Nutrition support for cancer diagnosis & recovery

About

At the London Clinic of Nutrition we adopt an integrative approach to supporting clients with cancer.  Our practitioners look at the whole body, not simply the cancer, and work with clients to educate and empower them to make healthy choices to support their health. We aim to improve quality of life and treatment outcome and support clients through their journey by managing side effects and supporting them emotionally and physically.

1 in 2 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. There are more than 200 different types of cancer, and each is diagnosed and treated in a particular way.

Our practitioners work collaboratively with their clients to gain as much understanding as much as possible about their circumstances, treating the client as a unique individual, not by their diagnosis, and work together to provide a tailored pathway to better manage their health and well-being.  

Our approach to supporting clients with Cancer

At the London Clinic of Nutrition we aim to help our clients to feel heard and supported and to regain control through nutrition, self-care and lifestyle changes whilst helping them to navigate through the enormous amount of challenges that can be caused when living with cancer. Our practitioners work with clients to support the immune system, reduce fatigue & improve mood and stress levels. By discovering what nourishes and what depletes the body, we work with clients to provide them with nourishing foods and recommend positive lifestyle behaviours with the aim of supporting them through their treatment and beyond.  Whilst there are never any guarantees, scientific evidence illustrates that taking charge of our diet and lifestyle can help to improve our overall health and wellbeing, even after a cancer diagnosis. 

Functional medicine 

At the London Clinic of Nutrition, our practitioners adopt a functional medicine approach which takes a multi-faceted view to supporting cancer, first understanding the underlying causes that might of led to the diagnosis. Central to the practice of functional medicine is an examination of the core clinical imbalances that underlie various disease conditions. Those imbalances arise as environmental inputs such as diet, nutrients (including air and water), exercise, and trauma processed by body, mind, and spirit through a unique set of genetic predispositions, attitudes, and beliefs.

Functional medicine focuses on functionality at many levels, rather than a single treatment for a single diagnosis. Functional medicine uses the clients individual story as a key tool for integrating diagnosis, signs and symptoms, and evidence of clinical imbalances into a comprehensive approach to improve both the clients environmental inputs and his or her physiological function.

Our practitioners work closely with clients to address the root causes, identifying the conditions in which certain diseases thrive and allowing us to understand how to begin changing those conditions and improving the clients quality of life.

Nutrition support for cancer diagnosis & recovery

After a cancer diagnosis, many people find making the decision to follow a healthy, balanced diet helps give them back a sense of control. The gut plays an integral role in the immune system, and that’s why the gut microbiome is so important. For example, alkalising agents have been shown to slow the growth of tumours. The Chlorophyll in green vegetables supports alkalising and the consumption of fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of cancer developing as well as improve overall health. Certain minerals such as zinc and selenium can also support the immune system and promote better gut health.

Changes to the diet for an individual is likely to have several effects including reducing inflammation, promoting cancer cell death and preventing cancer from spreading.

After cancer treatment, some people also have a higher risk of other health problems, including diabetes, heart disease or osteoporosis (bone thinning). As a result, our practitioners can test  nutrition levels to check for levels of micronutrients like Vitamin D, Zinc and Selenium. These are all necessary for a healthy and functioning immune system. Certain deficiencies can be readily corrected with dietary changes. supplements and other treatment therapies. 

Detoxification

Detoxification is becoming increasingly important to support clients with cancer and to prevent cancer. What is different today is the vastly increased number of toxins, the level of toxicity, and the frequency of exposure combined with poor nutritional and lifestyle choices that contribute to the accumulation of a larger number of toxins in higher concentrations in our bodies.

In the modern world we are exposed to thousands of toxins in our environment. We ingest, inhale and absorb toxins in drinking water, air, food supply, cosmetics and home pesticides. Some of these toxic chemicals resist metabolism and excretion and accumulate in body tissues, defined as a ‘body burden’. These chemicals can dramatically influence our digestive health, immunity, hormones and brain function.

At the London Clinic of Nutrition we use advanced testing to determine the toxic burden of your body. Toxins can be safely removed by a number therapies, treatments, supplements, and dietary changes. 

Stress

What is important for clients is that the reduction of stress may very well improve chances for recovery, improve quality of life, and provide an opportunity for greater participation in total treatment. Stress reduction and resolving emotional conflicts becomes extremely important with cancer. Chronic stress can increase pro-inflammatory cytokines, lower antioxidant levels, reduce natural killer cells (white blood cells), negatively affect insulin sensitivity (blood sugar balance), and adversely impact genetic expression.

Insomnia in cancer patients often occurs in combination with stress, depression, or anxiety. Sleep disturbances are also linked to the hormones, cortisol (stress hormone) and melatonin. When those hormone levels are abnormal, they may suppress the immune system and limit the body's ability to fight cancer.

By altering our attitudes and tension-producing habits, clients can experience numerous benefits linked to their health. As part of our support, practitioners will share effective tailored solutions to reduce stress levels, and improve overall well-being.

IV Nutrient Therapy

We offer a range of Intravenous nutrient therapy, or IV therapy, that can help support and boost the immune system, these will be recommended on an individual basis by our nutritionist specialising in oncology.  

Schedule an appointment in our London clinic, or via an online consultation

If you would like to discuss our functional medicine approach to working with cancer patients further, please contact the clinic or book an appointment on 020 3332 0030.

We are committed to helping you better manage your health and well-being, book a consultation today.