Three key steps toward a cancer free life are to reduce
body inflammation, support your immune system, and establish a healthy
lifestyle.
What is body inflammation? Inflammation is a normal,
healthy response to injury or infection.
Inflammation displays as localized heat, redness, swelling, and pain.
The inflammation process increases nourishment and immune activity in the area
where infection needs to be healed.
However inflammation does have destructive potential. In autoimmune diseases the immune system mistakenly targets the body’s own tissues. Whole-body inflammation is a chronic, low-level inflammation. Research suggests chronic inflammation sets the foundation for diseases such as heart disease, cancer and neurodegenerative conditions.
Chronic inflammation is influenced by epigenetics and the habits of a sedentary lifestyle, stress, food choices, and exposure to
environmental toxins, which includes alcohol and secondhand tobacco smoke. Many
people in Western societies live life in a pro-inflammatory state resulting
from food choices.
Research has identified several factors that suppress the
immune system. Those who become most seriously ill with swine flu displayed a weakened immune system and shared a
common characteristic. Their body mass index was over 40, which is considered
morbidly obese. Excess weight can cause hormonal imbalances and inflammation
impairing the immune system’s ability to fight infection.
Drinking water plays a role in whether or not you get
sick. About 25 million Americans drink well water, which contains more than the
EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, recommended safe levels of arsenic.
Arsenic affects the immnune response and is linked to several different cancers,
and the swine flu. Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School found that a group
of mice that spent 5 weeks drinking arsenic-tainted water and were given swine
flu developed suppressed immune systems and many died. Mice who didn’t drink
tainted water got the flu but recovered completely.
According to the American Psychological Association
long-term stress weakens the immune system’s ability to respond. Philip Tierno,
PhD, director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University
and author of The Secret Life of Germs, tells us if you become stressed while
you have the flu, your symptoms can get worse.
Tierno says the average adult picks up one to three colds
each season that typically last 3 or 4 days. If you get more your resistance is
low displaying weakened immunity. He recommends getting more sleep, regular exercise, and including lots of
healthy veggies and immune boosting foods in your diet.
About 70% of our immune system is located in and around
our digestive system. The immune system starts in
the mouth. This immune factor known as sIGa await germs or microbes that are not welcome in the body. When activated this immune factor
contacts other immune mediators and attacks the invader or microbe.
Signs of a stressed and inflamed digestive track include
stomach bloating, itchy skin, body rashes, mouth ulcers, and white-coated
tongue. Inflammation results from
many rounds of antibiotics, limited amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables,
excess consumption of saturated fat or fatty foods, smoking, and stress.
An important immune factor, gut flora, lives in the
digestive system of the stomach. These healthy bacteria are natural inhabitants
of the digestive system. Gut flora helps digest food and maintains the
digestive environmental system. There is more gut flora bacteria in the
digestive system than cells in the body. Gut flora protects the stomach lining
and the rest of the digestive system from opportunistic bacteria such as
Candida Albicans.
Inflammation of the intestinal track may create a leaky,
permeable gut leading to malnutrition. Approximately 60,000,000 million
Americans are experiencing intestinal inflammation resulting in a variety of
digestive diseases. To improve the immune system and the integrity of the gut
add live probiotics to the diet, and avoid stress, toxic chemicals, processed
foods, food additives, sugar, contraceptives, antibiotics, and pain pills.
Digestive inflammation and imbalances in intestinal
bacteria are related to arthritis diarrhea, B12 deficiency, chronic fatigue
syndrome, cystic acne, breast cancer, eczema, food allergy or sensitivity,
inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis, heartburn, indigestion and constipation, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Gluten intolerance cause inflammation through out the body
and mimics migraines, anxiety attacks, brain fog and poor concentrate. Research
shows inflammation triggered by food sensitivities contributes to chronic
fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. When intestinal balance is restored
diminishing inflammation and symptoms may resolve.
A taxed liver can’t process toxins and fat efficiently
contributing to systemic inflammation. Many foods help clean the liver
naturally by stimulating its natural ability to cleanse toxic waste from the
body. To support liver function add these foods to the diet: spinach, steamed
broccoli, hemp oil, wild caught salmon, tart cherries, walnuts, onions and
garlic, pineapple, and fermented foods like kefir milk.
To counter
chronic inflammation
·
Stop eating refined, processed and manufactured foods.
·
Eliminate omega-6 fatty acids from snack foods and fast
foods (excess of omega-6 fatty acids cause the body to synthesize pro
inflammatory compounds).
·
Increase intake of balanced amounts of omega-3 and
omega-6 fatty acids (from oily fish-tuna/salmon, walnuts, flax, hemp and to
a lesser degree canola oil and sea vegetables)
To support the
immune system
·
Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins—you’re
drinking the right amount if your urine is pale yellow (coffee and tea are
acceptable and the daily amount varies from person to person.)
·
If well water tests high for arsenic switch to bottled
water or invest in a remediation system to remove the arsenic.
·
Detoxify liver and colon.
·
Eat two servings of fruit, three servings of
vegetables, include probiotics and dietary fiber from healthy foods in your
diet
Anti-inflammatory and cleansing foods
Anti-inflammatory and cleansing foods
1. Garlic—activates liver enzymes that help your body flush
out toxins. Garlic also holds high amounts of allicin and selenium, two natural
compounds that aid in liver cleansing
2. Grapefruit—high in both vitamin C and antioxidants, helps
boost production of the liver detoxification enzymes
3. Beets
and Carrots—high in plant-flavonoids and
beta-carotene that help stimulate and improve overall liver function.
4. Green
Tea—contains antioxidants known as catechins, which assists liver function.
5. Leafy
Green Vegetables—eaten raw, cooked, or
juiced, are high in plant chlorophylls that remove environmental toxins from
the blood stream and neutralize heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides.
6. Avocados—nutrient-dense and helps the body produce
glutathione
7. Apples—contains pectin, which cleanses and release toxins
from the digestive tract
8. Olive
Oil—and cold-pressed organic oils such as
olive, hemp and flax-seed provide a lipid base that bonds to harmful toxins for
easy elimination
9. Alternative
Grains—like quinoa, millet, and buckwheat (avoid
wheat and grains that contain gluten)
10. Cruciferous
Vegetables—such as broccoli and
cauliflower to increase liver glucosinolate adding enzymes that help flush out
carcinogens, and other toxins, and may significantly lower cancer risks
11. Lemons
& Limes—high amounts of vitamin C,
which aids the body in synthesizing toxic materials into substances that can be
absorbed by water and easily eliminated
12. Walnuts—contain
high amounts of the amino acid arginine, help detoxify ammonia, and are high in
glutathione
13. Cabbage—helps stimulate the activation of two crucial liver
detoxifying enzymes that help flush out toxins (Try eating more kimchi,
coleslaw, cabbage soup and sauerkraut).
14. Turmeric—helps boost liver detox by assisting enzymes that
actively flush out dietary carcinogens.
Life Style Immunity Boosting Tips
Meditate
Practice Qigong (Chinese mind-body exercise—breath control
with slow movement)
Exercise at least five days a week
Get enough sleep
Take care of your toothbrush (change every three months)
Avoid stress and depression
Stop biting your nails, or rubbing your eyes with fingers
Take a 10-minute walk a few times a day
Get your vitamin D levels checked
Reduce your stress level,
Eat primarily omega 3 such as olive oil, fish oil, or
canola
Drink less than two alcoholic drinks a day (alcohol is toxic
to the system)
Lose weight
Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily
Take supplemental vitamin C and D3
Take astragalus (herbal supplement to blood cells that fight
viruses)
Use herbs and spices particularly oregano and mustard,
thyme, and turmeric
Eat mushroom particularly shiitake, reishi, and maitake
Eat more fruit
Eat lean protein at every meal chicken, fish or nuts,
Eat 5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day
Cut back on sweets
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