Holistic Path

A cancer patient credits his morning glass of broccoli juice with halting the disease. Ray Wiseman's claim has prompted more research into the vegetable's healing powers. Doctors told Mr Wiseman they did not expect him to survive, when they diagnosed him five years ago.

Green magic: Ray Wiseman with his wife Joan

But scans show that his cancer has stopped spreading - vastly improving his chances of a recovery. The grandfather, 79, puts his health down to the tumbler of broccoli juice that his wife prepares for him each day.
Mr Wiseman, who lives in Braunstone, Leicestershire, said: 'I take this juice every day. I know it's done me good. 'I suppose it would be the same for everybody.'
His wife Joan, 72, started giving him the juice after a friend told her about the healing benefits of green vegetables. For each half-tumbler dose she combines a head of broccoli with some apples and carrots to improve the taste.
She said: 'We believe my husband's incredible luck is down to broccoli. I hope our experience can help other cancer sufferers. 'The juice is a mess to make but it's something we have been happy to clear up. He now just takes it as second nature. 'If anybody else's husband is suffering from cancer and they are not getting on too well, it could help them.' Scientists from Cancer Research UK have asked her for the recipe, to further study the vegetable's benefits.

Recent medical studies have highlighted the possible cancer-beating powers of broccoli. British scientists at the Institute of Food Research found that men who ate one daily portion had altered patterns of gene activity in their prostates, suggesting that the chemicals in the vegetable might be able to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. According to a report published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2006, natural chemicals found in certain vegetables, such as broccoli-cauliflower and cabbage, can enhance DNA repair in cells, which could help stop them becoming cancerous.
A spokesman for Cancer Research UK said: 'There's a lot of research that's focused on broccoli and the healing properties that the vegetable contains. 'If taken, broccoli needs to be with a healthy diet that is high in all fruit and vegetables. 'This can also reduce the chances of developing cancer.' Around 10,000 are diagnosed with bladder cancer every year in the UK . It is the fifth most common form of the disease and affects more men than women. A member of the cabbage family, broccoli is rich in vitamin C and has properties that boost the human immune systems that fight viruses, bacteria and cancer.
Studies have found that boiling broccoli can reduce its anti-cancer compounds, but steaming and microwaving do not.

Natural Strategies For Supporting Women's Monthly Cycle
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 12:35pm
By Wendy Hodsdon, ND
Why are cycles so important? In nature, we recognize the importance of cycles. We see the cycle of the sun in a day and the moon in a month. The cycle of a year is reflected in seasons, and the cycle of ocean tides change daily, monthly and yearly. Cycles allow for change and balance.

Humans have cycles too. The heartbeat, breath, sleeping times and eating times are all expressions of the rhythmic cycles of the body. Human hormones also fluctuate in response to cycles. Cortisol is highest in the morning, growth hormone highest at night. Melatonin is secreted in relation to light exposure. Monthly, women’s hormones change according to the pattern of their menstrual cycle. The regularity of a cycle is our body’s normal functioning with nature’s rhythms. Cycles have a flow and momentum that allow our fluid human body to move, change and adapt more easily.
Menstruation and cycles
Animals, other than humans, do not have obvious monthly menstrual cycles. Menstruation most likely started when humans began to walk upright and the female pelvis became smaller, making childbirth more dangerous. Women needed a way to know that they were pregnant because of the risk involved in childbirth. Our menses is thus a sign of our evolution as a species.
Monthly bleeding has other benefits as well. The body uses menstruation to eliminate toxins, and therefore, it acts as a natural monthly cleansing. The hormones in women’s bodies help to keep bones strong and skin soft and resilient. Women often feel emotions more intensely and are more connected to their body right before or during menstruation. When a woman’s body is in hormonal balance, her period is a gentle, natural process and a blessing. However, too often women regard their period as an inconvenience and a mess. Periods are associated with mood swings, bloating, tender breasts and cramps. All these are not “normal,” but are signs that a body is out of hormonal balance. When a woman listens to what her body needs during her cycle, the physical symptoms often become less severe. Menstruation can be a time for rest and recuperation.
Ways to support your menstrual cycle
It is possible to support the body’s hormonal balance by supporting its cycles. During the first 14 days of a woman’s cycle, her body is making more estrogen. During days 15 until menstruation, the predominant hormone is progesterone.
To support these hormones and keep the liver functioning well, it is a good idea to avoid toxins that put an extra load on the hormone processing and elimination system. This can be as easy as making sure to drink enough water; reducing caffeine, alcohol and food allergens; and taking essential fatty acids on a rotating basis. Essential fatty acids are some of the building blocks the body uses to make hormones. To support the hormonal system, take fish oil days one to 14 of your cycle and fish oil plus evening primrose oil days 15 to 28 of your cycle. Rotational hormonal support can also be done with two tablespoons of ground flax or pumpkin seeds days one to 14 and ground sesame or sunflower seeds day 15 to 28. The seeds and oil taken during days 1 to 14 support estrogen; during 15 to 28, they support progesterone. The fiber in the seeds also helps the body to eliminate the hormones from the body at the appropriate time.
Listen to your body and recognise your cycle
Noticing your body’s cycles and the unique rhythm your body has though the years can be extremely enlightening and empowering. Try keeping track of when you menstruate, noting what cycle the moon is in when you do, what your mood is, what vaginal discharge is present. Can you notice when you ovulate? Can you tell which ovary releases the egg? Can you tell when menstruation will start? How do your cycles affect your sex drive? What happens to your premenstrual symptoms when you go on a cleanse or have a partner? Is there a time of year when your cycle is easier or more difficult? Notice how your body expresses cycles just as nature expresses cycles.
By observing your menstrual cycles, you can begin to see yourself connected to nature’s rhythms. These natural cycles are powerful in your body. Through constant movement, adjustments and changes, the body keeps from being stuck and allows for constant cleansing and renewal.

How to avoid loving a jerk

By Tina Tessina


You're fresh out of a disaster, and you are terrified of the thought of dating again, but you're going to try anyway. Good for you! Here are some guidelines to help you avoid repeating old mistakes:

Pay attention! You have things to learn here! The most important aspect of this date, in addition to having a good time, is to get to know each other better. No matter how excited, turned on or thrilled you may be about this date, listening to what your date says, watching what your date does and understanding how your date feels are still your primary objectives.

What your date thinks of you is not your business. Your business is what you think of your date. One of the easiest ways to lose your objectivity and balance in this is to worry about what your date thinks about you. If you spend your time essentially trying to look at yourself through your date's eyes, guessing what he or she is seeing when looking at you, or hearing when listening to you, you'll miss what's really happening. You're supposed to be evaluating the other person, not pretending to look at yourself through his or her eyes. Pay attention so you know what YOU think of your date.

Look for integrity – make sure your date walks his or her talk. Anyone can talk big. Actually, some of the best people don't present themselves well - don't overlook someone who is not gorgeous, charming and glib, but has all the qualities you really need in a partner.

Be very consistent and careful about your sexual safety. Until the relationship progresses to the point that you become monogamous, and both have been tested for STD's, be careful. The nicest people can be infected with a disease and not even know they have it. If you have had unprotected sex, have your doctor do a screening for STD's. Don't assume your partner is monogamous - especially if you haven't discussed it in detail.

Know the signs of emotional blackmail:


A demand: Your date won't take "no" for an answer, and requests are really demands.


Resistance: When every discussion turns into an argument.


Pressure: Your date pressures you to go along.


Threats: Your date uses threatening or coercing tactics: threatening to end the relationship, tears, rage, badgering. Hopefully, because you've thought about the serious issues in advance, you'll still be able to relax and have a good time - so good, that you decide to keep dating each other. Then, you'll need a whole new set of skills.


From "The Unofficial Guide to Dating Again" by Tina Tessina

High in fibre, barley is also a kidney cleanser.. Better yet, regular intake of it helps prevent heart disease.

BARLEY water was always a regular drink when we were still living at home.
Whenever we had to go for a medical exam that included a urine test, my
mum would make us drink barley water a day before it to make sure we got a
positive result!

My mother was a wise woman. I later found out from an Australian
naturopath that barley is known to be a kidney cleanser, and he happily
downed glasses of it at a meal we had in a coffeeshop here.

Barley is good for your intestinal health too. Try to eat the barley
grains you find in your drink or sweet broth with fu chook (beancurd skin)
and ginkgo nuts.

It's high in fibre which feeds the friendly bacteria in the colon and
helps speed up the transit of fecal matter in it. In this way it helps
prevent haemorrhoids and colon cancer.

The propionic acid and beta glucan from barley's insoluble fibre also help
lower cholesterol and prevent the formation of gallstones.

Eating barley regularly is a preventive step against heart disease as,
besides the fibre content, it is also high in niacin, a B vitamin good for
lowering cholesterol.

Diabetics should eat more barley as the fibre will prevent blood sugar
levels from rising too high. It also provides relief from constipation or
diarrhoea for those suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Barley is rich in selenium which prevents cancer and relieves symptoms of
asthma and arthritis. It is a good source of manganese, copper and phosphorous.

Malt sugar comes from sprouted barley which, when fermented, is an ingredient in beer and other alcoholic beverages.

Barley, whose Latin name is Hordeum vulgare, has been cultivated for more than 10,000 years.

Since ancient times, barley has been used for healing purposes and has
been known to the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Athletes in
Greece and Rome in those days were known to eat barley bread to give them
strength.

Besides the usual things we do with barley, I enjoy having it in a western
soup. The larger pearl barley is used and I love the sticky bite of it.

Here's a recipe for barley soup:

Barley soup with roasted garlic

1 cup pearl barley

5 cloves whole garlic, roasted

2 litres chicken stock, steeped from 1?chicken breasts simmered in three
litres water

2 tbsps vegetable oil

2 large onions, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

150g turkey ham, cut up

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsps sea salt or to taste

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1. Wash barley and soak it in a bowl of water for three hours. Drain.

2. Heat oil in pan and fry onions. Add carrots and celery, then the barley and fry for three minutes.

3. Add chicken stock, pepper and roasted garlic and simmer over low heat
for at least an hour, or until barley is soft.

4. Add salt to taste and serve the soup garnished with chopped parsley.

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/slideshow1_ss_repair_20071116_350/17

If something has a value to it, then treat it in that way. And what happens is many people get caught holding onto memory stuff or I-might-need-it-one-day stuff," Peter says. "And if you don't create the life you want, if you don't create the home you want, who will? And that's what this comes down to. [Oprah] keeps saying, live your best life. But it's also about, create your best life. I think that's what we've seen here. And that's the lesson for everyone. Stuff has a promise. But go for life. Don't go for the stuff."

http://zenhabits.net/2007/01/zen-mind-how-to-declutter/

A Cancer Killer in your Kitchen

By John Susan Saradon.

The powerful healing effects of ginger have been well documented. It's a proven remedy for upset stomach. Reams of studies show that it inhibits inflamation. And there is substantial evidence that it fights cancer, too.

For instance, a recent University of Michigan study showed that when ginger was added to ovarian cancer cells in the laboratory, it caused the cancer cells to self-destruct (a process known as 'apoptosis').

In a separate study at the University of Minnesota, researchers injected colon cancer cells into mice that were bred to have no immune system.Half of these mice were routinely fed gingerol, the main active component in ginger. The researchers found that the mice that were fed gingerol lived longer, their tumours were smaller, and the cancer did not spread as widely as in the control group.

With all these health benefits, you should be using ginger as often as you can. The best way I've found to get a healthy serving of ginger is to juice it. Two or three days a week, I juice an apple or two, some carrots, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, and a big piece of ginger root. The ginger gives the drink a great flavour and a powerful anti-cancer kick. I highly recommend that you try it.