Eating your bacteria

I LOVE this article from Supermarket Savvy regarding yogurt and cultures contained in various forms of yogurt and supplements.

It's critical that the cultures in yogurt or a supplement are live for them to do the good stuff: aiding with constipation, diarrhea, bloating and gas. Organic yogurts tend to be preferable because processing can lead to the death of many microorganisms.

Diarrhea and constipation can be particular issues for people undergoing chemotherapy because of the damage it can do to the gut. Additionally, many patients undergoing cancer treatment may receive some forms of antibiotics because of infections that can arise from complications of treatment. Lastly, radiation induced enteritis can cause serious GI issues.

A good source of probiotics can help replenish some of the beneficial bacteria lost during treatment. And as this article and many others have point out: supplements typically don't have as many of the live cultures they say they do (I've read anywhere from 1-10% of the live cultures the label claims).

So grab yourself a container of Greek yogurt and dose up on some good bacteria!

Nausea and vomiting and frankincense. Oh my.

Chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is probably one of the most textbooks side effects of going through cancer treatment.  While there are a number of anti-emetic meds to help with these side effects (Zofran, Ativan, Compazine, etc.,) sometimes a good old-fashioned home remedy can be helpful.

I have begun recommending ginger chews and ginger beer to patients who struggle with CINV. The research is varied on its effectiveness but this study found ginger to be more favorable than a placebo when it came to controlling these symptoms in breast cancer patients. A couple other studies have also found ginger to be helpful in retro viral therapy , however, a recent review article does confirm the need for more research regarding the role of ginger as an anti-emetic.


Another remedy I have received recent information on is frankincense oil.  I know, three wise men, blah, blah. However, I have it on good authority that taking a whiff of the sidekick to myrrh right when you feel the nausea coming on ameliorates the effects quite well. I should mention here my "good authority"  is an uncle of mine going through cancer treatment who is very anti "all these hippie therapies", so I feel if he is willing to endorse it, it may actually be worth looking into. Anyway, you can find the oil for a very reasonable price online.

You can try these remedies as ways to help control your symptoms a bit better if you are struggling with CINV, and feel free to share any of your own ideas; I'd love to hear what works for you.

Big Girl Pants

So guess what? I actually grew up and became a real life dietitian. It only took me about 4 years and about $25K more than I had planned on, but here we are.

Since finishing my internship or dietetic residency as some would call it, I took and passed my RD exam. And after 5 years of studying, crying, whimpering, laughing, celebrating, whining, sweating, paying, breaking, rebuilding, panicking and all the seven dwarf's names, I became a gainfully employed dietitian.

For about the last year, I have been working in the bone marrow transplant unit of an oncology hospital whose name will remain anonymous lest I seriously bother someone with my nutritional musings. I LOVE my job and all the heartbreak, frustration and genuine friendships that come out of it. It is maybe the most satisfying thing in the world to help someone going through the battle of their life. I am continually amazed and inspired by my patients. It is also fairly terrifying.

The really good news, however, is that I will now be passing along some of my symptom management tips as well as ways to integrate supplements into cancer care.

It's maybe also worth mentioning that my dad was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma about 2 years ago, and a very, very dear friend of mine just lost her own father to a loooong and painful battle with esophageal cancer. So some of these posts will have some personal meaning.

I would love to welcome any of your own tips, tricks, questions, etc., if you or someone you know is dealing with cancer. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned being in oncology is that my patients teach me about as much as I teach them.

Oh and...