February 2008 Archives

It is estimated that 99% of all cancer survivors know about complementary and alternative medicine practices and up to 83% of them have participated in some form during their conventional medical care. The most frequently reported therapies are spiritual practices, relaxation therapy, imagery, exercise, lifestyle, diet and nutritional supplementation.

There are many people that I meet that are interested in complementary therapies. The difference between complementary and alternative therapies is important to understand. Complementary therapy means that it is used in conjunction with traditional Western medicine.

Alternative therapy means that it is used instead of traditional western medicine. I feel that we should always take the best of all medicines. Therefore, I find complementary therapies to be quite beneficial and rarely recommend using only alternative therapy.

Important Questions to Ask:

In order to evaluate a complementary therapy you might be considering, be sure to ask yourself these questions:

• Is the practitioner qualified and educated in the practice they are recommending?
• For example, when getting diet or nutrition advice, you want to know that the person is a registered dietitian.
• Has the practice been scientifically proven to be safe and effective for someone like you?
  • If you have cancer, or other chronic disease, you want to make sure that the practice is safe for you.
• Is there another therapy that is less invasive but may have the same therapeutic outcome?
  • If you're looking for an aid for sleep, mindful meditation might be less invasive and more effective than taking an herbal sleep aid.
• What do you hope to achieve with this therapy, and are your expectations for this treatment realistic?
  • Are you expecting this therapy to prevent or cure disease, as opposed to manage a particular side effect?

Evaluating your options:

Based on how you answered the previous questions, you can categorize the therapy into one of 4 groups:

• This therapy is supported by objective research suggesting a benefit.
• This therapy has not been studied but isn't likely to cause harm, and could provide a benefit
• This therapy has not been studied and could possibly cause harm
• This therapy has been studied and was shown to cause harm or provides no benefit

If the therapy falls into the first two categories and doesn't cause you to go into debt, then I think it's a good choice. If it falls into the third or fourth or is exorbitantly expensive, then I'd pass on the opportunity.

It drives me nuts when I hear someone complain about how expensive it is to eat healthy, but they're willing to pay $25 a quart for the newest miracle cure juice!

Recommended Therapies:

Here are some examples of complementary therapies that I believe are beneficial. There's no way that I could list them all, so I just picked out some to highlight.

1. Exercise therapy including Yoga, Thai Chi, Qi Gong, Aerobic or Strength Training, Dance
2. Mind, Body, and Spirit Therapies: Visualization, Journaling, Self Hypnosis, Prayer, Spiritual Meditation, Anointing,  Spiritual Counseling, Art Therapy, Music Therapy,  Emotional Counseling, Mindful Meditation, Support Groups, Acupuncture, Aromatherapy,
   
3. Physical Touch Therapies: Healing touch, Reiki, Massage Therapy, Pet Therapy,
4. Diet and Nutritional therapies: Plant based diet, vegetarian or vegan diet, Ginger tea with honey for nausea, Herbal therapy under the guidance of a trusted and certified herbologist.

The most important thing to do when using a complementary therapy is to ALWAYS communicate with your health care providers about the therapies you are using!

-Julie

There are a lot of products, services, and touted cures out there when it comes to health and wellness. Cancer seems to attract a large variety of products as does weight loss. It's not uncommon to see a product advertised as a "cancer cure" or one that claims to "melt the fat off". When it's almost too good to be true, we should know that it IS too good to be true!

It's not always simple to determine credibility. When it comes to cancer, there are many products claiming to be cancer fighting. Unfortunately, a lot of products exist to make someone rich, and have little or no research showing that it works.

What's the Cost?

It's necessary to evaluate the cost of the therapy and who benefits from it. Many herbs, supplements or other products that are delivered to your home are operated under the model of "multi-level marketing". Multi-level marketing means that there are multiple layers of salespeople and that the higher up the person is, the more money they make.

These companies are most interested in making money and secondarily interested in your health. I believe that sales people have good intentions, but are slightly taken by the promotional materials and possible financial gain of joining the company.

Many nutritional supplements fall into this category including Juice Plus and Herbalife. Other product lines that follow this model include Mary Kay and Artistry. For more information on multilevel marketing, click here.

Should I Buy It?

I'm not saying you shouldn't buy the product in question. You do need to know the facts. Most of the products being sold aren't any more beneficial than what you can get cheaper at the store.

I can get a product similar to what I got from Mary Kay by going to Target. However, sometimes I'm willing to buy it from the salesperson because I want to support them or it's more convenient. (Keep in mind that the person getting rich is NOT the person selling it to you).

It's the same with multi-level marketing of nutritional supplements. An equivalent product is available at your local drugstore. There's nothing special about the particular product being sold. If you have the extra money and want to spend it supporting the salesperson, it's your choice. Just try not to get sold that their product is something more than what the facts say!

Which Therapies Are Proven?

So what therapies have been proven beneficial? In my next post I will discuss the importance of complementary therapy, which ones I recommend and how to find a good practitioner. For a good place to search a product or therapy, try QuackWatch.

Until then, if you're interested in selling a miracle cure product that I have developed to increase energy and extend your life I'd love to hire you.  It's called Miracle-Nutri-Vita.  Just send me an email or post a comment.  If you think I'm serious, you should re-read the above post!

- Julie

Here we are at Part II on exercise and cancer. In Part I we established that being physically active every day can reduce risk of cancer and improve your quality of life. We also established the difference between physical activity and exercise.

We created a Well Beyond Cancer team for the president's challenge (click here to join) and already have 8 people registered on the team!

• Our group member name is: Well Beyond Cancer
• Our group ID Number is:  67303

This site can be used to track the amount of time you exercise.

Now comes the practical part where we talk about how much exercise we should have each day.

How Much Do I Need?

The recommendations for cancer prevention and healthy survivorship are to have 60 minutes of moderate or 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity every day. It may seem like experts are always changing this recommendation. I don't see it as changing, but rather the recommendation is being reworded to make more sense to the average person's activity level. 

If you think about it, the "average person" is constantly changing. On average, we're watching more TV, sitting at the computer, or playing more video games, instead of being active in the house, yard, or playing at the park. Therefore, it's necessary to tell people to get 1 hour of intentional activity every day instead of the past recommendation of 30 minutes 3-4 days/week. 

All of your physical activity doesn't have to be at one time. You can spread it out throughout the day, or have certain days where you are more active than others. I have days where I might do 1-2 hours of vigorous activity. Other days I might have 15 minutes here and there or a leisure 60 minute walk. It all adds up to my weekly total of at least 7 hours.

Rather than beating yourself up for not working out, find a way that you can fit some physical activity into your day. Can you do things at work differently so that you fit more activity in? I think of this as being paid to exercise! Use the stairs, even if you don't work on the second floor. If you're at a desk, set an alarm on your calendar to get moving every hour. Walk while talking on the phone or keep some free weights in your office.  If you must procrastinate, procrastinate actively! 

Instead of watching TV at night record the show and take a walk instead. A 1 hour show recorded and watched without commercials give you 20 extra minutes that day. Or you can exercise while watching it. Better yet, don't watch it and you've earned an entire hour!

The Bottom Line:

When it comes to exercise, the bottom line is that doing something is better than doing nothing. Don't get caught in the mindset that you have to work out for a long amount of time for it to matter. Any amount of time counts.

On a slightly unrelated note, a friend of mine wrote a post this week that I found very meaningful. If you're a cancer survivor, friend or family of a survivor I think you'll relate. If you're not, her post can give you a glimpse into the world of a cancer survivor. Thanks Sara for sharing your story! Check it out at www.sarapattersononline.com.

Have a great weekend. Remember to spend time with your loved ones and show them that you care. :)
- Julie

Since Monday is President's Day, I thought I'd talk about something I remember about the president I learned in elementary school: The Presidential Fitness Award!

Oh the good old days when I had PE (physical education) every day... I will always remember my PE teacher in her stylish workout suits, and my brother getting the fastest mile in the school when he was in 4th grade. I think today we have a problem, now that elementary kids only get 1 day or less of PE class each week... but anyway, back to my post!

Most people know that exercise is good for them. We try to fit it into our already busy days and then feel guilty when we don't. Health professionals have been telling us to do more physical activity during the day. Park farther away from the grocery store. Take the stairs. In other words, incorporate physical activity into your daily activities.

But what exactly is the difference between physical activity and exercise? And how much is enough? Hopefully these next 2 posts will will help clear those questions up for you!

Exercise and Cancer Prevention

All forms of physical activity are known to protect against some and possibly all cancers. Research so far is strongest suggesting exercise is good for prevention of colon, breast, and endometrial cancers. We also know that physical activity protects against weight gain, overweight, and obesity.  All three are risk factors for cancer, as well as diseases other than cancer, like diabetes.

And for those of us who might have a little vanity, physical activity helps to maintain a nice physique and muscle tone!

Finally, and most importantly, is the positive attitude and self esteem that exercise helps to maintain.

Physical Activity and Exercise:  What's the Difference?

The difference between physical activity and exercise is pretty easy to understand. We define physical activity as daily activities that involve movement. They burn extra calories and include activities like dancing, raking leaves, walking, taking the stairs, etc.

Exercise is a specific type of physical activity that includes planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement done specifically to improve or maintain physical fitness. Brisk walking, swimming, and lifting weights are examples of exercise.

My next post will address how much physical activity you should be getting to reduce your risk of cancer. Until then, check out The President's Challenge. I have created a group and would love for you to join it! Login as an individual (click here) and be sure to indicate which group you are joining.

• Our group member name is: Well Beyond Cancer
• Our group ID Number is:  67303

We can all log our time and work as a team to increase physical fitness. What more appropriate thing to do on president's day than take the challenge!

- Julie

Think Your Drink!

We've talked about sugar, and we've talked about artificial sweeteners. Regular sodas, juice, Kool-Aid and here in the south, sweet tea, can contribute a significant amount of calories. Take this example:

Scenario 1:   16 oz. latte with whole milk (they use whole milk unless you ask for something else)
                    20 oz. soda with lunch
                    Sweetened ice tea in the afternoon
                    12 oz. can of ginger ale with dinner

Scenario 2:    12 oz. latte with skim milk
                     Water or diet soda with lunch
                     Sparkling water with lemon flavor in the afternoon
                     Water with lemon, or seltzer water with a splash of 100% fruit juice at dinner

Scenario 1 provides the consumer with 800 calories in their drink choices alone. Scenario 2 provides between 125 and 155. That difference would amount to 1.3 pounds of fat gained per week, 5.5 pounds gained per month, or 68 pounds gained per year. THAT is a big difference!

But you're not sure that you want to consume a lot of artificial sweeteners either. Here is a breakdown of what the Beverage Guidance Panel recommends for fluid intake. Remember that 1 drink = 8 ounces or a measured cup.

• Sodas, "fruit" drinks, other sweetened beverages: 0-1 drinks/day
• 100% fruit juices, sports drinks, alcoholic beverages: 0-1 drinks/day
• Diet drinks and other artificially sweetened beverages: 0-4 drinks/day
• Milk/Soy Milk: 0-2 drinks/day
• Unsweetened coffee, unsweetened tea, mineral water, other unsweetened beverages: 0-5  drinks/day
• Water: 2-6 drinks/day

What Would Julie Do?

Personally, I try to have no more than 1 sweetened or artificially sweetened drink per day. In reality, I probably don't have more than 2 a week. I try to have unsweetened tea (usually hot) in the morning, water with lunch and during the day, and a juice/seltzer water mix in the evening. I might have hot tea or a glass of water before bed.

Typically, I mix up the types of tea that I drink, just for variety. Sometimes green tea, sometimes herbal tea, oolong, black, or whatever looks interesting at the store!

Now that you know how much difference a drink can make, here are some ways to make smart beverage choices:

• Choose water
• Don’t “stock the fridge” with soda. Instead, keep a jug or bottles of cold water or unsweetened tea in the fridge.
• Serve water with meals.
• Make water more exciting by adding slices of lemon, lime, cucumber, or watermelon, or drink sparkling water.
• Add a splash of 100% juice to plain sparkling water for a refreshing, low-calorie drink. (My favorite is lemon or lime seltzer water mixed with pomegranate/black current juice).
• When you do opt for a sugar-sweetened beverage, go for the small size. Some companies are now selling 8oz. cans and bottles of soda, which contain about 100 calories.

The bottom line is that our body needs water. Our taste buds want sweet. Retraining our taste buds and our habits is not easy, but can be a smart thing to do for health.

So tip your cup, and try some new beverages or treat yourself to a new reusable water bottle!
- Julie

References: (Pour Better or Pour Worse, Nutrition Action Newsletter, June 2006.; Rethink Your Drink, Center for Disease Control).

Splenda.  Saccharin.  Asparatame.  Acesulfame K.  Stevia.  Sugar alcohols.  When it comes to cancer, there is a lot of controversy over artificial sweeteners. 

In the last two posts (part I and part II), I talked about sugar and cancer. A large portion of sugar intake in America is from our fluids. In response to this, many people have chosen to take in fluids that are calorie free, but have sweet flavor from artificial sweeteners.

What's Wrong With Drinking Something Sweet? 

I have mixed feelings about artificial sweeteners. In general, I think that the less "food-like substances"  we consume, the better. I also think that drinking artificial sweetened drinks keeps people accustomed to sweet tastes. This is sometimes called sweetness acuity.

Research regarding taste buds suggests that the more you eat a certain flavor, the more you desire it and the less you appreciate other flavors. This means that if you are accustomed to sweet things, you will not appreciate the subtle flavors of other foods. So, if you drink a lot of sodas, regular or diet, then the subtle flavors of fruits, vegetables and whole grains don't have a chance!

What Do We Know About Artificial Sweeteners?

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the safest sweetener is Splenda. Sugar Alcohols are safe, but can cause diarrhea in large amounts. Aspartame is categorized as probably safe. Stevia and Acesulfame K were inadequately tested, while they determined Saccharin to be unsafe.

Here is a short list of artificially sweetened drinks and which sweeteners are used. If your favorite diet soda is not on the list, you can tell which sweetener is used by looking at the ingredient list on the beverage you are considering.

Saccharin: Sweet and Low
Aspartame: Crystal Light, Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, Diet Mountain Dew, Equal
Aspartame + Acesulfame K: Coke Zero, Pepsi Jazz
Splenda: Diet Rite

Should I Avoid Artificial Sweeteners Completely?

Everything has to be kept in perspective. Is having an occasional diet soda (or a regular soda for that matter) going to cause a problem?

No.

So now you want to know where to draw the line, right? For that answer, you'll have to stay tuned for Friday's post, where I will address how much and what type of fluids to have for best health!

- Julie

Reference: Sweet Nothings: Not All Sweeteners are Created Equal. Nutrition Action Newsletter, May 2004

I can't believe how often I hear the statement that sugar feeds cancer! Just today, I heard it again. For more explanation on why this is a misleading statement, check out Part I.

Here we are at Part II. This post should answer some questions such as, how much sugar is too much?  And, what types should we be having? 

What Foods Have Sugar?

There are many different types of sugar. I'm sure you've heard the term "simple sugar" and "complex carbohydrates".  Both simple sugar and complex carbohydrate fall under the macronutrient class "carbohydrate," or simply "carbs."  Grains, milk and yogurt, fruit, potatoes, corn and legumes (dried beans and peas) are all types of foods that provide your body with complex carbohydrates.

You also get carbs from white sugar, brown sugar, honey and syrups, which fall into the simple sugar category.  I often include regular sodas and fruit juices in this category.

When it comes to simple sugars, there is not much difference between them. Chemically speaking, simple sugars are mostly glucose and fructose in various combinations. High fructose corn syrup has become a dirty word in many health circles, but the bottom line is that it's not particularly worse than sugar or honey. Most people just eat too much of it. It's probably a good idea to pay attention to all the sugars in one's diet, rather than focusing on reducing just one.

How Much Sugar is Too Much?

Sugar itself is not bad. However, too much sugar, without balancing it with other foods can cause our bodies to make too much insulin. To prevent this, you shouldn't eat too much simple sugar in your diet.

The key is moderation. "Moderation" is probably the most popular but least listened-to word that comes out of a nutritionists mouth! So here are some guidelines to help you determine if you are having too much sugar in your diet:

• Avoid concentrated sources of sugar, such as soda and fruit drinks. The concentrated sources of sugar are the kinds that tend to promote disease. I recommend no more than 6 oz. of 100 percent fruit juice a day, but I prefer that people eat their fruit rather than drink it. Eliminating sodas and sweetened drinks can make a big difference in sugar and calorie intake.
• Limit your "treats," such as dessert, to 2-3 times each week.
• Focus on whole, healthy, unprocessed food, including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils, and peas), nuts, and seeds. These are the carbs that protect your body from disease.
• When you add sugar or other sweeteners to your food or drinks, use as little as you need. Many times we over-sweeten things out of habit, not because we need it for taste. 

I have probably left some unanswered questions, so feel free to leave a comment and I will respond.

Don't forget that carbs and sugars are only one part of your diet. It's important to look at your whole lifestyle to make sure that you are promoting wellness and the best quality of life.

For those of you who like some sarcastic humor, here is a link to a song that puts carb counting into perspective. It always makes me laugh!

Mr. Over the Top Carb Counter , click on the link to " Listen to Bud Light's Real Men of Genius "Mr. Over the Top Carb Counter".

- Julie

(Reference: Some information for this post came from Caring4Cancer.)

Many people have heard the statement that "sugar feeds cancer". I have had patients whose friends, family or other source told them to completely avoid sugar. This series of posts will hopefully set the record straight regarding what we know about sugar and cancer!

The Facts About Sugar and Cancer

Our bodies need sugar, specifically glucose, for energy. Every cell of our body, especially the brain, needs sugar to live. The sugar that we need comes from 2 places. One is from the carbohydrate that we eat. The second is from our body. Our body will make the sugar we need if we don't get enough from our food.

Therefore, even if you cut out all intake of sugar or other form of carbohydrate, your body will make the sugar you need from fat and protein. This is not the ideal situation for your body, as it can cause your body to go into a stressful state. There is a certain amount of carbohydrate that is important for healthy cell function.

Cancer cells use sugar for energy just like the rest of our body. But there's nothing about the cancer that "feeds" on sugar more than any other cell in our body.

Sugar and Insulin

When we digest and absorb sugar from different types of foods, our bodies produce insulin to process the sugar. This is a normal and essential part of metabolizing food. However, if you eat too much sugar or carbohydrate, it results in a large amount of insulin being produced.

Insulin tells our cells to grow. Too much insulin can tell our cells to grow too much. Some people think that too much insulin could cause cancer cells to grow more. There's not enough research right now to fully understand how insulin and cancer are related, but we know that too much sugar, and too much insulin is not good for our health.

Bottom Line

Sugar does feed cancer. BUT, sugar also feeds the rest of your body. For those who are going through treatment, remember that your healthy cells need energy especially during this time. Avoiding sugar completely will not help treatment, but it could leave your healthy cells low on energy.

My next post will address the various sources of sugar and how you can make the healthiest choices when it comes to your risk for disease. More from me on Friday!

- Julie

reference: (Some information for this post came from Caring4Cancer).

What Makes a Smoothie?

Smoothies can be a great way to get in a dairy and fruit serving or two. They're good for breakfast, a snack, or as dessert in the evening. Most importantly, they can provide you yet another opportunity to get some healthy phytochemicals in your diet!

Smoothies seem to come in and out of popularity. And, there doesn't seem to be any particular definition of what exactly makes a smoothie. I've seen "smoothies" that are really just glorified milkshakes. If there's ice cream in it, or a high concentration protein mix, I have a hard time calling it a smoothie.

I also hesitate to call it a smoothies when "smoothie mix" is poured out of a box and mixed with ice. For it to qualify as a smoothie for me, it MUST have real fruit and shouldn't contain a lot of added sugars.

The amount that you are drinking can make or break it's healthfulness. Often the size that is sold in the juice or smoothie shop is far too large. If it's a snack, 8-12 oz. would be about right. 12-16 oz. would be good for a meal size.

Basic Smoothie Recipe

Here's some basics on how to make a smoothie that tastes good and is good for you. You will need 3 basic ingredients:

1. Fruit (frozen berries, banana, orange, mango, papaya, etc.)
2. Yogurt (I use plain low-fat, you can also use flavored; I've also heard of tofu being used)
3. Liquid (juice, soymilk, lowfat milk, water, or a combination of these)

Here's the order of business for smoothie making.

1. Put the fruit in the blender first.
2. Add the yogurt (for two people, I usually use about 1 1/2 cups of yogurt)
3. Pour in enough liquid so that it almost reaches the top of the fruit. (my mistake in the past has been not enough liquid. Then it was hard for the blender and made a fruit cement, instead of a smoothie!).
4. Blend until smooth, some stirring is required depending on your blender.

Then you can add any extras that you think might be good such as ground flax seed, extra ice, honey if it's not sweet enough or a few leaves of spinach for a vegetable kick. With all the fruit and other flavors, you don't taste the spinach.

A note about blenders. If you are making smoothies or other things in a blender on a regular basis, I would recommend investing in a Vitamix, or other high quality blender. I used to use a regular blender, and would always get mad at it because it wasn't powerful enough to blend up ice or frozen fruit. Now that I have the Vitamix, I don't have to worry about that; I just have to make sure my dog's not too scared of the noise!

- Julie