10 Ways To Improve Immune Function During Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy lowers white blood cell counts, weakening your immune system. However, you can take steps to help support immune health.
The immune system and cancer
The immune system is vital for protecting the body from illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. It reacts to damaged cells and infections, earning the name "immune response." This system is especially important for people with cancer as cancer can weaken the immune system, and many cancer treatments can compromise the immune system as well.
How Chemotherapy Affects the Immune System
Chemotherapy is the cancer treatment most likely to weaken the immune system. Cancer cells are destroyed by chemotherapy because they can’t repair themselves very well. Chemotherapy medicines target rapidly dividing cells, which cancer cells are — and also normal cells in your body, So chemotherapy affects them, too. Your healthy cells typically can repair the damage from chemotherapy once treatment ends.
One notable exception is nerve cells in your hands and/or feet, which can be permanently damaged by certain chemotherapy medications — a condition known as peripheral neuropathy. (The Thrive Alive program using Traditional Chinese Medicine strategies help to prevent neuropathy).
Although most chemotherapy medications can have an impact on your immune system, how much of an impact depends on many factors, such as:
which medicines you’re taking and in what combination — having two or three at once is more likely to affect the immune system than having one
how much medicine is given and how often medicine is given (dosing)
how long treatment lasts
your age and overall health
other medical conditions you have
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE IMMUNE FUNCTION?
Before you start chemotherapy, your doctor should order a complete blood count (CBC) to check your baseline levels of different blood cells, including white blood cells. When your white blood cell count is lower than normal, you’re more prone to infection. Especially important is a type of white blood cell known as neutrophils, which are first responders to infection that can gobble up bacteria, fungi, and germs. Your test results will include an absolute neutrophil count, or ANC. Usually, your neutrophil levels start to drop about a week after your chemotherapy cycle begins, reach a low point in another week or so, and then slowly begin to climb again before your next cycle of treatment. Blood tests will help your doctor know if your neutrophil levels have bounced back enough in between treatments.
Before, during, and after chemotherapy, do your best to follow the common-sense ways to take care of your immune system, such as getting enough rest, eating a healthy diet, exercising, and reducing stress as much as you can. Some chemotherapy medicines can reduce your appetite and make you feel tired, so ask your doctor about ways to manage those side effects. If chemotherapy is part of your treatment plan, you and your doctor should review the medications you’ll have and discuss potential effects on your immune system.
Below are 13 additional strategies to assist with optimal immune system functioning
1. Support
Social support amongst friends and family has a significant impact on health. Engaging with a supportive community can increase immune system functioning by fostering resilience, reducing stress and creates a sense of hope for those suffering with a cancer diagnosis.
Social Support also helps to reduce stress. Stress has been shown to lower your white blood cells.
Research indicates that individuals with strong social connections to family, friends, and community tend to be happier, healthier, and live longer. There is evidence of a significant association between loneliness and cancer. (study)
2. Optimum Nutrition
Eating different organic fruits, vegetables, proteins, and fats is essential to boost minerals and vitamins in the body during cancer.
By choosing variety and not eating the same thing everyday, you are allowing your body to utilize an abundance of different health compounds that are extremely health promoting.
Consuming fermented foods has great benefits for your immune system. The probiotics contained in fermented foods have tremendous immune-boosting powers and aid in healthy gut functioning. Some examples of delicious fermented foods include sauerkraut, pickles, miso, kefir, and kombucha (low sugar).
The Next time you go to the grocery store try something different like okra, or how about that water chestnut, its delicious and often ignored. Or check out your local farmers market where you can get higher quality, organic fruits and veggies and experiment with something new every week.
The Thrive Alive Health Program focuses on whole food nutrition for cancer patients.
3. Stay hydrated
Dehydration often occurs during cancer treatment, particularly from chemotherapy and radiation. It's best to drink water, herbal teas, and bone broth. To estimate your water needs, take your weight in pounds, divide it by two, and drink that many ounces. Ensure your water is clean, free from heavy metals, chlorine, fluoride, and other contaminants.
I like to use a Pure Water Distiller. (PURE WATER DISTILLERS use “OPTIMUM” code for a discount)
If you live in the U.S, you can check your water quality source HERE for heavy metals and pollutants in your tap water.
Adding a pinch of celtic sea salt will help replenish electrolytes and add minerals.
4. Movement
MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE - Your body is meant to move, simple as that. Moderate exercise can boost the production of macrophages, the kind of white blood cells that “eat” bacteria and viruses.
Not only do we expel toxins through the skin through sweating, but enduring physical activity causes increased neuroplasticity (new synapses/connection in the brain), the release of feel good endorphins and neurotransmitters, reduces inflammation and oxidative stress and moves lymphatic fluid. Our lymphatic system is a high traffic area for debris, metabolic waste, toxins and antigens, and does not have a pump of its own and must work off of the pump of the cardiovascular system and through the body’s movements.
The Thrive Alive Program includes gentle Tai Chi movements that are very effective for overall body health.
5. Minimize Toxin Exposure
Everyday our bodies are exposed to toxins through our food, our water, our air and our personal care products. Did you know that When toxins build up over time and overload the body, they gradually undermine your health and reduce your immunity?
Two areas that contribute to some of the highest toxin exposure are processed or toxin-contaminated foods and everyday personal care products. Paying attention to what you put on your body is just as important as paying attention to what you put in your body.
In the Thrive Alive Health Program, we share useful tips on how to lower toxins in your daily life.
6. Traditional Chinese Medicine Modalities
Acupuncture is probably the most popular alternative therapy practiced in the United States, Europe and many Asian countries. It has been applied clinically for more than 5 thousand years according to the ancient oriental medical theory. More and more research has revealed that acupuncture can regulate immunity. Acupuncture has modulating effect on the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. The influence of acupuncture on cellular immunity mainly include that it can promote the proliferation of T cells, improve the ratio of CD4+ T cells/CD8+ T cells and modulate the synthesis and secretion of cytokines in the immune response. (source).
In the Thrive Alive Health Program, you will learn to do acupuncture on yourself using painless tacks!
7. PRIORITIZE SLEEP
An increase in the amount of sleep you get each night can lead to a significant rise in your number of white blood cells, which are crucial for a healthy immune system. On the other hand, a loss of sleep, even for just a few hours, can result in heightened levels of inflammation within your body. This increased inflammation can make you more susceptible to catching the flu and can lead to experiencing more severe symptoms if you do become ill.
In the Thrive Alive Health Program, I will teach you restorative sleep strategies.
8. Mindset
Life isn't what happens to you, it is how you respond to what happens to you. Emotional stress creates physiological stress in your body that lowers your immune defences and makes you more vulnerable to illness. Emotional distress and depression has an adverse effect on cancer incidence and survival. (study).
Studies have also shown that higher stress levels prior to chemotherapy was associated with an increased risk for infections during chemotherapy. (study).
Stress has been shown to lower your white blood cells’ abilities to kill germs and actually creates more inflammation that may make you feel even sicker. There are many ways to minimize stress depending on your interests— a few options include meditation, yoga, music therapy, spending time with loved ones or reading a book.
The Thrive Alive Health Program offers Mindset Coaching to enhance your success during chemotherapy.
9. Dry Brushing
Dry brushing has many immune boosting benefits because it assists with lymphatic drainage. The lymphatic system is a major part of the body’s immune system. It is made up of organs and lymph nodes, ducts, and vessels that transport lymph throughout the body.
Did you know that we have 15 liters of lymphatic fluid and only 5 liters of blood? WOW!
Many of these lymph vessels run just below the skin. Brushing the skin regularly helps stimulate the normal lymph flow within the body and helps the body detoxify itself naturally.
HOW TO DRY BRUSH
Use a firm natural bristle brush with a long handle, which allows to reach you entire back and back of the legs.
Dry brushing can be done daily over the whole body, preferably in the morning before showering. Start with a gentle brush in circular motion, the skin is typically brushed toward the heart, starting at the feet and hands. I always brush in a circular clockwise motion towards the centre of my body and I dry brush each section about 7-10 times.
10. Herbs and Spices
Including herbs and spices in a balanced and diverse diet is one of the highlights of nutritious eating that supports health and immunity. Herbs and spices to serve as inhibitors of carcinogen bioactivation, decrease free radical formation, suppress cell division and promote apoptosis in cancerous cells, suppress microbial growth, and regulate inflammation and immunocompetence. (study).
Some include:
Rosemary
Basil
Caraway
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Clove
Dill
Garlic
Ginger
Thyme
Ask your oncologist if these are right for you. Herbs can interact with chemotherapy drugs through different mechanisms. Some herbs can interfere with the metabolism of the drugs, making them less effective. Other herbs may potentiate the adverse effects, such as bleeding, of chemotherapy drugs.
All post and information provided within this site is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. Please consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and well being or on any opinions expressed within this website. Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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