Healthful Living San Diego

Call Directions Website

Healthful Living San Diego Master of Science in Integrative Nutrition. Nutritionist, Certified GAPS Practitioner, BCHN®️ This is what Nutritional Therapy does in the 21st century.

“Let food by thy medicine, and medicine be thy food” (Hippocrates 460 B.C.) is one of the fundamental principles that Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, used to help people maintain optimal health. As a holistic discipline used for thousands of years, Nutritional Therapy is now being rediscovered by modern culture. This system of healing is based on the belief that food, the way nature intended, provides our bodies with the materials necessary to achieve optimal health. Our bodies are constantly exposed to environmental toxins, lack of sunshine and exercise, prepackaged foods stripped of all their real nutrients, and stress. In our fast-paced world, eating is often considered as a nuisance, something that interrupts our busy lives. We have to “eat fast”, maybe while working at the desk, or driving around, hence the poor choices we make (fast-food, drive-thrus, 90 second microwave meals), sacrificing the quality of the food we eat in the name of convenience. Nutritional Therapy will help you embrace food for what it should be, our sustenance, and will teach you how to wisely nourish yourself and your loved ones.

A “radioactive glue” for pancreatic cancer? This is one to watch. 🔬Physicians at Policlinico Gemelli in Rome have perfor...
10/07/2026

A “radioactive glue” for pancreatic cancer? This is one to watch. 🔬

Physicians at Policlinico Gemelli in Rome have performed the first-in-human treatment with YntraDose® in a patient with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer.

YntraDose uses yttrium-90 (Y-90) radioactive microspheres suspended in a biocompatible adhesive that is injected directly into the tumor. The goal: deliver radiation from inside the tumor while limiting exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.

Early imaging showed the Y-90 remained localized within the tumor, with no immediate procedural complications reported.

Very promising—but also very early.

This is the first human treatment, not evidence yet of improved survival or outcomes. An international clinical trial is now underway to determine whether this approach can improve local tumor control and potentially make some previously unresectable tumors candidates for surgery.

Promising? Yes. Proven? Not yet. Worth watching? Absolutely.

Your hemoglobin is normal. But what about your iron stores?The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has released its upd...
10/03/2026

Your hemoglobin is normal. But what about your iron stores?

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has released its updated 2026 guidelines for diagnosing iron deficiency, and there are some important changes worth knowing.

One key takeaway? Iron deficiency can exist WITHOUT anemia.

Ferritin thresholds now reflect different clinical circumstances, including pregnancy, heavy menstrual bleeding, and chronic inflammation.

And here’s something particularly important: ferritin can be elevated during inflammation, potentially masking underlying iron deficiency. This is why looking at transferrin saturation (TSAT), symptoms, and the broader clinical picture matters.

Fatigue, brain fog, hair shedding, dizziness, or poor exercise tolerance shouldn’t automatically be dismissed because hemoglobin falls within the normal range.

And identifying iron deficiency is only the beginning. Understanding WHY it’s happening is just as important.

A normal lab result doesn’t always tell the whole story.

📌 Save this post for your next conversation with your healthcare provider, and share it with someone who might benefit from understanding their iron labs a little better.

Source: ASH 2026 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis of Iron Deficiency.

IntegrativeHealth IronHealth

Could something as common as sucralose affect how well cancer immunotherapy works?A fascinating study published in Cance...
09/23/2026

Could something as common as sucralose affect how well cancer immunotherapy works?

A fascinating study published in Cancer Discovery suggests this is a question worth exploring.

Researchers studying patients with melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer receiving immune checkpoint therapy found that higher sucralose consumption was associated with poorer treatment outcomes.

But what caught my attention was the potential mechanism. 🔬

In preclinical models, sucralose altered the gut microbiome in a way that increased bacterial breakdown of arginine — an amino acid that T cells need for optimal metabolism and function.

The proposed pathway looks something like this:

Sucralose → microbiome changes → ↓ arginine availability → impaired T-cell function → reduced response to anti-PD-1 therapy

Even more interesting: in the animal experiments, supplementing with arginine or citrulline restored the response to immunotherapy, despite continued sucralose consumption.

Does this mean everyone receiving immunotherapy needs to eliminate sucralose or start taking arginine?

Not yet.

The human findings show an association, not proof that sucralose causes treatment resistance. And the arginine/citrulline intervention was demonstrated in animal models, not established as a treatment strategy in humans.

But this study highlights something I think we are going to hear much more about in oncology:

Diet → microbiome → metabolism → immune function → treatment response.

Nutrition during cancer treatment isn’t just about calories and maintaining weight. We are beginning to understand how the nutritional environment may interact with the biology of treatment itself.

And that is an incredibly exciting area of research.

📚 Study:
Morder KM, Nguyen M, Wilfahrt DN, et al. Sucralose Consumption Ablates Cancer Immunotherapy Response through Microbiome Disruption. Cancer Discovery. 2025;15(11):2278–2297. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-0247.

We have nutrition guidelines for people living after cancer. But how useful are they in the real world?A 2026 systematic...
09/19/2026

We have nutrition guidelines for people living after cancer. But how useful are they in the real world?

A 2026 systematic review evaluated 22 international clinical practice guidelines for nutrition after cancer.

One finding stood out to me:

Applicability averaged just 39%.

Consideration of patient values and preferences? Just 25%.

The guidelines commonly addressed weight management, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, symptom management, and limiting certain foods associated with cancer risk.

But knowing what to recommend is only part of good nutritional care.
The real challenge is translating evidence to the individual person—considering cancer type, treatment history, symptoms, nutritional status, muscle loss, metabolic health, GI function, culture, preferences, resources, and quality of life.
Guidelines provide an essential foundation.
But evidence-based nutrition also has to be practical, individualized, and implementable.
Because the goal isn’t simply to tell someone what the guidelines say.
It’s helping them figure out what those recommendations look like in their life.

Ducat L, et al. Nutrients. 2026;18(10):1516.
Follow for more evidence-based conversations about nutrition, metabolic health, and integrative cancer care.
NutritionScience

Cancer care should not force patients into an either/or decision between conventional treatment and integrative support....
09/18/2026

Cancer care should not force patients into an either/or decision between conventional treatment and integrative support.

The better question is: How do we bring the right pieces together safely, thoughtfully, and for the right person?

Integrative oncology is not about competing with the oncology team or chasing every intervention labeled “anticancer.” It is about supporting the person living through cancer—nutrition, metabolic health, resilience, treatment tolerance, quality of life, and informed decision-making—while respecting the role of standard-of-care treatment.

That requires more than a list of supplements or therapies. It requires asking:

• What is the rationale?
• What does the evidence actually show?
• Is it appropriate for this cancer, this treatment, and this person?
• Are there interactions or safety concerns?
• What are we monitoring?
• How will we know whether to continue, modify, or stop?

Patients deserve guidance that reduces confusion rather than adding to it.

Different expertise. A common goal: better support for the whole person.

Can a ketogenic diet help someone with cancer?The scientifically responsible answer is:It depends.Ketogenic diets can su...
09/16/2026

Can a ketogenic diet help someone with cancer?
The scientifically responsible answer is:
It depends.
Ketogenic diets can substantially alter glucose, insulin, ketones and whole-body metabolism, which makes them fascinating in cancer research.
But tumors are metabolically heterogeneous.
And clinical evidence does not support treating “cancer” as though it were one metabolic disease with one dietary solution.
Then there is the host.
Is the person losing weight?
Maintaining muscle?
Eating enough protein?
Experiencing nausea?
At risk for cachexia?
Receiving treatment that affects nutritional status?
A metabolic intervention that makes theoretical sense for a tumor can still be the wrong intervention for the person carrying it.
Personalization matters.
Reference:
Weber DD et al. Ketogenic diet in the treatment of cancer – Where do we stand? Molecular Metabolism. 2020;33:102–121.

Exercise during cancer care isn’t only about “staying active.”Skeletal muscle is an endocrine organ.When we move, muscle...
09/14/2026

Exercise during cancer care isn’t only about “staying active.”
Skeletal muscle is an endocrine organ.
When we move, muscle releases signaling molecules called myokines that communicate with immune cells, metabolic tissues and other organs.
Exercise can also influence insulin sensitivity, inflammation, vascular function and body composition — all components of the host metabolic environment.
This is one reason exercise oncology has become such an important research field.
The goal isn’t necessarily intense exercise.
For someone undergoing treatment, the appropriate dose might be walking, resistance exercise, mobility work or simply interrupting prolonged sitting.
The intervention has to meet the person where they are.
Reference:
Christensen JF et al. Exercise, cancer and immunity—clinical and mechanistic insights. Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology. 2018;15:269–282.

GLP-1s and breast cancer risk?A new study found approximately 30% lower odds of breast cancer among women with documente...
09/14/2026

GLP-1s and breast cancer risk?
A new study found approximately 30% lower odds of breast cancer among women with documented GLP-1 use.
Interesting? Absolutely.
Proof that GLP-1s prevent breast cancer? Not yet.
This was a retrospective observational study, which means it identified an association—not causation.
But what I find most interesting is the biological question it raises:
If the association is real, what is driving it?
Weight loss? Improved insulin sensitivity? Reduced inflammatory signaling? Changes in adipose tissue biology? Or effects of GLP-1 receptor agonism itself?

We don’t know yet.

But it is another fascinating example of why metabolic health and cancer biology cannot be viewed as completely separate conversations.

More research to come—and definitely one I’ll be following.

McDonald ES, et al. JCO Oncology Practice. 2026.
DOI: 10.1200/OP-26-00485

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the number on the scale tells only part of the story.Muscle matters.Loss of skele...
09/11/2026

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, the number on the scale tells only part of the story.
Muscle matters.
Loss of skeletal muscle is associated with poorer treatment tolerance, greater toxicity and worse outcomes across multiple cancers.
And someone can have excess body weight while simultaneously having very little muscle — something a bathroom scale may completely miss.
This is why aggressive dieting, prolonged fasting or highly restrictive cancer diets deserve careful consideration.
Sometimes the metabolic priority isn’t losing weight.
It’s protecting lean tissue.
In oncology nutrition, preserving strength and nutritional reserve can be just as important as what foods we remove.
Reference:
Prado CMM et al. Prevalence and clinical implications of sarcopenic obesity in patients with solid tumours of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts: a population-based study. Lancet Oncology. 2008;9(7):629–635.
DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(08)70153-0

“Sugar feeds cancer” is one of the most oversimplified statements in oncology nutrition.Yes, many tumors demonstrate inc...
09/09/2026

“Sugar feeds cancer” is one of the most oversimplified statements in oncology nutrition.
Yes, many tumors demonstrate increased glucose uptake — the biological principle behind FDG-PET imaging.
But cancer metabolism is remarkably adaptable.
Depending on tumor type, genetics and the surrounding environment, cancer cells may utilize glucose, glutamine, fatty acids and other substrates.
So eliminating dietary sugar does not simply “starve” a tumor.
The more useful conversation is about metabolic health:
How are glucose and insulin regulated?
Is the person maintaining adequate nutrition?
Are they preserving muscle?
Are dietary changes supporting — or compromising — treatment tolerance?
Cancer metabolism is complicated.
Cancer nutrition should be too.
Reference:
Hanahan D. Hallmarks of Cancer: New Dimensions. Cancer Discovery. 2022;12(1):31–46.
doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-1059

Address

928 Fort Stockton Drive
San Diego, CA
92103

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

+16192088159

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Healthful Living San Diego posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Sponsored

Share

Category