If Everyone Took These 10 Steps, They'd Save 6 Million Lives a Year
I'm glad I've lived to see the day—or at least the beginning of the era—when doctors and scientists see cancer for what it is: An awful but largely preventable disease.
For decades, the medical mainstream viewed cancer much like a tornado, making us think it's a force of nature beyond our control and that any one of us could wake up one morning and get hit by a surprise.
It's been a disastrous approach to see cancer as just random bad luck. Because so many people fear cancer as something beyond their control, they place all their faith, trust, hope, and money in the hands of mainstream medical doctors, assuming they alone have treatments that might knock this unpredictable "tornado" off its path.
That's why it's so notable when players in mainstream medicine begin to recognize just how preventable cancer can be, especially if you give due credit to the body's own defenses. Here are the best things you can do to protect yourself. . .
Continued below. . .
The Best Cancer Treatment on Earth Just Got Better!
Hi. I'm Lee Euler, the editor of Cancer Defeated. On a recent tour of top cancer clinics with my colleague Andrew Scholberg, we learned about some remarkable new cancer treatments. In spite of all the information we already knew, these treatments were brand new to us. They're important discoveries.
- A maverick doctor cured his last four "terminal" brain cancer patients, using laser blood therapy developed to keep Russian cosmonauts healthy in space. That's right: four out of four patients got well.
- Several of the doctors we interviewed told us about a new cure for prostate cancer. It takes only one week -- and no surgery or drugs are required. If I had prostate cancer, this treatment would absolutely be my first choice. It gets rid of enlarged prostate too - totally, in just one week!
- A painless treatment for liver cancer has cured more than 300 patients. When it first came to light decades ago, the New York Times reported that this revolutionary procedure may have "solved the cancer problem"! Yet it disappeared and conventional doctors don't know about it. Now it's been rediscovered at one of the top clinics we visited, and it's working cancer miracles. You need to know about the handful of maverick doctors who offer it.
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How to save over 6 million lives a year
When you look at research from the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research, you see that both estimate more than 30 percent of cancer is preventable through exercise, sensible eating, and staying thin. I'd say it's far more than 30 percent, but that's their number.
Their figure means roughly 3.8 million cancers worldwide could be prevented.
But there's more. Consider that smoking still accounts for over 30 percent of cancers. Combine that fact with what we know about diet and exercise choices, and we have evidence that more than 50 percent of cancers and deaths related to cancer could be avoided.
That means as many as 6.35 million lives saved, every year.
Don't get me wrong here. Yes, there are still genetic-related cancers that fall beyond our control. Yes, there are people who make wise lifestyle choices who will still develop cancer as a result of some environmental toxin beyond their control.
But if we could save half of them … if one of them was your spouse, or your son, or your father or sister. Then it'd be worth it, right? Here's how to get started.
Top 10 things to do to lower your risk of cancer
Here's what the research suggests you do to modify your lifestyle and lower your cancer risk:
- Increase your daily consumption of dietary fiber. This helps lower the risk of several cancers, including breast, prostate, lung, gastric, and colorectal.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables, and make them organic. Especially aim for antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries and blackberries, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower are two of the best), and natural foods with high levels of carotenoids, like spinach, kale, sweet potatoes, and carrots.
- Eat whole grains, and stay away from GMOs.
- Eat fish, but eat the right kind.
- Eat nuts.
- Drink green tea and — if you must drink — choose wine. Stay away from calorie-loaded beer and liver-taxing liquor.
- Consider vegetarianism, or at least a primarily plant-based diet. It's linked to a lower overall cancer risk and a lower likelihood of developing female-specific cancers.
- Limit your intake of saturated fats from meat and dairy. Those from nuts, avocado and coconut are healthy. Avoid processed meat altogether (see the article below).
- Take vitamins and supplements. Vitamins C, D, E and the B vitamins, especially folic acid, appear to offer significant protection in terms of cancer prevention.
- Exercise daily. Moderate exercise — a simple half hour walk — makes a huge difference. Strength-training and more challenging aerobic activities are even better. But there's no need to be a fanatic.
Here's where things get sketchy for the medical establishment. While they're finally moving away from the primarily genetic model of cancer, and they now publicly acknowledge the benefits of a healthy diet, scientists and doctors still can't isolate specific compounds from specific foods that will solve all cancer, everywhere.
That's because cancer isn't a disease you can solve with a reductionist attitude. It's not a simple disease. It has multiple causes and takes multiple forms. Cancer demands a whole-body approach.
There's a hidden bonus to all this, too. Following a whole-body, healthy lifestyle approach not only decreases your odds of cancer, it also protects you against a barrage of other chronic diseases like arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
In fact, it's only a slight exaggeration to say all these diseases are one disease, mainly caused by poor eating and exercise choices, and giving up on the "battle of the bulge." Cancer only stands somewhat apart from diabetes and heart disease because it's also closely tied to toxic chemical exposure, certain infections and parasites, and (in some cases) faulty genes.
Because of these added risk factors, people who eat right, exercise and stay thin can nonetheless be hit with a cancer diagnosis. The lifestyle changes cut your cancer risk by at least half — but they cut your risk of heart disease and diabetes by nearly 100 percent.
Yes, you can increase your odds of preventing cancer
It all comes down to the importance of a healthy lifestyle, which is something we've always supported here at Cancer Defeated. Scientists have yet to find that single, perfect nutrient from a single, perfect food … probably because there's no such thing.
Our bodies are complex and sophisticated. There may never be a one-shot-fixes-all way to prevent and heal cancer. But we already know, and it gets underscored more with each passing year, there IS a way to support the radical built-in defenses of our own bodies.
It's called a whole-food, comprehensive approach, not unlike other things that sustain us. Take your job, for instance. To enjoy employment, you not only need to love what you do, you also need to feel valued, work with people you like, and get paid appropriately.
The same goes for romantic relationships. It's not just the physical connection that's important. Romance is also sustained by pursuing outside interests together, having long conversations, laughing over dinner with friends, and so forth.
Why then, has it been so hard for some to understand how essential a whole-body approach is when it comes to health and cancer prevention? It's been slow going, but it's nice to see the tides are changing.
I like to think we're moving toward a "seatbelt approach" when it comes to cancer prevention and treatment, where lifestyle choices are the seatbelt. No, a seatbelt can't save everybody from every vehicle collision. But it can dramatically reduce your chances of facing a life-threatening injury, and it's common knowledge that a seatbelt is the best way to lower your risk.
Same goes for smart lifestyle choices when it comes to cancer. Hopefully soon, it'll be common knowledge that such is the best way to lower your risk of ever facing cancer.
I mentioned above that processed "pink" meats like ham and bacon increase your cancer risk. If you'd like to why, read the article below.
These foods should be packaged with a warning label!
Some people would tell you that a chargrilled hot dog is as much a symbol of America as the stars and stripes, baseball, and apple pie.
But many health advisors say hot dogs and other processed meats don't deserve their all-American image. "What's the beef," you say?
Well, scores of studies have linked hot dogs, bacon, sausage and other red meats with a higher risk of developing cancer. Here's what the evidence shows. . .
Continued below. . .
The Real Reason You're Tired
If you're feeling tired and listless too often ... lacking your old pep and enthusiasm ... and relying on caffeine and energy drinks to make it through the day...
There are two secret medical reasons why.
They're your adrenal glands — and, chances are, they're both "burned out."
Does this sound like you?
You can't seem to get going in the morning without coffee or a strong energy drink.
You sputter out mid-morning — yawning, tired, and unable to concentrate.
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Yet, at night you toss and turn — and simply can't fall into a deep sleep.
If this sounds like your life lately, please keep reading...
...because there's a remarkable new way to "recharge" your body and actually fix the secret cause of "adrenal fatigue!"
Even better — in just a matter of days, this natural solution can have you feeling more energetic and alive than you have in decades!
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In fact, at least 58 studies show that the more hot dogs and other processed meats you eat—the more you bump up your chances for colorectal cancer.
What's more, other studies have linked these foods to cancer of the ovaries and prostate, as well as leukemia. For example:
- Colon cancer—an American Cancer Society (ACS) study analyzed the relationship of red meat intake to colon cancer risk. Researchers studied the eating habits of nearly 150,000 adults between the ages of 50 to 74 for 10 years. In the final year of the study, the investigators analyzed the incidence of colon cancer in study participants.
They found that men who ate three or more ounces daily—two or more ounces for women—were 30 to 40 percent more likely to develop colon cancer.
The research team also reviewed poultry and fish consumption, but found no evidence linking these foods to colon cancer. Actually, subjects who ate less red meat and more poultry and fish reduced their risk of developing colon cancer.
Now keep in mind that two to three ounces is barely enough ground beef to cover your palm! It's not hard to get to 21 ounces per week with frequent indulgence in bacon, ham or hot dogs.
- Leukemia—a study published in the journal BMC Cancer determined that children who eat more bacon, hot dogs, sausage and other processed meats are 74 percent more likely to develop leukemia than children who avoid such processed meats and eat more vegetables and tofu.
- Prostate—findings reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology said researchers at the National Cancer Institute surveyed more than 175,000 men about their diets, including meat intake and cooking habits.
They followed these men for nine years and found that the 20 percent (one in five) who ate the most red and processed meats were 12 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer.
The connection was even stronger with advanced prostate cancer, the risk being almost one-third higher among those who ate the most red meat versus those who ate the least!
While many will argue that studies have reached conflicting conclusions—you shouldconsider the possibility that changes in the way foods are grown and prepared might play a role in making cancer a top killer in the U.S.
The problem is in the processing…
So what exactly does meat processing involve? Basically, manufacturers use smoking, curing, salting or chemical procedures to preserve the meat. Nitrates are among the more dubious chemical additives
Many meat manufacturers use nitrates to:
- Give meats their pinkish color
- Enhance their flavor, and
- Act as a preservative.
When you eat bacon, hot dogs and other meats preserved with nitrates, your body automatically changes some of the nitrates to nitrites.
The nitrites then react with other meat chemicals to produce nitrosamines—which are known carcinogens.
If you also enjoy eating smoked meats, understand that this process produces cancerous hydrocarbons, which enter your food during the smoking process.
How do you feel about munching on slices of smoked, crispy bacon? If you like your meat well done, you should know that cooking processed meat at high temperatures can increasethe formation of nitrosamines.
But how much is too much?
Well, the FDA considers 200 parts per million (ppm) of sodium nitrite added to food as safe. This equals about 1 pound of sodium nitrite additive per 5,000 pounds of cured meat.
If you're currently healthy and not fighting cancer, there's probably not much harm in eating bacon, sausage, ham and hot dogs as an occasional treat. It's large quantities/frequent consumption that appear to pose a risk. I surely hope that most people aren't eating 21 ounces a week (three ounces a day) of these processed pink meats.
Frequent eating of processed meat is probably most common among people who have a weight problem. And it's likely just one of a half dozen bad lifestyle choices the same people are making -- including lots of high-sugar and salt-laden snacks that can help pack on extra pounds. It's all part of the collection of bad eating habits called the Standard American Diet — SAD.
If you want to feel better and live longer, try to load up your diet with fresh, uncooked fruits and vegetables. But — as long as you're not fighting cancer -- you don't necessarily have to give up meat, fat, sugar, potatoes and other carbs completely. Enjoy them once in a while as a special treat. When you do eat meat, choose free-range meat that's raised without antibiotics and hormones.
You can indulge as much as you want in healthy saturated fats like nuts, avocado and coconut oil (see Issue #247 for the fats that are good for you). Cashew butter and almond butter are loaded with fat and delicious — and good for you. Who needs hot dogs?
And even though the feds say that small amounts of sodium nitrite in processed meats probably won't cause cancer, consider playing it safe by making wiser choices.
When you feel the yen for bacon or sausage, many health food stores offer meat products that are nitrate-free. These products often have the word "uncured" on the packaging.
References from 1st article:
Resources from 2nd article:
Adams, M. 2009. Processed meats linked to 74 percent higher risk of leukemia. NaturalNews website. Retrieved from
http://www.naturalnews.com/News_000708_sodium_nitrite_ leukemia_processed_meat.html#ixzz2RzIViQYl
Barnard, N. 2011. Could processed meat give you cancer? Huffpost Healthy Living blog entry. Retrieved online at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neal-barnard-md/processed- meat-cancer_b_919034.html
Chao, A et al. 2005, Jan 12. Meat consumption and risk of colorectal cancer. Journal of the American Medical Association. Available online at
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx?journalid=67&issueid=4959&direction=P
Chen-yu, L. et al. 2009. Cured meat, vegetables, and bean-curd foods in relation to childhood acute leukemia risk: A population based case-control study. BMC Cancer 2009, 9:15 doi:10.1186/1471-2407-9-15. Available online at
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/9/15
DeNoon, D.J. 2005. Eating 3 Ounces of Red Meat Per Day May Beef Up Cancer Risk. WebMD Health News article. Retrieved online at
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20050111/red-meat-eaters- risk-colon-cancer
Niedziocha, L. 2011 Red meat and cancer—fact or fiction. Livestrong website article. Available online at
http://www.livestrong.com/article/404623-red-meat-cancer-fact-or-fiction/
Gallagher, J. 2012. Processed meat linked to pancreatic cancer. BBC News. Retreived online at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16526695
Sinha, R. et al. Meat and meat-related compounds and risk of prostate cancer in a large prospective cohort study in the United States. Am. J. Epidemiol. (2009) 170(9): 1165-1177; first published online October 6, 2009 doi:10.1093/aje/kwp280. Available at
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/170/9/1165.full
Editor in Chief: Lee Euler Contributing Editors: Mindy Tyson McHorse, Carol Parks, Roz Roscoe Marketing: Shane Holley Information Technology Advisor: Michelle MatoWebmaster: Steve MacLellan Fulfillment & Customer Service: Joe Ackerson and Cami Lemr
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