"I was diagnosed with brain cancer about 16 years ago. I received chemotherapy and went into remission, but the cancer came back and I endured two surgeries and 13 months of chemotherapy. I asked my oncologist if I ought to change my diet to avoid another recurrence. His answer was perfectly stereotypical: "Eat what you like. It won't make much difference."
He was wrong."
I like him already. Reading what his doctor had to say is pretty aggravating, the small-minded thinking traditional medical approach of "our way is the only way and nothing but medicine and surgery have any validity". That, to me, is a sign of a very bush-league thinker. He goes on to explain his reasoning behind his article:"In my quest, I discovered that the list of anticancer foods is actually quite long. Some foods block natural bodily processes such as inflammation that fuels cancer growth. Others force cancer cells to die through a process that specialists call apoptosis. Still other foods assist the body in detoxifying cancer-causing toxins or protecting against free radicals. But most of them attack the disease on a variety of fronts. And they do it every day, three times a day, without provoking any side effects. To avoid the disease, it's essential to take advantage of this natural protection, and nurture it. I've learned that the anticancer diet is the exact opposite of the typical American meal: mostly colorful vegetables and legumes, plus unsaturated fats (olive, canola, or flaxseed oils), garlic, herbs, and spices. Meat and eggs are optional. Through extensive research, I devised a list of the most promising cancer fighters, along with recommendations on how to make the most of their potential. Include at least one, and preferably two, at every meal, to maximize your protection."
I like what I am reading - and this guy seems pretty reputable. Here is his bio:
"David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., PH.D., is clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and cofounder of the Center for Complementary Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He codirected a National Institutes of Health laboratory for the study of clinical cognitive neuroscience and functional neuroimaging for several years and has published more than 90 scientific monographs. He's lectured at leading international academic centers, including Stanford, Columbia, Cornell, and Cambridge Universities."
In the article, he goes on to list a lot of good cancer fighting foods. So, out of that list, here is what I have adopted so far from his suggestions: (all reasonings are directly cited from his article)
Green Tea - I added a cup to my daily diet in the morning.
Reasoning: Green tea is rich in compounds called polyphenols, including catechins (and particularly EGCG), which reduce the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors. It's also a powerful antioxidant and detoxifier (activating enzymes in the liver that eliminate toxins from the body), and it encourages cancer cell death. In the laboratory, it has even been shown to increase the effect of radiation on cancer cells.
Citrus - A whole grapefruit/tangerine/orange/lemon is easily added to my daily diet. Except when I am Neutropenic - for those who don't know that term, it's when your white blood cells take a nose dive after a round of chemo (the chemotherapy kills them and they almost disappear entirely until the body can reproduce them again) putting your body in a position where it cannot fight infection, since there are almost no white blood cells. This means you have to be very careful about germs - I usually don't go out in public places where I put myself at higher risk of picking up germs, viruses, or getting an infection and I wash my hands perpetually/carry hand sanitizer with me everywhere. I am slightly OCD during this phase, but it's what keeps me healthy. During this Neutropenic phase, which lasts from a Saturday to Wednesday, I have to observe a Low-Microbial Diet. Essentially this means no fresh fruits or vegetables during this time, since the microbes found in fresh fruits and vegetables can cause infection and food-born illness. Usually your body can handle these and they aren't a risk - but without white blood cells these microbes are pretty dangerous. Now, as you can imagine, this phase is a tough one for me, since I am vegetarian and it eliminates a lot of the staples of my diet - salads, fresh fruit, etc. Sure, it's tough, but with a little legwork I have found ways to make it work. So, in this case, I would eat some preserved citrus while Neutropenic. This would come in the form of a big glass jar (spaghetti sauce size) of red grapefruit from Del Monte or perhaps some canned mandarin oranges. Now these aren't my first choice, but a suitable alternative when I am observing a Low-Microbial Diet (this always makes me laugh, since I think of the phrase "observing...diet" like a religious thing - as if I were in the the throngs of some religious penance - me, sitting cross-legged on a rug on a wood floor with some headpiece on, humming some chant under my breath - hilarious).
Reasoning: Oranges, tangerines, lemons, and grapefruit contain anti-inflammatory compounds called flavonoids that stimulate the detoxification of carcinogens by the liver. Certain flavonoids in the skin of tangerines--tangeritin and nobiletin--can also help promote the death of brain cancer cells.
So there - I've made two simple additions to my everyday diet - and these are very reasonable additions in that they aren't difficult to incorporate and are foods which can be found at any store. Look out cancer! You are now getting hit with a 1-2 punch of chemotherapy (bam!) and foods that piss you off (bam!). My tumors are already taking a beating, the main one shrinking considerably on my first CT scan (it's on my chest wall) and the tumor in my mediastinum has had complete resolution, ie. it's gone. I have another CT scan in January. Hopefully we can stay on this course of progress.
Here is a link to a video interview with the author of this article:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1767981580/bclid1768641261/bctid1769984510
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