Big 'C', Little 'c', What Begins With 'C'.....

One of the most surprising calls I ever received was from a woman who introduced herself and said "we haven't met but a few years ago my dad had colon Cancer and came to see you a few times; he got better but now I've been told the same thing so I need to make an appointment. I have to give you the disclaimer that I am not a doctor and don't treat diseases; what I saw in that situation (and in many other similar events) was simply that when the man chose to do what was necessary to support his body, the cancer just went away. Checking my records showed that he had spent less than $1000 for appointments and supplements to get well, less than most people's deductibles. Certainly every person will respond differently, but it is incredible what the body will do when you treat it well.

There has been a lot of reporting recently about younger people getting colon Cancer. I think that traces largely back to a few "little c's" that, taken together, are having a massive impact on colon health and immune functions. Let's start with convenience foods. Not only are they generally made with refined starches - white rice, white flour, white flour noodles, etc. and lots of sugars that are proven to increase the likelihood of colon cancer (which the AMA a few years ago called the one 100% preventable cancer!)- they are most likely being heated in a microwave. There are a couple problems with that, including a reversal of the electrical charge in the food, which destabilizes our own polarity and impacts immune response, and a breaking of the covalent bonds in the food so our body can't utilize the nutrients even though they are technically still there. Even more significantly, microwaved foods are usually heated in plastic containers (the same applies to plastic containers that are allegedly "oven-safe"), which, finally, are being exposed as critical health destroyers that are carried easily into the body, especially when heated. Solutions? Steaming foods is easy and can be almost as fast as a microwave - I will often use a steamer basket for heating leftovers. Try eating more fresh and easy foods: hummus and veggie slices; real (organic or imported) cheese and whole-grain crackers with fruit; warm broth with shredded-in-advance vegetables and thin brown rice noodles, which takes less than five minutes.

Many of the same factors impacting colon health for better and worse are also implicated in Crohn's disease, which is a common precursor to developing colon cancer. Decades ago I had two friends diagnosed at the same time with Crohn's, one at a very early stage and one bleeding internally so severely that she was encouraged to make custody arrangements for her small children because her husband was on a navy mission at sea and they were not sure he could get back before her projected demise. The first chose standard treatment, has since lost several portions of her colon, a bit at a time, and suffers severe chronic health issues from decades of steroid and other treatment side effects. The other opted to sign herself out of the hospital to spend her "last days" with her boys, and began some "wacko" natural health treatments, including therapeutic enemas (although she wondered "how there could be anything left in there") and herbal supplements like Slippery Elm and Small Intestine Detox. She later became the high school diving coach for her boys and is now a proud grandmother who runs several miles a week.

A major "little c" people don't like to consider avoiding is coffee, which impacts colon and immune health in several ways. One cup of coffee destroys most of your beneficial flora for several hours, negatively affecting both digestion and elimination. Killing off beneficial flora also opens the door for yeast and other harmful organisms to flourish. which can lead to micro-perforations in the colon that allow yeast and undigested particles enter the bloodstream, causing more inflammation and immune disorders. If coffee has been your morning tradition, take some Probotic 11 before bed every night to rebuild those colonies, and Caprylic Acid Combination or Candida Clear to help reduce the bad bugs. Better beverage choice? I love Teeccino, which satisfies the bitter craving that coffee meets but uses dandelion and chicory root (a great prebiotic, incidentally!) to support the liver (critical for colon and immune health) and feed the adrenals rather than exhausting them. If you are a heavy coffee drinker, try mixing a scoop or two of Teeccino^R into the container every time you take out a scoop of coffee to brew, which will provide an easy transition with no caffeine withdrawal discomfort. Teeccino is also available in tea-bag form. They have a huge range of flavors on their website (save 10% via the link above!) if you are a flavored-coffee lover; If you are a hard-core brewed coffee lover try the French Roast and Dandelion Dark Roast blends.

We know caffeine stresses the adrenal glands, which govern inflammation in the body; increasingly, studies are pointing to inflammation as a major contributor to cancer development as well as many other immune disorders. It was interesting to learn that Immune Stimulator has its primary impact on the adrenal glands. Caffeine is becoming a hidden ingedient in all kinds of foods and beverages, not just the "energy drinks" that are conspicuously spiked. Check your labels! I once overheard a conversation between women who were prooud of the fact that they did not drink coffee, but were touting an "energy chocolate" that they were consuming in quantity because "it just has natural caffeine". The caffeine in coffee is "natural"; so is the caffeine in black, green, and white tea - which are all the same plant! Guarana, Kola Nut, and Bissey Nut are also high in caffeine, frequently in much higher doses than coffee, and with the same negative health impact.

Another "little c" for colon health is Liquid Chlorophyll, which is sometimes said to 'deodorize' the bowel; if your fecal matter smells awful it's because it is sitting in the colon for far longer than it should be! Chlorophyll helps flush the liver, so gets things moving along better through the intestinal tract and generally cleans things out. That is also why it helps with migraines and fatigue. Remember to keep at least thirty minutes between chlorophyll and food since it alkalizes the stomach, and to drink it with plenty of water; if you flush the liver and can't remove the waste quickly, you will reabsorb it and be back to square one.

The most common "little c" people consider in relation to Cancer is synthetic chemicals in our diet and environment, which stress the liver and reduce immune function. "Natural flavors" just means "tastes like something natural". Look instead for ingredients that you can clearly recognize. A good first step for most people concerned about flushing waste out of the liver is the Tiao He Cleanse; most of you know I am not a one-size-fits-all practitioner, but I have found most people benefit from this because it supports the liver rather than being just an intense colon scrubber. Another of the first "general guidelines" for health that I offer my clients is to replace personal care and cleaning products with non-petroleum based items - which isn't always clear from the label; look for "plant-based" and ingredients you can decipher.

As with every health issue, I encourage you to take one better step today compared to yesterday. You are making 3 million new cells a day out of whatever nutrients your body has available. Make sure that you are giving yourself the best possible 'C'-lection to draw from to keep your colon calm, cared-for, and capable of processing everything your body needs it to handle.

Be Well,

Kim