When holistic nutritionist Lisa Marie Bhattacharya started to specialize in working with cancer patients, she thought that it would be difficult as cancer is often associated with a grim diagnosis. But learning more has changed Bhattacharya's view. "Understanding the root of the disease has helped me realize that there is a lot we can do, even with a stage four diagnosis," she said. "There is usually a sense that it's out of our hands but we are just starting to realize the potential of nutrition, lifestyle and attitude."
To draw attention to issues of healthy eating and living, Bhattacharya is hosting a fundraiser on April 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Collin's Hall where she will present the documentary Fresh.
Most of Bhattacharya's work with cancer patients happens at Inspire Health, a Vancouver agency that offers programs where people come with a support person and learn what is available in addition to conventional treatment. "At Inspire Health, we focus on physical activity, nutrition and stress management, the three foundations for a healthy lifestyle," Bhattacharya said. "I have a counselor and an exercise specialist working with me. The patients have been to the GP and the oncologist. They may have undergone treatment or not and they want to know what else they can do." Bhattacharya said that the two-day program draws on the latest studies and focuses on tangible things. "We teach simple meditative techniques and provide a broader toolbox." Often the patients have had chemotherapy, radiation and/or surgery and might have learned that there is no further conventional treatment available. At Inspire Health, they learn that there is much more they can do, according to Bhattacharya: "The most common words of feedback we receive is that we have given a sense of empowerment."
The program runs every other Wednesday and Thursday and Bhattacharya says, "Once they come to us, they have the information at their fingertips. The next move is to see one of our doctors and then they have the option to see me or the other specialists. The patients customize their own treatment and choose what resonates with them. It often has a transformative effect."
Bhattacharya didn't plan to specialize in cancer treatment but says that "things come to you for a reason." Her father has had cancer three times. "Almost everyone's life has been touched by cancer in some way," Bhattacharya said and added that she has found working with cancer patients a wonderful experience. "Rather than being intimidated by the disease, I felt the opposite," she said. "I don't perceive cancer the same way I saw it seven years ago."
Bhattacharya knows many people who lived well beyond their prognosis Inspire Health keeps a book that is four inches thick where instances of spontaneous remissions have been recorded. "We have our 15th anniversary coming up," Bhattacharya said. "In our work with cancer patients, we've seen at least a doubling chance of survival by doing a program such as ours." She added that, as a result, the provincial government has increased its funding support for Inspire Health programs.
In addition to practicing at Inspire Health, Bhattacharya teaches holistic nutrition at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and sees other clients. Her work is not limited to cancer patients. "My specialty has fallen under digestive issues and cancer prevention," she says. "My focus is not only on working with people on their diet but working with the whole person." She stresses the importance of meditation, getting fresh air and exercise, being in nature and being active in the community. She added that Inspire Health often provides the participants of the programs with a group that gives them a sense of community that is important to the process. "The sense that there is somebody who cares," she explained. "That sense of community is what I love about Bowen Island."
When is comes to food, Bhattacharya recommends a diet of food that is minimally refined, processed or tampered with. "I make an effort in coming as close to the source as possible," she says. "I try to buy local and seasonal as much as possible. I've learned about the power of food that has been grown organically and has been allowed to grow to ripeness." Bhattacharya explains that nutrients, including polyphenols, antitoxins and vitamin C, don't reach their full potential until the last stage of ripeness. Bhattacharya is impressed by the power of polyphenols. She said, "They have anti-cancer elements in them they can go directly into the body, find a cancer cell and destroy it." Addressing a hypothetical cancer cell, she snaps her fingers and commands, "You are not needed out you go!"
One of the books Bhattacharya recommends is Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber. It talks about anti-cancer foods. "Garlic is on the top of that list," Bhattacharya says, "Followed by broccoli, kale, cabbage, onion, asparagus and beets."
Bhattacharya also says that plants develop immune systems if they are not sprayed with fungicides, pesticides and herbicides. "If they're covered with chemicals, they don't need an immune system. But when they are grown organically, they express natural antifungal properties," she says. "By eating them, we take on the plants' immune system and that betters ours."
Bhattacharya believes that each generation is becoming potentially less healthy. "Since the 50s, we started to increasingly shift to fast food, convenience food and non-food," she said. "We need to take a step away from the modernized food system and develop a keener filter." Bhattacharya asks her clients to think whether their grandmothers would have a particular food item in their kitchen. "When we look at the picture of wheat on a box of crackers, we are seduced by it," she says and suggests turning over the box to look at the ingredients. "If it has more than 10 ingredients, put it back. If is has white flour, white sugar or modified fat, put it back."
Changing eating habits takes time, according to Bhattacharya. "The focus is not only on what we eat but how we eat. We need to reconnect with food, prepare it mindfully and eat it mindfully. I say, 'Sit down and make sure you're in a relaxed state when you eat.'" she said. "It's important to prioritize our eating time. When our minds are worrying about other things, we are interrupting the natural physical process in our digestive system."
Bhattacharya explains that when we are stressed, the body is in a tense state that inhibits digestion and the proper assimilation of nutrients. "It interferes with nourishment," she said. "Rather than pushing food through a tense digestive system, we should focus on mindful eating." Bhattacharya has been working with people on meditative eating practices. "Changing eating habits can bring profound changes," she said. "It can lead to weight loss or the re-awakening of the immune system. It reinvigorates the whole body."
Bhattacharya also believes in the importance of local growers and creating food security. "The food system is controlled by large corporations that are marketing savvy," she said. Bhattacharya advocates for more awareness of where the food comes from and for supporting local and organic food production. "There are small significant steps that can change the system," she says. "Every day, when we choose to eat something, we are voting and we are sending a message to the multinational corporations." She adds that it took her a full year to make major changes. She started small but accomplished a great deal. Now she and her family eat gluten free, a higher percentage of organic and local food and make sure it is prepared well.
Bhattacharya chronicles her adventures at Eatingitreal.blogspot.com and invites community members to join in the conversation on healthy eating and living on April 14 at Collins Hall.
