Can I do the Budwig Protocol when on chemotherapy?

As the Budwig diet is a food-based approach, there is no conflict with chemotherapy and/or most allopathic medicine. If you decide to do chemotherapy, then we strongly advise you to combine it with the Budwig Protocol to help reduce the side effects and support the immune system which will be greatly compromised.

Some foods and food supplements that the Budwig Center would encourage you to consume to overcome nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, hair loss, etc., that usually accompanies chemotherapy would be as follows:

Impaired liver and spleen function
AHCC is an immune-stimulant nutritional supplementA product, generally taken orally, that contains one or more ingredients (such as vitamins or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not considered food., a hybrid form Shiitake, and other medicinal mushrooms. AHCC can help offset the damage chemotherapy causes to the liver and spleen

Another common side effect of chemotherapy is low energy. The flaxseed oil and cottage cheese or quark or ricotta mixture is an excellent source of good energy and nutrition. Dr. Johanna Budwig fed that to her patients twice a day.

Dr. Lloyd Jenkins

White blood cell and bone marrow damage
AHCC is helpful in overcoming another serious side effect of chemotherapy, which is that it destroys white blood cells and causes damage to the bone marrow function which is known as myelosuppression. This condition makes chemotherapy patients very susceptible to infections as well as developing anemia

Nausea and vomiting
AHCC, ginger, oatmeal, caraway seeds and fruit smoothies all help chemotherapy patients with these side effects

Loss of appetite
Astragalus helps overcome low appetite, which often is an issue when on chemotherapy. Spirulina also helps increase the appetite and provides a healthy plant-based form of protein.  In fact, spirulina is 65 percent complete protein, making it the world’s highest known source. The protein in spirulina contains all eight essential amino acids and Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, E, and K. You can add the spirulina powder to juice or smoothies and/or consume around 8 spirulina tablets daily with any meal.

Mouth sores
Vitamin E is very helpful to combat and deal with this condition.

Low energy
Another common side effect of chemotherapy is low energy. The flaxseed oil and cottage cheese or quark or ricotta mixture is an excellent source of good energy and nutrition. Dr. Johanna Budwig fed that to her patients twice a day.

Hair loss and side effects
It can be emotionally devastating, especially for a woman to lose her hair as well as see the hair fall out of your eyebrows and eyelashes.  Studies have shown that side effects are often much less severe in clinical studies using rats that were fed AHCC. Astragalus reduces side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Benefits liver function. It can also be used on hepatitis patients.

Digestion issues
Quality probiotics are needed to support the gut and Dr. Budwig gave her patients one-quarter cup of sauerkraut juice every day which is loaded with natural probiotics. The Budwig Protocol is a vegetarian-based diet and we encourage that approach as consuming meat puts a heavy burden on an already weak body and meat can take up to 8 hours to digest.

Compromised immune system
Many on chemotherapy are at risk of developing an infection, such as bronchitis as the immune system is ravaged by chemotherapy. Consuming Transfer Factors will greatly enhance the immune system to help protect you from excessive fatigue and infections, the flu and colds,

Reduce potassium
The Budwig diet is rich in natural fruits and vegetables and as chemotherapy drains the body of potassium, generous amounts of potatoes, bananas, butternut squash, avocados, and prune juice as some of the best sources.

If you experience diarrhea on chemotherapy try some black tea and toast. Also, you can make a rice water drink that is effective in stopping diarrhea: boil one-half cup of white rice in 6 cups of water for half hour, strain, save water, sweeten with honey to taste and drink.

On the other hand, many people get constipated while on chemotherapy. In that case, you would want to consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, ground up flaxseeds as used in the flaxseed oil and cottage cheese mixture, nuts and dried prunes. You can also take a teaspoon of Epson salts in juice every hour and within a short time, the issue should be resolved. On the Budwig program, coffee enemas are encouraged, which helps with regularity.

So, our approach at the Budwig Center is to respect the decision of each patient and to work along with them to help them have the best outcome.

Contact Dr. Jenkins at (888) 533-8451 or visit www.budwigcenter.com.