Monday, July 5, 2010

PROTECTING AGAINST CANCER

The best way to beat cancer naturally is to adopt a lifestyle to prevent it. Healthy, nutrient-rich food is an essential part of any anti-cancer plan along with the spiritual work. Here are the top 5 picks that help protect against cancer from CARE2.
1.Beta carotene
This precursor of Vitamin A is found in most orange and green vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale and other leafy green vegetables. An amazing nutrient, it has been shown in research to protect the lungs against toxins that are linked to lung cancer. Another study found that ex-smokers who ate green and yellow vegetables high in beta carotene daily decreased their risk of stomach and lung cancer.
2. Vitamin B6
This B-Vitamin is essential to maintain a healthy immune system and helps protect the respiratory tract from pollution and infection. In studies it has helped protect against cervical cancer. Vitamin B-6 is primarily found in carrots, apples, organic meats, bananas, leafy green vegetables and sweet potatoes.
3. Vitamin C
One of the most well-researched nutrients, Vitamin C has shown great promise in the fight against cancer, both in prevention and disease-management. Consider a recent study in which forty patients with cancer of the breast, ovary, uterus, or cervix received large doses of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and other vitamins.
Another sixty-one patients with other kinds of cancer followed the same regime, while thirty-one patients received no vitamin supplements and served as the control group. The control group lived an average of 5.7 months. Of the others, 80 percent of the patients with cancer of the breast, ovary, uterus, or cervix had a mean survival time of 122 months; patients with other forms of cancer lived an average of 72 months. That translates into a length of life 13 to 21 times longer in those who used vitamin therapy.
4. Folic Acid
In studies, folic acid, also known as folate or vitamin B9, helps protect against cervical cancer and is necessary for the proper formation of the body's own genetic material — DNA and RNA. It is found in beets, cabbage, dark green leafy vegetables, eggs, citrus fruits and most types of fish.
5. Vitamin E
In addition to protecting against bowel cancer, Vitamin E works as a powerful antioxidant that reduces the damage caused by ozone and pollutants on the cells. It is found in eggs, wheat germ, liver, unrefined vegetable oils and dark green vegetables
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Something else that has been found to be important to cancer care is exercise......I have always been told that I must only do Yoga, Pilate's or Tai Chi because things like strength training make our bodies acidic and you all know alkaline is the way to go...according to new U.S guidelines "Cancer patients should not avoid exercise; they can and should find ways to be physically active both during and after treatment." The research of Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, which had already reversed decades of cautionary exercise advice given to breast cancer patients with lymphedema, led an expert panel to developed the new recommendations.
According to Eurekalert:"Cancer patients and survivors should strive to get the same 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise that is recommended for the general public ... Though the evidence indicates that most types of physical activity -- from swimming to yoga to strength training -- are beneficial for cancer patients, clinicians should tailor exercise recommendations to individual patients."

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