Between The Chapters

When you're living with multiple myeloma, food can suddenly become much more complicated than deciding what's for dinner. Patients often wonder whether there are foods they should eat, foods they should avoid, or a special diet that might slow the disease. Unfortunately, myeloma also attracts its share of claims about restrictive diets, supplements, and foods said to "starve" or cure cancer. There is currently no diet proven to cure multiple myeloma. Instead, nutrition should be viewed as part of supportive care —helping your body maintain strength, manage treatment side effects, protect overall health, and recover. And during treatment, the "perfect" diet isn't always realistic. Sometimes the most important nutritional goal is simply finding foods you can tolerate and getting enough calories, protein, and fluids. Build Your Diet Around Balance For most people with myeloma, the foundation is similar to that recommended for the general population: a varie...

When you're living with multiple myeloma, exercise may be the last thing on your mind—especially on days when fatigue, pain, neuropathy, or treatment side effects make simply getting through the day feel like a workout. But movement matters. Regular physical activity can support cardiovascular health, muscle strength, mobility, balance, emotional well-being, sleep, and overall quality of life. Exercise also plays a role in maintaining healthy immune function and controlling inflammation. For people living with multiple myeloma, however, exercise isn't about pushing harder or proving how strong you are. It's about finding ways to move safely within the limits of your body. Exercise and Your Immune System Physical activity affects many parts of the immune system. During and after moderate exercise, immune cells circulate throughout the body, helping with normal immune surveillance. Regular activity can also help regulate inflammation and reduce stress hormones. That doesn...

Multiple myeloma, often simply called myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells that develops in the bone marrow. Although it begins in one type of blood cell, its effects can reach far beyond the marrow. Bones, kidneys, blood cells, the immune system, nerves, and other organs can all be affected. That is part of what makes myeloma such a complicated disease. Two people with the same diagnosis may experience it very differently. Some develop significant bone disease, while others first show signs of kidney problems, anemia, frequent infections, or abnormal bloodwork. Understanding what myeloma can do to the body isn't meant to create fear. It can help patients recognize symptoms, understand why certain tests are performed, and have more informed conversations with their healthcare team. The Impact on Bones Bone damage is one of the best-known complications of multiple myeloma. Normally, our bones are constantly being remodeled. Old bone is broken down by cells called osteoclasts, while ...