- Eat cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, and kale.
- Include omega-3 fatty acids from cold-water fish such as salmon, haddock, or cod once or twice weekly. Use ground flaxseeds on cereal occasionally
- Eat at least six servings of vegetables every day. These should include umbelliferous vegetables, such as carrots, celery, and parsley. Also include legumes, such as peas and soybeans.
- Eat such natural cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors as turmeric (which contains curcumin), red grapes (which contain resveratrol), propolis, cold-water fish, and rosemary (which contains carnosol).
- Lower your intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids and be especially wary of hydrogenated oils, including margarine
- Avoid processed sugars and refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, cake, and candy
- Include soy in the form of soy milk, miso, and tofu in your daily diet
- Drink at least two cups of green tea daily
- Eat carotenoids, which are found in vegetables such as beets, carrots, kale, lettuce, seaweed, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, and tomatoes.
- Eat allium vegetables, such as onions, leeks, shallots, and garlic, as part of your daily diet.
- Include fruits daily, such as apples, avocados, cantaloupe, guavas, kiwis, mangoes, nectarines, raspberries, red grapes, strawberries, and watermelon
- Eat natural, antibiotic-free, hormone-free meats and always remove the skin from fish, chicken, and turkey
- Buy a juicer and create concoctions that include beet, carrot, watercress, parsley, apple, and ginger; this is a great way of achieving the six to eight servings of fruits and vegetables you need each day.
- Olive oil should be included in salads and dips or poured over vegetables after they are cooked; heating denatures the beneficial nutrients in olive oil.
- Eat organic. Organic food may be more expensive and difficult to find (though becoming less so day by day), but it is a crucial piece of the puzzle. Whey you buy nonorganic fruits and vegetables, you really have no idea how much pesticide and herbicide residue is left either on the produce or inside the produce. When using nonorganic produce, scrub and wash it thoroughly to remove as much contamination as possible. It is a good idea to wash organic food as well.
Diets tips for cancer patient
Grape fruit juice
Despite popular belief, most prescription drugs do not show a clinically relevant interaction.
Grapefruit juice appeared on the food-drug interaction radar in the late 1980s when scientists discovered that it contains natural substances that can affect the way certain prescription medications are broken down (metabolized) by an enzyme, known as CYP3A4.
If a person drinks grapefruit juice and takes one of these drugs orally, more of the drug may enter the bloodstream than would have under normal circumstances. This means that grapefruit juice has the potential to enhance the absorption of these certain prescription drugs.
The extent of a potential interaction with grapefruit juice will vary from drug to drug, and person to person, depending on many factors, including individual genetics and the characteristics of the particular medication.
While research on drug interactions with grapefruit juice is ongoing, this Web site provides the most current research available on the topic. Scientists and clinical researchers that are experts on the topic agree on the following facts:
While some prescription medications may interact with grapefruit juice, most do not.
For patients taking medications known to interact with grapefruit juice, there generally are non-interacting, alternative medications that offer safe treatment with no need to discontinue drinking grapefruit juice.
All studies reported support that it is safe to consume grapefruit juice while taking over-the-counter medication.
Patients should consult with their pharmacist or doctor if they have any questions about their prescription medication(s).
Grapefruit juice appeared on the food-drug interaction radar in the late 1980s when scientists discovered that it contains natural substances that can affect the way certain prescription medications are broken down (metabolized) by an enzyme, known as CYP3A4.
If a person drinks grapefruit juice and takes one of these drugs orally, more of the drug may enter the bloodstream than would have under normal circumstances. This means that grapefruit juice has the potential to enhance the absorption of these certain prescription drugs.
The extent of a potential interaction with grapefruit juice will vary from drug to drug, and person to person, depending on many factors, including individual genetics and the characteristics of the particular medication.
While research on drug interactions with grapefruit juice is ongoing, this Web site provides the most current research available on the topic. Scientists and clinical researchers that are experts on the topic agree on the following facts:
While some prescription medications may interact with grapefruit juice, most do not.
For patients taking medications known to interact with grapefruit juice, there generally are non-interacting, alternative medications that offer safe treatment with no need to discontinue drinking grapefruit juice.
All studies reported support that it is safe to consume grapefruit juice while taking over-the-counter medication.
Patients should consult with their pharmacist or doctor if they have any questions about their prescription medication(s).
Gout
It is difficult to clinically differentiate between gout and pseudogout. Because gout and pseudogout crystals are composed differently, it must be established which crystal type is causing the joint inflammation. Crystal deposits associated with pseudogout are made primarily of calcium, unlike gout crystals, which are made of uric acid. Furthermore, attacks of gout typically occur in joints of the toes and feet, whereas pseudogout typically occurs in the knees.
Awareness of these patterns alone is insufficient in making a distinction between gout and pseudogout; further testing is required. Usually, the only difference is the type of crystal in the joint. Pseudogout crystals extracted in an arthrocentsis are positively birefringent (able to split a ray of light in two) under a polarized light microscope, but gout crystals are negatively birefringent. Trauma, surgery or illness may cause attacks of gout, pseudogout or a combination of the two.
Awareness of these patterns alone is insufficient in making a distinction between gout and pseudogout; further testing is required. Usually, the only difference is the type of crystal in the joint. Pseudogout crystals extracted in an arthrocentsis are positively birefringent (able to split a ray of light in two) under a polarized light microscope, but gout crystals are negatively birefringent. Trauma, surgery or illness may cause attacks of gout, pseudogout or a combination of the two.
HIV Treatment & Drug Classes
If you take or have taken 1 or more treatment regimens to treat HIV, you are probably familiar with many of the antiretroviral (ARV) medications available today. You also may know that treatment can be complicated, especially if you have become resistant to a medication.
Make sure you are familiar with the different classes of medications that treat HIV, so that you can have an informed conversation with your doctor about finding a treatment that works, and will keep working, for you. Explore the links below for an overview of ARV medications and drug classes.
HIV Treatment Goals
HIV medications, or antiretroviral (ARV) medications, which are used to treat the HIV virus, cannot cure the disease, but they may keep the virus from reproducing or making copies of itself.
HIV medication has 4 major goals:
1. Extend life expectancy and quality of life
2. Prevent HIV from progressing
Reduce the viral load (the amount of HIV virus in the blood) to undetectable levels (less than50 copies/milliliter) for as long as possible
Limit the development of resistance (when the virus no longer responds) to ARV medications
3. Restore and preserve the immune system to normal
Keep CD4 cell counts in the normal range or raise CD4 counts if they are too low
Resist other infections
4. Reduce transmission of HIV to others.
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Drug Classes
Four classes of HIV medications fight against HIV. Each class is defined by how it attacks the virus.
Class
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), also known as "nukes", nucleoside analogs, or backbone
1. Abacavir (ABC)
2. Abacavir + Lamivudine (ABC + 3TC)
3. Abacavir + Lamivudine + Zidovudine (ABC + AZT + 3TC)
4. Didanosine (ddl)
5. Emtricitabine (FTC)
6. Tenofovir DF + Emtricitabine (TDF + FTC)
7. Lamivudine (3TC)
8. Stavudine (d4T)
9. Tenofovir DF (TDF or Bis(POC) PMPA)
10. Zalcitabine (ddC)
11. Zidovudine (AZT or ZDV)
12. Zidovudine + Lamivudine (AZT + 3TC)
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
1. Efavirenz (EFV)
2. Nevirapine (NVP)
Protease inhibitors (PIs)
1. Atazanavir (ATZ)
2. Darunavir (DRV)
3. Fosamprenavir (FPV)
4. Indinavir (IDV)
5. Lopinavir + Ritonavir (LPV)
6. Nelfinavir (NFV)
7. Ritonavir (RTV)
8. Saquinavir (SQV)
9. Tipranavir (TPV)
Fusion inhibitors (FIs)
Enfuvirtide (T-20)
The newest class of available ARV medications, FIs block HIV from entering the body's healthy cells. This medication must be administered by injection.
Back to Top
Combination Therapy
Therapy for HIV usually includes 3 or more HIV medications from the classes outlined above. The combination of these HIV medications is designed to keep the virus from making copies of itself, while minimizing potential side effects and pill burden. These combinations are referred to as HAART, highly active antiretroviral therapy.
The International AIDS Society lists the following potential initial combination regimens for the treatment of HIV:
2 NRTIs + 1 PI with or without ritonavir (for boosting)
2 NRTIs + 1 NNRTI
Factors such as adherence, drug resistance, and side effects may cause a HAART regimen to fail. If this happens, your doctor will make a decision about how to change your medication regimen based partly on your treatment history, how many medication combinations you have tried, and whether you have become resistant to an antiretroviral (ARV) medication.
If you take or have taken 1 or more treatment regimens to treat HIV, you are probably familiar with many of the antiretroviral (ARV) medications available today. You also may know that treatment can be complicated, especially if you have become resistant to a medication.
Make sure you are familiar with the different classes of medications that treat HIV, so that you can have an informed conversation with your doctor about finding a treatment that works, and will keep working, for you. Explore the links below for an overview of ARV medications and drug classes.
HIV Treatment Goals
HIV medications, or antiretroviral (ARV) medications, which are used to treat the HIV virus, cannot cure the disease, but they may keep the virus from reproducing or making copies of itself.
HIV medication has 4 major goals:
1. Extend life expectancy and quality of life
2. Prevent HIV from progressing
Reduce the viral load (the amount of HIV virus in the blood) to undetectable levels (less than50 copies/milliliter) for as long as possible
Limit the development of resistance (when the virus no longer responds) to ARV medications
3. Restore and preserve the immune system to normal
Keep CD4 cell counts in the normal range or raise CD4 counts if they are too low
Resist other infections
4. Reduce transmission of HIV to others.
Back to Top
Drug Classes
Four classes of HIV medications fight against HIV. Each class is defined by how it attacks the virus.
Class
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), also known as "nukes", nucleoside analogs, or backbone
1. Abacavir (ABC)
2. Abacavir + Lamivudine (ABC + 3TC)
3. Abacavir + Lamivudine + Zidovudine (ABC + AZT + 3TC)
4. Didanosine (ddl)
5. Emtricitabine (FTC)
6. Tenofovir DF + Emtricitabine (TDF + FTC)
7. Lamivudine (3TC)
8. Stavudine (d4T)
9. Tenofovir DF (TDF or Bis(POC) PMPA)
10. Zalcitabine (ddC)
11. Zidovudine (AZT or ZDV)
12. Zidovudine + Lamivudine (AZT + 3TC)
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)
1. Efavirenz (EFV)
2. Nevirapine (NVP)
Protease inhibitors (PIs)
1. Atazanavir (ATZ)
2. Darunavir (DRV)
3. Fosamprenavir (FPV)
4. Indinavir (IDV)
5. Lopinavir + Ritonavir (LPV)
6. Nelfinavir (NFV)
7. Ritonavir (RTV)
8. Saquinavir (SQV)
9. Tipranavir (TPV)
Fusion inhibitors (FIs)
Enfuvirtide (T-20)
The newest class of available ARV medications, FIs block HIV from entering the body's healthy cells. This medication must be administered by injection.
Back to Top
Combination Therapy
Therapy for HIV usually includes 3 or more HIV medications from the classes outlined above. The combination of these HIV medications is designed to keep the virus from making copies of itself, while minimizing potential side effects and pill burden. These combinations are referred to as HAART, highly active antiretroviral therapy.
The International AIDS Society lists the following potential initial combination regimens for the treatment of HIV:
2 NRTIs + 1 PI with or without ritonavir (for boosting)
2 NRTIs + 1 NNRTI
Factors such as adherence, drug resistance, and side effects may cause a HAART regimen to fail. If this happens, your doctor will make a decision about how to change your medication regimen based partly on your treatment history, how many medication combinations you have tried, and whether you have become resistant to an antiretroviral (ARV) medication.
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