What Your Oncologist May Never Tell You
You’re living your life, probably doing what you love, you have an incredibly busy schedule, so many things to do, then you hear those dreadful words, “You have cancer.” I listened in total shock and disbelief when she called to tell me that night I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Finding out you have cancer of any kind can be devastating but after the shock and disbelief stage you go into your warrior stage because you want to do everything you can to fight it. And you want to do everything right. This is very important because your outcome could very well depend on the decisions you make concerning your treatment. I had to drop everything I was doing at the time and start researching because I wanted to do everything I could to make sure cancer never came back again. It’s really important to do your research and get as much information as you can about the nature, type, characteristics and treatment of your particular cancer.
Choosing Your Team
Cancer is a disease that affects a lot of people. 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. When someone gets diagnosed with cancer by a surgeon, gynecologist, dermatologist etc. she or he is referred to an oncologist. An oncologist is a medical doctor who manages the cancer patient’s care and treatment after the diagnosis. The oncologist may treat the patient with surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation. Treatment depends on the type, stage and grade of the cancer.
My treatment was surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and targeted therapy. Half way through my treatment I had to change my oncologist because I didn’t think he was good for me. I felt it was imperative that find a better one. Definitely not someone you want in your corner when you have cancer. I was able to find a great oncologist at a different hospital to continue my treatment.
It's very important to do your research when choosing your oncologist. Ask questions, read reviews, get referrals from doctors you know. They may be able to refer you to colleagues who they know are great at what they do. You can even ask people in your Facebook group about oncologists if they live in the same area as you.
You need to make sure you are happy with your medical team. It’s important for you to reduce stress as much as possible because high levels of stress could lead to recurrence. They should be willing to answer all your questions and give you the information and support that you need. If they’re not able to give you the answers to your questions they should refer you to additional sources.
There are many great oncologists practicing in the world today but most of them or almost all of them don’t tell their patients what they should or shouldn’t do before, during and after cancer treatment to decrease the risk of recurrence. A good oncologist should be able to help their patients improve their survival rates not just treat the cancer.
Important Facts Your Oncologist May Never Tell You
1. Causes of Cancer
They may not tell you that cancer is a disease that is caused by many factors and that 80–90% of cases are due to environmental factors and the rest are caused by genetics.
Environmental and genetic factors have been shown to damage DNA which cause an accumulation of free radicals in the cells. Genetic factors include genes linked to cancer such as BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 genes which have been shown to increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Environmental factors play a larger role in cancer development and they are responsible for most cancers.
Environmental factors that can cause cancer include tobacco (25–30%), poor diet and obesity (30–35%), certain viral infections (15–20%), radiation ( 10%), lack of exercise, stress, environmental toxins and pollutants. They don’t tell them that cancer development is a result of oxidative damage caused by these factors. Free radicals are produced during normal cellular metabolism. These free radicals may accumulate in the body due to genetic and environmental factors but the latter has been shown to play a larger role in cancer development. Free radical accumulation in cells leads DNA damage causes DNA mutations that may result in the development of cancer. Oncologists may advice their patients to stop smoking and offer help but they may not tell those affected by obesity that it plays a significant role in cancer recurrence especially in cancers such as breast cancer.
2. The Vital Role of Nutrition
They may not tell them about the extremely important role nutrition can play in the prevention and treatment of cancer. This is largely due to the fact that oncologists are not taught nutrition in medical school. They may not stress the importance of eating fresh fruit, leafy greens and vegetables because they may not know how the phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants present in these foods can help to treat and reduce cancer risk. Research shows that these nutrients decrease free radicals and enhances the DNA repair system in the cells because the cells become nourished, repaired and restored. This enhances the immune system by increasing the ability of the body to detoxify, fight infections and maintain cellular homeostasis necessary for optimal health.
3. The Importance of Exercise
They may not tell them about the importance of regular exercise and how it can lower the risk for breast, colon, lung and endometrial cancers. Studies show that regular exercise increases important cells in the immune system. They are macrophages, cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells (NK cells) and these cells have been shown to destroy cancer cells in the body. Exercise reduces oxidative stress in cells by increasing antioxidant enzymes in the body which helps reduce cancer risk. Antioxidant enzymes are able to scavenge free radicals produced in the body. Exercise increases your metabolism which can lead to weight loss. It also reduces belly fat which has been shown to possesses biochemical compounds that may trigger tumor growth in breast tissue. In reducing colon cancer risk, exercise enhances digestion and prevents potentially cancer-causing waste from encouraging abnormal growths in the colon. Exercise also reduces inflammation by reducing circulating biomarkers for inflammation such as a protein molecule in the blood called C-reactive protein (CRP). They may not tell you that exercising for at least 150 minutes a week or 30 minutes 5 days a week will go a long way in lowering your risk of recurrence.
4. Information on Cancer Stem Cells
They may not tell you that you may have cancer stem cells (CSCs). These are cells within a tumor that have the ability to self-renew by dividing and giving rise to many cell types that constitute a cancerous tumor. Research shows that current treatments have been incapable of suppressing the cancer stem cell population. The good news is that certain phytochemicals have been shown to have an effect against these CSCs. Sulphoraphane from broccoli sprouts and extracts was found to be potent against CSC self-renewal in several studies and several phytochemicals such as curcumin, quercetin and epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG), were found to be potentially against CSC self-renewal. Chemotherapy and radiation can kill cancer cells but they are unable to kill CSCs. Oncologists do not tell their patients that. Cancer treatment should be targeted against both differentiated cancer cells and CSCs to treat the cancer completely.
5. The Role of Chronic Stress
They may not tell you that chronic stress may play a critical in cancer development. Chronic stress is never good for the human body. It increases oxidative stress in the cells which can cancer development. Free radicals are produced during normal cellular metabolism. These free radicals may accumulate in the body due to genetic and environmental factors but environmental factors may play a larger role in cancer development. Free radical accumulation in cells causes DNA damage which leads to DNA mutations that may result in the development of cancer. There are many ways people can reduce stress in their lives and these include getting social support, meditation, change of environment etc.
6. The Importance of Naturopathic Oncology in Cancer Treatment
Naturopathic oncology is the application of the science of naturopathic medicine in the field of conventional cancer care and treatment. Many naturopathic oncologists support established conventional cancer treatments. They use complementary and alternative medicine therapies and protocols along with conventional medicine. Some naturopaths practice functional medicine which focuses on identifying, addressing and treating the root cause of disease. The combined use of natural, functional and conventional medicine to treat cancer is known as integrative oncology.
Try and find a naturopathic oncologist near you who can work with your current oncologist. You can also search for oncologists who practice functional medicine at www.ifm.org. Many conventional oncologists do not tell their patients about other supporting cancer treatments like intravenous vitamin C or off-label drug use because they don’t know about them but your naturopathic oncologist or oncologist who specializes in functional medicine would know. They will make recommendations based on type, stage and grade of your cancer as well as lab/biopsy results.
Combining conventional oncology with naturopathic oncology may help in increasing survival rates.
All the points raised above are backed by multiple studies done by research scientists. One might say oncologists are only supposed to treat cancer and nothing else. Granted, they are not nutritionists, personal trainers or psychologists but they are medical professionals whose main concern should not only be to treat cancer but to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence in their patients as much as possible.
Every cancer patient deserves the best care and treatment possible. They should be well informed and try to get as much science backed information as possible about their condition. They need to know that they play a significant role in reducing their risk of recurrence by doing the above and so much more.
If You Don’t Have Health Insurance
If you or any cancer patient you know do not have health insurance, there are resources available to help you out at cancercare.org. While looking for health insurance, try and do a few of the above tips to help yourself. Exercising and eating right are the top two.
Exercise improves both physical and mental health and can help in many ways. It’s also known to be an amazing mood enhancer because it helps to reduce depression and anxiety.
I can tell you for a fact that no drug can produce all the amazing health benefits that regular exercise can produce in the human body. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) reports that over 60 percent of U.S. adults do not get adequate exercise.
Try to follow an exercise plan to enhance your overall health and well-being. Most of us are incredibly busy and we want to live an incredibly healthy life but have very little or no time to exercise.
Eating highly nutritious food is very important in combating cancer. Fruits, vegetables and leafy greens contain phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and enzymes which can help reduce the risk of disease by enhancing the immune system.
Phytochemicals in food can reduce the risk of cancer by enhancing the immune system. Antioxidants in berries, greens and vegetables can help decrease free radicals in the body and enhance the DNA repair system in the cells. This reduces the risk of cancer and other diseases like type 2 diabetes mellitus and heart disease. Phytochemicals have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Eating the right kind of food is important in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Animal protein in our diet is also important because it’s vital for normal cellular development. Animal protein contains all the essential amino acids important for health and development. Amino acids like carnosine, carnitine, methionine and tryptophan cannot be found in plants. Other important nutrients that cannot be found in plants such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, choline and retinol (bioavailable vitamin A). Grass fed meat and wild fish contain Omega 3s rich in DHA and EPA. I eat a plant based diet which means most of what I eat is derived from plants and a very small amount from animal protein. A plant based diet refers to a diet that solely or primarily consists of plant foods.
Also make sure you’re looking after yourself and have as much social support as you can possibly get. Social support from family and friends is vital before, during and after cancer treatment.
Excerpt from Raw Anticancer by Dr. Amaka Nwozo. Copyright ©2024 Dr. Amaka Nwozo. All rights reserved.
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