It is a common misconception that the substances we consume are either inherently sinister, or virtuous.
For example “chemicals” are labelled as poisonous, “all natural” ingredients as healthy. Fats, salts and sugars are to be avoided at all cost. Proteins good, carbohydrates bad. “Processed” or “ultra-processed” items are a blight on society. Not so. We have many sound reasons to be thankful for the industrial manufacture of foodstuffs and the application of science to the quality, safety and availability of what we eat1 .
Humans in general like to take shortcuts and avoid cognitively difficult and effortful thinking2, not just deeply ignorant wellness influencers or the US Secretary of Health. Reality is complex thus context is important. What's good for one person might not be for someone else. What is beneficial one day might be harmful on another. The quantity of the thing consumed, both in a relative and absolute sense, matters, as does a thorough understanding of cause and effect.
I think it is wise to ingest my chemotherapy drugs according to the method of delivery and quantity prescribed by my oncologist, based on expert knowledge, objective feedback and precedent. The amount varies from week to week depending on blood test outcomes3 which assess my body's current readiness and vulnerability.
Today my neutrophil4 metric was down. I asked what the units of measurement were, prompting the nurse to enquire if I was “some type of engineer”5, a pejorative term in her world. She did confirm it was not biscuits per hour, which was also significantly lower than usual this week. Units matter.
The most common type of white blood cell, neutrophils are infection “first responders”, using a variety of mechanisms to defeat different types of pathogen6. A low count means an increased risk of infection. This is a known side effect of chemotherapy and must be managed carefully to avoid severe (including potentially fatal) complications7. After some deliberation my oncologist instructed the nursing staff not to administer cisplatin at all this time. Dosage matters.
Consequently my infusion was all done within an hour, giving me the opportunity to test the palliative effects of an orally administered coffee, rather than the purported curative effects of coffee administered via the opposite end of the body8. Time matters so don't make the situation worse by wasting it.
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a celebratory dinner with my family, and a likely excess of “sometimes food”. People matter.
For today's music I couldn't go past the definitive album White Blood Cells, from Detroit's garage rock legends The White Stripes. The song choice was hard because they're all worthy. Killer riffs. Jack looks a bit like a younger me. They appreciate Lego and stop-motion animation9. What not to love?
https://www.psbooks.co.uk/angry-chef
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK604207
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrophil
The neutrophil count gives the number of cells per litre of blood, usually the order of 10^9, which I hope does not need to be determined manually
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074761321002508
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7721096
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7478478/
https://brickfilms.fandom.com/wiki/Fell_in_Love_with_a_Girl
Thankfully the understanding and rigor in administrating targeted doses of chemotherapy has come a long way. Equally the power of what is good for the soul is often overlooked. I hope your family meal brings Joy.
I would suggest that ultra processed food should not be called food but that's another conversation.
adage: “On a calm sea, everyone is a good captain.”