Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Walking, reading & thinking

My next CT scan will be this Friday morning at the Holdenville hospital at a substantial savings and with a new, more powerful scanner to boot! Thank you, Adam, who put me in touch with his cousin who helped arrange this with my doctor. It truly is an answer to prayer, and I appreciate Adam for showing his concern for me in this manner.

Otherwise, not much to tell you. I’ve been trying to walk at the fitness center as much as I can. I haven’t been updating the Walking to Jericho blog, but I intend to soon. I’m having a lot of trouble dealing with the stress and depression caused by this health crisis, and that’s keeping me from being as productive as I’d like to me. The walking helps with that. If I could get some good sleep instead of the tossing and turning I’m experiencing now, I’d be doing much better.

I’ve also been doing a lot of reading about cancer and how’s treated and how we can prevent it. There’s a lot of confusing material out there, but slowly I’ve started to put together a view of what cancer is and how to fight it. I figure it’s good info to know, although, of course, I hope and pray I don’t have to use it personally.

So far, what I can share is this: Broccoli and green tea are amazing cancer fighters. (Note: not herbal teas. Green tea. The real stuff.) Study after study have linked those two to cancer prevention and even cancer treatment. And sugar -- in any form, including honey -- is bad for you and helps cancer grow faster. No study that I can find says sugar causes cancer; instead it helps cancer because cancer cells operate at a high metabolic rate and need energy to divide. One study says cancer cells need three to four times the glucose that regular cells do. That’s why so many people lose weight rapidly and feel so tired when they have cancer; the cancer cells are grabbing all the available glucose in the blood. Too much glucose in your blood gives cancer cells plenty of energy to grow. Why help them out?

So I’ve been walking and slowly giving up sweets. I haven’t had a soft drink in several days. I haven’t officially started the Soft Drink Drought, but it’s coming. Whatever the doctors eventually find, I have finally decided to live a healthy life. Step by step I’m moving away from a lifestyle that gave me diabetes, reduced my resistance to disease, and sapped my vitality.

Walking (30 minutes a day), green tea (four cups a day), broccoli (a cup or so a day). And one more thing: turmeric. Yes, that Indian spice. A bunch of current studies are pointing to it as a major cancer fighter. So have those curried veggies. They’re good for you and tasty, too. I’ve been sprinkling turmeric on chicken, hamburger patties, lasagna, salad dressings, etc. One warning: the spice releases its “heat” when cooked. So add it gradually to a dish until you get used to it. Or have lots of water available.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on in my world. What’s happening in yours?

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a blessing to have Adam helping you! (Thanks Adam!)

I know all too well how lack of sleep makes you feel. I hope you can figure out something to help in that area.

Anonymous said...

That was a lot of very good information. It actually inspired me to go out and buy some tumeric. I already had the green tea, but I'm going to start drinking it now, too!

I'm so glad Adam was able to find that deal for you.

Crystal

Anonymous said...

You and green tea? Do i not remember some comment like rather drink dish water first? Good decisions! Never hear the sugar link that was important.
Roen

Kirsten said...

Had completely forgotten about turmeric's health properties until you mentioned it. Thanks for the reminder! I knew I like curry for more than just the flavor.

Glad you're keeping up with the walking, tho I'm sorry it isn't helping you sleep better. Maybe a little mediation/prayer time before bed, to clear your head?

Michelle said...

Good luck this morning!