"Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food. But to eat when you are sick, is to feed your sickness."
-Hippocrates
Cancer is something I have long since thought of as a dirty word. When someone you love first tells you they have cancer, something indescribable happens to your insides...no matter what details and information follow, all that resonates is the initial statement; "I have cancer."
I have been on the receiving end of this statement more than I care to recall; then in-turn, watched it claim the lives of several people I loved. It is a devastating, life altering experience. My perspectives on cancer, however, have changed several times over the the years. It has become as equally devastating to me to learn that so many cases of cancer are entirely preventable.
The treatments used to kill cancer cells, while often effective, also bother me. Chemotherapy and radiation wreak havoc on a body that is already expressing obvious immune deficiency. I can't help but wonder - as we continue to spend money on cancer research, and question if there will ever be a cure - if we have been following a misguided path and asking the wrong questions for years.
I don't want to undermine the importance of cancer research. We need to know as much as possible about how it works and develops in our bodies. This knowledge has even allowed man to developed a way to kill cells when the cancerous ones get out of control. But what if more time and money went into developing concrete studies on prevention? I truly believe that the real cure for cancer is simply in prevention, through optimal health. Keeping your cells in homeostasis, if you will, automatically creates an unfit environment for the majority of cancer cells to develop. Hippocrates understood this 2000 years ago! (Refer to quote at the top of the page)
I want to take a quick look at some numbers.
Even with all of the advancements, research and spending that is done, The American Cancer Society estimates that 1,638,910 people in the US will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Of these, 577,190 people are expected to die from cancer. Thats over 1500 people every day.
These statistics are upsetting, but what gets me even further worked up, are the percentage of these cancer cases that are PREVENTABLE! I have read a few different articles on cancer from the PubMed Central® archives, with results that do vary. One may say that 90-95% of cancers are due to environment and lifestyle, while another may claim that 80-90% should be avoidable, BUT there is one thing that obviously stands out. The odds are in our favor!
This is good news, it means we don't have to get cancer! We can take control of our own lifestyle choices, we can educate ourselves. The kicker here is to find trustworthy information. Now I am obviously not a doctor, and I would never tell anyone to go against what their physician says. What I will do is encourage people to ask questions, and look at the source of where all of your information comes from. To elaborate on this, I want to use one of the best analogies I have ever read.
The Fire Department Analogy
(Chestnut, 2004. - a brief look, not taken word-for-word)
Your mind and body represent your house. Renters and homeowners alike should know that if you don't maintain and take care of your house, it will begin to fall apart. You sometimes might have to call a plumber to fix a leak or a roofer to repair shingles; these guys help keep your house in working condition. Unfortunately, crisis does occur and say your house catches fire. You now have an emergency, who do you call? The roofer or plumber? Of course not, now you need the fire department.
Enter firemen, armed with their axes and fire hoses, chopping down doors and walls, soaking the entire house, and hopefully putting out the fire as quickly and efficiently as possible. Now you are looking at what is left of your house. The fire department has done their job, the flames are out, you are safe for the time being, but your house is in bad shape. Charred, soaking wet, with axed out holes. Who will you call now? The fire department is only armed with axes and firehouses, they can't restore your house to livable conditions.
Now we call on restoration and maintenance! They are armed with wood, hammers, nails and paintbrushes; the tools needed to help restore your home. Is one better than the other? Of course not, they are both important services, armed with tools of their trade, to be used when appropriate.
In congruence with the topic in discussion, I want to point out that houses don't catch fire because they are deficient in axes and hoses any more than we develop cancer because of lack of chemo or radiation. Pretty much everyone walks around with abnormal cells in their body that, given the right environment, can mutate into cancer. Usually, your immune system keeps things in check, but again, in a toxic environment, your immune system weakens and these cells can mutate and take over. It seems natural and logical to, in turn, create an environment that is inhospitable to these cancerous cells; A nutrient rich environment that strengthens your immune system and optimizes your genetics. Thus we have reached the core of my drive to seek optimal health.
What I want to offer you are some of my suggestions to help make your life and your body the best it can be, based upon the time when our genes were evolving and developing into what they are today. Evolution moves slowly, the basics still remain. Take and do what you want with them, I can only encourage you to give it a try. So many things in our enviroment are toxic and out of our control. I only hope to encourage you to take control of anything and everything you can. Science changes and new things are learned each day. Arm yourself with knowledge, never stop learning and always ask questions.
A Recipe for Optimal Health
(with a focus on preventing/deterring cancer cell growth)
- Remove all foods that weaken the immune system. This includes starchy foods and anything with sugar.
- If you are paying special attention to cancer, sugar is like a catalyst to cancer cells, they thrive on it. Remember that fruit has sugar in it and it would be beneficial if eliminated, or at least limited.
- Fill yourself up on the healthiest foods possible. Tons of fresh veggies (organic whenever possible), lean animal protein (properly fed their natural diet whenever possible), and healthy fats from these animals or other healthy sources (which can be found in my fat blog, and the links included in it.)
- When you shop, shop the outer perimeters of the grocery store. Be wary of foods that do not spoil...that usually just means that even mold is smart enough not to eat that crap.
- Foods with flour or grains of any kind should be eliminated, or at least extremely limited. This includes cookies, pasta, corns, whole wheat and whole grains. Your body converts this into sugar very easily. Sugar is bad, grains are bad. Not only are you feeding possible cancer cells, grains contain things like phytates, which actually inhibit the absorption of minerals in your body. So much for that good source of fiber.
- Go for clean, filtered water, and keep yourself hydrated.
- Get some sun! Sunlight doesn't cause cancer, sunburns cause cancer. If you start to feel like you may burn, don't lather chemicals on your body, cover up or go inside. People have been living under these rays since the dawn of man, just be smart about it. We need vitamin D, and keeping your levels up is very important to your health.
- Get good sleep, preferably in total darkness. We need the battery charge and artificial light interrupts the natural cycle of our bodies.
- Exercise your body! Do yourself a huge favor, take a half hour out of your day and go for a brisk walk. That leaves you 23 and a half hours to do whatever else you need/want.
- Exercise your mind! This one is so often glanced over. I truly believe your can change your entire life just by not feeding into negative thoughts. Change your perspectives. When something bothers you or annoys you, acknowledge it and let it pass. That guy that flipped you the bird is the one having the bad day, it is nothing personal.
- Surround yourself with positive thoughts and positive people, because some people can also be toxic to your health.
Thanks to all of my readers for sticking with me, especially on this long-winded post! Comments, questions and concerns are always welcome. I would like to briefly mention that cancer is only being targeted here, simply because of the effect it has had on my personal life. Optimal health (proper diet, proper exercise and positive thinking) is the answer to so much more than cancer. It applies to all chronic illness, from obesity, to diabetes, to heart disease, to depression, to autoimmune.
•Note: The information on this blog is for informational use only and is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical conditions or to take the place of your physician. Always consult the appropriate health care professional when you have health problems that you feel might require professional attention.
References:
Chestnut, James L. The Innate Diet™ & Natural Hygiene. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Wellness Practice-Global Self Health, 2004. Print
http://www.cancercompass.com/cancer-guide/your-diagnosis/how-cancer-develops.html. Retrieved May 17, 2012
Preetha Anand, Ajaikumar B. Kunnumakara, Chitra Sundaram, Kuzhuvelil B. Harikumar, Sheeja T. Tharakan, Oiki S. Lai, Bokyung Sung, Bharat B. Aggarwal. Cancer is a Preventable Disease that Requires Major Lifestyle Changes. Pharm Res. 2008 September; 25(9): 2097–2116. Published online July 15, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2012
Getoff, David J. If You Have Cancer. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
The American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
I wanted nothing more than to sleep in this morning, but my dogs had other evil plans. I lay in bed thinking about how much I hate 5:30 a.m. but grateful that the sun was at least up. Summer is my absolute favorite time of year. In light of the season before us, I decided to get up and take a moment to discuss getting the maximum benefits from what the sun has to offer. 
The fact is, unless you are eating a ton of wild caught salmon or knocking back a couple of tablespoons of cod liver oil every day (which I wouldn't recommend in this dose...), you are probably deficient in vitamin D. Are you for sure deficient? The only way to know for sure if to get your blood vitamin D levels tested. Personally, I am opting to save a buck, assume that I am deficient, and take advantage of the summer sun. 
