First off, I cannot believe it’s nearly October. Time, she is flying! Kenji and I had a discussion recently around perception of time and how it changes as we age. We figured out that a 50 year-old’s perception of a single day is just over a week to a 1-year-old. Put *that* in your pipe and smoke it.

We’ve regained a sense of normalcy this month, with my being back at work full-time. I have never been more grateful to work, love what I do, and feel like I’m making a difference. My brain is happy to have something else to focus on 8+ hours each day.

We’re preparing for another diet change in November. Ever hear of the ketogenic diet? There’s compelling research in mouse models on how it affects cancer growth, and currently, there are nearly a dozen human studies being done. There’s strong anecdotal evidence in human studies with small sample sizes, so we’re going to give it a whirl. Remember that thing about focusing on the things I can control?

Some of the research we’ve looked at:
Nutrition & Metabolism, 2015: The glucose ketone index calculator: a simple tool to monitor therapeutic efficacy for metabolic management of brain cancer

Redox Biology, 2014: Ketogenic diets as an adjuvant cancer therapy: History and potential mechanism

Nutrition & Metabolim, 2011: Effects of a ketogenic diet on the quality of life in 16 patients with advanced cancer: A pilot trial

Nutrition & Metabolism, 2007: The calorically restricted ketogenic diet, an effective alternative therapy for malignant brain cancer

PLOS, 2013: The Ketogenic Diet and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Prolong Survival in Mice with Systemic Metastatic Cancer

The author of the above study was on Joe Rogan’s podcast (episode #994), and talks extensively about the ketogenic diet.

It is a huge shift, and unfortunately, not one you can ease into. This will require the metaphorical light switch — starting November 1, that switch is on! We’re using the month of October to do more research, understand what foods are complimentary or not, and savor our carbs one last time. There’s also the matter of added tests to monitor ketones in the blood, as well as supplements to replace what’s missing from the diet (namely, nearly every damn fruit that exists).

You’ve probably heard of Atkin’s. Atkin’s is based on the ketogenic diet, which most people find difficult to follow. The keto diet has shown efficacy in childhood epilepsy, where traditional treatments have failed (tons of research has come out of John Hopkins around this). The make-up of the diet is 90% fat, 8% protein, and 2% carbs.

Because I have no gall bladder, processing that amount of fat is problematic, so we’re looking to apply the modified ketogenic diet — which increases protein intake to 65%-70%. Carbs stay the same.

Essentially, the point is to bring your body into a state of ketosis — where the body’s cells use fat for its energy source instead of sugars. Cancer cells cannot do this, so the thought is they starve and die.

Both my oncologist and breast specialist are lukewarm (at best) about diet making a difference in cancer volume. I get it. There’s no definitive evidence (yet), so they can’t exactly say, “Yes, do that and your cancer will go away!” However, my former oncologist is positive about it and even participated in a meeting a few weeks ago in Portland with a naturopathic oncologist who counsels on this very subject within the Kaiser system. I’ve inquired if I can be connected with someone like that in Southern California, or if I can do virtual counseling with that person in Portland.

That’s all for this month — and frankly, I think it’s plenty. XO