Fear, Fright or Flight

In the spirit of Halloween and an upcoming election I have to ask, have we progressed from the time of burning witches and burning books? Are we still a society based on fear, or faith?

I've said before, what's important to me is freedom, freedom to choose how I spend my healthcare and educational dollars, and access to clean food and water. Both political parties failed us this summer when they removed our rights to know whether our food is genetically modified (injecting bacteria into the DNA of plants), or not.

I want to live in a country where I have the choice whether or not to give chemotherapy or ever increasing vaccinations to my children, without fear of social services taking all of my children away. I kid you not, I've met the Mother who had an armed guard outside her 5 year old son's hospital room because she questioned the chemotherapy being given and wanted to give him an antibiotic. Does the  government really know better than Mom on healing her child? Is it criminal to stand up for the rights of your children? 

I want to live in a world where I don't fear for myself or my family if I seek alternative or complimentary cures.

The biggest fear in our culture today is the C word... A cancer diagnosis.It's the modern day plague, and is being fueled by fear. 

Do you know the parable of the traveler that met the Black Plague and asked, 

"Where are you going?"  

The Plague replied, 

"I'm on my way to Bagdad to slay five thousand."

On the way back he met the same traveler who said, 

"You told me you were going to kill only five thousand, but I hear that fifty thousand died." 

He replied, 

"I told you truly. I slew only five thousand, the other forty-five thousand were killed through fear,"

When we are paralyzed with fear we make poor decisions. When we are full of faith we make loving, life affirming decisions. 

Fear keeps us locked in the Fight or Flight response and makes it difficult if not impossible to heal and repair. Fear keeps our sympathetic nervous system in overdrive, which is catabolic to the body. 

Faith and hope flips the central nervous system switch to rest and repair. 

My Son's wise girlfriend, Gabrielle wears a mustard seed necklace given to her by her father to remind her that it only takes faith, the size of a mustard seed, to accomplish the seemingly impossible. 

Our Son-in Law, Brad was just diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. How can such a beautiful power couple both have cancer at such young ages? 

Brad and Dana plan to share Brad's healing journey (via blogs (the-road-taken.com and (stealingyourthunder.blogspot.com) as well as podcasting (defendingyourlife.us) the trials and tribulations of this diagnosis, so follow along and share with us. #lovestory#frostpack #fbf)

I plan to share what I know along the way in the hopes that it plants a few seeds of faith, hope, and love. Brad is recovering from 6 hours of surgery at The Cleveland Clinic and we will be meeting with the Center for Functional Medicine later this week. 

There we will discuss eliminating toxicity in water, food and environment to change the terrain that allows cancer cells to thrive. We know that when we maximize what our body needs to boost the immune system we all have the innate ability to heal.

Let's stop this war on cancer and begin to recognize the thousands of people who have had radical remissions through self loving integrative therapies like maximizing nutritional and supplemental support, minimizing toxicity and inflammation, and prioritizing self care and self love. 

Halloween was born from the Celtic tradition of Samhain when the light is waning and the veil between life and death is the thinnest. The tradition was to provide food to the elder spirits to come and share their wisdom. Let's listen to the wisdom of the radical remission thrivers and have faith in Brad's innate ability to heal from within. If you have any prayers, words of wisdom, or stories of radical remission from cancer please share!!!

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age. She is also the Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven step process that is fun and transformational. Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month & Resources for Your Health!

Who is not aware of breast cancer? But are you aware that cancer is a preventable dis-ease? This is not to say that if you have cancer, it is your fault. To the contrary, what we don't know can and will kill us. This blog post is meant to inspire you to what you CAN do right now to prevent cancer and/or a recurrence.

The truth is that we all have rogue cancer cells in our bodies. Just like our gardens have weeds. Strong soil with healthy nutrients will feed and nourish strong plants. Nutrient poor soils will allow weeds to flourish. Here's how to nourish your body to support optimal wellness, and information you may not get from your oncologist. No fault of the oncologist. A few things, like nutrition, just wasn't taught in medical school. You go to the doctor to fight disease. You go to a health coach to create wellness. Here's how:

#1 Maximize what is needed for your unique body to flourish and heal: First and foremost know your vitamin D level.Vitamin D is really a hormone and the master of your genes. It should be at least 60ng/ml.

According to Victoria Wood, RD, MPH, CNS, "Vitamin D is the conductor of your genetic orchestra". It controls the expression of over 200 genes. You need adequate vitamin D levels for the body to tell cancer cells to die (called apoptosis), and to turn on cancer suppression genes. Better yet, get a Spectracell Micronutrient test and find someone knowledgeable to read it for you and make recommendations to optimize all of your vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. These are the essential building blocks to a healthy body.

Here's an exert from my Kick Start to Wellness Program and quote from the man who mapped the Human Genome:

"Genes are absolutely not our fate. They give us useful information about the increased risk of a disease, but in most cases they will not determine the actual cause of the disease, or the actual incidence of someone getting it. Most biology will come from the complex interaction of all the proteins and cells working with environmental factors, not driven directly by the genetic code"-Dr. Craig Venter, PhD.

The food on your plate matters and it can be a powerful form of chemotherapy that can change your genetic expression at the stem cell level. Drugs, surgery and radiation cannot do this. It makes no sense to do conventional therapies without attention to the power on your plate.

I've quoted Dr Kelly Turner before,

"If we are going to win the war on cancer shouldn't we be studying those who have already won?

The famous Framingham Study looked at women with BRAC 1 and BRAC 2 mutations that did NOT get cancer. What differentiated these women? It was the diversity in their diet. Most of us eat the same food every day, yet our bodies were meant to eat a much wider and wilder diet. We can easily get caught in a rut when it comes to feeding ourselves. Have fun playing and experimenting with food. Go to your local farmers market tomorrow and buy a new (organic, non-gmo vegetable) and try roasting or sauteing it. Here's one my intern, Yonina Blech-Hermoni brought in to our nutrition group lately that was supremely delicious:

Can anyone tell me what it is? 

#2 Minimize Stress, Inflammation and Toxicity: There is a lot published on the negative effect of toxins in our food, personal care products, cleaning supplies, water, air and thoughts. I covered this in my book Savvy Secrets. What I did not cover, and is becoming a bigger picture, is the affect of electromagnetic radiation and electromagnetic frequency that we are all exposed to. Here's an important short you tube video to explain concerns and what you can do to protect yourself and your children who are particularly affected. Please take the time to watch:

Please don't jog with your cellphone in your breast pocket! When I was studying integrative nutrition I learned that 35% of 23 year old men suffer from infertility. This was not the case three decades ago. Men, please do not carry your cellphone in your front pants pocket. To get an assessment of your home and for more resources check out the The Center for Wireless Safety

Also, does it make sense to get annual mammograms to look for microscopic cancer cells? My daughters oncologist in Arizona advocated Thermography as a first line followed by an ultrasound, both non invasive procedures. If you are in the Washington, DC area you can get one this month @  Neck Back & Beyond

Remember, we all have cancer cells in our bodies so how do you boost your immune system to protect yourself? See #1  Vitamin D! In fact, Victoria Wood cites a study in nursing homes giving one set of residents vitamin D and another set the flu vaccine. Vitamin D was more effective than the flu shot in preventing the flu. We recommend Vitamin D3/K2 liquid drops to boost the immune system, K2 is essential to get calcium in the bones and prevent osteoporosis as well as for gut and immune health. Contact me for a great source.

#3 Prioritize Self Care, rest and repair, relaxation, laughter, breathing, exercise, meaningful relationships and work. I find this the most challenging of the three for myself and other busy women. Here's a few pictures of my health coach retreat I attended last month and hope to offer something similar in my home when my yoga dance space is completed. Although it's tough to match the beauty of morning yoga overlooking the mountains in Asheville, NC!

What will you do this weekend to prioritize self? 

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age. She is also the Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven step process that is fun and transformational. Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.