Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
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 …
Iron Plus
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
One vitamin that seems to come up in conversation quite frequently is Iron Plus. People often ask questions such as I’m tired all the time, do I need to take Iron? Or I’m a vegan I must need to take iron! And last but not least I have frequently heard I am a woman does that mean I need iron? While yes in some of these situations iron is appropriate it is more complicated than that. Taking iron is more complex than just taking it because you’re tired. As I always say iron is something you take if you need it not just because you have read it on the internet that it is good for you. Why do I say this? Because iron isn’t something everyone should take. Let’s explore this in depth, shall we?
As I said iron isn’t just a vitamin you take to stay healthy. Iron can build up in our body over time. If you have a deficiency that means that over time taking iron will fill in or correct that deficiency. However this means that if you don’t need iron but take it any way you can end up with it becoming abnormally high in your body. This is called hemochromatosis.
What can happen if you have too much iron in your body? Well it can build up in vital organs and cause damage. These organs include the liver, heart and endocrine glands. If the iron concentrates in the liver it can trigger complications such as cirrhosis. Complications due to having an excess of iron can also include cardiomyopathy, diabetes and even hypothyroidism. Also iron overload can weaken our immune health leaving us at an increased risk of infection. (1)
All that being said how do you know if you need iron? According to the American Society of Hematology anemia is diagnosed when a blood test shows a hemoglobin level of less than 13.5 gm/dl in a man or 12.0 gm/dl in a female. (2) Basically if your doctor suspects you’re anemic they will recommend a complete blood count or CBC. This test looks at the number of Red blood cells (RBC) or hematocrit and the level of hemoglobin. The doctor can also check the color, size and shape of the RBC. (3)
Now I bet your thinking but Dr. Claire what is the plus in the iron plus? Well the plus refers to nutrients that are basically the cofactors that make iron work better. Vitamin C has been found to increase the absorption of iron. It works better if you take the iron and the vitamin c at the same time. (4) Taurine is an amino acid that helps the body to use iron better thus it can help correct a deficiency more effectively. (5) Both vitamins B12 and folic acid can help us to produce healthy RBC. (6) Overall the nutrients in Iron Plus all work to improve iron absorption, utilization and even RBC health.
Now I know that I said not to take iron unless you know you need to. So what are some signs that you should talk to your doctor about iron? Well some signs can include pale skin that is cold especially on the hands and feet. You will also notice extreme fatigue and weakness. You may experience shortness of breath and chest pain. There may be inflammation on your tongue and your nails may be brittle. Symptoms can also include headache, dizziness, and even changes in appetite. Lastly you may find yourself craving things such as ice. (7)
Iron Plus is an amazing non-constipating form of iron. To find out if it’s right for you feel free to contact a qualified Invite Health nutritionist.
Our next topic is changes to our Hair and Skin that can occur after cancer treatments.
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Cancer Related Fatigue Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I wanted to talk about cancer related fatigue because it’s so common in those who have cancer. It can also be difficult to work with because there can be a number of reasons why a person feels …
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 …
Opportunistic Infections
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
What do we mean by the phrase opportunistic infections? Well it is exactly what it sounds like, it is an infection that takes the opportunity to grow when your immune system is compromised. Some types of cancer and cancer treatments can weaken our immune system. One way that this occurs is by reducing the ability of the bone marrow to make the white blood cells that fight infections. One example of a low white blood count is called neutropenia, or low neutrophils.
Now I’m sure you have heard that our skin is covered with bacteria and other “bad guys”. Normally these bacteria aren’t a problem. However for someone with a compromised immune system the bacteria or viruses on the skin and in the digestive system can make them sick.
I bet your first thought is so Doctor Claire exactly what type of “bad guys” make us sick when we have a compromised immunity? Well there are 4 types of bad guys that cause infection. These include bacteria, viruses, fungal infections and protozoal infections.
Of these 4 different types of bad guys bacteria have been found to be the most common in those with cancer. These bacteria include Staph, Strep, Pseudomonas, C. Diff, E.coli and Listeria. Symptoms that indicate that you may have a bacterial infection can include upset stomach, stomach pain, and change in appetite, diarrhea and even a fever.
In addition to bacteria viruses’ can also be a common infection if you are exposed to them. These can include the viruses’ that cause the common cold, the flu, Varicella (chicken pox virus), Herpes virus, Cytomegalovirus virus and Coronavirus. Viruses in general can cause fever, muscle aches, coughs, headaches and sore throat. Herpes as we know can cause cold sores or genital sores. (1) For more information please see the blog on Herpes written by Allie Might. Varicella or chicken pox can also cause raised bumps on the skin as well as small fluid –filled blisters. After a few days these will form crusts and scabs. (2)
One of the most common fungal infections that can occur in cancer patients is Candida. You may have heard of an infection in the mouth called thrush. This is another name for fungal Candida in your body. In addition to affecting your mouth thrush can also grow in your vagina or on your penis. Thrush usually looks like a white patch with read and sore skin. Less common fungal infections include Aspergillosis and Pneumocystis.
Toxoplasmosis is a type of protozoa that can infect our brain if we have a compromised immune system. (1) This usually spreads via undercooked meat or exposure to cat feces. The symptoms of a protozoa infection include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, muscle aches, rash, eye pain, poor vision and floaters. For those with a compromised immune system it can also cause brain inflammation or encephalitis. This can present with confusion, poor coordination, muscle weakness, seizures and even changes in alertness. (3)
One dangerous side effect of having an opportunistic infection during cancer is an increase in the risk of developing sepsis. If you suspect you have sepsis go to the hospital. Sepsis is very dangerous. People can and do die from it. Some signs to be mindful of include slurred speech, confusion, extreme shivering or muscle pain, passing no urine (in a day), severe breathlessness, it feels like you’re going to die, skin mottled or discolored. SEPSIS is the acronym to help you remember the symptoms. (4)
Opportunistic infections can also leave to patients having to either reduce treatments or even stop treatments. It is important to support our immune system the best we can.
During treatments:
After treatments – I usually recommend the following after your treatments in order to avoid any possible interactions with the different cancer treatments.
Our product highlight will feature Green Tea and the most common questions I get asked about it!
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