Improve and Maintain Your Lifestyle
Especially for a cancer with discouraging survival statistics like mesothelioma, swift lifestyle improvements represent a major step in the course of treatment. If patients continue to undermine their mesothelioma treatment with unhealthy lifestyle choices that continue to hamper their immune systems, like smoking, alcohol consumption and poor dietary habits, positive results might not be seen.
Instead of diminishing the benefits of treatment, many medical professionals today advise patients enhance traditional treatments through a variety of healthy lifestyle changes. Just as patients must adjust their self image after the difficulty of a mesothelioma diagnosis, they must also be prepared to actively seek out and remove negative habits, focusing their energy on ridding their bodies of this disease.
Although a variety of alternative and experimental therapies meant to support traditional forms of medicine exist, such as radical diet alterations, vitamin and herb supplements and ozone therapy, many doctors today feel that some of the most basic changes can provide the best results. These changes can help patients overcome the fatigue brought on by their condition and treatments, overcome stress and achieve a generally higher quality of life. Furthermore, recent research has found that maintaining a healthy level of physical activity while undergoing treatment can help individuals cope with their disease and even extend their lives.
Patients also need to understand that many mesothelioma treatments, like chemotherapy, leave the immune system weakened, putting patients at a heightened risk of infection. To avoid this risk, patients should ensure the cleanliness of their foods by washing their hands before eating or cooking, cleaning fruits and vegetables well, keeping foods at the proper temperatures and not contaminating foods with raw meats and meat juices.
In addition, evidence exists that patients can benefit from a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, which contain cancer-fighting antioxidants. Although little research is available to support the claims, many believe in the value of organic products, which contain no pesticides, genetic modifications, and antibiotics or growth hormones for meat. Medical research also supports the moderate intake of dietary supplements, fiber and soy products.
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