According to the National Cancer Institute, medical nutrition therapy, also called nutrition therapy, is a cancer treatment based on nutrition. Taking in the proper nutrition during cancer treatment is very important to keep up your health and strength. There are many benefits to maintaining proper nutrition while you are ill with cancer or recovering from treatment. Some people, among them Dr Max Gerson, believe that proper nutrition can even cure cancer without conventional treatment practices like radiation and chemotherapy.
Nausea and Loss of Appetite
Conventional cancer treatments can cause nausea and loss of appetite. Eating the proper foods and taking in proper liquids can help in keeping these symptoms at bay. Not everyone experiences all of these symptoms or to the same degree of severity. Speak with your doctor, nutritionist or health practitioner to work out the best nutrition plan for your circumstance. For nausea, bland foods, such as soda crackers and dry toast, and clear liquids, like broth, tea and apple juice, are recommended. Sometimes, cold foods are more appealing since hot foods tend to have stronger aromas which may trigger nausea. For patients who have lost their appetite, sticking to a regular eating schedule is very important. They should eat at the same times every day, even when not hungry. This helps keep energy level up and ensures proper nutrition is met.
Nutrition Problems
Radiation therapy, chemotherapy and biological therapy may all interfere with the body's nutrition. These treatments may affect how food tastes, amount of saliva, may cause sore gums and mouth and tiredness, among other symptoms. All of these symptoms may affect a person's eating habits; however, all of these symptoms may be aided with proper continued nutrition. Sometimes feeding tubes are necessary in order to maintain nutrition levels after treatment.
Fight Infection and Maintain Immune System
Continued treatment may become impossible if the body breaks down from lack of proper nutrition, so it is very important to maintain nutrition levels during treatment. Proper nutrition keeps a body strong and helps the immune system fight infection and to repair itself from the effects of the treatment itself. Conventional treatments affect healthy cells and tissue as well as cancer cells, so repair and recovery must take place after treatment. Good nutrition helps in this recovery.
Cure Cancer
There are many people who believe that conventional cancer treatments are unnecessary. These people, including followers of Dr Max Gerson (now deceased), believe that proper nutrition is the key to curing cancer, even advanced cases. He believed, also, that our conventional way of eating pesticide-laden foods, factory farmed animals and poor eating habits are what cause our cancers in the first place. Eat healthy, pesticide- and chemical-free foods to avoid cancer, and follow a strict nutritional regimen in order to beat it.
