The Health Blog

PREVENTING BREAST CANCERA key study of the role of exercise in reducing the risk for breast cancer generated much excitement in the scientific community. The study, involving 1,090 women who were 40 or younger (545 with breast cancer and 545 without) analyzed subjects’ exercise patterns since they began menstruating. The risk of those who averaged four hours of exercise a week since menstruation was 58 percent lower than that of women who did no exercise at all. The good news was that subjects did not have to be avid joggers to have reduced risk. Among the activities reported were team sports, individual sports, dance, exercise classes, swimming, walking, and a variety of other activities. Researchers speculated that exercise may protect women by altering the production of the ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone during menstrual cycles.Other research has shown that vigorous athletics can delay the onset of menstruation and halt ovulation in some women. A woman’s cumulative exposure to the sex hormones is believed to be associated with breast cancer risk. It may also be possible that exercise increases muscle mass and decreases body fat, another potential risk for breast cancer. Although this research is not definitive and other studies have yet to replicate these results, it does provide another indicator of actions that may in fact, be part of the answer to reducing risk.Regular self-examination and mammography offer the best hope for early detection of breast cancer. Recommendations for when a woman should obtain her first baseline mammogram are included in the American Cancer Society guidelines. It is important to note that there is tremendous controversy over the cost effectiveness and usefulness of getting a mammogram before the age of 40. In addition, the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute waged a controversial debate in 1997 over the appropriate recommendations for women in their 40s, with the ACS recommending mammograms every one to two years and the NCI against the recommendation. Eventually, after much public debate and review of results of recent studies, both the ACS and NCI agreed on the more frequent mammogram and its merits in early detection. Many health professionals recommend that if you have any of the risk factors, are prone to fibrous breasts, and are excessively worried about your own condition, a mammogram may be warranted. Consult with your physician if you are in doubt, as it is generally best to be a proactive health consumer.International differences in breast cancer incidence seem to correlate with variations in diet, especially fat intake, although a causal role for these dietary factors has not been firmly established. Sudden weight gain has also been implicated in increased risk. Exciting new research about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 susceptibility genes for breast cancer is also in progress, although screening in the general population for these genes is not yet recommended.*19/277/5*

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BREAST CANCER: STUDIES ON TREATMENT A study is being set up with a larger number of women receiving this treatment compared to those getting standard chemical therapy.Participating, as these women will do, in a study to test a lifesaving drug and not knowing whether you are getting that drug yourself is a test of courage. “It is a highly motivated patient who wants to try something more than she can get in her doctor’s office,” says Dr. Joyce O’Shaughnessy, a senior investigator at the NCI. In a clinical trial, she adds, you get good standard therapy and take a chance at getting something even better as well.Scientists contend that higher doses of cancer-killing drugs mean higher cure rates.There’s no proof yet, but in a couple of years they expect to know for sure. It could turn out that taking the growth factor and high-dose drugs is not best for the patient.Large amounts of the cancer drugs could severely injure other organs, sometimes fatally. Growth factor cannot protect you against such damage.Nearly 100 years of research have led up to this exciting moment. In the 19th century, every woman who developed breast cancer died of it. The cancer cells eventually invaded other areas of the body, choked off blood supplies, and squeezed normal cells.In 1894, the first mastectomy – removal of the cancerous breast – was performed. Later, doctors made the surgery more radical, cutting out the lymph nodes under the arm and in the chest where, they suspected, cancer cells lurked. Some cut away the muscles as well. As a result, many women ended up with painful, swollen arms as fluid choked their tissues.By the 1940s, doctors saw that three of four women survived at least 5 years after a radical mastectomy, and 30 percent were cured – the cancer never came back. Curiously, despite many more women having had mastectomies and despite “improvements” in the surgery, the nation’s death rate from breast cancer had remained unchanged over the preceding 50 years.In 1964, when I was science editor of the New York Herald Tribune, I reported this fact. I saw no change in the death rates from cancer of the breast. Despite better-trained surgeons, better drugs, and improve anesthesia, nothing changed.My report raised a storm of protest both from doctors and patients. The doctors wanted me fired, even going so far as to circulate a petition. How dare I, a non-physician, criticize surgeons for what they were doing to save lives?Over thirty years later, as you will see in the rest of this report, scientific research proved me right and the doctors wrong.I had great sympathy for the patients. I received anguished telephone calls and letters. “You are telling me that I am going to die,” one weeping woman said. I thought. “Yes. We are all going to die sooner or later.” I tried to reassure the woman that science is moving at great speed trying to find a solution. I don’t think I was very successful.By the 1960s, scientists began to suspect that more radical mastectomies did not mean more cures that surgery had gone as far as it could. Studies in Scotland compared the outcomes for two groups of women – those who had had the radical method and those who had had a simple breast removal and radiation bombardment of the breast area. The death rates were identical for both groups.*7/266/5*

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‘Exfoliative’ means falling off (like leaves off a tree). ‘Cytology’ means the study of cells. When a cancer breaks through any surface, cells fall off it singly or in little clusters. For example, a lung cancer which has grown through the lining of a bronchial tube sheds cells which may be coughed up. Examination of sputum (spit) specimens under the microscope may reveal cancer cells. Cells from cancer of the bladder can float off and be found in specimens of urine. Cells from cancer of the uterus (womb) or cervix (neck of the womb) may be found in samples taken from the surface of the vagina and cervix (a Pap smear). When the diagnosis is made by this method, we can sometimes be in the position of knowing that a cancer is present before we have ‘seen’ it by some other means. For example, a sputum specimen from a patient who has been coughing blood sometimes shows cancer cells when the X-ray looks quite normal (that is, the cancer is too small to show up on the X-ray).

Exfoliative cytology is a quick and easy way of making a diagnosis when it is positive, that is, cancer cells are found. However, when it is negative, that is, no cancer cells are found, it is not so helpful because cancer may still be the cause of the symptom. Some cancers don’t release cells at all, or only release them now and then, so clear specimens do not necessarily mean no cancer. Other tests would be necessary to make a definite diagnosis.

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It would be wonderful is we could tell by a simple blood test whether or not cancer cells have got into the bloodstream. You will remember from Chapter 2 that it is very rare to actually see cancer cells in a blood sample. There are never many of them in the blood at any one time except in leukaemia and some cases of lymphoma and myeloma. The chances of seeing cancer cells in the tiny drop of blood that is looked at under the microscope is minute. Because it is so hard to ‘catch them in the act’, the usual way of finding out that cancer cells have been in the blood is by finding the resulting secondary deposits.

Most of the tests that we use are only capable of picking up cancer deposits that are more than about 1cm across. You might remember from Chapter 2 that cancer cells can go through the blood, lodge somewhere in the body and lie dormant there for a long time. These tiny dormant seedlings are made up of only a few cells and cannot be detected by currently available tests. We only find out later that these cells have been there—when they activate and grow into a deposit that can be detected. If your doctor tells you that your tests are clear and no secondary growths have been found, this is certainly good news. However, it is not a cast-iron guarantee that there will be no trouble in the future. The danger period during which dormant seedlings can activate is different for different types of cancer, ranging from as little as twelve months to as much as twenty or more years. Ask your doctor how long it is for your particular type of cancer.

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Useful Suggestions When Following the Purification Diet

• Get as much rest and sleep as possible. The body heals and repairs faster on an elimination

diet if the body is adequately rested.

• Try to drink at least eight glasses of pure water throughout the day also. Dilute all juices

50/50 with pure water.

• Do only gentle exercise like light walking, stretching, yoga, tai chi.

• Regular dry skin brushing daily is useful to help remove dead skin cells and promote

detoxification through the skin.

• Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) baths are great for cleansing, relaxation and soothing sore

muscles.

• Drink as many herbal teas as you like. The best herbal teas for cleansing and boosting

immune system function include dandelion tea, pau d’ arco, echinacea tea, lemongrass tea,

peppermint tea, red clover tea, rosehips tea, burdock, milk thistle, yellow-dock herbal tea.

• If desired, you can take spirulina during the fast. Spirulina is rich in protein, vitamins and

minerals and contains large amounts of chlorophyll for cleansing. There are some excellent

‘green’ powder combinations available including Greens plus from Orange Peel Enterprises,

Nature’s Secret, Earth Source Green’s Plus and More by Solgar, Pro-greens from Nutricology

and Kyo-Green from Wakunaga of America.

Symptoms That May Be Experienced During the Purification Diet

Fatigue, bad breath, body odour, scaly skin, skin eruptions, headaches, dizziness, irritability, anxiety, nausea, coughing, confusion, body aches, smelling stools, diarrhoea, dark urine, insomnia, mucous discharge, visual or hearing problems.

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Below are easy steps used to develop and maintain a positive mental attitude and outlook on life. These can be incorporated easily into your everyday life improving your health, well-being and contentment.

Become an Optimist – Be Aware of Your Everyday Dialogue and Conversations with Others

The first step to developing a more positive attitude and outlook on life is to become an optimist (positive thinker), rather than a pessimist (negative thinker). As human beings we are inherently optimists by nature. An optimistic outlook on life allows us to succeed in achieving our goals, creates better levels of health and happiness and prevents illness. Optimism is a vital friend in our fight against cancer and disease.

The first way to begin your optimistic path is to be aware of your speech patterns. See if you can go a whole day without saying something negative or derogatory. Every day we engage in conversation at home, work and in society. Not only is it important to be aware of our internal self-talk, it is also necessary to become aware of what we say to others. Our everyday conversation also has an effect on our lives, our self-image, relationships and mental attitude. Any type of talk or thought leaves an imprint on our subconscious mind and will ultimately lead towards fulfillment or lack of fulfillment of our life’s dreams.

Become aware of what you say and try to say positive comments and words. If you catch yourself saying a negative phrase, turn the negativity around by saying a positive phrase or making a positive comment. Think positive thoughts, perform positive actions and avoid negativity in every form. Try to say at least one positive, honest comment to another being every day and watch the magic unfold in your life.

Be Aware of Your Internal Self-talk

As humans, a constant dialogue of words occurs daily within our minds. This self-talk or mental chatter makes an impression on our subconscious mind. In order to develop a more positive mental attitude it is important to guard against negative self-talk. Become aware of your self-talk and consciously work to imprint positive self-talk and comments on your subconscious mind. A powerful tool in creating positive internal self-talk is to use affirmations. If you catch yourself saying negative comments in your mind, imagine yourself crossing this out with a pen and writing inside your mind the opposite positive comment. A positive always outweighs a negative every time. Consciously think positive thoughts and your positive thoughts will become your reality.

Use Positive Affirmations and Phrases Daily

An affirmation is a statement with an emotional intensity. Affirmations leave a mark on our subconscious mind to create a healthy, positive self-image and enhance positive changes in our lives. Affirmations enable us to fulfill our desires and attain success, happiness and inner fulfillment. By achieving our goals through setting and fulfilling affirmations, our self-confidence is increased, attaining a positive mental attitude (read on for a list of life-transforming affirmations). Try writing down positive affirmations on a piece of pink or yellow paper. Fold this piece of paper eight times and place this under your pillow. Within no time, your inner wishes and dreams will manifest right before your eyes!

Set Positive Short Term and Long Term Goals

Motivated, successful people have written hundreds of books on the benefits of goal setting. Setting goals enables us to attain our short and long term desires. Achieving goals enables you to feel better about who you are and the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to reach your goals.

Always state or write down the goal in positive terms and never use any negative terms in the goal. Always try to make your goal attainable and achievable. Be specific and certain about your goal. The clearer it is, the more likely it is you will reach it -be precise and exact about what you want. Always state the goal in the present or past tense. In order to achieve your goal, you have to believe you have already attained it.

Try to balance your goals between your physical, mental and emotional needs, rather than purely financial needs. Many people tend to write only work-orientated goals. Try to work out which areas of your life have received the least attention, personal growth or health. Set goals to fill in these missing gaps in your life and watch the happiness unfold. See and feel yourself having already achieved your goal and success will naturally be yours for the taking.

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This is largely caused from the killing of the microvilli in the intestines. Microvilli are needed to absorb nutrients from food. If these are destroyed, no nutrition is being gained from food and the body is unable to create natural cellular energy as normal.

Diet

• Eat a wholesome diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and fresh vegetable and fruit juices

• Make sure you eat adequate protein, including deep water fish, nuts, legumes, cottage cheese, soybeans, seeds) chicken breast and red meat (no more than 3 times per week).

• Add a protein supplement to your juice or smoothie, or try making a protein/energy shake.

• Energy boosting foods include borage, grapes, nuts, cayenne pepper, figs, honey and kelp, bananas, cabbage, carrots, dates, oatmeal, onion, peas, prunes, raisins, soybeans, spinach, borage and strawberries.

• Try to eat one fresh salad daily with a variety of different coloured vegetables. For extra energy make up a salad dressing from organic flaxseed oil and pure apple cider vinegar.

• Try not to skip meals. If you are feeling nauseous, try pureeing your foods in a blender.

• Eat a wholesome breakfast that includes a protein source such as an egg (no more than 3-4 a week), cottage cheese or fish. Porridge is a long-term source of energy.

• Avoid energy-robbing foods like sugar, alcohol, fats, caffeine, white flour products and highly processed foods.

Vitamins and Nutrients

• It is recommended to ask your doctor for regular injections of vitamins, particularly  group vitamins such as B complex, vitamin B12 and vitamin Ñ. This guarantees your body is receiving adequate nutrients to produce energy. Alternatively, take a good  complex vitamin supplement, rich in Bl, B3, B5, B6 and choline.

• Check for vitamin Â12, iron and folic acid deficiency.

• Check for any signs of Candida – if present, supplement with lactobacillus acidophilus and avoid yeast foods.

• It is difficult to absorb vitamins because the microvilli are easily destroyed during radiation treatment. To improve absorption in the gut, take digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid (if a deficiency is present). This increases absorption of vitamins and minerals, allowing the body the correct nutrients to make energy.

• Vitamin B3 in its active form, (NAD) assists with energy production.

• Vitamin Ñ and the amino acid, tyrosine improves adrenal gland function.

• Coenzyme Q10 (up to 270 mg/day during treatment) improves energy levels dramatically.

• Acetyl L Carnitine is a powerful energy stimulant, as is alpha keto gluterate

• Bee pollen, a few granules daily for 3 days, often has a marked effect on energy levels.

• Free form amino acid complexes are great for improving energy levels.

• Spirulina, barley greens, wheatgrass and chlorella are great whole food sources for providing energy.

Herbs

• Ginseng root, licorice (do not take if you have high blood pressure), gingko biloba, damiana, yerba mate, oatseed, star anise, peppermint, cayenne and gotu kola are all useful herbs for enhancing energy levels. Try to take in herbal tea form or as tinctures.

• A herbal tea made from burdock root, dandelion root and red clover promotes healing by cleansing the blood and enhancing immune system function.

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Essential Oils

Aromatherapy oils are oils obtained from flowers, roots or leaves of plants in their purest form. They are very useful for relaxation, healing, cleansing and uplifting the moods and emotions. In hospital it is beneficial to use oils to aid relaxation and uplift the emotions, as depression can often occur after surgery. Essential oils can be added with water to an oil burner and burnt throughout the day and night. Useful oils are listed below.

• Lavender – Relaxes the nervous system, brings a sense of peace and calmness, good for headaches, nausea, insomnia, shock and uplifts moods. Externally, great for burns.

• Bergamot – Great for uplifting the moods, aids depression, anxiety and nervous tension, and enhances creativity.

• Clary Sage – Specifically for depression, aids positivity, helps to eliminate fear, paranoia and delusions.

• Patchouli – Uplifts the moods, enhances creativity and increases acceptance.

• Jasmine – Sedates the central nervous system, aiding relaxation.

• Basil oil – Relaxes the entire nervous system and enhances appetite, clears the head and can be used for weakness, indecision and hysteria. It is good for people who need protecting due to a debilitating illness or for low resistance conditions.

• Lemongrass – Relaxes the nervous system slightly, and brings a sense of happiness and positivity.

• Tea Tree oil – Great for cuts and external wounds, and acts as an antiseptic.

• Eucalyptus – Great for colds, flu’s and lowered immunity. Also improves breathing and clears airway passages.

Australian Bush Flower Remedies and Bach Remedies

Emotions have a powerful impact on a person’s ability to recover from illness. Negative emotions are known to weaken our body’s immune system through a number of internal metabolic reactions. Therefore, to increase your ability to heal following surgery, you must ensure that you maintain a positive attitude before surgery by eliminating any niggling fears, anxieties or emotional blocks in your life.

Two useful combination remedies for pre and post surgery are the Australian Bush Flower Remedy – ‘Emergency Essence’ and the Bach Flower Remedy — ‘Rescue Remedy’. Both these combination remedies are used to alleviate panic, distress and fear. They ease these feelings, provide comfort until your surgery and ease stress following surgery.

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As humans we are made up of millions of cells, each uniquely different in shape and structure. However, one thing is common to every single cell within the body. Each cell contains amazing, life-giving structures. One of these unique structures is known as mitochondria. Mitochondria occur in the cytoplasm (fluid) of the cell and this is the primary site of cellular energy production within the body (similar to a ‘power plant’). The method of energy production is known as the ‘Kreb’s Cycle’. This occurs in the mitochondria by means of oxidation – using oxygen, producing a substance known as ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate).

Deoxyribonucleic acid, commonly known as DNA, is our genetic information that also resides within the mitochondria. Around every cell we have a protective coating known as the cell membrane. Cell membranes regulate every substance that enters or leaves the cell, carries signals into and out of the cell and consumes seventy per cent of the cell’s energy. Cancer-causing substances are able to penetrate cell membranes, breaking into the cell lining. This can reduce normal mitochondrial function and the formation of healthy DNA.

If our cell membrane is strong and stable, certain carcinogens are unable to enter and are usually destroyed by the immune system, if it is functioning correctly. However, if cell membranes are weak and the immune system is deficient, a cancer-causing substance is able to enter and cause damage to the cell. This damage also affects cellular energy production and damages the mitochondria and DNA sequence. When the cell replicates itself to heal and repair tissue the replicated cell will be damaged, possibly leading to the initial formation of cancerous cells. If the immune system still hasn’t stepped in due to deficiencies, the cancerous cells may continue to reproduce, eventually causing a tumour to form.

Therefore, to prevent and also to beat cancer, the cells throughout the body need to be normalized. This includes strengthening cell membranes, regulating ATP production in the mitochondria (the cell’s ‘power plant’) and enhancing immune system function. Certain substances enhance the function of the mitochondria, such as carnitine, alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), co-enzyme Q10, gingko biloba and vitamin C.

Likewise, avoiding cancer-causing substances, eating a healthy, nutrient-rich diet, positive emotions, regular intake of antioxidants and immune system support are essential ingredients in preventing and beating cancer.

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