Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy
Non-Toxic Biological Approaches to the Theories,
Treatments and Prevention of Cancer

2024
Our 53rd Year

Rethinking Cancer Newsletter #42

Welcome to the Rethinking Cancer Newsletter #42

“The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours…”

William Wordsworth wrote these lines circa 1802. He was protesting (and lamenting) the new world of the First Industrial Revolution for being so absorbed in materialism and ever more distant from Nature. Imagine what he would have to say about our world today!

Helpless without our “hot” new digital devices and fashion accessories, in no area, perhaps, have we strayed farther from Nature than in the food we eat: fast/junk, refined, processed, genetically-engineered, chemicalized, synthesized, ultra-pasteurized “foods,” all largely made possible by government agricultural subsidies and not what the body was designed for. (A recent entry: the “frankenburger,” derived from cow stem-cells and loaded with additives to try to make it taste vaguely like the real thing!) Is it any wonder we have epidemic levels of chronic illness, like cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s – practically unheard of in Wordsworth’s day?

We’d like to dedicate this edition of the Newsletter to more natural, common sense ways of living. We can never go back to some idyllic time – which exists only in myths and fairy tales – but there are elements from the past we can incorporate into our day that would add quality and longevity to life, treasures that are our natural birthright and tend to get lost in today’s check-the-cell-phone-every-minute environment.

So just relax, enjoy a trip down yesteryear and take the big step: leave your phone at home!

To your health!
Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy (FACT™)

P.S. Many have asked about past newsletters: they’re available on the News page links. As ever, thanks for your great support. Don’t forget to check the lower prices on our eBooks and keep in touch on TwitterFacebook and our YouTube channel!

The Art (and Joy) of Fermentation

Human beings have been producing cultured foods and beverages for at least 7-8,000 years – wine, beer, yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, to name just a few. Unfortunately, “progress” in industrial food production has largely eclipsed these traditional ways and we’re missing out on the wonderful benefits they have to offer. Enter Sandor Ellix Katz, who calls himself a “fermentation revivalist” (many call him “The Prince of Pickles”). Katz has made it his mission to travel about teaching all the ins and outs of the ancient practice of fermentation, which is really the key to a healthy internal environment, enabling us to assimilate nutrients effectively, strengthen and maintain our immune system and improve overall body function. His latest book, The Art of Fermentation, is probably the most in-depth exploration of the subject ever written. Here are excerpts from an interview he did with Paula Crossfield of CivilEats:

What first motivated you to start fermenting, and why do you think it has so captured your imagination? Although I grew up loving the flavor of fermented sour pickles, and came to appreciate the digestive benefits of live-culture ferments, it was only after I got involved in keeping a garden that I started fermenting anything myself. READ MORE

How to Daydream

There’s nothing wrong with spending vast quantities of time fantasizing about imaginary realities far away from the cheerless hardships of modern life. The problem is that people are daydreaming incorrectly. Because of widespread misuse, daydreaming has achieved the rank stigma of slothful procrastination.

When most people need a break, they take out their cellphones and begin pushing buttons to command avatars to run, jump and shoot other avatars. This is not daydreaming. Your brain is tired, tired in subconscious ways you cannot even fathom. Forcing it to survive labyrinths or shootouts or car chases serves only to wear it out even more. And television, Web browsing, scab and fingernail landscaping – these are simply distractions.

But when used correctly, by following these simple guidelines, daydreaming can reduce stress, improve productivity and help you be a lot more fun to be around the rest of the day. READ MORE

The Fat Story

Saturated fats, cholesterol are bad! Low-fat and non-fat products, all polyunsaturated, homogenized and hydrogenated fats, are good! This is the bill of goods we’ve been sold by the vegetable and food processing industries, based on the theory – called the lipid hypothesis – that the greater the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet, the higher the incidence of coronary heart disease. Proposed by Ancel Keys, a researcher in the late 1950’s, the theory was subsequently found to contain numerous flaws in data and conclusions. Nonetheless, the food industry ran with it, making sure that Keys’ study far overshadowed alternative views in the public arena, and funding further research to support it. The smokescreen continues to this day. Why? Because the commercial processing industry simply can’t make money from whole healthy foods – primary competitor of their denatured cuisine – and that is the major contributor to our epidemic of heart disease, as well as many other chronic degenerative conditions.

The facts are that most people, especially infants and growing children, need more fat in their diet, not less. Fats from animals and vegetable sources provide materials that are crucial to heart and overall health. They supply a concentrated source of energy, building blocks for cell membranes and a variety of vital hormones and hormone-like substances. Fats in a meal slow down absorption so we can go longer without feeling hunger. They act as carriers for vital fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Dietary fats are needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption and a host of other processes.

But fats and oils must be chosen with care! If you want to be a savvy fat consumer, here are some important points to know: READ MORE

Simple Pickles

Lacto-fermented vegetables are far less acidic than typical commercial pickled goods, which are generally conserved in white vinegar and pasteurized, thus, lacking in beneficial bacteria vital to intestinal balance.* Eat lacto-fermented foods as a condiment – a great aid to overall digestion, especially with heavier meals of meat or fish.

2/3 cup pure water, preferably distilled
1/3 cup organic raw apple cider vinegar (ACV)
1 tbsp. fine seasalt 
2-3 (or as many as will fit into a quart jar) pickling cucumbers, like kirbys – with
bumpy, thin skin unlike typical salad cucumbers with thick green skin, as freshly picked as possible additions (optional): about a tablespoon dillseeds or few sprigs fresh dill, fresh sliced garlic cloves (as many as you can handle!)

  1. Put any additions, like dill and garlic, in the bottom of a quart-sized wide-mouth mason jar.Wash  the cucs, slice in half lengthwise, then pack in as many as you can, up to about 1 ½ inch from the top of the jar.
  2. In a separate container, combine salt, ACV and water and stir until salt is dissolved. Pour into the mason jar, adding more water, if necessary, to cover the cucs. The top of the liquid should be about 1 inch below the top of the jar.
  3. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days. Taste. If desired sourness and crunch, transfer to the refrig. In hot weather, taste after 2 days. In cooler weather, may take a few days longer, tasting each day.

Once you’ve got this down, the sky’s the limit! Try pickling pearl onions, carrots, tomatoes, fennel, zucchini, daikon radish, green beans, beets, etc., or a mix of whatever fresh veggies you can find. Experiment with more additives, like mustard and coriander seeds, peppercorns, bay leaf, fresh chili pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, mint, etc. Warning: once you start fermenting things, it’s hard to stop!

Fermented foods are particularly recommended to women who are pregnant or planning to be pregnant to help reduce their child’s risk of many health problems related to intestinal bacterial imbalance – allergies, colitis, psoriasis, periodontal and auto-immune diseases, etc. 80% of your immune system is in your digestive tract, so the foundation for optimum health can be laid in utero.