Cancer - The root of the problem

An interesting mix of cancer related material from the renowned Dr's Joseph Mercola and Thomas Cowan has caught our eye.

Mercola says 

"I strongly believe the cancer rates are escalating because we are in no way shape or form addressing the underlying cause of most cancers. Instead, most research is directed towards expensive drugs that target late stages of the disease and greatly enrich the drug companies, but simply do not prevent cancer."

This is certainly where a vast amount of the funds raised to fight cancer are directed, to expensive drug therapies that may aid in cancer management once the disease has already got hold of people. More needs to be done to prevent cancer or treat it in the earliest possible stages. Mercola goes on to say

"If ever there was an area in which an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure it is cancer."

Environmental and lifestyle factors are increasingly being pinpointed as the primary culprits fueling our cancer epidemic. This includes: 

More recent studies investigating ancient mummies have concluded that cancer is not a "natural" disease at all, and genetics are not a primary factor. Tumors were extremely rare until recent times, when pollution and poor diet have heavily impacted upon our growth, development and day to day living. So why are the medical and science communities, by and large, ignoring these basics?

Care needs to be taken after a diagnosis of cancer not to embark on dietary extremes such as strict low fat, vegetarian, vegan or completely raw food diets. This chaotic adjustment to something strict and rigid will be a significant challenge on the system. A gradual shift towards a traditional, nutrient dense diet centred on minimising toxins and maximising digestion, assimilation and health will do much more that a knee jerk reaction.

Dr Tom Cowan offers some excellent nutritional advice for the support and management of cancer. He advises complete avoidance of agricultural pesticides and herbicides and all forms of processed white flour, sugar and vegetable oils. He advises that one should eat 3 times a day with each meal having balanced proportions of the major food groups, animal foods, whole grains and vegetables. Cowan implores that a diet for cancer patients should not be one of deprivation, neither over-indulgence. It should be centred on balancing the body in all its systems and functions. This requires the removal of damaging processed and devitalised foods and their replacement with nutritious, naturally occurring, traditionally prepared foods.

Overcoming cancer begins with simple personal choices

You can do a lot, right now, to significantly decrease your cancer risk. Even the conservative American Cancer Society states that one-third of cancer deaths are linked to poor diet, physical inactivity, and carrying excess weight. So making the following healthy lifestyle changes can go a very long way toward ending the failure-streak and becoming one less statistic in this war against cancer:

1. Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure and regular high vitamin cod liver oil intake.Cancer is a disease of darkness and vitamin D is the nutrient of light, literally made by exposure of our skin to natural sunlight. It boosts our immune system, builds bone, supports cholesterol and normal hormonal function.
2. Control your insulin levels by limiting your intake of refined starchy carbohydrates and sugars (both glucose/fructose) as much as possible. Refined carbohydrates lead to glycation within the blood stream which is detrimental to tissue formation and growth.
3. Get appropriate amounts (not excessive) of animal-based omega-3 fats. This can be done by eating oily fish, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, pasture raised eggs and high vitamin cod liver oil.
4. Encourage the intake of naturally occurring high quality sources of saturated fat such as immune supporting coconut oil. Butter and the fat of grass fed beef or lamb should also be included as they will specifically provide anti-carcinogenic CLA.
5. Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
6. Even the Centre of Disease Control in the US states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is may be that this factor is more important than some of the other physical ones listed here. Managing our emotions and seeking peace and calm on a daily basis is vitally important. One of our favourites is using Holosync's meditation sound tracks.
7. Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh, local and organic. Cruciferous vegetables in particular have been identified as having potent anti-cancer properties.
8. Maintain an ideal body weight.
9. Get enough high-quality sleep.
10. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
11. Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or char broiling them. Burnt edges on foods contain carcinogenic chemicals that should be avoided. Cook slow and steady on the barbeque and be sure you cook on embers, not in flames.