NUTRITION AND CANCER

NUTRITION AND CANCER

Today, we had a speaker at the Amuma. She is a pediatrician at the Fe del Mundo Medical Center.

Her story is really amazing that kept us, her audience oohing and aahing. Hers has been the most astonishing cancer story I’ve heard. I’ll just give a super short gist of it.

She lost both of her parents to cancer. And then, out of nine siblings, six of them (including herself) got cancer.
In the mid-90’s, a mass as big as a head of a new-born baby was detected in her cervix. Added to that, she also had breast cancer. Having witnessed patients in chemotherapy, she refused to undergo one herself.

Until she had a blessed encounter with another doctor from the U.S., who was also a cancer survivor, and who shared with her about nutrition as a weapon against cancer. Now, our good doctor is already twelve years cancer-free. And she has made it her advocacy to share her experiences to the people especially to the ones afflicted with diseases. And I am lucky to have been one of those who are able to listen and learn from her.

The doctor just confirmed what I have already research about cancer—that it can be prevented and reversed. And at the risk of stepping on some capitalists’ toes, and even those of her colleagues, she candidly talked about the prescription drugs and other cancer treatments’ adverse effects to some other parts of one’s body while treating one part. So, she shared to us the 10 natural steps to fighting diseases including cancer.

10 Essentials of Health

1. Nutrition

She recommended the genesis diet, citing when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they were vegetarian, and they were in perfect health. She recommended eliminating in the diet the following: red meat because they come from animals fed with artificial food; dairy milk since they come from animals fed with chemicals to produce more milk she recommends soy milk instead; white sugar because it feeds cancer cells although mascovado sugar and honey are ok because they are natural; processed food because they undergo chemical processes and they are added with foreign substances to lengthen their shelf life; and food with heated oil which are trans-fat, or, as she called it—plastic fat because they clog the organs thereby disrupting the natural flow of the body’s system. But she suggested virgin oils and add them only after the food is cooked. Therefore, frying and sautéing are strongly discouraged.

2. Exercise

The Doctor suggested at least four hours a week will weaken the tumor cells.

3. Water

We have already heard of this before. At least 8 glasses of water is recommended per day. The speaker, however, suggested 3 – 4 liters of water a day.

4. Sunlight

Again, this is nothing new—we have known about this since grade school. We get vitamins—particularly vitamin D from sunlight—something, which, lately has been found out to have a very significant effect on cancer. The doctor recommends go out and greet Mr. Sunshine before 9 o’clock in the morning and after 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

5. Temperance

Lately, a lot of studies have shown that stress, worries, negative emotions and negative environment shortens a person’s life. And with cancer patients, those who have sunny disposition, and are optimistic, have more chances of longer life and even surviving the disease. So, the Doctor suggested avoiding anything negative: pessimistic people, upsetting movies and shows, depressing news. Instead, be a patron of everything positive.

6. Clean Air

If you live in the city where there is so much pollution, you need to get out of this kind of environment at least once a week or better yet, live somewhere in the rural areas with less impure atmosphere.

7. Rest

Our bodies, like anything that works, need rest. Dr. Catibog strongly suggests setting your body clock to sleep at 9 o’clock at night to give our body ample time to cleanse and repair itself. She further said (and I just knew this from her) that the body's most active release of “repairing chemicals” or healing hormones is at 12 o’clock at night. So if you slept at twelve, your body won’t have enough time to fix itself.

8. Trust in God

It is said that stress can kill. It can also cause cancer. But worse than stress is despair: it can lead to self destruction. Therefore, turn to Someone who loves you unconditionally, put your trust, confidence and hope in Him. Leave everything to Him so you won’t worry about anything. Always lean on His love.

9. Gratefulness

Count the good things that you have and be grateful for them. For a grateful heart is a cheerful heart. And “A cheerful heart is good medicine.”

10. Benevolence

Once you are aware of and grateful for the things around you, you will recognize that you have so much to give. Then you can afford to be generous. Share God’s love.

If we just have a balance of all ten of these, then, Dr. Marylou Catibog assured, we can have a great disease-free life.

Confusing treatments

Bad mystery movies can be quite distressing. It gets you on edge one moment but keeps you in the dark, and in the end, it proves to be nothing but a disappointment.

This business of searching for a cure for cancer can be like that. Not having known any answer, you get a bit excited when you stumble on something that appears to lead you to the truth, only to find yourself more confused than ever.

Maybe the situation would be different if you were a doctor. At least, you get to look at the actual condition of the patients, and you get to see the “physical evidence”—that is, the cancer cells and everything else that might be useful.

But if you were just a lay person like me, who relies only on the “findings” of those who studied the disease, you have one heck of a hard time studying all the studies, analyses, and findings of the “experts”. You know why? Because these “experts” have different ways of looking at things. They have different approaches, different beliefs, different practices. So it is no wonder then, that they come up with different answers. It would have been okay if their findings are on the same direction—well, they’re not. Some conclusions even contradict one another, to the point that these experts attack one another’s theories and claim that his theory is the right one.

Take mammogram and biopsy, for instance. I’ve read in some literatures that these are the basic steps in diagnosing cancer. But then, other literatures would say mammogram may lead to breast cancer, and biopsy may spread cancer. Which should I trust, then?

Once I browsed the Net for some recipes for my cancer warrior Mama. I stumbled upon some recipes that have soy and milk and yogurt. Well, I had read some days back that these ingredients are not suitable for cancer patients.

Whew! This is really a test of my wits.

Sometimes, in my frustration, I would feel better I was better off not having read any of these stuff. I might not have gotten my brains all tied in different knots. On the other hand, there really are things that I have found useful in my search.

Well, I guess you just have to keep your power of discretion intact and use it whenever necessary. For after all, nothing is guaranteed in this life. You just have to make the most of what you learn and pray for the best.

In Search for the Cure

I am obsessed by cancer. Ever since it came into our lives, I am pretty much preoccupied by it.

I would buy every book about cancer—particularly breast cancer—that I see. Every time I open the internet, I would surf sites about cancer, even though I originally intended to research on some other topics. I have exhausted our printer of its toner printing information about the darned disease. I would glue my eyes on the tv for some shows that tackle the illness. Anything, in the hopes of uncovering its mystery, and discovering the possible cure.

And then, I would lecture my findings to my sisters and mother and whomever I happen to talk to—boring them stiff.

Well, cancer has taken one of my own, and I guess, maybe I just don’t want anyone else be taken away. Sometimes, though, I wonder, if I am just overreacting. Or shall I say, “over-worrying” on something that is not really a big deal. Or, spiritual-wise, maybe my faith in my God is not strong enough to entrust to Him the fate of my cancer-stricken mother.

But then again, I have heard it said “Do your best for God will do the rest.”