Why is it important to reduce inflammation? If you are a frequent reader of our IOE blog you already know how important it is to keep inflammation in your body down as much as possible after a cancer diagnosis. In particular it is the longstanding, ... [Read More]
Adrenal Exhaustion and Cancer: Is This Real?
Medical school teaches nothing about adrenal exhaustion (also known as adrenal fatigue). Most conventionally trained physicians believe this not to be a real medical diagnosis. Instead, it is simply felt to be only in the mind of the patient with no ... [Read More]
Can I Reduce The Risk Of My Cancer Growing Or Coming Back?
Literally, hundreds of patients have asked me: 'What can I do to help reduce my risk of cancer coming back or growing?' If you currently have cancer or if you are cancer survivor you likely are confused about what works and what doesn't. This ... [Read More]
One of My Favorite Integrative Oncology Lab Tests
Did you know that insulin is a cancer growth factor (a protein that stimulates cancer cells to grow)? Background: Most of the cells in our body use glucose (blood sugar) as their primary source of energy...and cancer cells are no exception. They ... [Read More]
How To Begin An Exercise Routine (For Cancer Patients And Survivors): Part IV
In this article (the fourth and final in our series on “How To Begin An Exercise Routine”) we discuss how to start exercising if you have physical limitations from cancer or other health conditions. Authored By: Janette Powell (Physical ... [Read More]
How To Begin An Exercise Routine (For Cancer Patients And Survivors): Part III
The second article in our series presented some beginner approaches to walking, running, cycling and swimming. In this article (the third in our series on “How To Begin An Exercise Routine”) we are going to introduce you to some of the more ... [Read More]
My New Favorite Prostate Cancer Supplement
If you have prostate cancer or are at risk of developing prostate cancer (essentially, everyone with a prostate) this should be of interest to you. Eating a diet rich in whole plant foods (vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, legumes) has been shown to ... [Read More]
How To Begin An Exercise Routine (For Cancer Patients And Survivors): Part II
This is the second article in our series on "How To Begin An Exercise Routine (for cancer patients and survivors.)" In this article, we present some beginner approaches to walking, running, cycling and swimming. We also discuss ways to use heart rate ... [Read More]
How To Begin An Exercise Routine (For Cancer Patients And Survivors): Part I
This is the first article in our series on "How To Begin An Exercise Routine (for cancer patients and survivors.)" If you are currently living with cancer or had cancer in the past you may be facing a unique set of challenges or uncertainties due to ... [Read More]
What Cancer Patients And Survivors Need To Know Before Going To A Spa
Your skin is your body’s largest organ and what you put on it and how you treat it really does matter. It is also your first-line of defense against the numerous toxins and infectious organisms you come into contact with everyday. If you have cancer ... [Read More]
Complementary Therapies For Chemo-Neuropathy: An Integrative Oncologist’s Bag Of Tricks
"Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy" (CIPN) effects the lives of up to 40% of cancer patients who receive chemotherapy. CIPN symptoms can be so bothersome that we have to lower our treatment doses or stop treatment all ... [Read More]
What Integrative Oncology Is And Is Not
http://youtu.be/cx5VuAMaW6k What Is Integrative Oncology? Before I get into clarifying what integrative oncology is NOT, let’s first make sure all of our newer readers know what it IS. Integrative oncology is the use of evidence-informed ... [Read More]
Anti-Cancer Recipes From The Experts
When you are first learning about the concepts of anti-cancer nutrition it can be a challenge to figure out how to shop and prepare meals for yourself. With two-thirds of cancer patients searching for nutrition advice online, where do they go to get ... [Read More]
Just Breathe: Calm Your Mind Using The Inner Balance Trainer
I'm a techie nerd, so whenever I have a chance to try out a cool new gadget that may be able to help my patients improve their health I'm all over it. In a previous post, I wrote about the usefulness of activity tracking devices. These wearable ... [Read More]
Who should consider genetic testing (BRCA1/2) for hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancers?
The vast majority of cancers occur by chance, but a small percentage are related to inherited genetic abnormalities or mutations. In cases of hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancers, most occur as a result of mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 ... [Read More]
The Rising Tide of the Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy: Know the Facts
The last decade has seen a steady rise (300% increase) in the number of individuals who are opting to undergo a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) as a means of reducing their risk of developing a new breast cancer in their opposite ... [Read More]
Are You Feeling Distress? Your oncologist needs to know
Are you feeling distress? We have covered this topic in a previous blog post, but this is worth repeating as I encounter this in my patients every day. What is "distress"? "Distress" is purposely chosen as the word we use even though it is a very ... [Read More]
Air Pollution Increases Your Risk of Dying From Breast Cancer
It's hardly a surprise that air pollution has been shown to increase one's risk of developing lung cancer. However, it now appears that living in cities with more polluted air also correlates with a greater risk of dying from breast ... [Read More]
Sleep Your Way To Less Cancer
Not getting adequate sleep (particularly, at night) is now recognized as a risk factor for cancer. It seems that the preponderance of studies suggest that getting at least 6-7 hours of night time sleep is protective against cancer (as well as ... [Read More]
How To Reduce Your Risk of Bone Fracture During and After Cancer Treatment
Bone loss and bone fractures are a significant concern during and after many different types of cancer treatment. Appropriate screening, lifestyle modifications and therapies to increase or maintain bone density are essential. I decided to write ... [Read More]
Reduce Your Risk Of Blood Clots Without A Prescription
This article has been updated, November 2019 (link here) One of the the facts I emphasize during my integrative oncology talks is that the majority of patients with cancer do not die from their cancer, but instead from a side effect or ... [Read More]
Pesticides, Herbicides and Cancer: The Link Is Getting Clearer
The March/April 2013 issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians published a review by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and others reporting the widespread recognition that exposure (through our food, water, skin and air) to MANY different ... [Read More]
Is There Any Other Anti-Cancer Botanical Compound As Exciting As Curcumin?
Curcumin is one of the hottest plant polyphenol extracts being researched, today. Until recently, I was unaware of the extensive history of curcumin research...dating back over 170 years! In the last 10-years, alone, there have been over 4,600 ... [Read More]
Proton Beam Therapy: The Rolls Royce of Radiation Oncology
Have you heard of "proton beam therapy" (PBT)? Simply put, PBT is the most advanced radiation therapy technique available. This star wars-like technology has been used in the treatment of malignant and benign tumors since the 1950's. As of 2011, ... [Read More]
Hey Doc, Can I Take Antioxidants During Chemo and Radiation?
This is one of the most common questions asked by our patients in the oncology clinic, and for most oncologists their knee jerk answer is "NO, It's NOT safe to take antioxidants during chemotherapy and radiation therapy." What's The Claim? When I ... [Read More]
One Baby Aspirin Per Day Cuts Cancer Development, Metastases and Death!
Do you take an aspirin a day for aches and pains or other health reasons? It seems that many people do, and they might be inadvertently protecting themselves from cancer. A Willow Tree Gave Us Aspirin: The ancient Egyptians used the bark of the ... [Read More]
Fight Cancer: Chew (or Juice) Brassicas!
I was no fan of broccoli when I was a kid. My mom used to have to serve it to me with melted cheese just so that I would eat it (pssst, don't tell my mom, but I used to feed it to our family dog under the table before the cheese ... [Read More]
Use Glutamine To Reduce The Severity Of Mucositis And Neuropathy (During Chemotherapy Or Radiation Therapy)
If you are about to start a course of chemotherapy that can cause mucositis (i.e. of the mouth, throat or esophagus) or peripheral neuropathy (i.e. hands and feet), ask your oncologist if you can use glutamine to help reduce the severity of these ... [Read More]
Get Metformin-Like AntiCancer Activity Without A Prescription (Berberine)
What Is Berberine? Berberine is one of the active alkaloid extracts, derived from a variety of plants (i.e. Oregon grape, barberry, tree turmeric, goldenseal, Amor cork tree, Chinese goldthread or "huanglian" or "Coptis chinensis", etc.), that have ... [Read More]
Fight & Prevent Breast Fibrosis After Radiation Therapy
I wrote a previous blog post in which I hypothesized that by using a combination of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and pentoxifylline (PTX), patients undergoing breast or chest wall radiation therapy for breast cancer might be able to reduce their risk ... [Read More]