Woodford Files
November 2008
Julia Woodford
There are now hundreds of thousands of Canadians using natural health products and alternative medicine to keep themselves in great physical and mental shape. Each of us has our own favourite bag of tricks for warding off illness and protecting our vital energy. But if we suddenly had to deal with a life threatening illness, how many of us would stay with the program and how many would turn tail and run to the arms of mainstream medicine?
One woman who answered that question for herself is Susan MacDonald, the subject of our feature: Cancer Really Can Be Cured. Rather than give in to pressure from doctors to undergo standard chemotherapy treatments for her Stage 4 lymphoma, Susan had the audacity to strike out on her own in search of the best that alternative medicine could offer to cure her disease.
In the end, this woman’s courage and tenacity rewarded her with a complete recovery from cancer. By going on to document her research and experiences in a book, she has become a beacon of hope for those who are wrestling with serious disease and looking for answers outside of standard medical care with its dismal track record. This kind of real life success story is invaluable in demonstrating that detoxification combined with nutritional medicine does offer an effective approach to beating even the worst diseases.
No doubt Susan would approve of Julie Daniluk’s feature on Anti-Inflammatory Meals That Heal, since it’s now known that the origins of many common diseases can be traced back to inflammation. One warning sign that your tissues are on fire is pain. By switching to healing foods, the fires are doused and tissues are repaired. Thus the disease process is stopped in its tracks, not temporarily by drugs but permanently by nutritional medicine.
Further on that note, the humble cabbage gets star treatment this month by culinary herbalist Pat Crocker. A modern descendant of a wild herb belonging to the cruciferous family, cabbage “contains indoles: specialized, naturally occurring nitrogenous compounds known to lower the risk of a variety of cancers including lung, colon, breast and ovarian cancer.” (I guess my fondness for coleslaw and cabbage rolls is evidence that disease prevention can be yummy.)
In Chinese Medicine theory, they refer to inflammation as “toxic heat” which can be caused by junk food, fatigue, stress, and a sedentary lifestyle. This month, Mary Wu explains in depth the Chinese medicine approach to cooling the fires of inflammation, especially in regards to cancer patients. While cancer is much easier to prevent than treat, Chinese herbs and acupuncture are proving to be powerful allies in strengthening the chi and putting out the fires so that the body can ultimately heal itself.
So get comfortable and get ready for some excellent reading. This issue of Vitality is a real whopper. And be sure to visit our booth at the Whole Life Expo, coming up on the weekend of November 14th. It’s the social event of the season.
Julia Woodford
There are now hundreds of thousands of Canadians using natural health products and alternative medicine to keep themselves in great physical and mental shape. Each of us has our own favourite bag of tricks for warding off illness and protecting our vital energy. But if we suddenly had to deal with a life threatening illness, how many of us would stay with the program and how many would turn tail and run to the arms of mainstream medicine?One woman who answered that question for herself is Susan MacDonald, the subject of our feature: Cancer Really Can Be Cured. Rather than give in to pressure from doctors to undergo standard chemotherapy treatments for her Stage 4 lymphoma, Susan had the audacity to strike out on her own in search of the best that alternative medicine could offer to cure her disease.
In the end, this woman’s courage and tenacity rewarded her with a complete recovery from cancer. By going on to document her research and experiences in a book, she has become a beacon of hope for those who are wrestling with serious disease and looking for answers outside of standard medical care with its dismal track record. This kind of real life success story is invaluable in demonstrating that detoxification combined with nutritional medicine does offer an effective approach to beating even the worst diseases.
No doubt Susan would approve of Julie Daniluk’s feature on Anti-Inflammatory Meals That Heal, since it’s now known that the origins of many common diseases can be traced back to inflammation. One warning sign that your tissues are on fire is pain. By switching to healing foods, the fires are doused and tissues are repaired. Thus the disease process is stopped in its tracks, not temporarily by drugs but permanently by nutritional medicine.
Further on that note, the humble cabbage gets star treatment this month by culinary herbalist Pat Crocker. A modern descendant of a wild herb belonging to the cruciferous family, cabbage “contains indoles: specialized, naturally occurring nitrogenous compounds known to lower the risk of a variety of cancers including lung, colon, breast and ovarian cancer.” (I guess my fondness for coleslaw and cabbage rolls is evidence that disease prevention can be yummy.)
In Chinese Medicine theory, they refer to inflammation as “toxic heat” which can be caused by junk food, fatigue, stress, and a sedentary lifestyle. This month, Mary Wu explains in depth the Chinese medicine approach to cooling the fires of inflammation, especially in regards to cancer patients. While cancer is much easier to prevent than treat, Chinese herbs and acupuncture are proving to be powerful allies in strengthening the chi and putting out the fires so that the body can ultimately heal itself.
So get comfortable and get ready for some excellent reading. This issue of Vitality is a real whopper. And be sure to visit our booth at the Whole Life Expo, coming up on the weekend of November 14th. It’s the social event of the season.
Julia Woodford