Cancer patients battle to keep the pounds on [04/17/2002; Cable News Network] WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ric Haury is fighting both tonsil cancer and a second battle -- trying not to waste away, even as the radiation and chemotherapy needed to save him make it impossible to eat normally. First a week of nausea. Then a throat too painfully swollen to swallow anything more solid than gravy-laden mashed potatoes. Then his appetite disappeared. Now his saliva has, too. Haury is lucky -- so far he's lost only 15 pounds. But it's a constant battle. About half of all cancer patients suffer serious weight loss and malnutrition, a wasting syndrome that makes surviving harder. But experts say there are ways to head it off and wish more patients were like Haury, armed with the help of a nutrition specialist almost from the moment of diagnosis. "Unfortunately with the vast majority of patients, quite often nutrition is an afterthought," says David Grotto of the American Dietetic Association. "The key message is to be aggressive with nutrition before they develop a problem." Ann's NOTE: I just kept thinking "juicing, juicing, green drink, juicing... But it was NOT mentioned at all. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.