A label is more than a label

We have talked lots in past about the placebo effect...the power of the mind...well I loved hearing about this test where participants had their hormone levels measured before and after consuming different types of milkshakes. One of the shakes was labelled as huge in calories - a super sized indulgent shake while the other was labelled as fat free and guilt free.

It was exactly the same milk shake. Yet the results show that the participants hormone levels reflected what they believed to have just consumed and were wildly different depending on which milkshake they had. This is more evidence that our mindset can meaningfully impact on our physiology. You can check out the research by Alia Crum et al at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21574706/

Gratitude

Research has shown how important the role of gratitude can be...increasing our resilience, directly impacting on our health (like lowering blood pressure and increasing immunity), opening up new opportunities, improved relationships and so much more.

A while back I came across Oliver Sacks' published essays before his death that were collected in Gratitude. This particular quote so resonates and couldn't resist posting here: “I cannot pretend I am without fear. But my predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved; I have been given much and I have given something in return; I have read and travelled and thought and written. I have had an intercourse with the world, the special intercourse of writers and readers. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.”

Image from the amazing Rukmini Poddar who wrote: "Choosing gratitude is not my default mode by a long shot. Really, being grateful is not something that comes easy for me and it’s a moment by moment choice. But having had a heavy heart the last two weeks is teaching me that there is always an option of being grateful despite it all. And that’s empowering." 

Rukmini Poddar is an artist, designer, and educator. Her passion lies at the intersection of emotional wellness and creative storytelling. See more at: https://dearruksi.com

Out-Witting Cancer exhibition

 

This new exhibition is in 'real life' in London with some of it online - see more - particularly the videos here: https://www.crick.ac.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/outwitting-cancer

I've only had a chance to look at the online info and it is very much a reflection of the current conventional approach - and gives some great insights to where research is going and how they are researching some cancers.

It does also just touch on broader topics like diet but not in any depth or, in my view, providing any useful info. However several of the videos are interviews with Karen Vousden from the Francis Crick Institute and Chief Scientist, Cancer Research UK - she studies the influence of the body’s metabolism – how cells change food into energy – on the development of cancer cells. She rightly points out that we do not understand
risk well, for example she suggests one sausage a week 'almost certainly' won't give you cancer but if people are told that eating a sausage causes cancer then they will not trust other messages. Indeed sensationalising risks are very unhelpful.

However we also don't know fully the impact of food on cancers; there is still loads to learn. So I think the comments around food might suggest to some not to worry too much about bacon, alcohol etc in moderation.....I certainly agree worry is counter productive but also think that we still need some care around changing the way we eat. There seemed to be no mention - maybe I missed it - about what we do need to be eating...people living with cancer (and indeed many other conditions) are long overdue advice and support around good nutrition....not to give it can only reinforce perceptions that many of us are eating well...the evidence however suggests otherwise. See my last blog on nutrition.

Similarly the info about treatment approaches are all conventional - with a focus on surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. As we know there is a whole world of lifestyle and complimentary treatments/approaches that are peer-reviewed and will impact beneficially on people living with cancer.

 

Keto, Low Carb or what for prostate cancer?

This post is not going to attempt to answer the question about which diet to follow...indeed it is so individual...the science is still in early days but it is clear that nutrition can play a key role. There are a huge number of podcasts and webinars available covering the growing research - earlier this year we had a Nutritional Congress at Yes to Life (see here) and it was totally fascinating to see how this field is growing...but all this info can be confusing...

One key question is around fats - do they feed prostate cancer as the work of Jane McLelland suggests? In particular she highlights saturated fats that may be a key problem element - see more in a previous blog here. However there are many who argue that some saturated fat is important for the body. So where does that leave keto.....

I liked the latest podcast with Robin Daly, Founder and Chairman of Yes to Life, talking with oncologist, Penny Kechagioglou, Senior NHS Clinical Oncologist to nutritional therapist Carol Grainger. She talks about the impact diet may have on treatment - and warns about the dangers of taking a keto diet - we need to know what keto means as it is so widely used for different approaches - and can be dangerous. However new research shows that the right kind of keto diet with low carbs, ie only 20 grams a day, has shown cholesterol improved and prostate cancer PSA doubling time lessened significantly. Hear more on Podcast number 6 at: https://yestolife.org.uk/cancertalk-podcasts/

Back in 2007 and earlier we've had indications that low carb may help - so it is great that more evidence is finally emerging -  we still need more research to help us understand what that looks like.....and for many of us support would be needed if we are to cut carbs to only 20grams a day. Certainly nutritionists warn that considerable care is needed if you are to embark on such a plan.

Update 9.2.25: Useful article: Is the Keto Diet bad for your cholesterol levels?: https://embracingnutrition.co.uk/is-keto-bad-for-cholesterol-levels/

And here is Cancer Choices with their analysis of keto diet effectiveness - I like how they score treatments/approaches - doing the work for us - but still you need to do your own work too - I haven't always agreed with their scoring! See: https://cancerchoices.org/therapy/ketogenic-diet/

Update 21.9.25: See this article by Chris Wark bringing together research on ketogenic- he concludes it is not helpful for cancer - have a look and see what you think - certainly the evidence for eating more plants comes through yet again in the research quoted - but dear oh dear how hard it can be navigating all of this: https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/the-evidence-against-the-ketogenic-diet-for-cancer/

Where to start? Nutrition, fear and exercise?

I've been meaning to write about my diet/nutrition - but it is such a huge topic it feels daunting to start any blog on that topic. I've therefore been delighted to see Penny Browns recent series of webinars with several focusing on prostate cancer - several done in conjunction with Prostate Cancer Research and Tackle Prostate Cancer. 

The nutrition webinar is basic and for me was close to where I started in terms of my own diet - since then I've built on that and do various other things to support it like additional supplements, juicing and some key foods. I'm also more rigourous around avoiding or eating certain foods than this webinar suggests but it is for each of us to find our own path. There is just not one size fits all diet for cancer. However this webinar is a great place to get hold of the basics - it is easier then to add/tinker/change....

I've written lots before one exercise as it is absolutely key - again this video is great at spelling out the key stuff you need to know.

Lastly I've also covered fear a few times as that is another key factor to try and get sorted - I love what Sophie Sabbage has to say in this webinar.

Big thanks to Penny Brohn. Here are the links to the three webinars that seem a particularly good place to start if recently diagnosed:

Here's the one on diet: https://www.pennybrohn.org.uk/resource/eating-well-with-prostate-cancer-webinar/

Here's the one on the importance of exercise; https://www.pennybrohn.org.uk/resource/prostate-cancer-physical-activity/

Here's the fear webinar: https://www.pennybrohn.org.uk/resource/impact-fear-cancer/

You can also check out there other webinars at: https://www.pennybrohn.org.uk/webinars/

You might also like to see my blog on 'Getting the basics right': https://myunexpectedguide.blogspot.com/2020/08/getting-basics-right.html

The Alkaline Water Myth?

Hey folks water is a whole big issue but in this post I wanted to look at Alkaline Water as I've had several people recently musing about whether or not it is something to consider with cancer. I don't give advice here - I'll leave that to others, but here are some of my thoughts and link to a video that might interest....

When I was first diagnosed with cancer several people recommended I get an expensive alkaline water machine including a former GP. I spoke to suppliers at a Festival and they were convincing. There were many claims also on the internet about how alkaline water can help weight loss, detoxification, pH balance, bone health, hydration, heart health, energy levels and even claims around cancer - it is said that cancer cells can no longer develop in an alkaline environment. 

I bought pH strips for a few quid to test my urine, thinking this might help inform my decision - but I had nagging doubts. I couldn't see how it could work.

The pH scale is how you measure acidity; zero being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. A pH level of 7 is neither acidic nor alkaline. The human body apparently has a controlled pH level of about 7.4 - but levels vary in certain parts of the body. The stomach needs to be acidic between 1.35 and 3.5 to break down food and it seems urine is also naturally acidic. 

So testing pH of urine doesn’t give an accurate reading of your whole body’s pH level. So the strips were a waste of time in terms of this - but have been put to good use in chemistry experiments with a granddaughter.

It seems to me if a person drinks alkaline water it may increase pH, but only very temporarily - as it goes through the stomach it is surely impacted by digestive juices so that the contents all have the same pH? Since most uptake of water happens in the intestines, the water that enters the bloodstream will have the pH of the small intestine digestive juices rather than the pH present at the time of drinking. So how can alkaline water impact?

So it seems consuming alkaline water has little effect on changing the pH of the blood, but a few studies have also looked at the effect of alkaline water or diet on the development or progression of cancer. Very Well Health report on 'a large systematic review (combining 252 abstracts) looking at alkaline water and cancer' that 'there did not appear to be any evidence that consuming this water had any effect on the initiation (development) or treatment (progression) of cancer. In only one of the studies was any significant association found, and that, in turn, was slight (between pH and bladder cancer)....A Finnish study looking specifically at men with bladder cancer and an alkaline diet, however, found that a lower urine pH (reflective of the alkaline measures) did not significantly reduce the risk of developing bladder cancer.'

It is true cancer cells typically alter their environments and do seem to prefer a more acidic environment; converting glucose/sugar into lactic acid. The acidic pH levels of the area around cancer cells appear to help tumours grow. However the alkaline water has to go through the stomach so I am not clear on how it could work? Whereas an alkaline diet could have more impact because of the food nutrients rather than the alkalinity?

Dr Kevin Connors dismisses alkaline water and comments in his book 'Stop Fighting Cancer and Start Treating the Cause', "Vegetables and whole fruit help to bring balance back to the system and are alkalizing to the tissue, not because they register higher on the pH scale (lemons are extremely acidic) but because of what they do inside us. They are filled with nutrients and enzymes that aide healing."

Overall it seems alkaline water appears to have little effect on the development or progression of cancer. I didn't buy one of those expensive machines and it highlighted to me early on in my cancer journey how important it is to do research and check everything out. There is so much out there from so many well-meaning folks - as well as less-meaning folks!

If you want to hear more about this issue I think an interesting place to start is this video: Markus Rothkranz interviews James Sloane who explains acids and alkaline substances and how they affect our bodies, in particular why not to use baking soda or alkaline water as healing methods: https://youtu.be/7O6GhVCvVgE

So I'm still not sure re alkaline water but want to see a bit more research before going down this route.

Last chance to submit to Gloucester City's Commission to Review Race Relations

Click to enlarge or go to link here

I've just submitted evidence to this Commission to Review Race Relations - see here - it closes tomorrow - this Commission came about following the deeply disturbing killing of George Floyd in the spring of 2020. As the Commission note it is a stark reminder that so much more needs to be done to address anti-black racism in our communities and society. 

I hugely welcome that Gloucester City Council passed a motion in July 2020 in support of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and resolved to set up a commission to review race relations within Gloucester: "The Commission has been established for an initial period of 12 months and will be a forum to reflect and gain a better understanding of experiences of racism within Gloucester, and to identify actions that can improve the lives and opportunities for those experiencing racism and the disadvantages they face because of their race and/or ethnicity".

My blog last year for Yes to Life charity looked at some of the issues that I covered in my submission: https://myunexpectedguide.blogspot.com/2020/07/yes-to-life-stands-in-solidarity-with.html

In particular I included the survey of 100 people of colour with cancer: https://www.blackwomenrisinguk.org/100-women-survey

I am aware Gloucestershire authorities are working with BAME communities and putting considerable energy into improving the situation. However the picture painted by Black Women Rising and my conversations with several members of BAME community in Gloucester, show there is considerable more work needed. I hope this Commission leads to further improvements in Gloucestershire - we so need them.