Caring4Cancer

Welcome to the All About Nutrition Message Board. This is a place to connect and share nutrition-related ideas and information. It is also a wonderful place to communicate with one another and find support.

Maybe you have a favorite recipe or food that helped you get through cancer treatment. If so, please share it here! Maybe you have questions about how others managed to eat well when they didn't feel well. This is the perfect place to ask your question. You can find out how others coped with the discomforts of cancer treatment.

Talking with your health care providers is always an important part of cancer care, but sometimes, it helps to talk to others who have been exactly where you are.

I will be visiting this message board weekly to answer questions, provide truthful and comprehensive information when a confusing nutrition issue is being discussed, and give general guidance and support for the message board community. And as always, you can find additional information, recipes, tips, hints, and ideas for managing nutrition issues during cancer care in the Your Wellbeing section of Caring4Cancer.

I invite you to become a part of the All About Nutrition Message Board Community!

Warmly,
C4C Cancer Nutritionist Suzanne

Hi There,

I have gained weight, Is it something i should be concerned with?

Have you ever heard of Essaic tea??  I read a little about it the other day and it's supposed to help with the chemo that my dad is getting.  I was wondering if anyone else has tried it.

~Heidi

Hello,

Weight gain after a cancer diagnosis is more common than most people realize. Many people believe that all cancer patients will struggle to eat enough and are likely to lose weight during and after treatment. This may have been true in the past, but it is not the case anymore.

Certainly, some people being treated for cancer will struggle to eat well and do need assistance to make sure they get good nutrition during and after treatment. In these cases, it is vitally important to see a qualified nutrition professional such as a registered dietitian for assistance. But for many in cancer care, this is not the case.

There are many excellent medications available to manage the side effects of cancer treatment such as nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite, which in the past, may have lead to weight loss. When these symptoms are under control, many people can eat their normal diet and aren't likely to lose weight.

A surprising effect of this ability to eat normally is that some people actually gain weight. Adding to this problem is the fact that some medications may even increase appetite making it harder to manage weight during cancer care. Weight gain tends to be most common in people with early stage cancers of the breast and prostate, although anyone can gain weight during treatment.

If you have gained just a few pounds, for example 3 or fewer pounds, I would not be overly concerned. A small amount of weight gain is not likely to significantly affect your long term health, so long as you don't keep on gaining. However, if you are not underweight and you have gained more than 3 to 5 pounds, you should make an effort to address this issue before you gain so much weight that it negatively affects your health.

More and more, health experts are finding that gaining weight during and after cancer treatment can significantly worsen health. Carrying excess weight puts additional stress on the body. Studies tell us that this extra stress makes it harder for your body to fight the cancer, heal, recover, and remain healthy for the long-term. People who gain weight during and after cancer treatment may be more susceptible to cancer recurrence or another cancer diagnosis, and they are more likely to suffer from other chronic health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.

For all of these reasons, maintaining a healthy body weight should be a high priority for all cancer survivors. In reality, this should be a high priority for ALL people, regardless of whether or not they have had cancer.

For cancer patients, as with all people, there are two things that affect body weight: 1) How much you eat and 2) How much physical activity (exercise) you get.

One thing that is important to know is that early research tells us it is the lack of activity during cancer treatment that may contribute the most to uncontrolled weight gain. This isn't surprising given how common fatigue is for those in cancer care. Being fatigued makes it harder to move your body. Being fatigued makes it harder to make the effort to get out and take a walk or do other things you normally do.

The good news is that getting some physical activity will help both problems. Those who are most active during treatment have the least fatigue. As well, getting physical activity will help you avoid unhealthy weight gain.

First, be sure to get the OK from your doctor or nurse that it is safe for you to exercise. Second, remember that you do not need to go out and run a marathon to get the benefits of physical activity. Simply walking is one of the best ways to keep your body healthy. In addition to walking, you may want to ask your doctor if it is ok to do some resistance or strength training.

Most people think of strength training as "lifting weights", but you don't need to lift weights if that is not convenient for you. You can use resistance exercise bands (stretchy tubes of rubber) or the weight of your own body while doing walking lunges, pushups, or squats. If you are uncertain how to begin, ask your doctor for a referral to a physical therapist or exercise physiologist. It likely will take only 1 to 3 sessions to get a program that you can do yourself at home.

In fact, one research study conducted at Duke University has found that a home exercise program can help cancer patients maintain strength and avoid weight gain during cancer care.

In addition to moderate physical activity, you should eat a healthy, balanced diet. The more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes (beans) you can eat, the better. These foods are healthy and filling, so they keep you from eating more calories than you need.

For more information, recipes, tips, and ideas on healthy weight management, you can go to the Nutrition Section (http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition) of Caring4Cancer and click on following links:

• Symptom Support then click on Avoiding Weight Gain
• Nutrition Videos then click on Healthy Eating for the Long Haul
• Eating Well, Nutrition, and Health then click on a variety of sections of interest
• Recipes for Wellness then click on any recipe you want to try

I hope this information is helpful!

Nutritionist Suzanne

Hello Heidi,

I have heard of Essiac tea. This is a combination of herbs that is taken in tea form. The herbs contained in Essiac are Burdock Root, Sheep Sorrel, Slippery Elm Bark, and Turkey Rhubarb Root. Essiac was developed in the early 20th century by a nurse named Rene Caisse. You may notice that Essiac is Caisse backwards.

Caisse developed the Essiac tea formula based on information she had gathered on Native American Medicine that was traditionally used to treat cancer. There are no controlled research studies on Essiac tea in humans. There are some reports that Essiac may help lessen some of the symptoms of cancer treatment, but again, these are not actual studies, but just anecdotal reports.

There are some cell studies, which are done on isolated cells in a laboratory, that suggest that Essiac has antioxidant activity, may boost the activity of immune cells, and may be toxic to cancer cells. However, keep in mind that these studies do not tell us if these actions would occur in the human body.

There is no way to know if the compounds in Essiac will reach the proper area of the body before they are broken down by digestion and metabolism. Also, the human body is very complex and what happens in isolated cells in a test tube may not be a good representation of what will occur in the body.

On the positive side, Essiac is considered to be non-toxic and generally is well tolerated. There isn't good research on how Essiac tea will affect the activity of medications used in cancer treatment, but it is considered safe, when taken as directed.

I put Essiac tea into the category of, "It probably won't hurt, it may help, but there isn't any evidence to know with certainty that it will help." It is quite expensive, but if cost is not an issue, it is not likely to cause harm if you would like to try Essiac tea.

As a final note, I must stress that you talk to your dad's doctor to discuss this issue. Your dad's doctor may have information on why or why not he or she feels it is ok to use Essiac and it is important to obtain and consider this information. At the very least, you must let the doctor know that you plan to use Essiac tea so that this can be noted in your dad's medical records. That way, if any unusual side effects or other events occur, the doctor will have a clear picture of all of the factors that may have contributed to these things. This is key to getting good, safe, comprehensive medical care.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Nutritionist Suzanne

My husband was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer in April 2007, had Whipple surgery in June 7th, has had his second round of chemo (Gemzar) and continues to loose weight. He says nothing tastes the same nor does anything taste good to him. He weighes in at 164 from 215 in January.  What can I provide for him to eat and regain strength?

 Thanks

Hello Sherry,

Meeting nutrition needs while managing pancreatic cancer can be challenging. This type of cancer may cause weight loss. As well, the symptoms and side effects of pancreatic cancer and its treatment can include lack of appetite, changing sense of taste, early fullness, and nausea, all of which make eating difficult.

Despite these challenges, it is worth the effort to focus on nutrition. Stopping your husband’s weight loss will help him to feel better and will improve his strength and energy level.

The first thing you should do is talk to your doctor and nurse to rule out or manage existing medical issues that are contributing to the weight loss. For example, some people need medications to reduce the amount of acid being produced by the stomach. Others may need appetite stimulants to help make food more appealing. Others may need anti-diarrheal medications to slow down the digestive tract. Only your doctor and nurse can determine if these or other medications are appropriate for your husband.

A common cause of weight loss for people with pancreatic cancer is malabsorption of food and nutrients. When cancer occurs in the pancreas, this can lead to a decrease in the production of digestive enzymes. Enzymes are chemicals produced by the pancreas and other organs in the digestive tract each time we eat. When the body fails to produce enough enzymes, food and nutrients cannot be properly absorbed. This means they pass straight through the body and cannot be used for energy and to maintain weight.

Some common signs of malabsorption include foul-smelling, fatty or greasy stools and diarrhea and cramping after eating. Weight loss also is a sign that the body may not be absorbing food properly.
The good news is that digestive enzymes can be taken in pill form with each meal and snack to replace the enzymes that the body fails to produce. These enzyme medications are available with a prescription, so you will need to talk to your doctor about this.

Even if you are not sure if malabsorption is a problem for your husband, it may be worth it to try the enzymes to see if they can help. They are considered safe, they have very low likelihood of negative side effects, and they can greatly improve health and nutrition status for many pancreatic cancer patients.

Also be aware that some people need higher doses of enzymes than others to get the best effect. You may need to work with your doctor and nurse, or if available, a registered dietitian, to experiment and determine what dose of enzymes your husband needs to eliminate malabsorption.

Many patients feel like enzymes are not helpful, but often, this is because they are not taking the proper dose. If your husband has used enzymes before without seeing a benefit, he may not have taken the right dose to manage his malabsorption. Again, be sure to talk to your doctor, nurse, and if possible, a registered dietitian about these issues.

Finally, once you have worked with your medical care team to manage medical issues and eliminate digestive malabsorption, you can focus on getting high calorie and high protein food into your husband’s diet. It is important to address the medical and malabsorption issues FIRST. If your husband is not properly absorbing food, good nutrition won’t help.

To improve your husband’s nutritional intake, offer small amounts of food to him often. Even a few bites of food every 20 minutes or so will be a step in the right direction. Don’t worry about structured meals because these may not work right now. Just focus on helping your husband eat little bites of food as often as he can. Focus on bland, easy-to-prepare, and convenient foods such as oatmeal, pudding, yogurt, scrambled eggs, soup, or anything that sounds good to your husband.

Regarding his poor sense of taste, try unusual combinations of flavors that he might not normally like. For example, many people find that food tastes too sweet during treatment. Trying things that are sour can help solve this problem. Believe it or not, I've had patients tell me that pickle juice milkshakes taste great during treatment! If your husband is willing to try shakes and smoothies, you can blend in frozen cranberries or unsweetened cranberry juice, which will decrease the sweet flavor.

Try different and creative combinations, such as marinating chicken with fruit and fruit juice, to come up with flavor combinations that are more appealing to your husband. Just keep trying and try to avoid getting frustrated, because it is a big challenge to eat when food doesn’t taste good.

For more ideas on high calorie, high protein food, be sure to look at the Symptom Support area of the Nutrition section at:

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/symptom-support

You can view the different symptoms along the right hand side of the screen. You can click on whichever symptom your husband is experiencing to see nutrition tips and suggestions for ways to manage that symptom.

Also, you can view our information on the following topics, which may be helpful.

General Nutrition Tips for Cancer Treatment Symptoms:
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/eatingwell/nutrition-tips-for-cancer-treatment-symptoms.htm

Good Nutrition During Treatment:
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/eatingwell/good-nutrition-during-treatment.htm

Tips for High Calorie Eating:
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/eatingwell/tips-for-high-calorie-eating.htm

Tips for Making Smoothies and Shakes:
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/eatingwell/tips-for-making-smoothies-and-shakes.htm

Finally, we have plenty of great recipes that you can try. To see these, go to

Recipes for High Calorie Eating:
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/during-treatment-recipes/recipes-for-high-calorie-eating.htm

Recipes for Symptoms:
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/during-treatment-recipes/recipes-for-symptoms.htm

I hope this information is helpful for you and your husband.

Nutritionist Suzanne