#66 Five Easy Ways to Reduce Inflammation

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Inflammation is often dubbed the silent culprit behind cancer and numerous chronic diseases, ranging from heart disease to diabetes. If you're a survivor, you might have felt the residual inflammation post-treatment, manifesting as joint pain, digestive issues, and other persistent side effects.

But, combating inflammation doesn't require expensive solutions or fancy gadgets. Simple lifestyle tweaks can substantially mitigate inflammation, foster healing, and reduce the risk of potential chronic ailments.

In this episode, we'll highlight five actionable steps to counter inflammation. Additionally, we'll delve into three readily available, cost-effective botanicals backed by promising research, showcasing their potent anti-inflammatory and health-boosting properties.


Resources:

Integrative Oncology: A Healthier Way to Fight Cancer

Berberine reverses lapatinib resistance of HER2-positive breast cancer cells by increasing the level of ROS

Synergistic chemopreventive effects of curcumin and berberine on human breast cancer cells through induction of apoptosis and autophagic cell death

Berberine in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis
What Is Boswellia?

Clinical evaluation of safety and efficacy of Boswellia-based cream for prevention of adjuvant radiotherapy skin damage in mammary carcinoma: a randomized placebo controlled trial.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center About Herbs App

Memorial Sloan Kettering About Herbs website

Effect of bromelain (Ananase) on human platelet aggregation

Effect of bromelain on kaolin-induced inflammation in rats.

 


 

Read the full transcript:

 

 

0:01
This is Laura Lummer, the breast cancer recovery coach. I'm a healthy lifestyle coach, a clinical Ayurveda specialist, a personal trainer, and I'm also a breast cancer survivor. In this podcast, we talk about healthy thinking and mindfulness practices, eating well, moving your body for health and longevity. And we'll also hear from other breast cancer survivors who have reengaged with life, and have incredible stories to share. This podcast is your go to resource for getting back to life after breast cancer.

0:38
Welcome to a breast cancer recovery coach. I'm your host, Laura Lummer. And thank you so much for showing up today and listening to the breast cancer recovery coach podcast. Before I get into the show today, I want to share a little story with you. So I am a certified personal trainer, yoga teacher health coach. And in order to maintain these certifications, I have to do a certain amount of continuing education credits, which I absolutely love doing because I'm constantly getting to learn something new. So currently, I'm working on a new certification as a part of that continuing education through the cancer exercise training institute. And the certification as a cancer exercise specialist, which I already feel kind of like I am a cancer exercise specialist Been there done that. But to earn the certification, I'm reading through, you know, watching videos, reading through the guides, and I'm sorting through hundreds of pages on all different types of cancers, their treatments, their side effects, I'm watching the videos of the scars and the disfigurements and what the surgeries effect and how they do surgery in all different areas of the body for all different kinds of cancers. And I realize as I'm going through hours and hours of this material that I'm feeling a little low, I'm starting to feel like I need a break because that is some really heavy stuff. God holy cow, it's no wonder why depression is one of the number one side effects of surviving cancer, because there is some heavy shit that we have to deal with. And that's just on the physical level of it. You know, and I know that there's a lot more impact than just the physical level, we have to get our mind in the right place. And we have to address the emotions, the emotional changes, the changes in perspective, the changes in the way that we interact with life and the world and the people around us. Now I finished treatment in December of 2012. So I've been working on this refocus and on the mindset thing for a long time. And fortunately as time moves on, we tend to I don't know if it's blocked or blocked out, or just, you know, the old adage Time heals all things that we let go of some of the things that happen and forget some of the side effects that we've been through early on in our recovery. But then when I go through something like this course, I am reminded of all this suffering, and it is so darn tough. And that's what initially inspired me to create the breast cancer recovery coach podcast, to create the online coaching courses that I have, and that I offer to work with other breast cancer survivors. And that's why these courses and this show are focused a lot on mindset. It's not focused on medicine and scars. But it's focused on the way to manage side effects. So we don't allow them to limit us. Because cancer is just too heavy. And you simply must focus your mind on things that bring you joy and lightness. I mean, obviously you have to take good care of yourself and follow your medical directions. But that's not what this is about. This is about something you can turn to to lighten that load of this, this very heavy disease and all of the heavy impact it has because you've been through it. So increasing positive emotions is the key to healing and to lasting health. And that's not just woowoo Think positive hippie stuff. studies that use brain scans to see how thoughts affect humans have shown that negative thoughts get our amygdala low part of our brain there they get our amygdala going. And our amygdala is great at triggering all of the physical reactions that fear brings on. It can be a really sticky little part of our brain to something that our amygdala does is it holds on to fear to the point Where it triggers our stress response. And that stress response can become chronically triggered. And that is not good. But on the flip side, positive emotions trigger our reward center pathways, that part of our brain that makes all the good kind of chemicals come out that part of our brain that makes us feel better. And studies show that the longer we can sustain positive emotions, the greater our sense of wellbeing becomes. And that's what we're here for. Right? That's why we worked so hard to get past it, we want to feel good. We want to live a happy and fulfilling life. So that's just a side note. Because, you know, it's a constant. It's not like the world is just sunshine and rainbows all the time. So we have to look for those, those things, those activities and those resources that help us and remind us to think happier thoughts to think more and not necessarily always happy but more positive, more solution oriented, more intentional, focused living that brings us joy. All right, so let's move on today's topic, inflammation. So I want to start off with a quote by an integrated oncologist, Dr. Donald Abrams. He's the director of clinical programs at the University of California, San Francisco's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. He says cancer is like a weed. Conventional oncologist tried to destroy the weed, even if it means using the oncological equivalent of Roundup. Now, I'm pretty sure we all know, Roundup, wipes out anything it touches. And then the glyphosate residue in Roundup gets in literally everything you eat drink causes cancer. Okay, that's all for another episode. In fact, I have an episode about glyphosate. But the point is that you know what I'm saying cancer treatment, radiation, chemotherapy, yeah, it saved you. It destroyed your cancer. And that's awesome. But it did a lot of damage to other things. And that's why we're going to talk about how to help that. Now, Dr. Abrams, is an integrative oncologist. And if you haven't heard of the field of integrated oncology, it is so awesome. And I'll post a link in the show notes for this episode. Because if it's something you're interested into looking into for ongoing treatment, or anything like that really great field, because I know when I went through treatment, I wanted to know what I could take. I wanted to support my healthy cells, I want to know what can I do? What can I take for herbal medicines for vitamin, something that supports my healthy cells while you're trying to destroy my cancer cells. But my oncologist said no to anything I asked about, because there weren't studies specific on those herbs or on those supplements. And with all the prescriptions I was taking, in addition to the chemotherapy drugs, he didn't want me to use anything else. And he probably didn't have an understanding or working knowledge of herbal medicine as well. But in integrated oncology, the goal is to support the body. They call it the terrain that the cancer was able to thrive in. I think that's a really important shift in mindset. It's subtle, but still important. How often do you think about the cancer itself when you're thinking about how you don't want to get a recurrence, or what the cancer did. But if you have that tiny shift in your mindset, and instead of thinking about the cancer, you begin to think about what's going on in your terrain in your body that allowed that cancer cell to thrive. This is the view of integrated oncology. And it's why they practice supporting the body in an attempt to reduce some of the long term side effects caused by the destruction of healthy tissues. But also to keep that terrain nice and healthy so that it doesn't have so much of an opportunity or that a cell can malignant cell doesn't have that opportunity to thrive. And it's because of that destruction that you're listening to this podcast and why I'm talking on this podcast, right? We found out the extent of that damage to our healthy tissues once we were in recovery. And a part of that damage is also inflammation, inflammation that was caused by some of the treatments that you went through. So when you're thinking about your lifestyle practices, think specifically about what's going on in your mind, and what's going on in your body. That's healing and strengthening the terrain, the body itself so that your body can do what it's supposed to do. Keep itself well. That's what we want to happen. Dr. Agarwal, a biochemist and cancer researcher at the University of Texas says that inflammation is the root of chronic disease. Now, there's choose well simple Yes, simple remember doesn't always mean easy. Two simple things that you can do right off the bat today, starting today to improve the train of your body. And those two things are, reduce your intake of sugary foods, cut back on refined carbohydrates. And I know you're saying Seriously, why are you even talking about this right now is literally less than two weeks before Christmas parties are raging, this weekend is packed, I cannot be thinking about this now. And that's why I'm talking about it. Because over this next few weeks, I want you to have fun, I want you to enjoy celebrations. But just hold on to the reins a little bit. We have to get past this mentality of when busy season or special occasions come up, we just throw any healthy behaviors out the window and say, I'll start again in January. To start again, when I'm not traveling so much or after my birthday or when the kids get back in school, there's always another busy season. And that's nothing to do with whether or not you treat yourself and your health like a priority. It's simply a matter of choice. And I know that's a little bit of tough love. But the role of a coach is to hold you accountable to yourself. And there's a reason I want to keep you in a place of awareness, especially over these next few weeks. Because friend, we both know, getting yourself into a hole is way easier than getting yourself out of a hole. So the best practice is to sit on the edge and dangle your feet a bit but don't fall in the hole. So I'm not going to get on the sugar and refined carbohydrate wagon today because I know you know it. Of course you do. You know that inflammation is that burning ember, it's the root of disease in your body, and sugar and refined carbohydrates fuel that Ember, like nothing else well, like, not a lot of other things. So don't deprive yourself. I'm not a fan of deprivation, tis the season of harmony. So approach your health and your holiday events harmoniously. Have a piece of fudge or a couple of Christmas cookies, especially if it's my fudge because I have to say I make some really good fudge. But don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Keep your healthy habits at the forefront. And as a part of the healthy lifestyle and as a support to ongoing recovery. Let's talk about three herbal supplements that have some powerful effects when it comes to reducing inflammation and supporting healthy physical terrain. So just a side note, remember to always, always, always check with your doctor before taking supplement, especially if you're going or especially if you're taking other prescription medications. Also, after the show, you might want to go back and listen to episode 53, where I talk about the benefits of incorporating Tumeric into your diet. And there are so so many benefits of that another really fantastic herbal supplement to incorporate into your lifestyle. So for today, we're going to talk about three really powerful supplements, herbs. They are Berberine, boswellia, and brew million. We'll start off with Berberine. Because Berberine is an element of one of my favorite supplements. And it's one of my favorite supplements because it works wonders for my joint pain and stiffness. And it's one of those things that I run out of and forget to order. Have you ever experienced that you like take your vitamins every day and you're so proud of yourself, I've been so good, and then the jar is empty, and then it takes you two months to get a new one. So this supplement is one of those things that's I've learned not to do that with because when I run out, I am reminded very quickly of how much that supplement helps my aching knees. So Berberine is not a plant or an herb, but it's a compound that's found in several different plants. Berberine does have some drug interactions. So please talk to your doctor about it if you consider taking it and make sure it's something that's right for you and is not going to affect any other prescriptions you may be taking. Berberine is not only known for its anti inflammatory actions, but its blood sugar and cholesterol lowering effects are well documented. In addition to its potential anti cancer properties. A study published in cancer biology in therapy in 2016 found that Berberine supported the efficacy of a drug commonly used to treat her two positive breast cancer Berberine was able to desensitize cells that had become resistant to the drug law patenting, and in doing so it increased the drugs effectiveness during treatment. Another 2016 study published in the journal Scientific Reports found it that a combination of Berberine and curcumin, which is the active ingredient in tumeric. So make sure you go back and listen to that podcast on tumeric. But the combination of these two had a synergistic effect in inducing cell death of specific types of estrogen receptor positive and estrogen receptor negative breast cancer cells. Berberine has also been found effective at lowering blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels as effectively as Metformin, which is a popular drug that treats chronically high blood sugar levels. So these are some really promising studies. And I'll post the links to these studies in the show notes. So now let's take a minute to talk about Boswellia Boswellia cereda is Indian frankincense. As a supplement you can find this resin Frankincense is a resin you may be familiar with it, it's a very thick resin and they take this resin and dry it and turn it into a powder. You can find it in capsule form, or you can also purchase it in a loose powder form and mix it into water, which is gritty but drinkable. In Ayurveda, boswellia is seen as both healing and cooling, which is really interesting because a lot of times herb has one property or the other, but both swell you Serrata is heating because of its effect at supporting healthy circulation. But it's cooling because of the relief that brings to the joints. So it has two types of effects on the body, which is really neat. In western medicine Boswellia Serrata has been studied and found effective in treating asthma, arthritis, and inflammation, including the swelling and inflammation of radiation therapy. So the study published in 2015, in the European review for medical and pharmacological Science found that using a Boswellia based cream was effective at reducing redness and other skin conditions caused by radiation therapy and breast cancer patients. And it was also very well tolerated. It helped to reduce the amount of other topical corticosteroids that patients had to use for their side effects of radiation treatment. And that's always a good thing if we can reduce steroid usage. Now, there aren't a lot of studies on the topical use for this purpose for treating burns. And so it's always a good idea to have lots of studies that back up a certain conclusion. But that being said, this type of trial is very promising. Now Kaiser Permanente on their website in their knowledge base has a section on Boswellia Serrata. And they looked at a combination of Boswellia, ashwagandha, tumeric and zinc ashwagandha. Another powerful, fabulous herb. So when these four elements were mixed together in a supplement, it effectively treated pain and stiffness without causing the stomach irritation. But some NSAIDs like ibuprofen and aspirin can cause a clinical trials have found that both swell yet is more effective than a placebo for relieving pain, which is good, it's better than nothing. It's more effective than a placebo for relieving pain and swelling and for preventing loss of function from osteoarthritis. And this is a little better than saying it's better than nothing. It was also found to be as effective as the anti inflammatory drug Bextra, but also it didn't lead to the irritation or ulceration of the stomach as some drugs do. Now, I want to just reiterate, what I always say is, when you take herbs, you have to take them consistently over an extended period of time to realize results. Botanical medicines act differently. And in this study that Kaiser talks about, they do acknowledge that it took longer to get those results and relieve the osteoarthritis than it did with the drug. But that being said, the results lasted longer, even after the herbal supplement was discontinued. So herbs I hear this all the time someone say I tried this, I tried that. It's not something you just try it's not half a bottle and throw it away full bottle, never redo it, you've got to really stick to that program. You have to be consistent over a long period of time and then you will realize long term benefits if it's something that's working for you. Okay, so our third plant medicine star and this is saving the best for last year this is bro million, which probably sounds familiar to you because bromeliad is an enzyme found in the stem of pineapples. And we just keep going back to that old adage of let thy food be thy medicine don't we? Well, brew million has been shown to act like a medicine in many ways both internally and externally. Studies have shown I'm Brazilian to be highly bioavailable, and that means our bodies can absorb large amounts of vermillion and that it stays stable and active once it's in our body. So obviously, when you eat something you ingest something, it's got to be able to still stay active after it goes through all the digestive enzymes and acids and the whole process of digestion. And brew million does do that, which means it's easy for us to reap the benefits of this enzyme. And there's a long list of benefits. They include reducing the risk of blood clots, because vermilion prevents platelets from sticking together and clotting. So it's very good for cardiovascular health. It supports a healthy respiratory system in people with allergies, and studies show that it may also help people with asthmatic conditions. In 2004, a study published in Clinical rheumatology compared a mixture of Brazilian Trypsin and Rutan to a common drug used to treat osteo arthritis in 103, people who had knee pain from osteoarthritis, and what they found was both treatments resulted in a similar and significant improvement. It's also been shown to reduce pain so effectively, that it may be an alternative to NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen for people that are sensitive to them or find stomach upset when they take them. Several studies have suggested that vermilion has anti tumor and anti cancer properties. But most of these studies have been done either on animals or on human cells. So the jury's still out on the effectiveness of this enzyme against any type of cancer when it's in Jested into the human body. Because obviously, as I just said a minute ago, it has to go through a lot, anything that's ingested in the body, and still be able to survive it and still be able to be active and still have an impact on a certain thing. So the study is out on it. But some things look promising. There have been some some studies that show pretty good results and what's been done so far. Now externally, bro million based creams and topical preparations have been shown to be effective at treating burns, by helping to remove the damaged tissue, and reduce the inflammation and the redness in the skin while they still protect the healthy skin tissue. See, I did save the best for last right? That's a really powerful thing.

22:32
And the thing to remember, once again, herbal medicine is medicine. It's powerful stuff. So we hear all these great benefits. You're thinking, What the heck, how could read million an enzyme from the stem of a pineapple do all that? How could bus? Well? Yeah, you know, the, the sap from a tree turned into a powder. How could it have those effects. These are powerful medicines. These are ancient medicines and their medicines that many pharmaceuticals turned to looked at how they work within our bodies. And then they took those pathways and created synthetic drugs that are, you know, hundreds to 1000s of times more powerful in the same way. But that doesn't mean that these botanicals are not powerful. So remember, they can interact with prescription medications, they can interact with your own body just as a prescription drug can they can cause an allergic reaction. So many times natural products are safer, but that doesn't mean they're always safe. So always do your research. And always check with your doctor before using a new supplement, especially if you're already taking prescription drugs. I cannot emphasize that enough. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has an incredible app. It's an awesome guide to botanicals, supplements, complementary therapies, and more. This app is so cool because you can search through different botanicals and supplements. You can read about them on two different tabs. One is in layman's terms, and the other is much more scientific for healthcare providers. And it also has links to all the supporting studies for the effects of the different herbs. I love it so much seriously. I sometimes just want to get some into jury duty so I can sit in a boring courtroom for hours and do research on this app. I know I'm a geek, right? But life is busy girl, sometimes forced isolation can be a good thing. It's all about perspective. So Kaiser Permanente, and lots of other health care providers, insurance providers, they really have some very good comprehensive databases that you could wander through to get information on herbs or supplements that you may want to try or that you've heard about to see if there's research on them. And you can even print out this research. Bring it to your doctor because there's no way that your doctor can know About every herb, every supplement, what studies have been done what its interactions might be. So if you walk in with some printed documentation, it makes everybody's life easier. And remember, your doctors are people too, meaning none of us are omnipotent. They don't know everything. So help yourself by helping them by bringing quality information to the table when you're looking for some support and feedback from them. Okay. Now, I will put a link to that app. And also the Kaiser Permanente database in the show notes page. So before I close today, I have two action items for you. When take a look at your diet and lifestyle, and see what could be creating inflammation in your body that you're willing to let go of, to eliminate. These can be things like chemical fragrances, processed foods, chemically laden cleaning agents, and cosmetics. And let me just emphasize that I said things you're willing to let go up because some women are great, amazing, so disciplined, and getting rid of every chemically laden thing in their house that touches their skin, everything, it's amazing. And some of us want to hang on to certain things for our own reasons. And I get that, can I just say hashtag Mac addict, don't touch my makeup bag. I mean, of course, I try to use safer skincare and cosmetics, safe products on my body, as some of those eyeshadow colors draw me in like a crow to a shiny object. And it's no secret, that I am a fan of moderation, not deprivation, that things you that you love that make you feel good, that make you feel confident that you enjoy may not be 100%, organic or 100%. Natural. It's your lifestyle, it's your choice, you have to do, what makes you feel comfortable, and what makes you happy. That being said, there's always room for improvement. So do that little bit of an audit and see what you can clean up what's just hanging around, and what can be replaced with something that's maybe as effective and maybe less toxic. Okay, Action Step number two, scroll down to the bottom of the screen where you're listening to this podcast, or go to the iTunes Store and leave the show an honest review and click on some star ratings. It means so much to me until the show when you do that. And it really does make it easier for other people to find the breast cancer recovery coach podcast, because you know that saying like attracts like, the more people who like it, the more Apple thinks other people might like it, too. So it just keeps putting it out there. And I thank you in advance for taking the time to do that. Because even though it doesn't take a lot of time, everything that takes time, takes extra effort, energy and intention. And I know that and there's lots of times I think I've said this before that I listen to a podcast that I love, but I might be driving when I'm listening to and I think oh when I stopped or when I get home or when I get wherever I'm going I'm going to leave a review I love the show and then I forget so I get it but if you can make the time that would be awesome. All right. Until next week, and I will talk with you again. Be good to yourself because you deserve the best. I'll talk to you soon.

28:27
You've put your courage to the test laid all your doubts your mind is clearer than before your heart is full and wanting more your futures Give it all you know has you been waiting on your this

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