How to Stop Cancer-Related Nausea from Keeping You Down

There’s no denying that cancer is a major health concern, but what’s less well-known is that it can affect your wellness with nausea. Chemotherapy is the number one cause of nausea in cancer patients, as it releases drugs used to destroy cancer cells which are also toxic to healthy cells in the digestive tract, as well as releasing chemicals into your digestive tract that eventually stimulate the portion of your brain that controls vomiting and nausea. Plus, radiation therapy and other medications similarly affect your wellbeing, as well as the constipation you experience as a result of your cancer treatment. So, how can you prevent cancer-related nausea?

 

1. Nausea medications: As nausea is the number one reason for chemo patients giving up treatment, doctors are often quick to prescribe drugs to prevent nausea and vomiting. These drugs are known as anti-emetics and they regulate your brain chemicals so that you’re less inclined to feel nauseous. Your doctor is likely to give you these drugs before you start chemo, and you may take the treatment for several hours or days after each dose of chemo. Prevention is the best treatment for cancer-related nausea and vomiting, so it’s important to get proactive early on.

 

2. Anxiety medications: According to Redwing Keyssar, the coordinator of a palliative care programme in San Francisco, anxiety can also play a key role in triggering nausea. The reason for this is unknown by wellness experts, but worrying about feeling nauseated can actually make it more likely that you will feel sick, and so this begins a vicious cycle. Keyssar recommends that you speak to your doctor about medication to treat anxiety.

 

3. Alternative approaches: In combination with your anti-nausea medications, treatment by an herbalist specialising in Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) can make a big difference in reducing your instances of nausea and vomiting and strengthening your body to withstand chemotherapy. A recent study, published in the Annals of Oncology, found that CHM helped to significantly reduce nausea among cancer patients treated with CHM.

 

4. Small meals: Your food should be prepared in small, easy-to-serve portions, and you should aim to eat many small meals throughout the day rather than three large ones. Foods that are high in carbs, such as crackers and toast, can help to settle your stomach and move through your digestive system quickly. You might like to keep snacks near your bed so that you can start your day with a few bites. Another good idea is to have jars of nuts, dried fruit, small crackers, and other snacks around the house, and to eat a handful whenever you can manage it.

 

5. Avoid unpleasant smells: Even if you’re in the prime of health, a bad smell can make you feel incredibly nauseas. This feeling becomes magnified when you’re undergoing chemotherapy, so take steps to remove strong odours where possible. Ask the person taking care of you to move the rubbish bins to the garage and put the cat litter downstairs, and park at the curb so you don’t have to smell exhaust in the garage. Food-related smells can also set you off and make it difficult to eat, so stay away from the kitchen – outside in the fresh air, if possible – while food is being prepared. Avoid smelly foods like fish, and keep meals cool as hot foods tend to have a stronger odour.

 

6. Rest after meals: Activity slows your digestion which can make your nausea worse, so take a rest after eating. Don’t lie flat on your back as this can cause nausea and heart burn. Instead, sit up or lie with your back and shoulders propped up with pillows, and wear loose clothing in a cool room with plenty of fresh air.

Categories: cancer, cancer patients, cancer related, chemotherapy, digestive tract, fresh air, Nausea, Nausea and Vomiting, nausea medications, related nausea, small meals

How Healthy Are You? Your Bowel Movements Could Tell You

A lot of people don’t realise that their bowel movements can tell them a lot about how healthy they are. Everything from how many times you go to to the colour and how much waste you expel will tell you so much about your digestive health. The digestive tract contains more bacterial cells than in the entire body, so it’s important that we pay attention to their health. If our bowels don’t work properly, it could mean that a vital bodily function isn’t working properly either. Our digestive tract needs to work properly in order to absorb the nutrients from our diets and to keep out toxins and chemicals that could lead to damage and ill health. Most people don’t think too much about what happens in the bathroom, but knowing what is right for you is important. Your diet is often to blame for a change in your bowels, but it may also be an infection or a serious condition. Here are five things to look out for:

Colour

The colour of your stools is usually a reflection on what you’ve been eating – obviously, different shades of brown are normal, but black and yellow aren’t. A black stool could indicate bleeding in the stomach or the entrance of the small intestine, and iron supplements can also darken your stools. A bright red stool could be blood coming from the lower part of the digestive system, such as the rectum or large intestine. Also, pale white or yellow stools can mean a problem – it may be a problem with the bile ducts, or even pancreatic cancer.

Shape

A change in the shape of your bowel movement could be a cause for concern, with some studies indicating that narrow and pencil-thin stools possibly indicating colon cancer. This is because it may show that there is a blockage in the intestine, making it difficult for fecal matter to pass through.

Smell

The smell of poo is never pleasant, but smells which are particularly strange or unpleasant shouldn’t be ignored. This is because it could indicate a health problem that your GP needs to be aware of. There are a number of reasons why your poo may smell worse, such as blood in the stools or medication, as well as a change in diet. If you’re worried, you should speak to your GP.

Constipation

Dry and hard stools that are difficult to pass are an indicator of constipation, and people who are constipated may only have a bowel movement a couple of times a week. It’s common for many people and almost everyone has experienced it at least once in their lives. The most common causes are a lack of hydration, poor diet, certain medications, a lack of exercise or numerous bowel disorders. A high fibre diet is often the best solution, as well as drinking more water. However, if you’re still struggling to pass stools, speak to your doctor.

Diarrhoea

When your stools are loose and watery, this is diarrhoea. Usually this only lasts for one or two days. Much like constipation, a change of diet or bacterial infections can lead to this problem. If left too long, it can lead to dehydration. If it’s lasted for a few weeks without any improvement, it could be a sign of a more serious problem. Interestingly, it could also be a sign of you chewing too much gum – there are some ingredients in chewing gums that could lead to diarrhoea.

Categories: bowel, bowel movement, bowel movements, diet, digestive health, digestive tract, health concerns, people don, problem, stools, work properly

Could Barley be the Key Ingredient to Improving Your Health?

Barley is one of the most important supplements that you could possibly use to improve your wellness. This fantastic food is cheap, readily available and has numerous benefits for your health and wellbeing, and yet it is often not a staple food in households. Barley has been used since ancient times, to help people live longer and healthier lives. It contains a variety of great components which make it useful for a vast range of health conditions. These include phytochemicals, fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and proteins.

 

In terms of fibre, barley contains more than five times the level of fibre than any other grain. Usually the fibre in a grain is found in the outer layer of the kernel or the bran, and this gets lost when it is processed, but even process barley contains around 50 percent of the original fibre, even when the outer layers have been removed. It also contains both soluble and insoluble fibre, which helps to get the digestive tract working well. Soluble fibre also helps to lower the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood, and this can help to prevent against heart disease.

 

Diabetics may also find barley useful, as it is well known for slowing down the absorption of sugar in the digestive tract, which decreases the body’s need for insulin. In addition to all this, insoluble fibre is known to be beneficial for reducing the risk of hemorrhoids, colon cancer and disorders of the bowel.

 

Barley is rich in selenium, an antioxidant which is great for the skin. It works by preserving the elasticity and it does so by zapping the free radicals which cause all the damage to the skin as you get older. It also helps to protect vital organs such as the immune system, heart and the pancreas.

Categories: barley, digestive tract, fibre, Food, health, helps, insoluble fibre, nbsp