DRY BRUSHING FOR HEALTH

We all know the benefits to the skin of dry brushing. Exfoliating improves skin texture making your skin smooth and silky. New research is showing that dry brushing can also improve your overall health by increasing circulation and strengthening the immune system along with a host of other benefits.

The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is responsible for eliminating waste and toxins from your body and is sometimes called the third kidney due to its role in toxin elimination. The skin plays a more important role in our health than most people realize. This is why it is important to take care of your skin and allow it to do its job to the best of its ability. Below are some of the benefits of dry brushing.

SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF DRY BRUSHING:

1)  Removes dead skin and unclogs the pores.
2)  Cleanses the lymphatic system
3)  Strengthens the immune system
4)  Stimulates oil producing glands
5)  Stimulates circulation
6)  Improves the nervous system
7) Aids in digestion
8) Makes skin feel smooth and silky.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1) A natural bristle brush preferably one with a long handle
2) A natural body oil like coconut, apricot, grapeseed or a combination. Make sure that the oils you use do not contain any preservatives or paraben. You can find good body oils at any health food store. Just make sure that they are pure and natural without artificial ingredients. Organic oils are even better.
3) An extra 10 minutes total in the morning
4) That's it!!!

All of these benefits for the cost of a natural bristle brush and some natural oils. The whole process only adds about 10 minutes to your daily morning routine. It's a great way to start your day. You feel invigorated and alive and ready to face the day after a dry brushing.  Results can be felt almost immediately, but the healing affects of dry brushing will take a while longer. The best time to dry brush your skin is in the morning before your shower.

DRY BRUSH YOUR SKIN CORRECTLY

Start with the feet and legs. Use one long sweeping motion upwards towards your heart. Start at the bottom of the feet and move up the leg from back to front one leg at a time. Then do the hands and arms in the same manner, always brushing upwards towards the heart with a long sweeping motion. Next do the stomach and the hips in a horizontal movement from side to side. The neck and chest is next in a downward motion, again towards the heart. On your back, use long sweeping motions downward towards the small of your back.

Immediately after dry brushing, jump in the shower. Some references say to fluctuate between hot and cold water if you can stand it. The object is to rinse off the dead skin cells and open up the pores, so do whatever you can stand. Shower as usual with a pure natural soap. Towel dry, then apply the oil to your body in the same motion as you did your dry brushing. Movements should always be upwards towards your heart. You don't have to use a lot as you don't want that oily feeling all day long.

It's important not to forget your face. Dry brushing is too harsh for the face, so use a stiff washcloth either dry or with hot water (as hot as you can stand without burning yourself) and use short even motions outward towards your hairline. Never stroke towards the middle of your face. Then proceed with your normal daily facial routine.

LINKS WITH MORE INFORMATION ON DRY BRUSHING FOR HEALTH:

http://astrocleansology.com/?p=470

http://www.intentonchange.com/Lymph.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/172135-how-to-correctly-dry-brush-your-body/

Once you start implementing skin brushing into your morning routine, you won't be able to stop. It just feels so good and the benefits can be seen and felt almost immediately. The hardest part will be finding the 10 minutes in the morning. Do whatever you need to do to add this routine to your morning schedule. Set your alarm 10 minutes early if you have to. JUST DO IT....I GUARANTEE YOU'LL LOVE IT.

FOODS TO HELP FIGHT CANCER

On my journey to heal my body and to fight off breast cancer, I've come across many online articles and books on the subject. The common belief in the alternative world is that all cancers have a metabolic origin, meaning that you don't catch it like a bacteria or a virus and it's not totally genetic in itself. Genetics may play a part due to the fact that families tend to eat the same foods prepared in the same ways. Families also tend to share the same lifestyle habits in addition to dietary similarities. So if your great aunt on your mother's side, your cousin, grandmother and your mother had cancer, it would benefit you to look at the habits that have been passed down from generation to generation. Like anything else, this is not an absolute, but definitely worth looking into.

For women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer with no family history of the disease, take a look at your mother and your grandmother's eating habits. First of all, if you're in your 50's or 60's, your mother and your grandmother most likely grew up eating foods without pesticides and growth hormones. The foods they ate were organic or pretty close. Your grandmother probably never ate anything out of a can and possibly neither did your mother. In today's world of fast foods, microwaveable dinners and mass production farming, those healthful food alternatives are hard to come by. Health food stores selling organic produce and free range organic meats are expensive and not always available in all areas. So what do you do?

1)   If your budget allows, eat only organic foods. Taking all of those pesticides out of your diet is a great start on your way to healthful eating.  If you can't afford to eat 100% organic foods, then eat mostly organic. Cut as much of the pesticides out of your diet as your finances will allow.

2)  Start your own organic garden. You can keep it simple at first by planting just a few vegetables at a time and then work your way into a bigger, more varied garden.

FOR AN ESTROGEN REDUCING DIET  CLICK HERE. This site has advice on which foods to choose to reduce estrogen in your body for estrogen sensitive breast cancer. The site will also explain how and why each food type works.

WHITE BUTTON MUSHROOMS have also been said to decrease estrogen production.  CLICK HERE for information on this superfood and the benefits of adding these to your diet.

THE FOLLOWING FOODS WERE COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES INCLUDING: "Foods to Fight Cancer" by Richard Beliveau, Ph.D and Denis Gingras, Ph.D. These foods are said to be essential for fighting cancer. I am listing them here in no particular order of importance.
FRUITS:  Apricots, apples, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, prunes
BEANS:  Chick peas, lentils, lima beans
NUTS:     Almonds (raw - not roasted), macadamia, cashews.
BERRIES: Blackberries, strawberries, raspberries
SEEDS:    Flax seeds, sesame seeds
GRASS:   Wheat grass
MISCELLANEOUS:  Bamboo shoots, muchrooms, raw almond butter, colloidal minerals, food enzymes, lactobacillus/acidophilus supplements.

Remember to drink lots of pure clean water daily. Get plenty of exercise - as much as you can tolerate. Get out in the sunshine daily for about 15 minutes to get that much needed Vitamin D3.

Sunshine is the best method of getting Vitamin D3. Other methods are available for those who live in colder climates or during the winter months. For more information on the importance of Vitamin D3 and the different methods of getting enough on a daily basis,  CLICK HERE.  Use your own judgement as to which method is best for you. For me, the jury's still out on the tanning booths.

The Importance of Supplementation and Nutrition

We can’t always get the nutrition we need from the foods we eat. At a time where nutrition has never been as important as it is now, it’s essential to supplement your diet with good, wholesome, organic supplements. 

Choose a multivitamin that is well balanced and naturally processed. Organic is the best choice, but there are other companies that sell good quality products that are not organic. Read the labels thoroughly. There are many multivitamins that contain herbs which may not be suitable for your particular needs. For instance, if you have HER2+ breast cancer stay away from herbs such as red clover, licorice, yucca, hops and motherwort that may increase your estrogen level.

Remember to take your Vitamin D3 daily. The best source of Vitamin D3 is natural sunshine, but unless you live in the tropics this is not always practical. The next best thing is to supplement with a good quality Vitamin D3 supplement. Make sure that it’s Vitamin D3 and not just Vitamin D.

Flaxseed Oil is an essential when fighting cancer. You can use the actual oil for salads, or you can supplement with Flaxseed Oil capsules. Again, organic is best and remember to keep your Flaxseed Oil refrigerated after opening.

For many reasons, including soil conditions, we do not get the minerals that we need for optimal survival and healing from our foods. This is why it is important to supplement with colloidal minerals. I can’t speak first hand about the colloidal mineral supplements found in most health food stores. I usually don’t buy them due to the sugar content. I avoid any sugared supplements due to their detrimental effect on cancer cells. Cancer loves sugar so it should be avoided whenever possible. A good quality colloidal mineral supplement should taste nasty and it is recommended to add the minerals to water or fruit juice. My absolute favorite mineral formula is T.J. Clark’s.

Consider adding an immune booster supplement to your health regimen.  The formula I like best is Wellness Formula that can be found in most drug stores and health food stores. Take the recommended preventative dosage. Although it will not say so on the bottle, research has shown that it is a good idea to take a break from these herbs for a few days. I’ve found that taking them for 5 days on then 2 days off works for me.

WHERE IS MY EXPIRATION DATE?

I don't know about you, but I've never seen an expiration date stamped anywhere on my body.

As I read through breast cancer articles online to find more information, I constantly run into the death and doom articles quoting survival statistics. I know that statistics are necessary, but really - statistics on breast cancer are always changing. Some of the drugs that they have us on have not been around long enough to have a 15 or 20 year survival statistic. That's all that means. Just because no one has survived metastic breast cancer on Anastrozole or any other drug over 10 years doesn't mean you won't. Statistics can change with you. Don't let this bring you down or make you give up. Don't worry!! Just keep fighting and NEVER GIVE UP. 

I personally think it's best to ignore these sites. They don't add anything of value to your fight for life. The same can be true of people who do nothing to lift your spirits. You  don't need a pity party, you need hope and encouragement and some normalcy. Although I have to admit, there are times that you just need to break down. In those instances, by all means, break down and cry, scream, throw things, anything that makes you feel better. You definitely deserve a few meltdowns. You've earned them.

This roller coaster ride called breast cancer is a ride that no one asked to be on. Yet, here we are. The highs and lows can take your breath away. Treat this like any other journey you've embarked on. First step is to be prepared. Learn everything there is to know. Do your research. Learn how to heal yourself with food, exercise, sunshine and laughter. With knowledge and a solid plan, you can ride out the rough times or the detours and setbacks and bring yourself back on the right track. It won't always be easy, but you can do it. You have to.

Remember when you first start out to change some things in your life, don't be impatient and don't try to do everything all at once. Take it slow and be realistic and honest with yourself. You can't change overnight. Change one or two things at a time. Expecting too much of yourself all at once could be setting yourself up to fail.

Find people in your life who encourage and support you. Joining a local breast cancer support group in your area can be very rewarding. Your Oncologist most likely has a list of organizations in your area. Meeting with people who share your experience can be very therapeutic, as well as helping others who may be newly diagnosed.

There are other blog entries on this site that deal with diet, vitamins and minerals, and some easy recipes that you can use to get your body healthy enough to help fight off cancer. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or add a healthy recipe that you've found and would like to share with us.

As a final note. I met a woman at my Oncologist's office a few months back who had given up. She tired of the fight and decided to do everything and anything she wanted no matter what. We talked about diet a little, but it became very clear that she did not want to hear any more. She knew that sugar was one of the major threats in the treatment of her cancer, but decided to now eat her dessert before and after a meal. It became very obvious to me that she was done. I agonized over this woman for days after we met. I wanted to shake some sense into her and tell her "not to give up". After a few days I realized that I needed to respect her decision because it was hers to make. She had been fighting for 14 years - yes I said 14 years. That was inspirational to me. So much for the statistics that don't go above 10 years. Yes, this was one woman, but change happens one person at a time.

Metastic breast cancer is treatable. They say that there's no cure to date, but there may be in another year or two or five. It can be treated. With the right meds and the right lifestyle changes we can keep the cancer inactive, asleep, or dead for as long as we keep fighting. Hang in there my fellow breast cancer survivors. Expect light at the end of the tunnel.