GIST Support WikiNutrition is defined as the taking in and use of food and other nourishing material by the body. Nutrition is a 3-part process. First, food or drink is consumed. Second, the body breaks down the food or drink into nutrients. Third, the nutrients travel through the bloodstream to different parts of the body where they are used as "fuel" and for many other purposes. To give the body proper nutrition, a person has to eat and drink enough of the foods that contain key nutrients.
We certainly appreciate the services of our wonderful sarcoma specialist, but we also needed to take a holistic approach to wellness. Because it is difficult to decide where to start on your own with supplements and suggestions, we see a D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) who looks at body as a interactive system and you are evaluated primarily through:
~Nutrition (metabolic typing with a nutritionist to design the exact diet optimum for your specific biochemistry),
~ART- (autonomous response testing)is a medical muscle testing system used to detect areas of stress on the body relating to food allergies, abnormal magnetic fields, biophysical stress, weakened organs and structures, emotional blocks, heavy metal toxicity, dental problems, environmental toxicity;
~EFT (emotional freedom technique)is an accupressure technique to optimize emotional health by identifying negative emotions and dealing with them.
Before arriving at the Optimal Wellness Center in Schaumburg, IL, we filled out a long questionnaire to help determine our metabolic typing. We met with a doctor for one hour, gave blood and received a number of saliva tests to do at home and send to a lab. After they received results, my husband with gist was asked to start fish oil for omega 3 supplementation to reduce inflammation in his body (he had too much vitamin d so he was asked NOT to take cod liver oil), and his saliva revealed exhausted adrenals. He has started a few supplements with vitamins/herbs and is being counseled in how to better handle physiological and psychological stress ... part of that is not working out so hard, so long. His treatment has been specifically designed for his needs. We have a great relationship with the knowledgeable practitioners.
We are juicing greens daily, and looking at dental issues (i.e. old root canals) that could be harboring infections. My husband no longer carries the cell phone on his body (he has worn one for twenty years and our research indicates that cumulative effects of non-ionizing radiation could be a factor in his illness). We call it the "50-year overhaul"! We believe that integrating this natural treatment will only help the efficacy of Gleevec in his body. The nutrition changes have helped with health issues related to GIST spousal stress.
"I take at least three teaspoons of turmeric daily, often in Aloe Vera, and liberally in all my daily recipes (following an Easterners diet for cancers). Turmeric also clears the liver, improving functions which has greatly improved my general health, allowing more benefit from the Gleevec 800mg dosage for an unresectable residual tumor at original site, and blooms of scattered cells from a small intestinal perforation prior to diagnosis. I also eat lots of cilantro, parsley and bitter melons with everything 'green' I can possibly find at the markets. My overall health, vitality and appearance has so improved (from May 07) with an improved diet and daily regiment, that my medical team is basically riding the 2nd 12 months of Gleevec treatment for all it's worth."
"If anyone doesn't take organic foods and reducing the body's load of toxics seriously, now at this time when our bodies immune system is at its weakest...now is the time to do everything you can, the way I see it. Being an environmental engineer all my life and working in constant contact with the evils of modern man's biochemical fascinations...it was a matter of time for me."
MD Anderson Cancer Center's NUTRITION AND CANCER website: http://www.mdanderson.org/topics/food/
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute nutrition pages: http://www.dana-farber.org/pat/support/nutrition/optimal-diet-plan-for-cancer-survivors.html
Ameican Institute for Cancer Research is a nutrition sie focused on cancer prevention and cance survivors: http://www.aicr.org/site/PageServer
Curcumin (the principal curcuminoid of the Indian curry spice turmeric) inhibits growth factors in cancer: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FDN/is_4_10/ai_n15969616 Curcumin is one specific part of turmeric (an extract from the turmeric root). Dissolving in oil makes this much more bioavailable. There is one supplement called "turmeric force" that retains the oil, if you don't want to cook with it.
From MD Anderson OncoLog, September 2007, Vol. 52, No. 9 "Can a Common Spice Be Used to Treat Cancer?" by Dianne C. Witter: http://www2.mdanderson.org/depts/oncolog/articles/07/9-sep/9-07-2.html
Eating your broccoli and cabbage, etc. can reduce angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels that feed cancer... Subject: [ONCONEWS] Nutrients in certain vegetables may provide cancer-fighting benefit: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-04/uops-nic041607.php
Eat as close to the source as possible - support local, preferably organically grown agriculture in your community! To find community supported agriculture in your area, go to http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
Time Magazine article on why eating local produce is BETTER than organic: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1595245,00.html
Eating more fruits and veggies is always a great idea, but juicing them is one of the quickest ways for your body to absorb the vital nutrients. The investment of a few hundred dollars for a quality juicer (Green Star Power or Champion recommended) is well worth it in ease of use and cleaning. For benefits of juicing, go to http://www.rawfoods.com/articles/benefits.html --- we feel so much better on the days we take the time to juice kale, collards, spinach, celery, carrots with a touch of ginger! Our nausea blend is 2 apples, 1 pear and small chunk of ginger. Many juicing recipe books were available at our local library!
PROBIOTICS provided by yogurt and kefir (a drinkable yogurt with many benefits - http://www.lifeway.net/research.php ) not only help our bodies defend against pathogens but they mop up toxins to enhance immune function. Donna Gates' body ecology website describes their built-in clean up system: http://bodyecology.com/07/04/26/microbes_clean_toxic_waste.php
Many people take a probiotic supplement, but there are so many good reasons to eat and drink cultured foods:
- Beneficial bacteria and yeast in fermented foods and drinks are live and active! Whether you purchase fermented foods and drinks or make them at home, you are getting active bacteria.
- Fermentation predigests vital nutrients for you. Packed with B vitamins, minerals and enzymes, fermented foods and drinks are whole foods full of nutritional value in their own right. On top of that, the microflora increase the bioavailability of the nutrients in all the foods you eat by hundreds of times.
- Fermentation does not use heat. Your fermented foods and drinks retain their vital amino acids that can be destroyed by heat.
- You get a variety of live cultures supplied by nature in fermented foods and drinks. Lab produced probiotics are often a single strain of bacteria, like Lactobacillus acidophilus.
- Supplements contain bacteria only while fermented foods and drinks also contain "food" for the microflora to help promote their growth. It's like sending the good guys down into your digestive tract with a lunchbox of goodies to sustain them on their long and perilous journey down under. Once they reach their destination (and IF they reach their destination) the microflora in a supplement need up to 6 hours to colonize in your intestines. The microflora in fermented foods and liquids are so hardy they start working at once.
- Fermented foods and drinks are acid-resistant and are viable in your system from the time they touch your lips all the way down into your gut.
http://bodyecology.com/07/09/06/probiotic_foods_vs_supplements.php
There was discussion on the list some time ago that there may be problems digesting milk products after gastro surgeries. If you are lactose-intolerant you can usually consume yogurt and kefir because they contain lactase which predigest the lactose.
Eating yogurt or cultured cottage cheese with lemon flax oil added is delicious and, from Dr. Johanna Budwig's rsearch, has anti-cancer benefits: http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/budwig_protocol.html
Try to reduce consumption of foods containing artificial coloring and preservatives (nitrates), artificial sweeteners and sugar, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and genetically modified foods.
When you do want to sweeten your foods and drinks, Stevia is a great alternative. Stevia, an extraordinarily sweet herb, is 200 - 300 times sweeter than sugar, has no calories and does not cause a spike in your blood sugar (the blood sugar spike is what's behind so many of the dangers of sugar) and can help you overcome sugar cravings. (Read more on the dangers of sugar on avoiding toxins page)
Nutrition and Healthy Eating website with loads of useful info, suggestions, and even recipes: http://www.medicinenet.com/nutrition/article.htm
Eat Soft Foods if you have mouth sores or digestive upset.
REDUCING ACIDITY One little trick that I learned from a chef (I have acid reflux pretty badly) is to add sour cream to any tomato sauce JUST before serving and that cuts the acidity wonderfully and I am able to eat spaghetti without too much trouble when I do this.
- Red Wine Polyphenols - Consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of cancer especially tumors of the gastrointestinal tract (1Citation ). It has been suggested that phytochemicals including polyphenols may be responsible for these effects. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/132/9/2814
Check out http://www.gistsupport.org/learning-center/nutrition.php for nutrition information.
Are you taking Gleevec? Novartis warns about not taking it with grapefruit or pomegranite products. If you are having side effects while taking Gleevec, you should also be aware that there are other foods that moderately inhibit CYP3A4 (the enzyme responsible for metabolizing Gleevec in your body) and increase exposure to Gleevec. Moderate inhibitors include white pepper (Piper nigrum) and strawberries (Fragaria ananassa, while commercially available black cohosh (C. racemosa - often used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for menopausal issues) is a potent inhibitor of CYP3A4. See this website for more information: http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/2/2/223