Broccoli, the Wonder Food

If you wanted to make one small simple change that would have long-lasting health benefits, what would you do?

Would you drink more water? Or exercise more? Would you relax more?

All of those are great ideas. Here’s one more. Eat more broccoli.

Of course, you know that fruits and vegetables are a cornerstone of healthy eating. But when it comes to fruits and vegetables, broccoli is special. It’s a powerhouse of healthy benefits.

For example, in a recent Japanese study, researchers discovered that broccoli protects your stomach from serious issues like ulcers and stomach cancer.

There’s a chemical in broccoli called sulforaphane that attacks the H. pylori virus that causes stomach ulcers. This same virus also increases your risk of developing stomach cancer.

Fortunately, you can stop this nasty little bug with just 2.5 ounces of broccoli a day. That’s just a single serving… anyone can do that. And, if you get sick of broccoli, it turns out that broccoli sprouts have the same affect. So you can have steamed or roasted broccoli one night and the next day you can sprinkle broccoli sprouts on your salad at lunch.

The same chemical, sulforaphane, also attacks other cancer-causing agents in your body. So while you’re fighting off stomach ulcers and gastric cancer, you’ll also be reducing your risks of bladder, skin, lung, and other cancers.

There is a special trick to making sure you get the full benefit from eating more broccoli and broccoli sprouts. You have to make sure you chew your food well. The chewing process is what releases the sulforaphane that gives you all these great benefits.

So chew well and stay well,
Heather Robwell

Cancer Patients Find Relief Through Acupressure

The medical industry has made great leaps in treating cancer. But that doesn’t mean the fight is less frightening or less exhausting for those diagnosed with this terrible disease.

Treatment is more successful. For most cancers, survival rates are on the rise. But chemotherapy still plays a primary role in successfully treating cancer, and chemo can be devastating.

It makes you weak. It makes you tired. And it makes you sick.

Nausea and loss of appetite are two big issues facing people undergoing chemotherapy. It makes it hard to eat at a time when your body really needs nutritional support.

Fortunately, acupressure wristbands can help.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, there’s a point in your wrist that can help relieve nausea. Acupressure wristbands put pressure on that point. Research published in The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management found that patients who use these wristbands during and after chemo treatments experience 25% less nausea.

The ability to reduce nausea without additional drugs can have a profound and positive impact on people undergoing cancer treatments. It means that you will be able to eat more and keep it down. It means that you won’t feel so miserable after treatments. Ultimately, it means that the fight against cancer just got a little bit easier.

You can ask your doctor or naturopath about acupressure wristbands to help with cancer treatment. They’re also useful for motion sickness and can even help when you’re just feeling under the weather.

Stay well,
Danny Wallace

You Knew Red Wine Was Good for Your Heart, but…

Did you know it could protect you from lung cancer?

In a new study, researchers have discovered that red wine helps to reduce the risks of lung cancer in men, including men who smoke. Men who smoke and drink two glasses of red wine a day lower their risk of lung cancer by 60% compared with men who smoke and don't indulge regularly in wine.

Of course, I'm not advocating that you smoke. Quitting smoking is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your body. For most men, though, I do think a glass or two of red wine a day is a good idea.

Red wine is bursting with powerful antioxidants. It contains the polyphenols catechin, gallic acid, and epicatechin. These compounds help protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are a byproduct of energy production in your body. Free radical levels can be increased by poor health choices—eating too much sugar, not exercising, or smoking. They can be decreased by good choices, including boosting your antioxidant levels.

When you drink red wine, it helps your body to neutralize free radicals and that protects your cells from damage that can lead to cancer.

Red wine also contains resveratrol, a very special type of polyphenol that can actually stop cancer cells from growing.

In addition to protecting against lung cancer, red wine might also protect you from prostate cancer, skin cancer, and certain blood cancers.

Some people have health conditions that alcohol can make worse, so it's a good idea to discuss the risks and benefits of wine with your doctor. And remember, moderation is key. One to two glasses a day is beneficial. More than that can do more harm than good.

Stay well,
Meghan Krohn

Two Ways to Improve Your Cancer Outcome

There's no doubt that cancer is a devastating disease. The treatments are difficult. They make you sick and tired. The disease itself is painful. You feel exhausted all the time. And there are no guarantees that all the suffering you go through to get better will actually work.

A new study gives cancer patients two new tools to help them cope.

Researchers found that people who are able to maintain their optimism while undergoing treatment cope much better with pain than those who feel frustrated or pessimistic most of the time. They also found that people who take control of their environment don't have less fatigue.

Now, I realize that saying, "Be optimistic," is a lot easier than actually being optimistic. One of the best ways to increase your optimism is to focus on the things in your life that you are grateful for. You can do this in a number of ways. You can take five minutes in the morning and write down all the things you are grateful for right at that moment or you can spend ten minutes in the evening fixing your thoughts on one thing that has made you feel grateful during the day.

Another way to boost your optimism is to continue to make plans for the future. When you're fighting against cancer, it's tempting to put everything in your life on hold. Doing so is understandable, but it can also make you feel a little like you've lost your purpose… and your sense of purpose is closely linked to how optimistic you feel.

Gaining mastery over your environment is a little bit easier. I suggest you start by making a list of everything in your environment that is driving your crazy on some level. Whether it's the leaking faucet, the cluttered closet, or the peeling paint on the windowsill… if it's something you're tolerating because you haven't found the time to fix it, then put it on the list. Next enlist your friends and family to work through the list and help you get your environment in the shape you want it to be in.

After that, take some time to set some boundaries between you and your caretaker and if you're so inclined come up with a schedule that you think will help you to cope.

Fighting cancer is a difficult struggle. If you can reduce your pain and fatigue levels, that's a big win. It certainly can't hurt to try these two strategies and see if they make a difference for you.


Stay well,
Meghan Krohn

Grilling Your Steak Might Make it Cancerous…

But you don't need to worry—there's a way around it.

Most everybody enjoys a good grilled steak in the summer. Or grilled chicken. Or grilled pork. Grilled meat is just a summertime favorite. Unfortunately, it has some drawbacks.

When you cook meat at a high temperature, like you do in grilling, the heat affects and changes the amino acids. It creates compounds called heterocyclic amines, or HCAs for short. The problem is that researchers suspect that HCAs contribute to cancer.

So how do you enjoy your meat without worrying that you going to put yourself into an early grave? The answer is simple and tasty.

Marinating your meat in a marinade rich in antioxidants reduces the formation of HCAs by as much as 88%.

When you make a marinade, the choices are endless. You just want to be sure to include some ingredients that are good sources of antioxidants. Tomato or lime base marinades are both good choices. The acids in both help to tenderize the meat and add a great flavor—just don't soak your meat too long or the acids can make it mushy.

Whatever marinade you make, be sure to include plenty of herbs and spices. Most herbs and spices are great sources of antioxidants. They'll keep carcinogens from forming as you cook, and they'll make your next meal tasty, too.

Stay well,
Danny Wallace

Bacteria That Fight Colon Cancer

We usually think of bacteria as a bad thing. Bacteria cause infections, for example. Many food borne illnesses are the result of bacteria—e coli, salmonella, botulism.

But not all bacteria are nasty little bugs out to make you sick. Some bacteria are actually vital to your health. These probiotic bacteria, as they are called, help you to digest your food. The most common food source of probiotic bacteria is yogurt that contains active cultures. You can also take a supplement containing probiotics.

Now, you might be wondering why you would actually want to eat bacteria.

The list of benefits delivered by probiotics is long and it's getting longer.
• Probiotics help you digest your food, as I already mentioned.
• They help fight bad bacteria in your gut, which can help to relieve gas, bloating, and intestinal cramping.
• Probiotics help you get more of the nutrients from your food—this gives you an energy boost and enhances your
immune system.

That isn't all, though. New research suggests that probiotics may also help protect against colon cancer, the second deadliest cancer after lung cancer. Irish researchers, in a small controlled study, gave probiotics to patients who had either cancerous tumors or benign polyps removed from their colon recently.

After 12 weeks, those receiving probiotics had more healthy bacteria, less of the cancer-causing bacteria clostridium, less DNA damage in their colon cells, and less uncontrolled growth in their colon lining. Now, that's good news all the way around.


To your good health,
Meghan Krohn