Wellness News Marcc 2011 by Cancer Support WA

Vol. 26 No.2.

march 2011

Live your life from your heart. Share from your heart. And your story will touch and heal peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s souls. Melody Beattie

Cancer Support Association of WA Patron â&#x20AC;&#x201C; His Excellency Dr. Ken Michael AC, Governor of Western Australia

Deep peace can be found in the stillness of this moment

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

editorial

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.

editorial & production... Editor & Designer Mandy BeckerKnox editor.wellness@yahoo.com.au www.wowlandco.com

online at...

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

Dear members and friends,

Life is, as usual, very full! There is always work to do, children to care for, things to study, appointments to keep, places to go, fun to be had, people to see... How on earth did I become so busy? It seems that my mind has dreamed up all these activities, all these concepts of what is ‘necessary’ to have a good life, but to realise all these ambitions would realistically take another five or six lifetimes! The problem with the busyness of modern living is that our bodies struggle to keep up. Our bodies don’t seem to have evolved at the same pace as our minds! The mind has concepts of how we should be in the world, what must be done, but the body is an organism, a thing of nature, and what the body most needs is to live according to the rhythms of nature. This disparity between the agenda of the mind and the needs of the body is called ‘the mind/body split’. I’m sure I’m not the only one who ignores the cues of the body to rest, to take it slow, in order to fulfil my duties, which, really, are not much more than the concepts of an overactive mind! But what are the consequences? If the body is stressed for a long period of time, it will one day fail, we may become ill and then, suddenly, it is no longer a luxury to rest, it is an absolute necessity. Our bodies accumulate stress, and we accumulate a ‘stress debt’ which we must repay through rest and relaxation – either voluntary or enforced! There is a way to reconcile the mind/body – take time every day to be still, to tune into the body, to tune into the gentle rhythm of nature. Easier said than done, but it is not impossible to take 15-30 minutes out of your schedule to lie down, allow the body to relax, the mind to quieten, and then, from this very calm space, to reassess what actually has to be done. You may find that your list of ‘essential items’ is considerably shorter than it was before you took rest, or you may find that you have greater clarity and energy to complete the necessary tasks. So take a rest...right now. If not, why not? Take good care of your body and you will most likely have a long and happy life! ✦ Peace, Mandy cover ar: lotus image by tigers-stock.deviantart.com. Design by Mandy 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.

contents Cancer in the News: Melanoma rates higher for rural men 4 CSA Weekly Program .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 4 Prevent Melanoma Naturally.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 5 What’s on at CSA this month.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 6 Article: Hands on Healing; reiki for cancer . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 8 Article: How to get real Happiness . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .10 Article: Caring for a Loved One with Cancer.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .12 Article: Eating Less; the secret to radiant health and long life!. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .16 Special feature: Juice Fasting for Cancer Health . .. . .. . .. . .. .18 Article: The Ultimate Cure-all.. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .18 Article: Diet and Cancer; the 16 Important Rules .. . .. . .. . .. .22 Article: Chocolate’s Startling Health Beneﬁts . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .24 Recipe: Vegan Avocado Chocolate Mousse .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .27 Inspirations: 60 tips for a stunningly great life! .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .28 Poem: The Ferryman .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .29

Don’t miss: the CSA QUIZ NIGHT @ the Albion Hotel, Stirling Hwy Cottesloe Thursday 24th March 7pm. Tickets $20 each. Great prizes and giveaways! Book online or phone CSA on 9384 3544

Healing yourself is connected with healing others. ~Yoko Ono

All healing is ﬁrst a healing of the heart. ~ Carl Townsend

Way to Radiant Health By Swami Sivananda Health is joy. Health is wealth. Health is the elixir of life. Without health life becomes a burden. Nature tries to keep us healthy but we bring on sickness by continuous violation of the laws of nature. Natural laws are relentless. There is no mercy. In the animal kingdom there is seldom any sickness because animals do not violate the laws of nature. Before the age of machinery, man’s life was more natural. Persons of the past generations were much stronger and healthier. Life in the twentieth century is becoming more and more artiﬁcial. Hence there is much deterioration in health and strength. In spite of the innumerable doctors and the latest medical discoveries our health is still deteriorating. “A sound mind in a healthy body”, as the saying goes. The mind controls the body, so try to keep your mind as cheerful as possible, under all circumstances. A strong mind wards oﬀ ill health and it also helps us to preserve good health. Run in the open air. Wear simple, light clothing. Take only simple, light, nourishing food. Do not go to doctors. Endeavour to qualify yourself as your own doctor. Take lots of exercise. Take sun baths and cold baths. Inhale ozone. Observe moderation in food, drink and copulation. Lead a pious life. Develop right thinking, right feeling, right speaking, right action, right belief, right knowledge, right conduct. Do not employ servants. Rely on yourself in all things. If you want radiant health, return to nature. Then you will have a blooming face and a charming personality. Avail yourself of all the healing agencies in nature. Avail yourself of the healing properties of the sun, the water, the air, the earth, fasting, herbal plants and so on. Observe the laws of nature in all things. Eat, drink, sleep, think, conduct yourself in the way laid down by the ancient sages.

cancer in the news... this program is updated monthly. Check website for any changes before attending MONDAY Meditation Made Easy .................................................................................10.00 – 11.30am Ongoing Lessons with Bavali Hill. FREE FOR MEMBERS (non-members $5) No bookings necessary. Massage with Sarah Leboﬀ ($70/60 minutes) ......................................... by appointment

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) Massage with Sarah Leboﬀ ($70/60 minutes) ......................................... by appointment

FRIDAY Meeting the Challenge 1 Day Seminar ................................................9.30am – 4.30pm 1ST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH

“After all these years I think it sort of caught up with me. I have to have check ups every three months now.”

Melanoma rates higher for rural men N ew figures from the Cancer Council show the incidence of melanoma continues to rise in Victoria, especially in older men. While the rate of melanoma in younger people are falling, the rate has been consistently rising for men aged over 60. The Cancer Council’s Professor Graham Giles says since 1982 there has been a 400 per cent increase in the incidence of melanoma among mature men. “People deliberately went out and roasted themselves to a nice bronze tan and it’s not been till more recent decades that we’ve been trying to stop people doing that,” he said. He says the research also indicates people who live in rural areas have higher rates of melanoma than their city counterparts. “If you live in the country, you’re probably going to be exposed to sun in a diﬀerent way to people who live in the city and work in oﬃces,” he said. “It’s also likely to be due to the demographic mix of people in the country compared to the town.”

DAILY Cancer Wellness Information Counselling ................................................ 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.

Steven Kirby, 53, of Ballarat, was diagnosed with melanoma last year and is urging people who work outdoors to be sun safe. He has been working outside in farming and the construction industry for the past 30 years and has taken little notice of sunscreen. “After all these years I think it sort of caught up with me. I have to have check ups every three months now,” he said. ✦ From: Morning From:Sydney nine.msn, MarchHerald, 2011 25th January 2011

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

Prevent Prevent & Heal Melanoma Naturally Melanoma Naturally By Jo Hartley

here are diﬀerent types of skin cancers; however, the skin cancer to take steps to prevent is melanoma. Melanoma can be seemingly small (the size of a dime) and yet metastasize in the body and bring a death sentence quite quickly. The other types of skin cancer, basal cell and squamous cell, are typically caught early and are rarely fatal. Because of melanoma`s increasing incidence (now the tenth most common kind of cancer in the US), it is important to learn how to prevent it naturally. There are genetic predispositions that increase one`s risk for melanoma. Fair skin and hair and a tendency for mole development will create a higher melanoma risk. People with blonde or red hair, light eyes, and fair skin are six times more likely to develop melanoma than those people who have darker complexions. In addition, those who have a large number of moles have a higher risk for melanoma than those people who have a smaller number of moles. Another risk factor is an increased exposure to sun (especially during childhood). It is important to understand that while excessive exposure to sun can cause skin cancer; everyone needs some sun exposure because this can actually prevent some kinds of cancer. Appropriate sun exposure helps with the formation of vitamin D.

If melanoma is suspected, the earlier it is detected the better. Everyone should perform a self skin examination every month to stay aware of any changes that may be occurring in moles. The most important thing to notice about moles that diﬀerentiates normal moles from melanoma is the color of the mole. Moles that appear darker than other moles or that increase in size are cause for concern. Melanoma can occur anywhere on the body – not just places that are exposed to the sun. Arms, legs, back, neck, and even palms of hands and soles of feet are common places for melanoma. To investigate suspicious moles, utilise the following ABCD rules:

The key to using sun exposure for better health is to never allow a burn to occur. The optimum amount of time for sun exposure is approximately one hour per day. When outside in the sun, approximately 1,500 wavelengths of light hit the retina and provide an important ingredient for better health.

- “A” for ASYMMETRY: Most melanoma in the early stages is asymmetrical. Common moles are symmetrical and round.

Sunscreens are eﬀective for preventing the most common kinds of skin cancer (basal and squamous cell carcinomas). However, studies have not concluded that sunscreens are eﬀective for preventing melanoma.

- “C” for COLOUR: Common moles are usually a single shade of brown. Varied shades of colour are often the ﬁrst sign of melanoma. As time goes by reds, blues and whites may appear.

To take steps to prevent not only skin cancers, but cancers in general, it is important to consume a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables and to eliminate processed foods.

- “D” for DIAMETER: Melanoma usually grows larger than common moles – often to at least the size of a pencil eraser.

There are also studies that have concluded that there is a link between the omega 6:3 oil ratio and skin cancers. The data suggests that omega-6 fats are stimulators and omega-3 fats are inhibitors of the development and progression of a variety of cancers (including melanoma).

If skin cancer is diagnosed there are options other than conventional medical treatments of chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. One alternative treatment is cancer salves. These salves have been eﬀective in healing skin cancers by using herbs. Be careful to adequately research any cancer salves thoroughly prior to use, however, because these are powerful herbs and one must possess a thorough knowledge in order to use them safely.

Based on the information from these studies, it is apparent that the omega 6:3 ratio is very important for preventing melanoma. Paying attention to the amount of omega-6 oils and omega-3 oils consumed and striving for a proper balance is a key factor.

- “B” for BORDER: The borders of early-stage melanomas are often uneven and may have scalloped edges. Common moles have smoother borders.

Prevention of skin cancer is the key and everyone must take steps to safeguard all aspects of health and wellness. From: ww.naturalnews.com March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

what’s on at CSA this month be part of the csa community by joining the groups and wellness activities at our premises in Cottesloe

Meeting the Challenge 1 Day Cancer Wellness Seminar Life Changing Information for people with cancer and their carers. 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 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.

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. It complements standard medical care by relaxing the body and reducing stress.

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

“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

yoga for healing with Madeline Clare 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 to practice.

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 to help healing to 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.

with Bavali Hill 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. 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.

WHAT’S ON AT CSA

meditation made easy reiki clinic every Tuesday Reiki is a Japanese energy-based therapy that promotes healing and overall wellness. A trained reiki practitioner uses his or her hands to transmit energy to the recipient. Reiki has been proven to help with pain management, relaxation, and side effects of cancer treatment like nausea and stomach upset. CSA offers a weekly reiki clinic staffed by qualified volunteers. Gold coin donation.

counselling Individual, Family & Group 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.

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.

NEW: massage for cancer with Sarah Leboff For people with a serious illness like cancer, massage can be a powerful tool to help cope with treatment. Holistic Massage sessions are now available at CSA on Mondays and Thursdays. Sarah, a fully qualified and experienced Holistic Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner, uses a unique combination of remedial massage and healing techniques, including traditional Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, Reiki and energy healing. Sessions are for 60 minutes and cost $70. The first session includes a free consultation. Home visits are also available. To make a booking please contact Hilary at CSA, or for further information please call Sarah on 0406 359 643.

March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

Hands on Healing Reiki for Cancer By Andy Chrysostomou

s a practicing Reiki healer and teacher, I have treated patients with cancer at various stages of the illness, from the earliest diagnosis, to the terminal stage. Cancer is such a powerful and frightening illness – its effects are both physical and emotional, affecting not only the patient, but their family and friends also. I have seen the devastating physical and emotional effects of cancer, but I have also seen the power of hope, determination, positive thinking and the strength of the Human Spirit. People, generally, are incredibly mentally and physically resilient and have an instinctive and overriding desire to survive. Yet when someone is told they have a serious illness, their conditioned response is to abdicate responsibility and give all control to someone else. In effect they become passive recipients. Being passive goes against our natural programming and can lead to negative feelings of helplessness and hopelessness and a weakening of the belief and resolve to survive. This state of mind effectively inhibits and suppresses the body’s own healing responses. To maximize the healing benefits of any and every external modality, the power of the mind must be used in a conscious and controlled manner to activate and heighten the body’s own healing responses. Ideally, the patient must be an active participant. Being active gives the patient some sense of control and power over their illness. They now have additional means of fighting the illness so their belief and resolve grows. This more positive state of mind stimulates the body’s own healing responses. Effective treatment of cancer needs to include the healing ability of the body and the mind, as well as all the external treatments. Patients must have belief and focus and it is essential they understand that where the mind leads, the body

Cancer Support Association

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follows. It is vital to stay as positive and optimistic as possible, and keep focused on fighting the cancer. As long as there is life, there is hope. Cancer is a life issue and needs to be treated as such to have the best chance of success. Aspects of the patients emotional and physical life need to be looked at with the patient, and if necessary, suggested modifications offered to create the best possible conditions for promoting healing. Reiki healing is a good addition to any medical treatment, and there are other methods that can and should be used as well. The primary treatment is the Gerson Therapy. Some treatments will work directly on the cancer, and others will work on initiating the body’s healing process. Individually, these will have a chance of helping the patient, but they should all be used together where possible to maximize the healing effects. The following methods are my recommendations for my cancer patients:

Follow the Gerson Therapy The Gerson Therapy has been successfully treating thousands

of cancer patients for more than 60 years. Developed by Dr Max Gerson, the Gerson Therapy is an intensive nutrition programme that is based around drinking large quantities of fresh organic juices, having coffee enemas, cutting out all salt and supplementing with potassium along with thyroid hormone, liver, iodine and other substances that accelerate the body’s healing mechanisms. In chronic degenerative conditions most of the body’s organs cease to function effectively to the point of shutting down and the body becomes so weak that it can no longer fight off illness. The Gerson Therapy provides the body with vast quantities of easily absorbed living nutrients and releases the body of

excess sodium, which has accumulated due to years of poor nutrition. The body is returned to a state of homeostasis. The Gerson Therapy has a 42% success rate with terminally ill cancer patients.

Use Reiki

Reiki works by directing naturally occurring electro-magnetic energy at the frequency needed to destroy the cancerous cells and strengthen the vital organs to support the healing process. I give Reiki healing on a daily basis to begin with, then I teach the patient basic Reiki to enable them to heal themselves daily. I do this to ensure the patient does not become dependent on me, and more importantly, to help the patient feel empowered and take back responsibility for their life. I also teach the patient’s close family basic Reiki so they can do something constructive to help. This helps their family feel empowered and more useful, which has a positive impact on the patient.

Use the Power of the Mind

Visualisation, intention, and/or positive affirmations, utilise the power of the mind to help the body fight the cancer. The patient needs to work with the practitioner to find the most suitable and effective methods for them to program their mind to fight off the cancer.

Stress Reduction

The patient also needs to have lots of rest and relaxation to eliminate all stress from their life to help the body’s healing process. The above is by no means the only way to treat cancer, but it is a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach that works with the patient, as well as working on the patient. The system has elements to work directly on the cancer and crucially has elements to encourage a major attitude shift towards a positive and active role in the healing process. There are no guarantees with any treatment for cancer, all we can do is try our best to help in every way we can. I believe the best approach is to use every means available to us. Treatment needs to be comprehensive and wide-ranging and must utilize the power of the mind and spirit and body to heal itself. ✦ Andy Chrysostomou came to Reiki after developing severe spondylosis of the spine. He was in extreme pain and lost mobility in his arms and legs. He was told by his doctor that the condition was degenerative and that he would eventually be in a wheelchair. He was offered surgery but was told that it was a fifty, fifty chance of whether it would work or worsen the condition. Andy searched for an alternative to surgery and found Reiki. By learning Reiki and self healing on a daily basis Andy is now able to live a normal life and work out six times a week. He has been teaching and practicing Reiki for four years.

Reiki sessions available at CSA on Tuesdays. Payment: gold coin donation

Reiki Ideals

The secret art of inviting happiness The miraculous medicine of all diseases Just for today, do not anger Do not worry and be ﬁlled with gratitude Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people. Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer. Pray these words to your heart and chant these words with your mouth Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind The founder, Usui Mikao During a meditation several years after developing Reiki, Dr. Usui decided to add the Reiki Ideals to the practice of Reiki. The Ideals came in part from the ﬁve prinicples of the Meiji emperor of Japan whom Dr. Usui admired. The Ideals were developed to add spiritual balance to Usui Reiki. Their purpose is to help people realize that healing the spirit by consciously deciding to improve oneself is a necessary part of the Reiki healing experience. In order for the Reiki healing energies to have lasting results, the client must accept responsibility for her or his healing and take an active part in it. Therefore, the Usui system of Reiki is more than the use of the Reiki energy. It must also include an active commitment to improve oneself in order for it to be a complete system. The ideals are both guidelines for living a gracious life and virtues worthy of practice for their inherent value. March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

How to get s s e n i p p a h REAL An interview with Sharon Salzberg By Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.

Sharon Salzberg is one of America’s leading mindfulness teachers and authors and has played a significant role in bringing mindfulness and the practice of lovingkindness to all of us in the Western world. She is the author of many books and CDs, including her classic “Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness,” “The Kindness Handbook,” and her newest release “Real Happiness.” Today Sharon talks to us about what Real Happiness is, how she integrates compassion practices into her life, and how an everyday totally stressed out person can start moving to real happiness.

Cancer Support Association

Elisha: The ﬁrst question that I have is what is real happiness and how do we all get it? Sharon: (Laughing) Well, actually I think the word “real” stands for something like “durable” or “sustained” or “sustaining” happiness. I think, certainly we get real happiness out of pleasure, and that’s a pleasant meal, a pleasant bath with hot water (laughing), you know, and we should be quite grateful for opportunities we have to experience pleasure so I don’t want to denigrate those, but clearly they are so fleeting and based on conditions coming together just so, and so what we are basically looking for as human beings is a happiness that isn’t going to be so vulnerable to changing conditions. So that’s what I am calling real happiness. We get it from happy inner resources. Elisha: Say more about that “happy inner resources.” Sharon: Well, I describe meditation as one path toward that real happiness as being a kind of skills training, and each of those skills helps us access a capacity and nurture a capacity within to be more present and to shape our attention so that it has more clarity and presence and openness and that is a kind of happiness. I talk about it as being a course of skills training in concentration so that we can take what might be our very scattered, distracted, disbursed attention energy and bring it together so that it becomes steadier and more steadfast. We can have skills training in mindfulness so that we are using our attention to perceive something in the present moment. This perception is not so latent by fears or projections into the future, or old habits, and then I can actually stir loving-kindness or compassion in skills training too, which can be sort of provocative. Elisha: Speaking of lovingkindness, you’re a pioneer in actually bringing loving-kindness practice to the West. Can you tell us about it and what are the beneﬁts of doing it and perhaps how you weave it into your personal practice? Sharon: Well, we get it through the mindfulness practice as we are experiencing much more connection and loving-kindness and compassion. But the loving-kindness meditation is like a series of methods, particularly dedicated to deepening loving-kindness and compassion, and it is done by, I sometimes call it “playing with our attention,” or being willing to take some risks and step out of some our habits. So for example, if thinking about ourselves, we are pretty much only fixated on what’s wrong, and so much so that our whole sense of who we are or all that we will ever be collapses around some stupid comment said at lunch or in a meeting, and so the practice of loving-kindness would be not to deny that, because maybe it was a really stupid comment (laughing), but to remember that that’s not all that we are, and so to stretch beyond that tendency of that collapse, that over-identification with those negative thoughts and beliefs. For example, there are so many people we tend to ignore because we don’t understand them. We can bring the practice of loving-kindness to the person at the supermarket, instead of looking right through them. The kinds of changes that come

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from loving-kindness meditation come from allowing our attention to be much more malleable in those ways. Elisha: There has been a huge surge, at least in the world that I know, of interest in compassion practices, loving-kindness practices, with people individually, but also culturally right now. Just to list a few: •In 2008 Dr. Richie Davidson received a $2.5 million grant from the Fetzer Institute to look into the neuroscience of compassion. One study has already shown that experienced meditators show more activity in the Insula in response to stimuli that were meant to generate compassion. The Insula is part of the brain that is responsible for the awareness of our embodied emotions. This suggests that we can take advantage of the brain’s plasticity and by generating compassion, we can change our brain. •Tan Chade-Meng, one of the earliest engineers at Google, also known as “the Jolly Good Fellow” (which nobody can deny), has cofounded the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research (CCARE) at Stanford University. This group has a number of research projects under way. •The Compassionate Action Network (CAN) is a large site of self-organizing groups meant to spread compassion around the world. •Self-Compassion – Kristin Neff is coming out with the book “Self-Compassion” in 2011 and Christopher Germer has already published “The Mindful Path to SelfCompassion.” Kristin and Christopher both lead workshops around the world spreading practical ways to cultivate compassion. •Karen Armstrong gives a talk on TED about compassion which inspired a Charter of Compassion. What do you think is happening right now and where do you see this work going in Western culture?

What we are basically looking for as human beings is a happiness that isn’t going to be so vulnerable to changing conditions. That’s what I am calling real happiness. We get it from happy inner resources.

Sharon: This is very exciting having watched so much research being based on mindfulness practice that in many ways that it opened the door, and you know in a time where we are experiencing so much division and anger and separation the renewed interest in compassion as a path is very vital for our survival. I don’t know if this is scientifically valid, but just anecdotally, I would draw a distinction between empathy and compassion. Whereas clearly there is a connection, but sometimes the way that I describe it is the faculty of empathy which is of course essential, and quite beautiful, allows us to feel into the situation of another, but if what we are feeling into is a state of suffering, we might have any number of responses to that, even once having that bond of empathy, we might feel into someone’s suffering and be frightened by that or feel overwhelmed by that or feel kind of mad, compulsion to fix it by tomorrow night, or one possible response to that felt sense of suffering is what we would call compassion. Elisha: Here’s your ﬁnal question: what do you tell a totally stressed-out everyday person today if they were asking you what they could do to help them start moving toward real happiness? Sharon: I would say a few things. One, it is really hard, but essential to think about taking some time for oneself. People often think it’s selfish and self-centered and a waste of time when there is so much to do, but as for me that time might be well spent exploring the power of meditation, and so sitting down doesn’t mean wasting time, and to understand that perhaps it is actually a kind of adventure with its challenges of highs and lows and that it can change our relationship, not only to ourselves, but to our work, our families and our communities, and so it’s starting, if one is interested, in some realistic ways. If you are wildly stressed out, the practice of sitting down for an hour and being quiet is probably not that appealing. But it might be walking meditation, or it might be sitting for 10 minutes, something like that, and realize that you are not trying to do battle with your experience, and you are not trying to squeeze that stress out, or something like that, but being able to deal with it differently so that it is not so overpowering. ✦ From: The Huffington Post, Febuary 2011: www.huffingtonpost.com. March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

Caring for a loved one (with cancer) By Dr. Suzanne Gelb, Ph.D., J.D.

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

Seven emotional stress management tips I

f you’re a family caregiver for a cancer patient, you probably know how stressful this can be, especially if you’re handing a lot of the responsibilities on your own. Most family members aren’t emotionally or financially prepared to become caregivers. They tend to be overwhelmed by the drastic lifestyle changes and responsibilities that accompany this task. As Jess, who was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive cancer in 2008, told me, “My mum does a fantastic job [caring for me], and she doesn’t let me see her stress, but I know that the weight of the [Gerson] program stresses her out at times. There’s the work load, financial stress, the stress of dealing with my mood swings, haha, and just the stress of having a child dealing with cancer.” These pressures and tensions tend to take their toll and can, over time, lead to burnout. Fortunately, caregiver stress can be managed and, with some basic skills in place, caregiving can be truly rewarding. I know this from my work as a psychologist helping caregivers handle stress, and also from having been a caregiver for a friend who had cancer and did the Gerson Therapy. Although each cancer patient has unique needs and caregiver roles vary, the tips that follow have helped many caregivers, myself included, manage their responsibilities with confidence. There are lots of things you can do to counter caregiver stress, such as recognising your limitations and asking for help, rejuvenating yourself with yoga and meditation, eating healthily and getting enough sleep. But since pent-up emotions can be a major source of stress, I believe that some of the best tips I can share with you are those which address managing the powerful emotions that many caregivers experience.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will” – Gandhi

1. Reach Out Soon after you learn that someone you’re close to has cancer and needs your care, get as much information as you can to prepare for this responsibility. Basically, you’ll need to know what’s involved in providing the necessary physical, emotional and practical support to your loved one. Helpful resources include physicians, internet research, and cancer support groups. Educating yourself in this way can reduce the fear and anxiety that many prospective caregivers feel about undertaking one of the toughest, yet most important jobs there is.

2. Find a Shoulder to Cry On You may also find that you need help coming to terms with the fact that your loved one has cancer. Family and friends can be a source of support, and sometimes it helps to talk to a counselor about the grief, anger and fear that typically surface. These feelings must be resolved, otherwise patience and tolerance are likely to be low. With nerves on edge, it’s difficult to be empathetic, compassionate, and unconditional – qualities that are necessary for effective caregiving.

3. Resolve Grief and Anger As you take on the caregiver role, it’s important to grieve the loss of the relationship you had with your loved one prior to the onset of cancer. If you’re angry over feeling betrayed, this needs to be resolved as well. Otherwise, you may find yourself being resentful towards the person you’re caring for. As my friend, Kate, told me, “After Mike, my husband, learned that the pain he’d been having was due to metastatic bone cancer, he grew increasingly weaker and became dependent on me for his care. Because I couldn’t count on him anymore, as I did in the past, I felt like Mike had betrayed me. This made me angry and resentful. I also felt abandoned by Mike, since I didn’t have the special connection with him like I used to.” The pain of betrayal and abandonment must be dealt with. Otherwise, frustration tends to replace love and affection. This invariably has a negative impact on the patient’s health.

4. Let Go of Expectations After Mike was diagnosed, he had to adjust to many changes, including diet. Kate shared with me

continued on next page... March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

...from previous page that she used to expect Mike to stick to his diet 100%, “but sometimes he’d get fed up with all the restrictions and want to quit.” This frustrated Kate, causing her to be unreasonable and demanding, “Mike, you should know better than to even think about quitting your diet!” Worried about her short fuse, Kate attended a caregiving lecture. There she learned that she needed to understand the challenges Mike faced because of his cancer. “Now I know that if I have expectations, Mike will have difficulty meeting them and this will frustrate me. If I let my frustration build, it may get unleashed at Mike, who doesn’t deserve to be yelled at. In its worst form, my pent-up frustration could manifest as verbal and/or physical abuse.”

5. Don’t Let Feelings Bottle-Up

Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion. ~ Buddha

There are safe ways to discharge frustration so that care can be given with acceptance and dedication. Some caregivers, for example, manage their frustration by letting off steam in private. Rob, whose wife has lung cancer, explains, “When I start getting impatient with Judy, I excuse myself and head for the garage. There, I punch a punching bag until I feel calmer, and ready to go back and care for Judy.” Another way that Rob releases his frustration is by keeping a journal. Judy’s brother, who helps with her care on Saturdays, handles his frustration by retreating to his bedroom. “After closing the door, I turn up the radio so I can yell and vent without being heard. Pretty soon I’m composed. Then I’m able to help Judy without losing my cool.” Judy’s sister has started helping out on Sundays. Because she’s new to caregiving, Rob gives her some tips: “Don’t stress yourself out by having expectations or by taking Judy’s behavior personally. Otherwise, at the end of the day you’ll feel worn-out and resentful, instead of being proud of yourself for helping your sister.”

6. Be Patient Cancer treatment programs, like the Gerson Therapy, demand much from patients, such as compliance with medication schedules and dietary requirements. Prescribed regimens must be systematically implemented with patience and kindness. At times, an authoritative stance may be needed to gain a loved one’s cooperation. Psychotherapist and recovered Gerson patient, Beata Bishop, says, “Firmness is needed when patients wish to bend the dietary rules by committing small lapses or having occasional ‘treats,’” (Healing The Gerson Way, p. 260). Sometimes, however, caregivers get so frustrated with a patient’s lack of cooperation that they resort to angry threats. This should be promptly addressed with anger management. It’s also important to keep in mind that instructions may need to be repeated before a desired result is achieved, especially when caring for an elderly person who has sensory deficits.

7. Be Unconditional and Supportive When a loved one doesn’t progress as expected, it’s not unusual for caregivers to get frustrated and question their own abilities wit thoughts such as, “If I mattered to her, she’d try more,” or, “If I did that better, he’d improve.” These doubts are often followed by criticism of the patient, “What’s wrong with you, try harder!” Patients who get criticised are at risk for becoming apathetic. This is one reason why care must be unconditional – caregivers need to be continually supportive of their loved ones, placing no demands or conditions on them. Take Judy’s caregivers, who enjoy helping her exercise, but have no expectations about how she should progress. Even when weeks go by without any progress, her caregivers continue to be supportive and patient. Then, if improvement occurs, they relish that moment. Common sense tells us to care for a cancer patient as we’d like to be cared for. Yet, as seen in this article, the emotional stress associated with caregiving can be taxing and have a negative effect on both caregiver and patient. Fortunately, it is possible to manage the emotions that cause stress. With this in place, caregivers can confidently embrace their commitment to help a family member, knowing they’re equipped to handle the challenges ahead, and appreciating the privilege of caring for a loved one. ✦ This article is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as psychological advice or as a substitute for consultation with your qualified health professional. Names of persons herein have been changed for privacy purposes.

From: thewellnesswarrior.blogspot.com. Dr. Suzanne Gelb, Ph.D., J.D., is a psychologist and an attorney in private practice in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a focus on family therapy and family law. Dr. Gelb’s work as a psychologist has included helping caregivers manage stress, being interviewed about this topic on television, and writing articles on caregiving which have appeared in Honolulu publications. For more information, visit www.DrGelbSays.com.

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

The Gawler Foundation 12 Week Cancer Self-Help Programme

Cancer, Healing & Wellbeing

Cathy Brown is an endorsed leader and will be facilitating The Gawler Foundation 12 Week Cancer Self-Help Programme – Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing. Consistent with the principles of integrated medicine, the programme 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 programme 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 programme 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

Starts: Wednesday, 15 September 10am to 12.30pm weekly Venue: Cancer Support Association, 80 Railway Street, Cottesloe Cost: $350 per person. Bookings: 9384 3544

CSA Library News... We’ve been through our shelves andcompiled this list of classic cancer healing books which are well worth reading. You can borrow these titles and many more online or come in to our pleasant Cottesloe building... The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell The Essence of Health by Dr Craig Hassad You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay The Dragon’s Blessing by Guy Allenby You Can Conquer Cancer by Ian Gawler Healing the Gerson Way by Charlotte Gerson and Beata Bishop March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

Eating Less

the magical formula for radiant health and long life By Richard Kerbaj

Possibly one of the most effective approaches for reversing your biological clock, enhancing your health and becoming much more radiant is to significantly reduce the quantity of food you eat. One way to do this is through intermittent fasting. The resulting pro-health gene expression initiated by greatly reducing your calorie intake is the only proven “anti-aging” method known and the simple reality is the more food you eat, the quicker illness, old age and death will come your way. Most of us are slaves to the foods we eat continuously overburdening our digestive tracts with nutritionally devoid junk that eventually ends up taking us one step nearer to death with each bite taken. We eat when we are happy, sad, bored, celebrating, socializing, lonely and maybe countless other reasons but most significantly we eat when we aren’t even hungry. There is a powerful reason for this.

Reducing food intake and intermittent fasting can improve your health, energy levels and help you lose weight and look fantastic!

We have been programmed by highly effective food industry propaganda that eating is the answer to all of our problems when the simple truth is it might be the biggest cause of them! Many of us never give our overworked digestion system a rest causing it to get blocked with putrefied waste material which eventually contaminates all the cells in our body resulting in disease and premature aging. Healthy radiant beauty on the outside can only be achieved if you are clean on the inside and while internal cleanses are an excellent tool for achieving this, lasting results can only be accomplished if you decide to stop stuffing yourself with excessive food that your body doesn’t need and cannot process efficiently. The human body actually needs very little food to repair and preserve itself. A more appropriate statement might be that the body requires very little nutrition to repair and maintain itself. There’s a strong reason to eat less, much less, on the genetic level as well. Consuming excess calories causes gene expression that accelerates aging while eating a reduced calorie diet will cause genes to express favorably for life extension and much better health. This has been recognized since 1935 when the well-known study by McCay and Crowell demonstrated that rats fed a restricted calorie diet experienced much less age-related disease and lived considerably longer than their fatter more well fed friends. Since that time a number of animal research has demonstrated that undereating while maintaining adequate nutrition has an extraordinary positive effect on wellness and longevity. Rewind one hundred or so thousand years and you’ll find our ancestors hunting for and gathering their food frequently traveling lengthy distances(exercising) by day and eating just one meal in the evening. These people were powerful, quick, had razor-sharp senses and are believed to have been extremely intuitive and yet they frequently fasted for nearly 24 hours day after day. Admittedly these folks didn’t live a long life however they probably died from severe climatic conditions or in the jaws of a saber-tooth tiger rather than from illness related to persistent bowel problems which causes many of the health problems that plague humankind today. To propose someone could become much healthier, improve their vitality, develop better intuition and slow the aging process by eating only one meal a day is more often than not viewed as pure ludicrously in a culture that is constantly influenced by advertising and advertising disguised as news based on results of research funded by food companies who simply wish to sell you more of their product. So, what I am suggesting is that you begin thinking about your views on food and just how they developed.

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

Do not eat unless you are hungry. Giving your overtaxed digestive system a break once in awhile will free up vital energy your body will use for other more essential functions like repairing and healing. All spiritual leaders like Buddha and Jesus fasted and recommended it to their followers and while Jesus supposedly fasted for forty days, wonderful benefits can be achieved by fasting for 24 hours just one day a week. Consume your regular diet however just one day a week drink only pure water for a twenty four hour period either from dinner to dinner the next day, from lunch to lunch the next day or whatever feels right for you. Doing this just one day a week will help you slim down and appear years younger. Caloric restriction or “undereating”, after numerous animal studies has been proven to produce profound health benefits and prolong lifespan and fasting in this intermittent manner may be one of the better ways to experience these benefits. I fast for 24 hours every so often and amazingly on those days I think clearer and have more energy. For the last several months I have worked on greatly reducing my overall caloric consumption and have not lost any lean mass because of it. I suggest you find out more about the numerous benefits of eating less, much less. ✦

From Michael Kahunka is a health researcher, author and creator of www. kahunka.com, the website of Kahunka Health and Fitness

What is intermittent fasting?

Secret of Living By Swami Sivananda

isease is not a condition that ought to frighten you. It is not brought about by agencies outside yourself. Disease is the result of the kickings of life. Health alone exists. It is life alone that makes a man live. Disease is only a sign of health. It is the reaction of life to the entry of foreign matter into the system. Life’s cleansing process is called disease. There is only one disease and that is disease, or no ease. This means it is the struggle of life to get rid of foreign matter. This disease ought not to be suppressed with toxic drugs. Leave nature to get rid of it in her own way.

We’re always happiest when we find balance. Intermittent fasting, used correctly, is simply balancing eating with not eating. American culture embraces eating as a 24/7 activity, and perhaps intermittent fasting, even as small as a skipped meal occasionally, can help bring us back toward balance.

The first and foremost aid is fasting. Digestion of food is one of the greatest charges on the vital economy. If you put food into the stomach during disease, the vital power – which is in the process of cleansing the system of foreign matter – is diverted from its function and is made to digest the food! The only result is a worsening of the condition.

There’s a reason for the momentum behind the popularity of intermittent fasting: research is showing a variety of positive health benefits attained through intermittent fasting. Improved heart health, increased brain function, prevention of chronic diseases, increased life span, and loss of weight are some of the effects noted.

Food does not maintain life. Life eats the food and produces the energy necessary for its digestion and elimination. That is all. Life lives by itself. Food is necessary only for life to build and repair the body.

Proponents of fasting and nutritional healing have known about these benefits of fasting for a long time. But with this line of research perhaps we’re a step closer to our medical community embracing fasting as the therapeutic practice it is. Currently, the surge in popularity is due to the increased interest in losing weight.

Satvic (pure) food such as fruits, vegetables, whole cereals, nuts, green leafy vegetables and milk, nourishes the body and helps life. It does not need to be eaten with appetisers, which act as aeroplanes to carry the food to the stomach, since such food is not demanded by the life-fire within.

As the name implies, intermittent fasting is alternating between periods of eating normally and periods of fasting. These “periods” are open to user definition. These periods may range from refraining from eating for a certain number of hours each day, to fasting every alternate day to fasting one day a week. One day per week fasting has been advocated for many years now as a healthful fasting practice as it allows for rest and cleansing of our bodies, an antidote for our rich diets and toxic-laden world. It is often prescribed as a continuing maintenance schedule after cleansing and therapeutic fasts of greater duration have been performed. Generally, one day per week and/or three days per month and/or 1-2 weeks per year are used for this purpose.

This life-fire is God Himself. Man should wait for the appearance of this God within and only then offer Him some food. But nowadays people mistake the cravings of the palate for hunger. Perhaps hunger is a joy they have never experienced. Real hunger, as it is in the form of the Lord Himself, is indescribable in its nature, even as God Himself is. To know this one has to experience it. One cannot be told by another. March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

Juice Fasting

for Cancer Health People with cancer can beneﬁt from a juice fast... gentler than other forms of fasting, the juice fast detoxs the body while providing essential nutrients for healing and wellbeing.

Fasting is a completely natural healing therapy that has been used for thousands of years to aid, treat, and even cure many common maladies. It creates the same healing eﬀects today. And while modern medicine so often attempts to alleviate outer symptoms of a health condition, fasting aﬀects healing from the inside out, getting to the actual source of the condition, helping to burn inferior cells and build new healthier cells and tissues. Our bodies are capable of instigating their own perfect healing if we allow them the opportunity. Fasting is such an opportunity.

There are numerous types of fasting, all of which offer the same many

healing benefits. Oftentimes, it seems people develop a preference for one certain type or method, and then feel as if the other methods are inferior.

In actuality, all types of fasting have something to offer. Depending on each person’s individual lifestyle, health issues, goals, and body chemistry, different methods of fasting will be appropriate for different people. You can choose a method that is appropriate for you right now. And, since all things change, tomorrow you may choose differently. Nothing could be more natural. There is nothing to lose in attempting a fast. There is no failure, for even if you “fail” to achieve your stated goal, you will have learned and experienced much of value. Use the information here to find, or create, a method of fasting that feels right for you now, that fits your goals and your lifestyle, and that you feel a motivation (not dread) toward.

All fasts will cleanse and detoxify All types of fasting give the same multitude of benefits. You don’t need to do a fast with the word “cleanse” or “detox” in it to rid your body of unwanted toxins. Nor do you need to do a “spiritual” fast in order to benefit spiritually. All types of fasting will lead you on a path to better and higher places. Your job is to pick among the types of fasting, one that appeals to you, and will work within your lifestyle and responsibilities. Keep in mind, the more severe the fast, the poorer your diet has been, and the less preparation you make, the more detox “symptoms” you are likely to have. For some people, these can be uncomfortable enough to force them into bed. My first water fast had me, at the end of the first day, in bed with the worst migraine I’d ever had. I had done zero preparation for this fast and was suffering for it. Life responsibilities were such that I chose to end the fast a little early so I could return to functionality. Within a couple hours of breaking it (with a little piece of fruit), I was at least able to get around. Slow is always the way to go, whether you’re fasting for weight loss or for detox. Eventually, when you’ve rid your body of years of stored toxins and pollutants, you will be able to enjoy the fasting highs others talk about, without any unpleasant side effects. Juice and fruit fasts are more gentle as the detoxing occurs more gradually. I’ve done many fruit fasts and have always felt relatively good – no severe pain or discomfort, just a few aches or a slight headache.

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

Healing Eﬀects of Fruit Juices

Juice fasting offers a great way to detox and increase health and vitality. The nutritional gusto of fresh organic juices will help your body to heal, rebuild, and detoxify waste products. Even short fasts are beneficial toward leading you to a greater sense of well-being. Many health professionals feel juice fasting to be THE fast to perform, as it is gentler than water fasting, giving your body high-quality nutrients in readily available form for your body to use toward rebuilding. These vitamins, minerals, and enzymes can be taken up by the blood easily and without burdening the body’s digestive system. Juice fasting also helps you to build a taste for fresh produce and become accustomed to the increased vitality. You will be drawn to more live foods after your fast. Both fruit and vegetable juices can be used, although they shouldn’t be mixed in the same drink. Canned, bottled, and frozen juices should be avoided during a juice fast. We want the freshest, highest-quality, organic produce to go into our bodies during a fast. Because of the potent nature of live juices, it is recommended you dilute them by at least 1/4 (1 part water to 3 parts juice), some suggest diluting by half. Three to five glasses of this diluted juice is drunk every day, along with plenty of water, at least 2 quarts (which is the same amount as eight 8-ounce glasses). A couple cups of herbal tea is usually also permitted. The Juice Fasting Daily Plan gives a detailed breakdown for when and how much juice to drink. Fresh, homemade juices should be drunk right away and not stored for any length of time as the nutrients break down quickly. You can juice any fresh fruit or vegetable if you have a quality juicer, though you shouldn’t mix fruits and vegetables in the same drink. And melons are always best consumed by themselves. That still leaves you a lot of room to be creative with new concoctions if you so desire, but there’s nothing wrong with simplicity as well. Choosing just one fruit or vegetable for your juice is fine and may lessen the amount of time and effort you put into your daily meals, leaving you free for other detoxing practices (baths, saunas, dry skin brushing, light exercise, or breathing exercises) and spiritual pursuits. Fasting should always be accompanied by plenty of time to go inward and be reflective, listening for your inner messages and insights. Some really good juices for juice fasting are apple, beet, cabbage, carrot, celery, citrus, cucumber, grape, and “green drinks” from leafy greens, including wheat grass. Use this chart to help you decide.

APPLES good for liver and intestines, relieves diarrhea BLACKBERRIES prevent diarrhea, help eliminate phlegm BLUEBERRIES help strengthen immune system, lower fever CHERRIES strengthen blood, good for colon and menstrual problems GRAPES purify and strengthen blood, good for colon LEMONS good for liver and gallbladder, helps with allergies, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and colds ORANGES strengthen immune and nervous sytems, good for cardiovascular disease, obesity, and varicose veins PEACHES improve skin health, help detoxify PEARS helps lower blood pressure, good for gallbladder PINEAPPLE good for eyes and skin, helps with allergies, arthritis, inﬂammation, and edema STRAWBERRIES cleansing to the blood, strengthen nerves WATERMELON good for kidneys, helps with edema

Healing Effects of Vegetable Juices BEETS good for blood and liver, help with arthritis and menstrual problems CABBAGE good for colon, helps with ulcers and colitis CARROT good for eyes and skin, fights infection, helps with arthritis and osteoporosis CELERY good detoxifier, good for kidneys CUCUMBER helpful toward edema and diabetes DANDELION good detoxifier LEAFY GREENS purifier, good for skin, digestive problems, and obesity ONION helps lower blood pressure, good for colon POTATOES good for intestines, counteracts excess acidity in stomach RADISH good for liver SPINACH blood builder, good for eczema TOMATOES good for digestive system WHEATGRASS good for blood, liver, intestines, breath

Healing Effects of Juiced Herbs GARLIC lowers blood pressure, fights germs, good for allergies, colds, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes HORSERADISH acts as disinfectant and diuretic PARSLEY diuretic WATERCRESS detoxifier, good for anemia and colds

Tips for Juice Fasting Drink 3-5 glasses of diluted juice per day. If you have any stomach pain, dilute further or “chew” it before swallowing to thoroughly mix with saliva. The actual amount of juice will be about half a litre per day. Drink a minimum of 2 litres of water. You can add fresh squeezed lemon to this water, if desired. One or two cups of herbal tea is ok. You can use a stimulating one in the morning and a sleep-enhancing one before bed. While fresh juices should be drunk promptly, don’t drink in a hurry. Take the time to treat it as a “meal”, paying attention to the physical sensations that come from the body’s nourishment. Eating the juice with a spoon can help you slow down and feel fuller.

March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

A Juice Fast Daily Plan UPON AWAKENING: Drink a glass of water with 1 teaspoon Epsom or Glauber salts added. Follow with 150ml of fresh vegetable juice diluted by a third (2 parts juice to 1 part water) or up to a half (1 part juice to 1 part water). BREAKFAST: 75ml juice diluted with water. Fruit juice is good at this point for the energy supplied by the sugars. DURING THE MORNING: Another 75ml fruit juice diluted with water.

For a juice fast, this plan can be your guideline. It tells you how much juice to consume and when. You can use the charts on the Juice Fasting page to help you choose which fruits and/or vegetables to use. This plan utilizes Epsom or Glauber salts for intestinal cleansing. You could substitute these salts with other fasting colon cleanse methods, or with this colon cleanse recipe which can be used before and after your juice fast. Both fruit and vegetable juices are called for in this plan for those who have that much ﬂexibility. If one type of juice is not available, just use the kind you have. Using distilled water for your drinking water is ok, even preferred by some during a fast, for its ability to bind to toxins. It should only be used for short durations, such as fasting, because it can also bind to the good minerals in the body. If you use distilled water, you should be extra careful with your diet choices in the days and weeks following a fast, to be sure you are replenishing any lost minerals.

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

LUNCH: 150ml vegetable juice diluted with water. DURING THE AFTERNOON: 75ml fruit juice diluted with water. DINNER (NO LATER THAN 7 P.M.): 120ml vegetable juice and 75ml fruit juice, both diluted, but not mixed together. BEFORE BED: 1 cup of herbal tea, perhaps a sleepinducing one or one with laxative properties. Throughout the day drink an additional 1.5–2 litres of purified water. A squeeze of lemon may be added to this drinking water, both for cleansing effect (lemon breaks up mucus), and for additional flavour. Use your time wisely during your juice fast. Slow down the usual pace of your life to make time and energy for healing, and know that any detox symptoms are a sign that your body is cleansing out impurities. Practicing methods of enhancing detox, such as dry skin brushing and breathing exercises, during a juice fast, are highly encouraged. As is time for self-reflection, so you don’t miss the sometimes subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, insights to your emotional patterns. You may find yourself feeling more emotional than usual, don’t be hard on yourself about this, but see it as a perfect time to heal these issues as well. There’s nothing complicated to do. Just let them express. And you’ll be rewarded with much greater understanding. Fasting articles, tips and information provided by www.allaboutfasting.com. The information on their website and in this article is not intended to replace the advice of a health professional who is familiar with any and all of your individual health-related issues.

How long should I fast for? While a three day fast is an excellent option and can ﬁt nicely into a weekend, there are others. Give careful consideration when deciding how long to fast. If you’ve never fasted before, a commitment of a day or less is easier to accomplish and will familiarize you with the process. Use that ﬁrst experience to learn what your body’s particular reactions are. Every body is unique. You need to learn about yours.

Transition periods

Keep in mind that the time commitment is longer than the actual fast. There are the transition periods both before and after, during which you ease away from your full diet and then ease back toward it. The length of your transition periods can be based upon the length of the fast. You would take half the number of days of the fast for each transition period, essentially doubling the number of days between start and finish. So a 10 day fast would then require 20 days of attention and commitment from you. A three day fast would take 6. Many feel 4 days is sufficient transition for both before and after any length fast. This assumes, however, that you are embarking on a new healthier eating plan, and not delving straight into junk food on the 5th day. For a three day fast, you’ll want to allot at least a day before and a day after. One day fasts can be begun with a light dinner the night before. Although, keep in mind that the longer you spend acclimating your body beforehand, the easier (more comfortable) your fast will be. I’ve spent 5 days cleaning up my diet and scaling back portions for just a one day fast. It occurred more by happenstance than by design, but the day long fast was so much more comfortable and enlightening. And I enjoyed the mental/emotional and spiritual benefits of fasting much longer afterward.

Choosing a length

Length of time for a fast should always be the length that is right for you at the time. Remain flexible. Of course you’ll have a goal in mind when you begin, but don’t be too inflexible to end the fast should your body signal. Severe pain and discomfort may mean you have attempted too much, too soon. You can back off a bit, eating a small piece of fresh fruit for now, and consider spending some time on a cleansing diet before your next fast. Be careful not to fast too frequently; allow your body sufficient time to rebuild nutritional reserves. Two days per week is too frequent, as is one week every month. Recommended fasting times for regular, occasional “maintenance” and rebalancing are one day per week and/or 3 days per month and/or 10 days yearly.

According the Balchs’ book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, considered by many to be a modern-day bible on natural health and healing, different length fasts accomplish different things: THREE DAY FAST – aids in eliminating toxins and cleanses the blood FIVE DAY FAST – begins “healing and rebuilding the immune system” TEN DAY FAST – heads off problems in the making and helps to prevent illness, including degenerative diseases

Preparation Prepare for a fast by eating fewer and lighter meals for a few days prior. The length of preparation is based on the intensity and length of your planned fast. The longer and/or more intense the fast, the more days of preparation you should make. CAFFEINE – If you’re a coffee drinker, wean yourself off prior to beginning the fast and you’ll avoid the withdrawal headache. This goes for other caffeinated beverages, as well. EXERCISE AND ACTIVITY – Plan for a light workload during a fast. Don’t overdo. Moderate exercise is ok, even helpful, but save the more strenuous workouts for another time. Walking and yoga are particularly well-suited to fasting. REST – Get plenty of rest--allow yourself naps during the day whenever you feel the need. DETOX – Start practicing dry skin brushing and breathing exercises to help with detox through both the skin and the lungs. AFTER THE FAST – Pay attention to the subtle signals from your body as they can guide you to the foods most appropriate for your needs.

March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

Diet & Cancer The 16 Important Rules Can a diet help you beat cancer? All the 16 points below come from research studies published by Cancer Watch – in fact, all have appeared in several diﬀerent research studies from several expert sources and the ﬁndings are very consistent. So here is your diet-cancer-research list, your start point in your cancer nutrition plan.

1. Take your vitamins. Here are some tips on consuming adequate vitamins (best sources in order): ◦Vitamin E: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, wheatgerm, soya oil, Betacarotene: carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, cherries, spinach. ◦Vitamin C: red peppers, broccoli, papaya, oranges ◦Lycopene: tomatoes, especially cooked ◦Selenium: brazil nuts in shells, wholemeal, sunflower seeds, eggs ◦Zinc: oysters(!), sunflower seeds ◦Omega 3: salmon, herring, mackerel, flaxseed ◦Vitamin K: greens and broccoli ◦Then there are known anti-cancer fighters in garlic, onions, apples, dark red and black fruits, nuts – think reds, yellows, greens and blues.

2. Eat Fresh Eating processed and packaged (plastic or tinned) not only increases your salt and sugar consumption but may provide lower vitamin levels. There are also concerns about packaging toxins. Freshly prepared food maximises your nourishment. Lightly steam, grill, avoid frying and microwaves.

3. Eat Whole Whole grains, whole foods. Low Glycaemic Index foods that release their energy slowly. Foods full of nourishment for your undernourished body. Eat fresh – especially avoiding those processed and packaged foods which often contain nutritionally worthless refined ingredients and large levels of salt which can poison your cells.

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

4. Eat 6 small meals a day Don’t stuff. One or two massive meals play havoc with your insulin levels and disrupt all your hormones. You should snack, or graze, ensuring a slow but steady stream of nutrients to your body, especially as some vitamins are water soluble and can flush through in just a few hours.

5. Eat oily ﬁsh Salmon, herring and mackerel provide omega 3, proven to reduce cellular inflammation levels. They also provide a little vitamin D a known anticancer compound (You can also go in the sunshine – half an hour a day. If you cannot do this, supplement)

6. Eat garlic Shown to have all manner of anticancer benefits from a reduction in cellular inflammation levels (along with aspirin, curcumin, ginger and aloe vera) to limiting blood supply to tumours.

7. Eat less calories than you need Research from Harvard and UCLA shows benefits in cancerfighting hormones where people consume 5% less calories than they need. Some of these benefits can be replicated by the natural compound resveratrol. (See our web site for more on this)

8. Drink clean water The best is clean mountain water in glass bottles. You can try an ionizer or a Reverse Osmosis System with a remineraliser/ alkalizing system. The issue is that in big cities where the water is recycled you can find levels of oestrogenic compounds and even the latest drugs in the water. Plastic bottled water may also release phthalates (xenoestrogens) into the contents, especially if they have been exposed to heat or sitting in the sun.

9. Eat more Herbs Herbs have very beneficial cleansing and immune-stimulating properties. It is often said that they conflict with certain drugs but there is very little research on the truth of this. Four of the best are astragalus, cat’s claw, echinacea and turmeric (curcumin). MD Anderson says astragalus doubles survival times for certain patients.

10.T ake natural supplements If you feel you cannot get your nourishment fast enough naturally, or feel you are suffering shortages, then you can supplement – but avoid the cheap, mass-market, synthetic vitamins that often do not contain all the natural forms of the vitamin, and look for natural compounds – like whole/total vitamin E, resveratrol, Indole 3 Carbinol

11. Take Probiotics 80 plus clinical trials show that without friendly bacteria in your gut you cannot get the full nourishment from your

foods. For example, vitamin K, folic acid, vitamin B-12 and beneficial fatty acid levels all decline. And these ‘good guys’ help eliminate toxins like heavy metals and oestrogenic compounds, they stimulate the immune system, digest/ eliminate microbes and yeasts, and new research shows they produce butyrate which can kill cancer cells! Your cancer treatment may very well have left you depleted. It’s a fact: Antibiotics and certain drugs kill the ‘good guys’.

12. Guard a correct weight Being overweight increases your risks of cancer, and shortens survival times. But the good news is that research from NorthWestern in America showed that if you correct your excess weight it will increase your survival times. Equally, do not lose too much weight, a severe occurrence in about 7 per cent of chemotherapy patients – cachexia (as it is called) – will cut survival times. Eat properly, not fattening foods, dairy and empty calories, but good foods that don’t feed your cancer at the same time. Hydrazine sulphate has been shown in research, including clinical trials, from the USA to Russia to reduce the dangers of both high glucose and cachexia. No one ever seems to know about this and it is ignored!

13. Avoid Glucose Glucose is the favourite food of a cancer cell. Cancer patients with high blood levels of glucose have shorter survival times. Fact. Remember, not all sugars are glucose. Some, for example, are extremely beneficial polysaccharides (like those in garlic, aloe vera, apples and brown rice) which can stimulate the immune system, some are fruit sugars, others have intra-cellular communications benefits. No, here we are talking common or garden glucose (found in soft drinks from Coca cola – 10 spoonsful in one can – to ‘healthy Ribena and smoothies, sticky buns, cakes, ice cream, fast food, packaged food). Avoid it all like the plague.

14. Avoid Dairy You simply do not need more Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1) in your body making your cells divide faster when you have cancer. The studies linking dairy consumption with cancer are numerous (cervical, breast, prostate etc). And lactose (milk sugar) can be a negative factor for cancer patients too, especially where they have yeast or microbe infections.

15. Avoid Alcohol No one is saying the occasional glass of red wine in an evening won’t be beneficial and relaxing. But it is proven that alcohol consumption can drive cancers, both directly and by feeding any yeast infections.

16. Avoid bad fats. No refined oils, no trans-fats in your anti-cancer diet. They increase levels of ‘free-radicals’ in the body and are linked to increase cancer risk. Avoid animal fats where possible. Try extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil on your salads. Eat oily fish, or take fish oil supplements. Eat flaxseed on your home-made mueseli. Don’t fry your food or eat greasy fast food. ✦ From: canceractive.com March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

Chocolate’s Startling Health Benefits

By John Robbins

The food police may ﬁnd this hard to take, but chocolate has gotten a bad rap. People say it causes acne, that you should eat carob instead, that it’s junk food. But these accusations are not only undeserved and inaccurate, they falsely incriminate a delicious food that turns out to have profoundly important healing powers.

The food police may find this hard to take, but chocolate has gotten a bad rap. People say it causes acne, that you should eat carob instead, that it’s junk food. But these accusations are not only undeserved and inaccurate, they falsely incriminate a delicious food that turns out to have profoundly important healing powers.

There is in fact a growing body of credible scientific evidence that chocolate contains a host of heart-healthy and moodenhancing phytochemicals, with benefits to both body and mind. For one, chocolate is a plentiful source of antioxidants. These are substances that reduce the ongoing cellular and arterial damage caused by oxidative reactions. You may have heard of a type of antioxidants called polyphenols. These are protective chemicals found in plant foods such as red wine and green tea. Chocolate, it turns out, is particularly rich in polyphenols. According to researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, the same antioxidant properties found in red wine that protect against heart disease are also found in comparable quantities in chocolate. How does chocolate help to prevent heart disease? The oxidation of LDL cholesterol is considered a major factor in the promotion of coronary disease. When this waxy substance oxidizes, it tends to stick to artery walls, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. But chocolate to the rescue! The polyphenols in chocolate inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol. And there’s more. One of the causes of atherosclerosis is blood platelets clumping together, a process called aggregation. The polyphenols in chocolate inhibit this clumping, reducing the risks of atherosclerosis.

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

High blood pressure is a well known risk factor for heart disease. It is also one of the most common causes of kidney failure, and a significant contributor to many kinds of dementia and cognitive impairment. Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate daily can reduce blood pressure in people with mild hypertension. Why are people with risk factors for heart disease sometimes told to take a baby aspirin every day? The reason is that aspirin thins the blood and reduces the likelihood of clots forming (clots play a key role in many heart attacks and strokes). Research performed at the department of nutrition at the University of California, Davis, found that chocolate thins the blood and performs the same anti-clotting activity as aspirin. “Our work supports the concept that the chronic consumption of cocoa may be associated with improved cardiovascular health,” said UC Davis researcher Carl Keen. How much chocolate would you have to eat to obtain these benefits? Less than you might think. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, adding only half an ounce of dark chocolate to an average American diet is enough to increase total antioxidant capacity 4 percent, and lessen oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Why, then, has chocolate gotten such a bum reputation? It’s the ingredients we add to it. Nearly all of the calories in a typical chocolate bar are sugar and fat. As far as fats go, it’s the added fats that are the difficulty, not the natural fat (called cocoa butter) found in chocolate. Cocoa butter is high in saturated fat, so many people assume that it’s not good for your cardiovascular system. But most of the saturated fat content in cocoa butter is stearic acid, which numerous studies have shown does not raise blood cholesterol levels. In the human body, it acts much like the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, contains added butterfat which can raise blood cholesterol levels. And it has less antioxidants and other beneficial phytochemicals than dark chocolate. Does chocolate contribute to acne? Milk chocolate has been shown to do so, but I’ve never heard of any evidence incriminating dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is also healthier because it has less added sugar. I’m sure you don’t need another lecture on the dangers of excess sugar consumption. But if you want to become obese and dramatically raise your odds of developing diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, foods high in sugar (including high fructose corn syrup) are just the ticket.

Chocolate f lows in deep dark, sweet waves, a river to ignite my mind and alert my senses

Are chocolate’s benefits limited to the health of the body? Hardly. Chocolate has long been renown for its remarkable effects on human mood. We are now beginning to understand why. Chocolate is the richest known source of a little-known substance called theobromine, a close chemical relative of caffeine. Theobromine, like caffeine, and also like the asthma drug theophylline, belong to the chemical group known as xanthine alkaloids. Chocolate products contain small amounts of caffeine, but not nearly enough to explain the attractions, fascinations, addictions, and effects of chocolate. The mood enhancement produced by chocolate may be primarily due to theobromine. Chocolate also contains other substances with mood elevating effects. One is phenethylamine, which triggers the release of pleasurable endorphins and potentates the action of dopamine, a neurochemical associated with sexual arousal and pleasure. Phenethylamine is released in the brain when people become infatuated or fall in love. Another substance found in chocolate is anandamide (from the Sanskrit word “ananda,” which means peaceful bliss). A fatty substance that is naturally produced in the brain, anandamide has been isolated from chocolate by pharmacologists at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. It binds to the same receptor sites in the brain as cannabinoids – the psychoactive constituents in marijuana – and produces feelings

continued on next page... March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

Be An Informed Chocolate Buyer! With Easter almost here, it’s time to think carefully about the chocolate you consume and buy for others. Not only should you keep in mind the health considerations of chocolate consumption but there are also many ethcial concerns about the production of chocolate and exploitation of children and workers in third world countries. It’s going to take time to eradicate child exploitation and trafficking in cocoa farms. As a community of informed consumers, we can make a difference by using our purchasing power to buy Fairtrade & Ethical chocolate and make it loud and clear to manufacturers that we demand ethically manufactured chocolate – free of child exploitation. Buying chocolate with Fairtrade certification is one way to ensure that chocolate you are eating is ethical. Look for the Fairtrade logo and the text “Guarantees a better deal for Third World Producers” as seen below on a block of Green & Blacks Fairtrade chocolate: Read the the Good Chocolate Guide (worldvision. com.au) produced by World Vision to find out the brands and stockists of ethical chocolate as well as how to pressure your local department store and supermarkets to stock more ethical chocolate, including Fairtrade chocolate – they need to know there’s a demand for it. Read the the Good Chocolate Guide (worldvision.com.au) produced by World Vision to find out the brands and stockists of ethical chocolate as well as how to pressure your local department store and supermarkets to stock more ethical chocolate, including Fairtrade chocolate – they need to know there’s a demand for it.

...from previous page High blood pressure is a well known risk factor for heart disease. It is also one of the most common causes of kidney failure, and a significant contributor to many kinds of dementia and cognitive impairment. Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate daily can reduce blood pressure in people with mild hypertension. Why are people with risk factors for heart disease sometimes told to take a baby aspirin every day? The reason is that aspirin thins the blood and reduces the likelihood of clots forming (clots play a key role in many heart attacks and strokes). Research performed at the department of nutrition at the University of California, Davis, found that chocolate thins the blood and performs the same anti-clotting activity as aspirin. “Our work supports the concept that the chronic consumption of cocoa may be associated with improved cardiovascular health,” said UC Davis researcher Carl Keen. How much chocolate would you have to eat to obtain these benefits? Less than you might think. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, adding only half an ounce of dark chocolate to an average American diet is enough to increase total antioxidant capacity 4 percent, and lessen oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Why, then, has chocolate gotten such a bum reputation? It’s the ingredients we add to it. Nearly all of the calories in a typical chocolate bar are sugar and fat. As far as fats go, it’s the added fats that are the difficulty, not the natural fat (called cocoa butter) found in chocolate. Cocoa butter is high in saturated fat, so many people assume that it’s not good for your cardiovascular system. But most of the saturated fat content in cocoa butter is stearic acid, which numerous studies have shown does not raise blood cholesterol levels. In the human body, it acts much like the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. Milk chocolate, on the other hand, contains added butterfat which can raise blood cholesterol levels. And it has less antioxidants and other beneficial phytochemicals than dark chocolate. Does chocolate contribute to acne? Milk chocolate has been shown to do so, but I’ve never heard of any evidence incriminating dark chocolate.

Cancer Support Association

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

Dark chocolate is also healthier because it has less added sugar. I’m sure you don’t need another lecture on the dangers of excess sugar consumption. But if you want to become obese and dramatically raise your odds of developing diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, foods high in sugar (including high fructose corn syrup) are just the ticket. Are chocolate’s benefits limited to the health of the body? Hardly. Chocolate has long been renown for its remarkable effects on human mood. We are now beginning to understand why. Chocolate is the richest known source of a little-known substance called theobromine, a close chemical relative of caffeine. Theobromine, like caffeine, and also like the asthma drug theophylline, belong to the chemical group known as xanthine alkaloids. Chocolate products contain small amounts of caffeine, but not nearly enough to explain the attractions, fascinations, addictions, and effects of chocolate. The mood enhancement produced by chocolate may be primarily due to theobromine. Chocolate also contains other substances with mood elevating effects. One is phenethylamine, which triggers the release of pleasurable endorphins and potentates the action of dopamine, a neurochemical associated with sexual arousal and pleasure. Phenethylamine is released in the brain when people become infatuated or fall in love. Another substance found in chocolate is anandamide (from the Sanskrit word “ananda,” which means peaceful bliss). A fatty substance that is naturally produced in the brain, anandamide has been isolated from chocolate by pharmacologists at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. It binds to the same receptor sites in the brain as cannabinoids – the psychoactive constituents in marijuana – and produces feelings of elation and exhilaration. (If this becomes more widely known, will they make chocolate illegal?) If that weren’t enough, chocolate also boosts brain levels of serotonin. Women typically have lower serotonin levels during PMS and menstruation, which may be one reason women typically experience stronger cravings for chocolate at these times in their cycles. People suffering from depression so characteristically have lower serotonin levels that an entire class of anti-depressive medications called serotonin uptake inhibitors (including Prozac, Paxil, and Zooloft) have been developed that raise brain levels of serotonin. Since I am known as an advocate of healthy eating, I’m often asked about my food indulgences. One of my favorite desserts is a piece of dark organic chocolate, along with a glass of a fine red wine. I do have a policy, though, to eat only organic and/or fair trade chocolate. This is because of what I have learned about child slavery in the cocoa trade. May your life be full of healthy pleasures. ✦ From: The Huffington Post, 23rd February 2011. John Robbins is the author of many bestsellers including “The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World,” the classic “Diet For A New America,” and “The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less.” He is the recipient of the Rachel Carson Award, the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award, the Peace Abbey’s Courage of Conscience Award, and Green America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. To learn more about his work, visit www.johnrobbins.info

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Mousse Making vegan avocado mousse is easy and you can eat it right away. The texture of avocado mousse is more like thick pudding than traditional mousses, but it’s easy to make, delicious, and vegan. Non vegans will appreciate this chocolate recipe as well and most of the time they will have no idea what it’s made from! Things You’ll Need

Food processor Rubber spatula Measuring cups and spoons Ingredients for Chocolate Mousse: Makes About Six Small Serving

Ingredients (6 small serves)

3 ripe avocados 1/4 cup of cocoa powder 3/4 cup of maple syrup 1/2 tablespoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 cup vanilla soy or almond milk (1/8 of a cup if you want it thicker)

How to Make It

Remove pits and brown spots from avocados. Spoon ripe avocado out of the peel and place in food processor. Add cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, and start blending. Add milk slowly while it blends. When smooth, chill and serve. Add more cocoa powder or maple syrup to taste.

Variations

Instead of using cocoa powder and maple syrup, you can melt your favorite 100 g to 200 g dark chocolate (70%) bar in a double boiler and add it to the mixture. When using melted chocolate, the avocado mousse will thicken quite a bit when chilled. It’ll be thicker than if you use cocoa powder and maple syrup. Using melted chocolate makes this chocolate recipe a bit more like traditional mousse. Serve in small bowls with a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries on top.

By Shayne Woodsmith. From: www.suite101.com. March 2011

WELLNESS NEWS

r o f s p i t 60 y l g n i n n u t s a great life! By Robin Sharma

1. Exercise daily. 2. Get serious about gratitude. 3. See your work as a craft. 4. Expect the best and prepare for the worst. 5. Keep a journal. 6. Read “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”. 7. Plan a schedule for your week. 8. Know the 5 highest priorities of your life. 9. Say no to distractions. 10. Drink a lot of water. 11. Improve your work every single day. 12. Get a mentor.

40. Never miss a moment to celebrate another.

22. Save 10% of your income each month.

41. Have a vision for your life.

23. Spend time at art galleries.

14. Get up at 5 am each day. 15. Eat less food.

43. Focus your mind on the good versus the lack.

25. Write thank you letters to those who’ve helped you.

44. Be patient.

26. Forgive those who’ve wronged you.

46. Clean up your messes. 47. Use impeccable words.

28. Create unforgettable moments with those you love.

49. Read “As You Think”.

29. Have 5 great friends. 30. Become stunningly polite.

32. Sell your TV. 33. Read daily.

17. Be a hero to someone.

35. Be content with what you have.

18. Smile at strangers.

36. Pursue your dreams.

19. Be the most ethical person you know.

37. Be authentic.

20. Don’t settle for anything less than excellence.

Cancer Support Association

45. Don’t give up.

27. Remember that leadership is about inﬂuence and impact, not title and accolades.

34. Avoid the news.

16. Find more heroes.

42. Know your strengths.

24. Walk in the woods.

31. Unplug your TV.

13. Hire a coach.

21. Savour life’s simplest pleasures.

38. Be passionate. 39. Say sorry when you know you should.

www.cancersupportwa.org.au

48. Travel more.

50. Honour your parents. 51. Tip taxi drivers well. 52. Be a great teammate. 53. Give no energy to critics. 54. Spend time in the mountains. 55. Know your top 5 values. 56. Shift from being busy to achieving results. 57. Innovate and iterate. 58. Speak less. Listen more. 59. Be the best person you know. 60. Make your life matter. From: www.robinsharma.com

The ferryman.... â&#x20AC;&#x153;Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?â&#x20AC;? That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future. Herman Hesse

about Wellness News 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 oďŹ&#x20AC;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.

mind-body healing integrative therapies lifestyle & environment inspiring personal stories current news & information nutrition & recipes inspirations

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 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 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 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; designed to inspire the healing spirit. And because we care about the environment all print editions of Wellness News are printed with vegetable based ink on 100% recycled, oxygen-bleached paper.

In fond memory of those who have shared part of their journey with us... Susan Janon Michael Wood

Do not stand at my grave and we ep. I am not ther e. I do not sle ep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. 30 Support Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au I amCancer the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain...

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www.cancersupportwa.org.au The Cancer Support Association of WA Inc is a registered charity and non-proﬁt organisation, formed to help people aﬀected by cancer. The Association relies on donations, bequests and member subscriptions to continue its services. March 2011

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