Nature's Answer to Cancer

Cut risk of breast cancer by moving more

A recent study of more than 30,000 post-menopausal women showed that strenuous activity -- ranging from housework such as scrubbing floors to running -- protected against breast cancer even among those who do not have a higher risk.

The effect was clearest among lean women. After 11 years, the researchers found that overall the volunteers who exercised the most were 13 percent less likely to have developed breast cancer.

"We know that being overweight puts women at increased risk of breast cancer," said Michael Leitzmann, who led the study while at the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

"What our study shows is that even among women without this increased risk, if they exercise they can get some benefit."

There have been a number of studies demonstrating that regular strenuous exercise can help people avoid heart disease, cancer and a range of other conditions. One possible mechanism of action to thwart breast cancer: the leaner you are, the less circulating estrogen you have in your body.

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Sick Kids: Hardening of the Arteries and Now Kidney Stones!

Research shows that by the age of 12, 70% of children have developed the beginning stages of hardening of the arteries. Now, kidney stones seem to be latest "adult type" disorder they are enjoying.

The New York Times reported on Monday, "The older doctors would say in the ’70s and ’80s, they’d see a kid with a stone once every few months,” said Dr. Caleb P. Nelson, a urology instructor at Harvard Medical School who is co-director of the new kidney stone center at Children’s Hospital Boston. “Now we see kids once a week or less.”

Why are children as young as 5 and 6 developing kidney stones?

We can thank the standard American diet for it! The increase in the United States is attributed to a host of factors, including a food additive that is both legal and ubiquitous: salt!

Excess salt has to be excreted through the kidneys, but salt binds to calcium on its way out, creating a greater concentration of calcium in the urine and the kidneys, causing stones to form.

“What we’ve really seen is an increase in the salt load in children's diets," said Dr. Bruce L. Slaughenhoupt, co-director of pediatric urology and of the pediatric kidney stone clinic at the University of Wisconsin. Salt is found in the obvious and not-so-obvious foods: salty chips and French fries, but also processed foods like sandwich meats; canned soups; packaged meals; and even sports drinks like Gatorade, which are so popular among schoolchildren they are now sold in child-friendly juice boxes.

Children also tend not to drink enough water. “They don’t want to go to the bathroom at school; they don’t have time, so they drink less,” said Dr. Alicia Neu, medical director of pediatric nephrology and the pediatric stone clinic at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore. Instead, they are likely to drink only once they’re thirsty — but that may be too little, too late, especially for children who play sports or are just active.

Not drinking water and the obesity epidemic also play a role. So do the parents of children. Isn't it time to begin feeding our children a more whole foods from nature diet? All our love (for the food that is fast, convenient and man-made) is killing our children!

To your children's good heatlh,

Dr. Kim Dalzell

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Preschooler's Pyramid

It was only a matter of time, I suppose, that the USDA would feel the need to come up with another food guide pyramid--this time, for preschoolers.

The idea behind the pyramid makes sense--teach parents more about how to feed their young children in an effort to prevent the long-term health ramifications of eating the standard American diet (aka fast food, high fat, screaming sugar diet).

The new pyramid is set to unveil this week at the American Dietetic's Association meeting and is part of the campaign Project MOM, which focuses on helping parents make better choices for their young ones. With 1 in 4 kids classified as overweight or obese, and 70% of teenagers with the beginning stages of hardening of the arteries, it makes sense to send out the message of good nutrition sooner rather than later.

But there is one problem with this food guide pyramid: "Do what I say, and not what I do" is still a common theme of parental guidance these days. Don't you think that if parents ate healthily, their children would too? It doesn't take another pyramid to create a healthy dietary habit; it takes commitment from the parents to change their own habits and then reflect and introduce the new habits into their children's lives.

To your good health,

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Are you a Fatty Banana?

Nutritionists have often referred to the "apple" shape when describing dangerous obesity, but new research presented at the American College of Cardiology conference this past spring suggests that more than half of normal weight U.S. adults carry excess body fat, typically around the waist. These "fatty banana" types, were more than twice as likely as people with normal body fat percentages to have elevated cholesterol levels, high triglycerides, high blood sugar and inflammatory biomarkers.

In August 2008, the Archives of Internal Medicine printed a study showing that almost a quarter of adults classified at a healthy weight exhibit two or more of the above risk factors. They found fatty banana types were likely to have excess fat within the abdomen and liver, reduced amounts of lean tissue (including muscle) and impaired insulin function.

What's a fatty banana to do? Start moving and eat a little less! Even without weight loss, 30 minutes or more of daily moderate physical activity is linked with small but significant decreases in inflammatory markers and insulin resistance.

 

That's sage advice no matter what your shape!

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

 

Nutritional Rx for Lungs

In the cancer community, think "October" and you'll immediately think of "pink" and breast cancer awareness. But October is also healthy lung month, celebrating something most of us probably don't even think about...our ability to breathe.

I've worked with lung cancer patients with extreme emphesema and it isn't pretty.  Lung diseases, including emphesema, asthma and bronchitis, is the number three cause of death in America, responsible for one in seven deaths.

When it come to healthy lungs, It is never too late to take action! Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term health benefits for you and your loved ones. Also, avoid smoky bars and smoking areas in restaurants. New laws in many states help protect our lungs from this second-hand smoke. 

In addition to quitting smoking, exercising regularly helps to keep your heart and lungs in good shape by doing the type of exercises that make your heart beat faster like climbing the stairs, riding a bike or walking briskly.

And one suggestion near and dear to my heart: eat at least seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Foods with high amounts of antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and beta-carotene, all improve lung function. Look for colorful produce and add something to your plate at every meal. For those of you with lung cancer, you may be tempted to juice, but you'd be better off eating whole foods and taking whole food concentrated supplements. Why? Because many people with lung cancer usually lose weight and filling up on lower calorie juices will not provide enough nutrient density into the daily diet. Additionally, the sugar found inherent in fruits and many vegetables can raise the blood sugar levels and decrease immune function. You can read more about specific nutritional protocols for lung cancer in my book, Challenge Cancer and Win!

I invite you all to breathe in the Fall air and be thankful for the ease of breath, the flow of air and the smell of Autumn as it rushes in.

Enjoy the season!

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

What's Inside The Golden Door?

It wasn't something I do every day, but this past Thursday, I found myself visiting a few neighbors that I had not met.

Coming up to the front door, I couldn't help but notice there was something different about this house: the door was a gleaming gold...not from the sun shining just so on the wood, but actually, really gold! A fruited garland adorned the top. It just "fit".

"Inside," I thought, "must be something special!"

I rang the doorbell. After several moments, a lady in her 70's answered the door, still in her robe and slippers, although it was nearing 9:30 a.m. She moved with the help of a walker. She had a cheerful face, a soft look with just a hint of sleepiness.

"I love your door!" I busted out and introduced myself. I explained that I was meeting new people in the neighborhood to discuss interest in putting together a community-based education program for nutrition for families.

The white-haired lady stopped me mid-sentence, "I don't think I'm interested....I'm terminal. I'm dying of cancer." Next, her daughter who had driven in from Iowa to help her mother "get her affairs in order", came over to the open door and smiled without saying a word.

I smiled back and saw the love that connected daughter to mother, person to person, heart to heart. I then realized that today, rather than me offering something to someone, I was being offered a gift. You see, inside that golden door was the gift of family and I was there to witness something made beautiful out of something that was harsh.

Today, I would like to say a special thank you to all the caregivers of the world. Without you, life would not be as precious.

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Cancer Patients - Should They Give Up Hope?

Do You Want to Know When the End is Near?

At the most recent meeting of the Association Society of Clinical Oncology, a new study presented the hard facts about telling or not telling cancer patients that they have run out of options. Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston interviewed and followed 603 people who had failed chemotherapy for advanced cancer and had life expectancies of less than a year.

Of the 323 who have died so far, those who had end-of-life talks were three times less likely to spend their final weeks in intensive care, four times less likely to be on breathing machines, and six times less likely to be resuscitated. Based on the study, only one-third of terminally ill cancer patients were given end-of-life talks. Some doctors just didn’t want to talk about such things—preferring avoid an uncomfortable and depressing topic. Surprisingly, patients who had these talks were no more likely to become depressed than those who did not. And, being nervous or worried was no more common among those who had end-of-life talks than those who did not.

I’ve always believed that healing begins with hope – and that no one, not a medical doctor, not a family member, not the patient himself, knows when the end is really near. We were not born with expiration stamps on our forehead. While I have witnessed family members go to extremes to save their loved with stricken with cancer, I have also witnessed almost miraculous turnarounds in a patient’s status—simply when hope was offered and a course of action (usually in addition to traditional therapy) was taken despite the odds. I’m not sure when we are supposed to give up on life. But one thing is for sure. The best person to answer that question is the patient himself.

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Mushrooms in the Diet Fight Breast Cancer

Chalk it up to Oriental Medicine once again! A new study published in the April 2008 British Journal of Cancer (Volume 98: 1348-1356)  found that

Phellinus linteus (PL), a mushroom that has been used for many years in Eastern cultures, slows the growth of highly invasive breast cancer cells by a variety of different mechanisms. * interferes with the cancer cell life cycle to keep them from proliferating * blocks the activity of AKT kinase, which prompts the "spreadability" of cancer cells * prevents breast cancer cells from forming colonies (found in agressive cancer types) Lead researcher for the study Daniel Silva, Ph.D., has it right.....that plants have very powerful anti-cancer mechanisms.  “What I’m looking for are natural products that are able to modulate the invasiveness of cancer cells,” explains Dr. Silva., senior investigator and Director of the Cancer Research Laboratory at Methodist Research Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana. “We can go back to Mother Nature and find or rediscover something that has been here for a long time and may be effective in the treatment of cancer." Now....the practical part of the research: The United States based company Nikken makes medicinal mushrooms containing PL. Check with your health food store or the Internet for retailers. Dr. Kim Dalzell www.naturesanswertocancer.com

The High Cost of Eating Right to Fight Cancer

Looks like grocery prices are projected to increase again in 2008 — that’s following 2007’s highest annual increase in 17 years! Don't the the high cost of healthy foods, in particular--fruits and vegetables--get you down.

If you have children, you probably know that 100 percent juice is much more expensive than buying those “fruit drinks” that have little or no real juice. But do compare prices, since frozen concentrate juice is often less expensive than refrigerated juice. Better to drink smaller portions of real fruit juice than to get unneeded refined sugars and fewer nutrients with larger portions of “juice drinks.”

Buy produce in bulk and in season to save money. While we should all strive to eat between 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables every day (according to the NCI recommendations), due to economic or lifestyle situations, that isn't always possible. That's why Juice Plus+ makes more sense now than ever! My whole family enjoys this convenient, affordable and effective way to get the amount of health-promoting chemicals we need every day! So when you can't, or won't or don't eat your daily recommended servings of produce, think Juice Plus+!

Please visit my patient order/information site: www.juiceplusmed.com for more details.

Dr. Kim Dalzell

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Even the Birds Know That Nutrition Fights Cancer!

Watch the birds and see where they flock....to branches and bushes holding fruits with the highest levels of antioxidants known as flavonoids, which boost the immune system.

 

So when German researchers offered a group of blackcaps, a common European summertime bird, a choice of two foods containing different amounts of flavonoids, it was no surprise that the birds deliberately selected the food with added antioxidants.

 

Here's what's cool: The birds fed modest amounts of flavonoids over a period of four weeks developed stronger immune system. Again, no surprise!

So if you think good nutrition advice is just "for the birds", you may want to think again!

 

Dr. Kim Dalzell

www.naturesanswertocancer.com