Photo courtesy of Lajla / rgbstock.com
More Evidence That Broccoli Protects Against Breast Cancer
I was checking out the latest research today on www.pubmed.gov (one of my favorite places to troll for breast cancer research) and came across an article titled “Dietary Chemopreventative Benzyl Isothiocyanate Inhibits Breast Cancer Stem Cells In Vitro and In Vivo“, authored by Su-Hyeong Kim, Anuradha Sehrawat, Shivendra V. Singh et al from the Dept of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh. The article will be published in the May 2013 issue of Cancer Prevention Research, by the American Association for Cancer Research.
Broccoli Wins Again
Knowing that benzyl isothiocyanate is a naturally occurring compound found in cruciferous vegetables, I latched onto the article and did my best to decipher it (which ain’t easy when you’re not a scientist!). Here’s what I gleaned from the article.
The researchers reported that a small subset of mammary tumor initiating cells (also known as breast cancer stem cells or bCSC) are suspected to evade conventional therapies, often leading to disease recurrence, and that elimination of not only the tumor cells that were therapy-sensitive, as well as the therapy-resistant breast cancer stem cells, would be necessary for prevention of breast cancer.
The researchers mentioned that they have already proven that benzyl isothiocyanate was effective against the development of breast cancer in mice by causing epithelial tumor cell apoptosis.
In this study the researchers were equally successful at using benzyl isothiocyanate in the diet of the mice with tumors, and resulted in a “marked decrease in breast cancer stem cells”.
Also Protective Against Metastasis
In addition, I found some 2010 Chinese research that indicated benzyl isothiocyanate was also effective in inhibiting the migration and invasion of human colon cancer cells, that the compound has potential as an antimetastatic agent. Exciting!
In the words of Hippocrates, known as the Father of Medicine, “Let Your Food Be Your Medicine”.
There are many vegetables – not just broccoli – in the cruciferous range – read my page “Diet and Cancer” for the full list.
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor to help you through this.
Photo courtesy of Zvon / stock.xchng
I received a request this week from one of my subscribers to write about melatonin and whether or not it will reduce your breast cancer risk. I love those requests – I always learn so much from my subscribers’ requests!
Melatonin Is A Natural Hormone
Melatonin is a natural hormone produced in the pineal gland of the brain, best known for its function with our sleep/waking cycles. Light inhibits the production of melatonin in your brain and alters your natural rhythms (called Circadian rhythms). I remember reading the Nurse’s Health Study which indicated that nurses who worked night shifts had a 36% higher risk of breast cancer, so I knew that there was an inter-relationship between the two but until today I hadn’t actually researched melatonin. I did know that EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies) could disrupt sleep cycles because I wrote about it last year (see my article EMF Dangers and 7 Tips To Help You Avoid Exposure).
The research I was able to find about melatonin was very interesting – many studies indicate that melatonin does have a very strong role in protecting us from breast cancer.
Here is a 12-minute talk given by Dr Russel J Reiter at the University of Texas titled Melatonin’s Role In Cancer. Dr Reiter gives us an excellent presentation about melatonin, don’t miss it.
How Melatonin Reduces Breast Cancer Risk
There are apparently 3 mechanisms of action by melatonin that reduce the risk of breast cancer:
- There are cells throughout your body (even cancer cells) that have melatonin receptors and melatonin has a calming effect on several reproductive hormones, including estrogen. When melatonin circulates during the night, cell division slows. When melatonin connects with a breast cancer cell, it counteracts estrogen’s tendency to stimulate cell growth.
- Melatonin boosts your production of interleukin-2 (an immune-stimulating substance), which helps identify and attack the mutated cells that lead to cancer.
- Melatonin reduces aromatase activity (aromatase is the enzyme involved with the synthesis of estrogen from precursor hormones).
In addition, melatonin has quite a variety of other useful actions in the body. It is a potent antioxidant, it helps activate the immune system. What it does for cancer is even more impressive. It induces apoptosis (the process of programmed cell death, a good thing in cancer cells), it inhibits the ability of cancer cells to metastasize (spread), it disrupts angiogenesis (the ability of a tumor to create new blood vessels and thus a way to feed itself), it stimulates cell differentiation (also a bad thing for cancer cells), it can even boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy, as well as decreasing its toxic side effects.
Pretty amazing little hormone, really. So it sounds – initially – like it would be a good supplement to take, doesn’t it? It’s not that easy, however. When I delved into the research a bit deeper, I discovered some other things about melatonin that you need to know.
The Problem With Melatonin Supplementation
Frequent melatonin use, especially in the typical dosage of 3-6 mg, can trigger a somewhat vicious cycle in your brain. It is, after all, a hormone, not a vitamin, herb or mineral. If you supplement with melatonin regularly to get to sleep or for breast cancer risk reduction purposes, your body will produce even less, creating even greater need for the hormone. And it can come with side effects such as next-day grogginess, headaches, dizziness, irritability, vivid dreams and nightmares.
Also, according to research conducted at MIT, the correct dosage of melatonin for it to be effective is 0.3 – 1.0 mg. Many commercially available forms of melatonin are 3-10 times the amount your body would need.
Another complicating factor is how the supplement is prepared. According to WebMD.com, you should only take the synthetic form of melatonin because the natural form comes from ground-up cow pineal glands and it may spread disease (who needs Mad Cow?).
Melatonin supplementation is helpful when you are suffering jet lag from moving swiftly through time zones, and it’s useful for short periods of insomnia. Other than that, you are much better off optimizing your own body’s production of melatonin and here are the best ways to do that.
10 Tips to Optimize Melatonin Production
- Make sure your sleeping area or bedroom is totally dark (this is the first thing I did), because even the slightest bit of light in your bedroom can disrupt your pineal gland’s production of melatonin. Even that glow from your alarm clock can interfere with your sleep. I use one of those battery operated alarms that you have to push to illuminate. You might want to invest in blackout shades for the windows, or just wear a comfortable eye mask.
- Read my article EMF Dangers and 7 Tips To Help You Avoid Exposure and reduce the EMFs in your bedroom. At first glance, the list of suggestions might be overwhelming, but don’t tackle them all on one day. Start with the easy ones and then work your way through the list a little at a time.
- Between 9-10 pm is when your brain normally starts secreting melatonin so for optimal melatonin release, you need to avoid using your computer or watching television at least an hour or so before going to bed. It’s a bad habit we’ve gotten into and these devices emit blue light, which tricks your brain into thinking that it is still daytime. The blue light interferes with your brain’s ability to produce melatonin.
- Help your system to reset itself by getting 10-15 minutes of sunlight (if possible) first thing in the morning. This sends a strong message to your internal clock that day has arrived, and that makes it less likely to be confused by weaker lights during the night.
- Whenever possible, try to get exposure to sunlight regularly each day. It’s interesting how the pineal gland works – melatonin production is affected by the contrast of bright sunlight and complete darkness – so if you are in darkness all day long (think of coal miners), your pineal gland can’t distinguish the difference and will not optimize production of melatonin.
- Take a hot bath or shower about 1-1/2 to 2 hrs before bed. This helps to increase your core body temperature, and when you get out it drops quickly. This helps to signal that your body is ready for sleep.
- If you need a source of light in the night (for instance for getting to the bathroom without tripping over the snoring animals) use a salt lamp. Dr Reiter’s video (link above) discusses why these work best, but to explain briefly, light of this color and bandwidth (such as from a campfire) does not shut down production of melatonin in the same way that white/blue light does.
- Keep the temperature in your bedroom low – between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit or 16- 20 degrees Celsius is best.
- Establish a bedtime routine. The nervous system is much calmed by meditation, deep breathing, using essential oils (lavender is very calming) or receiving a massage from your partner. Find something that makes you feel relaxed, then repeat it each night because the body loves a calming routine.
- Eat a high protein snack several hours before bed. The L-tryptophan derived from the protein helps your brain produce melatonin and serotonin.
References:
Melatonin Modules Aromatase Activity and Expression In Endothelial Cells, PubMed.Gov article
Basic Mechanisms Involved In The Anti-Cancer Effects Of Melatonin, PubMed.Gov article
Melatonin Overview – Web MD.com article
Exposing Yourself to Light at Night Shuts Down Your Melatonin and Raises Your Cancer Risk, Mercola.com article
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor to help you through this.
Photo courtesy of rgbstock.com and Jana Koll
Pesticides In My Favorite Tea
I was hugely disappointed to learn this week that one of my favorite herbal teas was found to be adulterated by pesticides… and not only adulterated, they were at the top of the list for pesticide residues.
The maker of my favorite teas, Celestial Seasonings, is located right here in Colorado. I have loved and consumed their teas for years, so I was shocked and saddened to learn of this report, “Dangerously High Pesticide Levels Found in Celestial Seasonings Teas“.
In particular, their Sleepytime Kids Goodnight Grape Herbal contained 0.26 ppm of propachlor, which has no safe harbor limit under California’s Proposition 65. It is a known carcinogen!
The Company’s Defense and What Short Sellers Do
In their defense, Celestial Seasonings (via their Facebook page) had this to say: “The report you’re referencing was issued by a short-seller, an investment firm which stands to benefit financially if our parent company’s stock declines. We ran our own tests with an independent third-party lab and reaffirmed that Celestial Seasonings teas are safe and continue to meet industry standards. Please be assured that all of our teas continue to deliver on the safety, quality and taste that tea drinkers expect from us.”
The short sell firm Celestial Seasonings was discussing is Glaucus Research. If you haven’t heard of short sell firms before (and I hadn’t) what I discovered is that they make financial bets against companies, so that if the stocks for these companies fall, they make money. It wouldn’t be difficult to guess who Glaucus might be betting against.
So yes, it appears that Glaucus is a biased source. However, it doesn’t make the pesticide reports any less untrue. Glaucus released the findings to explain its investment against Celestial Seasonings and other companies like Teavana. It also has analyses on other products from Hain (Celestial Seasonings’ parent company). The group’s disclaimer clearly states “We are short sellers. We are biased. So are long investors. So is the company. So are the banks that raised money for the company… Just because we are biased does not mean that we are wrong.”
So who to believe? The whole debacle makes me feel sick. I’ve trusted this company for years, personally been through their factory in Boulder, Colorado several times (love that peppermint room!) and I even send their teas to my kids in Europe because they love them too. The thought that I was possibly exposing them to pesticide residue makes me feel absolutely ill.
But their comment about industry standards does not reassure me. For one thing, I don’t feel that ANY amount of pesticide residue is tolerable, especially having had breast cancer and knowing that pesticide residues are a risk factor.
Until Celestial Seasonings and Hain start creating strictly organic teas, I will stop buying them.
Keeping Yourself Safe From Pesticides, Growth Hormones and Other Nasties
I still believe our best bet when shopping for food and body products is to look for the green and white USDA certified organic seal on everything you buy. In Australia, look for the Australian Certified Organic seal. Doing so provides us with our best defense against fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, sewage sludge (ewww), antibiotics, growth promoters, genetically modified organisms, irradiation, etc because organic growers do not use any of them.
I found a great article on the Rodale.com website: “Here’s the Deal With the Organic Seal”. This article explains much better than I can how organic certification came to be, what growers must do to be compliant, and several interesting tidbits, such as the USDA has increased its enforcement of both organic standards and rules for certifiers over the past few years under the Obama administration, which I found to be reassuring.
I especially appreciated the comment that “organic is still the gold standard for food production in the U.S.” The author of the article went on to state “When you get away from organic, these companies are doing whatever they want without any oversight.”
Just another reason to buy organic wherever you possibly can.
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters and e-book on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor and my goal to help you through this so that you emerge from breast cancer feeling better than before, thriving!
Great New Breast Cancer Book – “Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk With Foods You Love”
One of my lovely subscribers sent me a book last week (thank you Jeri!) which she said I had to read. I love that! I learn so much from my subscribers, it’s truly a wonderful two-way flow of communication.
The book was “Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk With Foods You Love” written by Dr Robert Pendergrast, whose pediatric background didn’t stop him from having a passion for giving people hope that you CAN indeed prevent breast cancer, not only through the foods you eat, but offering many other prevention tips as well.
I was anxious to learn whether Dr Pendergrast had uncovered anything I wasn’t already teaching via my blog articles, e-book and newsletters, but it looks like we are in complete agreement. Although I didn’t uncover anything new in his book, I loved the passion with which he wrote it, it contains plenty of great information about diet (including soy, cruciferous vegetables, fish, flaxseed oil, healthy spices, medicinal mushrooms, berries, dark green leafy vegetables and all sorts of tea), he discusses the foods to avoid, environmental toxins, diet during treatments, and all sorts of other good things. I loved that he also included information about mind-body medicine, spirituality, and stressed the importance of looking after both body and mind, which is my focus and passion too.
Tending Our Gardens
My favorite part of the book is towards the end. Dr Pendergrast had a beautiful way of describing human health as a vegetable garden: “You’d like your garden to produce several different kinds of food (e.g. heart health. digestive health, mental health and feminine health), and you’d like to avoid the place being grown over by weeds (e.g. cancers) which choke out the other healthy plants.” He says we need to start with healthy soil (e.g. nutrients for the plants), the right amount of water, avoiding chemicals, getting plenty of sunlight plus some shade to avoid overheating, having lots of plant variety (since disease is more likely to overtake a garden where only one crop is planted), planting the seeds in the garden at the right time, and trusting the wisdom of the earth to bring them up at the right time, then tending to the garden (pulling weeds, squashing pests, getting some exercise in that garden by virtue of hard work), then when the plants are ready for harvest, you get them into the kitchen and get “cookin with gratitude”! Nice metaphors, and I will leave you to your own devices as to how to interpret them for yourself.
It’s a nice book, well written, and full of great information. You can purchase it by clicking this link. I’ve also included it on my Recommended Reading page.
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters and e-book on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor and my goal to help you through this so that you emerge from breast cancer feeling better than before, thriving!
Artwork courtesy of rgbstock.com and xymonau
Another Great Breast Cancer Blog
I became acquainted with another breast cancer blog (and blogger) last week and I would like to introduce you. Her name is Elyn Jacobs and she is definitely a kindred spirit.
A Little About Elyn Jacobs
On the “My Story, My Passion” page of her website, Elyn shares with us “After battling breast cancer I realized that I would do everything possible to avoid a recurrence. I began with extensive research to better understand the causes, which led to certain lifestyle changes I have made. I also realized the support I received during my ordeal was invaluable and I felt compelled to share my information and experience in order to help others.”
That’s exactly how I felt after emerging from breast cancer and it had similar effects on me. Keeping the nasty little beastie at bay was paramount in my quest to find true healing.
DIM’s Shortcomings
Anyway, I digress. Elyn happened to pick up on my article about the natural supplement DIM: DIM Is Not The Wonder Supplement We Were Led To Believe, prompted by my naturopath, Dr Jacob Schor, and his article about estrogen metabolite ratios which appeared in a recent issue of the Townsend Letter.
Hoping that DIM would be a good natural alternative to Tamoxifen, I was pretty upset about Dr Schor’s research because I’d been relying heavily on DIM – also known as Diindolylmethane – and Dr Schor’s article pretty much destroyed my confidence in it. I’m sure it has some good attributes, but there are plenty of articles circulating on the Internet that DIM is a good natural alternative to Tamoxifen and that just isn’t the case.
Being the good breast cancer blogger (and coach) that Elyn Jacobs obviously is, she felt compelled to share that information on her blog today: DIM – New Thoughts On An Old Story.
It Is Not All About Estrogen
I particularly loved that Elyn said “Keep in mind that there are many natural ways to manage estrogen, and even more importantly, estrogen is a substance natural and necessary to the human body; it is not all bad and cancer is not all about estrogen.”
I couldn’t agree more. Just a few days ago, I finished an article on natural aromatase inhibitors by saying “The important thing I would like you to take away from all of this is that we can drive ourselves crazy looking for the tiniest things that will give us an edge over this disease. I hope you don’t get bogged down in this. Remember, estrogen is not the only factor involved in breast cancer. An overall anti-cancer strategy is to eat a sensible diet, include some of the things from this list where they make sense to you, get plenty of exercise and keep your stress levels down through the use of meditation.”
Ordinarily I wouldn’t quote myself, but I really believe this message bears repeating. There is WAY too much emphasis on inhibiting estrogen and it just isn’t the whole story.
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters and e-book on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor and my goal to help you through this so that you emerge from breast cancer feeling better than before.
Photo courtesy of rgbstock.com and Scott M Liddell
I am frequently asked by my subscribers and readers if it is safe to eat fruit sugar – fructose – when you have breast cancer.
Here’s my best answer about that. First, some interesting facts about sugar.
Sugar Regulation?
The journal Nature contained a rather in-your-face article in 2012 stating that refined sugar is a toxic substance that should be regulated like tobacco and alcohol, that it has even been thought to have the same serious health-disrupting effects as cocaine. I’ve heard that before, only coffee and caffeine were lumped into the equation as well.
Most natural therapists feel that the single most important thing you could do from a dietary standpoint is to eliminate refined sugar from your diet, and especially high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) because they are toxic to our bodies. HFCS is a man-made substance which is mainly derived from corn. Also be aware that nearly all HFCS is made from genetically modified corn, which has risk factors all of its own.
HFCS was invented in Japan in 1966. It was introduced to America in 1975. When it was discovered that HFCS was 3 times cheaper to make than sucrose, food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose to HFCS.
Fructose vs Glucose
According to Dr J E Williams in RenegadeHealth.com, “The way your body digests, absorbs, and metabolizes fructose is different from how it processes glucose. Liver metabolism of fructose favors ‘lipogenesis,’ the production of fat in the liver. Unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. The hormones insulin and leptin act as key signals in the regulation of appetite. Disrupted hormone signaling leads to weight gain because you don’t know when to stop eating.”
Apparently fructose is metabolized mainly in the liver. Contrast that with glucose, which is metabolized by every cell in the body. If you are consuming fructose, that means more work for your liver than if you consumed the same number of calories from starchy foods.
If you obtain fructose from sugared drinks or fruit juices, this form of fructose hits the liver much faster than if you consume it in the form of a whole food, like an apple. According to Dr Williams, “The rate at which the liver has to do its work will also affect how it metabolizes fructose and glucose, and liver health and genes that regulate metabolism and detoxification influence this process.”
So Is It Safe To Eat Fruit When You Have Breast Cancer?
Fortunately for us, Mother Nature has combined fructose in whole foods with mega-nutrition, a boatload of minerals, vitamins, fiber, phytonutrients, amino acids, etc. Unlike HFCS which is basically sugar with all the good bits deleted. You would have to eat a LOT of fruit (like 10 apples) in order to get the same amount of sugar you get from a can of cola. For one thing, the fiber in fruits helps to slow the absorption of the fructose.
The fiber and nutrients in fruit act to counter the toxic effects of the sugar. It’s much better to eat your fruit than to drink it. Avoid processed fruit juices, it is much better to consume whole fruits and berries.
The final word – fruits are full of good nutrition that will help you fight cancer. Eating plenty of fruit will actually have a cleansing effect on your body. And please don’t use artificial sweeteners. They will damage your health more quickly than HFCS will.
You Might Find This Interesting…
By the way, did you know that the juice company Odwalla is owned by Coca Cola? Did you know that the average American (that’s one person) drinks 60 gallons of soda every year? Did you know that by consuming only one soda a day you will gain 15 pounds of fat per year? Or how about fructose consumption in America – did you know it has increased 5 X in the last 100 years?
Reference Articles:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/26/sugar-may-be-bad-but-this-sweetener-is-far-more-deadly-part-2.aspx (an excellent article)
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2013/03/08/toxic-sugar-sweet-dangerous-and-deadly
http://realrawhealth.com/fruits-refined-fructose/
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor and my goal to help you through this.
Photo courtesy of rgbstock.com and Tacluda
Curcumin Very Helpful For Those With Resistance To Chemotherapy, Tamoxifen
According to breastcancerresearch.com, approximately 70% of breast cancers are estrogen receptor positive (ER+) at diagnosis. These patients are often recommended to have endocrine therapies that target estrogen receptors, such as the drug Tamoxifen.
Tamoxifen works by binding to tissues that use estrogen. This binding blocks the action of estrogen in the breast but mimics the action of estrogen in the bones and uterus. Tamoxifen is used to treat ER+ breast cancer in men and women and to prevent breast cancer in those at high risk.
Some People Are Resistant
Some people, however, are resistant to anti-estrogenic drugs like Tamoxifen, and also to certain chemotherapy drugs. See my article about chemoresistance, Chemo-Resistant Breast Cancers In The News. This has proven to be a huge problem for some patients.
According to breastcancerresearch.com development of resistance is a process that “appears to result from upregulation of growth factor and protein kinase signaling pathways that provide an alternate mechanism in support of tumor cell proliferation and survival.” So researchers are keen to identify or target the factors that come into play with endocrine resistance.
Some progressive oncologists are utilizing the chemosensitivity test for their patients who are resistant to certain chemo drugs. See my article If You Are Contemplating Chemotherapy, You Should Know About the Chemosensitivity Test.
Curcumin To The Rescue
The good news is that a new Chinese study, published in January 2013 in Molecules, indicates that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has been shown to be effective in helping to restore Tamoxifen sensitivity and also sensitizes cancer cells to chemotherapy, thus making the chemotherapy more effective. The researchers “discovered that curcumin treatment displayed anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities” and that the “findings suggested that curcumin alone and combinations of curcumin with endocrine therapy may be of therapeutic benefit for endocrine-resistant breast cancer. Click this link to read the Chinese study.
You can get curcumin in capsules in health food stores, you can also use turmeric in your cooking. Allrecipes.com has a big list of recipes that utilize turmeric. It’s a gorgeous spice and adds depth and flavor to your curries, as well as other dishes. I recommend turmeric in my page Diet and Cancer (scroll all the way to the bottom).
References:
http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/13/3/R70
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23299550
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor and my goal to help you through this.
Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net and rakratchada torsap
Glutamine and Cancer
Glutamine is the most important amino acid in the body – among all the amino acids of blood plasma, glutamine has the highest concentration. Glutamine becomes especially important if you are going through chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer because it has some very beneficial properties (see the 8 points below).
Glutamine can be obtained through eating dairy products, fish and green leafy vegetables, however, if you are fighting cancer just eating those items may not be enough.
Cancer produces a state of glutamine deficiency, which is further aggravated by the toxic effects of chemotherapy drugs.
The chief function of glutamine is that of a nitrogen shuttle, taking up excess ammonia and forming urea. It can contribute to the production of other amino acids and to other important aspects of metabolism. Glutamine is primarily formed and stored in skeletal muscle and lungs, and is the principal metabolic fuel for cells in the small intestine.
Cancer patients are frequently depleted of glutamine because of fast growing tumors – they appear to create a glutamine trap. Glutamine may be very helpful in offsetting this kind of depletion, however, be aware that some in vitro (test tube) studies indicated it could stimulate the growth of some tumors. Having said that, the study authors also indicated that in vivo studies (in the body) showed just the opposite affect – tumors appeared to shrink.
Some research shows that glutamine appears to enhance the effectiveness of some chemotherapy drugs. In both animal and human studies that have investigated the use of glutamine for the cancer patient, studies suggest that pharmacologic doses of dietary glutamine may be very beneficial.
How Glutamine Helped Me
I went through 6 months of chemotherapy for breast cancer and I took glutamine throughout my chemotherapy regimen. I never suffered any sort of peripheral neuropathy, I only had one mouth sore to speak of during that entire time, while my support group friends who weren’t taking glutamine suffered from mouth sores and acid reflux nearly constantly. I found glutamine supplementation to be extremely helpful and effective for mucositis.
The 8 Best Properties of Glutamine for Cancer Patients
- Glutamine supplementation in rats receiving methotrexate chemotherapy caused a reduction in methotrexate-induced side effects, including mucositis, which is the painful inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes lining the digestive tract.
- Glutamine has been found to be extremely useful for patients undergoing surgery – concentrations of glutamine often decrease post-operatively and glutamine decreases the incidence of infection for these patients.
- Research indicates that glutamine as a dietary supplement diminishes tumor growth by restoring the function of natural killer cells and improves protein metabolism of the patient.
- Glutamine appears to increase the selectivity of anti-tumor drugs by protecting normal tissues.
- Glutamine has been shown to decrease the gut toxicity seen with methotrexate treatment, while at the same time enhancing its tumor killer effect. Studies indicate that glutamine can create a 3-fold increase of methotrexate inside the tumor. In a particularly exciting phase I trial, patients diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer received glutamine during methotrexate neoadjuvant therapy in escalating doses for 3 weeks, followed by a doxorubicin-based regimen. No toxicity of oral glutamine was detected. No patient showed any sign of chemotherapy-related toxicity and all patients responded to the chemotherapy regimen, suggesting that glutamine supplementation is safe and may augment the response of metotrexate-based regimens.
- Glutamine helps prevent Fluorouracil-induced intestinal toxicity and the attendant diarrhea which often accompanies administration of this chemo drug by stimulating intestinal mucosal growth.
- Glutamine appears to have cardio-protective properties for patients receiving chemotherapy.
- Glutamine may protect against neuropathy and has been proposed as a potentially neuroprotective agent in patients receiving paclitaxel. In one non-randomized study, neurological signs and symptoms and changes in nerve-conduction studied in 46 consecutive patients receiving high-dose paclitaxel either with or without glutamine was assessed. Patients who received glutamine developed significantly less weakness, less loss of vibratory sensation and less toe numbness than controls.
Glutamine Dose
Many naturopaths recommend taking between 4,000-10,000 mgs per day if undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, but dosages up to 28,000 mgs per day appear to be well tolerated with no reported toxicity. For mouth sores, the University of Maryland recommends mixing 16,000 mg of glutamine powder in 8 ounces of water and swishing it around the mouth four times a day.
References:
http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/10468648/reload=0;jsessionid=uiOgmmbHz8bpa7qObiBF.0
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1243066/
Gaurav K, Goel RK, Shukla M, Pandey M. Glutamine: A novel approach to chemotherapy-induced toxicity. Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol [serial online] 2012 [cited 2013 Feb 21];33:13-20. Available from: http://www.ijmpo.org/text.asp?2012/33/1/13/96962
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor and my goal to help you through this xox
Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net and David Castillo Dominici
Further to my article of December 11, 2012 “Dim Is NOT The Wonder Supplement We’ve Been Led To Believe“, the article written by my naturopath for which we were waiting publication in the Townsend Letter, the Examiner of Alternative Medicine, has been published and I wanted to share that link with you: Estrogen Metabolite Ratios: Time For Us To Let Go
The article was written by Dr Jacob Schor, my naturopath here in Denver. Dr Schor is also President of Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians. It’s not an easy one to read, I suggest you print it out and go put your feet up in a quiet place to digest the information. It will probably require several readings to fully appreciate what Dr Schor is telling us.
Kind of depressing, really. Many of us have been relying on DIM – and on apparently faulty information. The search continues for a worthy natural supplement to rival Tamoxifen.
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor and my goal to help you through this.
Flaxseed Benefits and a Delicious Source
I write frequently about the health benefits of flaxseed because they are such a great source of Omega 3 oils (and our body does not produce Omega 3′s we have to get them via our food and vitamins), but many still have not embraced this wonderful little superfood, so here are the 7 best benefits:
- Powerful Little Lignans – flaxseed is broken down by your body into chemicals called lignans, which are similar to the hormone estrogen. At first blush, if you have estrogen receptor positive breast cancer this might seem like a bad thing but what seems to occur is that lignans compete with estrogen for a part in certain chemical reactions. As a result, natural estrogens seem to become less powerful in the body. Some researchers believe that lignans may be able to slow down the progress of certain breast cancers and other types of cancers that need estrogen to thrive. Additionally, lignans do not appear to interfere with the breast cancer drug tamoxifen.
- Fiber – flaxseed contains both soluble and insoluble fiber which is lacking in the average diet. They can assist with constipation.
- Natural anti-inflammatory – two components in flaxseed, alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and lignans, reduce inflammation in the body, making it an important nutrient for conditions such as arthritis, cancer, and even asthma. Women who have tender breasts just prior to menstruation often obtain good benefits and relief from taking flaxseed.
- Cardiovascular health – again due to the lignans, which have been shown to reduce atherosclerotic plaque buildup by up to 75%, flaxseed also seems to help reduce cholesterol levels.
- Blood sugar – preliminary research suggests that the lignans in flaxseed may modestly improve blood sugar (as measured by hemoglobin A1c blood tests in adults with type 2 diabetes).
- Hot flashes – a 2007 study of menopausal women, reported that 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed mixed with juice, cereal, or yogurt two times daily cut their hot flashes in half and reduced the intensity of hot flashes by 57%. The women noticed a difference after taking the daily flaxseed for just one week. It doesn’t work for everyone – there are a lot of other factors involved, but give it a try if you’re suffering from hot flashes.
- Weight loss – taking 1-2 tbsp of flaxseed before a meal can make you feel less hungry and make it easier to cut back on what you eat.
How Much Do We Need and Best Ways To Get It
So how much flaxseed is recommended? 1-2 tbsp per day is sufficient to get great benefits. You can mix it in juice, sprinkle it on cereal or yogurt, it’s delicious sprinkled on a salad, you can reduce some of the white flour in cakes or muffins or breads and replace that with flaxseed, you can tuck it into dishes like casseroles, and even sprinkle it inside a sandwich. I sometimes apply flaxseed oil on patches of dry skin – mixed with other oils like almond and avocado and essential oils – after all, our skin absorbs nutrients just like a sponge!
It’s best not to eat the seeds whole as the hard shell of the seed protects the oil inside pretty well, they are likely to just pass through you undigested. The best way to obtain the benefits of flaxseed is to grind the seed yourself in small amounts – using a small coffee grinder – and then store the meal in the freezer.
A Delicious Source
I wanted to share with you a great product that has some nice health benefits. I’m not affiliated with the company in any way, nor will I benefit from the recommendations – I just like to give out kudos to companies when they make great products.
Linwoods are producing a really great ground flaxseed product in lots of different flavors – the flaxseed and goji berry combination was my favorite but they also have a flax, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame seed and goji combo that is pretty great. Their ground hemp seed meal is also nice.
Flaxseed products can tend to taste a bit more like oily cardboard that anything you’d like to sprinkle on yogurt, oatmeal, fruit, etc., but this is truly yummy. It’s nutty and full of flavor and the goji berries (high on my list of anti-cancer fruits) give it a nice zing.
Linwood’s products are available at Whole Foods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Shaws and Hyvee stores around the nation.
Sources:
www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/AN01258
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-benefits-of-flaxseeds-and-flaxseed-oil.html
My other articles on flaxseed benefits: Flaxseed Oil Enhances Effect Of Herceptin Against Her2+ Breast Cancer , Omega 3 Fatty Acids May Improve Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer
If you would like my help with getting through breast cancer in an inspiring and ultra-healthy way, please sign up for my free e-newsletters on the right, or “like” me on Facebook (MarnieClark.com). It is my honor to help you through this.
Follow Me:
