1 Helping Cancer Survivors, Pt. 2: A Seven-Part Protocol
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Dynamic Chiropractic – October 1, 2020, Vol. 38, Issue 10

Helping Cancer Survivors, Pt. 2: A Seven-Part Protocol

By Dylan Foster, DC, PScD, CFMP, ONC

Editor's Note: Part 1 of this article appeared in the September issue and discussed why cancer survivors need your help.

#1: Healthy Eating

I know this is obvious, but you will be amazed how many survivors are told they can eat whatever they want; or are told to eat healthy, but don't know what "eating healthy" actually means.

The bottom line is to avoid the Standard American Diet (SAD) as best as possible by avoiding processed and charred meats, sugars, grains and bad fats. Focus more on organic, whole, real foods found in nature that have not been tarnished with pesticides, antibiotics, herbicides, preservatives, colorings or any other chemical agent. My top diet recommendations (all organic foods, of course) are:

  • Ketogenic diet
  • Mediterranean diet
  • Intermittent fasting
  • Budwig diet

#2: Safe Exercise

Unfortunately, many of my cancer-surviving patients would feel terrible if they exercised too much (due to low mitochondrial function); therefore, it is critical not to push your patients too hard. Encourage them do what they can at a comfortable tolerance level in order to get their blood flowing, oxygen into the cells and lymphatics draining. Even a 20-minute walk once every day or two is extremely helpful.

#3: Chiropractic Care

This goes without saying! We must make sure the patient's nervous system and spine is aligned and working optimally. Who truly feels good and functions well if they have subluxations throughout their body?

#4. Purified/ Filtered Water

Again, something so simple, yet most patients don't drink enough purified water to aid in the detox and healing process. I recommend a minimum of ½ fluid oz. to 1 lb. of body weight. However, I prefer a 1:1 ratio if someone is aggressively trying to get better and doing any sort of detox.

#5: Detoxification

Speaking of detox, this is an important step in a healthy recovery. It is incredibly challenging for someone to heal and get better if they have a high toxic or radioactive burden. Warning: Many detox regimens and products on the market do not provide a proper array of detox nutrients, quantity or quality in order to provide optimal results for someone who has been through radiation or chemotherapy. Here is a list of some of the best detox nutrients I have found achieve the best results:

  • Zeolites6
  • Activated charcoal7
  • Chlorella8
  • Alginic acid9
  • Citrus pectin10

#6: Reduce Inflammation

Many products have been shown to aid in inflammation reduction. Here is a list of nutrients, based on years of research and training, that I have found to be quite helpful in reducing the inflammatory process:

  • Curcumin,11 ideally in a liposomal form or taken with fats
  • Boswellia12
  • Ginger13
  • Quercetin14
  • Resveratrol15
  • Rosemary16
  • Proteolytic enzymes17

#7: Restore Mitochondrial Function and Reduce Free-Radical Damage

This is one of the most important steps. Here is a list of some of the best nutrients I have found aid in this process:

  • N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC)18
  • Acetyl-L-carnitine19
  • CoQ1020
  • Alpha lipoic acid21
  • Rhodiola rosea22
  • Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)23
  • B complex24
  • Creatine25
  • Glutathione26
  • Vitamin D27

You Can Make a Difference

By giving your current and referred patients the guidance and support they have been looking for with the above seven recommendations, you will not only see some amazingly positive results, but also begin to see a wonderful influx of referred patients you otherwise might not have seen.

Many cancer survivors are miserable, don't know what to do or who to turn to. This also affects their family members in ways we may not even comprehend unless we have been through it. The stress, frustration and pain has led to many suicides, divorces, loss of friends, family members and jobs. All because patients didn't feel good anymore and, until now, didn't know you could help them.

Would you like to be the local chiropractor known for getting amazing results and helping turn unhappy cancer survivors into happy "cancer thrivers"? If you were known in the community as someone who could help these cancer survivors, how many more new patients do you think would be coming to see you?

References

6.   Osmanlioglu  AE. Treatment of radioactive liquid waste by sorption on natural zeolite in Turkey. J Hazard Mater, 2006 Sep 1;137(1):332-5. Also: Khojaewa V, et al. Zeolites as carriers of antitumor ribonuclease binase. Front Pharmacol, 2019;10:442.

7.   "Zanzibar Monkeys Eat Charcoal to Counteract Toxins." ScienceDaily, Sept. 1, 1997.

8.   Ogawa K, et al. Evaluation of chlorella as a decorporation agent to enhance the elimination of radioactive strontium from body. PLoS One, 2016;11(2).

9.  Fedorov SN, et al. Anticancer and cancer preventive properties of marine polysaccharides: some results and prospects. Mar Drugs, 2013 Dec;11(12):4876-4901.

10. Leclere L, et al. Heat-modified citrus pectin induces apoptosis-like cell death and autophagy in HepG2 and A549 cancer ells. PLoS One, 2015;10(3):e0115831.

11. Kotecha R, et al. Dietary phytochemicals and cancer chemoprevention: a review of the clinical evidence. Oncotarget, 2016 Aug 9;7(32):52517-52529. Also: Manoj K, et al. Curcumin - a novel therapeutic agent in the prevention of colorectal cancer. Curr Drug Metab, 2019;20(12):977-987.

12. Hou J, et al. α-pinene induces apoptotic cell death via caspase activation in human ovarian cancer cells. Med Sci Monit, 2019 Sep 4;25:6631-6638.

13. Kiuchi F, et al. Inhibition of prostaglandin and leukotriene biosynthesis by gingerols and diarylheptanoids. Chem Pharm Bull, 1992 Feb;40(2):387-91.

14. Jeong J-H, et al. Effects of low dose quercetin: cancer cell-specific inhibition of cell cycle progression. J Cell Biochem, 2009 Jan 1;106(1):73-82.

15.        Aggarwal BB, et al. Role of resveratrol in prevention and therapy of cancer: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Res, Sep-Oct 2004;24(5A):2783-840.

16. Moore J, et al. Anticancer effects of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extract and rosemary extract polyphenols. Nutrients, 2016 Nov;8(11):731.

17. Viswanatha Swamy AHM, et al. Effect of some clinically used proteolytic enzymes on inflammation in rats. Indian J Pharm Sci, 2008 Jan-Feb;70(1):114-117.

18. Delneste Y, et al. N-acetyl-L-cysteine exhibits antitumoral activity by increasing tumor necrosis factor alpha-dependent T-cell cytotoxicity. Blood, 1997 Aug 1;90(3):1124-32. Also: Kretzmann NA, et al. N-acetylcysteine improves antitumoural response of interferon alpha by NF-kB downregulation in liver cancer cells. Comp Hepatol, 2012;11:4.

19. Kelly GS. L-carnitine: therapeutic applications of a conditionally-essential amino acid. Altern Med Rev, 1998 Oct;3(5):345-60.   Also: Wesselink E, et al. Feeding mitochondria: potential role of nutritional components to improve critical illness convalescence. Clin Nutr, 2019 Jun;38(3):982-995.

20. Nicolson G, et al. Reversing mitochondrial dysfunction, fatigue and the adverse effects of chemotherapy of metastatic disease by molecular replacement therapy. Clin Exp Metastasis, 2008;25(2):161-169. Also: Lockwood K, et al. Partial and complete regression of breast cancer in patients in relation to dosage of coenzyme Q10. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1994 Mar 30;199(3):1504-8.

21.        Farhat D, et al. Lipoic acid a multi-level molecular inhibitor of tumorigenesis. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer, 2020 Jan;1873(1):188317.

22. Zhang Y, et al. [Ethanol extract of Rhodiola rosea L. regulates the number of tumor infiltrating T cells to enhance antitumor effect in Lewis lung cancer-bearing mice]. Xi Bao Yu Fen Zi Mian Yi Xue Za Zhi, 2019 Feb;35(2):103-108.

23.        Wu R, et al. Apoptotic effect of pyrroloquinoline quinone on chondrosarcoma cells through activation of the mitochondrial caspase–dependent and caspase–independent pathways. Oncol Rep, 2018 Sep;40(3):1614-1620.

24.  Wesselink E, et al., Op Cit.

25.        Rodriguez MC, et al. Beneficial effects of creatine, CoQ10, and lipoic acid in mitochondrial disorders. Muscle Nerve, 2007 Feb;35(2):235-42.

26. Richie Jr. JP. The role of glutathione in aging and cancer. Exp Gerontol, Sep-Dec 1992;27(5-6):615-26.

27. Tagliabue E, et al. Vitamin D, cancer risk, and mortality. Adv Food Nutr Res, 2015;75:1-52.

Dr. Dylan Foster graduated from Life West in 1997 and has focused heavily on functional medicine since then. He is the founder and developer of Post Chemo Nutrition, through which he has devoted his life to helping unhappy cancer survivors turn into extremely happy cancer thrivers through proper nutrition, diet, education and lifestyle guidance. Contact him with questions and comments at .

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