Bromelain is a digestive enzyme that has shown in studies to protect against breast and lung cancer. It is has anti inflammatory, anti invasive and anti metastasis (spread of cancer) qualities.
Tumours often have a protective covering made of fibrin that can be dissolved by the bromelain. Once this coating is dissolved, the white blood cells identify them as foreign cells and break them down.
Pineapple also:
– activates the immune system
– fights many inflammation based diseases such as arthritis and gout
– aides digestion by breaking down protein
– contains vitamin C
How to make fresh pineapple juice
First, you need fresh pineapple…canned pineapple and canned pineapple juice is cooked, and does not have the same nutritional and medicinal qualities as fresh.
What i do
I have been using this breville elite juicer for 5 years. It's the best. It's fast, friendly...but a bit expensive.
- I eat one or two pineapples a week (as juice).
- I add a tablespoon of yogurt to get the probiotics, for my digestive system and immune system
- I add 1 teaspoon of modified fruit pectin, (has shown to slow down spread of cancer in animal studies)
- I add vitamin d in the winter, because lack of vitamin d causes cancer
Juicing ensures you get a lot of vegetables in your diet. And it’s almost instant. I can easily have 5 vegetables with my lunch. And the veggies guarantee good health.
after
Tips for taste:
- If you are not used to fresh vegtable juice, start with half a glass or less.
-Carrots and tomatoes are good bases for juice. They are sweet, and not too strong. Go easy on the strong tasting veggies, like radishes, onions, hot peppers, or garlic, and herbs, especially at first.
- If you are really squeamish, or a kid, you can start with 1/2 orange juice, 1/2 carrot, or 1/2 apple, 1/2 carrot.
- Cucumbers are easy to take, so throw one of those in too.
- Drink it right away because it gets weird after 10 minutes.
- You can add a twist of lemon, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or salt to your juice for added flavour.
The Juicer
I use the Breville juicer which I love. It is powerful (1000 W). I bought if 5 years ago, and use it almost everyday. It’s a real workhorse. Most parts are stainless steel, it has a wide mouth so you can put most veggies in without cutting them up, and I put all the parts (except one) in the dishwasher. I can make juice and clean up in five minutes. This one is expensive, but it’s the best.
The Ingredients
I drink a combination of veggies, depending on what I have in my garden or fridge. Just wash your veggies and throw into your juicer. Use organic vegetables. Some veggies are sweet, some are bitter, or very strong. Every vegtable has a unique combo of vitamins, minerals, and medicinal properties.
Some veggies are sweet and some bitter. All are good for you. Find a combo that you like
Sweet:
Beet
carrot
apple
cabbage
lettuce
cucumber
red pepper
tomato
cauliflower
potatoes
lettuce
parsnips
green and red pepper
potatoes
Herbs: (don’t use more then 1/4 cup per person)
fennel
basil
coriander/cilantro
parsley
chives
Strong flavor:
garlic
onion
ginger
hot pepper
radish
diakon
celery
Avoid:
-if you have kidney problems you might need to avoid things with oxalic acid such as beet tops, spinach and celery
- pumpkin (makes me queasy)
- pomegranate skin (tried it, felt like poison)
I have been described as a cynic. And there may be some truth there. But in the course of my many strategies to halt cancer I have gone to one faith healer and one christian healing ceremony.
My neighbor encouraged me to go to the faith healer. She put out a collection plate to her friends and family and came up with the 100 bucks it costs. My husband thought it would be at least an interesting life experience. He said I should try and touch the healer…just in case he was the real deal.
There were about 200 people some chemo people like me and some people in wheelchairs. I fit right in. We sat near the front. He talked about himself, how and who he had healed. Volunteers from the audience came to the front and he told them their diagnosis, and each said he was accurate. There were visualization exercises, and I tried very hard to concentrate and feel the light coming in thru the top of my head. He looked at people’s auras. Things like that. They turned off the lights and he did more talking and general healing. At the end, he sat at a table to sell and sign books. I bought one, and put out my hand to shake it. I touched him! Yeah, even a bit of healing could help! Even a non-believer like me felt quite inspired after the event
A year later, I found myself at a christian healing ceremony by mistake. My daughter, a church organist, was invited by the minister where she works for a special nighttime service, and “you can bring your mom”. We had no idea what we were getting into. There were about 8 people in attendance. They had two christian healers, and a chair. They invited people to come up and sit in the chair and they prayed over them. They kept saying… does anyone else have any illness or affliction. I didn’t go up. So they prayed over us all.
So, I may have been healed by faith, despite my bad attitude.
Do it yourself tips from the Faith healer:
- Visualize yourself in detail…but without health problems, project this image before you, and then send healing energy to the troubled areas
-Feel your own energy, and be conscious of it
-Imagine a white light, like a thunderbolt, coming from the sky, through your head, and filling up your whole body
The first medical marijuana expo in Toronto runs July 16 – 18. I would love to go and talk to the vendors and patients, but sadly, I just found out about it, but I can’t get there on such short notice. If you go please tell me all about it.
I’d like to go and ask the advocates about how to get a prescription for medical marijuana, the real use for chemo patients, and even if there is hope that marijuana has a place in preventative health care.
Homemade salad dressing is medicinal. Here is a recipe that gives you the right kind of oils and fats. You can customize your dressing with flavours that add enzymes, good bacteria and antioxidants.
Basic Salad Dressing Recipe
Put all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together, or into a jar and shake.
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs of cold pressed flax oil
salt to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon
pepper
2 tbs of lemon juice, lime juice, or raw apple, wine, or balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of dried ground mustard
To test flavour, dip a lettuce leaf into dressing and taste.
Things to add, in any combo you like:
3 tbs walnut oil
1 tbs whey
lemon zest
yogurt
organic mayonnaise
dried basil
dried oregano
Roquefort cheese, 3 tbs – 1/4 cup
chopped herbs such as basil, chives, oregano, fennel, tarragon
oleic acid (the main component of olive oil) has the ability to reduce the effect of an oncogene (a gene that will turn a host cell into a cancer cell). Oleic acid, when combined with drug therapy, encourages the self-destruction of aggressive, treatment-resistant cancer cells, thus helping to combat the cancer. Olive oil has been positively indicated in studies on prostate and endometrial cancers as well.
polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil are effective in combating breast cancer cells of the HER-2 type.
only extra virgin olive oil, which is not heated or refined contains polyphenols
Vit e
Vit k
anti inflammatory
Basil
flavonoids
orientin
protects cell structures as well as chromosomes from radiation and oxygen-based damage
protects against unwanted bacterial growth
estragole, linalool, cineole, eugenol, sabinene, myrcene, and limonene.
kills dangerous bacteria that might be in salads
anti-inflammatory
protects against free radical damage
magnesium
Pepper
improves digestion – by increasing hydrochloric acid in stomach
antioxidant
antibacterial
breaks down fat cells (I’m just saying)
Mustard
from the Brassica family of vegetables that contain isothiocyanates – inhibit the growth of cancer and protects against the formation of cancer cells
anti-inflammatory
selenium – helps prevent cancer
magnesium
source of omega-3 fatty acids
iron, calcium, zinc, manganese, magnesium, protein, niacin and dietary fiber
Lemon and limes
contains flavonoid compounds that are antioxidant and anti-cancer
flavonol glycosides, including kaempferol-related molecules have been shown to stop cell division in many cancer cell lines
antibiotic effects.
lemons and limes have shown that cell cycles-including the decision a cell makes about whether to divide (called mitosis) or die (apoptosis-are altered by lime juice, as are the activities of special immune cells called monocytes.
vitamin C, antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and vital to the function of a strong immune system
In animal studies and laboratory tests with human cells, compounds in lemons and limes, called limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon
citrus limonoids are potent anti-carcinogens that may prevent cancerous cells from proliferating.
Lemon Zest
limonene— has shown to reduce in skin cancer – especially important if you’ve had radiation
contains oxalates so might not be good to take if you have kidney or gallbladder problem
contains high concentrations of flavonoid antioxidants and other potent antioxidant compounds
Lycopene - protects against cancers
naringenin helps prevent DNA damage and enhances DNA repair reducing the chances of cancer development
the phytochemical, nobilitin destroys cancer cells in two ways. It acts as a cytotoxin, killing cancer cells directly, induces apoptosis and interfers with the cell cycles involved in certain types of liver cancer
prevents the onset of cancers of the colon, breast and some leukaemias.
it exhibits synergism with certain anticancer drugs and reduces the resistance that cancer cells develop to these conventional treatments
coumarins and tangeretin have anti tumour by interfering with the signalling mechanism between the tumour cells
phytochemicals naringenin and quercetin protect against NNK which is one of the most potent inducers of lung cancer
Garlic
allyl sulfur prevents and inhibits cancer growth
antibacterial properties
blocks the formation of cancer-causing substances
halts the activation of cancer-causing substances
reduces cancer cell proliferation, and induces cancer cell death
Roquefort cheese
lots of types of blue cheeses will be healthy
I’m recommending Roquefort because it is made with sheep’s milk that is not pasteurized or homogenized
lauric Acid
good bacteria
Salt
I use natural sea salt because it has trace minerals
Your homemade dressing will have much less salt then bottled dressing
Oregano
antioxidant antimicrobial
Whey
contains (GSH) which has an anti tumour effect
All herbs have medicinal properties...you get the idea…
Yesterday I had dinner (Pad Thai) with my old friend Stella. I was surprised when she said that she thought I was obsessed with healthy food and that I follow a very strict diet. I don’t feel that I am missing any of the gastronomical joys of life. Here is what I eat in a typical day.)*
*(All these foods are homemade, all fruits, veges and sugars are organic, poultry is free range, and the meat is organic and/or grass fed, if I can get it and all dairy is organic/raw, except the butter and some of the cheese.)
Breakfast
Fresh squeezed orange juice, or fresh pineapple juice
Egg fried in butter
or
Yogurt and fruit smoothie
Green tea
Lunch
Salad with herbs, cheese or leftover meat
or
Soup made with bone broth
Bottled vegtable juice, or fresh carrot (and other vegetables) juice
Tea, or cafe latte
Snack
Piece of 70% or higher chocolate
or
Fruit and cheese
Mussels in wine and broth, sweet potatoes in butter, garden salad
Supper
Meat or fish
3 cooked veges, with butter and salt and pepper
Green Salad with onions, herbs, or chopped salad, or cole slaw (homemade dressing)
1 small glass of red wine
Desert
Fruit with whipped cream
or
baked apple
or
Ice cream
or
Frozen yogurt
Rooibos tea with milk
My diet was much stricter during, and immediately after, my treatments . ( During this time I ate no sugar, coffee or alcohol, and very little meat). It’s been 5 years since my cancer diagnosis, and 31/2 years since I finished my treatment and I can easily maintain this diet.
I seldom eat grains grains. When I go to restaurants, and just try to make a fairly healthy choice. If I can’t get raw milk, I don’t eat diary, except for organic yogurt and natural cheeses.
In addition to all this food, I take a handful of supplements.
What’s your verdict? Is this a luxuriously tasty menu, or fanatically healthy diet?
Brain Damage
Chemo brain is real. The chemo drugs damage your brain and this is very frightening to those of us affected. Your brain actually shrinks.
The little research that has been done is enough to prove that chemo affects many people’s brain. Everybody’s chemo experience is different because everyone is getting a different combination and dosage of drugs. Some research is being conducted specifically on the effects of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Other research indicates that people with the Alzheimer gene are more at risk of chemo brain.
What are the symptoms?
Memory lapses, poor concentration, difficulty multi-tasking, language problems like forgetting words and names. The words come out all mixed up, or you can’t find the right ones. Difficulty making decisions. Less common are seizures, vision loss and dementia.
What is it like to have Chemo Brain?
The brain damage might make you feel stunned, and even high, in a strange way. Not quite like a hippie on LSD, (no hallucinations), but like a hippie after all the drugs after a decade of partying are worn off, and you try to be normal, but you’re not. Sometimes you will need people’s help.
Simple things can become challenging. You have to concentrate harder. People might not understand you.
However, you can go back to normal life but you must work to restore your brain. It can take years. All the survivors that I know personally, have gone back to their old jobs, with almost no problems caused by cognitive damage. I have heard of others who have not been able to cope with jobs that rely on a sharp memory.
I had two jobs before, I quit one that I hated, and kept the one I liked. I am a college teacher, and I think that I have become a better teacher since chemo. I am more focused (because I have to be), and I have become more structured. I do have memory lapses at the strangest moments. On the other hand I can randomly remember things that surprise me.
I asked my family if they thought I had fully recovered from chemo brain and I was surprised at their answers. (I finished chemo 4 1/2 years ago.) My husband said “You have changed in some ways. You have become savant in areas. Your priorities have changed. You are easily frustrated, and have trouble understanding things…things that you really should have no problem with.” My Daughter said “I don’t really remember what you were like before, but I think you are about 90% normal. If I explain something with a diagram to you, you can understand it much easier. Maybe you were always like that. Maybe your ability to do things in your head got worse. I was only 12 when you got sick.”
Mood Altering Effects
In addition to the chemo you know you are getting, you may also be getting other drugs that supposedly counteract your bodies immediate reaction to these drugs, such as steroids. That is why you rarely see people vomiting at chemo. They drug you so you won’t vomit til you get home. These drugs will also effect your mood and emotion.
Also you may go into immediate menopause which could effect your mood, but again, this is only temporary.
Bad advice from Doctors
Medical advice is to do puzzles, put up post-it notes to remind you, and keep a spot for your lost items like keys and phones. (Kill me now. ) More drugs d-MPH and Ritalin are prescribed for chemo brain. I will stay away from these.
My excellent advice
1. Avoid multi tasking - I find that I am fine if I I only do one thing at a time. But you have to train people around you by telling them that you are going to do one thing now, and then tell them what it is. During and after chemo don’t even expect to talk and make lunch at the same time. Choose one thing at a time. You will get a bit better at multi tasking with time. But I still avoid multi tasking when possible. It is more efficient and less stressful to do one thing at a time. Multi tasking is overated.
2. Don’t drive – I never drove during the whole 6 month chemo treatment or for weeks after . I drive a lot now, and am fine.
3. Make sure your family knows that you are mentally incapacitated. Yes you may be the butt of jokes like I am sometimes, but they will help you, and be patient with you if they know what’s going on.
4. Be happy when possible -It is often appropriate to be very sad, and angry, but practically speaking, if you are depressed it effects your brain function.
5. At social gatherings – drink less alcohol then everyone else! You will seem smarter.
What I am doing to recover
1. Nutrients – Everyone recovering from chemo needs a healthy diet, low in sugar and grains and extra nutrients
For my brain, I take
NAC
fish oil 1200 mg a day
Flax seed oil
Vit Bs
Vit E
Vit C
Grapeseed extract
Curcumin
Zinc
Lecithin
MSM
2. Exercise – all exercise will help your brain. Once you start to recover try exercises that challenge your brain. Since chemo I have joined an ice hockey club, studied yoga, and have just started cardio-kickboxing class.
3. Creative pursuits – for me, returning to drawing and painting have brought back my hand-eye coordination, spacial sense, and made my brain seem to reconnect. I think playing a musical instrument would work too. Meditation likely has a similar affect.
Hey, if I can almost fully recover, you will for sure!
Most foods have healing properties. All food has superfood potential. You just have to think of something you like, do a bit of research, and someone has found out its healing powers. Or, your favorite food has yet to be discovered as the New Miracle Food.
But some things are not food, and not good for you. Do not eat these.
And some foods are too processed or treated in such away that their benefits are destroyed, and they have become harmful. Do not eat these either.
Follow the “Only eat food, and lots of kinds of food” rule, and you will get tons of anti oxidants, minerals, vitamins, and all the anti tumour, and anti cancer chemicals science is just starting to discover. Do not eat filler foods that fill you up, but don’t nourish the body.
Don’t Eat These!
The Not Foods:
Under no circumstances eat:
Artificial sugars or sweeteners – They are unhealthy and will make you fat
Artificial food Colouring – some is made from food, some is not
Artificial Flavour
Nitrates – found in processed meats
Sulfates
Mono sodium Glutamate
Gum – don’t even chew it
Any products with non-food ingredients on the label
The Foods that Are Ruined:
Milk – don’t drink it unless it’s organic and unpasturaized, from a dependable source
Yogurt – unless it is organic
Beef – unless it is grass feed, or organic
Apples – unless they are organic
Potatoes – unless they are organic
Strawberries – unless they are organic
Corn and Corn Products – unless the package says they are not GMO (Genetically modified Organism)
Soy Products – except organic tofu or miso
Salmon from a farm
The Foods that are processed, or have no value, and take the place of all the other delicious food that will heal you:
Do not eat:
Whole or processed grains, white flour, pasta and baked goods,white rice, and rice products.
Puffed rice
Sugar
Glucose
Fructose|
Trans fat, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils
Bottled juice
This classic tasty soup promotes health and fights cancer. Makes about four bowls of rich, creamy mushroom soup. I use a variety of mushrooms. For the people you love…
Ingredients
4 tablespoons of butter
16 oz. of mushrooms, any kind, chopped
1 cup of chopped onions
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1 chopped organic potato
8 sprigs of thyme
2 cups of organic bone broth
2 cups of organic whole milk (or a mix of cream and milk)
salt
pepper
chives
parsley
Melt the butter in a large pot
Add the onions and fry on low heat for about 10 minutes
Add the celery and potatoes and fry for 5 more minutes,
Add one teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of black pepper
Add the mushrooms and thyme and fry for 5 minutes
Add the broth and simmer for 10 minutes, make sure the potatoes are cooked
Add the milk and puree in a food processor or with a hand blender
Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed
Heat thru
Add to bowls, and top with chopped chives and parsley
How the ingredients fight cancer:
Celery
Contains eight families of anti-cancer compounds including acetylenics that have been shown to stop the growth of tumor cells, phenolic acids, which block the action of prostaglandins that encourage the growth of tumor cells and coumarins which help prevent free radicals from damaging cells.
Onions
Onions extracts are rich in a variety of sulfides and provide some protection against tumor growth.
Butter
Many of the saturated fats in butter have strong anti-cancer properties. Butter is rich in short and medium chain fatty acid chains that have strong anti-tumor effects. Butter also contains conjugated linoleic acid which gives excellent protection against cancer. Vitamin A and the anti-oxidants in butter–vitamin E, selenium and cholesterol–protect against cancer as well as heart disease.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms contain Beta Glucan, and have an anti cancer and anti tumour effect.They help your body with immune response.
Bone stock Bone stock contains minerals in a digestible forms, is used for the treatment of many diseases including cancer, helps the body absorb protein. Broth is good for the digestive system.
Potatoes
New studies indicate that potatoes may be toxic to some lines of cancer cells
Thyme
Thyme contains an essential oil that is rich in thymol, a powerful antiseptic, antibacterial, and a strong antioxidant. It contains terpenoids which are recognized for their cancer preventive properties. Rosmarinic and ursolic acids are major terpenoids in thyme that possess anti-cancer properties.
Rhonda
