It's NEVER TOO LATE to stop smoking...especially if you have ever been diagnosed with cancer. I hope this post gives you a bit more incentive to quit. The Data: A new study reports that even if you quit smoking after a diagnosis of cancer you ... [Read More]
Reduce Radiation Skin Reactions With My Favorite Natural Product
Out with the old, in with the new: Prior to this study, the #1 product that I have been recommending to patients to help them minimize a common radiation skin reaction (called "radiation dermatitis") is a natural botanical, Calendula (an extract ... [Read More]
Lowering Cholesterol May Reduce Breast Cancer Growth
Breast cancer is sneaky. A new study discovers a trick that breast cancers use to get around some of our best drugs. If you know about this trick you'll be able to take action to put a stop to it. The Background: Two-thirds of all breast cancers ... [Read More]
Alkaline Diet And Water: Are They Anticancer?
Have you heard this claim before: "Cancer cells only grow in an acidic environment, therefore you should drink alkaline water and eat an alkaline diet." If you have heard this before you are not alone. Literally every day in my office I get asked ... [Read More]
Cocktail Of 6 Plant Extracts Kills Cancer Cells
A recent study reports on some exciting information about using a combination of 6 anticancer plant compounds to kill breast cancer cells. Before I discuss this study you need to understand a little background... Why I Believe Attacking Cancer On ... [Read More]
Why You Should Consider Taking Probiotics During And After Cancer Treatment
New studies report that when your gut bacteria are compromised chemotherapy may not work as well. Although we don't completely understand how our gut bacteria make chemotherapy work better, one study found that chemotherapy causes our gut to ... [Read More]
Multivitamins: Why I recommend them in spite of the bad press
Researchers and food scientists are almost all in agreement that in large part due to poor dietary choices and inadequate consumption of foods with high nutritional quality, a significant percentage of the U.S. population is deficient in multiple ... [Read More]
Getting Enough Anti-Cancer Sulforaphane Requires Special Instructions
Did you know that sulforaphane, one of the most potent anti-cancer and liver detoxification compounds derived from broccoli and other cruciferous plants, isn’t actually found in these foods? Incredibly, it only forms when other compounds in these ... [Read More]
Break up the day with activity to anti-cancerize your cells
We have known for a while that cancer survivors who get at least 150-minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week (i.e. 30-minutes per day, 5-days per week) have much lower rates of cancer recurrence and death than those who are less active. A ... [Read More]
Most Personal Care Products Are Toxic: Choose Wisely
Our tissues and organs act like sponges as they soak up and retain hundreds if not thousands of toxic chemicals each day through exposures to the compounds in our food, water, air and the products we use. It is now clear that this toxic burden ... [Read More]
Artificial Sweeteners Stimulate Your Appetite For Sugar
Did you know that although artificial sweeteners have zero calories they stimulate your appetite for sugar. Sorry for the bad news folks. Just when you thought you were doing a good thing and switching to a sugar alternative. Read Conner ... [Read More]
Depression Treated With Acupuncture
Needles or the couch: A new study reports similar efficacy in the management of depression. It is not uncommon for cancer patients and survivors to suffer with depression, so I'm always researching for new and effective non-pharmacologic treatments ... [Read More]
Hot Flashes During Prostate Cancer Treatment: Try Acupuncture
Gentlemen, if you are taking androgen blocking medications for prostate cancer you likely already know that the associated hot flashes are difficult to treat. Studies have found that therapies such as soy and anti-depressants don't work well in ... [Read More]
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Reduces Chronic Radiation Side Effects: Proctitis, Cystitis, Necrosis
If you are having persistent side effects (i.e. proctitis, cystitis) lasting months to years after radiation therapy to the pelvis, a new study reports a 76-89% improvement in these symptoms using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). How Does HBOT ... [Read More]
Probiotics May Be Useful During Radiation Therapy To The Prostate And Other Pelvic Organs
Your internal organs and tissues move as you breath and as your bowels and bladder fill and empty. If you are getting radiation therapy to one of these moving parts, ensuring accurate targeting is essential as radiation therapy is a very precise ... [Read More]
Taking Multi-Vitamins May Reduce Your Risk Of Dying From Cancer
The best source of micronutrients is from whole food, however it is often challenging to consume enough of these in our busy lives unless you eat high quality food every day. Therefore, I encourage many of my patients to take a high quality ... [Read More]
A Simple Way To Potentially Reduce Cancer Recurrence: Use A Local Anesthetic
In a new study, the authors found that the addition of a local anesthetic to general anesthesia during breast cancer surgery reduced breast cancer recurrences and death by greater than 60%!! Not surprisingly, this also reduced postoperative pain. ... [Read More]
Higher Risk Of Developing Another Cancer After Your First Diagnosis
If your body grew one cancer it has a higher risk of developing another one in the future. A new study reports that breast cancer survivors have a 29-96% increased risk of developing a second cancer in the future. It's never too late to ... [Read More]
Housework May Not Be Physical Enough
Getting 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise is associated with lower risks of cancer development, growth and recurrence. Although any amount of exercise is more healthful than being sedentary, the intensity and duration of that ... [Read More]
Anti-Inflammatory Medications May Increase Survival In Cancer Patients
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]