In this episode of Side Eff@¢ks, Tina and Leah talk about poo that just won’t quit—diarrhea. No matter what the cause, this episode offers tips and advice about what you can do to normalize your bowel function.

Nearly every cancer treatment will affect bowel function, so diarrhea is not uncommon. Whether it is chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, immunological, or biological (targeted) therapy (or a combination!) the gut is most likely to be affected. Since rapidly dividing cells line the gastrointestinal tract, the result is often (although not always) loose stool/ diarrhea.

How about after treatment is over?

Having unpredictable/excessive bowel movements can be life-altering, and eventually affect your overall health too. 

Tina and Leah talk about how to sleuth the cause of loose stool. Then, as always, they give you some ideas of how to go about addressing the various causes.  (A review of digestive processes and an intro to this topic was done in the first podcast of this series: Bowel Changes.)

Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

Diarrhea management handout from equalhope.org

Managing chemotherapy-induced diarrhea 

Recipes from Cancer Support Community website

Chemotherapy-Induced Constipation and Diarrhea: Pathophysiology, Current and Emerging Treatments

Charcoal for diarrhea from Irinotecan (CPT-11)

Probiotics for diarrhea from Irinotecan (CPT-11)

An examination of the effect of castor oil packs on constipation in the elderly  (abstract only)

Transdermal absorption of castor oil (it was the Meridian Institute, not Heritage!)

Unofficial Theme Song: L7 Sh*tlist

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Do you have issues with constipation?  If so, today is your lucky day! 

This podcast is all about the sticky business of stuck bowels.  In our first episode of The Return of Side Eff@¢ks, we covered the basics of bowel function and touched on possible bowel issues encountered during treatment.  

In this episode, Tina and Leah talk about constipation from a naturopathic perspective. Whether during treatment or long after treatment has been completed, constipation can hamper your health. Since the movement of your bowels is a functional issue, and these docs have had more conversations about poo than most people, there is bound to be some info in here that's new to you.

So tune in and listen as Tina and Leah review what you can do to help yourself get (or stay!) regular.

Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

8 types of medications that cause constipation

Constipation and treatment for breast cancer (breastcancer.org)

Constipation and chemotherapy (chemocare.com)

Fruit paste and prerry juice recipes

What Is a Squatty Potty? (WebMD)

About Slippery Elm (Memorial Sloan Kettering Herbs Database)

Magnesium powder Leah mentions in this episode

Unofficial Theme Song “Constipated” by Weird Al

Runner Up Unofficial Theme Song “Won’t Eat Prunes Again” by Weird Al

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Cancer treatments can be rough on the gut. The symptoms during and after treatment are no laughing matter (although well-timed potty humor can certainly be therapeutic, don't you think?).

In this episode, Tina and Leah talk poop, that is, about the fundamentals of bowel function with an emphasis on the many ways that cancer treatments can interfere with it.

As naturopathic physicians, Tina and Leah have spent their entire careers talking poop with patients. Why? Because most gut issues have to do with bowel function. Understanding the functions of the various organs involved in your digestion can help you address—and resolve— uncomfortable and unpleasant poop issues.

Get the scoop! This episode is followed by two more in this pod: Episode 24 is about constipation and Episode 25 is about diarrhea.

If you like what you hear, pass it on... 

 Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

Overview of treatment-related constipation

Overview of treatment-related diarrhea

Tracking form and one-page review on diarrhea from ASCO

Special management of diarrhea from immunotherapies (ie, checkpoint inhibitors)

 

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In this episode, Tina and Leah cover what you need to know about folate, otherwise known as vitamin B9 or folic acid. What could be so important about folate that a whole episode is dedicated to it, you ask? Well, there are times when supplementation is needed and other times when it could be detrimental. Companies selling supplements aren’t going to tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but we will.

Plus, there is a lot of misinformation out there on folate/folic acid, and who better to help clear the air? As always, their discussions are related to cancer treatments and aftercare, but there’s plenty of general information to help non-cancer people understand folate better too.  

Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

Vitamin B9/Folate from The Nutrition Source, Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health

Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center: Folate

Folic acid/Folate and Colorectal Cancer: The Paradox

The Role of Niacin/Vitamin B3

Absorption of folate (food) v. Folic acid v. 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF)

The enzyme  “glitch” (MTHFR) explained in plain language

Dhremotherapy Inspired IV Decals for Chemotherapy on Etsy

Check out the video for our "Unofficial Theme Song," DNA by BTS.

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What exactly are omega-3 fatty acids? They are essential, but what does “essential” even mean? Why do we need them? How are they used in our bodies? What foods are the best sources? 

In this episode, Tina and Leah tackle these questions and more. They also discuss the role of omega-3s before, during, and after treatment for cancer. They include a few studies that show particular benefits during conventional cancer treatments and some cautionary notes too.

And , keep an ear out for hot tips and trivial bits, all relevant to omega-3 fatty acids, of course. So sit back (or drive, or walk, or do whatever you do when you are listening to a podcast) and enjoy this latest episode in their series Supplements 101.

Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

Higher Dietary Intake of Alpha-Linolenic Acid May Lower Mortality Risk

Essential Fatty Acids Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University

Structure of a lipid bilayer

Is fish oil bad for LDL cholesterol? 

Increased Plasma Levels of Chemoresistance-Inducing Fatty Acid 16:4(n-3) After Consumption of Fish and Fish Oil JAMA Oncology

DHA-enriched supplement ameliorates cancer-associated systemic inflammatory response via resolvin D1 production: a single institutional study. (resolvins)

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Can Reduce C-Reactive Protein in Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Nutrition and Cancer

Fish Oil Improves Chemotherapy Effects in Lung Cancer Patients Review of study in Natural Medicine Journal

Omega-3 fatty acids are protective against paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropat

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Supplement use during and after cancer treatment is common. But do you really need to take supplements? How do you even begin to prioritize what (if any) supplements are right for you?
 
As naturopathic doctors, Tina and Leah talk about supplements all the time. In this episode, they open up about how they approach their use. Instead of saying, "must do this or that," they talk about how you can prioritize supplements.

And yes, they talk about times when supplements may not be appropriate too. As Kenny Rogers famously put it, "you gotta know when to hold 'em."

They talk pros and they talk cons. By the end of this episode, you will walk away with a better understanding of appropriate supplement use and a framework for their use.

Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

Here are some databases to look up supplements to check for interactions. The databases are always updating information. If something you are looking for is not in the database, it does not mean there is no interaction. Always check with your doctor before adding a supplement to your regimen.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center About Herbs Database (Free)
Natural Medicines Database (Subscription)
Medline Plus Herbs and Supplements medlineplus.gov

Dietary Supplement Use is Prevalent Among Cancer Survivors Medscape, December 2021
Facts About the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) from the FDA
The Effect of Cytochrome P450 Metabolism on Drug Response, Interactions, and Adverse Effects  American Family Physician 2007
Get to Know an Enzyme: CYP3A4 Pharmacy Times
Get to Know an Enzyme: CYP2D6 Pharmacy Times
Get to Know an Enzyme: CYP1A2 Pharmacy Times
Get to Know an Enzyme: CYP2C9 Pharmacy Times

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The third installment of the At the Movies pod is Morgan Spurlock’s Supersize Me. In this 2004 shockumentary, Morgan eats nothing but McDonald’s three times a day for 30 days and assesses the effects it has on his body over that period of time but is this movie exaggerating the facts? And with some problematic and outdated material, can it be shrugged off as “of its time”? You’re going to want to listen to this one to find out what Tina and Leah think!

SPOILER ALERT:

Overall Rating: Tina gave this 🥦🥦🥦/5  and Leah gave it a 🥦🥦/5

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecancerpod)

Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

Teenagers’ Suit Says McDonald’s Made Them Obese (2002), nytimes.com

Here’s the video of McDonald’s not rotting! Okay, it was the fries, not the burgers, but at least we got the movie right! 

Why salads may not return to McDonald’s menu

McDonald’s nutrition calculator

Why the Supersized menu disappeared, according to Mashed

McDonald’s 1955 vs. 2015

McDonald’s cup sizes around the world

The Untold Story of Baskin Robbins (vegnews.com)

USDA National School Lunch Program

Case Study: Appleton Central Alternative Charter High School’s Nutrition and Wellness Program

Physical Health, Wellness and Nutrition Program - Appleton Area School District

Neal Barnard, MD

Marion Nestle (no relation to the corporation)

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It’s a new episode of The Cancer Pod podcast and we’re still at the movies. This week we discuss In Defense of Food, a 2015 documentary that tries to answer the question, what can I eat to eat healthy? 

The documentary is based on a 2008 book by Michael Pollan, who also has written other best-sellers like The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire.

Click here for the Unofficial Theme Song for this pod. It’s the song that’s played over the final credits in What the Health (E17 At the Movies), and, in our opinion, it was the best part of that shockumentary.

SPOILER ALERT

Overall Rating (out of 5🥦): Tina 🥦🥦🥦🥦🥦; Leah 🥦🥦🥦🥦 1/2 
Legit Evidence (out of 5🔬): Tina 🔬🔬🔬🔬; Leah 🔬🔬🔬

Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

Prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States (2017-2018), cdc.gov

Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity Among Children and Adolescents Aged 2–19 Years: United States, 1963–1965 Through 2017–2018, cdc.gov

Clinical growth charts

Prevalence of self-reported obesity among U.S. Adults by state and territory, cdc.gov

Foods from subsidized commodities tied to obesity

Association of Higher Consumption of Foods Derived From Subsidized Commodities With Adverse Cardiometabolic Risk Among US Adults, JAMA

Association of Specific Dietary Fats With Total and Cause-Specific Mortality, JAMA

Schlitz Vitamin D Beer, Wisconsin Historical Society

Susan Allport, author of The Queen of Fats

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To vegan or not to vegan? The 2017 movie What the Health? presents its case for adopting an animal-free diet, but does the science the filmmakers cite support their claims? 

In the latest pod, Tina and Leah go to the movies and review the first of three food-related films, separating the wheat from the chaff, fact from fiction.

Whether you’ve already seen the movie or not, you will want to hear their take!

Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:

Definition and History of Veganism The Vegan Society

IARC Definition of Group 1 Carcinogens (scroll to page 2)

Known and Probable Carcinogens cancer.org

Cancer: Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat

The Sweet Danger of Sugar Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School

Intakes of meat, fish, poultry, and eggs and risk of prostate cancer progression DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28474

Are Eggs Risky for Heart Health? Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School

How It's Made: Cholesterol Production in Your Body Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School

What is cholesterol? Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Dairy and Breast Cancer Risk Study from 2013

A Study Suggests Milk Increases the Risk of Breast Cancer, but AICR Experts Say Not So Fast March 2020, aicr.org

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Chemo brain, brain farts, brain fog, cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI)… no matter what you call it, it is a debilitating side effect that may persist for months or years after treatment ends. CRCI is more than just forgetting why you walked into a room or where you left your keys. You may find yourself struggling to remember a simple word or having a hard time concentrating on a single subject and don’t even mention multitasking!

In this last episode of the year, Dr. Tina Kaczor and Dr. Leah Sherman review the possible causes of CRCI and discuss ways that you can improve brain function. Neural plasticity, which is the ability to create new neural networks at ANY AGE, means that you have the potential for bettering brain function no matter what age you are. As always, you’ll learn a little, laugh a little, and by the end you will have ideas of how to optimize your own health. Thanks for listening!

Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff (Find even more on our Pinterest page!):

Brain Cloudy Blues - Merle Haggard

MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) this is posted for informational purposes only, for accurate assessment please be evaluated by a healthcare professional

Ask the Experts: Understanding and Coping with Breast Cancer-related Cognitive Changes video Breast Cancer Resource Center

Measurement, outcomes and interventions of cognitive function after breast cancer treatment: A narrative review https://doi.org/10.1111/ajco.13484

An update on cancer- and chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction: current status DOI: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2011.03.014

Acetyl L-Carnitine may increase neuropathy in patients receiving paclitaxel

Brain Facts: A Primer on the Brain and Nervous System

Functional and Structural Connectome Features for Machine Learning Chemo-Brain Prediction in Women Treated for Br

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