Kick Cancer In The Can, Food For Thought
Susan Elaine Wheeler
April 01, 2009
After Charlyn Bernal heard those fatal words, she started thinking about the previous year and the signs her body was foretelling. The symptoms began the summer of 2005 when she just wasn´t feeling right. Her blood pressure went high and she was feeling tired and exhausted, especially when walking up steps. She was also experiencing panic attacks for the very first time in her life.
Charlyn´s doctor prescribed blood pressure and anxiety medication along with a stress test, which turned out fine. A few months later, it felt like she was having a heart attack and went to Urgent Care, but the EKG came back normal. By the end of the year she woke up in the middle of the night with massive vaginal bleeding. The next day she went to her OBGYN, who presumed it was a miscarriage and ordered a DNC. Her stomach remained bloated, but the doctor said, "Don´t worry, you´re fine, take these prenatal vitamins and you´ll be pregnant in no time." She wasn´t trying to get pregnant. (She has since changed her OBGYN.)
None of the doctors associated her symptoms during those 12 months and then she found a lump in her breast.
On May 23, 2006, test results showed a 3 cm abnormality in her right breast with carcinoma present in 5 out of 5 cores. She had cancer. She was over expressing HER2-neu, estrogen/proestrogen positive and had a growth rate of 51%, which is dangerously high. On July 20, her doctor recommends options for surgical management. The mastectomy was scheduled for Sept 21st.
Charlyn started researching the causes of cancer and it became obvious that her body's cells lacked protein and oxygen. She needed to feed her body the Vitamins, Minerals, Protein, Amino Acids, Enzymes and Essential Fatty Acids ((EFA) that her body desperately needed.
She had to eliminate anything that was adding fuel to the fire. That meant no sugar, red meat, bad fats; alcohol, coffee and no additives or preservatives have passed through her mouth since that day.
She added whey protein shakes and lean organic turkey, chicken and wild salmon that added Protein and Amino Acids for her body. She also added flax seed oil, fish oil, avocados, raw walnuts and almonds with skins on and sunflower seeds, that supplied Essential Fatty Acids.
Before she started juicing, which was Aug of 2006 she had a hard time getting out of bed in the morning and she was very sluggish all day. When she started juicing at home and taking melatonin to help her sleep, her whole world changed. Juicing made her feel like life was pouring back into her body.
Twice a day, each glass of fresh juice she drank using organic fruits and veggies were infusing her body with more of the nutrients she needed.
Her juicing recipe for life:
Apples 2 – 3 (cut out stems and seeds)
Oranges 2 (don't use peel)
Pears 2 (cut out stem and seeds)
Parsley 1/2 bunch
Kale 1 - 2 leafs
Beet 1 med - Lg (don't use peel)
Carrots 5
Ginger Root 1/2 inch
If you don't have organic available, it's important to peel the skins.
A masticating juicer is best.
Charlyn cut out all bad fats such as margarine, vegetable oils and shortenings, partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats because they interfere with your body's ability to utilize important Essential Fatty Acids and clogs your arteries.
Your body's metabolic process needs EFA´s, to assimilate the food for energy and to get more oxygen into your cells. Digestion is the process of metabolism where your body converts food, chemically and mechanically adapting the substances for your body's growth and immune system to use. Enzymes are also crucial to this process.
Many drugs and poisons (pesticides) are Enzyme inhibitors. We're all exposed to many toxins and chemicals, at work and at home on a daily basis. The air we breathe, in our food, bad fats, preservatives, sugar, water supply and pharmaceutical drugs.
We're eating more sugar and processed foods than ever before in human history and we regularly abuse our bodies with various stimulants and sedatives.
Your digestive system includes the colon, stomach, large and small intestines, all of which are responsible for Vitamin and Mineral absorption into the blood. What isn't used is extracted. In Charlyn´s case, there was a buildup of too much estrogen that she needed to eliminate.
Without enough fiber, an Enzyme called beta-glucuronidase, found in the gastro-intestinal tract can inhibit estrogen from combining with glucuronic acid in the liver. Charlyn needed this to be excreted from her body, instead of going back into her blood. For this reason she took calcium D-glucaret and phyllium husk daily in colon cleanse capsules.
Cleansing your colon, which could be clogged with parasites, preservatives, toxins and undigested food, opens up the "disposal" system. Are you pooping at least once a day? If not, you can get natural colon cleanse capsules at any health store.
Your body is approximately 70% fluids, which is why you need to stay hydrated. Drinking at least 48 oz of H2O everyday is in your best interest. The first sign of dehydration is fatigue. Sleeping soundly in a dark, quiet, cool room allows your immune system to function effectively, which protects and repairs your body.
Testing your pH lets you know if your system is acidic or alkaline. The color of the pH strip shows purple when you're too alkaline, yellow when you´re acidic and shades of green in between when your body is balanced. You can buy pH strips at your local drug store and test the saliva under your tongue, in the morning before you swallow anything or test your urine, which is considered more accurate.
When Charlyn tested her pH, the strip was bright yellow. Her body was acidic and that´s where cancer likes to live. She needed to become more alkaline. She started charting her foods to eliminate the acidic ones and replaced them with more alkaline foods. By adjusting her eating habits, she eliminated anything toxic that her body would use against her - especially sugar, coffee, alcohol and fatty foods.
On Sept 11, 2006 Charlyn´s blood test was CA 27.29 and her tumor marker was at 180 (extremely high.) The doctor prescribed Abraxane for Chemo and anti-body Herceptin for her treatment. Then the doctor told her, "There´s no cure at this time," and gave her six months to live. The mastectomy was canceled.
The next day Charlyn started walking two miles at the beach. She needed to clear her head and that day was her turning point. She cried out all the anger and resentment that had been building up inside. This wave of determination came over her and she decided that cancer would not kick her down.
She bought a stationary bike to ride at home and walked two miles almost every day because the new lifestyle changes made sense to her. Exercise gets oxygen into your blood and processes toxins out of your body. Nutrition feeds your body's cells, hydration keeps everything circulating and sound sleep is the time when your body can repair itself.
The good news started coming in stages.
On Oct 10th, before her 2nd chemo treatment, the tumor marker had dropped from 180 to 76. The doctors couldn't believe it.
On Nov 21, 2006 the tumor marker was Normal at 37. Her last chemo treatment was Jan 25, 2007. In all, she had 7 treatments of Abraxane and Herceptin every three weeks.
On Feb 12, 2007 the PET/CT scan was CLEAR, NORMAL and every follow-up remains Clear, Normal. Charlyn´s amazing turnaround from, "There´s no cure at this time," to "Clear / Normal," was 7 months.
This life-changing experience has brought insight and wisdom. Charlyn offers, "Pay attention when your body´s telling you that something's wrong and don't disregard the signs. You know your body better than anyone else and there's only one you. You´re not like anyone else. Don't make excuses why you don't feel good, like I'm over 40 now."
At the CA Wellness Community Center, an alternative doctor provided this information when asked, "What´s the first thing you should eliminate from your diet, if you have cancer?" The answer was sugar, next was red meat. Sugar stimulates the bad cells into multiplying and fatty foods clog with undigested foods that create areas for disease and bacteria. Preservatives and bad fats clog your arteries. Pesticides, artificial sweeteners and additives don´t belong in your body. All of these toxins will clog your system.
Dr. Samuel Epstein has written a few books on why cancer is unnecessary and his most recent is, "Cancer Gate, How to win the Losing Cancer War." He states, "That 30 - 40% of all cancers are directly linked to empty calorie foods, lack of physical activity and excess body weight. Eliminate cigarette smoking and chewing tobacco, another 30% of cancers are gone. Environmental pollution, which includes water, air and soil are where the remaining 30% of cancers come from in our society," states Dr. Epstein.
We have so much contradictory information bombarding us today in the media that sometimes the obvious gets lost in the chaos of controversy between what food and drug companies want you to believe.
Eating nutritionally rich food enables your body's immune system to work and protect you from diseases including cancer. Eliminate as many toxins as possible so you´re helping yourself with a healthier mind and body. We can learn a great deal from someone else's near-death experience that nutrition, exercise, hydrating and sound sleep are the daily priorities that we all need.
Charlyn has checkups and scans every three months and all her scans come back Normal, Clear. Her doctors include, Dr. Marina Vaysburd, Oncologist, Dr. Michael Harris, primary and endocrinologist and Dr. May Ushigomi, OBGYN. Most testing and all chemo treatments were done at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA.
This extraordinary story of one person's determination is a great example of how we're in control of our body, when we accept responsibility and don't let advertisements or peer pressure convince you to digest junk foods and toxins.
Susan Elaine Wheeler
2009 Creative-Perspective-Solutions
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