To honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our friends at
Body & Brain Yoga & Taichi Centers have put together guidelines for using your body's natural healing ability to maintain optimal health and live a cancer preventative lifestyle.
Although no one knows what actually causes cancer—cellular changes are the result of a vast and deeply complex array of factors—you can give yourself a greater chance of staying healthy, or recovering more effectively if you do become ill, by using your body's natural healing abilities. Here are some recent findings about cancer.
- Over 30% of cancer could be prevented by avoiding tobacco and alcohol, eating a healthy, organic diet and regular physical activity.
- Exercises such as walking, can reduce breast cancer risk by 25%.
- Pre-diabetes increases cancer risk by 15%.
- In the U.S., 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
- Tobacco-use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world, causing 22% of cancer deaths.
While no one can guarantee you will not develop some form of cancer in your lifetime—in fact, recent studies have found that, depending on how long you live, one out of two people develop some form of cancer—following these guidelines can significantly put the odds in your favor.
More importantly, drawing on your natural healing ability empowers you and helps erase some of the fears about cancer that may get in the way of your decision making about your own care.
Nourish Yourself Well
Eat as much fresh, organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables as you can. Make plant-based, nutrition-rich food the major portion of all your meals. Dark leafy greens, organic whole grains and antioxidant rich fruits and berries should be at the top of your cancer prevention grocery lists!
Minimize Stress
How much stress do you experience and how do you handle it?
Maybe you can't ever avoid deadlines and work or studies that put a huge load of stress on your brain and body. But you can allow your body the chance to decompress and discharge the physiological effects of daily stress before it builds up to toxic levels. Take time each and every day for
self healing meditation. Or give yourself a
foot reflexology and detox while you sleep.
Manage Your Weight
People's body sizes differ. What is the proper calorie intake for a petite woman who does office work will differ from the daily calories a big and tall construction worker needs. But the key to maintaining healthy weight is in burning calories efficiently. Stay active and consume densely nutritious.
Create Peace Within and Without
What kind of a home do you live in? Where do you spend your work day? Is your environment chaotic or peaceful? We don't always have 100 percent control over the color of the walls, or the people who live under our roof. But we can be aware of small changes we can make to bring our environment
Exercise Regularly
Movement is the key to all of life. Water flows, the planet spins, turning day into night, air moves in, through and all around your body. Life is a dynamic, ever changing event. The circulation of blood, lymph, water and oxygen are the constant motion your body needs to sustain life. Keep it strong with regular exercise. You don't have to be a super athlete to give your body the exercise it needs. Gentle yoga, walking meditation, swimming or
Solar Body exercises including
Plate Spinning are all easy, enjoyable ways to stay limber and feel great.
Think Positive Thoughts
It sounds like a cliche, but your beliefs may be the single most causative factor in the state of your health. Negative beliefs are many more times likely to cause you stress. Our body follows our thoughts. Negative mental states cause an autonomic nervous system reaction, restricting our breathing and circulation. Over time, a negative state of mind can hamper the natural flow of nourishing, life giving Qi, leaving the gate open for stress-related illness such as diabetes, heart disease and many types of cancer. Let your life flow and health will follow.
Believe in your Body’s Natural Health
Believing in yourself is possibly the single most powerful dose of medicine you can give yourself. Our cells react according to the reality we tell them exists. This is the power of self-healing, to be well because we 'feel' and 'think' well. Some people call this faith healing, but it is the belief that our body is loved and ministered that is behind all acts of true health.
Drink Clean, Breathe Clean
Use energy medicine to
kick your addictions and stop smoking. Breathe in more oxygen instead of chemical laden cigarette smoke. Drink more pure, clean water and healthy teas instead of alcohol. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so only in moderation.
Go Natural
Detox your life but do not try to overly sanitize your living environment. Moderation and balance is the key to sustainability. Your body, just as our ecosystem, needs microbes to live, just not an overabundance of them. Avoid chemicals used in most commercial
personal care products. Choose organic, chemical free products, or
make your own.
Avoid or Eliminate Microwave Exposure
Until we learn more about the long-term effects of radiation from microwaves that emanate from things like cell phones or microwave ovens, reduce your exposure to them. Consider tossing your microwave and replace it with a toaster oven. Invest in a good hands-free headset for your cell phone, or put your phone on speaker to take a call whenever you can.
While researchers continue to search for reasons and cures for cancer, you don't have to wait for answers before your healing begins. Answer to your own health by believing in and nurturing your very real, and indomitable, inner healer and loving spirit!
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Body & Brain Yoga and Taichi centers across the U.S. are providing one week of free yoga classes for cancer patients and survivors all throughout the month of October. Call or visit your
nearest Body & Brain location for a guided experience.
The contents of this website/e-mail are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.