HouseCall: Chemotherapy Adjunct, White Tongue Coating, Incomplete Results, Muscle Loss, Candida Sexual Transmission

Welcome back to this weekend’s 2nd Cabral HouseCall!

I’m so happy to have you back and we have more amazing community questions to answer, so let’s get started!

Paula: Hi doc. Very pleased with the info and insights discussed on your podcast. My question is in regards to chemotherapy. My father (61 yo) was diagnosed with a bladder tumor which was surgically removed 2 months ago. A week ago (without having fully recovered from the surgery and still using a catheter to urinate), he started a 6-cycle-long chemo protocol: Each cycle lasting 3 weeks with Gemcitabine 3x/cycle and Cisplatin 1x/cycle. Upon the first application of Cisplatin, the side effects were severe, ranging from headaches, to lack of appetite, weight loss, joint and back pain and constant nausea and brain fog. Needless to say, he dreads continuing treatment and has been following a low-carb diet when he does eat. We would like for him to go full-on ketogenic (based of Dr. Seifried’s work) and compliment with other therapies. However, an alternative doc has advised us against STOPPING CHEMO and suggested we finish the 4-month-long treatment and then opt for other alternatives. We want to hear your take on this. Should he continue chemo given all those side effects? Or should we go the full-on functional route? Thanks a lot (I know this is a question with long background info)

Jenett: Hi Dr. Cabral My question is regarding my four-year-old daughter. Her tongue has a white coating but I can see the red tastebuds through it like dots all over. She also has off and on itching in her vaginal area. I thought it was from her not wiping the area very well after peeing. I’m wondering if this is candida? If so, how do I treat it? Thank you for all you do! Jenett

Kristen: Hi Dr. Cabral, I’ve been listening to your podcast for about a year now and have learned so much in multiple areas thanks to your breadth of knowledge and desire to continue learning and educating others. As a Registered Dietitian, I’m also constantly trying to stay up on research but appreciate the more functional approach to medicine and have also gotten a health coaching certification so I can approach wellness a bit differently with some of my clients. However, my question today is in regards to myself. I’m a 29-year-old relatively fit, recovering type-A female and over the past 2 years or so, have gone through quite a number of changes in my life – relationships, moving (states, towns, houses, etc), job changes, unemployment – and am finally in a bit of a more stable place, relatively speaking (relationship, home). I’ve never considered myself a highly anxious person but do now experience periods where it almost feels like a “butterflies in my stomach” sensation when my nerves are heightened or I’m anxious due to unknown circumstances/outcome. After learning more about normal bowel habits and healthy elimination, I realized that what I used to consider “normal” for myself was actually bordering on constipation and has since gotten worse this past year with so many life changes. Being a health professional who is highly interested in gut health, I’m seeing a possible connection between my changes in GI health and how these two might be correlated. This leaves me wondering which angle to take in treating/resolving my issues. I’ve tried a range of approaches from probiotics and home-brewed kombucha to magnesium and now your digestive enzymes. I used to do smoothies almost daily but found that they didn’t provide any sort of consistent relief or regularity for my situation. I know for some, they actually aren’t the best solution when looking at digestive issues so I’ve currently made a switch away from them. Otherwise, I maintain a fairly healthy diet (with the occasional treats) which is mostly whole foods, plenty of fiber, and at least 75 oz of water daily in addition to regular activity. I’ve tried a few unique approaches for a short time, never stuck with anything long term – very low carb for and also FODMAP (for a handful of days each), a detox/cleanse supplement regimen by NOW (coupled with flax, lemon, homemade green juice and mostly plant-based eating in addition to a less crazy schedule, I did see some regularity for a few days…a big change for me). But I don’t want to mask symptoms that something is out of balance by taking supplements which make it seem as though things are functionally more optimally than they really are. Also, I should mention I’ve noticed heightened symptoms with my monthly cycle, specifically more breakouts, which I attribute to the hormone imbalance resulting from poor elimination. At this point, I’d say information overload or possibly analysis paralysis is what I’m suffering from and would love the opinion of an expert to narrow down my consideration for how to begin healing myself from this symptom. I’m ordering your HTMA test tonight as a good baseline to evaluate my current wellness and plan to use these results with other information in your reply. I greatly appreciate your time and experience in responding. Thanks SO MUCH for doing what you do. I’ll continue to listen to each episode and share your wisdom with others it may help!! 🙂

Sheila: Hi Love your podcast, learn something every day. I am an active 62-year-old but have noticed muscle loss, especially in arms, help what can Indo to build up my muscles and stave off further decline?

Anonymous: Hi Dr. Cabral, Thank you for everything you’re doing to help improve the life of others including myself. I have a few questions that I’m hoping you can help me with. first off, can candida transmitted through sexual intercourse or oral sex? I’ve had white sticky vaginal discharge and a thick white coating on my tongue(especially in the AM) for years. I have no idea what it is or how to get rid of it. I took your candida cleanse and am now taking the daily probiotics but it has not gone away. Can you give me some guidance on how to deal with this issue?

I hope you enjoyed this weekend’s Cabral HouseCalls Q&A and all the tips we add in along the way!