Recently Diagnosed or Relapsed? Stop Looking For a Miracle Cure, and Use Evidence-Based Therapies To Enhance Your Treatment and Prolong Your Remission
Multiple Myeloma an incurable disease, but I have spent the last 25 years in remission using a blend of conventional oncology and evidence-based nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies from peer-reviewed studies that your oncologist probably hasn't told you about.
Click the orange button to the right to learn more about what you can start doing today.
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Chemo brain Prevention in Myeloma
Chemo brain prevention for myeloma patients? Meaning, take steps to prevent chemo brain before the patient undergoes chemotherapy.
The first study linked below proves the relationship between the gut microbiome and chemotherapy. In essence, the meta analysis proves that chemotherapy negatively affects the gut microbiome which then opens the cancer patient up to an increase in adverse events.
The second study linked below takes the idea of the negative influence of chemotherapy on the gut microbiome and applies it to a specific side effect- chemotherapy-induced cognitive dysfunction.
Yes, the study focuses on breast cancer but I have to believe that the issues are chemotherapy, the gut microbiome and chemo brain prevention in myeloma- not the specific type of cancer in question.
What therapies are available to the cancer patient who has chemo brain?
1. Cognitive Rehabilitation
- Cognitive Training: Exercises and activities designed to improve memory, attention, and problem-solving skills.
- Occupational Therapy: Therapists help patients develop strategies to cope with daily tasks and improve cognitive function.
2. Pharmacological Interventions
- Stimulants: Medications like methylphenidate (Ritalin) and modafinil (Provigil) can help improve attention and focus.
- Cholinesterase Inhibitors: Drugs such as donepezil (Aricept) may be used to enhance cognitive function.
3. Non-Pharmacological Approaches
- Physical Exercise: Regular aerobic exercise can improve cognitive function and overall brain health.
- Mindfulness and Meditation: Practices like yoga and meditation can help reduce stress and improve mental clarity.
- Healthy Diet: Eating a balanced diet rich in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and other brain-healthy nutrients.
- Brain Games- I play brain games supplied by BrainHQ each day-
4. Psychological Support
- Counseling and Support Groups: Talking to a therapist or joining support groups can help patients cope with the emotional aspects of cognitive changes.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This can help patients develop coping strategies for dealing with cognitive impairments.
5. Lifestyle Modifications
- Routine and Structure: Keeping a regular schedule and using planners or digital reminders can help manage daily tasks.
- Sleep Hygiene: Ensuring good sleep quality can significantly impact cognitive function.
6. Assistive Devices and Technologies
- Memory Aids: Using notebooks, calendars, and smartphone apps to keep track of important information.
- Speech and Language Therapy: For those experiencing difficulties with communication.
7. Research and Experimental Therapies
- Clinical Trials: Participating in research studies exploring new treatments and interventions for chemo brain.
A growing number of studies document the importance of therapies before undergoing chemotherapy as a therapy to prevent or reduce the risk of a host of side effects.
Can therapy before chemo prevent:
- Chemo brain-
- Chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy-
- General Side Effects-
I am a long-term MM survivor who has struggled with my own chemo brain. My brain function is much better bow (dx in early ’94) but I sure wish I knew about the impact that my chemotherapy would have on my gut microbiome and what I could do about it.
man hand holding his nutritional supplemets, healthy lifestyle background.
I have to also put in a plug for nutrition, nutritional supplementation and lifestyle therapies shown to reduce or even prevent chemo brain. Again, I wish I knew then what I know now.
If you are interested in learning more about MM, email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com
Thank you,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Emerging Evidence of the Gut Microbiome in Chemotherapy: A Clinical Review
“Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiome is associated with both cancer chemotherapy (CTX) outcomes and adverse events (AEs). This review examines the relationship between the gut microbiome and CTX as well as the impact of CTX on the gut microbiome. A literature search was conducted in electronic databases Medline, PubMed and ScienceDirect, with searches for “cancer” and “chemotherapy” and “microbiome/microbiota”…
Discussion
The significance of the current review is that we not only assessed literature examining the relationship between the gut microbiome and CTX outcomes and AEs, but also the impact of CTX on the gut microbiome during treatment.
Previous reviews examined the association between the gut microbiome and cancer survivors using limited clinical trials and attempted to elucidate the mechanisms of pathogenesis of cancer with preclinical studies (40, 41).
Of seventeen studies reviewed, we found that three studies assessed the relationship between the gut microbiome and CTX outcomes (respondent vs non respondent, PFS, OS and weight gain) with faecal samples collected prior to CTX (23–25), whereas four other studies assessed the relationship between the gut microbiome and CTX outcomes (diarrhea, FCR, low dosage vs conventional dosage, surgery vs surgery plus CTX) with faecal samples collected either after CTX or in patients with a history of CTX (36) (37–39).
In addition to evaluating these relationships, in ten other prospective studies, faecal samples were collected multiple times during CTX, and examined the impact of CTX on the gut microbiome which provided valuable insight into the importance of the gut microbiome in cancer survivors (26–35).
The findings of the current review regarding the association between the gut microbiome and CTX-related AEs and treatment outcomes are consistent with previous reviews (19, 40, 41)..”
Chemotherapy-induced gut microbiome disruption, inflammation, and cognitive decline in female patients with breast cancer
“Highlights
- Chemotherapy induces microbiome disruption, inflammation, and cognitive decline.
- The resulting microbiome disruption relates to cognitive decline and inflammation.
- Those cognitively impaired have unique chemotherapy-induced microbiome alterations.
Chemotherapy is notorious for causing behavioral side effects (e.g., cognitive decline). Notably, the gut microbiome has recently been reported to communicate with the brain to affect behavior, including cognition.
Thus, the aim of this clinical longitudinal observational study was to determine whether chemotherapy-induced disruption of the gut microbial community structure relates to cognitive decline and circulating inflammatory signals.
- Fecal samples,
- blood, and
- cognitive measures
were collected from 77 patients with breast cancer before, during, and after chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy altered the gut microbiome community structure and increased circulating TNF-α.
Both the chemotherapy-induced changes in microbial relative abundance and decreased microbial diversity were related to elevated circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6.
Participants reported subjective cognitive decline during chemotherapy, which was not related to changes in the gut microbiome or inflammatory markers. In contrast, a decrease in overall objective cognition was related to a decrease in microbial diversity, independent of circulating cytokines.
Stratification of subjects, via a reliable change index based on 4 objective cognitive tests, identified objective cognitive decline in 35% of the subjects.
Based on a differential microbial abundance analysis, those characterized by cognitive decline had unique taxonomic shifts
- Faecalibacterium,
- Bacteroides,
- Fusicatenibacter,
- Erysipelotrichaceae UCG-003,
- and Subdoligranulum)
over chemotherapy treatment compared to those without cognitive decline. Taken together, gut microbiome change was associated with cognitive decline during chemotherapy, independent of chemotherapy-induced inflammation.
These results suggest that microbiome-related strategies may be useful for predicting and preventing behavioral side effects of chemotherapy…”