Breast Cancer Awareness Month always unearths such a mixture of emotions. For some it unleashes a battle cry, on behalf of themselves or those they love, and in other cases, it is a reminder of a loss. In my practice, I see patients in different phases. In ideal situations, I see them before they ever get sick, and we work together to bring them to a more balanced place of health. Sometimes I’m there with them just as they find out their diagnosis, and we must dramatically change focus. By and large, however, most people ironically come into a preventive medicine office like mine when they are trying to improve prognosis, or when they need to mitigate the side effects of conventional treatments.
I don’t make light of any cancer case, but it is the goal of my treatments to, in fact, lighten the burden of that diagnosis. People are often concerned, and rightfully so, that combining natural and conventional therapies for cancer treatments could impact their effectiveness. My experience has only showed me, that when recommendations are made by trained individuals, that combination of modalities is most often synergistic, and can stimulate the body’s ability to heal. My goal, always, is to make sure that at the most rigorous points of any conventional protocol, that patients can feel comfortable and vital. It is entirely possible, even when going through chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, to feel healthy to a significant degree, and following treatment they can reclaim their routines. While care is always individualized, here are some foundational elements of supportive care:
Exercise: Going through chemo and radiation can significantly impact energy levels, and though it’s counterintuitive, one of the best remedies is actually exercise. It helps in a few different ways: reducing inflammation, assisting with weight management, managing blood sugar/insulin levels, and allowing adequate oxygenation of tissues. Obesity, generally speaking, is an inflammatory symptom and major contributor to many cancers. While dramatic weight loss doesn’t indicate a good prognosis, research suggests moderate weight loss can improve prognosis if a patient was overweight prior to diagnosis. Insulin resistance at time of diagnosis can also have negative impact on prognosis, as certain breast cancers can harness the “growing assistance” provided by elevated insulin. Exercise is even more helpful than diet at helping managing insulin levels. Being active also increases oxygen levels in the tissues, which is important for energy production on the cellular level, but can also greatly increase the effectiveness of radiation treatments. Studies show that less radiation is necessary with higher tissue oxygen levels prior to treatment. This is why I often recommend some exercise and/or breathing exercises prior to radiation treatments.
Diet: There is a lot of confusion out there regarding the “perfect diet” for cancer prevention and to reduce risk of recurrence. I think diets must always be individualized, but there are basic principles that can be universally beneficial. Generally speaking, it is of great benefit to reduce processed foods and introduce a more whole-food, plant-based diet. While I wouldn’t completely vilify meat-products, there is evidence that diets high in animal-source saturated fats can increase risk of recurrence in breast-cancer patients (keep in mind the studies were also done with conventionally raised animal products). Sugars and refined carbs should be limited not because they necessarily directly “feed” cancers as is commonly thought, but because of the impact it can have on your blood sugar and insulin levels, which can negatively impact prognosis. Unprocessed organic soy may also be more helpful than previously thought, but I always recommend that if you don’t come from a background where soy was eaten regularly through many generations, it may not have the same benefit. I usually have patients remove alcohol entirely, particularly through pre and post treatments.
Social Sphere and Stress Management: It’s no longer arguable that stress levels do influence physical health, and we are gaining deeper understanding of what consistent stress does to our genetic makeup and production of inflammatory molecules. There is always the issue of correlation vs causation, but based on my clinical experience, it is safe to assume that regardless of the hand stress had in bringing a woman to their diagnosis, it absolutely must be addressed in concert with any physical treatments. Breast cancer brings up a multitude of emotions in women: fear, guilt, sadness, anger, identity crises, and sexual confusion, to name a few. Whole families can be caught off guard if they do not have the communication skills in place to navigate this kind of whirlwind. Where possible, I always recommend individual and family/partner counseling.
Supplementation: I’d like to preface this part with the importance of always consulting your oncologist and/or integrative healthcare provider first before beginning any supplement protocol. There are a lot of products out there that claim to reduce risk of cancer, or directly treat it, but the truth is that while many of them do have good evidence as supportive or direct care, their positive effects can be completely undone if they are taken at the wrong time, at the wrong dosage, and for the wrong subtype of breast cancer. In general, I start by looking for possible deficiencies. Vitamin D deficiency, for example, is correlated with a less positive prognosis, and when deficiency is corrected, I find a whole host of symptoms post-treatment typically resolve if the patient was previously deficient. Using natural supplementation to reduce systemic inflammation and healing the gut can also be essential to how women feel post chemo/radiation, and those products are selected individually.
The reality is, that sometimes despite meticulous care and prevention, that this is something that comes back for women, again and again. Yet despite that lurking possibility, it is important to remember that the purpose of life is not to suffer, and chronicity and persistence of a condition doesn’t mean you have to discontinue the moments you can feel like yourself, even for 1/2 an hour in a day. This can be priceless, and thankfully, can be come by in minimally invasive ways.
*Disclaimer: The info in this column is meant as a public education tool and is not to be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes. Dr. Potvin is more than happy to respond to general questions, but cannot provide individual diagnoses or treatment plans without taking full case history and physical exam. Thanks for reading, and stay engaged.
