Welcome to the Rethinking Cancer Newsletter #56.
With every new year — and 2016 marks FACT’s 45th! — we like to take stock of where we’ve been and where we’re going. We’re delighted that our film, Rethinking Cancer, is in more demand than ever and that we’re increasing our presence in so many countries, particularly in Europe and Asia. We’re proud to continue spreading understanding of the metabolic/Biorepair system that is helping so many people make wise medical decisions. But, while focusing on all the aspects of this comprehensive nontoxic approach — balanced diet, detoxification, skeletal and organ integrity, stress management, etc. — we realize we’ve given one area short shrift: play!
New scientific research has revealed that play actually occupies a role equal in importance to diet, sleep, exercise and all the rest. We’ve always known play is a big part of the daily lives of children and animals (just watch this video of a panda’s blissful abandon in the snow), but, turns out, it is essential for homo sapiens throughout all stages of life.
According to Dr. Stuart Brown, author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, play is activity with no greater purpose than the sheer joy of movement, freedom, safety. He explains that this is integral to our ability for adaptation, creativity, sociability and, if suppressed, we become stereotyped, inflexible, humorless, pessimistic, and, generally, quicker to react to stress with violence or depression. In short, Nature has designed us to flourish through play. Watch this excellent TEDtalk with Dr. Brown, who has spent his career studying over 6,000 “play histories” of humans from all walks of life.
Play is not a Pollyanna-ish antidote to all the ills of the world, but it is who we are, something to be nurtured and enjoyed. So, in spite of all, have a wonderful, playful New Year!
Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy (FACT)
P.S. Forty-five years and counting — thanks for all your great support! As always, we appreciate your feedback and will look for you on Twitter, Facebook and our YouTube channel!
A Wider Angle on Vaccines and the Immunity Thing by Barbara Cáceres
If we want to arrive at good conclusions about immunity, we have to be sure we are asking the correct questions, and in the correct order. If we start by asking, “Are vaccines good or bad?” or “Which vaccines should we give and are they safe?” we are putting the proverbial cart before the horse. If instead we start with the question, “What is the best way to support our child’s immune system so it is robust throughout his or her entire life?” that leads us to a more comprehensive understanding of immunity that can better guide us in our lifestyle and medical choices.
The human immune system has served us well for millennia, allowing our species to not only survive, but to thrive and grow. So first we must understand how this amazing, complex and highly competent system works. What is the role of fever and inflammation? How do childhood illnesses serve to build lifelong immunity? How does cell mediated immunity differ from antibody immunity? What role does breastfeeding and nutrition play in building immunity? How do bacterial microbes throughout the body serve the immune system? How does the method of birth, environmental toxins, stress, and genetics affect the immune system? What other factors interfere with optimal functioning? READ MORE
Figeting With Forethought
The average American spends 9-10 hours of their day sitting, and in some occupations, like telecommunications, employees typically spend 12 hours sitting every day. This is not a healthy state of affairs —- studies show that prolonged sitting can increase your risk of death from virtually all health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Regular exercise, like going to the gym or for a jog, does not seem to significantly counteract sitting’s bad effects, but there is evidence that small and frequent changes in your daily sedentary position might. For example, research shows that for those who sit for a living, just 2 minutes out of every hour spent walking around increased their lifespan by 33% compared to those who did not. Thus, figeting has gained new respect! READ MORE
Is Witch Hazel in Your Medicine Cabinet?
Don’t let the name deter you — witch hazel is a good witch!
Actually, the “witch” part comes from the Old English “wice,” meaning “pliant” or “bendable.” “Hazel” is the name of an English shrub (Ulmus glabra) with very flexible branches. This hazel twig was used in early Anglo-Saxon times for divining rods (dowsing) to find underground water and came to have a certain mystical quality (though this is unrelated to the word “witch” which is derived from “wicce,” a female sorceress). When Puritans came to America, they gave the name, witch hazel, to another bendable shrub, Hamamelis virginiana, which they had learned about from the Mohegans, the Native North Americans who taught them how to use the Y-shaped twigs for dowsing.
The Mohegans also used the bark and leaves from this shrub medicinally, as a topical astringent for many skin problems, including tumors, eye inflammations, burns, hemorrhoids, colds sores. Today, we know that witch hazel contains chemicals called tannins that have astringent properties that help to reduce swelling, repair broken skin, fight bacteria and much more. READ MORE
Zen for Those Who Take Life Too Seriously
Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
A day without sunshine is like, night.
On the other hand, you have different fingers.
I just got lost in thought. It wasn’t familiar territory.
I feel like I’m diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
Honk if you love peace and quiet.
Remember, half the people you know are below average.
He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Support bacteria. They’re the only culture some people have.
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
Get a new car for your spouse. It’ll be a great trade!
Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.
Always try to be modest and be proud of it!
If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
OK, so what’s the speed of dark?
How do you tell when you’re out of invisible ink?
If everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just do not have the film.
If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
Eagles may soar, but weasels do not get sucked into jet engines.
What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
Just remember — if the world did not suck, we would all fall off.
Light travels faster than sound, which is why some people appear bright
until you hear them speak.
How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
Is it proper for a monk to use email?
Sure…as long as there are no attachments……..
