancer patient as far to the right of the curve as possible, to include them among the other long-term survivors. In addition, our approach not only maximize chances for longevity-a greater number of years-but also for an increased quality of life during those years.

Feedback:

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Testimonials:

"Dr. Murray, I consider your program along with my faith in God for helping keep me alive well. I was diagnosed and treated for stage 4 colon cancer and given very little hope of survival. Now, 3 years later I am healthier than ever with no sign of the cancer. Thank you, LB"

Condition Center Caution:

• Dr. Murray’s recommendations and protocols for nutritional support are not intended as a substitute for appropriate medical care.
• The products and the claims made about specific products on or through this site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
• If you have a medical condition or disease, please talk to your doctor prior to using the recommendations given.
• Do not self-diagnose. Proper medical care is critical to good health. If you have a health concern or undiagnosed sign or symptom, please consult a physician, preferably a naturopathic doctor (N.D.), nutritionally oriented medical doctor (M.D. or (D.O.), or other health care specialist. Please go to www.naturopathic.org to find a qualified naturopathic doctor (N.D.) in your area to help you.
• Make your physician aware of all the nutritional supplements or herbal products you are currently taking to avoid any negative interactions with any drugs you are taking.
• If you are currently taking a prescription medication, you absolutely must work with your doctor before discontinuing any drug or altering any drug regimen.