Happy New Year's Eve

It’s New Year’s Eve and all through the house,

The music that’s playing is by Johann Strauss.

No stocking still hangs from the mantle with care,

Unwise to go ‘round with a foot that is bare.

It’s hard to believe a whole year is past,

Including events that left one aghast.

Thick smoke in the air from fiery fog,

Made going outside one bad travelogue.

For some it was truly an up-and-down year—

Some creative work will never appear.

But there were also things that left one awed,

And good experiences to applaud.

Tomorrow the New Year will be observed,

With family-of-choice and a dinner served.

The dishes of carefully chosen fare,

Will provide such wonderful smells in the air.

Take time to pause, reflect, and renew.

It’s a brand new year for the you-who-is-you!

Be thankful for getting another chance—

Your health and longevity to enhance.

My Present

May you have a rewarding and happy time—today and during the remainder of 2018. My present to me this year is spending a week of precious time with family members and family-of-choice, free of writing anything (smile). I’ll see you in 2019!

Glucose, Fructose, and the Brain

Kathleen Page and colleagues at the University of Southern California, studied the effects of glucose and fructose on the hypothalamus—the appetite control center, which responds to hormones such as Leptin that tell the brain you are full. When study participants consumed a drink containing only glucose, blood flow and activity in the hypothalamus decreased and they reported feeling full. When the same participants were fed a fructose drink, the hypothalamus remained active and they did not report feeling full. The brain still thought the body was hungry. Some studies suggest that the average person may gain between 1-3 pounds during a holiday season. Often people do not lose this weight after the holiday season has passed, which some believe is responsible for the slow,insidious, almost imperceptible weight gain as years go by—until one day the person realizes they are definitely overweight if not obese. The problem is that for most people it is much harder to lose the weight than it was to gain it. My strategy is to avoid sweets and deserts and if I REALLY want a special taste, I will take two bites only and eat them slowly. After that, my brain is only eating from memory anyway.

 

Glucose and the Brain

Glucose is the major source of energy for the brain, nervous system, muscles, and many other body’s processes. (Note: the body can get glucose from carbs, proteins, and fats—brain neurons appear to prefer and use almost exclusively glucose from carbs—so eating healthier carbs is essential). Too much glucose can be extremely problematic for individuals with diabetes. When glucose levels are low, decision-making, critical thinking, willpower, and self-control can be impaired. Go easy on simple carbs (especially white sugar, flour, rice, and processed foods made from them) in favor of healthier complex carbs, the preferred source. They can help you maintain your weight in an optimum range as you need smaller amounts to feel satisfied and feel full longer, as compared to foods containing simple sugars and high-fructose corn syrup). Foods that are healthier sources of glucose include whole ancient grains, legumes, and some vegetables. Examples of high-starch veggies include corn, zucchini, and squash. Low-starch veggies include tomatoes and onions, asparagus and celery, mushrooms, cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, cucumbers, and red and green peppers, etc.

Fructose and HFCS

Fructose is sometimes called called fruit sugar because of its presence in fruit. Fructose is a monosaccharide, meaning it is a single sugar molecule consisting of six carbon atoms, six oxygen atoms and 12 hydrogen atoms. It can be absorbed quite quickly into the blood stream from your small intestines. Absorption from whole fruits is less rapid because of the presence of fiber and other phytonutrients in fruit. In addition to fruit, fructose may be present in your menu as honey or syrup or as the food additive high-fructose corn syrup (found in many beverages, salad dressings, and so on). Fructose absorption can be very rapid if the source is high-fructose corn syrup. If you have been reading labels you may have noticed how many refined and processed foods contain this product. Food companies love it because it is a low-cost sweetener: in drinks, processed and refined food such as baked goods and sweets—often eaten to excess during holiday periods. There is ongoing controversy about the level of damage this product can cause because reportedly is it associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, overweight and obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 

Glucose vs Fructose

As the holiday season approaches, it might be time for a reminder of how to be more likely to stay “well” and healthy for the rest of the year. For example, there is some confusion about the difference between glucose and fructose. Both have the same caloric value but the difference is in their chemical structure and how they are metabolized in the body. While fructose and glucose have the same calorific value, the two sugars are metabolized differently in the body. Fructose is a simple sugar commonly found in fruits and some vegetables. It registers lower on the Glycemic Index but higher on the Glycemic Load indexes (as compared with glucose). It is said to bind much faster to cellular proteins and releases high amounts of oxygen radicals (e.g., hydrogen peroxide). An excess of fructose can trigger health problems such as insultin resistance and liver disease. It is said to cause seven times as much cell damage as does glucose, because it binds to cellular proteins seven times faster; and it releases 100 times the number of oxygen radicals (such as hydrogen peroxide, which kills everything in sight). More tomorrow

The Brain and Seven Virtues, 2

Three theological (so called) virtues make up the Seven Virtues. These are:

·       Faith ¾ the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen; belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.

·       Hope ¾ an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large; an expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

·       Charity ¾ kindness and tolerance in judging others; voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian gesture.

Periodically I find it helpful to review these seven virtues and evaluate their place in my life and whether I need to course-correct.

The Brain and Seven Virtues

Just for fun I decided to view these seven virtues against the back-drop of current world events. Each brain has its own perspective of these seven virtues.

·        Prudence from prudentia meaning "seeing ahead, sagacity") is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. 

·        Justice is the virtue which regulates humans in their dealings with others. Connected to justice are the virtues of gratitutde, piety, and religion. 

·       Fortitude that Thomas Aquinas ranks third after prudence and justice and equates with brave endurance. Patience and perseverance are qualities (or virtues) related to fortitude.

·        Temperance is the virtue which moderates in accordance with reason the desires and pleasures of the sensuous appetite. Related to temperance are the virtues of continence, humility, and meekness.

More tomorrow.

The Brain and “Virtue”, 3

According to Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato, the four most desirable character traits in a human being were: temperance, wisdom, justice, and courage (or fortitude). “Many the time when my eight-year-old self would become a slight bit impatient about the length of a visit to the sick or the length of time it was taking to memorize a new piece of music, my father would solemnly quote, “Patience is a virtue.” I was reminded of that while reading about the Science of Generosity, defined as the “virtue” of giving good things to others freely and abundantly. I even recall going to the public library and looking up the words patience and virtue and didn’t seem to find they were particularly connected. I did discover that some theologies took temperance, wisdom, justice, and courage and added to them faith, hope, and charity—making seven virtues. More tomorrow.

Brain and “Virtue”, 2

Excellence has been defined as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good in doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. But who or what decides what is right and what is wrong? Which “brain” determines the criteria? Therein lies the conundrum. Children grow up consciously or subconsciously absorbing what the “big people” in their life “DO” in terms of behaviors and what their role-models “DO” has far more impact on a child’s perception than what the parents, grandparents, teachers, or care-providers say. This means that the definition of “excellence” along with “Virtue,” is very subjective and depends in large part on what a child was exposed to growing up. The good news is that a human brain can evaluate what it learned it childhood and decide whether or not it wants to continue down that road or take another road. You may recall the poem by Robert Frost that ends with these lines:  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

The Brain and “Virtue”

One doesn’t hear much about “virtue” these days. Growing up, I certainly heard more about it than in recent years. I was taught that the word itself referred to behavior showing high moral standards; a quality considered morally good or desirable in an individual and something to be practiced whether the person was alone—with no one watching—or when with others. Indeed the Latin words virtus and the Ancient Greek ἀρετή "arete" refer to moral excellence. So what is “moral excellence? The term moral was defined in several dictionaries as “the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong.” The word excellence was defined as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Combining them the definition could be the quality of being outstanding or extremely good in doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. More tomorrow.

The Science of Generosity

Christian Smith at the University of Notre Dame and colleagues, are studying the science of generosity, as they put it. They defined generosity as the virtue of giving good things to others freely and abundantly. They also pointed out that generosity also involves giving to others not simply anything in abundance but rather giving those things that are good for others. The goal of true generosity is to enhance the true wellbeing of those to whom it gives. Generosity can involve tangible and intangible gifts. Many automatically think of money and possessions. Some of the intangibles may even be more important in the long term, including personal time, attention, aid, encouragement, emotional availability, empathy, the sharing of information to help promote personal growth and high level of Emotional Intelligence, and so on. The researchers were also clear that generosity is not identical with pure altruism, since people can be authentically generous in part for reasons that serve their own interests as well as those of others. If indeed, generosity is a virtue, to practice it for the good of others also necessarily means that doing so achieves one’s own true, long-term good as well. Perhaps like all of the ‘virtues,’ true generosity is in people’s best enlightened self-interest to learn and to put into practice.

Personality Traits Linked with Intelligence, 2

The second study reported in the Journal of Research in Personality concluded that those who possess a dispositional tendency to value joint benefits more than their own, scored higher on an intelligence test. Researchers studied 301 people who played games that involved either donating to others or keeping things for themselves. They found that those who were more egotistical and who kept more for themselves tended to be less intelligent. While those who were more generous to others tended to be more intelligent (e.g., individuals with higher IQs were more concerned with the public good.) Comments by the authors concluded that the evidence presented supports the possibility that unconditional altruism may serve as a costly signal of general intelligence because altruism is costly and is reliably linked to the quality ‘general intelligence’. They also found that children’s intelligence predicts later socio-economic success better than attributes of their parents’ attributes, concluding that intelligence is an indicator of future resources. A person with high cognitive skills may be able to donate more in advance than someone with lower skills and perhaps can afford to be more generous because they have more to give.

Personality Traits Linked with Intelligence

A study published in the Journal of Research in Personality revealed some interesting information. It concluded that intelligent people are more likely to be generous and altruistic. While generosity is not something people usually associate with intelligence, this research clearly shows a link. In the study abstract, the researchers referred to “unconditional altruism” as an enduring puzzle and posited that the “costly signaling theory,” a well-established framework in biology and economics, may be useful to shed light on the individual differences in human unconditional altruism. Based on this theory, their research showed that unconditional altruistic behavior is related to general intelligence; that unconditional altruism can serve as an honest signal of intelligence. They believe that their findings imply that altruistic behavior can be distinguished from cooperative behavior.

Breakfast and Chronic Disease

Eric Rimm, senior author of a study related to breakfast and coronary heart disease and associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, said, “It’s a really simple message. Breakfast is an important meal.” And Leah Cahill, postdoctoral research fellow in HSPH’s Department of Nutrition, was quoted as saying: “Skipping breakfast may lead to one or more risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, which may in turn lead to a heart attack over time.” This study corroborated other studies that have pointed to a link between breakfast and obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other health problems seen as precursors to heart problems. As my favorite aunt would likely have put it: “Eat a good breakfast already!” I do.

Breakfast and Energy

Prevailing wisdom has been that a failure to eat breakfast can result in a 40 percent loss of energy by noon. That’s not all. In a study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), researchers found that men who regularly skipped breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease than those who ate a morning meal. Non-breakfast-eaters were generally hungrier later in the day and ate more food at night, perhaps contributing to metabolic changes and heart disease. The scientists analyzed food questionnaire data and health outcomes from 1992-2008 on 26,902 male health professionals, ages 45-82. During the study, 1,572 of the men had cardiac events. Even after accounting for diet, physical activity, smoking, and other lifestyle factors, the association between skipping breakfast and heart disease persisted.

Breakfast and Brain Function

I sometimes am asked questions about whether or not eating breakfast is important. Frequently asked that, actually. There are, of course, opinions on both sides of the question. My brain's opinion is that breakfast is critically important for your brain. Breaking the fast from sleeping (unless you get up and snack at night!) boots up the brain much like you boot up a computer. Bogy cells can generate energy from fats, proteins, and carbohydrates; not so with brain cells. Glucose from carbs is the preferred source (if not the only) of fuel that the brain cells can use. Due  to its rapidmetabolism, the brain requires minute-to-minute glucose. For example, glucose levels decline more during a period of intense cognitive processing. Studies in all types of people have shown improved mental ability following a carbohydrate meal. But what type of carbs? Healthier ones, of course, Carbs that are eaten in as natural state as possible and that are relatively low on the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load lists. Those recommended in a Longevity Lifestyle.

(Nedley, Neil, M.D. Proof Positive; Brand-Miller, Jennie, PhD, Thomas M. S. Wolever, MD, PhD, et al. The New Glucose Revolution)

Sunlight & the Brain, 3

Jet-lag, as the brain scrambles to adjust to crossing many different time zones of light and dark, puts the brain in conflict with the person’s normal sleep patterns. For some it can take a day for every time zone crossed, often causing problems with effective thinking and efficient performances. Similar symptoms can occur when an individual must work rotating shifts or when sleep times differ radically on weekends, as the brain tries to adjust to shorter, longer, or irregular hours. Some teenagers tend to experience a sleep-phase delay. Their melatonin levels naturally rise later at night (compared with many children and adults), which can cause adolescents to feel alert later at night and making it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11:00 pm or midnight. Sleep deprivation, compounded by early school start-times, can negatively influence life in general, and learning in particular. Keeping lights dim as bedtime approaches and/or wearing special glasses to block LED light from electronic devices may help, as can exposure to bright light as soon as possible in the morning.

Sunlight & the Brain, 2

Sunlight helps the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a group of cells in the brain’s hypothalamus, keep the human circadian rhythm in sync with the sun. This includes resetting this 24-hour biological clock on a regular basis. The process, known as entrainment, occurs when light-sensitive cells in the retina send electrical signals to the SCN. In humans, at sundown when the brain registers that there is no more sunlight outside, the SCN tells the pineal gland to release the hormone melatonin, which helps to promote a sense of being sleepy. (If the brain is exposed to artificial light after sundown, including LED lights used in most electronics, the release of melatonin can be interrupted). In the morning, as sunlight enters the eyes, the SCN is activated and wakes up the body organs, notifying the pineal gland to stop secreting melatonin. If natural light cannot get to the retina, the cycle of the circadian clock begins to lengthen beyond the usual 24-hours and a few minutes, which can be disruptive to a person’s life.

Sunlight & the Brain

Life on planet earth cannot survive or thrive without exposure to natural sunlight. Beyond the commonly touted benefits of Vitamin D production and calcium utilization, sunlight turns on internal chemical reactions and stimulates enzymes to work more efficiently. Brain plasticity and depression that are regulated in part by Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), show a correlation with the amount of ambient sunlight. Estimates are that exposure of one’s arms to 10-15 minutes of natural light can provide these benefits—dark-skins may need 5-6 times that amount of time. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is part of the electromagnetic (light) spectrum that reaches the earth from the sun. UVA wavelengths are longer than UBV but both can be damaging. Excessive exposure to sunlight can contribute to skin cancer, premature wrinkling and aging of the skin, cataracts, and macular degeneration. It is also linked with diseases that are aggravated by immunosuppression, allowing reactivation of some latent viruses.

Cancer & the Doctor Within

Remember the quote by Albert Schweitzer, MD: Each patient carries his own doctor inside him--we are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within a chance to go to work. 

Studies are showing how you can give the doctor within you a chance to go to work—lowering your cancer risk, reducing angiogenesis, and learning how to stay healthier and younger for longer. Estimates are estimates are that 70% of the factors that determine how long and how well you live is up to you--based on your lifestyle choices. Study. Apply. Create and live a Longevity Lifestyle. You are the only person who can do this for you! Go to work—and never “fear” cancer again!

Cancer & a Longevity Lifestyle

A Longevity Lifestyle is one that proactively and consistently avoids known factors that increase a risk for cancer. Studies show it matters. A Longevity Lifestyle is designed to:

• prevent what can be prevented
• reduce a risk for what cannot be prevented
• arefully manage what was not or could not be prevented.

Prevention? Plenty of water; optimum sleep; carefully selected friends; a support network; high levels of emotional intelligence; appropriate macro- and micro-nutrition; a honed life-satisfaction outlook; appropriate supplements to keep brain and immune system healthy, and so on.

Cancer Risk Factor – Low Quality Nutrition

 Cancer cells are “glucose hogs.” They thrive and multiple on highly refined and processed foods filled with sugar, fat, and salt, which can promote the growth of blood vessels (a process known as angiogenesis). More blood vessels allow glucose to reach cancer cells and tumors. Dr. William Li did a YouTube TED talk and pointed out that some foods prevent or discourage angiogenesis… Think of those foods as medicine.

Prevention? Aim for a Mediterranean cuisine filled with fruits and veggies in as natural and unrefined a state as possible; fat from avocados, olives, nuts, olive and coconut oil; some ancient grains; and minimize red meat, regular dairy products, and processed, fried, and refined foods.

Cancer Risk Factor – Toxic Substances

What are toxic substances? Asbestos, weed killers, DDT, substances listed in Prop 65 that was enacted in 1976, and many others all have been found to increase the risk of cancer. Frankly, sugar is toxic to the brain, so are many artificial sweeteners.

Prevention? Evaluate your environment for the possible presence of cancer-promoting substances. Be careful about the type of water you drink—get the best source possible. Take antibiotics only when absolutely necessary and as ordered. Then take steps to replace healthy bacteria in your small and large intestines because ONE dose of antibiotics can wipe out all positive bacteria in your large bowel.

Cancer Risk Factor – Mental Attitude & Stressors

Both animal and human studies have shown a correlation between mindset, self-talk, and health. This includes how you handle stressors. Most people learn their stress reactions in childhood by watching how the adults in their life handle stress—these learned behaviors may or may not be helpful or effective. Do you have a positive can-do growth mindset or a negative fixed it-is-what-it-is mindset? It makes a difference which one you own and practice on a daily basis.

Prevention? Develop a positive, can do mindset. Raise your emotional intelligence and dump JOT behaviors. Stop talking about what you don’t want to have happen. Use only positive self-talk to tell your brain what it can do and what you want it to do. Use effective stress management techniques. Be serious about light but don’t take every little thing too seriously. Laugh a lot at yourself and the vagaries of life!

Cancer Risk Factor – Hormones

Hormones in oral contraceptives (OC) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have been linked with some types of cancer, as are increased levels of estrogen. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) Aromatase in fat cells, especially belly fat, converts testosterone to estrogen in both males and females. This can be very problematic for both genders.

Prevention? Maintaining your weight in an optimum range and preventing excess belly fat can decrease testosterone-estrogen conversion. Think carefully about hormonal supplements and do so with good medical supervision.

Cancer Risk Factor – Genetics

Some individuals are at a higher risk from mutated genes passed down from biological ancestors; it likely requires more than one gene mutation, however. Studies suggest 5-10 percent of breast cancer may be due to two mutated genes.  --American Cancer Society

Prevention strategies? Learn your family history, if at all possible. Talk with your physician about genetic studies, mammograms, and colonoscopies as indicated. Do self-breast examinations, male or female. Have an annual physical exam including a rectal; for females a pelvic exam with visualization of the cervix.

Physical Activity

Physical activity and exercise are critically important for the health of both brain and body. Staying active and obtaining appropriate amounts of exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, overweight / obesity, abnormal hormonal fluctuations, and immune system dysfunction--all factors that have been connected to cancer. Physical activity promotes release of endorphins, excretion of toxins and waste, and increased distribution of oxygen and other macro- and micronutrients. 

Prevention strategies? Stay physically active! Obtain regular exercise—do what you can at least 3-5 x a week.

Radiation Exposure

Exposure to radiation can come from various sources including: X-rays, radiation treatments, sun-tanning parlors (banned in Australia), warfare agents, and sunlight. Some estimate humans need about 15 minutes of exposure per day to the arms to obtain needed benefits, preferably early morning and late afternoon. Excess exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can lead to skin cancer due to gene mutations (melatonin, for example).

Prevention Strategies? Human being need sunlight so obtain moderate exposure, preferrably not in the hot mid-day sun. Use proactive protection and obtain regular skin checks as needed. Negotiate with your healthcare professionals to obtain x-rays (etc) based on identified need. 

Cancer Risk Factor – Infectious Agents

Organisms such as viruses and bacteria have been or may be linked with an increased risk of cancer (and some types of parasites). For example:

·       HPV –     Human papillomavirus

·       HBV –     Hepatitis B virus

·       HCV –     Hepatitis C virus

·       HIV –      Human immunodeficiency virus

·       HHV-8 –  Human herpes virus 8

·       EBV –      Epstein-Barr virus

·       HTLV-1 -  Human T-lymphotrophic virus-1

·       MCB -      Merkel cell polyomavirus

·       SV40) -    Simian virus 40

·       Chlamydia trachomatis(bacteria)

·       Helicobacter pylori (bacteria)

·    Prevention strategies? Proactively select a lifestyle that minimizes exposure to infectious organisms. Consider being immunized against organisms for which immunizations exist. Seek medical evaluation immediately for unusual symptoms.

Cancer Risk Factor – Alcohol

Alcohol is a brain toxin and a carcinogen linked with several types of cancer, including: head and neck, esophageal, liver, breast, colorectal, etc. Ethanol breaks down to acetaldehyde, a substances that damages DNA and proteins. Alcohol also generates reactive oxygen species that also damage DNA, proteins, and fats through oxidation. It impairs ability of body to absorb a variety of nutrients and increases levels of estrogen in the blood. People often ask, “How much alcohol can I drink safely?” News releases recently have stated that ingesting any amount of alcohol increases one’s risk for cancer. Also be aware that when tobacco and alcohol are used together, the risk rises higher than either one separately. Prevention strategy? Carefully assess how much risk you are willing to take.

¾National Toxicology Program, US Department of Health & Human Services

Cancer Risk Factor – Smoking

SMOKING or inhaling toxic fumes including vehicle exhaust is a major risk factor. Tobacco smoke contain thousands of chemicals, at least 70 of which are listed as carcinogens, for example:

Nicotine

Formaldehyde

Arsenic

Ammonia

Benzine

Radioactive elements (e.g., uranium)

Lead

Carbon monoxide

Nitrosamines

PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)

Chemicals take up space that would ordinarily be occupied by oxygen, which leaves the brain slightly anoxic

Prevention strategy? Never smoke; if you smoke now, stop!

Avoid inhaling side-stream smoke if at all possible. . .

Cancer Risk Factor – Obesity

Obesity is linked with more than 50 illnesses and diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, scores of others. Currently at least 33 percent of the world’s population is estimated to be overweight or obese, that estimate is likely to rise to 50 percent within a decade or so. Most overweight and obesity is believed linked with lifestyle:  too little exercise; too many calories; fast, fatty, fried, and frozen food choices; sodas (regular or diet), lack of portion control, snacking between meals, eating refined and processed foods, and so on. It is critically important to keep your weight within a normal range for your gender size, and bone structure; and to avoid belly fat. Aromatase in fat cells (especially in belly fat) converts testosterone into estrogen, which creates an imbalance of hormonal levels and is undesirable for both males and females. Prevention strategy? Keep your weight within a desirable range for your gender, age, and size.

Cancer Risk Factor - Aging

Every human being is believed to have abnormal or mutated cells in the brain and/or body as cells do not replicate (divide / multiply) flawlessly. The neurons you have now in your brain, nervous system, heart, gut, and who knows where else, may be the same ones you had at birth. As the brain and body age, the numbers of abnormal cells can increase. And neurons appear generally not to replace themselves at all! Estimates are that the average person carries around between 100 and 10,000 precancerous or malignant cells at any one time – whether they turn into the disease of cancer depends on multiple factors, most pertaining to lifestyle. 

Prevention strategy? Create and live a longevity lifestyle that can help you stay healthier and younger for longer. And start now!

Cancer Challenge

According to Dr. Albert Schweitzer,” Each patient carries his own doctor inside him¾we are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within a chance to go to work.” The question is, how do you give the “doctor who resides within” a chance to go to work? My brain’s opinion is that you do this by learning information about how to stay healthier and younger for longer; by proactively turning what you learn into personal knowledge; and by applying it on a daily basis for as long as you live. Unfortunately, this concept seems to be a challenge for many human beings—going back a long way, too. Confucius (551-479 BC) supposedly said: It is not that I do not know what to do—it is that I do not do what I know. That was followed a few hundred years later by words from Paul the Apostle: (5-68 AD): What I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Bottom line? When you know better you can do better, but it requires choice and consistent application. The next blog will start outlining the most common risk factors for cancer—and guess what? The vast majority of them are preventable! 

Cancer Described

Some have described cancer as a bad cell that goes ballistic and begins to grow and reproduce uncontrollably. A few cells can clump together and start to form a small tumor the size of the tip of a ball-point pen, which may become quite large and metastasize, destroying surrounding healthy tissue, including brain and body organs. According to authors of Never Fear Cancer Again, the cancer process requires a specific body environment to sustain itself—stop creating the conditions that allow it to thrive. The key to cancer care involves creating and living a longevity lifestyle designed to help you:

•        Prevent what is preventable

•        Reduce the risk for what isn’t totally preventable

•        Better manage what wasn’t or couldn’t be prevented

Fear Can Trigger Downshifting

In situations that involve anger, fear, trauma, crisis, or threat (anything that triggers a sense of helplessness) the brain automatically shifts its energy and attention from the neocortex to the reptilian brain in an attempt to access safety functions. When “downshifted,” the brain tends to experience a sense of anxiety rather than the excitement of a challenge, has difficulty problem-solving or recalling what it was told, and may suppress or interfere with immune system functions. Since your brain and immune system together constitute the most amazing healing system on this planet, downshifting can derail this system. Gratitude is the antidote for fear—information and knowledge can reinforce gratitude. If you look for it, there is always something for which to be thankful, which can upshift your brain and boost your immune system.

2nd Highest Cause of Deaths

As the 2nd highest cause of death in the USA (just behind cardiovascular disease), cancer is a huge concern for many on this planet—over 20,000 people die each day from cancer. What can you do to reduce your risk?

•        Understand and respect its power

•        Recognized that much of cancer can be prevented

•        Take appropriate steps to reduce your risk

•        Dump worry and anxiety

•        Create a positive can-do mindset

•        Avoid “fearing” cancer¾as this can suppress your immune system

Top 3 Causes of Death in the USA

Nearly 75 percent of all deaths in the United States are attributed to just ten causes, with the top three of these accounting for over 50 percent of all deaths:

1.   Heart Disease

2.  Cancer

3.   CLRD (Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease such as COPD)

4.   Accidents

5.   Strokes

6.   Alzheimer’s

7.   Diabetes

8.   Influenza & Pneumonia

9.   Kidney Disease

10.Suicide         

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282929.php