Healthy Anti-Aging Resources

This year I made a decision not to have any more mammograms. There, I have said it out loud! I have hated having my breasts squashed between two radioactive plates. On top of that, the people providing the screening do not provide any prevention education – they are there to make a profit as a result of proving that they can find cancer. I have educated myself and put into practice what I have learnt, to minimise my risk of getting cancer.

So can we prevent cancer?
Recent studies have confirmed that our genes do not control our health outcomes – that we, yes that’s us, have full control. We have full control on how we take care of our own health. How we choose to live our life impacts fully on our health outcomes. So it appears, that if your family members have a tendency towards cancer, then there are things you can do to stay healthy. Isn’t that great news?

Now, most of us know that the food that Mother Nature provides contains vitamins as well as antioxidants and minerals. And a lot of the man-made processed foods do not contain very much in the way of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. So we have a choice right there. The biggest cause of cancer is poor nutrition. Vegetables and fruit contain antioxidants which protect our cells from inflammation and oxidative stress which cause cancer. Eating a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables provides many antioxidants.

There are some things we do not have control over – like the air we breathe, the quality of the soil that our food is grown in, the pesticides and chemicals that are used on crops, the quality of our drinking water. All we can do in these cases is to minimize the effects of these toxins and pollutants by avoiding them if we can and by taking nutritional supplements. Food alone is not optimal enough to provide our cells with the protection they need from the toxins in our environment.

There have been endless studies done on how vitamins protect our body’s cells from cancer. The results of these many studies can be summed up – take the best quality broad-spectrum supplements that you can afford. Taking once-a-day supplements are a waste of money. And taking supplements that are not at optimum levels do not provide protection. Taking nutritional supplements helps to maintain a strong immune system. The latest studies show Vitamin D3 (the sunshine vitamin) helps to prevent breast cancer.

The American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2010 presented a study that showed a protective effect of vitamin and calcium supplementation against breast cancer. Participants who consumed vitamin supplements were found to have a 30% lower risk of breast cancer compared to those who did not have a history of vitamin supplementation, and those who consumed calcium supplements had a 40% lower risk. The researchers stated that this is not an immediate effect; however, those individuals who consumed vitamins and calcium over a long period of time.

Other things we can do to prevent cancer are:
• To exercise hard enough to produce sweat.
• Get proper sleep
• Reduce stress – spend time relaxing or meditating or listening to music…New research may have uncovered the mechanism that links chronic stress to breast cancer progression. Even better, you can take advantage of the findings in about five minutes.
• Jump on a rebounder to clear your lymph glands.
• For women, massage your breasts.
• Quit smoking.
• Reduce or stop drinking alcohol.
• Avoid recreational drugs.
• If you are overweight or obese, lose weight and get lean.
• Reduce/remove sugar from your diet
• Avoid getting sunburn but get out into the sunshine for 15-20 minutes daily and/or take Vitamin D3 supplements.
• Include adequate amounts of Omega-3 essential fats in your diet (salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, and herring) and monounsaturated oils (canola, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados). These healthy fats have powerful anti-cancer properties.
• Drink green tea.
• Eat a low-fat, high fiber diet.
• Avoid over-working and over-exercising to keep your immune system strong.
• Avoid refined foods such as white flour, baked goods, and many refined cereals. Follow a diet primarily made up of unprocessed, organic whole foods that are free of inflammation-inducing additives such as excess salt, sugars and trans-fats, as well as pesticide residues which are known to contribute to cancer. Choose fruits such as strawberries, blueberries and grapes, and vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower contain antioxidants including vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and other phytochemicals (beneficial plant compounds).
• Drink filtered water
• Continually learn from valid sources about what you can do to stay healthy – after all, when we lose our health, we lose our hope.
• Avoid taking H.R.T. Find a medical practitioner who can advise you about bio-identical hormone therapy.
• Avoid food additives like MSG and aspartame – you will find them in most processed foods are different names
• Avoid having mercury amalgam fillings placed and if you have them, consider getting them removed (using safe protocols).

Starting today what small change are you going to make to your life so that you do not become one of the 1 in 3 people who get cancer? If we treat our bodies like temples instead of tents then we can have a longer, healthier and happier life.

Further Reading
In his book “You Can Prevent Cancer”, Michael Colgan, PhD explains what cutting-edge science knows about the simple steps you must take today to help avoid cancer.

Considering a mammogram? New evidence reveals they really don’t work

Suzanne Somers Interviews Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer–And Learns How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place

For women 40+ who want to live life to the full and stay younger longer

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Nutritional factors play a key role in normal functioning of the skin, the body’s largest organ. Recent research indicates that higher intakes of vitamin C and linoleic acid and lower intakes of fats and carbohydrates are associated with better skin-aging appearance.

Using data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I), scientists examined associations between nutrient intakes and skin aging in 4,025 women between the ages of 40 and 74 years. Clinical examinations of the skin were conducted by dermatologists. Skin-aging appearance was defined as having a wrinkled appearance, dryness associated with aging (senile dryness), and skin atrophy(shriveling or shrinking).

Higher vitamin C intakes were associated with a lower likelihood of a wrinkled appearance. Higher linoleic acid (an omega-6 essential fatty acid) intakes were associated with a lower likelihood of senile dryness and skin atrophy. A higher than average fat and carbohydrate intake also increased the likelihood of a wrinkled appearance and skin atrophy. These associations were independent of age, race, education, sunlight exposure, income, menopausal status, body mass index, supplement use, physical activity, and energy intake.

Elevated intakes of vitamin C and linoleic acid and reduced intakes of fats and carbohydrates are associated with better skin-aging appearance. Promoting healthy dietary behaviors may have added benefit for the appearance of skin (in addition to other beneficial health outcomes) in the general population.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 4, 1225-1231, October 2007