Health During Cancer: Staying Healthy Through Treatment

From the office of Dr. Laurence Magne, author of www.cancer-free-for-life.com

Far too many people aren’t exposed to, and don’t seek out, information regarding non-traditional treatments for cancer. For those reasons, it’s important that people be made aware of ways they can maintain a lifestyle which promotes health during cancer treatment.

The easiest way to maintain health during cancer treatments is obviously to seek out non-toxic and non-damaging cancer therapies. The simple fact is that all traditional therapies for cancer are exceptionally traumatic on the overall health of the patient. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy cause great damage to the overall health of patient and, specifically, the immune system.

Too many patients end up trapped in the traditional therapy nightmare cycle and, for those patients especially, the need to live in a healthy manner is imperative. This is because the treatment for the disease is often more damaging that the disease itself. Why go through the pain of treatment if your overall health during cancer is diminished to the point that something else kills you?

The three components of overall health during cancer treatment that we are discussing here should, realistically, be employed and explored by everyone. Too often, the cancer diagnosis serves as a wake-up call, as a message from the Universe that things need to change drastically. Not enough people focus on these three components before the wake-up call because we are too frequently bombarded with “easier” alternatives.

Our eating habits are the first component of our overall health. We live in a fast-food society, both literally and metaphorically speaking. The image of eating a home-cooked meal with our families every night has become a “quaint” image to most families. Instead, something quick and unhealthy is thrown together or picked up and eaten on the run.

It should go without saying that the nutritional value of most meals these days is not what it needs to be. One could go as far as saying that too many families basically eat flavored cardboard. While this is a problem that needs to be addressed for all people, it is especially crucial for those maintaining their health during cancer treatments.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy, because of the destruction caused to the cells in the gastrointestinal tract, often find themselves with a reduced appetite. Due the increased important of proper nutrition, it’s important not to allow this to cause further damage. Forget about eating “three squares a day” and just eat whenever you can. Eat raw fruits and vegetables; eat healthy and life-sustaining foods.

Next, health is also dependant on our exercise regimen. The human body is designed to be active, not to sit around and watch television all the time. Again, many patients being subjected to traditional cancer therapy have a difficult time being active due to the ill-effects of the treatment. Regardless, it’s important to be as active as possible.

Finding an exercise system that can be done regularly, even if it is minimal at first, is crucially important. Any healthy exercise is better than no healthy exercise. Walking is an excellent form of exercise that is low impact and can provide a wonderful time for communion with nature. Walking up and down stairs, at a comfortable pace, is another good form of exercise that requires nothing more than a commitment from the patient.

Finally, nourishing the spirit and energy of the patient is the third component of overall health. The connection between spirit and health is slowly being proven scientifically, there is no reason to wait for that scientific proof. It’s something that anyone can prove to themselves very easily. Begin to nourish your spirit and you’ll find out that you feel better, period.

Regardless of any type of religious affiliation, meditation can be easily integrated into your belief system. Find time to be quiet and still, getting away from the constant chaos that seems to accompany a cancer diagnosis, and focus your mind on being healthy and positive. The results are likely to amaze you and you’ll find a huge improvement to your health during cancer treatments.

Meditative visualization is something that you can lead yourself through quite simply, with nothing more than a handheld tape recorder and a set of headphones. Sit down and write out a brief script for leading yourself to peace and visualizing healthiness in your life. Record it onto a tape and then, regularly, sit down in a quiet position and listen to the recording. Lead yourself to health through cancer treatment.