Understanding the needs of a cancer patient can significantly help with their recovery. I believe the number one need of cancer patients is to know that they have the support of friends, family and loved ones. But when no one comes through on his or her offer to help, you begin to wonder if people really do care. And let me tell you, when you're already in a fragile, emotional, state and dealing with a serious illness, the last thing you need is to feel like you are in this alone.

That's what happened to me. Right after I was diagnosed, the offers to help came pouring in. This was all new to me, so at the time, I wasn't sure what kind of help I might need. By the time I figured it out, I didn't feel comfortable soliciting help and all the calls offering to help had stopped. A few months later, after all the excitement had died down, everything went back to normal as if I were cured. But the reality was, I was not cured, nor would I be anytime soon. Life went on because it had to. I still had to go to work; I still had to take care of my kids; I still had to go to the store and cook; and I still had cancer. What most people don't understand is that with some cancers, you don't look as sick as you are. More importantly, they don't understand that some cancer drugs, like the one I'm on, are like a daily chemo treatment. I'm not going every three weeks and getting hooked up to a port, but I take a pill everyday, so I feel fatigue, everyday.

Fatigue seems to be one of the most common complaints among cancer patients. Simple household chores and tasks like going to the grocery store, cooking, mowing the lawn, laundry, and housework have become much more daunting. But because of pride, some cancer patients find it hard to come right out and ask for what they need. In a perfect world, someone would just go to the store for me, without asking; or I would come home and find dinner on the table, without asking. In a really perfect world, I would come home to find that someone was kind enough to have taken my kids out of the house for a couple of hours so that I could rest.

Unfortunately, this isn't a perfect world, but it is a world filled with sensitive, caring, people who would love nothing more than to help make someone's life a little easier and show they care. A simple act of kindness like spending time with someone, helping them by taking care of something that needs done, or giving words of encouragement can make a difference in someone's life. So the next time you think about asking someone living with cancer how you can help, don't ask; just do it.

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Cervical cancer is a very dangerous disease. Some of the woman who had will not be able to have children and it is life threatening. That is why many women do their best to reduce their chance of getting it. Simple things can be done to significantly lower the chance of having to deal with this disease:

1. Stop smoking - if you smoke, than you should be aware that if you stop smoking you are significantly reducing your chance to suffer from many types of cancer, including this one. But what if you don't smoke, and never did? Then, you might think that you've got this part "checked off the list". Well, if you are around smokers, and you are constantly inhaling their cigarette smoke, then the chance of getting cervical cancer due to smoking exists.

2. Get a regular pap smear test - a couple of decades ago, pap smears tests were introduced and promoted early detection of cervical cancer. It has been proven as a most effective way to prevent cervical cancer. But unfortunately, many women don't regularly perform the test. Make sure you have a pap smear every 6 months.

3. Practice safe sex - women who began having sex at a young age (younger than 18), women who have multiple sex partners, and women who don't use a condom, have an increased chance of suffering from the cervical cancer disease. That is because many HPV viruses that you partners might have will be transmitted to you once you have unprotected sex. That is why multiple partners multiply the risk. One other risk factor that not many women are aware of is having sex with male partners who haven't been circumcised.

4. Get vaccinated - If you are not 26 yet, you can lower your chances of contracting HPV, which is responsible for many cervical cancer cases, by 3 shots. This vaccine will prevent the pre-cancer changes that certain HPV types cause.

The most important thing to remember is that knowledge is power. Keeping these steps in mind and following them can save your life.


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Taking antioxidants during treatment is one of the most hotly debated subjects in the oncology world! Many physicians in the oncology community recommend that patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation avoid supplements that are high in antioxidants altogether or limit them during "off" cycles of treatment. This recommendation is basd on a handful of studies suggesting that high dose antioxidants may interfere with certain types of treatment. Too many B vitamins for example, may reduce the effectiveness of platinum based chemotherapies.

The truth is, we just don't have definitive research on all of the drug interactions, so many physicians feel it best to avoid recommending anything in the first place. The flipside of this issue is that we do have some research to show that certain antioxidants can support someone during chemo, reducing side effects and improving quality of life.

When the cancer literature databases from 1965 through 2003 were reviewed, researchers found that of the 280 peer reviewed studies, 50 of them involved human clinical, randomized or observational trials. From those 50 studies, a total of 8, 521 patients participated and took various antioxidants, including a diet rich in antioxidant plants. The findings led the authors to conclude that antioxidants do not interfere with treatment and in some cases, may actually be beneficial to the patient. In 15 of these studies, 3,738 patients who took non-prescription antioxidants and other nutrients had increased survival.

That said, it is important to remember that more studies have surfaced, showing there can be interactions between isolated nutrients and chemotherapy. This research has found that high levels of isolated nutrients may create an imbalanced situation that might lead to some negative effects. Based on these updated findings, the supplement regimen I now recommend for cancer patients includes a whole food based foundational product along with specific isolated nutrients--depending on what type of treatment protocol is being used and where the patient is at in their treatment cycle.

The bottom line: Supplementing your diet during cancer treatment just makes sense - but it is prudent to use whole food supplements in addition to some isolated nutrients as determined by your supplement savvy health care provider. No studies have ever shown that plant-based foods or food supplements cause negative interactions with cancer treatments.



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