“A multifactorial syndrome defined by ongoing loss skeletal muscle mass, with or without loss of fat mass, that cannot be reversed by conventional nutritive support, and leads to progressive functional impairment.”

There are many things that people with cancer are scared of, cachexia is one of them. It is estimated that cachexia is seen with 50% of the cancer patients and at least 20% will die from it. The pathophysiology of cachexia is that there is a negative protein and energy balance that was made worse by a combination of reduced food intake and abnormal metabolism of the body. It is the body’s response to the huge amount of inflammation and oxidative stress caused by the tumor. It is a huge strain on the body’s system and without proper nutrition, the immune system and endocrine system that is responding to the cancer cannot keep up with the fat and protein break down within the body.

Cancer patients often experience cachexia not only due to the change in body’s ability to utilize nutrition, their relationship with food also changes. Some people develop a taste change while other people have mouth sores, nausea, lack of appetite, dry mouth and feeling of constant bloating. Therefore, intake of proper nutrition to reach proper calorie count has always been a struggle for cancer patients.

As naturopathic doctors, there are a few key things I evaluate:

• Diet history prior to diagnosis and after diagnosis
• Diet history after starting treatment
• Bowel movement history and changes.
• Lab test to evaluate for electrolyte imbalance.
• Measures weight and BMI
• Physical Exam to determine muscle strength and grip strength.

 

I also make sure that the person can properly care for themselves. If any of their ability to take care of daily necessary activities is compromised, proper support has to be established prior to leaving my office.

Balancing nutrition is important for cachexia patient. Balancing water intake is just as important. There are many types of medication that a cancer patient could be on and they all cause burden to the kidneys. By drinking water, we can protect kidneys by making sure that electrolytes have a good environment to balance themselves when needed inside our nephrons.

If balancing nutrition does not work, we always have option to supplement. Fish oil, glutamine are two of the most researched substance to help with supporting cachexia patients. If you are interested in finding out how the supplement works, drop me a message and I would love to give you chat!