A new study recently published in Nature Medicine is quite personal, as I too had stage 3 melanoma over 5 years ago. In a groundbreaking study, researchers found a surprising connection between emotional distress and the effectiveness of the most promising melanoma treatment – immunotherapy. The study, part of the phase 2 PRADO trial, focused on neoadjuvant immunotherapy, a cutting-edge approach for advanced melanoma where immunotherapy is given before surgery, the approach that I received. While getting immunotherapy before surgery for advanced melanoma has already shown superior results comp ..read more

Sleeping well is profoundly healing; a vital “activity” in which we must engage to foster well-being. Virtually nothing else can change your outlook on life and your ability to heal as much as sleep does, and there’s a lot to be said about what goes on biologically during these hours, too. Anticancer living means prioritizing this highly productive healing time and addressing any obstacles or difficulties. Your body will thank you! In addition to being linked with weight gain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease, poor sleep has been linked in many studies to increased can ..read more

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of persistent chemical pollutants that have gained attention due to their potential health impacts. PFAS exposure occurs through various sources, including consumer products like waterproof and nonstick items, household cleaners, clothes, dental floss, in food and food packaging, in 45% of our water supply and more. In recent years, concerns about PFAS exposure and its harms have come to the forefront. In the United States, the dangers of PFAS exposure were highlighted by a lawsuit involving a DuPont factory in West Virginia, which dumped ..read more

Artificial sweeteners are popular for those looking to reduce their sugar intake, reduce calories, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, recent research raises concerns about the safety of these sweeteners, particularly in relation to their potential link to cancer. The evidence linking aspartame (aka, NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel), in particular, to our health is so concerning that in July 2023 it will be listed as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research arm. The final ..read more

The thought that relentlessly haunts cancer survivors, even after successfully having their illness treated, is the fear of its return. This becomes especially salient around the time of getting regular post-treatment screenings. Unfortunately, even when we think the cancer is gone, it is common that some cancer cells remain and are dormant. Scientists have been studying how dormant cancer cells, which are inactive and hidden, can become active again and lead to cancer recurrence. A new study focused on the role of stress and a type of white blood cell called neutrophils and how stress can cau ..read more

The American Cancer Society recommends that cancer patients aim for 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours, of physical activity a week. Broken down over seven days, this amount of time averages out to about twenty-two minutes a day. If you think about it this way, this is an incredibly doable goal. What’s even better is that those twenty-two minutes don’t have to be done at once. In fact, research suggests that shorter bouts of exercise may have greater health benefits than longer endurance workouts. A 2016 study by Martin Gibala and his colleagues at McMaster University found that in previously sedentary ..read more

Exercise During a Pandemic The extend time we are all spending at home due to SARS-CoV-2 virus and the ensuing COVID-19 illness is resulting in excess sitting and lack of exercise. However, this is a time to stand up and get moving as being in motion will improve all aspects of your health, boost your immune system, and create an environment that can better keep you virus free. The human body, which is an evolutionary masterpiece of biological engineering, is designed to be in motion. Yet in large part, most of the hours of our lives are spent sitting. Recently, scientists have discovered that ..read more

SLEEP AS A SUPERNUTRIENT Sleeping well is profoundly healing; a vital “activity” in which we must engage to foster well-being. Virtually nothing else can change your outlook on life and your ability to heal as much as sleep does, and there’s a lot to be said about what goes on biologically during these hours, too. Anticancer living means prioritizing this highly productive healing time, and addressing any obstacles or difficulties. Your body will thank you! Taking Pills versus Changing Behaviors We are strong proponents of cancer survivors and others avoiding sleeping pills. There are of cours ..read more

  The ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, and viruses — living on and inside our bodies — is known as the microbiome. Even if you take baths daily, brush your teeth, and wash your hands, you are walking around accompanied by your own unique ecosphere of microbes, roughly a hundred trillion bacteria, some good, and some bad. In fact, our human cells are outnumbered ten to one by these nonhuman cells along for the ride. Mapping the microbiome, like the genome-mapping project, is an ongoing global effort. An unhealthy microbiome has now been linked with multiple diseases and conditions, including ..read more

A new study published in the British Medical Journal reported that individuals who eat more highly processed foods have higher odds of developing cancer than their counterparts who eat less processed foods. In fact, the risk went up to 12 percent in the group consuming the most highly processed foods. Although correlational in nature, the study was a prospective study conducted in just over 100,000 individuals over an 8-year period of time. Correlation (when two things are associated) does not equal causation (when we know that one things causes another), but this is not the first time proces ..read more