Shedding light on cancer – incl. 10 easy to follow tips

What is cancer?
Our cells divide all the time replacing old cells that naturally die off. This happens much
faster in growing kids and slower as we age. It also happens faster in some areas of our
bodies, such as the gut lining, blood cells, nails and hair. Then again slower in others, such
as bone and nerve cells.

For cancer to develop, firstly, an error must slip in during normal cell division.
This abnormal cell must then divide further to form a microtumour. This is not cancer yet.
The microtumour must gain the ability and be allowed to grow unusually fast and in an
invasive way – invading normal healthy tissues. At this point it becomes cancer.

We all live in a dynamic relationship with cancer. Errors do slip in with cell division from
time to time without it being immediately harmful. Everyone can have microtumours at any
point in time. However, these microtumours should not be allowed to change further and
grow to develop actual cancer cells and tumours.

So how do these microtumours develop further? In order for the microtumours to develop
into actual cancer, many protective mechanisms of the body must fail, such as:

1. Uncontrolled growth must be allowed to happen. There is an otherwise well-functioning
   central control-system over growth in the body.
2. The neighbouring-cells ability to block the invasive growth must fail
3. Programmed cell death must be switched off. This is a very interesting and important one: In every cell there is a genetic program that tells a cell after cell division, if an error has occurred, it must commit suicide. In cancer this genetic program has been switched off.
4. In order for fast, invasive and abnormal growth to work well the tumour must be able to form its own extensive blood supply for food and energy.
5. They must escape the powerful immune system cells, such as the Natural Killer cells. Natural Killer cells are an army of powerful killers of abnormal cells that in a healthy person always patrols the body in sufficient numbers.

If this mouth full has just caused an information overload, at least take note of this:
All these mechanisms are influenced by food and lifestyle!!  Even the programmed cell death, the number of Natural Killer cells patrolling and the ability of the cancer tumours to form their own blood supply.

Developing of microtumours into actual cancer can therefore mostly be prevented by food
and lifestyle factors. A genetic disposition to cancer only plays a small part. Causes of
cancer can be roughly divided in to 85% lifestyle and environment and only 15% genetic.

Microtumours can be compared to garden weeds. They will grow in any garden. They start
out as tiny little plants. They are completely harmless as long as they are not ignored.
Gardeners who love and respect their gardens visit them often to remove those tiny weeds
while they are small. They do this while taking good care of the plants they do want to have
in the garden. If the garden is left unattended garden weeds will not only take over the
garden, but have the ability to invade and break into buildings.

“Ignore your health and it will go away…”
Do not make the mistake of leaving your garden unattended, thinking it will just sort itself
out all the time. Be like a good gardener and go visit often, making small corrections
whenever you observe a need.

I will start by sharing 10 good gardening tips. If you understand how complex cancer
development is, you would also understand that the cause and most effective prevention
strategy can be different in everyone. So, let`s just call these 10 random but powerful tips:

1. AVOID sugar, including anything that raises the blood sugar fast, such as fruit juices.
Sugar has the ability to break so many of the protective systems. It also provides the type of
energy cancer cells love and our own cells get addicted to, but get really sick from.

2. Have 3 tasty and colourful meals a day with enough good protein and oil to keep you full
for many hours (aim for at least 4-5 hours). Include 7 portions of vegetables a day – not the
starchy ones. Or 5-6 portions of vegetables and 1-2 of fruit, such as berries or papaya.

3. Have 2-3 litres of good quality water or herbal teas in between meals every day. Carry a
glass or stainless steel bottle with you, NOT plastic.

4. AVOID synthetic hormones and growth stimulators wherever you can. If you can, avoid
hormone medication. Get animal product from farmers who use excellent farming
practices: Pasture reared (not only “free range”), no growth stimulant or routine antibiotics.
Read more: https://embracelife.co.za/where-to-get-really- good-food- and-why-you-should/

5. Move a lot and often. Walk, swim, dance, run, jump, surf, row, take the stairs not the lift.

6. Live in sync with a good day-night- rhythm. As far as possible, try to avoid screens
(phones, iPad, computers, TVs) from 21:00 at night and aim to be in bed by 22:00/22:30.

7. Don`t smoke and avoid passive smoking as much as possible.

8. Have fun! This is actually a powerful part of keeping your defences strong.

9. AVOID hormone disruptors. Hormone disruptors are chemicals in our day-to-day lives
that act like female hormones (oestrogen’s) in our body, but in a disruptive way. They increase cancer risk by interfering with many of our powerful protective mechanisms Read more here: https://embracelife.co.za/why-go- bpa-free/

10. Include some of these powerful protective foods in your diet regularly: Cruciferous
vegetables (especially broccoli and broccoli sprouts, brussel’s sprouts, cabbage), berries,
garlic and onion-family foods, turmeric, green tea, tomatoes, lemons (do not use the skin if
not organic), top quality cocoa (85% or higher percentage dark chocolate only) and extra
virgin olive oil (raw) daily.

Respect and admire how well you have been created with all these protective mechanisms
in place. Invest consciously in your health with an attitude of gratitude!