This week in our nutrition support group, we congratulated each other's continual
improvement in health and well-being. This included our thriving patient diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer from last week, and another beautiful woman who just
returned from vacation in Greece, glowing with a healthy tan and feeling great.
We always talk about the importance of vitamin D as being “the conductor of the
genetic orchestra” and of course the best way to get it is from the sun (without
sunscreen). She noticed how healthy she felt by slowing down, relaxing, and enjoying very clean healthy vegetables and the Mediterranean diet.
This led us to a discussion on Radical Remissions. Kelly Turner, PhD, Harvard graduate and
trained researcher has studied and interviewed over 6,000 cancer patients who
have had radical remissions, against all odds. As she says, “If you want to win
the war on cancer, shouldn’t we study those who have already won?” Makes sense to me, which is why I urge
everyone to come to our weekly group, buy her book, and consider taking her new
online course Radical Remission: Applying the 9 Healing Factors into Your Own Life. Click HERE for more info
Dr. Turner outlines the 9 healing factors that are common to
all radical remissions, and of course radical change in diet is the number
one. Someone asked about a vegan diet
versus a paleo diet and we discussed the common components. Both eliminate processed sugars, flours and gluten, fuel for cancer cells, are inflammatory to the gastrointestinal tract and can increase intestinal permeability. Processed foods are also high in chemicals, preservatives, GMO’s and trans-fats creating
inflammation, oxidative stress and DNA damage.This “nutrient dead, non-food” not only
stresses the immune system but creates an environment where cancer cells can
thrive.
We then had a healthy discussion on the recent NY Times
article on GMO’s, here is an excerpt (I added the italics):
The new report was written by a committee
of 20, almost all of them from academia. There was no one from crop
biotechnology companies like Monsanto or DuPont on the committee, though some members have developed
genetically engineered crops and might have been consultants to the companies.
The committee concentrated its
review on the genetically engineered crops that account for the vast bulk of
such plants grown in the United States. These are corn and cotton containing bacterial genes that make the crops
resistant to certain insects; and soybeans, corn and cotton that are resistant
to herbicides, particularly glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup.
So we must ask, “Is it the fact that the seed has been
modified with a bacterial organism that creates the problem, or is the toxic
insecticides and herbicide Roundup that is sprayed on all these Roundup
resistant crops that is a problem, or is it both?” We discussed how modifying a
food with bacteria could cause the immune system to see the food as a foreign
body and begin an immune systems reaction. European studies have shown
GMO’s cause inflammation in the GI tract as well as intestinal permeability in
animals, which is one reason they have been banned for several decades in
Europe. One of our patients shared that he had gastric reflux and GI problems
for 25 years and after he cut out gluten and GMO’s four years ago he has not had
any problem since. Look at the data and you decide what is best for you. I
always advocate “Question everything and let your body be the judge.” Another radical remission strategy is to trust your intuition. There is an interesting
documentary called GMO OMG http://www.gmofilm.com/official-trailer.aspx that is entertaining food for thought and informative. A young father takes his family across the US, to Europe and then the International Seed Bank in Norway exploring the safety of GMO's.
Everyone at our luncheon enjoyed an organic non-GMO lunch of lentil bean
soup with kale and sweet potatoes, a cabbage and apple slaw, and chia pudding
with coconut milk, dates and vanilla. The apples have quercetin, a
natural anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory that also inhibits the growth of cancer cells (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136711/ ). The pectin in
apples also help bind toxins in the bowel for elimination to further reduce
toxicity and inflammation. There is wisdom in the adage, “An apple a day keeps
the doctor away.”
Cabbage is also healing to the gut and includes
sulforaphane glucosinolate (SGS), the active ingredient in Thorne’s Crucera
that helps to upregulate detoxification and offers protection from free radical
damage. Studies have shown this is an important ingredient in
chemo-prevention of cancer stem cells and is uniquely powerful as it affects cancer at the stem cell level. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955286310002445
You can make choices three times a day to provide
chemotherapy on your plate. With every
bite, you get to determine if your food is life affirming and gives you more
energy, or if it will stress the immune system and provide the environment for
dis-ease. Now that’s empowering!
To help support healthy choices, as part of the Integrative Wellness Program at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, I am happy to announce that we will be bringing in a vending machine that will be filled with fresh cold pressed organic, non GMO juices and salads from tasty 6. Below is a picture of our juice tasting with Vincent Renner; decadently delicious! www.tasty6.com
Last but not least, if you are too ill to shop and cook, here is a link where you can order freshly prepared gluten and dairy free meals delivered directly to your door. CLICK HERE for more information.
There are many ways to "Let Food be thy Medicine" that are simply delicious, energizing and empowering!
Carpe Diem!
Lisa
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