One of the main aspects of an herbal education is nutrition believe it or not. Although doctors get very little nutritional training in their education, herbalists are inundated with it. We start with nutrition and end with nutrition because after all, you truly are what you eat.
Your diet could be responsible for many health issues especially when it comes to chronic illness. The rule of thumb is this, if what goes into your mouth isn’t a nutrient, it’s a toxin. Your immune system has a big job if you are partaking in today’s Standard American Diet which I refer to as S.A.D. One of the biggest offenders to our health is white processed sugar.
I can beat up on sugar all day and give you a list of 165 reasons to avoid it, but I’ll just start with two: Cancer loves it and your bones don’t.
Most doctors don’t discuss diet with their patients, let alone their sugar intake with one exception; diabetes. Diabetics are well aware of the effects that sugar has on their health. If the doc didn’t tell you, you would think s/he was trying to kill you or fire them for incompetency. Studies around the world have proven that with the introduction of the western processed diet, cancer rates skyrocket.
You may be one of the many who say, I don’t eat that much sugar. Unless you are an avid label reader, you probably eat more than you think. Sugar is in just about everything from protein bars to ketchup to soda crackers. Yes, even baby formula; we start them right out of the gate. In fact, most of the packaged processed food in the grocery store contains sugar in one form or another.
There are 56 different names for sugar and a lot of it comes in the form of what’s known as added sugar. The average American eats approximately 66 pounds of added sugar per year. That’s a lot of sugar considering that the American Heart Association daily recommendations for sugar are 100 calories for women, and 150 calories for men. That’s less than one 12 oz. can of soda. How many soda drinkers do you know that stop at one per day?
From the website The Truth About Cancer:
- In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.
- In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.
- In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.
- In 2012, more than 50% of all Americans consumed 1/2 pound of sugar per day — translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year!
Is it any surprise Cancer and obesity are at epidemic proportions in our society?
Researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah were one of the first to discover that sugar “feeds” tumors. This published research states, “It’s been known since 1923 that tumor cells use a lot more glucose than normal cells. Our research helps show how this process takes place, and how it might be stopped to control tumor growth,” says Don Ayer, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah.
The Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Archive.unews.utah.edu/news-releases/does-sugar-feed-cancer-new-research-sheds-light-on-old-saying
Refined sugars are strongly linked to cancer. Not only is it considered a cause of cancer but once cancer cells are established in the body they depend on a steady flow of glucose in the blood for energy. They aren’t able to metabolize enough of other energy sources to survive; so they need sugar.
How does sugar contribute?
Sugar and foods that cause a sharp rise in blood glucose, meaning foods with a high-glycemic index ranking trigger the secretion of insulin and insulin growth factor. Although you need these two hormones, no one needs them in excess and hyperinsulinemia is currently on the rise. Hyperinsulinemia means that the amount of insulin in the blood is higher than considered normal. When a person has this condition they have a problem controlling blood sugar. This means that the pancreas has to secrete larger amounts of insulin to keep blood sugar at a normal level. These two hormones promote the growth of cancer when not kept in check.
The kinds of sugar so prevalent in today’s standard American diet lead directly to cancer by causing inflammation throughout the body.
High fructose corn syrup causes cancer in its own manner because much of it is contaminated with mercury due to the way it is made. In turn, high fructose corn syrup causes selenium deficiencies because the mercury in it binds with selenium, driving selenium levels downward. Selenium is crucial for glutathione production. Glutathione is considered the mother of all antioxidants and deficiency can lead to many diseases. Selenium and mercury also have a strong affinity to bond with each other.
Source: greenmedinfo.com/blog/cancer-sugar-strategy-selective-starvation-cancer
Eating white processed sugar (or white processed anything) causes magnesium deficiencies due to the magnesium being removed in the processing. Deficiencies in magnesium are not only pro-inflammatory but also pro-cancer.
Sugars and the inflammation and acidic environments they create make a nice comfortable environment for tumors. In most types of cancer, inflammatory conditions are present before malignancy occurs. Ongoing inflammation in a tumors environment aids in the proliferation and survival of malignant cells and undermines immune response.
After researching the effects of sugar on cancer, it seems there could be nothing more important in the treatment protocol than to drastically reduce sugar intake.
A well-oiled machine
Over the years, especially through the ‘90s we were told that fat will make us fatter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your body is an incredible machine working 24/7 and like all machines, a well-oiled one is going to work better and last longer. Fat doesn’t make us fat! Sugar makes us fat!
In my opinion, cannabis oil is hands down one of the best oils you could ever put in or on your body. Loaded with essential fatty acids, as we learned in herb school, cannabis is anti-tumor. Canadian Rick Simpson has shown time and again to resolve tumors and growths both internally and externally using cannabis oil.
For more on this see the youtube documentary: Run From The Cure or visit phoenixtears.ca
My father died of cancer in 1997 about the time I started herb school. At no time EVER did his doctors speak to us regarding his diet or sugar intake. This was a 10 year experience and believe me, he saw plenty of doctors in that time. In the end, he was only able to eat liquids via stomach tube. At the recommendation of his doctor we fed him the most popular “nutrition shake” on the market.
In another one of those “if I knew then what I know now” moments, I realize we were only hurrying him along in his cancer progression. That “nutrition shake” ingredient list reads like an herbalist’s nightmare, Corn Syrup being the first ingredient after water. Most corn in this country is genetically modified, another proven tumor promotor in lab rats. Sugar in its other names is listed 3 times on the label along with other cancer causing ingredients. I recently read a quote by a medical doctor who states: “I wouldn’t feed that to a dying animal.” In retrospect, I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately it is still the leading “nutrition shake” on the market today. Buyer beware.
Dr. Serralini- https://www.rt.com/news/monsanto-rats-tumor-france-531/
Good To Know:
- Because sugar is an addictive substance, you will experience withdrawal if you decide to stop eating it. Brain fog may increase and you’ll feel pretty crappy for about a week or two. Take heart, once your system gets back to normal, clear thinking and energy levels will return in abundance. Sugar cravings will cease as you retrain your taste buds.
- Natural sugars, like those found in fruit, process slower and have fiber slowing the spike in blood sugar. Most fruit juices found in the grocery store are mostly sugar and some are nothing more than flavored corn syrup. Be sure to check the label. Pure fruit juices are typically found in the refrigerated section.
- Most artificial sweeteners are just as harmful, and possibly more harmful than sugar. Aspartame is a nerve toxin. It was originally a made to be a pesticide but the pests wouldn’t touch it. When the developers discovered it was sweet, it became an artificial sweetener with the promise of no calories. A good source for the purest form of processed Stevia, a natural sweetener that is at least 100 times sweeter than sugar thus needing to use less. Thethymekeeper.com/bulkherbs and select StarWest Botanicals link.
About those bones
In the 1930’s Cleveland dentist Weston Price became alarmed by what he considered rampant decay in his adult clients. This was often accompanied by other health concerns such as arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes and others issues. However, it was the younger patients that caused him the greatest concern. Crowded, crooked teeth were becoming more and more common, along with what he called “facial deformities” such as overbite and narrowed faces. The children invariably suffered from other serious ailments that ranged from frequent infections to asthma to behavioral problems and more. This is what prompted Dr. Price to embark on a 10 year adventure and led him to some of the most remote and isolated regions of the World. It was in these remote areas that had no “civilian” contact that Dr. Price found the smoking gun. What he observed were people with uniformly broad dental arches, all 32 teeth present, little or no decay and no crowded teeth.
To be continued….
Leave a Reply