Nobody wants to hear the “C” word. Fear grips most people with the thought of it. Because of this, chemo, radiation and surgery are rarely debated. But some people understand that sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease, and they do not want to do conventional treatment. So how does one know what they should or should not do? Cancer takes a lifetime to develop, and you don’t just stumble upon it. For this reason, PREVENTION truly is the key. Understanding the immune response and knowing the why behind the cancer is where we need to start. Don’t let genetics be the excuse. There is always a reason.
One of the biggest things that we need to pay attention to when it comes to cancer is what we are putting into our bodies. This is where diet becomes a big player. You have probably heard before that sugar feeds cancer. Oncologists and Doctors will tell you that diet and what you put into your body does not matter. Research does not support this way of thinking. Actually, it is estimated that lifestyle and our surrounding environment contribute to 90 to 95% of all cancers. Genetics comes in at a dismal 5 to 10% of causes of cancer. In this case, “your genes are the gun, your lifestyle is what pulls the trigger.” If we want a better chance of avoiding cancer, we need to pay special attention to our food and our environment.
The environment plays a major role in the carcinogenic elements that your body is being exposed to. If you want to do the best you can at prevention, this is a major area you want to pay special attention to. There are many things that we can focus on, but one of the major players is EMF’s, from appliances like microwaves and different kinds of plastics.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 90 percent of American households own a microwave. Cooking with a microwave is as common as using a sink to wash dishes. But as microwave technology has evolved over the years, research on possible health impacts has been controversial and widely debated. Russia even banned the use of microwaves in the mid 1970s.¹
Studies have found that microwaved meats cause the formation of d-Nitrosodienthanolamines, a well-known carcinogen. Carcinogens are substances capable of causing cancer in living tissues. Microwaves also turn alkaloids from microwaved vegetables into potentially dangerous carcinogenic matter. Another area of concern involves the EMF (electro and magnetic field) radiation emitted by microwaves. A growing body of research indicates that EMF radiation may cause significant harm to the human body and DNA. Microwaves emit a large amount of EMF radiation.
Plastics are another major source. More and more research is revealing that the toxic compounds found in plastic contribute to health problems ranging from cancer to infertility. Hundreds of animal studies indicate potential health dangers, including abnormal development of the brain and reproductive organs in babies exposed to toxic compounds from plastic in utero. BPA and phthalates, both found in plastic, are endocrine disruptors that interfere with the production and regulation of hormones. The average person ingests thousands of microplastic particles every week. One study recently found that globally the average person ingests 5 grams of plastic every week.¹ That’s the equivalent of eating a credit card!
Sugar is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to diet and cancer. Sugar offers no significant amounts of vitamins or minerals all while robbing your body of precious nutrient stores. Sugar is also a very inflammatory food which leaves your body’s defenses fighting inflammation. Inflammation is a major distraction of the immune system. If your body is fighting inflammation it isn’t as able to fight cancerous cells because it is burdened by having to fight the inflammation. Sugar has all these bad effects on the body, all while feeding cancer.
Still skeptical when it comes to sugar? That’s understandable due to the strong stance that the medical model holds when it comes to what affects cancer. If you need some convincing, look no further than the testing used to detect cancer. If you go to the website for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, they explain how a PET scan works for identifying cancer. During a PET scan they inject a glucose solution into the patient with a radioactive tracer. During the PET scan, they take computerized pictures of the organs and tissues inside the body. The cancer eats up all the glucose with the radioactive tracer which makes the image light up where the cancer is located. This is because cancer cells use more glucose than normal cells.
The metabolism is different for cancer cells than normal ones. Cancer cells can take in 8 times more glucose than healthy cells. Cancer cells feed off of a glycolytic pathway, which means that they require sugar for their energy metabolism. Instead of oxygen, like healthy cells, the cancerous ones need glucose. This is why a sugar free diet along with proper exercise is a good start when preventing cancer. Dr. Warburg discovered this relationship and called it the “Warburg Effect.” The more glucose you take in the more you feed cancer.
Does giving up sugar sound overwhelming? Cancer by itself can be overwhelming. You may hear from doctors that you need your strength so sugary foods can add calories. It’s time to rethink traditional medical thinking when it comes to cancer prevention. This way of thinking is making cancer the second disease killer in the country. If we continue this way, it will surpass heart disease to take over the number one spot. Bottom line, sugar feeds cancer, helping it spread and it tears down your immune system. You’re either building a body to grow cancer or you’re building a body to defend against cancer. We get to decide?