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In his book The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health
Dr. Sears says to consume cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, preferably relatively expensive brands that have a naturally peppery flavor: President’s Choice Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany has a peppery finish and seems reasonably priced. Still, you might prefer Dr. Sears’ oils. He sells his own select brand. Google it.
My general doctor says that patients suffering from autoimmune diseases should not take herbs and supplements that boost immunity (since autoimmunity results from overactive immune responses that attack and harm various parts of the patients’ bodies). In other words, when your immune system is already overactive, you are foolish to boost its activity even further. And that is why I am surprised when I see health practitioners (including naturopaths) advise victims of colitis or Crohn’s disease to take alfalfa and Lactobacillus acidophilus.
Alfalfa boosts the immune system and can therefore interfere with immune-suppressive medications, such as mercaptopurine (6-MP) and azathioprine (the Mayo Clinic says flat out that patients should not use azathioprine with alfalfa). And the labels on bottles of Kyo-Dophilus (a probiotic containing Lactobacillus acidophilus) say, “Take KyoDophilus . . . every day to boost immunity.”
In fact a University of California clinical trial using Kyo-Dophilus (”a commercially available dietary supplement often used by individuals with inflammatory bowel disease”) was terminated in 2008 due to low recruitment. In other words, the doctors could not find enough volunteers.
I suspect that colitis patients sometimes find that Kyo-Dophilus provides some relief from the symptoms associated with lactose intolerance. Yet they would do better to stay away from milk products and Kyo-Dophilus, since Kyo-Dophilus will not cure their colitis-induced lactose intolerance, and since it will boost their immune response (possibly causing their colitis to flare).
Patients suffering from autoimmune diseases should not take Kyo-Dophilus, alfalfa, zinc, echinacea, ginseng, and shiitake supplements, and they should stay away from COLD-fx, too.
Also see, Ulcerative Colitis Advice
This week the media told us all that a new study shows that eating lots of vegetables does not “significantly” lower cancer risk. (The study indicates that vegetables might provide a very small reduction in cancer risk, but that statistic may have resulted from reporting error and bias — see Eating Vegetables Doesn’t Stop Cancer: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/eating-vegetables-doesnt-stop-cancer/.)
The cancer researchers had 142,605 men and 335,873 women report on their eating habits and lifestyles during 1992 to 2000. They then assessed the association between cancer risk and diets high in fruits and vegetables.
But it looks to me that investigating the question “Does eating five or more fruits and vegetables stop cancer?” is like asking “Does taking five or more prescription pills stop cancer?” Obviously, I would not eat a random assortment of pills as a cancer-prevention strategy (nor would I take the over-the-counter pills that happen to be on sale each week).
I drink green tea and eat lots of garlic, tomatoes, apples, berries, greens, and cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Broccolive
Research on the cancer-prevention properties of fruits and vegetables continues: On January 11, 2010, Texas AgriLife Research food scientists reported that mango prevents or stops colon and breast cancer cells in the laboratory. And at least one researcher at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson says a “vegetable-rich diet may avert some cancers,” especially a diet full of cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, radishes, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
On my earlier post Best of the Web: Ulcerative Colitis, I listed a few websites recommended by health professionals. Now I would like to say that I also like the University of Maryland writeup.
Here are the main lifestyle suggestions I found on these websites:
1) Exercise. And note that endurance exercise, such as long-distance running and hiking, can help suppress your overactive immune system.
2) Avoid stress.
3) Avoid milk products, including whey protein. (But make sure to supplement your diet with calcium and vitamin D. Take 1000 mg to 1250 mg of calcium each day, plus vitamin D.)
Egg white protein powder is usually OK (but make sure that it does not contain powdered egg yolks).
4) Don’t eat foods that bother you, period.
5) Stay on a low fat diet.
6) Eat lots of vegetables and fruits.
7) If vegetables and fruits bother you, cook them.
And I would add a few additional pointers:
1) Stay away from most fresh vegetables and fruits. Eat frozen produce. Those fresh, unfrozen vegetables you see in the produce section of your local supermarket/grocery have had plenty of time to grow molds and bacteria, both while on the shelf and while in route to the store. And all those germs and fungi will provoke your immune system. (See A Fish and Vegetable Diet.)
Try to buy products grown in the United States, Europe, and Canada.
2) Avoid all grains. (But you might want to try Quinoa.) Do not eat granola!
3) Do not eat red meat. Eat fish and egg whites. (Do not eat egg yolks!)
4) Do not eat at restaurants.
5) Do not eat processed food (meals, meats, snacks, frozen dinners, cereals, etc.).
6) Fix your own meals. Don’t trust other people to make your meals for you.
7) Take tumeric every day, that is, take it at your own risk. (See Frontier Turmeric Root Ground
8 ) Take a good, pharmaceutical-grade fish oil every day, that is, take it at your own risk. (I only recommend Nordic Naturals – Ultimate Omega
9) Get out for a hike or walk every day, or use the treadmill.
10) Do not eat whole nuts and seeds. Eat nut butters and seed butters.
11) Do not take alfalfa or zinc (or supplements that contain alfalfa or zinc). They boost your immune system. You want to stay away from immune-boosting herbs, such as echinacea.
13) Read Dr. Sears’ The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health
14) Get plenty of rest. Do not overwork yourself. Take time off. Relax.
Also see Ulcerative Colitis and Diet, Colitis, Fish Oil, Chocolate, Tea and Spices, Autoimmunity, KyoDophilus, Alfalfa, and Zinc, and Related Posts.
My optometrist always tells me to eat lots of spinach, that studies conducted in the American Southeast indicate that individuals who eat the most greens are less likely to suffer from macular degeneration later in life. Now The State newspaper has come out with an article called “For eye health, eat spinach like Popeye,” in which they say that a half cup of spinach or three quarters of a cup of collard or turnip greens provides the 10mg of lutein that experts recommend as the daily dose necessary for eye health.
I eat spinach every day. And I take a lutein supplement every day, usually 10mg, but often 20-40mg. (I have read that lutein might also protect the skin.)
Experts say that blueberries, bilberries, vitamin E, vitamin C, and zinc also protect eyesight, and I eat blueberries and take supplements containing bilberries and blueberries, and a calcium supplement containing zinc. But I remember one of the cancer organizations saying that vitamin E and vitamin C seem to protect cancers from being destroyed by our immune systems. I therefore take low doses of vitamin C (20 mg) and vitamin E (100 IU or less) and NOT every day. See the BCcancer web site, where they say, “Water soluble vitamins in megadoses may in some cases be tumor promoters.” And see the HealthDay article “Vitamin E Supplements May Raise Lung Cancer Risk.”
I recently read a reputable article that said that we should be taking 1500 to 2300 IU of Vitamin D each day. I think I read the article on a life extension web site: http://www.lef.org/news/.
Mayo Clinic says that the upper limit for vitamin D is 2000 IU per day. See http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/AN01864. In Canada, doctors often recommend 1000 IU per day as a potential cancer preventative.
Previously, I was taking 1000 to 1300 IU each day, every day, rain, snow, or shine, 365 days per year.
Also see my post Cancer Prevention Foods and Spices. And search the United States government’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine web site and Mayo Clinc.
Daily anti-cancer foods and supplements:
1) I bought one pound of Organic Connections beet powder for $23.80. (That’s the best price I found).
– I take 1 tsp. of beet powder a day in a shake.
2) I bought one pound of Frontier brand organic turmeric powder
– I take 1 heaping teaspoon of turmeric powder a day in a shake.
3) I eat one ounce (28 to 30 grams) of dark chocolate every day. It has to be 70% or better. I most often eat 85%. But do not take it with milk. Milk inactivates the good ingredients in chocolate.
4) I have about 1/2 to 1 cup of fresh cabbage juice every day.
5) I eat spinach every day.
6) I eat cherries every day.
7) I drink a mug of green tea steeped for 15 minutes every day. You have to steep it for 15 minutes to get the most from it.
8 ) I try to eat a red apple almost every day.
9) I eat broccoli or cauliflower most days.
10) The only powdered “greens” I recommend in Canada is Progressive Nutritional PhytoBerry
When I am not taking PhytoBerry, I use Rainbow Vibrance Super Food
11) I take pharmaceutical grade fish oil, usually Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega
Also see cancur.org.
As part of your cancer prevention diet consume dark chocolate, cabbage juice, homemade tomato sauce, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, green tea, turmeric, and ginger every day. But don’t overdo it: fish oil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, garlic and cinnamon thin the blood. When you thin the blood too much, you are susceptible to hemorrhagic strokes and other serious health problems. If you already take prescription blood thinners (such as warfarin), you should talk to your doctor about using fish oil, turmeric, ginger, green tea, garlic and cinnamon as health supplements.
Your dark chocolate should be at least 70% cocoa and you should consume 1 ounce (about 30 grams) each day. Eating more than an ounce a day will add to your fat load and make you gain weight.
You should be sure that your fish oil is pharmaceutical grade. Lower quality fish oil products contain contaminants. I take Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega
My homemade tomato sauce consists of strained Italian tomatoes (from the bottle) slightly simmered with Italian spices. Cooking tomatoes makes the lycopene antioxidant more accessible.
I make cabbage juice every day and drink it immediately after preparing it. I also include a heaping teaspoon of organic turmeric, a half teaspoon of organic powdered ginger, one ounce of 80% – 90% dark chocolate, a mug of green tea (steeped for 15 minutes), and Nordic Naturals fish oil in my daily regimen.
Take turmeric
Also see cancur.org.
I was just looking at the anti-inflammation food pyramid on drweil.com and saw that Dr. Weil included beans, whole grains, and dairy products in his selection. However, I once read that if a food causes you indigestion most times you eat it, then you should cut it from your diet. Repeated bouts of indigestion (and flatulence) can bring on intestinal (and then general) inflammation and ill health. Beans, whole grains, and dairy products cause indigestion in many people, especially as they age.
As a remedy for indigestion and general inflammation, I find that Dr. Sear’s Zone Diet
Also see Cancer Prevention Foods and Spices
Most of us prefer green tea, not Wu-Yi.
I think we hear about obesity daily, how it contributes to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and shorter lifespans. And we are bombarded by news and advertisements of diet plans and exercises and even surgical techniques. Not only are a vast number of adults fighting weight gain, our children are overweight too.
But what if you could achieve weight loss without embarking on a major diet or an extensive exercise routine? (Personally I think the Zone diet coupled with exercise will take the pounds off.) What if you could simply add one food/drink to a low calorie diet supplemented with light exercise? I am sure you have heard of green tea diets, but how about Wu-Yi tea?
Salesmen say that Wu-Yi tea helps activate enzymes that dissolve and burn fat, that the tea speeds up metabolism (just like muscle does). The active ingredients in Wu-Yi are called polyphenols. According to some research, as well as anecdotal accounts, drinking two cups of Wu-Yi tea per day helps people lose weight, and the tea also helps block the carbohydrate cascade that leads to rapid weight gain. (Personally I drink green tea. Scientists say green tea is less processed than Wu-Yi and therefore contains more antioxidants.)
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