Wellness NewsAnniversary Print Edition 2010

anniversary print edition

Cancer Support Association of WA Patron – His Excellency Dr. Ken Michael AC, Governor of Western Australia

never feel alone or helpless... the force that guides the stars guides you also

Join the CSA online community Find us on Facebook: Cancer Support Association - Cottesloe Forums and live chat now on the CSA website: www.cancersupportwa.org.au

wellness news is the monthly online magazine of the Cancer Support Association of Western Australia Inc. Wellness News e-magazine is published online twelve time a year and distributed free to members of the Cancer Support Association.

An annual print edition of Wellness News is produced at the end of each year and posted to all CSA members.

Wellness News magazine is dedicated entirely to publishing informative, inspiring and helpful articles related to wellness and healing. The magazine is for people with cancer or serious health issues; for people who are well and want to maintain their good health naturally; and for complementary, alternative and integrative health professionals.

news team...

Editor & Designer Mandy BeckerKnox editor.wellness@yahoo.com.au Editorial Consultant Dr. Peter Daale

online at...

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

printing Many thanks to Artproof Printers

Dear Readers, Cancer is a universally difficult journey and can feel like an assault on your body and your spirit.

There is no one cause of cancer – it is not just the pollution, the chemicals, the toxins in the world us and within our own bodies that cause cancer, or the degradation of our immune systems, or a lack of exercise, or infections, parasites, or pathogens, or negative beliefs or emotional turmoil – but a synthesis of various different factors. In the same way, healing cancer or any other chronic illness requires a synthesis of different modalities which help us heal on all levels of being – physical, emotional and spiritual. Perfect wellness is a delicate, synergistic balancing act.

So how do you choose which methods of healing are best for you? Choice is a very personal thing. A good starting point to making the right choices for your wellbeing, is to learn to meditate, or at least do something which helps you understand your Self better, something which develops your intuition and sense of ‘knowing’ what is right or wrong. Once you have made this inner connection and become an ally to your Self, you can be confident that whatever other choices you make are the right ones for you.

When it comes to cancer, there is no magical formula which works for everyone. There is magic though, in the making of your own formula! You may discover much about your self during this process. You may come to know your body, emotions and the world around you in a more meaningful context. You may heal on may levels and feel ‘different’ because of it. You may awaken to the spiritual dimension of being and find real purpose and joy in your life. Who knows what lies ahead? There is magic in the discovery and beauty in every moment along the way!

The key to healing, regardless of how bad you may be feeling, is your commitment to take consistent action.

It’s not about taking huge steps and making sweeping changes, it’s about little steps done over and over again.

It’s about never giving up and being an inspiration to yourself and to others around you. As motivational guru Tony Robbins says, “Ordinary efforts consistently applied yield extraordinary results.”

Wellness News is more than a magazine, it is a handbook to help you stay on track, believe in yourself and your innate ability to heal, helping you to find the inspiration within and in the world around you. The world unconditionally shares its beauty and its resources to inspire and nurture all those who live upon it. Let us all apply this generosity and wisdom in our own lives and relationships with others.

Peace and best wishes on your wellness journey, Mandy BeckerKnox, Wellness News Editor

Cover: A Magical Countenance by Robin Urton. “This is an image of Venus (the goddess of love), an interpretation inspired by Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”. I created the painting on 4 separate layers (3 layers of plexiglass and a wood panel). The first layer consists of the dots that make up the face. Looking through the transparent areas between the dots, the second layer is of the veins of the face. The third layer includes floating flowers, and the bottom layer is an abstract background of aqua blue. I called her “Magical Countenance” because I feel her gaze inspires tranquillity and wonder.”

Above Image: The Guardian by Robin Urton. “I created this painting within a series of owl paintings. I had no conscious intention to follow this subject, but the abstract patterns that I started with clearly suggested owl forms. A woman emerged beneath the owl, and it felt as if the owl was a “guardian” for her. I am often in an almost trance-like state when I paint in this manner… and I rarely feel the painting takes the wrong direction if I follow my intuition. When I finished this series of paintings, I realised there is something about the fierceness of the owl spirit which I needed in my life to push me through a difficult life transition.” www.robinurton.com.

Wellness News magazine is published by the Cancer Support Association of WA Inc (CSA). Wellness News contains a diverse selection of articles and information on subjects related to cancer, wellness, environment and healing. The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the CSA and should be not be construed as medical advice. CSA encourages readers to be discerning with information presented and make treatment, dietary and lifestyle choices in consultation with a team of health-care professionals. © Copyright of all articles and images remains with individual contributors.

INTRODUCTION

about Wellness News mind-body healing integrative therapies lifestyle & environment inspiring personal stories current news & information nutrition & recipes inspirations Wellness News is unique in that it is an extremely positive, uplifting, intelligent and beautiful publication focusing on wellness, healing and the environment. Wellness News is designed to oer hope and life-enhancing wellness strategies for people who may be seriously ill, and a broad spectrum of information for people interested in maintaining good health.

Wellness News articles are commissioned or sourced from highly regarded international journals, publications and websites and are divided into seven key areas for complete cancer wellness and healing: mind-body healing; integrative therapies; nutrition and recipes; inspiring personal stories; lifestyle and environment; current news & information; inspirations.

Topics covered are spirituality, healing modalities, complementary therapies, integrative medicine – balanced with inspirational stories, recipes and the latest nutrition and wellness trends, and also information on how the environment can impact on health and wellbeing. We place great value on personal cancer stories for their insight into how people manage in challenging circumstances. Also important to our balance of content is poetry and art for the healing potential of words and images. Visually, our magazine is harmonious and pleasing – designed to inspire the healing spirit. And because we care about the environment, Wellness News is printed with vegetable based ink on 100% recycled, oxygen-bleached paper.

when you look for beauty in the world around you, then even the weeds in your garden are wondrous and amazing!

Contents mind-body healing Messages of Cancer . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 14 Disease Can Be an Awakening .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 28 You Can Heal Anything; You Are the New Medicine . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 36 The Spiritual Dimension of Personal Wholeness in the Practice of Medicine . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 56 Quantum Depth Healing. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 62 Care of the Soul in Modern Medicine . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 67 The Flowering of Human Consciousness .. . .. . .. . .. . 72 The Art of Living and Dying. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 74 Meditation: Healing Mindfully . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 75 How to Meditate . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 77 Eating Meditation. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 99

inspirations Miracles. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 55 Beauty is Everywhere.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 61 Forever Oneness . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 65 Moon Rise. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 70 Art & Beauty: about our Cover Artist.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 73 As One. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 75 The Visionary Art and Writing of Alex Grey . .. . .. . .. . 78 The Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..132 Manual for Climbing Mountains . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..136 What Cancer Cannot Do . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..138

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Cancer Support Association

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integrative therapies Cures for cancer already exist! . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .22 Don’t Get Cancer . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .27 Why cancer comes back . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .41 Hyperthermia: a remarkable cancer therapy . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .50 What are the best alternative therapies? .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .53 Breast cancer virtually eradicated with vitamin D . . .. . .. . .. .84 Coenzyme Q10 and Cancer. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .86 Laughter is the Best Medicine . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 134 Wellness Quiz.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 133

lifestyle & environment Many unaware exercise is cancer ďŹ ghter .. . .. . .. . .. . 21 Having Great Friends could help Tumours Shrink or Disappear! . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 54 The A-Z of Eco-Friendly Living. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..128 How to Avoid the Top 10 Most Common Toxins ..130

personal cancer stories Whatever it Takes: Cathy Brown . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .34 Prostate Cancer: My Friend . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .42 For You I Will Run: Jessica Merrells.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .68 Two Years to Normal: Karen Leibovitch.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .80

Wellness News Special Print Edition 2010 nutrition & food A Guide to using Whole Food Vitamins and Minerals to Supplement your Health . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .82 Nutrigenomics: what you eat can prevent disease .. . .. . .. .87 The Use of Herbs and Natural Plant Compounds in the Fight Against Cancer . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .88 The Best Healing Herbs .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .94 Natural Nutrition: Nutritional Cancer Therapies . .. . .. . .. . .. .96 Nourishing the Now. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 100 Cancer Prevention Tips and Cancer Fighting Foods . . .. . . 102 Initiating a Deeper Connection with Your Food . .. . .. . .. . . 105 Top 10 Cancer Fighting Foods. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 106 The Raw Food Diet . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 114 Healing Cancer with Juice.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 124

recipes current news & information Message from the CSA President .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 7 2010 CSA Member Survey.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 7

Flax Tea . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 85 What to Eat if You Have Cancer . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..108 Cancer-Free Living .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..110 Go Vegetarian . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..112 Raw Food Delights.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..120 Christmas Lunch . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..122 Cancer Beating Fresh Juices .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..126

12 Week Wellness Course .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 8 What is Cancer? .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 9 What’s on at CSA in 2011 . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .10 CSA Weekly Program 2011 . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .13 Cryotherapy, freezing away cancer . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .16 Multivitamins slash breast cancer .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .17 Mobile phone cancer link unclear . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .18 A dietary supplement for breast cancer . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .19 Vitamin D prevents cancer . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .20 Cancer tests could do more harm than good .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .20 New York Times Criticises “War on Cancer” . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .71 Thankyou to our Sponsors . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 137

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The ‘wellness’ approach is about learning self-help strategies and strengthening personal resources, discovering supports and health information to positively deal with, and prevent serious diseases such as cancer, and to manage the stresses of everyday life. CSA supports individuals who are living with cancer through the services we provide from our premises in Cottesloe, Western Australia, as well as through our publications and unique cancer information website.

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Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

ABOUT CSA

George Kingsley Chair, Cancer Support Association This is a very special time for the Cancer Support Association. In 2009 CSA reached its 25th anniversary as an incorporated charity – which is a great achievement for any charitable organisation. To celebrate we are launching an annual print edition of the Wellness News especially for our valued members.

This first Anniversary Print Edition is a celebration of the CSA ‘wellness approach’ and contains a selection of articles published by CSA in the past year. Wellness News articles are selected for their timeless quality and this collection will provide a valuable resource for wellness and healing.

The Cancer Support Association came about through a small group of individuals who had a common bond of either having cancer or having a loved one or close friend with cancer.

What this group of individuals sought was support through the emotional turmoil that often accompanies a diagnosis of cancer. Even as CSA has grown, that support remains our core function. Support is provided through counselling sessions, either in groups or one on one; activities such as yoga and meditation; through our wellness courses and seminars; and reaches into the wider community through our online activities.

Over the years it became evident that many people wanted information to enable them to make their own choices for their path to healing. Thus the Association evolved to provide quality information on wellness and healing strategies published through the Wellness News and the Cancer Support Online website.

The past year at CSA has been one of stability, but 2011 holds great excitement. The National Trust, our landlord, has secured funding to develop the whole Wanslea site into a Wellness Centre devoted specifically to cancer related organisations. As far as I am aware this will be the only such site in Australia. Having a group of cancer related organisations together will create positive synergies of energy to benefit our members and the wider community.

Enjoy reading the articles compiled in this magazine, and I wish you well for the future.

Regards,

George Kingsley

2010 CSA Member Survey Every year we survey members of the Association to gauge members’ satisfaction and how effective our services are. This helps us to develop strategies to improve what we offer and plan for the future. We recently surveyed our members and 22% responded. Most of the responses were highly favourable, with 93% of members who used our services rating the services good to excellent.

85-92% of respondents found CSA to be inclusive of all treatment paradigms; responsive to member needs, professional and caring. CSA services are valued by members and were found to be integral to cancer recovery. CSA was found to be an ethical organisation, respectful of its members and a unique, distinct and essential cancer support organisation.

We thank all members who participated in the survey, and congratulate David Charlton who was the winner of a complementary place on the 12 Week Wellness Course valued at $350.

Dr. Peter Daale Chief Executive Officer

Anniversary Print Edition 2010 WELLNESS NEWS Photo Credit: Kala www.amatterofhowyou seeit.com

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Cathy Brown knowing what your needs are and how to get them met; expressing emotions in ways that communicate what you are experiencing to other people; acting assertively, and not passively or aggressively; enjoying your body by means of adequate nutrition, exercise and physical awareness; being engaged in projects that are meaningful to you; knowing how to create friendships with others; responding to challenges in life as opportunities to grow in strength and maturity; rather than feeling beset by “problems”; creating the life you really want, rather than just reacting to what “seems to happen;” relating to troublesome physical symptoms in ways that bring improvement in conditions as well as increased knowledge about yourself; enjoying a basic sense of well-being, even through times of adversity; knowing your own inner patterns...emotional and physical... and understanding “signals” your body gives you; trusting that your own personal resources are your greatest strength for living and growing; and experiencing yourself as a totally Wonderful Person!

By Scott & Elizabeth McGinn. From: www.positivelyyoursinc.com

12 Week Wellness Course The Gawler Foundation Program – Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing has had another successful year at the Cancer Support Association.

This 12 week course invites participants to become involved with their own healing and empowers them to make informed choices about their own health and wellbeing. At all times people are encouraged the build up a ‘healing team’ to support them – oncologists, doctors, naturopaths – as well as integrating massage, meditation and nutrition etc. to support the mental and emotional aspects of the cancer journey.

The course participants build up strong bonds which enables them to feel safe to express to the group their thoughts and their feelings.

“Excellent programme – very thorough and diverse.

Excellent facilitator who has knowledge and compassion.” ”The sessions were very enjoyable with lots of companionship amongst the attendees.” ”Cathy made us feel very at ease – allowed us to express all our emotions and kept a balance to include all people.” ”The group meditations were very powerful, especially for someone new to meditation.” ”Everyone should do this course, not just those with cancer.” ”Every session had benefits, but in particular nutrition, positive thinking were very beneficial.” ”I would highly recommend the course to anybody with cancer or their partners/carers. I was happy to receive handouts after each session.” ”Cathy was inspirational and linked the course content to her individual experiences extremely well. The group as a whole was very dynamic.”

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Cancer Support Association

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MIND-BODY HEALING

By Lynne McTaggart

What does it mean to have cancer – the most complex and untreatable (in conventional terms) illness of our times?

We focus on environmental agents and nutritional deficiencies – and they surely play a major role in causing cancer – but the kinds of treatments that are working best for cancer suggest a type of causal agent that is possibly more profound.

Cancer is nothing less than a spiritual crisis. Many of the most forward-thinking cancer specialists, from Ryke-Geerd Hamer to Waltraut Fryda, postulate that cancer may be a physical manifestation of hopelessness. It may be a person who has temporarily lost his way, lost his faith, lost the inherent belief that every day in every way, I am getting better and better.

I spoke at length with Lothar Hirneise, who runs People Against Cancer in Germany and asked him about alternative cancer therapies. His comments were insightful and instructive. He emphasised that the most reductive approach was to believe that the tumour was the illness and to focus all therapeutic attention on getting rid of it. In most cases, this isn’t necessary, he said. Indeed, it could even be dangerous to kill the cancer cells.

‘Through years of research, I’ve come to the conclusion that each tumour is a gift in a way most patients just do not understand,’ he said. ‘A tumour is symptom, like pain or fever, and it helps us to survive.’

Lothar’s view is that the cancer is a ‘red-alert’ signal – a physical demonstration that something is wrong with the cancer victim’s life, that something must change immediately. The tumour is being presented, rather than something much worse.

Nevertheless, the conventional approach is to look upon the tumour as the foreign invader and attempt to chop it out, so that the patient can resume life as he has always known it.

‘The advice from an oncologist to live life as you always have is the most dangerous of all,’ says Hirneise. He also says that cancer is not a single entity. Every breast cancer, like every woman, is individual – a manifestation of a unique crisis.

After interviewing hundreds of survivors of end-stage cancer, Lothar found one major similarity threading through all of their clinical histories. Although some had embarked on a change of diet and detoxification therapies, the one area of common ground was a major mental or spiritual shift, after a great deal of emotional and spiritual stocktaking. Most such patients had undergone a great deal of spiritual work, usually with trained therapists, and most viewed their cancer as the factor in their lives most responsible for snapping them awake.

The most successful therapies today focus on the patient’s spirituality, rather than his physicality; Hamer and his newer acolytes believe that once you find the source of the emotional stress or trauma, the tumour will no longer be needed and will disappear, as it were, of its own will.

The current mortality rates suggest that medicine needs to reconsider not only what cancer is, but also the role it plays in the life of a patient. Far from being the enemy, cancer is the kind of friend we all need at one point or another, the kind with the courage to hold up a mirror to ourselves. ✦ From What Doctors Don’t Tell You website: www.wddty.com, October 2010

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what’s on at CSA in 2011 be part of the csa community by joining our groups and wellness activities at our premises in Cottesloe Meeting the Challenge 1 Day Cancer Wellness Seminar

“If you travel alone, you can probably go faster. But the journey will never be as rewarding, and you probably won’t be able to go as far.” ~ John Maxwell

Life Changing Information for people with cancer and their carers presented by Dr. Peter Daale, Paul Alexander and Bavali Hill. This seminar provides wellness information, wellness strategies, new resources (such as nutrition, treatment options, meditation) and sharing with others on a healing journey. There is also a focus on accessing key cancer information online.

Held monthly at CSA on the first Friday of every month from 9.30am-4.30pm. Free for new CSA members, bookings are required.

cancer support groups with Angela Ebert & Mike Sowerby There are great healing benefits in attending a support group to help with a cancer diagnosis and the subsequent journey.

Support groups enable people to discover new ways of coping; share the experience with others going through something similar; exchange information and resources; develop a holistic approach to healing; be inspired by others on the journey to regaining wellness.

CSA offers an open cancer support group for people with cancer and their carers. This weekly group is facilitated by Angela Ebert and Mike Sowerby. We also offer a Carers’ Support Group and a monthly Grief and Loss Support Group.

All support groups are free of charge and are open to anyone who wants to attend.

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Cancer Support Association

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qi gong with Alan Donelly Qigong is a traditional Chinese mind-body practice that uses meditation, breathing control, and movement to balance the flow of energy (qi) through the body. The theory behind qigong is that if energy is flowing properly through our bodies, healing can occur.

CSA offers qigong to complement cancer therapies and help with the symptoms of cancer.

In this setting, qigong is not used as a treatment for cancer per se, but as a method of easing cancer symptoms such as fatigue. Recent studies suggest that qigong may improve quality of life for people living with cancer.

WHAT’S ON AT CSA

yoga for healing with Madeline Clare The word yoga means “union” in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where yoga originated.

We can think of the union occurring within – between the mind, body and spirit.

Many people think that yoga is just stretching.

While stretching is certainly involved, yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility. This is done through the performance of poses and breathing practices, each of which has specific physical benefits.

CSA yoga teacher, Madeline Clare, takes inspiration from both Iyengar and Vinyasa approaches to yoga with an emphasis on relaxation, breath awareness, gentle movement and meditation.

She believes a balanced yoga practice has the capacity to heal, shift energy blockages and bring the body into physical, emotional, mental and spiritual alignment. Yoga for Healing classes bring the joy of yoga to people with cancer and those who may need a nurturing space in which to practice.

Cancer Support Association (CSA) was established in 1984 and has since offered an integrated wellness and evidence-based holistic approach for individuals with cancer, their families and the wider community.

meditation made easy with Bavali Hill Meditation is a proven therapy with the potential for profound healing. It can be broadly classified as mind-body medicine.

More and more doctors are prescribing meditation as a way to lower blood pressure, improve exercise performance in people with angina, help people with asthma breathe easier, relieve insomnia and generally relax the everyday stresses of life. Meditation is a safe and simple way to balance a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.

The use of Meditation for healing is not new.

Meditative techniques are the product of diverse cultures and peoples around the world. It has been rooted in the traditions of the world’s great religions. In fact, practically all religious groups practice meditation in one form or another. The value of Meditation to alleviate suffering and promote healing has been known and practiced for thousands of years.

In these weekly lessons at CSA, Bavali guides participants through various healing meditation techniques and gives notes and handouts to support home practice.

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The Gawler Foundation 12 Week Cancer Self-Help Program with Cathy Brown Cathy Brown will be facilitating The Gawler Foundation 12 Week Cancer Self-Help Program at CSA during 2011.

reflexology with Udo Kannapin Reflexology is the application of pressure, stretching and movement to the feet and hands to trigger corresponding parts of the body. Reflexologists view the feet and hands as a mirror image of the body. A reflexologist can break up patterns of stress in other parts of the body by applying these techniques.

Whether reflexology can benefit certain conditions and diseases in still under investigation, it complements standard medical care. In general terms, the benefits of reflexology have to do with the reduction of stress. Because the feet and hands help set the tension level for the rest of the body they are an easy way to interrupt the stress signal and reset homeostasis, the body’s equilibrium.

laughter yoga with Kimmie O’Meara Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea developed by Dr. Madan Kataria, a Physician from Mumbai, India.

It is a complete wellbeing workout combining Unconditional Laughter with Yogic Breathing (Pranayama). Anyone can Laugh for No Reason, without relying on humour, jokes or comedy.

Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group; with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter.

The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits of laughter regardless of the source.

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Cancer Support Association

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Consistent with the principles of integrated medicine, the program applies a self-help approach designed to improve both quantity and quality of life. This enables participants to make informed, effective choices and better manage their own healing journeys.

Each 2.5 hour session is interactive, supported by handouts and focuses on a specific theme from Ian Gawler’s book’ You Can Conquer Cancer’. There is plenty of time to practice techniques as well as opportunity for discussion and questions.

The program will be held at the Cancer Support Association building in Cottesloe. There are limited places on the program so be sure to book your place early.

On the program you will learn to: • Activate your potential for healing • Relax effortlessly and meditate deeply • Develop and sustain a positive state of mind • Understand the role of nutrition and healthy diet for healing • Develop strategies to manage pain and fear • Find meaning and purpose in life

Weekly Topics include: Week 1: Introduction and Meditation 1 Week 2: Meditation 2 Week 3: Mind Training 1 Week 4: Food 1 Week 5: Food 2 Week 6: Pain Management Week 7: Healing Week 8: Causes and solutions for cancer Week 9: Mind Training 2 Week 10: Living and Dying Week 11: Healthy Emotions Week 12: Health and Wellbeing

Individual, Family & Group Counselling Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a huge shock, and can cause enormous stress for the person with cancer and their family.

Ongoing counselling sessions with a caring, compassionate professional could help you deal more effectively with the many issues, fears and emotions which arise on the cancer journey; gain clarity to make treatment decisions; give you the insight to grow from your experiences; and the peace of mind and heart needed to heal.

Sessions can be booked with our qualified psychologist, and are also available online for those unable to make it in to our Cottesloe premises.

Cancer Information Counselling After diagnosis you are required to make important decisions regarding treatment and your future. Often there is a sense of urgency and you can feel pressured to make decisions before you’ve had a chance to consider all the options. Information counselling sessions help you to make informed treatment and lifestyle decisions.

program may be subject to change, please check our website MONDAY Meditation Made Easy .................................................................................10.00 – 11.30am Ongoing Lessons with Bavali Hill. FREE FOR MEMBERS (non-members $5) No bookings necessary.

TUESDAY Wellness and Healing Open Support Group ............................... 10.00 – 12.00noon with Dr. Angela Ebert Carer’s Wellness and Healing Support Group ....................... 10.00 – 12.00noon with Mike Sowerby (when required) Reiki Clinic .....................................................................................................12.15pm – 1.30pm

WEDNESDAY Reflexology ..................................................................10.00am – 2pm with Udo Kannapin (by appointment between 10-2) Laughter Yoga with Kimmie O’Meara ($3.00)...................................11.00am – 12.00pm Chinese Medical Healthcare Qigong ($10/$5 members) .........12.30pm – 2.00pm with Alan Donelly

THURSDAY Yoga for Healing .........................................................................................10.00am – 11.15am with Madeline Clare (members $5 / others $10) Grief and Loss Open Support Group ................................................... 1.00pm – 3.00pm with Mike Sowerby (last Thursday of each month)

FRIDAY Meeting the Challenge 1 Day Seminar ................................................9.30am – 4.30pm 1ST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH with Dr. Peter Daale (and others)

DAILY Cancer Wellness Counselling with Dr. Peter Daale .................................. by appointment General Counselling with Dr. Angela Ebert .................................................. by appointment Phone direct on 0414 916 724 or 9450 6724 or email a.ebert@murdoch.edu.au

Phone CSA on 9384 3544 or check our website for further information. We can help you with information packs, course prices, confirm course times and to make bookings.

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WEEKLY PROGRAM 2011

Counselling

By Dr. Joel E Brame

According to Marshall McLuhan, “the medium is the message.” If so, then what is cancer trying to say? One of the fundamental principles of natural health is that the body is never trying to harm or kill us, although we might interpret illness as such. Instead, it is just trying to send us messages in whatever ways will get our attention.

For example, lung cancer is the ultimate message for smokers. The message threatens, “Stop smoking or else.” Once smokers acknowledge the message and take effective action, their chances of longterm survival significantly improve. They feel better on all levels once the smoking stops, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. In these cases one hears the person exclaim, “Cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Health is a precious gift. Insure your good health by eating lightly, breathing deeply, living moderately, cultivating cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.” William Londen

Holistic cancer specialists that reside in distant countries such as Switzerland, Canada, and China, with different educational backgrounds all seem to say the same thing: an individualised holistic support program for each person improves long-term cancer survival. From my perspective, supportive cancer programs must address the unique messages sent by cancer. Therefore, this article will discuss three common messages of cancer...

MIND-BODY HEALING

Before this discussion, one must trust in three underlying principles of health. a) the importance of seeking the cause of illness rather than just managing symptoms; b) emotions are at the core most chronic illnesses; c) cancer is a process. The last principle means that the tumour is not the cancer; cancer is the long-term underlying process (including DNA damage, hormone imbalances, and environmental carcinogen exposures) that culminates in the tumour. If you are in agreement with these principles, you will find the following messages to be powerful guideposts indeed.

1.

The first message of cancer involves nutrition. A naturopath in China has seen that an improvement in nutrition habits is critical to cancer survivorship. These improvements include ramping up intake of nutritious whole foods and reducing intake of synthetic, processed foods. Regardless of the cancer treatment chosen (conventional or alternative), long-term nutritional changes are part of this message of cancer. In this case, the body screams, “I need real fuel and I need it now, otherwise I can’t do my job of keeping you protected from renegade cancer cells anymore.”

A medical doctor in Mexico pointed out that good quality nutrition during and after treatment really makes a difference. People with cancer need to choose foods that are easy to absorb, alkalising and energising. Why? Forty percent of cancer-related deaths actually come from malnutrition (called “cachexia”).

Cancer cells gobble up nutrients faster than body cells, especially sugar. By choosing foods that preferentially feed normal cells, one is heeding the nutritional message of cancer.

2.

The psychology. According to physicians and psychologists in Canada, Switzerland, and USA, cancer bears a message on the emotional and spiritual realm. To see cancer only on the physical realm is to miss a tremendous opportunity for growth and possibly survival.

One physician in Vancouver, Canada has seen patients go into remission by “heeding the message” of love and forgiveness that cancer often presents.

Healing takes time. Despite great advances in medicine, the biggest part of your recovery is due to the enormous healing power inside you.

A Swiss medical doctor who sees hundreds of cancer patients each week at his clinic applies anthroposophical and Chinese medicine, along with his other conventional and natural approaches. Because he takes a holistic approach, he sees that cancer messages frequently involve a disturbance in the person’s core identity. The individual’s mission or purpose is taken away or disrupted, such as the young mother losing a child, or the woman sacrificing her own ambitions to serve her husband’s desires. Another common scenario is the senior executive who gets promoted to a permanent position he dislikes and is diagnosed with colon cancer one year later.

Not every person who has an experience like this develops cancer, but many cancer patients have had a disruptive experience one or two years before the cancer diagnosis. The cancer may have emerged to to bring their attention to resoloving and healing the emotional and spiritual component of the experience . Once they work through this process, and they “hear the message” of the cancer, the cancer is no longer “needed” – remission can occur more freely and permanently.

3.

The body heals itself according to its own timetable – anxious thoughts never hasten recuperation.

Criswell Freeman

The third message warns the patient of underlying damaging processes that lead to cancer.

Cancer thrives within a body that is oxygen- and nutrient-deprived, and full of sugar, inflammatory reactions, and altered immunity. In a recent Las Vegas conference, an American nutritionist lectured on his experiences with cancer. He said that if he were to summarise all his knowledge and experience of cancer into one facet, it would be this: Cancer is an opportunistic illness that grows amidst a toxic body environment. In other words, cancer gives a message that the body is toxic and improperly regulated. It says, “For the last time, clean yourself up!”

These three messages of cancer act as undeniable guides. One should take the time to discover them. How? Perhaps sit quietly and still, then ask the cancer what it may be saying. If the answer does not come easily, daily or weekly journaling can help – try writing using the nondominant hand to move beyond the mind and into the heart. For those artistically-inclined, drawing the scenario on paper sometimes brings out additional insights. For faster results, work with a holistic practitioner who can help you uncover the hidden messages. ✦

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cancer in the news

breakthroughs & headlines in 2010

“Wellness is a connection of paths: Knowledge and Action”

Cryotherapy, freezing away breast & prostate cancer A small but promising study suggests that cryotherapy, a procedure typically used to

treat prostate cancer, could be applied as an effective treatment for breast cancer. If further studies confirm these early findings, breast cancer patients could one day be able to opt for a simple outpatient’s procedure to freeze the tumour, as an alternative to surgery.

In the clinical trials, researchers were able to kill breast cancer cells by freezing them using a technique known as image-guided, multiprobe cryotherapy.

Breast-cancer sufferers could avoid the need for surgery in the future after doctors discovered a way of destroying tumours by freezing them.

All of the 13 women who participated in the trail were still alive and showed no clinical evidence of cancer recurrence at an average of 18 months, up to five years after having the procedure. They also reported minimal pain and a high satisfaction with the cosmetic results following the treatment. The 13 patients had a total of 25 tumours, ranging in size from 0.5 centimetres to 5.8 centimetres. The average tumour size was 1.7 centimetres.

Pioneer of cryotherapy, Peter J. Littrup, MD, says the findings show that even large breast tumours can be successfully treated with the nonsurgical freezing technique. Cryotherapy works by delivering a very low temperature gas to the tumour using needle-like probes.

Littrup explained that a single-probe freezing approach has been used for several years to treat breast cancer, but it is widely considered to be unsuitable for tumours larger than 1.5 centimetres.

He added that recent technological advances resulting in smaller and easier-to-manage probes and better ways to guide them to the tumour have made nonsurgical cryotherapy an attractive option for breast cancer.

Using local anesthesia with mild sedation, an average of three probes per tumour were guided to the tumour site using either ultrasound alone or ultrasound with computed tomography (CT) imaging. The probes produced “ice balls” ranging in size from 2 centimetres to 10 centimetres, depending on the size of the targeted tumour.

Littrup says most patients had complete healing of the frozen area with very little or no scaring within six months. He hopes to conduct larger studies in breast cancer patients using a cryotechnology procedure that uses magnetic resonance (MR) to guide the probes.

Littrup developed and has patented this technology, and he says it is potentially useful in the treatment of many types of cancer. ✦ From: Bigpond News, March 2010

There is an interesting relationship between happiness and the immune system. Research carried out by Professor David Warburton of Reading University has shown that physical and emotional enjoyment, even in small doses, can enhance immune function for hours afterwards – which I guess does prove the old adage “A little of what you fancy does you good”.

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IN THE NEWS

New Study Finds Multivitamins and Calcium Slash Breast Cancer A new study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting has found that women who take multivitamins and calcium drastically reduce their odds of getting breast cancer. The study, conducted at the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico, found that women who routinely took multivitamins reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by almost 30 percent. Women who took nutritional supplements and calcium fared even better – reducing their risk by 40 plus percent.

Lead author PhD Jaime Matta and his colleagues from the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico found nutrient supplementation was linked to positive results when taken over an extended period.

“It is not an immediate effect” said Matta. “However, we did see a long-term effect in terms of breast cancer reduction”.

The study compared the lifestyle habits of 268 breast cancer sufferers to those of 457 healthy women. Matta concluded that vitamin supplements may help subjugate cancer risk by enhancing DNA repair capacity.

Ironically, the study coincides with another study that is receiving widespread attention. That study conducted by Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that women who take multivitamins have a 20% increase in the risks of getting breast cancer.

Many find that the idea that adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals could somehow be unhealthy is absurd. Not surprisingly, criticism of the study has been immediate. However, one may have to go far down the mainstream reports to find any criticisms or doubts, if at all.

Professor John Boyages, director of the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute and spokesman for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, said he “wouldn’t put any weight” on the study, as there were “many complicated risk factors involved in breast cancer.”

Likewise, the Australia Complementary Healthcare Council cautioned consumers to “not panic” at the findings. It also cited “concerns over limitations to the study”, such as its reliance on self-administered questionnaires and failure to look at the bioactivity of multivitamin ingredients.

No mention was made in the study of whether the health habits of the women who took the vitamins were compared to those who didn’t take vitamins. Neither was there any mention of what kind of multivitamins the women took. Too many people think that they can offset unhealthy diets and lifestyles by popping a daily vitamin pill. In addition, over 95% of such supplements consist of ground up rocks, petroleum by-products and coal-tar derivatives.

A recent study found that women who take multivitamins have a 20% higher chance of getting breast cancer.

Australian experts disagree with the findings and cite many flaws in the study including the type of synthetic and unnatural vitamins used. Another recent study found that vitamins and calcium actually reduce the chance of breast cancer.

Virtually every study which has returned negative results about vitamins or minerals has used the inferior and unnatural forms, instead of the forms found in nature. In addition, virtually all such studies fail to take into account the fact that nature works synergistically.

Isolating individual vitamins and minerals or other nutrients and adding them to an overall unhealthy diet might be compared to putting a hasty patch on a leaky roof on a building with a crumbling foundation. You might get some relief, but when a bad storm (disease) comes along, you may be ill prepared to keep the storm at bay.

Mainstream medical science makes the same mistakes when it tries to synthesize vitamins and compounds found in nature, or else uniquely isolate them. Doing so does not produce the natural molecule with supporting compounds or the whole vitamin profile found in nature. It does, however, produce something that can be patented and profited from. It also produces something that the body does not recognise as natural and which is liable to have side effects over 95% of the time. It isn’t rocket science. Sadly, it is medical science. ✦

By Tony Isaacs. From: www.naturalnews.com, 10th May 2010

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Mobile phone cancer link still unclear The largest study to date on the safety of mobile phones has found no clear link to brain cancer, but researchers say further research is needed given the increasingly intensive use of the technology.

The study, by the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer

(IARC), appears this week in International Journal of Epidemiology. “The results really don’t allow us to conclude that there is any risk associated with mobile phone use, but... it is also premature to say that there is no risk associated with it,” says IARC’s director Dr Christopher Wild.

The study looked at almost 13,000 mobile phone users, including 2,708 people with glioma tumours and 2,409 people with meningioma tumours in 13 countries. It found no increased risk of glioma or meningioma tumours after 10 years of using a mobile phone, although it found “suggestions of higher risk” for the heaviest users.

The latest range of smartphones could put you in risk of “serious” harm, the makers of Blackberry said.

With consumers becoming more conscious about the levels of radiation emitted from their phones,Telstra is planning to publish comparison data on mobiles’“specific absorption rate” (SAR), The Daily Telegraph reports.

The move will allow customers to directly compare SAR levels between phones. At the moment, information on the levels is not produced by the regulatory authority, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) Apple’s popular iPhone 4 also risks exceeding exposure guidelines in certain circumstances. The limits set in Australia are 2 watts per kilogram of tissue, higher than the 1.6W/kg in the US. The Apple iPhone 4 guide says: “iPhone’s SAR measurement may exceed [US] . . . exposure guidelines for body-worn operation if positioned less than 15mm from the body (eg, when carrying iPhone in your pocket).”

The heaviest users who reported using their phones on the same side of their heads had a 40% higher risk for gliomas and 15% for meningiomas, but the researchers said “biases and errors” prevent making a causal link. Given that the heaviest users in the study talked an average of half an hour per day on their mobile phones, a figure which is not heavy by today’s standards, the researchers recommend further research. The research, involved 21 scientists from the Interphone International Study Group, which received 19.2 million euros (A$27 million) in funding, around 5.5 million euros (A$7.7) of which came from industry sources.

Young people not included in study The researchers also cited the need for the study of the impact of mobile phone use among young people, who were not included in the Interphone study. The say it is not unusual for young people to use mobile phones for an hour or more a day. “Observations at the highest level of cumulative call time and the changing patterns of mobile phone use ... particularly in young people, mean that further investigation of mobile phone use and brain cancer is merited,” says Wild. The researchers noted, however, that the latest mobile phones have lower emissions, and the popularity of hands-free devices and texting reduce exposure to the head.

Caution urged Scientific Advisor to Cancer Council Australia, Professor Bernard Stewart agrees the findings merit further research. “This study involves phone usage for 12 years at most and therefore tells us little about any risk associated with mobile phone use over decades,” he says.

“In particular, insufficient time has passed since mobile phones were introduced to determine whether or not there is a risk in children.” He says until there is research into this area, the Cancer Council recommends caution in relation to children. “They should not use, or minimise their use, of mobile phones. Anyone concerned about the harmful effects of electromagnetic energy should reduce their use of mobile phones, or employ hands-free technology.”

Puzzle points to study methods

Telstra’s electromagnetic energy coordinator Mike Wood told the Daily Telegraph: “Technically speaking, under the worst-case scenario, you might be in breach of the SAR limit.”

In some analyses of the Interphone study data, mobile telephone users appeared to have a lower risk of brain cancer than people who had never used one. But researchers say this paradoxical finding suggests problems with the method, or inaccurate information from those who took part. The study relied on people searching their memories to estimate how much time they spent on their cell phones, a method that can throw up inaccuracies.

Australian Centre for RF Bioeffects Research executive director, University of Wollongong Professor Rodney Croft, told The Daily Telegraph: “Even if it is over the limit there is no evidence . . . that it would cause harm unless it was at least 50 times the limit.” ✦

European scientists last month launched what will now become the biggest ever study into the effects of mobile phone use on long-term health. It aims to track at least a quarter of a million of people in five European countries for up to 30 years. This kind of study, called a prospective study, is considered more accurate because it does not require people to remember their cell phone use later but tracks it in real time. ✦ From ABC Science: www.abc.net.au/science, 18th May 2010

From au.yahoo.com news, October 2010

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IN THE NEWS

Watercress stops spread of breast cancer Cancer specialists use powerful and debilitating agents such as

chemotherapy and radiotherapy to attack cancer – but researchers have discovered that a simple salad food can stop breast cancer developing.

A compound found in watercress can suppress the growth of breast cancer cells by turning off a signal in the body. When that happens, the flow of essential blood and oxygen to the growing tumour is stemmed, and the cancer cells stop developing.

Researchers from the University of Southampton discovered watercress’s cancer-fighting abilities when they gave a group of cancer survivors a bowl each – around 80g – of watercress and monitored them for the following 24 hours.

Not surprisingly, they found very high levels of the watercress’s plant compound PEITC in the participants’ blood samples afterwards – but it had affected the protein that helps nourish cancer cells.

It has been found that a simple salad food can stop breast cancer developing.

Research team leader Prof Graham Packham commented: “The research…shows that eating watercress may interfere with a pathway that has already been tightly linked to cancer development.” ✦ Source: www.wddty.com news, October 2010

A dietary supplement for breast cancer A paper on a new dietary supplement for breast cancer has appeared this week in the online version of Integrative Cancer Therapies (http://ict.sagepub.com). BreastDefend (BD) is a blend of medicinal mushrooms, herbs and nutritional compounds.

In this laboratory study, Indiana University scientists showed that BD inhibited the proliferation and invasiveness of highly metastatic breast cancer cells. Particularly impressive was the effect of the highest dose of BD at 72 hours, where virtually all the cells were suppressed (see illustration).

Table showing the suppression of cancer cells after taking BreastDefend

This isn’t the first time that most of these ingredients have been shown to kill cancer cells. But by combining them in a single formula, one can use lower doses to achieve an synergistic effect. I appreciate the way the developer of the product, Isaac Eliaz, MD of Econugenics, has not just touted his product’s virtues but once again (as with his Pectasol-C) provided scientific proof.

The recommended dose is 1 to 4 capsules, 2 times a day, taken with food, or as directed by one’s health care professional. I have found it for sale on the Internet for as little as $77.99 for 120 capsules. Even at the highest dose this comes to around $5 per day, which seems reasonable for such a promising supplement. ✦ Source: themossreports.wordpress.com, October 2010

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Vitamin D really does prevent cancer A new study out of Oxford University pinpoints vitamin D deficiency as a culprit in serious illnesses

like cancer and autoimmune disorders. According to the report, which was recently published online in the journal Genome Research, genetic receptors throughout the body need adequate vitamin D levels to prevent these and other serious illnesses from developing.

Multiple sclerosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Chron’s disease, leukaemia – these and many more diseases are often caused by a lack of vitamin D. Your genes literally have receptors that need vitamin D in order to properly express themselves. If there is not enough of the vitamin, serious illness is prone to develop.

Vitamin D supplementation as a preventative measure for multiple sclerosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Chron’s disease, leukaemia and many more diseases is strongly warranted.

The Oxford team made specific observations about the importance of vitamin D in the genome regions associated with autoimmune diseases and cancer, noting that the nutrient is absolutely vital in helping to prevent these diseases from forming.

“Considerations of vitamin D supplementation as a preventative measure for these diseases are strongly warranted,” expressed Sreeram Ramagopalan, author of the study.

However, current recommendations for vitamin D intake are unacceptably low, and many nations are considering updating their guidelines. The U.S. Institute of Medicine, for example, recommends getting a mere 200 to 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day, an amount far too low to have much therapeutic effect.

Since summer sun exposure creates about 20,000 IU of vitamin D in the skin in just 15 minutes, supplementation with at least 5,000 to 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily, particularly during the winter, is preferable. Healthy blood levels of vitamin D are somewhere between 50 and 80 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml), so many natural health professionals recommend having a “25 OH Vitamin D” blood test performed to check these levels. ✦ Source: health.usnews.com, 24th August 2010

Cancer tests could do more harm than good A

new generation of tests for cancer could do more harm than good by increasingly diagnosing tumours which may not pose an immediate health risk, according to a leading cancer specialist.

People will increasingly have to choose between radical surgery or living with the uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis, said Bruce Ponder, head of Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, at Cambridge University.

The new generation of screening programmes, scanning techniques and genetic tests, which will help diagnose people with the beginnings of life-threatening cancer, will pick up on more very small, latent and benign cancers. People could face a lifetime of anxiety and a decision about whether to undergo radical surgery loading pressure on the already stretched health system, he says. “One of the things that may happen is that in our quest to develop better and better tests for early diagnosis of cancer we will end up detecting quite a lot of cancers that were never going to do anything in the lifetime of the individual ... we also need to find better ways to find out which cancers mean business and which cancers don’t,” he said.

“With testing you do have to be careful not to do more harm than good.” Men were unnecessarily having prostates removed at the first diagnosis of abnormal cells despite evidence that many would live healthy lives for years, he said. Prostate cancer tests are not routinely available on the NHS to all men but are increasingly offered by private clinics.

Julietta Patnick, head of the national screening programme, said: “When a postmortem is done on a man in his 80’s most of the time he will have prostate cancer. These men are dying of other causes, they’ve never been diagnosed before. Prostate is an extreme example but it follows to a lesser extent for other cancers.” ✦

By Polly Curtis. From: The Guardian

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IN THE NEWS

Many unaware exercise is cancer fighter M

ost Victorians don’t know that failure to exercise can increase their risk of developing cancer, according to a survey released by the Cancer Council Victoria (CCV).

CCV said one-third of deaths from cancer in Victoria each year – or 3000 people – were preventable but people were unaware of the cancer risk factors.

Cancer Prevention Centre director Craig Sinclair said people tended to believe that their risk of developing cancer was down to fate or family history. In reality, less than one in 10 cancers were caused by known faulty genes, he said.

“While messages are getting through about quitting smoking and being sun smart, people need to understand that cancer risk can be reduced by limiting alcohol intake, having appropriate screening tests, being active and keeping body weight under control by eating fresh fruit and vegetables rather than high-energy foods,” he said.

“However, when surveyed, only 19 per cent of Victorians volunteered that leading a healthy lifestyle is a step that can be taken to reduce cancer risk.”

The findings are contained in the Council’s most recent population survey, in which more than 3000 Victorian adults were surveyed by telephone in 2007. The findings were released in August 2010 to coincide with the launch of a website to help educate the community about cancer prevention. The website, Cut Your Cancer Risk, helps people calculate their cancer risk and set goals to reduce it.

According to the survey, just 49 per cent of those surveyed believed lack of exercise was an important cancer risk factor. And only 55 per cent of Victorians know that being overweight can cause cancer.

When asked to identify ways to reduce cancer risk, only 4 per cent said controlling weight.

“People need to understand that cancer risk can be reduced by limiting alcohol intake, being active and keeping body weight under control by eating fresh fruit and vegetables rather than highenergy foods”

Cancer Council research shows that a waistline of over 100cm for men and 85cm for women significantly increases the risk of some types of cancer, including cancers of the bowel, breast and oesophagus.

Mr Sinclair said it was also concerning that the link between alcohol and cancer was not well known.

While more than 1300 people died from cancer due to excessive alcohol consumption in Australia in 2005, 94 per cent of Victorians failed to mention limiting alcohol intake as a way to reduce cancer risk.

The website is: cutyourcancerrisk.org.au. ✦

From ABC Science: www.watoday.com.au, 3rd August 2010

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By Mike Adams

Our most common so-called ‘diseases’ like cancer, diabetes and heart disease are actually metabolic disorders. They are the end result of specific causes, and when those causes are allowed to work their destruction over a long period of time, they create a series of effects. Those effects are diagnosed by doctors and given a name.

And the name is something like ‘cancer’ or ‘heart disease’ or ‘diabetes’.

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Medical Association doesn’t say it’s reversible. The American Cancer Society says there’s no cure for cancer. How can you say that these diseases are reversible?”

The answer requires an understanding of a much more advanced framework for health and the underlying causes of disease. Fundamentally, these diseases are fictitious in the sense that they are not caused by invading microbes – thus, they are not diseases in the way we typically think of infectious disease like smallpox, malaria or influenza.

Rather than being such types of diseases, our most common so-called ‘diseases’ like cancer, diabetes and heart disease are actually metabolic disorders. They are the end result of specific causes, and when those causes are allowed to work their destruction over a long period of time, they create a series of effects. Those effects are diagnosed by doctors and given a name. And the name is something like ‘cancer’ or ‘heart disease’ or ‘diabetes’.

If you’d like to verify this yourself, just ask any doctor for the name of the virus that causes osteoporosis. Or ask them: “What’s the name of the bacteria that causes heart disease? What’s the infectious agent for cancer?” And in all three cases, the answer will be “Well, there are none – these diseases aren’t caused by infectious agents.”

So what are they caused by? Frankly, conventional medicine can’t really give you a satisfying answer on those questions. They don’t know the causes. Sure, they can tell you what they think are causes, such as saying that diabetes is caused by insulin resistance. But all they’re actually doing is describing another symptom. The cause of diabetes is not insulin resistance, that’s just one of the cascading symptoms that leads to the ultimate diagnosis of the disease. The real question is: “What causes insulin resistance?”

INTEGRATIVE THERAPIES

A lot of people ask me, “Mike, how can you say that chronic disease is reversible? The American

The only time cancer gets diagnosed in your body is when your immune system is unable to do the job it already knows how to do. And the way your immune system fails is if you don’t give it the tools it needs.

So you see, if you backtrack from conventional medicine’s explanations about the causes of disease, and you keep seeking deeper and deeper causes for the symptoms, then you fairly quickly get to a point where conventional medicine has no clue, because they can’t tell you what causes insulin resistance. Yes, they can describe the biochemical mechanisms, but they can’t tell you what causes that biochemistry to take place.

The bottom line is that the leading thinkers in conventional medicine don’t understand the causes of these diseases at all. They keep looking for the biochemical interactions, and by doing so they’re lost in the forest. They’re looking at a microscopic level and losing sight of the big picture. It’s classic myopia, and they reinforce that tunnel vision by automatically discrediting anything that might offer an alternative perspective. What they really need to do is to zoom out and look at the holistic picture.

Welcome to the big picture of health and healing We need to look at the whole action of the human body and everything that impacts it, including environment, mind-body interactions, nutrition, chronic stress and things like natural sunlight.

When you look at the impact of all of these factors on human health, you begin to get a much clearer picture of the true cause of chronic disease. And once you do that, you understand that these diseases are simply a cascading domino effect. They are a result of nutritional deficiencies, chronic stress, environmental toxins found in the air, the water and even personal care products like shampoo, deodorants and anti-static dryer sheets.

You see, when a person has a cancer tumour, it’s something that the body actually built. Conventional medicine tends to think of a tumour as some sort of alien invader, as if it swooped down from the continued on next page...

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...from previous page

sky and latched on to your body. But in fact, your body built the tumour. Cancer comes from within the body. There’s no microbial invader responsible. Cancer is fundamentally a failure of the body to regulate its own metabolism and clean up unhealthy, mutated cells.

In fact, the very process of cancer – the seemingly uncontrolled duplication of cells – is quite natural. It is much the same process that a fetus undergoes when it is forming in the womb. Similarly, whenever you injure yourself, and your body has to heal that injury by rebuilding skin cells or other tissues, it is involved in a cancer-like action. In fact, cancer is just a name given to a normal metabolic function that has become abnormal in the fact that it is no longer restrained. Cancer, then, is really a normal biological process taking place in the wrong context. When cells are duplicating like crazy in a fetus, it’s called a miracle of life.

When cells are duplicating like crazy in the pancreas of a senior citizen, it’s called a disease. Same process, different context.

As you can see, cancer is not caused by some outside invader.

It is a normal human physiological function that’s simply out of control and unable to be regulated by the body. Well, if the body has regulated and managed this process in the past (you’re still alive, aren’t you?), it only makes sense that the body is capable of figuring out how to regulate it again. And hence the claim that there are cures for cancer.

You can cure cancer in your sleep In fact, such a claim is not at all outrageous. It’s not even extraordinary. I have cured cancer thousands of times in my own lifetime, and so have you, if you’re still alive. Every living human being cures themselves of cancer over and over again as their immune system locates and deals with cancerous cells in the body. Your immune system already knows how to cure cancer, and it has done so for decades.

The U.S. medical establishment claims there’s no such thing as a “cure” for cancer, and yet every person alive today is a walking cancer curing machine. I suppose next, the FDA will arrest people for exercising healthy immune system function because, to them, curing cancer is considered some sort of crime. (Read “When Healing Becomes A Crime” by Kenny Ausubel to learn more about the FDA’s longstanding crusade to oppress and outlaw legitimate cancer treatments.)

The only time cancer gets diagnosed in your body is when your immune system is unable to do the job it already knows how to do. And the way your immune system fails is if you don’t give it the tools it needs: if you’re suffering from nutritional deficiencies or chronic dehydration, for example. It could also mean that you are poisoning your body with cancer-causing substances such as sodium nitrite or chemical sweeteners, artificial colours, refined carbohydrates and environmental toxins such as the toxic

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chemicals found around your home. Common antibacterial soaps, for example, contain a chemical ingredient known as triclosan that, when combined with chlorine in tap water, generates highly carcinogenic fumes. Merely eating processed meats, recent studies show, boosts your risk of pancreatic cancer by 7600%!

Conventional medicine remains clueless on cancer So to say that there is a cure for cancer isn’t even a stretch. In fact, the bewildering belief is the one held by conventional medicine, which insists that there is no cure for cancer. That is absolutely stunning in its ignorance, because every person alive has already cured cancer. And the body is preprogrammed with the ability to cure cancer on its own. (Drug companies, of course, don’t want you to realise this. If people figure out they can already cure cancer, then anti-cancer drug sales might plummet!)

It is astonishing that conventional medicine fails to recognise the true nature of cancer. To say that there’s no cure for cancer is to deny the healing potential of the human body. It is, in a sense, to deny one’s very own human nature.

It’s not surprising to hear this, though, since conventional medicine is often about separation from nature, or even separation from self. If you think about the way conventional medicine looks at the body, it’s all about separation and isolation.

We see doctors dealing with body parts: we have foot doctors and eye doctors and ear doctors, but we have very few holistic doctors who look at the whole person – the body, the mind and the spirit – and then prescribe a healing strategy that takes into account that holistic existence.

At one level, though, I agree with the defenders of conventional medicine, because when they say that there is no cure for cancer, what they mean is that there is no “cure” if you continue to look at human beings as an accumulation of isolated parts. You can’t cure cancer if you keep peering through your microscopes trying to understand the subtle biochemistry of angiogenesis and tumourigenesis. That’s why the whole “cure for cancer” fundraising system in this country is a sham. What they’re seeking is more research dollars to become even better-funded technicians who attempt to tear apart the secrets of biochemistry... but yet who have no knack for seeing the big picture.

The scope of so-called “cancer research” as practiced today is far too narrow to have the necessary understanding to even believe in a cure for cancer. Thus, from their point of view, they are indeed correct: there is no cure for cancer if you view the body as a collection of parts. Similarly, some doctors think human behaviour is fully accounted for by nothing more than varying levels of neurotransmitters.

In contrast to all this, if you believe that the universe is holistic in nature; if you believe that a human being is more than the sum of body parts – that we’re more than Frankenstein monsters who happen to stumble into doctors’ offices with various complaints, then it is not difficult at all to understand that the cure for cancer is within each and every one of us. And in fact, it’s built right into our DNA. The very blueprint of life on which our biological systems are based is, in fact, imprinted with the cure for cancer.

In a very real way, we are pre-programmed to be cancer-free.

Beyond the biochemistry We are healing machines. The human body is a miracle of nanotechnology that far exceeds the advances of modern science. And even if you were to understand all the physical structures and chemical interactions of the immune system, I still don’t think you would grasp its complexities, because there are many interactions in the immune system that are energetic in nature. That’s why cancer researchers can run lab tests for a hundred years and burn through a billion dollars in funding and still not uncover the mythical “cure for cancer.”

Trying to find a chemical cure for cancer is sort of like asking some poor sop to find the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. If he thinks the rainbow is physical (and not made of light energy), then he’s going to chase that rainbow endlessly. Sure, the rainbow looks real, but it’s actually a projection of vibrational energy.

A holistic view of health is much like recognising the true nature of a rainbow – the interaction between sunlight and small particles of water, and the varying angles of refraction that split full-spectrum light into strands of visible colours.

But organised medicine (pharmaceutical companies, medical doctors, the FDA, and other similar players) still think there’s a pot of gold at the end of that research rainbow. They think they can understand the rainbow by building bigger and better tools of observation to measure rainbow properties at a microscopic level. And in time, they will create all sorts of new technical terms to describe all the rainbow observations they have made, and they will justify huge budgets to continue the rainbow research, and yet all along, they’ll still miss the fact that the entire rainbow isn’t physical at all.

Human beings are vibrational energy In humans, the big picture is that we, too, are vibrating energy. In fact, you could argue that every chemical interaction is energetic at the molecular level. From a physics point of view, there are no atoms, there are no electrons, we are all just vibrating energy and no physicist worth his salt would deny that.

It is this subtle energy that I believe will be the primary focus of the future of medicine. It’s called vibrational medicine, and it encompasses not just the energetic nature of matter itself, but also homeopathy and the energies exhibited by water as well as acupuncture, sound therapy, phototherapy, non-local healing and many other energy-based therapeutic modalities with proven healing benefits.

In the holistic medicine world, curing cancer is an everyday event. Not because we’re better technicians than those in organised medicine (we aren’t), but because we operate at a deeper level of understanding about the nature of disease, the nature of human beings, and the “big picture” of healing.

In the holistic medicine world, curing cancer is an everyday event. Not because we’re better technicians than those in organised medicine (we aren’t), but because we operate at a deeper level of understanding about the nature of disease, the nature of human beings, and the “big picture” of healing.

If you have cancer and you want a highly technical explanation of the biochemistry of your disease, visit an M.D. or an oncologist. If you want to actually heal, on the other hand, visit a natural health practitioner.

Don’t let organised medicine send you on a fool’s errand chasing rainbows. Cancer is not a pharmacological problem. It cannot be solved by applying more synthetic chemistry (prescription drugs) to the body. And it most certainly cannot be solved by poisoning the body (chemotherapy). ✦ From: www.naturalnews.com. Mike Adams is a natural health author and technology pioneer who has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world.

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One antidote to cancer is information “It’s never a good time to get cancer but there are more options than you might think or even be advised from orthodox treatment centres.”

By Simon Mitchell

The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) is promoting prevention as a better option than treatment and

particularly targeting smoking as the highest recogniseable risk area. The Cancer Research Institute (C.R.I.) is seeking vaccines that support the body’s own ability to heal. Alternative and holistic approaches seek to do the same with diet, nutrition, lifestyle and other choices.

Different philosophies of medicine achieve ‘immune support’ in various ways not considered by orthodox Western medicine, which concentrates mainly on ‘drugs and surgery’ as an afterthought to disease, often just adding more toxins and stress to an overloaded system. Alternative treatments take many forms to support the body in its own healing process.

Although we have constant new biological treatments promised, they usually only apply to a small percentage of cancer types. Change in this field is agonisingly slow and in some cases utterly stuck. Medical science is failing to adapt to the new ‘quantum theory’ sciences that see the human body from an energy or ‘vibrational’ perspective. Western ‘allopathic’ medicine continues to refuse integration with other, older medical philosophies such as Chinese, Ayurvedic, Tibetan, Homeopathy, Herbalism or vibrational treatment.

In truth we don’t even have a research methodology that will cope with assessing different treatment forms and levels tuned to an individual patient. So far it is much easier for the orthodox to just deny the effectiveness of alternative ways of healing because they do not make rational scientific sense, than it is to extend their model to include other healing models. The fiscal interest of pharmaceutical companies is also a factor in our lack of access to holistic treatments The complex cancer situation effects us all directly. One in three people in the ‘West’ now gets cancer at some point. Many factors are combining to aggravate acute degenerative disorders such as cancer or heart disease, the two top killers in the Western World. These expose the unwary to dangers and this includes the toxic side-effects of allopathic treatments – it is emerging that the third biggest killer may be ‘allopathic medicine’ itself .

The Cancer Research Industry Research shows that in UK every year somewhere between £450 to £500 million is spent on cancer research by the pharmaceutical industries, charitable organisations and government. In US an estimated $14 billion dollars are spent. A hard-hitting report published in March 2004 by Fortune, an American business magazine and written by Cliff Leaf, himself a cancer survivor, suggests that for several reasons much of this funding and research is misdirected. He claims that despite a total of $200 billion spent on cancer research since 1971 that mortality rates are basically unchanged. The report was all but ignored by mainstream media.

What if he’s right? What if much of this money is wasted? What if the research is misdirected? What if much of the work serves no real purpose beyond the generation of profit? That would mean that the cancer research industry is one of the biggest bandwagons ever. Despite many more billions spent world-wide on cancer research there seems very little to show for it. After seeing friends and family cut down in their prime by cancer, and its allopathic treatments, this researcher believes that there is something seriously wrong with accepted wisdom on cancer treatment. The author’s local health authority has a twelve million pound overspend this year – the major expenditure? The cost of cancer drugs. Several situations are combining to make cancer a big risk for us all at this time, despite the hard work of many dedicated health service professionals.

Cancer and Orthodox Medical Science Although medical science has created miracles in dealing with infectious diseases, solving many of the medical problems of the 1940’s and 50’s, the new weapons against acute degenerative disorders are not yet ready. Genetic

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Alternative treatments for cancer are not given a fair hearing.

Information is still actively repressed or marginalised from many sources. The subject of Cancer and alternative treatment must be the original can of worms! Its never a good time to get cancer but there are more options than you might think or even be advised from orthodox treatment centres. For example there are many things one can do to supplement (and ease) orthodox treatments with complementary ones. It is unlikely you will be given information on this unless you seek it out yourself.

Although much research on alternatives is often suppressed there are people who can guide you through the minefield of misinformation, disinformation, ignorance, applied selfinterest, politics and other complexities in the field of cancer, whatever choices you make. Support is a central issue in any disease and there are increasing options here with many groups ‘online’ helping each other with a variety of treatment forms.

An Integrated Approach to Cancer The cancer discussion needs opening towards a more integrated medicine that is centred on the patient, but even this discussion is presently marginalised. People are finding each other online and comparing notes, even the drug manufacturing industries are predicting that ‘patient advocacy’ forms a strong part of future medicine. But for true patient advocacy to happen, medical consumers presently need to be at least as, if not better informed than their medical doctors.

There are many options in cancer treatment that are not generally discussed through orthodox medicine. For example

group therapy is not widely prescribed or accessible for cancer patients despite the fact that studies show it can actually double survival time. There is mounting evidence of the validity of herbal and nutritional regimes that support the immune system and may complement the sledgehammers of traditional, orthodox treatment, chemo and radiotherapy.

Sometimes complementary therapies are allowed with orthodox treatment but are still limited to only accepted medical philosophies – or that which can be measured through double-blind testing methodologies that basically view every person as the same. The different philosophies of ‘medicalism’ and ‘holism’ – which puts people central to their treatment – are still far apart. This is not a situation that is in any way advantageous for those of us who become patients.

Alternative approaches are viewed at best as unproven and are unresearchable using ‘quantitative research methodologies’. There are many people wanting a more integrated approach to health care than the drugs and surgery promoted by orthodox allopathic medicine. This is shown by the huge number of people who seek complementary and alternative medicines without the knowledge of their doctors. The main research into treatments that address every aspect of disease and patient still takes place in secret because practices that fall outside of standard medical practice and physicians who offer unconventional cancer treatments may be vulnerable to the civil charge of malpractice. Given the modern quantum sciences and other feasible medical models such as those mentioned there are many more realistic options for treatment than we are presently being offered.

It is easy to be overwhelmed in this field, different people giving different information, which you may need to filter, understand and act upon, often ‘against the clock’. What is needed is an overview that presents comprehensive information from wide sources in an objective manner. ✦ Article from the e-book Don’t Get Cancer by Simon Mitchell: www.simonthescribe.co.uk. Simon Mitchell is part of the ‘green wave’ working in Cornwall UK researching, writing and publishing his own and other people’s media on the themes of green living and ecology. His website: www.simonthescribe. co.uk supports positive change for a sustainable future.

everything’s okay One thing that illness, or any other hardship, can potentially teach us is that everything is actually okay. When we find ourselves in a situation which we don’t have the power or capacity to change there is only one thing we can do – take a deep breath, accept it graciously, perhaps even gratefully, and reassure ourselves that whatever happens we will be okay.

No-one’s life is without pain. There is absolutely no use in comparing our lives to anyone else’s or feeling resentful that others are better off than we are. The nature of life is that one day each of us will have our challenges to face. The real challenge of course is to stay positive, to be kind to ourselves and others in the face of hardship, to accept the challenges life throws our way graciously, to calmly look for positive pathways into the future, and to make the world a joyful place by our presence in it.

By taking this approach we can keep a clear, calm head and make sensible, healthy choices which lead us towards healing and wholeness. Staying positive means that we will be much less likely to descend into a negative or fearful state of mind which could potentially alienate our loved ones. Isolation only adds to our sense of suffering!

The practice of positive thinking will ensure that whatever our circumstances, we make the most of every precious moment in this precious lifetime. Afterall, if we’re still here, if we’re still alive, then everything is okay.

Mandy, June 2010

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testing and counselling, gene therapy, nutrigenomics, advanced (subtle and tuned) radiotherapies, cell therapies, therapeutic cloning, cancer vaccines and even anti-aging therapies are a seemingly constant 10 – 15 years away. This is the 21st century and we are still getting 20th century treatments. This leaves us at the moment in a time of high cancer risk with treatments that are often the medical equivalent of cracking a nut with a sledgehammer.

The orthodox treatment of cancer is too often as dangerous as the disease itself.

AN INTERVIEW WITH RACHEL NAOMI REMEN, M.D.

By Ravi Dykema

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MIND-BODY HEALING

RD: You’re a medical doctor with a distinguished career, and you’ve worked with many populations, currently with cancer patients.

RNR: I have to laugh when you say a distinguished career. I am a maverick. I became interested in mind-body health in 1972. There were only about a dozen of who were interested in it-people like Andrew Weil, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Joan Borysenko and others.

Initially, I became interested because of my own health. I have Crohn’s Disease. I’ve had major surgery eight times. I no longer have most of my intestine. And I became ill when I was 15. It changed me profoundly, the way life-threatening illness changes people.

My own experience in the first 10 years of my illness were intense and enlightening.

I was enraged all the time. And I had a sense that there was something growing in me, something which had no voice, which I couldn’t really talk about or explain, but which was absolutely whole. Then I began to notice it growing in my patients as well.

And, you know, at that time, there was no thinking like this, that “Maybe there’s a healthy way to have a disease.” Maybe as the body becomes challenged, something in the person responds and becomes stronger. There were no tools, even, to enable this process. In fact, nobody thought the process was happening. From my own experience, I began to wonder if we understood illness at all, or if it was something completely different than what I had been taught about in medical school.

RD: How had you been taught about illness in medical school, and how was it different in your discoveries?

RNR: In medical school, illness is basically about the doctor. I was taught that I had to make the diagnosis, I had to select the treatment. If I was not successful, you would not have a good outcome. And the only outcome was physical. It was all about the body, about biological repair. And I took credit-or blame-for the outcome. I was in the centre of the stage.

During all this time, I was a patient as well. And the experience I had as a patient didn’t fit with the picture of illness I had been given as a doctor. I have been ill for 48 years.

RD: Had your doctor succeeded or failed in your case?

RNR: According to what I was taught about healing, my doctors have failed miserably.

It began to come to me that unless doctors engaged this thing that was growing in sick people, unless they addressed healing, which is always possible, even when cure isn’t, we were failing people. I started talking about my theory, that we have been failing our patients for years. It was not very well received.

And I had gone to Esalen Institute. There are times when you’re on some straight and narrow path, and something happens in your life, and you start off in a different direction. Sometimes we don’t even realise it’s happened. It may be one tiny little thing, like a single workshop, and your whole life path will be different.

The associate director of the medical clinic at Stanford came to me one day and put some coloured papers on my desk-I can remember this very clearly because it was an important turning point in my life-and said “There’s a place called Esalen Institute, and they want a dozen doctors to come down there. They’re working on something called the human potential movement, and there’s a woman down there who wants to see if these ideas have anything to do with health and illness and the recovery from disease.”

Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, may have discovered what traditional medicine has long been missing: heart and soul.

Author of the best-selling Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal (Riverhead Books, 1997), Remen has plenty of stories herself. She’s a medical educator, pioneering healer and survivor of a life-threatening illness. In this interview with Ravi Dykema Remen talks about heart and soul in medicine, telling our stories and finding a new definition of healing.

At the time, Esalen was the centre of one of the largest revolutions in thinking and perspective in the last century, but I’d never heard of it. That’s how insulated medicine is. When he explained what Esalen Institute is, my first thought was “Oh, what a great way to meet men,” because I had just broken up with my fella. And so I went.

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who was a woman. Every move I had made professionally for 10 years prior to that was towards this single goal. And I think that if I had understood at that moment that this choice of going to Esalen Institute would mean giving up pediatrics entirely, resigning from the prestigious faculty position that I was in and being a medical outcast for about 12 years, I would never have gone down there.

RD: So you weren’t searching for a new course, or a new path?

RNR: No, I wasn’t. I was very much on track. But I think the soul takes us by whatever handle is sticking out, and moves us along in a direction that serves its purposes. And it may be years before we understand where we’re really going-half that time we think we’re going somewhere else. So I went down there to meet men.

But that’s not what happened.

When I went to Esalen, I met Sukie and Stewart Miller, who had a residency program in which, once a month, doctors spent the whole weekend with one of the seminal thinkers of the time, like Elmer Green, who wrote Beyond Biofeedback, or George Leonard. These amazing people would sit with us and talk about the growing edge of their thinking, stuff we had never heard of. We would practice those new ideas, like biofeedback or Aikido. Then we would come back to the Bay Area and have meetings to see how either the thing itself, or the principles behind it, might have something to do with illness, health and the recovery of health.

RD: And you discovered it did, and that changed the course of your life?

RNR: Yes, it did. The interesting thing is, there were 11 men in this program and me. At the end of the program, they all went back to their respective practices. And I quit Stanford and began doing what I do now. There was only one of us who went on. Isn’t that interesting? It seems like the weekend with George Leonard, when he introduced us to Aikido, gave me a completely different sense of my own relationship to my illness. In western medicine, the opponent comes at you, and you either overcome the opponent or you are overcome by it. But in Aikido, you take your energy and you blend it with the energy of the attack, and you go off on a vector in a new direction with a new perspective that you would never have without the attack. And at the end of the encounter, the Aikido master thanks the opponent for the gift of his energy, which has allowed the new perspective, the new direction to be born.

That’s what had happened to me when I became ill. It was like an Aikido encounter, and I learned that perhaps there’s a way to deal with an illness as an honorable opponent and thank it for the new perspective, the greater ability to live from the heart and from the soul that it brought into your life. The minute George described this to us, it was like it all came together. I understood how all of the experiences in my previous 17 years or so related to this illness, and I saw that everyone around me who was ill was struggling to find this same way. They were struggling to use illness as a force for growth in their lives. And it’s the nature of suffering to be a force for growth unless we get stuck in anger or self-pity or something like that.

RD: You said earlier that even if someone is terminally ill, they can still find healing.

RNR: Many people die more whole than they’ve ever lived.

Anything can be used to bless the life in others, or anything can be turned into something that blesses your own life. I’ve seen people

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bless the life in others by the way in which they die. A blessing is not about butterflies and rainbows. It’s about the power of the human spirit.

Illness, injury or disease can be an awakening, rather than a setback.

Suppose you suffer what some people may call a misfortune, and you find yourself thinking, “Now I’m back to the financial state I was in five years ago,” or “Now I’m alone again,” or “Now I can no longer do my sport because I’ve broken my ankle.” These are opportunities to discover who you are – who you really are – and what’s important to you. They’re opportunities to live life more passionately, more fully than you have ever dreamed.

RD: Let’s say you have a chronic pain that you didn’t have before.

And the pain makes you unable to hike in the mountains. And you loved hiking. How could that possibly be a rich opportunity to find your true self?

RNR: It depends on how a person reacts. For some people, it’s an opportunity to be a victim for the rest of their lives. Other people will look at not just the activity that they can’t do anymore, but why that activity is important. What’s the meaning of it? And they will find other ways to have that meaning in their lives, usually ways that are much more profound than the way they’ve lost. I was thinking about a young man that I saw years ago. He was a football player, who no longer played football because of a sports injury. He spent about eight years trying to destroy himself with alcohol and cars and just about anything you can use. And in the course of our working together, he got a sense of what football was really about for him. He understood what it meant to be a part of a team, to have a passionate common goal with other people, to move past the obstacles to victory as he saw it. He realised he could still do those things, except he could no longer do them on the football field, and he became an innovative psychologist, whose name you would know. He has done a great deal of work with groups – in fact, a lot of what we know about groups and group process comes from his work. I think he’d probably be a retired football player living in the past, now that he’s about 50.

It’s really all about the will to live. I think there’s something in people that struggles towards wholeness. It’s very much a part of essential human nature.

RD: So it’s more than just a will to live, it’s a yearning for wholeness.

RNR: Yes – the will to wholeness. The will to manifest one’s dream of oneself. Even though you may not be able to say in words what that dream is, and it may exist deep in your unconscious.

The Buddhists talk about the Buddha seed in an individual, that part of us that can become more Buddha-like, more whole. These are not static things. This is a dynamic thing. And the will to live manifests itself often as anger. When you wreck your knee, or you get a diagnosis like Crohn’s Disease, anger is usually the first expression of your will to live. It was for me. I was enraged for 10 or 12 years. I hated all the well people. I was unfairly a victim, and it was all your fault that I was a victim.

I remember walking down a beach in the New York City area and feeling that this disease had robbed me of my youth and so many opportunities. I was thinking that other people my age had so much energy and power. And suddenly this rage came up in me, and I recognised it for what it was – that very deep inside me, I loved life. I wanted to celebrate life. And I had a power in me that wanted to do that. But I had been expressing it in the form of anger.

Some of the esoteric teachings talk about energy and energy form. The energy is chi, the life force. The energy form is anger, love, whatever it is. And I realised that I couldn’t own my power if I kept running it through the energy form of anger. I understood that I needed to experience the will to live, the love of life, directly, and that I could not live my life as an angry person. I felt liberated, as if I had reclaimed my power from something that had held me captive, which was my anger. I’m seeing this happen to many other people now who are in the process of healing from a disease – not necessarily in the process of curing. Curing is about expertise. Healing is about a human relationship.

We’re all healers. It takes years to learn how to cure. And that’s a very limited approach to something like an illness.

RD: Do you think one’s attitude, let’s say of shifting from a reaction of anger to one of appreciation or gratitude, could change a medical condition?

RNR: Sometimes. There is a connection between the mind and the body that works both ways. But if we look at that relationship and assume that we use the mind to cure the body, it’s a limited view. This is not about a cure. Is there a change in the medical condition?

Sometimes, sometimes not. Is there a change in the person? Always. Our real power may not be to influence our body. It may be to influence ourselves, to grow beyond the challenge of an illness and free yourself from it by living beyond it.

There’s a funny little story in my book My Grandfather’s Blessings called “Eggs.” It has to do with my grandmother, Rachel, who came from Russia, a place where she and the family were often hungry. When she got to America, her kitchen was bursting with food. Even so, nothing was to be wasted. Even the tea bags were used twice. Her icebox was always filled to the brim, and if somebody opened the door without caution, an egg might fall out and break on the kitchen floor. And my grandmother would always have the same response to this: She would look at the broken egg and say, “Aha! Today we have a sponge cake!”

When I first became ill, I was about 15 years old and I was told I would be dead by the time I was 40. I was told there was no cure, that no one even knew what this disease was about and that I would have multiple surgeries. My mother was there with me, and I remember turning towards her for some kind of comfort. But she didn’t comfort me.

She did something rather spectacular. She took me by the hand and said “Rachel, we will make a sponge cake.” And you know, it’s taken years to find my own recipe. But in that moment, I had a sense that something was possible that my doctors had no idea about.

RD: I imagine that making sponge cake in such a situation reduces your suffering a lot, whereas believing that you are weak or chronically ill or terminally ill involves a lot of suffering.

RNR: It involves what I would call unnecessary suffering. There’s enough suffering from the illness itself-we don’t want to be visiting unnecessary suffering on people. I think many people feel diminished by their illness, because they’ve identified themselves with their body. We have bodies, but we are not our bodies. It’s not who I am. I myself am a person of considerable power, with the capacity for love, understanding, wisdom and seeing meaning. Even though I don’t have the physical stamina to walk three blocks, I’m a person of power-probably more power than when I was able to run three blocks. It’s important not to identify with something as impermanent as the body, when there’s something in all of us that is not impermanent. That something is probably who we really are.

I remember feeling that this disease had robbed me of my youth and so many opportunities. I was thinking that other people my age had so much energy and power.

And suddenly this rage came up in me, and I recognised it for what it was – that very deep inside me, I loved life.

I wanted to celebrate life.

And I had a power in me that wanted to do that.

One of the things I do is run a large continuing medical education curriculum, a series of retreats for the California Medical Association. For the past 10 years, I’ve run a course at the medical school called “The Healer’s Art.” It’s a student-initiated elective, which means it bypasses the curriculum committee. I take a different approach than what I think is the norm in any medical school.

First-year students are on fire with the spirit of service. They come in filled with gratitude for an opportunity to use their lives to help others. Four years later, they’re filled up with facts, cynical, depressed, numb. So the first thing I say to them is, “You are already doctors. You just don’t have any facts yet. The whole trick of your training will be to remember the facts without forgetting what it feels like to be a real physician, which is the way you feel right continued on next page...

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now.” I tell them that what they know and who they are is as important as anything they’re going to learn in school, in terms of being able to help people. We engage them in the preservation of their humanity, and we create a community which supports a different set of values than the dominant medical culture supports. It’s a way of taking on the shadow of medicine, if you want to look at it that way.

The conventional values are the ones that most people are aware of: expertise; a certain kind of professionalism, which involves distance; a certain kind of control; a belief that the heart and soul are somewhat irrelevant to the task at hand. I’ve seen it affect doctors like a disease. We have to heal that, to recover from it, and it can be a long, slow process. I’m still recovering.

RD: What did your “recovery” look like?

Our real power may not be to influence our body.

It may be to influence ourselves, to grow beyond the challenge of an illness and free yourself from it by living beyond it.

RNR: A lot of it had to do with the writing of my books. When I started to write my other book, Kitchen Table Wisdom, I didn’t know how to write. I didn’t even know what I was writing. But I had this wonderful editor who said, “We have no outlines, no proposals. Why don’t you just write down 400 pages of what’s important to you and we’ll sort it out.” I don’t know how to write, but I have been telling stories for years. So I tell the computer a story, and then I tell it another story.

And then I can remember another story, so I tell the computer that story. It’s like a meditation, for 14 months in the end. I told the computer story after story, until I could remember the stories from my early childhood. They just kept coming up. At my deadline, I had 400 pages, but it wasn’t a book. It was just a bunch of stories. I sent it off to the editor with an apology, and a note saying “It will take me another four weeks to write the book, and I’m starting now.” She called me back and said, “Stop writing. It’s done.” I was horrified. I said, “I can’t write a book of stories.” She said, “Why not?” And I said, “Well, it doesn’t have any footnotes. It won’t have any credibility.” (These things die hard, you see!) And she said, very slowly, “Rachel, I think you’re about to discover what real credibility looks like.”

These books have been the final step in the healing of the wounding of my training, which taught me that the intellect is everything, and that nothing else is nearly as significant. These stories are about the heart. They’re about the soul. They’re about what I think medicine is really about. And the thing that’s so interesting, of course, is that Kitchen Table Wisdom is now a textbook in 34 medical schools. Since it was published, I’ve received close to 10,000 letters. What I’ve discovered is that the world isn’t made up of facts. The world is made up of stories, and it’s stories that empower us and change us.

RD: What do you mean by stories?

RNR: Everybody has stories. In the old days, we’d sit around the kitchen table and share stories.

That’s how Kitchen Table Wisdom got its name. And the stories help us to live better. A story is like a compass. It points to what’s important. And no two people read a story in the same way.

There’s a book called Crow and Weasel by Barry Lopez, in which he talks about the power of story.

He says sometimes people need a story more than food in order to live. That’s why we put these stories in each other’s memories. When I first became ill, I needed a story. I needed a story about the possibility of breaking through an obstacle, about the life force, about mystery. I think the first book, Kitchen Table Wisdom, was the book I needed to read when I was 14 or 15 years old, when I got sick. I think the story is more important than the fact.

RD: So you became your own story, and then you realised it and you told it.

RNR: The story we all need is our own story. Most of us don’t know our own story. For me, both of my books are memoirs. But when you tell your stories without putting yourself in the middle of them, they become everybody’s stories. These are stories about me, but they’re also stories about everybody, which is why I think people respond.

RD: If a person doesn’t plan to write a book, they can still tell their story. How would you suggest they do that?

RNR: I suggest they do it the way people have done it for thousands of years: by telling their stories. We have something called “Finding Meaning in Medicine Circles,” which I think of as AA for recovering doctors. Doctors are being asked to function below their level of excellence by the present medical system, and so something in them, something that has made medicine what it is

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3 steps to for thousands of years, is eroding and dying. This is a way for those people to strengthen themselves. Story strengthens us.

I suggest people find three or four friends to meet with once a month. You meet in someone’s living room, and you start with the first topic. The one we recommend to people is compassion. The price of admission to this group is to bring a story about compassion from your personal or professional life, or from literature or a poem. The whole evening is simply about everyone telling whatever it is they brought. It becomes a community of inquiry, a discovery process, and it validates compassion as something to be cultivated. Then the group will choose another topic-for example, suffering. And people bring their own stories about suffering. And you get to look at all the different kinds of suffering. Six people telling their stories have enormous power to show each other the direction of wholeness.

Not just personally, but also professionally.

RD: What message would you like to leave us with?

RNR: I’m not one for messages. I think most messages are the ones that we discover are written on the reverse side of our own hearts. The only message I have is for me. But in a general way, I think our whole culture has persuaded us to give up our power.

We don’t even know what our real power is. We think it has something to do with our expertise, our technical skills. And I think the important thing for people to realise is that expertise does not make you whole, and it will not make the world whole either. It’s going to take our hearts to do that. It’s going to take something different to make the world whole.

You can’t talk about a single individual struggling to become whole without talking about the whole world. It’s the same struggle, and it’s the same power that will make us whole.

We’ve turned away from it, and we need to turn back towards it. What that will look like for each person is as unique as their own fingerprints. But just knowing that there is this possibility of living whole is very important, because if you don’t know, then you never search. ✦

Reprinted from Nexus Publishing, Colourado’s Holistic Journal. Nexus promotes holistic health and natural living through their publications and website: www.nexuspub.com.

Remen is a graduate of Cornell Medical School and received her post-graduate training at Cornell and Stanford. She also holds an honorary PhD in health psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies and an honorary PhD in Humane Letters from John F. Kennedy University. Currently, she’s a clinical professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, where she has won numerous teaching awards and academic recognition for returning humanity to the practice of medicine. Her book, My Grandfather’s Blessing was released earlier in 2001. In this interview, Remen talks to the publisher of Nexus, Ravi Dykema, about heart and soul in medicine, telling our stories and finding a new definition of healing.

Sources included: “Lessons from the Miracle Doctors” by Jon Barron “The Secret History of the War on Cancer” by Devra Davis “Politics in Healing” by Daniel Haley “The Root of All Disease” by Elmer.G.Heinrich http://tbyil.com/waroncancer.htm http://www.tbyil.com/anticancer.htm

of those around you 1.

Keep your goals private (at first). Even though you may have a goal of losing a certain number of pounds, or overcoming a specific disease, or improving your health in some noticeable way, don’t necessarily announce that to the people around you.

Why? Because if they’re not aligned with your health goals, they will immediately dismiss the idea or even attack you for daring to pursue such a thing. By keeping your goals private (at first), you’ll be able to keep them present in your own consciousness while you experiment with new choices in food and lifestyle habits to find out what’s working for you – without the pressure of everybody watching over your shoulder to second guess what you’re doing.

2.

Pursue your health changes with an attitude of enjoyment.

Simply start making the dietary changes you have decided are good for you – and the exercise changes you might need – and when you’re asked by anyone why you’re making these changes, just answer, “Because I enjoy doing this.” Or you can say, “I like this!” You don’t have to explain more. Simply enjoying it is reason enough.

3.

Be the example that others admire. As you pursue these new health habits for yourself, changes will begin to occur over time.

You may notice improved skin, a reduction of excess body fat, enhanced energy or stamina, improved mood, a reduction in the symptoms of degenerative disease and so on. As this happens, the people around you will take notice. That’s the point where they will begin to get curious about what you’re doing that’s working so well. And at some point they will ask you questions like, “Hey, you’re looking younger and more energetic these days.

What’s your secret?”

Everybody loves to hear a secret. Especially if it’s a secret that makes them look better or feel better. So you can say something like, “Do you really want to know the secret? Because it’s so simple, and so easy, and anybody can do it, and it’s really working. But are you sure you want to know it?”

No one can resist the temptation to learn the secret. So they’ll lean in and say, “Yes! I want to know the secret!” That’s when you whisper in their ear, “Juicing” or “daily walking for one hour” or whatever your secret has been.

At this point, they will tend to greatly value the information you’re sharing with them. You see, if you came out and simply told them all this without waiting for them to ask first, they might have discounted the information. But because they noticed something in you that they wanted to experience for themselves, and because they asked you, they will now value the information so much more. So the secret here is to refrain from pushing information onto others. Let them come to you and ask, and then be ready to give them good information about what’s working for you so that they can try it out for themselves. ✦

By Mike Adams, www.naturalnews.com Anniversary Print Edition 2010

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Cathy Brown has been an inspiration to the CSA community for two decades. She is a living example of how a powerful will to live combined with the commitment to do ‘whatever it takes’ can literally beat cancer. This is Cathy’s story.

Image Credit: Robin Urton

“Cancer is a challenge – something you can conquer. Use it to make changes in your life – the things you have always been going to do. Do them now and change them now.

Be open to things you may never have explored before.”

It is hard to imagine that in 1989, a tiny red dot on my arm could have changed my life so dramatically. I had always been very careful with my skin and very aware of melanoma – over the years I had several dark moles removed from my body – ‘just in case’. So when the small ‘pimple-like spot’ appeared on my arm, I was not worried as it didn’t look anything like the brochures warned.

I knocked it a couple of times and it really stung, so I went to the doctor and showed it to him. His comment was “No, that’s alright, don’t worry about it.” I insisted that I wished to have it removed (I’m not too sure why I insisted – I just knew I would be happier without it.) His comment to this was “Oh alright, if it will keep you happy.”

The following day he rang me up to ask if I could go and see him in his surgery as he had just been contacted by the laboratory saying that the biopsy was malignant. What a shock. When I saw him, he had already made an appointment with a plastic surgeon to remove a greater excision – just to make sure that they had got it all.

After visiting the surgeon, I was in hospital the next day – the results of this test confirmed that as far as the doctors were concerned, they had removed all of the offending melanoma.

Life went on pretty normally for another six months until I had an uncomfortable feeling under my arm. After getting this examined by the doctor, I was assured that there were no lumps and that it might have been a pinched nerve reacting from my previous operation.

I accepted this and carried on quite happily for a further four months until I broke out in the most disturbing blisters, all over my legs. Back to the doctors – where I was placed on antibiotics on one visit, steroid cream on another and finally on the third visit, two other doctors were called in to inspect the blisters. They hadn’t seen anything like it before, so suggested I be sent to a dermatologist.

I saw the dermatologist the next day and suggested to him that it could be from my melanoma (I had also suggested that to the other doctors), he assured me that it was not – he wasn’t sure what they were, so he cut one out and sent it off to be examined.

When he rang me up with the results, he said that it was a condition called Bullis Pemphigoid – but don’t worry, it won’t kill me. It was usually seen in very old people and was rare. After questioning him why I might have it at the age of 33, he was unable to give me an answer, but said that it was extremely rare. After a couple of weeks the spots started to disappear – I was glad to see the end of them – I was told if they reappeared, that they would try steroids to see what would happen.

About the time the spots disappeared, I noticed that the tightness under my arm was getting worse and I wasn’t sure whether or not I could feel some swelling or not. Within a week or so I knew it was not my imagination. When I lifted my arm up, a golf ball size lump would appear – when I put my arm down, it would disappear – not to be found.

I was having a small skin cancer removed by the same plastic surgeon, so I asked him about the lump – he suggested I return to my GP who examined me and recommended that I see a surgeon at Fremantle Hospital.

I saw the surgeon on the Tuesday – after examining me he stated that I did have a large mass under my right arm and that it would have to be removed immediately. He spoke to another surgeon who had informed him that the operating list for Thursday was full – his answer to this was “Get rid of someone.” It gives you a horrible feeling when you look down at your file and see a big red URGENT sticker on it. This is when I knew things were starting

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I was in hospital for 5 days after having the operation on 3 May, 1990 – it was very hard staying optimistic during these days, but always in the back of my mind I was waiting for someone to walk in and say, ”Sorry, this has all been a big mistake and there is nothing wrong with you.” That person never turned up!

When my husband Lynton and I went back on the following Friday for the official results, it was like being sent before a judge to see if the verdict was ‘guilty or not guilty’. What had I done wrong in my life to deserve this treatment – it just wasn’t fair – why me? The anger was starting to surface at the injustice of it all. My daughter Carolyn was eight years old and my son Hayden was only six. It just wasn’t fair!

The doctor was very nice after keeping us waiting for over two hours – my nerves were shot. The results had come back and the report stated that from the group of lymph nodes removed from my right axillary, metastatic tumour was present extensively in two of them. The largest mass was about 5cm in diameter. A third node was having mild reactive changes only.

Most of the following conversation was a blur. The words that stuck in my mind, after asking how long I had to live were: “I’m not sure – maybe a couple of months or a couple of years.” My next question was: “What will finally finish me off.” His reply was that it would go either to my liver or my lungs. I was told I was being referred to an Oncologist so that he could follow my ‘progress’.

Chemotherapy would not be recommended because in my situation it was found that it didn’t work and as I was young – with a young family – I was better off going home and enjoying the time with my family while I was well.

Two days later it was Mothers’ Day – that would have to be one of the hardest days of my life – facing my children and not knowing whether this was my last Mothers’ Day – what would they do next year when everyone at school was preparing gifts for their mothers – the pain in my heart was incredible.

I woke up during the night shaking – the images that would flash through my mind can only be appreciated by someone who has been in this situation – there are no words in the English language that can accurately describe what I went through. I went to see my GP for help – his answer was to prescribe Serapax (a sedative) for my nerves and just send the family to see him if they needed anything to help them cope.

When I went to see the Oncologist, he looked at my file, shook his had, clicked his tongue in a disapproving manner and simply said, “You’re in the hands of fate.” As fate would have it, I am thankful to those doctors for being so blunt with me and triggering off something inside of me that said “If fate has anything to do with this, I’m going to give it all the help it needs!”

I received a wonderful letter from a lady who had heard of my story from my aunty – her husband was given a 50/50 chance of surviving melanoma 2 ½ years previously and after taking responsibility for the management of his own illness, was now happy and well. She advised me to contact the Cancer Support Association where she assured me that I would find a most loving and wonderful group of people who understood where I was at. Two other suggestions were to see Lee Reinett, a brilliant Naturopath and also to read Ian Gawler’s book You Can Conquer Cancer and Louise Hay’s book

You Can Heal Your Life. This is just what I needed. I rang the CSA straight away and was invited to attend the Tuesday morning group.

My next phone call was to the naturopath and I managed to get in to see him on the following Monday.

I was willing to eat cabbage leaves for the rest on my life or stand on my head three times a day – if that was deemed necessary. I was so relieved when I met the Naturopath – I had a wonderful array of foods from which I could choose. Body, brushing, castor oil packs, magnetic treatment and vitamin therapy were the order of the day.

His accuracy when reading my eyes was incredible. It was almost as though he had read my medical history from when I was a baby.

I was so convinced that he had an incredible understanding of the chemistry of the body, that I decided to follow his instructions to the T. For the first twelve months of my recovery, not one thing passed my lips that wasn’t on my food list. It really wasn’t that hard because my desire to live was far greater than my desire for junk food.

On the Tuesday I attended the CSA with a friend – I had counseling and found that although I felt I didn’t need it, I got great insight into the probable reasons why I developed the disease. This was a very big help to me. During the meeting with other cancer clients, it was great to be able to relate to people who knew exactly how I was feeling and they gave me empathy instead of sympathy. The mediation was great and to find a library full of books about healing was like finding a gold mine. I meditated every day and intend to do so for the rest of my life.

Through the CSA and also the Naturopath, I was informed about a Cancer Patients Retreat to be held in a week’s time. This was also a very big part of my recovery. We were taught the Silva Method of Mind Control and in between sessions, we were informed about other methods of complimentary medicine. This I found very interesting.

There was a guest speaker about Bach Flowers, allergy testing, diet and also a Reiki Channel.

Reiki is hands-on healing and when the channel did a session on me, I felt as though she had touched more than my arm – I felt so at peace. I had seven more Reiki sessions and finally decided to become a Reiki Channel myself. I find this to be a very important part of my life now and it helps me continue to be positive about all aspects of my life.

I felt like a sponge – willing to read everything and anything which could help me – there were piles of books by my bed. After ready these I said to my husband – “I could be doing some pretty weird things in the next twelve months” to which he replied “I don’t care what you do as long as you get well”. This is a very important part of my recovery. To have a support person who may not necessarily understand all that you are doing but to know that you have the freedom and support to try anything that might help – without criticism. Another big thing is not to just try to conquer cancer but to actually commit 110% of yourself into the project. Look on it as a challenge, as something that you can conquer. Use it also to make changes in your life – things that you have always been going to do.

Do them now and change them now. Be open to things that you may never have explored before.

After attending for regular check-ups with the Oncologist and having regular chest x-rays, he informed me that he didn’t find a need to see me anymore. This was only 22 months after having the secondary tumours removed from under my arm.

The last twenty years have been exciting years in my life and it all happened because of a little red dot on my arm. ✦

Cathy will facilitate the Gawler Foundation 12 Week Cancer Self-Help Program “Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing” at CSA in 2011.

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PERSONAL CANCER STORY

to go very wrong for me. I mentioned the Bullis Pemphigoid to him and asked his opinion. He told me that my immune system was so locked into fighting the tumours that it had broken down and that this was the way in which it showed. At least I had an answer now – not that I was thrilled with the reason!

By Dr Joel E. Brame

For eons now, mankind has searched for ways to heal the many ailments that continue to plague millions of people in all parts of the world. The advances in both conventional and original forms of medicine, although contradictory for the most part, have unintentionally brought us to the birthing of an entirely new system of medicine. The emerging “New Medicine� system has the potential to eradicate disease, frailty and aging as we know it.

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MIND-BODY HEALING

The Origin Of Healing Systems The division of medicine into traditional/conventional and alternative/complementary did not occur by accident. Mankind as a whole needed to experience both of them before it was ready for a system of medicine whose purpose would be of a higher nature than is currently available. The new medicine, although it is so unlike the conventional and alternative models, is being birthed by both of them.

Other than the Lemurian and Atlantean approaches to healing, it is clear that the ‘medicine of nature’ has been the most influential in recorded history. Nobody created this form of medicine; it was simply there to be re-cognized or discovered by those who had direct access to the language of nature called Veda, which means knowledge or science. The first written records of nature’s medicine appeared about 6,000 years ago. They were channeled messages written down by Vedic sages in direct response to the first occurrences of illness on the planet. This system, which kept illness and suffering at bay for hundreds of years, became known as Ayurveda, or ‘Science of Life’.

Although Ayurveda only survived the passage of time in India and in some areas of Brazil and China, it remains a universal form of medicine. Today it stands revived to some of its original form. It greatly contrasts with the western approach to modern medicine in that it seeks to address the underlying imbalance responsible for the symptoms of illness rather than trying to alleviate or remove the effects of the imbalance.

Outsmarting The Violation Of The Laws Of Nature Before Ayurveda became a textbook science of healing, people knew how to live in harmony with the laws of nature. As a result, sickness, pain and poverty weren’t part of life. But as time progressed, we began to replace some of the laws of nature with our own laws; in other words, we violated natural law. To try to address the consequences of this transgression from natural living, a system of healing (Ayurveda) was developed to treat the physical and mental effects resulting from the deviations from natural law. A new set of natural laws needed to be employed to undo the damage that was caused by the violation of the original laws of nature. When you dam a stream of water and it flows over its banks, the flooding caused by this action requires a different approach than just letting the stream flow in its own course. We needed to employ new laws and insights to help us deal with the damage once done. The first violations of the laws of nature on Earth created the need for a natural system of healing, one that would give us access to those secondary laws that would reduce the damage caused by violation of the primary laws. This system would show us how to release the obstruction that hinders the flow of the stream in its natural direction. Without anyone violating the primary laws of nature, such healing systems would otherwise be unnecessary.

“At first, that deep feeling of energy only comes in brief moments, sometimes at the most unexpected of times.

But eventually it resonates for longer periods, and begins to deeply uplift and transform our life, until we yearn to feel that resonance each and every day.” Joel Brame

Hippocrates was perhaps the most enlightened father of nature’s medicine in the more recent history of our species. He understood that the need for healing (applying secondary laws) resulted from the loss of alignment with one’s inner wisdom and intuition. The more humans distanced themselves from their own inner wisdom and the rules of the natural world, the harsher were the corrective measures needed to be taken by the force of nature. So killer diseases such as the plague began to decimate the population, which then generated the urge for a new kind of medicine, which would combat disease-causing germs and stop each new one dead before it became an epidemic. This approach is what has become known as the conventional system of modern medicine. Of course, all of this was part of the master plan – to throw much of humanity into the other end of the spectrum of duality for the purposes of greater learning and growth in consciousness.

Breeding Illness Just like Ayurvedic medicine, modern medicine, too, was unable to prevent the escalation of disease on the planet. Modern medicine was so concerned with the effects or symptoms of disease that it lost sight of the reasons why people fell sick, most of which weren’t even physical causes. The discovery of the first antibiotic medicine (penicillin) caused euphoria among the medical circles and general population. Years later, the enthusiasm of developing an effective drug for almost every infectious disease became dampened by the fact that the side effects generated by the poisons contained in the drugs were so severe that they often outweighed their benefits. In fact, they actually contributed to the Continued on next page...

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...from previous page

emergence of an entirely new class of diseases now known as chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. At the beginning of the twentieth century only 10% of all diseases fell into this category. The rest were acute problems, including fractures, infections, burns, etc. By around 1980, over 90% of all diseases had reached a chronic stage, meaning they couldn’t be cured by modern medicine. They also became known as the killer diseases of the modern era. Since our genes haven’t changed a bit over the past hundreds or thousands of years, genetic errors cannot be held responsible for such a sudden and dramatic escalation of diseases, especially when most of them occur only in the modernized world. What’s more, having defective genes doesn’t mean an affected person is going to get ill. Research on the blood disease thalassaemia, for example, has shown that patients who have exactly the same defect in the gene may be extremely sick, mildly ill, or completely healthy. This applies to most other ‘genetic’ illnesses, too. There may be just as many people with healthy genes who suffer from diabetes or asthma as there are those who have defective genes.

The symptom-oriented approach of modern medicine became synonymous with the revival of the old epidemics that so scared and scarred humanity less than a hundred years ago. The wide use of antibiotics and steroids have forced the targeted microbes, blamed for causing infectious disease, to resist the drugs’ action and mutate into what is termed ‘antibiotic resistant organisms.’

The germs, following their natural survival instincts, are now outsmarting one drug after another, which means that there are now very few effective ‘treatments’ left for diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria. Millions more people each year are dying from these ‘new’ infectious diseases than ever before and the current trends suggest it will get worse. Unless medicine takes a complete uturn in its approach, or healing is practiced in a different fashion, mankind will be greatly decimated once again.

It is highly unlikely, though, that modern medicine is going to save humanity from self-destruction. The side-effects of drugs and treatments are breeding so many different diseases and causing so many deaths every minute of the day that it is virtually impossible to even remotely win the battle against disease as long as people believe they depend on any form of medicine, even an alternative one. Since the current medical system is primarily controlled by financiers who have a vested interest in keeping it going and even expanding it further, it is not in the investors’ interest to find a real cure for the most common illnesses, for this would mean the end of medicine. Modern medicine is not designed to make people healthy; it is designed to make and keep people sick.

Many voices among doctors, patients and alternative practitioners denounce the exploitation of ‘innocent’ people. However, they have not yet realised that the same medical system that is misleading and enslaving mankind and robbing millions of people of their sense of sovereignty and self-empowerment is also instrumental in birthing a new medicine, one that will make everyone their own best healer. The government, health care agencies, medical associations, insurance carriers, and drug companies are unaware that they are key players in the cosmic game of transformation.

They have helped a major portion of mankind to feel helpless and powerless against microbes and other disease-causing factors. The extreme denial of the infinite power of healing and rejuvenation that lies inherent in everyone is forcing the pendulum of time to swing back and allow the masses to gain complete and unrestricted access to this power within. Without the hazards of the old medicine, the new medicine could not come about.

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The perfection of all this lies in the fact that no person can fall ill, regardless of whether it is through a microbe or a medical drug or treatment, without having (unconsciously) agreed to this. The Universal Law of Non-interference makes certain there are no victims and no perpetrators. Each person’s Higher Self knows exactly what lessons are needed to move on and evolve toward greater wisdom, love, compassion and self-empowerment, however hard and painful the learning process may appear to be.

The final lesson of each individual is to discover and produce the New Medicine, the medicine of one’s Higher Self.

The New Medicine The return of old diseases and the emergence of chronic illness divided mankind into two camps: One that continues to uphold the trust and confidence in modern medicine, and one that takes recourse to natural methods of healing. Although alternative (complementary) medicine is still battling to make its approaches available to the masses, in some countries of the world such as Australia, Germany, England, New Zealand and now also in the United States, it is becoming more and more common sense to try the natural route, either along with or without conventional medicine. Now both approaches are well represented in the overall scheme of things and can be accessed by almost anyone. Medical doctors still risk prosecution and loss of their license to practice medicine if they dare speak out in favour of alternative health modalities or even apply these in their practice. But before long we will find that both approaches of medicine will intermix or merge together. Indications for integration are already subtly there; when it happens in a more obvious way, a New “Integrative” Medicine will be born, one that will be entirely different from that which existed before. It will work according to the principle, “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.”

The New Medicine will be less concerned about what is wrong with the body or mind; it won’t need to be. Instead, it will focus on unleashing the creative power of the individual as the principle source of health and youthfulness. The New Medicine will recognise that disease is ultimately the result of disconnection from our Source intelligence and Source energy. It will give health care back to the people. Miracles will take place as frequently as operations take place today. Reconnecting with our spirit Source will be the most important thing that can be done to improve one’s health. It’s like switching on the light that dispels darkness.

Mankind as a whole will realise that trying to find out everything about the symptoms of disease is like trying to investigate all the possible problems that darkness could cause to a person who has no light to see the path along which he is walking. Although switching on the light is a very simple act, it can solve some of the most complex problems arising from being in the dark. Imagine if there was no light. What could you possibly do in your life except sit, think and worry? Fixing diseases is similar to fixing darkness; there is no end to the fixing.

Both the alternative/complementary and conventional systems of medicine are incapable of eliminating disease on this planet.

Both of these systems are expressions of duality; therefore, their scope of influence remains very limited and incomplete. They each have their value in upholding their particular expression of duality; some of it is effective, and some of it is not. To find the eternal fountain of youth and healing, however, we must return to the origin of both these streams, that is, human consciousness.

Now is the time to move collectively into the Divine moment where the consciousness of spirit and the physical matter of the

body meet, and are recognised as one. It is in the gap of the moment where the two spirals of duality find their common origin. Of the two approaches neither is better or more important than the other. Both are capable of taking us to the desired place of wholeness. Here in this gap of simple existence we activate our creative intelligence, the intention of desire that becomes instant manifestation. The power surge emanating from the Divine moment of being within our own awareness creates the instant and automatic healing of that which is without.

In The Gap Of Non-Judgment Healing does not need to take long. In fact, if it does it is likely to be incomplete. According to Japanese research studies, spontaneous remission and complete cure of cancer occurs when those afflicted with the disease move into the gap of non-judgment or non-duality, i.e., when they relinquish all needs or desires to have it one way or the other. This cannot be accomplished by will or by use of the rational mind. It may occur when someone faces death and, oddly, loses all hope for survival. Giving into death may take someone into the gap of their eternal spirit self, provided this is in the person’s highest interest. Thus, consciously losing the fear of dying and stepping into one’s essence may instantly stimulate the body’s immune system into a powerful response that can dismantle egg-sized malignant tumours in the brain, bladder, intestines, etc., within less than 24 hours, in some instances within as little as 15 seconds. There are thousands of documented cases like these.

What is most interesting in these cases of spontaneous remission is that the healing merely (if that is not enough) consisted of gaining freedom from judgment, of accepting one’s situation at that moment. Fighting for life doesn’t get you to this magical place of the Divine moment, for effort and struggle are born out of fear. Giving up one’s desire to live, on the other hand, is born out of resignation, frustration and merely represents the other end of duality awareness. However, accepting death without trying to avoid or enforce it moves you into the Divine moment where miracles take place.

Of course, we don’t all have to face death, either our own or someone else’s, in order to find the opening to slip into the Divine moment. Life provides us with plenty of other opportunities that can serve in the same way. All we need to do is to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to receive and accept these opportunities, many of which may show up in the disguise of problems and misfortunes. In due time, our polarized duality consciousness becomes anchored in the singularity of Self. The body simply follows suit. Once we lose our polarity thinking, that is, our mode of reference to what we believe is right and wrong or good and bad, the DNA of our body begins to lose its polarity mode as well. As soon as we are able to accept whatever is, which means all our strong and weak sides, our successes and failures, fears, anger, and guilt, etc., our body will move, automatically and spontaneously, out of its polarity mode.

You Can Make Your Body Do Anything

According to Japanese research studies, spontaneous remission and complete cure of cancer occurs when those afflicted with the disease move into the gap of non-judgment or non-duality, i.e., when they relinquish all needs or desires to have it one way or the other.

When you are under the strong emotional influences of fear, anger, or even excessive joy, your body is out of balance, too. The stress of sudden joy can cause a heart attack just as easily as the stress of sudden rage. Being ‘good’ is no antidote to disease. We need to remember here that being or expressing one quality also means that its opposite is not far away; in fact, it lurks in the invisible shadow part of our consciousness known as the subconscious mind. True healing begins when we can be both qualities and have no judgment about which one is better or worse.

Shadow and light serve each other well and co-exist all the time. The reason we have ‘weak’ spots in our attitudes and behaviour is to bring out and develop their opposite, ‘strong’ counterparts.

Accepting both creates oneness or balance, and balance is the key to healing. Preferring one quality to another generates discord in the body and mind. For example, even if we choose happiness over sadness, it counts as an imbalance. Consequently, the body has no other choice but to develop a physical imbalance, too.

Everything in life is valuable, and once we see that we then become graced with the perception of oneness. Since the body does nothing of its own accord but simply follows instructions, the new perception of oneness and acceptance of whatever is becomes the new blueprint reference for DNA. The genetic codes in your body’s DNA adjust to the ‘new you’ and copy that information into a new RNA which subsequently alters the functioning of your body, making complete rejuvenation not just possible but unavoidable. When the adjustment is complete, the DNA structure will go off like a time bomb in order to accommodate the light of oneness. The time for genetic detonation is now.

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Complementary medicine increases cancer wellness

By David Gutierrez

The majority of cancer patients use so-called “complementary methods” in addition to traditional treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy, according to a study conducted by researchers from the American Cancer Society and published in the journal Cancer.

“We receive thousands of phone calls each year about complementary methods at the American Cancer Society national cancer information center, and our Web pages on complementary methods are among the most popular on our Web site,” lead author Ted Gansler said.

The researchers surveyed 4,139 adults who had been diagnosed with cancer within the previous 10 to 24 months about their use of complementary methods to improve their health and reduce the side effects of cancer treatments. Prayer or other spiritual practices was the most common complementary method, used by 61 percent of patients. The use of nutritional supplements or vitamins was reported by 40 percent of respondents, as were relaxation techniques and faith or spiritual healing methods. Massage, meditation, religious counseling and support groups were less popular, and were each used by only 10 to 15 percent of patients.

Gansler said that more research is needed on which methods are the most effective.

“Learning more about which complementary methods help cancer survivors with pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, overall psychological adjustment, and overall physical functioning is very feasible,” he said.

“That information could increase attention and resources for providing complementary methods that are helpful and reducing the time and money spent on ones that are not.”

Gansler noted that while recent studies have backed up the effectiveness of acupuncture in relieving the symptoms of cancer and the side effects of conventional therapies, only 1.2 percent of respondents reported using it. In contrast, 40 percent of respondents used vitamin therapy even though research has not supported its effectiveness and it can actually be risky in high doses.

Use of complementary methods is more common among women, the white population, the young and those with higher income and education levels.

From: wwwnaturalnews.com

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Our body is nothing but soft clay, shaped and molded on a minute-by-minute and day-by-day basis. If you tell your body that something is good for you, it believes you. It has no other choice but to serve one master, you. If you tell your body it cannot heal itself and requires help from outside it will believe this too and you will find yourself in need of a doctor, a drug or surgery.

On the other hand, your body can walk on fire if you can convince it that it can. You can even pierce your body with knives and needles and suffer no injuries if you can make it believe that this won’t hurt it. If you persuade your body that it can live without air for several days while being buried under the earth, then it can even do that for you. Levitating in mid air or walking on water are other so called impossible feats the body can accomplish if it trusts its instructor enough. Sri Chin Moi, the well-known peacemaker and musician from India living in the United States, repeatedly lifts 1,000 pounds of weights in front of camera crews. He claims that the power is coming from his mind. Numerous ‘miracle performers’ have been scientifically studied and show that the above abilities have actually nothing to do with the body but come from the power of the mind. Likewise, your body can remove a tumour that has metastasized (spread) everywhere. But for this to happen you need to step outside the awareness of the body (duality) and move into the awareness of the spirit (oneness). ✦ Dr. Joel E Brame is an expert in coaching and motivating others to achieve their health and energy goals. Trained as a physician, counselor, and life coach, Dr. Brame helps energy-seeking clients rediscover their passion and purpose, identify and overcome energy and weight loss obstacles, and create a stronger body with renewed confidence and power. He has personally experienced the radical transformations that come with an energised and healthy lifestyle, overcoming several chronic ailments through lifestyle changes alone.

Joel’s messages of creating positive energy and precise action extend through his seminars, books, articles, and personal weight loss coaching. He serves as a professor in biological sciences, psychology, and nutrition at local colleges. Joel has contributed articles to many local and online publications and has given award-winning radio interviews. He is also a sought-after speaker on holistic approaches to energy, weight loss, and cancer prevention.

Living in the hills I am fortunate to occasionally see the full moon rise in the east – a huge, luminous ball of pearly white light rising up from behind the black ranges. It doesn’t matter how many times I witness the moon rise, it is always a sublime experience reminding me of the transcendental power of nature and the miracle of life.

If a culture treats a particular illness with compassion and enlightened

an opportunity to heal

understanding, sicknessarecan be seen–asperhaps a challenge, as a healing All of us are praying for a miracle of one kind or another and occasionallythen our prayers answered in a form we don’t appreciate at that time. Many cancer survivors, for example, will look back on their journey crisis and opportunity. Being sick is then not a condemnation or a moral with cancer and in retrospect see it as an awakeningjudgment, or a gift. While we don’t always haveprocess our prayers but a movement in a larger of healing and restoration. answered in the form we wish for, all of us have moments of serendipity where it seems that the universe When sickness is viewed positively and in supportive terms, then illness has aligns and everything goes our way.

Mandy, October 2010

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a much better chance to heal, with the concomitant result that the entire person may grow and be enriched in the process.

Ken Wilber

Illustration: Michael Leunig

INTEGRATIVE THERAPIES

By Mike Adams

One of the most common problems in cancer patients who choose

to undergo conventional cancer therapy is recurrence. They might think they have beaten their cancer with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, only to find a few years later that tumours have spread into other tissues – usually the lungs, brain, or even the reproductive organs. Conventional medicine has not yet caught on to what’s happening here, but the reason why this phenomenon occurs is quite simple: Conventional cancer treatments only treat the symptoms of cancer (tumours or growths) and do not actually do anything to help the patient regain a level of health necessary to keep cancer in check.

A tumour is not technically a disease. It is a symptom of an underlying imbalance in the patient. Unless you treat and reverse the underlying imbalances, you will never eliminate the underlying cause of the cancer. You will continue to see more tumours and complications, even if you are able to treat the first tumours.

Think of it like this: suppose you have a dam holding up a body of water such as a lake. One day, due to poor maintenance, the dam begins to crack and water starts leaking through. In the world of conventional cancer treatment, they would say the problem is the water, and they would begin treating the water. They would try to evaporate the water or eliminate the water from flooding the valley below. But the problem isn’t the water leaking through the dam; the problem is the integrity of the dam itself. Unless you diagnose the problem with the dam and repair it, then you will never stop the leaking water.

The same is true with cancer. Unless you address the underlying integrity of the immune system and the body’s self-repairing technology, all you’re doing is chasing symptoms. You can treat all the cancer tumours in the world and still do nothing to actually help the cancer patient solve his or her underlying problem.

Amazingly, after decades of research, and billions of dollars spent on cancer research, the conventional cancer industry remains oblivious to this simple truth about cancer. They don’t teach cancer prevention, and they don’t believe in cancer cures even though many exist. They are still treating the water rather than the dam by treating the tumours rather than the underlying problem.

Conventional cancer treatments actually harm the patient and the patient’s immune system, making it even more difficult to overcome cancer in the future. Chemotherapy can also impair

organs such as the brain, liver, and the heart. It’s sort of like using TNT to blow out the water leaking through the dam. You destroy the dam at the same time. It leaves the patient less able to stop the progression of the cancer.

The real answers to cancer prevention and cure are found in nutrition, exercise, reduction of stress, and avoidance of environmental chemicals and toxins. Chemotherapy is not a cure for cancer, nor is radiation, because both of those treatments can actually cause cancer.

When you poison the immune system and irradiate tissues, you create physical imbalances which in turn can create cancer. This is the simple reason why so many people who subject themselves to conventional cancer treatments find themselves battling recurring cancer years later.

If you want to really cure cancer, you’ve got to focus on detoxification and healing from the inside out. Nearly all cases of cancer are caused in part by a burden of toxic, synthetic chemicals lodged in the liver, heart and digestive tract. Eliminating those is the first step towards a real cure, and cleansing the liver is probably the single most important thing to do when seeking to cure cancer (or to have a “permanent remission” as conventional oncologists might call it, since they don’t believe there is such a thing as a cure for cancer).

So, how do you cleanse your liver? I could write an entire article just on that, but here’s something to get you started on what to investigate: i believe the best modalities for liver cleansing are Traditional Chinese Medicine and rainforest herbs (Amazon herbs).

In my opinion, there is no such thing as a cancer recovery without a healthy, functioning liver. So start with supporting the liver.

Isn’t it interesting to note that chemotherapy – which is still somehow accepted as the mainstream treatment for cancer – is extremely toxic to the liver? In fact, chemotherapy compromises the body’s ability to cure itself of cancer in the future, thereby ensuring continued entrapment in the pharmacological medical system. ✦ From: www.naturalnews.com. Mike Adams is a health researcher who has written over 1500 articles and reports. His website is an invaluable cancer wellness resource.

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I want to relate my experience with prostate cancer, the process and the healing. I hope that this account will give some people the courage to take responsibility for their own treatment and to consider more options than only those offered by traditional medicine. I also hope that it will give “food for thought” to our conservative medical practitioner friends.

A

t age 47 I had sold my main company and thought of retirement. I started an organic farm as my retirement project. At age 57 I was still running several businesses and the organic farm on the side. I had very little time to rest. One day, Sept. 11, 1997, the doctor called me to tell me that the result of the biopsies taken on Sept. 8 were positive. With a June PSA of 8.6 he took an ultrasound right away which showed a tumour measuring 9 x 6 mm and the lab report came back classifying the cancer as a Gleason 7, medium aggressive.

My family doctor had seen my PSA rise over the last four years and had advised watchful waiting, the urologist two years ago dismissed it as prostatitis, “like a cold of the prostate, I’ll give you some antibiotics and you will be all right.” On my question whether I really needed to take antibiotics he replied: “No, it won’t do any good anyway.” I left his office confused. Only by luck, on a return trip from a Seattle business trip, did I sit next to an early prostate cancer detection specialist who, after hearing my various test results, urged me to get an ultrasound immediately, as according to his interpretation of my values I had cancer. He was right.

My specialist friend Fred repeated ultrasound and biopsies on Sept. 18 and confirmed the original results, adding that the cancer was a T2a and that a perineural invasion on the left side was found.

Fred speculated that the cancer had been there for ten to fifteen years.

While I had to do something quickly, I decided to resist the pressure to take immediate action and take the time I needed to inform myself as to what my options were. Suddenly business was not so important anymore and I studied day and night – my life was at stake now.

WHY I DECIDED AGAINST MAINSTREAM MEDICAL OPTIONS From Andy Grove’s article in the May 13, 1996, Fortune article on his experience with prostate cancer, I learned that with my values, the Johns Hopkins tables gave a 59% chance that the cancer had spread beyond the gland. This, plus watching a video of a prostate operation, made me realise that the hidden location of the cancer would require a major operation that would very heavily tax my immune system, helped me to make up my mind to refuse such an option. I read that after such an operation, whatever cancer cells were not removed, would be much more aggressive – no thank you. In the Journal of Urology (vol. 152, pp. 1821-25, 1994), a study was mentioned that in 52 percent of men whose cancerous prostates were removed, the cancer would spread afterwards. Taking those statistics, plus various statistics on impotence and incontinence, I gave myself less then a 20% chance that the operation would cure me without debilitating side effects that would have me totally depressed. I did not like those percentages.

All Enviro products are based on the highest quality natural ingredients, vegetable extracts & minerals, organic where possible and sourced from local suppliers. Enviro products are highly concentrated, reducing the need for useless ‘fillers’, so are economical to use – often cheaper than their toxic, imported competiitors. Any new environmental issues pertinent to our range are researched and incorporated.

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PERSONAL CANCER STORY

I never liked the idea of having my body “nuked”, and chemotherapy meant introducing poisons into my body; all of those therapies would send my immune system into a tailspin.

Besides, I also did not like the probabilities of impotence and incontinence.

WHAT WERE MY ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS? Now I started to look at other therapies. My intuition told me that I only wanted treatments that had a beneficial effect on my immune system. I was told that if I stayed away from immune system compromising therapies, I would have an almost 90% chance to naturally heal my body and cancer, but that once I were to submit to an immune system compromising therapy, that my chances would drop below 50%.

MY TREATMENT PROTOCOL, THE BASICS: CLEAN OUT DIGESTIVE TRACT AND INSTALL GOOD FLORA Over the past two years, I already had two one-week cleansing fasts in which I only drank juice with psyllium and bentonite and had a daily colonic irrigation. Due to my life style, however, I had very bad digestion and food absorption. I therefore decided to go on a two and one half month cleanse with soil based probiotics. It went a long way to clean out my GI tract of putrefaction and restore a more beneficial intestinal flora.

I then switched over to three containers of Bio-K daily for 1 1/2 month. Bio-K is a live culture blend of lactic bacteria acidophilus and Lb. Casei.(CL1285). It survives the stomach pH and multiplies in the intestinal tract. It improves digestion and other intestinal disorders, helps to increase absorption of essential nutrients and strengthens the immune system. I will pay attention to the proper functioning of my GI tract for the rest of my life.

“Real healing of cancer means bringing the whole body into balance, both physically and mentally.

Any partial healing increases the chances for

DIET Having an organic farm, I was conscious of nourishing my body with as much organic produce as possible. Organic food is not only free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones and antibiotics, but also has a greater store of elsewhere depleted trace minerals which are so important to your body’s well functioning. I always made sure to eat my food as fresh and unprocessed as possible. Since being diagnosed with cancer, I added more fresh vegetable juices (with the addition of a little oil so that the beta carotene could be absorbed properly) and raw vegetables to my diet. I also included a homemade fresh soya drink which Chinese doctors use as prevention and treatment for cancer and is very nutritious. I almost completely eliminated coffee and alcohol.

cancer to recur.”

BALANCE BODY CHEMISTRY As we grow older, invariably our mineral balance is out of kilter and we are missing vitamins.

The more our diet has consisted of chemically altered and processed foods, the more lopsided our body chemistry tends to be. The stress of today’s daily life, as well as the pollution we live with, make matters worse. I used a kinesiologist who knew body chemistry well, to determine what vitamins and minerals my body needed and in what quantities. This work also goes a long way towards reducing my free radical damage. Real healing of cancer means bringing the whole body into balance, both physically and mentally. Any partial healing increases the chances for cancer to recur.

BALANCE BODY pH Acid/alkaline balance is important. My body was on the acidic side and I learned that this condition entails a host of problems such as: increased free radical oxidation, poorer food (vitamins and minerals as well) absorption, decrease of friendly bacteria in the small intestines, less resistance to colds and infections, etc.. I took a Kaolin (clay) product with other minerals added that restored and now keeps my pH balanced.

THYMUS MUST WORK AT OPTIMUM There are many supplements that stimulate the thymus gland if it does not function well. In my case I used live culture injections. continued on next page...

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TEETH Luckily I had had my mercury removed and replaced with non toxic fillings. My dentist advised me to have a tooth pulled that was in the process of a root canal treatment. He also mentioned a recent report linking the left lower wisdom tooth with prostate problems.

This was the only wisdom tooth I had left. A very skilful dental surgeon removed three teeth (no’s 27, 36 and 38) and repaired my left sinus at the same time. Sure enough, the lab confirmed our suspicion, that all tissue from those teeth was chronically inflamed.

In my view this operation was very important, because I could not afford to have any condition that would tax my immune system which had to perform at optimum to heal the cancer.

EXERCISE Enough is written about the importance of exercise for a healthy body and mind. I have done yoga and yoga related exercises for years, speed walking, and use my Nordic Track to fill in the gaps.

TARGETED TREATMENTS: HERBS A book, Cancer Salves, written by Dr. Ingrid Naiman, opened my eyes to the healing power of herbs and their rich history. I adopted the most promising anti-cancer tea combination, an herbal suppository (which helped to keep the area close to the prostate clean) and a herbal enema mix.

Image Credit: Alex Grey

“The cancer enriched my life. I had a lot of time for introspection, facing death.

I have gotten in touch with parts of myself I didn’t know existed. My life will never be the same again. I am looking forward with excitement to a much richer life.”

PC SPES is prepared from highly purified herbal extracts (Chrysanthemum, Isatis, Licorice, Lucid ganoderma, Pseudo-ginseng, Rubescens, Saw Palmetto, Scute) for treatment of prostate cancer. It has fewer side effects than chemical hormone blockers. I personally experienced no side effects. It reduces PSA, suppresses prostrate cancer and improves quality of life for advanced stage patients. Scientific studies show that it fights cancer through the following actions: 1.Promotes cancer cell death 2.Reduces cancer gene-bcl 2 3.Reduces androgen receptor 4.Reduces cancer cell growth by regulating cancer cell cycle

HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE I took three homeopathic remedies: 1.Designed to have my whole system respond better 2.To increase oxygenation of healthy cells 3.Drops specifically for my prostate

CELL-FX A 100% water soluble Shark Cartilage extract, which reduces blood vessel formation, dampens PHF hormone and cell division, and stimulates the immune system via lymphocyte / immune cells.

PECTA-SOL Modified Citrus Pectin is obtained from the peel and pulp of citrus fruits. Clinical research indicates an affinity for cell surface carbohydrate – binding when ordinary pectin is modified to create a shorter molecular chain. This product is designed to diminish the spread of cancer.

ECOGEN Soybean Isoflavone Concentrate is a powdered blend of soybeans, rich in concentrations of genisteins, diadzein and gycitein. These isoflavones play a role in inhibiting angiogenesis (formation and development of blood vessels), inducing cell differentiation and triggering tumour cell breakdown.

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HYPERTHERMIA TREATMENT

PSYCHOLOGICAL WORK

Cancer does not like a warm environment. Many types of heat treatments have been employed in history to combat cancer.

Microwave hyperthermia is receiving a lot of attention recently.

Unfortunately, I understand that the FDA has only approved this treatment for BPH (Benign Prostate Hyperplasia). I could not find a clinic in Canada offering what I was looking for; the little I found did not make sense to me. In Germany microwave hyperthermia is receiving much more attention. There even is an association covering this new type of treatment. Several universities have ongoing studies. The clinic where I finally received my treatments over a two week period works with a temperature of 43 degree Celsius. This is based on the understanding that at this temperature cancerous cells die as they have poor blood circulation, but healthy cells are not affected because better blood supply keeps them sufficiently cool. This clinic has a study underway that they believe may show a response rate of 80%.

The psychological aspect is so important in cancer healing. I have a hard time deciding which side is more important, the physical or mental. A good friend referred me to the work done by doctors Hammer and Sabbah. Dr. Hammer sees cancer due to a miscoding or short circuit of the brain after a traumatic experience.

Cells do not receive proper instructions and can not fulfil their proper functions and therefore become cancerous. He asserts that emotions are situated in the limbic brain. Every emotion lived is communicated to the hypothalamus which in turn acts on the pituitary gland, the manager of our hormonal system. From the pituitary gland the message gets transmitted to the adrenal gland which sends stress hormones into the blood stream. Some of those hormones have a depressive effect on the immune system. Dr. Hammer then explains that we work on three levels.

INCREASE OXYGENATION OF HEALTHY CELLS I learned of many ways to improve oxygenation of healthy cells such as: medical ozone treatments, breathing pure oxygen a couple of hours a day, peroxide infusions, etc. I decided to begin breathing deeply the best quality air available to me and to use a homeopathic solution. I also added Germanium sesquioxide (Ge 132) to my supplements. Clinical trials with Ge 132 showed high effectiveness in many cancers including prostate cancer. It stimulates the immune system and highly increases the availability of oxygen into all cells. Since cancer HATES oxygen, this is, in part, a reverse strategy therapy. Ge 132 also helps re-establish a more favourable acid/alkaline body balance (pH). The rise in pH towards more alkalinity arrests cancer growth because cancer thrives only in an acid environment. This is one of the reasons why an alkaline diet, such as fruits and vegetables, promote slow but certain healing from tumourous and cancerous conditions. Germanium is a controlled substance in Canada.

SYNPHONICS Synphonics is music created from missing tones in a particular organism to effect healing by using these specific sound frequencies and waveforms to re-establish balanced energy patterns. It restores the flow of vital life force energy to areas that have been constricted by disease or stress. With life force energy healing occurs, it brings our vibrational model to an optimal state. Music involves healing on the emotional level as well, it softens disappointments which block life force energy and helps soften wounded emotions. It catalyses whatever is unresolved in the psycho emotional realm.

It offers a place of compassion and self forgiveness and promotes understanding and acceptance of the healing energies. It offers a place of neutrality.

VISUALISATION AND MEDITATION There is nothing better than meditation to calm your mind, to relax you and let you get in touch with yourself. Many studies have proven how instrumental visualisation is for healing. I first devised very structured visualisations for my healing process. A therapist suggested that I should relax, not use so many words in my head and let images into my head. I did this in very relaxed sessions and the visualisations that followed were amazing. They seemed to change with the healing process, which I monitored with ultrasounds.

1.The psychological experience 2.The brain’s handling of the experience 3.The physical repercussions Depending on how we react to the experience, it gets localised in one of four areas of the brain: 1. Cerebral trunk, 2. Cerebellum, 3.

Brain marrow, 4. Right and left cortex. From there it manifests itself in different illnesses, all predictable. Dr. Hammer proved this with brain scans on 15,000 patients and his work was later recognised by several universities. He points out that the stress often starts with a “displacement” conflict, to which a ‘devaluation’ conflict is added which the patient cannot see himself solving.”

I also heard other therapists say that cancer is caused by: deep hurts, long term resentments, grief, hate or a general feeling of hopelessness. For males, and the prostate specifically, items are mentioned such as: male identity, territory, the prostate being the second heart for a man, the threat to the masculine principle, etc.

I found a regression therapist who received specialized training by Dr. Sabbah. In only 6 sessions we were able to identify and resolve my trauma. With the help of more therapy I was able to let go of resentments I held for a long time and forgive everyone in my life for whatever I perceived they had done to me. This helped me to revisit my early childhood, which had been a black memory up to recently. I got in touch and learned to love this little creative boy I found I had been, loved my boundless energy, loved the way I was able to cope with adversity. I now like myself a lot more and have learned what love is all about. What a life I now have ahead of me! I now know why the cancer came into my life. It gave me back my life which was confined into the narrow tracks of a workaholic. I can truthfully say that the cancer came as my friend.

I believe now that every illness has something to teach us. All we have to do is to be sensitive to its message and make the necessary adjustments in our thinking and lifestyle.

The cancer enriched my life. I had a lot of time for introspection, facing death. I have gotten in touch with parts of myself that I didn’t know existed. My life will never be the same again. I am looking forward with excitement to a much richer life.

One doctor specializing in prostate cancer treatment told me that, while prostate cancer was one of the slowest growing cancers normally, that it also was the most difficult to bring to a complete cure. I believe I know why – men don’t like to talk about the problems connected with their reproductive organs. They have a tendency to go to the doctor quietly and ask him to take IT away so they can get back to work and to their favoured sport activities. continued on next page...

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They do not stop and ask themselves why the disease came into their life and what lifestyle changes they need to make. My opinion is corroborated by the fact that in the past only about 15% of the research money that went into breast cancer research went into prostate cancer research. Men never developed the voice politically that women did in this matter, even though it now becomes apparent that prostate cancer is more prevalent then breast cancer.

STAY BY YOUR CONVICTION This is not as easy as it might appear. There is first of all the medical community to consider. Medical, allopathic doctors all have a similar educational background. The pressures coming from university training, medical associations, pharmaceutical companies, and peers, as well as overwork, result frequently in the fervent belief that only the medical model has value. Urologists, radiologists and oncologists argue among themselves as to who’s treatment is better.

My experience was that many doctors urged me to action out of conviction. Others, I felt, were motivated more by money or power. In any event, some of the statements made to me, such as threats of imminent death if I would not do this or that, I found downright irresponsible. Someone who has just been told the horrible news of having cancer, needs a lot of love and support and not veiled threats. The gravity of the disease is evident. Of real help are those who hold out hope and stay away from doom and disaster. Once our shaky legs held up against the pressure from the medical world, we have to contend with family and friends. Its amazing how we get to know a different side of our loved ones. They fear for us and want us to do what they think they would have done in a like situation. Surprisingly many want us to follow our doctor’s advice and not our own good senses. It helped me to stay in close touch with those professionals, friends and family who supported me overtly in my decisions.

THE STAGES OF HEALING On January 14, 1998 I had my second ultrasound, expecting a much smaller tumour after so much work. My heart almost stopped when I was told that the tumour was still 9 x 6 mm, exactly the same size as before. I saw myself sinking into a total depression. Why no improvement? How much longer can I keep up my protocol? The next morning I started frantic phone calls to some of my therapists. Surprisingly very few could describe to me what I should expect to see when I am healing. After many phone calls I put together the following picture: a tumour usually has tentacles into healthy tissue. The first stage is that those tentacles withdraw and that the tumour becomes clearly defined. After this the tumour stays the same size for quite a while, while the macrophage – T-lymphocyte – NK cellular defence system kills and carries dead cancer cells out of the body. Usually the tumour gets thus weakened from the inside until one day it completely collapses. I now felt much more positive. When I inquired about the details of the first and second ultrasound my radiologist confirmed that although the tumour still filled the inside of the markers there were no longer any tentacles beyond it. The first stage of healing was evident from the ultrasound pictures. A Feb. 2 ultrasound still showed the tumour at the same size, but it was soft to the touch. On Feb. 13, an ultra sound was taken on my special request, against the doctor’s recommendation, and no tumour was visible. Unfortunately this was not the end of the

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cancer though, as the hyperthermia treatments partially masked the tumour. If it would have been a solid tumour then, according to the doctor’s experience, it would have been visible. His only explanation was that the tumour has a transparent quality (watery cysts?), another sign of healing. Prostate cancer takes many years to develop and it also takes longer than other cancers to heal the alternative way. On March 26, after another ultrasound, the tumour was visible again.

MY LOGIC In chemotherapy, for example each medication has a different response rate, usually around 30%. In order to heighten the chances of success doctors take four or five such chemotherapy compounds to increase the response rate hopefully to 60%. Each agent plays havoc with the immune system, and most cancer patients don’t die of cancer, they die of the side effects. In alternative healing, one approaches the whole cancer paradigm from the physical and emotional side to begin with. On the physical side, there is a whole range of things one can do and, like in chemotherapy, each of these therapies has a different response rate. Since each treatment enhances the immune system, more than a dozen treatments can be used at the same time, and their combined effect is even more powerful. When the cancer is healed, the patient is left with better health than before this crisis, because the whole body system was given an overhaul. Today in my 60’s, I am in better shape then I was in my mid 30’s, thanks to all the therapies I chose. In covering all major aspects of my physical and emotional health, I have done all I could to avoid a recurrence of cancer, or other diseases for that matter. Is there any question as to whether I made the right choice?

THE PROBLEM Many drugs developed by the pharmaceutical companies are targeted to a very specific disease. While they hopefully kill that disease, they create a plethora of negative side effects that sometimes kill the patient. Often the cure is worse then the disease. Alternative healing sets the whole being right, body, and spirit. Allopathic medicine has not done very much to improve the chances of a patient diagnosed with cancer. Because of this the mere word cancer makes people mortally afraid. One does not even pronounce the word “cancer” out of fear, –- we now say “the big C”. This leads many people to give up the moment they hear that they have cancer. The battle is lost right then and there!

A patient just listens to what the first doctor has to say and then follows orders like sheep being brought to the slaughter house. If instead he/she would investigate WHY cancer came into HIS or HER life and then start therapies with a positive frame of mind, chances of success would increase enormously.

I believe that, if cancer patients dare take responsibility for their condition and treatment, they need to develop a feeling as to what’s right for their body and what’s wrong – therapies, supplements, right action and right thinking.

Our forefathers knew special ways of healing but where not well versed in scientific health and disease aspects. Over the last 100 years we amassed a lot of scientific knowledge but pushed aside the wisdom of our forefathers. Now, we must strive for balance were we blend scientific knowledge with ancient healing skills.

This involves many physical, mental, as well as emotional aspects.

COMMENTS AND IMPRESSIONS I used orthodox medical experts extensively to properly evaluate and assess the disease and to check out medical facts and processes. I have dealt with dedicated and friendly doctors but I also had the misfortune to talk with other highly-placed doctors who pronounced judgments and made aggressive statements that instilled fear and terror in me. If I would not have had such a strong constitution and an already broad base of knowledge, I would have collapsed in fear and would have let them do what they insisted on. I had a good working knowledge of alternative health and then further educated myself on prostate cancer. This way I was in a position to stand up to the tremendous pressure from the doctors. I guess “Knowledge is Power”. I understand now that real healing of cancer means bringing your whole body into balance, both physically and mentally. Any partial healing not in harmony with nature or a singular and restrictive healing approach using chemicals, only increases the chances for cancer to recur.

I was fortunate to find good doctors and healers. As I learned about my body and illness I benefited much from their help and counsel. If we allow ourselves to be open, we will see that a lot of help comes our way. Today I know so much more about my body and can take care of myself much better. I know that my experience with cancer has enriched my life.

DID I BECOME A PROSTATE CANCER HEALING JUNKIE? Yes and no. Never in my life have I felt so fortunate to be in a position to free the time and money to totally devote myself to my healing process. The cancer was my wake-up call, I used it as a catalyst to heal my whole body and mind, to make up for years of abusing my body. For those less fortunate, take heart, I believe that prostate cancer can be healed naturally with less than I did, as long as one pays attention to the major principles involved.

Each case is different and many protocols will work. Your conviction that you can do it is the most important starting point.

There are many alternative ways of healing. They are not highly advertised as they can not be patented to hold the promise of fat profits for the pharmaceutical corporations. One must do the research and find them. Through my sister I met a woman who was diagnosed with one of the most aggressive breast cancers. The doctors told her that she would be dead in six months if she would not get operated immediately. She decided against this option and followed an alternative healing program. Six months later she was declared free of cancer.

We compared our protocols. To begin with none of our treatments were the same. She used completely different methods on a much smaller budget. We then discussed other methods that neither one of us used; there really is an abundance of options for those who make the effort and look. One thing must be kept in mind: the decision to go the alternative route requires total commitment. Half measures are dangerous. We must devote our whole being to this process.

“Today in my 60’s, I am in better shape then I was in my mid 30’s, thanks to all the therapies I chose. In covering all major aspects of my physical and emotional health, I have done all I could to avoid a recurrence of cancer, or other diseases for that matter”

Whatever you do when you hear the fateful pronouncement, don’t freeze up. Do get all necessary medical tests for an accurate staging of your disease, take a deep breath and relax.

Your disease most likely took many years to develop. Most of the time you have a week or a month to study, inform yourself and ponder, so that you can find the healing path that feels right for you and makes sense. If your physician feels toxic to you, find another one who you feel will give you the support you need. ✦

BOOKS I FOUND HELPFUL Cancer Salves: A Botanical Approach to Treatment by Dr. Ingrid Naiman, Seventh Ray Press, Fax: 360779-9677 or 1-888-FAX-HEAL. Options, the Alternative Cancer Therapy Book by Richard Walters / Avery Publishing group Inc. Third Opinion by John M. Fink, Avery Publishing Group.

An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer by W. John Diamond, M.D. , Future Medicine Publishing.

Prostate Health in 90 DAYS Without Drugs or Surgery by Larry Clapp, Ph.D., JD, Hay House Inc. Love, Medicine, and Miracles by Bernie S. Siegel, M.D., Harper Perennial.

Primal Legacy: “Thinking for the 21st Century” by Joseph Costa, Ph.D., Better Life Books, ISBN 1883333-25-3.

Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch / G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, Volume 1, 2 and 3.

Body and Soul, The Other Side Of Illness by Albert Kreinhedger, Ph.D.

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• down regulates bcl-2 gene

Since this regime was undertaken more than a decade ago, I have continued with much of the above and added the following:

• promotes apoptosis (natural cell death) of tumour cells

CB(Conscious of Being)-BODYWORK Accumulation of physical and emotional deposits in body tissue inhibits free development which can lead to injuries of the physical or mental body so that our body cannot self-correct but compensates. This leads to micro-circulation problems which trigger metabolic disturbances which can irritate nerve-pathways which can lead to more serious illnesses. For example problems in our vertebrae can lead to illnesses in our vital organs, etc. The new massage is based on the knowledge of energy pathways.

Through manual manipulation the affected tissue is brought back to its original state, which at this point is beyond the body’s self healing capabilities. Once repaired, physical and mental healing can proceed much more effectively. The massage concentrates on repair of: • Periost (bone-skin) to re-establish intercellular communication • Muscles Break up calcium & toxin deposits • Stretch and energise fascia & connective tissue • Soften hardened muscles All this will detoxify and stimulate the immune system. Those parts of the body that have been restored can return to a healthy state. I took a total of 23 massages lasting 44 hours all together.

MISTLETOE Mistletoe (Viscum album) has cytostatic and immunomodulatory properties: It slows growth – inhibits spreading (sometimes completely dissolving tumours), stimulates eliminatory functions, improves sleep, promotes appetite and weight gain, acts as antidepressant. Slight increases in body temperature are a good sign. Rather then being solely directed against cancer cells, mistletoe aims to restore the dynamic equilibrium between cell and organism by stimulating the organising principle.

PC SPES Despite the various therapies I had tried, my PSA had gone up to 16.8. After 15 months of using all the alternative means of healing that made sense to me, my immune system was stronger than in my thirties but the cancer did not respond – it seemed to have a life of its own as is often the case. I do believe, however, that the spreading of the cancer has thereby been prevented. I now added to my program the herbal combination IMUNOPROS, a version of PC SPES but with added selenium. PC SPES is a mixture of mainly Chinese herbs (Chrysanthemum, Isatis, Licorice, Lucid ganoderma, Pseudo-ginseng, Rubescens, Saw Palmetto, Scute) developed by Dr. Sophie Chen, which has had remarkable results in lowering PSA counts and which is being studied extensively by our medical establishment. It is a phytoestrogen with fewer side effects than chemical hormone blockers. It: • has anti-tumour, -viral, -BPH, -inflammatory activity • has been found to exert potent cytostatic and cytotoxic activity in prostatic carcinoma

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• makes tumour cells more sensitive to other anti tumour agents • suppresses LNCaP prostrate cell growth • suppresses androgen receptor (AR).

I took the maximum dose recommended, three times three capsules daily between meals.

LASER SURGERY Since the cancer itself did not seem to respond to the other therapies, I opted for laser surgery which I had investigated last spring as one of several invasive procedures. Since the cancer did not respond to all the other therapies I did so far I felt I needed this intervention. My chances were excellent since so far I had only had immune system boosting therapies. Laser surgery would have been impossible or at least problematic if I would have already had a radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy which usually destroys too much tissue or, chemotherapy which could have seriously damaged my immune system. Germany was the only place I found where this laser surgery would be performed.

Sadly, a Mt. Royal Hospital / McGill University urologist informed me that here, and to his knowledge, in all of North America this type of surgery is performed only to reduce the prostate gland but not for cancer. Even the German surgeon was duty bound to recommend a radical prostatectomy as the treatment of choice.

He could only discuss laser surgery with me after I refused a radical prostatectomy because of the high probability of serious secondary problems and a 52% chance of later reoccurrence of a much more aggressive cancer. This surgeon has laser operated patients for prostate cancer for 12 years and all his patients live and have a good quality life, not one suffers from incontinence or impotence. I was operated on Jan. 13 and left the hospital to return to my normal life on Jan. 16. The doctor could leave some prostate tissue close to the bladder as it was cancer free but removed the rest, about 80% of the total prostate, as well as other tissue close to the tumour. After this he carbonized and vaporized the surrounding tissue. Before he started with the operation, he gave me a massive infusion of vitamin D-3 (Calcitriol), which according to Stanford University research inhibits the risk of spreading. All of this took 45 minutes. All tests before the operation indicated that no spreading of the cancer beyond the prostate had taken place. I now need to take my regular PSA tests to make sure that the cancer in fact is permanently gone. I am deeply appreciative of this urologist who risks his professional life in order to introduce more benign and effective treatments. From all I learned I am convinced that this operation is safer and more effective than a radical prostatectomy, does not compromise the immune system (as does the conventional surgery) affording the patient a normal quality life. It is sad that urologists and traditional medicine suppress such a promising treatment.

OZONE THERAPY Dr. Paul Seeger, colleague of Dr. Otto Warburg, discovered in 1938 the inactivation and destruction of the most important enzyme of the respiratory chain within the mitochondria called cytochrome oxidase (cytochrome a/a3) in cancer cells due to poor oxygenation, environmental chemicals, etc.]. This is the enzyme responsible for transferring hydrogen (derived from foods in our diet) to the oxygen delivered to the cell by hemoglobin.

As a result the respiratory chain and its associated oxidative phosphorylation grinds to a halt and hydrogen accumulates in the cancer cells forcing the cell to cover its energy demands by switching to the phylogenetically older and less efficient option of fermentation (glycolysis).

Once the respiratory chain is blocked the cells switch over to glycolysis. End products such as short chain fatty acids and D(-) lactate then accumulate because of the absence of a metabolic escape route. These same products stimulate cell division, which leads to the proliferation of cells and eventually (with the aid of angiogenesis) to a visible tumour. Ozone is oxidative medicine designed to trigger oxidation. At 20% oxidation it stimulates immune system and at 22% oxidation concentration it activates the P53 gene which kills cancer cells. Drs. Gumlager and Gernat of Frankfurt Germany (SYNCOMP LABS) developed a “Reduced Glutathione” (GSA) which prevents the system to over oxidize, which can have reverse effects and would be damaging. Many people using ozone do not pay attention to this and have poor results from their treatment. Glutathione is the strongest antioxidant and works on an intracellular level, it will help other antioxidants to be absorbed better. (Take glutathione on empty stomach with 12 to 16 oz water so that it bypasses the stomach and gets into the small intestine. When using ozone take glutathione 1/2 hr to 2 hrs after only.) It is advisable to take glutathione two weeks prior to ozone or any other treatment that creates oxidative stress such a chemotherapy. Ozone creates oxidative stress and therefore glutathione and other antioxidants are needed to balance this. During ozone treatments the need for antioxidants goes up but long term it will lessen. If ozone and antioxidants are well balanced, then intracellular oxygen will increase. There exists much literature and opinions as to the best protocol to follow, one can easily get confused. My analysis and personal experience convince me that for prostate cancer the most efficient and practical protocol is the use of ozone via rectal insufflation at about 27 gamma, humidified at 1/4 l/min flow rate for one minute every second day for 10 treatments. After this the system should have gotten a good “kick start” so that I repeat this protocol only several month later.

P.S. Since the article was written for a presentation at a prostate forum with allopathic medicine heavily represented, I held back on the extent of my psychological and spiritual work. I believe that this work was the most important and was much more extensive than reported in this article. I also give this work credit for having brought peace, happiness and contentment into my life to an extent that I always used to dream of. I also did not mention that the discovery of the cancer crystallized the differences my spouse of 22 years and I had the last 10 years and brought about our separation. Both events happened within one month of each other and the resulting pain was so excruciating that I finally found the courage to confront a lot of issues in my life which, in my opinion, brought on the cancer. Working through those issues was largely responsible for my emotional, spiritual and physical well being today. One attracts people into one’s life at the plateau at which one lives. I eventually met a woman with whom I live today in a state of happiness and deep sharing that I did not know was possible. Our strong love and spiritual bond helps both of us to continue our journey towards total healing.

I am sure it is now easier for the reader to understand why I called the cancer my friend. The cancer, normally understood to bring an early end to one’s life, gave me back my life to the fullest extent. ✦

“ The cancer, normally understood to bring an early end to one’s life, gave me back my life to the fullest extent. This is why why I called the cancer my friend”

From: www.cancersalves.com. The author’s name and details were supplied. The treatment outlined in this article was a personal choice made by the author and is not intended as medical advice. Consult your health care providers to assist with a personalised complementary cancer health regime.

the power of love connects us all together with everything that exists Everything in life is interconnected. This becomes apparent to the person with cancer who adopts an alternative or natural approach to healing. Unfortunately, there is no one panacea or miracle therapy which will cure cancer – rather it takes a combination of different therapies tailored to the individual and a quantum leap in lifestyle, beliefs, diet and more. Healing involves bringing every aspect of your being into balance and equilibrium.

It may sound like a huge amount of effort – and chances are if you have cancer you may be low on energy and enthusiasm – but once you firmly resolve with your whole being that you are going to recover and be well again, then you find that it becomes effortless and natural to make the required changes and do whatever needs to be done. It helps if you have the love and support of your family and community to keep you on track. It helps if you have an unwavering faith and belief in your ability to self heal.

Mandy April 2010

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By Dr. Peter Wolf

“Give me a chance to create a fever and I will cure any disease,” Parmenides, a Greek physician and philosopher (540-480 B.C.), said even back then.

Fever has always had a special meaning for human beings: On the one hand the harbinger of death, on the other hand a chance of recovering.

The history of hyperthermia “Give me a chance to create a fever and I will cure any disease,” Parmenides, a Greek physician and philosopher (540-480 B.C.), said even back then. Fever has always had a special meaning for human beings: On the one hand the harbinger of death, on the other hand a chance of recovering.

The healing effect of heat was first mentioned in the early civilizations of ancient Egypt, where baths in hot desert sand were prescribed for the ill. Then the doctors of ancient Greece started consistently using this therapeutic approach and named it ‘overheating’ (in Greek: hyperthermia). Over the centuries various areas of application were found, for example fever was artificially induced with the help of pyrogenic substances to fight infectious diseases. In the Middle Ages growths on the skin were burned away with a red-hot iron. Fever was considered to be a purging agent that purifies and detoxifies the body.

Heat, i.e. hyperthermia, has also been shown to be of great use in treating cancer. The reason for this is that tumour cells are extremely sensitive to heat. The American surgeon William Coley (1862-1936) had already observed that cancer patients often recovered completely if they had suffered a severe post-surgical infection of the wound accompanied by high fever. This led the physician to conjecture that the increase in body temperature not only mobilized the body’s own immune system, thus fighting off the infection, but also destroyed the tumour at the same time.

The physicist and cancer researcher Manfred von Ardenne (1907-1997) was the first person to specifically treat cancer patients with the help of hyperthermia by using long-wave infrared light. Since the hyperthermia treatment was a very strenuous procedure, Ardenne supplied oxygen to the patients in support of the treatment. At first it was difficult to optimize the treatment, since there was no way to exactly control the internal temperature of the body. Over the years, however, more technologically advanced equipment guaranteed better control over the overheating process and made widespread use in clinics possible. In general, all procedures for overheating the body or the tumour area from the outside by using microwave or radio wave technology or by infrared light are called hyperthermia. This is different from fever therapy, by which the body is overheated from the ‘inside’.

The effect of hyperthermia Contrary to healthy tissue, cancer cells cannot easily divert heat because of their primitive blood supply.

This has to do with the fact that tumour cells have a different metabolism and their vascular supply lines are different compared to those of healthy cells.

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INTEGRATIVE THERAPIES

Cancer cells experience a build-up in heat, which leads to an inadequate supply of oxygen and a depletion of nutrients in the tumour. These deficiencies lead in turn to disturbances in the metabolic processes of dividing and maintaining cells, including the failure of the repair systems of the cells. Thus thermal cell components (i.e. those parts of the cells damaged by hyperthermia) cannot be replaced, and this can lead to the death of the cancer cells.

Furthermore, results from studies show that cancer cells form a special type of protein structure on the surface of the cells when heated to a temperature of approx. 42° C, which does not happen with healthy cells. These protein structures – also known as heat shock proteins – are recognised by the body’s immune system as foreign substances, thus enabling the immune system to destroy them.

So hyperthermia works in two ways: on the one hand by creating thermal damage and on the other hand by stimulating the body’s own immune system.

The impressive effects of hyperthermia have been proven again and again in scientific studies. For example, the university hospital in Erlangen published a study on the effects of regional deep hyperthermia in patients with cancer of the bladder. The results show that five years after treatment 80% of those participating in the study who received hyperthermia treatment were alive, compared to 67% of those who did not receive hyperthermia treatment. The tendency toward invasive growth and metastases was also able to be considerably reduced by hyperthermia. The evaluation of the study showed that there was a direct connection between the frequency of hyperthermia treatment and the survival rate: the more often patients received overheating treatment, the better they became.

Further studies in Holland and Italy confirmed these results.

Hyperthermia in connection with chemotherapy and radiation treatment It has been proven in recent years that hyperthermia is especially effective in combination with chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

The reason for this is that the tumour has a chance to recover and become resistant to the radiation or cytostatics between treatments.

This is where hyperthermia comes in: the genetic code of the tumour cells is damaged by the heat, which in turn results in the cells not being able to repair themselves and reproduce. Consequently, the chance of the cancer growing back is considerably smaller.

National and international studies have shown that cytostatics are significantly more aggressive at temperatures above 40°C than at normal body temperature. For instance, it was able to be proven that in some cases the tumour completely receded in patients with certain types of cancer. For patients with other types of cancer hyperthermia treatment was able to prolong their lives and considerably improve their quality of life. This was proven in a randomised study with over 340 patients who had sarcomas in the soft parts of the body. Patients who received chemotherapy together with local hyperthermia treatment lived an average of 32 months without further signs of the disease; in comparison, those patients in the control group without hyperthermia treatment were symptom-free for only 18 months. continued on next page...

Before I devoted myself to alternative treatment methods more than 25 years ago, I worked as a doctor and specialist for psychosomatic illnesses at the Medical University of Hannover. During that time I gradually realised that although the methods of orthodox medicine can be very helpful when dealing with acute illnesses, they often reach their limits when applied to chronic disease.

Even today – despite the greatest efforts and sometimes great successes in many areas – chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease, rheumatism, cancer and allergies are still ‘hard nuts to crack’ for orthodox medicine.

As I became ever more frustrated with this powerlessness to help, I started looking into other possibilities and began to learn more about alternative methods of treatment. I discovered the potential that lies in this school of medicine, especially with regard to chronic illnesses. I gradually recognised that a holistic approach to therapy in treating patients with chronic disease can be a valuable alternative and/or supplement to orthodox treatment.

That is why we offer a variety of alternative and complementary types of therapy at my Center for Hyperthermia in Hannover. These different methods of treatment have proven to be effective in the longterm for patients on whom orthodox medicine had already given up. At our Center we are committed in particular to the treatment of cancer, which is still the most frequent cause of death despite the most modern advances in technology.

We have been able to achieve extremely positive results when using the methods of modern hyperthermia (overheating) treatment. For even though hyperthermia is not recognised by orthodox medicine as an effective form of treatment for cancer, it can chalk up a considerable number of successes – either on its own or as a supplement to other treatment.

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The various kinds of hyperthermia There are various types of hyperthermia treatment. These include:

Whole body hyperthermia Patients in whom metastases have already spread to all parts of the body are often treated with this type of hyperthermia. The entire body except for the head is overheated to a temperature of 39.5 to 40.5°C. In our experience whole body hyperthermia can be used in particular in the case of inoperable metastases and tumours and for frequently recurring types of cancer. Sometimes, however, this type of hyperthermia can also be used on patients with a contained tumour. In our clinic we treat the following types of cancer with whole body hyperthermia: breast cancer, sarcomas, skin cancer, melanomes and bone metastases as well as carcinomas of the lung, the stomach, the pancreas the gall bladder and the kidney.

Loco-regional hyperthermia In this case the overheating is concentrated on the affected organ or tissue, with temperatures reaching between 42 and 44 degrees Celsius. There is less of a strain on the body than with whole body hyperthermia since it does not affect as much of the healthy tissue. At our clinic we have used loco-regional hyperthermia to treat metastases in the peritoneum, recurring tumours in different organs, in particular in the female breast, brain tumours, tumours in the ears, nose and throat areas, the prostate gland and inoperable tumours.

Prostate gland hyperthermia or transurethral radio frequency therapy (TURF) At our clinic we use a special machine, the radio frequency machine PCT2000 made by Onco-Therm, which in addition to the heat creates an electrical field made up of radio short waves.

Contrary to the microwaves that were used years ago, the radio short waves have a greater range and cause considerably less damage to healthy tissue.

This type of hyperthermia is used to treat prostate cancer and benign enlargement or infection (prostatitis) of the prostate gland. It consists of placing a catheter in the urethra under local anesthesia, on the end of which is a probe. This probe works like a transmitter, with the receivers of the control signals that transfer the radio frequencies attached to the hip or upper thigh

People from all over the world travel to Hanover, Germany to attend Dr Wolf’s Hypothermia Clinic. Full details on therapies offered at the clinic, travel, accommodation and how to book are outlined on the website: www.hyperthermia-centre-hannover.com.

The clinic can be contacted by emailing info@dr-peter-wolf.de

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of the patient. The electric waves are sent via the probe to the prostate tissue, where they are transformed into heat. The probe itself remains cool, so there is no danger of injuring the urethra.

The thicker the tissue is, the more waves it absorbs and the higher the temperature gets. During transurethral hyperthermia the temperatures reach between 48 and 52 degrees Celsius; a temperature of 49 degrees has proven to be very effective with benign enlargements of the prostate gland and prostate cancer.

Advantages of transurethral hyperthermia • No risky operation • No full anesthesia • No side effects like incontinence or impotence • No complications

What happens during hyperthermia treatment One hyperthermia treatment usually takes between one and two hours.

Treatment at our clinic takes place in pleasant surroundings.

Preparation for the treatment takes about half an hour, after which the hyperthermia treatment itself takes about 2-3 hours. Staff stay at the patients’ side and monitor their vital signs throughout the entire treatment. Fortifying Ayurvedic tea and invigorating natural tonic are given. The muted light, soothing music and soft interior colours help patients to relax. In addition, we give patients 25g infusions of vitamin C, which in this concentration helps in damaging the tumour cells. There are also additional infusions with mandelonitrile (B17) and a special infusion for regeneration, detoxification and excretion of waste products.

Since serious methods and a holistic approach are very important in treating patients, our entire staff regularly go on training courses in order to keep abreast of and be able to adequately implement the newest developments and study results without delay. Of course, all of the treatment methods we offer are explained in detail to every patient, including reference to the possibilities of orthodox medicine. As studies have confirmed, combining treatment methods from both schools is often more effective than one type of therapy by itself.

Side effects Loco-regional hyperthermia in particular is usually tolerated very well and can be applied without special medication or other preparations. In many cases patients experience localised warmth or heat. In some circumstances this can lead to a stronger feeling of pain. If this happens, the doctor can adjust the treatment accordingly.

Whole body hyperthermia is also well-tolerated by our patients.

Due to the length of the treatment, some patients experience some unpleasantness in having to lie prone for a long time, surrounded by water cushions that prevent burns. In general, the body experiences some stress from the heat, which is comparable to being in the sauna, i.e. patients who have good circulation will not have any problems. ✦ This article is from the website www.hyperthermia-centre-hannover.com.

Dr. Peter Wolf has a new book which is available online “Innovations in Biological Cancer Therapy: A Guide for Cancer Patients and their Relatives.

If conventional cancer treatments have failed for you...who do you turn to and what do you do? Lothar Hirneise of Menschen Geben Krebs, Germany and Frank Wiewel of People Against Cancer look at the alternatives which have worked for many cancer survivors.

Find and change the psychological/emotional cause Germanic New Medicine (Ryke-Geerd Hamer), and Synergetik (Bernd Joschko), nexus (Lothar Hirneise) and adrenaline (Waltraut Fryda) theories fight the cause of cancer, not the symptoms. All four work to eliminate stress and to resolve the trauma or unresolved conflicts leading to cancer.

Change their diet The most success has been achieved with: • The metabolic typing diet, developed by William Wollcott, who discovered that each of us is individual in the percentage of carbohydrate or protein we need in our diets • The Stockholm protocol, an anti-cancer regimen based on coenzyme Q10, very high levels of which (400-600 mg) can result in tumour regression (Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1994; 199: 1504-8). The protocol includes a good multivitamin/mineral plus 1.2 g of gammalinolenic acid, 3.5 g of omega-3, 58 mg (32,248 IU) of beta-carotene, 2.8 g of vitamin C, 2500 IU of vitamin E, 385 mcg of selenium and 390 mg of CoQ10 taken with a tablespoon of olive oil.

There are no such things as incurable diseases, only incurable patients.”

Bernie Siegel

• The Gerson diet and other raw-food therapies. These work largely by transmitting food – and the photons, or subatomic light molecules that comprise them – at their strongest.

• Dr Johanna Budwig is a proponent of an oil-and-protein diet (including cottage cheese and flaxseed oil) that raises the voltage of cells, drastically too low in cancer patients.

Detox their bodies Many cancer patients have highly polluted bodies. A detox programme is central to the success of any therapeutic programme, and could include: • colonic detox using coffee enemas and colonic hydrotherapy.

• removal of amalgam fillings and root canals.

• baths in baking soda, to remove excess acid from cells, too high in cancer patients.

• infrared sauna, in cases of high levels of chemical pollution.

Kill cancer gently The safer cancer-killers include: • PAPIMI, invented by Professor Panos Pappas in Athens, using electromagnetic rays to increase the voltage in cells of the body.

• Electro-Galvano, using low-voltage electricity to kill tumour cells (but not healthy cells).

• High-dose hormone-blockers, such as busarelin, at 20-40 times the usual dosage for up to 12 weeks.

• Heat therapy (hyperthermia), using highly focused radiowaves to raise the temperature of the tumour to about 44 degrees C (only kills cancer cells).

• Specialised immune cells that are programmed to attack only cancer cells.

• Fever therapy, using bacterial toxins to induce a fever, which kills cancer cells. ✦ For more information see People Against Cancer website: www.PeopleAgainstCancer.net.

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New research shows that changing your social environment can literally cure cancer by causing tumours to shrink or disappear. It’s almost as if having the right friends is a kind of “social cancer cure.” The findings could ultimately lead to advances in the way cancer and other diseases are treated – perhaps through environmental modifications that offer mental and social stimulation. “We’re really showing that you can’t look at a disease like cancer in isolation.”

If you or someone you know ever receives a cancer diagnosis, especially one that is labeled “incurable” or fatal, take heart in the fact spontaneous regression (remission) has been reported in the medical literature numerous times for virtually all cancers. Spontaneous regression has been documented most often in neuroblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, lymphoma and malignant melanoma.

As Wellness News has previously reported, scientists have also discovered recently that some invasive breast cancers appear to simply go away on their own (Wellness News, February 2010, pp10-12).

Now comes research from Ohio State University that could help explain what triggers spontaneous remissions.

The new study, published in the July 9th issues of the journal Cell found that when mice with cancer were given enriched living conditions and a boost in their social life, their tumours shrank – and some of their cancers disappeared completely. That’s powerful evidence, the scientists say, that social connections and an individual’s mental state, play an important role in the way the body responds to malignancies. “Animals’ interaction with the environment has a profound influence on the growth of cancer – more than we knew was possible,” Matthew During, who headed the study, said in a statement to the press.

The lab rodents were originally housed in groups of about five, given all the food they wanted and allowed to play all day. However, for the research project, mice with cancer were placed in an even better, enriched environment. They had bigger living groups with 15 to 20 other animals to interact with. They also had more space and extra toys, hiding places and running wheels.

During and his colleague, Lei Cao, found that malignant tumours in animals living in this enriched environment started to shrink. In fact, tumours decreased by an impressive 77 percent in mass and decreased in volume by 43 percent, the researchers report. Moreover, five percent of mice with cancer showed no evidence of the disease at all after just three weeks of living in their new home. That seemingly spontaneous cancer cure never happened in control animals kept in standard housing.

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So what specifically is going on here that impacts cancer?

Animals in a regular mice environment in the lab who exercised more didn’t experience improvements in their cancer, so the scientists say more exercise isn’t the total explanation. Instead, they think the complex social dimension in the new living arrangement was apparently the key.

The enriched living environment appears to have sparked more, but apparently cancer-fighting, stress in the cancerstricken mice. The animals showed higher levels of stress hormones called glucocorticoids. What this means, the researchers said in statement to the media, is that low levels of stress, or certain kinds of stress, are probably beneficial.

“A lot of people think stress is bad, but our data show the animals aren’t just happy. Antidepressants won’t give you the same effect,” the scientists said in the press statement. “The goal isn’t to minimise stress, but to live a richer life, socially and physically. You want to be challenged.”

In addition, the rodents had lower levels of a hormone produced by fat called leptin, indicative of a significant shift in metabolism. Their immune systems also appeared to be “ramped up a bit,” During said.

During and his colleague pinned down an increase in a growth factor expressed in the hypothalamus called brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the mice living in the improved mouse environment. Further study revealed that manipulations designed to increase BDNF levels also reduced tumour burden. If animals lacked BDNF, the benefits of an enriched environment were not apparent.

The findings could ultimately lead to advances in the way cancer and other diseases are treated – perhaps through environmental modifications that offer mental and social stimulation. “We’re really showing that you can’t look at a disease like cancer in isolation,” During said in the media statement. “For too long, physicians and others have stuck to what they know – surgery, chemo, radiotherapy. Traditionally working on the area of lifestyle and the brain has been a ‘soft area’. This paper really suggests if we look at people more in terms of their perceptions of disease, their social interactions and environment, we could realise a profound influence on cancer...” ✦

By S. L Baker. From: www.naturalnews.com, 28th July 2010.

LIFESTYLE & ENVIRONMENT

“For too long, physicians and others have stuck to what they know – surgery, chemo, radiotherapy. If we look at people more in terms of their perceptions of disease, their social interactions and environment, we could realise a profound influence on cancer...”

Why! who makes much of a miracle?

As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles, Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky, Or wade with naked feet along the beach, just in the edge of the water, Or stand under trees in the woods, Or talk by day with any one I love – or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love, Or sit at table at dinner with my mother, Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car, Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive, of a summer forenoon, Or animals feeding in the fields, Or birds – or the wonderfulness of insects in the air, Or the wonderfulness of the sun-down – or of stars shining so quiet and bright, Or the exquisite, delicate, thin curve of the new moon in spring; Or whether I go among those I like best, and that like me best – mechanics, boatmen, farmers, Or among the savans – or to the soiree – or to the opera, Or stand a long while looking at the movements of machinery, Or behold children at their sports, Or the admirable sight of the perfect old man, or the perfect old woman, Or the sick in hospitals, or the dead carried to burial, Or my own eyes and figure in the glass; These, with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles, The whole referring – yet each distinct, and in its place.

To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of space is a miracle, Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same, Every foot of the interior swarms with the same; Every spear of grass – the frames, limbs, organs, of men and women, and all that concerns them, All these to me are unspeakably perfect miracles.

To me the sea is a continual miracle; The fishes that swim – the rocks – the motion of the waves – the ships, with men in them, What stranger miracles are there?

Walter Whitman (1819 – 1892) American poet, essayist, journalist and humanist.

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By Evarts G. Loomis, MD

It was well pointed out twenty-five hundred years ago in the words ascribed by Plato to Socrates: “So neither ought you to attempt to cure the body without the soul; and this is the reason why the cure of many diseases is unknown to the physicians of Hellas, because they are ignorant of the whole.� Thus, medical practice of today gives comparatively little consideration to this total view of the patient. The medical office

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functions much as the factory service department for most electric repairs. While that role is important, it is not until someone turns on the power that the motor becomes functional. The following discussion is an attempt to observe the role of medicine yesterday, today, and as it might become tomorrow. Included are some contingent experiences of healing in which the role of Spirit seems to have played a dominant role.

MIND-BODY HEALING

THE HISTORICAL PLACE OF SPIRIT IN MEDICAL PRACTICE

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he prevalent model of ancient times saw the human being as an integral part of the universe. Chinese medicine, the Ayurvedic system of India and the medicine of our Native Americans viewed the phenomena that make up health and disease as related to the universe as a whole. They considered the life of human beings to be inseparably linked to every other form of life, whether animals, birds, trees, plants or even the less perceptible forms of material things. In these civilizations, physician and priest were one and the same. In the centuries that followed there was an increasing separation between the two, and the cosmic tie between human beings and the universe they inhabit was gradually lost to sight. Evidences of the dichotomy were to be seen as far back as the second century AD when the master physician, Galen, through his animal dissections, drew many incorrect conclusions concerning the nature of his patients’ problems. By the sixteenth century, Copernicus had begun to unravel the mysteries of the solar system and Vesalius had made accurate dissections of the human body. Thus, the focus of scientific study became more and more intent on the parts, while the dynamics that controlled and operated these parts, whether in the human or universal form, were relatively lost to sight.

Morgagni and Vircho carried the study of the human body in health and disease still further with the birth of the science of pathology. From that time, some one hundred and thirty years ago, till the present, the search for pathological changes in human tissues has been the basic pursuit of the modern physician. Further studies

by Pasteur and Flexner brought to light the role of bacteria and viruses in disease states, and formulated the questionable concept that these agents attacking from outside were largely responsible for much of present-day illness. The patient was seen as having little responsibility for these attacks. The role of the physician was to mount a counterattack upon the invading agents. Thus, antibiotics and antitoxins came upon the scene, along with various forms of chemotherapy. However, there is little doubt that the former have been of inestimable benefit to mankind.

The late Welsh surgeon, Griffith Evans, postulated that “the human protein molecule is sensitive to waves of thought and that there is nothing to mar the rhythm of resonance that was meant to be.” Whole molecules, he claimed, are both saturated and healthy. Breaches in the orbits of molecules spell disorder and disease.

Each of us is here to discover our true Self…that essentially we are spiritual beings who have taken manifestation in physical form… that we‘re not human beings that have occasional spiritual experiences…that we’re spiritual beings that have occasional

In the early nineteen hundreds, with the advent of the Flexner report, it was claimed that the empirical (experimental) approach to medical studies was unscientific and should be banned from medical school curricula. In its place a rational analytical approach was instituted, while any acknowledgement that the patient had a part in the illness was flatly denied, as was the use of natural remedies or modalities that had been felt to support the person’s own healing tendencies. Such forms of therapy were automatically (usually without any investigation) branded as quackery, and might even be grounds for the loss of a physician’s license.

human experiences. ~ Deepak Chopra

In this setting, the role of the patient in illness was relatively lost and the disease became the entire focus of attention. From the above statements, it should not be assumed that this was a death knoll for such types of practice, though it definitely set research in the natural field of healing back for more than half a century.

CRIES IN THE WILDERNESS The prevalent direction of medicine leading up to its current practice has been briefly outlined. It must not, however, be assumed that while the light of Spirit flickered, it went out. In the sixteenth century a remarkable Swiss physicianphilosopher, Paracelsus, had much to say about an “Ens Natural” or healing force and its relation to health. Two hundred years later Samuel Hahemann appeared on the German scene and founded the science of homeopathic medicine, now a worldwide practice. He believed that a “vital source” could strengthen his patients. This was brought about by the use of attenuated remedies derived from the mineral, plant and animal kingdom. In that state, they appeared to him to return to their life-giving essences.

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awareness of the power of suggestion. This was followed by Freud’s research into the relation of subconscious activities to the state of health. Further probing of the recesses of the human mind by Jung revealed once again the significance of dreams and through the understanding of archetypal symbols, brought a realisation of the oneness of all life.

Seeing as he did the evolution of the human spirit as essential to true health, psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli pioneered new field of psychosynthesis. In his own words: “Psychosynthesis should not be looked upon as a single psychological doctrine or procedure. It is a dramatic conception of the psychic life which portrays as a constant interplay and conflict between the many different and contrasting forces and a unifying center which tends to control, harmonize and use them creatively. Psychosynthesis is a combination of several methods of inner action, aiming first at development of personality, then at the harmonious coordination and unification with the self.

These processes may be called respectively personal and spiritual psychosynthesis. The isolated individual doesn’t exist. Every person has intimate relation with other persons, which make all interdependent. Moreover each and all are included in and are part of the super-individual reality.”

THE LOSS OF THE PERSON In the century past, the image of the country doctor always on call and ready to venture out in his horse-drawn buggy for many a mile was a familiar one. The patient was usually greeted by name and there would be time to share in a very personal way the events that might relate to the onset of the illness. This personal touch is by no means prevalent in the medical practice of today, where the sick one must be brought to a busy emergency room (usually entailing a long wait) or to the doctor’s office to be seen by a nurse or a physician’s assistant, with only a very brief exchange with the doctor. Today, X-rays, sonograms, electrocardiograms and CAT scans, important as they are, have largely taken the place of the inquiring look of the physician: the palpating touch of sensitive fingers, the attentive ears in search of adventitious sounds through the stethoscope, followed by an informative evaluation of the problem at hand.

Is it not a real question whether the advantages of the institutional approach can ever offset the sacrifice of the relationship between a really caring and concerned physician and the patient? All too often the methodical, instrumental search ends with the conclusion that there is nothing that can be done for the patient, or a suggestion that some new chemotherapy of no really proven

worth be tried out. The toxic side effects of the medication may even increase the person’s suffering.

It is not unusual today to hear in the hospital halls such remarks as: “What was the serum potassium on that cardiac case in room 25?” or “Say Bill, was that Henry I saw out with that appendectomy we operated on two weeks ago?” This is indeed the era of the specialist, frequently with keyhole vision, functioning purely as a technician. Body parts are neatly stored for appropriate replacement, and lives are being saved that formerly would have been lost. For this we are indeed thankful. The physician as technician is triumphant, but where is his person?

LIFE AS A BATTLEFIELD The divisions within the human heart are great. The apostle Paul aptly described the struggle between human sense desires and the higher self: “For I do not know what I do; and I do not do the thing which I want, but I do the thing I hate. That is exactly what I do.”

The Baghavad Gita pictures a literal battlefield where the warrior Arjuna finds himself between two armies and is counseled by his Higher Self, Krishna. All cultures seem to have had such hidden battle sagas. The ancient Greeks produced the Ilia; out of the Near East came the Bible, its Old Testament filled with such struggles that should not be interpreted merely in the literal sense. Laurens Van der Post in his “Venture Into The Interior” describes the human dilemma. One evening on safari in Africa, as the coolies danced all night around the fire, Van der Post noted: “The coolie lights his fire, is happy at once and dances all night.

We could, but will not, as we are split. We have too much light and as we are split. We have too much light and not enough understanding of our darkness and fear. He would go anywhere for half our love. There is no problem. The problem is ours, our divided hearts.”

The study of dreams is a continuing commentary on this personal struggle, a symbolic battle between the forces of god and evil as experienced in daily life. The latter is frequently represented by threatening animals or persons and the former by a guarding angelic force in the form of a wise old man, a matriarchal mother figure or some angelic being. Is not the success or failure in this struggle an all-important factor in determining health?

THE NATURE OF ILLNESS Obviously, for any degree of comprehension of illness, there must be a reasonable understanding of the nature of health. Much as a source of electricity is needed to operate a motor, there must be a source of radiant energy to spark a human being. This has already

flowers nature’s gift There is a mystical connection between flowers and the human spirit. Flowers have always been given and received as offerings of peace, friendship and love. Flowers have inspired countless poets, artists to create works of great beauty. Flowers inspire everyday gardeners to become passionate creators of backyards filled with colour, fragrance and wonder.

Nature has provided us with a gift of immense beauty and an innate healing potential. It is no coincidence that hospital rooms are filled with bouquets. Since the beginning of humanity, flowers have been used in medicines...as tinctures, teas, poultices, essences. Simply being amongst flowers lifts the spirits and brings about a feeling of lightness and joy!

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been referred to as a “vital force.” Up to the present time this is still not recognised in the conventional disease-oriented medical practice. The degree of “charge” in a human being is as apparent in his actions and the atmosphere surrounding him as is the spark given off by a well-charged battery. The relative presence or absence of this force could be considered as a criterion of the state of health.

The major religions have in many instances seen this vital force as light and related it to God, the Creator: Genesis: “And God said: ‘Let there be Light’ and there was Light.”

St. John: “The life was in him, and life is the Light of man.”

Emerald Tablets of Thoth (American Indian): “From chaos and angels of night, saw I Light spring from order, and heard the voice of Light…saw Light give forth life.”

Out of this light energy come the tiny particles or wave forms that give a sense of reality to the physical world; the mesons, photons, etc., the precursors of the more stable atoms constituting the physical body and its recorder of consciousness, the brain. The late Yale chemist and author, Donald Andrews, describes Light as having an eternal verity and as operative within the human spirit. He further asks, “Is not true healing the rediscovery of this Light, and the taking it into our being?”

The following questions naturally arise: How does one promote the flow of this life-giving force? How does the human find resonance with the Divine? And lastly, how does one turn away from the resistance factors of illness? Much of the rest of this discussion will relate to these three vital points.

Most significant in the new Holistic Health movement is the emphasis on the physician’s turning over the responsibility of the healing to the patient and merely acting as a guide during the process. History tends to show that the healer is within the person, and if there is no interference and a true dedication, the body and mind tend to heal themselves. Possibly, the centuries-old method of fasting may be the best initial procedure for many illnesses, its purpose being a clearing of the resistances to the natural healing process. In the Meadowlark experience, where several thousand fasts have been conducted, personal symptoms of illness seem to fade into the background and disappear. These then tend to be replaced by a feeling of a new freshness in the body, a clarity of mind and spiritual insights.

...there are two significant steps in any depth healing; first, the discovery of the personal self, and second, an awareness of the spiritual self.

To further improve the environment of the individual, the field of medical ecology has recently come into focus. The need of this approach was well stated one hundred and thirty years ago by chief Seattle of Dunwanish Tribe in a letter to President Franklin Pierce: “Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste. When the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses all tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with sweat of many men, and the view of the ripe hills blotted out by talking wires, where is the thicket? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone…” Today the truth of this prediction is all too evident in the multiple sources of contamination of our environment which has remained in its natural state. There is still time to effect the change, but unless there is an escalation of attention to the problems of contamination through radiation, the chemical pollution of air, water, soil, food, and mind (the latter through the negativity of the media), the future of the human race is by no means promising.

THE DISCOVERY OF THE PERSON As recounted by Assagioli, there are two significant steps in any depth healing; first, the discovery of the personal self, and second, an awareness of the spiritual self. The earth is covered with myriad forms of life, each species (with one exception, the human being), having a distinctive behaviour pattern. It is hardly likely that anyone would mistake the reactions of a lion with those of a lamb. Each human being exhibits characteristics and abilities, either latent or expressed, that are entirely unique. Jesus pictured this in his parable of the talents.

The great human problem is that for the most part, these talents lie buried. In the words of Emerson: “The common experience is that man fits himself as well as he can to the customary details of that work or trade he falls into…Then he is a part of the machine, the man is lost.”

Self-discovery means coming to terms with one’s own reality and no longer having the need of being an actor on the stage playing many parts, donning many costumes, continued on next page...

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but seldom speaking one’s own words. Life needs to turn from the all-too-prevalent concept of anti-death to PRO-LIFE. As one Peace Corps worker put it, “I can no longer work effectively in the barriada ‘helping people’ until I work with myself to reach a higher level of awareness and self-conciousness”. Changing anxiety into faith and fear into trust is part of the process. If love of one’s own person does not include love of the body, the message is not likely to get very far. Many today are virtually at war with their bodies because they are too fat, hips are too prominent, skin too rough or muscles not sufficiently developed. Then there are many suppressed emotions from unsuccessful marriages, poor grades in school, unpublished papers, loss of jobs and buried feelings of anger, rejection and grief.

“I have walked the sky alone, and marvelled at the beauty. The ecstasy I saw and Heard and felt.”

Recognising and dealing with these heavy emotions is an essential part of the healing process.

If not coped with adequately, they are likely to become the seeds of future illness. Florence C. had to develop cancer before she discovered her lack of love for those whose beliefs differed from her own. It was because of the experience of cancer surgery and the unconditional love from the nurses who cared for her that she left the hospital eagerly anticipating the opportunity of turning her life around. Frank D., a car salesman, was fighting deep depression and disappointment. While spending a few moments in the chapel, a verse came to him about his inner war that, as he said, was consuming his whole being. In the midst of this state, the words, accompanied by a great experience of light, revealed to him that his unseen enemy was the non-loving part of his own self. He further came to the realisation that a deep sense of harmony was in the air and all about him; he had only to recognise it.

Thus, as a newborn’s sense of confidence begins to replace the fears of yesterday, the salesman discovers buried sources of creativity, the depressed menopausal woman once again finds her place at the piano, the retired banker discovers the joy of raising funds for crippled children. So it goes. Always, the inner Self, the true person, has to be recognised before real healing can be initiated.

FROM ILLNESS TO SELF REALISATION The well-known psychiatrist and Bible student, Paul Tournier, talks of the self and the loss of the self. He points out that the psychologist bids the client to express anger, while Jesus suggests turning the other cheek. Tournier then goes on to point out the compatibility of these two seemingly irreconcilable statements. To those who had not made the discovery of their own uniqueness, Jesus became the servant who washed their feet. To others, such as the rich man, he became the master who bid him leave all and follow Him. Only as we discover personal significance to life and experience the great power of love can we give meaningfully to others. At first, the giving up of self may seem too great a sacrifice. However, the rewards are far greater than anticipated. It is like the river running out into the sea. Who can say where they meet? As the river loses its particular identity, it takes on a far greater one that makes the loss seem naught. Here are a few examples of the new awareness that can take place during a fast: Dollie: after a painful period of hospitalisation, went through a group fast. She noted her pain had subsided, and that she was eating things she previously would not have dared touch. One day as she was sitting under the spreading arms of a pepper tree, the following words came to her: “I have the armour of my dreams. Though hot and dusty be the way.

Dear body, I hear the splash of cooling streams I can feel the salty kiss of spray. All pitiless the sun may beat. Yet coolest shade by spirit knows. My mind escapes the scorching heat.

Where many a monarch forest grows.”

John: emerging from a long-standing depression, one sleepless night heard the following words: “In many glorious nights, I have walked the sky alone, And marvelled at the beauty, The ecstasy I saw and Heard and felt.”

Charlotte: during the healing of her colitis, wrote of her chapel experience: “The words came to me, ‘I AM HE and I AM PRAYER’. Time was when I would have thought these words blasphemous, but not now. God uniting with me, creates the Inner Christ, an embodiment of prayer or a sustained man-God relationship.”

Geri: had been in six accidents in a span of six years and was in a suicidal state of mind.

She went through a therapeutic fast to cleanse her body and mind of the effects of the many medications she had been given during her hospitalisations. As a part of the experience she kept a personal journal, and asked nightly for guidance through dreams. One night she dreamed she saw herself looking down on her body as it was stretched out on a bed. She

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INSPIRATIONS

was surrounded by four monks, and their words of a poem came to her, the last lines of which read: “The room burst with radiant light, My heart filled with joy, My body arose as a child so bright, Like a mystical toy.’

Your awareness has come from a night filled with storm, You don’t have to die to be reborn.”

In such moments that which was unclear takes on clarity; the troubled mind discovers a sense of peace; the scientist finds his answer; the composer hears the new composition; and life begins to have a new sense of meaning. These experiences may be heralded by a great inrush of light, or an indescribable sense of peace. While this may be of brief duration at first, it can come to be an under girding of the very fabric of daily life. In the words of Thomas Kelley, “There is a way of ordering our mental life on more than one level at once. At one level we may be thinking, discussing, seeing, calculating, meeting the demands of external affairs. But deep within, behind the scenes at a more profound level, we may also be in prayer and adoration, song and worship and a gentle receptiveness to divine breathings.”

SUMMARY AND OVERVIEW From the above discussion, it can be seen that the art of medicine has been largely replaced by a laboratory science. The personal touch has been lost for the most part. Any idea that human beings are part of a vast network of Life itself have faded far into the background.

The current role of the physician has been relegated to the diagnosis and treatment of independent disease states. Having attached the appropriate labels, it is then his responsibility to prescribe the indicated drugs or to perform the needed surgery. In the case of the psychiatrist, the emotional problems of the patient are to be audited in a detached manner. Any relationship of physician to patient is generally considered of little importance as far as the outcome of treatment is concerned.

Finally, in order to be truly effective, the primary thrust of medicine in the days ahead must be directed less toward the static concepts of present-day physical orientation, and more toward a dynamic view of a living human being. True health implies a goal for one’s life, and a driving ambition to reach it. ✦ Regarded as “the Father of Holistic Medicine,” Evarts G. Loomis, MD, was an internationally known homeopathic physician, surgeon, author, lecturer, and visionary. After serving as a dog-sled doctor with the Grenfell Mission in Newfoundland, UNRR in Algeria and the Friends Ambulance Unit in China, he founded Meadowlark, America’s first holistic medical retreat. Evarts died in 2003 not long after being honoured at the AHMA’s 25th anniversary conference as a Holistic Medicine Pioneer. Evarts’ wisdom and knowledge is timeless and continues to influence holistic practitioners around the globe.

Holistic practitioners, authors of books on holistic modalities, and those who have benefited from holistic treatment are all indebted to Evarts’ unwavering pioneering spirit, his vision of holism, and his ability to synthesize it into a working model. For several years he struggled alone, in spite of criticism from traditional medicine – and even attempted arrests – to provide a template which is now rivaling mainstream medicine. Perhaps most important of all, he has lived the model that he created.

beauty is everywhere In recent years I have cultivated a beautiful little garden of succulent plants and cacti. I’d never seen any of these plants in flower, but still considered them interesting in their own right.

Just the other morning I went out to water this little garden and to my amazement the smallest of the cacti had quite suddenly produced three perfect white flowers which majestically towered above the tiny plant. The beauty of these blooms was astounding, particularly as they lasted onlya day, then disappeared from the planet, and the little cactus was again merely a little cactus. What a moment – I could easily have missed it.

It reminded me that life is truly beautiful. Just when we forget, just when we have started to believe the stories of suffering, wars and terrible events, just when we think everything is hopeless or start to think ‘what’s the point?’, life presents us with such a moment of pure beauty which somehow captures the essence of what life is all about, and instantly reawakens our faith and connection to the world we live in, restoring our enthusiasm for life.

It is these moments strung together which make a life. It is our perception of these moments which determines our happiness. There are potentially many beautiful pictures in life, yet in all our busyness and preoccupations it is quite likely that we walk right by without even noticing. In every moment of our lives we are unconsciously choosing to see certain things, for example, we can see the problems in the world and feel despair, or we can see the beauty in nature and feel joy. How we perceive the world and how we respond to it is largely up to us. This explains how two people can observe the same thing but ‘see’ something completely different! It is not indulgent or myopic to focus on what is beautiful in the world to the exclusion of the horrible stuff.

It is okay to be happy even if others are not! It is okay to have faith in ourselves and humanity when others are cynical and disbelieving.

It may even be essential for our health and healing to look for the beauty within ourselves, within others, within every moment! Beauty has the potential to heal on many levels.

Our mere gaze has so much power. Turning it in on ourselves and seeing the beauty within helps us cultivate self-acceptance and an inner tranquillity. By looking for the beauty in others we are affirming what is good and lovely in them, giving them the confidence to realise their potential. By admiring the beauty in nature we are helping to heal our wonderful planet. Be careful where you cast your gaze, use the power of it for good, look for beauty in the world, and pause to appreciate life’s precious moments – you will be amazed at just how beautiful life can be!

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“All that you are is a result of all that you have thought...”

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By Dr. Michael G Millett

At the height of their civilisation Greek medicine reached a level of insight which was not to be achieved again until Paracelsus (1493 – 1541), more properly Theophrastus Phillippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim, the father of alternative medicine – 2000 years later. He was a contemporary of Nicholas Copernicus, Martin Luther, Leonardo da Vinci and a host of other figures we associate with the shattering of medieval thought and a re-birth.

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he Body or “Soma” is a complex bio-computer made up countless cells and nerves that register every significant event in our lives. The body mind principle of Somatic Processing recognises that the Body is a “Somatic Library” of emotions and beliefs; the energy and information of psycho-emotional experiences that have been imprinted instantaneously into the cells of specific body areas, organs and tissues.

In effect the body has an actual psycho-emotional anatomy.

An extraordinary tapestry of structures, functions, emotions, memories, attitudes and beliefs – all intertwined, all affecting each other and manifesting in the final consequence. If you are unwell – YOUR BODY WON’T LIE TO YOU. It is trying to tell you what it doesn’t like. Symptoms are your body’s language to quit doing bad things to it and start doing good things for it.

“A truly healthy body will not need to call attention to itself!”

If you have a headache, back pain, chronic disease, pain or inflammation, it is urging you to find and fix the cause.

Antiquated ideas about the physics of consciousness and the body are changing – fast! Changing our belief systems about the mind-body connection and its influence on health is important to foster the process in people of healing themselves, which is the only true and permanent healing. We now know there is a link between disease and retained emotion. All occurrences that affect our life are registered in our cellular matrix.

If these events are traumatic (such as pain, illness, injury, grief, surgery, shock, trauma...) – they may exert a lasting effect upon the rest of our life. That’s why we often hear people say: “Ever since such-and-such happened, I never have had a day of peace, comfort, good health or happiness”.

In the past, we have had the standardised approach of contemporary medicine, which says that there is a magic potion in the form of a pill or drug for practically everything we have. Medicine today tends to be more and more chemistry and less and less healing in the classical sense. It is also a fact that many of our medical interventions do not get to the root cause of disease. The word “cure” is not even used. They are just treating the patient. “Curing” is a term that all medical people avoid. Their training is not geared towards that.

However, I do not for one moment wish to decry the chemistry because we owe it too much, but it is not the whole answer.

It seems to me that the lack in psychological insight – into the unconscious being of man – is possibly one of the saddest neglects of modern contemporary medicine.

The body can help itself! The power that made the body can heal the body. Health does not come from a pill, a potion, a lotion, surgery, a doctor or even an herb.

It comes from the body’s own innate intelligence or inborn wisdom to survive and rejuvenate. Our bodies ultimately are domains of information, intelligence and energy. The very fact that our body is an assembled mass of molecules implies that we are energetic entities. Further, quantum physics discovered

in the last decades that every particle of matter is associated with interaction and resonance quanta (parcels of energy) at a ratio of about 1 nucleon to 1 billion quanta. The quanta exhibit specific patterns and are susceptible to resonance.

These subtle energetic configurations (bodies) can be disturbed causing unwellness and pain.

Therefore, the body is a quantum mechanical device and Quantum Healing is healing the bodymind from a quantum level.

That means from a level, which is not manifest at a sensory level. Quantum Depth Healing involves a shift in the areas of energy information, so as to bring about a reconstruction in an idea that has gone wrong. So quantum healing involves healing one mode of consciousness “the mind” to bring about changes in another mode of consciousness “the body”.

Another important point in quantum biology is that consciousness is not consolidated or focused in any one particular place. Each thought, feeling, desire, attitude, instinct, or drive you have affects your nervous system through all it’s organs and tissues by a group of chemicals called neuropeptides in the brain. Each thought, feeling, desire, attitude, instinct, or drive you have affects your nervous system by means of these specific messenger units.

When scientists investigated immune system cells and t-cells that protect us from cancer and infection, they found that receptors to these same neuropeptides exist in the immune system cells and t-cells. Under emotional distress, the brain may signal the adrenal glands to produce chemicals called corticosteroids, hormones that weaken the immune response. Cancer-related processes are accelerated in the presence of these chemicals as well as other stress hormones like prolactin. Certain cancers have also been associated with distressing life events. In one study, the risk of developing breast cancer was five times higher if the woman had experienced an important emotional loss in the six years prior to the discovery of the tumour.

Since the unconscious mind is the controlling intelligence in the body, it is the connection between the mind and the immune system and the unconscious mind can communicate with any part of the body and can stimulate the healing process. Negative and trapped emotions as well as limiting decisions and beliefs connected to past memories trapped in the body are not beneficial to health and can start illness or impede getting well, and that is why we must release them! Many mental, emotional and physical diseases are preceded by a significant negative emotional experience (SEE).

Significant emotional experience is any major, highly charged emotional event. However, we might not be fully aware of the significance or gravity of a particular event in the past and its effect on us now. These experiences have the potential to create and often are the source of illness and diminish the quality of life because they are stored in the body and are harmful. These trapped emotions in the body can create obstructions that can impede the flow of nerve information through the neural network pathways and lead to all sorts of problems. continued on next page...

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MIND-BODY HEALING

“Quantum Depth Healing involves a shift in the areas of energy information, so as to bring about a reconstruction in an idea that has gone wrong.”

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Cancer is a disease that scares us the most and is one of the world`s biggest killers.

Cancer first begins when one or more of the billions of cells in our body breaks free from it`s normal restraints and starts to multiply in an abnormal, uncontrolled way.

This can happen to almost any type of body cell – bone, skin, blood and so on – so there are as many types of cancer as there are different cells in the body – about 200.

Growth of abnormal cells fall into two broad groups.

First are the oncogenes, mutated versions of healthy genes that normally stimulate cell division but, in this instance, become overactive so cell production runs out of control. Secondly, there are mutations that inactivate the tumour-suppresser genes that normally inhibit cell growth.

It takes far more than one fault to turn a cell into a cancer cell but, as we go through life, we tend to accumulate genetic mistakes and an accumulation of negative emotional experiences, which is why cancer is more common in the elderly.

More than 70 per cent of cancers in the UK occur in the over-65 age group. Could accumulated emotional trauma be a factor here? In about five to ten per cent of cancers, genetic faults are directly inherited, but the other 90 per cent are the result of DNA damage through cancer-causing compounds such as tobacco, chemical poisons, certain viruses, ionising radiation, sunlight and diet but what about the rest?

It is interesting to note that many cancers seem to develop out of the blue with many beginning in body tissues that were previously normal. I wonder what percentage of cancers develop out of the blue? A huge percentage, I can tell you!

Again the connection between emotional stress and cancer survival can be explained by recent findings in psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). Its research suggests that the persistence of cancer cells depends in part on internal body controls that retrain or stimulate tissue growth; psychological factors appear to regulate these controls through neurological, hormonal, and immunologic pathways. These and other mind/body links could play a major role in determining a person’s ability to survive cancer and mind/body therapies should be employed to alleviate these psychological factors.

Dr. Hamer in Germany began his own work in Cancer research with a personal tragedy when his teenage son was killed. Several years later, Dr. Hamer developed cancer and survived. He began to research over 10,000 cases, studying the incidence of severe emotional trauma and the onset of cancer and his results were startling.

All cancers are caused by damage to the DNA, which in turn, causes faulty genetic instructions to be given to the cell.

Damaged cells then reproduce themselves with the same genetic mistake, which makes them grow abnormally to form a tumour.

Dr. Hamer through his research directly states that all cancer starts with a severe psychological conflict and when a major SEE occurs, there is trapped emotion in the brain. The brain suffers something like a mild stroke and starts sending wrong information to a specific part of the body, and mutations start in a number of genes there that allow the growth of abnormal cells. Evidence shows that the onsets of cancer symptoms occur one to three years after the SEE.

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The nature of the SEE determines the area of the brain, the type of cancer, and the rate of its growth. Even a small imagined conflict SEE could be enough to start or restart the cancer symptoms. As soon as the SEE is released, immediately a change occurs in the area where the trapped emotions were.

This can be seen on a CT Scan! Once this occurs, the cancer growth stops and healing begins. This link between disease and retained emotion is very real! Toxic emotions are powerful, strongly held, and often unconsciously active beliefs and emotions that help generate symptoms that keep illnesses in place.

A thought held long enough and repeated enough becomes a belief and the belief then becomes biology. * It must be mentioned here that in 2005 Dr. Hamer was accused by the “Tribunal de Grande Instance” in Chambéry, France, of “agitation against medical science and instigation of the New Medicine, with the purpose of its practice” (Inquiry Custody Order since 1993) – Author’s notes The longest study to date, initiated in 1946, focused on students from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Researchers divided 972 of the students into five groups based on various psychological measures.

Over the course of three decades, students characterised as “loners” who suppressed their emotions beneath a bland exterior were 16 times more likely to develop cancer than those who gave vent to their feelings. In an earlier report, based on 1,337 students, cancer death rates correlated significantly with a lack of closeness with parents.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine – Pan Mingji, in his book Cancer Treatment with Fu Zheng Pei Ben Principle, presents a section on etiology of cancer, listing 5 contributing factors. The first item mentioned is emotional disturbance: Traditional Chinese Medicine embodies changes of spirit and sentiment as the seven emotions: pleasure, anger, grief, fear, yearning, sorrow, surprise, all of which are emotional, physiological reactions of an organism towards external changes in its environment. Emotional disturbance refers to reactions, either excessive (excitation) or insufficient (inhibition) which ultimately leads to disturbances in the flowing of qi and blood and the visceral functions, with subsequent illness.

Traditional Chinese Medicine claims rage harms the liver, excessive stimulation harms the heart, grief harms the spleen, great sorrow harms the lungs, and fear harms the kidneys. Though not necessarily precise, this belief points out that emotional injury effects the physiological functions of the qi, blood, viscera, and channels, and lowers the body resistance, resulting in disease. The human body is susceptible to cancer when under emotional stress or disturbance.

This is mentioned early in Chinese medical classics, such as Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine and Golden Mirror of Original Medicine.

How do you know if you have something to release from a past event? Go back to a memory in your mind that does not contain a trauma or phobia and associate fully into it by putting yourself into the picture and looking through your own eyes. If you recall the memory and you feel any negative emotions and feelings in your body, then that is an indication there is negative emotional content to the memory, and trapped emotion in your body and you need to sort it out.

Not only do releasing trapped negative emotions, decisions and beliefs clear up physical health, it also has the potential to improve mental and emotional health. Freedom from the past contributes to an altogether better quality of life, along with motivation and confidence to take charge of your life.

Any memory that triggers anger, hurt, sadness, fear or guilt needs to be healed and released through therapeutic interventions. It is also imperative that all traumas and phobias should be eliminated and neutralised with the help of a trained and professional facilitator as a matter of urgency.

Meditation and my own Elevated Energy Therapy (EET) Kundalini Protocol are also helpful and important aspects of all the approaches that one can use in quantum depth healing, because it allows you to experience your own source. It allows you to be available to your own experience. When you experience your own source, you realise that you are not your thoughts.

You are the thinker behind the thought, the observer behind the observation, the unlimited potential of consciousness. When you have that on the experiential level, you spontaneously realise that you have choices, and that you can action these choices, not through willpower alone but spontaneously and naturally Quantum Depth Healing and a quantum approach in therapy addresses the WHOLE PERSON, so it may include a variety of strategies (see below) to deal with negative emotional content to a memory, and trapped emotion in your body. These therapeutic approaches and techniques help release the sequential storage of emotion that is at the root of disease. There are restrictions that block full expression of the Unlimited Essential Self and stop you returning to the wholeness of being and remaining there. By removing the precursor and restrictions, your capacity to be well is infinitely transformed.

It is also important to continue any traditional medical treatment that you are undergoing as with all non-traditional approaches, anyone with a life threatening dis-ease should see a medical doctor as well. Working therapeutically through Quantum Depth Healing forms an adjunct to that.

Quantum Depth Healing is not just about the physical manifestations of disease but about core level shift in your being, it can help you enter a new phase in your life: to become well and stay well through using and combining the “elevated” therapies listed below through the mind, body and spirit:

Hypnotherapy An efficient, exciting and enlightening tool for your personal, emotional and also spiritual growth if required. A state of deep relaxation in which the unconscious mind is extraordinarily receptive to positive thoughts and suggestions. The goal of this approach is promote an openness of emotions and assist people in dealing with events both past and present without unnecessary difficulties. By expressing yourself and increasing self-awareness – inner harmony, positive feelings and compassion can restore both your mental and physical well-being achieving the inner balance that helps keep negative stress under control.

Used also for instilling positive messages in your unconscious and replacing the negative messages thus helping you with your goals and ultimately developing enrichment.

Transpersonal Hypnosis Used as a tool to access and explore the fascinating realm of the unconscious and spiritual mind and the higher self. It can help by going beyond the individual to consider the deep connections between human beings and our capacity to transcend the limitations of a three-dimensional consciousness.

This can also help you to uncover unresolved issues and release restrictive emotions and memories so you can regain balance and control of your life.

NLP Neuro-Linguistic Programming studies the structure of how you individually think and experience the world. From this information, techniques for quickly and effectively changing thoughts, behaviours and beliefs that limit you have been developed. continued on next page...

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...from previous page

Reiki A method of natural healing based on the application of Universal Life Force Energy. It is not the popular conception of removal of symptoms. Healing is full and complete resolution of the causes of your disease. Healing is returning to a state of alignment with your Higher Self or true way of being.

Chakra Balancing

We should remind ourselves that the words “healing” and “holy” come from the same original idea of “making whole”.

Balancing and realigning your Chakras and Meridian Lines which may be distorted, out of alignment or even stagnant. This blocks life force energy flowing in and out freely and your physical body may suffer. Stress, inability to express emotions, beliefs incongruent with Truth, disconnection from a higher power, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, exposure to toxicity, negative emotions etc. can cause your chakra system to close down.

Rebirthing Using breathwork and focussed awareness to easily release long-suppressed negative blocked emotions which brings about massive and positive changes in your health, consciousness, self-esteem, personal power and life in general.

Focusing Consists of specific steps for getting a body sense of how you are in a particular life situation. It begins with the body and occurs in the zone between the conscious and the unconscious. Focusing is coming to know the whole of what your experience “knows,” about whatever it is you are dealing with just now.

Focusing is more than being in touch with your feelings, greater than just thinking about your problem and different from body work. You experience a physical change in the way that the issue is being lived in the body. You learn to live in a deeper place than just thoughts or feelings. The whole issue looks different and new solutions arise.

The Energy Psychotherapies Working with your emotions and disruptions in your body’s energy system through stimulating certain meridian points while you are “tuned in” to the problem or issue. This rapidly eliminates/neutralises negative emotions and the self-limiting beliefs which lead to your numerous everyday problems of human adjustment, personal ineffectiveness, emotional pain, dissatisfaction, and personal blocks.

Energy Medicine For moving and freeing Body, Mind and Spirit through the body’s energy systems. Your health problems can be diminished, and overcome, by intelligently shifting the energies that maintain them. By keeping your energies balanced and humming, you increase your vitality, effectiveness, and joy in life!

All of the above approaches can help and support the neutralising of infections – repairing relationships – building one’s self-esteem – improving the immune system – releasing pent-up emotional charges – eliminating residue of physical trauma – dealing with experiences of shock – re-programming old patterns – re-establishing proper communication amongst organs, systems, meridians and the brain – finding your own path in life and fulfilling deficient matrix-patterns in your Energy Field.

Releasing trapped negative emotions, decisions and beliefs helps to clear up physical health as well as mental and emotional health, helping you to become well and stay well. We should remind ourselves that the words “healing” and “holy” come from the same original idea of “making whole”.

So, begin your joyous journey NOW along the road to your “true”, “well” and “WHOLE” self. ✦

This article is from the Elevated Therapy International website: www.elevatedtherapy.org.uk.

Dr. Michael G Millett is not a Medical Doctor and wrote this article to enhance public access to help and information and its initiatives and therapy and personal development in general. His goal is to keep information timely and accurate and ultimately empower people. Any person with medical or deep or complicated emotional, psychological, and / or spiritual issues should seek professional help, medical intervention or personal counselling, healing or therapy face to face immediately and not use the information in this article to diagnose or treat.

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MIND-BODY HEALING

CARE OF THE SOUL IN MODERN MEDICINE In his latest volume on everyday upkeep of the

soul, psychotherapist/theologist and prolific author Moore (Care of the Soul, Soul Mates, Dark Knights of the Soul) looks at the ways that health care addresses the spirit and soul – with body, the three distinct aspects of the human condition – and the how it can do so better. Addressing providers and patients, Moore gives readers ways to tell if a doctor works with his soul, explaining why a good bedside manner – a sense of connection, a willingness to take off the mask – is a vital characteristic of an effective healer, but also addresses topics like a provider’s sense of calling, spiritual meaning, the relevance of emotional and personality issues, and the physical environment itself. An understanding of often-unconscious factors he calls “emotional complexes” is key, and Moore takes readers through his concepts with an insightful and accessible voice, offering much reassurance and love as he goes. Citing his extensive scholarly background and his own experience with doctors, Moore challenges the modern notion of dispassionate and highly regimented health care, offering practical and conceptually simple ideas to incorporate awareness of “soul” into the health care equation.

Few experiences stir the emotions and throw a person into crisis as illness does.

If affects not only the body but also the spirit and soul. Illness is about life and death, fear and hope, love and conflict, spirit and body. And yet, the healthcare system is not structured around these considerations–our doctors and other medical professionals are not trained to deal with the whole person.

Care of the Soul In Medicine is Moore’s manifesto about the future of healthcare.

In this new vision of care, Moore speaks to the importance of healing a person rather than simply treating a body. He gives advice to both healthcare providers and patients for maintaining dignity and humanity. He provides spiritual guidance for dealing with feelings of mortality and threat, encouraging patients to not only take an active part in healing but also to view illness as a positive passage to new awareness. While we don’t fully understand the extent to which healing depends on attitude; it has been shown that healing needs to focus on more than the body.

Care of the Soul in Medicine represents Moore’s vision for improving health care.

It spells out how health-care workers can care for their patients as whole persons – body, soul, and spirit. While sharing stories from his personal and professional life, he gives advice to both health-care providers and patients for maintaining dignity and humanity, providing spiritual guidance for dealing with feelings of mortality and threat, encouraging patients to not only take an active part in healing but also to view illness as a positive passage to new awareness.

Thomas has spent thirty years as a psychotherapist and knows firsthand the deep issues involved in suffering and healing. For this book in particular, he has participated in dozens of medical conferences, visited hospitals and medical schools in several countries, and dedicated two years, two days a month, to interviewing every kind of worker, from the CEO to the housekeeping staff of St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. Among the medical centers where he has lectured are McGill University Medical School, the University of Tennessee Medical School, the University of Minnesota program in Spirituality and Healing, the Mayo Clinic, NYU Cancer Center, Sloan-Kettering, Hermann Memorial in Houston, the Irish Hospice Foundation, and several smaller nonteaching hospitals and hospices.

The book is written to both caregivers and patients, offering ideas for enriching their sense of calling and responsiveness and specific solutions to common problems in health care. ✦

Review from www.amazon.com. Care of the Soul in Modern Medicine is availoable from amazon. com and bookstores.

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By Jessica Merrells

I was studying in year 12 last year and just after I had completed

the semester one exams, on the 4th of July, 2009 I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) and was forced to pull out completely from my schooling. To this day I still get told frequently that I was in a very bad state and should have died. After 13 months of intense chemotherapy and many complications I am now doing much better and have started working part time.

I was achieving high marks in all of my subjects and was striving towards receiving the dux award at the end of the year and getting a TER in the high nineties to easily gain entry into my desired course of Occupational Therapy.

After the 4th of July, 2009 when I was diagnosed with ALL, I remained in Royal Perth Hospital for 3 and a half weeks without being allowed out of my room unless wearing a mask due to my extremely low white blood cells and high chance of getting infections. During this time I lost all my hair and was often in too much pain or too tired to even watch the full length of a movie. I kept thinking that I would just wake up from this nightmare I was in at any second and that life would return to normal, but it never did. It was so surreal, it is something you hear about happening to other people but never think it could actually happen to you.

After this period I was declared to be in remission. Like many others, if no one close to you has ever experienced cancer, you often don’t realise what this actually means. In our situation we thought that was chemo over for me, that I was in the clear and that my life would return to normal from then on. But this was not the case at all. Despite being in remission, we then found out

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that chemo would continue intensively for 9 months and then I would start the maintenance phase which would continue for another 18 months. This period was just like being in an emotional rollercoaster which in some ways has just kept on going.

Many people asked me what I did during this time when I was at home receiving chemo and not at school anymore but the truth is I was too sick to do anything at all. Between hospital visits, blood transfusions, intrathecals and chemo, there were only two moments in the whole 10 months that I actually felt ‘bored.’ It wasn’t that every other moment was spent doing things, they were just spent not even able to contemplate doing anything at all.

I had several central lines and PICC lines put in and taken out due to thrombosis that appeared. It was then decided that I would have a Port-a-catheter put in during October as a more permanent alternative. This was put in on the 22nd of October, 2009 and caused many complications and left me in excruciating pain for many nights on end for the next few months.

The next complication arose in November when I had my next hospital stay due to a dramatic rise in my triglycerides to over 30 and my cholesterol to over 15. After their initial diagnosis of pancreatitis, they later confirmed it was only an acute form of this caused by the chemo drugs I was on.

Early December I then developed a complication after an intrathecal which resulted in mind problems and I was not in any way responding or behaving in my usual manner. Still to this day there are 3 days during that period in which I only recall about half an hour of in total.

My next hurdle came in January 2010 on the 11th when my blood sugar levels went up to 32.

I was taken straight to hospital where I was immediately put on IV insulin. I remained on this until it had stabilised at a reasonable level and then when I was allowed to return home after a few days. I then administered my own insulin and was diagnosed with having drug induced diabetes. After already suffering with my condition for 6 months this was what we thought was the last straw. I became very down and just desperately wanted to return to living a normal life.

Then in February I came very close to being in ICU. I was rushed to hospital when my temperature soared up above the magic number 38. Also being neutropenic at the time developed further complications and after several scans it was recognised that I had Appendicitis. The surgeon came to see me about the operation and was quite hesitant in going ahead with it. I had platelets less than 30, a blood pressure of 80/30, neutrophils of under 0.5 and a temperature of 40.8. These are the conditions that if even one is present in a normal circumstance, the operation is called off, but with appendicitis, if it burst then you are then in an even more fragile state. I was told that more than just the appendix may be affected and that I may wake up after the surgery and have a bag attached to me; something a 17year old girl in an already unstable condition does not enjoy hearing. However the surgery was successful and I did not need a bag. I returned home after 2 weeks and finally during the middle of March completed the intensive phase of my chemotherapy protocol.

No amount of words on a piece of paper could ever describe my past year in any way that would show the severity and depth of sorrow felt throughout it. No one else will ever understand the pain, anguish and despair that I or anyone like me goes through. This, I believe, would be a common feeling amongst others who have also struggled along any trialling journey.

However, somehow reading about someone else’s struggles and realising you are not alone in your misery was and is a great comfort to people.

PERSONAL CANCER STORY

Jessica Merrells is 18 years old. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) last July. She has since published a book which chronicles both the suffering and insights of her cancer journey and the spiritual growth and deepening relationship and faith in God which resulted from her experiences with cancer.

“I have learnt so much from having cancer that I would never trade the last year and knowledge I have gained with anyone. My only aim is to now share it with others. I have grown in maturity and often feel far older than my actual age because of the life lessons I have learnt firsthand which many people are far from learning at 18.”

Looking back now I have learnt so much from my past year that I would never trade the last year and knowledge I have gained with anyone. My only aim is to now share it with others. I have grown in maturity and often feel far older than my actual age because of the life lessons I have learnt firsthand which many people are far from learning at 18. ✦

About the book For You I Will RUN is a book compiled from my father’s emails as well as my own thoughts during the period of my intense chemotherapy phase which lasted 9 months.

he said, “Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails.” (Jer 15:8)

For You I Will RUN gives insight into the topics of ‘God and suffering’ and ‘the unanswered prayer’. It explores the matter of what faith really means-even after the point of being tested and put through fire. It is easy to trust God in the sunny joyful times but what do we do during the valleys? This is when holding onto our faith is the most important but becomes substantially harder. Faith is more than an opinion about God. It does not alter with circumstance nor disposition nor attitude. What we learn through these valleys is that faith is, or least should be, constant through anything and everything in life. We should continue to trust in God because He is still there and we still believe that.

It is then we are left in a place where we are almost forced to just believe. Believe that God is still with us, that He still cares and that what He told us before; that He will not leave us nor forsake us, is still valid no matter how distant He may feel. We are desperate for Him to answer like He did to Jeremiah, when He says, “I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you.” (Jer 15:20)

Sometimes, when we feel like we have been abandoned by God, that we are not being answered and we feel like Jeremiah when

Jessica Merrells

But sometimes He doesn’t respond. We don’t all hear this clear voice answer us and we are forced to just believe that this is true. We have to have faith, because our faith is all we have left.

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Keep a to help you heal...

Writing down your thoughts and feelings is a therapeutic activity.

Paper and pen are the tools for your creative expression, joys and sorrows alike. Journaling can be a healing process to help you get in touch with your deepest yearnings, find resolve for problems, and deal with personal issues. Whatever type of painful emotion you are experiencing (grief, sadness, fear, isolation, etc.) expressing yourself in writing can help ease your discomfort.

Writing exercise to empty the mind of clutter Getting words down on paper can help clear your head of thoughts and ideas that are creating a mental swirl of confusion. Something as simple as keeping a grocery list can help free up the activity centre of your brain, making room for clearer thinking.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, suggests a writing exercise she calls ‘the morning pages’. Take three sheets of paper each day and with pen or pencil just start writing. This process is intended to allow a “stream-of-consciousness. It doesn’t matter what words or phrases you write down. It doesn’t matter if your sentence structure or grammar is poor. Nevermind misspellings. It doesn’t matter becvause the morning pages, unlike journals, are not for keeping...they are not to be read at all. After you’ve finished the writing exercise feed your papers directly into the paper shredder or toss them inside the recycle bin. The purpose of doing this exercise is to clear your brain of mindless clutter and discharge any emotional baggage connected to useless or negative thoughts.

In her creativity workshops, Julia teaches how we block our creative selves by not releasing our anger, our worries, our criticisms, etc. Things that block our creative juices flowing to the surface need an outlet. Writing can be a used as a venting tool to rid yourself of negative thinking.

Five types of journals • Daily Diary Writing a daily journal is one way to balance your emotional ups and downs. It is also an excellent way to communicate with your inner self.

• Gratitude Journal Express your joy and happiness by keeping a gratitude journal. Make a note of everything, no matter how small or how big, that gives you joy or brings you happiness. It is always beneficial to focus on the positives, but it is especially healing during the bumpy times to be able to turn to a book filled with positivity and gratitude in your own handwriting.

• Dream Diary Scenarios and symbology experienced during slumber have special meanings.

Record your dreams first thing in the morning while they are still fresh in your mind. Self analysis will come later when you have the time to explore the scribblings in your dream diary.

• Wellness Journal Write down all your thoughts, feelings, fears about your illness. Record your treatment and track your progress. Explore your hopes and dreams for the future and strategies for restoring health and regaining wellness.

• Memories Journal Writing down stories about your childhood makes for a good keepsake to pass down to your children, grandchildren, to be cherished by generations to come. While you’re at it, write down the stories told to you by your parents and grandparents. Write them down before they are lost forever. ✦

moon rise

Living in the hills I am fortunate to occasionally see the full moon rise in the east – a huge, luminous ball of pearly white light rising up from behind the black ranges. It doesn’t matter how many times I witness the moon rise, it is always a sublime experience reminding me of the transcendental power of nature and the miracle of life.

All of us are praying for a miracle of one kind or another and occasionally our prayers are answered – perhaps in a form we don’t appreciate at that time. Many cancer survivors, for example, will look back on their journey with cancer and in retrospect see it as an awakening or a gift. While we don’t always have our prayers answered in the form we wish for, all of us have moments of serendipity where it seems that the universe aligns and everything goes our way.

Mandy, October 2010

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Image: Harvest Moon by Amy Williams

By Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

T

here was a time when the New York Times could be counted on to invariably promote the US government’s “war on cancer.” In previous decades it touted every hopeful sign of progress and often conveyed the feeling that a cure was around the next corner.

Some readers may recall the celebrated May 1998 article, in which the Times announced two new drugs with this headline: “Hope in the Lab: A Cautious Awe Greets Drugs That Eradicate Tumours in Mice.” The article concerned two new agents, Endostatin and Angiostatin, developed by Harvard Professor Judah Folkman, MD. The article’s author, veteran science writer Gina Kolata, quoted the director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as saying that Folkman’s work was “the single most exciting thing on the horizon for the treatment of cancer.”

James Pluda, MD, also of NCI, said, “People were almost overwhelmed” by Folkman’s presentation. “The data were remarkable.” The Nobel laureate James Watson, MD, famously told Kolata, “Judah is going to cure cancer in two years.” But the millenium came and went without a cure. Angiostatin and endostatin have not lived up to expectations. A clinical trial in 40 patients at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, came up empty handed. The investigators concluded that treatment with endostatin “did not result in significant tumour regression in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumours” (Kulke 2006).

Now, Ms. Kolata is making waves again, albeit in a much more sober tone. Her front-page article on April 24, 2009 marked a turning point, as she described for Times readers a litany of failures in the war on cancer over the past few decades. The overall death rate for cancer, she revealed, when adjusted for the size and age of the population, dropped only 5 percent from 1950 to 2005. “In contrast,” she wrote, “the death rate for heart disease dropped 64 percent in that time, and for flu and pneumonia, it fell 58 percent.”

“Still,” she wrote, “the perception, fed by the medical profession and its marketers, and by popular sentiment, is that cancer can almost always be prevented. If that fails, it can usually be treated, even beaten.” I too wrote about this gap between perception and reality in my first book, The Cancer Industry, which came out in 1980. At that time, I was frustrated by the uninformed attitudes towards the war on cancer that I found at America’s “newspaper of record.” I am certainly encouraged that, 30 years later, they are finally waking up to the fact that things are not going well in the war on cancer.

Kolata focuses on the treatment of metastatic cancers. “With breast cancer, for example, only 20 percent with metastatic disease – cancer that has spread outside the breast, like to bones, brain, lungs or liver – live five years or more, barely changed since the war on cancer began” (Kolata 2009).

The situations with colon, lung and prostate cancer are no better, said Kolata: “With colourectal cancer, only 10 percent with metastatic disease survive five years. That number, too, has hardly changed over the past four decades. The number has long been about 30 percent for metastatic prostate cancer, and in the single digits for lung cancer.” These are the grim facts, despite $105

billion spent by NCI on the war on cancer since its inception in December 1971.

As is well known, President Barack Obama lost his mother, Ann Soetoro, and his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, to cancer. He is as well informed about the ravages of this disease as any president in modern times. He has spoken repeatedly about his desire to see cancer cured soon. He has also vowed that, as part of the economic stimulus package, he will increase federal funding for cancer research by a third for the next two years.

I also believe in generously funding cancer research. However, if the decades-long “war on cancer” has taught us anything it is that providing billions of dollars for research is not in itself a sufficient stimulus to real progress. What is far more important is the quality of the treatments being pursued. So far, NCI has focused its formidable resources on developing synthetic and patented pharmaceutical agents that can then be sold at astronomical prices. I am thinking here of the so-called ‘targeted’ drugs, such as bevacizumab (Avastin), which costs about $100,000 per year per patient.

Obama should examine the manner in which promising drugs are selected for development. As a rule, NCI works hand-inglove with giant pharmaceutical companies (or their surrogates) to research and develop new products. This cozy relationship with big business has left behind some of the most promising treatments that do not fit the mold. These are primarily treatments of natural origin that are not patentable or otherwise profitable to Wall Street. It is a case of “patents over patients”. This overemphasis on satisfying the needs of the stock market has fostered a greedy mentality in the cancer field. Sometimes, the purpose of performing research has become to generate profits, not to cure cancer in the most expeditious manner possible.

If I had some time alone with President Obama I would tell him that there are promising treatments for cancer awaiting development, but that have been neglected because they are deemed insufficiently profitable to big companies. The US President has stirred the entire world with his promises of change. When it comes to cancer, however, the White House needs to support and promote treatments based solely on their merits, without regard to the profits of Wall Street or the medical profession. That indeed will be change I can believe in. ✦

References Gina Kolata’s 2009 article can be found at: http://www.nytimes. com/2009/04/24/health/policy/24cancer.html?scp=1&sq=k...

Gina Kolata’s 1998 article: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/03/us/ hope-lab-special-report-cautious-awe-greets-drugs-that-eradicatetumours-mice.html?scp=3&sq=Judah+Folkman+and+Gina+Kolata (Or see http://www.nytimes.com) Kulke MH, Bergsland EK, Ryan DP, et al. Phase II study of recombinant human endostatin in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumours. J Clin Oncol. 2006;24:3555-3561.

Ezekiel Emanuel’s biography: http://www.bioethics.nih.gov/people/ emanuel-bio.shtml

From the Moss Reports, www.cancerdecisions.com

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NEWS & INFORMATION

New York Times Criticises “War on Cancer”

By Eckhart Tolle

“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.”

Eckhart Tolle

Earth, 114 million years ago, one morning just after sunrise: The first flower ever to appear on

the planet opens up to receive the rays of the sun. Prior to this momentous event that heralds an evolutionary transformation in the life of plants, the planet had already been covered in vegetation for millions of years. The first flower probably did not survive for long, and flowers must have remained rare and isolated phenomena, since conditions were most likely not yet favourable for a widespread flowering to occur. One day, however, a critical threshold was reached, and suddenly there would have been an explosion of colour and scent all over the planet–if a perceiving consciousness had been there to witness it.

Much later, those delicate and fragrant beings we call flowers would come to play an essential part in the evolution of consciousness of another species. Humans would increasingly be drawn to and fascinated by them. As the consciousness of human beings developed, flowers were most likely the first thing they came to value that had no utilitarian purpose for them, that is to say, was not linked in some way to survival. They provided inspiration to countless artists, poets, and mystics. Jesus tells us to contemplate the flowers and learn from them how to live. The Buddha is said to have given a “silent sermon” once during which he held up a flower and gazed at it.

After a while, one of those present, a monk called Mahakasyapa, began to smile. He is said to have been the only one who had understood the sermon. According to legend, that smile (that is to say, realization) was handed down by twenty-eight successive masters and much later became the origin of Zen. Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to that recognition. Without our fully realizing it, flowers would become for us an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves. Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal, and more delicate than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless. They not only had a scent that was delicate and pleasing to

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“All the things that truly matter, beauty, love, creativity, joy and inner peace – arise from beyond the mind.”

Eckhart Tolle

humans, but also brought a fragrance from the realm of spirit. Using the word “enlightenment” in a wider sense than the conventionally accepted one, we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants.

Any life-form in any realm – mineral, vegetable, animal, or human – can be said to undergo “enlightenment.” It is, however, an extremely rare occurrence since it is more than an evolutionary progression: It also implies a discontinuity in its development, a leap to an entirely different level of Being and, most important, a lessening of materiality.

What could be heavier and more impenetrable than a rock, the densest of all forms? And yet some rocks undergo a change in their molecular structure, turn into crystals, and so become transparent to the light. Some carbons, under inconceivable heat and pressure, turn into diamonds, and some heavy minerals into other precious stones. Most crawling reptilians, the most earthbound of all creatures, have remained unchanged for millions of years.

Some, however, grew feathers and wings and turned into birds, thus defying the force of gravity that had held them for so long. They didn’t become better at crawling or walking, but transcended crawling and walking entirely. Since time immemorial, flowers, crystals, precious stones, and birds have held special significance for the human spirit. Like all life-forms, they are, of course, temporary manifestations of the underlying one Life, one Consciousness. Their special significance and the reason why humans feel such fascination for and affinity with them can be attributed to their ethereal quality.

Once there is a certain degree of Presence, of still and alert attention in human beings’ perceptions, they can sense the divine life essence, the one indwelling consciousness or spirit in every creature, every life-form, recognise it as one with their own essence and so love it as themselves. Until this happens, however, most humans see only the outer forms, unaware of the inner essence, just as they are unaware of their own essence and identify only with their own physical and psychological form.

In the case of a flower, a crystal, precious stone, or bird, however, even someone with little or no Presence can occasionally sense that there is more there than the mere physical existence of that form, without knowing that this is the reason why he or she is drawn toward it, feels an affinity with it.

Because of its ethereal nature, its form obscures the indwelling spirit to a lesser degree than is the case with other life-forms. The exception to this are all newborn life-forms – babies, puppies, kittens, lambs, and so on. They are fragile, delicate, not yet firmly established in materiality. An innocence, a sweetness and beauty that are not of this world still shine through them. They delight even relatively insensitive humans.

So when you are alert and contemplate a flower, crystal, or bird without naming it mentally, it becomes a window for you into the formless. There is an inner opening, however slight, into the realm of spirit. This is why these three “en-lightened” life-forms have played such an important part in the evolution of human consciousness since ancient times; why, for example, the jewel in the lotus flower is a central symbol of Buddhism and a white bird, the dove, signifies the Holy Spirit in Christianity. They have been preparing the ground for a more profound shift in planetary consciousness that is destined to take place in the human species. This is the spiritual awakening that we are beginning to witness now. ✦ Excerpted from “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose” by Eckhart Tolle

Art and beauty are intrinsic to the healing experience. Robin Urton is a talented artist deeply connected to the healing spirit which is conveyed in her visionary artwork.

“I think of creating art as a “dreaming meditation”. Through a free-association of images, I explore the connecting relationship between internal and external forces. References to the natural world, cultural archetypes and personal dreams exist simultaneously. Frequent themes include birds, trees, botanicals, women and dreaming Buddhas.

Creating art opens me to a sense of wonder about the world. I am attracted to the patterns of nature, the intimacy and non-rationality of dreams, and images that speak to the symbolic mind.

While exploring the language of archetypal symbols, the paintings are open to personal interpretation. I share an affinity with surrealism, visionary art, and magic realism, but prefer no strict categories to describe what I do. The paintings are an invitation into imaginative realms.

The viewer completes the process through an openness to their own journey.” ✦ Robin lives in Portland, Oregon. She recently started a small art reproduction company, Dreambird Art, which features her cards, prints and pendants as an economic option for collecting her art. For more information, visit robinurton.com or dreambirdart.com.

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Image Credit: “Deep River Dreaming” by Robin Urton

and Dying

By Dr Li-Anne Yellachich

Through the practice

“How can I be dying and not feel like I am dying?” These were the first words a terminally ill patient

of mindfulness

When she first approached me, I was not sure if she was seeking me as a psychotherapist/counsellor, or through my more spiritual role (I teach vipassana, also known as insight or mindfulness meditation).

All I knew was that she had been told she only had a few months to live, was suffering considerably and was seeking my support.

meditation, Sophie

expressed to me.

perfects the art of

I saw her at my rooms, and later at the hospital where she spent the last few weeks of her life. I have changed any identifiable information and will call this patient Sophie.

living in her dying

Although Sophie benefited from psychological support at times, much of our time together involved teaching her, and refining her skills in, the art of mindfulness meditation. She came to see this as learning the art of dying.

months.

Sophie grieved over her young children’s impending loss of their mother, and then meticulously organised the provision of their care-taking for after her death. She anguished countless tears mourning over her personal loss of knowing she would never be able to attend her daughter’s wedding, and then made space to allow herself to enjoy the nine year old’s antics. She trembled at the terror of facing a painful death, and then relaxed into accepting, rather than fighting, her well-founded fears. Sophie learnt the art of living, and of dying, in the last five months of her life. I write this as a tribute to a remarkable person, who was gripped by confusion, sorrow, anger, anguish and terror when I first met her, and was at peace with a wisdom mind when I last saw her just prior to her death.

“I am so scared. I want to learn how to die without all this fear. I don’t want to spend the last months of my life like this. I don’t want this to be my children’s last memory of their mother”, Sophie sobbed.

I asked her, “How do you know you are afraid? Where in your body do you feel this?” I gestured by closing my eyes, suggesting she may like to do the same.

Sophie closed her eyes. She clenched her hand against her chest and said, “My chest is very tight, and my whole body is shaking”. She placed her hand back on her lap and said, “I feel so cold.”

I suggested, “Leave your hand on your chest. What do you feel with it there?”

She put her hand against her chest, then responded, “It’s so tight here, I can hardly breathe. I need to take a deep breath in”.

“Go ahead. Take a deep breath in”, I suggested. “What else do you feel?”

Sophie took a deep breath in. “I feel my chest expanding”, she said as she breathed in, “and relaxing a bit now”, she said as she breathed out.

I asked, “Can you feel your hand against your chest?” “Yes”, she said. “It feels warm. Comforting.

I’m not pressing hard, but just having this here feels like it is supporting my body, my whole being.

Holding me together.”

“Leave your hand there”, I suggested. “What else do you notice?”

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I watched as she relaxed a little into her current experience. I asked gently, “What are you experiencing now? What has happened with the shaking?”

“It’s more subtle now, but still there”, she responded. “My whole body trembles all the time. I don’t like it shaking like that, so I try to distract myself with doing lots of things”, she frowned.

“Would it be alright to stay with the trembling for a little bit now?”

“Yes”, she said quietly.

“What do you notice? Where does it feel the strongest?”

Sophie did not hesitate. “In my guts. I suddenly remember that I am going to die and I feel somersaults everywhere. My whole body shakes and I think I may as well be dead now, because I’m not really living anymore. I don’t want to live like this. I can’t stand it.”

“Do you feel somersaults in your guts now?”

“Yes”, she responded, with a sense of urgency. “It’s intolerable.

My chest is tight and I can’t breathe.”

“Can you still feel your hand against your chest?”

She paused. “Yes, I feel my hand. It’s not as comforting as before.”

“That’s alright”, I reassured her. “What does it feel like now?”

“It feels like my hand is moving with the shaking of my body”.

“Does that feel OK?” “Yes. It’s strange. My body is shaking, but it feels OK for it to be like that.”

“Yes, it’s OK for things to be like this.”

Sophie was visibly more at ease, and the anxious tension in the room dissipated. I commented, “You look more comfortable now.”

“I’m still shaking, but I am comfortable”, she said. “It’s tolerable now. It’s OK”.

She opened her eyes and looked at me, puzzled. She hesitated, then asked, “How can this be OK? How can I still be shaking, still be afraid, still know that I am going to die soon, yet be OK?” “It only needs to be OK for one moment: right now”, I responded.

“You don’t need to worry about what it might be like next week, tomorrow, or even in the next moment. Just notice what is happening for you now, and make space for allowing whatever you are experiencing (be it pleasant, unpleasant or neutral) to be OK. Make space for being alright with whatever you are currently feeling, and notice when this changes”.

Mindfulness is simple, but the art not easy. Mindfulness is about noticing what is happening, while it is happening, no matter what it is. The act of noticing moves our experience out of the consuming contents of our lives, into experiencing and accepting the process of being alive. This movement of mind allows an ease and freedom in life not otherwise possible in our normal mode of living.

Sophie experienced this movement away from the grips of her overwhelming experiences to mindfulness over and over again, initially in my presence and later on her own. She smiled as she recalled her children calling her a Buddha, meditating all day and night through her terrors, anguish, pain, as well as joys.

Sophie became adept at noticing challenging experiences without fighting her aversion to them. Learning to acknowledge and accept whatever she was experiencing enabled her to comfortably be with the confusion, pain, fear and sadness that were there at times, as well as appreciate hearing birds sing, feeling a warm blanket around her and seeing her children smile. She invited and embraced all the experiences offered by the remaining moments of her life. By directing her mind to every single one of life’s experiences, without prejudice, Sophie learnt to be comfortable with the uncertainty of living. She perfected the art of living in her dying months. ✦ Dr Li-Anne Yellachich’s work with clients incorporates her academic background in psychology, psychoanalytic psychotherapy and neuropsychiatry with her practice of mindfulness meditation, as guided by various revered Buddhist monks over the past two decades. Li-Anne shares her understanding of mindfulness through teaching and writing. www. li-anne.com.au

“The light of oneness is seeing, feeling and connecting to the divinity in all living beings and within ourselves. The light of oneness is to realise and to joyously express, ‘my precious teacher is the whole universe and I am in every being – one with the source in perfect balance, peace and harmony. Our true nature is already enlightened. We only need to purify our body, our mind, and open wide our heart and surrender to love. As one, we then bathe in the light of wellbeing, happiness, bliss and universal consciousness, blossoming and awakening to our true nature, our pure being, our home. We are the majestic waves of the Divine Cosmic Ocean.” Devi Atmajyotis Anniversary Print Edition 2010

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MIND-BODY HEALING

A slight smile emerged. “It feels nice. I’m not feeling as cold now. There’s warmth in my body again.”

Healing Mindfully

By Robert M. Oliva, CSW

M

editation is a great and simple way to deal with life’s stresses. Meditation calms the mind and the body. It produces a state of being all of us can learn and apply to our daily lives. As a part of a healthy lifestyle, meditation can add energy, focus and enjoyment to our personal experience. With as little as ten minutes a day, significant mental and physical improvement can be gained.

Meditation calms the mind and the body. It produces a state of being all of us can learn and apply to our daily lives. As a part of a healthy lifestyle, meditation can add energy, focus and enjoyment to our personal experience.

With as little as five minutes a day, significant mental and physical improvement can be gained.

As we age, our bodies and minds begin to show the signs of long-term stress. Meditation strengthens us and promotes continued health and vigour. It is an invaluable tool that balances our minds, bodies and spirits. Regular mediation practice creates a marvelous intergration physically, emotionally and spiritually.

THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

There is a growing body of scientific research indicating that meditation is highly effective in reducing physical and mental stress. Here are some of the results of over 500 studies on meditation: Meditation practice leads to increased strength of self-concept. With as little as a month of practice improved sense of self and elevated mood are experienced.

In a three month study of those practicing Transcendental Meditation at a Fortune 100 manufacturing firm, practitioners displayed relaxed physiological functioning, a reduction in anxiety, and reduced tension on the job.

Regular meditation practice is an effective technique for maintaining adequate coping with school, job, and personal stress. Practitioners have consistently scored higher than non practitioners in personal coping skills.

In a study of students, those practicing meditation showed a significant increase in both math and reading scores. Meditators have also scored high in reducing the abuse of drugs and alcohol.

Research indicates that meditation decreases stress, anxiety and depression, and lessens the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. On a physiological level, meditation practitioners experience a decrease in cortisol (a major stress hormone), normalisation of blood pressure, and improved heart function.

HOW TO MEDITATE

There are many effective ways of meditating. The technique described here is a variation found in Herbert Benson’s Relaxation Response, which is available in most bookstores. It is a simple way of gaining greater mastery of your mind, body and life.

To achieve the relaxation response, you first need to choose a word or phrase that is calming to you. It can be a religious term such as God, Jesus or Shalom or a phrase such as “Peace on Earth.” It can be a secular term or phrase, as well. Some people find the words “love” or “peace” calming. The point is that you need to choose something for yourself. Don’t pick something that adds to your tension.

A note of caution: sometimes during meditation, people experience uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. You can stop the meditation at any time. After you have decided on a word or phrase, follow these steps: - Sit in a quiet place. Preferably with your spine straight. Your posture can be the traditional lotus posture or simply sitting in a chair.

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MIND-BODY HEALING

the meditation A meditation practice doesn’t have to take hours. If you’re busy or new to meditation then start with our simple 5 minute meditation...

- Bring your attention to your breath. Experience the in and the out of the breath. Just follow your breathing calmly. Let yourself relax as you breathe.

1.

- Slowly close your eyes. Breathe naturally. Begin to recite your special word on each exhalation.

Feel yourself relax as you exhale. Don’t force your breathing! Just let it come naturally.

Whenever a thought or sensation comes to you just go back to the breath and word. Your thoughts will continue to flow. You may find yourself thinking of going shopping or last weekend’s date. You may even fall asleep. Don’t be frustrated. Just go back to the exhalation and recite your word. When done, take a deep cleansing breath and slowly open your eyes. Be gentle with yourself. Don’t stand up quickly.

Start with five minutes. Build up the time slowly until you can do 20 minutes. You might want to try two 20 minute sessions eventually, one in the morning and the other at night. If you can only do five minutes, don’t worry. We all have our comfort levels. Most people choose the early morning or evening to do their meditating. Pick a time that suits your lifestyle, but be consistent. Be patient and you will reap great rewards. ✦

Meditation is widely known to reduce stress and anxiety, but now science has proven that it may even help prevent illness.

In a study at the University of Wisconsin, researchers found that mindfulness meditation produced lasting positive changes in both the brain and the immune system.

The research team, led by Richard Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at UW, found that mindfulness meditation produced biological effects that improved the subjects’ resiliency. Those meditating also demonstrated stronger immune function than those in the control group.

Mindfulness meditation is often recommended to ease the stress and pain of chronic disease, as it can help practitioners accept thoughts and feelings as they occur and deepen awareness of positive emotions, such as compassion.

Spend the first minute just listening to your body. Ignore the mind and focus on the messages you are getting from the physical. Pay attention to all sensations, any pain, any tightness, any discomfort. Those are mini-signs asking you to give a little, extra attention and love to those areas of your body.

second minute, start focusing on your breathing. Just 2. Forpaytheattention to the gentle flow of air filling your body and slowing leaving your body. Allow your consciousness to filter out everything except for the flow of life force (air).

3.

For the third minute, deepen your breathing. Long, slow breaths in and out. Feel your lungs filling and releasing.

4.

For the fourth minute, continue to deepen and slow your breathing. Focus exclusively on the air entering your nostrils, traveling to your lungs, and exhaling out of your mouth.

5.

For the fifth minute, let your consciousness move back over your body. Notice any changes, any tension that has been released, any change in feelings or mental states.

Congratulations! You finished a five-minute meditation.

Give yourself some time to integrate back into regular life. It can be a shock to the system to go from a meditative state to instant action. Give yourself at least a few minutes to transition back.

Now it’s time to make a commitment to tomorrow. Can you spare five minutes somewhere in your day? Then you’re already half-way there to a regular meditation practice. With the right easy meditation techniques for beginners you’ll be feeling calm, cool and collected in 5 minutes a day.

Anniversary Print Edition 2010

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“Drawing is a way to deepen the spiritual practice

of seeing.”

Alex Grey

Alex Grey is one of the rare truly-inspired artists of our age. He not only paints humans with medical precision, but he also paints many dimensions of the actual human being. That is, he paints the actual subtle energy bodies of the human, as well as the obvious physical flesh body – creating a separate painting for each “plane” or “dimension” of the human energy field. This is truly higher-consciousness “visioning”! His paintings thereby offer a “glimpse” into the actual subtle auric energy-fields of humans. His art combines the Sacred-Divine with the precisionexternalisation of multi-dimensional vision.

All images and “The Vast Expanse” are by Alex Grey. For more information on the art of Alex Grey and The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors go to www.alexgrey.com. For the first time visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey will visit Australia to present their radiant portfolio of visionary paintings, drawings, and multimedia. The main event is in Melbourne at the iconic AstorTheatre in St. Kilda on Saturday January 29th 2011.

For more details go to www.agmtours.com

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I acknowledge the privilege of being alive in a human body at this moment, endowed with senses, memories, emotions, thoughts, and the space of mind in its wisdom aspect.

It is the prayer of my innermost being to realise my supreme identity in the liberated play of consciousness, the Vast Expanse. Now is the moment, Here is the place of Liberation.

Witness the contents of mind, the visions and sounds, the thoughts, as clouds passing through the vast expanse – the sky-like nature of mind. The rootedness of Being is in emptiness, clarity and awareness: unborn, unspoilt, stainlessly pure.

The infinite vibratory levels, the dimensions of interconnectedness are without end. There is nothing independent. All beings and things are residents in your awareness.

I subject my awareness to the perfection of being, the perfection of wisdom and perfection of love, all of these being co-present in the Vast Expanse. I share this panorama of Being and appreciate all I can share it with...the seamless interweaving of consciousness with each moment.

Create perfection wherever you go with your awareness. That is why this teaching is admired by artists – they sense the correctness of the response to life as creative. Life is infinite creative play. Enjoyment and participation in this creative play is the artists profound joy. We co-author every moment with universal creativity.

To bare our souls is all we ask, to give all we have to life and the beings surrounding us. Here the nature spirits are intense and we appreciate them, make offerings to them – these nature spirits who call us here – sealing our fate with each other, celebrating our love.

I am an intersecting kaleidoscope of Being in a rainbow refractive wave pattern: a corpuscle of light on the ocean...the transparency of my body with the rocks...sometimes the only way to summarise my feelings is to draw – to collapse the frenzy in my limbs enough to make a mark out of profound appreciation for my existence.

Share your presence with others, no boundaries, completely openly lovingly. Love is what makes us alive, that is why we feel so alive when we love. Service is being available to love.

Life is the combustion of love. That we love ourselves here, that is the true magnificence in the mountains of being. We are constantly drawing the line between love and not love – enter into the Non-duality Zone, and all judgements dissolve in the Vast Expanse.

It’s as though we are co-conspirators of consciousness – everyone, everywhere, everywhen, mixing up our openable minds. It’s as though we could gather clouds in the sky and people into our lives. Like an eruption of consciousness, we discover the most important force is love. Experience yourself as the Source and appreciate every moment as perfection. Sunrise – Sunset. Thank you, Thank you, Creator, profound unstoppable connectedness of all beings, pattern to everything, most radical no-thing, the Vast Expanse.

CSA member Karen Leibovitch has written a book which chronicles her journey with cancer, relationships, depression and the long, rocky road to recovery and healing.

By Mandy BeckerKnox Photo Credit: Craig Lee

In the early stages of cancer Karen Leibovitch longed for the ‘normal’ life she had before diagnosis. It didn’t take long to realise this was an impossible dream. Cancer had changed her deeply, changed her family, her relationships...and changed her definition of ‘normal’.

I

t may seem a remarkable achievement to have written a book while undergoing treatment for oral cancer, but for Karen Leibovitch writing was an essential part of her recovery. For many months it was her main form of communication. Not that she wrote with a view to it being read publicly – most of her writing was in the form of emails to her counsellor and this correspondence formed the basis of her book Two Years to ‘Normal’ A Journey with Cancer which has recently been published by Longueville Books.

Karen describes herself as an ‘accidental author’. She didn’t intend to publish a book, especially one so deeply personal and revealing – but based on the positive feedback from renowned author Sally Morgan and others, and her innate desire to help others, it was almost inevitable.

With eight offers from publishers nationwide it wasn’t long before the few hundred email transcripts were compiled into a compelling novel-length narrative about cancer, relationships, depression, and the long, rocky road to recovery and healing.

Before cancer, Karen was a busy mum with a counselling practice. The diagnosis of oral cancer was a shock and turned her family’s life upside down as she underwent treatment which involved the removal of part of her tongue which left her unable to speak.

‘Two Years to Normal’ is written in a conversational, friendly style and Karen’s sense of humour and generosity of spirit shines through the pages making it a compelling pageturner. It is an honest account of the ups and many downs of her journey with cancer. It is a book which will most likely be very helpful to others with cancer offering subtle but powerful tips on how to bring joy back into life after being diagnosed and treated with cancer.

“The point is,” says Karen, “this is not really about me. It is about sharing a story, revealing weaknesses and inspiring others to share their stories too so they won’t feel as lost and alone as I did. As a counsellor, I find it humbling to be able to connect with and help many people”.

Karen is a naturally vivacious and cheerful person who had always been conditioned to be ‘positive’. Even during the pain and trauma of cancer she maintained a positive demeanour, until the deep, debilitating depression which had been brewing under the surface overtook her completely.

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PERSONAL CANCER STORY

It was this ‘false’ positivity which proved to be the ultimate obstacle to connecting deeply with family and friends as it masked her true feelings of helplessness and despair. People would offer help and assistance but Karen was initially incapable of receiving it which left her feeling isolated. According to Karen, one of the core messages in the book is that it’s okay to accept help and even to ask for help and that this is an important part of the cancer journey.

“People have a need to give. People feel valued and needed when you ask them for help and indeed when we allow them to give it to us”. An inability to receive help can stem from feeling guilty about having a disease and the pressure it puts us all under. Cancer impacts heavily on family with treatment and trauma and care required. In my experiences, I think people ordinarily find it hard to ask for help let alone when trauma is upon us. We tend to be conditioned to give help but struggle receiving it.”

Because Karen so deeply understands the difficulty of reaching out to loved ones and the need for non-judgemental, supportive counselling, every book purchased supports the Cancer Council Helpline to help ensure the continuation of quality counselling in times of desperate need.

Karen believes so passionately in the importance of counselling and support that she is currently exploring the idea of setting up an online oral cancer forum where people can communicate freely using the written word. People with oral cancer are likely to be upset and frustrated at the inability to speak and an online forum is the ideal place to express those thoughts and feelings which would otherwise remain bottled up inside.

Two Years to Normal is an important book because it looks deeply at the emotional impact of cancer and how relationships dramatically change simply because of the disease. Karen found that one of the worst things about cancer was the way some people treated her – as if she had lost her intelligence as well as her voice!

• It’s not what we get in life but how we react which is important.

• Be flexible – don’t cling to rigid ideas.

• There’s no use resisting inevitable change so accept it and create a ‘new normal’.

• Stop wishing and focus on living.

• Don’t continually ask ‘‘Why Me?”. Instead ask “Well, why not me?”

So what does Karen’s new normal entail? With the publication of her book Karen has appeared on the 6PR Late Show, The Circle on Channel 10, Channel 10 News and so far been featured in the Sunday Times, West Australian, Western Suburbs and Post newspapers. She is a public speaker for the Cancer Council and Fitness First gymnasiums. She has had book signings in airports and bookshops across the nation and is well and truly on the Australian public speaking circuit – quite an achievement for someone who relearnt to speak just a few years ago! ✦ For Karen’s upcoming workshops and events go to her website www.karenleibovitch.com.

Ask for help when you need it. Accept it graciously when it is offered.

We’re all part of the same community and we all want the same things. Treat people with kindness and never judge others because of the way they look or sound.

Stay in the present. Live for Today. Hope for Tomorrow.

Appreciate every day.

Never Give Up. Keep taking small steps forward. There is always a door.

Don’t Fight It. Treat cancer like a dangerous friend! “Fighting” consumes your energy.

Hold onto your energy to enjoy life.

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What you don’t know about vitamins and minerals may destroy your health says nutrition expert Dr. Ben Kim who has worked with enough people who have hurt their health with synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements to know that experiencing vitamin and mineral toxicity is far more common than you might think.

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins, meaning that

these vitamins can be stored in your fat tissues. Even if you are super lean, your body has significant fat stores in and around all of your organs, as well as in the layer of fascia that lies between your muscles and skin. When consumed in excess, fat-soluble vitamins can cause a number of symptoms related to toxicity since they are easily stored in your body.

Water-soluble vitamins like the entire spectrum of B vitamins and vitamin C are not stored in your fat tissues. Although your body is capable of excreting excess amounts of water-soluble vitamins from your body (mainly through your urine), water-soluble vitamins can still be toxic to your system and cause significant damage to your tissues if consumed in excess.

Take, for example, vitamin B6. Some published studies indicate that taking large quantities of vitamin B6 (up to 75 mg per day) may alleviate symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. The generally recommended daily allowance of vitamin B6 is 1.3 to 1.7 mg per day. While your body will work to eliminate extraneous amounts of vitamin B6, if you regularly consume extremely large amounts of vitamin B6, you will almost certainly arrive at a day when your body will not be able to eliminate enough of the extraneous B6 to prevent B6-related toxicity and tissue damage. The same is true for other water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins; if regularly consumed in excess, vitamins and minerals can physically damage your cells.

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to avoid vitamin and mineral toxicity: it’s to avoid synthetic nutritional supplements, and to focus on eating fresh, minimally processed foods. Whole foods that are found in nature contain only trace amounts of vitamins and minerals. This is why vitamins and minerals are called micronutrients – they exist in micro amounts in natural foods, and they are needed by your body in micro amounts.

The trace amounts of vitamins and minerals that are found in minimally processed, natural foods are packaged together with large quantities of macronutrients like carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Vitamins and minerals in whole plant foods are also bundled together with fibre. When you obtain your vitamins and minerals from whole foods, the carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fibre in whole foods fill you up and tell you to take a break from eating before you consume dangerous levels of vitamins and minerals.

Whole foods contain much larger amounts of carbohydrates, protein, and fat than vitamins and minerals because carbohydrates, protein, and fat are the primary sources of fuel that you use to generate energy for all of your activities.

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Vitamins and minerals serve as enzymes and co-enzymes that allow your cells to metabaolise the sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids found in carbohydrates, protein, and fat. If you’ve studied biochemistry, take some time to review the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and why it is needed for your cells to synthesize energy (ATP) – this will allow you to clearly see the important roles that vitamins and minerals play on a microscopic level in your second-to-second metabolism.

The bottom line is this: the best and safest way to nourish your body with vitamins and minerals is to get them from whole, natural foods. While you can obtain significant quantities of the vitamins and minerals that you need from raw foods, to ensure optimal nourishment with vitamins and minerals, it doesn’t hurt to include some cooked foods, broths, and soups in your diet, as cooking vegetables can make some vitamins and minerals more easily accessible.

The best way to become deficient in vitamins and minerals is to eat foods that are highly processed. Highly processed foods that typically include large quantities of sugar, white flour, and cheap vegetable oils fill you up and give you the illusion that you have eaten enough to satisfy your nutrient needs, even though they are sparse in nutrients.

This is where the principle of nutrient-density comes in; a simple key to promoting nutritional excellence is to regularly eat foods that are nutrient-rich. This is another way of saying that you should mainly eat minimally processed whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and if in line with your beliefs, clean animal foods like organic eggs, wild fish, and organically raised flesh meats.

If your intake of fresh, whole foods is lacking at times, or if you find that the quality of produce that is available to you isn’t as good as it can be, you can safely ensure optimal intake of vitamins and minerals by consuming nutritional supplements that are made with whole foods.

Here are two key guidelines for choosing the best possible whole food supplements to ensure nutritional excellence: • Look for supplements that are made with 100% whole foods; if the ingredients label doesn’t clearly list only whole foods, and if you see fractionated chemicals like “ascorbic acid” or “Vitamin C” without an accompanying listing of a whole food source, then you are likely looking at a supplement that contains synthetic nutrients.

Add to Your Diet Daily 1-2 tablespoons of super green food formula (ie Vital Greens available in the CSA Wellness Shop – Ed) 2-3 teaspoons of acerola cherry powder 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil Sometimes, I mix all three with water in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously before drinking. At other times, I blend all three ingredients into a smoothie, using any fresh fruits on hand. My usual smoothie consists of 1 banana, 2 tablespoons of blueberries, 1 tablespoon of soaked goji berries, and 1-2 cups of a non-dairy milk, such as almond milk.

On days when my schedule is extra busy and I don’t have time to take the whole food supplements mentioned above, I take six tablets of a whole food vitamin and mineral formula. I like to split the six tablets into two portions; three in the morning, and three in the evening.

I also take a course of professional grade probiotic about once every three months to help ensure I have plenty of friendly bacteria in my intestines.

If you’re looking for specific recommendations on what to take, here are two programs I generally recommend:

Program One

• Look for supplements that come in dark glass jars. Dark glass jars (like amber-colored glass jars) are the best storage containers for preserving nutrient integrity because they are inert (chemically inactive), and they protect the essential fatty acids in whole foods. Plastic containers may allow oxygen to seep in over time, which can cause significant degradation of nutrient value. Most nutritional supplements are packaged in plastic bottles because plastic is cheap and doesn’t break.

The two programs outlined here are excellent adjuncts to a minimally processed, whole food diet, and can help to ensure that you safely ingest optimal amounts of the vitamins and minerals that you need to be at your best. But what if the amount of vitamins and minerals in the programs don’t match the number of milligrams you are looking for of certain vitamins and minerals? Please remember that most recommended values are based on synthetic nutrients, and don’t take into account all of the dietary and lifestyle factors that influence how efficiently you break down and utilise the nutrients in your foods and supplements.

• 1 serve of super green food formula (ie Vital Green – read label for directions and quantity) • 1 teaspoon of acerola cherry powder per 25kg of body weight per day • 1 teaspoon of cod liver oil or fish oil per 25kg of body weight per day – cod liver oil during colder months, and fish oil during warmer months if you get regular exposure to sunlight

Program Two • 6 tablets of 100% whole food vitamin and mineral formula, three in the morning, and three in the evening (if you have no known health challenges and eat plenty of fresh, natural foods, you may even consider taking less than this, say 1-2 tablets in the morning and 1-2 tablets in the evening) • 1-2 capsules of professional grade probiotic in the morning, and 1-2 capsules in the evening, as often as your digestive tract feels uncomfortable (whenever you have any symptoms of indigestion like gas and bloating for more than a few hours a day)

This program is a very general guideline. Anyone wnating to use supplements as part of a nutritional cancer regime should seek the advice and support of a nutritionist or naturopath.pecialising

• 1 teaspoon of fish oil per 50 pounds of body weight per day

in cancer care.

from: www.drbenkim.com Anniversary Print Edition 2010

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By Mike Adams

In a gathering of vitamin D researchers recently held in Toronto, Dr. Cedric Garland delivered blockbuster announcements: Breast cancer can be virtually “eradicated” by raising vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is “the cure” for breast cancer that the cancer industry ridiculously claims to be searching for. The cure already exists – but the breast cancer industry simply refuses to acknowledge any “cure” that doesn’t involve mammography, chemotherapy or high-profit pharmaceuticals.

Vi

Statement by Dr. Cedric Garland

This is the vitamin that could destroy the cancer industry and save millions of women from the degrading, harmful cancer “treatments” pushed by conventional medicine.

No wonder they don’t want to talk about it! The cancer industry would prefer to keep women ignorant about this vitamin that could save their breasts and their lives.

That’s the message vitamin D pioneer Dr. Cedric Garland delivered in Toronto Tuesday as part of the University of Toronto School of Medicine’s “Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency” conference – the largest gathering of vitamin D researchers in North America this year. More than 170 researchers, public health officials and health practitioners gathered at the UT Faculty club for the landmark event.

We reprint the full statement from Dr. Cedric Garland following the Vitamin D conference recently held in Toronto.

Garland’s presentation headlined a conference that reviewed many aspects of the emerging vitamin D research field – a booming

tamin D is finally gaining some of the recognition it deserves as a miraculous anti-cancer nutrient. It is the solution for cancer prevention. It could save hundreds of thousands of lives each year in the U.S. alone. Even Dr. Andrew Weil recently raised his recommendation of vitamin D to 2,000 IU per day.

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Breast cancer is a disease so directly related to vitamin D deficiency that a woman’s risk of contracting the disease can be ‘virtually eradicated’ by elevating her vitamin D status to what vitamin D scientists consider to be natural blood levels.

NUTRITION

Drink flax tea every morning to keep the body hydrated and healthy.

discipline that has seen more than 3,000 academic papers this calendar year alone, conference organizers said. That makes vitamin D by far the most prolific topic in medicine this year, with work connecting it with risk reduction in two dozen forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple scleroses and many other disorders.

Dr. Reinhold Vieth, Associate Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at University of Toronto, and Director of the Bone and Mineral Laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital, organized the event in conjunction with Grassroots Health – an international vitamin D advocacy group founded by breast cancer survivor Carole Baggerly.

Baggerly implored the research group to take action and encourage Canadians to learn more about vitamin D and to raise their vitamin D levels.

An estimated 22,700 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, according to the Canadian Cancer Society’s latest figures.

As much as 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient at some point in the year, according to University of Calgary research – largely due to Canada’s northerly latitudes and weak sun exposure. Sunshine is by far the most abundant source of vitamin D – called ‘The Sunshine Vitamin’ – with salmon and fortified milk being other sources. Vitamin D supplementation helps raise levels for many as well.

Recipe 1. Soak 1 tsp. organic golden flax seeds (linseed) in 1L. water overnight.

2. Simmer for 1 hour, strain into a jug & refrigerate, keeps 2-3 days.

3. Mix ½: ½ with hot water to drink.

Health benefits of flax tea • Flax tea may help enhance cardiovascular functions by lowering cholesterol levels and protecting against atherosclerosis.

Grassroots Health’s “D-action” panel – 30 of the world’s leading researchers on vitamin D and many other vitamin D supporters – recommend 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily and vitamin D blood levels of 100-150 nanomoles-per-liter as measured by a vitamin D blood test.

• Flax tea may be useful in fighting tumours, and hence, certain types of cancer.

Vieth pointed out that natural vitamin D levels of mammals who live outdoors in sunny climates is higher than that – up to 200 nanomoles-per liter. And Garland, whose presentation was entitled “Breast Cancer as a Vitamin D Deficiency Disease” presented data showing that raising one’s vitamin D status near those levels decreased breast cancer risk more than 77 percent.

• Flax tea may be helpful against disorders of the digestive system such as constipation and gastritis.

‘The Sunshine Vitamin’ was once thought of only for bone health, helping the body process calcium. But more recent work has shown that all cells in the body have “vitamin D receptors” which help control normal cell growth. Additionally, Garland presented new evidence that low vitamin D status compromises the integrity of calcium-based cellular bonding within tissues, which when eroded allow rogue cancer cells to spread more readily.

• Flax tea may be helpful in alleviating pain and tissue damage from such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and diverticulitis.

Grassroots Health is trying to raise vitamin D awareness among Canadians. Despite epidemic-level vitamin D deficiency in Canada, fewer than nine per cent of Canadians have ever had their vitamin D levels checked by a professional and most who have do not know their vitamin D blood level. ✦

• Flax tea may be helpful in stabilising blood sugar levels.

• Flax tea may be helpful in prevention of colon damage.

• Flax tea may be helpful in the treatment of cough, sore throat, bronchitis, and pleurisy.

• Flax tea contains lignins, a form of soluble fibre which absorbs toxic waste in the digestive system & reassures the colon that it is hydrated, therefore helping to prevent the body going on to adrenal alert or stress mode.

From: www.naturalnews.com, 8th February 2010

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CoQ10 appears to help ignite the cellular power stations that are necessary to maintain healthy cells. In other words, CoQ10 works by enhancing energy at the cellular level. CoQ10 is a natural substance that is produced by your body. It’s highly concentrated in heart muscle cells, which need all the energy they can get to keep your heart pumping over one hundred thousand times per day. CoQ10 is an immune system booster and antioxidant that helps you to avoid getting cancer, and may be helpful in treating it.

CoEnzyme Q10 – The Other Vitamin The startling fact is that CoEnzyme Q10 is a vitamin essential to our very lives, yet very few of us have ever heard about it until recently. Discovered in 1957 by Dr. Fred Crane at the University of Wisconsin, CoEnzyme Q10 is a nutrient necessary to the functioning of every cell in our bodies. Our bodies could not survive without CoEnzyme Q10. If body levels start dropping, so does our general health.

Scientists have estimated that once body levels of CoQ10 drop below the 25% deficiency levels, many health problems begin to flourish, including high blood pressure, heart attacks, angina, immune system depression, periodontal problems, lack of energy, weight gain, and even early death! A 75% drop in CoQ10 levels is fatal.

Benefits Coenzyme Q10 is found in every cell in the human body and is key to the process that produces 95% of the energy consumed at the cellular level.

It participates in this important role by acting as part of another class of substances, known as enzymes.

These important compounds are proteins found in plants, animals, humans – ALL living things. Their role is to facilitate, to act as a catalysts, in countless chemical reactions that take place in the human body. In essence, they make reactions happen without themselves being consumed in the reaction. When calcium is turned into bone, and enzyme makes the reaction possible, but the enzyme itself does not end up becoming part of the bone. When we digest our food, when we flex a muscle, when our heart beats, in some way an enzyme is playing a key role.

Enzymes consist of two parts, a protein portion made up of one of a variety of amino acids, and a cofactor portion that is either a mineral (like calcium, magnesium, or zinc) or a vitamin, the vitamin is called a coenzyme.

Coenzyme Q10 is a naturally occurring molecule that has a structure similar to vitamin K. As part of an enzyme, it acts as a catalyst in the vital biochemical pathway that leads to cellular energy production.

Specifically, every cell must have a special substance known as ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which provides all the cell’s energy. The energy obtained from the food we eat is used to make this fuel for the cells, and when a cell needs energy, it breaks the bonds that hold the ATP molecule together. When this chemical bond is broken, it releases energy equivalent to approx. 7,000 calories, more than twice the energy a person consumes in an entire day. However, the body, at any given time, only stores enough ATP to sustain vigorous activity for 5 – 8 minutes. Thus, ATP must be produced constantly, and for this ATP to be produced, there must be a ready supply of CoQ10.

This explains why, in particular, COQ10 is found in high concentrations in muscle cells and especially in the muscles that form the heart – because the heart is constantly in motion, it creates a great demand for energy, and at the same time, a need for the CoQ10 to create it.

Preventative Value of CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Numerous studies have shown that pre-treatment with CoQ10 helps heart patients come through open heart surgeries in better health and with shorter recovery times than those who have not been so treated.

This is because CoQ10 possesses the ability to protect the heart during periods of aschemia, or oxygen deprivation. Miraculously, CoQ10 has helped cardiomyopathy patients to live well beyond their usual life expectancies! Perhaps more importantly, supplementation with CoQ10 has a preventative effect – preventative against lack of oxygen, poor Vitamin and mineral supplementation, and against certain heart medications. Yes, heart medications. Strange as it may seem, certain heart medications that are

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prescribed to reduce cholesterol levels actually block the production of CoQ10!

How Does CoQ10 Work?

CoEnzyme Q10 is also known as ubiquinone, a member of the quinone cyclic compounds such as Vitamins E and K. CoQ10 can supply or remove oxygen from biologically active molecules. Every cell in your body contains many intercellular components called mitochondria, which produce 95% of the total energy of the body. CoQ10 is an integral part of the membranes of the mitochondria where it is involved in the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the basic energy molecules of the cell. Supplementing CoQ10 aids in the body’s cellular respiration and energy production; it’s that simple.

Why Haven’t I Heard Of CoQ10?

The answer is there’s no money to be made from unpatentable substances. No money, no promotion. ✦

Evidence for CoEnzyme Q10 as a cancer therapy The institute for Biomedical Research, University of Texas at Austin gave mice pretreatment of Coenzyme Q10 before Adriamycin. The control groups had only a 36 and 42 percent survival rate. The Coenzyme Q10 groups had an 80 and 86 percent survival rate.

Dr. Carl Folkers is quoted as discussing a 49year old lung cancer patient who at that time had been taking CoQ10 supplements for five years and was able to avoid the heart problems associated with long-term Adriamycin use. After careful manipulation, it was discovered that maximum efficiency in heart output came with 60 mg of CoQ10, so he was given 100 mg to be on the safe side. At the time of the report the man was well and still in remission.

Thirty-two women with metastatic breast cancer received 90 mg of CoQ10, along with Vitamin C, E, betacarotene, and essential fatty acids, daily.

In six cases the tumour became smaller. During the 18 month treatment period, none of the patients died (the expected number of deaths was four), and none showed signs of further distant metastases.

In another report, two women with metastatic breast cancer received 390 mg per day of CoQ10. One of the patients was a 44-year-old woman with numerous liver metastases. After treatment for 11 months with CoQ10, all of the liver metastases had disappeared and the patient was reported to be in good health. ✦

From: Bliznakow, Emile, and Hunt, Gerald, “The Miracle Nutrient Coenzyme Q10, pages 132-139, Banam Books, New York.

what you eat now can prevent future disease K

ansas State University (K-State) researchers have joined a growing number of scientists who say a relatively new medical field known as nutrigenomics could change the future of public health forever. How? By tailoring strategies to prevent diseases before they can happen – diseases that might otherwise be in a person’s future because of his or her genetic makeup.

The key to this revolutionary stop-disease-before-it-happens strategy isn’t a new drug, vaccine or sophisticated gene therapy. Instead, it is eating specific foods.

K-State researchers recently published an academic journal article in Food Technology outlining the potential for nutrigenomics, a field that studies the effects of food on gene expression. Simply put, scientists could eventually recommend specific foods for an individual based on his or her genetics that will prevent future diseases – especially those that tend to “run in families”, such as certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and even obesity.

“Nutrigenomics involves tailoring diets to someone’s genetic makeup,” Koushik Adhikari, K-State assistant professor of sensory analysis, said in a statement to the media. “I speculate that in five to 10 years, you would go to a genetic counselor or a physician who could help you understand your genetic makeup, and then a nutritional professional could customise your diet accordingly.”

Nutrigenomics combines molecular biology, genetics and nutrition to pinpoint how gene expression can be regulated through specific nutrients. That’s important because nutrients have been shown to affect gene expression through transcription factors (biochemical entities that bind to DNA and either promote or inhibit transcription of genes).

Nutrigenomics does not involve genetically modifying a food’s DNA by splicing and adding genes. Instead, nutrigenomics focuses on using foods’ natural phytochemicals, nutrients and other components to promote better health. And while current mainstream medicine’s preventive recommendations that involve diet – such as eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to lower the risk of cancer – are generalities for the overall population, nutrigenomics research involves developing specific health recommendations that can be modified to an individual’s needs.

“Scientists are looking at the molecular mechanisms in the body,” Adhikari explained in the media statement. “At the molecular level, you can look at what specific nutrients can do to your body that would trigger genes to act properly, in a healthy way.”

“That is where I think the main focus of nutrigenomics is going to be in the future,” Adhikari said. “It could tell you that you have the propensity for certain chronic diseases so that you could modify your diet accordingly.” He added, for example, that with a better understanding of how nutrients alter gene expression, there is a potential that food could be used instead of medication to combat problems like high cholesterol.

K-State researchers in human nutrition are currently working on these kinds of studies. For example, they are investigating the impact plant chemicals have on preventing different types of cancers. They are also studying how the Chinese fruit known as wolfberry could be used to improve vision. These research projects are designed to not only answer whether specific nutrients prevent a disease, but also how they exert their health benefits. ✦

From: naturalnews.com 25th March 2010.

in the fight against cancer

By Alan N Hopking MA MNIMH MRCHM FINEH

As few as seven per cent of all cancers are inherited. However,

expert medical opinion teaches us that all cancers are generic, that is, they develop because something in a cell’s genes makes mistakes during the copy of each cell’s entire blueprint of the person. This is frequent throughout our lives; however, the mechanisms that repair these mistakes get less efficient with age. It is estimated that within every eighteen months the entire cellular structure of our bodies is replaced. There have been considerable advances in cancer drugs designed to help the body repair these generic mistakes. For instance, Herceptin in breast cancer recurrence; Glivec for leukaemia, Avaslin for metastatic colourectal cancer has led to a major increase in survival, and likewise, Velcade for myeloma, Tarceva for lung cancer, Aldara for basal cell skin cancers, Gardasil for early cervical cancer, among others, all appear to have contributed to survival rate increase.

Meanwhile the Cancer Genome Project at the Sanger Institute near Cambridge, England, has reported it has already identified over 100 gene mutations that may lead specialists to be able to detect cancer, or increased risk of cancer, long before people become ill with the disease. There are also new developments in discovering clues (biomarkers), detectable as traces of protein produced by rogue genes through testing the blood, urine and saliva which can give early diagnosis of the onset of cancer.

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management. This is where both therapeutic holism in general, and herbal medicine in particular, have a strong voice in the prevention and treatment of disease and cancer. And, let us be clear: both conventional drugs and complementary therapies aim, in their own way, to eradicate not only cancer but all diseases.

HERBS: TRADITIONAL MEDICINE In the United States, herbal medicine is regulated not as medicine but under the category of Dietary Supplements. There is no recognition of herbal medicine as a clinical practice nor that the herbs themselves have any legal or regulatory framework as a healthcare profession. On the other hand, herbal medicine (phytotherapy) in Europe is legally recognised as a legitimate healthcare system under ‘Traditional Medicines’ and the UK Medicines Act 1968. A traditional medicines category for herbs is important for two reasons. It legitimises the obvious fact that herbs have medicinal value (whereas in America and the EU medical claims are not allowed for dietary supplements) and it also asserts that valid evidence and support for efficacy and safety derives from traditional use over many years.

However, even with these recent pharmaceutical developments such drugs shouldn’t be regarded as ‘magic bullets’. Furthermore, these new cancer therapies have a serious thorn in their side: There is often generic blueprint reversion. This means that the cancer cells usually develop resistance to such drug treatment, (just as bacteria in the body do), according to Professor Paul Workman of Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Cancer Therapeutics. So despite all the advances in pharmaceutical medical science there is something in our body that has a natural reversion to old typemodels.

Traditional use evidence does not replace scientific or clinical trial data, but is a unique category of evidence, which separates herbs with many years of medicinal use from modern, synthetically engineered products that are promoted as ‘natural’ dietary supplements. For example, antioxidants in capsule form have come under fire recently in the New Scientist magazine. In her article, Lisa Melton writes that studies show that antioxidants, from beta-carotene to vitamin E to grapefruit extract in tablet or capsule form, simply do not work when taken into the body, and that only whole fruits, vegetables and herbs give us the huge antioxidant benefit when eaten.

Rather than imposing repair to the blueprint that is not sustainable with drugs, there needs to be a complete shift in lifetime health

With chemotherapy, whilst it attacks the rapidly dividing cancer cells, it also acts in a harmful way upon the structure and function of

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NUTRITION

normal cells, tissues or organ systems of the body. The resultant side effects are all too familiar – mouth and throat soreness with metallic taste, loss of hair, poor appetite with nausea, weight loss, bowel dysfunction, and so on.

Here lies the fundamental difference between herbal medicine and chemotherapy. In chemotherapy the chemicals act on the body, causing harm to the body, actively disrupting the vital processes, interfering, interrupting, impairing, in a dynamic manner whereas, in contrast, the body acts on herbs resulting in the restorative, curative and yet passive influences of herbal medicine.

HERBS V POISON Poisons are ubiquitous in the environment and food chain, and are detectable in large numbers in our bodies. Meanwhile food, or at least much of what is sold as food, can arguably be categorised as poison in terms of industrial processing, synthetic additives, colourings and preservatives, pesticide residues, and a nutrient composition emphasising bad fats and simple sugars and lacking in beneficial minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients.

Many plants have furnished modern medicine with drugs that are used in cancer therapy as cytotoxic agents. Plants are the original source of most pharmaceuticals, one of the earliest examples being William Withering’s use of the cardiac glycosides from foxglove for dropsy in 1785. Well-known modern examples include Taxol that is used for breast cancer (which gets its active constituents from the Pacific Yew tree) and the vinca alkaloids used for leukaemia (from the Madagascar Periwinkle).

These compounds, unlike the chemopreventive compounds, are effective as anti-cancer agents by virtue of their nature as poisons that disrupt the cell cycle. Their destructive action as poisons is clear. But this can blur the distinctions between two very different kinds of agents – medicines and poisons. It is uncontroversial to conclude that regular medicines (that is modern pharmaceutical drugs), have become a major killer and are quite properly defined as poison, and are a leading cause of death among US citizens. Herbs are inherently curative; chemo and drugs in general are inherently destructive. Notwithstanding, both chemotherapy and specific medicinal herbs can be valuable partners when taken together in the fight against cancer.

“If it is the highest and the greatest that you seek, the plant can direct you. Strive to become through your will, what without will, it is.” ~ Goethe

NATURAL COMPOUNDS IN CHEMOPREVENTION Botanical medicines are complex mixtures of natural pharmacological agents, simultaneously exerting influence on different phases of cancer via diverse mechanisms, but which are harmonious with the body’s functions. As they are similar to dietary or food ingredients, such medicinal herb compounds can assist the stabilisation, arrest and even reversal of cancer. By contrast, pharmaceutical drugs are classically single synthetic compounds, ideally interfering or disrupting a single specific mechanism, whilst minimising collateral damage, (i.e. side effects).

However, this ideal model is rarely achieved.

Chemoprevention was originally defined by Sporn in 1976 to be “the pharmacological enhancement of mechanisms (physiological or pharmacological) whereby progression of preneoplastic lesions can be stabilised, arrested or reversed”. Retinoids were the earliest compounds investigated for their potential to prevent the development of epithelial cancers. Recently, numerous reviews of plant derived chemopreventive compounds or phytopharmaceuticals have identified their potential role in the treatment of cancer. These chemo preventative compounds are dietary ingredients which, being food derived, are considered pharmacologically safe. These dietary ingredients contain a wide range of different molecules such as organosulphur compounds from garlic, polyphenols in green tea and curcumin in turmeric.

Basic scienctific research is confirming that many chemopreventive dietary compounds are active at precisely the molecular targets that drug designers seek to affect with the newer generation of targeted drugs, typically the monoclonal antibody (MCA) agents. Worse, the latter have significant side effects, as reported in Lancet Oncology and icon. Yet despite massive investment in time and money, only a handful of such drugs have been licensed to date – such as Herceptin and others mentioned above. Of these, probably Herceptin is the only drug that has proven itself of significant benefit, yet it is so expensive that new breast cancer patients in England are not routinely given it, leaving nothing to attack the very same molecular targets that have been identified by cancer research scientists attempting to formulate these smart drugs. continued on next page...

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With an established safety record and a fraction of the cost of conventional chemotherapy, plant compounds for cancer treatment represent an enormous resource that is virtually untapped.

Frequently research papers in professional journals conclude by suggesting that chemopreventive plant compounds are potentially the most important therapeutic breakthroughs to come. It is already understood that such botanic compounds support the treatment of all phases of cancer.

Moreover, very often chemo preventive dietary compounds interact with several of these targets simultaneously and often synergistically. For example, green tea polyphenols can influence signal transduction factors, inhibit COX-2, promote cell cycle arrest, increase cancer cell death (apoplosis) and disable multi-drug resistance pumps; and curcumin from turmeric has been found to influence over 60 such molecular targets in the cancer process.

“People (like soil, bears, butterflies and monkeys) have made their medicine by percolating water through plants, eating them whole, soaking them in water for teas, or rubbing them on their skin... for we, like all other life, have long been inextricably interwoven into the fabric of the plant world ~ Stephen Buhner

THE TWO TYPES FOR HERBAL CANCER TREATMENT A common misconception among the general public is the oversimplified idea that stimulating the immune system will eradicate a cancer. Cancer evades most immune system surveillance because of the low immune system response capacity (immunogenicity) of the patient developing malignant tumours. Thus, many patients with advanced malignancy have poor resistance due to their lowered levels of innate (Th1) immunity, the branch of the immune system whose cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells, directly combat and destroy tumour cells.

From the point of view of herbal medicine, two therapeutic requirements are essential when treating cancer. These are the Immunomodulating herbs, and the Adaptogenic herbs.

A large number of herbal medicines and plant compounds directly stimulate this innate immune response. These same agents can also be used for instance to help protect bone marrow against the myelosuppressive effects of conventional chemotherapy. The two most important classes of herbs in this group are the immunomodulating herbs that enhance the immune system function, such as the medicinal mushroom Shiitake, and the adaptogens that enhance the body’s capacity to respond to the immune system enhancement. This includes many well-known herbs such as Korean Ginseng, Astragalus, Pau D’Arco, and many others (see the names of these herbal medicines in the reference section at the end of this article).

The capacity of herbal medicines like mushroom polysaccharides to influence the level of immune function can be regarded as a direct expression of the way in which botanicals enhance the natural protection in the body. Similarly, adaptogenic herbs enhance the body’s capacity to respond to these increases in immune system demands (also called the allostatic load) via multiple pathways mainly due to nervous stress, extra hormonal activity and the enhanced burden on the immune system itself. This too is clearly an effect mediated by the body’s own intrinsic vital energy as opposed to a suppressive drug-based anti-disease action.

The fact that plant medicines have no equivalent among pharmaceutical drugs is known to both pharmacognocists (scientists who study plants for their medicinal action) and medical herbalist practitioners. What’s more, botanical adaptogens have a wide range of beneficial interactions with conventional chemotherapy and radiation. This is because herbal medicines used for this purpose raise the standards of the whole body’s resistance, both to the cancer itself and to the suppressive action of the chemotherapy.

To date, there is not a single case report in the literature of any harmful interaction between a botanical and conventional cancer treatment. For practitioners of botanical medicine, negative and uninformed quotes and articles issuing dire warnings about adverse interactions between herbs and chemotherapy are sadly all too predictable. For cancer patients, this causes

Rules For Using Herbs for Self-Healing Natural substances often work like drugs in the body. It is advisable to follow these precautions when using herbs: RULE: DON’T ASSUME IT’S SAFE. Herbs are not regulated by the FDA for safety or efficacy. So search the label for a seal of approval from a relevant Association, which indicates it has been approved by certified academic laboratories.

RULE: TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR. It’s best to tell your doctor if you’re considering supplements. Some herbs can interact with certain medications, including those for high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression, as well as blood thinners and even OTC drugs.

RULE: DON’T OVERDO IT. More isn’t necessarily better and could be dangerous. Always follow dosing instructions.

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unnecessary fear and confusion, which often inhibits patients from seeking to use herbal medicines.

However, the use of herbal medicine in the treatment of cancer is an important tool to support overall cancer treatment methods whilst also having in its own right the ability to influence and enhance positive therapeutic results.

It is as well to remember that our bodies have co-evolved with plants, both as food and medicine, for millions of years. There is a deep connection between humans and plants at many levels, from the intuitive and instinctive to the subcellular. It is this connection that medical herbalists seek to tap into for the benefit of cancer patients. It is irrefutable that within the many integrative strategies available for the treatment of cancer the huge benefits of botanical medicines top the list.

HERBAL SYNERGY AND TRIGGERS Specific immunomodulating and adaptogenic herbs are combined to work together as one powerful therapeutic agent for cancer treatment. This is called synergy. Such a combination is found in the botanic medicine called HerbShield Tonic12, which is recommended by therapists and many websites and in books on natural cures of cancer, e.g. Healing Cancer by Simon and Enrida Kelly. Herbal medicines of this kind have a synergistic action that boosts the defences of the body against the development of abnormal cells. Other well-known multi-herbal medicines used almost exclusively as cancer-support remedies are Essiac-ACT13 and ABC Daily Herbal NutriPowder Plus14.

There are many types of cancer but the multiherbal action derived from taking such formulations helps protect and eliminate such cells. This is achieved by the herbal synergy activating each person’s unique combination of defences against the development and progress of such abnormal cells. It is already recognised that herbal medicines are prescribed to help to protect tissue cells against viruses, toxins, radiation and bacterial invasion. Herbal medicines like HerbShield support the cells to perform their normal functions and resist turning cancerous; likewise, herbal medicines can so enhance cellular normality that cancer cells can be destroyed.

There is a need to protect the body against cancer triggers (caused by a long-term intake of all sorts of chemical toxins – air pollution, cigarette smoke, pesticides in foods, colourants in drinks, taste enhancers, etc) initiated in injured cells which can cause mutation and result in malignant abnormal cell formation. Herbs can be prescribed, for instance some containing immune-enhancing quercetin flavonoids found in herbs, berries, onions, and other powerful nutrients, that resist the spread of cancer cells or provoke the tumour to form its own blood vessels (carcinogenesis stage of angiogenesis). A healthy diet that includes regular eating of anthocyanins found in fresh fruits and vegetables, plus herbal medicines, regular exercise and good sound sleep, are just some of the ways to restore health.

HERBS THAT STOP ADHESIONS Studies have shown there are certain medicines and foods containing specific compounds that activate the watch-dog genes that turn off the cell mechanisms that make rogue cells. In addition, most cells have an address, specified by adhesion proteins, that glues cells into their proper position. For a cell to spread its abnormal form and function, it must have DNA instructions that

allow it to break the bonds of that glue and to make new adhesion proteins before entering other tissues. Research has shown that there are some herbs and foods like citrus pectin that provide lectins that compete with this glue and prevent cancer cell adhesion.

The modern use of herbal medicine in abnormal cell formation treatment relies on painstaking research. For example, scientists have identified compounds in herbs that protect the watch-dog genes from damage. There are also herbal remedies that stimulate the immune system.

A healthy diet and lifestyle along with herbal medicine treatment work against abnormal cell formation and help prevent such cells from establishing themselves in new tissues. In the treatment of cancer formation herbal medicine is best used as part of a comprehensive regime of health treatment. Herbal treatment can make the taking of harsh but necessary chemotherapy or radiation therapy easier and more effective, as noted above.

HORMONALLY DEPENDANT CANCERS The occurrence of breast and reproductive cancers are, as recognised by Susun Weed in her book Breast Cancer, usually aggravated by excess oestrogen. However, Weed states, on page 44, that “to date, no increase in breast cancer rates has ever been associated with the use of phytosterol-rich herbs (with the possible exception of liquorice), there is, however, a strong correlation between consumption of phytosterol-rich foods (such as yams and soybeans) and decrease in breast cancer rates.”

One anti-oestrogenic constituent, lignan, is found in high concentrations in the urine of human populations who follow high vegetable or soy-based diets, and is considered to be partially responsible for low breast-cancer rates in those same populations.

The two primary mammalian lignans found are enterodiol and a product of its oxidation, enterolactone, both of which are formed in the intestinal tract by bacteria after ingestion of foods such as unrefined grains, beans, seeds, peas, and legumes. Interestingly, the same populations also excrete very high amounts of isoflavonoids, particularly genistein and daidzein. There is evidence that suggests that both lignans and isoflavonoids are protective with regard to hormone-dependent cancers such as breast cancer, and that isoflavonoids may be protective with regard to prostate cancer.

It seems that a typical Western diet elevates plasma levels of sex hormones and decreases the Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) concentration, increasing the availability of these steroids in the body. It is believed that such compounds (diphenolic) affect hormone metabolism and production, along with cancer cell growth, resulting in the possibility of a role in hormone dependent cancer protection.

It has been shown in many studies that a low SHBG level means a higher metabolic clearance rate and uptake of sex hormones in many tissues including the liver. Postmenopausal women with breast cancer have frequently shown low SHBG levels. Studies performed by Herman Adlercreutz et al. suggest that isoflavonoids and flavonoids may all act synergistically, inhibiting cell growth in malignant cells via the type II binding site, also called the bioflavonoids receptor, or by inhibiting specifically the protein tyrosine kinase, the enzyme mediating the activity of many growth factors in the cell. Adlercreutz concludes that lignans and isoflavonoids may influence sex hormone metabolism and cancer by influencing plasma SHBG levels, resulting in lower uptake and less biological activity of these steroids, and thus inhibiting continued on next page...

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HerbShield Cancer Herbs Allium sativum (Garlic bulb, Da Suan) Alpinia officinalis (Galangal root) Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) Astragalus membranaceus (Astragalus root, Huang Qi) Bupleurum falcatum (Thorowax root) Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower flower) Codonopsis lanceolata (Codonopsis herb) Commiphora molmol (Myrrh) Coptis chinensis (Golden Thread root, Huang Lian) Curcuma longa (Turmeric root, Jiang Huang) Echinacea angustifolia (Purple Cone Flower root) Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian Ginseng) Galium aparine (Cleavers tops) Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo leaf) Lentinula edodes (Shitake mushroom) Linum usitatissimum (Flax; Linseed) Oldenlandia diffusa (Bai Hua She She Cao, whole herb) Olea europaea (Olive Tree Leaf) Panax ginseng (Ginseng root, Ren Shen) Psoralea corylifolia (Psoralea fruit, Bu Gu Zhi) Pfaffia paniculata (Suma root) Rheum palmatum (Rhubarb root, Da Huang) Rumex acet (Sheep sorrel) Rubus ideus (Raspberry leaves) Sanguinaria canadensis (Blood root) Schisandra chinensis (Schisandra berries, Wu Wei Zi) Scutellaria baicalensis (Huang Qin, Baikal root) Tabebuia impeteginosa (Pau D’Arco, Taheebo bark) Thuja occidentalis (Thuja, Arbor-Vitae leaves and stems) Trifolium pratense (Red Clover flowers) Triticum sativa (Wheatgrass fresh) Uncaria tormentosa (Cat’s Claw, Peru; inner bark) Urtica dioica rad. (Nettle root) Vaccinium myrtillus (Bilberry fruit) Vinca major (Periwinkle tops) Viola odorata (Sweet Violet leaves and flowers) Viscum album (Mistletoe leafy twigs) Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha root)

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growth and proliferation of hormone-dependent cancer cells. Such examples do not necessarily prove conclusively that phyto-oestrogens consumed as whole plant medicine tinctures or extracts are protective against breast cancer. A variety of factors may be responsible for the protective role that nutritional foods and medicines seem to play.

Resveratrol from grapes, quercetin from onions, prunetin from plums and cherries are just a few lignans from plants that change the way oestrogen is metabolised. It goes from a form that promotes cancer growth to a form that does not. Flaxseeds, used as an herbal medicine concentrate, which contains high levels of lignans, stop the growth and metastasis of human breast tumours. Whole flaxseed extract can reduce the size of breast tumours in rats by 50%. The lignans in virgin olive oils may be responsible for the anti-cancer effects of the Mediterranean diet.

Plant oestrogens (phytoestrogens) have many benefits. Most phytoestrogens are not oestrogenic. They prevent proliferation of oestrogen-driven cancer cells. They down-regulate oestrogen receptors. They increase bone mineral density. They lower cholesterol and triglycerides. They increase HDL (‘good’ cholesterol). They inhibit the growth of cancer cells, both oestrogen receptors, positive and negative. They reduce the synthesis of oestrogen through aromatase. They lower the risk of lung cancer in non-smokers, up to 40%. They intervene against VEG-F, a factor that enables the spread of cancer. Isoflavones from soya, including daldzein and genistein, enhance immunity by activating natural killer cells. Anticancer effects of genistein and other isoflavones have been demonstrated against prostate, lung, head-and-neck, breast, colon and bladder cancers.

CONCLUSION Cancers can develop for a number of reasons including inherited conditions, toxic build up in the organs from environmental pollutants or contaminants in water and foods, prolonged stress and hormonal imbalance resulting in lowered immune system resistance. But highest on the list of causes appears to be something within our own genetic blueprint that establishes and perpetuates an irreversible deterioration in the day by day regenerative copies of our cellular make-up. Some drugs can repair or destroy these genetic mistakes. But reversion is common, causing cancer to return.

Scientific research shows that the health-promoting benefits of whole herbal medicines and organic fresh foods can both considerably improve an immune system that has little resistance to cancer, and also be of great benefit when taken alongside regular chemotherapy. There is evidence that side effects are reduced and that the combined treatment, chemo and herbal medicine, far from negating or neutralising each other, brings about enhanced results.

It is a fallacy that these two medical models have either a harmful interaction or a neutralising one.

It is a fallacy spawned by the ignorance of cancer specialists and made worse by media hype that in turn damages public confidence. Cancer drugs may work to stabilise, arrest or even reverse the progress of cancer; however, herbal medicines found in remedies like HerbShield and Essiac-ACT have their own natural constituents many of which have been shown to improve the immune system’s capacity to directly combat and destroy tumour cells.

Herbal medicine must be prescribed by a qualified herbal practitioner. HerbShield Tonic, mentioned in this article, has been recommended as part of a natural cancer treatment regime. Herbs included in HerbShield Tonic are listed at left. ✦ This article by Alan N Hopking was originally published in icon magazine, Issue 3. Alan graduated from the School of Herbal Medicine (England ,UK) as a herbal practitioner in 1981 and was accepted into membership with the oldest professional body of practising herbalists in the world, the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (UK). In 1991 after two years of post-graduate training, Alan graduated from the London School of Chinese Herbal Medicine, and was elected to Membership of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (UK), MRCHM. Alan has been in continuous practice as a professional herbal practitioner since 1981. He established Godshaer ABC which has become one of the UK ‘s leading herbal health care centres and is dedicated to the best of health and wellbeing through the use of herbal medicine and natural therapy. His comprehensive website is one of the oldest and most respected herbal information sites on the web: www.godshaer.co.uk.

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REFERENCES 1. Workman, P. 2006, March. Winning the War on Cancer, Readers Digest, p. 64.

2. For the full report see © New Scientist 5th August 2006.

3. Chen C, Kong AN. Dietary cancer-chemopreventive compounds: from signaling and gene expression to pharmacological effects. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2005;26:318-326.

4. Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN. Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients: a metaanalysis of prospective studies [see comments]. Jama 1998; 279:1200-1205.

5. Bagchi D, Preuss H. Phytopharmaceuticals in Cancer Chemoprevention. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2005.

6. Sporn MB. Approaches to prevention of epithelial cancer during the preneoplastic period. Cancer Research, 1976; 36:2699-2702.

7. Bagchi D, Preuss H. Phytopharmaceuticals in Cancer Chemoprevention. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2005. See also: i) Dorai T, Aggarwal BB. Role of chemopreventive agents in cancer therapy. Cancer Lett 2004; 215:129-140. ii) Conney AH. Enzyme induction and dietary chemicals as approaches to cancer chemoprevention: the Seventh DeWitt S. Goodman Lecture. Cancer Res 2003; 63:70057031. iii) Aggarwal BB, Takada Y, Oommen OV. From chemoprevention to chemotherapy: common targets and common goals. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2004; 13:1327-1338. iv) Chen C, Kong AN. Dietary cancerchemopreventive compounds: from signaling and gene expression to pharmacological effects. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2005; 26:318-326.

8. Treasure, J. 2005:10. Food, Medicine, Poison & Molecular Vitalism – Novel Conceptual and Clinical Tools for the Botanical Treatment of Cancer. http://www. herbological.com/cancerandherbalmed.html 9. Milner JA. Molecular targets for bioactive food components. J Nutr 2004;134:2492S-2498S. Also, see: Bode AM, Dong Z. Targeting signal transduction pathways by chemopreventive agents. Mutat Res 2004; 555:33-51.

10. Ibid.

11. Sparreboom A, Cox MC, Acharya MR, Figg WD. Herbal remedies in the United States: potential adverse interactions with anticancer agents. J Clin Oncol 2004;22:2489-2503.

12. HerbShield Tonic – is a herbal medicine available by consultation. Telephone 0044 1202 488122 or visit www.godshaer.co.uk/herbshield.php.

13. Essiac – ACT (Alcohol-free Concentrated Tincture) – Organic; is a herbal medicine available by consultation.

Telephone 0044 1202 488122 or visit www.godshaer. co.uk/essiac.php 14. ABC Daily Herbal NutriPowder Plus is a powder made from nutrient-rich whole herbal powders. It has the full complement of vitamins, minerals, microelements and amino acids so as to support and enhance all the body’s organs to fight disease and promote health. In that it is made from whole herbs, it has a greater range of action than extracts in capsules and tablets. Telephone 0044 1202 488122 or visit www.godshaer.co.uk/dailynutritional-herbal-powder.php

an immune boosting, cancer fighting herb Astragalus is a traditional Chinese herb that has been in use for two thousand years or so.

In Chinese medicine it is an important part of the treatment of cancer. This brought it to the attention of several Western countries and recently they have studied it extensively.

After intensive study in the University of Texas, Houston, researchers have reported that cancer patients receiving Astragalus have twice the survival rate of those only receiving placebos.

In China it is used as a general tonic as well as a specific immune system enhancer. It is known as ‘Huangge qi’ (qi or chi being the word for energy) as it is used to build a patients’ defensive energy. Traditional Chinese medicine records Astragalus as having benefits in cases of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and respiratory infections.

Its apparent benefits with cancer sufferers have provoked the most attention in the West, although its immune system and energy boosting benefits are also being studied in connection with AIDS. Original Chinese studies dated back to 1981, when a study by Hou et al showed that Astragalus taken orally induced greater quantities of interferon and leukocytes in the blood stream. It is often used in conjunction with other herbs.

In a 1994 Italian study (Morazzoni, Bombardelli) breast cancer patients were given a combination of Iigustrum and Astragalus. Patients given this mix showed a decline in mortality from 50% to 10%.

In another study of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer all undergoing chemotherapy, the group taking the dual herb mix showed an average life span increase of 130%.

Astragalus doesn’t merely enhance interferon levels; there is strong scientific evidence that it benefits liver function (often impaired in the cancer sufferer).

In China, Astragalus is widely used in the treatment of hepatitis. It seems to reduce toxin levels significantly, boost interferon levels and inhibit viral protein expression whilst having little or no effect on normal DNA. (Zhang, Fan 1996) In the West some herbalists routinely provide chemotherapy and radiotherapy patients with Astragalus, and apart from boosting the immune system (which of course both medical treatments are damaging) it also seems to stop the spread of malignant cancer cells to secondary healthy tissues.

Researchers at the University of Texas, Houston have studied the herb in great detail. They have identified a number of anticancer ingredients, notably choline, bioflavenoids and a polysaccharide Astagalan B, concluding that Astragalus stimulates the immune system, controls bacterial infections and protects against a number of toxins including viral toxins. Astagalan B seems to de-stabilise ‘rogue’ cells (be they viral or cancer cells) binding to the surface and inducing weakness, which allows the strengthened immune system to overpower the invaders.

In recent studies Astragalus seems to increase the number of white cells and, in particular, the searching and identifying T cells, which scour the body for rogue cells and encourage the immune system to attack them.

It is also reported to double the effectiveness of radiotherapy and improve results in chemotherapy. But in particular, it can be used during and after both to restore, as rapidly as possible, a depleted immune system.

From all the research, even though much is in its infancy, it does appear that Astragalus has a definite role to play for the cancer sufferer. ✦ From icon magazine: www.iconmag.co.uk. icon magazine is the publication of UK charity Cancer Active. Their site provides detailed evidence-based information on many integrative cancer therapies.

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The Best Healing Herbs New science shows these herbal power-healers can ease pain, prevent Alzheimer’s, and ward off cancer and heart disease.

By Nancy Kalish

Your arsenal of home remedies is about to get a lot spicier. Though herbs have been used for hundreds of years to heal, scientists are finally starting to substantiate these plants’ abilities to alleviate arthritis pain, reduce high blood sugar and cholesterol, and help with many other conditions. They’re even discovering amazing new powers in some herbs, such as the ability to kill cancer cells and help problem drinkers curb their alcohol intake.

“Herbs and other natural remedies can be as effective as traditional treatments, often without the same negative side effects,” says Roberta Lee, MD, medical director of the Continuum Centre for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Medical Centre in New York City. So here are 10 superhealers you’ll want to add to the all-natural section of your medicine cabinet and even to your favourite recipes! Folding one or two of them into your cooking every day can yield big benefits.

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Turmeric

Ease arthritis A heaping helping of curry could relieve your pain. That’s because turmeric, a spice used in curry, contains curcumin, a powerful antiinflammatory that works similarly to Cox-2 inhibitors, drugs that reduce the Cox-2 enzyme that causes the pain and swelling of arthritis, says Lee. It might also: Prevent colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. According to a small 2006 clinical trial conducted by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, curcumin can help shrink precancerous lesions known as colon polyps, when taken with a small amount of quercetin, a powerful antioxidant found in onions, apples, and cabbage. The average number of polyps dropped more than 60% and those that remained shrank by more than 50%. In a 2006 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers at UCLA also found that curcumin helps clear the brain of the plaques that are characteristic of the disease.

Maximize the benefits: For general health, Lee recommends adding the spice to your cooking whenever possible. For a therapeutic dose, James A. Duke, PhD, author of The Green Pharmacy, suggests 400 mg of curcumin extract three times daily, right in line with what subjects in the colon polyp study took (480 mg of curcumin and 20 mg of quercetin, three times a day).

Cinnamon

Lower blood sugar In a recent German study of type 2 diabetics, taking cinnamon extract daily successfully reduced blood sugar by about 10%.

It might also: Lower cholesterol. Cinnamon packs a one-two punch for people with type 2 diabetes by reducing related heart risks. In another study of diabetics, it slashed cholesterol by 13% and triglycerides by 23%.

Maximize the benefits: To tame blood sugar, study subjects took 1 g capsules of standardized cinnamon extract daily, while those in the cholesterol study took 1 to 6 g. But keep in mind that a large amount of the actual spice can be dangerous, so stick with a water-soluble extract.

Terry Graedon, PhD, coauthor with her husband, Joe, of Best Choices from the People’s Pharmacy, recommends the brand Cinnulin PF (available in health food stores).

Rosemary

Avoid carcinogens Frying, broiling, or grilling meats at high temperatures creates HCAs (heterocyclic amines), potent carcinogens implicated in several cancers.

But HCA levels are significantly reduced when rosemary extract (a common powder) is mixed into beef before cooking, say Kansas State University researchers.

“Rosemary contains carnosol and rosemarinic acid, two powerful antioxidants that destroy the HCAs,” explains lead researcher J. Scott Smith, PhD.

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Maximise the benefits: To reduce HCAs, Smith recommends marinating foods in any supermarket spice mix that contains rosemary as well as one or more of the spices thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, or parsley.

It might also: Inhibit breast cancer. First in test tubes and then in mice, a tea made of holy basil shrunk tumours, reduced their blood supply, and stopped their spread, found Nangia-Makker, who plans to study the effects in humans.

Maximize the benefits: For stress relief, try holy basil extract from New Chapter or Om Organics, widely available in health food stores. To aid in breast cancer treatment, Nangia-Makker advises drinking this tea daily: Pour 2 cups boiling water over 10 to 15 fresh holy basil leaves (other varieties of basil won’t work) and steep 5 minutes. Remove the leaves before consuming.

If you are being treated for breast cancer, be sure to check with your doctor.

Ginger

St. John’s Wort

Avert nausea Ginger can prevent stomach upset from many sources, including pregnancy, motion sickness, and chemotherapy. “This is one of Mom’s remedies that really works,” says Suzanna M. Zick, ND, MPH, a research investigator at the University of Michigan.

A powerful antioxidant, ginger works by blocking the effects of serotonin, a chemical produced by both the brain and stomach when you’re nauseated, and by stopping the production of free radicals, another cause of upset in your stomach. In one study of cruise ship passengers traveling on rough seas, 500 mg of ginger every 4 hours was as effective as Dramamine, the commonly used OTC motion-sickness medication. In another study, where subjects took 940 mg, it was even more effective than the drug.

It might also: Decrease your blood pressure, arthritis pain, and cancer risk. Ginger helps regulate blood flow, which may lower blood pressure, says Zick, and its anti-inflammatory properties might help ease arthritis. Ginger extract had a significant effect on reducing pain in all 124 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, in a study conducted at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Centre and the University of Miami. Those same anti-inflammatory powers help powdered ginger kill ovarian cancer cells as well as or better than traditional chemotherapy, at least in the test tube, found a 2006 study by the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Although further testing is needed, Zick and the study’s authors are excited about its prospects: “Our preliminary results indicate that ginger may have significant therapeutic benefit for ovarian cancer patients.”

Maximize the benefits: For nausea, ginger is best taken before symptoms start, at least 30 minutes before departure, say the Graedons. They recommend capsules containing 500 to 1,000 mg of dried ginger every 4 hours, up to a maximum of 4 g daily.

Holy Basil Combat stress

Several animal studies back holy basil, a special variety of the plant you use in your pesto sauce, as effective at reducing stress by increasing adrenaline and noradrenaline and decreasing serotonin. This is no surprise to Pratima Nangia-Makker, PhD, a researcher at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, whose mother and grandmother relied on a tea made from the leaves of holy basil to relieve indigestion and headaches.

Soothe your worries

You probably know that research has confirmed this herb’s power to relieve mild to moderate depression and anxiety as effectively as many drugs without a lot of the side effects.

It might also: Help you snooze more soundly. St. John’s wort not only contains melatonin, the hormone that regulates our sleepwake cycles, but it also increases the body’s own melatonin, improving sleep, says a report from the Surgeon General.

Maximize the benefits: For both mood and sleep problems, author Duke recommends a supplement containing at least 0.3% hypericin (the active phytochemical) per capsule or 300 mg of the extract to be taken three times daily. Warning: St. John’s wort has been shown to interact with several prescription medications, so be sure to check with your doctor before taking it.

Garlic

Lower cancer risk High consumption of garlic lowered rates of ovarian, colourectal, and other cancers, says a 2006 research review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A 2006 Japanese clinical trial also found that after a year of taking aged garlic extract supplements, people with a history of colon polyps saw a reduction in the size and number of the precancerous growths detected by their doctors.

It might also: Provide cardiovascular benefits. Garlic contains more than 70 active phytochemicals, including allicin, which many studies have shown decreases high blood pressure by as much as 30 points. Garlic may help prevent strokes as well by slowing arterial blockages, according to a yearlong clinical study at UCLA. In addition, patients’ levels of homocysteine, a chemical that leads to plaque buildup, dropped by 12%.

Maximize the benefits: Crushed fresh garlic offers the best cardiovascular and cancer-fighting benefits, says Duke. But you’ll need to down up to five cloves each day. Try Kyolic aged garlic extract capsules (1,000 mg), the product used in many of the studies. ✦ From: health.msn.com.

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It might also: Stop tumours. Rosemary extract helps prevent carcinogens that enter the body from binding with DNA, the first step in tumour formation, according to several animal studies. When researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign fed rosemary extract to rats exposed to dimethylbenzanthracene, a carcinogen that causes breast cancer, both DNA damage and tumours decreased. “Human research needs to be done,” says study author Keith W. Singletary, PhD. “But rosemary has shown a lot of cancer-protective potential.”

By Michael Lerner In any discussion of the nutritional approaches to cancer, it is useful to develop a typology that clarifies the basic differences between these various approaches. For example: Most nutritional cancer therapies are vegetarian, but some are not. Some nutritional cancer therapies involve primarily raw foods (such as the Gerson diet and the Hippocrates wheatgrass therapy), while others (such as macrobiotics) involve primarily cooked foods. Many nutritional cancer therapies use nutritional supplements as well as diet (such as the Livingston program), but others (such as macrobiotics) do not use supplements. Some nutritional cancer therapies place major emphasis on the inclusion of specific foods known in scientific studies to have anticancer effects (such as Keith Block’s nutritional program), while others do not. Some therapies place emphasis on different foods believed in traditional medicines to have anticancer effects, but these recommendations – as in macrobiotic and Ayurvedic cancer diets – may often be directly contradictory. Some therapies (such as the Gerson diet) place a major emphasis on low sodium, high potassium foods, while others (such as macrobiotics) do not. Some therapies (such as the Gerson diet) place a stringent emphasis on organic foods, while others do not. Some therapies are protein-restrictive, while others are not. Some therapies include detoxification measures (such as the Gerson and Hippocrates program), while others do not. Some therapies are purely nutritional, while others integrate nutritional, psychological, spiritual, immunosupportive, and other forms of treatment.

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From the great variety of nutritional approaches, certain commonalities emerge. Most

nutritional approaches to cancer involve fresh, whole foods eaten in nutritionally balanced combinations with a strong emphasis on a primarily vegetarian diet.

Fundamentally, they shift the diet in directions known from epidemiological studies to be helpful in lowering the incidence of many of the common cancers. If they sometimes recommend drastic dietary changes, it is because reversing an established cancer is obviously a much more difficult proposition than preventing the development of cancer.

A critical distinction for cancer patients exists between nutritional programs known to be nutritionally adequate and other programs which apparently work, when they do, by the cancer-inhibiting effects of selective nutrient restriction. These latter approaches, like chemotherapies, involve a real element of danger: they assume that the cancer is more vulnerable than the host organism to nutrient restriction, and that the cancer will be controlled before the patient loses too much weight.

In reality, different patients respond very differently to all nutritional cancer therapies, including both those known to be nutritionally adequate for most people and those that are severely nutrient-restrictive. A specific cancer patient may find even the nutritionally adequate diet personally inadequate for him, as shown by continuing weight loss without stabilisation at some healthy level. Yet another person with cancer may stabilise at an adequate, if low, weight on a quite restrictive diet. But the restrictive diets clearly involve additional risk.

These are excellent reasons why intensive nutritional therapies for cancer should, in the ideal world, be medically supervised by broad-minded, nutritionally trained oncologists who are aware of how to modulate a nutritional program according to the individual patient’s responses and nutritional needs. One of the unfortunate realities is that such broad-minded nutritionally trained oncologists are extraordinarily rare. So the patient is usually left to his own devices, or to supervision by a physician with at best broad practical nutritional experience. The tragic cases are when self-supervision, or supervision by an untrained practitioner, leads to progressive weight loss, decisive weakening of the patient, and death.

The Problem of Weight Loss in Nutritional Cancer Therapies I want to tell the story of Luis, a wonderful South American man with metastatic prostate cancer who came as a participant to the Commonweal Cancer Help Program.

He had done extremely well with the support of a gifted mainstream doctor using a hormonal therapy and a macrobiotic program. His cancer was in remission for several years. One day I had a call from the macrobiotic practitioner who had taught Luis the macrobiotic diet. He described how, with a recurrence of his cancer, Luis had gone to a Mexican clinic where he had been put on a highly restrictive raw foods diet. He grew progressively weaker, but his symptoms of physiological decline were interpreted to him by the staff at the clinic as “healing crises.” He finally grew so weak from the diet that he died. The macrobiotic practitioner was distraught. It was, he said, a profound lesson to him about the dangers of some nutritional therapies. While

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The experience of Luis is not a common one. But it is not, unfortunately, entirely uncommon. I also knew the wife of a senior American scientist, who described to me how her husband, with a liver cancer, had gone on the Hippocrates wheat-grass program. There are many people with cancer who believe that the Hippocrates program has been a benefit to them, particularly as a short-term detoxification program. But this man followed the highly restrictive raw foods diet rigorously despite the fact that with his particular physiology and condition he experienced progressive weight loss without any sign of stabilisation. His wife had supported him wholeheartedly in undertaking the program, given that conventional medicine had nothing to offer him. But as he became progressively more emaciated, she became more and more concerned. She was convinced, she told me, the diet was a significant contributor to his death.

In still another case with which I am familiar, a man with prostate cancer and his woman partner undertook a macrobiotic diet together.

The man did very well on the macrobiotic program, but his partner, seeking in solidarity to eat exactly what he ate, progressively lost weight until friends became very concerned for her. The friends convinced her that she simply was not physiologically the same as her mate and that she needed to broaden her diet. She did so, while remaining primarily macrobiotic, and stabilised at a healthy weight.

My point is that nutritional approaches to cancer, while characteristically nontoxic and generally health-promoting, can be dangerous if not appropriately supervised or if not undertaken with self-awareness and common sense. The razor’s edge with nutritional therapies is with those nutrient-restrictive therapies which – like chemotherapies – require finding the margin where life is sustained but the cancer is, in theory, inhibited. This usually requires a carefully supervised course of treatment. The critical question appears to be whether or not an individual’s weight stabilises – often at his college or high-school weight – after a few months on the program. If there is no stabilisation, and weight loss is progressive, the patient is almost certainly on a diet that is nutritionally inadequate.

On the other hand, it is important to point out the fact that moderate weight loss is what many cancer patients need, especially in breast cancer and other cancers in which obesity is a known risk factor. Nor should we be surprised that a given nutritional therapy can produce positive results for one person and negative results for another. Just as different people with the same cancer have different responses to a specific chemotherapy, the same is true with nutritional approaches. Because few clinical trials of these therapies have been conducted, both the physician and the patient should carefully watch for any changes brought about by the diet.

Ian Gawler’s Approach to Anticancer Diets Ian Gawler, an Australian veterinarian, has developed a good example of a reasoned integral approach to cancer that utilizes diet, meditation, and some of the other therapies that we have already discussed. Following the amputation of his leg and the

development of inoperable and highly visible chest wall tumours extruding from his chest, Gawler recovered from an advanced metastatic osteosarcoma. He worked with the late Ainslie Meares, an Australian psychiatrist, who wrote up his recovery as an example of the effects of intensive meditation. Subsequently, Gawler became one of the leading exponents in Australia of holistic approaches to cancer. He serves as an example of someone who developed a highly intensive holistic nutritional-psychological program based on sane principles and inferences from the nutritional and psychological literature.

To begin with, Gawler makes a sensible overview of the main dietary options. There are, he suggests, basically four alternatives: First, you may not wish to make any changes in your diet. This, as Gawler emphasises, is fine for some people. And it is true that exceptional recoveries from cancer do take place without any dietary change. At the same time, as Daan C. Baalen and Marco J. de Vries of Erasmus University found in their study of remissions from cancer in the Netherlands, dietary change is one of the most frequent concomitants of spontaneous regression of cancer.1 Second, you may adopt a maintenance diet that is basically a healthy, whole-foods diet that avoids foods and substances known to be injurious to health. This is a beneficial step and, as Gawler points out, a major one for some people who have eaten poor diets in the past. Simply starting to eat a healthy whole-foods diet can make a major contribution to health.

Third, you may develop an individualised nutritional program of any level of vigour and intensity. This is what Gawler himself finally did, based on experience he developed after following the Gerson diet for 3 months. The sensitivities he developed to foods that helped or hurt him on the Gerson diet led to an awareness of how to individualise his own nutrition optimally.

Fourth, you can commit yourself to one of the intensive programs, such as the Gerson diet, macrobiotics, or the Bristol diet program, preferably seeking professional help to undertake it.2 From his years of dietary experimentation, Gawler proposed four basic principles for nutritional cancer therapy: 1. the body should be detoxified; 2. any vitamin and mineral imbalances need to be corrected; 3. digestion should be restored and the diet made up of only fresh, vital, pure, and suitably prepared food; and 4. the patient needs to develop and maintain a positive attitude, both in general and toward his diet in particular.3

Detoxification It is fascinating that the concept of detoxification – the removal of existing toxins from the system – and the avoidance of introducing new toxins – have virtually no credibility in mainstream nutrition despite the fact that the carcinogenic impact of toxic substances in human biology is well known. Yet detoxification is a fundamental practice in many forms of traditional medicine, especially naturopathic medicine. Writes Gawler: It makes good sense to remove any toxins in the system and then avoid introducing any new sources of toxic material. The latter is easier than the former, and can be done by avoiding those things incriminated as having an increased risk of cancer. continued on next page...

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he believed that “healing crises” (in holistic health theory, the temporary augmentation of some symptoms as the body detoxifies and begins to recover) are a reality in many holistic treatments, he saw how destructively the term had been used at the Mexican clinic where Luis had gone: how in fact this nutritional program had cost Luis his life.

...from previous page

Removing toxins from the body is not such a simple business in theory or practice. It is certainly more open to medical debate.

Again, these principles do work, and I suggest they can be validated. ... What is not so reasonable is the emphasis some patients put on detoxifying [e.g., through excessive emphasis on enemas]. Perhaps this is because of feelings of uncleanliness that sometimes accompany disease, but it disappoints me to see some people seeming to delight in detoxifying through cleansing and purging in a rather violent way. Detoxifying is not just cleansing the bowels with gusto! It is a thorough spring cleaning for the whole body and can be done gently.4 Gawler recommends “eating a lot of fresh, vital foods [to] get the process in motion.” He agrees with Gerson on the use of freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices, but does not agree that these juices are always needed hourly 12 times a day. He also accepts Gerson’s concept that raw organic liver juice may help build the blood. He also found Gerson’s coffee enemas effective as a liver stimulant.

Nutritional Supplementation in Vitamin and Mineral Imbalances There is good evidence that modern American diets are often nutritionally unbalanced, that cancer patients specifically often demonstrate nutritional imbalances both prior to and after development of cancer, and that, in laboratory and animal experiments, specific nutrients can slow, stop, or reverse the progress of some cancers. This research raises the issue of whether cancer patients should use nutritional supplements. This, Gawler correctly concludes, is one of the most difficult nutritional areas in which to say anything definitive. His view is that the Gerson diet and some other intensive regimens provide very high levels of needed nutrients in natural forms and balances.

But many cancer patients on intensive programs still use supplements despite the fact that the proponents of the therapies often, in principle, recommend against them. Gawler tried megavitamin therapy but found it did not help him, although “at specific times I have felt the need for specific supplements and benefitted from them ... supplements are a difficult question, the one I find the hardest to be clear about and I make no definite recommendations.”5

them. I find the evidence for this to be sketchy. It is hard to imagine such supplements doing harm, however, and there is a body of circumstantial evidence which suggests that they might do good. I took them while I was on Gerson’s therapy but they were one of the first things I discontinued.6

Positive Attitude toward Food The idea that it is important to develop and maintain a positive attitude in general and toward a healthy diet in particular is virtually never discussed in mainstream nutrition but is one that Gawler emphasises: This whole area of diet is full of excitement, controversy and the definite prospect of being helpful. It is essential to be clear in your own mind as to the relevance it has for you. You should feel good about your choices. It is very necessary to think about the whole area and come to definite conclusions. In the final analysis, food should be a happy thing. You should be able to sit down before it, give thanks for what you have to eat, know that it is appropriate for your situation, and eat with a smile on your lips and a song in your heart!7 In short, the four basic nutritional-psychological concepts that Gawler discusses – which are broadly representative of many alternative cancer therapies – are not inconsistent with any scientific evidence but do go beyond science in proposing that such a diet and attitude may assist in recovery from cancer.

What is particularly valuable about Gawler’s contribution to the field of holistic nutritional-psychological approaches to cancer is that his position is not doctrinaire. He personally has experienced a documented recovery from an advanced cancer from which he was expected to die. He achieved his recovery while using intensive nutritional and psychological measures. And yet he did not come out of this recovery experience – as many understandably do – a true believer and zealot for a specific nutritional program as the answer for everyone with cancer. Rather, he takes a balanced and at the same time very vigorous perspective on nutrition as a key for some people to cancer recovery. He carefully notes that detoxification is not discussed in the contemporary mainstream medical literature, and that nutritional supplementation represents a problematic area. He allows everyone room to choose his own type and level of nutritional intervention. He personally undertook one of the most rigorous nutritional programs – the Gerson diet – and then continuously modified it until he reached an individualised program. ✦

References Digestion and Fresh Food With regard to restoring the digestion and switching the diet to fresh, vital, pure, and suitably prepared food, there is good evidence for the higher nutrient values of such foods. At the same time, one rarely finds mainstream physicians or nutritionists speaking in these essentially holistic terms about the quality of food patients should eat. Gawler observes: Here again the idea of supplementing the digestive functions is medically questionable. I find this easier to put forward [than recommendations for nutritional supplements] as there is little doubt that most cancer patients initially do have an impaired digestion. Gerson recommended supplementing stomach acid and pancreatic enzymes. There have been several claims that pancreatic enzymes can actually attack cancer cells and digest

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1 Daan C. van Baalen, Marco J. de Vries, and Marjolein T. Gondrie, “Psycho-Social Correlates of `Spontaneous’ Regression in Cancer.”

Monograph, Department of General Pathology, Medical Faculty, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, April 1987, 6.

2 Ian Gawler, You Can Conquer Cancer (Melbourne: Hill of Content, 1986), 99.

3 Ibid., 90-1.

4 Ibid., 91.

5 Ibid., 97.

6 Ibid., 97.

7 Ibid., 9.

This article is from the book: “Choices in healing: integrating the best of conventional and complementary approaches to cancer” by Michael Lerner. ISBN 0-262-12180-8 1. Michael Lerner is President of Commonweal.

Commonweal is a nonprofit health and environmental research institute in Bolinas, California. Founded in 1976, Commonweal conducts programs that contribute to human and ecosystem health and to a safer world for people and for all life. Web: www.commonweal.org

Each time you take a bite, taste sensations spread over the palate, tongue, cheeks and throat and smell spreads into your nose. If the tastes are pleasant, it will cause a rippling of pleasant sensation throughout your body. An analogy may be helpful. When a pebble is tossed into a pond, it causes a splash where it lands and from that splash ripples spread through the whole pond. The morsel of food is like the pebble; your body is like the pond. The explosion of tastes in your mouth is the splash and the associated reaction of your whole body is the rippling. This global reaction may be subtle but remember, when it comes to working with feeling, “subtle is significant.” If you can detect the ripples and let them come and go without clenching you will greatly deepen your sense of satisfaction.

E

ating meditation is an example of spiritual purification through experiencing pleasure with mindfulness and equanimity. Through it your baseline of fulfillment in daily life can be permanently elevated. Since it involves a tangible pleasant object of concentration, it makes a good compliment to sitting meditation where unpleasant sensations are sometimes present.

Of course, sometimes unpleasant sensations may arise during eating. For example, if you eat something that you dislike, waves of tension, aversion and cringing may spread through the body.

Although it is not necessary to seek such an unpleasant experience, it is helpful to remember that by bringing mindfulness and equanimity to those sensations, deep psychological blockages such as separation, fear and alienation are being broken up.

Eating slowly and mindfully may also cause one to become impatient and driven to gobble. If this should happen be happy! It represents a significant opportunity to work through the drivenness and achieve more ease in daily life.

If during the eating process you feel impatient and driven, try to detect this in terms of tangible “driver sensations” throughout your body. What is true of the ripples of pleasant sensation that bring satisfaction is also true of the tensions and pressures that produce drivenness: they may be subtle and cover much or all of your body.

Observe them with precision and acceptance. In this way drivenness, not only around eating, but in all aspects of your life, will get worked through. Life becomes lighter and easier. Your actions become dynamic and zestful, arising from a fundamental inner peace, as opposed to being driven by subliminal suffering.

When approaching eating as a form of meditation it is useful to pay attention to your posture. Try to keep your spine straight while at the same time allowing the whole body to “settle in.” Rather than

“meditating while eating”, try to get the sense that you are in a deep meditation sit during which you just happen to be eating.

Eating slowly will help you focus and also perhaps bring up driver sensations. In order to deepen your state, you may want to occasionally pause, put down your utensils and close your eyes for a period of time. After you have completed your meal, it is instructive to sit for a while and savour the delicate vibrations of satisfaction that suffuse your body after pleasant experiences. In daily life we seldom have an opportunity to contact this significant phenomenon.

You may find that a rhythm develops as you eat. You are aware of the tactile sensations in your hand and arm as you reach for the food, then the flavor qualities and texture sensations in different parts of your mouth and the smells going up to your nose, then your whole body reacting to the tastes and smells and finally the gradual subsiding of taste, smell and body reaction. Then the cycle begins again. Drivenness and impatience may arise just before a bite, or as the flavor and pleasure subsides after a bite, or throughout the whole process. Try to “love your impatience to death” by patiently observing it.

Two sources of distraction during eating meditation are thinking and preoccupation with what’s happening around you.

Remember: your defined object of meditation is taste, smell and body sensations. As soon as you feel the tug outward into the sights and sounds around you, gently return to taste, smell and body sensations. As soon as you feel the tug inward to planning, judging, fantasising and memory...lovingly return to taste, smell and body sensations.

If you are willing to put in some effort, you can enter a kind of slow motion, “eternal present” while eating. The simplest fare then becomes a celestial samadhi! ✦ From: here-and-now.org

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By Shira Shaiman

If you want something to grow, you have to feed it. For anyone who’s ever had a houseplant or pet, this seems obvious. But we don’t necessarily think about applying this natural principle to our own growth and development. According to nourishment consultant Hale Sofia Schatz, a secret to vibrant living resides in one of our most common daily activities – how we feed ourselves.

FEEDING WHOLENESS On a recent trip to New York City, I decided to venture out of my hotel in search of a health food store where I could pick up a few items for breakfast. I asked the young women at the front desk to point me in the right direction. Even at 8:00 a.m., these women were as stoic as the modern columns supporting the lobby ceiling. When I explained that I wanted breakfast, they suggested the hotel’s restaurant. I shook my head, and they asked what I usually ate.

“It varies,” I said, “eggs, greens, yogurt, sometimes fish, quinoa.” My mouth began to water at the thought of my latest breakfast favourite of quinoa, kale, and avocado, which I knew I’d be hard pressed to find in Times Square. At the mention of these foods, the women’s professional composure crumbled. They sparked to life. “I love to eat healthy!” they exclaimed in near unison. “But it’s so hard to eat well here,” the young woman said, glancing around the lobby. “Getting to work by 6:00 a.m. and having 20 minutes for lunch doesn’t leave much time for anything besides the deli next door.” The others were nodding. “You sound so healthy, do you ever cheat?”

Cheat? The question took me by surprise. Cheating would mean I was on a diet, which I’m not. This is my life, I thought. Who would I be cheating?

I told this young woman, who suddenly looked so hungry to me, that in fact I had a slice of baklavah and a cup of Turkish coffee the night before. She didn’t quite know what to make of this. How can healthy and dessert go together in the same breath? Before I encountered nourishment consultant Hale Sofia Schatz’s joyful and heartful approach to food, I felt the same way: you were either on a diet or else it was a free-for-all.

Nourishing myself has become a way of life that I can’t separate from anything else I do. Nourishment means loving and giving to myself, and knowing that I deserve this care and respect. Sometimes that care looks like a bowl of miso soup, other times it’s a piece of dark chocolate, or a night out dancing. The point is, I stopped swinging on the pendulum of starvation and stuffing by learning how to really feed myself.

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People generally know what they need to feed themselves well: more fresh foods and fewer processed and refined ones. But between the knowing and the doing there’s frequently a gap, which often results in unnecessary suffering. Of course, this applies to our relationship with food and every other way we treat ourselves.

“The only way I see people make lasting change,” observes Schatz, “is by connecting to their spirit. When there’s the awareness that we are more than just bodies, that we are spirit embodied in physical form, it changes how we relate to ourselves. It wakes us up, makes us consider our choices and how to care for ourselves in ways that truly align with the spirit.”

The more we nourish the place of wholeness within ourselves, the more our spirit can shine its light. “And this is what we all really want!” says Schatz. “It’s not about losing five pounds or achieving a body that looks a certain way. Everybody wants to feel good – healthy, passionate, at peace, in balance. We yearn to come home to our bodies, minds, and spirits.”

PRESENT-MOMENT NOURISHMENT Nourishing yourself has more to do with responding to your needs in the present moment than following any particular diet or health system.

That’s because the body lives only in the present. Our thoughts about our bodies, however, tend to linger in the past or leap into fantasies of how we wish we looked.

Frequently, we eat according to an old sense of who we are, whether that’s feeding our emotional stories or an idea of who we were at different stages of life. But the body we have today isn’t the same one we had ten years ago, or even ten days ago, and feeding our past instead of our present is a recipe for potential distress.

How can we know what feeds us now? According to Schatz, feeding ourselves is a matter of response-ability: listening to the body and providing for its needs at any given time. Does this seem like a simple approach to feeding ourselves? It is.

The most basic way to tune in to your nourishment needs is clarifying what you are feeling at any given moment–digestion, energy level, emotions, and all the other dynamic experiences of being human.

To illustrate how this simple barometer works, here’s a situation that many of us can relate to. Let’s say you’re a regular coffee drinker who decides to give up caffeine. As the caffeine releases from your bloodstream, chances are you’ll feel fatigued, even grouchy. You wonder: “Why am I so tired all of a sudden?” But it’s not all of a sudden. Without the coffee, you now have a chance to feel what your body’s been trying to convey to you all along, and what the caffeine had masked: “I’m tired!”

While this may not feel good, it does create an opportunity to hear the body’s needs and respond in a more nurturing way. What is your body really asking for? A longer night’s sleep? Less work and more downtime? A new job? Or perhaps a new and refreshed attitude toward life.

SIMPLIFY How can we hear our inner needs, let alone respond to them, amidst the noise and distraction of our rapidly expanding consumer culture?

When you consider that the typical American carries 35,000 food products, that food is available everywhere and at all times, and that countless diets and expert theories about food come in and out of vogue, it’s no wonder we feel so overwhelmed and conflicted when it comes to feeding ourselves.

One way to clear the confusion is by limiting our field of choices. For the first time in human history, we regularly eat food that’s prepared by people we don’t know, and with questionable ingredients, or ingredients of unknown origin. We would never consider putting a foreign object into our bodies, but with food we do it all the time.

We need to bring nourishment home, literally back into our hands and kitchens.

Since a one-size-fits-all food plan won’t accommodate everybody’s unique needs, we can always rely on the earth for sane guidance. After all, that’s where food originates. When we regularly choose whole foods, like seasonal vegetables and fruit, whole grains, seeds and nuts, lean proteins, and organic animal products, we receive the most potent life-giving nourishment with the least amount of excess.

Essentially, vital foods energise and give us life, while processed and refined foods have a deadening effect. Feeding ourselves fresh vegetables and fruits, especially in season and from local sources, also connects us to the life force of the earth. Even if you can’t garden or spend time in nature, feeding yourself vegetables and fruits is one way to literally engage with the natural rhythms that connect all life together.

become you, transforming into the energy your body and mind need for sustenance. In this sense, the adage “you are what you eat” has some validity. If you’ve only considered food for its taste, then this can be quite a wake-up call.

But Schatz has a different spin on this familiar saying. “In my view, it’s also true that you eat what you are,” she explains. “From working with hundreds of people in various stages of life and from different backgrounds, I see that we eat foods that perpetuate certain behaviours. For example, a fast life seeks out fast food, whether it looks like McDonald’s or the health food deli counter.”

For many, eating has become a mindless activity, or something done in conjunction with at least one or more tasks. How can you be present for a meal if you are also reading a book, typing on the keyboard, eating while rushing to work, or driving your car? We open our mouths, but we don’t necessarily receive the food we give ourselves. The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh teaches that no activity is too mundane for mindfulness; even washing the dishes is an occasion to be present. If we aren’t present for ourselves when we eat, then we’ve missed a little piece of our lives, and this leaves us wanting more and more to feel satiated.

To highlight the difference between mindless, frenzied consumption and purposeful, conscious nourishment, Schatz encourages people to explore the concept of feeding themselves. When you feed yourself, there’s a giver and a receiver: the one who does the feeding and the self who receives the food.

The question then becomes: Who are you feeding? Which aspect of yourself are you choosing to nourish? The one who moves calmly through life, or the stressed-out person who rushes from appointment to appointment? Which parts of yourself do you want to nurture?

Consider the foods, as well as the activities, friends, books, music, even profession that would support your growth.

DAILY DISCIPLINE Nourishment is a daily awareness practice, just like yoga or meditation. But where we can miss a day on our mat or zafu, we don’t usually skip a day of feeding ourselves. For this very reason, nourishing ourselves offers countless opportunities to pay attention to who we really are and to respond with kindness and respect.

Nourishment doesn’t mean always or never. When we follow an all-or-nothing mentality, we do ourselves a great disservice. “We have to dispel the myth that a healthy lifestyle means never eating a piece of chocolate, or making ourselves take a yoga class every day no matter what. This kind of rigid behaviour is too difficult for us to sustain,” says Schatz. Just as a flexible spine is an essential yogic element to maintaining health, a flexible attitude toward food is crucial for nourishing yourself. The middle-way approach is rooted in a regular discipline that’s also relaxed and responsive to your complex physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs in the present moment.

Feeding yourself is an intimately personal experience. Think about it. Let’s say you buy a beautiful apple from a farm stand. You take a bite and the crisp textures and juices explode in your mouth. You chew, swallow, and the apple is gone.

For Schatz, the body is an ongoing experiment, the laboratory where she studies how to take care of the gift that we’ve all been divinely given. “People are surprised when I tell them that I have to continually engage with the question of feeding myself. I’m faced with the same daily choices as everyone else! There’s nothing automatic about it.

The body has so much to teach us. If we can learn to live in this vehicle with love, equanimity, and compassion, then imagine what we can do in the world, which is just a bigger vehicle.” ✦

Usually we don’t dwell on what happens to our food once we’ve consumed it. But now that you’ve taken that apple into your body the fruit has become part of you. In fact, some of that apple will literally

Shira Shaiman is coauthor with Hale Sofia Schatz of ‘If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit.’

WHO ARE YOU FEEDING?

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Schatz has dedicated the last 30 years to teaching people how to develop communication with their bodies. Her approach is based on the premise that the body is perpetually conveying a stream of information about our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. All we have to do is listen.

By Maya W. Paul and Melinda Smith, M.A

Are you interested in doing all you can to improve your health and fight off cancer? Maybe you have a history of cancer in your family or a loved one who’s battling the disease. Maybe you’re dealing with cancer yourself or trying to prevent a recurrence. Whatever the situation, your dietary choices matter. Some foods actually increase your risk of cancer, while others support your body and strengthen your immune system. By making smart food choices, you can protect your health, feel better, and boost your ability fight off disease.

What you need to know about cancer and diet

Not all health problems are avoidable, but you have more control

over your health than you may think. Research shows that a large percentage of cancer-related deaths – maybe even the majority – are directly linked to lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking, a lack of exercise, and an unhealthy diet. Avoiding cigarettes, minimising alcohol, and getting regular exercise are a great start to an anti-cancer lifestyle. But to best support your health, you also need to look at your eating habits.

What you eat – and don’t eat – has a powerful effect on your health, including your risk of cancer. Without knowing it, you may be eating many foods that fuel cancer, while neglecting the powerful foods and nutrients that can protect you. If you change your diet and behaviours, you can minimise your risk of disease and possibly even stop cancer in its tracks.

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Focus on plant-based foods The best diet for preventing or fighting cancer is a predominantly plant-based diet that includes a variety of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. A plant-based diet means eating mostly foods that come from plants: vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and beans.

The less processed these foods are – the less they’ve been cooked, peeled, mixed with other ingredients, stripped of their nutrients, or otherwise altered from the way they came out of the ground – the better.

There are many ways to add plant-based foods to your diet. A nice visual reminder is to aim for a plate of food that is filled at least twothirds with whole grains, vegetables, beans or fruit. Dairy products, fish and meat should take up no more than a third of the plate.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to go completely vegetarian.

Instead, focus on adding “whole” foods, which are foods close to

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their original form. Just as important, try to minimise or reduce the amount of processed foods you eat. Eat an apple instead of drinking a glass of apple juice, for example. Or enjoy a bowl of oatmeal with raisins instead of an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Simple tips for getting more plant-based foods in your diet Breakfast: Add fruit and a few seeds or nuts to your whole grain breakfast cereal (oatmeal!).

Lunch: Eat a big salad filled with your favourite beans and peas or other combination of veggies.

Always order lettuce and tomato (plus any other veggies you can!) on your sandwiches. Order whole grain bread for your sandwiches. Have a side of veggies like cut up carrots, sauerkraut or a piece of fruit.

Snacks: fresh fruit and vegetables.

Grab an apple or banana on your way out the door. Raw veggies such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, jicama, peppers, etc. are great with a low-fat dip such as hummus. Keep trail mix made with nuts, seeds and a little dried fruit on hand.

Dinner: Add fresh or frozen veggies to your favourite pasta sauce or rice dish. Top a baked potato with broccoli and yogurt, sautéed veggies, or with salsa. Replace creamy pasta sauces, with sautéed vegetables or tomato sauce made with healthy olive oil.

Dessert: Choose fruit instead of a richer dessert. Or a single square of dark chocolate.

Bulk up on fibre Another benefit of eating plant-based foods is that it will also increase your fiber intake. Fiber, also called roughage or bulk, is the part of plants (grains, fruits, and vegetables) that your body can’t digest. Fiber plays a key role in keeping your digestive system clean and healthy. It helps keep food moving through your digestive tract, and it also moves cancer-causing compounds out before they can create harm.

Fibre is found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In general, the more natural and unprocessed the food, the higher it is in fibre.

There is no fibre in meat, dairy, sugar, or “white” foods like white bread, white rice, and pastries.

Use brown rice instead of white rice Substitute white bread with whole-grain bread Choose a bran muffin over a croissant or pastry Snack on popcorn instead of potato chips Eat fresh fruit such as a pear, a banana, or an apple Have a baked potato, including the skin, instead of mashed potatoes • Enjoy fresh carrots, celery, or bell peppers with a hummus or salsa, instead of chips and a sour cream dip • Use beans instead of ground meat in chili, casseroles, tacos, and even burgers (bean burgers taste great!)

• • • • • •

Cut down on meat Research shows that vegetarians are about fifty percent less likely to develop cancer than those who eat meat. So what’s the link between meat and cancer risk? First, meat lacks fiber and other nutrients that have been shown to have cancer-protective properties. What it does have in abundance, however, is fat – often very high levels of saturated fat. High-fat diets have been linked to higher rates of cancer. And saturated fat is particularly dangerous. Finally, depending on how it is prepared, meat can develop carcinogenic compounds.

Making better meat and protein choices You don’t need to cut out meat completely and become a vegetarian. But most people consume far more meat than is healthy. You can cut down your cancer risk substantially by reducing the amount of animal-based products you eat and by choosing healthier meats.

Keep meat to a minimum. Try to keep the total amount of meat in your diet to no more than fifteen percent of your total calories.

Ten percent is even better.

Eat red meat only occasionally. Red meat is high in saturated fat, so eat it sparingly.

Reduce the portion size of meat in each meal. The portion should be able to fit in the palm of your hand.

Use meat as a flavouring or a side. You can use a little bit of meat to add flavour or texture to your food, rather than using it as the main element.

Add beans and other plant-based protein sources to your meals.

Choose leaner meats, such as fish, chicken, or turkey. If possible, buy organic.

Completely avoid processed meats such as hotdogs, sausage, deli meats and salami.

Choose your fats wisely A major benefit of cutting down on the amount of meat you eat is that you will automatically cut out a lot of unhealthy fat. Eating a diet high in fat increases your risk for many types of cancer. continued on next page...

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It comes down to this: plants have less fat, more fibre, and more cancer-fighting nutrients. These three elements work together to support your immune system and help your body fight off cancer.

Eat fish once or twice a week. Good choices include wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, herring, and black cod.

But be conscious of mercury, a contaminant found in many types of fish.

Choose cancer-fighting foods Your immune system keeps you healthy by fighting off unwanted invaders in your system, including cancer cells. There are many things you can eat to maximize the strength of your immune system, as well as many cancer-fighting foods. But keep in mind that there is no single miracle food or ingredient that will protect you against cancer. Eating a colourful variety gives you the best protection.

But cutting out fat entirely isn’t the answer, either. In fact, some types of fat may actually protect against cancer. The trick is to choose your fats wisely and eat them in moderation.

Fats that increase cancer risk

The two most damaging fats are saturated fats and trans fats.

Saturated fats are found mainly in animal products such as red meat, whole milk dairy products, and eggs. Trans fats, also called partially hydrogenated oils, are created by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid and less likely to spoil – which is very good for food manufacturers, and very bad for you.

Fats that decrease cancer risk

The best fats are unsaturated fats, which come from plant sources and are liquid at room temperature. Primary sources include olive oil, canola oil, nuts, and avocados. Also focus on omega3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation and support brain and heart health. Good sources include salmon, tuna, and flaxseeds.

Tips for choosing cancer-fighting fats and avoiding the bad Reduce your consumption of red meat, whole milk, butter, and eggs, as these are the primary source of saturated fats.

Cook with olive oil instead of regular vegetable oil. Canola oil is another good choice, especially for baking.

Check the ingredient list on food labels and avoid anything with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, which are usually found in stick margarines, shortenings, salad dressings, and other packaged foods.

Trim the fat off of meat when you do eat it, and avoid eating the skin of the chicken.

Choose nonfat dairy products and eggs that have been fortified with omega-3 fatty acids.

Add nuts and seeds to cereal, salads, soups, or other dishes. Good choices include walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, pecans, and sesame seeds.

Use flaxseed oil in smoothies, salad dressings, or mixed in snacks such as applesauce. But do not cook with flaxseed oil, as it loses its protective properties when heated.

Eliminate fast food, fried foods, and packaged foods, which tend to be high in trans fats. This includes foods like potato chips, cookies, crackers, French fries, and doughnuts.

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Boost your antioxidants. Antioxidants are powerful vitamins that protect against cancer and help the cells in your body function optimally. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium.

Eat a wide range of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables.

Colourful fruits and vegetables are rich in phytochemicals, a potent disease-fighting and immune-boosting nutrient. The greater the variety of colours that you include, the more you will benefit, since different colours are rich in different phytochemicals.

Flavour with immune-boosting spices and foods. Garlic, ginger, and curry powder not only add flavour, but they add a cancerfighting punch of valuable nutrients. Other good choices include turmeric, basil, rosemary, and coriander. Use them in soups, salads, casseroles, or any other dish.

Drink plenty of water. Water is essential to all bodily processes.

It stimulates the immune system, removes waste and toxins, and transports nutrients to all of your organs.

Prepare food in healthy ways Choosing healthy food is not the only important factor. It also matters how you prepare and store your food. The way you cook your food can either help or hurt your anti-cancer efforts.

Preserve the cancer-fighting benefits of vegetables Here are a few tips that will help you get the most benefits from eating all those great cancer-fighting vegetables: Eat raw fruits and vegetables. These have the highest amounts of vitamins and minerals, although cooking some vegetables can make the vitamins more available for our body to use.

When cooking vegetables, steam until just tender using a small amount of water. This preserves more of the vitamins.

Overcooking vegetables leaches the vitamins and minerals out.

For an extra vitamin boost, use the vegetable cooking water in a soup or another dish.

Choose organic. Or at leat use e a vegetable brush for reducing pesticide residue on commercial produce. ✦ From: www.helpguide.org. Helpguide’s mission is to help people prevent and resolve life’s challenges through access to information and support.

NUTRITION

By Lisa Marie Bhattacharya (Whitaker)

When consulting clients on a regular basis I regularly come back to this piece of advice and I want to share it with you too: reconnect with your food!

We are spending much more time in our analytical mind than ever.

When we do this, a disconnection occurs over time (picture an electrical or nerve pathway being interrupted).

There has been such a ‘disconnect’ in our culture from not only our food source, but the very food itself. We are eating for fuel, for survival, rather than pleasure and deep spiritual nourishment; as food is equally intended.

Our adrenal glands, responsible for the secretion of the stress hormone ‘cortisol’ (which initiates a ‘fight or flight’ response in the body), are typically over-stimulated. Consequently we forget things like; breathing deeply (as if we were relaxed and in control), to circulate blood flow adequately and therefore to ‘connect’ our mind and body as the synergistic entities that they are.

Look at the typical grocery store item and how it has evolved in the past, say 50 years. Where once a bag of rolled or steel cut oats was purchased, now a more likely purchase is one made for ‘convenience’, such as a granola bar.

What is the difference? There are a whole slew of ‘new’ ingredients including artificial and highly refined ones. These convenience foods have been made in a fast-food sense without consideration for our health, our digestion and our mind-body connection. Are these convenience foods really convenient or just perceived that way? And what are the long-term effects?

Another consideration is that our bodies do not evolve nearly as quickly as our food. Humans evolve gradually over hundreds of thousands of years or more. Our food has drastically evolved within a mere 100 years. Our bodies are suffering from the strain to keep up.

Our genes are designed to recognise and therefore adequately digest and metabolize whole, natural foods; ‘as nature intended’.

Our bodies are fantastic pieces of machinery that put up with our day-to-day abuses like poor nutritional choices, despite its need for better. But, when we eat something that has ‘foreign’ ingredients derived by way of chemical or mechanical separation or with the use of additives to preserve it (or make it look more appetising!), our bodies are faced with having to shift its gears. These added stressors cause problems; currently gastro-intestinal illness is at an all-time high and the number one reason for hospitalisation. In my opinion, our quality of food as well as our lack of mind-body connection, due to our high-stress lifestyles, is responsible. Only we can correct it in ourselves.

When we operate our lives in our modern-day society many of us have a perpetual to-do list. We also have deadlines, longer work hours, family responsibilities, relationship issues… the list goes on. A lot of which is greater than ever for the average person. This is a major contribution to the disconnection of our mind and body.

It’s inevitable that we will be disconnected at one time or another, if not always – how do we reconnect? First, buy foods with integrity as they energetically promote integrity in the body and mind (ie: local, sustainably grown, poison-free foods) Next, practice awareness of your food source; know how it grew and how it came to you and have gratitude for those who are responsible for growing/raising it.

Then, prepare it with awareness; avoid multi-tasking; talking on the phone, using the computer, making the grocery list, arguing with loved-ones – while making your meal (and please: no microwaving!!) Be present and recognise the quality of the food you chose and paid hard-earned money for. Be aware of its colour and texture, its freshness and its vitality in all respects. Know that it’ll nourish you deeply – by not only the consumption of it but its preparation, too.

Holistic Nutritionists can often be heard saying: “digestion starts in the kitchen”. The next step to digestion, as well as reconnecting, is chewing. When eating, take the time to chew thoroughly, noticing flavour and textural changes and how they morph the more you chew. Swallow your bites, consciously giving yourself nourishment on all levels.

After eating, breathe mindfully and visualise proper digestion and absorption of nutrients and your overall wellness – and you’ll have it! Practice this at least one meal a day – it can mean as little as a 10 minute investment of your precious time each day but provide you with much more insight, peace of mind, nutrients and vigour than any other practice you do. Keep connected and nourished. ✦

From: The Healing Journal: www.thehealingjournal.com. Lisa Marie Bhattacharya (Whitaker) is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN) who is passionate about whole, natural foods.

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from an ABC radio presentation by Rod Quinn

Should we be more pro-active in the prevention of Cancer? What foods are best to eat?

The American Institute for Cancer Research says that up to 40 per cent of all cancers are directly linked to what we eat, what sort of exercise we do, and whether we’re overweight.

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are the best known varieties of the ‘cruciferous’ vegetables and all have good records as cancer fighters because they’re rich in ‘phytochemicals’ such as sulforaphane.

Spinach is a dark, leafy green vegetable high in antioxidants and rich in ‘carotenoids’ and folic acid, which are known to combat some cancers.

Pumpkin and carrots, which are high in ‘beta-carotene’, have been shown to have protective effects against stomach cancers.

Around 30 per cent of cancers can be prevented by not smoking. In other words we can take active steps to reduce our cancer risk through adjustments to our daily diet and lifestyle.

So what are some of the basic risk factors for cancer diseases and what are some of the top cancer-fighting foods?

Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants especially vitamin C and ‘lycopene’.

Antioxidants protect the body from cell and tissue damage, which is caused by harmful molecules called free radicals. Cooking tomatoes in foods such as spaghetti sauce can actually boost their ability to fight cancers.

Rich in vitamin C and ‘bioflavonoids’, oranges and their juice are thought to be able to improve the blood lipid (fats) profile, reduce oxidative stress, and improve blood levels of HDL cholesterol.

Rod Quinn discussed this with Health and Fitness expert, Associate Professor Gordon Lynch, who is Associate Professor and Reader in Physiology at the University of Melbourne. This is Gordon’s list of his top 10 cancer fighting foods!

This pungent member of the onion family has been hailed for its therapeutic benefits, especially for cardiovascular conditions.

Garlic has also been reported to lower blood cholesterol and confer protection against cancer development and progression, and to boost general immunity.

Tea contains antioxidant ‘polyphenols’ called catechins.

Green tea contains the highest levels of catechins, followed by oolong and black teas. Studies have shown catechins halt tumour cells and protect healthy cells from damage.

Drinking three coffee-sized mugs of green tea a day might provide useful levels of polyphenols.

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Capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot chilli peppers, is thought to be able to kill cancer cells by damaging the cell membranes and limiting the amount of oxygen that reaches them. Many dried herbs we cook with, and some you may have in your garden, also contain very high concentrations of phytochemical antioxidants which have health benefits.

Rich in isoflavones, a type of phytochemical, beans are thought to provide protection against prostate cancer. Soybeans have also been shown to have breast cancer-fighting properties as well as protective effects against cardiovascular disease.

One of the best and healthiest types of fat and high in phytochemical antioxidants and vitamin E. Olive oil is a major component of the so-called Mediterranean diet. Olive oil is thought to be helpful in prevention of breast and colon cancer.

NUTRITION

Either soluble or insoluble, dietary fibre (roughage) is not digested in the stomach or small intestine, as most other nutrients are. Some components of dietary fibber are broken down and digested in the large intestine (colon). Foods high in fibber such as grains, cereals, apples, and whole wheat are thought help protect against cancer of the colon.

Many people are familiar with parsley as the

green sprig that decorates many restaurant meals. But the truth is: that little green sprig packs some powerful health benefits. In fact, parsley is packed with so many nutrients that eating it is almost like taking a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement – one that’s all natural and available at a fraction of the cost.

Here’s some of what parsley can do: Parsley builds blood, aids in digestion, boosts energy, combats fatigue, helps the heart, dissolves cholesterol in the veins, supports the adrenals, strengthens teeth, builds bones, prevents birth defects, enhances nutrient absorption, eliminates bloating, reduces inflammation, and provides hormonal support.

Parsley is well known for helping or solving most kidney problems and also provides general immune support.

To boot, parsley is a high-chlorophyll blood purifier that aids in detoxification, particularly of the kidneys but also of the liver. And the herb packs in dense nutrients including: vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, potassium, folic acid, sulfur, vitamin K, and B vitamins 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. Parsley is even rumored to contain trace amounts of B12.

Parsley also contains unique volatile oils that inhibit tumours – particularly in the lungs.

These oils are able to neutralize some airborne carcinogens, including some of those found in cigarette smoke and smoke from charcoal grilling. Neutralising these airborne poisons may be why parsley helps prevent lung tumours.

To really get the immune building, nutrient fortifying, and detoxification benefits, you’ll want to take parsley in some quantity. To do this, it’s best to juice or blend it with other fruits or vegetables. With any fruit, you can also add a bit of stevia for extra sweetness.

Berries including raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cranberries, and red and purple grapes have high amounts of ‘ellagic acid’, a plant nutrient with protective effects against oesophageal and colon cancer in animals. Berries are also rich in powerful antioxidant flavonoids. Ellagic acid alone does not account for the fruit’s ability to inhibit cancer, so a healthy diet should contain suitable quantities of fruit.

Most health authorities say that the most effective diets for cancer prevention are those recommending eating these fruit and vegetables. To give ourselves the best chance, we should also keep tabs on our weight, not smoke, and exercise.

So Gordon’s take home message is to eat at plenty of fruit and vegetables each day, keep careful tabs on your weight, don’t smoke, and exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week! ✦ From: www.abc.net.au/overnights

Here are some easy, delicious recipes to enjoy a healthy dose: Blend: 1 1/2 cups watermelon (seeded), 1/4 cup parsley, 1/2 cup water and a bit of stevia. It’s a delicious, nutritious drink that even your kids will enjoy.

Blend: 1/2 papaya, 1 banana, 1/4 cup parsley, 1/2 cup water and a bit of stevia.

Juice: 3 apples and a 1/2 cup parsley.

Juice: 4 carrots, 1/2 apple and a 1/2 cup parsley.

Pregnant women should avoid taking parsley in quantity. ✦

From: www.nautralnews.com, 3rd August 2010.

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wellness recipes & nutrition

You will have many extra nutritional requirements if you are currently undergoing cancer treatment so will need to eat foods which support your immune system...and taste appealing!

the best cancer healing recipes from 2010

Nine Bean Soup This recipe includes four beans listed in the USDA list of the top twenty antioxidants. Soaking the beans overnight helps to prevent gas or bloating. This recipe freezes well for easy weekday meals.

Ingredients

Flax Seed Bread Flax is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower cholesterol.

It is also high in lignans, a phytoestrogen that may help prevent breast cancer.

Ingredients 1 1/4 cups water, 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup whole wheat bread flour, 1 cup unbleached white bread flour 1/3 cup whole flax seed (we prefer the whole flax seed over ground flax for the crunchy flavour) 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Method Place above ingredients in the order listed in bread maker and bake using the regular cycle. Allow bread to cool before slicing.

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2/3 cup dried small red bean 2/3 cup dried red kidney beans 1/3 cup dried pinto beans 1/3 cup dried black beans 1/3 cup dried split peas 1/3 cup lentils 1/3 cup dried garbanzo beans 1/3 cup dried large lima beans, 1/3 cup dried black eyed peas 2 cups diced carrots 2 cups diced bokchoy 1 bay leaf 3 cups chopped onions, 3 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons thyme 5 cloves minced garlic 1 large ham bone 10 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules, 5 quarts water 2 teaspoons savory salt and pepper to taste.

Method Combine beans, peas, and lentils, and rinse thoroughly.

Soak in water overnight. Cook ham bone in water in a large dutch oven 2-3 hours. Let broth cool and skim off all fat. Combine drained beans, peas, and lentils with remaining ingredients, add to broth and simmer 2-3 hours. Remove bay leaf prior to serving.

Recipes on these two pages from the book: Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time – Cancer Prevention Recipes by Lynne Eldridge, M.D. and David Borgeson, MS, MPT. The book is published by Turtle Lake Publications Inc. The recipes were devised by family and friends of the authors. For more information: www.avoidcancernow.com.

FOOD & RECIPES

When you’re being treated for cancer, it’s more important than ever to eat right and get adequate nutrition – but it can also be more difficult than ever to adhere to a balanced cancer diet. Your body is working overtime to fight the cancer, while it’s also doing extra duty to repair healthy cells that may have been damaged as a side effect of treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.

Sesame Kale

Kale is high in lutein, which is becoming recognised for its role in preventing the development of cancer and the clearance of cancer-causing viruses. It also has a role in delaying the developing of cataracts and macular degeneration. This recipe also includes garlic, seaweed, and sesame oil for their anticancer properties. Use organic sesame seeds to minimise pesticide residue.

Ingredients

1 pound kale (or 1 bunch) 2 cloves garlic (minced) 2 teaspooons sesame seed oil 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon lite soy sauce 2 teaspoons toasted organic sesame seeds 1/8 cup dried seaweed

Method Prepare seaweed per package directions. Mince garlic cloves. Wash kale and tear into bite size pieces keeping it somewhat wet. Heat sesame oil over medium temperature. Add garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add kale, seaweed, water and soy sauce and cook until kale is wilted, approximately 2 minutes. Add sesame seeds and serve. This recipe is excellent served chilled as well.

At the same time, many cancer treatments – especially chemotherapy – come with side effects that drain your strength and sap your appetite. So how can you make sure you’re getting all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you need to keep a balanced cancer diet?

1. Participate in regular exercise. Walking is best.

2. Limit your calorie intake. Excess calories are bad for cancer growth. Eat what you need to get to the next meal, not the usual American style of eating all you can as if you are never going to eat again.

3. Get sunshine daily. Darker-skinned people need more sunshine.

4. Don’t follow these or any guidelines to excess.

Moderation is the key.

5. Heart healthy is prostate healthy. Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer, even in men with prostate cancer.

6. Variety in the foods you eat is important. Increase the diversity.

7. Remember supplements are supplements. They are not intended to replace an intelligent diet; their purpose is to supplement an intelligent diet. Supplements are a poor alternative to eating foods that are high in the desired nutrients.

8. See a doctor regularly for early detection and preventative care. Be proactive rather than reactive.

From webMD.com by Sheldon Marks, MD

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Mild Curried Ginger and Carrot Soup Scientists have found that cooking and puréeing carrots increases the availability of their antioxidants more than three times. Keeping the outer skin on carrots (as with other fruits and vegetables) retains numerous extra cancer-fighting compounds. Carrots belong to the “umbelliferous” group of foods, which contain rich sources of plant chemicals, including beta-carotene and canthaxanthin.

Ingredients

“In order to make healthful choices we need to understand the latest diseasefighting foods. That’s why I included the Top 40 cancer-fighting foods in my new book, “Staying Alive! Cookbook for Cancer Free Living” – so that you can incorporate them into delicious, satisfying meals.

Unprocessed, whole foods include natural medicines such as phenols, sulfurophanes, indole-3 carbinol, resveratrol, and anthocyanins, which are fancy long words that can be translated into simple items like brown rice, ginger, carrots, apples, blueberries, flax seed, garlic, and green tea. These are Mother Nature’s way of helping prevent cancer or stop it in its tracks.” ~ Sally Errey

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2 tsp (10 ml) extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 2 Tbsp (30 ml) ginger root, grated or minced 1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander 1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cumin 1/4 tsp (1 ml) curry powder 1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt 1/4 tsp (1 ml) pepper 4 cups (1 L) carrots, chopped 3 cups (750 ml) vegetable stock 2 cups (500 ml) low fat milk or enriched soymilk 1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh cilantro

Method In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and cook the garlic, onion, ginger root, coriander, cumin, curry powder, salt, and pepper. This releases the aroma of the curry.

Cook until onions are soft, five to 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots until well coated, add the stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until carrots are very soft, 20 to 30 minutes.

Turn off heat. Using a hand blender, carefully blend the soup until creamy. (If no hand blender is available, transfer the soup in batches to a blender. This gives best results if you’re having company over.)

Return pot to heat and add milk or soymilk, reheating gently until just hot. Serve in bowls and decorate with cilantro. Serves 4.

All recipes on these two pages are by Sally Errey, RNCP. Sally is the nutritionist at the Centre for Integrated Healing in Vancouver where her seminars, cooking classes, and consultations help transform peoples’ lives. These recipes are excerpted from her new cookbook Staying Alive! Cookbook for Cancer Free Living (Belissimo Books, 2004). 1-87-STYALIVE, stayingalivecookbook.com.

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

FOOD & RECIPES

Grilled Veggie Wrap with Avocado Tasty and wholesome wraps are easy and fun to assemble and are a big hit with family and friends. I highly recommend the pure taste sensation and maximum nutrition from these simple grilled vegetables.

French Salad with Egg and Olives The vitamin B6 found in greens and carrots aids the absorption of zinc provided by the egg as well as facilitates conversion of healthy oils to prostaglandins.

Ingredients Ingredients 1 medium zucchini, sliced 1 red bell pepper, cut in 1 in (2.5 cm) wedges 1 cup (250 ml) Portobello or white mushrooms, sliced 1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 Tbsp (22 ml) balsamic vinegar, divided Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 1/4 cup (60 ml) cream cheese 1 tsp (5 ml) mixed herbs such as oregano, thyme, and tarragon, chopped 4 leaves green lettuce 2 whole-grain tortilla wraps 1 avocado, sliced 2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges

Method In medium saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil over medium heat and sauté zucchini, pepper, and mushrooms until soft and tender. Remove from heat, stir in 1 Tbsp (15 ml) balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, herbs, and 1/2 Tbsp (7 ml) balsamic vinegar. Spread mixture on each wrap. Place 2 leaves of lettuce on each wrap and add sautéed vegetables.

1 large English cucumber, sliced lengthwise 2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges 2 large carrots, thinly sliced lengthwise 2 cups (500 ml) organic mixed greens or Romaine lettuce, cut in 1 in (2.5 cm) strips 1 small red onion, julienned 1/4 cup (60 ml) black olives 2 large free-range eggs, soft boiled and sliced

Dressing 1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold-pressed walnut oil 1 Tbsp (30 ml) fresh tarragon, chopped 1 Tbsp (30 ml) Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp (30 ml) minced shallot 1 Tbsp (30 ml) minced garlic

Method In small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.In a large bowl, combine vegetables and olives. Garnish with egg; then pour dressing over top and serve

To assemble each wrap, fold the bottom 1 1/2 in (4 cm) over the filling to hold everything together; then roll.

Staying Alive! Cancer Free Living With every cancer diagnosis there are hundreds of agonising choices. It can be difficult to sort out what to think, and who to believe. “Staying Alive: Cancer Free Living” is a collection of some of the most inspirational stories of cancer survival you’ll ever read. The book shares the secrets of these survivors…what they did and what they ate. it is also filled with practical hints and proven, health-promoting recipes.

Readers will discover, the top 20 cancer fighting foods, how to incorporate them in daily food plans, nutrition information for cancer management and prevention, along with over 100 simple, fast and delicious recipes.

You can order the “Staying Alive: Cancer Free Living” from the publisher at orderdesk@stayingalivecookbook.com Anniversary Print Edition 2010

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Sweet Rosewater & Lentil Pudding Lemon Lentil Salad with Salmon This delicious salad combines the power of Omega 3, antioxidants and easy to digest vegetarian protein.

Ingredients 1/3 cup lemon juice 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper to taste 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium red capsicum seeded and diced 1 cup diced seedless cucumber 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 2 cans lentils, rinsed, or 3 cups cooked brown or green lentils canned salmon, drained and flaked, or 1 1/2 cups flaked cooked salmon

Method Whisk lemon juice, dill, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Add bell pepper, cucumber, onion, lentils and salmon; toss to coat.

How to Cook Lentils Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until just tender, about 20 minutes for green lentils and 30 minutes for brown. Drain and rinse under cold water.

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An unusual, sweet pudding-type dessert made from red lentils, coconut milk, spices and dried fruits. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and a wonderfully exotic addition to any Indian or Middle Eastern themed dinner!

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups red lentils 5 1/3 cups coconut milk 4 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 teaspoons rose water •1 tbsp sugar •1/3 cup dates, pitted and halved •1/3 cup dried apricots, halved •1/4 cup almonds, chopped •1/3 cup green pistachios, chopped

Method 1.Preheat oven to 350.

2.Mix everything except the dried fruit and nuts in a large dutch oven.

3.Bring to a boil and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, 30-35 minutes.

4.Transfer lentils to a large casserole-style pan, stir in nuts and fruit.

5.Bake for 30 minutes.

6.Serve at once, or cool and serve chilled. Add ice and sugar if desired. Mint sprigs can be used as a garnish.

Recipes from: www.eatingwell.com

FOOD & RECIPES

Cumin-Scented Wheat Berry & Lentil Soup Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a bright note to this wholesome, healing soup which can be enjoyed anytime of the year. Perfect if you are undergoing cancer treatment as it provides a high level of nutruition and is readily digested. It freezes beautifully – you can keep individual portions in the freezer for healthy weekday lunches

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups French green or brown lentils, sorted and rinsed (see Tip) 4 cups vegetable broth 4 cups cold water 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 large large carrots, finely chopped 1 medium red onion, diced 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 1/2 cups Cooked Wheat Berries, (recipe follows) 1 bunch rainbow or red chard, large stems discarded, leaves roughly chopped

Method 1.Combine lentils, broth and water in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently until the lentils are tender, but not mushy, 25 to 30 minutes (brown lentils take a little longer than green).

2.Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds more. Remove from the heat.

3.When the lentils are tender, stir cooked wheat berries and chard into the pot. Cover and simmer until the chard has wilted, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the carrot mixture and lemon juice.

Note: The ingredients listed here are just for ideas; you can use just about any red, white, and green lettuces and vegetables to find the combination you like. Other options include scallions, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower... the garden is the limit!

About Legumes Legumes or Pulses are the edible seed of certain leguminous plants like chickpeas, beans, lentils, peas and split peas. Leguminous plants provide a valuable source of protein for people and they fix the atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, which makes them important for the environment. Beans and Lentils are very low in fat, high in fibre and are frequently referred to as a wonder food.

Dried legumes and pulses are classified into three groups:

Coooked Wheat Berries Required for the Cumin-Scented Wheat Bery & Lentil Soup

Method

Contrary to popular belief, wheat berries do not require an overnight soak before cooking. Simply boil them for 1 hour to soften the kernels, which will produce their characteristically chewy texture.

beans, peas and lentils. They are eaten either whole or unhulled (with the skin still intact) or split in half with or without their skins.

Pulses are one of the sources of protein for the diet, other than meat. For vegetarians pulses are a vital part of the diet. For non vegetarians, pulses offer an alternative source of protein without the fat but with a lot of fibre.

Also beans and lentils are rich in complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

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Discover the art of beautifully presented and highly nutritious raw food preparation

By Richard Haigh

What is the raw food diet?

Are you wondering about the raw food diet? Raw food is the next step in the trend toward vegetarianism and veganism, as well as organic concerns. This diet has been embraced by many healthconscious individuals around the world. There are now many raw food recipe books available, as well as support groups and message boards galore for raw foodists – people who eat a raw food based diet. Many find the raw food diet compelling due to dramatic weight loss stories, as well as a belief in a healthier lifestyle and body, but this is not just your average diet. It is a lifestyle change.

Raw foodists point out that this is not necessarily a new diet, but that many cultures a long time ago ate most of their food raw, including paleolithic man, and eskimos. (eskimo means eater of raw food).

The raw food diet is a diet consisting mostly of raw vegan food, which includes raw fruits, raw vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Many raw foodists think that the more their diet is made up of raw food, the healthier their diet is, and the healthier they will become. This can also be true for pets – cats and dogs have been found to benefit from raw food diets, although cats and dogs have very different digestive systems than people, so obviously their diets should be very different from a diet meant for human consumption. The raw food movement is in itself divided up

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into groups of people. Some will eat cooked food for a small percentage of their diet. Many of these people are combinations of the following groups: Living foodists: these people follow a diet in which their food is made up of plant food in which the plant’s enzymes are still active, such as sprouted seeds and nuts.

Juicarians: all of their food is in the form of home made juice, wheat grass, for instance. Some raw foodists will eat unpasteurized milk and some raw meats, but this can be a concern as cooking is often necessary to kill any unwanted bacteria. Temperatures need to be very high or very low to kill these bacteria, and eating food raw is an infection risk. Pasteurizing is a method of preserving milk, and unpasteurized milk needs to be very fresh to be safe.

A small group of raw foodists will not eat food that has been processed by a machine at all, including juicers, dehydrators, blenders, and/or food processors. They believe in eating food in the most natural state possible.

What are living foods?

By some definitions, raw foodist are also life foodists, but a more specific definition implies that in living foods, the enzymes are

active, and are therefore considered living. It is the difference between sprouted and unsprouted seeds or nuts (sprouted seeds or nuts are living). Some people will only or mostly eat living foods, believing in the health benefits of greater enzyme activity.

What foods do you eat on the raw food diet?

On the raw food diet, you should eat foods in their uncooked state. Raw foodists avoid cooking, freezing, and anything involving chemical preservatives. Some raw foodists refuse to use juicers, blenders, or food processors, believing that food should be eaten in its natural state. Most raw foodists will use kitchen appliances such as a juicer that do not change the chemical makeup of the food. Some raw foodists will not do anything more than cut their foods, believing they should eat food in its most natural state. You need to decide for yourself where on the spectrum you are.

Some examples of foods you might eat include: wheat grass,fruits, vegetables, nuts, sprouts, seeds,aloe vera, and different types of seaweed. These foods contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, and with care, it is possible to get all of the essential amino acids (amino acids are what make up proteins). It may be necessary to take a nutritional supplement (aloe vera) in order to be sure to get all the essential nutrients.

You need to make sure you get at least 2000 calories a day from your food and drinks, just for basic energy needs. If you eat less than 900 calories in a day, your body will go into starvation mode, which is not an efficient way to lose weight. Your body will want to hold onto its energy stores, as well as protect your brain (which is mostly made up of fat), by breaking down muscle tissues instead of fat tissues.

These numbers vary from person to person depending on weight, but it is important to aim for about 2000 calories per day. What people drink on a raw food diet: On a raw food diet, drinks should also be raw. Raw foodists will drink purified water, freshly made juices straight from the juicer, aloe vera and coconut milk. Coconut milk comes from young coconuts, which you can often buy during the right season at a produce stand. Soda, juice, and other drinks purchased in stores have often been processed in some way, and thus are not raw. Juice made from the juicer can be made from a variety of fruits or vegetables, such as apples, carrots, lemons,wheatgrass and mangos.

You can experiment with your own combination, or pick up a book on juicing. Be sure to clean the juicer very well in between, or it will quickly become an unpleasant mess. Tea leaves from stores have often been dried at high temperatures, and so are not considered raw. Tea leaves can be made at home by growing your own herbs and laying them in the sun to dry. The tea made with these leaves is often called Sun Tea. Do not immediately follow this by putting your new tea leaves in boiling water, as that would not be considered raw by some. Use warm water that is below 100 degrees, and you should be fine.

Mint leaves can make nice teas if you are thinking about growing your own, or experiment with different herbs. Some honey can be an easy addition if you like your drinks to be sweet, or add a lemon for extra flavor.

The greatest value of the raw food diet is its transformative value. To a great extent, when you take up the raw food diet, you become a different and better person – you don’t just stay the old person, only a little healthier – you become, to a great extent, a new being with new interests, a new philosophy and outlook on life, new goals and desires. You become more of your essence, your true and natural self. You become a person who is more a part of the Life of Nature and less of the confused human world. You become less “of the world” and more “of the Earth”. ~Joe Alexander

How to start on the raw food diet When starting a raw food diet, people should begin gradually, with one meal a day, and slowly building up to about 70-90% raw. Start by having a typical dinner such as a salad with a cooked vegetable side dish such as potatoes or yams, and gradually decrease the amount of times per week you allow yourself cooked vegetables or baked grains (or cooked meats, if you eat meat). Be sure your diet is simple for you to do, as an extremely complicated plan is not likely to be followed for very long. continued on next page...

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...from previous page

Something you should look out for is that going on a raw food diet can be compared to a detoxification effect, and as your body adjust to this new diet and the new things happening in your digestion and the change in available nutrients and fats, there may be some side effects. You may experience slight headaches, sensations of nausea, and/or depression in a mild form. You should consult a doctor or nutritionist if these symptoms or other side effects continue. If these effects start, you may wish to slow down you change to the raw food diet, to allow your body more time to adjust.

To start a raw food diet, an important first step is meal planning.

You will need to carefully plan your meals to include foods which will cover all your dietary needs. Remember that if you plan all your meals carefully to meet your body’s needs, you should not have to be concerned about cravings. Our bodies naturally crave salt and/or sugars, because they cannot make them themselves.

But a variety of foods can provide your body with everything it needs. If you cannot get enough of a variety, you may want to consider a supplement like aloe vera gel. After all, the whole point of going on any diet is to improve your health, not to cause a nutritional deficiency or a health risk. You will need to have a few basic things in your kitchen (it’s no longer the oven, the stove, and the microwave), such as: a juicer (also called a juice extractor) a blender, sharp knives (or just a sharp knife. A butcher’s steel is also useful) large containers for sprouting sprouts (more than one would be handy) dehydrator (some raw foodists will not use these, as the high temperature implies cooking) You may already own these kitchen tools and appliances, otherwise, you may want to invest in them.

You might find yourself in need of them as time goes on. A juicer can make it much easier for you to ingest your raw food, especially at the beginning of your diet. A blender will help you to create different recipes and flavors, while a dehydrator will allow you to make simple breads and flavorful treats. While these methods do not allow you to enjoy food in its completely natural state, it does allow you to try out different flavors and textures, which can make the raw food diet easier and faster for a lot of people.

How to prepare food There are many easy recipes available, in books and on the internet, for raw food meals, snacks, and desserts. A raw food diet can be a lot of work; so fortunately, there are many restaurants that cater to raw food enthusiasts which will allow you to take a break. You can combine fruits and vegetables with various sprouted grains in order to have breads, crackers, and desserts, so you will not feel deprived. It can be difficult to be eating differently from everyone around you, so a variety of fun and different foods can make this easier for you.

When you begin a raw food diet, it may feel time consuming to spend a lot of time preparing food. It does take a lot of time. One way to make it more efficient is to prepare as much in advance or on the weekend as possible. As you get more used to your diet, it will become more efficient. (Be sure not to juice your juice in advance though – juice fresh from the juicer tastes much better, and many home made juices and smoothies will ferment if left to their own devices). Most raw foods are easy to prepare, although they take time and planning ahead. You simply cut a fruit or vegetable up and eat it. For some sprouts and seeds, you need to soak the seeds in water overnight to eat them in the morning.

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If you have a juicer, many combinations of fresh fruits and vegetables can be delicious while still being raw. On a raw food diet, you can still make breads and crackers using a dehydrator.

You need wheat or rye grains, which you will sprout overnight, and then you can add ingredients to the grains such as peppers, dates, carrot juice, or other flavors. You then put the mixture in the dehydrator and allow your bread or cracker to dehydrate until it reaches a texture that you like. Or you can make a fruit crisp without cooking by slicing up apples and using sprouted oats as a topping. To this you could add cinnamon for a bit of a familiar flavor.

A raw food diet can be very creative in ways of mixing flavors to provide pleasing tastes and textures. For more recipe ideas, there are many online message boards for raw foodists. You can also make many delicious smoothies by mixing water or juice with berries and fruit for a breakfast or dessert smoothie, or by mixing carrot juice with tomatoes and some green vegetables for a healthy lunch.

There are many recipes for this and other foods such as sushi rolls and various dips available online and in books. It can take a lot longer to prepare food when done this way, and you may find at the beginning that most of your time is spent making yourself food, but remember that it is still important to eat a variety of foods, not just what is easiest. For a lunch, making your own bread and packing a salad can be an easy way to take lunch to work, or you can order a simple salad with no dressing at a restaurant.

Organic and raw food

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between regular and organic produce? Organic foods are foods which have been grown and prepared without using chemical pesticides or fungicides, but rather eco-friendly alternatives. Organic foods have been growing in popularity because many shoppers no longer see chemicals as useful “miracle” cures for people’s problems, but rather as ways for people to damage the environment and kill animals and birds as well as the insect pests they target.

Organic foods are now in every section of the grocery store, not just fruits and vegetables, but consumers now have organic cookies and cakes available to them, as well as organic dairy products.

Organic foods are available in many sections of your local grocery store, as well as in new grocery store chains which are opening, featuring all organic and earth friendly foods. These stores and foods can be more expensive than “regular” fruits and vegetables.

This is because it can be harder to grow organic fruit which is still appealing to the consumer, and it can be difficult to protect a large crop against insect pests and animals.

Organically grown crops are therefore usually smaller, which brings up prices. However, this can be a worthwhile investment in your family’s health and in the environment. Because of this, organic foods are rising in popularity, which should allow companies and farms to invest more in producing an even greater variety of organic foods for your enjoyment.

One concern many people have with organic food is the inconvenience of finding organic foods, but there are now companies in many larger cities which will deliver boxes of organic food to your doorstep once a week. This can make organic produce even more convenient than regular produce, as well as encouraging you to eat a variety of organic food. Organic foods are a natural choice for raw foodists, as raw foodists often want to avoid unnecessary chemicals in any form, not just chemical preservatives. Thus, organic foods fit well into a raw food lifestyle, allowing raw foodists to be sure that at every step of the way, their food has been free of chemicals and of processing.

Not all raw food you eat must be organic, as it can be difficult to find organic options in everything, especially grains. Raw foods are not the same as organic foods, as many people who buy organic foods will eat cooked, frozen, and processed foods – they are simply avoiding chemical pesticides and fungicides. However, it can be advantageous for a raw foodist to eat primarily organic produce. Regardless of whether the produce you buy is organic or not organic, all produce should be carefully washed before being consumed. Organic foods are not the same as raw food, although organic foods arrive at the store raw and are thus an easy choice for raw foodists.

How to find food for the raw food diet One difficulty with the raw food diet may be in finding the raw foods so that you can prepare them for yourself. Most food available in grocery stores has been frozen, cooked, or processed in some way. It’s easy to find certain raw foods at your local grocery store. Almost all grocery stores have fresh produce available, as well as bulk or bagged nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and other foods for you to try. Some areas will have organic grocery stores, where you can be sure that none of your foods have been treated with pesticides. In other areas, it can be harder to find

organic produce, and it may be easier to grow it yourself in your own garden. Look around your area for a farmer’s market.

Buying food directly from the farmer can give you more confidence in the freshness of the food. You could also consider going to different produce stands, as a way to get more variety and new things to try in your raw food journey. If you live in a city with a Chinatown, for example, many different fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts are available. Raw grains may be harder to find.

If you have an alternative food store in your area which caters to raw foods, or a bulk section in your local grocery store, you can often find raw grains. If not, you may need to order them from an online store or hunt farther afield for a grocery store which carries them.

Raw oats may be relatively easier to find, as they often come in large bags as cereal. One advantage you may find with a raw food diet is in price. While prices for organic foods may be higher, you are still saving money by not buying prepackaged foods or processed foods from the freezer aisles. Any diet which cuts out meat is less expensive already than a regular diet. With the growing popularity of raw food, veganism, and vegetarianism, there is a greater variety of food for you to try, even while on a restrictive diet.

Another option for a raw foodist to easily obtain raw food is to grow their own food. Sunflowers, tomatoes, carrots and strawberries can easily be grown with a minimum of work.

Also, many herbs can be grown, and many flowers are actually edible. Edible flowers can be researched in many books and on the internet. A word of warning about plants and seeds. Many raw foodists eat seeds and other parts of plants. Be careful while doing this, as it can be dangerous to become experimental about what you eat. Some parts of plants (even plants that are edible) are poisonous and will make you sick. For example, while tomatoes are edible, other parts of the tomato plant may make people sick.

Only eat the parts of plants that you know to be edible. continued on next page...

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drains out of the soil, and can later be reabsorbed by the soil if needed, but your plants’ roots are not sitting in wet dirt all the time. Be careful not to over water.

In your container, plant plants that do not need a lot of space. Small herbs are often good choices, as they can then be easily tended.

Tomato plants or cherry tomato plants will work well in an outdoor container, with some sort of stick, wall, or other support for when they grow taller. You would be surprised at the number of things you can grow in your own backyard: an Aloe Vera plants grows very well in pots and is very useful for that odd burn, but also will look nice in your garden.

Why you should try it...

A raw food diet may seem like a lot of work for benefits that can be obtained with other diets, but there are many reasons why raw foodists eat raw foods. Believers in the raw or living food diets follow their diet because they believe it causes: • improved health – lower risk of heart disease, probably due to the raw food diet’s lack of trans fats • weight loss – in some people, weight loss has been dramatic • improved digestion – in any diet with a high fibre content, you should see improved digestion ...from previous page

Using a backyard garden Many raw foodists also believe in organic foods, as organic foods are better for the environment and can be better for you. Avoid pesticides and other chemicals harmful to yourself and to animals by buying organic fruits and nuts, and you could try growing your own food in a backyard garden. If you don’t have a backyard, you can try container gardening for some smaller plants, such as herbs for tea. In choosing what to plant, you first have to consider what will grow in your area. Also, and this should be fairly obvious, plant things you will want to eat and be able to eat raw. Many people plant things because they are easy to grow – zucchini comes to mind here – and then end up with so much that they cannot give it all away. Nice things to grow might include carrots, a zucchini plant, a few tomato plants, and some berry bushes. Strawberries are easy to grow in a pot and can be fun for kids.

And there is nothing nicer than walking outside and snapping a few peapods of your pea vines and eating them right of the vine. Plant in early spring, after you are sure the final frost has finished. Before planting, prepare the soil with a layer of compost or manure. Let it sit for a few days before beginning your garden. Each package of seeds will have instructions as to when and where to plant the seeds. After the planting, water the soil with a generous amount of water. Be careful to leave tags to show where you have planted your rows, so that when the plants begin sprouting, you do not mistake them for weeds.

To keep pests away in an organic fashion, spray the leaves of your plants with soap and water if you see aphids( Aloe Vera soap is very good for this purpose). Some insects are your friends, though – ladybugs will eat aphids, for example. If you are container gardening, either because you don’t have a backyard or you just want more garden space, make sure your container has proper drainage. If water stays in the soil, the roots can rot. If your container does not have proper drainage, try putting a layer of pebbles at the bottom, where water can sit. This way the water

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• improvements in appearance of skin – this is different in everybody, but a diet low in fats and oils may produce better skin appearance • increases in energy levels – again, this is different in different individuals, many individuals will feel increased energy levels when pursuing any health benefit It is also believed that cooking, freezing or processing foods destroys vitamins and minerals and causes food to become harder to digest. Some have said that partially digested fats, proteins, and carbohydrates clog up the digestive system and arteries, and while this may cause images of partially digested food stuck in various vessels of our bodies, it is important to remember that while cholesterol can build up in our bodies and end up stored in our arteries if too much HDL is present, it is also essential for our nervous system.

Some fat is necessary, and it is possible to get that fat in a variety of ways. Undigested proteins and carbohydrates simply pass through our body. If they are digested and unused, they convert to stored energy as fat tissues. However, raw foods may be an advantage, especially in weight loss, because it is rare for a raw foodist to eat more calories than they can use, and so there are no extra proteins and carbohydrates going into the body to be converted into fat rather than to be used as proteins.

Raw foodists also believe that raw foods contain enzymes which act as catalysts to the digestion of food, and processing the food by cooking or freezing the food destroys the enzymes. Raw food contains bacteria which also aids the digestive system, while stimulating the nervous system. Raw food is thought to be less toxic and more easily digested. It is also believed that raw food contains more vitamins and minerals than cooked, frozen, or canned foods. Raw food living is also better for the environment, as no animal products are consumed and less electricity is used if you don’t cook or freeze your food. Many raw foodists also eat primarily organic foods, which use no pesticides and are therefore better for the environment and for the eater.

Where do you get protein from?

People need a balanced diet, and one of the major things that people need is protein. While there are some types of amino acids we produce ourselves, there are a number of amino acids that we cannot produce in our bodies. These are the 13 essential amino acids. A healthy diet needs to include about 25-35 grams of protein daily, depending on your weight. Many people, including many raw foodists, believe that our bodies will simply produce all the amino acids that our body needs, so long as we get enough protein.

Raw food advocates often say that our body has a “pool” of amino acids that it can pull amino acids from, so long as we take in enough protein in our diet. The actual important point is to ingest the variety of amino acids needed. A plant may contain some amino acids, and may contain the required amount of protein that is needed, but it will not contain the whole set. It is important to eat a variety of vegetables and legumes in order to guarantee that you are getting all the required amino acids. If you go on a raw food diet, you may need to consult a nutritionist who knows about raw food diets to ensure you are getting what you need. A nutritionist can tell you what foods to add to your diet in order to fill any gaps in proteins or other nutrients, and might suggest a dietary supplement.

A protein deficiency or other nutritional deficiency can take time to have any effects, but by the time the effects show, you may have already caused a great deal of harm to your body. It is better to check first. An example of how this might work is that certain plants, such as corn, contain many of the essential amino acids, but not all of them. The holes left by corn could be filled by certain types of beans or peas, which also contain many different amino acids, including the ones that corn is missing. This can allow you to take advantage of the overlap in amino acids provided. On the raw food diet, it can be difficult to eat corn, but corn can be dried.

(Maybe even dried, ground up in the food processor, and added to a smoothie). Some raw foodists eat raw meat and dairy products, such as unpasteurized milk, and thus will have less concern about proteins and vitamin B12.

This can be risky with the growing concerns about salmonella and ecoli, not to mention staph infections and other bacteria that can be picked up. These bacteria are normally killed in either the cooking or the freezing process. Some restaurants serve raw fish, but these chefs have been specially trained in not cooking the fish, and the raw fish will have been frozen at some point in time. ✦ From: www.aloeveraexpress.com. Information in this article is intended for informational purposes only. Before modifying your diet seek the advice of a health professional.

Concerns about the raw food diet An important part of any diet is variety. Humans need a lot of different foods in their diet in order to provide all the essential nutrients we require. Many doctors and nutritionists have criticized raw food diet as being too restrictive. While a raw diet is high in many nutrients, as well as fiber, and tends to be low in fat, it can be difficult to eat the required amounts of other nutrients. A raw food diet can require a lot of work and research in order for the raw foodist to ensure that they are receiving all the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals, and not all people are able to do this research. While in the short term, this can be harmless, a diet missing important nutrients can be harmful to health. In a raw food diet, careful attention should be paid to getting enough protein and the right variety of protein, as well as certain vitamins that people normally intake in meat and dairy products. Because vegetables do not have the complete spectrum of the 13 essential amino acids, care should be taken to be certain all essential amino acids (proteins) are included in the diet.

Many raw food advocates say that are body will produce the missing amino acids from the proteins that we do have, and while our bodies can produce some amino acids, the reason certain amino acids are called essential is because these are the amino acids that cannot be produced by people.

A nutritionist can be consulted and will inform you of what foods to eat to make sure you have all 13 amino acids in sufficient quantities. Another concern is vitamin B12, so you should ask about that, too. Raw Foodists can be very focused on the health benefits of enzymes from raw foods, without realizing that each enzyme has a specific task and a specific reaction that it catalyses, so just having more active enzymes will not actually help. It is also necessary for raw foodists to remember that our digestive system will break down any enzyme into its component parts, and thus active enzymes are not always necessary.

Nutritionists’ opinions: Nutritionists and dieticians have pointed out many benefits and drawbacks to a raw food diet. The raw food diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer, because it is high in nutrients while having very low levels of saturated fats. The raw diet is also fibre rich, low in salt and high in potassium.

There are some drawbacks pointed out by nutrition scientists: a raw diet is very limited in variety and does not include meat, potatoes, and cooked grains. This can lead to mineral and other nutritional deficiencies by limiting the amount of nutrients a raw foodist will intake. Research also disagrees with one of raw foodist’s basic ideas, that fruit and vegetables should be eaten raw because cooking destroys nutrients. It has actually been shown that some nutrients are more easily digested into the body after the fruit or vegetable has been cooked. Benefits that the raw food diet shows can also be found in other diets, as many diets are commonly low in trans fats, high in fiber, and heavily encourage fruit and vegetable consumption. Other diets, however, allow meat, potatoes, and cooked grains, which are considered by many to be an essential part of a diet. ✦ Anniversary Print Edition 2010

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Sultry Chocolate Mousse Strawberry Spinach Salad With its combination fo delicate flavours and super food ingeredients this salad is fuel for your soul.

Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredients 4 cups Baby spinach 2 cup Watercress leaves 1 cup green onions diced 1 cup walnuts, soaked and dehydrated, roughly chopped 1 tub strawberries washed, steamed and sliced vertically

Method Wash and dry all your produce. Place the greens into a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Add dressing and serve. When mixing your salad take special care when tossing as not to brake the strawberry slices.

Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients 1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed 1/4 cup flax oil 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons grated onion 1 teaspoon ground mustard 1/3 cup rapadura / cane sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons poppy seeds 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Method

The beauty of this mousse is its ability to go from plain to fancy.

You can create mini mousse cups, serving it up in a fancy party glass or eat it right out of the blender! The amazing flavour has hints of grandma’s spices.

Ingredients

2 whole avocados, medium in size, seeded, peeled and quartered 1/4 cup raw almond milk 1 cup organic Yacon Syrup 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt 2 tsp apple pie spice (mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup raw cacao powder 1 tub blueberries, to garnish 12 whole mint sprigs, for garnish 1/4 cup raw cacao nibs, to garnish (if desired)

Method Place almond milk, cacao powder, agave, salt, vanilla, apple pie spice and avocados into blender. Blend until creamy and smooth.

Place mousse in a non-stick mini cupcake pan (removable bottoms make for an easy release!) or in whatever cup or glass you desire. If you’re making the small mousse minicups, you’ll want to evenly fill each cup and then press the mousse firmly down. Place pan in the freezer for 2 hours to set.

If you’re placing it in a serving dish or glass, you can serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Before serving, top with cacao nibs, Blueberries and mint leaves. Serves 6

Place all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk together. Enjoy! Serves 8 Raw food recipes on these two pages by Gourmet Raw Food Chef Tina Jo who graduated from the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in California. She offers coaching on getting started, menu planning, tools that are needed, cleansing for weight loss and maintenance, detoxing for health, traveling and maintaining your new lifestyle, stocking your pantry, juicing, and everyone’s favourite, her amazing guilt-free dessert recipes! With her weekly TV program “Splendor in the Raw”, Chef Tina Jo shows how to create delicious raw vegan recipes that will keep you from getting bored with raw foods. For more great recipes by Tina Jo and raw food inspiration go to: www.ChefTinaJo.com.

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FOOD & RECIPES

Cashew Yoghurt Dairy not an option on a restrictive cancer diet? Here’s a fantastic nut yogurt to the rescue! This cashew yogurt is delicious – enjoy it anytime of day.

Ingredients

2 cups cashews (soaked overnight) 1 1/4 cups purified water 1/2 cup mixed berries

Method 1 Start by soaking the cashews the night before you plan on preparing your yogurt. Simply put the nuts in a mason jar filled with water and place in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, remove the nuts from the refrigerator and drain.

2 Place the nuts, along with the purified water, into a high powered blender (add more water as needed) and blend until it makes a nice and smooth mixture.

3 Empty the contents of the blender into a milking bag.

Began squeezing the liquid from the bag into a bowl.

4 Stop once the milking bag is dry and all the liquid is removed. (You can use the nut pulp that remains in the bag for other recipes, like cookies!)

5 Drain the liquid into a glass jar and cover with a mesh cloth. Place your jar in a warm dry place for 8 to 12 hours in order to let it ferment. (Don’t worry if it has separated a bit after the fermentation process – this is completely normal).

6 After it has fermented, spoon the yoghurt into a bowl and top with the berry mix (or your very own favourite ingredients or fruit) and enjoy!

7 NOTE: With this recipe, I did not add a yoghurt culture because it is not necessary. However, if you prefer to add one, go right ahead.

Yacon syrup is a sugar substitute native to the Andean region of South America. It is glucose-free, and does not increase blood sugar levels.

Because of this, yacon syrup is often recommended as a sweetener to those suffering from diabetes or at risk for becoming diabetic.

The syrup is derived from the roots of the yacon plant, and according to some studies is a good source of antioxidants. The yacon plant tastes similar to jicama, but is biologically closer to the sunflower family. The component that gives the roots a sweet taste is Fructooligosaccharide, or FOS. The tuberous roots may be made of nearly 50% FOS, and are believed to be the greatest producers of the saccharide in the natural world.

Because the body cannot process FOS, it passes through the system without leaving behind absorbable sugar compounds. It also is relatively low in calories, compared to most other sweeteners. The process to create it is vegan, and it can be used by vegans who are averse to regular sugar or honey.

Yacon syrup is often compared to molasses, caramel, or honey in taste, with a deep and rich flavour. It easily substitutes for maple sugar or molasses in recipes, and can be used to sweeten beverages. It is typically sold in jars like honey, and can be purchased online or at specialty food stores.

If you are trying to cut down on harmful sugar intake, yacon syrup may be helpful in replacing sugar in your diet. Try swirling it into oatmeal or granola. It can be spread over fruit and complemented with chili pepper flakes for an unusual dessert. You can also easily stir a few drops into your morning coffee or tea. Remember that the sweetness is quite strong, and use sparingly in recipes.

Some studies have suggested that yacon syrup may be beneficial to the body in moderate amounts. It contains and promotes healthy bacteria that aid in cleaning the colon and regulating the digestive system. In some countries, such as Brazil and Bolivia, the leaves of the yacon plant are brewed into a tea said to fight diabetes. The health benefits of yacon syrup have not been extensively tested, but information from the published studies suggests a mildly beneficial effect on the body.

For diabetics, vegans and those cutting down on their sugar intake, yacon syrup makes a healthy alternative to synthesized sweeteners. For those looking to increase the amount of natural foods in their diet, it can also be a welcome addition. Many health food magazines and experts consider yacon syrup a newly discovered wonder food, but further studies must be conducted before truly determining the many claims of beneficial health effects.

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Looking for some light, healthy Christmas lunch recipes? Enjoy a colourful, beautifully presented table with these festive, life-enhancing recipes. They can of course be enjoyed at any time of the year.

Christmas Salad

Sweet Potatoes & Cherry Juice

This red, white, and green salad will help spread Christmas cheer.

Ingredients

Antioxidant-rich sweet potatoes and cherry juice are featured in this colourful Christmas dish.

1 medium bunch arugula (rocket) OR medium head Romaine lettuce 1 med head radiccio OR red leaf lettuce 2 heads Belgian endive 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced OR ½ cucumber, sliced 1½ c cherry tomatoes OR 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges 1½ c white mushrooms, sliced OR ½ c white onion, sliced into rings Vinaigrette dressing

Method Ingredients 2 medium sweet potatoes 2 Tbsp undiluted cherry juice concentrate 1 Tbsp brown sugar 1 Tbsp butter, melted 1/8 tsp ground ginger 1 green onion, sliced

Method Preheat oven to 220ºC. Scrub potatoes and cut in half lengthwise; do not peel. Place potatoes in a greased baking pan, cut-side down. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes or until almost tender. Stir together undiluted cherry juice concentrate, brown sugar, butter, and ginger. Turn potatoes cutside up and brush with cherry mixture. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with green onion. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

From: Cherry Marketing Institute.

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Wash the lettuces, pat dry, trim, and tear into bite-size pieces. Toss them together in the bowl, then top them with the vegetables.

Serve with vinaigrette on the side, or you can toss the salad with a few T of vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Note: The ingredients listed here are just for ideas; you can use just about any red, white, and green lettuces and vegetables to find the combination you like. Other options include scallions, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower... the garden is the limit!

Vinaigrette This classic dressing is great on just about any kind of salad.

Whisk together the following ingredients: 3/4 c vinegar 1/2 c olive oil 1 T lemon juice 1 t Dijon mustard 1 t light brown or turbinado sugar 1-2 t soy sauce 1 t minced rosemary 3 cloves garlic, sliced or minced 1/2 t ground pepper

FOOD & RECIPES

Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating For fish-eaters, baked salmon makes an excellent Christmas main course!

Ingredients 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons butter, melted 5 teaspoons honey 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley 6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon salt and pepper to taste 6 lemon wedges 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Method Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey.

In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley. Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with mustardhoney mixture. Cover the top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture. Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Serves 6.

From: Allrecipes.com Cookbook.

Iced Green Tea Refreshing, cooling drink in place of coffee.

Christmas is a time when many of us overindulge by eating way too much. This puts considerable strain on the body, particularly the digestive system which will not function correctly if it is overtaxed.

A simple Ayurvedic antidote to overeating is to drink a cup of hot ginger tea 15 minutes after eating. You can prepare this tea by either steeping freshly cut ginger root in a cup of boiling water, or by adding an 1/8th teaspoon ginger powder to very hot water.

Ginger has been regarded for centuries in Ayurveda as “the universal medicine.” Not only has it been used for some 5,000 years to relieve upset stomach, intestinal gas and PMS, but it is also known to support the immune system, promote rapid and complete digestion and increase intestinal tone and peristalsis.

Ingredients

Furthermore, it works as an antioxidant and has been shown to safely and effectively relieve nausea associated with motion.

3 tbsp green tea leaves 3 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh mint, plus sprigs 1 ice cubes

Ginger is one of the best remedies for overeating and is commonly used in digestive and antacid preparations throughout the world.

Method

From: Diet, Healthy Nutrition and Exercise Guide for better health

Mix tea, mint, and about a quart of boiling water in a bowl.

Allow to sit for about 6 minutes. Pour through a wire seive over another bowl and throw away all the leaves. Add about 250ml of chilled water. Cover the bowl and allow to chill for at least 2 hours or until desired temperature. Add ice and sugar if desired. Mint sprigs can be used as a garnish.

From: www.recipes-4u.co.uk.

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By Bob Davis

Virtually any improvement in the diet which includes more fresh fruits and vegetables is detoxifying. When the diet mostly consists of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially if it is concentrated in a program such as Juice Fasting which is a powerful detoxification method, the results are usually immediate and dramatic.

Similar results may be had by taking only water for an extended period of time. However, water fasting does not provide the healing nutrition required for a body to replace faulty cells with healthy ones.

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Juice fasting can be successfully accomplished by the patient if they have the necessary understanding. Books can be found on the internet on the subject. The requirements for juice fasting require careful preparation. A good juicer is a must. The nutrition of fruits and vegetables is in the juice. A juicer separates the juice from the fibre. Although some fibre is beneficial, the amount of nutrition required is so large that it would be virtually impossible to eat the amount of food necessary.

It is recommended that a person contemplating an extensive detoxification program should place themselves under the supervision of a nutritionist. This should not be confused with a dietitian.

Another restriction is the eating of fruits and vegetables together.

Vegetables require a longer digestion time than do fruits because of the vegetable fibre. However, fruit and vegetable juices may be taken together because they digest at the same rate. It is, therefore, permissible and palatable to juice fruits and vegetables together.

For the purposes of this writing, a dietitian is one who follows the basic guidelines of the typical food pyramid, which is a onesize-fits-all plan which includes certain amounts of dairy products, meat, fruits, vegetables, grain etc. A nutritionist, for the purposes of this writing, is one who is specifically trained to evaluate the particular nutritional needs of an individual and can provide a juice fasting plan that considers the person’s vitality, extent and urgency of the treated disease, and also constantly monitors progress. Many naturopathic specialists are qualified nutritionists.

Be aware, you can and should have a severe reaction to the juice fast, especially if you are ill with a severe degenerative disease.

This is called a Healing Crisis. The body is extremely conservative in its operation. It uses a protocol called homeostasis which, among other things, prevents the excessive poisoning of one organ or system by distributing toxins somewhat uniformly throughout the body. When the blood detoxifies, the other storage areas of the body start to unload their toxins into the blood stream. The stored toxins may consist of chemical products that have been absorbed

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into the body. Permanent wave chemicals and other beauty products are infamous for this kind of problem. Also, industrial solvents and such chemicals can be stored as well.

I talked to a practitioner who supervises such programs. One patient broke out in boils which were found to contain automobile painting products. He worked in an auto body shop. Prescription drugs stored in the body can be released into the blood stream, causing a drug overdose. It is important to have good supervision from a professionally trained practitioner if this kind of problem is to be successfully encountered. You may feel worse before you feel better. You may experience the worst “flu” that you have ever had.

The “rule of thumb” is to continue the fast until you have returned to normal for at least two days. However, if the patient is severely ill it may not be practical or wise to continue. A practitioner may have the patient juice fast for three days a week until the process is complete. In a crisis, as when the patient is given a few weeks to live, the process may be accelerated and carefully supervised.

Carrot juice is the base of most juicing programs because carrots are uniquely nutritious. Other vegetables such as dark lettuce and beet roots and tops can be added. A half apple may be added as well, but, fruits should be used in moderation because of their high sugar content. Carrots also are high in sugar, but they are universally accepted as the best vegetable to use. The restriction of sugar is vital in treating cancer because cancer feeds on sugar. Sugar also impairs the immune system. One “dose” of sugar can shut down the immune system for several hours.

The usual consumption of juice is 13 glasses of freshly made juice per day. Some advocate the preparing of juice for the day and keeping it in airless (no air under the lid) covered container. My personal opinion is that freshly made juice is best, but if you don’t have the time to continually prepare the juice and clean the juicer, then storing the juice may be the best alternative.

Juice fasting can produce immediate and dramatic improvement. I have seen results producing a “cancer free” condition in as little as three weeks.

In my observation, the biggest problem experienced in achieving success is an uncertain and inconsistent attitude toward the program. Often a juice fasting procedure is all that is needed for successfully treating cancer.

It is important to recognise the signs of the Healing Crisis when it inevitably occurs. Often patients try to treat the symptoms which emerge as if it were a disease and either quit the program, or try to relieve the symptoms, which can abort the healing process.

Dr Stanley Bass says of the Healing Crisis: “As you move toward better health with natural healing programs and better nutrition, healing begins to occur. As part of the healing process the body will begin to discard toxic residues which have built up in your body over the years. During the initial phase of healing, as your body begins to detoxify and your vital energy begins to repair and rebuild internal organs, you may experience headache, uneasiness, flu like symptoms and fatigue. It is important that you adequately rest during this time. These symptoms will pass as your body begins to normalize to a new level of health. As you continue to improve, you may begin a process called retracing. You may feel worse before you feel better. For example, if you used to get skin rashes, the rashes may reappear or get worse for a period of time as your body eliminates toxins through the skin. You may also experience an initial increase in urination, or you may feel more nervous. In actuality, you are not getting worse, you are actually getting better. Eventually you will reach a plateau of better health.

During the healing crisis, it is important to not suppress these temporary symptoms with drugs or the healing process may become interrupted.” ✦ Bob Davis is a retired engineer who was diagnosed with advanced terminal cancer. He healed himself of cancer using alternative methods including juice fasting. This article and details of his program can be found at: www.cancer-success.com

I believe in using only ORGANIC produce for your juicing. This is ESSENTIAL! When you make fresh juice, you are not only concentrating the vitamins, minerals and enzymes – you are concentrating any pesticide residue left on the plants. If the unlabelled produce is genetically engineered, who knows what you may be concentrating!

Some people will say not to worry about this because the juicer naturally filters out pesticides, and since they are water soluble your body can eliminate them easily – but I disagree. You just don’t need this added grief when you are trying to cleanse and purify yourself and start a new healthier lifestyle.

You also need as much concentrated nutrition as your body can absorb, and the denser nutrition found in organics helps.

If you can’t get organic produce where you live, or it is too expensive, you can have it shipped. Several websites offer shipping. You can also subscribe to CSA Farms in some areas (community supported agriculture) – such as Mimsbrook Farm in Armadale.

Another benefit of juicing organically is that you can use the pulp in other raw recipes!

Don’t waste your pulp! Even after juicing it is rich in vitamins, minerals and all-important fibre. However, it has to be organic because when you juice produce, any pesticide residue or other toxins will end up concentrated in the pulp. When you must juice with commercial, non-organic produce, toss out the pulp. ✦ From: rawfoodlife.com

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“Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food.” Hippocrates

Race Runner Ingredients 1 lemon • 2 radish • 1 beet • 1 slice Spanish onion So you’ve made the decision to run the race of heaven. To give it your all. To live without needs or wants. To be a servant. To deny self. To live in the spirit of peace, kindness, hope and joy. To war against spiritual realms, praying always. To stilling the storms of the soul through trusting in God. To be willing to suffer. Then, here is the juice for you.

Make it in the morning just before a brisk walk of discipline. Make it a walk of war against doubt, fear, worry, lazy thinking, role-playing and frustration. As you walk, adjust the face of your soul so that it shines with peace, love and joy. And do it with all your power and might.

Restricting main meals to just two adjacent meals per day, and thus leaving a long period each day without eating, has been found by researchers at Sydney University’s Department of Infectious Diseases to slash the incidence of cancer. The indications were that skin cancer would reduce by over 10 times and there would be major reductions in breast cancer, lung cancer and leukemia.

The cancer reduction benefits would be achieved if main meals are consumed either for breakfast and lunch or for lunch and dinner, with the third meal being fruit only. The preference [in my opinion] is for a fruit breakfast and main meals at lunch and dinner.

Alternatively, you could replace one meal a day with a delicious vegetable juice.

Source: CISS Newsletter, Vol 25, No.5

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The Cancer Killer Ingredients • 1 beet • 1 carrot • 1 celery stick Rudolf Breuss’s, anticancer mixture has helped literally thousands of people.

This juice blend, during fasting, exerts a death blow on cancer. This was attested by over 24,000 patients who wrote to him describing relief from their diseases.

His patients were given small amounts of this juice over 42 days. A tea composed of nettle, St. John’s wart, marigold, artemisi and monarda was also given. By “starving out” the cancer, Rudolf Breuss reported a 96% success rate for the thousands of patients he treated over 30 years of practice. (Rudolf Breuss died in 1989 at 93 years of age.) Its composition is: 55% beet root, 20% celery root, 20% carrot, 3% potato, 2% radish.

Juice Recipes and text on these two pages from: FASTING TO FREEDOM by By Tom McGregor.

The Niagara Falls Cleanser Ingredients • 1 wedge watermelon • 300g red grapes Watermelon rind has chlorophyll, vitamin A, protein, potassium, zinc, iodine, nucleic acids and enzymes which aid digestion. Ninety-five percent of the nutritional content in watermelon is in the rind. The seeds may be a little noisy but are harmless to the juicer. You may be curious about the name. When you put a sloppy wet piece of watermelon in the juicer it comes out like Niagara Falls.

Because watermelon is a great diuretic, your kidneys and bladder will experience a honeymoon of youthful health. If you are short on money, watermelon juice is the ticket. You can add just about anything to watermelon juice, so again, we encourage you to have some fun.

Red grapes naturally produce a powerful antibiotic in their skin called Resveratrol which is also an antioxidant.

One of the most impressive health benefits of resveratrol is its unique ability to keep off and fight various types of cancers as well as other lifethreatening diseases. Resveratrol’s other important health benefits are that it helps to maintain blood sugar levels, keeps overall cholesterol levels low, helps in thinning blood thereby preventing strokes, etc.

I was introduced to juicing carrots when I was 24 years old.

I juiced ocassionaly because I was told that juicing was good for one’s health. It wasn’t until I was in my early 40’s that I began a raw food / juice program. My youngest of 5 children was about 2 years old and I had been struggling with some health problems. I was always tired and had aches and pains in my shoulders and back. I had no energy to go from day to day. I was not in the best of health. A dear friend once again reminded me of the benefits of juicing and eating raw foods.

I recommend juicing to anyone who is dealing with health problems.

For years I, like many had been eating processed and impure foods.

When I began my raw food / juicing program, I noticed a change immediately. Juices help to cleanse the body and begin to nourish bodies that have been depleted for years. This is exactly what happened to me.

I had an extreme burst of energy, then went through a sluggish period as I was detoxing and then once again continued on with energy. I was told by many friends that my eyes sparkled and my skin looked so youthful. I felt youthful. I had energy, my aches and pains disappeared, I thought more clearly. I was more active and felt more confident. It was as though I were in my early 20s again.

By taking in fresh raw vegetable juices my body was able to build and get stronger. When drinking raw fresh juices the digestive process is so much easier on the body. It takes a lot of energy for our foods to digest, especially after many years of eating processed unenriched foods.

My entire family benefited from my juicing program. My children loved the fresh juices I began to make for myself. Soon we were all enjoying the fresh taste and nutritional benefits from raw fresh juices.

Some of their favourites were purple grapes with celery. Just a perfect blend sweet with salty. They also enjoyed fresh squeezed orange juice and grapefruit juice. Another favourite was celery, cucumber, small handful of parsley, romaine lettuce, green pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper (pinch) and fresh home grown tomatoes. Kids also love the sweeet, taste of plain carrot juice. This was always a big hit. They began to add carrot juice to their granola cereal instead of almond milk. Carrot and celery was another juice enjoyed by everyone. We added cucumber to the celery and carrot. We just became creative.

We grew a lot of our vegetables which helped on our grocery bill and knew they were organic.

Juicing was fun and benefited our entire family in many ways besides good health. We had fun learning and caring for our bodies. We had fun creating our own receipies and growing our own vegetables. It was a fun time together. ✦ From: www.juicerecipe.info Anniversary Print Edition 2010

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The A-Z of eco-friendly living It’s easier than you think to create a beautiful, environmentally friendly, energy-saving home.

A is for AAA:

Shower heads, that is. Gina Cacho, director of eco-friendly website CleanLife, says AAA-rated showerheads can save three Olympic swimming pools worth of water and up to $300 in heating energy bills per year. Another water-saving option is the Every Drop Shower Saver, which creator Michael Stavrou – who was an episode winner on the ABC’s New Inventors program with the device – says pays for itself in about three months in reduced energy and water bills. The secret? It lets you pause water flow when not needed then goes back to the exact temperature and pressure with the simple flick of a switch.

B is for bamboo:

From flooring to fabric to homewares, bamboo has become an increasingly sought-after material for its sustainable properties.

Bamboo fabric is a unique biodegradable textile material made from renewable resources, says Tracey Wingrove, owner of Wangara-based custom furniture company The Lounge Gallery.

We also love Dandi’s range of bamboo serving ware, made from sustainable moso bamboo.

C is for clean living:

Head to Perth-based website www.cleanlife.com.au for information on all things eco-savvy, including a directory of green-friendly businesses.

Running a heating system throughout winter can take its toll on the environment – and prove quite costly – so choose a clean, efficient heat source. Fireplace Corner’s Ron Bernecich recommends a balanced flue (or direct vent) system. “This technology is one of the cleanest, healthiest and economical ways to heat a home,” he says. “It incorporates an airtight combustion chamber that only draws air (for combustion) from outside, not from inside the home as many other heating systems do; therefore maintaining optimum internal air quality, and greatly increasing efficiency. The system reduces overall gas consumption, which in turn lowers operating and ongoing maintenance costs.”

I is for insulation:

Insulation not only keeps your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer, it can also significantly reduce your energy costs.

J is for junk mail:

Next time you load the dishwasher, skip the harsh cleaners in favour of a non-toxic product. Method’s Smarty Dish tabs contain no dyes, perfumes, bleach or phosphates. Miracle Wash Eco Dishwashing Tablets, developed by WA mum Dana Steddy, are non-toxic and contain no bleaches or fragrance.

With the average Australian household receiving 20 pieces of unaddressed advertising material each week, according to Ms Cacho, the impact on the environment can really add up. “If 10,000 of us stopped our junk mail, we’d save 200,000 items of junk per week, and all the trees, ink and other things that are used to produce it,” she says. To reduce the amount of junk mail that lands in your letterbox, sign up to the Do Not Mail service at the Australian Direct Marketing Association’s website, www. adma.com.au.

E is for eco-luxe:

K is for kitchen appliances:

D is for dish-washing:

Being environmentally friendly is well and truly in vogue in the design world, with more products incorporating renewable materials and sustainable production processes.

F is for fan it:

To keep your home snug when the temperature drops, run your ceiling fan in reverse mode. This helps keep a room warmer by pushing warm air down along the walls, and can reduce heating bills by up to 10 per cent.

G is for grey matters:

Saving water is up to everyone and greywater recycling has become a viable option to save water around the house and garden. “There are many issues to consider, such as site conditions, soil conditions, by-laws and dispersal area, but it’s a great way to save quality drinking water that would otherwise be wasted, in irrigation,” says Dave Stannard from Balcatta eco-shop One Earth Outlet.

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H is for heating:

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From energy-efficient induction cooktops to ovens that use steam to clean themselves, there is plenty you can do in the kitchen to minimise the impact your cooking has on the environment. Even your fridge can be eco-friendly, such as Electrolux’s E:Line range, which uses a more environmentally friendly refrigerant (R600a) to significantly reduce potential gas emissions.

L is for lighten the load:

There are lots of steps you can take to make your laundry environmentally friendly, from choosing water-saving and energy-efficient appliances to using eco-friendly detergents and cleaners.

M is for monitor your energy use:

There is a growing range of products on the market designed to help you calculate your energy consumption and identify how you can save energy around the home. The Wattson Energy Meter is a

N is for The Natural Newborn:

Founded by local mum Jo Ipock, The Natural Newborn is an online retailer that sells eco-chic products for mother and baby.

O is for online:

There is a wealth of online resources and retailers to help you live a sustainable existence. One such website is Earth Love, a locally based online shop specialising in eco-friendly wares. Founder Renea Marra has put together a great range of products from homewares and gifts to handbags, stationery (including the Ellie Poo range made from recycled elephant droppings), body products and more.

Some other eco-friendly websites: ·For information about solar power systems and rebates, visit the Federal Government’s Department of Climate Change website at www.greenhouse. gov.au. ·To find recycling services in your area, visit Planet Ark’s Recyling Near You website at www.recyclingnearyou.com.au. ·Visit the website of the State Government’s Sustainable Energy Development Office (www.sedo.energy.wa.gov.au) for hints to reduce your household’s eco-footprint.

P is for paint:

You may not know it but your choice of paint can be harmful to you and the environment, so look for eco-friendly products such as WA-made Bauwerk lime paints, which are toxin-free, do not emit nasty fumes, and are monitored by the Australian Ecolabel Association.

Q is for quality over quantity:

The next time you’re shopping for a new buy for the home, ask yourself whether you are likely to still be using it in 10 years’ time, says Ms Cacho, as buying quality products that won’t end up in landfill after a couple of years works out better for the environment.

R is for replace your globes:

Switching your light globes to energy-efficient alternatives, such as compact fluorescent lights, is a simple way to reduce your carbon footprint and save money on power bills, says Mr Robinson.

“During its lifetime, just one CFL bulb has the capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as one tonne and save around $50 in power costs, as well save you the expense of six or more incandescent globes,” he says. “Typically, these cost more to purchase, however the investment is outweighed by the fact that they use only 20 per cent of the electricity consumed by a standard incandescent light globe.”

S is for solar power:

With increasingly affordable technology and the range of government incentives available, there’s more reason than ever to

invest in solar power, says Adrian Ferraretto, managing director of renewable energy solutions provider Solar Shop Australia.

“Installing a solar power system that covers the average home’s energy consumption will receive generous government incentives, save 145 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 20 million litres of water over the 25-year guaranteed life of the panels,” he says.

He says there is now a feed-in tariff in WA, which means any solar power not used by the home is exported into the main electricity grid for use by other consumers. “The owner of the system receives a premium price, or tariff, from their electricity retailer for this excess electricity that is exported. This can mean that you could actually earn money from your solar power system, depending on its size and your consumption,” he says.

T is for tap into savings:

Water-saving taps can save a bundle in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry, such as the WELS 6-star rated Milli Edge basin mixer which uses just four litres per minute.

U is for upcycling:

It started as a bit of an eco-fad but many product designers are now tapping into the trend of taking everyday items and giving them a new lease on life. Local homewares company Attenta is doing its bit for the environment, sourcing its range of homewares from African artisans and donating a portion of the profits back.

V is for vacuum:

Could this be the world’s greenest vacuum cleaner? Electrolux’s new Ultrasilencer Green is made from 55 per cent recycled plastic materials and uses 33 per cent less energy than the average vacuum cleaner. It is also 90 per cent recyclable, meaning it can be broken down later to make other products, plus it runs at just 68 decibels, the same sound level as regular conversation.

W is for windows:

The right window covering can significantly improve the efficiency of your home’s heating and cooling systems.

X is for xylophone:

Ms Ipock says wooden toys are better for the environment than plastic, and reduce the chemicals that children are exposed to.

Y is for you:

The recently launched Days of Change campaign aims to encourage individuals to take responsibility for reducing their carbon footprint in the hope of creating a greener future. Cosponsored by The West Australian, it offers simple tips on how to live more sustainably, with “pledge cards” available to help keep track of your eco goals. At www.daysofchange.org.

Z is for Zaishu:

Japanese-inspired Zaishu stools are proof that eco-friendly design doesn’t have to mean boring design. The flatpack seats (or tables) are made from plantation-grown timber veneer and water-based inks and varnish. ✦

By Brooke Evans-Butler, The West Australian, May 2010

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LIFESTYLE & ENVIRONMENT

portable, wireless device that shows you how much electricity each of your appliances uses when switched on and off, giving you a reading of your home’s electricity usage in either watts or cost.

How to Avoid the Top 10 Most Common Toxins A study in the British Medical Journal estimated that perhaps 75 percent of most cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors, including exposure to chemicals. Another report, this one by the Columbia University School of Public Health, estimated that 95 percent of cancer is caused by diet and environmental toxicity.

This is really not surprising when you consider that estimates show most of us have somewhere between 400 and 800 chemicals stored in our bodies, typically in fat cells. Some of the short- and long-term effects of these toxins include: • Neurological disorders (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, depression, attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia, etc.)

• Cancer • Nutritional deficiencies • Hormonal imbalances • Enzyme dysfunction • Altered metabolism • Reproductive disorders • Fatigue • Headaches • Obesity • Muscle and vision problems • Immune system depression • Allergies/Asthma • Endocrine disorders • Chronic viral infections • Less ability to tolerate/handle stress

By Dr Joseph Mercola with Rachael Droege

The 10 Most Common Toxins

The following toxins are among the most prevalent in our air, water and/or food supply.

This list is by no means all-inclusive, as thousands of other toxins are also circulating in our environment. Keep reading to find out tips to avoid these toxins and others as much as possible.

1. PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls): This industrial chemical has been banned in the United States for decades, yet is a persistent organic pollutant that’s still present in our environment.

Risks: Cancer, impaired fetal brain development.

Major Source: Farm-raised salmon. Most farm-raised salmon, which accounts for most of the supply in the United States are fed meals of ground-up fish that have absorbed PCBs in the environment and for this reason should be avoided.

2. Pesticides: According to the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA), 60 percent of herbicides, 90 percent of fungicides and 30 percent of insecticides are known to be carcinogenic. Alarmingly, pesticide residues have been detected in 50 percent to 95 percent of U.S. foods.

Risks: Cancer, Parkinson’s disease, miscarriage, nerve damage, birth defects, blocking absorption of food nutrients.

Major Sources: Food (fruits, vegetables and commercially raised meats), bug sprays

3. Mould and other Fungal Toxins: One in three people have had an allergic reaction to mould. Mycotoxins (fungal toxins) can cause a range of health problems with exposure to only a small amount.

Risks: Cancer, heart disease, asthma, multiple sclerosis, diabetes.

Major Sources: Contaminated buildings, food like peanuts, wheat, corn and alcoholic beverages.

4. Phthalates: These chemicals are used to lengthen the life of fragrances and soften plastics.

Risks: Endocrine system damage (phthalates chemically mimic hormones and are particularly dangerous to children).

Major Sources: Plastic wrap, plastic bottles, plastic food storage containers. All of these can leach phthalates into our food.

5. VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds):

VOCs are a major contributing factor to ozone, an air pollutant.

According to the EPA, VOCs tend to be even higher (two to five times) in indoor air than outdoor air, likely because they are present in so many household products.

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Risks: Cancer, eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment.

Major Sources: Drinking water, carpet, paints, deodorants, cleaning fluids, varnishes, cosmetics, dry cleaned clothing, moth repellants, air fresheners.

6. Dioxins: Chemical compounds formed as a result of combustion processes such as commercial or municipal waste incineration and from burning fuels (like wood, coal or oil).

Risks: Cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, chloracne (a severe skin disease with acne-like lesions), skin rashes, skin discolouration, excessive body hair, mild liver damage.

Major Sources: Animal fats: Over 95% of exposure comes from eating commercial animal fats.

7. Asbestos: This insulating material was widely used from the 1950s to 1970s. Problems arise when the material becomes old and crumbly, releasing fibers into the air.

Risks: Cancer, scarring of the lung tissue, mesothelioma (a rare form of cancer).

Tips to Avoid Toxins It’s impossible in this day and age to avoid all environmental toxins. What you can do, however, is limit your exposure as much as possible with the following tips: • Buy and eat, as much as possible, organic produce and free-range, organic foods. If you can only purchase one organic product it probably should be free range organic eggs. Additionally I believe raw milk products are a key to staying healthy. They are best obtained locally.

• Rather than eating fish, which is largely contaminated with PCBs and mercury, consume a high-quality purified fish or cod liver oil.

• Avoid processed foods – remember that they’re processed with chemicals!

Major Sources: Insulation on floors, ceilings, water pipes from the 1950s to 1970s.

• Only use natural cleaning products in your home. Most health food stores will have these available or you can search online for them.

8. Heavy Metals: Metals like

• Switch over to natural brands of toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants and cosmetics.

arsenic, mercury, lead, aluminum and cadmium, which are prevalent in many areas of our environment, can accumulate in soft tissues of the body.

Risks: Cancer, neurological disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, foggy head, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, decreased production of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart rhythm, damage to blood vessels.

Major Sources: Drinking water, fish, vaccines, pesticides, preserved wood, antiperspirant, building materials, dental amalgams, chlorine plants.

9. Chloroform: This colourless liquid has a pleasant,

nonirritating odor and a slightly sweet taste, and is used to make other chemicals. It’s also formed when chlorine is added to water.

Risks: Cancer, potential reproductive damage, birth defects, dizziness, fatigue, headache, liver and kidney damage.

Major Sources: Air, drinking water and food can contain chloroform.

10. Chlorine: This highly toxic, yellow-green gas is

one of the most heavily used chemical agents.

Risks: Sore throat, coughing, eye and skin irritation, rapid breathing, narrowing of the bronchi, wheezing, blue colouring of the skin, accumulation of fluid in the lungs, pain in the lung region, severe eye and skin burns, lung collapse, reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) (a type of asthma).

Major Sources: Household cleaners, drinking water (in small amounts), air when living near an industry (such as a paper plant) that uses chlorine in industrial processes.

• Avoid spraying insect repellants that contain DEET on your body. There are safe, effective and natural alternatives out there, like Neem-based outdoor gels.

• Remove any metal fillings as they’re a major source of mercury. Be sure to have this done by a qualified biological dentist. Although nearly any dentist is technically qualified to replace your amalgam fillings, far less than 95 percent have any clue on how to do it properly so your risk of mercury exposure is minimised.

Please avoid the mistake I have seen THOUSANDS of patients make and have your fillings replaced by a nonqualified dentist. I made this mistake myself nearly 20 years ago. Do it right the first time and save yourself the expense and grief.

• Avoid using artificial air fresheners, dryer sheets, fabric softeners or other synthetic fragrances as they can pollute the air you are breathing.

• Avoid artificial food additives of all kind, including artificial sweeteners and MSG. • Get plenty of safe sun exposure to boost your vitamin D levels and your immune system (you’ll be better able to fight disease).

• Have your tap water tested and, if contaminants are found, install an appropriate water filter on all your faucets (even those in your shower or bath).

• Limit your use of drugs (prescription and over-thecounter) as much as possible. Drugs are chemicals too, and they will leave residues and accumulate in your body over time. ✦ From Dr Mercola’s free weekly e-newsletter. To sign up go to the website www.mercola.com.

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‘Mulla Nasrudin, Chief of the Dervishes and Master of a hidden treasure, a perfected man... Many say: I wanted to learn, but here I have found only madness. Yet, should they seek deep wisdom elsewhere, they may not find it.’ (from Teaching of Nasrudin, Bokharan MS. of 1617, by Ablahi Mutlaq, ‘The Utter Idiot’)

Nasrudin is the name every Afghan remembers hearing about in childhood. The Nasrudin stories, known throughout the Middle East, constitute one of the strangest achievements in the history of metaphysics.

Superficially, most of the stories are jokes. They are told and retold endlessly in the teahouses and caravanserais, in the homes, and on the radio waves. But inherent in the stories is deep wisdom. The Sufis, who believe that intuition is the only real guide to knowledge, use these stories as exercises.

They ask people to choose a few which appeal to them, and to turn them over in the mind – until a breakthrough into a higher wisdom can be effected.

One hot day, Nasrudin was taking it easy in the shade of a walnut tree. After a time, he started eying speculatively, the huge pumpkins growing on vines and the small walnuts growing on a majestic tree. “Sometimes I just can’t understand the ways of God!” he mused. “Just fancy letting tiny walnuts grow on so majestic a tree and huge pumpkins on the delicate vines! “ Just then a walnut snapped off and fell smack on Mulla Nasrudin’s bald head. He got up at once and lifting up his hands and face to heavens in supplication, said: “Oh, my God! Forgive my questioning your ways! You are all-wise. Where would I have been now, if pumpkins grew on trees!”

One day Mulla Nasrudin lost his ring down in the basement of his house, where it was very dark. There being no chance of his finding it in that darkness, he went out on the street and started looking for it there. Somebody passing by stopped and enquired: “What are you looking for, Mulla Nasrudin ? Have you lost something?” “Yes, I’ve lost my ring down in the basement.”“But Mulla Nasrudin , why don’t you look for it down in the basement where you have lost it?” asked the man in surprise. “Don’t be silly, man! How do you expect me to find anything in that darkness!”

These stories are from the book “The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin” by Indries Shah.

Shah, who died in 1996, was born in Afghanistan and spent more than 30 years collecting stories from the Sufi tradition and adapting them to contemporary Western culture.

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Mull Nasrudin was very ill and everyone thought he was going to die.

His wife dressed in mourning clothes and started to weep and wail.

Mulla Nasrudin alone was unperturbed..

“Mulla,” asked one of his disciples, “how is it that you can face death with such calm, even laughing from time to time, while we who are not going to die are in torment lest you leave us?”

“Quite simple,” said Nasrudin. “As I lie here looking at the lot of you, I say to myself, “They all look so terrible that I am almost certain the Angel of Death will mistake at least one of them for his prey when he comes visiting – and leave old Nasrudin here a while longer...”

“Never give people anything they ask for until at least a day has passed!” said the Mulla.

“Why not, Nasrudin?

Experience shows that they only appreciate something when they have had the opportunity of doubting whether they will get it or not.”

INSPIRATIONS – HUMOUR

Nasrudin sometimes took people for trips in his boat. One day a fussy pedagogue hired him to ferry him across a wide river.

As soon as they were afloat the scholar asked whether it was going to be rough.

“Don’t ask me nothing about it,” said Nasrudin.

“Have you never studied grammar?” asked the scholar.

“No.” “Then half of your life has been wasted.”

The Mulla said nothing. Soon a terrible storm blew up. The Mulla’s crazy cockleshell was filling with water.

He leaned over towards his companion.

“Have you ever learned how to swim?”

“No.” “In that case, schoolmaster, ALL your life is lost, for we are sinking.”

Nasrudin went to see a football match. Twenty thousand spectators were milling around. A man who was trying to buy a ticket from a tout turned to Nasrudin and said: “I am going crazy! There are far too many people here.” ”You should have been here last week,” said Nasrudin.

“What, was it worse?”

“No, better. There wasn’t a soul to be seen. No match that day.”

Nasrudin had saved a lot of money.

Someone asked him to go to a fashion parade.

Afterwards he was asked how he liked it.

“It’s a complete swindle!”

“Why? “They show you the women – and then try to sell you the clothes!”

I don’t know what hap pened... this looked really go od on the model

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“Ho ho, ha ha ha,” students in a Laughter Yoga Class at the

Cancer Support Association in Cottesloe, Western Australia chant repeatedly while clapping their hands and walking around the room. They’re just getting warmed up; in the next half-hour, they will stretch their muscles and work on breathing exercises. They’ll also laugh for most of the 30 minutes, from self-conscious giggles to uninhibited belly laughs. All in the name of health.

This is a “laughter yoga” group, part of a growing trend in Australia, India and other countries. The students are re-learning something children already know instinctively: that laughter makes you feel better.

“Kids laugh about 400 times a day, and adults only about 15,” notes Janni Goss, a certified laughter yoga leader and the instructor of this class offered by the Cancer Support Association. “Laughter is a gift that has been given to us to make us feel better.”

Janni teaches her students that not only is it fun to laugh, but that laughter yoga (also known as hasya yoga) can provide many health benefits: • Help to reduce stress • Enhance the immune system • Strengthen cardiovascular functions • Oxygenate the body by boosting the respiratory system • Improve circulation • Tone muscles • Help with digestion and constipation

Even with all of these health benefits, though, laughter yoga shouldn’t replace other types of aerobic and weight-bearing exercises.

Studies have shown that 20 seconds of a good, hard belly laugh is worth three minutes on the rowing machine. However, that does not mean we want to stop doing all other exercises. It means that incorporating laughter yoga can add to the benefits we see from our regular exercise routine.

Like more traditional fitness classes, laughter yoga requires a warm-up period. Since students can’t necessarily start a class prepared to break out into deep laughter, they begin with the clapping and chanting mentioned above. Then they perform breathing exercises, followed by stretches and laughing games.

The students in Janni’s class have discovered the mental and physical benefits of these and other laughter exercises. ✦ To experience the benefits of Laughter Yoga in Perth, contact Janni Goss at the Cancer Support Association. New participants are welcome.

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where are you on the Here is a quick quiz that will help you see how healthy your lifestyle really is! The statements here are about practices that directly boost your health and wellbeing.

Circle the ones you are already doing, and give yourself one point for every point you answer yes to. Then add up your score.

Quiz compiled by Olwen Anderson who

is an accredited naturopath based in

NSW. Anniversary Print Edition 2010

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Manual for Well-known author of The Alchemist, Paulo Coehlo, inspires us to face obstacles without fear, to go further, climb higher, and realise our dreams!

A. Choose the mountain you want to climb: don’t pay attention to what other people say, such as “that one’s more beautiful” or “this one’s easier”. You’ll be spending lots of energy and enthusiasm to reach your objective, so you’re the only one responsible and you should be sure of what you’re doing.

B. Know how to get close to it: mountains are often seen from far off – beautiful, interesting, full of challenges.

But what happens when we try to draw closer? Roads run all around them, flowers grow between you and your objective, what seemed so clear on the map is tough in real life. So try all the paths and all the tracks until eventually one day you’re standing in front of the top that you yearn to reach.

C. Learn from someone who has already been up there: no matter how unique you feel, there is always someone who has had the same dream before you and ended up leaving marks that can make your journey easier; places to hang the rope, trails, broken branches to make the walking easier. The climb is yours, so is the responsibility, but don’t forget that the experience of others can help a lot.

D. When seen up close, dangers are controllable: when you begin to climb the mountain of your dreams, pay attention to the surroundings. There are cliffs, of course. There are almost imperceptible cracks in the mountain rock. There are stones so polished by storms that they have become as slippery as ice. But if you know where you are placing each footstep, you will notice the traps and how to get around them.

E. The landscape changes, so enjoy it: of course, you have to have an objective in mind – to reach the top. But as you are going up, more things can be seen, and it’s no bother to stop now and again and enjoy the panorama around you. At every meter conquered, you can see a little further, so use this to discover things that you still had not noticed.

F. Respect your body: you can only climb a mountain if you give your body the attention it deserves. You have all the time that life grants you, as long as you walk without demanding what can’t be granted. If you go too fast you will grow tired and give up half way there. If you go too slow, night will fall and you will be lost. Enjoy the scenery, take delight in the cool spring water and the fruit that nature generously offers you, but keep on walking.

G. Respect your soul: don’t keep repeating “I’m going to make it”. Your soul already knows that, what it needs is to use the long journey to be able to grow, stretch along the horizon, touch the sky. An obsession does not help you at all to reach your objective, and even ends up taking the pleasure out of the climb. But pay attention: also, don’t keep saying “it’s harder than I thought”, because that will make you lose your inner strength.

H. Be prepared to climb one kilometre more: the way up to the top of the mountain is always longer than you think. Don’t fool yourself, the moment will arrive when what seemed so near is still very far. But since you were prepared to go beyond, this is not really a problem.

I. Be happy when you reach the top: cry, clap your hands, shout to the four winds that you did it, let the wind – the wind is always blowing up there – purify your mind, refresh your tired and sweaty feet, open your eyes, clean the dust from your heart. It feels so good, what was just a dream before, a distant vision, is now part of your life, you did it!

J. Make a promise: now that you have discovered a force that you were not even aware of, tell yourself that from now on you will use this force for the rest of your days. Preferably, also promise to discover another mountain, and set off on another adventure.

K. Tell your story: yes, tell your story! Give your example. Tell everyone that it’s possible, and other people will then have the courage to face their own mountains. ✦

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About the Cancer Support Association of WA Inc The Cancer Support Association of Western Australia Inc is a non-profit charitable organisation which was established in 1984.

CSA’s key intention is to help people become informed, empowered and supported on their cancer and wellness journeys. CSA encourages an integrative, well-informed understanding of health and treatment options and strategies, and is committed to supporting all people, regardless of their treatment choices.

CSA supports individuals who are living with cancer, their families, carers and the wider community through the services we provide, as well as through our widely distributed publications and unique cancer information website.

CSA’s workshops, courses, groups, and complementary therapies are advertised throughout this publication and are held at CSA’s premises in Cottesloe unless otherwise stated.

Thanks also to Geraldine, Jennifer and the CSA fundraising team for their initiative and fundraising efforts Anniversary Print Edition 2010

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Art Credit: “Blooming Meditation”by Robin Urton “Blooming Meditation is part of a series of small paintings which I began by painting an abstract texture on a wood panel. I added a sheet of plexiglass above this, creating an image of a meditating person with flowers emerging from the head.”

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“Health is a precious gift. Insure your good health by eating lightly, breathing deeply, living moderately, cultivating cheerfulness and maintaining an interest in life� ~ William Londen

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Cancer Support Association of Western Australia Inc. Website www.cancersupportwa.org.au Email csa@cancersupportwa.org.au. Phone (08) 9384 3544, Fax 9384 6196 80 Railway St Cottesloe WA, PO Box 325 Cottesloe WA 6911