Nutrition for Cancer patient

Nutrition for Cancer patient

Cancer Treatment side effects that affect eating:

• Anorexia (loss of appetite)
• Mouth sores / Dry mouth / Trouble swallowing
• Nausea / Vomiting
• Diarrhoea / Constipation
• Depression & Anxiety
• Pain

Nutritional Therapy in cancer treatment

Goals of Nutritional Therapy:

• Prevent or treat nutrition problems, including preventing muscle and bone loss.
• Decrease side effects of cancer treatment and problems that affect nutrition.
• Keep up the patient’s strength and energy.
• Help the immune system fight infection.
• Help the body recover and heal, keep up or improve the patient’s quality of life.

Cancer cachexia is a wasting syndrome

• Affects more than 80% of advanced cancer patients
• The cause of death in more than 20% of all cancer patients
Clinical Manifestations of cancer cachexia are:
• Muscle & weight loss
• Anorexia (the loss of appetite or desire to eat)
• Asthenia (lack or loss of strength and energy; weakness)
• Anemia (low red blood cells count)
• Considerable alterations in metabolism: Patients remain in a hypermetabolic state as the tumour burden increases.

How to control Anorexia & nausea:

• Eat before cancer treatments.
• Rinse out the mouth before and after eating.
• Eat foods that are bland, soft & easy-to-digest.
• Eat small meals several times a day rather than heavy meals.
• Stay away from spicy foods, greasy foods & foods that have strong odours
• Sit up or lie with the upper body raised for one hour after eating.

Massage Acupressure Point Pericardium 6 (P6) 内关for nause
Herbal Drink for Nausea: Licorice Ginger Tea 甘草姜茶:

• Fresh ginger 生姜 25克
• Honey-fried licorice root 炙甘草 3克

Common Side effect of cancer treatment: Low Blood Count

Decrease WBC => Infection risk
Decrease RBC => Cancer Fatigue
Decrease Platelets => Impaired clotting

For further information on Nutritional Therapy for low blood count, please Download PDF