As cancer researcher and author of Cancer-Free: Your Guide to Gentle, Non-Toxic Healing, Bill Henderson once said, “No cancer either begins or thrives if the patient’s immune system is strong.” So, a first priority for either prevention or healing is to prioritize equipping your immune system. We can learn about one of the fundamental ways to do this through the research of pharmacologist and immune system expert, AJ Lanigan and his product, Beta 1, 3-D Glucan for cancer.

This post includes an interview with AJ I did in 2022 and answers many great questions I have been asked about Beta Glucan since I started taking it in 2008. I really think you’ll enjoy it! (If you are short on time, there are timestamps in the video description so you can skip between questions.)

***For the lowest price on Beta Glucan visit this link —> HERE! 

(Updated: November, 2023. Originally published January, 2011)

Transfer Point/ Better Way Health brands of Beta-1, 3D Glucan has been shown to increase immune activity as much as 160x than its competitors.

What Is Beta Glucan?

Beta 1, 3-D Glucan is an immune modulating supplement extracted from baker’s yeast. Its primary use is to strengthen the immune system without causing an autoimmune response from over-stimulation.  It functions by planting a receptor in the outer membrane of your “neutrophil immune cells” that allows them to better recognize cancer cells (and other pathogens) in order to destroy them. Normally, your body’s cellular defenses do not recognize cancer cells as they are disguised from the immune system.

I took Beta Glucan every morning through my cancer treatment starting in November, 2008. Because the therapeutic dose called for 500mg per 50 pounds of body weight and I was 120 pounds, I alternated every other day 1,500mg/ 1,000mg. After taking it, you have to wait 30 minutes before eating.

Even though (at the time of this post) I have been cancer-free for 15 years, I still take 1,000 – 1,500mg of Beta 1, 3-D Glucan every morning, 30 minutes before breakfast and have so for the past 15 years.

Beta Glucan for Cancer

AJ Lanigan himself had his Beta 1, 3-D Glucan tested at Harvard, Tulane, the University of Louisville, Baylor, Johns Hopkins among others, and it has been on the market for over 30 years. Through peer-reviewed studies, they tested it against other high-end immune boosting products and found it in fact to be “far superior” to all others on the market.

It’s quite astonishing, but THOUSANDS  (198,000 as of 2023) of studies have been performed on glucans and their ability to modulate the immune system, making it more effective in finding and attacking pathogens.

There is an entire organization that has gathered these studies and you can visit their website HERE and search for specific studies or browse alphabetically.

Watch My Interview with Beta Glucan Expert, AJ Lanigan

(Added for 2022 update)

After 14 years now of taking Beta Glucan daily, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and record an interview with the formulator, AJ Lanigan. I definitely had a few questions for him, and he didn’t disappoint in answering them thoroughly.

How did AJ get started into Beta Glucan research? (01:00)

Beta Glucan as regular immune system care: (08:20)

My personal experience with Beta Glucan since 2008: (12:20)

How does Beta Glucan help the immune system and can effectiveness be measured? (13:45)

Beta Glucan for Kids vs. Kids’ Multivitamin? Which is best if I had to pick one? (~24:00 -28:00 mark)

Beta Glucan’s activity on a cellular level: (31:15)

Can my immune system become “dependent” on Beta Glucan? Can I “take a break” from Beta Glucan? (34:00)

Beta Glucan being “so expensive” — addressing this problem through “pulse dosing.” (My favorite part of the interview!) (35:00)

Last Question: “I’ve heard a rumor that I really don’t have to wait 30 minutes to eat after taking Beta Glucan. Is this true?” (Listen to the whole answer!) (47:15)

Where Can I Buy Beta Glucan?

I purchase my Beta 1, 3-D Glucan from a local Atlanta company, Better Way Health. This is actually the same company I purchased my first bottle from in 2008! It is important that you purchase beta glucan from Transfer Point or Better Way Health, as it is the most potent beta glucan on the market. You can get 10% off of your order by using my code “ACM” at checkout.

***For  the lowest price on Beta Glucan visit this link —> HERE! 

(Update 2024: I am now at 16 years remission and still taking Beta Glucan at the maintenance  2 capsule dose daily!)

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Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a doctor or a cellular biologist.  Humbly speaking, I don’t even consider myself a “cancer researcher.”  I am simply a survivor wanting to share my story, the knowledge I’ve learned (that worked for me) throughout my holistic anti-cancer journey, and to help raise awareness for alternative cancer treatments as a whole.  As such, I am greatly simplifying much of this information for timeliness and comprehension’s sake.  Never hesitate to do your own research. If you have any questions or thoughts along the way, please leave a comment below.  THANKS!

The post Taking Beta Glucan for Cancer | My 15+ Year Experience appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

The Budwig Protocol is the common name for the diet and lifestyle developed by Dr. Johanna Budwig in the 1950’s to help restore otherwise hopeless, advanced cancer patients back to health.

 Note: “The Budwig Protocol for Cancer” was originally published on January 26, 2011 and has been updated in 2024.

The Budwig Protocol For Cancer

Dr. Johanna Budwig has been referred to as a top European cancer research scientist, biochemist, blood specialist, German pharmacologist, and physicist. She is known and highly respected around the world, even still today as Germany’s premier biochemist.

In the 1940’s, she discovered a new process of analyzing the composition of fats using chromatography paper. She used this to distinguish unsaturated fats from saturated fats which led to her further study of polyunsaturated fats and eventually her discovery of the danger of trans-fats. (I’ll get more into this below.)

Her discovery of the effect of fats in the overall health of the body led Dr. Budwig to become interested in understanding anything that could interfere with the natural process of cellular oxygen uptake in healthy cells and eventually cancer cells.

Dr. Otto H. Warburg

Dr. Warburg and the Metabolic Cancer Theory

Following the work of Dr. Otto Warburg (himself a Nobel Prize winner,) Dr. Budwig studied how cancer cells are anaerobic- this means that they thrive in a low-oxygen environment. Instead, they rely primarily on GLUCOSE (sugar) to survive.

This is the reason that people with cancer should avoid processed sugar as much as absolutely possible – because isolated sugar fuels cancer cell replication through aerobic glycolysis, or sugar fermented into lactic acid.

Even though Dr. Warburg discovered this and studied it further, he passed away before he was able to find a way to restore the anaerobic cancer cell to its original aerobic, healthy function and metabolism. This is where Dr. Budwig came in.

Dr. Budwig developed her “Oil-Protein Diet” to combat cancer in the 1950’s in post-war Germany when the use of chemotherapy for cancer was in its infancy. Picking up where Dr. Warburg left off, Dr. Budwig believed she discovered the reason why our healthy cells become anaerobic in the first place.

According to her, it is quite simple:

In order for our bodies’ cells to process oxygen as fuel, they need certain enzymes to be present in the fat content of the foods we eat.  However, because so much of the Standard American Diet (SAD diet) consists of chemically-treated, processed, sugar-laden, denatured foods, the necessary enzymes our bodies require for cellular respiration have been destroyed and in some cases even replaced by manufactured fats (i.e. trans fats) which are completely useless to the body.

Over time, this sets up a whole host of problems from heart disease, to skin and lung problems, to brain and liver problems, to diabetes and immune deficiency syndromes, to cancer. Simply put, to remain HEALTHY, our cells NEED to be able to process oxygen and use it efficiently, and the Budwig diet provides this.

The “Oil Protein Diet” and Cancer

Dr. Budwig discovered that when she combined sulfur-rich proteins like quark (common in Europe) or cottage cheese (U.S. equivalent) with highly unsaturated essential fatty acids, like those rich in omega-3’s found in flaxseed oil, the unsaturated fatty acids bonded molecularly with the sulphuric proteins.

This bond made the flaxseed oil water-soluble, enabling it to be absorbed instantly and effortlessly through the cellular membrane.  In turn, the instant flood of vital nutrients, energy-rich electrons, and essential enzymes to all cells (remember, the enzymes were what was missing in the first place) acted as a spark that re-ignited their ability to burn oxygen, thus encouraging restoration of ALL cells to a healthy aerobic state.

Skepticism

Skeptical of this, in 1990, Dr. Budwig’s findings were re-examined by Dr. Dan C. Roehm M.D. FACP (oncologist and former cardiologist).  After his own testing, Dr. Roehm concluded:

“This diet is far and away the most successful anti-cancer diet in the world. What she (Dr. Johanna Budwig) has demonstrated to my initial disbelief but lately, to my complete satisfaction in my practice is: CANCER IS EASILY CURABLE, the treatment is dietary/ lifestyle, the response is immediate; the cancer cell is weak and vulnerable; the precise biochemical breakdown point was identified by her in 1951 and is specifically correctable, in vitro (test-tube) as well as in vivo (real)…” _Dr. Dan C. Roehm M.D. FACP, oncologist & former cardiologist, in “Townsend Letter for Doctors”, July 1990

Dr. Roehm added: “I only wish that all my patients had a PhD in Biochemistry and Quantum Physics to enable them to see how with such consummate skill this diet was put together. It is a wonder.”

As Dr. Roehm mentions, it is important to note that even though the cottage cheese-flaxseed oil mixture is the cornerstone of the Budwig’s diet, it is NOT the entirety of her lifestyle protocol.  Dr. Budwig also emphasized the importance of raw foods, a vegetarian diet, low stress levels, and healthy amounts of sun exposure. More detailed information on the science behind CCFO as well as how to implement Dr. Budwig’s full protocol can be found in her two books: Flax Oil As a True Aid Against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer and Other Diseases, and The Oil-Protein Diet Cookbook.

Full Budwig Protocol Schedule

(From Dr. Budwig’s Cookbook)

Pre-Breakfast:

Drink 8 ounce glass of sauerkraut juice

Breakfast: 

Budwig Linomel-Muesli

• using a coffee grinder, grind 2 Tbsp flax seeds, set aside
• Combine 1 tsp honey,  3 Tbsp milk, and 3 Tbsp of flaxseed oil and blend with immersion blender.
• Gradually add in 3.5 ounces (100g) of cottage cheese or quark and blend some more. A little more milk can be added.
• You can flavor this mixture differently each day with nuts, berries, banana, fruit juice, shredded coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, etc.
• Always eat the oil-protein mixture within 20-25 minutes of making it

Mid-Morning Snack:

Drink 8 ounces freshly juiced carrot, celery, beet, or apple juice (or a combination).

Lunch:

Raw salad with Oil-Protein mixture on top

• To make oil-protein mixture, blend 2 Tbsp flaxseed oil, 2 Tbsp milk and 2 Tbsp cottage cheese or quark. Once blended, combine with mustard, Celtic sea salt, choice of herbs, or salsa.

(You can see all of my cancer fighting salad recipes HERE or in my Anti-Cancer Lifestyle Guide with over 25 recipes and 5 days of meal plans HERE.)

Afternoon Snack:

Drink 8 ounces of pure vegetable-fruit juice combo with 1-2 Tbsp of ground flaxseed oil.

Dinner:

Should be light and early, around 6pm.

• Cooked rice, buckwheat, or oats paired with vegetable soup and Oleolox (read more about how to prepare in Dr. Budwig’s cookbook. I haven’t personally eaten it.)

My Thoughts: 15 Years After Cancer

It has been 13 years since I originally wrote this post, and I have learned a lot about Dr. Budwig’s findings since then. Most importantly (and kind of surprising,) was that once I really dug into her cookbooks, I realized that the cottage cheese-flaxseed oil recipe I had been following from Bill Henderson’s book for many years was not at all what Dr. Budwig had her patients doing.

Whereas Bill Henderson’s “mixture” was a full dose of cottage cheese (2/3 cup) and flaxseed oil (6 Tbsp) once a day WITHOUT the ground flaxseeds, Dr. Budwig instructed her patients to eat a smaller dose (3.5 ounces of cottage cheese + 3 Tbsp flaxseed oil then add 2 Tbsp freshly ground flaxseeds) several times a day along with fruits, vegetables and their juices.

Even with Bill Henderson’s deviation from Dr. Budwig’s ratio, I ate his version of the Budwig mixture below for seven years and my cancer was in remission after six months and has been in remission since.

Here’s the recipe I used:

Simple Budwig Mixture Recipe: (from Bill Henderson’s “Cancer Free” book)

• 2/3 cup organic cottage cheese (I like Nancy’s brand since it does not have carrageenan or other additives.)
• 6 tbsp flaxseed oil
• optional: add berries, bananas, or nuts to taste and also stevia

Directions: Mix by hand first and then blend it with an immersion hand blender until the oil is completely mixed with the cottage cheese. A large coffee cup or soup bowl (see picture above) has worked best to mix it in. Then add other ingredients if you would like. A great video demonstrating this can be found here. Note: It is very important to mix just the cottage cheese and flaxseed oil FIRST! Wait 5 minutes after blending, then add the other ingredients and consume mixture within 25-30 minutes of making it. It cannot be stored for later as it loses its potency.

You can also try the Chocolate Budwig Pudding, Strawberry Budwig Smoothie, and Vanilla-Cinnamon Budwig Smoothie.

Frequently Asked Questions

Since 2008, I have also had some really challenging and well-informed questions from you guys, so I’m going to go over some of those here as well:

How long do you need to stay on the Budwig protocol?

I ate the Budwig mixture (from Bill Henderson’s book Cancer-Free: Your Guide to Gentle, Nontoxic Healing) along with my mostly raw vegan, organic diet for SEVEN straight years with VERY little deviation. I remember reading many years ago that Dr. Budwig recommended staying on her diet for at least FIVE years after remission, so I felt like seven years was sufficient, especially because I was still laser-focused on staying away from processed sugar, striving for gut health, and eating a mostly plant-based diet.

Now at the 10 year mark, I feel confident with my decision to transition off of the Budwig mixture at the seven year mark and it probably could have happened sooner, but no sooner than 5 years.

Do I need to add ground flax seeds to the mixture and do they need to be freshly ground?

Over the years I have learned that I never was actually on Dr. Budwig’s Protocol, something readers clued me into over the years with questions, mainly about whether I used ground flaxseed on my cottage cheese-flaxseed oil mixture. (I didn’t.)

The late Bill Henderson (whose book and protocol I used to heal), in his quest to simplify an anti-cancer healing protocol that anyone could afford and complete at home, simplified Dr. Budwig’s protocol down to a mixture that could be eaten everyday. For me, I had no problem eating the full amount in one sitting (2/3 cup cottage cheese with 6 Tbsp flaxseed oil)- something Dr. Budwig spread throughout the day into 2 or 3 servings.

If I were to do it all over again- YES- I would add in the ground flax seeds. Would it have been more work? YES. I would have had to have freshly ground my flax seeds with a coffee grinder each morning before work (you can already see in my daily anti-cancer routine– I was jam packed.) I don’t love the additional work and dishes, but it IS part of Dr. Budwig’s original recommendations.

Can I eat the Budwig mixture in two portions or do I have to eat it all at once? Can I store it for later?

For the first 7 years of eating the Budwig mixture, I had no problem eating the Bill Henderson recommended dose of 2/3 cup cottage cheese + 6 Tbsp flaxseed oil, but every now and then I would get a reader message about it being too filling or in some making them nauseous.

I always recommended for them to split the mixture in two (which is actually more in line with Dr. Budwig’s dosing. The only downside to this is it takes double the time and dishes. I also noticed it is more difficult to blend since there is less food for the blender to blend, so more splattering takes place.

Just use 1/3 cup cottage cheese and 3 Tbsp flax seed oil and blend with an immersion blender.

You can not store the mixture for later as it loses its potency.

Even after splitting the Budwig mixture in two, I still don’t feel well after eating it. What should I do?

I sympathized with this after I had my third baby, because for some reason (I blame the lack of sleep, stress, overwhelm, and lack of self-care,) my body began rejecting the mixture and it made me sick! After careful consideration, I began transitioning to a mostly plant-based, still low sugar diet due to some postpartum problems with my gallbladder and digestion.

So I know it happens.

Perhaps it is the sudden change in oil or the dairy or emotional stuff. Who knows. You need to listen to your body. Try it for a little while and try the smaller dosing and if you still don’t feel right about, consider another protocol and work with your holistic practitioner.

I am vegan, lactose intolerant, and allergic to dairy. Are their alternatives?

Dr. Budwig wrote about hundreds of people who claimed to have had a dairy intolerance that did well on her protocol. She believed that the chemical properties of the quark or cottage cheese changed when bound with the electron-rich flaxseed oil.

If you are deathly allergic to dairy, I wouldn’t try it. If you are not, then I’d give the Budwig mixture a try in the smaller dose first over the course of a few weeks. Then add in the second dose or full morning dose.

And regarding the vegan alternative: if dairy products are a moral or biological limitation for you, Dr. Budwig’s approach is probably not the right fit for you. The Gerson Protocol or a variation on that would probably be a better fit seeing that it is plant-based and well-researched and studied as well.

To alter the Budwig mixture would be to stray from what Dr. Budwig confirmed in her research and experience. I might add too that although many vegan alternatives (nuts, coconut yogurt, etc) have been discussed, the sulfuric protein in quark or cottage cheese and the Omega 6 – Omega 3 ratio it maintains with the flax seed oil is the only option that Dr. Budwig herself recommended.

Conclusion:

It’s crazy how much can change in ten years. In revising this article, I realized how much I have learned over a decade and how much scientifically has changed in the acceptance of the metabolic cancer theory. Here are just a few studies still looking into Dr. Warburg’s research and Dr. Budwig’s writings:

Current Published Discussions About Dr. Warburg’s Metabolic Cancer Theory:

2010 Manuscript: The Warburg Effect: How Does it Benefit Cancer Cells?

2010 Manuscript: Understanding the Warburg Effect: The Metabolic Requirements of Cell Proliferation

2006 Study: Induction of oxidative metabolism by mitochondrial frataxin inhibits cancer growth: Otto Warburg revisited

Interviews/ Writings of Dr. Budwig:

Excerpt from: “Cancer- The Problem and the Solution”

Fats as True Aids- Three Lectures By Dr. Budwig

The Budwig Foundation (many primary resources and writings here translated from German!)

Dr. Budwig’s stated that healing must take place in the “body, mind, and soul!” She was firm about healing not just being from her diet, but from all aspects of our lifestyle. (You can read more about the Budwig mixture, and all aspects of an anti-cancer lifestyle in my  Anti-Cancer Lifestyle Guide!)

With that said, I believe that even though I did not use Dr. Budwig’s exact protocol, the amount of oxygen and electron rich flaxseed oil combined with the sulfuric protein in the cottage cheese made a HUGE difference in my recovery and ten year remission from NLP Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experience, too! Feel free to leave a comment below.

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The post The Budwig Protocol for Cancer + FAQ’s (and my experience 15 years later…) appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

This week has been a busy one with a teething baby and revising the HealingStrong Group Leader’s Guide, but we did manage to knock out our family’s monthly grocery trip to Atlanta’s Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market. I thought my fridge looked worth sharing with you, thinking I would loved to have seen what other cancer thrivers were eating when I was newly diagnosed! So here it is in all of its overstuffed glory and a glimpse into our grocery routine as a family of 5.

My Grocery Shopping Routine and a Look Into My Anti-Cancer Fridge

First, off, if you’re in the Atlanta-metro area you MUST visit “Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market” in Decatur. There is nothing else like it in the world (to my knowledge!) Picture a Costco-sized warehouse with EVERYTHING straight from the farm to the market. And it’s CHEAP!!! Cheap as in affordable and way better quality than anywhere else, including Whole Foods. Bulk grains, spices, homemade breads using all organic ingredients, raw cheeses and organic dairy, fresh living fish and organic, grass-fed meats. There’s no middle man so your produce can last for weeks. I could go on and on about my love for YDFM, but if you’re in Atlanta and you’re a naturally, organically-minded person, skip the Coca Cola Museum and visit Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market instead.

Just a small section of the spices at Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market.

Our Grocery Routine:

We go to the Dekalb Farmer’s Market once a month and buy two week’s worth of produce and a month’s worth of any meat, dairy,  packaged foods such as dried fruit, nuts, and breads we eat. Yes, we average in between $500-600 each visit.

Since it’s a 45 minute drive for us (on a Sunday to avoid Atlanta traffic,) it’s just not possible to go once a week. For the rest of my monthly produce, I supplement with shopping trips to Whole Foods, Sprouts, or Kroger once a week.

Note: My diet still consists of 90% raw, organic vegetables and fruit and I drink a Budwig smoothie everyday. My kids and husband eat minimal dairy, meat 4-5 times a week, and we eat sprouted Ezekiel bread or homemade Farmer’s Market bread. It’s a busy season for us and this is just easier than trying to cook raw vegan for everyone (and fighting the fam to eat it joyfully.) I prepare all three meals each day unless it’s a day of going out for dinner or lunch, which we do 2-3 times a week (usually two dinners and a lunch on the weekends. We love Jason’s Deli for its organic options and Chipotle for its non-GMO options and both have salad and vegan options for me.)

Divide and Conquer

Since the farmer’s market we love is so far from our house, my husband and I go together as a team. He takes our 3 year old in his cart and buys all of the meat, fish, dairy (such as a case of cottage cheese for my Budwig Protocol ingredients each month!,) bread, nut butters, and loose teas. It takes a good while since each meat is fresh and packaged especially for the amount we want.

I take our 6 year old and 1 year old with me and buy all of the bulk items such as dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, maca, goji berries, raw nuts, quinoa, nutrition bars, etc. I then go over to the massive produce section where there is pretty much every food God ever made: yuca, taro, dragonfruit, jack melon, cored pineapple, watercress, broccoli sprouts, bok choy, Kombucha….on and on. There is also a massive wall of spices that are very affordable.

So, What’s in My Fridge?

Haha, and the next day after smoothies were made and half of a banana was eaten by my 3 year old…

Here’s a list of some of what I bought this week. Almost everything is organic.

• 24 apples
• 1/2 pound fresh almond butter
• asparagus
• 6 avocados
• 2 acorn squash
• 4 beets
• 6 bell peppers- various colors
• 1 bok choy
• 3 heads broccoli
• 1 bag brussels sprouts
• 1 red cabbage
• 10 pound bag of carrots
• 1  purple cauliflower
• 1 container chamomile tea
• 1 bunch chard
• 1 container goji berries
• 2 containers hempseeds
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 container maca powder
• 10 pears
• 1 pineapple, peeled and cored on site
• 8 plums
• 2 bags sweet potatoes
• 2-  5 pound bags of spinach (I freeze them for smoothies)
• 8 squashes
• 10 tomatoes
• 1 bunch watercress
• 1 giant watermelon
• 24 Kalona Organic Yogurts
• 14 containers of Kalona Organic 2% cottage cheese (I freeze 6 of these)
• 3 bars of raw, grass-fed cheese (I freeze two of them and use them through the month for my family.)
• 2 loaves of organic multi-grain sprouted bread (I freeze these.)
• 2 whole chickens
• 10 pounds of chicken breast
• 4- 1 pound containers of ground turkey
• 4 pounds of deli turkey in 1/2 pound bags
• (and other weeks we get ground bison and fresh sockeye salmon)

Note: It’s important to note we also go to Costco once a month where we get diapers, eggs, vanilla, almond milk, Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

UPDATED: For a FREE printable Anti-Cancer grocery list…

DOWNLOAD HERE!  

DOWNLOAD HERE!  

Visit Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market Next Time You’re in Atlanta:

Some tips for visiting Atlanta’s Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market…

• Visit as soon as it opens for less crowd. Weekdays are best. On the weekends it is like Disney World. No joke. You can barely move around with your cart it gets so crowded.
• Guns are not allowed on the premises, nor photography. Their employees will ask you to put your camera or phone away if they see you (yep- it’s happened to me before!)
• Oversized bags are not allowed in the store either. There is a bag checking area at the front for reusable grocery bags.
• It’s really cold inside. Bring a sweater, especially if you’re a native Floridian like myself!
• Stock up on spices while you’re there! They are the best prices around and super fresh.
• If you’re driving from far, bring a cooler for your perishable foods or ask if they can put your meat on ice. (I know they do this for fish for sure.)
• Enjoy the people you’ll meet. Ask questions and try new foods! It’s a very friendly and welcoming place to talk with people from all over the world and learn about new foods and cultures.

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The post My Grocery Shopping Routine and A Look Into My Anti-Cancer Fridge appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

I get asked this question all of the time: “Do you have any cancer fighting juice recipes?”

Well, for a while my answer was complicated. If you look back at my holistic and natural cancer treatment story, you’ll see I didn’t really juice that much while I was going through my treatment. I mainly stuck to vegetable smoothies and salads because there was so much confusing information around juicing, juice storage or not, fruit or no fruit, masticating or centrifugal, etc.

With all the confusion I was relieved that the protocol I followed in Bill Henderson’s book Cancer-Free: Your Guide to Non-Toxic Healing didn’t put too much focus on juicing. Not all holistic healing protocols agree with this, so if you are healing naturally from cancer, be prayerful and research-minded in choosing the right protocol for you.

Some recommended posts that you may love if looking to prevent or heal naturally from cancer:

• What I did to heal naturally from cancer (also excellent prevention!)
• A Day in the Life During Holistic Cancer Treatment (A Five Part-Series)
• Facing the Critics of Alternative Cancer Treatment
• 5 Essential Questions to Ask Before Starting Cancer Treatment 
• 39 Hilarious Ways to Tell You’re Healing Your Cancer Naturally
• My Anti-Cancer (Post Cancer) Grocery Routine with Kids
• The Importance of a Clean Colon: Colonics and Enemas
• An Oncologist Speaks Out: Chemotherapy Makes Us Money But It Doesn’t Work
• 2015 Study: Half of Hodgkin’s Patients Get Second Cancer After Chemotherapy

OK, back to juicing….

Nowadays I love juicing because I’ve learned so much about its benefits and I’ve simplified my juicing routine. I also use it as a supplement rather than as primary nourishment, which takes off of some of the pressure to have all of the right answers and doing it perfectly.

I also have a rockin’ juicer that I can clean in LESS than 5 minutes. Because this busy mom does not have time to be cleaning a juicer any longer than that!

My Juicing Routine and EASY Cleaning Juicer:

With three kids, preparing three meals a day from scratch, and homeschooling, this season of life cries for convenience. Not everyone will agree with this, but I have chosen to FREEZE my juices after juicing them in bulk. I freeze my juices in 8 ounce or 16 ounce mason jars (leaving a 1-inch space at the top for expansion) and keep them in the back of my freezer. Freezing immediately and leaving little room for air helps maintain the enzyme activity and vitamin and mineral potency of the juice.

To thaw the juice, place the jar in a bowl of room temperature water up to the lid. It should be ready to drink in 2-3 hours. For quicker thawing you can empty water after 30 minutes and immerse the jar in warmer water.

My favorite juicer, primarily because it takes about 4 minutes to clean with hot water and a scrub brush (and can also be washed in the dishwasher,) is the Breville Juice Fountain Elite.

On the day that I make my bulk juice, I drink a glass fresh and then immediately freeze the rest. My three daughters also drink these juices (I lessen or leave out the broccoli and cabbage for them,) but everything else is tolerated if not loved around here. (A quick MOM tip: I found that introducing slightly sweet vegetable juice to my babies around 1-year-old has led to them loving juice as they have grown.)

Before we get to the recipes, I warn you ahead of time: I’ve gotten REALLY used to drinking juices and smoothies that aren’t immediately tasty. As in….I’m used to drinking kind of gross-tasting juices. If you are new to juicing, I would try juicing something simple first, such as an apple-carrot juice blend.

Also, if you are on the Gerson Therapy or using juice for healing cancer, these juices are great, but please follow the guidance of your healing practitioner.

***These recipes will make anywhere from 12-20 ounces of juice depending on the size of the vegetables you juice. To juice and freeze in bulk you can triple or quadruple these recipes.***

My 5 Favorite Anti-Cancer Juice Recipes:

#1 Cucumber- Carrot- Kale juice (1 cucumber, 4-6 carrots, 4 leaves kale, 1 green apple)

I love this juice because it’s so simple. After washing all of the produce and cutting off the tops of the carrots, I simply throw it in the juicer and it’s done! Cucumber adds the majority of the liquid and both carrots and kale have mega anti-cancer properties. If you want a sweeter juice, you can add a half of an apple or to mask some of the flavor, squeeze 1/2 of a lemon into the juice by hand.

#2 Orange – Carrot – Ginger – Beet juice (1 large orange- peeled, 1 medium size beet- peeled, 3 carrots,  1/4″ piece ginger)

The orange and beet will add a tad of sweetness to this juice. Beets have beautiful cleansing properties, as they help detoxify the liver. Ginger has strong anti-cancer properties, and the carrots are extremely alkaline.

#3 Carrot- Cabbage- Pineapple (6-10 carrots, 1/8 purple cabbage, pineapple core)

Carrot dominates this juice, but the slight tropical flavor from the pineapple core (which has anti-cancer and enzymatic properties for digestion) makes it one of my favorites. I use the rest of the pineapple for my kids’ lunches. Cabbage, being in the cruciferous vegetable family has excellent cancer-fighting properties. If you’re feeling a little reserved about adding cabbage, make this juice without it the first time and then add a little bit at a time for subsequent juices.

#4 Apple- Carrot- Broccoli- Beet (1 green apple, 4-6 carrots, 1 broccoli stalk, 1 medium beet)

This juice is slightly sweeter. Green apple has less sugar than red apples but still helps mask the broccoli flavor. Beets once again are incredibly anti-cancer and cleansing. And of course the broccoli with the cancer-fighting quercetin and sulforaphane is worth the unique flavor. Squeezing the juice of 1/2 of a lemon (by hand) is a nice touch to help mask the broccoli flavor.

#5 Apple- Celery- Carrot- Baby Bok Choy (1 green apple, 6-8 carrots, 1 bunch baby bok choy)

Another slightly sweeter juice due to the green apple, the celery adds additional antioxidant phytonutrients, along with already awesome carrots and cancer-fighting and cruciferous bok choy.

What do you all think? Any favorite recipes you love? Post them in the comments below!

And if you’re looking for more posts about healing cancer naturally, check out my Get Started Page or visit my How I Beat Cancer Page to learn more about the holistic healing protocol I used.

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The post 5 Cancer Fighting Juice Recipes + My Favorite Easy Cleaning Juicer! appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

Hi there! Here are a few of the natural remedies we find helpful during these winter months of cold and flu season.

This mini-guide is an excerpt of the “Prevention”, “Colds and Congestion”, and “Flu” section from my new A-Z Natural Remedies Guide! The book is full of solutions I have learned as a holistic cancer survivor and mom of 6 who aims to use natural remedies as a “first do no harm” approach. These are the remedies THAT WORK! So far, we have made it through 15 years of parenting without antibiotics or other pharmaceutical intervention by sticking with these natural remedies.

Grab the entire guide which consists of herbal, homeopathic, and other natural solutions for over 50 ailments like:

• coughs
• headaches
• anemia
• broken bone care
• hand foot and mouth
• pregnancy
• postpartum issues
• anxiety
• lice
• bronchitis

and over 50 more!

There is also a bonus section on our family’s decision on vaccine choice and “vaccine preventable” diseases that covers risks, benefits, and treatment options both natural and emergent.

GRAB THE GUIDE HERE! (Hard Copy) (Digital Copy)

Preventative Measures:

Oh boy, it’s that time of year! I know in our house we have already had to break out and use some of these natural remedies. Here’s this year’s revised list of what I use to keep my family healthy in the winter months. I arranged the list from what I think is most important to the extra “nice to have” goodies.

1. EAT “Ruffage”. YES- I like this word to describe raw vegetables and fruits. It’s just more….visual. Keeping your colon healthy and flowing in the winter months is very important for boosting your immunity. So much of your immune system exists within your colon. Fruits and veggies are also going to be your primary source for fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Eating healthy does not have to take tons of extra time. I make all of my food for the day in the morning before work. Getting up a little bit early, or making four salads on Sunday night (for the week) or adding a green smoothie isn’t going to take too much extra time, and the benefits could be well worth it! If eating cold food doesn’t sound appealing to you because it’s 20 degrees outside, then supplement your salad with a cup of your favorite soup.

2. Take a Daily Food-Based Multi-Vitamin- You may wonder why this would even be necessary if you’re already eating plenty of raw fruits and veggies? I look at it as insurance…the soil our fruits and vegetables are grown in has definitely been depleted of its natural vitamin and mineral content, so we can’t depend on our diets alone. I like Dr. Williams brand of vitamins, but if they aren’t quite in your price range OR you don’t like taking that many caplets (there are 8 in each Dr. Williams packet), I also like Mary Ruth’s brand.

• For Children: Hiya Vitamins: If you want to give a daily multivitamin to your children, I highly recommend HIYA vitamins. They are a high-quality, food-based vitamin made from organic fruits and vegetables. They also taste REALLY good and my kids still ask me for them which helps with taking them consistently! Click HERE for 50% off your first order.
  
  

 4. Beta-1, 3D Glucan- I originally started taking this immune modulating supplement when I began my holistic cancer regimen in 2008 and have continued for 16 years now! There are MANY instances when sickness has gotten everyone around me but I either didn’t get sick at all or recovered much faster than everyone else.

For Children:

• Beta Glucan: Immune Ready Kids This is the immune support I prefer for my kids 2-9 years old in the winter months (2 gummies daily.) This is the children’s dose for Beta Glucan and also includes Elderberry, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc. Use promo code ACM for 10% off.
• Beta Glucan 100: With over 200,000 studies proving efficacy since the 1960’s, this one is a no-brainer for us. For kids 10+ in age, I recommend the lower dose (and lower priced) Beta Glucan 100+ blend. It also includes Vitamin C, Selenium, and Vitamin D. Check the dosing for your child’s age bracket. Use promo code ACM for 10% off the Beta Glucan 100.
  

3. Take Vitamin D3- 2,000-10,000 IU Daily

• Vitamin D3: I take 10,000-15,000iu in spring, fall and winter and 5,000iu in summer. Studies show that overall health is better in people who have optimal Vitamin D levels. Cancer rates are much lower, too! The optimum blood level of Vitamin D, (measured as 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), is generally recommended to be between 40–60 ng/mL to ensure adequate health benefits, including cancer prevention and immune support. Perhaps start with the lower dose of 5,000 and have your Vitamin D levels tested to see if you need a bit more Vitamin D supplement daily.

4. Gut Health Care: 

• ACV-Ginger Health Drink: Mix 1-2 Tbsp ACV (apple cider vinegar with “the mother” like Bragg’s), 1/2 tsp ginger powder or 1 tsp fresh ginger juice, 1 quart water, and stevia to sweeten (can also use honey) and add ice. Drinking this along with eating probiotic rich food like plain unsweetened yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, etc. leads to a stronger immune system, as 70% of your immune function (via your gut-associated lymphoid tissue) powers up in your gut!
• Gut Health Routine: An easier (and tastier) way to optimize your immune system is through a gut health regimen. My favorite is the Plexus Triplex system. (Feel free to message me at cortney@anticancermom.com for more information and an invitation to my Anti-Cancer Mom group for Plexus users for cancer prevention.)
• If Amazon is more of your thing (and I totally get that! then my favorite simple probiotic is Jarrow EPS.

Acute Care: When the Cold and Flu Visits

Colds and congestion are common viral infections that primarily affect the upper respiratory system, causing symptoms such as a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, and general discomfort. Congestion occurs when the nasal passages become swollen with excess mucus, making it difficult to breathe through the nose. Colds are usually caused by rhinoviruses and can last for 7 to 10 days. 

This is a loaded section, but I am so happy to bring some of these awesome remedies to help you confidently and more easily get through your next pesky cold and flu season!

Remedies for Children:

• Nose Frida Nasal Aspirator: For little ones who can’t blow their nose, keep nasal passages clear from mucus by using the Nose Frida nasal aspirator combined with saline drops as many times as mucus is running out. There is a reason this has 30k+, 5-stars on Amazon. I am convinced it literally saves babies’ lives, as it keeps mucus from getting into the lungs, and babies out of the hospital! Always make sure to add a few drops of saline first.
• Chest Rub: Use a breathing essential oil blend on the chest with mint and eucalyptus to clear sinuses. 
  • Chest rub for babies.
  • Chest rub for kids
• Saline and Colloidal Silver Spray: Big kids use colloidal silver spray or any saline spray before blowing to clear nasal passages. (You can use this spray for your nose and throat. Clean the tip with alcohol after each use.)
• Effective Nose Blowing: Teach bigger kids not to suck their snot in and to take the time to blow their nose. I teach mine not to suck their snot back in.
• Homeopathy: Use KEY homeopathic remedy for ALL respiratory problems and to help with sleep at night. (See all homeopathy for colds below.)

Remedies for Adults:

• Nasal Irrigation: Rinse nasal passages out with a Neti Pot w/ saline rinse 3 times daily using warm, filtered water and a saline or xylitol rinse. Blow nose gently. Nasal irrigation is a common practice in many eastern cultures to remove viruses and bacteria from the nasal cavity before they can replicate and spread.
• Nasal Rinse: Use a saline or colloidal silver spray between Neti Pot sessions and before bedtime.
• Gargling: Gargle warm salt water 3x daily. Gargling is a common procedure in Japan and other Southeast Asian countries to reduce viral load in the throat.
• Nebulizer Machine: Nebulize Colloidal Silver: Continue nebulizing colloidal silver a minimum of three times daily. 1 tsp in the nebulizer each session until it runs out, usually about 10 minutes.
• Chest Rubs: Use a breathing essential oil blend on your chest with mint and eucalyptus to clear sinuses.(Vicks or DoTerra Breathe + coconut oil work the best here!)

Cold Symptoms Homeopathy for Adults and Children:

Use KEY homeopathic remedy for ALL respiratory problems and to help with sleep at night (see highlighted section below.)

Homeopathy can be tricky because you have to match the remedy perfectly to the symptom for it to work. 

I came across this remedy combo when my girls were little and sick and I just needed them to be able to stop coughing and sleep! I bought a bottle of homeopathic Hyland’s Cold and Cough, and amazingly it worked! They could breathe, stopped coughing and slept soundly and I did, too! 

The only problem is that we would spend hundreds of dollars every winter in Hyland’s bottles since each bottle only included enough doses to last 4-5 days PER CHILD.

One day, I cut the label off on the bottle and went to find the remedies in my homeopathy box, and to my delight I found almost all of them! 

I started to make the “blend” with the individually-bought vials of pellets and haven’t bought a $14 bottle of Hyland’s ever since!

For this remedy you will need to buy the 30c potency of the following homeopathic remedies vials (the bottles). You can also try using single remedies for the specified symptoms(see below), but I find that if I use all of the remedies at once, my kids get complete relief.

I purchase my remedies from Washington Homeopathics, which is the most cost effective option, but there are Amazon links below. These remedies can last YEARS, depending on how often you use them. There are 900 pellets in the large vials from Washington Homeopathics and you need 4 pellets per remedy dose. The Boiron remedies on Amazon have about 80 pellets per vial. You will only need 2 – 3 pellets of those when you make the combo remedy.

How to make homemade “Highland Homeopathy Blend” (copycat recipe) 

In a small glass jar (I use one clean old baby food jar for each of my kids) or a medicine cup combine 3-4 pellets each of: 

• Allium cepa (watery nose and eyes, cold, hacking cough, sore throat)
• Hepar sulph (cold, sneezing)
• Hydrastis (rattling/ tickling cough, sinus congestion, sore throat)
• Natrum mur (dry cough, sore throat)
• Phosphorus (hoarse/ dry cough, nasal congestion, chest congestion)
• Pulsatilla (moist cough, cold, post-nasal drip)
• Sulphur (chest congestion, nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose)
• (At bedtime add Coffea cruda and/ or Chamomilla which will help with sleeping)

Also research and experiment with “water dosing” for homeopathy to stretch your homeopathic remedies even further!

(BUTTON FOR REMEDIES GUIDE)

The post Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu: Mini-Guide appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

I am determined on Mondays to get dinner cooking by 6am. Sounds weird, huh? If any of ya’ll are working mothers, you may have a special relationship with the Crock Pot, too. This chicken takes 15 minutes to prep and 8 hours to cook. It is my husband’s favorite new dish and my daughter gobbles it up. Its savory juice of coconut oil and warm chicken broth produces an experience that both comforts and heals much more than the soul.

Afterwards, check out my recipe and reasons to spend 5-10 extra minutes to make your own EASY Crock Pot Chicken Broth!

Paprika Slow-Cooked Chicken

2-3 Tbsp coconut oil

1 bulb garlic (yes, not a CLOVE, a BULB…garlic is medicinal!)

1 whole chicken

12 carrots, cut in 4’s

1 green pepper, cut into 1″ or so pieces

1-2 Tbsp paprika

1-2 Tbsp minced onion

garlic salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Place coconut oil, carrots, peppers, and garlic into crock pot. Place chicken, breast side up into the crock pot. Season with remaining ingredients. Cook in slow cooker (I love my digital Crock Pot) on low for 8 hours. Serve!

Homemade Chicken Broth

The medicinal properties of chicken broth come straight from the bones of the chicken. So obviously, the healthier the chicken was in its life, the more vitamins and minerals you are going to retrieve for your own health. Take this into consideration when purchasing your whole chicken.

Directions: After serving the whole chicken, remove remaining meat and veggies and store away for tomorrow’s lunch! Leave bones, unwanted juices, skins, and any unwanted veggies in the crock pot. Add additional spices and veggies such as 2-3 carrots, 2-3 stalks celery, 1-2 bay leaves, basil, 3-5 cloves garlic, or a whole onion into the crock pot. The first time I made bone broth I was so careful with ratios, but now I typically add in any appropriate raw veggies leftover from my fridge. Also, I usually add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to help extract the nutrients from the bones.

Add 48-56 ounces of filtered water to the crock pot. Simmer on low, anywhere from 12-20 hours. Let cool. In a large bowl, strain out broth with a colander. Dispose of chicken pieces and veggies. I store my homemade broth in glass mason jars in my fridge. Serve within 5 days or freeze.

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“Throat Funk” is what I’m calling it. You know, that tickly, draining feeling in your throat that causes you to keep swallowing. It’s the beginning of a cold, but it doesn’t have to go any further.

There are many ailments that we suffer from in the cold winter months, not because there are just more germs, but primarily because we are indoors so much.

Lack of natural Vitamin D from the sun and reduced amounts of fresh air are culprits to our weakening immune systems.

But, trust me when I say…there is SOMETHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

If life keeps you BUSIER than you’d like, but you want stay HEALTHY, then you NEED to read this post!

The SIMPLIFIED Winter Medicine Cabinet:

You can check last year’s Winter Medicine Cabinet run-down HERE, but life as a working mother has encouraged simplification this year. I have also learned that it doesn’t have to be so complicated OR expensive. There are a few key supplements that will get the immune boosting done!

Preventative Stuff:

1. EAT “Ruffage”. YES- I like this word to describe raw vegetables and fruits. It’s just more….visual. Keeping your colon healthy and flowing in the winter months is very important for boosting your immunity. So much of your immune system exists within your colon. Fruits and veggies are also going to be your primary source for fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Eating healthy does not have to take tons of extra time. I make all of my food for the day in the morning before work. Getting up a little bit early, or making four salads on Sunday night (for the week) isn’t going to take too much extra time, and the benefits could be well worth it! If eating cold food doesn’t sound appealing to you because it’s 20 degrees outside, then supplement your salad with a cup of your favorite soup.

2. Take a Daily Food-Based Multi-Vitamin- You may wonder why this would even be necessary if you’re already eating plenty of raw fruits and veggies? I look at it as insurance…the soil our fruits and vegetables are grown in has definitely been depleted of its natural vitamin and mineral content, so we can’t depend on our diets alone. I like Dr. Williams brand of vitamins, but if they aren’t quite in your price range OR you don’t like taking that many caplets (there are 8 in each Dr. Williams packet), I also like Rainbow Light brand. My daughter takes Nature’s Plus Animal Parade Vitamins and also a daily probiotic from Nature’s Way.

3. Take Vitamin D3- 2,000-4,000 IU Daily- Buy a brand like Vital Choice which has an Omega-3 rich oil base to receive anti-inflammatory benefits too! For my daughter, I use Vitacost’s “Baby-D” drops which only contain olive oil as an additional ingredient and is very affordable! I give her 800-1,200 IU twice a day in cold weather season.

When the “Throat Funk” and the Aching Bones Strike:

We can do our best to boost our immune system during the winter months, but sometimes we just succumb to the germs. Here’s what to do when the buggies get the best of you:

For ANY illness, my new favorite SUPERSTAR of the supplement world is ACF. That’s A-C-F.

If you buy this GEM at Whole Foods you will pay a pretty penny, so I recommend buying it now at Vitacost.com where it is half the cost ($13 compared to $26) and BEFORE you’ll need it. We keep a stock in our pantry of both ACF Fast Relief Immune Support, Children’s ACF, and Cough Relief ACF.

This past summer I developed a rare sinus infection, and to my body’s credit- it was so mild I just thought it was an allergy issue that flares up in early summer some years. But at a routine physical my general practitioner MD (I was forced to see to keep my “Wellness HRA” insurance plan through United Healthcare) identified it as a sinus infection and called a Z-Pack into my pharmacy before I could even say that I was going to try some holistic methods first. I didn’t pick up the Z-Pack.

I went straight to Whole Foods and picked up a bottle of ACF. FIVE days later, my sinus infection was completely gone with NO use of antibiotics.

This stuff is AMAZING. Use it for preventative care and treatment before you go straight to antibiotics.

My daughter is 3 and we’ve been using this for her since she was a little over a year old. She calls it “juice” although the bottle recommends you actually mix it with real juice to hide its slight licorice taste. She takes it “on the rocks” and has never taken antibiotics.

Save Some MONEY and Help Out Green Drink Diaries!

Vitacost has a wonderful incentive program that will save you MONEY! You can use my referral code to save $10 on your first order and continue to get great Vitacost prices on any future orders. You will have to create a Vitacost account which you will do anyways to complete your order. Trust me- there is no weird monthly fee or anything like that. I’ve been using Vitacost for several years now, and if you’re going to live a more “natural” lifestyle, savings like Vitacost’s are a MUST!

Get your $10 off HERE.

Other Products I LIKE:

For Cold and Cough- Hyland’s DEFEND Cold and Cough Nighttime and for KIDS- Children’s Cold and Cough Nighttime

Nedi Pot- For flushing out your sinuses, you can’t beat a Nedi Pot or similar nasal irrigation systems. If post-nasal drip is a problem for you, I find Nedi Pots extremely helpful! I purchased mine at Walgreens which came with the solution used inside to help dry up mucous.

Humidifier- I like Crane’s Cool Mist Humidifier for sore throat, congestion, and coughing. When our sinuses are dried out in the cold winter months, they are more prone to overreact with mucous at night AND be more vulnerable to additional microbes and bacteria during the day. Keeping them moist at night is extremely helpful!

The post Simple, Natural, and Affordable Winter Remedies for BUSY People appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

Hello Family and Friends!

I hope you are enjoying your Winter Wellness baskets. (:

ACF and Vitamin D- These are my primary immune boosting supplements for winter wellness care. Although best received from natural sunlight, Vitamin D is essential for staying well throughout cold and flu “season.” Please note that the ACF is not meant to be taken for enjoyment. It has a very potent taste, but if you have ever drank a shot of strong alcohol, I trust you can handle the ACF, especially seeing that you KNOW its health benefits! For the most affordable place to purchase them, click HERE.

Green Tea- I drink 3-5 cups of green tea A DAY because of the phytonutrients, antioxidants, and anti-cancer properties present in a quality green tea. See my post HERE for why I continue to do this and why you should too!

Stevia- Derived from the stevia plant, this is a natural, plant-based sweetener. Sweeten gradually, as it is very potent! I use stevia in my green tea everyday. You can also make delicious hot chocolate using almond milk, melted dark chocolate and chocolate flavored stevia.

Chicken Broth- It is well-known wives tale that Chicken Noodle Soup is perfect for when you’re sick, but homemade chicken broth is where the true medicinal properties are found! If you’re feeling bold, try making your own using my recipe!

Emergen-C- I haven’t personally used Emergen-C, but it is well known for being effective for its use at the onset of a cold. Large doses of Vitamin C has even been documented to combat cancer, particular lywhen administered intravenously.

Elderberry/ Zinc Cough Drops- Read more about the benefits of Elderberry HERE! You can buy these at Vitacost HERE.

Soap- Wash your hands with warm water and soap that does not include triclosan (an antibacterial product included in many soaps that can dry out skin and leads to super-bug resistance.) Our favorite for keeping winter skin moisturized is Grandpa’s soap.

The post Green Drink Winter Wellness Gift Baskets appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

A few weeks ago I received an email from a lady who wanted my suggestion for a good holistic doctor or naturopath in the Atlanta area. I let the email sit in my inbox for a few days, mainly because I couldn’t think of one! The holistic MD I saw when I was first diagnosed with cancer took time off to stay home with her kids, but even so- I haven’t NEEDED to see a general practitioner since then. How do I do it? Read on for some REALLY helpful, natural winter immune boosting ideas!

Green Drink Diaries’ Winter Wellness Protocol

Daily:

1. Eating a 50-75% raw organic diet helps keep the immune system strong and the colon healthy (your immune system and digestive system go hand-in-hand.) I drink a 64 oz green smoothie everyday along with a BIG salad 2-3 nights for dinner. I reward myself with a warm, yummy soup, green tea sweetened with stevia, and organic meat on occasion.

2. Vitamin D3- 2,000-4,000 (buy a brand like VitaChoice which has an Omega-3 rich oil base to receive anti-inflammatory benefits too!) For Babies and Kids, I use Vitacost’s “Baby-D” drops which only contain olive oil as an additional ingredient and is very affordable! I give my daughter 800-1,200 IU twice a day in cold weather season.

3. Organic Green Tea 3-4 times a day, sweetened with stevia.

4. Dr. Williams Vitamins or a well researched, food-based multi-vitamin.

5. SLEEP: I’d like to pretend like I’m good at this one! I am lucky to get 7 hours of sleep being a wife, mother of a toddler, teaching 4th grade full time, and keeping up with Green Drink Diaries. We should all try to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Ideally as humans, we should be going to bed shortly after sundown and waking up at sun up, but surely, modern technology and the demands of our busy lives has made that sort of lifestyle a thing of the past!

At First Signs of Sickness or if Illness Progresses:

1. (3 Times Daily) Winter Cocktail: 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp elderberry extract, 6 drops oil of oregano, 1/4 c water. Shoot it down and chase with water if needed! I have grown to LOVE the tingling of the apple cider vinegar and sweetness of the elderberry. For children, I would give 1 tsp elderberry syrup 2-3x a day. Nature’s Way Sambucus for Kids is a favorite brand.

2. Hydrogen Peroxide in ears- I found this out from a friend who said it worked for her, so I tried it and felt much better the next day! The theory that supports this remedy says that bacteria and viruses may enter the body through the ears and not just through the mouth and nose. 

Directions: Put 2-3 drops of hydrogen peroxide in one ear while laying down on a towel. It should be just enough to clog your hearing. Let it sit for enough time for most of the bubbling sound to stop. (usually 3-4 minutes) It will itch a bit, so I gently tug on my earlobe to relieve the itching. It is important to not overdo this one. Be sure to allow ALL of the hydrogen peroxide to drain out or you could end up with clogged ears or infection. I have done this many times and have never had a problem with clogging, but use with caution.

3. GOOT: A garlic, olive oil, and coconut oil salve you put on the bottom of the feet and sleep with socks over it. I use this for my daughter and find it very effective. Expect much improvement by morning!

4. Extra Vitamin D3: Take 5,000-10,000 units daily

5. Chestal or Children’s Chestal for coughs: You can buy online or at your local Walgreens or Whole Foods

6. 1 Tbsp raw Honey with hot water for congestion and cough

7. Homemade Vapo-Rub:Thanks to Brittany at The Pistachio Project for this one!

8. Homeopathic Natural Medicine Children’s Fever Reliever: I find that this doesn’t completely reduce or break my daughter’s fever like Tylenol did when I was a kid, but it brought it down to a safer fever temperature in order to fight off illness naturally. Usually with a good night’s rest, her fevers have been gone by morning. I bought our bottle at Whole Foods.

9. Chicken Broth: I would buy a whole (organic) chicken and follow these directions to make your own (I would use Method 1.) I also recently read a great recipe for making chicken broth in a crock pot if you have one. Easy!

10. Humidifier: I wish I could say I’ve used this one, but we bought one last year and ended up returning it with plans of buying a more functional one later. So, it’s on the list because I KNOW it is effective in clearing chest congestion and making breathing easier! Hopefully with all of the other measures I’m taking to prevent colds and flu this winter season, I won’t even need one!

The post Winter Medicine Cabinet: Green Drink Style! appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

PART 5: THREE DAYS OF CANCER FIGHTING FOODS

I know many of you have heard of the “3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer” also known simply as “The 3-Day.” Well, this is my own “3-Day”: The 3 Day ‘Eat’ for the Cure!” When I was fighting my cancer I tried excessively hard to eat ONLY foods that had cancer fighting abilities. It became obvious to me that the foods that DO fight cancer are the ones we don’t eat much of.

Eating to BEAT cancer was a huge wake up call. I had to tune in to foods that I had never eaten before or had eaten and decided didn’t taste so great, for EVERY MEAL OF THE DAY. There were days that I would stare into the open fridge and shut it several times before finally deciding on something to chew on. This experience inspired today’s post, designed for anyone who is eating a raw-vegan diet along with other alternative therapies to beat their cancer.

For those of you using alternative protocols to fight your cancer, look very few other places for meal ideas. I’ve been there, done that, and this will be really helpful for you. When I started my cancer protocol, I didn’t even know what most of the food I was supposed to eat even looked like!

So, enjoy this meal rotation. Don’t expect it to taste good, but DO expect and believe it will help beat your cancer. I did and still do.

Beating cancer holistically is about more than eating a cancer fighting diet. Go back and read my past 4 posts from this series to get the big picture:

PART 1: A TYPICAL DAY ON MY CANCER FIGHTING REGIMEN

PART 2: 5 TIPS FOR CANCER FIGHTING CONFIDENCE

PART 3: YOU NEED AN ADVOCATE!

PART 4: FACING THE CRITICS

Three Days of Cancer Fighting “Meals”

** Make sure to click on links for recipes and cancer fighting nutrients.

Day 1:

(For tips on making life easier on this protocol, go HERE.)

Breakfast- “CCFO” 2/3c 1% or 1.5% cottage cheese blended with 6 Tbsp organic flaxseed oil. 30 minutes before eating drink Essiac tea and 5 minutes after eating CCFO drink 1 cup Japanese green tea.

AM Snack- cucumber carrot kale juice (1 organic cucumber, 2 carrots, 3 leaves kale) Juice in juicer.

Lunch- 64oz Green Smoothie (1 bunch watercress, 1/2 bunch cilantro, 1/8 head of green or red cabbage, 1/2 green pepper, 3 cauliflower florets, 2 carrots, 1/2c broccoli sprouts, sprouted or cooked lentils, 1/2 avocado, 1 apple, 1/4″ piece of turmeric, 20-30 oz of filtered water.) 1 cup Japanese green tea.

PM Snack- Sprouted Ezekiel Bread (toasted lightly, 1-2 slices with 3 Tbsp olive oil and a small amount of sea salt or Herbamare, oregano, basil, and pepper.) 1 cup Japanese green tea. Drink water!

Dinner- BIG Salad (3 cups spinach, 1/4 red onion, 1/2 avocado, 1/2c sprouted organic almonds, 1/2 tomato, 10 florets broccoli, 1/2 red pepper, 1 handful sunflower sprouts, topped with olive oil and apple cider vinegar and Herbamare.)

Dessert- 1 cup Essiac Tea before bed.

Day 2:

Breakfast- “CCFO” (2/3c 1% or 1.5% cottage cheese blended with 6 Tbsp organic flaxseed oil. Add 1/2c organic blueberries and 1/2c soaked walnuts.) 30 minutes before eating drink Essiac tea and 5 minutes after eating CCFO drink 1 cup Pau D’Arco tea.

AM Snack- Cucumber- Beet juice (1 cucumber, 1 medium size beet) Juice in juicer. 

Lunch- 64oz Green Smoothie (1 pepper any color, 1 handful sunflower sprouts, 1/2c broccoli sprouts, 1/8 red or green cabbage, 1/2 avocado, 1/2c sprouted lentils, 4 raw brussel sprouts, 1 apple, 1/4 onion, 3 leaves swiss chard. 20-30oz filtered water) 1 cup Pau-D’Arco tea.

PM Snack- 3/4c Almond Ezekiel Cereal with 1/2c unsweetened almond milk. Stevia to taste. 1 cup Pau D’Arco tea.

Dinner- BIG Salad (3 cups baby greens, 1/4 onion, 1/2 tomato, cooked black beans, chopped cilantro, homemade guacamole, 10 cauliflower florets, 1/4c soaked almonds with olive oil and lemon or apple cider vinegar.) 10 steamed asparagus on the side with light sea salt.

Dessert- 1 cup Essiac Tea before bed.

Day 3:

Breakfast- “CCFO” (2/3c 1% or 1.5% cottage cheese blended with 6 Tbsp organic flaxseed oil. Add 1/2c organic strawberries and 1/2c soaked walnuts.) 30 minutes before eating drink Essiac tea and 5 minutes after eating CCFO drink 1 cup Pau D’Arco tea.

AM Snack- 1 avocado and small amount of sea salt. 16-24oz of filtered water.

Lunch- 64oz Green Smoothie (2 large handfuls spinach, 3/4c cooked or sprouted lentils, 1/2 avocado, 1 medium tomato, 2 carrots, 1 pepper, 1/2c broccoli sprouts, 1 apple, 1 handful buckwheat or pea sprouts, 2-3 large pieces of dulse seaweed.) 1 cup Japanese Green Tea.

PM Snack- Sprouted Ezekiel Bread (toasted lightly, 1-2 slices with 3 Tbsp olive oil and a small amount of sea salt or Herbamare, oregano, basil, and pepper.) 1 cup Japanese green tea. Drink water!

Dinner- BIG Salad- 2 large handfuls chopped romaine, 1/2 red pepper, 10 broccoli florets, 1/2 onion, 3/4c cooked beans, 1 sliced carrot, 1/2 chopped tomato, 1/4c soaked and sprouted almonds, 1/2 avocado, 1 apple chopped, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, or low sugar organic dressing of your choice.)

Dessert- 1 cup Essiac Tea before bed.

As always, play around with the ingredients to your liking! This just happens to be a general idea of what I ate while fighting cancer with alternative/nutritional/holistic therapies.

The post A Day in the Life: The “3-Day” Cancer-Fighting Meal Plan appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.