Life Over Cancer Blog

Ask Dr. Block: Reishi, Spirulina & Chlorella

Can a patient take reishi together with spirulina and chlorella? Is there potentially harmful interaction between the three supplements?

No, there is no evidence of a harmful interaction. According to Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, none of these supplements is likely to interact with other herbal medicines. However, it is important to note that each of these compounds have immune stimulating properties, relating to different aspects of immune defense. In theory, someone who has an autoimmune disease, or who is taking immunosuppressant drugs, using all three together could potentially upregulate immune activation and thus, might be problematic.

For more information on The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, visit BlockMD.com.

Cost Effectiveness & Integrative Medicine

Keith Block M.D. 

With all the time, effort, heated debates, and battles that have taken place to date on health care, the discussion has been limited to reforming health care economics but has not been focused on reforming health care itself.

As the effort to revise the US health care system unfolds, it is imperative that we evaluate and implement integrative strategies that will yield genuine and substantial cost savings while having a favorable impact on patient care.

Integrative treatments have the potential to reduce health care costs in a remarkable number of ways—from providing effective approaches for prevention to relieving treatment consequences. For instance, integrative lifestyle counseling may reduce the need for certain prescriptive medications, shrinking not only the initial costs for these drugs but ultimately the number of adverse drug reactions.

Complex Carbohydrates

Question:

Quite a number of cancer-related newsletters I receive suggest eliminating grains because they convert to sugar so quickly. You are a big advocate of whole grains on a daily basis. Why are you not concerned about the insulin effect of grains?

Thank you 

Our Response:

Facebook Question: Fish Oil & Prostate Cancer

We received the question below following our recent series discussing fish oil and prostate cancer.

Question: 

Thank you for addressing this sensationalized issue. But I am still confused. The study only revealed a correlation with DHA and not with EPA. Yet the amount DHA in the bloodstream can be elevated just by following a low-fat diet - without eating any fish or taking any fish oil supplements at all. Reference here (Raatz, SK et al.  Total fat intake modifies plasma fatty acid composition in humans.  Journal of Nutrition 2001; 131:231-234).

Our Response: 

Baked Bulgar Melody

Coconut Oil & Coconut Milk

Coconut oil has been in the news again, prompting several inquiries from people wanting to know if we recommend its use to our patients.  At the Block Center, we actually recommend limiting its use, and here’s why:  On the positive side, coconut oil is about 75% medium chain triglycerides (MCT), thought to have unique properties that may be somewhat beneficial.  For one, they are more easily digested than other fats, and are absorbed intact and delivered directly to the liver to be used as energy.  On the negative side, the remaining 25% are long chain fats and mostly saturated fat, similar to what you find in animal products.  It’s this 25% that we’re concerned about for our patients, and why we advise it be used only occasionally.  We recommend coconut oil primarily for patients who need a concentrated calorie source, and in these cases, we suggest distilled MCT oil, because the undesirable long chain fats have been removed.

The Impact of Diet and Lifestyle on the Risk of Aggressive Prostate Cancer

This week’s 3-part blog detailed a recent, widely publicized study that suggested that fish and fish oil consumption caused aggressive prostate cancer. We pointed out several flaws in the study’s methodology that undermined this conclusion, and Dr. Block provided his recommendations for fish/fish oil, not only in light of this study, but in the context of other relevant research.  

Today’s blog will discuss a new prostate cancer study that shows a very different diet/lifestyle connection to aggressive prostate cancer than the study we reference above suggested.  The results may surprise you! (although they didn’t surprise us here at the Block Center!) 

Poached Peppercorn Salmon | Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients: 

1 small onion, sliced

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 bay leaves

6 whole black peppercorns

1/2 cup vegetable broth

6 salmon fillets (4 ounces each)

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In a 10-inch skillet, combine onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, and broth. You may need to add more broth or water to come 1 inch up side of skillet.
2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper; place in skillet. Cover; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand until fillets are opaque, 8 to 12 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.

Bonus recipe – If you have any leftover dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, or collards, coarsely chop the leaves and place them in your hot skillet with the broth after you’ve removed the salmon.  Let them steam until wilted, about 10 minutes.  Serve as a side dish with your salmon.

For more information on The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, call (847) 230-9107 or visit BlockMD.com.

A Closer Look at Fish Oil and Prostate Cancer – Part 3

In two previous blog posts I reviewed the current controversy about the study by Thomas Brasky and colleagues, who found that men with high-grade prostate cancer had slightly higher levels of the fish-based omega-3s, EPA and DHA.  As I noted, this is a study with many flaws and limitations, which restricts its credibility.  In addition, I’ve detailed other variables that may explain the study’s findings – cooking the fish at very high temperatures, which can generate mutagenic compounds, the tendency of both DHA and EPA to get oxidized (go rancid), and the potential that the fish/fish oil had mercury contamination. 

So, what can men concerned about preventing prostate cancer do based on the results of these studies? And what do these studies say to men who already have prostate cancer?

A Closer Look at Fish Oil and Prostate Cancer – Part 2

Yesterday’s blog post looked at the study by Thomas Brasky and colleagues, which suggested that men who had high-grade prostate cancer had slightly higher blood levels of the omega-3 molecules from fish, EPA and DHA.  Based on this result, the authors cautioned men about using fish oil or eating fish.  I reviewed the quite substantive criticisms of the article, but also mentioned that looking into the background of this study uncovered some other potentially useful insights about fish and prostate cancer.  My staff and I also examined the literature in this area and came across some surprising findings from other studies.