Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Alcar with ALA Capsules Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND One of the most popular products here at Invite Health has always been our Alcar with ALA formula. If you have been using Invite’s Alcar with ALA you may notice some changes to it! Now the …
Stress and Anxiety
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Before we move on to a different topic I felt it was important to talk about our mental health. Being diagnosed with cancer or any other chronic illness is much more than just the physical aspects of the illness. There is also the stress that is associated with diagnosis. In fact studies have found almost half of all people who are diagnosed with cancer have some degree of anxiety. In addition studies have found that approximately one fourth of people with cancer report a high level of anxiety. It has also been found that as the cancer spreads or the treatment becomes more aggressive the amount of anxiety experienced becomes more pronounced. (1)
What are some of the most common symptoms of anxiety? Well you may feel irritable or feel as though you’re “going crazy”. You may notice shortness of breath, fast heartbeat that may even make you feel like you’re having a heart attack. Additionally you may start sweating and feeling nauseated as well as dizzy. In some cases your muscles may become tight. (1)
What are some of the factors that can worsen anxiety? Having a history of anxiety as well as a history of physical or emotional trauma can also increase your risk of anxiety. Having a poor support system can also increase anxiety risk. Having cancer that is not improving with treatment or has metastasized can also increase anxiety. In addition having pain or other physical symptoms that are not controlled can also worsen the anxiety you experience. (1)
The amount of anxiety that is experienced can vary greatly from person to person. Just because your experience is different from someone else doesn’t mean that your personal experience isn’t still valid. If you feel that the anxiety you have impacts your life it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the classic signs. Everyone is different and so everyone has a different experience. Now some people who are diagnosed with cancer may have what is referred to as a normal adjustment. There may be psychological and social distress. Some people may also be diagnosed with an adjustment disorder. Lastly an induvial may be diagnosed with a specific anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can include diagnoses such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety and panic disorder. Lastly anxiety disorders can also include specific phobias (for example fear of mice) and agoraphobia. Even obsessive compulsive disorders and PTSD are forms of anxiety. (1)
What can you do to help control your anxiety?
Overall I hope that this series has been helpful for anyone who has any concerns about side effects related to cancer treatments. Remember if you have any questions you can always reach out to an Invite nutritionist.
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Hair Enhance Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I wanted to talk about a product that may be new to you, Hair Enhance! This is an excellent formula for helping with hair growth. It can help enhance hair strength as well. However some of the nutrients …
Hair and Skin Changes Due to Cancer Treatments Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Cancer treatments can have different side effects when it comes to our hair and skin. Let’s start with our skin, shall we? Certain cancer therapies can cause skin to become dry. They …
Green Tea, our most common questions!!!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Green Tea is probably one supplement that everyone has heard of! It’s probably been written about by almost everyone, including me! So why write about it again you ask? Well it’s recently come to my attention that even though green tea has been written about a million times before people still have unanswered questions. S o I figured this would be a great time to review some of these commonly asked questions!
Let’s start with the most common question, shall we? Is green tea safe to use? In a meta-analysis looking at the effects of green tea on the liver it was found that not only is green tea safe it “reduced the risk of liver disease”. (1) According to the cancer research UK website green tea is safe for humans to use. (2) So yes both studies and my own clinical experience show me that green tea is safe to use!
Another common question I get asked is about blood pressure. Many people call and ask if it’s safe to use green tea if they have high blood pressure. My first question would be do you have a sensitivity to caffeine? If the answer is no then great Invite has a form both with and without caffeine. If you are not sensitive then either form is fine for you. If you are sensitive then Invite’s liquid extract would be better choice since it’s caffeine free and studies show that caffeine free green tea is perfectly safe for those with high blood pressure. (3)
The next question I get asked about green tea is it safe if I’m on blood thinners? Well it’s a bit complicated. For this blog I’ll stick to Coumadin or warfarin. Remember if you have any questions you can always reach out to a qualified Invite nutritionist. But let’s get back to the topic, shall we? Green tea normally contains Vitamin K which can interfere with Coumadin. (4) Invite Health’s Green Tea Tx liquid extract is free of Vitamin K! So yes it is safe to use.
Moving on to one of my last questions. If I have cancer should I be using green tea alongside my conventional treatment? This is a complex question. Numerous studies have found green tea may have anti-cancer benefits. (5) Part of the reason that green tea has so many benefits is that it contains powerful antioxidants. While this is fantastic for our health before and even after cancer treatment it can be a concern if green tea is used during treatments. Studies have found that using antioxidants can protect cancer cells and render the treatments not as effective as they should be. (6) For anyone with a personal or family history of cancer adding green tea can be a great idea. (5) It is just better to use it after treatments are complete, not during them.
Last but not least how can you incorporate Invite’s green tea into your day? Invite’s Green Tea Hx capsules can be taken with your daily supplements. Green Tea Tx liquid can be added to many things! For example you can add it to plain water to increase your water intake. You can also mix it into juice, tea and even smoothies! As I always say be creative.
Our next topic will be how to deal with low energy during cancer and cancer treatments.
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