A VERY NAIYAH CHRISTMAS

Because of all the death around me I decided to spend my Christmas with my granddaughter - she will be 4 in March 2010 and my reason for living.....she wants to drive in a pink car with me in the front beside her and her father in the back..... so you know I have to be around for that...she says 'they say I`m too little right now! "
I have spent Christmas with my son and his family for the past 5 years but due to life changing events in his life, this year I`m here to spend with the two of them - mainly Nai, as he works everyday..... so it's been a grandma Christmas...notice how she is a jewelry hound like me ......yes that's her plastic necklace that I had to wear!So off we went to the city for all the spoiling in the world, a visit to the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall 'Grandma they are so pretty" and Macy`s Santaland where Santa was given his list that was already tucked away in the trunk of the car.........
Even with the snow storm that turned to ice, nothing would have kept me away....
It is true that nothing warms your heart or heals the soul like unconditional love!

THE STRANGEST SECRET!

An excerpt from The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale

George Bernard Shaw said, "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, they make them."
Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.
Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing... he becomes nothing.
How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.
Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make the decision.
We're comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.
Now, let's say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand- one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds-one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land...and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.
As it's written in the Bible, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
Remember the land doesn't care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the two plants - one corn, one poison.
The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn't care what we plant...success...or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal...or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety and so on. But what we plant must return to us.
You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.

LET'S PLANT ONLY SUCCESS SO WE CANNOT REAP FAILURE!
ALL THE BEST FOR 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO WHO ?

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT MY YEAR HAS BEEN LIKE...... PEOPLE WITH THE MOST POSITIVE MINDS BUT CHOOSING TO TRY THE ALTERNATE WAY TOO LATE. They write about their experiences and their hopes and they trust that all will be well ....... BUT WITH ALL THE STRONGEST OF MINDS, THE BODY JUST CAN`T COMPLY IF THE YEARS OF CHEMO HAS ALREADY TAKEN ITS TOLL! Here is a tear jerker I recently received - as we go about celebrating Christmas with our loved ones, let us read this and hold close all who we know will not be here to see Christmas 2010.

I am so grateful and humbled to be alive and doing relatively well. My year was full of medical challenges, all related directly or indirectly to my cancer. I have refused to accept Chemo Therapy this year as suggested by my oncologist. I did not feel that I had the energy to endure such treatment. Besides, after the last episode of Chemo, I simply do not feel like going through all that once again with little hope of success. In November 2009, a Cat scan revealed an enlarging mass in the descending colon and a growing mass in the low rectal (presacral area). They say it is all consistent with recurrent/ metastatic cancer. The immediate treatment suggested is chemo for 6 months. The oncologist gave me a year to live. He said the chemo may extend my life a bit longer...but no guarantees. I had become extremely anemic and weak over the past 9 months. I finally gave in to having a blood transfusion last month. I also was suffering pain from a bump on my back and I requested a biopsy which confirmed yet another malignant tumor! The negative news was more than I expected and I am now regrouping to determine what I may need to do next...I have been obviously been a bit depressed but I know I need to be strong. With the help of my strong faith in God, family and friends, I will find a way to overcome and no doubt pull through these challenges. The doctor always view these conditions with doom & gloom...However, I know I can fight this and I so much want to prove them all wrong!
A few days ago, I met with a new oncologist whose specialty is Radiation Therapy. He is among the finest in this field. He is within the same organization of Cancer specialists where I have been receiving treatment the past three years. I immediately loved his attitude and approach to life and cancer treatment. He and I became friends immediately! He told me he could treat the tumor in my rectum “Sacral” area successfully with radiation. He could also treat the area with the bump on my back successfully. He was hesitant regarding the tumor in my colon because I may not stand up to as much radiation without possibly damaging the colon. I told him I was not concerned as much at this moment regarding the colon and we could address it later. However, he explained he could offer me relief from the pain in my Sacral area. The bone in my Sacral area is being eaten away by the cancer, hence the severe pain I have been feeling in my groin & lower back throughout the past year. He said he could get me started as soon as next week. I had been studying all my options and learned about a new technology called CYBERKNIFE. This is a special treatment that replaces invasive surgery. He confirmed that I would have access to another similar treatment called TOMATHERAPY, which is even more flexible.
These new therapies are only several months old! The technology was just installed at the KC Cancer Center and is among a handful of places in the country. I am blessed to have these latest innovations available to me.
My hope level had been shaken all year long. However, I now have a renewed desire to move forward and fight. I am being realistic and I know this will not be the end of the battle and many more challenges will await me in 2010. However, the thought of being a new grandpa in April 2010 is so very exciting. Seeing my daughters settle down and defining their own lives and futures is so very rewarding to me.
I wanted to keep you posted on my condition and also thank you all for the phone calls, emails, letters, cards and personal well wishes. Your prayers, encouragement, love, caring and positive energy continues to be a tremendous help in coping with my illness. I love you all and will continue to fight and keep a smile on my face as always.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and all of Gods richest blessings for a bright, healthy and prosperous 2010

USUALLY I DO NOT HEAR FROM THESE PERSONS AGAIN AND I WAIT WITH BAITED BREATH, SCARED TO E-MAIL,BUT BELIEVING THAT THEIR MINDS WILL TAKE THEM THROUGH....... THEN A FRIEND SENDS THE INEVITABLE..... 1-12-1945 to 23-12-2009 etc.etc....... LET US HOPE THIS ONE WILL BE THE ONE THAT CHANGES THE USUAL CHAIN OF EVENTS.........FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME I WONDER..... AM I NEXT?
I HAVE TO LEARN I CAN ONLY LIVE MY LIFE I CAN`T LIVE FOR EVERYBODY BUT I HAVE HAD SO MANY R.I.P`S THIS YEAR,IT HAS SHAKEN ME TO MY CORE.........
ENJOY CHRISTMAS BUT REMEMBER EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!

PRO-BIOTICS ....for life

Dr. Mercola did a little thing on probiotics the other day and although it was to sell his probiotic I have taken out pieces of important information for you as I'm sure a lot of us have never thought about our digestive system in this way....think about all the belching and repeating of food that we do - acid reflux is a big problem these days......and why certain cultures eat the way they do....shows again that there were things that we used to do that helped these problems that we have stopped doing now. Hence supplementation.

Probiotics are important. They're one of the few supplements I believe can benefit nearly everyone. Unfortunately, they are also one of the trickiest of all supplements to recommend no probiotic is perfect for everyone. We are all different.
Do You Know How Probiotics Help Make Your Digestive System a Happy Camper?
Let’s take a quick look at some of the history behind these living powerhouses called probiotics.
The term probiotics comes from the Greek "for life" (which gives you an inkling of what the word "antibiotics" really means).
When ingested, these living microorganisms…

* Replenish the microflora in your intestinal tract*
* Enhance the support of your digestive system*
* Trigger the promotion of a number of health improving functions for your immune system, toxin removal system, and circulatory system*
How did people promote digestive health in ancient times?
Did they live with occasional unpleasant and uncomfortable digestive issues? Did these types of issues even exist?
The answer is likely a little of both.
History does tell us about the ways different cultures promoted their intestinal health before modern times.
In the past, people used fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut as food preservatives and as support for intestinal and overall health.
Fermented foods were (and still are) part of many traditional cultures…
* In early Roman times, people ate fermented foods like sauerkraut because of its taste and benefits to overall health.
* In ancient Indian society, it became commonplace (and still is) to enjoy a before-dinner yogurt drink called a lassi. At the end of the meal, they'd have a small serving of curd.
* In Asian cultures, pickled fermentations of cabbage, turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash, and carrots still exist today.
Why can't we practice these methods today?
It's not so much that we can't, as that we don't. Processed foods along with stress and pollution-filled environments impact your healthy digestion, immune system, and overall good health.
Progress, it seems, isn't always to our benefit.
But that’s why I believe the best way for you to take control of your gastrointestinal health is by introducing billions of tiny good bacteria into your digestive system through the use of high quality probiotics.

So we have learnt anti-biotics means 'against life'......against those awful bacteria that are trying to kill us but seriously think about it, it's against all life as it goes about killing the bad, it also kills the good, same as chemotherapy.....so take it literally and don`t take antibiotics for every cold and flu you have....it probably wont work anyway as most of the time antibiotics are diagnosed the doctor doesn`t know what virus you have....use it when you really need it, some of us haven`t used it in years, except when recovering from surgery,as colds and flus are not on our agenda. Keep it for the major events that happen in our lives, because the rule of thumb goes if u use it too much when that time comes it won`t work!

RAW FOOD DIET FOR CANCER

I am posting this article from raw-food-repair.com in its entirety .....LOTS OF IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

"A raw food diet for cancer is much more specific than just a raw food diet!
Please note that I am not a doctor and am not giving medical advise. Also note that much of the information on this page was excerpted from CancerTutor.com. Please visit them for more in depth information.
There are many different raw food diets. The first thing you need to understand is that not all vegetables and fruits are equal in their ability to treat cancer. Remember, the main purpose here is to treat cancer. Your fruit and vegetable juice should be overly unbalanced with the fruits and vegetables that have the best cancer-killing nutrients. If you randomly put fruits and vegetables in your juice, the benefits of the juice will be greatly decreased!
A special note about carrots. Like virtually all vegetables, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of phytonutrients in carrots that have not yet been identified or tested for cancer-fighting abilities. It may be that we do not yet know the best cancer-fighting nutrient in carrots, but based on many testimonials and some books, carrots may be the best cancer-fighting vegetable of all. Use massive amounts of carrots in your raw food diet for cancer.
In a review of over 200 human studies, carrots consistently emerged as one of the top cancer-fighting foods. The power of carrots lies in the group of pigments called carotenoids which give them their orange color.
Vegetable juices are the mainstay of a raw food diet for cancer.
The raw vegetables you should focus on are: carrots, cabbage, green asparagus, broccoli, red beets, beet tops, cauliflower and related vegetables. Peppers also have cancer fighting substances. The spice turmeric can be added as well.
AS A MINIMUM, the vegetable juice should include: 1) Carrot juice (1 to 2 quarts/liters), 2) Beet juice (from at least 2 red beets, with their beet tops) 3) A significant amount of cruciferous vegetables including: broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower (this is for both the cancer and the critical protection of the liver)
A small and decreasing amount of fruit juices which contain very little glucose can be added for taste. Not all vegetables can be eaten raw, but the ones above can be eaten raw or juiced. You can also eat any of these vegetables during your treatment to get bulk and fiber.
Here are just a few of the cancer cell killing nutrients in vegetables: Raw Carrots (alpha carotene, beta carotene, Vitamin E), Raw Broccoli (sulforaphanes/isothiocyanates), Raw cabbage (isothiocyanates), Green Asparagus (saponins), Beetroot/red beets (proanthocyanidins), and Turmeric (a spice).
A vegetable juice using 1 quart of carrots is the minimum level of carrots that is acceptable. Vegetable juices with 2 quarts of carrots have also been used by many as a raw food diet for cancer treatment.
At least 80% or above of the vegetable juice should come from vegetables with known cancer-fighting abilities, although other vegetables are not far behind the ones I just mentioned.
Remember, this is a raw food diet and the raw food diet for cancer should still exclude all meats, poultry, fish and all dairy products.
Do not consume vegetables or fruits, which contain high levels of glucose, unless they are cancer-killing vegetables or fruits. Mixing these juices with foods that contain high levels of glucose dilutes the amount of cancer-killing nutrients that get into the cancer cells, making the treatment less effective!
Should a Vegetable Juice Fast and a Fruit Juice Fast Be Combined?
The question naturally arises, how about combining a good vegetable juice with a good fruit juice? The answer is - don't. Your cancer treatment should be ALL vegetable juices or ALL fruit juices. It is one or the other for the entire treatment.
As always, there are exceptions. If a cancer patient is weak, and he or she has over a year to live (if they did nothing), then the super-fruit juices (mangosteen, noni and wolfberry or gogi) can be taken during the first month of treatment, even if the person is on a vegetable juice diet.
The reason for using only vegetable juices or only fruit juices in the cancer treatment is that cancer-killing nutrients frequently work cumulatively. In other words, it is the cumulative effect, over 3 or 4 or 5 consecutive weeks, that makes the treatment effective.
If you break that cumulative effect, by significantly changing the person's diet or treatment, the cumulative effect could be lost"

Acidosis

According to Dr. Mercola acidosis is an overly acidic state in the body, caused by an acidic diet and lifestyle. Here is his take on the matter:

Cooked meats, poultry, sugar, pasteurized dairy, coffee, sweeteners, and alcohol are all acidic. Vegetables, fruits, and nuts are all alkaline - the opposite of acidic. There needs to be a balance to combat the acid in our bodies, but this is not happening.
All the food we crave is acid forming and over acidification of body fluids is linked to almost EVERY KNOWN DISEASE. Some examples are Diabetes, Heart Diseases, Heartburn, Chronic Fatigue...just to name a few. And yes cancer !!
During Menopause, women can become extremely acidic. Our bodies use calcium and other minerals to buffer this acidity. That calcium loss can lead to osteoporosis. We need balance! We need to fight the acidity.

WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO ALL OF THIS????
Of course Dr. Mercola recommends his supplements ... and I'm all for supplementation but eating fruit and vegetables is something we can do immediately, if we can`t afford supplements....
I`m living breathing proof that eating a diet of vegetables that I hate and fruits that I love work...4 years later I`m still holding on with a great quality of life.... Saturday night I was up until 4am after attending a benefit concert hosted by Usain Bolt which was great by the way.....I went back to a mainly cooked food diet why I don`t know and trust me 'mash up' and 'pop dung' are words that describe how I feel when I eat that way.
Note Bryant Gumbel just said he has cancer too. People wake up and smell the roses this thing is attacking us all.....so while we gorge ourself with crap this coming season lets remember we want to see 2011 and beyond!
Look at all what we would have missed if we didn`t see 2009!

KEEP YOUR BODY PREPARED

Michael Johnson of track and field fame held open a door for me last week....I said to him "not every day Michael Johnson opens the door for you " for as a serious track and field fan it made my day......... Another thing that brightened up my day was going into my accounts office at work and 2 of the account executives commented on the fact that they just feel my energy when I stride into their office...now that's a huge compliment at my age because when I look around me most of the people my age are wobbling.
As I walked out it dawned on me that I really try to bring all of myself to everyone I meet, not sure if it works all the time but I try. Reading Dr.T`s health tips this week he hit upon something I truly believe and keep telling you guys "PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE" so here it is for all who have not yet read it -

My approach to disease has become very cause and effect. If you work in the sun too long, you are going to get burnt. After you get burnt, you might put on some aloe vera to ease the pain.
Maybe the answer is to put on plenty of sun block before you mow the lawn. That makes sense right??? But the western way of thinking is to get sick and then take some medicine to treat the illness.
Actually,the sunblock isn't the total answer either. It's keeping your body prepared !!
Why not keep your body at its most healthy level and prevent illness all together? There are many chronic ailments that are very preventable that plague America. Unfortunately, health care in the USA has become "sick care" I'm sure you know exactly what I mean.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," so don't be reactive to disease and illness - be proactive in their prevention"

So the old Jamaican saying runs true everywhere and if we can just keep our bodies prepared then when all the things that come to attack us, be it the swine flu/H1N1 or the dengue or the SARS we would always be prepared so we wouldn`t have to be caught up in the pharmaceutical dramas of the day, and trust me, there are lots of those!

The benefits of an apple!

I`m giving you another tit-bit based on research on apples being done by a Cornell University food scientist because if we eat things we like we might realize that it's not everything that's good for us that taste awful....who doesn't love an apple?
And there are many varieties to choose from. So apart from keeping the doctor away it helps us keep healthy and look at it this way, we need to be healthy as it makes no sense for us to add years to our life and we can`t enjoy them. We need to add more "life" to our years.........
The apple is one way of doing that! Can you imagine they are saying apple consumption heightens the effect of chemotherapy drugs?

A traditional part of the Thanksgiving feast, apples are Americans’ second favorite fruit (the first is bananas). They are also one of the many plant-based foods associated with lower cancer risk. With support from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), Cornell University food scientist Rui Hai Liu has conducted a steady stream of research for almost a decade demonstrating how apples may contribute to fighting cancer.
Some population studies suggest that high apple consumption leads to a range of health benefits, such as reduced risk of cancers and heart disease. Although apples have long been considered a healthy food, it has only been in recent years that this fruit has stimulated fresh interest in the lab with its rich supply of phenolics, a class of phytochemicals well studied for their health benefits.
The popularity of apples also makes them an appealing fruit to study, said Rui Hai Liu, MD, PhD, an associate professor at Cornell University who began studying the health benefits of apples in 2000. For Americans, 22 percent of all fruit phenolics consumed are reportedly from apples. “I’m interested in the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, and when you look at all the fruits and vegetables we saw the apple was rich in phenolic compounds with potent anti-proliferative properties – it was due to be studied,” said Dr. Liu.
Preventing Cancer Development
In one study, Dr. Liu and his colleague identified 13 compounds in apple peel that either inhibited the growth or led to cancer cell death in liver, breast and colon cancer cells. All the compounds are triterpenoids, substances widespread in plants that exhibit anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.
This year, Dr. Liu conducted several lab studies investigating how fresh apples and apple extract act against breast tumors. For example, a study published in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry showed that animals fed higher amounts of apple extract ended up with fewer breast tumors. The expression of several compounds related to cancer development also decreased with increasing apple extracts.
For colon cancer, a laboratory study has yielded clues as to how apples may prevent key stages of cancer development. Compared to non-treated cells, colon cancer cells treated with apple extract showed decreased DNA damage and an enhanced protective barrier, which blocks carcinogens. Also, the potential to metastasize was inhibited in the treated cells.
Apples and cancer prevention was one of the topics at AICR’s research conference. To read about this presentation and others, visit AICR’s new blog.
Another piece of apple research focuses on how apples may bolster the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. A laboratory study found that apple extract can block the actions of a protein group that can lead to cancer cells becoming resistant to chemotherapy drugs.
The protein group, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-KB), is involved with cell proliferation and can be spurred into action by cancer drugs. In a recent study, Dr. Liu measured the effects of apple extract on NF-KB in human breast cancer cells. Along with the extract, consisting of apple flesh and peel, the researchers tested several phytochemicals, including resveratrol and curcumin. Only apple extract and curcumin significantly blocked NF-KB in breast cancer cells.
As this study and others show, “research is pointing to the fact there is not one single phytochemical that supplies apples’ anti-cancer properties,” said Dr. Liu. “It’s the whole apple.” But don’t just eat apples; variety is best. “The thousands of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables can be looked at as a team.”

Excerpted from a story in ScienceNow

MODERATION IN ALL THINGS I SAY

Big scandal in the raw food world - Paul Nison has gone back to eating some cooked food...mark you he didn`t say he has gone back to eating steak and pork loins but the raw food world is aflutter or should i say atwitter, as he is a big motivator and author.... I believe moderation in all things ...when you are ill, raw food gets you healthy in quick time but I think for maintenance 80% raw is the way to go. Not 80% raw and 20% junk but 80% raw and 20% healthy food.......I have a friend who has been raw for 8 years he drinks 11 coconuts one go, and tells me that's a meal - sorry sir, something not balanced there !!

I think Reverend George Malkmus has the right idea....check out what he had to say on The Renegade Health Show about The 100% Raw Diet and Colon Cancer