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    Home » Articles » Inspiration

    Melissa Stabilized Metastatic Breast Cancer

    Published: Jun 29, 2023 by Heather Cooan, MBA, NTP, FDN-P, ONC · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Melissa came to see me after she was alerted to the progression of metastatic breast cancer after years of a stable case and required nutritional support for ongoing treatment.

    Melissa stabilized breast cancer and beat cachexia.

    Melissa's Main Complaint

    Melissa had been dealing with metastatic breast cancer for several years and had recently been alerted to a small progression on a scan. She was in need of nutritional support through her treatments, had lost an excessive amount of weight, and her oncologist was concerned about cachexia.

    Cachexia (pronounced kuh-KEK-see-uh) is a “wasting” disorder that causes extreme weight loss and muscle wasting and can include loss of body fat. This syndrome affects people who are in the late stages of serious diseases like cancer, HIV or AIDS, COPD, kidney disease, and congestive heart failure (CHF). Cachexia is very dangerous and kills almost half of cancer patients.

    Once a cancer patient has entered a cachexic state, it's difficult to recover from. So difficult that conventional doctors don't believe it can be recovered hence, the very common advice is to eat anything you want and to just not lose weight.

    Melissa's case was even direr as she was also suffering malnutrition from years of low-fat and plant-based eating as well as many rounds of chemotherapy over the years.

    Our Approach

    We focused on deep and frequent nutrition for Melissa. She was in need of an increase in fat and protein on a consistent base to overcome malnourishment and cachexia.

    Melissa's genetic profile indicated a need for more omega-3 fats and poor handling of saturated fat. So we focused on lots of good monounsaturated sources of fat including olive oil, olives, fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), avocados, macadamia nuts, macadamia nut oil, and avocado oil.

    We also focused heavily on low-glycemic high-antioxidant foods including dark berries, dark greens, cruciferous veggies like broccoli sprouts and purple cabbage, alliums like garlic, onions, leeks, and lots of eggs.

    Melissa's Outcome

    Melissa's treatment was successful. She was able to stabilize her case and halt further disease progression. Melissa also experienced a reduced burden of side effects compared to similar treatments she had undergone previously.

    Melissa's labs improved and she successfully reversed cachexia and began to gain muscle mass and strength. She was able to be active and enjoy vacations and outings with her family again.

    Become a Success Story!

    Melissa stabilized metastatic breast cancer and beat cachexia by utilizing a therapeutic ketogenic diet and optimizing her terrain. If you’d like to work with me, I’d love to chat and learn more about your health goals.

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    Inspiration

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    Heather Cooan - Nutrition Consulting, Counseling, and Education

    Hi, I'm Heather! I’m a Functional Oncology Nutritionist helping women suffering from cancer and autoimmunity take control of their care and recover their health through education, data-driven nutritional therapy, and strategic environmental and lifestyle design.

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    Disclaimer All information on this website and in HDC Media products, services, meal plans, and content is general information. Nothing on the website or any HDC Media content is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Heather Cooan does not diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition. Nothing I share with my clients is intended to substitute for the advice, treatment, or diagnosis of a qualified licensed physician. Heather Cooan may not make any medical diagnosis or claim, nor substitute for your personal physician’s care. It is the role of Heather Cooan to partner with her clients to provide ongoing support and accountability in an opt-in model of self-care and should be done under the supervision of a licensed physician.

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