100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (14 page)

tions in the process that, if approved, would allow for human trials using

dandelion root to treat leukemia and, in the future, hopefully other cancers

as well. Are dandelions gaining your respect now?

There are many commercially sold dandelion root teas available in

stores and online. Read the label carefully to make sure the ingredients are

pure, and there is nothing harmful listed, and always check with your

health care provider when adding anything herbal to your diet on a regular

basis.

Perk #9: I Got to Try Out New Eyebrow Shapes

47

The dandelion community is growing, and dandelion lovers are con-

stantly posting information online. One of my favorite recipes is from Clara

Cannucciari. She is a delightful ninety-four-year-old great-grandmother who

shares her childhood recipes from the Depression era on YouTube and in

her cookbook. (Do an Internet search for “Clara’s dandelion salad,” and

watch the YouTube video.) She explains the process of washing the leaves,

also gives some insight into how she learned to make this recipe, and shares

how freshly harvested food from your yard (before pesticides and weed

killers) is not only healthy but also free! She is adorable, and, even if you

don’t make the recipe, you’ll learn something from Clara. A viewer asked her

how she stays so young-looking. She said, “Maybe it’s because I eat a lot of

olive oil and natural foods.” Clara also said that growing up they “ate a lot

of vegetables and ate meat kind of sparingly and I think it was better for us.”

If you’ve never tried dandelions before, use commonsense precautions.

Dandelion allergies exist (same goes for anything else in nature), but they

are very rare. If you’ve picked dandelion flowers for your mom as a kid and

didn’t get a rash, it’s pretty safe to say you won’t react, but there is never a

100 percent guarantee. If you have known gallstones, or bile duct obstruc-

tion, you should avoid dandelion as it promotes the flow of the digestive

enzymes, which is healthy for most but could worsen gallbladder disease

symptoms if you’re one of the lucky ones with gallstones. The high vitamin

K content can alter bleeding time if you take blood-thinning medications.

While I suppose you could, it’s probably best not to eat the dandelions

in your yard because they have probably been the “going place” for neigh-

borhood dogs, and if you’ve sprayed or treated your yard with

any kind of fertilizer or weed killer, the toxic effects can stay in

Open your mind

the soil for many years. Eating chemical weed killer kinda can-

and your kitchen

cels out any beneficial health effects. (Ya think?)

to a fresh, healthy,

Specialty health food stores or farmers markets are the best

cancer-fighting

places to buy organically grown dandelions. Since they’re so easy

dandelion salad.

to grow, they’re usually pretty cheap, too, and, because they are

grown on farms, the leaves are huge, beautiful, and flavorful.

Have a little respect, please, for the common pesky dandelion, for as

you are blowing those fluffy seeds into the air while you’re making a wish

for better health, part of the answer might be sitting right in your hand.

Perk #10

Cancer Gave Me

Something to Hope For

B
y modern-day definition,
hope
means

to wish for something, without the

certainty that it will be fulfilled. It is an

unsure optimism. The Bible, however,

gives a different meaning to the word

hope.
In biblical terms, hope is an indica-

tion of certainty; a strong and confident

expectation. It is not just wishful think-

ing; it is a sure belief that what you hope

for will come to pass.

I throw around the word
hope
on a

daily basis, in the modern sense of the

word:
I hope it doesn’t rain; I hope the stain

comes out of my new dress; I hope I get a

refund on my taxes.
All of these are things that I desire to happen, but I have

no confident expectation that they will happen (especially the tax refund!).

If these wishes do not come true, it’s really no big deal. Hoping for life on

that other hand—well that’s a different matter. It is here that I employ the

biblical definition of the word
hope.

Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer,

believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Matthew

“Refusal to hope is

11:24). In this quote, Jesus assures us that when we have faith,

nothing more than a

and truly believe that we will receive, our prayers are certain to

decision to die.”

be answered. The power of prayer, then, lies not in the asking

—BERNIE SIEGEL, MD

but in the belief that what you ask for will be granted. That is

hope. In that sense, cancer gave me something to really hope

for. I did not “wish” for a full recovery, I “hoped,” with certainty, that my

prayers would be answered.

I 48 J

Perk #10: Cancer Gave Me Something to Hope For

49

HEALTH TIP #10

I Hope You Know the Difference Between Omega-3

and Omega-6

I
f you don’t know the difference between omega-3 and omega 6-fatty acids,

you’re not alone. But once you learn about your 3s and 6s, this is one

secret you won’t want to keep to yourself.

Omega-3 essential fatty acids are nutrients that your body relies on to

function. They are involved in all new cell growth. They are also concen-

trated in the brain to improve and maintain brain health and are necessary

for healthy skin and hair production.

The “essential” part means our bodies don’t manufacture this fatty acid,

and we need to get it from outside sources.

The real magic of omega-3 is that it reduces inflammation. The inflam-

matory process is responsible for most of the human body’s chronic mal-

adies such as heart disease, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer,

and others.

In April 2009, a Harvard School of Public Health study found omega-

3 fatty acid deficiency ranked as the sixth highest killer of Americans,

responsible for 72,000 to 96,000 preventable deaths yearly. Not many peo-

ple are aware of this fact, and, while some people know that omega-3s are

“good,” they have no idea why or how to get them.

Omega-6 Versus Omega-3

Omega-6 is also an essential fatty acid found in things like corn, eggs, beef,

milk, and milk products as well as polyunsaturated oils. Your daily healthy

intake of omega-6 to omega-3 should be at a ratio of 2:1, or at the very least

4:1. Our dietary ratios are currently more like 20:1, as dietary consumption

of omega-6 fatty acids has increased tenfold over the past thirty years. The

same way omega-3s reduce inflammation, omega-6 fatty acids
increase

inflammation.

Polyunsaturated oils were pushed on the public because it was believed

that they were healthier than saturated fats for your heart. But studies now

50

100 Perks of Having Cancer

indicate that this may or may not be true. Furthermore, the use of polyun-

saturated oils has been directly linked to increasing tumor activity. A 2009

Purdue study funded by the National Institute of Health studied the action

of cancer cells when exposed to certain fats. The findings indicate that cancer

has a tendency to spread in the presence of a high-fat diet in general, but

particularly diets high in polyunsaturated fats or omega-6s. Monounsatu-

rated fats had no effect. (Olive is a monounsaturated fat.) An unhealthy

increase in the intake of omega-6 and decrease in omega-3 in the diet has

been shown to be a risk factor for many other illnesses as well, like arthritis

and inflammatory bowel disease. These are the same conditions that a

dietary increase in omega-3 fatty acids prevents. Can you dig it?

A shift in the omegas in the right direction (more 3 and less 6) can there-

fore have a huge impact on your overall health and the prevention of a long

list of diseases, including cancer.

To decrease omega-6s:

●
Limit corn products. Corn products (much of them genetically modified)

make up a large portion of the American diet and that includes corn oil.

When you can, ditch those corn chips, corn flakes, popcorn, corn bread,