1-2-3 To Staying Cancer-Free
1-2-3 To Staying Cancer-Free
By Carol Chuang
More and more people have cancer these days. It is almost like the plague that no one wants to talk about, and it keeps getting worse.
- In the early 1900s, one in 20 developed cancer.
- In the 1940s, one in 16 developed cancer.
- In the 1970s, it was one in 10.
- Today, it is one in three!
Conventional medicine is no where close to finding a cancer cure. Cancer, in fact, is huge business for the pharmaceutical companies. It is a US $125 billion industry! The typical cancer patient spends $50,000 fighting the disease. Chemotherapy drugs are among the most expensive of all treatments, many ranging from $3,000-7,000 for a one-month supply.
The cancer industry spends virtually nothing of its multi-billion dollar resources on prevention strategies, such as dietary advice, exercise, and obesity education. Instead, it pours its money into treating cancer - chemotherapy drugs, radiotherapy, surgeries, and diagnostic technologies.
Why? Many people believe if the drug companies find a cure, the patient base goes away. It is much more profitable to keep a steady stream of cancer patients alive, but sick, so that they will keep going back for more drugs. Is this not the same formula for many other modern chronic diseases, such as diabetes?
Do not ever believe that if you get cancer, it is merely the draw of bad luck or it is inevitable. The most common cause of cancer, in 90-95% of all cases, is acquired mutations, which are directly caused by dietary and lifestyle factors. Even if you have inherited the types of genes that are linked to cancer, which only makes up about 5-10% of all cancers, there is ample evidence that genes interact with their environment. In other words, if you eat and live right, you still stand a good chance of preventing the development of cancer.
Therefore, you need to take preventive steps NOW. It is much easier to prevent cancer than to treat it once it takes hold. The following are three key actions to cancer prevention.
I. Eat REAL Food
A recent study found that Americans obtained:
- 63% of their calories from highly processed foods (e.g. hots dogs, margarine, frozen entrees, baked goods, ice cream, and candies),
- 30% from moderately processed foods (e.g. white rice, pasta, peanut butter, jam, canned produce, processed dairy products, and processed meats/cold cuts),
- only 7% from unprocessed or minimally processed foods (e.g. fresh or frozen produce, beans, nuts, eggs, brown rice, milk, and fresh meats).
For thousands and thousands of years, human beings have been making food from scratch. Never in human history have we eaten so much convenience food products, microwave meals, packaged snacks, and fast food.
The cancer "plague" is a wake up call for all of us to change our mindset and lifestyle. Yes, it is really tempting after a long day's work to open a package and stick it into the microwave, or to pick up a pizza or take-outs on the way home. But as we all know, these are not nutritious food and in the long-run, they may result in detrimental consequences to our health.
We need to eat REAL food. Processed and packaged foods are not only nutrient deficient (low in antioxidants and phytochemicals), they also contain unhealthy ingredients, such as processed vegetable oils, high fructose corn syrup, excess sodium, preservatives, and additives. The more we eat, the more health problems we develop.
1. Prepare your meals
- Cook your food from scratch but avoid deep frying or charbroiling as these cooking methods create carcinogenic substances. If you don't have time to cook during the week, prepare your food on weekends and freeze in individual containers. Reheat on the stove or oven.
- Use only good oil for cooking. Restaurants and processed foods generally use cheap vegetable oils derived from canola, corn, soy, safflower, or sunflower. Some may use grape seed oil or rice bran oil. All these are processed, refined oils that are relatively high in omega-6 which promotes inflammation, an instigator for cancer. The best oils to use for cooking are coconut oil and organic animal fats, ghee, and butter. Reserve extra virgin olive oil for low heat cooking and salad dressing.
- Incorporate some raw food into your diet as they are rich in enzymes which can be easily destroyed by cooking. Not everyone can tolerate a lot of raw food in the diet, therefore, it is important to find your own balance.
- Stay away from packaged snacks. It is one thing to bake home-made cookies using organic butter, whole grain flour, and may be a bit of natural sugar like maple syrup or honey. It is a totally different thing when you buy commercially baked goods and cookies. These packaged snacks are often made with processed vegetable oils, some even with trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, and all kinds of additives and preservatives.
2. Watch your sugar
- Processed and packaged foods are usually very high in sugar. Look at the boxed cereals you eat every morning, the packaged snacks you eat in mid-afternoon, or the fruit juice/soda that you drink. Add everything you eat and drink in one day and see how much it is. Know that a teaspoon of sugar is equivalent to 4 grams. On average, Americans consume 20 teaspoons of sugar a day!
- More than one out of three Americans aged 20 and older has pre-diabetes, a condition in which your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as full-blown diabetes. A recent meta-analysis that included data from nearly 900,000 people show that those with pre-diabetes have a 15 percent higher risk of cancer, especially cancers of the breast, endometrium, liver, pancreas, and stomach.
- People who have pre-diabetes generally have higher levels of insulin as well as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 plays a key role in cell growth and proliferation. This is why diabetes and pre-diabetes raise your risk of cancer.
- Sugar is the ideal food for cancer cells and promotes their growth. If you currently have cancer or are pre-diabetic, you must absolutely avoid all forms of sugar, both natural and refined. You should also refrain from eating refined carbohydrates as they are broken down very quickly into simple sugars. For healthy people, keep your sugar intake to a minimum and use it only as an occasional treat.
- Some names for added sugars include agave syrup, brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, sugar molecules ending in "ose" (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose), high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, honey, invert sugar, malt sugar, molasses, raw sugar, sugar, and syrup.
- People who have diabetes and pre-diabetes should particularly pay attention to their fructose intake. While every cell in the body can use glucose, the liver is the only organ that can metabolize fructose in significant amounts. The liver turns the fructose into fat, which is exported as VLDL cholesterol, resulting in high blood triglycerides and cholesterol, fat around the organs, and ultimately heart disease. Fructose increases uric acid in your blood and contributes to gout and high blood pressure. Deposition of excess fat in the liver leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Too much fructose brings on insulin resistance, which gives rise to elevated insulin and IGF-1 and may eventually cause cancer.
- Some forms of sugar are especially high in fructose. Agave is the worst, with a fructose content ranging from 70-97%, depending on how it is processed. High fructose corn syrup is 55% fructose, table sugar is 50%, and honey is about 40%.
- Fruits, obviously, contain fructose or fruit sugar. Those who have blood sugar issues or have cancer should limit their fruit intake to just berries as they are much lower in fructose. If you are healthy, you can eat whole fruits but do not drink fruit juice. With juice, it is too easy to overdose and reach a harmful level of fructose.
3. Buy only quality meats and dairy
- Choose grass-pastured, sustainably-raised, organic meats to reduce your exposure to antibiotics, hormones, herbicides, pesticides, and genetically-modified animal feed.
- If you are on a budget, buy grass-fed ground meats or cheaper cuts of meats that require longer cooking time.
- With dairy products, it is best to buy organic and/or grass-fed.
4. Eat cancer-fighting foods every day
- A recent study shows that a typical American eats less than 4 tablespoons of vegetables (both cruciferous and dark leafy) every day. Iceberg lettuce, which Americans eat tons of, does not count as a green because it is far too low in nutrients.
- Incorporate more of these cancer-fighting whole foods, herbs, and spices into your daily diet - cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale), dark leafy greens, asparagus, tomatoes, berries, pomegranates, green tea, oregano, rosemary, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, ginger, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
II. Reduce Your Body's TOXIC Load
It is unfortunate that we now live in a chemical soup. There are 84,000 artificial chemicals in our air, food, water, and household products. More than 10,000 chemical additives with questionable safety (as they have never been tested in humans) are allowed in food and food packaging alone.
Roughly 13,000 chemicals are used in cosmetics, of which only 10 percent have been evaluated for safety. According to the Environmental Working Group, the average U.S. woman uses 12 personal care products and/or cosmetics a day, containing 168 different chemicals. While most men use less products, they are still exposed to about 85 such chemicals daily. Many of these chemicals affect the human endocrine system. Scientists warn that these toxins may fuel breast and prostate cancers.
Children are entering puberty at younger and younger ages. In 2010, the average age of the onset of puberty was 10.5 years for girls, six years younger than in 1860 when it was 16.6 years. Scientific evidence strongly suggest that hormone-disrupting chemicals are likely the cause.
Likewise, exposure to industrial chemicals and pollutants is contributing to a wide array of health problems, including asthma, cancer, and reproductive abnormalities.
The following discusses the eight major sources of cancer-promoting toxins in our bodies - food, skin, dental amalgams, alcohol, air, radiation, vaccines, and water.
1. Food
Pesticides
Vegetables and fruits are among the healthiest foods you can eat, but they are also foods that are commonly contaminated with pesticides and herbicides. The U.S. uses about 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides each year. It is not uncommon for your apple or strawberries to contain multiple pesticides. Pesticides are the most harmful to kids' brains. Pregnant women should watch out for their exposure to pesticides.
Genetically modified crops are often heavily sprayed with herbicides such as Roundup (glyphosate). Eating organic is one of the best ways to lower your overall pesticide and herbicide burden.
If you cannot afford to go all organic, at least opt for organic versions of these heavily contaminated produce - apples, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, collard greens, cucumbers, grapes, hot peppers, kale, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, snap peas, spinach, strawberries, and sweet bell peppers.
Mercury
Many ocean fish, especially the larger kind contain copious amounts of mercury. Bluefish, grouper, mackerel (King, Spanish, Gulf), marlin, orange roughy, Chilean seabass, shark, swordfish, tilefish, and tuna are the worst among all.
Beware that farmed fish may not have mercury, but they can be contaminated with PCBs. Wild caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, herrings, and anchovies are your best bet.
Antibiotics
Multi-drug-resistant typhoid, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea kill hundreds of thousands of people each year, and it is increasingly getting worse. Scientists have been warning about this for a number of years, but now it seems the antibiotic apocalypse is really close at hand.
Researchers recently discovered a new gene, called mcr-1, in pigs and people in China. It is a gene mutation that makes bacteria resistant to our last-resort class of antibiotics. What's more, this resistance can reach epidemic potential as the rate of transfer between bacteria is exceptionally high.
- To combat antibiotic resistance, livestock farmers must end the use of low-dose antibiotics. Eighty percent of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are for livestock, to ward off disease and to promote weight gain.
- We should only buy meats that are raised without antibiotics. If we buy USDA organic meats, we know that no antibiotics could be used for growth promotion.
- Antibiotics can only treat bacterial infections, therefore, avoid the use of antibiotics to treat viral illnesses, such as colds and flus. One course of antibiotics may disrupt your microbiome (gut flora) for a year. Reserve antibiotics for severe, life threatening bacterial infections only.
- Avoid using antibacterial household products, such as hand soap.
Food Additives
If you buy any packaged or processed foods, it is most likely that they will contain a number of food additives. These chemicals are added to improve the look, taste, and texture of the food you buy. Some of these chemicals are probably innocuous but the following are the ones that you should definitely avoid:
Artificial Colorings
Artificial Flavors
Artificial sweeteners
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Monosodium Glutamate
Potassium Bromate (E924)
Preservatives
- Butylated hydrozyttoluene
- Sodium benzoate or benzoic acid
- Sodium nitrate and nitrite
- Tertiary butylhydroquinone
Trans fats
- Partially hydrogenated oils such as those made from canola, corn, cottonseed, soy, safflower, and sunflower.
2. Skin
Your skin is your largest, most permeable organ in the body. Just about anything you put on it will end up in your bloodstream and be distributed throughout the body. Once these chemicals enter the body, they accumulate over time. Putting toxins on your skin is worse than eating them. At least if you were to eat these ingredients, your liver would have a chance to detoxify and eliminate them before any permanent damage could be done.
Beware that products boasting "all natural" labels may still contain harmful chemicals. Of course, the safest bet is to buy USDA 100% organic.
Check your shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, cosmetics, mouthwash, toothpaste, hair dye, and nail polish to make sure they do not contain the following toxins. Only use aluminum-free antiperspirants.
- Parfum or synthetic fragrances
- Petroleum-based compounds - polyethylene and propylene glycols (PEG)
- Sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate (SLS)
3. Dental Amalgams
Amalgam fillings contain 50 percent mercury. Every time you chew, you release toxic heavy metals into your body. If you have any amalgam fillings in your mouth, find a biological/mercury-free dentist to safely remove your amalgam fillings.
4. Alcohol
- Alcoholic drinks contain ethanol, which is produced by the fermentation of sugars or starches by yeasts. When we drink alcohol, the body has to break down the ethanol to acetaldehyde, which is a toxic chemical. One of the functions of the liver is to neutralize all sorts of toxic substances we consume. That is why it is not a smart idea to overload the liver with too much toxins. Chronic heavy drinking can result in fatty liver and ultimately liver cirrhosis, where healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, preventing the liver from proper functioning.
- Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx (voice box), liver, breast, and colon. The more you drink, the higher your risk. The risk of cancer is much higher for those who drink alcohol and also use tobacco.
- If you don't drink, do not start. If you do drink, do so moderately. Moderate alcohol consumption is up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. One drink is 12 oz of beer (5% alcohol), 5 oz of wine (12% alcohol), and 1.5 oz of hard liquor (40% alcohol).
- Studies show that moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, is linked to reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes, and may actually increase life expectancy. The bottom line is if you drink, do not drink every day because alcohol is very addictive. Drink moderately and responsibly.
5. Air
Many industries release thousands of toxins into the environment every day, heavily polluting the air that we breathe in. The biggest culprits are the mining, chemical, paper, and transport industries.
The smaller the diameter of the particle, the greater its risk of health damage. These particles can easily pass deep into your lungs, causing damage to not only your lungs, but also your heart and brain. Research shows that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution is associated with atherosclerosis and significantly faster cognitive decline in older adults.
- If you happen to live in a heavily polluted area, the ideal option is to move.
- If it is not possible, it may be best to stay indoors as much as possible.
- However, indoor air can be 5-10 times more polluted than outdoor air due to lack of ventilation. Therefore, consider using a high quality air purifier.
- Vacuum your floors regularly using a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner.
- Leave your shoes by the door when you enter the house.
- Do not allow tobacco smoking in the house. Smoking is terrible but second hand smoke is almost as harmful. Each year, because of exposure to tobacco smoke, an estimated 3,000 nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer and 300,000 children suffer from lower respiratory-tract infections.
- Use non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and VOC-free household cleaning products.
- Avoid using air fresheners and scented candles.
- Avoid non-stick or Teflon-type cookwares, which release toxins into the air when heated. It is much safer to use ceramic cookwares instead.
6. Radiation
- Minimize your exposure from radiation-based medical scans, including body and dental x-rays, CT scans, and mammograms. This form of ionizing radiation has been proven to increase your risk of cancer over time. Each exposure to radiation builds up in the body and the risk of cancer increases with each radiation exposure. So even though a single source of exposure to radiation is unlikely to cause cancer by itself, the combined exposures add up throughout our lifetime and increase our risk of cancer in the long-run.
- Mobile phonesgive off radio frequency energy, a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Agency for Research on Cancer classified the electromagnetic field produced by mobile phones as a Class B carcinogen in humans.This classification came in part in response to research showing wireless phones increase the risk for brain cancer.
- An Israeli research group found a four-fold increase in parotid gland cancers from 1970 to 2006, with the steepest increase happening after 2001. Parotid gland is a type of salivary gland, located closest to your cheek, the same area where most people typically hold their cell phones. Study showed that rates of other salivary gland cancers remained stable.
- Never hold cell phone close to your ear. Instead, use the speaker phone feature or a wired headset.
- Never carry your cell phone on your body. For women, do not tuck the phone into your bra. For men, do not put the phone in close proximity of your reproductive organs.
- Children and teens are at greatest risk for both parotid gland tumors and brain tumors as their thinner skull bones allow for greater penetration of cell phone radiation, all the way into their midbrain. Also, children's cells reproduce more quickly, so they are more susceptible to aggressive cell growth.
- Pregnant women would also be wise to avoid cell phones as much as possible.
7. Vaccines
Vaccination is a very controversial subject. There are benefits and risks involved, therefore, it is best to educate yourself before making a decision.
The truth about vaccines is that they are not as effective as the medical community and the media promote, nor are they as safe as promised. Yet, they are also not as ineffective as many in the alternative health community believe.
Nevertheless, do bear in mind that vaccines may contain chemicals (like formaldehyde), heavy metals (such as thimerosal which is 50% mercury, or aluminum), and allergens (such as egg protein or MSG). Toxins tend to accumulate in your body over time. Therefore, before you get any vaccines, do your own research.
Flu vaccines in multi-dose vials have thimerosal as a preservative. Single-dose thimerosal-free flu vaccines is better but, in actuality, do contain "trace" amounts of mercury as well. The Flu Mist is truly thimerosal-free.
8. Water
- Tap water is cheap, quick, and easy. However, the Environment Working Group (EWG) tested tap water in 45 states a couple of years ago and found 202 chemical contaminants that are not subject to any government regulation or safety standards for drinking water.
- Bottled water, depending on its source, may not be the cleanest. It is expensive and plastic bottles have a devastating impact on the environment.
- Distilled water can lead to long-term health problems because it lacks the important minerals that the body needs.
- Alkaline water is best used for short-term (1-2 weeks max) detoxification purpose only. Also, the alkalization process does not filter the water.
- Clean, filtered tap water is the most convenient, economical, and healthy source of water. Look for carbon-type filters (for above and under counter filtration systems) that can remove heavy metals like lead and mercury, chlorine resistant cysts like giardia and cryptosporidium, pharmaceuticals, and organic chemicals like herbicides, pesticides, and VOCs.
- Do know that Brita, Pur, Zero, and all pitcher-type water filters only remove 5 ingredients - cadmium, copper, chlorine, mercury, and zinc. They are not effective in removing the other contaminants.
- To remove fluoride, you can add bone char filters to your existing water filtration system.
III. Strengthen Your IMMUNE System
Your immune system continually battles against colds, flus, and all sorts of infections. It also constantly works to snuff out cancer cells long before they have a chance to develop into life-threatening illnesses. As one example, immune cells in your bloodstream called natural killer (NK) cells can inject poison into a cancer cell, so the cell wall breaks down, and the contents spill out, nipping cancer in the bud.
The immune system can also stop the growth of a cancerous tumor without actually killing it. This explains why some tumors suddenly stop growing and go into a long period of dormancy.
When your immune system is not strong enough to suppress cancer cell growth, you will get cancer. Thus, maintaining a strong and healthy immune system is a mandatory step in preventing cancer and attaining robust health.
1. Gut Health
When it comes to the immune system, optimizing your gut health is the most important.
One of the reasons why your gut has so much influence on your health has to do with the 100 trillion bacteria, about three pounds worth, that line your intestinal tract. This is an extremely complex living system that aggressively protects your body from outside offenders.
Generally speaking, if you have frequent digestive symptoms and/or discomfort, such as gas, bloating, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, and bad breath, you likely have an issue with the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. Sometimes the issues are due to an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria like H. Pylori or the Candida yeast, but other times, they may result from weaknesses in the gut membrane.
Healthy gut bacteria produce byproducts that help keep the intestinal lining strong, and without enough good bacteria to manufacture these substances, the intestinal tract becomes highly susceptible to damage.
Inflammation, caused by food sensitivities such as gluten, and toxins such as heavy metals or chemicals, destroys areas of the mucosal lining of the intestinal wall. This condition, called leaky gut, allows disease-causing bacteria, toxins, and undigested food particles to pass directly into the bloodstream, where they disrupt the body's normal function in many ways.
Therefore, most diseases originate in your digestive system. This includes both physical and mental illnesses. Once you heal and seal your gut lining and make your digestive system work properly again, you can address the root cause of your illnesses.
- Optimize your gut flora by adding naturally fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchee, unsweetened yogurt, and kefir, to your daily diet, or add a high quality probiotic supplement as well.
- If you have digestive symptoms such as excessive gas, belching, burping, or acid reflux, it may be a sign that your body is not excreting sufficient pancreatic enzymes for digestion. These symptoms can be even more apparent when you eat too much protein and fats. Take digestive enzymes with every meal, not just when you experience discomfort.
- Majority of the population unknowingly harbor some sort of infections in the gut, such as H. Pylori bacteria, Candida yeast, or parasites. Researchers have found a microbe-dependent mechanism through which some cancers develop and grow. For this reason, it is essential that our gastrointestinal system is free of these low-grade chronic infections which can become a big hindrance to the optimal functioning of our immune system. There are many natural botanicals that can effectively address such infections. For example, Biocidin is a company that makes excellent products for such purposes. (Author does not receive commission from or is related to the company.)
- Reserve the use of antibiotics for life-threatening infections only. One course of antibiotics may disrupt your gut flora for a year. In addition, researchers found that patients taking antibiotics had reduced levels of cytokines, the hormone messengers of the immune system. When your immune system is suppressed, you are more likely to develop resistant bacteria and become very sick in the future.
2. Good Nutrition
- We are what we eat. If we put junk into our bodies, we cannot expect healthy outcomes. Not only does junk food fail to provide the nutrients, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that the body needs, it also contains toxic ingredients that become a burden to the system in the long-term.
- If we are nutrient deficient, we will not be able to get the enzymes to work, which impairs the cells' ability to use oxygen and produce energy.
3. Quality Sleep
- Scrimping on sleep has a powerfully detrimental effect on immunity. Poor sleep is associated with lower immune system function and reduced numbers of killer cells that fight diseases.
- Optimize your melatonin (sleep hormone) production by not watching TV, playing video games, or being on your computer until the wee hours of the morning as these activities may halt your body's melatonin production. Melatonin is essential for the proper functioning of your immune system. Multiple studies have demonstrated its anti-cancer ability.
- Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Ideally, you should go to bed between 10-11. If you wake up tired in the morning, you are either not getting enough hours of sleep or not enough quality sleep.
4. Reduce Chronic Stress
- Chronic stress, the day-after-day kind you experience over job dissatisfaction or insecurity, a sick relative, or a bad relationship, takes a toll on many aspects of your health, including immunity. There is compelling scientific evidence that this kind of chronic stress causes a measurable decline in the immune system's ability to fight diseases. Periods of extreme stress can result in a lower natural killer cell count, sluggish killer T cells, and diminished macrophage (a type of white blood cells) activity.
- Negativity also takes a toll on your immune system. Researchers have found that the positive emotions associated with laughter decrease stress hormones and increase the number of immune cells.
5. Exercise Regularly
- According to the National Cancer Institute, studies on colon cancer found that adults who increase their physical activity, either in intensity, duration, or frequency can reduce their risk of developing colon cancer by 40-50% relative to those who are sedentary.
- On breast cancer, the risk reduction was 30-40% in both premenopausal and menopausal women.
- On uterine cancer, the risk reduction was 38-46%.
- On lung cancer, the risk reduction was 20%.
- By being physically active, you are less likely to be overweight or obese, which increases the risk of cancers that use hormones to grow and spread, such as breast and uterine cancers. Studies found that women who are overweight and obese have higher levels of estrogen in the blood.
- Regular exercise helps improve insulin sensitivity, resulting in lower levels of insulin and the cancer-promoting Insulin Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1).
- Exercise increases blood and oxygen flow in the entire body. Cancer cells share a common vulnerability with viruses, bacteria, and fungi, all of which hate high levels of oxygen. Oxygen stimulates the growth of new blood vessels in tumors, however, instead of boosting a tumor's growth potential, it has the opposite effect - it weakens the cancer cells from the inside.
- Exercise increases the production and circulation of macrophages, a type of white blood cells, throughout the system. After exercising, the body returns to normal within a few hours, but regular exercise appears to extend periods of immunity.
6. Get Enough Vitamin D
- There is scientific evidence that you can decrease your risk of cancer by more than 50 percent simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels. The optimum blood level for a healthy person is 50-70 ng/ml. If you are being treated for cancer, it should be 80-100 ng/ml.
- The best way to get vitamin D is to expose your face, arms, and legs to sunshine for 15-20 minutes every day. Some people are very sensitive to sun and need to build up gradually. If you have darker skin, you may need up to 30 minutes of daily exposure.
- Alternatively, you can take a vitamin D3 supplement. Most people need about 5,000 I.U. to achieve the optimal range. If you take a D3, you should supplement with vitamin K2 as well. D3 enhances calcium absorption. Too much calcium can be harmful to the body, especially if it is deposited in the wrong places like the arteries. By using K2 in conjunction with D3, you ensure that the calcium will go to the right places such as the bones.
Carol Chuang is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Metabolic Typing Advisor. She has a Masters degree in Nutrition and is the founder of CC Health Counseling, LLC. Her passion in life is to stay healthy and to help others become healthy. She believes that a key ingredient to optimal health is to eat a diet that is right for one's specific body type. Eating organic or eating healthy is not enough to guarantee good health. The truth is that there is no one diet that is right for everyone. Our metabolisms are different, so should our diets. Carol specializes in Metabolic Typing, helping her clients find the right diet for their Metabolic Type. To learn more about Metabolic Typing, her nutrition counseling practice, and how to get a complimentary phone consultation, please go to http://cchealthcounseling.com/
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