How To Boost Your Immunity During Cancer Treatment – When it comes to undergoing cancer treatment, it’s no secret that it comes with a myriad of very unpleasant side effects, including decreased immunity and an increased susceptibility to infections and illnesses.
Having a well functioning immune system is crucial when undergoing any type of treatment, but it’s especially important to look after your immune system when you are going through cancer treatment. Whether you’re undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy or a combination of treatments, looking after yourself is key to ensuring you have the best quality of life possible when battling cancer.
What Are Some Of The Ways You Can Boost Your Immunity?
When it comes to boosting your immunity, there are a few lifestyle changes you can make for the best results. Whether it’s dietary changes, exercise habits or external therapies that can help improve your immunity, here’s our guide on ensuring you have the best immune system possible during cancer treatment.
Eat Well
This one might come as no surprise, but eating healthy is one of the number one things you can do to help boost your immunity. A balanced and healthy diet is recommended at all times, but it is especially important during cancer treatments. Eating well isn’t just about eating fruit and veggies (even though that is crucial); it’s also about eating specific nutrients like protein, vitamins and minerals so that you can improve your immunity. Vitamins like A, C and E are full of antioxidants that can help protect your cells from damage while specific minerals like zinc and selenium are great at boosting immune function.
Eating well isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for every individual. Talking to your oncologist or a dietitian is vital to ensure you are getting the right diet when undergoing cancer treatment.
Your oncologist, a dietitian or a nutritionist can provide you with personalised plans for the best foods to be eating based on specific areas where you may have a deficiency. Whether it’s fruit and veggies they suggest, lean protein or supplements, a personalised approach to your diet can make all the difference when going through cancer treatments.
Prioritise Sleep
Sleep is often the first thing in our lives that can fall to the wayside, especially during stressful situations. In reality though, sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to maintaining a healthy immune system. Getting enough sleep is vital, but ensuring you’re getting quality sleep is also key. Proper sleep helps your body to repair and regenerate tissues.
When we sleep, our body produces cytokines that help to fight off infections. Being deprived of sleep can disrupt the production of cytokines which can compromise how your body fights off infections.
It’s common for patients who are undergoing cancer treatments to experience disturbances to their sleep – whether due to treatment-related side-effects or anxiety. Whilst it can be hard to prioritise sleep during a particularly stressful time in your life, you should be making a conscious effort to maintain a consistent sleep routine to ensure you are getting the rest your body needs to keep your immune system functioning at its best.
Try Integrated Therapies
There are a range of integrated therapies you can experiment with to boost your immunity. One of the most common integrated oncology treatments is IV therapy for cancer patients . This generally entails having intravenous vitamins or minerals to help boost your body’s immunity.
Whether it’s vitamin C infusions or something else entirely, integrated oncology therapies are vital for individuals looking to boost their immune system during cancer treatments.
Find a trusted team of cancer care specialists who are experts in integrated oncology for the best results. Your team will work with your oncologist to personalise a plan of action that works best for you and will have the most effective results.
Manage Your Stress
Stress is a major problem when it comes to your immune function. Stress goes hand-in-hand with chronic disease, and whilst it’s often unavoidable, it can have really detrimental effects on your immune system.
Prolonged stress can make it hard for your body to fight diseases and infections, which isn’t ideal at any time in your life but is especially detrimental during cancer treatment. There are a number of ways you can manage your stress, including seeking counselling, practising mindfulness, spending time with your loved ones or any other combination that helps you relax and destress.
Managing your stress is vital if you’re looking to promote overall health and well-being and boost your immunity when undergoing various types of cancer treatment.
Say Goodbye To Bad Habits
It might not be what you want to hear, but saying goodbye to your bad habits is vital when it comes to boosting your immune system. If you’re a smoker, it will be best for you to quit, and it is also advisable to limit your drinking or stop drinking alcohol altogether.
Smoking and drinking both have detrimental effects on your immune system, leading to inflammation and impairing the number and function of your immune cells.
Whilst it may be difficult in the short term to give up your bad habits, your body (and your immune system) will definitely thank you in the long run.
By following these tips and tricks you can ensure your immune system is in the best shape possible when undergoing cancer treatment. It can be difficult to prioritise your health and wellbeing during such a stressful time in your life but it is vital to ensure you have the best possible outcomes over the course of your treatment.
Poppy Watt