MD Anderson Survivorship Conference

Hello everyone,

I spent the weekend at the MD Anderson survivorship conference.  Did you know that 40% of Americans will someday get cancer?  One out of eight women will develop breast cancer.  65% of Americans are overweight or obese (obesity is linked to cancer).  And, one third of all cancers are linked to smoking.  Now, which group or groups do you fall in?  MD Anderson saw 30,000 patients last year.  Boy, we have a lot of work to do!

I had the privilege of listening to several great physicians including Dr. Medelsohn, the president of MD Anderson.  What a passionate, bright and successful man.  I could have listened to him all day.  I have so much information to share with you.  I know this will be long, but I’m going to try to condense it to two lists, Cancer Promoters and Cancer Fighters.

Before I share my list, let me tell you a little about integrative medicine.  Integrative medicine is an approach to treating patients with both conventional and complementary modalities.  Conventional therapy includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and pharmacy.  Complementary therapy looks at the whole person- physically, mentally and socially.  Some examples of complementary therapy include nutrition, exercise, rehab, spirituality, psychotherapy, meditation, music therapy, yoga, massage and acupuncture.  There is an increasing amount of literature that measures and supports integrative medicine for healing cancer.

Cancer Promoters:

Sugar.  Cancer feeds on sugar.  It’s clearly seen in PET scans.  Before you have a PET, you are given a radioactive sugar drink (it tastes like sprite).  The sugar drink is rapidly absorbed by cancer cells which then light up on your scan.  Agave nectar (I know has been controversial) and stevia are good natural alternatives to table sugar, honey and syrup.  Both come from plants and have a low glycemic index.

Tobacco.  As stated above, one third of all cancers would disappear if smokers quit smoking!

Alcohol.  Ugh, this is hard for me as I love a nice glass of cabernet to end a hectic day.  I have found myself loading up on broccoli and green tea if I know I’m going to have a glass of wine.  I’m sure this personal negotiating isn’t good for me!

Processed foods.  The majority of processed foods (refined sugars, bleached flour and vegetable oils, etc.) are loaded with omega 6s which come from soy and corn.  We need omega 6s, but they need to be in balance with omega 3s and we can only get both of them from food.  Since the 1960s, the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 has shifted resulting in the American diet being filled with omega 6s.  This dramatic change is a result of how we raise our animals.  We feed corn and soy to animals that are supposed to eat grass.  And on top of that we sometimes give them hormones!  What we consume depends on what the cows and chickens are consuming.  When you buy eggs, they should not only say organic, but grass fed as well.

Obesity.  65% of the US population is now overweight or obese.  Many of these are children and many of them live in our own city of Houston.

Chemicals.  The two mammals that have the most chemicals in their body are the polar bear and humans.  This is very interesting.  The environmental pollutants from warm atmospheres rise up and drop down in colder regions.  These toxins go into the water into plankton.  Fish eat plankton, seals eat fish and polar bears eat seals.  So sad.  There are numerous studies looking at toxins found in the urine, it is astonishing!  One study in particular measured toxins in the urine of 42 kids ages 2-5 in the Seattle area.  After one week of half eating organic foods and the other half eating conventional foods, the level of toxins dramatically decreased in the kids who ate organic- in just one week!  Chemicals are everywhere.  Some of the ways we can decrease our exposure are: air out clothes after dry cleaning, avoid pesticides, avoid parabens and phthalates in cosmetics and perfume and avoid BPA (Bisphenol A) in plastics.  Did you know that canned food is coated in a plastic that has BPA in it?  It is always better to buy frozen.

Inflammation.  I have so much information on inflammation, I will save it for another entry.

Cancer fighters:

Nutrition.  The anticancer plate is filled with fruits and vegetables with little meat.   Some foods to keep in your kitchen include curcumin/ turmeric, green tea, lycopene which is found in tomatoes, cabbage/ cruciferous vegetables, garlic, mushrooms, fish, whole grains and legumes/ beans.  Deep sea, cold water fish is best.  Some examples are salmon, tuna and sardines.  If you have to have dessert (I do!), try dark chocolate with 70% or more cocoa.  Endangered Species brand makes dark chocolate squares that I keep on hand.  My kids love them and it satisfies my sweet cravings. 

Social support.  We all need friends (a lot of them)!  As a cancer patient, social support from other cancer patients has been priceless for me.  I have connected with some really special people who completely understand my world and speak my language.  Now, even if you aren’t a cancer patient, you still need a great social support.  It keeps stress down and keeps your terrain in check.

Spirituality.  Church, higher power, prayer, centering prayer, meditation

Exercise.  Did you know we should be exercising 30 minutes a day for 6 days per week?  This can be hard when you factor in work, school schedules, volunteer work, kid’s schedules and errands.  But, physical activity boosts immunity, reduces blood sugar levels, enhances mood and on and on.  I will talk about the benefits of yoga on another entry.

This is just a glimpse of what I heard at this wonderful conference.  It was good to hear so many medical doctors discussing the importance of lifestyle in fighting cancer.  This is huge!

Personal update:

First of all, thank you for your kind words and encouragement regarding Anticancer Amy.  Many of you have asked about my back.  I have not had another scan, because my back is feeling better.  I have been getting deep tissue massages to smooth out my fascia.  Apparently it is knotted up and crunchy.  Despite this improvement, I have had a lot of chatter in my brain about the cancer being back.  You can imagine the self-talk Anticancer Amy has with Amy.  So, I put the chatter aside in my brain and have to believe that the back pain is related to all the surgeries I have had.  Until next time!

Save the Date!  Waltz Warriors Go Green, Friday October 15.  Details to come this week!