A CANCER DIAGNOSIS DOES NOT DEFINE YOUR HEALTH
“my healthy habits were the exact reason that I was able to bounce back and heal from my chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments…”
Recently I met with my assigned Integrative Medical Specialist to discuss future health plans for my post-treatment diet. Speaking with her throughout this journey has been comforting as she’s given me room to explore herbal supplements that I’ve been able to use throughout my journey - even if that only included a mere two or three supplements.
Unfortunately, many holistic products are counterintuitive to chemotherapy, therefore, many holistic products cannot be used while receiving cancer treatment. As stated by Cancer Research UK, “Some herbal medicines can interact with prescription drugs and other cancer treatments you are having.” (Cancer Research UK, 2022). So for me, that meant no tumeric, seamoss or soursop leaves and teas - no matter how many people insisted that I drink soursop anything.
See I’ve always been an advocate for holistic medicine as a preventative measure or remedy to certain illnesses, and prior to starting my chemotherapy treatment I dibbled and dabbled in a few holistic supplements that I figured would be good for my health. However, I must admit that I wasn’t always the best at consistently taking these products for it to have a major health effect on my body - clearly… but it did make me feel healthier which was enough for me to still believe in a holistic lifestyle. But, as I said, that was not possible - at least not until I met with my Integrative Medical Doctor.
Although I knew that most herbal supplements could not be mixed with my treatments I was still a bit disheartened to learn that there weren’t any herbal supplements that I could continue to take while receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy. So I discussed this with my Oncologist and she assigned an Integrative Medical Specialist for me to touch base with throughout my treatments so that I could discuss the possibility of adding herbal supplements to my treatment plan. FYI - in case this is your first time hearing of an Integrative Medical Specialist (like it was for me), this is a specialist that uses a combination of healing approaches and therapies to heal a person’s entire body, thus, integrating holistic medicine with conventional medicine and other lifestyle approaches.
I first met with my Specialist when I was halfway through my treatment plan. My Oncologist thought it was best that I received at least half of my treatments before introducing any additional supplements or medicines into my routine. In hindsight I believe this was a good approach for my body to get accustomed to the treatments I received and to introduce herbal supplements into my routine that would target specific side effects that I had as a result of my treatments. So when I met with my Specialist I discussed my diet, lifestyle and any chemotherapy side effects that I had experienced. The biggest side effect being constipation - if you speak with anyone who has been through a similar journey you’ll quickly learn that constipation is a major side effect of chemotherapy - so of course my Specialist had some recommendations for me to help resolve this issue. Her first recommendation was a magnesium supplement in powder form that would essentially aid in my digestive health and allow me to receive a better night’s sleep. She specifically recommended the Calm Magnesium Supplement in its Original flavor and also recommended the Amazing Herbs Premium Black Seed Oil.
Calm Magnesium Supplement: Original Unflavored Drink Mix
I highly recommend the Calm Magnesium Supplement for anyone experiencing constipation or issues with a consistent bowel movement. This supplement quickly worked for me once I took it on a consistent basis; however, it eventually became a bit less effective as I continued on with my treatments. Over time I’ve learned that chemotherapy beats everything, in the sense that chemotherapy is usually the aggressor and it will quickly outsmart any supplement or medication that is used to fight against its side effects. I still consume the Magnesium powder on certain days after my treatment when I know that the chemotherapy has weened itself out of my body, thus allowing my body to properly digest the magnesium. An added benefit to magnesium is its sleep benefits - it really helps in ensuring a good night’s sleep! I also take the black seed oil (sporadically) but I cannot pinpoint the exact benefits that I’ve noticed, however, I wholeheartedly believe in black seed oil and its benefits.
Anyway, moving on to my most recent visit with my Specialist and the reason behind my title: A cancer diagnosis does not define your health. While meeting with my Specialist and discussing my dietary plans and inquiring on best practices to use to heal myself back to better health post treatment, my doctor noticed that I had doubts about my previous diet as a pescatarian and my interest in herbal supplements. Prior to my diagnosis I was a pescatarian for about two and a half years. After receiving my diagnosis I eventually began consuming chicken every now and again. My thought process? What worse can eating chicken do when I’ve already received a cancer diagnosis? At that point of my diagnosis I pretty much lost hope in being healthy and I didn’t know what to expect in regard to my treatment and the expected side effects, so I basically convinced myself to eat whatever I could for as long as I could because I didn’t know if my treatment would cause me to lose my appetite and lose weight. However, now that I’m six months in and I’ve had a major increase in my appetite and I’ve gained over 15 lbs. - I’m open to going back to my pescatarian diet.
However, my faith in pescatarianism has dwindled. My faith in vegan diets and vegetarian diets have dissipated. At this point I’ve seen it all - healthy people, fit people, vegans, pescatarians, vegetarians, and meat lovers - they’ve all faced cancer. It seems as if anyone can get a cancer diagnosis, no matter how healthy of a person they may be - and this is what I expressed to my Specialist, which disheartened her. She quickly realized that I thought of myself as unhealthy and realized that I felt the need to change my dietary habits and use of herbal medicine, which led her to tell me that my diagnosis does not mean I lived an unhealthy life. It does not mean that I need to change my habits or that I did something wrong to cause this. In fact, to encourage me she explained that my healthy habits were the exact reason that I was able to bounce back and heal from my chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments so well because I had previously practiced good dietary habits. This was very comforting for me to hear and it really spoke life into me so I felt the need to share this with my readers in hopes of encouraging others to remember that A CANCER DIAGNOSIS DOES NOT DEFINE YOUR HEALTH. In fact, as I stated in my “10 Things I Learned About My Hodgkin Lymphoma Diagnosis” article, lymphoma is a type of cancer that greatly attacks the younger population between the ages of 20 - 39 (or as young as the age of 15, based on personal knowledge). This younger population tends to be healthy young kids and young adults that are active and practice healthy habits. A quick search on Tiktok will also show that many young adults that have received a lymphoma diagnosis are healthy individuals that exercise, are sober, vegan, pescatarian or very active and healthy in other ways. But unfortunately, cancer does not care how healthy you are - anyone can receive a cancer diagnosis, whether healthy, young, old, black, white or vegan (this should not be mistaken for my belief that certain diets may reduce the chances of a cancer diagnosis, especially if practiced consistently and healthily).
So all that I can do now is continue to practice healthy habits and live my life as best as I know how and encourage others to do the same.
“Fun Fact: Grapefruits must not be consumed while receiving chemotherapy treatment or when taking certain prescription medicine such as blood pressure medications, cholesterol medications and heart rhythm medications. The chemical make up of a grapefruit includes an ingredient that binds to an enzyme in the intestinal tract that may reduce the absorption of these medications, which may then cause the medication to enter the bloodstream at a higher and faster rate, thus causing more side effects.”
Comment down below to let me know of any herbal supplements you like to take and why!
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional. The information provided on this site is strictly for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you need to seek medical attention, advice, diagnoses or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with your use of the information provided on this site.
