We hear a lot of information about detoxification and how that relates to poor health. What many people don’t know is that many diseases thrive in toxic or unbalanced environment in our bodies. Cancer is very common these days. Many of us have had a loved one, a relative or close friend trying to find a solution for their situation. Finding a reasonable treatment when one is already diagnosed with cancer is definitely more difficult and nerve-wrenching than adopting good prevention habits in the first place. Learning how to prevent disease is a must for everyone because cancer does not discriminate - anyone can get it.

New ideas are being thrown out there everyday on how to treat and prevent cancer. Interestingly enough, most of them are based on living a healthy lifestyle. Going on a detoxification diet is a newer form of disease/cancer prevention that has really taken off.

Cancer prevention is possible if you keep your body healthy and free of toxins. Eating healthily is always advisable, no matter what disease you are fighting. The reason for this is that healthy foods contain vitamins and nutrients and have properties that help your body function properly. A body that functions properly and at an efficient level stays healthier. And let’s not forget exercise. Exercise helps your body to function properly, move things along, burn fat and keeps your muscles toned. It also helps your heart and lungs work better which allows your blood to flow better and keeps waste moving through your body properly. Keeping a healthy lifestyle prepares your body to be healthy.

A detox diet helps your body organs to work at its optimal level and without obstruction. It also helps to remove toxins from your body and remove waste more efficiently. A detox program usually involves lots of fiber and water, and giving your body organs a break. Fiber helps your body to remove waste, which frees up your system to digest food better. This in return gives you more energy. Water has an overall effect on your energy levels and how your body functions. Instead of letting waste build up and causing possibly  problems, the detox diet helps remove the body of waste that frees up your colon to keep you healthy. In a nutshell, the detox diet lets your colon get back to good health in order to work optimally once again, which plays a major role in hormone release and metabolism function. A colon that is not working can diminish health very quickly.

Because many of the actual causes of cancer are unknown, it is important to become healthier in all aspects of cancer prevention because it can do so much for your health and future outlook.

As spring swings into gear, there’s no better time to give your body a healthy, fresh start! Plus, if you’re thinking about lowering your weight, “eating clean” is a great first step. Add these 10 foods to your grocery cart and you’ll get three terrific benefits: lots of super-healthy liquids to flush out the body while pouring in nutrients, fiber to keep your GI tract fit, and foods that energize cleansing enzymes in the liver, your body’s built-in detox center.

1. Green leafy vegetables  Eat them raw, throw them into a broth, add them to juices. Their chlorophyll helps swab out environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides) and protects the liver.

2. Lemons  You need to keep the fluids flowing to wash out the body and fresh lemonade is ideal. Its vitamin C, considered the detox vitamin, helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that’s easily flushed away.

3. Watercress   Put a handful into salads, soups, and sandwiches. The peppery little green leaves have a diuretic effect that helps move things through your system. And cress is rich in minerals too.

4. Garlic  Add it to everything — salads, sauces, spreads. In addition to the bulb’s cardio benefits, it activates liver enzymes that help filter out junk.

5. Green tea  This antioxidant-rich brew is one of the healthiest ways to get more fluids into your system. Bonus: It contains catechins, which speed up liver activity.

6. Broccoli sprouts  Get them at your health-food store. They pack 20 to 50 times more cancer-fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than the grown-up vegetable.

7. Sesame seeds  They’re credited with protecting liver cells from the damaging effects of alcohol and other chemicals. For a concentrated form, try tahini, the yummy sesame seed paste that’s a staple of Asian cooking.

8. Cabbage  There are two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver; this potent veggie helps activate both of them. Coleslaw, anyone?

9. Psyllium  A plant that’s rich in soluble fiber, like oat bran, but more versatile. It mops up toxins (cholesterol too) and helps clear them out. Stir powdered psyllium into juice to help cleanse your colon, or have psyllium-fortified Bran Buds for breakfast.

10. Fruits, fruits, fruits  They’re full of almost all the good things above: vitamin C, fiber, nutritious fluids, and all kinds of antioxidants. Besides, nothing tastes better than a ripe mango, fresh berries, or a perfect pear.

Use of vitamin and mineral supplements among cancer survivors is widespread, according to a comprehensive review of scientific literature conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

In reviewing 32 studies conducted between 1999 and 2006, senior author Cornelia (Neli) Ulrich, Ph.D., an associate member of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division, and co-author Christine Velicer, Ph.D., formerly a postdoctoral fellow at the Hutchinson Center (now an epidemiologist at Merck Research Laboratory in North Wales, Pa.), found that many of the nation’s 10 million adult cancer survivors use nutritional supplements.
 
They found 64 percent to 81 percent of cancer survivors overall reported using vitamins or minerals (excluding multivitamins), whereas in the general population only 50 percent of adults reported taking dietary supplements.

Survivors of breast cancer reported the highest use (75 percent to 87 percent), whereas prostate-cancer survivors reported the least (26 percent to 35 percent). Factors associated with the highest level of supplement use overall included a higher level of education and being female.

The researchers also found that many people initiate the use of vitamins and supplements after cancer diagnosis; between 14 percent and 32 percent start taking them after learning they have cancer.

“Cancer survivors report that they hope to strengthen their immune system with supplement use or gain a sense of control and empowerment,” Ulrich said. However, many cancer survivors who use supplements do not let their doctors know; 31 percent to 68 percent of cancer patients and survivors who use supplements may not disclose this information or their doctors may fail to record it in their charts.

“This is disconcerting and suggests that many physicians may not recognize the importance of understanding whether their patients are taking supplements,” Ulrich said.

Knowing about supplement use is crucial, she continues, because of potential effects. The authors urge health care professionals to communicate openly with their patients about supplement use to determine the best course of action for the patient’s particular situation.

Editor’s Note: Physicians need to understand how supplements and other compounds can actually support and help their patients. They are in a difficult spot and many times don’t really want to know. There is much research out there supporting the use of supplements and various nutriceuticals, but for legal and medical board reasons they simply say across the board to most patients to stop using all things until their treatments are done. So the patient is left to fend for themselves and take matters into their own hands when it comes to their treatments. Case in point, look at all cancer treatments combined and the relatively low success rate they really have. There has to be a better way.

Editor’s Note: What is most noteworthy about this research is that it continues to speak of the significant benefits of including resveratrol in your diet, for curative as well as preventative reasons. This powerful antioxidant can also be taken in a readily-available supplement form. For the best option, we recommend simply eating the grapes! Not only are grapes a good source of vitamins A and C, but you’ll also find vitamin B6 and folate in them. And that’s not all. Minerals like potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and selenium, as well as trace amounts of copper, manganese, and zinc are also present in grapes. What’s more, you’ll also get some fiber and protein.
 
The antioxidant resveratrol, naturally found in grape skins and red wine, can cripple the function of pancreatic cancer cells while sensitising them to chemotherapy, says new research.

Resveratrol is known for its ability to protect plants from bacteria and fungi, while previous research has also found it helps prevent the negative effects of high-calorie diets and has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer potential.

While this study, published this month in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, looked at the way the antioxidant may aid pancreatic cancer treatment, it also contributes to the growing knowledge on the health benefits arising from ingredients of red wine.

As well as disabling the function of the cancer cells by reaching and reacting with the mitochondria (the cell’s energy source), researchers found that when they were pre-treated with resveratrol before being irradiated, it resulted in a type of cell death called apoptosis. This is an important goal of cancer therapy.

“Antioxidant research is very active and very seductive right now,” said Paul Okunieff, chief of radiation oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Centre.

“The challenge lies in finding the right concentration and how it works inside the cell. Resveratrol seems to have a therapeutic gain by making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation and making normal tissue less sensitive.”

The study

To build on such findings, Okunieff began studying resveratrol as a tumor sensitizer, which is when the link to the mitochondria was uncovered.

Researchers divided pancreatic cancer cells into two groups: cells treated without resveratrol then iodised, and ones treated with resveratrol at a relatively high dose of 50mg per ml before being iodised.

The amount of resveratrol in red wine can vary between types of grapes and growing seasons, and ranges can be as high as 30 mg per ml. But the researchers said higher doses are expected to be safe as long as a physician monitors the patient.

The study found that resveratrol reduced the function of proteins in the pancreatic cancer cell membranes responsible for pumping chemotherapy out of the cell, therefore making them more sensitive to the treatment.

Additionally, the antioxidant triggered the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing apoptosis, and depolarised the mitochondrial membranes, indicating a decrease in the cell’s potential to function.

The researchers said the discovery is important because the mitochnodria contains its own DNA and can continuously supply the cell with energy when functioning fully. Stopping the energy flow can therefore help stop cancer.

In investigating why the pancreatic cancer cells are particularly resistant to chemotherapy and therefore reactive to the inclusion of resveratrol, the team found that the natural pumping of digestive enzymes to the duodenum actually flushes out chemotherapy from pancreas cells.

But as resveratrol interferes with the cancer cells’ energy source, it also may decrease the power available to pump the treatment out of the cell.

Okunieff said: “While additional studies are needed, this research indicated that resveratrol has a promising future as part of the treatment for cancer.”

Sources

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
2008;614:179-86
“Anti-cancer effect of resveratrol is associated with induction of apoptosis via a mitochondrial pathway alignment”
Authors: Paul Okunieff, Weimin Sun, Wei Wang, Jung Kim, Shanmin Yang

Article by Laura Crowley

The steady stream of good news about green tea is getting so hard to ignore that even java junkies are beginning to sip mugs of the deceptively delicate brew. You’d think the daily dose of disease-fighting, inflammation-squelching antioxidants–long linked with heart protection–would be enough incentive, but wait, there’s more! Lots more.

Cut your cancer risk
Several polyphenols - the potent antioxidants green tea’s famous for - seem to help keep cancer cells from gaining a foothold in the body, by discouraging their growth and then squelching the creation of new blood vessels that tumors need to thrive. Study after study has found that people who regularly drink green tea reduce their risk of breast, stomach, esophagus, colon, and/or prostate cancer.

Sooth your skin
Got a cut, scrape, or bite, and a little leftover green tea? Soak a cotton pad in it. The tea is a natural antiseptic that relieves itching and swelling. Try it on inflamed breakouts and blemishes, sunburns, even puffy eyelids.

Protect your skin
In the lab, green tea applied directly to the skin (or consumed) helps block sun-triggered skin cancer, which is why you’re seeing green tea in more and more sunscreens and moisturizers.

Steady your blood pressure
Having healthy blood pressure - meaning below 120/80 - is one thing. Keeping it that way is quite another. But people who sip just half a cup a day are almost 50 percent less likely to wind up with hypertension than non-drinkers. Credit goes to the polyphenols again (especially one known as ECGC). They help keep blood vessels from contracting and raising blood pressure.

Protect your memory, or your mom’s
Green tea may also keep the brain from turning fuzzy. Getting-up-there adults who drink at least two cups a day are half as likely to develop cognitive problems as those who drink less. Why? It appears that the tea’s big dose of antioxidants fights the free-radical damage to brain nerves seen in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Stay young
The younger and healthier your arteries are, the younger and healthier you are. So fight plaque build-up in your blood vessels, which ups the risk of heart disease and stroke, adds years to your biological age (or RealAge), and saps your energy too. How much green tea does this vital job take? About 10 ounces a day, which also deters your body from absorbing artery-clogging fat and cholesterol.

Lose weight
Oh yeah, one more thing. Turns out that green tea speeds up your body’s calorie-burning process. In the every-little-bit-counts department, this is good news!

A probiotic is a beneficial bacteria culture found in some foods and supplements that can help the naturally occurring flora in the body’s gut re-establish themselves, thereby helping to strengthen the body’s immune system and overall digestive system. Most nutrient absorption of foods and supplements occurs in the gut–also known as the intestinal system. A healthy gut means your absorption-and-elimination system works better, and that benefits the entire body.

The body’s digestive system is very complicated. And like all complex machines, it takes not one action to help keep it healthy, but a variety of actions. When the body is not cared for properly, it doesn’t eliminate well, it can’t absorb and utilize nutrients effectively, and it begins to lose its ability to function in an efficient manner. Then the breakdown begins.

In the fast-paced world of today, what we eat, when we eat it, plus the stresses of the day and our personal lifestyle habits can affect our health in subtle ways that may not be apparent until a health issue occurs. Then we usually stop and ask, “What can I do to make my body work better?” These health issues can materialize as persistent yeast infections (Candida), tiredness, allergies, very bad breath, constipation and/or diarrhea, as well as an impaired immune system resulting in recurring colds, sick days, and so on. That is when a probiotic–which literally means “for life”–enters the picture.

What can a body do?

Change your lifestyle! At AMARC, we highly recommend lifestyle change as well as daily probiotics to all our clients. Here are some tips to help you take better care of your body:

o Better food choices: Fast foods that are high in fat, low in fiber, or high in sugars should be restricted or eliminated from the diet. The gut operates best with a healthy diet of lean meats, fruits and vegetables, and unrefined grains.
o Better living habits: Limiting or eliminating alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and refined sugars from the daily diet can help the body keep a better balance. And get the eight or nine hours of sleep your body needs every night. Yes, I know that’s easier said than done! But I’m willing to bet there are ways you can get to bed earlier if you look for them hard enough, and there are ways to sleep better once you get there.
o Better stress management: We all react differently to stress, but it’s well documented that those people who have out-of-control stress in their lives seem to have more immune-system health problems than those who have learned how to deal with stress. You really can learn how to manage stress–just make the effort to seek out more information on what works.
o Better exercise habits: It’s well-documented that a regular exercise program is most important for a healthy life. This doesn’t mean you must start running marathons–it simply means that regular daily exercise is a very important factor in life and in overall health, including your gut.
o Better nutrition: Not only should you try to improve your lifestyle as suggested above, but you should also include foods and supplements that can help the gut work better. The foods and supplements that are high in probiotics are foods such as yogurts and kefirs that contain a range of probiotic bacteria, and supplements such as acidophilus. Here are some examples of these beneficial bacteria–look for them on the labels as you buy foods and supplements:
 Bifidobacterium animalis, breve, longum, and infantis found in some yogurts and kefirs.
 Lactobacillus acidophilus, casei, johnsonii, lactis, plantarum, reuteri, rhamnosus, and salivarius.

Remember, there’s no quick fix, nor is there a silver bullet. But a healthy lifestyle that includes probiotics is a great start!