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“Those who think they don’t have time to eat healthily will do so sooner or later, you will have to find time for illness. -Edward Stanley
Sorry, I’m posting this article late. I was a little distracted. As I always prepare for the psychological and physical trauma of each 6 month cancer check in Boston. First there is the doubt that sets in a few weeks before. That despite all my efforts, the sacrifices, the hard work that I put in day after day, there remains a chance that the Emperor of all diseases (by taking the Pulitzer Prize-winning title of Siddhartha Mukherjee book 2010) will come back.
But then reason and logic – like Jimmy Cricket on my shoulder – reassures me.
“Carolyn, have faith. You have done your homework; has continually studied nutritional cancer prevention and reversal from the best minds with the world’s most renowned peer-reviewed research. You care so much about life that you revolutionized yours to save it. And you go.”
But even Jimmy is sometimes no match for the anxiety that consumes me as I lie in that PET scan, sweating like a pig from the claustrophobia and and if syndrome.
Such is the life of a cancer survivor. A roller coaster from which you never completely get off. A David and Goliath rivalry that many readers will endure over the course of their lives.
Yes! All my scans and blood tests from October 3 said: NO EVIDENCE OF CANCER. As usual, for every successful benchmark, a major celebration in my house. Dine out for spicy Thai drunken noodles with tofu and homemade chocolate, peanut butter, banana and soy milkshakes when we return home. So rich and creamy. (Recipe included.)
So what is this edition of Chew on life now! do you have to do with all of you? All. Preventing and/or reversing cancer is not a spectator sport. It is a lifestyle chosen by those who participate in it to win. (Aren’t we all?) Knowing the basics, using the fundamentals, and practicing daily, you/we have a fighting chance.
How many times do you have to hear it before it sinks in? – early detection saves lives; before the cancer reaches the stage of progression.
- Have an annual physical with blood tests each year and/or make an appointment with your PCP if you have been feeling blah for more than 3 weeks.
(FYI: The average wait time for a PCP appointment is 20 days.)
- Women, schedule your first mammogram at age 40 or earlier if you have symptoms
- Men, schedule your first PSA level at 55 or sooner if you have symptoms
- Women/men schedule your first colonoscopy at age 45 or earlier if you have symptoms such as blood in your stool (colon cancer decreased by 56% between 1970 and 2019 thanks to the advent of colonoscopy tests. ) (American Cancer SocietyReport 2022)
- See a dentist if this sore in your mouth does not disappear after 3 weeks.
Remember the factoid from my first article? 51% of Americans say they are too afraid to ask questions about their health or symptoms. (PointPatient 2022) Whether you’re too scared or Uber is health conscious – because neither is immune – nothing prepares you for the words, you have cancer.
The 3 phases of cancer:
Initiation – the body tries to convert foreign chemicals into soluble forms to excrete them. Often stored in fat, a small amount can become very reactive, converting normal genes into cancer-mutated genes.
Promotion – the cells continue to multiply over the years; they can cluster together and be seen under a microscope. Reversible in current state.
Progress – tumor growth stage; can be benign or malignant and begins to invade surrounding cells and tissues. Metastasis.
It turns out that genetics play a much smaller role in cancer than initially thought. Today, numerous studies indicate that cancer is largely an environmental disease with significant dietary links.
Casein, for example, the main protein found in dairy products increases the production of growth hormones and elevates acids in the body, both of which promote cancer. A very controversial subject, particularly in the area of industrialized agribusiness, heavily subsidized by the government. (Check James Barbe Award-winning author, Marion Nestlé’s book, Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Are Distorting the Science of What We Eat.)
According to Dr. T. Colins Campbellfounder of the nutrition center that bears his name Cornell University, casein is the most important chemical carcinogen ever identified. “In my quarter-century of laboratory research, funded by taxpayer dollars and published in top journals, we have studied this effect in many ways at the most fundamental, cellular, and subsurface level. cellular. any other chemical considered carcinogenic. Science, when done well, means that a hypothesis must be disproven, which means it must be possible to prove it false. Otherwise, such views are a dream.
Now for all the groupies who love milk, yogurt, cheese and butter, please hear me out.
Even if it turns out that you have a genetic predisposition to cancer, the relatively new field of epigenetic – that humans have the capacity to influence their genetic destiny through proactive means – is full of new discoveries every day. One discovery is that phytochemicals Plants have the ability to turn off genes that are intrinsically programmed to stimulate cancer, which is incredible!
what is a phytochemical? These are the biologically active compounds/chemicals present in a plant. Many have the power to kill cancer cells.
But here’s the catch. Let’s say you add a cup of blueberries to your yogurt because you know blueberries are one of the best cancer-fighting foods there is and you’ve loved yogurt since you were in kindergarten. Studies show that the casein found in dairy products prevents maximum absorption of the cancer-fighting phytochemicals found in blueberries. (The antioxidant activity of blueberries is altered by the association with milk; Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 2009)
What’s the problem, you ask, it’s just a cup of blueberries. It’s more than blueberries. Researchers don’t know how many phytochemicals are affected by casein, but the list is growing. For me or those like me, diagnosed in the promotion phase of cancer, or for those who want to prevent cancer from forming, imagine that the unique and powerful chemicals in plants are like heat-seeking missiles aimed at cancer cells wherever they are in the body. You want a constant flow of defense into your bloodstream. An optimal source not weakened by external forces. For me, either I’m all in or what’s the point.
How I got here. . .
In April 2022, I was diagnosed with advanced illness Hurthle cell thyroid cancer and the doctors of Brigham and Women’s Hospital I said I had deep vascular disease, meaning my blood was full of cancer cells. The restless, searching health geek in me came across a 2011 University of Alabama researchers article Tabitha Hardy, Ph.D. And Trygve Tollefsbol PhD on the benefits of an epigenetic diet: Epigenic diet: impact on the epigenome and cancer
The opening paragraph was a religious experience:
A number of bioactive food components are of particular interest in the field of epigenetics. Many of these compounds exhibit anticancer properties and may play a role in cancer prevention. Numerous studies suggest that a number of nutritional compounds have epigenetic targets in cancer cells. Importantly, emerging evidence strongly suggests that consumption of dietary agents can alter normal epigenetic states as well as reverse abnormal gene activation or inactivation.
That night I was reborn with hope and never looked back. (Or I’ve had a drop, spoonful, slice, or dab of dairy since.)
Make yourself a taste. Eat whole, plant-based foods at every meal – as well as snacks – from the epigenetic categories cited in the research paper to prevent or combat the proliferation of cancer cells. And throw out the dairy. Just so you know, you don’t have to be a scientist to read and/or enjoy a research article. There may be terms you don’t understand, but you can still gain incredible insight into a topic through research results that you can adopt for yourself and your lifestyle. FYI: I never rely on third party sources for research results – magazine/newspaper articles, blogs, etc. Always research the original source and citation for verification and/or clarification and, if possible, verify who funded the research. If the Dairy Association is funding a study on osteoporosis, why would anyone find this research credible?
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. . . ”
Chocolate, peanut butter, banana, soy milkshake
Makes 1 large, creamy, delicious and healthy treat.
- 1 cup organic/non-GMO cold soy milk (belongs to the Genistein family of phytochemicals not found in any other plants.)
- 1 ripe organic banana (belongs to many phytochemical groups, including catechin, epicatechin, and gallic acid.)
- 1 smooth, unsweetened TBS peanut butter (belongs to many phytochemical groups, including carotenoids, phenols, and phytosterols.)
- 1 TBA unsweetened organic cocoa powder (belongs to many phytochemical groups, including catechins, epicatechins, anthocyanins, and procyanidins.)
- ½ cup ice cubes
Blend until smooth and enjoy! 325 calories/11 grams of protein
Eat to live; don’t live to eat!
Note: The author’s experiences and observations are for informational purposes only and are not intended to provide medical advice on the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of any medical problem. Medical advice should be sought from a qualified healthcare professional.