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J U N E 2 0 1 5 A N E W S L E T T E R F O R
PAT I E N T S , FA M I L I E S , S TA F F
A N D C O M M U N I T Y M E M B E R S
IN THIS ISSUE
Nutrition Mythbusters:
The Alkaline Diet
Palliative Care:
Let’s Talk About It
The Gerald Kirsh
Humanitarian Awards
Patient & Family Education NewsP R I N C E S S M A R G A R E T C A N C E R C E N T R E
Nutrition Mythbusters: The Alkaline DietBy Christy Brissette, MSc, Registered Dietitian, Princess MargaretOriginally published on the ELLICSR blog at http://ellicsr.ca/blog
There are many diet trends that claim to help fight cancer, but do they work? Are they safe for cancer survivors on treatment and after treatment? Below I talk about one of these diets, the alkaline diet. Let’s put the alkaline diet to the test!
What is the Alkaline Diet?The alkaline diet (also known as the acid-alkaline diet) suggests followers eat and drink 80% “alkaline”, or non-acidic foods, and 20% “acidic” foods. The goal of the alkaline diet is to lower the acidity of your blood, which some people claim will improve your health.
Does the Alkaline Diet work?It is not likely that the alkaline diet helps to fight cancer, since there is no science or research proving this. But, there are some good things about the diet.
What’s good about the Alkaline Diet?The alkaline diet suggests you eat more vegetables and most fruits. It also suggests you limit meat, sugar and salt in your diet. These are in line with nutrition suggestions for cancer survivors.
Diets high in meat increase the acidity of your urine and increase your risk of kidney stones, so choosing vegetarian options more often is a healthy choice. Cutting down on red meat also reduces the risk of getting colon cancer.
What’s not good about the Alkaline Diet?The main issue with this diet is that it claims to control your blood pH (acid level), but there is no science to support this claim. Our stomach acid, kidneys, liver and gallbladder work together to control our blood pH within a narrow range, and this is not affected by food. The benefits of eating more vegetables and most fruit for cancer prevention and survivorship have nothing to do with blood acidity.
Cutting out poultry, eggs, fish, dairy, and most grains from your diet can make it hard to get the energy and protein you need, especially during cancer treatment. You may also not get enough calcium, iron or zinc on the alkaline diet because of the foods you are
limited to. This diet also limits other healthy foods, like:
• most nuts and seeds other than almonds,
• mushrooms,
• tropical fruit and berries,
• most grains, and
• yogurt and fermented foods, which have digestive health benefits.
Another problem with the alkaline diet is it’s sometimes used as a way to sell expensive “water alkalizers”. City tap water is already alkalized and it’s free!
Know how to improve your diet Choosing vegetarian meals more often, as suggested by the alkaline diet, can help lower cancer risk. But, cutting out too many foods can make it hard to get the energy and nutrients you need. Choosing a mix of foods is the healthiest choice because it makes it easier to get a mix of nutrients.
If you are on cancer treatment right now:
• You may be feeling side effects that limit what you can eat.
• Ask to see a dietitian to help you choose the right foods and drinks to help manage side effects and meet your nutrient needs.
If you are done cancer treatment and aren’t feeling ongoing side effects:
• The healthiest diet includes lots of foods that come from plants.
• Fill at least two-thirds of your plate with vegetarian foods like vegetables, fruit and whole grains.
• Be sure to get enough protein.
• Get enough protein and zinc in your diet. Include nuts, seeds and beans with your meals, or a palm- sized serving of fish or chicken or turkey breast without the skin.
To add more calcium to your diet, include yogurt (or a non-dairy option fortified with calcium), tofu made with calcium salts and leafy greens to your diet.
If you are a vegetarian, include food and drinks with iron in your meals along with vitamin C. The vitamin C will help your body absorb the iron. For example, or leafy greens with strawberries or bell peppers add some calcium, iron and vitamin C to your meal.
For a healthy recipe that has a better balance of nutrients, check out our ELLICSR Kitchen recipe for Braised Chickpeas with Kale and Porcini Mushrooms at www.ellicsrkitchen.ca.
Do you have a question or concern about diet and nutrition? Ask your healthcare team to meet with a registered dietitian.
Palliative Care: Let’s Talk About ItBy Aileen Trang, Patient Education & Research Coordinator, Princess Margaret
For the April 2015 Lunch and Learn, Elizabeth Dougherty, Oncology Social Worker from Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at Princess Margaret, and Patricia Murphy-Kane, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative Care at Princess Margaret, present on palliative care.
Both Elizabeth and Patricia explain that many people have misconceptions of what palliative care is. As a result, many patients do not receive the benefits that palliative care has to offer.
What is palliative care?Palliative care improves the quality of life for patients and families facing life-threatening illness by preventing and relieving suffering. Palliative care:
• Provides effective pain management
• Helps manage other symptoms like nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath, fatigue, difficulty breathing, constipation
• Offers resources that can help patients and their families better cope
• Arranges support and promote quality of life for the patient and their families
• Addresses future planning issues
Palliative care is an extra layer of support on top of the cancer care you get. The palliative care team will work with you to identify, assess and address pain, physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems you and your family may be experiencing.
What is palliative care’s philosophy? The palliative care team:
• Affirms life and sees death as a normal process. The palliative team does not rush or postpone death, but rather lets it happen naturally.
• Recognizes and integrates personal, cultural, and religious values, beliefs and practices into care
• Offers a support system to help family cope during the patient’s illness and into bereavement
Who is part of my palliative care team?Palliative care is comprehensive and interdisciplinary, which means your palliative care team will be made up of professionals from different health and medical
expertise. The size of your team depends on what you need and want. Your team can be small involving just you, your loved ones, your doctor and nurse, or it can include more health care providers like a psychiatrist, pharmacist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, spiritual care provider, respiratory therapist, registered dietitian, and speech-language pathologist.
What’s the difference between hospice and palliative care?Many people think “hospice” and “palliative care” are the same thing, but they are not.
Patients can get palliative care at any time during their cancer care, whether the illness is terminal or not. The focus of palliative care is preventing and reducing suffering for both patients and their families throughout the entire cancer experience.
Hospice care makes up one part of palliative care. Hospice care is offered to patients who are expected to have a short life-span (terminal or within 6 months of death). Hospice care focuses on comforting the patient so they can get the most out of the time they have left.
There are several places hospice palliative care is offered:
• Patient’s own home. Palliative care that can be offered in your home with help from caregivers and visiting palliative care team.
• Out-patient clinics. Palliative care given to patients who do not have to stay in the hospital
• Hospital in-patient units. Units in the hospital where patients can stay to get palliative care
• Palliative care units. Units in the hospital that can provide palliative care
• Community hospice. Free in-home support to patients who are getting palliative care, and their families
• Residential hospices. Places in the community that patients can stay to get palliative care
Thank you Elizabeth Dougherty and Patricia Murphy-Kane for such an interesting and informative talk on palliative care.
Looking for more information on palliative care?Find more information on palliative care on the websites below:
• Canadian Cancer Society www.cancer.ca
• Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association www.chpca.net
• Canadian Researchers at the End of Life Network (CARENET) http://thecarenet.ca
• Canadian Virtual Hospice www.virtualhospice.ca
• Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) www.hpco.ca
• Voicing My Choices www.agingwithdignity.org/voicing-my-choices.php
• Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) www.youngadultcancer.ca
The Gerald Kirsh Humanitarian AwardsRecognizing Compassionate Care
Every year, staff and volunteers at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre are nominated for their exemplary service by patients and their families for The Gerald Kirsh Humanitarian Awards. The Kirsh family established these awards as a way to recognize those staff and volunteers who have gone above and beyond to make patients and their families feel comforted and cared for along their cancer journey.
These awards are very special to The Princess Margaret and are a staff favourite. They give patients the opportunity to thank someone who has made their cancer diagnosis a little easier and provided comfort at a time of uncertainty. You can nominate up to two individuals who have demonstrated The Princess Margaret’s seven core values: caring, excellence, teamwork, innovation, leadership, integrity and respect in an exceptional manner. These values support The Princess Margaret’s ability to lead as one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world.
All of our staff and volunteers are deserving and what makes this award so special is that it not only focuses on two recipients but it also emphasizes the honour of being nominated. All nominees are recognized at a celebratory event held on November 16 at 4:00 p.m. on the 7th floor. So why not share your story with us and fill out a nomination form at: www.thepmcf.ca/kirshawards, visit the Patient and Family Library or email us at [email protected] for further information.
The deadline for nominations is September 10th!
The information contained in this newsletter is to be used for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for non-commercial personal use only. © University Health Network - Princess Margaret Hospital - Patient and Family Library - 2015
Patient & Survivorship Education Editor: Alaina Cyr, Patient Education Coordinator | Editorial Board: Nazek Abdelmutti, Daniela Fierini, Robin Forbes, Myann Marks, Lauren ShorserGraphic Artist: Kristin Foster | Please forward comments, questions or submissions to [email protected]
The Patient Education and Survivorship Programs are supported by the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.
“When you’ve had cancer, every day is a gift.”
“ Thanks to the groundbreaking research, the care of Dr. Messner and the compassion of the whole team at The Princess Margaret, I’m here today.”
See Chris Taylor’s story at www.thepmcf.ca
A gift left in your Will can save lives. If cancer is your cause, support one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world. To learn more about planning your gift, call 416-946-2295 or email [email protected]
“When you’ve had cancer, every day is a gift.”
“ Thanks to the groundbreaking research, the care of Dr. Messner and the compassion of the whole team at The Princess Margaret, I’m here today.”
See Chris Taylor’s story at www.thepmcf.ca
A gift left in your Will can save lives. If cancer is your cause, support one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world. To learn more about planning your gift, call 416-946-2295 or email [email protected]
“When you’ve had cancer, every day is a gift.”
“ Thanks to the groundbreaking research, the care of Dr. Messner and the compassion of the whole team at The Princess Margaret, I’m here today.”
See Chris Taylor’s story at www.thepmcf.ca
A gift left in your Will can save lives. If cancer is your cause, support one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world. To learn more about planning your gift, call 416-946-2295 or email [email protected]
“When you’ve had cancer, every day is a gift.”
“ Thanks to the groundbreaking research, the care of Dr. Messner and the compassion of the whole team at The Princess Margaret, I’m here today.”
See Chris Taylor’s story at www.thepmcf.ca
A gift left in your Will can save lives. If cancer is your cause, support one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world. To learn more about planning your gift, call 416-946-2295 or email [email protected]
–Chris Taylor
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