Diagnosed with Colon Cancer?
What a shock… such a horrible feeling… you’re scared to death!
What do you do?
First off, don’t panic. Your cancer has taken years to develop. Your doctor may tell you it is imperative to have surgery and to start chemo and/or radiation immediately, but you need time to sort things out. You can always get a second opinion about your diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
Begin to eat a healthy diet, as your immune system will need all the help it can get.
Do some research on your treatment options. Ask your doctor how many people out of 100 benefit from this treatment. Then ask what the benefit is. Will you live extra days or months if you survive the treatment?
Dr. Jeffrey Tobias has said that sometimes oncologists use chemotherapy with no justification other than the physician’s desire to “do something,” because there is a slim hope that it might work.
Colorectal cancer ranks among the most commonly diagnosed of all cancers and, if caught early, it is one of the most treatable. Even though it is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, in some parts of the world, it’s practically unheard of.
The highest rates of colorectal cancer have been recorded in Connecticut and the lowestrates in Uganda.
Women in the U.S. have ten times more colorectal cancer than women in India.
Why is there such a discrepancy?
The low cancer rate in India may be due in part to the spices they use in their daily cooking, like turmeric, but it may also be the foods they eat. India is one of the world’s largest producers of fruits and vegetables. Most of the population eats legumes, such as beans, split peas, chickpeas and lentils, along with dark-green, leafy vegetables. Only about 7 percent of the adult population eats meat on a daily basis.
Constipation is the most common gastrointestinal complaint in the United States. In a study of twenty-three populations across a dozen countries, it was found that the incidence of colon cancer increased significantly as the average daily stool weight dropped. So the bigger and more frequent your bowel movements are, the better.
Constipation is considered to be a nutrient-deficiency disease, and that nutrient is fiber. Just like you get scurvy if you don’t eat enough citrus fruit, you can get constipation if you don’t get enough fiber. Fiber is found only in plant foods, so the more plants you eat, the less likely you are to be constipated. Foods such as beans, leafy vegetables and whole grains are all high in fiber.
The EPIC study of over half a million Europeans showed that eating more fiber reduced the risk of developing colon cancer. It also found that the more red and processed meat people ate, the more they increased their risk of colon cancer.
A six-year study of about thirty thousand Californians found that higher meat consumption was associated with higher risk of colon cancer. Unexpectedly, white meat appeared to be worse. Those who ate chicken or fish at least once a week had triple the risk of developing colon cancer than those who didn’t eat meat. And those who ate red meat at least once each week had about double the risk of developing colon cancer.
A study of 48,000 men found a significant risk of colon cancer specifically linked to animal protein (meat and dairy) consumption. In other words, animal protein all by itself increased colon cancer in middle-aged American men.
A study out of Uruguay found a definite association between meat consumption and colon cancer. In this study, the participants ate meat from animals which were grass fed and hormone free, just like the Paleo people recommend, yet the cancer risk was still strong.
Even though you may have been eating meat and not enough fiber, this is a great time to change and to build up your immune system so that you can take on the challenges of this new fight – whether you decide on conventional treatments or no treatments.
“The potential to be cured is always there through healing your life, rather than fighting a war. You should love your life and your body unconditionally, sending your body the unmistakable message that you want to LIVE.”
©2016 Melinda Coker
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