Did you know that cancer claims one out of every two people after age 65? As both a doctor and a family man, this statistic sends chills down my spine!
By age 65, the average American has a one-in-two chance of getting cancer and a one-in-three chance of dying from cancer. In fact, in spite of billions and billions of dollars spent on research, many cancers are just as deadly as they were 20… 30… even 50 years ago.
One reason may be the foods you consume. A diet rich in meat and fats and low in complex carbohydrates, like the one consumed by a typical Westerner, may increases your risk of cancer, according to a University of Pittsburgh researcher.
Stephen O’Keefe, Ph.D., from the University of Pittsburgh arrived at the conclusion based on an expanding body of evidence which shows the composition of the diet influences the diversity of intestinal microbes, supporting the link between diet, colonic disease and colon cancer.
In particular, those who eat a healthy diet containing high levels of complex carbohydrates have significant populations of micro-organisms in their gut called firmicutes.
These bacteria use the undigested residues of starch and proteins in the colon to synthesize short-chain fatty acids and vitamins such as folate and biotin that maintain colonic health.
By contrast, meat digestion produces sulfur which decreases the activity of ‘good’ bacteria and increases the production of hydrogen sulphide and other possible carcinogens by sulfur-reducing bacteria.
O’Keefe states that colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in adults in the West, described his conclusions to the Society for General Microbiology meeting in the United Kingdom.
My best suggestion for a healthy diet is an alkaline diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and more. These foods offer the most nutrition when consumed in their raw form to help you maintain acid-alkaline balance. This means that your tissues, organs and cells are slightly alkaline and measure around 7.5 on a scale from zero to 14. This measurement can be taken with a saliva or blood sample.
If you body is too acidic, then you are at risk for abnormal cell growth that could possibly lead to cancer. This growth thrives in an acidic environment so be sure to test your alkaline balance and look for the best foods to help maintain optimum levels.
But a change in diet is not the only alternative solution to dealing with abnormal cell growth. Patients dealing with the late stages of terminal cancer may benefit from gentle massage therapy, according to a new study conducted by the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.
Researchers studied 380 hospice patients suffering from advanced forms of cancer. Lead researcher Jean S. Kutner, M.D., and colleagues found that after two weeks of massage therapy, many reported temporary improvements in both mood and pain levels.
“Massage does seem to be helpful, at least for a short time,” Kutner said in a published health report from Reuters. She explained that it’s not entirely clear why massage helps with the pain, but that the basic principals of massage therapy have been shown to decrease inflammation and swelling… decrease muscle spasms… and may trigger “feel good” hormones called endorphins.
Kutner also noted that the simple human contact between the patient and the therapist could contribute not only to increased physical well being, but mental well being, too.
[Ed. Note: Michael Cutler, M.D. is a board-certified family physician with more than 17 years of clinical experience. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Tulane Medical School. Dr. Cutler’s practice focuses on integrative solutions to health problems, and behavioral and nutritional medicine.]
source: totalhealthbreakthroughs
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