CACHEXIA, WEIGHT LOSS AND CANCER
Have you or a loved one gone through cachexia, weight loss and cancer?
Do you feel like your doctor isn’t giving you the best advice on how to gain healthy weight after having gone through cancer treatments?
You hear conflicting ideas and suggestions and don’t know what to do or how to gain your weight back after going through chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery?
Let’s address Cachexia, weight loss and Cancer
What is Cachexia?
Cachexia is the weakness and wasting of the body due to severe illness, as with Cancer and following Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy.
Working With Doctors With Proper Knowledge is KEY
I am a Natural Based Doctor for over 22 years and am Certified in Nutritional Oncology, as well as Functional Medicine and Chiropractic. As a result, one thing I can say about me is that I have over 10,000 hours of formal and informal nutritional training, most of which is backed up by both extraordinary experience and scientific research studies.
While most traditional Medical Doctors, Oncologists and media have very little to no nutritional training, knowledge or experience; Yet, I am told that I am the crazy one because I give advice on nutrients and foods that can help the body heal; and many doctors say or think it doesn’t matter.
How many of you have been told that you can eat whatever you want? Just get more calories in.
Have milkshakes, doughnuts, candy bars, drink high sugar drinks, fast food, etc?
The Problem With This Advice
The problem with bad advice; is that eating bad foods, sugary foods, and unhealthy fats have all been linked to increasing your risks of cancer and inflammation.
Cachexia occurs because high levels of inflammation contributes to muscle tissue breakdown…
Why would you want to increase inflammation with the wrong fats and sugars???
You can’t increase muscle mass by increasing inflammation! Basically, what I am saying is that if you want to gain weight, you need to gain healthy weight by eating quality foods! Not inflammation boosting, cancer contributing, sugary, bad fat, bad proteins, and bad carb foods!!!
Sure if you eat enough sugary stuff you might gain a few VERY UNHEALTHY pounds of FAT – Definitely not healthy lean muscle mass. To me this is just common sense, I really don’t think we need 10,000 hours of nutritional training to understand this concept. Yet I hear on a daily basis how someone’s Oncologist told them to eat whatever they want and just focus on high calorie foods or drinks; like ensure, milkshakes, and other sweets.
PLEASE don’t eat these bad foods!
You have been through a lot already and have fought hard… don’t pour salt on the wound! Focus your diet, foods and drink on:
- Reducing Inflammation
- Increase Caloric Intake from HEALTHY FATS (for more details see my article on fats and cancer).
- Gaining Muscle Mass with High Quality Proteins
- Supporting Cellular Health
- Eliminate Sugars and ideally Carbohydrates
Some suggestions I would like to give to help you gain back weight, reduce cachexia and just overall feel better, include taking these steps, and include a few healthy weight gaining recipes.
Nutrients To Aid In Reducing Inflammation
I have developed a very concentrated, high quality, and what I consider to be the best, Natural Inflammation Reducing Supplement on the planet! (but it is about 3 months out from being intruduced to the market due to finalizing testing phases) I also might be a little biased, but after 22 years of research, I should be.
However, until it is available, you can use:
A combination of proven nutrients to reduce inflammation consisting of specific Enzymes, Curcumin, Ginger and Boswelia.
These recommended nutrients can be found in Inflammatone, however you will need a higher dose of curcumin than what’s in the products. (click the links)
Also, add a high dose of a clean and highly absorb-able Omega 3 fish oil: found to really help reduce inflammation.
- When you reduce inflammation, it is easier to absorb and utilize added calories for muscle gain.
- Increasing quality calories will help you gain weight, just not as much if you don’t also reduce inflammation.
- If it were me or my patients, I would do this process/formula to help gain weight and/or help reverse cachexia.
Supplement List for inflammation
- Inflammatone – 3 per day
- C3 Curcumin Complex – 2 to 4 capsules per day
- Omega 3 Fish oil – need a high dose of 6g to 8g per day (2/ 3 times per day)
Great Foods to eat:
- Wild caught cold water fresh fish like Wild Salmon (NOT Farm raised!)
- Free Range Organic Chicken
- Soups with Bone Broth and vegetables and whole body collagen added
- Grass Fed Organic Meats (moderation)
- Organic Bone Broth Drinks – easy to digest and easy on stomach and throat
Weight Gaining Proteins and Fats:
- Whey Meal in Chocolate, Vanilla or Strawberry
- KTO powder – fats and calories!
- KTO Chews – a yummy candy snack that adds calories and is healthy
- Glutamine Powder – 6g per day
You can mix these nutritional shakes anyway you would like, but the ultimate goal is to get healthy calories in, make them taste good, and please keep in mind, for most people, you many have to start slow with intake so you don’t upset your stomach, cause diarrhea, or have difficulty breathing.
My goal for you, is to take in (everyone and size is different, so this is a very generic general goal) about 2000 to 3000 calories a day in = spread out of course.
Some Great Recipes:
Recipe Additions information
By adding an avocado to these recipes will thicken them up and add even more healthy fats and calories that are best for gaining healthy weight due to cachexia after cancer.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line is that everyone is different, but when dealing with cachexia and cancer associated weight loss, EVERYONE needs to gain a form of HEALTHY WEIGHT, not just empty calories, inflammation producing, cancer contributing weight!
For most, you will have to go slow and sip on these recipes, drinks and foods slowly many times throughout the day. Others may be able to dive right in and enjoy.
I hope this helps you gain some great advice and insight. I would love to hear how you do, so please feel free to email us at info@postchemonutrition.com subject line “Cachexia”
Yours in a healthy, happy and long future!
Dr. Dylan Foster, DC, PScD, CFMP, ONC.
More Great Stuff
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Disclosure
The statements in this article have not been evaluated by the FDA. The nutritional information, suggestions, and research provided are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease and should not be used as a substitute for sound medical advice. Please see your health care professional in all matters pertaining to your physical health. This article was written for educational purposes only by Dr. Dylan Foster, DC, PScD, CFMP, ONC. of www.PostChemoNutrition.com. Everyone and every situation is different. Please see your health care physician for any of your healthcare needs.