YOU HAVE A CHOICE!
by Sue Ansari on 08/21/11
On a more serious note, my daughter told me last night that two of my older daughter's friends, both age 29, have breast cancer. The one, newly diagnosed, but the other Stage 3, bilateral mastectomy, not doing well. This was unheard of when I was that age - the war on cancer is NOT being won. I can say only this....
You have a choice…
You can do something to prevent cancer.
You have a choice…
You can do something to prevent heart disease.
You have a choice…
You can do something to prevent diabetes.
You have a choice, so what are you waiting for?
You have only one life to live
The time is right, the time is now…
On your mark, get ready, get set…GO!
When I first posted this on Facebook several weeks ago, I was chewed up and spit out by someone who had been the toeing the line, but has had cancer twice. On subsequent conversations with her, I came to know that she was told 36 months ago that she had at the most, three to four months to live. Could her good fortune possibly be the result of her excellent lifestyle?
Scientific studies have documented that more than 60% of all chronic diseases are lifestyle related. No, we cannot prevent cancer, but we can decrease the risk and furthermore, retard its continued growth by being mindful of what we are putting into our mouths and minds as we move our bodies!
Yes, we CAN!
GOT JOY?
by Sue Ansari on 08/21/11
GOT JOY?
Recently, I
received an email from a self-help cancer site. It was well-written,
well-intended, but it seemed to be missing something. The article was
about restoring joy which often in a post-cancer state can be very
challenging.
It suggested that one concentrate and focus on those many positive items we all
have in our lives - home, family, friends, the beauty of Nature, music, etc. -
and thus, be filled with feelings of joy. At least for me, the joy I feel
thinking those thoughts doesn't stick with me for long.
Luckily, I have been bitten with an infectious Indian laughter bug. Being
infected with the rare organism, madanus katariasis,
results in what is known as the "HohoHahaha Syndrome" which can
literally move you from motion to emotion. What does this mean in less “scientific”
terms? Hmmmmmm, let me see, how can I explain?
There are many beautiful candles in my home - not only are they fragrant, but
several are also embedded with a variety of gorgeous flowers. I can look at
them, appreciate them, but only when I light them, do I receive the FULL
benefit of their candle beings.
All of my life, I have been surrounded not only with beauty, but also
with wonderful friends and family who have added so much to my life; however,
my "fire" needed to be lit before my true brilliance and joy could be
realized. For me, being infected with the "laughter bug" accomplished
that.
It forced me to tell my body to laugh (the motion) which eventually, over a
protracted period of time, fired up my inner candle, thus releasing my joy (the
emotion). The strange thing about this syndrome is that it infects in a
powerful, insidious way. I must tell you, during the entire incubation period,
my personal life was a huge mess - there was very little to laugh about, let
alone feel happy about; however, as the "bug" kept biting me, I
laughed....and laughed....and laughed. The more I laughed, the better I felt
and the better I felt, the more I laughed! What a vicious cycle!
The syndrome often leaves me feeling light-hearted, as well as occasionally a
bit light-headed. I sleep deeper, have a much more laid-back attitude
about life in general, often have an inexplicable desire to laugh out loud for
absolutely NO reason and often do so while driving. I feel upbeat most of
the time and rarely succumb to severe bouts of depression as was the case prior
to contracting this disease.
Now that my inner candle is burning brightly, it allows me to see vividly the
beauty all around me. Some days I feel I would like to wrap my arms
around the entire world and give it a good squeeze! Amazing what an
infection such as this can do to a mind and body.
Got joy? It's never too late to become infected!
O what is laughter?
What is this precious love and laughter
Budding in our Hearts?
It is the glorious sound
Of a soul waking up!
- Hafiz...
The Protein Fallacy
by Sue Ansari on 08/20/11http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/how-much-protein-do-you-really-need-2523319
SAVORY NUTS AND SEEDS OF LIFE AND HEALTH
by Sue Ansari on 07/31/11
A word about my recipes - ingredients used are primarily organic, 90% raw, all are nutrient dense with many potent anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.
Truly, they are nuts and seeds full of life and health. All ingredients are rich in antioxidants with anti-cancer properties which help build a healthy immune system. This is one of my favorites - a super healthy snack, plus a wonderful salad topper. To activate the digestive enzymes sleeping in the seeds, soak them, not the sliced almonds, 4-6 hours prior to dehydrating. If using a conventional oven, do not soak before drying.
2 c sliced raw almonds
2 c raw pumpkin seeds
2 c raw sunflower seeds
1/3 c tamari, low sodium
1 T onion powder
½ t garlic powder
¼ t cayenne
1 t turmeric
Toss all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk together dry spices with tamari, then pour over nuts and seeds until all are well covered.
Divide the nuts and seeds on two trays and dehydrate at 115 deg for 6-8 hrs until completely dry. If you don't have a dehydrator, divide on two cookie sheets on the lowest setting with oven door ajar. Stir every hour......approximately 4 hours until dry and crunchy. Store in air tight container in fridge for months.
Health Benefits:
Almonds contain Vitamin B 17, known to have anti-cancer properties, as well as being rich in calcium, phosphorous, Vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, magnesium, niacin and protein.
Pumpkin Seeds have high anti-inflammatory properties and are high in zinc, protein, magnesium, and essential fatty acids.
Sunflower Seeds are high in potassium, magnesium, protein and phosphorus.
Onions and Garlic are powerful phytochemicals that increase T-cell activity, greatly increasing anti-tumor activity. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, wrote that garlic was an excellent means of reducing and eliminating tumors.
Tamari, a powerful anti-cancer and antioxidant, is fermented soy sauce that contains no wheat as found in shoyu and is the most health promoting variety of soy sauce.
Cayenne is a “miracle herb” with potent benefits incomparable to any other culinary spice or herb. In addition to having major anti-cancer properties, it can heal stomach tissues, aids in digestion, increases blood flow, strengthens the circulatory system and relieves chronic arthritic pain.
Turmeric is the most powerful of all anti-inflammatory natural substances. Not only does it have potent anti-inflammatory properties, but it is also a powerful anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, antiseptic, and antibiotic. In Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric is known as a “cleanser of the body” – it increases T-cells, B-cells, macrophages, neutrophils and natural killer cells. According to researchers at MD Anderson, it has beneficial effects in the treatment of arthritis, allergy, atherosclerosis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cancer.
CANcer-Proof Your Life.....YES, I CAN and so CAN YOU!
by Sue Ansari on 07/31/11
In about two weeks, it will have been three years since my
fingers found the source of my discomfort that had been plaguing me for
months....and then the ride began. For anyone who has not experienced the
"Cancer Carousel", believe me, it is a ride you desperately want to
get off, but something the centrifugal force will not allow. It is all simply
too much to comprehend and something one can never be prepared for. But,
eventually, the ride will end and I must say, standing on your own two feet
after all that whirling is nearly as difficult as the ride itself.
I stand (sit) here today a much wiser and calmer person than I was three years
ago, prepared to live the rest of my life much differently than I have lived the
past 62 years. Landmark birthdays had never bothered me. Age had always
been simply a number, plus, genetics had been very kind to me; however, my last
birthday smacked me silly. The previous eight years, I had done very
little other than enroll in one alternative "enrichment" course after
another, continually searching for the "the answer", but never quite
finding it. I realized at age 62 if I did not get on track with
something, I would be twiddling my thumbs at age 70...and where would I go from
there?
I expressed my age-related angst to a very wise friend who calmly told me what
I had been doing for the past eight years was the foundation for the next
eight...how right she was! Since the beginning of 2011, everything has
simply fallen into place, although not without a good deal of huffing, puffing
and much hand-wringing.
Promoting a healthy lifestyle, instigating a lifestyle program, has been
something I have been "in training" for since the mid-80's when I
first interned for two weeks with Charlotte Hamlin at her "Fresh
Start" program at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI. A few
weeks ago I sat in "Forks Over Knives", listened to Colin Campbell
and Caldwell Esselstyn MD speak of lifestyle changes I have known were true for
more than 25 years....and the tears began to fall. At that moment, I
realized that if I did not share my knowledge and expertise in this field and
very quickly, my time to do so would be gone. But I
still needed inspiration, incentive.....
That inspiration came again in the form of a dreadful cancer diagnosis, having
an extremely poor prognosis, to a very young woman in my family. She has
been my muse, my inspiration, to share and coach those who have cancer, as well
as those who do not. From the start, I want it to be extremely clear that
what I promote in NO way can cure cancer,
but in every way, it will reduce cancer
risk in those who are disease-free and decrease recurrence in those who have
already had cancer.
These days, there is not enough time in a day for all that I am rapidly putting
together. The urgency to share the "word" presses heavily on me
as I hear the medical updates regarding my dear cousin.
Nothing is complicated here - no drugs, no magic potients, no unusual
ingredients - much has been documented in clinical evidence-based research,
while much is simply known to work. All in all, the easy, simple way to CANcer-Proof Your
Life! is to get back
to basics which I have found many have no idea how to do.
Yes, you CAN CANcer-Proof Your Life...it is so easy, let me show you how!
