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Joan_extra-5-much-smaller

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joans_empowered_nutrition

Registered Nutritional Therapist helping people feel healthier & more energetic using diet & lifestyle changes.
Special interest in breast cancer.

It's very suddenly autumn, isn't it? 🥶 If, lik

It's very suddenly autumn, isn't it? 🥶

If, like mine, your body is struggling to adjust quickly enough and you're feeling cold, then lean into autumn and prepare something warming. Squash really hits the spot, particularly when it's combined with warming spices such as cinnamon, chilli, cardamom, turmeric, ginger. It's rich in carotenoids, which are protective against breast cancer. It's high in fibre and is a good source of slow releasing carbohydrate.

Sudden temperature drops are not the time for lots of raw foods and salads. Well cooked foods like soups, stews and casseroles take less digestive energy to break down, leaving you with more energy to keep warm.

Comfort food that's truly nourishing.

#eatseasonally #foodforautumn #whatsinseasonoctober #healthycomfortfood #carotenoids #butternutsquash #nutritionaltherapy #nutritionaltherapist #foodforcoldweather

It was lovely to finally meet Sarah of @getmebacku

It was lovely to finally meet Sarah of @getmebackuk at the @yestolifecharity annual conference today.

I was only able to stay until after lunch, but that time was fairly packed! There were talks about factors to consider when making nutrition choices and the importance of living in harmony with nature and circadian rhythms. Then 2 workshops: the first Qi Gong with sound therapy, the second on releasing the fascia. Both left me feeling more present in my body than when I went in. All interspersed with chatting to delegates about the Get Me Back membership.

Bumping into @holisticallyhappyyou after a very long time was a bit of a highlight 😀😘

Lots of tools for people with cancer to add to their toolkit.

#integrativecancertreatment #integrativeoncology #integrativecancersupport #integrativecancerteam #nutritionforcancer #nutritionaltherapist

Chemotherapy can be hard on the nails. Taxane chem

Chemotherapy can be hard on the nails. Taxane chemos such as docetaxel and paclitaxel can be particularly harsh in this regard. I've never been one for manicures or nail spas, but this is more than just a cosmetic concern, as chemo can cause nails to come away from the nail bed and even fall off altogether. During and after docetaxel in 2013, I lost every single one of my nails in turn. This time with paclitaxel I want to avoid that if I can. There are urban myths about dark nail polish being protective, but there is no evidence to back them up, plus nail polish often contains endocrine disrupting chemicals.

@polybalm is a nail balm that's clinically proven to reduce chemotherapy-induced nail damage. In the clinical trial run on it, patients actually judged their nails to be better quality after using polybalm during chemotherapy than they were before! The patients using the placebo saw their nail quality deteriorate.

It comes in a twin pack, as you are meant to use a separate applicator for your finger and toe nails. I apply it morning and evening, massage it in and leave it on for a minute before wiping it off. It's made of shea butter and anti-inflammatory essential oils that are high in polyphenolic compounds. It smells and feels good!

#chemotherapysupport #integrativeoncology #integrativecancersupport #chemotherapysideeffects

Small steps, baby steps, one step at a time......w

Small steps, baby steps, one step at a time......whatever size step you can manage is still a step forward.

Life has its seasons, doesn't it? Sometimes everything feels like it's going smoothly, there are no obstacles in our way and we can accomplish so much by the standards of the material world.

At other times it's harder. We might be ill, undergoing treatment, spending every spare moment looking after elderly relatives, or just run ragged by children being at home in the holidays! Getting through the basics (for me these are work, food shopping & cooking, laundry) feels like an achievement. Anything extra can wait. Or maybe you *could* do everything you feel the world expects you to, but it would come at a cost to your wellbeing.

That second situation is the one I am in at the moment. I'm still here and still functioning pretty well (so far!) whilst having weekly chemo. It's the summer holidays, and one son and my husband are off school, one son is home from university and the eldest is settling into his new job, which includes some working from home. I am working with my 1:1 clients and keeping up with CPD, but anything extra has to wait. So if you don't see much of me on social media it's okay, because I am looking after myself in the ways I would encourage my clients to do.

As well as spending more time at hospital appointments, other ways I'm spending my time include:

😌 meditating
🥰 visualising a healthy future
🏃‍♀️ moving my body every day
😴 getting plenty of sleep
🌞 enjoying time spent with my family in the school holidays
🌳spending time outdoors in nature, including being by the 🌊 last week

When your circumstances mean that you'd benefit from taking more time to nurture yourself, don't hesitate to drop the non-essentials! There will be time for them again later ❤

#breastcancerthriver #secondarybreastcancer #nutritionforcancer #nutritionaltherapist #nurtureyourself #slowerpace

I made a little trip to @london_fermentary today t

I made a little trip to @london_fermentary today to pick up some fermented food and drink. They are tucked away under the railway arches in Bermondsey, south London, but you can also order their ferments online.

Swipe to see what they stock and what I bought 😋

What am I looking forward to trying the most? Probably the spicy beet kraut. I love sauerkraut and am always looking for different ways to eat beets. I think beets are often overlooked. They are high in nitrates, which help with blood pressure control and athletic performance, that great colour means they're high in antioxidants, they're anti-inflammatory, a great source of fibre and they can help support methylation.

Back to ferments - they have such great benefits for the gut microbiome! What's your favourite fermented food or drink?

#nutritionaltherapist #fermentedfoods #loveyourgutbugs #goodhealthstartsinthegut #sauerkraut #waterkefir #guthealth #gutmicrobiome #digestivehealth

I'm going to be more vulnerable than I've ever bee

I'm going to be more vulnerable than I've ever been on social media. I'm a private person, but I also feel uncomfortable if I feel I'm hiding anything. So here goes.

A couple of weeks ago, I learnt that I've had cancer progression after a good period of stability. The oncology MDT recommended weekly IV chemotherapy for 6 months. If that works well, the hope is to go back to hormone therapy afterwards. I started today.

We'll never know for sure, but I feel fairly certain that all the issues I've had in the last year with my bronchiectasis resulted in inflammation and gut dysbiosis that contributed to this progression. It's a big priority to get on top of my lung health.

Starting IV chemo is huge on many levels. The time needed at hospital, having a port fitted to spare my veins, possible hair loss, likely side effects. Then if I feel I've got my head around all those, there's the bigger picture: another treatment line out of a finite number of possible treatment lines finished. What does the future hold?

This isn't how it was meant to turn out. In my mind, I was going to be the exceptional responder, remaining on my first line of treatment for many years. I would be able to say that all the nutrition and lifestyle work I have done on myself was keeping me well. Hmm.

Recently, I was given an insight that my lot in this life is to have to go through all the pain, drudgery and messiness that is part of the human condition. I have to have IV chemo? So? Other people are homeless, experiencing abuse or suffer terribly with their mental health. This is just my crap to deal with, just as others have theirs. My challenge is to find the beauty that exists right alongside the pain, and to listen and be a witness to other people who are struggling.

I will keep working throughout this latest treatment. Of course I'll be taking extra time for myself, and it might take me a little time to work out what that looks like.

Whatever our health situations, there are ALWAYS huge benefits to nourishing our bodies, minds and spirits. That's what I'm going to keep doing. Love to all ❤

PLEASE SUPPLEMENT SAFELY! This is especially for

PLEASE SUPPLEMENT SAFELY!

This is especially for you if you're currently going through active cancer treatment. The only way to make sure that the supplements you intend to take are safe is to have your individual case, and the combination of your treatment and supplements assessed by someone who is qualified! This could be your hospital's oncology pharmacist, your integrative doctor, or a nutritional therapist / naturopath / herbalist who is trained in cancer support and drug-nutrient interactions.

Today I was shocked to find supplements being sold on a website that promotes itself as selling beauty products and gifts specifically for cancer patients during treatment. This is not safe! Please don't accept assurances of safety from anyone who doesn't even know what treatment you are having. I'm not naming or shaming because I'm in dialogue with the company about it.

I feel strongly about this because I've been through quite a bit of cancer treatment, and it's not something you'd wish on anyone. Nobody wants to be going through treatment, but if they are, the last thing they need is to take a supplement that could reduce the efficacy of that treatment, or increase the side effects. Supplements may contain "natural" ingredients, but that doesn't automatically make them safe. There is plenty of potential for drug-nutrient or drug-herb interactions.

I do sometimes recommend supplements to my clients who are going through cancer treatment. I have access to a professional drug-nutrient interaction database, have had training in using it as well as training in cancer support, and I take each client's overall health, symptoms and goals into account. I also belong to a membership run by the amazing pharmacist and NT @debbiegrayson57. If I'm not sure about any supplement, I run it all past her. Indeed, if you are my client you may have been kept waiting until I can run something past her! That's because your safety is my priority.

I know not everyone can work 1-2-1 with a nutritional therapist to check interactions for them. If this is you, don't forget:

💊 your oncology pharmacist is a great resource
🥦 you can do so much just by optimising diet & lifestyle

When was the last time your GP wrote a list of whi

When was the last time your GP wrote a list of which foods would make your condition better or worse?

When doing some decluttering yesterday, my husband found this piece of paper dating back nearly 20 years. We'd kept in case it was of use again while our children were small. It was given to us by a doctor in Goa. We were on holiday visiting family, and one of my young sons had a bad tummy bug. The hotel called a doctor for us. As well as giving our son some medicine, he gave us this list of what he should eat and what he shouldn't until he got better. I remember being amazed (and grateful) at the time, but I'm not surprised now as I know how valued the ancient medical system of Ayurveda is throughout India, and that doctors are likely to give holistic advice along with conventional medical care.

When we're ill, and perhaps more so when our children are ill, we long for practical help like this, don't we - things we can do ourselves to make a difference. I can't remember ever receiving anything similar from a GP in the UK.

This is not a criticism of NHS GPs - they have such little time with each patient that there probably wouldn't even be time to write a list like this, and their education doesn't routinely cover nutrition. But I often hear comments like, "if it was helpful, your doctor would recommend it" about nutrition and lifestyle, which just isn't true. Medicine in this country has by and large lost its connection to nutrition and lifestyle. That's not the case elsewhere in the world, where doctors see their value in patient outcomes. In the UK, we often have to seek nutrition information ourselves, so make sure you find someone qualified to give you advice.

#nutritionaltherapy #foodaswellasmedicine #integrativemedicine

Last week I lived through my 10 year "cancerversar

Last week I lived through my 10 year "cancerversary". In May 2013 I was first told that I had breast cancer. I had a poor prognosis and was told I was at high risk of treatment not curing me, so even though I've "only" been living with cancer on an ongoing basis for the last 4½ years, I count from that day in May 2013. Ten years is a long time, and I could write a lot, but for now....

Whilst I would give anything never to have had this disease, and not to be putting my family through ongoing worry, there have been a lot of positives. I wanted to do everything that I could to help myself, and thus my interest in integrative ways to support my health was born. It has been wonderful to be able to pass this on to my family and to encourage them to look after themselves. Training as a nutritional therapist has also given me the most rewarding career. I've said it before, but I feel enormously privileged when clients share their stories with me and let me into their lives to help them.

I cherish every birthday, every milestone in my life and my children's lives. I also hope that I am much more open in my thinking than I was before. Whilst I follow the evidence in my work, I am fully aware that there are things in heaven and earth that we do not understand yet. Beware of anyone who claims to have all the answers!

On that note, cancer is hugely complex and I am far from being "fixed". It has taken me a long time to come to terms with the fact that in order to do my job I have to dare to try to help people whilst being an imperfect human in a far from perfect body. But who is perfect? I do hope that the challenges that I face make me more empathetic and compassionate to my clients whilst passing on what I've learnt.

To everyone reading who's dealing with cancer, I see you. I see all your worries, your struggles, your hopes and dreams. I see that you are not cancer, you are a beautiful person with a beautifully complex life who happens to be facing a health challenge ❤️

#cancerversary #integrativeoncology #nutritionaltherapy #nutritionforcancer #busylivingwithmets

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Recent Posts

Why Bitter is Better for your Health
Eating Healthily on a Budget
Is Soy Safe to Eat After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis?
How Your Oral Microbiome Affects Your Health
Acid Reflux, Heartburn and the Surprising Importance of Stomach Acid

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