FUNDAMENTALS
Prevention is always the more pleasant route than trying to fix a problem. In my opinion and that of most professionals I know, there are two basic reasons for the development of cancer and most other diseases for that matter. In the simplest terms:
1. There are things that your body needs to function properly and protect itself that you are not getting in sufficient quantity. Exercise, rest, clean water , vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and loving support are examples in this area. If you are insufficient, you are also less able to effectively deal with #2.
2. Your body is getting too much of something and can't handle it. Something is interfering with the normal reproduction of cells; and/or your immune system's ability to fight abnormal cells; and/or is creating a cozy environment for a pathogen. These are outright toxins or at least toxic levels of something otherwise harmless (e.g. sugar). Some are obvious and external like a pesticide, radiation, or industrial chemical but can also be internal such as excess acidity in the tissues, toxins produced by internal yeasts, excess hormones or even excess stress.
It's simple but I'm not saying it is necessarily easy to figure which items in #1 and #2 might be affecting you. But it is well worth the effort to start dealing with as many potential issues as you can because it stands to reason that what helps prevent cancer likely also helps control the growth and spread of the disease. These factors also affect all your routine functions and as you restore balance, at the least you will notice improvements in energy, brain function and mood.
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Your immune system is your internal army fighting problem cells every day of your life. It's also your garbage collector removing toxic substances that can cause cancer . Learn how to support your immune system . A healthy thyroid gland is also important to proper immune function. Many people have insufficient thyroid function but the problem remains untreated because it is “sub-clinical”. That means that the standard medical tests are not looking at the right weak spot in the complex system or the test's “normal” limits are too broad. Take the Thyroid Quiz to see if you might have a problem that could be corrected to improve your ability to fight. (Incidentally, I often hear from people who are taking synthetic thyroid drugs and still have symptoms. Those folks improve greatly when the doctor takes their complaints seriously and switches them to a compounded substitute that contains T 3 and adjusts the dosage until symptoms go away.) Don't forget that 60-70% of your immune system is in the intestinal tract. Friendly bacteria help you in many ways. God's original and perhaps most serious boost for the immune system is the first liquid available to all mammals— colostrum .
DIET
Read about one of our listeners who beat cancer with nutrition .
Science clearly shows that the better the diet, the less likely a person is to get cancer. Logically, the nutrients that prevent cancer also help the body avoid its spread. Here are my thoughts on designing a generally healthy diet . Dr. Quillan, in Beating Cancer with Nutrition , gives motivating evidence of why it is so very important to cut sugar from your diet. (Oncologists are often mum on the subject of sugar, in part because nutrition is not their specialty.) Sugar is hard on your immune system. 1Cancer cells thrive on it. 2, 3 We also know that sugar feeds Candida yeast overgrowth and yeast besides causing dozens of diverse symptoms also distracts your immune system from the bigger job.
Eat lots of nutritious foods like clean proteins (e.g. wild fish, grass-fed beef, free-range eggs) and healthful fats like fish oil and the monounsaturated fats (macadamia nut oil and olive oil). Avoid Trans fats which are usually present any time the label lists “partially hydrogenated” oils. (The Nutrition Facts panel may say “zero” when there is still some present because the amount in a serving is just under the FDA's fairly generous cutoff.) Highly nutritious and alkalinizing vegetables and fruits seem to be the key benefactors in virtually every prevention study. However, fruit juices are very high in sugar. If you can't eat sufficient berries and other low sugar fruits, I get a boost from Fruit of the Spirit . It contains the equivalent of 5 servings plus minerals. If your appetite is weak, check out my Health Boost Protein Smoothie Recipe . It is nutritious, quick, delicious and low in sugars. If you are feeling weak, perhaps you can get someone to help you put together smoothie “kits” so that all you have to do is put a couple of things into a blender and push the button.
Read my recommendations for a healthful diet.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Even a good diet may have insufficient nutrients to handle the increased demands of our toxic and stressful modern life. That would mean you might be woefully short if you are fighting a serious disease. Consider at least the basic supplements to assure you are supporting the body's routine needs by filling in the blanks created by processed foods and nutrient-depleting farming methods. Studies have repeatedly shown Vitamin D to be cancer-protective and immune-boosting. It is widely deficient in the US and I believe every cancer patient should be tested for this crucial nutrient. Read more about Vitamin D .
TOXINS
Reducing the load of toxins that your body must deal with is also a step in the right direction. It frees up antioxidants and important enzymes for the business of getting rid of the internal threats we face daily. Stop smoking! Cigarettes flood the body with toxins. Use non-toxic natural body care products and home cleaning products. (It is amazing what you can do with just vinegar and baking soda!) Filter the over a hundred toxins out of tap water and avoid the plasticizers in water bottles. A poorly functioning digestive system creates toxins instead of eliminating them. Consider removing other negatives in your life that have been shown to generate toxic chemicals and interfere with immune function. Those include anger, resentment and toxic relationships.
TREATMENT
For the best professional help, I recommend Cancer Treatment Centers of America . Their facilities offer the latest high tech protocols given in the most healing and gentle manner. The atmosphere is cheerful, friendly and feels safe. They also offer choices for natural support with nutrition, acupuncture and mind/body medicine. A second opinion from them is a meaningful contrast to other advice. (Too often if you ask 2 oncologists who have had the same type of training, you really just get the same advice twice .)
NATURAL REMEDIES
There are many natural substances with encouraging records of helping with cancer. Specialized items to research include: Graviola (e.g. in N-Tense by Raintree), Poly-MVA, Avé (Avemar), Haelan, Gc-MAF and Essaic .
Bitter Melon Extract was recently shown to significantly reduce the number of human breast cancer cells by apparently interfering with their communications and encouraging them to self-destruct. The research is preliminary, but because of its known safety and usefulness for blood sugar management, researchers suggest it might be used for prevention. 4 I found 2 respected companies that sell the herb by itself: Nature's Herbs and Solaray. Jarrow Formulas uses Bitter Melon in a combination called Glucose Optimizer ® .
These remedies work in different ways. Although it probably wouldn't hurt, I don't think a person would need to take all of them. Remember that supplements and remedies are no substitute for taking care of the basics above.
IMPORTANT RESOURCES
Search our radio show Archives for shows on cancer.
Check the cancer section of our website Health Topics for links, newsletter posts and articles like these:
6 Ways to Say “No” to Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer – Good news that may help all cancers
BOOKS
The following books are terrific allies in the fight:
Beating Cancer with Nutrition by Patrick Quillan, PhD – General guide to cancer. Dr. Quillan's website
Cancer and Nutrition , Charles B. Simone, MD – Great information on nutrition how antioxidants relate to radiation and conventional treatments.
Wellness Against All Odds , Sherry Rogers, MD – Therapeutic macrobiotic diet
CLOSING THOUGHTS
WIN this challenge! Simply refuse to give up. There is no such thing as “false hope”. Our brains and emotions exert tremendous control over our bodies. Having both a positive outlook and determination absolutely do help achieve health even under the most extreme circumstances. It is easy to find stories of folks having “miraculous” recoveries even when the medical profession had thrown up their hands in apparent defeat. Doctors sometimes make well-meaning but ill-conceived pronouncements to “get your affairs in order”. (We should have our affairs straight all the time in case of an accident.) However, please don't take any such advice as a directive to stop fighting. Those “experts” can only base their advice on the history of the cases they have seen. Unfortunately, for most docs, that experience has been almost entirely with patients who have been given harsh treatments but were not supported with any nutrition or alternative methods. Laughter, a strong social support system and prayer have been shown to be very good medicine. My prayers are with you.
1 Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis . Albert Sanchez, J. L. Reeser , H. S. Lau, P. Y. Yahiku, R. E. Willard, P. J. McMillan, S. Y. Cho, A. R. Magie, and U. D. Register. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 26, 1180-1184.
2 The role of dysregulated glucose metabolism in epithelial ovarian cancer. Kellenberger LD, Bruin JE, Greenaway J, Campbell NE , Moorehead RA, Holloway AC, Petrik J. J Oncol. 2010;2010:514310.
3 Association Between Capacity of Interferon-alpha Production and Metabolic Parameters. Tominaga M, Uno K, Yagi K, Fukui M, Hasegawa G, Yoshikawa T, Nakumura N. J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2010 Mar 17.
4 Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) extract inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation by modulating cell cycle regulatory genes and promotes apoptosis. Ray RB, Raychoudhuri A, Steele R, Nerurkar P. Cancer Res. 2010 Mar 1;70(5):1925-31. Epub 2010 Feb 23. |
