Cancer, radiotherapy and surgery are all considerable stresses on the body, and antioxidants can help you deal with them. Although many people are advised not to take vitamin or mineral supplements during radiotherapy, several studies have shown that antioxidants can not only protect against the toxicity of the drugs and radiation but also enhance their cancer-killing effects.
Supplements
50mg of vitamin B6 can also prevent nausea and vomiting caused by radiotherapy.
Especially important is vitamin C. Thin skin, easy bruising, frequent infections and difficulty in shifting infections are all symptoms of vitamin C deficiency. I recommend a minimum of 3 to 4g of vitamin C per day. You may need more, but this should be done under the guidance of a nutritional therapist.
Raynaud’s Disease is a circulation problem made worse by stress. Capillaries in the fingers, toes, hands and feet contract and deprive the area of blood, causing painful chilblains and itching, and in extreme cases, ulcers.
Diet advice
There’s plenty you can do to help control Raynaud’s. Start by keeping your extremities warm, avoiding fatty and fried foods, caffeine and cigarettes, and reducing your stress levels. Gingko Biloba can be very effective in counteracting Raynaud’s. Recent research at the University of Dundee showed that people with Raynaud’s taking ginkgo had half as many attacks during which their extremities went white. Ginkgo is usually taken in capsule form and you should look for a brand with a flavonoid concentration of 24%: two to three doses of 120mg a day. Often it takes a month or two before you begin to see results. Note that ginkgo is a blood-thinning agent so you must use caution if you’re taking other blood thinners such as coumadin, heparin or even aspirin. Side-effects of headaches, nausea or nosebleeds have been reported, but only rarely and at high doses.
Supplements
Vitamin E (start with 100mg/200iu daily and build to 400mg/600iu daily) also improves circulation, and taking 100mg of a B complex daily, plus an extra 100mg of niacin (B3), can boost circulation too; be aware that niacin often triggers harmless blushing, which last about half an hour. Try this for a month. Also useful are 100 to 200mg of Coenzyme-Q10 a day, as this improves tissue oxygenation.
Moderate exercise is key for promoting circulation. If you’re low in magnesium, however, your muscles won’t be working optimally, and that will affect your capillaries, which explains why excessive exercise can worsen Raynaud’s. So it’s a good idea to take 450mg of magnesium a day. Lastly, I’d check yourself out for allergies. One woman cured her Raynaud’s by giving up gluten grains such as wheat.
Restless legs are a common stress-related sleep problem; the affected person will jerk their legs about while asleep. They can also feel an urge to move their legs while sitting or resting. The condition is though to be linked, either to drinking coffee at night, or to a deficiency in certain minerals important for muscle relaxation.
The B vitamins are important for stress-related nerve function, and iron has been suggested as important in this condition. Calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc can all help. I’d recommend taking a high-strength multivitamin in the morning and multimineral giving at least 250mg of magnesium in the evening. Meanwhile, avoid stimulants and alcohol in the evening. Regular exercise can also really help (try taking a walk after dinner).
It’s advisable to see a nutritional therapist, who can run a hair mineral analysis to pinpoint which minerals are low or imbalance.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies are formed against your own tissues or joints. There are many possible reasons for this, including genetical susceptibility, lifestyle, nutritional deficiencies, food sensitivities and bacterial infections. Rheumatoid arthritis does not exist in isolated communities eating primitive diets, with lots of fruits and vegetables and very little salt, wheat, refined sugars and alcohol; so eating in this simple way is a good place to start. You should have yourself checked for food intolerances and eliminate or rotate any foods that cause an immune response.
If you have a wheat intolerance but still want to eat wholewheat pasta or wholewheat bread from time to time, you can try supplementing NAG (N-acetyl-glucosamine), as it blocks the inflammatory reaction to wheat fragments in the blood. You’d do well to avoid other foods that cause inflammation, such as citrus fruits, nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, aubergines and chillies) meat and diary products. Drink plenty of bottled or filtered water daily, and eat oily fish (mackerel, sardines, wild salmon and trout) for their anti-inflammatory omega-3 content at least three times per week. Other excellent natural anti-inflammatory foods include ginger, turmeric, pineapple and papaya, which should all be regular features of your diet.
