A Game Changer...

Humor me... Just for a moment or two...

This UCLA study is worth mentioning.  And no, it doesn't really have anything to do with pancreatic cancer.  Not really.

But, it is so important.  And you need to hear this...

UCLA has developed a program that demonstrates the very real possibility of reversing memory loss in patients with a Non-Drug approach.

Did you hear that?  No Drugs...

It is back to the Basics.  Reclaiming our lives, and our memories, by eating right, sleeping well and exercising with intention.

For many of us, it is a complete Lifestyle Change.

This concept is nothing new... We have talked about it before...

Feeding the Disease or Fighting It

White Crack... the Sugar Connection

The Lifestyle Change that Saved this Pancreatic Cancer Patient

One Tiny Apricot Kernel

Over and over we see the dangers in a Western diet so rich in saturated fats, processed foods and unhealthy sugar levels.  For an eye-opening article on our sugar addiction, you might want to check out this article, What Happens to your Brain on Sugar... (beware, it's not pretty!)

Maybe Hippocrates had it right so many centuries ago... "let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

The study that UCLA presented took a decisive non-drug approach to affect change in the life of alzheimer patients.  And that's where the rubber meets the road.  For who among us like to work that hard when we could just take a pill?

The UCLA protocol is a rather complex, 36-point therapeutic personalized program involving comprehensive changes in diet, brain stimulation, exercise, optimizing restful sleep, and specific vitamin and mineral supplementation among others.

The dietary changes involved removing all processed food, gluten and simple carbohydrates (think sugar) from the diet and eating a healthy variety of raw fruits, vegetables,fish, grains and nuts.  And let's just be honest... that kind of lifestyle change is daunting.  It's hard.  It seems impossible.

But what if that hard work and discipline could give you your life back?

What if changing our diets and turning back to natural, whole foods makes the difference in how our bodies age?

And what if that change strengthens our immune response and protects us from other chronic diseases, including heart disease and many cancers...

As I said, the idea is hardly new.   As Quartz explains, "Researchers have already shown that multi-faceted, comprehensive lifestyle interventions can significantly improve outcomes in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension.  But it's difficult for these approaches to gain traction for two reasons. First, these protocols are more challenging than simply taking a pill at bedtime.  Patients need ongoing education, counseling and support to effect meaningful change.  And second, the pharmaceutical mode of treatment is deeply embedded within our current medical system.  Insurance companies are set up to pay for medication, not lifestyle change; and physicians are taught pharmacology, not nutrition."

Food for thought... literally!

But in the fight for our lives, I think it's a lifestyle change that is very, very worthwhile.

I'm in... Anyone else??

Love you,
              Jane

Back to the Basics

{A little humor to take the sting out of this post}

Because it's about to get real...

really real.

And I'm thinking I might lose a friend or two...

So, here's the deal.  As a whole, in our society, we eat like crap.

And we know better.  Or at least our mamas did. 

"Eat your vegetables."  and  "No dessert until you finish your broccoli." 

I'm sure there were more healthy admonitions, but I usually blocked them out with chocolate...

I have eaten like crap for a long time.

I never liked veggies, couldn't stand salads and barely tolerated orange juice with pulp in it.

Pitiful... I know... 

Somewhere on my way to adulthood I started to grow up and realized that grownups do indeed eat vegetables.  Healthy choices made more sense.  That college degree in biology helped a little too.

Having my own kids was the final wake-up call.  I needed to find a way to clean up my diet and eat those healthy foods.

And we did a fairly good job, sort of... at least I learned to eat salads.  And we raised two kids that eat broccoli and carrots (win-win)

But I don't think I ever truly understood the vital importance of putting healthy food into my body until The Truth About Cancer Docu-Series.

Over and over, the point was driven home that the food we eat has a fundamental role in disease, cancer and our overall health.

We are what we eat!

Back to the basics.  It doesn't get much simpler.

Putting processed, chemical-laden, artificially-colored, fake food in turns our bodies into a toxic dumps.

Putting clean, raw, whole food in turns our bodies into a healthy, energetic treasures.

There were so many valuable interviews and information thru-out the series.  Here are some of my favorites:

The Raw Food Diet

The Power of Broccoli

The Anti-Cancer Smoothie

100% Raw for 90 Days

The Juice Lady

John Robbins: Diet for a New America:

So Much Compelling Information!

The Farmer Husband and I have adopted a much cleaner, healthier lifestyle in the past months.   Neither of us have cancer, we are just realizing the importance of pro-active choices.  And we truly have come to believe that We are What We Eat...  And for all our fellow cancer warriors, we emphatically believe that nutrition plays a powerful role in the healing process.  Read the links above and keep on researching, talking and studying... You have so much to gain.

Do I still love chocolate?  Seriously??? 

But, can I make healthy eating a priority?  Definitely!

And, yet, there's more on the nutritional front ... Tomorrow we tackle the biggest nutritional sabotage of all... White Crack...

You don't want to miss it!

Love and Grace, Always,
                                     Jane