Preventing Colon Cancer

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Preventing Colon Cancer
Dana Lerman, ND
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Outline

• Naturopathic Philosophies
• Risk Factors
• Prevention Strategies

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The Naturopathic Philosophy

• Identify and Treat the Cause
• First do no Harm
• Doctor as Teacher
• Treat the Whole Person
• Support the Healing Power of the Body
• Physician Heal Thyself

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Cancer An Alternative Perspective
Psychological
Energetic
Physical
Environmental
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Risk Factors for Colorectal Cancer

• Age Family History/Genetics
• Presence of Intestinal Dysfunction/Disease

• Tobacco Smoke
• Pesticides
• Asbestos
• Metals, toxins, etc.

• Environment

• Diet
• Physical Activity
• - Psychological Perspectives

• Lifestyle

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The Health Puzzle
Environment
Lifestyle
Stress
Nutrition
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The Human Intestinal Tract

• Major Functions of The Intestines
• Omnivorous Beings
• The digestive barrier
• The role of digestion in health

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Diet and Colorectal Cancer
Animal Products Fatty Foods
Fruits Vegetables
RISK
The typical western diet creates a risk of colon
cancer that is 10 times that of Asian
diets. (Slatterly, 2000)
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Colon Cancer Culprits
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Stress
Physiological changes
Increased cortisol
Decreased cell-mediated immunity
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an Ounce of Prevention

• Vegetarian Diets
• Fiber
• Fish Oil/Omega 3 Fatty acids
• Turmeric
• Folic acid
• Calcium/Vitamin D
• Antioxidants

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7 Key Principles of a Cancer Prevention Diet

• Eat a rainbow assortment of fruits and vegetables
  (red, orange, yellow, green, purple)
• Decrease intake of meat and other animal foods
• Decrease high-fat, fried foods
• Increase consumption of saltwater fish, nuts, and
  especially flax seeds
• Avoid high-calorie, low-nutrient foods high in
  refined sugars
• Decrease exposure to pesticides
• Keep salt intake to a minimum

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Psycho-social Tools for Decreasing Cancer Risk

• Increase your ability to cope with stress by
  regularly practicing
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Tai Chi
• Qi Gong
• Stay active
• Explore your beliefs, attitudes, and judgments
  and their impact on your life

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• Your trials did not come to punish you, but
  to awaken you, to make you realize that you are a
  part of spirit and that just behind the spark of
  your life is the flame of infinity.
• Paramahansa Yogananda
• In Honour and Memory of Maureen Barbara Lerman

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Fostering an Integrative Approach to Health Care

• A more complete approach to health and wellness
• Working with a Health Care Team
• Accessing different healing tools to create
  individualized health management
• Promoting open and complete information gathering
  between MDs and CAM professionals

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Fosteringcontd

• Making Complete and Informed Health Care
  decisions
• Working with our Individuality in Health and
  Healing
• Decreasing stress on the current Health Care
  Model

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Naturopathic Practices

• Nutrition and Supplemental Medicine
• Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture
• Herbal Medicine
• Homeopathy
• Hydrotherapy
• Physical Therapies

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Meat

• Heterocyclic Amines
• High Fat
• Low Fiber
• Chemical Contaminants
• Diseased Tissue
• Weakening the Digestive System
• Study of 88 000 women comparing diets and colon
  cancer incidence (Willet WC, Stamfer MJ)
• Study of 50 000 men comparing diets and colon
  cancer incidence (Giovannucci E, Rimm EB et al)

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Fat

• Cross Cultural Studies, Fat and Colon Cancer
  (OKeefe, Kidd)
• The effect of Fats on the body
• Bile acids and the risk of Colon Cancer

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Gut Bacteria

• Bacteria normally colonize the intestinal tract
  of healthy individuals
• Acidophillus and Lactobacillus are just two of
  the more well known gut bacteria
• Bacteria are essential for the productions of B
  vitamins, in the synthesis of enzymes, help
  break down animal fat and protein

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Gut Bacteriacontd

• They produce substances that protect against
  colon cancer (short chain fatty acids such as
  acetic, proprionic and butyric acids)
• Harmful bacteria accumulate with overconsumption
  of animal meat and the decay that ensues, leading
  to mutations in lining of LI, injure and kill
  normal cells and lower bodys natural immunity to
  infection.

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Sugar

• Studies have linked the consumption of simple
  carbs in the form of refined sugar and refined
  grains to an increased risk of colon cancer (Hill
  MJ)
• Often people who eat a diet high in simple sugars
  dont eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables
• Excessive sugar consumption leads to insulin
  dysregulation, which has been shown to enhance
  the growth of a wide variety of Cancer cell types

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Chemicals

• In nature everything is connected through air,
  water, food and energy. When we create chemical
  compounds that dont readily break down in nature
  it should be no surprise that they are showing up
  in our bodies and in all areas of the earth
• The cumulative effect of wide spread, chronic,
  low, level exposure to pesticides is only
  partially understood, but well documented.

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Chemicalscontd

• Most damage from chemical exposure occurs via
  damage to DNA
• A study conducted by the National Cancer
  Institute found that farmers exposed to
  herbicides had a risk of cancer that is 6 times
  that of non farmers
• Pesticides and Herbicides are designed to kill

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The Cancerous Mind

• Emotional tendencies towards suppression of
  emotions, feelings of helplessness, depression,
  grief and repressed anger are associated with
  increased risk of cancer and decreased likelihood
  of survival.
• Studies have focused on the role of these
  negative thought patterns and Natural Killer
  Cell Activity (Imai K, Nakachi K. Personality
  types, lifestyle, and sensitivity to mental
  stress in association with NK activity. Int J Hyg
  Environ Health 2001 2067-73)