Seek Knowledge, Gain Confusion

Kim Brooks

I live in that confusing, highly-charged space between conventional and alternative medicine. I think a lot of people live here with me. We want the benefit of both; research-based, proven treatments, and the "natural" or "alternative" support for that treatment.

David Servan-Schreiber, in Anti-Cancer, convinced me that there are substantial reasons to change diet and lifestyle to effectively combat cancer; he also was himself an MD and believed in conventional medicine. So I take his lead, and that of Richard Beliveau in Foods to Fight Cancer. on how the anti-cancer foods and lifestyle can change our lives.

Chikitzo 1

This morning I was after evidence of a connection between frankincense and brain cancer, and followed a couple of interesting links. This digression took me, within a couple of clicks, to the Sloan-Kettering database of herbal/natural medicines: what they were purported to do, what evidence there is to support or not support its effectiveness, and how it interacts with chemotherapy.

The site was so interesting to me that I read it through this morning's migraine. By the time the Imitrex took effect, I was a good way through the alphabetical list. It's an attractive and well-organized site, and has what you would expect: it mostly discredits herbal/natural remedies.

I found a way to interpret what they found. In general, if they said, "This does not prevent cancer," then it means that there WAS some study or other, and it had no impact on cancer. "This has not been shown to prevent cancer in humans" is a different story -- it means there might be laboratory evidence, in-vitro or animal studies, that do show benefit. What this says to me is that nobody has found it profitable to put money behind an extensive clinical study. It does not mean that the nutrient should be rejected.

When they did say that some herb, nutrient or supplement I give Lindy WAS backed by significant evidence I felt like jumping up and ringing a bell. Like I won the lottery.

I'm addicted to information, but in this area I will never have enough. It leaves me in a perennial state of unbalance. For awhile reading advances my understanding and my happiness. Then I read more and some of what I already read gets discredited. Four different information sources will mention 3 different attributes of berries. One will say, Great Antioxidents! Eat Lots! Another says, Don't Cook! Will Destroy Benefits! And yet another says, 95% Of Benefit are in Raspberry Seeds! Finally there's the one that says There Is No Evidence Berries Do Anything.

We have seen a naturopath who we like and seems very knowledgeable and experienced about integrating diet/supplements with conventional oncology and she's worked extensively with our own oncologist. So I do what she says.  But I can't rest there. Living in this space between medicine and alternatives will always result in a giant question-mark hanging over my head wherever I go.

I never did finish my search about frankincense and brain cancer. Back to it I go.

Lisa

Just drink the damn thing

One of the first bandwagons I got on post-diagnosis was juicing. I'm not sure what I read or saw that got me started on it but I bought a nice juicer with Christmas money.  What I remember from my read is that the idea is to get a hit of nutrients that will get absorbed quickly. I had this idea we'd drink 8 glasses of a good combination of veggies. I read a blog where this guy "cured his cancer" by drinking so much carrot juice that he turned orange. That was the idea before entering Lindy into the equation.

There are certain necessary veggies that I can't get into him any other way. Carrots and beets are critical, so I juice 1 beet and 2-3 carrots, mixed with an apple or two, a 1/2" of ginger, a cara-cara orange with a little peel on it, and a quarter of a lime with peel on. Add some wheatgrass and some spring mix. When I have broccoli stalks in the fridge I add them. It's not bad. I also sometimes add cabbage or kale.

One time he drank his juice and said, "It made me think of mowing the lawn." He meant to be funny, but the association had a reason. "There's dandelion greens in it."

This juicer was not supposed to make too much pulp but it does; I strain it at least once before giving it to Lindy. I drink it too. It's pleasant!

One thing I found out about juicing is that everyone's ideas about it are definitive. One person will tell me not to bother with only 1 glass a day; another will tell me not to include apples because of the hit of sugar...when apples make the carrots palatable (Lindy absolutely hates root veg.)

If you have strong feelings about my juicing routine, let me know! I"m getting better and better at filtering out information I don't want and accepting what I want. (The filter is mainly what Lindy will or won't do.)

I thought I took a picture of the juice but I forgot. It's a really nice deep purple.

Lisa

Chickenshackatorie

Even though I'm Italian I have trouble pronouncing it and it comes out Chickshackatory instead of Chicken Cacciatore.

Which I made yesterday.

Slice 4-5 garlic cloves. Sautee in 1-2 tbsp EVOO. I did this a little weird and bass-ackwardly though...I added 2 good-sized sliced and quartered zucchini before browning the chicken. After the zukes shrunk a bit I pushed them aside and added 5 boneless chicken thighs, salted and peppered, and browned them. Then added a jar of sauce, 3 chopped tomatoes, and chicken broth, that Better Than Bouillon stuff. I cooked it down for a really long time. Then made Bella Terra capellini, the best whole-wheat pasta we have ever had, which I've been buying for years. For cancer patients they say whole-wheat pasta is OK, just cook it al dente, with a little bite, which helps slow down absorption.

We added some nice grated parmigiana. It was something like the best chickenshackatory I've ever made.

Accompanied by non-organic asparagus which, of course, Lindy bought. But I have read repeatedly that having veg is more important than having organic veg. And we miss the variety  that we used to have when indiscriminately shopping. (We also really miss broccoli rabe; I've recently asked organic farmer friends to grow us some this summer.)

Finally, added some spring mix tossed with blue cheese dressing which I figured Lindy couldn't resist. He ate about half of what was on the plate. I think he does better eating more for lunch than having a big dinner. Often all he wants is a PBJ for dinner.

A note about the chicken. I bought Hannaford's Nature's Place organic chicken. However, it didn't say it was pasture-raised, just no antibiotics, vegetarian feed, etc. But animals fed on even organic soy or corn still develop the Omega 6 fatty acids that are inflammatory, instead of the anti-inflammatory Omega 3's. So while organic is nice and all, it's not good enough. Next time I stick to local organic chicken that is fed on what chickens have always had -- pasture and grubs.

Strawberry Fields and ethical dilemmas

The berries that I did not buy today.

Apparently awhile back I yelled at some family member or another about buying Driscoll's berries even though the workers were asking for a boycott because of a labor dispute.

This is way before the cancer happened; we were actually eating non-organic California berries which embarrasses me now, but whatever. We don't think about what could happen until the thing happens.

At least some of us don't.

Well, I don't, apparently.

We glance at the numbers and think, why change how I live because of a statistically low chance of getting cancer?  And organic is so expensive (believe me, I know. I still get sticker shock every time I buy organic groceries.)

At any rate, I don't buy non-organic fruit or veg any more. And berries are, as I've posted before, high on the list of most important daily foods for us. Ellagic acid, anthocyanedine and proanthocyanedines are the anti-cancer phytochemicals found in berries (and I just read that 90% of the ellagic acid found in raspberries is in the seeds...so much for my strategy of filtering the seeds out of Lindy's fruit treats for greater enjoyment.) And those benefits are in addition to the antioxident properties.

Berries, especially strawberries, are on the Dirty Dozen, or fruits and veg that hold on to the highest content of pesticides. Organic is important.

And the only kind available at the co-op this week has been Driscolls. So I bought it. Twice, apparently. Then Francie (daughter, age 17) reminded me that I yelled at other family members for buying Driscoll's when there was a boycott on.

So what do I do when there aren't any organic berries except for Driscolls available at either the Co-op or Hannaford's, our grocery store? OK, I have frozen strawberries and they are fine and dandy according to Lindy, but how do I know, really, that the workers for the other companies are treated better? At least they aren't exposed to chemicals in the fields, which makes them sick, and they carry home on their clothes, making their kids sick.

Well, it's only the workers at Driscoll's who are asking people not to buy the product (I haven't been able so far to find an update to see if the boycott is still on). I did put up a fight, saying my priorities had changed since being all righteous over the Driscoll's boycott. But I have capitulated.

I'm not buying them anymore.

Embracing the berry

This shows Lindy typing with his right hand.
He is a leftie, but the brain tumor interfered with the
function of his left hand. We believe it is slowly coming back.
The accompanying balance issues
are almost completely resolved.

Another daily routine is the berry bowl. Mid-morning I cut up some fresh organic strawberries and pineapple (which he likes and has requested) and pour over it a berry sauce. A dollop of whipped cream on top finishes a snack anyone would love.

Except that Lindy has never really enjoyed fruit.

I used to give him a bowl of blackberries, raspberries and strawberries, but he complained about the pips. I really want him to like it, so I mash up the blackberries and raspberries and push them through a strainer. What you get is a really nice sauce, tart, which Lindy likes.

How many portions of fruits and veg should he be having? Healthy people need 5-9. He needs at least that, and preferably more. But he has never had anywhere near that, so I try to sneak servings into his day where possible. The whipped cream is for increased pleasure and because he needs to keep his weight up. We're going for hi-cal here.

Berries are beautiful antioxidents. And according to Anti-Cancer, "they stimulate the mechanisms of elimination of carcinogenic substances and inhibit angiogenesis. Anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins also promote apoptosis in cancer cells."

Angiogenesis is the creation of blood vessel systems that feed the tumor. We don't want that.

Apoptosis is "cell suicide". We want this.

If you are interested in what anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins are, I really recommend you read up on it. The Beliveau book, Foods to Fight Cancer, has very detailed explanations of all these phytochemicals (which are simply the beneficial chemicals found in plants.)

When I read these terms, I look at what it does, the food it's found in, what the benefits are. I think about what Lindy likes, and I think about how I can prepare it in a way he likes. Then I promptly forget the chemical names. I got what I came for; the knowledge brought a plan of action, and that's what I remember.

This backfires when Lindy asks, "Why am I eating this?" and I say, "It does something good, just shut up and eat it," and I can hear him think, "What is the harebrained idea this time?"

But this story has a happy ending -- I think he enjoys his daily berries. Certainly more than the Golden Milk.

Lisa

Still Embattled over Turmeric (and some words about the black raspberry)

Howard Walfish

Something I read the other day, combined with the advice of a friend who has also researched this spice, made me question my emphasis on it. It seems that curcumin, the most beneficial phytochemical it contains, is in such small quantities that you need 12 gms a day of the stuff if it is to have therapeutic benefits. Not 12 gms of turmeric; 12 gms of curcumin.

Discouraging. At that high dose, they do see promising results in cancer, but am I ready to feed Lindy that much? When he's in chemotherapy? Part of me says YES LET'S GO FOR IT but I'd have to talk him into it and we'd get into that conversation we've had a few times before.

Dig In! Campus Agriculture

Let's talk about black raspberry for a minute. My favorite book, Anti-cancer, mentions that freeze-dried and powdered black raspberry has been shown to fight Lindy's specific tumor, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. The therapeutic dose is about 40 gms/day. But the stuff costs $24 for 100 gms. (And the stuff in that link isn't even organic.) I'm willing to do that; I was even thinking of starting a Gofundme campaign so we could do some serious black raspberry therapy...but we're not ready to make that commitment.

Which really sounds mad, written down. Lindy reminds me that he IS in chemotherapy, which is ALSO supposed to, you know, reduce the tumor. Personally, I don't care. There's a scene in The Big Easy when John Goodman's character, a crooked cop, is asked to give up all his weapons. So he takes off and throws down a couple of handguns, brass knuckles come out of his pockets, a black-jack, a baton, and a nice big knife strapped to his calf. After tossing it all on the pile he says, "If that don't work I piss on 'em."

That's how I feel. Throw everything at it. And it's hard to see why we're NOT doing it.  It's not like it's claptrap; the studies that I'm looking at are the real thing. And the thing about anti-cancer phytonutrients is....no significant side effects!

Well, stay tuned. We'll see how the chemo is doing in a few weeks. Maybe then we'll consider some of this more pro-active stuff, even look into cancer-fighting dosages of cannabis.

For now, we'll continue with the golden milk -- there are other beneficial phytochemicals in turmeric besides curcumin, including some similar to aspirin, with painkilling effects. And we'll continue to think and talk about what we're willing to do.

ADDENDUM: In the course of writing this post, look what I found!

Lisa

Deliver the Liver for Lunch

Lindy's blood counts have been low. He has been anemic for some time, with occasional iron infusions, but now his white blood count is very low because of chemo. I've read that beef liver is good for both. So I got some (organic) beef liver.

Also, cruciferous veg, absolutely necessary in the anti-cancer diet (and even mentioned in reference specifically to esophageal cancer), has been unappealing to him. Heat seems to help, so I throw a little heat on most everything I make him these days.

So here we go-basic liver and onions (also very beneficial for fighting cancer). I used one onion, sliced not diced, sauteed them for about 5 minutes with salt and pepper, then added the thinly-sliced liver. Cooked until the middles were lightened -- seems the liver is dark when it's raw and lightens when cooked.

I steamed 3 heads of broccoli until just a little tender. Overcooking broccoli apparently takes away the benefits. Turns out I could have cooked it a little more for Lindy's taste.

Poured some cheese sauce over it, spiced with a healthy amount of sriracha. Two tablespoons of butter and 2 of flour, stir for a bit, then add a cup of milk, stir till it thickens a bit, add cheese, add another cup of milk. Cheese to taste. Couple of tablespoons sriracha.

He ate it all.

As you can maybe see from the pic, my cheese sauce separated. This happens to me sometimes and I have no idea why. (The answer lies here! Thanks to Terry for the tip.) Any ideas or thoughts, please comment!

Lisa

The Books

In the middle of the shock and distress of finding out about Lindy's condition, my old and dear friend Janet sent me a copy of David Servan-Schreiber's book, Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life. 

It was possibly the nicest thing someone could have done for me. It took me some time to open the Amazon package. I mentioned that to Janet; I told her that opening it seemed to be making a commitment to cancer. She said she found the book to be energizing and empowering. After about 2-3 weeks, I finally did and I started reading.

She was right. It's when I stopped grieving and started working. I also bought the Audible version. I'm an auditory learner, and discovered a lot more once I started listening to it in the car.

Now I listen to it over and over. It's a lot of information, lots of ideas, and it re-energizes me every time I listen. I pick a chapter at random and listen while traveling to violin lessons or the (organic) market.

I made Lindy read it at one point, because he questioned every nutritional decision I made (he does that.) But it isn't as important that he read it. He just needs to trust me. And he does. He's just crabby.

A scientist who Servan-Schreiber mentions over and over is Richard Beliveau, PhD. His book, written with Dr. Denis Gingras, is Foods to Fight Cancer and has been just recently updated. One thing that annoys me about this book is he doesn't seem to think buying organic veg is all that important. I do. It makes me question his overall thinking, but doesn't stop me from believing his research into beneficial cancer-fighting nutrition.

Here's how sick I am: I like nothing more than to curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee and Foods to Fight Cancer.

I've bought a couple of anti-cancer cookbooks. I don't need these as much since I'm a pretty good cook and my inventions are decent. I also rely on Google to find recipes that match what I have in my fridge, and I'll share the best ones here. I like getting new ideas though, since I get stuck in ruts sometimes.  So The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by Rachel Katz and Mat Edelson (sent to me by my dear friend Karen) is the most useful cookbook I've found. Others over-emphasize whole-wheat flour. I have read that glycemic index, the indicator of how much foods will spike your blood sugar, is nearly as high for whole-wheat flour as refined flour. I don't trust cookbooks that say they can solve the glycemic index problem (blood sugar spikes cause inflammation that feeds tumors) by using whole-wheat flour liberally. I especially distrust over-reliance on "white whole wheat."  So I like The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen best.

Upcoming blog posts will address

• Juicing
• Coping with Chemo
• Mushrooms
• Cruciferous veg
• Leafy Greens
• The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen
• Meditation
• ...and more that I can't think of right now.

Lisa

Edamame

I'm not sharing these with Lindy. They're too good. Seriously, where has edamame been all my life?

Lisa

The Turmeric Tussle

I'm not sure how it happened. It came on so gradually, it was upon us before I realized it. Turmeric had come between us.

For some reason, turmeric had come to represent the invasion of his life that cancer represented. His way of having control over this disease is to live life as normally as possible. My way of living with it is to fight the cancer itself. We still clash over this. I know that I need to work on my ability to see this situation through his eyes. I'm working on it. I'm trying. But I also need to fight as hard as I can. I want him with me as long as possible. I want us to grow old together. So I make golden milk.



Turmeric, one of the most powerful natural plants, is beneficial in many different ways, but is only bioavailable when combined with black pepper and oil. I just read today that curcumin is the ingredient in turmeric that fights cancer and to be effective you have to take about 12 gms/day...which translates to too much turmeric to consume. Curcumin pills come in 500 or 750 mgs. At this point I'm not going to suggest we start that regime while Lindy is in chemo.

Soy milk is also beneficial in fighting cancer; the addition of coconut milk and heavy cream is because Lindy needs to keep his weight up.

Golden Milk a la Lisa

2 tsp organic turmeric*
scent 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
shake of nutmeg
shake of ground cloves
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
capful of vanilla
1/2 tsp honey
capful of vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream

I've tried to make this a few different ways and this is the method I've settled on.

Combine spices in a small pot. Add the coconut oil  Put flame on and mix the coconut with the spices until the oil is melted and combined with the spices. Add the milks. Heat and stir to combine. Add the vanilla and honey. Stir till honey is combined.

Pour mixture into blender. Add the heavy cream. Blend till frothy and well-combined. Pour into a large mug and serve.

*Assume that everything I make is organic unless otherwise indicated

Note to my readers ... I started this blog not to only share my experiences with others in this situation, especially spouses of cancer patients, but to get feedback and advice. Please comment if you have anything to add, correct, criticize or contradict!

Lisa

Every Day

It's every day, no lie. Every day I monitor his food. Every day I make sure there are choices that he likes.

We both work from home. Every day I climb the stairs to his office with his Golden Milk, which he calls Golden Showers (don't say a word.) Or his morning berries. Or his afternoon nuts and dried fruit.

Clump clump clump I go, and watch his face fall as his first reaction to my carrying something healthy to him. As our friend Justin tells him, "Giving you this food is an act of love on her part. You taking it is an act of love on your part."

By the time I reach his desk, he has adjusted his face, and says something like, "Oh goodie, yummy golden showers."

"Oh shut up," says I and go back downstairs to think about what he will eat next.

Lisa