The no noes

In the last few blogs I have spoken at length about the things to do to boost the immune system from rebounding to supplements to sunshine and nutrition. Today I will address the no noes and these are Alcohol, Smoking and Drugs. Drugs is no issue with Ranjan and has never been. But the other two are big problems.

When we got married I was the 'boozer'. Ranjan only drank shandies with more club lemonade than beer. But things changed over the years and now his idea of a good life is 2 large whiskies, preferably a Single Malt, a day. But it is said  that alcohol consumption not only blocks nutrient absorption, but also reduces white blood cells in the bloodstream impacting the amount of oxygen that flows throughout the body.[2] It also impairs the function of b-lymphocytes, which produce antibodies to fight off invaders, making you more vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. Oops that is not great news. Doctor P suggested he drinks on special occasions, the Tibetan doctor felt he could have one small drink a week. Now Doctor Anou has still to decide and that is what I am trying to do. After chemo the liver will be working overtime to clear the chemo toxins so it is no point loading it with extra toxins .Alcohol can interfere with the liver's ability to do its job and the patient can suffer. Alcohol does affect the immune system as it produces an overall nutritional deficiency, depriving the body of valuable immune- boosting nutrients. Alcohol, like sugar, consumed in excess can reduce the ability of white cells to kill germs. High doses of alcohol suppress the ability of the white blood cells to multiply, inhibit the action of killer white cells on cancer cells, and lessen the ability of macrophages to produce tumour necrosis factors. So even if you do not have a declared cancer, we still have some cancer cells that the immune system takes care off. Alcohol comes in the way! Most articles on the subject consider moderate drinking safe in healthy people. However Doc Anou truly feels that as things stand now, it would be irresponsible to get back to the daily sun downers.

We all know that no matter how well all therapies have worked better than expected there is some chance alcohol would make any residual cancer grow again and spread. That to my mind this is sufficient to accept the occasional drink option.

Let us look at smoking now. In Ranjan's case it is the cigar. Smoking also makes it more difficult to destroy viruses, bacteria and cancer cells by effecting the antibodies. The chemicals introduced by smoking leads to oxygen depletion, lung damage, susceptibility to illness, and impaired heart rate function and blood pressure. Smoking cessation lowers the risk of cancer recurring or of new cancers developing.  Now we know that Ranjan was given Bleomycin which is known to affect the lungs. I found this comment interesting: If you are receiving bleomycin as part of the treatment of lymphoma, smoking is especially dangerous. Bleomycin by itself has the potential to cause lung damage, and this can be worsened by smoking. Ultimately, this may impact how well you are able to carry out regular exercise or activities and could lead to lung cancer. So here again I would say the occasional cigar. Though there are studies that highlight the bad effects of cigar smoking and even say that smoking these maybe worse than cigarettes. Cigars and pipes differ in design from cigarettes, which are made from tobacco wrapped in thin paper. Cigars are wrapped in tobacco leaves, and unlike cigarettes, they don't typically have filters. In pipes, the tobacco sits in a bowl at the end, and a stem connects the bowl to the mouthpiece.

Need I say more!