HOW TO CRUSH IT THROUGH CHEMO

Let’s face it, the thought of chemotherapy is completely terrifying.  Most of us have seen someone going through chemo, either in real life or in a movie, and it does NOT look fun.  It involves nausea, weakness, fatigue, hair loss, time in bed and so much more. NO ONE wants to go through chemo.  I most certainly didn’t. In fact, the idea of pumping my veins full of toxic chemotherapy went against everything I believed. I resisted it, I cried about it, I argued with my doctor and my family about it. BUT, as a 40-year-old mom of two,  I knew I needed to do absolutely everything in my power to beat this disease, and that {unfortunately} included chemotherapy. So, when I decided that I couldn’t avoid it, I also decided that I was going to do everything I could to help support my body through that onslaught of chemicals, and hopefully, would experience less of the awful side effects.  And, you know what?? It worked!

I am not going to sit here and tell you that chemotherapy is walk in the park.  It isn’t. I am also not going to tell you that, if you follow this list of tips, you will escape chemotherapy treatment side-effect-free.  You won’t. Chemo sucks. BUT, it doesn’t HAVE to suck quite as much as we might expect it to. I was TERRIFIED of it. Absolutely terrified.  But, because I decided to do so many healthy things to support my body through that time, I actually experienced very few side effects. Of course, there were times I didn’t feel 100% amazing, but for the most part, I felt pretty darn good!  I did not experience any nausea at all, I did not experience any long lasting fatigue, and for the most part, was able to carry on with my regular life all throughout my 5 months of treatment. I am a mom (ie chauffeur), a fitness instructor, and have a full time “day job.”  Guess what?? I was able to keep doing all of those things during treatment! Yep, I even kept teaching fitness classes! Sure, I took a few days off after each treatment to allow my body to rest and process the chemo, but then I was right back at it.

People ask me all the time how I was able to do this, so I thought it would be a great idea to put together a list of the things that helped me to feel pretty darn amazing during my chemo treatment.  

KETONES

Several months before my diagnosis, I began using an exogenous ketone supplement.  I had been hearing a lot about the benefits of ketones, and decided to give them a try.  I did a lot of research, and settled on the highest quality ketones I could get my hands on, and then gave them a try.  The benefits of therapeutic ketones are pretty amazing…increased energy, better sleep, mental clarity, and fat loss, to name a few.  I fell in love with them pretty quickly, and they became part of my daily routine.

Then, along came cancer.  

I was already experiencing such great benefits from the exogenous ketones, so I continued drinking them after my diagnosis.  And then I heard a podcast that talked about how ketones can actually help fight cancer, and decided I should probably up my ketone game a bit.  I also learned that ketones can help to protect healthy cells from free radical damage, and since chemo is so damaging, I figured that even more ketones would probably be a good idea. I will be adding a more detailed article on the overall benefits of ketones a little later, but for now, I’d like to emphasize how they made me FEEL SO MUCH BETTER during my chemo treatment.  While going through chemo, I decided to take two packets of ketones per day, and I am absolutely certain that they had a huge effect on my energy level during that time. They helped to protect my healthy cells from the damaging treatment, they helped to keep my energy up, they helped with my mood and my sleep, and helped me to feel pretty darn great, despite the crazy chemo drugs that were being pumped through my system.  I highly recommend these pure, therapeutic ketones from Pruvit.  They are the most bioavailable ketones on the market, and are an absolutely non-negotiable part of my daily routine.

GREENS

When it comes to greens, cancer and cancer treatment, you literally can’t go wrong.  You need to consume greens like they’re going out of style. Seriously, get them into your body in as many ways as possible.  Not only do they contain powerful anti-cancer compounds, but they are loaded with antioxidants and can help you keep your white and red blood cell counts up, as well as give you extra energy.  So, load up on your greens!

• Wheatgrass (juice and tablets) – drink wheatgrass as often as possible, and if it is not possible, take wheatgrass tablets, or both!!  These are the wheatgrass tablets I take every day.
• Green juice powder – this is the easiest way to get a lot of greens into your system.  I drink this green juice powder EVERY DAY.
• Spirulina – this helps your liver to eliminate toxins, and is a great source of iron.  Red blood cells tend to reduce greatly during chemo, which leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.  Greens, especially spirulina, can help to keep iron levels and red blood cell counts up.  
• Leafy greens – load them up in salads, blend them in smoothies, eat them however you can…just eat them!
• Cruciferous veggies – broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower (I know…this one’s not green, but you should eat it anyway!)
• Celery juice – if you want to know more about this magical elixir, check out my blog on the benefits of celery juice.  I drank this EVERY morning during chemo (still do!), and I am positive it helped to keep me feeling good and full of energy.

VITAMIN C

You need to get as much Vitamin C as possible.  Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to have anti-cancer benefits, and can help to mitigate the effects of chemotherapy.  I am going to tell you a little bit about how I used Vitamin C to help me through my chemotherapy, but I urge you to spend some time doing your own research on this.  Fair warning…you may get a little pushback from your oncologist about this, but I don’t want you to write it off before you look further into it and make your own, educated decision.  There is MOUNDS of evidence that shows how high doses of Vitamin C can shrink tumors and kill cancer cells. There is also tons of evidence to show that high doses of Vitamin C can greatly mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy.  I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that my high dose Vitamin C IV therapy practically WIPED OUT any chemo side effects I experienced.

Shortly after beginning chemotherapy, I decided to try a Vitamin C IV infusion.  I got mine at a place called the Hydration Room (google Vitamin C IV therapy near you, or visit an integrative or holistic doctor who can administer or recommend a place to receive this) , where you can get IVs for various reasons (cold and flu, migraines, heck, even hangovers!).  At first, I was only able to get 10 g of Vitamin C, but once I had a blood test to make sure my body was able to metabolize larger amounts of Vitamin C, I increased the dose to 50 g. I played around with the timing of the IV infusion after my chemo, and by my last two treatments, I had it dialed in perfectly.  For me, receiving the Vitamin C infusion on the morning of the second day after chemo meant that I could pretty much skip most of the chemo side effects! Chemo has a cumulative effect, which means that the side effects get progressively worse after each treatment. But not for me!! Believe it or not, I actually felt like the last two treatments were the easiest, and I absolutely credit the Vitamin C IV for this!  It truly was a lifesaver.

DETOX BATHSThis is actually a pretty easy one! Chemotherapy drugs are toxins that needs to be processed and eliminated by your body.  Once they have gone in there and done their job on those pesky cancer cells, you want to help your body detox it from your system.  A detox bath is a great way to do this. Plus, baths feel amazing when you aren’t feeling 100%, so this is actually something you can look forward to in the days after each treatment.  Prep a hot bath, add a couple cups of epsom salt, ¼ cup of baking soda, and about 10-15 drops of essential oils. I used lavender, frankincense and rosemary. This will help to pull the toxins out of your system and will have you feeling better faster.  They also make CBD bath bombs (I love the ones from Soul CBD because I know I can trust the quality), which were a really nice addition to the bath!

CBD OIL

Speaking of CBD…CBD oil is another one of those things that has a ton of anti-cancer benefits, which I will be writing a lot more about very soon.  But for now, I want to talk about how it helps during chemo. CBD oil is great in general…it has anti-inflammatory properties, anti-anxiety properties, helps with sleep and can help ease nausea.  Chemo can throw your entire system out of whack, and CBD oil can help bring it back to a place of balance. If you do experience nausea, CBD can definitely help. If you experience chemo related insomnia (which can happen!), CBD can help.  If you find yourself moody or grumpy in the days after chemo (yep, that can happen too!), CBD can help. It can also help calm your nerves and keep you feeling even keeled and ready for battle. I recommend buying a very high quality CBD oil, and make sure that it is organic.  You don’t want to be adding any more toxins to your body! Start with the smallest recommended dose, and quickly work your way up. There are so many benefits of CBD, so don’t be shy! I love this CBD oil from Soul CBD because it’s certified organic and non-GMO, and is also 3rd party lab tested and verified. Quality matters!

WARRIOR UP

I realize this one might sound a little hokey, but for ME, it actually helped me out a LOT, and was a super important part of my “treatment day routine.”  Selecting my chemo outfit was a big part of gearing me up mentally for what was about to come. I loved wearing things that made me feel fierce, strong, and like a warrior.  I received some of these things as gifts, and made my own hats that reflected how I wanted to feel that day. They made me feel strong, and reminded me that I was a WARRIOR as I went to the front lines of my battle with breast cancer.  Wearing fun, empowering shirts, hats and jewelry was an important part of the process for me, so I decided to start my own line of “Warrior Wear” that would not only help to give others strength, hope and a little bad a$$ery on their own journey, but also help to raise money for cancer research.  If you are going through this battle, you are a warrior, so you might as well dress like one!!

I hope this list helps to bring you (or your loved one) some much needed comfort during your (their) chemo treatment journey. It isn’t something ANYONE wants to experience, but there ARE things you can do to make it a little bit better.   Stay strong, my warrior friend. YOU GOT THIS!

XO,
Malea

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