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Cancer
My father has pancreatic cancer and someone sent me an e-mail saying that vitamin B 17 is the cure for cancer, but that the FDA has banned this . Do you know anything about this? Would you please help me?
Or try to send me in the right direction? Thank you in advance for anything you might be able to offer. There is no such vitamin B 17. Unfortunately the FDA does not regulate supplement companies and they can still make wild, outlandish health statements. Recently, legislation was pending to prevent this, but thanks to deep pocketed supplement company lobbyists, the legislation was greatly weakened. Often, I don't even recognize the ingredients on labels of supplements as being a nutrient for which there is a substantiated need for by humans.
I would encourage your dad talk to a Registered Dietitian who can review his chart and make specific recommendations for pancreatic cancer. Generally, persons with pancreatic cancer need to limit fat and moderate protein as your pancreas makes enzymes that are used in the digestion of these nutrients. It is very important that your dad snack frequently to maintain his weight especially if he is having radiation or chemotherapy. Unfortunately when people are diagnosed with cancer, they often decide to start eating healthy by cutting out a lot of foods and end up losing weight which is not usually recommended for any person with cancer. You can best help your immune system by maintaining your weight and eating a variety of foods as long as they are tolerated. I have recently had breast cancer treated with surgery, radiotherapy and now with vitamin and herbal supplements to strengthen my immune system. I have been told that not having colds could be a sign of a weakened immune system. I have had about two colds in the last five years. If this is true, how does the cold virus effect the body if it is not manifested as a cold?
I am puzzled; I would have thought the absence of colds suggested a strong immune system. I look forward to your reply. With thanks. A virus causes the common cold. I would suggest you discuss the relationship between the cold virus, frequency of colds and your immune system with your doctor. Your T-cells and total lymphocyte count best reflect your immune system capability. Have you asked your doctor to assess your immune system before you started trying to strengthen it?
What vitamin supplements are you taking? My mother has recently been diagnosed with a stage 0 leukemia. The doctors say that there is no treatment done at such a stage, but my sister and I are curious. We both believe that diet can have a positive impact on the growth/development/prevention of cancer. We would like to know the following:
1. Are there some good guide books to which we may refer? 2. What are your dietary recommendations for someone such as our mother? Thank you for your time and assistance. It is true that diet plays a big role in most cancers as does heredity. However, with leukemia, diet has not been shown to be a factor. A healthy balanced diet with vitamins and minerals to meet your mom's Recommended Dietary Allowance is recommended. She should eat a wide variety of foods including fresh and frozen. Weight loss at this time would not be recommended and it may negatively impact your mom's immune system.
There is some promising research about low fat vegetarian diets that include soybean foods such as soy milk, tofu and other soybean based products, but these are not specifically recommended for leukemia. See the Food Guide Pyramid for more information about recommended number of servings per day for a healthy diet. Some references about the diet -cancer connection are: "Nutrition, common sense and Cancer" by the American Cancer Society; "Nutrition puts the bite on cancer" Twin cities Oncology Dietitians, American Cancer Society, Minnesota Division. It is becoming widely known that yellow and green vegetables, plus the cruciferous veggies contain a number of compounds (such as beta carotene which helps protect from cancers of the aero-digestive tract or chlorophyll which helps protect from cancers that can develop from eating red meats on a frequent basis) that help protect against cancer. Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts are a few that belong to these families. I would like to know if other vegetables that haven't gotten as much publicity also contain anti-cancer compounds?
A few such veggies that I'd like to know more about in this regard include: turnips, radishes, corn and potatoes. Thanks for any advice you may have on this matter. Raw or cooked turnips (1/2 cup) have 0 carotene and 0 Vitamin A. Raw radishes (10 medium radishes) have 0.45 RE carotene and 3.6 IU Vitamin A. Cooked corn (1 ear) has 17 RE carotene and 167 IU Vitamin A. Cooked potatoes (1/2 cup) have 0 carotene and 0 Vitamin A. (A side note, many Irish cook potatoes with cabbage which contains some carotene and Vitamin A in a recipe called Colcannon.)
Recent research on anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals (includes beta carotene, vitamin E and C and selenium) supports their cancer preventative properties of scavenging free radicals (charged particles) in the body. Free radicals are highly associated with tumor formation. What do you mean by aero tract? If you mean the respiratory tract, it is true that the cells that line your lungs are also protected by anti-oxidants. Non-smokers especially benefit from including these vitamins (especially vitamin C) and minerals (listed above) in their diets. A study in Finland though showed that smokers who took beta carotene supplements actually increased their risk of lung cancer. Actually, the cells that line your gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract and skin cells are epithelial cells and benefit from anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals. At the present, there is no research based evidence linking chlorophyll with having anti-cancer properties. To my knowledge, there are no nutrient databases that contain chlorophyll nutrient data so how would you identify and quantify foods with chlorophyll? In addition, there is no RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances) for chlorophyll. That is not to say that in the future, we learn through research that chlorophyll has some positive attributes. Most of the evidence against red meats has been relative to the fat content. High fat foods are a risk factor for developing cancer. Red meat is the best source of iron and Vitamin B12. There are lots of other foods high in carotene like pumpkin, sweet potatoes (but not yams), greens (dandelion, spinach, etc.) and cantaloupe. Last year, I had surgery for cancer of the throat. My surgery has healed and I've completed a series of radiation treatments.
Since then I have had a very dry "cotton-ball" taste in my mouth that I don't seem to get rid of. Can you suggest some foods that are moist or a diet that would help me? Any food that has a lot of water in it (beverages, vegetables or fruits) will only provide temporary relief. Either surgery or radiation may be the cause your problem.
First, your surgeon may have had to remove your salivary glands around the base of your mouth. Or second, if they were not removed, your ability to produce saliva may have been destroyed during your radiation treatments, which were necessary to kill any remaining cancer cells. Patricia Sander, Clinical Instructor with the School of Dental Hygiene at the University of Minnesota used a formula for "Artificial Saliva". Your pharmacist can inexpensively mix it as follows:
Commercially prepared formulas of artificial saliva are now available. Ask your pharmacist to order a small bottle for you to try. Your mouth will feel soothed compared to the burning irritation you probably now experience. I have used Artificial Saliva with patients and they attest to the effectiveness of this product. You will find as time goes on you will only need two drops, three or four times per day. Also be sure to brush your teeth, gums and tongue frequently during the day. Your taste will be effected by an unbrushed mouth. Visit your dentist regularly as saliva helps prevent dental decay and if you have reduced amounts of saliva, you may experience more cavities than usual. |
