My dad went for a scan and saw the consultant. The tumours are stable, this is good news. He phones me ‘it just goes to show he says that I’m doing the right things I just need to be really strict with myself’. It could also mean that the chemotherapy and radiotherapy are working.
Anyway in the run up to Christmas we are planning meals and treats. I look at the cancer diet advice. There is a summary of a ‘typical’ diet protocol at;
http://ecofrenhealth.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/cancer-why-nutrition-can-help/
It is fairly typical of the advice given. The blog post includes a long detailed explanation of the thinking behind the use of nutrition in combating cancer. It is a complicated diet, and if you are a ‘good patient’ and read around the topic you will encounter different advice, some of it contradictory.
This makes me a little sad, we are gearing up to celebrate our last Christmas together, a time that is often characterised by celebratory meals. We will instead be trying to force feed him with 8 glasses of carrot juice and two jars of sprouts whilst he loses weight and appetite before our eyes. The supplements that are supposed to provide dietary support are imbibed with magical properties.
Nobody can tell him not to do this as other people cannot be trusted. Patricia says:
Also detoxification is as important as what goes in – the rapid removal of toxins from the body would be massively beneficial in reducing the side effects. If someone is on chemotherapy, it´s very important to get any herbal preparations checked out by a qualified practitioner, to make sure there are no interactions, with the chemotherapy. A lot of nutritional and herbal supplements are very strong, and it is dangerous to suppose that because they are natural, they can do no harm. Probably the worst person to ask about this is your oncologist. They rarely know anything about herbal medicine, and they do not have the time to review each individual´s regime and go away and learn about it. If you do ask your oncologist, you will probably be told not to take anything, because they cannot recommend something they know nothing about. If they are very negative about your efforts, this is not a sign that they will be ineffective, just that your oncologist is ignorant. Allowances should be made.
If we are to assume that the oncologist can’t be trusted then we are severely limiting our sources of information. It engenders an attitude of fear where only the alternative health practioner can be trusted.
You have to really be sketpical of woo, when the best unverified anecdote they’ve got is one where the patient died anyway.