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Show Page 12 The Ogden Valley news Volume XVIII Issue X November 1, 2010 Beating Cancer With Nutrition: A book review By Forrest Brown My oldest daughter recently let me borrow a book that she had been reading (actually I stole the book from her). I wasn’t too excited at first to read a book on cancer, but as I thumbed through it I became enthralled. Cancer is quite invasive in our society today and increased knowledge on this subject is something that all of us can use for ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities. The author of this book, Dr. Patrick Quillin, is a nationally recognized authority on the subject of nutrition in cancer treatment. Currently he is the Vice President of Nutrition for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, which has hospitals in Chicago, Tulsa, and Los Angeles. Dr. Quillin has worked as a college instructor, a dietitian, and as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, Scripps Clinic, and La Costa Spa. He has authored four additional books, written many articles, and is a frequent speaker around the country at medical and consumer groups. He also has appeared on various TV and radio shows. He is joined in this book by his wife Noreen who is an artist, chef, author, Toastmaster, and an executive assistant. This book is full of statistics, diagrams, facts, and references on what cancer is, what it does to the human race, and the many types of treatments that have been, and continue to be used to fight this dreadful disease. Some interesting facts that Dr. Quillin reveals are: • Cancer infiltrates the body with malnutrition, infections, and organ failure • Conditions that encourage cancer growth are improper pH, lack of heat and oxygen, immune issues, and parasites • You can attack cancer on many levels using both external and internal medicines • We typically only focus on the tip of the iceberg in fighting cancer • Some of the contributing factors to cancer are toxins, distress, and malnutrition • Exercise is a tremendous advantage in fighting cancer • Newer alternative cancer treatments are poorly financed and under supported • Cancer rates and its resulting deaths continue to escalate in America • Only 5% of the $1.8 billion annual budget is spent on prevention of cancer • Our environment (air and water) is plagued with many pollutants and toxins Dr. Quillin states early in his book that there are many approaches to treating cancer, and, from the start, the patient and the treatment personnel need to be fully aware of all the options available. He states that chemotherapy, which is one of the conventional therapies used today, is 92% effective in curing testicular cancer. Also, radiation therapy, another conventional type of treatment that is given to about 60% of all cancer patients, can now be delivered with computer-assisted precision to most tumors. Heat or hyperthermia therapy is used in some cases since cancer cells seem to be more vulnerable to heat than normal healthy cells, and applying heat to the patient elevates immune responses. He points out that exercise induces “hyperthermia” and can kill off cancer cells before they become an issue saying, “Exercise imparts many benefits, including oxygenation of the tissues to thwart the anaerobic needs of cancer cells. Exercise also helps to stabilize blood glucose levels, which can restrict the amount of fuel available for cancer cells to grow. Exercise improves immune function, lymph flow, and detoxification systems. Exercise helps us better tolerate stressful situations. For cancer patients . . . exercise improves tolerance to chemotherapy.” Supporting this theory, I recently read that medical doctors used to want their sick patients to stay down in an inactive state, but new studies indicate that they should “get up and move!” The main focus of this book is that nutrition can, and is being used successfully in the war against cancer. Even if one follows a traditional form of treatment as Dr. Quillian puts it, nutrition can still be used to ward off many of the ill effects of this disease. According to the author, this nutritional approach includes a diet that is: • Low in fat • High in fiber • High in vegetable intake • Able to improves the sodium to potassium ratio • Successful in changing an acid (cancer) pH back to an alkaline or healthy environment • Able to reverse the typical effects of malnutrition into a healthy diet • Capable of preventing 50-90% of all cancer Dr. Quillin says that we as a society must experience a “paradigm shift” if we are to win the war against cancer. The emphasis must be on nutrition. Some examples he uses to support this are taking 300 mg daily of Vitamin C which is 500% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), eating things like garlic, yogurt, cruciferous vegetables, dark green leafy vegetables, and tomatoes all of which contain factors that kill tumor cells and stimulate the immune system, cut down on sugar in our diets because sugar feeds tumors, eat enough protein because cancer is a serious wasting disease and protein is needed in proper cell development, and take in clean air and water. The author explains that by oxygenating our body tissue we exploit the “Achilles heel” of cancer allowing oxygen in and carbon dioxide out keeping our cells aerobic and healthy. In closing Dr. Quillin believes that by being pro-active and assertive in our war against cancer, we will be victorious. He writes, “From my cancer patients I have learned of the incredible tenacity of the human body and spirit . . . Nourish your body, mind, and spirit. Take every opportunity to say I love you. Give away smiles with wreckless abandon. Practice random acts of kindness and beauty. Savor each day as though it may be your last, (and) turn this ultimate challenge (cancer) into the ultimate victory.” Read the book and let me know what you think at <brownfamily09@msn.com> Subscriptions available for out of area residents at $18.00 annually. Send payment with mailing address to: The Ogden Valley news Do You Have Hypothyroidism? Are you cold all the time? Does your hair fall out when you brush it? Always tired? Can’t sleep? Gain weight easily but can’t lose it? You may have a thyroid problem. It is estimated that over 27 million people in the United States have a thyroid problem and don’t even know it. They may have gone to their medical doctor and been told everything is fine, but yet the symptoms still persist. Their TSH level may have been high so the person was put on medication to bring it down and the symptoms went away for a few weeks but then came back. What is up with that? Before talking about the thyroid, it is necessary to first understand some basics. Inside the brain is an organ called the hypothalamus. This organ senses and reads how much thyroid hormone is in the body. If it is low it releases a hormone called TRH or Thyroid Releasing Hormone so it can stimulate the pituitary gland. The pituitary is also located in the brain and works by managing many of the hormones in the body. When it receives TRH it then releases TSH or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone to activate the thyroid to make more thyroid hormone. When the thyroid receives TSH it reacts with a substance called Thyroid Peroxidase or TPO and more thyroid hormone is produced. The thyroid then makes thyroid hormone and metabolism should work correctly. If it doesn’t, then there is a problem—a very big problem. Treatment with medicine for thyroid conditions is based on a 1961 technology that is almost 50 years old. However, there is more than one cause for thyroid symptoms to occur. In fact, there are six known causes for someone to be suffering from hypothyroid symptoms. 1. The first is a true underactive thyroid. The thyroid is just pooped out and doesn’t want to make enough thyroid hormone. The pituitary then tries to kick it in the pants and get it going again with TSH. That is why a blood test will show high TSH levels—because it is trying to get things going. Medication may help this condition, but this is the only one that needs meds. Remember that there are five other causes that don’t need medication and can be treated naturally with supplements and lifestyle changes. 2. The second cause is that the pituitary can be lazy. The pituitary is the gland that makes TSH (the only tests MD’s tend to look at) and if it is tired, the TSH level will be low. If TSH is low on the blood work, one would think that it is hyperthyroid but the person will have all the symptoms of hypothyroid. This is because the pituitary can’t tell the thyroid to make more thyroid hormone. So what causes this? It could be a variety of things from pregnancy, stress, blood sugar problems, or hormone pills (including Synthroid which may be taken for the first cause). So if someone has this type of hypothyroid and they are taking medication it could be making the problem worse. 3. The next one is not converting the thyroid hormone the way it should. When the thyroid makes hormones it makes 93% T4 and 7% T3, but the body can only use T3 for its metabolism functions. The T4 must be converted into T3 in other areas of the body. The liver converts 60% of T4 into T3. The stomach converts 20% of T4 into T3. The peripheral tissues convert the remaining T4 into T3. So if someone is having problems with their liver or there is not enough acid or the right kind of acid in the stomach or the peripheral tissue like the heart, kidneys, or muscles are not working correctly can have the symptoms of hypothyroid disease. Now the hypothalamus only reads T4 so it will say that they are normal. Medical doctors rarely check for T3, which is the test used to find this problem. 4. The body may be over converting the T4 and a person has too much T3 but not enough of P O BOX 130, EDEN UT 84310 801-745-4000 2555 WOLF CREEK DR. EDEN STORE HOURS: MON. - SAT. 7 AM - 10 PM SUNDAY 7 AM - 9 PM ... Because life is too short to hate your hair. Any Lofthouse Cookies 50c OFF with coupon Expires 11/15/10 Any Bag of Halloween Candy 50c OFF with coupon Expires 11/15/10 One lb. Boars Head Meat the 50c OFF with coupon inDeli Expires 11/15/10 Gallon Chocolate Milk 50c OFF with coupon Expires 11/15/10 Any Pre-Marinated Roast $1.00 Expires OFF with coupon 11/15/10 in the Meat Dept. Design & Maintenance Sprinkler Systems, Lighting Waterfalls & Ponds Custom Patios & Fire Pits Demolition & Renovation Snow Plowing, Salt & Sanding a protein called TBG (thyroid binding globulin) to carry it around the body. This is caused by blood sugar problems as well; more specifically insulin resistance. This resistance causes an increase in female production of testosterone resulting in too little TBG. If someone doesn’t have enough TBG to carry the T3 around they will have symptoms of hypothyroid. 5. The next cause is the body is making too much TBG resulting in not enough T3 to fill it up. Comparing this to a taxi cab driving around New York City it will make it a little more understandable. If there are 3 million cabs (TBG) but only 3000 passengers (T3), once a T3 molecule gets picked up by the TBG it doesn’t want to let it go. If it does who knows where it will get its next passenger from. So T3 is never dropped off at the receptor site and therefore not used. This results in hypothyroid symptoms. So the main culprit in this cause is oral contraceptives. If someone gains a lot of weight after starting birth control pills, this is what is happening to their bodies. 6. The last cause is just plain thyroid hormone resistance. The pituitary and thyroid are working fine and doing what they are supposed to be doing. The only problem, the hormone isn’t getting into the cells. They have become resistant to the hormone and will not let it in. This is caused by chronic stress and too much cortisol that has been produced, leaving it circulating in the blood. If it isn’t getting in, a person will have hypothyroid symptoms. That is why it is so important to be checked with all thyroid tests to determine what is wrong. If only TSH and maybe T4 is tested, there will not be all the pieces to the puzzle. There is also Total T4 and Free T4, Total T3 and Free T3, Thyroid Antibodies, FTI (Free Thyroxin Index), Reverse T3 and TBG. Everything needs to be looked at to find the real answer. Only one of the six causes needs medication. If someone has one of the other causes, medication will not help or may even make it worse. Ninety percent of hypothyroid patients can and should be treated naturally with whole food supplements and without medication. Get all the tests done and find the real cause to a thyroid problem and get the correct treatment for the specific condition. There are doctors who understand these conditions and can treat a patient naturally. This type of practice is called Functional Medicine and it is sweeping the country. Dr. Lew Harper has been studying Functional Medicine for the past year and has found great success working with many different individuals. For more information about hypothyroidism, or to find out how Functional Medicine might be able to help, please call Dr. Harper at 801-416-8247. Note: Article courtesy of Dr. Lew Harper and Advanced Health Center. Photo by Tommy Lee of Huntsville. |