More anti-cancer tactics.

Last time I wrote about this, I began to talk about what I am eating, and I began with the marvellous mushrooms. Today, I want to talk about two things, one, on the emotional side and the other on the food side.

Stress
I have read several books and a lots of research papers and they all seem to bear out what Professor Sali said - that stress is the main cause of illness.  There is evidence that stress causes changes in the physical body, that chronic stress "floods the body" with "immune-suppressing biochemicals". This is bad news if there is a cancer cell or two about to attack and spread.

I didn't think that I was so stressed, but I am learning that although I thought that I usually appear to be cool calm and collected, inside, I am not.

Part of that is probably my upbringing. As the eldest child, I was expected to be responsible and indeed, was praised for being so. As a Girl Guide, I won awards and badges. Here I am as a Girl Guide about 1957 (sister Robyn on left and Mum in the centre). As a GG, I learnt to be responsible for myself and others, and that included, at 15, taking 6 younger girls camping. No matter what, to get that badge, I must be always in control and I must keep my charges safe. I did that, and got what was in those days, a reasonable reward - the Queen's Guide.

Now that all sounds very patriotic and funny now, but I took it very seriously. In fact I took just about everything seriously - religion, my school studies, my music practice. I think this dedication, while it brought me considerable success, it took its toll.

It was, and is, hard for me to relax. There is always something more to be done, if one is responsible!

I am continuing my yoga practice, have resumed daily meditation and am trying to recognise and deal with the stressful moments. Some of the guided meditation has really helped and the new Dederang (over the river and only 8kms away) yoga teacher is wonderful. I play my recorder in a different way - as a meditation. I have cut the number of students I tutor so that means less marking.  I am trying to relax more.

The worst food.
I will make this short seeing that I wrote so much about stress. I don't think it is news to anyone that sugar is bad for us. However, according to all the books I have read, all types of sugar are BAD for cancer.

Cancer cells consume between ten and fifty times more glucose as normal cells.........glucose allows the cancers to grow with reckless abandon............ So, avoid refined carbohydrates: white sugar, honey, corn syrup, cookies, white bread, commercial breakfast foods...........

Although we consumed very few white things, preferring wholemeal flour, brown rice etc., it still meant a lot of changes for me. I am being a lot more careful, especially, when I go out - in the past, an excuse for me to indulge a bit. Honey is even out for me. I am using a tiny bit of xylitol when a sweetener is absolutely necessary, such as in bread making.

Reference: Block, K.L.(2009) Life over cancer.