Health and Fitness

Keto Diet: Healthy or not?

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Dear Ones,

From the Heart….

I’ve been eating lots of rhubarb, some from my own garden, but most from the healthiest patch of rhubarb I have ever seen in the garden of a woman who doesn’t eat it because she is on a keto diet. I decided to see what a keto diet is since my trainer at the Xgym promotes this diet, too. We’re told not to eat carbs even as they show up in vegetables and fruit except for the ones very low on the “sugar” scale or glycemic scale.

I add sugar to my cut-up rhubarb and put it in the microwave for about 6 minutes. Out comes a sauce with rhubarb pieces still intact, soft and delicious, tart spring in every mouthful. Have I ruined a Keto diet? Let’s take a look at what my most reliable doctor/scientist, Dr. Stephen Chaney, has to say.

Personally, I think people gravitate to the keto diet because they need rules about refined carbohydrates, which are altogether different from fruits and vegetables and a little added pure cane sugar. When a person craves sweets, a teaspoon of sugar does not satisfy. It’s the refining and additives, fat and salt, that make carbohydrate foods fattening. A small serving of rhubarb crisp a couple times during the spring growing season will not induce diabetes or cause your low-carb diet to fail.

The ketogenic diet has been around since the 1920s when doctors realized it helps control epilepsy. Today the ketogenic diet is mainstream. Proponents claim:

Hunger and food cravings will disappear. The pounds will melt away effortlessly and rapidly.

You will feel great. You’ll have greater mental focus and increased energy.

Physical endurance will increase. You’ll become superhuman.

Type 2 diabetes will disappear.

Your blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels will improve, reducing your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

This sounds like the perfect diet. But, is this diet safe?

What Is Ketosis?

Ketosis is a natural metabolic adaptation to starvation.

Metabolism 101:

The Fed State:  fed (absorptive) state of metabolism ie. while your food is being digested. Here’s what happens to the carbohydrate, protein & fat when we eat in a meal.

  • Most carbohydrates are converted to blood sugar (glucose), which is utilized in three ways:
    • Most tissues use glucose as their primary energy source in the fed state.
    • Excess glucose is stored as glycogen in muscle and liver.
    • Glycogen stores are limited, so much of the excess glucose is stored as fat.
  • A few tissues such as heart muscle use fat as an energy source. Excess fat is stored.
  • Protein is also used in three ways:
    • Some of it is used to replace and repair the protein components in muscle and other tissues.
    • In conjunction with exercise, protein can be used to increase muscle mass.
    • Excess protein is converted to fat and stored.

The Fasting State: Between meals:

  • Most tissues switch to fats as their primary energy source. Fat stores are utilized to fuel the cells that can use fat.
  • Brain, red blood cells, and a few other tissues still rely solely on glucose as their energy source.
    • Liver glycogen stores are broken down to keep blood glucose levels constant and provide energy for these tissues. (Muscle glycogen stores are reserved for high intensity exercise).
    • As liver glycogen stores are depleted, the body starts breaking down protein and converting it to glucose.

Starvation – The Problem: If the fasting state were to continue for more than a few days, we enter what is called starvation. At this point we have a serious problem. Fat stores and carbohydrate stores (liver glycogen) exist for the sole purpose of providing fuel during the fasting state. Protein, however, is unique. There are no separate protein stores in the body. All protein in our body is serving essential functions.

To make matters worse, our brain is metabolically very active. It consumes glucose at an alarming rate. Thus, large amounts of glucose are needed even in the fasting state. If protein continued to be converted to glucose at the same rate as during an overnight fast, our essential protein reserves would rapidly be depleted. Irreversible damage to heart muscle and other essential organs would occur. We would be dead in a few weeks.

Starvation – The Solution: Fortunately, at this point a miraculous adaptation occurs. Our bodies start to convert some of the fat to ketones.

All tissues that use fat as an energy source during fasting can also use ketones as an energy source, sometimes with greater efficiency.

Over a period of several days, the brain adapts to ketones as its primary energy source. This greatly reduces the depletion of cellular protein to supply blood glucose.

However, red blood cells and a few other cells still require glucose as an energy source. Essential protein reserves are still being depleted, but at a far slower pace.

With these adaptations, humans can survive months without food if necessary.

There are a few other adaptations that make sense if we think about the dilemma of going long periods without food.

Appetite decreases.

Metabolic rate decreases, which helps preserve both protein & fat stores.

What Is The Ketogenic Diet?

Proponents of the ketogenic diet advocate achieving a permanent state of ketosis without starving yourself. That is achievable because the real trigger for ketosis is low blood sugar, not starvation.

The starting point for the ketogenic diet is low-carb, high-fat diets like Atkins. However, ketogenic diets go beyond traditional low-carb, high-fat diets. They restrict carbohydrates even further to <10% of calories so that a permanent state of ketosis can be achieved. Basically, the ketogenic diet:

Eliminates grains and sugars.

Eliminates most fruits.

Eliminates starchy vegetables (root vegetables like beets, corn, peas, beans, squash & yams).

Reduces protein intake. That’s because dietary protein will be converted to glucose when blood glucose levels are low.

You are left with a highly restrictive diet that allows unlimited amounts of fats & some vegetables and moderate amounts of meats, eggs, and cheeses.

The Ketogenic Diet Is Not For Wimps

#1: You have to be committed. You will have great difficulty following it when you eat out and you will have to give up many of your favorite foods.

#2: The transition is rough. Physiological adaptation to the ketogenic diet will take anywhere from a couple of days to a week or two. During that time, you will have to endure some of the following:

  • Headaches, confusion & “brain fog”
  • Fatigue
  • Hunger
  • Lightheadedness and shakiness
  • Leg cramps
  • Constipation
  • Bad breath
  • Heart palpitations

#3: There are no “cheat days”. On most diets, you can have occasional “cheat days” or sneak in some of your favorite foods from time to time. A single “cheat day” will take you out of ketosis. You will need to go through the transition period once again.

Is The Ketogenic Diet Effective?

Mostly True Claims:

Reduced hunger.

Improved mental focus and increased energy. Contrast to the “brain fog” and fatigue of the transition phase. You have also eliminated all foods that can cause blood sugar swings from your diet. Blood sugar swings can affect both mental focus and energy levels.

Rapid weight loss. If we focus on short term weight loss, this is true because:

A lot of the initial weight loss is water. Glycogen stores retain water. As glycogen stores are depleted, the water is lost along with them.

Most people inadvertently reduce their caloric intake on a highly restrictive diet like this. For example, fats are often consumed along with carbohydrate-rich foods (butter with toast, sour cream with potatoes, cream cheese with bagels). Less fat intake.

The weight loss with the ketogenic diet is because you are burning fat stores. You burn fat stores when fat intake is not sufficient to meet your energy needs. “Calories in” are less than “calories out” as in all diets.

Reversal of type 2 diabetes. Because carbohydrates are restricted in this diet, blood sugar and insulin levels will be low.

Half true claims:

Improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Some studies show an improvement. Other studies show them getting worse.

Increased physical endurance. This is only true for low-intensity endurance exercise. It is not true for any exercise or event that requires spurts of high intensity exercise. Because:

The muscle fibers used for low intensity endurance exercise utilize ketone bodies with high efficiency. You can run for miles as long as you don’t care how fast you get there.

The muscle fibers used for high-intensity, short-duration exercise cannot adapt to use of ketone bodies because they lack sufficient mitochondria. They require glycogen stores, which are depleted on a ketogenic diet. Even in events like marathons most people want to sprint to the finish line. They won’t be able to if they are on a ketogenic diet.

Mostly False Claims:

Long term weight loss. Some long-term success has been claimed in a highly controlled clinical setting. However, most studies show:

People regain some or most of the weight after 6 months to a year.

After 1 or 2 years, there is no difference in weight loss between high-fat/low-carb diets and low-fat/high-carb diets.

The reduction in metabolic rate and the reduction in muscle mass associated with the ketogenic diet make it difficult to keep the weight off long term.

It is a healthy diet. To a point……

This is a healthy diet only from the point of view that it eliminates most fast foods and processed foods.

However, any diet that eliminates 2 and a half food groups (grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables) is setting you up for long term nutritional deficiencies. It is possible to cover some of those deficiencies with supplementation, but supplements can never provide all the nutrients found in real food.

Is the Ketogenic Diet Safe?

For most people the ketogenic diet is likely to be safe for short periods, maybe even a few months. However, I have grave concerns if the diet is continued long term.

This diet is likely to create nutritional deficiencies which could have severe health consequences.

Long term reduction of protein intake will result in a gradual depletion of essential cellular protein reserves which can weaken heart muscle, compromise the immune system, and damage essential organs.

Ketones can damage the kidneys.

The problem is the ketones, not the protein.

Long term ketosis has the potential to cause osteoporosis.

Try the Mediterranean Diet for a healthier way to achieve your goal weight and stay there.

If you disagree with Dr. Chaney’s analysis and conclusions, I recommend you go to his web post and read the thoughtful objections and criticisms people posted and his responses. Some number of people have had excellent results with the Keto diet.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving, Betsy

Be Well health tips

the Krebs cycle: who cares?

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Dear Ones,

I’ve been unpacking the challenges we face when we try to change our lifestyle. We want to achieve certain health goals. What prevents us from making those changes?

It isn’t easy. I talk about these challenges is on www.fb.com/betsybellshealth4u live steam at 8:30 Thursdays, Pacific time. In case you are not a FaceBook person, here are the first two videos unpacking challenges to life-style changes.

In the first live stream, I talk about my own struggle with sudden weight gain and the ineffective, in fact, detrimental steps I took to get the weight off. A good friend is approaching sixty and complaining of aches and pains, higher cholesterole and persistent belly fat. He called me to see if I had a pill for any of that. Here’s what I had to say.

To better understand how our cells metabolise the food we eat, I gave this short talk on the Krebs cycle, the process by which the food we eat is used to produce energy.

In plain English the process involves the interaction of the food that we consume and the biochemical processes within the body. These interactions produce energy that our body uses to do its work. The Krebs cycle is at the center of the many processes at work in the cell.

Knowing how this cycle works, we can change our diet, and change our behavior or activity to maximize results. The Krebs cycle is closely tied to our diet, and is directly involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats and its conversion to energy. Understanding what is going on in the body may help you with your eating and exercise –lifestyle–decisions, and help you to better control your body metabolism.

Focus on the 3 major sources of substrates or fuel molecules, carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Here we go:

What is the Kreb’s Cycle?

*This is the biochemical hub of the cell.

*It is thru this cycle that energy precursors are converted into ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which is the then processed to produce the energy that the body utilizes.

*This pathway is the final common pathway for the oxidation of fuel molecules, namely – amino acids, fatty acids, and carbohydrates.

*These molecules undergo processing and enter the cycle in the form of acetyl-coenzyme A.
Normally during aerobic conditions (or states wherein oxygen is available for utilization by the body), the body converts carbohydrates into glucose which is processed to form acetyl-CoA.

*The Krebs cycle allows the harvesting of high-energy electrons from fuels that we take in.

*The Krebs cycle forms the first stage of the cellular level of respiration. In this process, acetyl-CoA, coming from multiple sources (glucose, fat, and protein metabolism) is processed to produce ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) which is the primary resource of most energy consuming processes in the body.

*The Krebs cycle is closely related to other metabolic cycles and can explain how we utilize energy substrates we derived from our diet.

*Fatty acids and amino acids can both be converted to materials that the cells utilize as sources of energy.

*Most of the time, the body utilizes glucose, but in specific conditions, the body turns to other sources.

*Fatty acids, coming from fat, are shuttled into the metabolic pathways, and conditions that have high energy requirements tap into fat stores in the body for extra energy to perform the exercises or movements we want to complete at that time. Using fat energy is much faster than our typical glucose utilization.

This is good news. It is through this mechanism that we burn off the excess fat in our body. However fat did not create the excess fat in your body in the first place. It’s far more likely that excess sugar in your diet contributed to your fat gain. This is because your liver can’t keep up with all that sugar and eventually turns to storing it as fat as a means to deal with it.

Have you been eating low- fat, no-fat, processed foods, with loads of added sugar (so they taste good) for years to lose weight and had little or no success? These foods are the real culprits as to why you are fat. They have next to no nutritional value. All calories are no created equal. If that were the case you could eat 200 calories from sugar and 200 cals from protein and you’d get the same result. The problem being, you DO NOT get the same result.

The Metabolic Pathways Involving The Krebs Cycle

Glucose plays a major role in the generation of energy via the Krebs cycle. Other materials may be used to produce energy: fatty acids and amino acids. Fatty acids come from fat, and amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Though they all end up in a common path in the Krebs cycle, they are being processed by different mechanisms in the body.

Glucose metabolism undergoes processing by way of glycolysis. The end product — pyruvate is converted to Acetyl-CoA, that then goes into the Krebs cycle. Fatty acids are broken down via Beta-oxidation,which forms acyl-CoA, and is then processed into Acetyl-CoA.

Amino acids follow a different process. Protein is broken down and later on forms amino acids, which undergo transamination. In their new form, these amino acids are storaged as fat or glycogen, are made into new protein in the body, or are oxidized for energy.

The body utilizes these different pathways to provide you with adequate energy for every scenario and state possible. Knowing about these pathways and states helps us tailor our diet and physical activity to maximize our health benefits.

Exercise and Energy Metabolism

Now, under normal conditions, wherein we don’t exercise, and are just doing normal daily activities, we utilize materials coming from the metabolism of glucose from our diet. Anything in excess is converted into energy stores. Anything we eat that is beyond our energy requirement is stored by the body in different forms, primarily fa. That fat will remain as such until our body enters a state of high energy requirement (e.g. increased physical activity).

We limit the intake of glucose or carbohydrates to an amount that matches our caloric requirement, hence preventing the accumulation of fat stores. Also pay attention to the sugar you are getting daily.

Pay attention to the balance between carbohydrates (fresh fruits and vegetables or processed goodies), fat (dairy of all kinds and fatty meats, sausage, lunch meat, cheese) and protein (animal protein or plant protein which can get tricky). It all becomes glucose eventually.

Know how our body utilizes glucose for energy and how it turns to stored fats as extra sources of energy when we exercise. Then change the process through changing the fuel. Exercise uses our fat stores for extra energy, resulting in weight loss and less fat in the body.

I hope this is helpful and makes sense. Don’t try to memorize this. There is no quiz. Just use the information so that when you are putting something in your mouth you take note: will this bite become glucose quickly leaving the roll around my middle just where it is? Or will this bite require work to produce energy and therefore reach for to burn fat? Munch a carrot. Eat nuts. Have a bowl of rice and beans. Calories are not all the same. Keep the amount of calories equal to the energy required for your day’s activities.

Questions?

Above all, be well, do well and keep moving,

Betsy

And if you want to get a good start toward a new lifestyle, take advantage of the Shaklee Cleanse package. If you follow it to the letter, you will see results. If you’re like me and grow faint without protein, order a cannister of one of Shaklee’s sugar free shake mixes and add just a little to keep you on your feet during this week of vegetables and fruits.

www.HiHoHealth.com My Shaklee shopping site.

 

Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Protein and Muscle Mass

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From the heart….
There seems to be a gulf between elderly people with good, strong muscles and those whose muscles have wasted away, even when they are visiting the gym and working out several times a week. A friend who is in his nineties called to see if I could suggest something to help him rebuild muscle mass as his gym workouts don’t seem to be enough. In the same week, I received an email from my trainer, PJ Glassey, which rather embarrassed me. I’ve decided to reproduce our exchange for you because I have such a heart-felt passion for what PJ has helped me achieve in my old age.

The idea of building muscle strength is not new for me. When my oldest daughter became pregnant for my first grandchild, I was fifty-seven. I wanted to be able to carry an eight pound baby around without hurting my back, shoulders or arms. I began lifting weights. For me, weight training has always been about daily living functions and the ability to keep doing them.

After a recent workout session: I had a hard workout over Skype today [4/28/2019] with trainer and owner of the Xgym method, PJ Glassey. After we were done, he sent me this email:

Hi Betsy,
I just gotta say how proud I am of you and the incredible strength you’ve produced. Your lunge switch squats are better than 70% of the X Gymers -regardless of age! Your mental strength is better than probably 90% of the X Gymers because you never offload.
You totally rock and even border on superhuman. You should do the wall sit contest at your [60th college] reunion, but have someone else suggest it (and judge form) because when you win, it would make you look like you conned everyone. Hahaha! 😂
Thanks,
PJ Glassey, CSCS
Founder, X Gym xgym.com

My response: Ah, shucks. I’m embarrassed by your comments. I just love being able to carry a full basket of wet laundry up the basement stairs and hang it out to dry, to haul the lawn mower around the yard, to lift my set of stainless steel pots from a lower cupboard to the counter, and to twist the frozen lid off my Ninja food processor, plus go for a 6 mile hike with my 50 year old daughters and not cause them to slow their pace too much. Xgym makes all that possible. I’m grateful, and not necessarily superhuman, just a lover of an active life. my brand and motto: Be well, Do well and Keep Moving. Love ya and all your fabulous trainers. You and Shaklee! Betsy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PJ took these pictures of me during a recent training. Pushups and bicep curls. I’ve still got skin that sags just like every other 80 year old!

So, what is going on here?

Protein

You can’t generalize from a sample of two people, both over 80 and both working out, but I will offer some macro observations.

Protein is a major factor in retaining and building muscle mass at any age, but particularly in our older years. Most older adults do not eat as much protein as they did when they were younger. We don’t have the appetite for it; it’s harder to digest; lean organic meat, poultry, and line caught fish are expensive grocery items and we may not include them in our budget.

Nothing happens in the body without protein. We have to have it every day for growth, repair, and maintenance of all body tissues. Protein makes enzymes – the stuff we have to have for every single thing that happens in the body. Protein keeps our fluid and electrolyte balance where it needs to be.

Without protein, we have no Energy. Protein fights off disease and heals wounds.

Our body makes protein’s amino acids, except for nine essential ones. These nine are not stored in the body. No new body tissue can be built without it.

Protein Sources

Not all protein is equal: fish, lean meat, poultry and soy have all nine of the essential amino acids and do all the things I mentioned.

If you rely on a low meat/poultry/fish diet or are vegetarian by eating nuts, grains, beans for your protein sources (none of these sources have all nine essential amino acids), you would be wise to study up on the combinations you need in a 24 hour period to get those 9 essential amino acids into your body. It can be tricky. Incomplete balance of the missing 9 could leave you depleted in certain important ways. We all know the classic beans and rice protein diet, a combination that creates a synergistic balance of  all nine of the needed amino acids.

To prove my point, I will share a study conducted by Dr. Richard Brouse at his clinic in Clackamas, Oregon.
January 2003
Re: Shaklee Physique and the Elderly

As you know, the nutritional needs of mature individuals is unique. Digestion, muscle mass and hormonal regulation tends to decrease. Body fat and blood cholesterol levels tend to increase. Cardiovascular efficiency, blood sugar regulation and energy levels tend to decrease.
This observation seems to be related to the aging process and made us ask the question “What factor seems to have the greatest effect on aging?”

After several years of recommending Physique to 210 elderly patients (men and women between 65 and 84) at this clinic we noticed some amazing results that we would like to share with you.

*1) 72% of people over 65 years of age who began using Physique daily had an increase in energy and
* more muscle mass after 6 months.
*2) Sugar regulation in those who had been hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic returned to normal in 56% of the cases within 3 months after starting daily use of Physique.
*3) 60% of all elderly patients following our recommended exercises had less muscle and joint symptoms within 3 months after daily use of Physique.

These findings can only suggest that Shaklee Physique is a very useful addition to the nutritional program of the elderly population who are physically active and taking positive steps to maintain their health. When maximizing the diet and regularly supplementing, significant benefits can be gained by the elderly using Physique. We are very excited about these findings and hope that mature people and not just young people will take advantage of this outstanding product.

Richard Brouse, M.A., D.C, DACBN, CCN

Physique is a whey protein based product. Since this study, Shaklee has a line of soy and other plant protein with and without added sugars (the protein powders without sugar are sweetened with stevia). These protein powders when mixed as smoothies have the same result as Physique.

I personally get most of my protein from plant based powders made by Shaklee, often having more than one serving a day, completing my meal with a huge bowl of salad or steamed vegetables. I believe my highly digestible 60 grams of protein per day (1/2 gram for every pound of body weight) is the cause of my well-developed muscles.

Be sure to pass this information along either in this form or via my facebook video at

. Your friend will thank you. And if you’d like to get the monthly posts from www.grandmabetsybell.com, fill in the form below.

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving,  Betsy

Error: Contact form not found.

Betsy Bell’s Health4U

4455 51st Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98116

206 933 1889 12/7 Voice mail

 

 

 

 

 

Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Lower your blood pressure naturally

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My friend called urgently asking for just one pill to take care of her increasing blood pressure. Her doctor had doubled her medication and she didn’t like that. She doesn’t like taking pills and only learned to swallow medication at age 75! She chews her Shaklee Vita Lea and  Calcium Magnesium. I shook my head. She could try Shaklee Blood Pressure tablets made from spinach, beet, quercitin and magnesium. I have successfully lowered my blood pressure (it was high normal). On the bottle it says “for people with healthy blood pressure”. In other words, it is an herbal recommendation for someone who is trending upward in blood pressure or has a family history of elevated blood pressure. Shaklee herbals and vitamins are not medication. They are prevention.

My next question was about her day. What was she doing in the evenings, watching the news? “oh, yes, we watch a couple hours of news every night and it’s driving me crazy.”

“Forget the news, why don’t you?”

“But I’ll miss something.”

“There is no emergency. Someone will tell you the important new thing. .. . Look outside into your garden. Beautiful, isn’t it? Spring blossoms and seedlings sprouting. All is well in your corner of the planet in this moment, right?”

I recommended meditation. It helps me. Perhaps it would help you, Dear Reader. My preferred meditation leader is Tara Brach, a Zen Bhuddist teacher in Bethesda, MD whose meditations and teachings are available wherever you get your pod casts. www.tarabrach.com to sign up.

How low should blood pressure go? A recent article in the NY Times indicates that the number has changed over time: Successive guidelines have since decreased the recommended threshold for what constitutes high blood pressure, from 160/95 millimeters of mercury in 1973, to 140/90 in 1997, to 130/80 in 2017. The article urges caution about trying to get your blood pressure lower than 130/80. In fact, the author suggests that the diastolic blood pressure (the second number, which is the pressure as the heart relaxes) might be healthier at 85. Low blood pressure can have negative effects like dizziness: Lightheadedness, particularly lightheadedness that occurs upon standing, is the cardinal symptom of low blood pressure. At its extreme, lightheadedness may result in fainting. Fainting may be a sign that blood pressure is dangerously low and requires prompt medical attention. Other possible symptoms of low blood pressure include nausea, fatigue and blurry vision.

My friend had a blood pressure taking machine and was told to take her pressure every day. Now, I’m not a doctor, but wouldn’t worrying about your blood pressure so much that you went to your machine to test it drive it up?

Chill, everyone, chill.

Be well, Do Well and For Heaven’s sake, Keep Moving. It could be the best answer there is.

Betsy

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Hand exercises for arthritis

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For all you golfers, tennis players and key boarders whose fingers work hard on your devices all day long, here are some moves that will help strengthen your hands. You may even avoid carpal tunnel pain or alleviate arthritis in your thumbs as I have been able to do. My thanks to Viola Brumbaugh teacher at wise-orchid.com Tai Chi and Qi Gong studio for her helpful lessons. Let me know how this works for you. Feel free to share. https://www.facebook.com/BetsyBellsHealth4U/videos/2118373711609508/

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving, Betsy

https://www.facebook.com/BetsyBellsHealth4U/videos/2118373711609508/

Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Eat organic, lower cancer risk 25%?

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Eat Organic: Lower cancer risk by 25%        (From the heart and travel news below)

Items pictured must be organically raised to have desired anti-cancer effect.

Dear One,

Is it true? If it is, what would you do about it? Spend the money? Lobby for policy change to increase government support for organic food production? Or ignore the data?

Rachel and Charles Benbrook just published an article in the PCC March 2019 newsletter bringing the findings of a sophisticated, large-scale study of French citizens published in the prestigious scientific journal, JAMA Internal Medicine in late 2018. The study involved 68,000 people with the average age of 44, two-thirds were women. The demographics and controls for reporting accuracy, life style, family, physical activity and medical history were top quality. Nothing shoddy or questionable about this study. They followed the subjects from 2004 – 2014 and recorded first incidence of cancer in 1,340 of the subjects. Then the participants were divided into four groups or quartiles ranging from highest organic food sources to lowest. They applied standard methods to control for the impact of known cancer risk factors such as smoking, family history and income. They they looked at whether high organic food intake was associated with differences in cancer incidence, compared to low intakes of organic food.
The quartile with the highest organic food intake score had a 25% lower overall risk of developing cancer, compared to the low intake quartile. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma rate was a dramatic 86% lower and post menopausal breast cancer rate, 34% lower in the top organic eating group.

Wow.

Given these findings, would you change your grocery spending to improve your chances of not developing cancer?

Is it worth it to buy organic?

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1971 when I was thirty-four years old. There wasn’t much in the way of cancer prevention science available, but I did start to read that old Bible, Prevention Magazine first published in 1950 by J.I. Rodale. I read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and learned about the harm of pesticides. Carson died before my diagnosis.

Carson’s ideas contrasted with the bulletins from the USDA. Department of Agriculture that guided my brothers and me in our 4-H chicken and dairy cow raising activities in the early 50s. Growth hormones for pullets, anti-biotics in the daily diet, de-worming and anti-biotics shots for the heifers were recommended. We did it all. My little brother, age 11, drained a vial of growth hormones himself, thinking if it would help the chickens get bigger faster, it might help him!

A diagnosis of cancer at such a young age sent me searching for an answer to Why? Rachel Carson, plus the little book, Diet for a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappe, convinced me that my diet and lots of medication for sinus infections throughout my childhood contributed to a weakened immune system. Lappe’s book featured simple rules for a healthy diet and hundreds of meat-free recipes. Its mix of recipes and analysis inspired a radical faith in the ability to combine personal therapy with political activism. I was on a crusade to prevent further cancer in myself and others.

This French research study puts me back on my crusading horse, not that I ever got off. Since my own cancer diagnosis, my youngest daughter, now in her fifty-second year, has had two instances of cancer: melynoma at age thirty-four and breast at age forty-three. Kaiser, her medical care provider, did a genetic study and found that both she and I are missing a gene—P53—whose job in the body is to repair the damage caused by free radicals.

I am grateful I chose to supplement my diet with Shaklee’s organically sourced, additive free vitamins and protein powders. My daughter has chosen a radical vegetarian diet, eating mountains of fresh, mostly organic, vegetables, grains, and fruits to protect herself from further cancers. So far both of us remain cancer-free.

We are motivated to take serious care to prevent cancer. Neither one of us had to have chemotherapy as surgery took care of removing the cancer. Not so with my husbands. Consider the cost of having cancer when you hesitate to spend the money on organic foods. I had months of co-pay bills owed for my husband’s cancer treatment after he died. Those were hard checks to write.

The cost of cancer

What about you who have not been struck by this disease of malfunctioning cellular activity? Would data like that presented in the local Seattle food coop inspire you to change? Prevention, unless motivated by some bad health experience is hard to do for many. In a market economy, the only way to increase the production and availability of organic foods is by consumer consumption. Washington state is already No. 2 in the nation for organic farm gate sales. You can help remove pesticides from our foods by buying organic.

Share this information with your relatives and friends who live where there is less access to organic produce. Let’s not wait for the government to support a cancer reducing food production. Let the market speak for better health.

To read the original French study go to www.pccmarkets.com/r/5040.

Why supplement along with an organic diet?

Look back over your past weeks’ worth of food consumption. Did you prepare fresh, organic food at every meal or dine in a restaurant the serves organic foods? I certainly didn’t. I’m often rushing to the next event with a smoothie in my hand. That smoothie is made with organic fruit and vegetables and Shaklee’s organic protein powder. I also ate out a couple of times and have no idea the source of the food.

For anyone wanting a prevention insurance policy, choose a complete program of Shaklee’s supplements. Vitalizer or Life strip have a couple multivitamins (Vita Lea), a B/C blend that slow releases in your body, and fish oil and fat soluble anti-oxidants. Most people will add a probiotic (Optiflora is guaranteed to deliver live friendly bacteria to your gut.) It comes in the Vitalizer already.

 

Special Health Solutions:

There are several special solutions for eye health, bone and joint health, heart health, pain management, immune support all of which do the job of prevention. Look at the Shaklee product guide first before fillings your doctor’s prescription for supplements for these special needs. Sure, they might be more expensive and not covered by your health insurance, but we’re talking about guaranteed results here and a manufacturer you can trust to use organic sources and add nothing synthetic. If you are currently on a regimen to protect your eyes, check the Shaklee website or call me. I managed to put off cataract surgery for 5 years by using a double dose of Carotomax every day. A few of my customers do check in before they fill their prescription for supplements. Use me as a resource.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving.  Read on for news from the heart and travel plans in March

www.HiHohealth.com  my personal Shakee shopping website.

From the Heart….. 

I’ve been back in school since January and feel out of touch with you, my dear customer and friend. Open Borders, my first memoir, is getting a lot of play at libraries, book stores and small gatherings. People tell me they love the story and learn a lot about the Cold War. My next book is a novel and the class I’m taking is helping with character development. Please forgive me if you have wondered why I haven’t been in touch. My Shaklee business is a primary income source for me and teaching about prevention through lifestyle practices of good nutrition, exercise and nourishing relationship remains a top priority. Don’t be a stranger. Be in touch. I love to hear what your health concerns are and if my long-time study and practice can benefit you in any way.

I’ll be on vacation from March 15 – 29 so if you pick up product from my front porch, be sure to call me before the 15th so we can make delivery arrangements. I will be plugged in and online while I am away.

If you haven’t checked in at 8:30 on Thursdays, I have been demonstrating different Shaklee products at www.facebook.com/betsybellshealth4U, a live stream video. So far, I’ve done all the YOUTH products, the Get Clean kitchen and laundry products and a demo of my favorite smoothie with kale, carrot, celery, beet, and blackberries plus soy milk (made from Shaklee’s Soy Protein Drink Mix) and Vanilla Life shake mix, soy. The shake mix comes in plant-based protein if you are not keen on soy.

Tune in, like my event and share with your friends and family. It’s amateur for sure, but lots of fun. See you there. You can always watch it later by looking for my facebook page.

Be well, Do well and Keep moving,

Betsy

Be Well health tips

The Cleanse: one person’s experience.

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Seven day cleanse with Shaklee
Since I promoted the box with the seven packets and recommendations for the Shaklee detox cleanse, I thought I’d better do it myself. Wow! I lost 5 pounds! I wasn’t trying to lose weight and didn’t think I needed to, but the little “fluffy belly” is gone. 135 is a better weight for a 5’6” woman. Now to keep myself at this new baseline.

7-Day Healthy Cleanse


Was it a smooth ride, detox-ing my body on this program? No, it was not. I have not gone a day without Shaklee protein since beginning with the old Energizing Protein back in 1985. Eating soy protein for breakfast made such a difference in my energy level, my mood, my overall metabolism that I didn’t trust any other protein for breakfast. Every morning, no matter what. This was scary to me. There is no protein on the program.


I contacted my upline, Kathy Naef, who assured me there was enough protein in the vegetables. I put the question on “100 days to amazing”, the Shaklee facebook group. Some people responded that a reduced serving of the Shaklee shake was OK.

By the end of day two, I was getting fuzzy brained and weak. I snuck a half serving into a glass of water after my trainer worked me out to utter fatigue on day three. On day 4, I had a half serving of the 180 plant-based protein powder before going on our weekly hike. Days 5 – 7, I added a half serving of the protein powder twice a day.


You can do this.


The other modification I made to the list of vegetables and fruits and the way I prepared them was to make soup. I have chicken stock in the freezer and I sauteed onion and garlic (not on the list) in olive oil and added a mountain of chopped vegetables. It’s cold up here in the Pacific Northwest. I needed heat. The soup was fabulous. Avocado (one a day) provided fat and olive oil on a giant salad added more fat, an essential part of the detox diet. I normally don’t eat bananas at all but added half a banana a day to give a little bulk.


To be completely transparent, my digestive system rebelled at so much raw food. Steaming beets, baking rutabaga, yams, sweet potato and winter squash, and eating with a pat of butter made them easier to digest. I built my evening meal around one of these root vegetables as the main food, adding salad.

Once when I couldn’t get home to fix anything (under normal circumstances, I carry Shaklee meal and snack bars with me for hunger emergencies, but they were not on the program), I went to the deli section of a local grocery market and picked up a container of sauteed green beans. This turned out to be a filling snack. I also made applesauce by quartering and pitting apples into a stainless steel pot with a tiny bit of water and nothing else. Warm applesauce was comforting.


I couldn’t believe my body had that much waste to get rid of! And I couldn’t believe my eyes when I got on the scale. It has been two weeks since the detox and I am still at 135. Oh, how cautiously I put back the oats, rye and millet hot cereal with walnuts and prunes for breakfast. How carefully I sauteed Alaskan cod with a little cornmeal coating. How tentatively I ate a few Christmas cookies at two parties yesterday and several over the weekend. Then I relaxed and ate the way I normally do, avoiding refined flour and sweets, with some exceptions, avoiding processed foods, dairy and salty things. All went well without any weight gain. Since there have been delicious holiday offerings at several gatherings I decided today will be the detox program for 24 hours. I now have a tool for balancing the indulgences of the holidays.


My good friend Bobbie has completed her first week of the detox cleanse and reports feeling light, clear-headed, energetic and wants to keep it up forever. She added legumes during her cleanse (beans and peas), and still achieved the results she wanted. I gently discouraged her from staying on it too long. The detox program, when followed to the letter is not meant to be a regular way of eating. We need whole grains and protein for balance.

Another friend has loved the results and plans to use the detox program periodically. She talked to me from Aliso Viejo about her experience.

One day packet 7-day healthy cleanse

Put your order in for the box of seven daily packets or get the four full bottles of products that constitute the cleanse: packet has Optiflora DI probiotic, Alfalfa Complex, Liver DTX Complex and Herb-Lax in the prescribed amount in little tear apart servings. #21318 for $39.95 MN. All four products in full bottles (many repeat cleanses or use daily for overall good digestive health) for $105.40 MN price plus tax and shipping.
Most people like taking an Herb Lax and a Liver DTX every night just to clear the toxins from their day. You might like the results of that daily cleanse.


Have a wonderful holiday. Eat, drink and be merry. Plan to cleanse your body after it’s all over, the wrapping and tinsil gone, the tree in the yard waste and the body eager for normalizing itself. Cleanse with confidence.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving, Betsy

www.HiHoHealth.com shopping personal website with Shaklee

www.BetsyBellAuthor.com for information about Open Borders: A Personal Story of Love, Loss and Anti-war Activism, my first book.

Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Youth skin care line

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Dear One,

A little over 18 months ago, Shaklee introduced the YOUTH skin-care line, ideal for dull, dry skin or for anyone wanting to look younger longer. The previous line, Enfuselle, was loved by so many, including me. I wasn’t that excited about losing the familiar and embracing the new. Besides YOUTH products are more expensive, like the high-end department store brands. Was the increase in cost worth it? I wasn’t sure. Here’s my heart-to-heart take on the new line.

YOUTH skin care by Shaklee

Why YOUTH?

Shaklee has moved forward over the 100 years since Dr. Shaklee first created Vitalized Minerals. The scientists at Shaklee’s laboratory have continued Dr. Shaklee’s legacy, pushing the envelope, putting their medical and science team to work solving new health problems.

 

Pro-Biotics and GLA

Two examples: I remember waiting for Shaklee’s pro and pre-biotics and their version of gamma linolenic acid —GLA—, an omega-6 fatty acid that our bodies use to form prostaglandins—potent, hormone-like substances that help the body to regulate many normal bodily processes. I was desperate for this hormone balancing stuff when menopause was taking me down.

 

When GLA came along, I stopped buying Evening Primrose Oil capsules and went for Shaklee’s Borage Oil based GLA and noticed the difference with my hot flashes right away. My body needed a little help to make the hormonal transition. GLA gave it to me.

 

The Optiflora pearl loaded with friendly micro-flora and the Optiflora power that fed them when they made it to the lower intestines made a dramatic change in my digestion and my immune system. It was worth waiting for the science department’s painstaking research and protective delivery system.

 

WHAT ABOUT YOUTH?

 

When Enfuselle came out, I did an ingredient search at the Environmental Working Group’s site (www.ewg.org) and found every Enfuselle product to be safe on a scale of 1 – 5. Today the scale to measure harm goes from 1 – 10 as new research discovers more and more cosmetic and skin care ingredients contain potential carcinogens.

You don’t want to put stuff on your skin that could cause cancer, do you?

Shaklee scientists went back to the drawing board and created a skin care line without the 2500 ingredients that could be cancer causing and are frequently found in skin care products.

How’s that for taking the initiative toward something healthier when the current product line was selling extremely well?!

As a cancer survivor with a pre-disposition to melanoma (I’m missing a gene that heals free radical damage in the body), I jumped right on YOUTH and breathed a sigh of relief that Shaklee made something safe for me and for all of you, too.

I had to get used to a very different product line. An oil-based cleanser—Luminous Gel-Oil Cleanser—turns out to be luscious, gently exfoliating with green algae.

 

A toner —Perfecting Skin Toner—that lasted me from February to August, six months—and has all kinds of citrus to help balance the PH of your skin so the natural acidic balance is restored after rinsing with tap water.

 

Your skin needs to be just a little acidic as an immune system protection against pathogens. Most cleansers strip the acid mantel. Rinsing adds minerals from the water to the skin. We need the toner to balance PH and protect.

The toner is expensive at $47 retail and $40-member price. Still, Shaklee’s toner has the same muscadine grape and A, C and E vitamins that all the YOUTH products contain. I wanted that protection. Six months before I ran out? I’m OK with that expense.

The moisturizer—Age Defense Moisturizer—has zinc oxide and goes on thick. It took some getting used to, but what a difference it makes to the luminous, healthy glow my face developed over time. No sun. Period. 30 SPF. No scent, either, so the moisturizer is good for men and women alike.

The special products—Activating Serum and Radiance C & E—are treatments for the skin, renewing the health of deep facial cells. My deep wrinkles reddened a bit with initial use, but the burning sensation subsided after a few weeks and the grooves seemed to get shallower. These two products are $95 retail and $80 member. Again, they last several months.

 

The Radiance C & E contains 60 little golden pillows containing the 20% pure Vitamin C. I alternate using one pillow every other day and the Activating Serum mornings and at night on alternate evenings. I opened new containers of the Activating Serum last March and again in August. Good value.

 

I always end with the Advanced Renewal Night Cream to boost collagen and elastin production while sleeping. I feel I’ve been to the day spa every night. It’s quite the luxurious experience.

 

If an anti-aging program isn’t for you at your age, the products to use for your four-step day time program for keeping your skin youthful and hydrated are Luminous Gel-Oil Cleanser, Perfecting Skin Toner, Moisture Activating Serum and Moisture LOCK Day Cream. Get the Sun Protection Factor on your skin with the Beauty Balm foundation. Each color (there are four) glides on with 30 SPF.

 

Shaklee has two masks, one dark and rich Purifying  Clay Mask to detox and clarify your skin; the other a golden hydrating Gel Mask to deeply sooth and moisturize.

 

For the eyes—those pesky bags and droops—Restoring Eye Treatment reduces appearance of puffiness and dark circles. I love that I can still read comfortably after applying this treatment at night.

 

To get a feel for these products and how to use them, watch my Facebook live demonstration on most Thursday mornings at 8 a.m. Pacific Time. In less than ten minutes I show you how to use the various products. It’s been fun to learn a new technology. I removed the first couple attempts and the quality of my presentation is getting better all the time. It’ll give you a chuckle to watch.

 

Www.facebook.com/betsybellshealth4u  Go to my YouTube channel on the YOUTH products where you can watch a beautifully done professional demonstration. I commend that to you if you have questions and watch to understand how to use these products. When you get to my Facebook channel on YOUTH, please like it and share so it will go up in the list. There are a lot of Betsy Bell you tube channels. I’d appreciate it.

The Shaklee website (www.HiHoHealth.com my personal website with Shaklee) offers special deals on YOUTH products, so be sure to check out that web site if you are thinking about trying YOUTH for yourself, or as a gift this Christmas for someone special. The man in your life might just love some of these rejuvenating products. Take a look.

Be well, do well and Keep moving.

Have a delicious, love-filled Thanksgiving.

There is so much to be thankful for, in spite of the national and global chaos. Just look around you and appreciate your life, all the goodness and beauty.  Betsy

Please leave a comment.

Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Back to School snacks

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Gentle Reader,

I was out with my granddaughter the other day—she’s twenty and was driving me in her car—when she confessed she hadn’t eaten in a while. She reached in her purse for a bar, pulled off the wrapper and started munching on the dense, dark thing, clearly loaded with protein. She suffers from low blood sugar. Now that she is twenty, she understands that she has to carry protein with her or her brain scrambles. I’m just like that. Are you? Any of your kids have meltdowns because they need protein? It takes a long time for a young woman like my granddaughter to figure out how to fix her problem before it is one. Her mother and I harped a lot. We also carried protein bars with us and handed her one when we saw the signs. May I suggest a solution if this is a thing in your household?

Here follows an unabashed promotion of Shaklee protein bars as the best, most balanced—protein, fat, carbs—to steady your metabolism and get your brain working again. Read on….

Grab a snack–Make it healthy

What are some filling, easy-to-grab snack foods to get you through after-school sports events? Or that quick minute in the kitchen between things when there is no time for a proper sit-down meal? Even lunch when you don’t have time to make one?

Are you open to looking at some alternatives made by Shaklee, the No. 1 natural vitamin company in the US? The company that distinguishes itself by making sure every product is pure, safe, organically sourced and effective?

Sure, Costco is full of inexpensive, tasty bulk purchases for just these moments in your family’s busy schedule. And there is probably some fairly good nutrition along with the taste and calories. But what if Shaklee makes a healthier, tastier alternative?

Like the convenience of bars? Shaklee makes whole nutritious meals in a bar. They were designed as part of a weight management program. For anyone, they provide a well-balanced complete meal without the over-the-top sugars and fats of your average bar. More expensive than Cliff bars, but consider the benefit.

Meal-in-a-Bar:
White Chocolate Cinnamon 270 cal.:

My personal favorite.
• 18 -20 grams of hunger-fighting non-GMO soy protein
• 6 –7 grams of fiber
• Leucine to build muscle
• 23 vitamins and minerals
• Low glycemic. GI Value:25
• No artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives added
• Gluten free

Blueberry & Almond Crisp 260 calories
Same balanced ingredients, different yummy flavor. My personal favorite.

Peanut Butter& Chocolate Chip has 270 calories and has the same values as both Blueberry& Almond and Chocolate Cinnamon
Take note of the GI Value in Blueberry Almond Crisp is 25 while the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip has a GI of 29.

They are delicious.

Snack bars. I never leave home without one in my purse. I keep one in the glove box of my car. If you are a low blood sugar basket case, you know why. Don’t let the weight management talk steer you away from giving these snack bars to your kids. There is nothing fake or hyper in any Shaklee product. Just good nutrition that a scrawny growing kid wouldn’t benefit from. Keep the sugars down, get the fiber to keep their tummies functional and pack in the energy with good protein.

Shaklee 180 Snack Bars flavors: Toffee Chocolate Crunch, Chocolate and Coconut, Crunchy Peanut Butter, & Cherry Almond are the perfect solution to mid-afternoon hunger.
Whichever flavor you choose, they are a great-tasting way to eat a satisfying, healthy, decadent snack without a lot of calories. Snack Bars are Powered by Leucine™, an amino acid that signals muscle protein building, which can offset the muscle loss that can occur with other diets. Leucine lets you keep muscle while you lose weight from fat. And remember Muscle = Metabolism.
Shaklee also packs 9-10 grams of protein into each bar. And that’s important. Why? Because protein is used to build muscle, and muscle burns more calories than body fat. Protein-rich foods also promote feelings of fullness, keeping hunger at bay. And that’s what you want. But when you’re eating a Snack Bar, all you’ll think about is how good it tastes.

Prefer savory snacks? Do you reach for chips when you’re starving? We all love them. Throw a bag in the lunch, or purse. But how is the nutritional balance? Any protein? Too much fat for good balance? How about Shaklee’s Crisps. I love them. Take them hiking. They come in a box of 10 for $20.95 member price or $2 each. Probable half again as much as the Costco offering. But look what you get for your money.

Shaklee 180™ Sea Salt Snack Crisps and Barbecue Snack Crisps and now it’s Crunch time!

Our snack crisps are baked to golden perfection with a hint of salt and if you like barbeque flavor, you will find a tangy goodness in every satisfying bite. Plenty of protein per serving to keep hunger away and cravings under control. Both options offer:
• 100 calories
• 6 grams of non-GMO soy protein
• Low glycemic
• No artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives added
• Gluten free

Two flavors, Sea Salt and Barbeque.

Psst: If you’re trying to lose weight or keep it off, these crisps are a perfect snack whether you are doing Weight Watchers or any other program.

After School Snack: Meal Shakes: I’ve had several grandchildren love these milk-based protein shakes. They can mix them without supervision at a pretty young age. Take a look at the ingredients and see if this would be a good after-school snack for the children in your house.

Unlike similar meal replacement products found in grocery stores, Meal Shakes contain no artificial colors, sweeteners or flavorings. A creamy, delicious shake that children love. Bavarian Cocoa and French Vanilla. #20321 French Vanilla, #20322 Bavarian Chocolate $24.10 member price. 16 servings. SHOP at www.HiHoHealth.com, my personal Shaklee website. Click on the picture of any product included in this post and it will take you to the shopping page where you can read everything about it and purchase!

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving.
Betsy

Be Well health tips

Awful Cancer

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From the Heart…..

A great sadness fills my heart as I write to you at the beginning of July. The father of my first grandchild died this morning. Tom Killorin was Grace’s first husband, groom at the first wedding in our family of four daughters and the only one presided over by my daughters’ father, Don Bell. Tom was 62 a couple weeks before his death from Multiple myeloma. Don died a couple weeks after his 62nd birthday from leukemia. Two cancers of the blood. These two men, a generation apart, leave a legacy of courage in the face of overwhelming illness, an aborted life time of excellence in their field, and strong, loving direction for their children.

 Tom loved music and was a walking library of the pop songs of every decade from 1950s on. He had his own radio show at S.P.A.C.E 101.1.org

Terrible Cancer – What can be done?

 

What is it to die young from cancer? What can one do to avoid it? Is there anything that one can do to prevent this terrible disease? What part can we shape and what part is shaped by our parents?

 

How many articles, books, TED talks, blog posts, medical journal articles have been written presenting rules for a healthy life? And yet, cancer, a disease in which abnormal cells divide without control, happens in all kinds of people, including the healthiest.

 

What triggers the abnormality? This is, of course, what cancer research is trying to discover. Meanwhile, we humans go along doing the best we can. Some of us are struck by the abnormal switch while many of us carry on living, every cell doing its job miraculously according to its design. One might ask instead why more of us don’t succumb to a cellular mistake.

 

When I first began sharing the supplements I was taken in 1986, I encouraged people to not be afraid of their genetics; that our genetic makeup was responsible for no more than 10% of the cause of disease. We have known for a long time that common diseases like heart disease, asthma, cancer, and diabetes can run in families. I frequently asked a prospect what their parents died of and how their life-style was the same or different. A non-smoker was not necessarily going to develop lung cancer which may have been their pack-a-day father’s cause of death.

 

My own experience after taking these supplements for a few months created a strong belief that I would not suffer from some of the health problems my mother had such as hair loss and breaking fingernails, aching joints around age fifty, or heart disease. It was true that taking supplements strengthened my nails and thickened my hair. So, I must have been getting something from the supplements that my mother didn’t have in her body, right?

 

The science of genetics and illness has advanced by leaps and bounds since 1986. It can be said today from our study of the human genome (the complete set of human genes), that nearly all diseases have a genetic component. Some diseases are caused by mutations that are inherited from the parents and are present in an individual at birth, like sickle cell disease. Other diseases are caused by acquired mutations in a gene or group of genes that occur during a person’s life. Such mutations are not inherited from a parent but occur either randomly or due to some environmental exposure (such as cigarette smoke). These include many cancers, as well as some forms of neurofibromatosis (not sure what this is, to tell the truth).

 

Something else we know about our bodies is that there is an elaborate immune response to the damage the DNA suffers every day, multiple times. A constant repair mechanism is at work 24/7 fixing abnormalities, getting cells back to normal.

 

I made up my own causal story when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 34: situational stress. By the same analysis, I decided Don’s cancer of the blood was caused by situational stress. Tom Killorin? I have no idea. What, if any stress, did he suffer that caused his immune function to fail to repair an abnormality?

 

For myself, I’m glad I decided my body couldn’t heal itself without the help of supplements. I’ve been taking hands-full every day since 1985. This supplement habit may have kept me from developing an un-fixable abnormality again. It turns out I have an inherited genetic problem that may lead to cancer: the absence of one of those many immune repair system genes, P53. I’ve written about this before.

My youngest daughter is missing the same gene. She is not taking supplements. She has chosen her own path to cancer prevention.

Let’s review the anti-cancer lifestyle. My daughter follows it now.

  • Loving, peaceful relationships
  • Work that energizes and challenges her and makes a difference in the world
  • Regular exercise outdoors in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, including daily biking, walking, running and/or yoga.
  • A home relatively free of toxins.
  • Vegetarian diet full of raw and cooked green and red fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, tofu, combinations of grains to give healthy protein.
  • Some coffee, chocolate (dark), wine, and spirits.
  • Optimism, laughter, and hope for a better world

There are no guarantees. Nearly everyone knows what to do to have better health. Perhaps those of us who have knowledge of genetic disturbances are lucky. That knowledge makes us a little more vigilant and unbending in our adherence to good health practices. What would you do differently if you knew your genetic markers?

Why not do those things now?

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving.

Betsy

 

to check out my upcoming publication of Open Borders: A personal story of love, loss and anti-war activism, click here.