Mesothelioma is a horrible cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos was used widely in New Zealand in the 1960’s and 70’s – the home I grew up in had a lovely asbestos ceiling! Between 1992 – 2005 there were 164 cases of mesothelioma in New Zealand, and the number of cases is increasing. A large number of the people who contracted this disease were tradesmen such as builders, plumbers and electricians.

Although the main cause of mesothelioma is asbestos, not poor diet, it always helps to eat healthy food. Here’s a story from the US Mesothelioma Centre, that they have asked me to post, on how healthy eating can help people with mesothelioma:

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The main cause of mesothelioma cancer is exposure to a naturally occurring mineral called asbestos. The cancer develops in the mesothelial cells that make up the lining of the lungs, heart and abdomen. Like many types of cancer, it is most treatable when caught early. The symptoms of mesothelioma can take anywhere from 20 to 50 years to become obvious and by the time the cancer is diagnosed, it is typically in advanced stages making it more difficult to treat.

It has been confirmed by the National Cancer Institute that at least 35 percent of all cancer cases are linked to poor nutrition. And while malignant mesothelioma is not a cancer that is related to poor nutrition, improving nutritional intake can help strengthen mesothelioma cancer patients’ bodies to fight the progressive disease.

Eating a balanced and healthy diet is vital to help fight cancer. A more balanced and healthy diet can not only improve chances of survival, but also alleviate painful symptoms and unwanted treatment side effects.

Garlic can be helpful for mesothelioma patients as it produces a chemical called allicin. Garlic seems to have the greatest affect on stomach cancer and prostate cancer in men, but affects have been noted in all types of cancer and on different carcinogens. Animal trials have been completed with positive effects. In one such study, a number of mice with cancer were injected with allicin. The control group (those not injected with the compound) lived an average of two months, while those receiving the injection lived an average of six months or longer.

Fruit is also a definite must. There are many delicious types of berries you can incorporate into your diet to benefit from the cancer-fighting nutrients they contain, including blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, loganberries, cranberries. Berries contain a number of cancer-fighting phytonutrients like anthocyanins, ellagic acid, pterostilbene and resveratrol. In one study, extracts of six types of berries were tested for their ability to prevent the growth and spread of different types of cancer cells. Amazingly, each different type of berry was found to have an entirely unique combination of phytonutrients, and all six varieties of berry extract were able to kill cancer cells in the laboratory.

One of the most common side effects of mesothelioma treatment is nausea. There are a number of dietary changes you can make to help this problem. Dry grain products like crackers and toast can help calm an upset stomach. Bland foods will also help with nausea, as well as acid reflux problems.

Low white blood cell count is another common trait found in cancer patients, which raises the risk of contracting an infection. To avoid this side effect, a number of changes can be made in the foods you eat. It is most important to avoid “bad” bacteria, which is common in foods that are spoiled or not prepared well. Avoid buffets when eating out, wash your hands before preparing meals, avoid raw meats and fish (like sushi), and throw away any foods that are bruised or damaged.

Cancer is a complex medical condition, with many factors playing various roles in development and treatment. However, most patients will undoubtedly benefit from good nutrition in a number of ways.

High blood pressure can be a ‘silent killer’ because there are usually no symptoms. The only way to find out whether your blood pressure is high is to get it checked. The top number (systolic) measures the pressure of the blood when your heart pumps it out around your body. The bottom number (diastolic) measures the pressure when your heart relaxes and fills up with blood, ready for the next pump. Think of your arteries as a garden hose with your heart as the tap. If you turn the tap on high the water pumps out at high pressure. If you turn the tap down the pressure drops. Sometimes we need to get blood out to our muscles fast: jumping out of the way of a speeding car is one good reason! In this case high blood pressure may be a life saver. But if your blood pressure is constantly high, you increase your risk of a stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney disease. Here are the first three changes you can make to help reduce high blood pressure.  More tomorrow…

1.  Eat less salt

Most of us eat more salt, or to be exact, sodium, than we need. The NHMRC recommends no more than 1600mg sodium a day for healthy blood pressure. In New Zealand we eat at least double that amount. That’s almost 2 teaspoons of salt a day. Even if you don’t sprinkle salt on your food, around three-quarters of the salt we eat comes from processed foods such as bread, sauces, soups, processed meat, some breakfast cereals, cheese and salty snacks.

High sodium foods don’t always taste salty. A plate of cornflakes or rice bubbles has as much sodium as a small bag of potato crisps. And a slice of bread can have the same amount of sodium as the teaspoon of Vegemite you spread on it!

If you have to cut back on salt, don’t despair. For the first three or four weeks food will taste bland but your taste-buds do adjust. Then you will find your old food far too salty.

Cutting back on salt will likely reduce your blood pressure. This is especially so for older people and those who already have high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or are overweight. However some people are salt insensitive. This means that the amount of salt they eat has no effect on their blood pressure. What else can these people do?

2.  Reduce weight

If you are overweight, losing weight is one of the best ways to drop your blood pressure. If you are already on medication, losing weight often helps it to work better and you may even need a lower dose. Studies have found that people who lost 3-9% of their weight reduced their systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) pressure by an average of 3 points more than people who did not lose weight (see BMJ Best treatments)

3.  Be active

Thirty minutes (not necessarily all at once) a day of moderate intensity exercise such as walking, cycling, dancing, gardening or swimming helps drop both your blood pressure and your weight. In fact it can reduce high blood pressure as much as some drugs. People who are physically active have a quarter to half the risk of high blood pressure. Building strong muscles is also important but skip the heavy weights if your blood pressure is already high. All that groaning and straining will likely send it shooting higher!

Part 2 here …

Maybe it’s just my age (40-something) but it seems that just about everyone around me knows someone who has cancer. One of my very close friends doesn’t have cancer any more – they chopped it out. But now she is going through the gruelling process of chemotherapy. Fifteen weeks into her treatment and she is still the most positive, happy person I know! Her doctors are amazed at her attitude and progress.

A few weeks ago I dropped off some food to her – and a brochure about healthy eating when your immune system is low. She rang me the next day. “I didn’t know sushi could be dangerous for me!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been eating it every day. I thought it was healthy.”

Sushi is a healthy food but because it is often made a few hours before you eat it, even if it’s refrigerated, it can still harbour listeria.  You would think that if you kept a food in the fridge it would be safe to eat but unlike most bacteria listeria enjoys cold temperatures. For most of us it’s not a deadly bug and we may hardly notice if we’ve eaten some. But listeria can kill an unborn baby and certainly won’t make someone on chemotherapy feel too good.

So if you are on chemotherapy or have any long term illness that seriously whacks your immune system, stick to this food safety rule: ‘Fresh or Hot’. Apart from sushi, steer clear of these ‘high risk’ for listeria foods:

• pate
• cold pre-cooked chicken, ham, salami etc
• stored and takeaway salads
• unpasteurised milk and cheese
• brie and camembert cheese (all other cheese is fine)
• any food that has been in the fridge for more than 2 days

But don’t despair if you really want that left-over pizza from the other night. Heat it until it’s steaming (over 70C) and any lurking listeria will be well and truly dead.