Fighting Cancer with Good Nutrition

The following is a guest blog post graciously provided by Jillian McKee.

Bringing a wealth of personal and professional experience to the organization, Jillian McKee has worked as the Complementary Medicine Advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance since June of 2009. Jillian spends most her time on outreach efforts and spreading information about the integration of complementary and alternative medicine when used in conjunction with traditional cancer treatment.

Fighting Cancer With Good Nutrition

Cancer is a devastating disease that strikes fear in the heart of anyone diagnosed with it. While there are now more effective treatments for it than ever before, scientists still have not discovered a surefire cure for the disease. The most likely reason for this lies with the many different types of cancer, and also the nearly endless possible causes. Many nutritionists believe the chemicals contained in the food we eat can make the human body more susceptible to cancer. On the other side of the coin, they believe restricting the diet to healthy foods can help humans avoid a diagnosis of cancer.

Chemotherapy is currently the most common treatment for nearly all cancers, and it is effective most of the time. A significant side-effect of chemotherapy is nausea and the loss of appetite, and the patient can lose strength, energy and body weight. It is very important for someone battling cancer to have the right kind of nutritional support. A strong immune response not only helps to fight the spread of cancer, but is necessary to kill the cancer cells already present.

Doctors report that approximately one third of cancer deaths are related to malnutrition, so adequate nutrition can literally save the life of someone while they are fighting cancer. Most cancer treatments now include a dietitian as part of the support team for cancer patients. Strong nutritional support can help the patient to decrease their risk of infection, improve their tolerance to debilitating treatments and help them to recuperate more quickly after their treatment is finished.

Good nutrition is as important to patients with mesothelioma as it is to anyone battling other types of cancer. Eating fresh fruits, vegetables and foods that provide a good supply of protein is essential. Supplements that are targeted at supporting the immune system are also very important, and help prevent cancer cells from spreading to other parts of the body.

While progress in finding a cure for cancer is slow, it is important that cancer patients support the health and strength of their bodies with good nutrition. Just like any high-tech machine, the human body needs the right kind of fuel to perform as it was intended.

Be sure to look for more blog posts by Jillian and other guest bloggers in the near future and don't forget to visit their sites.