Diet in cancer

Diet is one of the fundamental pillars of good health, strong immunity and overall fitness in the concept of traditional Chinese medicine. Improper diet can be responsible for up to 20% of various health problems. And I don't just mean the composition of the diet, but also the way we process, prepare and consume food. The physician Jiang Chao, in his work on applied dietetics, writes: "He who can cultivate his nature eats only after he has become hungry, and yet does not eat enough; drinks only after he has become thirsty, and yet does not drink too much; eats more often and little rather than all at once and much. Thus in satiation there is also hunger, and in hunger there is also satiation."

As in other areas of our lives, Chinese medicine recommends the principle of proportionality in eating. Any extreme is wrong. If we eat too little, our Spleen (in the words of Western medicine, our digestive system) will not have enough energy to produce Qi and blood, which is the fuel for our body, and we will languish. Initially, we will be tired and gradually develop various disharmonies stemming from the so-called deficiency. If we overeat, we will overwhelm the Spleen and weaken its function of transforming food. Our digestion will slow down, the body will not produce enough Qi and blood energy, and again our body will languish. In addition, a weakened Spleen produces too much so-called pathological dampness, which tends to settle in the body. It manifests as fatness, swelling or gynecological discharges. It is also the cause of mucus production. And not only the obvious ones, which we sniff or cough up, but also the hidden ones, which cause the formation of "plugs" that prevent the free flow of Qi energy. Which in turn leads to e.g. headaches, dizziness or various asymmetrical problems and, if the energy is strongly blocked, even to cancer. And here I would like to stop.

So what will make us stronger:

• Eat foods that make you feel good
• Eat good quality real food
• eat food that has not been chemically modified
• eat a varied diet, don't eat the same foods all the time
• eat simply
• eat regularly (optimally 3 times a day, always at the same time)
• Eat according to the season, i.e. in winter rather warm and nutritious foods, in summer rather light and fresh foods
• vegetable and fruit intake is very important - in general vegetables should be cooked rather than raw, but it depends on the patient's specific condition and the season
• if you are of a cold constitution (paleness, cold extremities, general chills), eat warm foods and avoid cold foods (raw fruit and vegetables, foods from the fridge, etc.); if you are of a hot constitution (you are often warm, sweat easily and blush), you can include fresh foods in your diet
• Eat lightly, rather half-full, do not overeat, overeating overwhelms the Spleen and thus deprives it of energy, it works inefficiently
• if you are significantly overweight, eat up to 70% full, if you tend to be underweight, eat enough
• at mealtimes, concentrate only on eating
• eat slowly and chew each bite well, the Spleen will not have to expend as much energy on digestion
• most foods should be of the Qing Dan type. Qing Dan are foods that are easy to digest and not too strong in taste, a typical example is rice, then cereal grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes. These are good sources for Qi production, they are energetically hearty, yet do not burden the digestion as much, i.e., they do not impair the function of the Spleen to produce energy and blood (fuel for our body). The opposite of Qing Dan type foods are Wei foods, which are foods that are strong in taste. These should only lightly complement and flavor the food. Examples are meat, fish, oil, fat, spices, dairy products, eggs, salt, vinegar, fermented foods or sugar.
• Drink enough water or weak tea ideally - plenty of fluids helps to eliminate waste and toxic substances from the body (an adult should drink 1.5-2 litres of water a day, but other factors also matter)
• eat with your heart, enjoy eating, savour every bite - perhaps this is the most important advice

Everything must flow...

The above also applies to the second point. That everything in the body must flow freely. By weakening the Spleen, we can create blockages in digestion. If the Spleen Qi is weak, the metabolism slows down, food starts to stagnate in the digestive tract and create blockages (manifested by bloating, constipation, etc.). If we eat a lot of cold foods (like vegetable salads every day), the cold will also slow down the flow of Qi and blockages in the Qi flow can occur. Even in the first year of Chinese medicine, students learn the lesson that one blockage in the body can cause other blockages. I see this very often in practice. With an appropriate diet we are able to achieve a free flow of Qi and with an inappropriate diet we are able to slow down or even block this Qi.

It should be emphasized that emotions and stress have a greater influence on the formation of blockages in the Qi pathways. Emotions that are excessive or repressed. So food is important, but our emotional state has a much greater influence on the formation of blockages. In all the women who came to me with breast cancer, stagnation of liver Qi could be traced in the etiology. That's why it's very important to try to keep emotions at bay at all costs. Avoid stress, learn to work with it. But beware, suppressing emotions is often more dangerous and it is also a more common cause of blockages.

And the most important advice in the end. Maintain good relationships with the people around you. Forgive those who have hurt you. Make peace with them. Show love to your fellow man at all times. That may be the best medicine of all.