Category: Uncategorized

Magpie

I named this blog The Cancer Canary, but lately I feel more like a magpie, collecting little bits of info and trying to piece together a bigger picture.

Check out this article in the June issue of Scientific American. It’s about the immune system and UV exposure. Mostly, it is about how plain old 🌞 sunshine can help those who suffer from muscular sclerosis and other auto-immune disorders. However, there are implications for cancer patients as well, as many cancers begin with inflammation.

Surprising Ways That Sunlight Might Heal Autoimmune Diseases | Scientific American

https://share.google/pBPdI6tGG2qqelzym

I came across another article recently about lidocaine being used to induce apoptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Apoptosis is the programmed cell death that should kill off old and damaged cells. Somehow, it switches off when a person develops cancer, and cells that should die off stop dying off.

This research is drawing a link between this simple topical numbing agent and the ability to trigger cell death. Amazing!

“Lidocaine’s distinct bitter taste arises from its activation of a taste receptor known as T2R14, a receptor found in high concentrations in various cancer cells, particularly those in the head and neck. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania postulated that lidocaine may interact with cancer cells through this receptor.”

Researchers Find the Mechanism Behind Potential Anticancer Properties in Lidocaine

And here’s one from Consumer Reports on how to avoid microplastics:

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/health-wellness/how-to-eat-less-plastic-microplastics-in-food-water-a8899165110/

30 for 30

I used to struggle to get 30 different types of plant foods in my diet each week. As I’ve been doing this for a while now — and enjoying the benefits of a much healthier tummy — I thought I’d share a few secrets.

Coffee Klatch ☕️

Every morning, I begin with coffee and add to it about 1 tablespoon of chaga, which is a mushroom product.

Two down, 28 to go!

Tea for Two 🫖

Teas count! I usually have a cup of herbal tea after my morning coffee. My favorite is ginger turmeric, but of course, I mix it up… each day is different. 

I’m going to estimate that you’ll get at least 3 plant foods and their wonderful micronutrients in one cup of tea.

Add a lemon, lime, or orange slice? You’ve got 4.

What’s the tally now? Six plant foods! 24 to go!

Nuts to You 🌰🥜🐿

We like to keep a couple of jars of nuts in the den… easy access to healthy snacks when movie time rolls around. We keep a big one just for cashews, a small one for pistachios, and a medium-sized one for mixed nuts from Aldi, which includes peanuts, pecans, almonds and hazelnuts.

Ok, so a handful here and there throughout the week equals 6 of your 30 plant-based foods. And just having them around will help curb your desire for the unhealthy stuff.

Ok, add 6 to the tally. 18 to go!

Shoot Some Salad, Salad Shooter 🥗🔫

I’m making a big salad for tonight, and marinating some chicken for Jimmy to grill.

Here’s the salad ingredients in tonight’s mix: romaine lettuce, baby spinach, baby chard, baby kale, broccoli sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber slices, celery, sweet pepper slices, avocado, olives, and green onion. 

There’s enough for 4 of us to eat, and I’m pretty sure there will be leftovers for tomorrow. I’m not too proud to eat yesterday’s dressed salad. It takes on a giardiniera vibe.

Ok, that’s 12 more plant foods to add to the tally.

If you count the red wine vinegar I use in the dressing, it makes 13! I’m not going to count the dried herbs, though…

18 – 13 = 5 more to go!

Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy 🍉🍒🫐🍓🍍

It’s summer, and there’s a ton of ripe fruit available, so take advantage while you can.

This morning, we finished a pineapple at breakfast.

My lunch was apple chunks with peanut butter drizzle.

On the dinner table, I set out blueberries, watermelon, and cherries. So there’s 5 more plant foods for today!

5 – 5 = 0! I got 30 in one day! Now, any new veggie to cross my path is just a bonus!

Easy, healthy, and delicious!

Manganese

A journal article I came across recently.

Who here supplements for manganese? Even if you don’t have one of these diseases, know that commercial agriculture is producing nutritionally poor foods.

https://surgicalneurologyint.com/surgicalint-articles/glyphosate-pathways-to-modern-diseases-iii-manganese-neurological-diseases-and-associated-pathologies

Detoxing

My mother has been struggling with muscle aches and recently figured out that they were actually side-effects of a prescription drug she had been taking for over a year. 😳😵‍💫😵

I remember my grandmother taking a similar statin drug, maybe 10 years ago, and having similar pain. She had been a pharmacist assistant for most of her life and knew a lot about drugs, so she got out a magnifying glass and her Merck manual and took a look at the little “indications” paper that comes with every prescription.

Well, she found a lot of undesirable side effects, such as muscle pain and weakness, liver damage, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, and memory issues.

The worst one, if we are ranking them, might be rhabomyolysis, the severe breakdown of muscle. This basically means that muscle tissue is broken down rapidly, which is painful, then the broken-down proteins (myoglobin) wreak havoc on the liver, which must clean it out of the blood.

Anyway, the task at hand for my mom, and for so many of us who are trying to reverse the damage from products, foods, medicines, etc., is to DETOX.

My first advice to her was to take Epsom salt baths, maybe use a charcoal supplement for a while, drink more, sweat more…. but what else is there, when a person wants to detox?

I came across this book recently… just starting to read it.

Have any of you read it?

Do any of you have detoxing wisdom to share?

Support

I’m part of a support group specifically for CLL and SLL patients, and this month has been a tough one.

We had a 5k on the 10th. It was great to see everyone and get some sun and exercise.

Then one member lost his wife on the 13th to a different form of cancer.

Then, one of our most outgoing, friendly, loved members succumbed to the disease and many complications on the 26th.

We are all reeling. 💔

Rest in peace, Terri G.

Rest in peace, Doug M.

Before the 5k.
After, with ice cream treats.

Salt & Pepper

Was using my salt and pepper grinders today and realized that they BOTH have plastic grinding gears … yet another way for microplastics (or not-so-micro-plastics) to break off, get into our food, and then be consumed.

I’m throwing them out!!

Ughghghghghghg!

Granite Pans

A few years ago, my son wanted to get me a Mother’s Day gift I would use… so he asked what I wanted, and I said an egg pan that was not Teflon coated but didn’t take all day to clean.

Tall order, I thought.

He got me two non-stick granite pans made by Michaelangelo. They looked good and worked great and I was really pleased.

Time has passed, and the surfaces have gotten fuzzy from repeated cleaning… and they’ve been pushed to the back of the cabinet as we have used the cast irons more and more.

But I wonder… what are granite pans made of anyway?

I Googled around and found that they are “not actually made of granite stone, but named for its resemblance to the texture.”

Okay, but what are the pans made of?

Seems there are 2 kinds: Teflon (PTFE) and vitreous enamel.

  • Teflon (PTFE) cookware can release toxic fumes when used at high temperatures. PTFE stands for polytetraflouroethylene.
  • Vitreous enamel cookware is considered safer than Teflon, but chips or cracks in the enamel can allow metal (aluminum) in the pan to leach into food.

For both types, it is recommended that you use soft utensils when cooking and wash them carefully to avoid scratches or pitting.

The Michaelangelo website sells these pans labelled as “100% Toxic-Free — Free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium.” I sure hope that is true!

Anyway, these are too scratched up. Throwing them away!

Deep Dive on Endocrine Disruption

I wanted to share this article sent to me by Yuka, an app I use on my phone to help understand all the chemicals we find on labels and make safer choices.

I’m hearing others say the name “Yuka” more and more, and that makes me really happy. I’m so glad folks are using this valuable tool to defend themselves against all the dangers in the grocery aisles.

(Wow, what did I just write??? This place that should be so safe… we need an app to safely shop. Yes, that IS where we‘re at.)

https://yuka.io/en/endocrine-disruptors-health/

I love that they included the alligators of Lake Apopka, Florida. I grew up in Florida and remember this happening. The young male alligators were trying to mate with the other males, and the females were left out of the action… and the population declined. 🐊

Not making a political statement! But, the  endocrine system controls hormones. And hormones control sexual development.