I was a skinny little thing when I was growing up. Maybe it was because playing was more important to me than eating. I had five siblings and we were always chasing each other or our menagerie of pets through the house. That’s unless I was climbing trees, of course, which I did almost daily.

Then puberty came along when I was only about 11 years old. And the weight started accumulating insidiously on my previously gangly frame. Before I realized it, I was chubby. By the time I was 13, I had ample curves. Boys were looking at me in funny ways. I was often teased about being well-endowed for my age. It was so embarrassing.

As the years went by, more weight crept on. Crash and fad diets helped me lose some of the fat, but the lost pounds – and more – always returned eventually. I put on weight gradually, just a pound or two each year, not enough to raise a red flag. I more or less accepted that I had a more womanly figure than most. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was around 135 pounds, way too much for a petite frame.

Since then, I’ve learned that being overweight or obese is a contributing factor for cancer. Fat is BAD NEWS. Estradiol, the most dangerous form of estrogen, resides in fat cells, so fat is particularly bad for those with estrogen-dominant cancer. Most breast cancers are estrogen-positive. Thank God, I’ve shed more than 20 pounds in the last couple of years. I’m looking forward to losing another 10 pounds.

Fat people shouldn’t be treated like pariahs, but do you know that the American Institute for Cancer Research just reported a few days ago that obesity causes more than 100,000 incidents of cancer in the US every year?

The group, which funds research on the link between diet and the disease, said 49 percent of endrometrial cancers, which originate in the womb, and 35 percent of esophageal cancers are linked to excess body fat.

“It’s clearer than ever that obesity’s impact is felt before, during and after cancer, it increases risk, makes treatment more difficult and shortens survival,” said Laurence Kolonel of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii.

Scientists have long seen a link between obesity and certain types of cancer, but the study — extrapolated from US cancer incidence data — is among the first to conclude the link exists on such a scale.

Researchers have yet to pin down the exact link between obesity and cancer, but some have suggested that fat tissue may produce heightened levels of sex hormones that spur cancer growth or that fat lowers immune function.

If the link is proven to be true, cancers could be expected to balloon in tandem with US body sizes. According to the government-backed Centers for Disease Control, 34 percent of American adults aged 20 and over are obese. Red alert!

Posted: November 9th, 2009 under Cancer, Diet, Enemies To Health, Health Basics 101, weight loss.
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Star fruit or carambola

The tropical star fruit or carambola is a pretty fruit with a star-shaped cross-section. Green when unripe, it turns a lovely golden-yellow when it is ripe for eating. Juicy and sourish-sweet, it is very popular as a juice in the tropics. Star fruit is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, and low in sugar, sodium and acid. It is a potent source of both primary and secondary polyphenolic antioxidants

Unfortunately, eating just one carambola or star fruit or drinking 100 ml of its juice can be harmful for people with illnesses like breast cancer and kidney problems. Like the grapefruit, star fruit is a potent inhibitor of seven cytochrome P450 isoforms. These enzymes are significant in the first pass elimination of many medicines, and thus the consumption of star fruit or its juice in combination with certain medications can significantly increase their effective dosage within the body. Research into grapefruit juice has identified a number of common medications affected, including statins which are commonly used to treat cardiovascular illness, benzodiazepines (a tranquilizer family including diazepam) as well as other medicines.

The cytochrome P450 isoforms are also crucial for breaking down or metabolising estrogen. When estrogen is not metabolised, it can accumulate in the body, and this is bad news for people with estrogen-positive cancers such as most breast cancers.

Like the grapefruit, start fruit contains oxalic acid which can be poison to individuals suffering from kidney disease or undergoing kidney dialysis treatment. University Malaya Medical Centre consultant nephrologist Prof Dr Tan Si-Yen reported the case of a 66-year old Malaysian man who consumed star fruit while visiting his son in Shenzhen, China. Mr. Tang Gon Seang had a kidney ailment and fell into a coma on March 29, 2008, after eating the carambola.

According to Prof Dr. Tan: “Star fruits contain a neurotoxin which is not present in other fruits. It affects the brain and nerves. In healthy persons, the kidneys filter it out. In kidney patients, it cannot be removed and worsens their condition”.

“The public must be alert to reactions to star fruit. Look out for initial symptoms including hiccups, numbness and weakness, and neurological symptoms including confusion, agitation and epileptic fits,” he said.

“The risk of death is high,” he added.

Other symptoms to look out for include vomiting and nausea. Fatal outcomes have been documented in some kidney patients.

Posted: October 25th, 2009 under Cancer, Enemies To Health.
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People with cancer who are depressed are more likely to die than patients with good mental health, psychologists say in the science journal Cancer, the peer-reviewed science journal of the American Cancer Society.

The study reported that death rates from cancer “were up to 25 per cent higher in patients experiencing depressive symptoms and up to 39 per cent higher in patients diagnosed with major or minor depression.” Lead researcher Jillian Satin, of the University of British Columbia in Canada, told AFP: “In both of those groups, you can predict cancer mortality,”

The study by Satin and co-authors Wolfgang Linden and Melanie Phillips was an overview, called a meta-analysis, of 26 previous studies on the effect of depression on the progression of cancer and survival rates in 9,417 patients.

“The field of psycho-oncology has experienced exponential growth,” noted the study. “Eighty-five percent of cancer patients and 71.4 per cent of oncologists endorse the belief that psychological variables affect cancer.”

Satin and her co-authors observed that other researchers earlier linked heart disease, depression and higher risk of death.

Citing another study, they noted: “Depressed patients with coronary heart disease have a two-times greater risk of mortality than non-depressed patients after adjusting for clinical factors,”

Well, sheesh, who doesn’t know that your state of mind can affect your health and even your chances of recovery! This is why it’s important to avoid negative influences like pessimistic people and people who simply rub you up the wrong way, unhealthy thoughts and beliefs, bad news and disturbing TV programs. You’ve got to be discerning about what you spend your time and energy on. What are you feeding your mind and spirit with? What are you exposing yourself to everyday? What are you saying about your situation?

If you’re dealing with an illness, especially a serious one, don’t just feed your body with health-giving foods. Nourish your spirit and your mind as well. Surround yourself with positive forces such as life-affirming people, uplifting spiritual messages, happy music and things which make you laugh and bring you joy. Read and watch only uplifting material. Dwell only on things which will build you up. Sow what you want to reap. You can turn things around!

Posted: September 15th, 2009 under Cancer, Enemies To Health, Healthy Spirit.
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