“The best prescription is knowledge.”
- DR. C. EVERETT KOOP, FORMER SURGEON GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES
My journey in helping others reverse and restore their health is deeply personal. I want people to feel better, to reclaim their lives, but sometimes it feels like I want it more than they do. Just yesterday, I reached out to someone who was referred to me some time ago. I’ve been sending gentle check-ins, hoping he’d be ready to start his wellness journey. His goal was to lose weight—he's obese. When I called him yesterday to see if he was ready to begin, he shared that he now has cancer. Hearing that he still isn’t ready to start his wellness journey was incredibly difficult. I wanted to urge him, to shout, "What are you thinking?", "FIGHT!", "It’s not too late!" but I held back.
You will learn in this article what the immune system is, and why it is important in connection with the challenge of cancer. I will discuss things we can do to boost the immune system and will explain why sometimes the immune system is unable to successfully defend against cancer.
The importance of a strong immune system cannot be overemphasized. Some have called it the first line of defense against everything from the common cold to AIDS and cancer. It is the immune system that destroys cancer cells – that is, when it can locate them. As we will see, unfortunately, cancer cells develop strategies, or escape mechanisms, to flee from the effects of the immune system. That is the reason why the immune system always needs to be in tip top shape.
In simple terms, the immune system is a group of cells, biochemicals, tissues and organs strategically located throughout the body to help protect it against foreign invaders. A healthy lifestyle is the best way to maintain a strong and vibrant immune system. A balanced diet, exercise, adequate sleep and maintaining a positive outlook all provide the best defense. In that regard, there are two simple facts that virtually everyone knows, but too few heed: you cannot be healthy without a balanced diet, and you cannot have a balanced diet without deep green leafy vegetables.
These facts are so obvious, yet all too often people refuse to act as if they matter. One common denominator that exists in most diseased people are due to mineral deficiency, and this deficiency can be easily corrected by simply getting back to basics and consuming living and green foods.
A living food is one that is uncooked, non-pasteurized, minimally processed and therefore contains an enzyme complex capable of digesting itself and contributing excess enzymes to relieve stress at the cellular level. Dr. John Beard, DSc did pioneer work on the cause of cancers discovering that it was a deficiency in our body’s ability to produce certain pancreatic enzymes. Raw deep green leafy vegetables are capable of supplying many of those enzymes, and no further clinical studies are needed as proof.
Dr. Virginia C. Livingston, a recognized pioneer in successfully employing natural means of addressing cancer, practiced internal medicine until her death in 1990. She points out that: “One of the most vital systems of the body that cannot be sustained by devitalized, dead food is the immune system.”
Research has confirmed that there are steps we can take to boost our immune system’s capabilities:
· Get enough rest. Try for seven to eight hours of sleep a day. This is especially important if one is under stress.
· Exercise regularly. The beneficial effects of exercise are numerous and well known. For the cancer patient, exercise has been shown to help distribute oxygen to all tissues of the body. Malignant tumor cells do not thrive on oxygen; in fact, it has been shown in the lab that oxygen contributes to their shutting down.
· Consume fresh, uncooked fruits and vegetables daily. In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, eat minimally processed foods such as broccoli sprouts, mung bean sprouts, whole grain such as oatmeal, millet, rye, and flaxseed meal. Sprouts, as well as avocados, coconuts and sprouted nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, but not peanuts), are good sources of protein.
· Eat foods such as sprouted brown rice, lentils, and baked yams. Also include in your diet foods such as turmeric, curry, ginger root and cabbage, maitake and shiitake mushrooms. These have all been shown to boost the immune system.
· Maintain a joyful attitude, and practice prayer and/or meditation to cultivate and maintain an awareness of a Higher Power.
WHY CAN’T THE IMMUNE SYSTEM KILL CANCER CELLS?
For a good many years, scientists wondered why the immune system does not always destroy cancerous (or unhealthy) cells, since its main function is to get rid of harmful influences in the body. One of the things that Dr. Beard’s research and others that followed him revealed was that cancerous (or trophoblast) cell tissue contains a protein and starchy coating that effectively disguises it to the immune system, making it “look” like good tissue that should be allowed to continue growing. This protein/starchy coating is part of the cancer cell’s escape mechanism. But the enzyme amylase and other enzymes such as trypsin and chymotrypsin can dissolve this protein/starchy coating, thus exposing the cancerous tissue so that the immune system is then able to recognize the cancerous tissue as an unhealthy influence that must be destroyed. If the body’s immune function has not been suppressed, it will then destroy the cancerous tissue.
Let us restate in different words the vitally important point made in the above paragraph. Suppose you are in a city looking for a certain street. To find that street, you look for a street sign. When the immune function looks for a malignant tumor in the body it too looks for a sign, or “marker” on the surface of the malignant tumor. The markers are called antigens. These antigens let the immune system know that the tissue is a malignant tumor and needs to be destroyed. But unfortunately, malignant tumors can become encapsulated in a protein and starchy covering, and this protective coating effectively “hides” the cancer cell from the immune system. At other times tumor cells can be covered in red blood cells, which can also hide them from the immune system.
Fortunately, researchers discovered that the right enzyme complex can dissolve the protective coating from around the cancerous tissue and enable the immune system to “see” the unhealthy cancerous tissue and destroy it. We know that it is important that our bodies have adequate circulating enzymes (including amylase, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and lipase) to combine with cancer cells to suppress their growth. Very importantly, that means consuming fresh squeezed deep green leafy vegetable juices, and pineapple and papaya juices; do these three or four times a day if the cancer is far advanced because they are known to contain the all-important enzymes for dissolving the protective coatings from around the cancer cells. Finally, assuming the immune system has not been suppressed, it will target and destroy the cancerous cells once they are exposed as unhealthy tissue. That is why a strong immune system is key.
Your health journey starts now. Whether you're looking to boost your immune system or seeking ways to support your body’s natural defenses, the time to act is today. Start by incorporating nutrient-rich, living foods into your diet, committing to regular exercise, and prioritizing rest. Share this article with loved ones, and together, let’s build a community focused on wellness and prevention.
For personalized guidance and support, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s take this journey together, one step at a time. Join the Embody Vitality community!
Stay strong, stay informed, and empower yourself to live a healthier, more vibrant life. 🌱💚
FEAR CANCER NO MORE, Mauris L. Emeka, pgs. 39-45.
The Life and Times of John Beard, DSc (1858-1924) Ralph W. Moss, PhD
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