Day 9

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Just sitting here wathcing some football. Things are going pretty well as I'm starting to feel a lot better! My mouth and throat are still a little sore and I haven't been eating a whole lot (can't taste the food anyway) but I'm managing to keep myself hydrated and nourished.

I've been reading this great book by Schreiber called "Anticancer, A New Way Of Life" and have to say it's excellent. Schreiber is actually an MD (psych/neurology) who is a two time brain cancer survivor. He talks about the importance of an "anticancer" way of life for both survivors and people who want to do everything they can to prevent cancer in their lives. The first portion talks about diet and nutrition and how the cancer rates have exponentially skyrocketed since World War 2. There are several contributing factors here but a couple that stood out most to me is the ever increasing inbalance Omega 6 / Omega 3 fatty acids in our diets. Because food has to be produced so much faster, cows and chickens are fed Omega 6 sources of food like corn and therefore the meat is loaded with this type of fat (which too much of will lead to health problems). Grass fed beef or free range chickens who eat a natural diet are much better for you. There are obviously other sources of Omega 3 fats (salmon, nuts etc.) and the idea is to balance your diet with a 1 to 1 ratio of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fats. Another major contributor to the cancer wave is the mass amounts of high fructose corn syrup found in foods. One's body has a hard time breaking down this toxic substance and too much sugar leads to an acidic body chemistry which is a great enivornment for cancer to thrive. (By the way, apparently we all have cancer cells in our bodies). The way you help keep them from forming tumors is to keep your immune system strong. The author sites diets from the Mediterranean region and Far East as being the best diets for preventing cancer. The Mediaterranean diet uses a lot of olive oil (great omega 3 source) tomatoes (which contain Lycopene which is great) and plenty of fruits and vegetables. He also mentioned the importance of avoiding "white" foods like white rice, bread made from bleached flour (multi-grain or sourdough better), white potatoes (sweet potatoes are great) etc. He really hyped up the Indian diet which uses a lot of Turmeric (curry) which has shown to block the formation of necessary blood vessels necessary to sustain a tumor. Green tea is another powerful agent which performs the same role.

I could go on and on about the diet... If you don't read the book, there's plenty of this information available online. He also mentions the importance of reducing or eliminating stress in your life through meditation. There are several studies he references where people who adhere to the anticancer diet, meditate and regularly exercise are far less likely to get cancer and for those who have it have been able to extend their lives far longer than those who don't make these changes.

Enough of my book review, sorry! My life is pretty boring these days so I can afford to sit here and ramble on...