Antioxidants, Chemotherapy and the Latest Headlines – Part 2

As we discussed in our previous blog, the headlines last week were warning cancer patients about the potential problems with taking antioxidants while undergoing chemotherapy treatment. These headlines were generated from a recent study by a group of Swedish researchers, who used two antioxidants in studying mouse tumors. The antioxidants were n-acetyl cysteine (often called … Continued

Glycemia Index, Glycemia Load and Ovarian Cancer

For the past few weeks, we’ve been writing about current research on ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, research has yet to uncover much that we can do in our daily lives to significantly minimize our risk of ovarian cancer. For example, a study that tracked 82,000 women for 24 years graded their diets to see which of … Continued

Ovarian Cancer and Exercise

Research has linked both body weight and exercise to survival in various cancers. For example, a review of 16 observational studies of populations of breast cancer patients showed that women who engaged in any kind of physical activity before their cancer diagnosis had approximately a 20% lower risk of dying from breast cancer or other … Continued

Ask Dr. Block: Do you recommend patients obtain chemo-sensitivity testing of tissue samples?

One of the most critical decisions that cancer doctors help patients make is determining which chemotherapy and molecular regimen is likely to work best.  Often, there are many options with no clear-cut reason to choose one over another. While existing research data may help a doctor select one regimen over another, each patient’s tumor characteristics … Continued

Flaxseed and Breast Cancer

There’s been a lot of talk about the potential health benefits of flaxseed, and whether it can help prevent or fight breast cancer. But does the talk actually have any scientific basis? According to a review article published last year in Integrative Cancer Therapies, it does! As reported in the review, a study of newly-diagnosed … Continued

Inflammation and Cancer

Evidence of the ability of inflammation to both initiate and fuel cancer has been accumulating since at least the 1980s. In fact, any chronic inflammatory disease – such as arthritis, bronchitis, fasciitis, colitis, and asthma – can increase the risk of cancer. A study published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical … Continued

Survival Statistics

Can Your Physician Really Predict How Long You Have to Live? One of the most common sources of distress after a diagnosis of cancer is being told that you have “X” number of months or years to live. This is often presented in the form of a risk-based percentage, such as “a 30 percent chance … Continued

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1½       cups organic whole wheat pastry flour ½         cup organic old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant) ½         teaspoon baking powder ½         teaspoon baking soda ¼         teaspoon sea salt 1          egg, from free-range hen, lightly beaten ½         cup brown rice syrup ½         cup pure agave syrup ½         cup high-heat canola oil OR non-hydrogenated buttery spread (Earth … Continued

The Myth of “False Hope”

By Keith Block, MD Hope is believing in spite of the evidence, and then watching the evidence change. – Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine Physicians who offer cancer patients innovative but “unproven” therapies are often criticized for providing false hope. The basic line of reasoning here is that, without definitive evidence from randomized clinical trials … Continued

Black Bean Salad

Black Bean Salad 2                cups cooked black beans 1                stalk celery, diced (optional) ¼               cup chopped red onion 1                large fresh tomato, chopped 2                ears of corn, kernels removed (seasonal & optional) ¼               cup extra virgin olive oil 3                tablespoons brown rice vinegar 2                tablespoons chopped fresh oregano 1½             teaspoons prepared yellow mustard ¾              … Continued

Top