My Anti-Cancer Anti-Disease Rx

In the last post, we talked about the importance of your internal environment or terrain. Now let's look at ways we can improve that environment to rid it of disease and keep you disease-free. This is my personal Rx and something I practice each and every day.

You'll notice that not everything on my list is about food or supplements. That's because I believe what you think, do and believe is just as important, maybe more, than what you put in your mouth. You can do all the right nutritional things and still get sick and stay sick if you forget to change your beliefs and day-to-day lifestyle. More on that in the next post.

Here are the core principles of my Anti-cancer, Anti-disease regimen. I've just briefly mentioned them here. Each one deserves its own section because there is so much to talk about. More later, I promise.

1. As close to no sugar or white flour (i.e. foods with a high glycemic index) as you can get - because cancer feeds on sugar and these foods also promote inflammation
2. Green, green and more green - because greens have lots of the key anti-cancer and immune system nutrients you need, plus they help balance your body's ph. Our western diet is typically very acidic (meat, coffee, alcohol) and cancer thrives in an acidic environment
3. Limited meat - there are clear links between heavy meat consumption and cancer. I love a good cheese burger but afterward I can literally feel the inflammation it triggers. And the high fat content of meat and other animal products increases hormone production, thus increasing the risk of hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate cancer.
4. Shore up your immune system - You can't beat cancer or any disease without a strong immune system. See earlier post Nutrition and supplements that help your immune system fight cancer. 
5. Add cancer-fighting power foods - These super nutrients are easy to add and oh so powerful. 
1. Green Tea - contains polyphenols called catechins, which block the receptors which trigger the formation of new blood vessels by cancerous cells.
2. Mushrooms- Shiitake maitake, kawaratake and enokitake mushrooms stimulate the immune system and slow tumor growth
3. Brown Rice- rice bran has been shown to induce apoptosis (cancer cell death), inhibit cell proliferation, and alter cell progression in malignant cells.
4. Olive oil - contains secoiridoids and lignans, antioxidants linked with slower progression of cancer
5. Soy - contains powerful phytochemical molecules that counteract the mechanisms essential to the survival and spread of cancer
6. Tumeric - powerful anti inflammatory that also inhibits angiogenesis and forces cancer cells to die. 
6. Detox - it is essential that you clear your system of toxins - that includes cancer drugs, food and environmental toxins, and tumor remnants. I drink 7-8 glasses of clean filtered water, drink at least one green juice per day, use my mini trampoline to get the lymph system going and take 2-3 epsom salt and baking soda baths per week. 
7. Exercise - Exercise decreases your insulin resistance, which reduces cancer risk and creates a low sugar environment that discourages the growth and spread of cancer cells. It also improves circulation, driving more oxygen into your tissues and circulating immune cells in your blood. 
8. Sun & Fresh Air - this is one you might not find on everyone's cancer regimen but its something I do every day and it's made a huge difference in both my mental and physical health. Sun is important because vitamin D is a proven anti-cancer agent. Fresh air is important because it helps you fully breathe and get oxygen circulating through your system. 
9. Stress relief - Every day I do something that aids in stress relief. Yoga, meditation, walk the dog, watch a funny movie. This is just as important as what you put in your body, maybe more. We'll get into that in more detail in subsequent posts where we talk about the mind-body connection.
10. Social connection - Studies have shown that people with strong relationships and support systems have better survival rates. I believe this is essential. It's more than just people who are there for you, it's people you feel connected to, people that "get you".
11. Believe - I'm convinced the reason there are so many success stories about different ways people beat cancer is because belief is the most powerful drug there is. See The best treatment protocol is the one you believe in the most. 

Nutritional supplements that help your immune system fight cancer

These nutritional supplements do a fabulous job keeping your immune system primed and ready for action.

Vitamin C – This vitamin is not only good for fighting colds and flu, but also boosts the activation of both T-cells and NK cells so that your immune system has extra armor to protect you against a host of diseases, including cancer. 

Vitamin D – Vitamin D protects you against flus, colds, cancer and a host of other diseases. No other supplement has been as extensively studied as vitamin D. The reason vitamin D helps with just about any kind of infection is because it stimulates the production of cathelicidin, a protein with natural antibiotic properties. I take Vitamin D supplements, but I also spend 20-30 minutes a day in the sun to collect it naturally.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Omega-3 is needed to help vitamin D work in an optimally and helps prevent vitamin D deficiency. Omega-3 supplementation increases the activity of white cells that gobble up dangerous bacteria. Omega-3 also protects the lungs from colds, flus and other respiratory tract infections. It is also plays a critical role as an anti-inflammatory (more on this when we talk about inflammation).

Vitamin E – In addition to boosting the production of killer cells, vitamin E also supports the making of B cells – also utilized by our immune systems to produce antibodies and kill bacteria. You can get the recommended 60 mg a day from nuts, grains, seeds and vegetable oils. 

Beta Carotene – As the name suggests, this important vitamin found in carrots can help boost killer cells as well as helper t-cells so that your immune system can fight a number of diseases. Foods full of beta carotene include sweet potatoes, kale, turnip greens, spinach, dried herbs, and mustard greens. Check out this story about how Ann Cameron cured her Stage IV colon cancer with carrot juice. 

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that usually inhabit the gut and are a very well documented optimizer of the immune system. Seventy percent or more of our immune system is controlled by what happens in the gut, and friendly bacteria are the most important component of that immune system. These bacteria modulate the immune system by increasing the numbers of t-cells. Probiotics also help improve digestion and protect the body from harmful pathogens such as candida albicans. 

Astragalus – This well-known Chinese herb stimulates white blood cells to both prevent and fight infections. Astragalus does not work as quickly as vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acids, and may take between 6 – 8 weeks to reach its full effects. Numerous studies attest to the fact that it is well worth supplementing.

Selenium – regular supplementation of this important nutrient reduces the risk of cancers of the bladder, breast, bowel, lung and prostate. 

Turkey Tail Mushroom - So called because it resembles a wild turkey's tail, turkey tail mushrooms are proven effective immune system boosters as well as one of the leading anti-cancer supplements. See Turkey tail mushrooms help immune system fight cancer. Also this NIH article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3369477/

Beta Glucan - Lentinan, a type of beta glucan found in shitake mushrooms, is an immune system modulator, shown to increase neutrophils in solid tumors. Beta Glucan is not an immune system stimulant, like Echinacea and Colostrum. Vaclav Vetvicka, in his book on beta glucan notes that “there are other agents that stimulate the immune system. However, glucans are in a class apart, because those other agents can push the immune system to over stimulation. This means they can make matters worse in the case of auto-immune illnesses. Glucans however do stimulate the immune system, but never to the point where it becomes overactive. In addition glucan is one of the few natural immunomodulators for which we know not only the composition but also the mechanism of action.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19515245