nutritional support for blood disease?

[ClaireW]

A friend of mine got diagnosed with a blood disease that typically afflicts older people (above 60 years old): polycythemia Vera. It causes him to have increased red blood cells & thus makes his blood unusually thick. He is only 48, so the prognosis is that this is a more aggresive form and they think it'll ultimately affect his white blood cells and platelets. The average life is 10 years for older people with this disease, but he thinks this will cause his body to fail much sooner, so he is not too hopeful.

Does anyone know someone who has this disease? It is hard for me to believe my friend is dying soon as he is in such a great shape. He has been very atheletic his entire life and always been healthy and he watches what he eats carefully too. It seems like this is a cell mutation that causes this disease, so he thinks there is nothing else he can do, but getting ready for the "final days". I am going to cook meals for him, so am wondering if anyone knows what would be the special nutritional needs for him during this time?

Thanks.

[fleaf]

Hi, Claire:

Not a pleasant prognosis for your friend.  Since thickening blood may lead to clots, a key aspect to controlling symptoms is to work to thin the blood. A diet high in foods that have blood thinning properties will include foods containing natural salicylates (which is the active ingredient in aspirin) and the omega-3 fatty acids. 

A handy personal reference to blood-thinning foods as well as a number of useful studies is compiled here: http://www.ctds.info/natthinners.html

Has your friend connected with any online support groups?  This sort of interaction can be helpful if for no other reason than to remove some of his isolation and help with his post diagnosis depression.  A bonus is that another sufferer may have just the piece of the puzzle he needs to restore hope and improve his quality of life.  One that seems pretty active is located here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/polycythemia_vera/messages.

Hope this has been of some help to you.

[ClaireW]

Hi Fern - Thanks for all the info! Both the blood thinning foods and the support group site are very helpful. I'll take notes when I prepare meals for my friend.

Interestingly, I was reading the book "The Amazing Liver & Gallbladder Flush" from Andreas Moritz, as I did go through one liver flush following his protocol this winter at a retreat hosted by Elaine Love, a renowned raw food chef.

In Andreas book, he mentioned that a congested liver can cause Lymph blockage, and:
"when the circulatory system begins to malfunction because of gallstones in the liver, the endocrine system starts to be affected as well. The endocrine glands produce hormones that pass directly from the glandular cells into the bloodstream, where they influence bodily activity, growth, and nutrition........A more severely disrupted circulatory function leads to imbalanced hormone secretions by the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas and the pineal and pituitary glands. Blood congestion, which is characterized by the thickening of the blood, prevents hormones from reaching their target places in the body in sufficient amounts and on time......."

In his other book, which I have not purchased, yet, there seems to be more research cited to support his claim:
http://www.amazon.com/Liver-Gallbladder-Miracle-Cleanse-All-Natural/dp/1569756066/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283101162&sr=1-1

Since Andreas mentioned about the thickening of blood, I am just wondering could this be a reaction of my friend's possible liver congestion, and a liver flush could help at least with the thinning of his blood. I am tempted to give my friend the book and convice him to at least try this once to see if it helps. My friend is the kind that only believes in the conventional medicine so I am not sure what he will think of this. What is your take on this? Any advice is appreciated!

Claire

[fleaf]

Hi, Claire:

Just noticed your additional question.  When someone "only believes in conventional medicine" all you can do is hope to inspire him to take one action or another based on what he is willing to do.  If he is willing to cling to his beliefs to the exclusion of exploring other options, then that's an end to it.  It is NOT our jobs to convince people that their belief systems are wrong.  If we choose to take it on, our job is to offer additional information and resources that may be of value to our friends, family, clients (etc) should they wish to take action towards improving their quality of life. 

The answers in a case like this may not be readily apparent.  Liver/gall bladder flushes are not generally the first step one takes away from "conventional medicine."  On the other hand, it can be remarkably rejuvenating over a short period of time.  And in addition to poor eating habits and alcohol and drug use, just walking around in our civilization for 48 years can indeed clog the liver... as well, the liver is our blood filter, so it is sometimes motivating to people with blood problems to consider cleaning their filtration system.  After all, if his car had a clogged air filter, he wouldn't hesitate to replace it, right?  Sometimes it's easier to motivate by using car analogies than it is to try and get them to "agree" with our point of view about medicine, science and natural healing methods.

Keep us posted!