Cancer Prevention

After years of telling people chemotherapy is the only way to try (key word) to eliminate cancer, Johns Hopkins is finally starting to tell you there are alternative things you can do to reduce your risk. The following is a cancer update from Johns Hopkins:

- Every person's body has the ability to create cancer cells. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their body after treatment, it usually means that the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached a detectable size.

- Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

- When our immune systems are strong, the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors. Conversely, when a person has cancer it indicates that the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetics, environment, food and lifestyle factors.

- To overcome these multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and adding supplements daily will assist in strengthening the immune system.

- Chemo involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract, etc. This can cause organ damage to the liver, kidneys, heart and lungs.

- Radiation, while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissue and organs.

- Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation does not result in more tumor destruction.

- When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation, the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

- An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to grow and multiply.

Cancer Cells Feed On:

• Sugar - it is a major cancer feeder. By cutting off sugar, it cuts off one of important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc. are made with Aspartame and it is extremely harmful. Much better alternatives are Manuka honey, Agave Nector or molasses but only in very small amounts.
• Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color.  A better alternative is Bragg's Amino's, sea salt or Trocomare organic seasoning.
• Milk causes the body to produce mucus. By eliminating milk and substituting with unsweetened Soy, Rice or Hemp milk, cancer cells are being starved.
• Cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment, always drink alkalized water when possible or add lemon to purified water.
• A meat based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish and chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
• A diet made of 80% fresh vegetable and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans.Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells, try and drink fresh vegetable juice and eat some raw vegetables 2-3 times per day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F, so it is always good to eat some raw vegetable whenever you can.
• Avoid caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea and chocolate. Green tea is a much better alternative and has cancer fighting properties or just fresh water is always the best!
• Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. The majority of people do not have sufficient digestive enzymes due to eating too many processed foods, so a lot of undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic build-up.
• Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from eating meat, it frees the body's natural enzymes to attack these protein walls of the cancer cells and allows the  killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
• Cancer is a disease of the mind, body and spirit. A proactive and positive attitude will help keep the cancer at bay. Anger, unforgiving and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Therefore it is extremely important to learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
• Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily with deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means used to destroy cancer cells.

Please Read On

1. No plastic containers in the microwave.
   
2. Do not put water bottles in the freezer
3. No plastic wrap in the microwave

Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them, as the plastic releases Dioxins, which are know to be carcinogenic. Also it is not a good idea to heat food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. The combination of fat, high heat and plastics releases the Dioxin into the food and then ultimately into the cells of the body. Try using a glass dish such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic microwave safe containers for heating foods. It is also dangerous to place Saran Wrap over foods as they are being microwaved, the high heat causes the poisonous chemicals/plastics to actually leach into the food. Cover with a paper towel instead.

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Hormones - The Balancing Act

We all think of women or PMS when someone mentions hormones, right? Well, surprise, they can also affect men as well! Stay with me, I'll have more on that later....... Did you know that hormones play a major role in our overall well being? Has your doctor prescribed estrogen or progestin (Provera, contraceptives, etc.) pills or patches to treat your GYN problems?

If you are anything like me, I have suffered for years with the typical symptoms of PMS, weight fluctuations, irritability, sleep disturbances, allergies and the list goes on... Well the good news is after several doctors later, tons of reading as well as an all new generational awareness of our "female issues" by baby-boomers like Suzanne Summers, bringing these issues to forefront and giving them some relevance. I like Suzanne have found true relief from Bio-Identical Hormones. Yes, estrogen dominance may be the true culprit with symptoms of weight gain (despite great diet and exercise), irritability, irregular periods, thyroid dysfunction, fibroid tumors, PMS, fatigue, loss of sexual desire, migraine headaches, cold hand & feet and in some cases infertility and or the ability to maintain pregnancy.

Why do these symptoms occur?

Most physicians typically prescribe pharmaceutical synthetic estrogens to treat many of these conditions, which may make the situation worse. It is quite possible that your body already has more estrogen that it needs and what you really need is another hormone called progesterone (not to be confused with pharmaceutical progestins which can  make symptoms such as abnormal bleeding worse). Natural progesterone (is available over the counter in the form of creams or by prescription at compounding pharmacies) can effectively reduce the symptoms of hormonal imbalances and the conditions that it causes by restoring the body's natural hormone balance.

If natural progesterone is so great, then why don't more physicians routinely recommend it to their patients?

Progesterone is a natural substance and natural substances cannot be patented for sale at profit, which makes pharmaceutical companies uninterested in marketing and promoting natural products such as progesterone. And if pharmaceutical reps don't market a product to physicians, many will simply be unaware of it's existence.  Most prescription estrogens such as Premarin, are chemically altered so they can be patented and sold as a drug. While we should not discount the use of estrogen replacement, we stress that caution should be used when using estrogen urging that only estrogens that chemically equal to the estrogen produced naturally by the body be used in the smallest effective dose. Even women who have had hysterectomies, who experience surgical menopause, need to use progesterone to balance the estrogen on their body. Natural estrogens are available as pills, creams and patches.

Now, as for the subject of men and hormones. Men can typically go through a sort of "menopause" we have all come to know as the cliche mid-life-crisis as well as some hormonal side effects like low libido, erection problems and stamina, which could well be the result of very low Testosterone. 

Testosterone is a natural hormone the body makes that contributes to libido, muscle tone, energy stores and an overall feeling of well-being. When this hormone is low in men (or women too), it can have some real effects on how we feel and perform daily. Testosterone can also be obtained by prescription from a reliable hormone specialist (ask the Nutrition Chick for more details on this) and a compounding pharmacist can prepare it in a cream form that is simply rubbed on the forearm or inner thigh.

For more information on finding a hormonal specialist, contact the Nutrition Chick at healthycleanbeauty@gmail.com.

Do you really know where your food comes from?

Do you really know where your food comes from or what you are eating? 

Okay, so we have yet another reminder now of how important it is to really be aware of what we are eating and what we are putting in and on our bodies............ Peanut Butter. It is becoming increasing evident that our food supply we thought was safe and have taken for granted all our lives, has become increasingly compromised (in the name of good ol' greed & profits) and is unsafe and can potentially be lethal to our families. 

We already know that the chemical additives and preservatives that have been added to many basic foods on our store shelves for years, are now being removed or replaced with more "natural" ingredients (trans fats, hydrogenated oils, saccharin/aspartame) because of the findings of ingesting these foods for years and the possible link to cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Also we know that those diseases have all started out as minor illnesses, such as digestive problems, allergies, headaches, chronic weight gain or loss, hypoglycemia, etc. as this is our body's hidden intelligence informing us of an imbalance that needs to be corrected before it eventually becomes more serious. My belief as a Holistic Nutritionist is that most, if not all of these imbalances occurred as a lack of proper nutrients and too many "unhealthy foods" being fed to the body over and over on a daily basis. With this unhealthy cycle, the body will eventually break-down, sooner than latter. 

My suggestions to my clients who have come to me with these "little" issues, and the fear of not knowing what to eat, is to go back to natural! Since most of us don't have the ability to grow our own fruits and vegetables, I suggest going to your local farmers market and supporting your local farmers by purchasing their locally grown foods. Their foods are far better than the mass-produced produce your will find in the supermarkets and and you will be helping out the environment by saving produce from being flown all over the country. Also, it is great to buy organic whenever you can, reduce your chemical load with foods that don't have all of those pesticides and have possibly been genetically modified (cross-bread) with unlikely substances (that individuals with allergies may not be aware of).

So continue to buy peanut butter if you like it, just be aware of where it comes from and buy the organic brands from your local health food store and don't be afraid to spend a little extra, isn't what you put into your body worth it? 

February is Heart Health Month - Tips to keep it ticking!

5 Simple Steps to a Healthy Heart

1. Eat Well - Believe it or not, you are what you eat and food really does affect your body in some major ways! Delete saturated fats (pre-packaged fast foods) from your diet and eat a diet high in vegetables and lean protein,  whole grains as this will reduce your cholesterol levels just a effectively as statin drugs without the side effects!

2. Take a really good vitamin/mineral supplement daily - our bodies need to have all of the proper nutrients to run efficiently and let's face it, we just don't get enough in the foods we eat, so it is a great idea to supplement with a good multi-mineral vitamin every day.

3. Exercise - I know the dreaded "E" word. Don't panic, your heart will love you if you  just start simple by walking 10-20 minutes a day, you can work up to 30 or 40 later, just as long as you start. Walking is the best exercise of all, it is natural, is free and the side effects will be less stress and quite possibly less weight to carry around!

4. Reduce Stress - Take inventory of the stressful things in your life and work on constructive ways to deal with it, such as yoga, putting your favorite dance-mix on and dancing like crazy in your living room, or just planning a new strategy on how to deal with difficult situations and get out and walk!

5. Be light-hearted and joyful - bring back the joy in your life by doing the things you love to do, some me time, giving back to others in need, take a class, get a massage. Come on, you deserve it!

Eating Healthy in a World of Processed Foods

For my first blog on this spot, I wanted to begin by bringing an awareness to you about processed, convenience foods and the importance of eating healthily. 

Ever wondered what it takes to truly eat healthy? Wondering through the grocery store isles of processed & frozen foods, sweets and a borage of meats and dairy products all filled with chemicals, hydrogenated oils and preservatives... it can be so totally difficult just to buy some wholesome, nutritious food these days!  I have a simple term for these popular processed foods, I call them "plastic food", why because basically they are. The chemicals that make up these processed "convenience foods" are similar to other compounds used to make many other non-food items and further more they are not meant to broken down and absorbed by our bodies!

Now after eating these foods for most of our lives, consider the rise on cancer, heart disease, diabetes and the probable link to an unhealthy diet. Most of these foods are devoid of any nutrition and therefore adding empty calories, our bodies are still in need of nutrients, which begins the craving for more food in an effort to obtain nutrients, while adding calories and weight. The American diet has become a nation of nutrient deprived citizens! 

To become a savvy shopper and combat this, I learned an old trick years ago, to only shop the perimeter of the grocery store (unless it is a Whole foods or Trader Joe's) meaning most of the "healthier" foods outline the store,  so you will be sure to shop mostly vegetables and lean proteins. My second rule of thumb is a slight change in thinking and a great way to save some money on your grocery bill. Make your main part of the meal a great salad or a savory veggie dish and then add a little protein, such as 1-3 oz. of fish, chicken, turkey or lean beef as the side dish. This is a great way to maximize your vegetable intake and minimize your food bill.

To recap, here are my rules of thumb for healthier eating....

1) Shop the perimeter for fresh fruits & veggies and stay away from them processed food isles.

2) Make veggies/salad you main entree and a lean protein your side dish.

Here's to healthy eating!

The Nutrition Chick