Bauman Nutrition in Penngrove CA

Edward Bauman, M.Ed., Ph.D.

10151 Main Street, Suite 128 Penngrove, CA 94951 phone: (800) 987-7530

Eating for Breast Cancer Prevention and Recovery

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Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Eating for Breast Cancer Prevention and Recovery
Edward Bauman, M.Ed, Ph.D.

www.baumannutrition.com

For the woman whose life has been turned upside down by cancer risk, diagnosis and/or treatment, optimal nutrition is key. Rather than suggest a cancer-curing diet - which has yet to be clinically proven due to variables of age, lifestyle habits, cancer stage, treatment and patient compliance - an Eating for Health approach is suggested that supports healthy blood, liver, digestive, immune and hormone balance, as well as protective cell gene expression and repair. As a practicing clinical nutrition consultant who has worked with women with breast and other cancers for thirty years, I have observed several patterns that shine a light on the best integrative practices for specific situations. Most often, a woman and her family come to me in a state of shock, as a cancer diagnosis is typically unsuspected. In many cases, she was eating well and living well, or so she thought. She asks, "What more can I do"? I explain that nutrition is the care and feeding of body, mind and spirit.not just the foods and supplements one ingests. The role of optimal nutrition, I say, is to deeply nourish the non-cancerous cells in her body while creating conditions that make the cancerous ones less viable.

A great many of the women I have seen with newly diagnosed cancer have been under considerable and prolonged stress. She may be raising a family, working one for more jobs, struggling to maintain a marriage. Often, she has had little time for herself. For some, there has been unresolved emotional and physical trauma, abuse and neglect. And now a cancer diagnosis - another trauma that brings with it the terrifying prospects of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. This exacerbates her stress, triggering intense fear and insecurity.

The fact that women in our culture are not used to being on the receiving end of TLC complicates matters further. All of a sudden, a woman who has constantly cared for those around her must learn to receive care from family, friends, and various medical providers. She becomes the focus of a great deal of concern, and many women are not comfortable with this. I explain that part of her healing depends on asking for what she wants and needs from others. If she feels overwhelmed, which is quite natural in such circumstances, I encourage her to express her feelings in a safe way and to seek emotional counseling, as this diagnosis challenges her identity and self-esteem. For breast cancer to become a positive turning point in her life, she must recognize that she is not to blame for this illness but can be responsible for how she responds to it.

For a woman with breast cancer, shifting her attention to diet, lifestyle, attitude and social support is incredibly empowering. I introduce her to my Eating for Health food plan that can be customized to her immediate needs. This provides clarity and structure to support her commitment to making healthy changes. She can learn to take excellent care of herself during this time by eating fresh, organic, local and seasonal foods and by allowing herself time to rest, recover and reflect on her new priorities and routines as she prepares for medical treatment. Like an expectant mother, preparing to deliver a newborn into the world, a woman with cancer now needs to consume more calories and receive more nutrients to help slow the disease process and better tolerate treatment.

Once a woman understands that she can help herself immensely by making some simple changes, the shock of the diagnosis begins to wear off. A new inner force emerges, that of determination, purpose and greater self-reliance. She becomes eager to learn which nutrients support which body systems and communicate with her body defense system and those genes that have turned renegade. She shifts from feeling mostly like a victim, to being an active and inspired participant in her very personal healing process. She becomes more comfortable with the idea of being served, and I guide her significant others, when appropriate, to help with food shopping, preparing nourishing and scrumptious healing foods, and cleaning up after meals.

Food is Power
The Eating for Health approach to improved eating habits and food choices, supports health and contributes to protecting healthy cells from becoming cancerous, but it doesn't claim to be curative. If our assumption is that cancer is a gene disorder, our focus is on which foods support cancer-protective gene expression versus promoting cancer proliferation. The research on this nutrition-

based approach is just coming out, as foods have not been studied as exhaustively as botanicals, not to mention pharmaceutical medicines. Few researchers have tested the healing power of diet alone for breast cancer, so we see the role of food as health-promoting, peace-keeping and life-supporting, rather than as a front-line disease fighter. However, the significance of Optimal Nutrition in the healing process can't be overstated. To recognize how therapeutic it is to eat fresh, whole, seasonal fare, let's look at some foods that have been identified as cancer protective.

* Tomatoes, especially when cooked, contain a powerful carotene called lycopene that supports the immune system and alleviates inflammation of the reproductive system.

* Whole grains like brown rice and seeds such as flax seeds contain lignans that favorably influence the elimination of environmental carcinogens and balance hormonal activity.

* Citrus fruits and their peel contain natural vitamin C, bioflavonoids and potassium that cool inflammation and support blood cleansing, lymphatic circulation and immune function.

* Organic soy products, such as miso and tempeh, contain sterols and bioflavonoids that help inhibit cancer formation and metastasis.

* Brassica family vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage contain a sulfur compound called indole 3-carbinol, which has improves the liver's ability to detoxify foreign compounds and excess circulating estrogens.

* The peel of apples, grapes, and other colorful fruits and vegetables contain phenols that help keep unhealthy cells from dividing and spreading.

* Garlic, the mother of all spices, contains allicin, which turns on our natural killer cells to enable the immune system to attack cancer cells.

* Green tea, the mother of all teas, contains ECGC, epigallocatechin gallate, a cooling and healing bioflavonoid with trace minerals that inhibit tumor formation and communicate with the genes to down-regulate cancer growth, preventing genetic damage and cancer formation.

Paradigm Shift: From Holistic to Soulistic Health Care
The qualities of hope, faith and love permeate the stories of those who have lived through a cancer diagnosis and managed the disease successfully. Often, the courage and faith of the patient herself inspires those around her. Many women who have lived through cancer feel it changed their lives for the better, because it spurred them to make positive changes in body, mind, and spirit.

Food is nutrition for the body. The soul's nutrition is hope, faith and love. By combining optimal nutrition from fresh, whole foods with kindness and compassion, we send a continual message to our genes that we love life and are committed to making the most of it. The previous patterns of toxicity, trauma, and malnutrition that contributed to the altered gene expression we call cancer begin to shift as we surround ourselves with love and good wishes while undergoing treatment. All the while, the body is also being nourished with a host of macronutrients, micronutrients, phyto (plant) nutrients and the essentials of life - fresh air, clean water, whole food - as well as deep breathing, physical activity, emotional expression, nurturing touch, love and a positive attitude. If indeed, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then our intention is to provide you with information, inspiration and practical skills you can put to use to engender vibrant health.May you live a long, full life, knowing that the "C word" stands for many things, not just cancer - among them courage, compassion, community, and commitment to total wellbeing.

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