Welcome to the Rethinking Cancer newsletter #30.
Newsflash! The US mainstream media has been talking a lot lately about problems with the food supply, and not just pink slime or the usual salmonella scare. Two recent examples:
- “60 Minutes,” one of the most highly respected news programs on network TV, delivered a scathing indictment: “Sugar and Kids: the Toxic Truth.” The segment discussed recent research finding that refined sugar — the way it’s being consumed by Americans — is a toxin and could be the driving force behind some of the killer diseases of our times. The narrator, an M.D., pulled no punches, even daring to suggest that eating “real food” is the antidote. While this may be old news to many of our readers, the general public was shocked, shocked!
- Nicholas Kristoff in the New York Times took a break from his usual human rights beat to write about “Arsenic in Our Chicken?” He reports that factory farm chickens (and sometimes hogs) are routinely fed on caffeine, active ingredients of Tylenol and Benadryl, banned antibiotics, even arsenic! Evidently, these reduce infections and anxiety (anxiety and infection most likely caused by unsanitary, inhumane industrial farm practices). Arsenic also helps make flesh an appetizing shade of pink. Kristoff’s conclusion:”The more I study, the more I’m drawn to organic…We buy organic.”
The un-sugar-coated truth — what a concept! We can only hope that, despite the millions spent on ads by mega food processors and Big Agribusiness, media executives are feeling more compelled to expose the sorry state of our food supply and the superiority of “real” whole, unadulterated foods. Too soon to tell if this is a trend; stay tuned…….
To your health!
Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy (F.A.C.T.)
P.S. Take a look at our reconfigured Donate page – ebooks and all! As always, we appreciate your support and hope you’ll keep in touch on Twitter and Facebook.
New Cure for the Common Cold: Understand It!
By Edward L. Carl, N.D.
“I’ve never had a cold in my life,” boasted a 75-year-old man. (Five months after making this statement he was dead with cancer.) He had adopted a superior attitude toward his wife, who was constantly bothered with colds. Every winter, and all winter long, she moped around, suffering with coughing, sneezing and wheezing, dripping nose and stopped up air passages. She was constantly dosing with cough syrups, “Vicks” salves, steam vapors and myriad other home remedies.
To all outward appearances the wife was the sicker of the two because she manifested illness. And this is the conclusion that most people would come to — people who consider disease as a life-threatening outside invader to be vanquished or “cured.” Medical doctors would say that she’s lucky — she survived in spite of her constant illness. But the fact that she outlived her husband by many years and is now hale and strong tells us quite the opposite. Read more
F.Y.I.:
Stainless Steel to the Rescue!
If you love fresh garlic, but are bothered by the garlicky smell that lingers on your hands, be bothered no more! Stainless steel saves the day. It all has to do with the chemistry of garlic and stainless steel. Garlic contains sulfur molecules. When cutting garlic, the molecules are transferred to your skin. Washing your hands with water heightens the smell because the water causes the sulfur to turn into sulfuric acid (the same thing that makes you cry when cutting onions). When you touch stainless steel, the molecules in the steel bind with the sulfur molecules on your hands, thus transferring the molecules (along with the smell) to the metal and off from your hands. Presto! No more garlic-scented fingers. The same principle also applies to help remove onion or fish odors on your hands.
Watch this short video to learn how its done; then, let the good (garlic) times roll!
Spice of the Month: Black Pepper
Black pepper (Piper nigrum) bears the royal pedigree, “King of Spices.” In early times, it was more valuable than gold. Only the wealthy could afford it; dowries were endowed with it and many bribes for special favors were paid with it. Black peppercorns were found stuffed in the nostrils of Ramesses II, part of the mummification ritual after his death in 1213 B.C. In classical times, both Attila the Hun and Alaric I the Visigoth insisted on pepper as a large part of Rome’s ransom. In 1492, demand for it was one of the main reasons Queen Isabella sent Columbus west in search of a new route to the Indies. As fate would have it, he ended up discovering a new continent, but 8,000 miles off from the “land of peppers” — India’s Malabar Coast where the spice has thrived for over 4,000 years.
So why all the hoopla? Pepper hasn’t the instant allure of a juicy, aromatic fruit or berry, nor the glitter of gold or other precious stones. The one irresistible quality of this drab, wrinkled little bead is its particular pungent flavor that can perk up the dullest of dishes and, thereby, unleash it’s considerable curative powers. In pre-modern times it was believed to alleviate a whole host of ills, from constipation, earache, insect bites to hernia, gangrene, arthritis, heart and lung disease.
Today researchers are learning that the ancients were onto something. The sharp flavor and healing prowess come from piperine and other volatile oils in the pepper. It’s the piperine that zaps the taste buds, often triggering a sneeze when it hits the nerve endings inside your nose. Studies are finding that piperine can be effective in treating a vast array of conditions, including cancer, digestive disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure, loss of hearing, quitting smoking, and more. Read more
Beet Hummus*
- 1/2 pound beets (about 4 medium-sized beets), cooked until tender (steamed, roasted, boiled)
- 2 tablespoons (preferably raw) tahini (sesame butter)
- 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 or 2 small cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (grated organic lemon peel)
- pinch of sea salt (opt.)
- fresh ground pepper to taste
Place the beets, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and lemon zest in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Just before serving, grate black pepper on top (be generous!). Serve with crudités as a colorful appetizer or side dish with entrée. A great party dish.
* Thanks to Jill W. at the 4th Street Food Co-op in New York City for this delicious recipe.
