Anticancer - a book review

Obviously I've been doing a lot of reading in the last few weeks, and I just wanted to share some of the ideas that I've learned in one particular book, 'Anticancer - A New Way of Life', that I'm trying to apply to support the medical treatment. There's nothing in this post about treatment progress, white pant suits, or yoga positions, so read on only if you're interested.

From reading this book and talking with our medical team, we've learned that cancer treatment is changing so rapidly, that it's a challenge for medical professionals to simply keep up with the science. So, I think it's completely reasonable that we research as much as possible what we can do ourselves to supplement the treatment. What I've learned has surprised me (how much can help) and I'm keen to learn more.

Dr. Servan-Schreiber's story (here) is interesting in itself, as he has twice survived brain cancer and used his medical research background to write the book.

My key takeaways:

• Reduce intake of refined sugar and white flour
• Increase intake of anticancer products - turmeric, green tea, cruciferous vegetables, and berries.
• Avoid processed foods
• Spend 20-30 minutes of physical activity per day
• Practice a method of relaxation (e.g. yoga, tai chi, etc.)

A couple of specifics on how the so-called anticancer products can supplement the medicine (obviously, there's a lot more science in the book):

• Turmeric, a spice used heavily in Indian cooking, has been shown in studies to have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. (There are some very interesting statistics on cancer rates in India vs the US, despite the different living standards).
• Green tea - I didn't realise, but black tea is simply green tea that has been further processed by fermentation, creating black pigments (theaflavins - which I guess make it taste good). The downside is that this process strips the tea of certain polyphenols which have also been found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

The great thing that I've noticed about the changes we've made has been the ease with which we've been able to introduce them. Adding a few frozen berries to breakfast cereal, adding turmeric and black pepper to soups and pasta sauces (the boys haven't noticed - a key measure!), drinking green tea instead of black - all simple to do and have improved the meals. Just tonight, Anna's Dad commented on how good the whole-grain rice tasted with dinner.

Well, I just wanted to share some of this as many of the measures are preventative and therefore beneficial to us as a whole family, not just as part of my treatment. Food for thought.