Diet and Lifestyle
Comments
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I agree DearLife! We should definitely receive those after all the research we've done and first hand knowledge we've unfortunately acquired. My husband says I should just go to med school since I love researching so much. It's a good thought....
Edited- fixed typo
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My BS was in his mid to late 30s, same for my MO & Onc Rad...all of them looked tired. The stats you posted DearLife make sense. My hubs always gets that ‘oh no not again’ look on his face when I start blabbing about the benefits of the broccoli I’m serving LOL! Poor man, I should just let him eat! Hard not to when we all have such passion for the info.
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I will,share two stories about oncologists.
Many years ago, a family member on my husband’s side became a doctor. She delivered babies and had several herself. Happy girl. She married an oncologist. He was the stiff quiet type. One day sitting with both, she began talking about the differences in their jobs. Hers was happy. His was sad. She said what seemed like a millions times that she could not do his job. Way too sad. Awful. I got the feeling she wished he would change speciality. She just kept looking at him questioning his decision in life. They are still married. He said nothing. What a trooper.
Several years ago, an oncologist I did not know, called me into his office to try to convince me to try some drugs to prevent me from getting cancer again. So I came in, sat down, joked a bit, and he looked like he was struggling. He read the stats, listened to my opinions, but just looked miserable. I finally asked him what was wrong? He told me two patients had died that morning. Really, he was choking back the emotion. He scared me. I told him he needed to go home. I told we could talk some other day. Just go home. He just sat there. I got up, found his nurse and told her he needed to go home. I told her he is falling apart. I have known several doctors as friends. Yes, they all struggle.
To end on a better note, my OBGYN, who delivered my baby a million years ago, was the perfect doctor. He had 9 kids. Married another OBGYN. I was his baby. I was broke. No insurance. He never billed me. Treated me like his daughter. After delivering my gigantic baby, he brought me flowers. I got a kiss and hug. He was adored by the medical community and his patients. His waiting room was always packed. Loved him.0 -
It is so encouraging to see quality research aimed at the impact of diet on cancer.
“A groundbreaking clinical trial on whether diet could boost the effectiveness of cancer drugs is set to be launched by one of the world's leading oncologists.
The work, led by Siddhartha Mukherjee at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, will investigate whether a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet could improve outcomes for patients with lymphoma and endometrial cancer.
The trial, which is initially recruiting 40 patients, is the first in a series of similar interventions being planned at other centres in the US and Europe by members of a new international working group focused on "rethinking human diets for cancer", said Mukherjee, who is best known for writing the Pulitzer prize-winning book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.
Physiologically we're discovering that not every calorie is equal," he said. "You could have two different diets, equal in terms of energy, but with two very different effects on the cancer."
The first cohort, who will begin treatment in October, are lymphoma patients with cancers that have not responded to treatment. They will be followed by endometrial cancer patients, and the team is awaiting approval to treat women with drug-resistant breast cancer."
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Moth and Warrior, Today I got to Whole Foods and picked up Chao Vegan cheese that you both recommended. I like it!!
Wildplaces, Those fruits and veggies look great!
Redgirl, Happy early birthday! I'm not familiar with the green tea recommendations. I can understand not drinking it at night (caffeine), but why not first thing in the AM? That was very kind of you to care for the MO you spoke about.
Dearlife, YES..we do all deserve honorary medical degrees.
When I meet new providers, anyone from PT to doctors, I'm often asked if I'm a nurse because of the way I relate to them. My children were born very premature and my daughter was in the hospital for the first 9.5 months of her life (4.5 months for my son). My children still, nearly 18 years later, see specialists on a regular basis. Pediatric specialty doctors are different..they truly value the input from parents as a way to assist in care and planning. Parents of special needs children are typically treated as an important part of the team. Of course there are exceptions with the doctors, but I think parents of those with special needs are empowered and we do not hesitate to move on to someone else if needed. Because of this experience, I have related to my doctors differently, I think. Side note: This weekend I found out about the death of one of my children's doctors. He played a significant role in saving my daughter's life and performed multiple surgeries on her. There are some parents who felt he was an arrogant ass (their words), but I loved him. He was very special. He died at 63 from prostate cancer.
My MO story...I loved my first MO. He was funny, kind, and so caring. A few months after my active treatment ended I got a call from a nurse saying that he quit. He just left one day and never came back. I know there were some child care issues that may have contributed to his decision, but I believe he cared so much that he crashed and burned.
IMHO, doctors are just people. Very educated people, but just people. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, different personalities, different interests, etc. I feel very fortunate to have options and know that if I don't mesh with a particular doctor there are others to choose from.
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Oh, and I meant to ask earlier..what are your favorite meditation apps?
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I don't use an app. I like the Tara Brach guided meditations https://www.tarabrach.com/guided-meditations/
I subscribe to her podcasts so they just show up on my phone. The podcast is a mix of guided meditations and lectures/talks.
or I just go solo & use the Bodhi timer https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org....
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Stress reducers
Something I read yesterday got me thinking.
We are bombarded everyday with information that makes our environment stressful IMO. You can choose to feel saturated, or ignore it all and try to blissfully make it through life. I stopped watching cable news, local news about 1 year ago. The facts are so distorted which if you follow issues is very frustrating. Things are moving so quickly that it is hard to keep up. So here is what I mean. When I go to PT, the reception area has cable programming on. So all the cancer patients, needing an environment of peace and harmony, are instead listening to shows that are all about upsetting people. I rarely see anybody watching or listening. They glance at it and turn away. Many pick the other side of the room to get away from it. I do not enter that reception area early anymore. I stay in the car until time to come in.
I am fortunate that I live surrounded by nature. So I can tune out all the chaos. I never did that in the past. I let things churn inside. I felt ignoring what was going on in the world was weak. However, for many years I had a stress buster which was riding horses. When I gave that up, I lost that avenue of pleasure. How much did stress add to my trigger of cancer again?
Stress to one person is not to another. It is hard to research and document. How many people do you know that you may see often enough, that bring you down? Are we surrounding ourselves with those lifting us up, or bringing us down? Are we ourself those lifting up, or Debbie downers? Are we laughing, or feeling anxious?0 -
Wildtulip- I just downloaded Gaia. It’s $9.99 a month but I think I might try it for a bit and see what it’s like. Lots of stuff on it.
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Dear Life - thank you for the info on water. That is so encouraging!
Wildplaces - gorgeous vegetables! Looks like art!
1RedGirl - I hear you about wondering why you got cancer. It was not on my radar, either. I asked the MO if it was my high cholesterol, was it long-term birth control use, high blood sugar? He said it wasn't the birth control and dismissed the cholesterol and blood sugar (I had Gestational Diabetes 18 years earlier). But I think there are so many variables that contribute to cancer that they can't pin it down for us individually.
After my diagnosis, I looked around at other people and wondered what was the difference between them and me - when clearly their lifestyles were not better than mine. I decided that everyone is or will be fighting something - might not be cancer, but probably a different condition. I do cringe every time I see on facebook someone going on about their frozen margarita or all the wine at the party. I want to say - stop! Pour it out! But I just scroll away.
Egads - LOL about telling your husband the merits of broccoli! I do that to my family, too. It's a hard sell. My husband is a good sport and will mostly eat everything I put on his plate. He knows its good for him and appreciates the effort.
Stress - I believe it's a huge player. I like the idea of taking a break from the news. I also sometimes take a break from Facebook because of all the politics and "news". I also need a break from comparing my life to other peoples' lives - nothing to gain from that. I try to find the funny stuff or make up my own funny stuff inside my head. These last 8 years have been stressful with a long commute, teenager years, elderly parents, etc. But now, I try to set some boundaries, do what I have to do without stressing about it. I try to shrug off the stress - fix what I can and move on. Count my blessings.
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Both times I got cancer, I was in a miserable mental state. Not sure anybody knew. I was raised to not complain. The first time, my family was dying around me. Both my parents, my inlaws, and my niece. When things eventually settled, which took a few years, I was totally out of gas. I got sick feeling quickly. Freezing to death.
This time it started with an injury that forced me to stop riding and find homes for my horses. Just awful. Cried for many months. I knew I had to find a good home which I did. That still did not help my sadness. Then my animals left began dying. Awful. The pain was so intense for me. I love my animals like they are my kids. Life revolves around them. Again, I felt those chills and knew I was sick again.
I am just now more aware that perhaps while I have been raised to handle stress, perhaps I am not programmed to do so. The toll of stepping up is cancer.
My neighbor said to me lately she was tired of death around her. She works in the medical field. She lost her best friend and several family members. I know how she feels.0 -
Hi ladies, I have been away from the forum for a couple of years, mainly because I found many of the discussions on lifestyle quite disappointing - making changes after the trauma of breast cancer was still not even a consideration by so many. Decided to just check in, to see if things have changed, and found you guys talking Rich Roll, How Not to Die book, Chao cheese - all favorites of mine!Brought the biggest smile to my face and heart! Hope I can impart some nuggets on a healthier lifestyle, and learn from you all, while making new friends as well!
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Helenna - welcome!! Please chime in and tell us what you've been doing to stay healthy!
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I would like to hear more discusssion about fasting. I found one study, that was small, now enlarged I believe, that said fasting over 13 hrs linked to less reoccurrence of bc.
Much discussion today regarding “fat” vs “carbs” and implications for health. We have been told fat is bad. Now apparently those studies were tainted, and in fact carbs is the problem. Studies need serious scrutiny based on where the money is coming from and any sort of predetermined bias. I worked for big pharma. At that time many studies were done internally, not paid for from outside interests.
I am beginning to research “research” money. Is most money collected for bc just going towards awareness? How much is being allocated towards advanced bc?0 -
redgirl - I'm currently (as in right now) fasting for my last round of TCHP. I fasted for my fifth round and don't think it did much, but I'm going to try it again fasting a little longer this time. I may do the 13 hour fast once treatment is over. It seems easy enough and wouldn't disrupt mealtimes with my husband if I just skip breakfast in the morning.
Also, there is in my opinion not nearly enough money going towards metastatic BC research. I've been contributing money to metavivor, which is a BC charity that puts 100% of donations towards metastatic BC research. They award grants to researchers directly. It's a pretty small charity right now, as they don't spend any of that money on raising money or awareness, it all goes to research.
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Hi Helenna! So happy you’ve found your way to this thread!! 😊😊😊
Redgirl, that is unfortunately true, that too much money is spent on “awareness”. It’ll be a happy day for me when I know longer see pink ribbons on yogurt containers. I personally don’t count calories or fat, and I don’t consume grains, legumes, prosessed foods, most carbs, etc. I’m ok with quinoa and brown rice occasionally but lately I’ve been very low carb.
Hapa I think fasting is so beneficial for the gut too. Thank you for mentioning that charity. I will keep that in mind when looking to donate.
Made some stuffed peppers. Forgot about a pic until I was almost done eating! 😉
I just veganize any stuffed pepper recipe with gardien’s beefless crumbles and organic brown rice. Usually a cup of each mixed in with fire roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic and marinara sauce, salt/pepper to taste. I like mine with a little heat so I add red pepper flakes and then top with fresh basil.
Oh and I ran on the treadmill today! First day of that since surgery. I’ve been walking, but today I ran! Was excited about that, if you can believe it! Hoping to get back to pure barre too.
Hope everyone is having a nice day 🤩
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Warrior - pic looks very delicious. Just thinking the other day what recipes I wanted to try when toms come in.
I had a mastectomy in early April, I think, and it took about 6 weeks for me to get back on my bike. Just walking was exhausting. Starting PT helped a lot. I now ride 20 miles a day on my bike. I pick different routes depending on heat and my own stamina. My arm is still a pain. I had lymph node dissection that has impacted use of my arm. It is still improving, or sadly my mind has adapted to annoyance. This may sound a bit weird, but my “no longer there breast” wants me to put my hand on that area and just hug it. I catch myself all the time massaging it. The fluid backs up.
I try to stop eating around 7 pm and only drink until about noon the next day. I bike every am around 7 am and try to drink at least one full glass of water before doing so. I do worry I do not drink enough. I do not feel hungry. I usually work outside in the yard in the am as well fully clothed and in the shade. I also sit in the direct sun for 15-30 minutes to get Vit D. I do have skin cancer as well, so no longer. I also believe because I have been treated for skin cancer for a number of years, that my exposure to sun has been significantly reduced which may make me like so many others deficient in Vit D. When I ride my bike, I am fully clothed. So no shorts or short sleeves.0 -
Warrior, congratulations on the run!!! Always so heartening to get a piece of ourselves back.
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Thank you redgirl!
Thanks PiXi! It is isn’t it! It’s hard to believe I took it for granted. I won’t do that again ☀️
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Saw this and just had to post it.
😂😂😂😂😂
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warrior, yes!!! 😂😂😂😂😂
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1redgirl - The Truth About CANCER talks about intermittent fasting and also the Ketogenic diet. My computer is in repair and I am using my iPad and don’t know how to paste links. You can find it in thetruthaboutcancer.com, “How to use intermittent fasting strategies to prevent or overcome cancer”
Warrior - so happy you can run again. I still jog holding my BC breast with my arm. It sounds strange but it doesn’t; look that bad.
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😉😉😉 Whatever works right!!!
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Redgirl, here is more research on the benefits of intermittent fasting. Dr. Ruth Patterson from UC San Diego explains the mechanism in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qlrB84xp5g
Excerpt from her interview:
“So this was a study in about 2,500 breast cancer survivors and they completed over about seven and a half years of follow-up, they completed many food records. So we collected all this information about what they ate. But then, more recently when this hypothesis came out, we went and dug up all their food records and said, well, how about if we don't care what you ate, but we just care about when you ate it? So, we reentered all the data as far as when they started to eat, you know, when they stopped, how long their fasting interval was, how much they ate at night, and then reanalyzed that data. And that's where we found that it seemed at least in this sample of women that the cutpoint of 13 hours reduced their risk of breast cancer recurrence by about 40%.“
More detail about how fasting corrects metabolism here
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160509085347.htm
Better research is needed but there is no downside to limiting night time eating and it makes sense to me that giving your system a rest allows it to repair and renew itself.
Keep on moving, Mimiand Warrior 🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻!
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Thanks, DearLife! I'm just about to get back on the workout program I had to suspend last week on account of that miserable cold. I've continued to be active but at a more sensible intensity.0
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Dear Life - thanks for the links. What struck me as well was the posts from those that watched that fasting discussion. One poster mentioned that he stopped eating around 5 and not again until around noon. He threw in a swim beforehand. I throw in a 10 mile bike ride each morning before eating. What is weird for me and that poster mentioned it, was that IF you are starving when waking up in the am, your insulin level is messed up. I have always been ravenous when I wake up. Since I started fasting, I never feel hungry in the am. He is right, fasting just gets easy. Again, I must repeat, no doctor has ever asked me about exercise nor nutrition.
Also, I do not view what I am doing as extreme, nor any sort of fad diet. Once I rid myself of my muffin top, which is much smaller now, I will try to just maintain weight with daily exercise and eating what is going to help me stop cancer reoccurrence.0 -
Thanks for the meditation app feedback!
Congrats to those moving forward with their fitness!
Warrior, when I see a man with fruits, veggies and almond milk I look to see if he's cute, and if he's wearing a wedding ring. lol
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😉😉😉
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Women With Low Muscle Mass Have Worse Surviva
More and more studies are showing that low muscle mass, called sarcopenia by doctors, is linked to worse outcomes, worse survival, and more side effects from cancer treatment.
A study looking specifically at women diagnosed with stage II or stage III breast cancer found that women with low muscle mass had a higher risk of dying from breast cancer or any other cause.
The study was published online on April 5, 2018 by JAMA Oncology. Read the abstract of "Association of Muscle and Adiposity Measured by Computed Tomography With Survival in Patients With Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer."
The study included 3,241 women who were diagnosed with stage II or stage III breast cancer at Kaiser Permanente of Northern California or the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute between January 2000 and December 2013. The women ranged in age from 18 to 80 years and follow-up time was about 6 years.
Using CT scans that were done as part of the women's medical care, the researchers looked for any links between low muscle mass, low muscle quality, and excess fat, and breast cancer outcomes and survival.
The CT scans showed that:
- 1,086 women (34%) had low muscle mass
- 1,199 women (37%) had low muscle quality
Women with low muscle mass were about 40% more likely to die from breast cancer or another health issue than women who didn't have low muscle mass.
Low muscle quality was not associated with survival.
Women with the highest amounts of fatty tissue were more likely to die from breast cancer or any other cause than women with the lowest levels of fatty tissue.
Women who had both low muscle mass and the highest levels of fatty tissue had the worst survival rates. Using these two measurements was much better than body mass index (BMI) in predicting survival. In this study, there was no link between BMI and survival.
Women with low muscle mass were more likely to be white and Asian. Black and Hispanic women were less likely to have low muscle mass.
All these differences were statistically significant, which means they were likely due to low muscle mass and high levels of fatty tissue and not just because of chance.
"I was surprised by how high the prevalence of sarcopenia was in breast cancer patients with nonmetastatic disease, who in general have good survival," said lead researcher Bette Caan, of Kaiser Permanente, in an interview. "It is well known that patients with advanced cancer have muscle loss, but that sarcopenia can occur in so many patients earlier in the cancer process is not well appreciated.
"Evaluating body composition is not part of a standard workup currently, but automated software is available to assess body composition, and radiologists who examine CT scans for diagnosis and surveillance could quickly identify persons with sarcopenia once the appropriate software is installed," she continued. "Many -- but not all -- breast cancer patients receive CT scans at diagnosis, and the percentage that receive scans increases with cancer stage."
This study highlights the benefits of keeping yourself healthy before, during, and after breast cancer treatment.
If you're busy with work, household chores, and family matters, finding time to exercise almost every day can be hard. Exercising also can be nearly impossible if you're recovering from breast cancer treatment or having painful side effects. Still, it's worth your while to make time to move.
It can help to break up your exercise into 20- or 30-minute sessions that add up to about 5 or more hours per week. Walking is a great way to start. Maybe you walk 30 minutes before going to work and 30 minutes on your lunch break. You can add a few more minutes by parking farther away from your building or taking mass transit. Or you can make plans to walk with a friend after work -- you're more likely to stick with exercise if someone else is counting on you. Plus, you can socialize at the same time.
Visit the Breastcancer.org Exercise section for tips on exercising safely and how to stick to an exercise routine.
Was this article helpful? Yes / NoPublished on May 3, 2018 at 7:48 AM
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I think the article regarding muscle mass is interesting. However, it doesn't define low muscle mass - how much does one need to get good results? And the last paragraph seems out of place - it went from the topic of muscle mass to walking.
But other than that, my take away is to keep lifting weights and other weight-bearing exercises (thinking yoga type stuff, too).
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