Dear Alex:
I'm researched out right now among other things. . .so I'm taking the liberty (easy way out!) of leaning on your knowledge & expertise . . . my dad's been diagnosed with myeloma, a cancer developed fr cells in the bone marrow called plasma cells.. As you know, plasma cells play an important part in our immune system, which is greatly compromised with myeloma (just over pneumonia) & the plasma cells are also responsible for making special proteins called antibodies or immunoglobulins. The malignant plasma cells in myeloma produce a large amount of abnormal immunoglobulins, which cannot effectively fight infection, also causing weak bones. He is very anemic & takes monthly B12 shots. Btw Feb & Mar's shot, he lost 18 lbs. I'm trying to convince him to take some protein. WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST/RECOMMEND?
P.S. I'm furious because his hematologist suggested he needs to eat more high caloric foods . . . long story short, the list consists of "junk food," in order to put some weight on. Also told him to buy Ensure, which I won't allow in my parents' house! Wish I could have been there with him, but unfortunately I couldn't get off work. Would've hung up his med license when I finished w him. I actually told the dietician @ my mom's cardiologist to "shove" the list of "acceptable" & "unacceptable" foods "acceptable." Contrary to all that I've researched. Ex: "no avacodos." And this list is put out by the Amer Diabetic Assoc. I try to get her to eat @ least 1/2 avacado/day! (for it's monounsaturated fats & HDL that help to lower cholesterol levels in blood; 60% more potassium than banana, etc). We walked outta that office w me ripping up/throwing out the papers right there & announcing I wasn't allowing my mother to take any dietary advice fr some "fat f_ _ _" who didn't have her own shit together. Thank God for motherly love! She knows (& trusts me enough) that when I behave like that it's because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt I'm right & I'm willing to die for the cause (or whatever other consequence). Thank God they took her off statins. Apologies this is so long, but I wanted to share yet another ex of ignorance of our med sys regarding nutrition. . . a total lack of education. Then everyone wonders why the rapid rate of obesity, diabetes, HBP, etc., in U.S. If this is the kind of stuff the Ivy League Med Sch's are teaching, (where hematologist rec'd doctorate)...prescribing Ensure...along w all the persuading by & selling out to the big Pharm co's, then we're already a lost generation. As for our children, between their high triglyceride fast foods, preservative & sugar laden junk snacks & the fact they're couch potatoes, the writing's on the wall: doomed.