Reduce Your Risk of Cancer & Dis-Ease
Part 3: Supporting Systems of The Body
Welcome to part 3 of how to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer and Disease. To quickly recap, the last part of this series addressed important body mechanisms and why it is vitally important that we treat our body as the complex unit it is, and not look at it as a composition of just individual organs. In case you missed it, you can read part 2 here:
In this part of the series, I want to provide you with functional and holistic ways to support important body mechanisms.
The Lymphatic System
Your lymphatic system not only helps to protect you from infection and destroy old or abnormal cells within your body, but it also helps to maintain normal fluid levels in your body and helps absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins so they can make their way into your bloodstream.
One of the easiest ways to support the lymphatic system is to begin to incorporate dry brushing into your morning routine. This technique can be done with a dry brush or your fingertips. Here is a video tutorial on how to properly perform the dry brushing technique:
Another option is to invest in a small trampoline. Rebounding has been shown to not only help move the lymph, but also help improve cellulite!
Infared sauna has also been shown to help get the lymph moving and eliminate toxins. Please be sure to try and choose a low to no EMF type infrared sauna option.
Deep diaphragm breathing. This creates pressure and expansion that helps pump the lymphatic fluid. When paired with a simple movement of the arms and hands, it is an effective way to encourage toxin drainage from the lymph.
Massage. The type of massage you would want in this case would be one that is very relaxing in nature, not a deep-tissue massage which can often cause some discomfort and pain. Using citrus essential oils can help promote lymph drainage, so finding a masseuse who will offer this is also beneficial.
The Immune System
You have both an innate immune system, and an adaptive immune system. Innate immunity refers to nonspecific defense mechanisms that come into play immediately or within hours of an antigen's (toxin or pathogen) appearance in the body. These mechanisms include physical barriers such as skin, chemicals in the blood, and immune system cells that attack foreign cells in the body.
If your immune system is not working optimally, then you are more likely to feel very sick, and if your immune system is severely compromised and you have underlying health conditions, you can die from the virus that your body is fighting against. This is why the majority of people who have died from Covid are elderly and usually had multiple chronic diseases which lead to an already compromised immune system.
B cells and T cells are the major types of lymphocytes involved in adaptive immunity. They help create memory cells to defend against future attacks by the same invading pathogen by mounting a stronger and faster adaptive immune response. Additionally, B and T cells are also responsible for killing cancer cells.
So, how can you help support your innate and adaptive immune system? Here are some suggestions:
Sleep! Sleeping between the hours of 10pm and 6-8am is ideal however, I know that is not always possible-depending on your work shift. Getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep though will help.
Eat fruits and veggies (organic whenever possible). If you have poor digestion or GI issues, blending the fruits in to a smoothie, or cooking down the veggies a little can help your body better absorb the nutrients.
Avoid alcohol as much as possible. If you do wish to consume some alcohol, it is best to do so in a social environment and limit your intake to one to two glasses, no more than once every couple of weeks.
Exercise. A 2019 study shows that moderate exercise mobilizes immune system cells, helping the body defend itself against pathogens and cancer cell growth (1).
Reduce Stress. Chronic, prolonged stress can actually weaken your immune system and cause a variety of other health issues such as hormone dysregulation and trouble sleeping.
Get the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C (should be doable if eating fruits and veggies), zinc, and vitamin D3 with K2. See RDA recommendations below:
RDAs for vitamin C (11):
Age or Life stage RDA Kids (1–3 years)15 mg. Kids (4–8 years)25 mg. Adolescents (9–13 years)45 mg. Teens (14–18 years)65–75 mg. Adult women (aged 19 and older)75 mg. Adult men (aged 19 and older)90 mg. Pregnant women (aged 19 and older)85 mg. Breastfeeding women (aged 19 and older)120 mg.
RDAs for Zinc (upper limit is 40mg/daily):
Age or Life Stage RDA Babies (up to 6 months) 2 mg. Children (7 months- 3 years) 3 mg. Children (4- 8 years) 5 mg. Children (9 -13yrs) 8 mg. Teens (14 to 18 years) 9 to 11 mg. Male Adults (over 18 years) 11 mg. Female Adults (over 18 years) 8 mg. Pregnant women11 mg. Breastfeeding women 12-13mg.
RDAs for Vitamin D3 with K2:
For this one you are going to look at ratio. The best ratio of vitamin D3 to K2 is around 1000:10. This means you would ideally take 10 mcg of vitamin K2 for every 1000 IU (250 mcg) of vitamin D3. It’s recommended to choose a combined vitamin D3 and K2 supplement that provides 10 mcg of vitamin K2 for every 1000 IU of vitamin D3. Recommended IU for D3 is 35 IUs per pound of body weight.
The Cardiovascular System
Without proper heart function, clear arteries, and a liver that can properly filter the blood, healing and rejuvenation become extremely difficult. Here are some helpful tips on how to support your cardiovascular system:
Take a high-quality omega-3 supplement if you do not eat low mercury fish such as anchovies, cod, haddock, mackerel, salmon, sardines and shrimp (all need to be wild caught!). A good Omega-3 supplement will have a ratio of EPA to DHA of 2:1. This is because most people get enough, if not more than enough of DHA in their diet, but too little EPA.
Exercise. This should be done according to your body type and in relation to any health issues you may have and/or stress levels. For instance, those who are high stress, should scale their workouts. They should start slow, nothing high impact that can lead to more stress on the body. Everyone should be striving to get a minimum of 10,000 steps per day.
Practice yoga, mindfulness, or meditation. Deep diaphragm breathing and even binaural beats have been shown to help improve cardiovascular health and improve stress levels.
Eat warming foods and drinks. This not only helps improve digestion but also helps with blood flow. Reducing cow dairy and increasing your fruit and veggie intake is also a great way to reduce inflammation and mucous build up in the body.
Limit saturated fats and reduce oil intake-especially canola, vegetable, safflower, corn and soybean oils. These items have been shown to increase LDL (bad cholesterol) and increase inflammation. Healthier fats and oils would include avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, nut butter, olive oil or coconut oil (unrefined, first cold pressed, organic, extra-virgin. Olive oil should also be a dark glass bottle).
The Nervous System
Our nervous system is composed of the central nervous system which is made up of the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system, which is made up of nerves that branch off from the spinal cord, extending to all parts of the body. Within your nervous system, you have the parasympathetic and sympathetic responses (as we touched on in the last part of the series).
People are living in a sympathetic state for the majority of their waking hours due to 2 main reasons:
Watching the news. The news, whether you are watching it, reading it, or listening to it, is meant to induce levels of fear and anxiety in you. You might be wondering why. It is because their data specialists and marketing experts have told the executives that when people have constant states of low levels of anxiety, shock, and fear, they will not only watch longer, but they will become addicted! Don’t believe it? I challenge you to stop watching all the news right now, this very minute and never watch it read it or listen to it again. Could you do it right now without question? Unless you’ve already done this, it may seem challenging.
And the news executives love this! They love us being addicted! Why do you think most of the news is not primarily filled with happy stories? And it is not just the left-wing news or the right-wing news stations. They are all manipulative and filled with propaganda. I’m sorry but that’s not news, that’s manipulation.
Life is a battlefield. We have been taught that life is an “uphill battle.”
It’s “do or die.” The “early bird gets the worm.” It’s “I can’t get a break.” It’s “of course that happened to me.” It’s “Money doesn't grow on trees.” It’s “I have bad genetics.” How many times have you heard these sayings, or versions of them,
when you were a kid, or even as an adult? These ideas, when heard enough, or experienced in your physiology through emotion and repetition, become our inner beliefs, and these beliefs cause us to take action, or prevent us from taking action, in order to continue to support these beliefs. To change our lives, we
have to change our beliefs, and to change our beliefs, we have to know which beliefs are sabotaging us. Doing reflection work can be so beneficial for this!
“Life is a battlefield” also applies in our day to day lives. You leave for work and get upset by traffic. You see your utility bill and cringe because it’s higher than usual. You open a letter and it’s from a debt collector. You have to get the kids around and out the door on time. You have to get the kids to practice and to their games and help them get their homework done, on top of dinner and everything else.
Thus, it’s not just the news, it’s the compounding effects of all the negative stories, limiting beliefs, and all the little stressful situations you find yourself in every day. So, how can you help support your nervous system aside from turning off the news and doing reflection exercises? Here is how:
1. Vagus nerve stimulation. This can be done by humming, singing, laughing, massage, and meditation.
2. Getting enough sleep and supporting your natural circadian rhythm.
3. Getting enough B vitamins as well as magnesium, sodium and potassium to help support the myelin sheath of your nerves and regulate your stress response.
4. Grounding. This can be done simply by walking barefoot in the grass outside your home. In the winter, a grounding mat can be used. Here are some other helpful tips for grounding: What Is Grounding and Can It Help Improve Your Health? (healthline.com)
5. Limit alcohol and caffeine.
6. Omega 3 fatty acids. The fatty acids help proper neuron functioning and improve nerve transmissions.
The Digestive System
As mentioned in the last part of this series, your digestive system is comprised of many organs all of which are vital not just to digestion but also your nervous system, lymphatic system, and your cardiovascular and brain health. Supporting the digestive system can be a bit trickier, especially if you have candida overgrowth, bacterial overgrowth, yeast, parasites, leaky gut, histamine reactions, etc. If you have GI based issues, I strongly urge you to work with an Integrative Health Practitioner, or someone who uses integrative health in their approach. Luckily, there are still some basic principles everyone should follow to help maintain a good digestive system.
Avoid processed sugar and alcohol.
If you have digestive based issues, eat easy to digest foods until those issues can be resolved. The easiest ways to know if you are eating easy to digest foods is by using the Fork Test- if you can’t smoosh it or mash it with a fork, don’t eat it, or by consuming smoothies.
Chew your food at least 20 times before swallowing. This will allow more enzymes to be created in the mouth, as well as help your stomach with digesting the food. By chewing our food properly, your stomach does not have to work as hard to breakdown the food.
Avoid drinking cold drinks 30 minutes prior to, during, and 30 minutes after a meal. This is because your stomach should be acidic and warm to help breakdown your food. Adding something cold, helps to solidify that food in the stomach-which you want to avoid.
Manage your stress especially during times when you sit down to eat. yes, you read that right-you must sit down when eating. Relax!! Eating while stressed causes further digestive issues. Do not eat while stressed.
Eat fiber rich foods, along with low glycemic berries.
Stay hydrated with water. Please note that sometimes even though you are consuming water, your body may not actually be absorbing it, or you may retain it, but it doesn’t get into your cells. This is because in order for water to pass into the cells, it needs electrolytes (sodium and potassium). Many people find adding some fresh squeezed lemon and a pinch of Himalayan Sea Salt to their water helps and is a natural electrolyte drink!
In Conclusion
As you have probably noticed, many of the suggestions on how to support specific systems within the body, repeat. This is no mistake. The body knows how vital things such as sleep, stress reduction and exercise are!
When your body is out of balance, it is not messing up. It is sending you warning signals. Your body is trying to communicate to you, but are you listening?
In case you are wanting to look further into some high-quality products that will help reduce stress, and supplements to support your body (among much more), you can visit: Resources | BalancedVitality for a variety of options that will fit your needs.
In the next part of this series, we will look at the 6 primary causes of Cancer and Disease, further lifestyle changes you can make in your home and day-to-day life, and what I would personally do or recommend to those I love most, if diagnosed with a set of symptoms that warranted a label of Cancer or Disease.
Resources:
Nieman DC, Wentz LM. The compelling link between physical activity and the body's defense system. J Sport Health Sci. 2019;8(3):201–217. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2018.09.009