This website and its pages were designed for people who are looking for solutions to the many problems/side effects that may appear as a result of treatment. As the reader, you should print out this page and bring it to your doctor for consultation. This is one of the many means of stacking the cards in your favor and this exact formula of stacking the cards is the main vehicle that helped me through two-and-a half years of leukemia treatment for my daughter. On the other hand, if you are one of those people who tends to place blame on others, then this site is not for you. Going through a serious medical condition requires; fortitude, responsibility for every aspect of care, using every avenue possible to improve quality of life, health and disposition of the patient, while coordinating all of this with your healthcare team. I have tried to put together workable tools for a person to use with judgement and responsibility.
If you have come to this page you are probably looking for answers for yourself or a loved one. I put together this website so that others do not have to spend thousands of hours searching to find workable answers. That is the basic simplicity of what is here. Cancer is hard enough as it is without the added necessity of having to search through mountains of information. Please use your web browser to print out this page for consultation with your doctor.
Chemo Brain
The medical community has ignored patient complaints regarding chemo brain for the past twenty years. It is only in recent years that this malady is finally being acknowledged due to scientific studies that show changes in the brain from chemotherapy. In essence chemo brain is “cognitive deficits”caused by chemotherapy. It can take many forms such as short-term memory loss, inability to solve a problem, inability to multi-task and a general fogginess. The only medical answer to cognitive disfunction is drugs.
I can personally tell you that my daughter experienced chemo brain early in treatment. She had memory lapses, inability to concentrate, forgetfulness, and many times the inability to formulate concepts into words. This was very frustrating for her. I fully assumed that the oncologists would have a remedy readily available for this known side effect. When I approached the doctors about this subject their first response was to question the validity of Kayla exhibiting chemo brain. How could I know that she is exhibiting these symptoms? When I described the symptoms and asked for help, I was told that they had no answers. Much to my dismay, I learned that little to nothing is done for side effects except prescribe more drugs. Nothing was offered nutritionally and I find this to be very tragic. It is my belief and also experience that drugs all have a price to pay for their use. The side effects alone are cause for concern. For us, more drugs were not an option due to many chemical sensitivities that my daughter, Kayla experienced.
Proof
The American Cancer Society, Inc., has quite a bit of information on this subject, but in short, states that scans of breast cancer patients show changes in the brain long after cancer treatment is done. Chemo brain can be caused by the cancer itself and/or its treatments.
Here is a list of actions, supplements and dietary suggestions that may help you with chemo brain.
Omega Oils
The key is to avoid bad oils and eat good ones. Unextracted oils are better than extracted ones, probably due in part to longer digestion times to get them out of food. Unrefined are better than refined because minimally processed oils tend to be high in antioxidants. A lot of flavor is a good sign. By far the best seed oils are olive and flaxseed.
The healthy fats are essential fatty acids which are obtained from certain fish and plants. These essential oils are omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9. (Please note: we already get too much Omega 6 through our meat consumption due to the feeding of all livestock with soy. Soy is high in Omega 6, and per Dr. Servan-Shrieber leads to inflammation and disease. Therefore all people need to supplement with Omega 3, which is flax oil.) In the body, essential fatty acids are primarily used to produce hormone-like substances that regulate a wide range of functions, including blood pressure, blood clotting, blood lipid levels, the immune response, and the inflammation response to injury or infection.
Here is an excerpt from the National Institutes of Health website regarding essential oils and cognitive function. In four studies that assessed the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on incidence and treatment of dementia (three prospective cohort studies and one randomized, controlled trial [RCT]), a trend was reported in favor of reduced dementia risk and improved cognitive function with increased dietary omega-3 fatty acids (fish and total omega-3 consumption). For the full report go to; www.ahrq.gov the date of the paper is February 2005 and the title of the report is Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Effects on Cognitive Functions.
Obviously, a cancer patient is not the same as a person suffering from dementia. But, the fact that these essential oils helped cognitive function – this does apply to patients who are having cognitive deficits from their treatments.
The best Flax oil that I know of is produced by Barlean’s, available through health food stores. For more information go to their website at http://www.barleans.com/
Within a week of being on Flax oil daily, Kayla started to improve mentally. Five months into cancer treatment her cognitive functions have improved. Kayla takes flax oil capsules and also the oil in her protein shakes every day.
Other Actions
Many studies have been done with patients who have dementia and Alzhiemer’s disease. It was found to be beneficial to keep the patient interested in day to day affairs such as reading the paper, being up to date, participating in classes, etc. My thought was to implement these kinds of things with my daughter. Emphasis is placed on doing her schoolwork everyday. She exercises and has fun activities as well. The whole idea is to stimulate the patient’s mind and interests, these all seemed of great importance in Kayla’s daily life.
Charts
Kayla and I made a chart for her daily routine, which really helped her. I took graphics from the internet that represented things like make bed, feed dogs, school, exercise and things like that. This may sound funny but she has found it to be very helpful. Below is a link to a video of Kayla talking about her memory chart. Personally I use spread sheets that have boxes of all the things I have to do. These have helped me greatly. Instead of stressing over memory or lack of it, figure out a system that aids your memory and is workable for you. The link below is to a video of Kayla talking about her memory chart. You might find it of interest.
A board that helps you remember
CO-Q10 Enzyme
There is an ever-growing body of scientific data that shows substantial health benefits of CoQ10 supplementation for people suffering from angina, heart attack and hypertension. This nutrient is also recommended to people on statins to off-set the CoQ-depleting effects of the medication. Other studies have reported that CoQ10 may play a role in the prevention or benefit people already suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. However, according to results of a new mouse study, high doses may not be beneficial, and may even be damaging. [1] This article references doses of 1700 milligrams which I have never heard of. Any references that I have read, talk about 100 milligrams to the highest of 400 milligrams that was used with terminal breast cancers patients. Please see the CO-Q10 page on this website for more quoted studies on this nutrient.
Exercise
A study was done to look into the effects of exercise on Alzheimer disease. This study found that exercise improved blood flow and antioxidant pathways. Studies have also shown a clinical reduction in morbidity (disease) and mortality from cardiovascular disease among exercising individuals. A large study indicated a reduction of risk for dementia in individuals who exercised. [2] In plain english exercise increases oxygen in the body, blood and brain. More oxygen flow increases alertness and the capacity to think.
Diet
It is a known fact that diet and exercise play a key role in mental acuity. Many studies have proven that if children do not eat a good breakfast their mental function is impaired. This applies to everyone and is of even more importance for people undergoing the rigors of chemotherapy. Vegetables, proteins, fruits and grains. Think green. Green vegetables of any type are very important. Just try to eat primarily healthy fresh foods for all meals consumed.
Protein
Next to water, protein makes up most of the weight of our bodies. Muscles, organs, hair, nails and ligaments are all composed of protein, so it’s obvious why protein is an important part of the diet.
But it gets more complex with the brain. The brain and its long spidery neurons are essentially made of fat, but they communicate with each other via proteins that we eat. The hormones and enzymes that cause chemical changes and control all body processes are made of proteins.
Have you ever noticed that a high carbohydrate lunch can make you feel sluggish? Or that eating protein in the middle of the day keeps you more alert through the afternoon? Brain cells communicate with one another via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which are usually made of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. [3]
Eating lean proteins with a serving of vegetables for lunch and dinner would be ideal for any patient. Home made soups with meat are also easier to digest while providing lots of nutrients. If you are not up for cooking then have a supply of good protein powder available in your home. My favorite is egg white. These are available in health food stores and on the Internet. When Kayla was not eating well she would have a protein shake to supplement what she was not been able to consume. Here are some websites where you can purchase good protein powders.
www.jayrobb.com www.bulkfoods.com
L-Glutamine
During exercise or other times of metabolic stress (e.g. fasting, severe injury, illness), the demand for plasma glutamine markedly increases. For instance, various cells of the immune system depend on glutamine as a primary fuel source, and thus the demand for glutamine increases when an immunological response is mounted, such as chemotherapy. This creates immune response as it causes stress to the body and the body tries to fight back. That is what is meant by immune response, fighting something that is foreign to the body. [4]
Glutamine is converted to glutamic acid in the brain and promotes the synthesis of GABA, an important brain neurotransmitter. Many believe that L-Glutamine enhances mental function.[4] Therefore it could be called “brain food.
Kayla (my daughter) has taken 1/2 a teaspoon of L-glutamine (in powder form) every day since early in her cancer treatment. I know that this has prevented mouth sores that she was guaranteed to get on a weekly basis. Until now, I did not know glutamine could also help with chemo brain.
L-glutamine is available through local health food stores and also through this link. http://www.puritan.com/glutamine-558/l-glutamine-powder-005575?searchterm=l-glutamine%20powder&rdcnt=1
Vitamin D3
Studies on the diverse benefits of vitamin D keep pouring in, and one of the latest focuses on cognitive function. Researchers tested the vitamin D blood levels of nearly 2,000 Brits over age 65. After adjusting for age, education, and other factors, they found that those with low levels of vitamin D were more than twice as likely to have cognitive problems. [5]
Chemo brain is a very real, frustrating side effect of chemotherapy. All or some of the above actions can be done to improve this condition. Just because you are on therapy does not mean that you have to live with debilitating side effects. It might take some time, but all of these things have proven medical science to back their workability. If your doctor will not approve the use of any item on this page, then look into these after treatment.
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References
1. Study raises concerns over CoQ10 for cognitive health By Stephen Daniells, 09-Sep-2009
2. Taken from PubMed; Exp Gerontol. 2008 Jun;43(6):499-504. Epub 2008 Apr 6. Written by Lange-Asschenfeldt C, Kojda G. Title; Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular dysfunction and the benefits of exercise: From vessels to neurons.
3. PSYCHOLOGY TODAY article titled Brain Power: Why Proteins Are Smart The brain’s protein connection: How proteins keep the mind working smoothly, and properly. By Willow Lawson, published on January 03, 2003 – last reviewed on December 17, 2008 http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200301/brain-power-why-proteins-are-smart
4. Journal of Nutrition. 2001;131:2515S-2522S. Why Is L-Glutamine Metabolism Important to Cells of the Immune System in Health, Postinjury, Surgery or Infection? Philip Newsholme Department of Biochemistry, Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/131/9/2515S
5. How to Stay Sharp as a Tack Friday, October 02, 2009 by: Dr. Julian Whitaker