by Dr. LaJoyce Brookshire, Classical Naturopathic Doctor, Doctor of Naturopathic Ministry, Master Herbalist
The general population was recently under siege with reports about the bravery of Angelina Jolie since she underwent a preventative double mastectomy. Angelina made this decision after she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene, which showed she had an 87 percent chance of contracting breast cancer. She lost her mother at age 56 to the disease and subsequently her aunt. On an emotional level, I understand it was a fear-based decision. As a classical naturopath, I vehemently oppose this decision and the fear that is being incited in women.
If you test positive for the BRCA1 gene and have yet to be diagnosed with cancer, you have a unique opportunity, and that is to change your life and your lifestyle, as this greatly affects the outcome of your health. Angelina had the opportunity to make these changes that her mother and aunt did not.
Here’s the rub: if you test positive for a cancer gene and you don’t change your life, cancer will find its way to another body part even if you cut it off because cancer is no longer an arrow that moves in just one direction. The American Institute of Cancer Research estimates that about 40 percent of U.S. cancer cases could be prevented if wiser lifestyle choices are made. Cancer’s greatest enemy is your healthy immune system. So that’s why I am even more distressed with any doctor’s decision to remove a healthy body part that is not sick, just in case it may be in the future. I thought that the oath taken by medical doctors is to “do no harm.” It is a shame that we as a society have co-signed preventative methods of surgery before surgery is even needed.
Dr. Fred Burton, a medical doctor and alternative therapy doctor states, “Cells convert to cancer when they are not getting enough oxygen and energy. Then cells have no choice but to become cancerous. Change the body’s environment and be cancer free. Many get cancer again and again because they never change the paradigm.”
So if you’re looking for preventative measures that don’t involve the removal of the parts God gave you, here are three things you can do to greatly enhance your immune system that will change your health now:
Drink a glass of water with lemon every hour you are awake
Studies indicate that the U.S. is a chronically dehydrated nation due to our steady diets of junk masquerading as food. A healthy body is a hydrated body. We are 70 percent water. Drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered tap water—not diet, designer or sparkling water. Eliminate caffeine. Water helps to keep everything flowing like rivers of living water. Disease festers in stagnant water. Stop drinking around 8 p.m. so you can sleep through the night undisturbed.
Pay attention when nature calls to eliminate
The Merck Manual tells us that colon degeneration is on the rise, hence the increase in disease. Stop taking another meeting, answering emails or waiting to get home when you know you feel the urge. Backed-up waste is like a stopped-up toilet. The kidneys cleanse our bodies every 15 minutes. Diseases thrive in waste. Your urine should be light yellow to clear and bowel movements should occur four to five times per day for optimum health.
Go to bed by 10 p.m.
Lack of sleep is one of the top three things that cause death. Researchers say a good night’s sleep may be a form of natural hormone therapy. We are a sleep deprived nation, and for what? Turn off that TV, shut down the computer, leave those dishes for the morning and go to bed. It is not about how long you sleep but the quality of sleep you get at night that matters. The body only heals from daily stressors while sleeping, so establish a R.E.M. sleep by midnight for perfect health.
