Vitawell Wellness

10/03/2026

What is Supportive Care in Cancer?

Supportive care in cancer is the prevention and management of the adverse effects of cancer and its treatment. This includes management of physical and psychological symptoms and side effects across the continuum of the cancer experience from diagnosis through treatment to post-treatment care.

Supportive care aims to improve the quality of rehabilitation, secondary cancer prevention, survivorship, and end-of-life care.
This is what I do ❤
Cancer Thrivers

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24/02/2026

🌿 Is your "Gut-Brain" connection out of sync? 🧠✨
Scientists are increasingly finding that when our gut microbiome is disrupted, it doesn’t just stay in the gut. It can lead to chronic inflammation, "leaky gut," and even impact our brain health—increasing the risk of long-term issues like neurodegenerative diseases.

While many current treatments have side effects, a plant-based powerhouse called Berberine (BRB) is making waves in the research world.

Why Berberine is trending in science:
According to a recent 2025 review (Duda-Madej et al.), Berberine acts as a "multitasker" for your health:

🛡️ Gut Protector: It helps repair the intestinal barrier (fixing "leaky gut") and keeps harmful toxins from escaping into your system.

🔥 Inflammation Fighter: It naturally calms the body’s inflammatory response, acting on the same pathways that cause redness and swelling.

🦠 Microbiome Reset: It helps reshape your gut bacteria to a healthier, more balanced state.

🧠 Brain Support: Because the gut and brain are "wired" together, its protective effects extend to your nervous system.

The Bottom Line: Whether it’s fighting oxidative stress or supporting a healthy gut-brain axis, Berberine is proving to be a potent tool for long-term wellness and better quality of life.

Reference: Duda-Madej et al., 2025.

Cancer Thrivers

21/02/2026

Virgin Olive Oil Improves Gut Microbiome Diversity, Protects Cognitive Health

Consuming virgin olive oil, as opposed to refined olive oil, improves bacterial diversity and helps preserve brain function in older people

Study reveals that extra virgin olive oil may play a decisive role in protecting cognitive function through its effects on the gut microbiota.

This is the first prospective study in humans to specifically analyse the role of olive oil in the interaction between gut microbiota and cognitive function.

The results reveal that people who consumed virgin olive oil rather than refined olive oil showed improved cognitive function and greater diversity in their gut microbiota, which is an important marker of intestinal and metabolic health.

In contrast, consumption of refined olive oil was associated with less diverse microbiota over time. In addition, the researchers identified a genus of bacteria in the microbiota, known as Adlercreutzia, as a possible indicator of the beneficial association between virgin olive oil consumption and the preservation of cognitive function.

The researchers’ findings suggests that some of the benefits for brain function of consuming this type of oil may be due to its impact on the composition of the gut microbiota.

Read more here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40168-025-02306-4
Vitawell Wellness

Background Over the past decade, emerging evidence has shed light on the role of the gut microbiota in the interface between diet and brain health. Olive oil, particularly virgin olive oil, a key component and major fat source in the Mediterranean diet, has exhibited widespread healthful benefits, i...

20/02/2026

New research reveals that over 20,800 Australians are now living with metastatic breast cancer—a 75% increase.

This shift means that long-term supportive care is more important than ever. Survivorship is a critical time!

As you navigate a longer journey with treatment, your body requires a different level of care:

Managing Side Effects: Supporting the liver and gut through ongoing medication cycles.

Reducing Fatigue: Using evidence-based nutrition to combat "treatment fog" and boost daily energy.

Building Resilience: Strengthening your internal environment to support your primary oncological care.

Don’t just manage a diagnosis—optimise your quality of life.

Read more here: https://www.aihw.gov.au/
Cancer Thrivers

16/02/2026

Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are increasingly recognised as central drivers of cardiovascular disease, influencing endothelial function, inflammation, lipid oxidation, and metabolic resilience.

At the core of these processes lies redox balance—particularly the role of glutathione as the body’s master antioxidant and its intimate relationship with mitochondrial health.

But there is a bit of a catch: taking glutathione as a supplement is not always the most effective way to boost your levels.

That is where NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) comes in. Here is why this powerhouse is gaining so much attention for its ability to fight oxidative stress.

Because it is highly stable and incredibly bioavailable, your body absorbs it easily. Once inside, your body uses the NAC to "brew" its own fresh supply of glutathione exactly where it’s needed most—inside your cells.
Cancer Thrivers

14/02/2026

Did you know there’s a "mountain medicine" that’s been used for over 4,000 years? 🏔️✨

It goes by many names—Mumio, Shilajit, or Saljit—and it’s a rare, mineral-rich substance found high in the Himalayas and the mountains of Central Asia. Formed over centuries from mineral rock and plant remains, it has been a staple in traditional medicine for everything from healing bone fractures to boosting memory.

But here is the really exciting part: Modern researchers are now looking at Mumio as a potential ally in the fight against bladder cancer. 🧪🔬

A recent study is exploring how Mumio might support current therapies (like chemotherapy) to make them more effective.
Vitawell Wellness
Read more here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-01996-8

12/02/2026

Wait... you can get drunk off a bowl of pasta? 🍝🍷

It sounds like a bad excuse, but it’s actually a real (and devastating) medical condition called Auto-Brewery Syndrome. I just read about a new study that explains exactly how it happens.

Here’s the breakdown:

The Trigger: Eating carbs or sugar. 🍰

The Culprit: Not just yeast (as we used to think), but specific bacteria in the gut that produce ethanol.

The Result: Blood alcohol levels that can make you feel completely intoxicated 2–6 hours after a meal—even if you haven’t touched a beer.

The study showed that some people had blood alcohol levels of 136 mg/dL just from their gut bacteria! (For context, the legal driving limit is usually 80 mg/dL). 🤯

Science is finally validating what these patients have been saying for decades. It just goes to show—our gut health affects everything!
Cancer Thrivers

Read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513346/

04/02/2026

All activity types show inverse associations with mortality, including walking, running, swimming, resistance training, racquet sports, and mixed activities.

Dose–response curves were consistently non-linear, with the largest gains occurring early and diminishing returns at higher volumes.

No single activity dominated; benefits were broadly shared across movement types.

Activity variety was independently associated with lower mortality, beyond total activity volume alone.

These findings come from observational cohort data, not randomized trials, but the consistency across activity types and long follow-up suggests a robust population-level pattern.

The practical implication is simple: moving regularly matters more than how you move.
Cancer Thrivers

Read more here: Han et al. Physical activity types, variety, and mortality: two prospective cohort studies. BMJ Medicine, 2026.

02/02/2026

You’ve probably heard the word “antioxidants” thrown around in the health and nutrition world, but what exactly are they?

Antioxidants are molecules that help protect our bodies by stopping or reducing the damage caused by free radicals—unstable molecules that can harm our cells and speed up ageing or even lead to diseases like cancer.

Where can you find antioxidants? They’re naturally present in foods like seeds, nuts, legumes, fruit and veg. Vitamin C, for example, is a powerful antioxidant found in oranges, berries, and many other plants. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants can help reduce inflammation, support your immune system, and keep your heart healthy.

Top antioxidant foods include: oranges, all kinds of berries, pomegranate juice, beans, peas, lentils, artichokes, potatoes, apples and cherries. So next time you’re shopping, remember to add these colourful, nutrient-packed foods to your basket—they’ll help protect your body from the inside out! 🥗🍊🍓
Cancer Thrivers

30/01/2026

In a hospitals, it’s easy to assume that a patient’s "fogginess" is just part of being sick or tired, but these shifts are sometimes red flags. Your capacity to observe is very important.

1. Emphasize “new and different” thinking or behaviour
Nurses see patients multiple times a day and can notice subtle acute changes in orientation, executive function, and behavior over hours to days, unlike outpatient clinicians who track gradual dementia over years.

2. Concrete red flags
- New confusion about where they are, the date, or why they’re in the hospital
- Mild inattention: drifting off mid-conversation, trouble following simple multistep instructions
- Sudden personality shifts: unexpected irritability, or unusual sweetness/over‑familiarity, often fluctuating by time of day

3. Highlight common, potentially reversible triggers
- Medications: sedatives and other drugs can cause hypoactive or hyperactive delirium; adjustment during admission is often needed.
- Alcohol and nutrition: heavy alcohol use increases risk of dementia and acute syndromes like Wernicke encephalopathy via thiamine deficiency; low vitamin B12 from diet or alcohol can cause reversible cognitive change.

4. Distinguish short‑ vs long‑term problems
- Changes over months–years usually suggest underlying dementia and are largely irreversible.
- Sudden changes over hours–days are more consistent with acute encephalopathy or delirium, often at least partly reversible if the cause is treated
Cancer Thrivers

22/01/2026

Microplastics pose a significant health risk.
Please see the infographic below for a quick overview of what microplastics do to our health and how to avoid them.
Cancer Thrivers

22/01/2026

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, an opportunity to focus on a largely preventable cancer that continues to reflect gaps in access and outcomes.

Regular PAP and HPV screening can identify precancerous changes before cancer develops, contributing to excellent outcomes – in fact, when cervical cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds 90%.2

This month brings awareness to the importance of education, access to guideline-concordant prevention and screening, and care approaches that address social and structural barriers to equitable outcomes.
CCancer Thrivers
When was the last time you had a PAP screening?