According to my Tibetan astrological chart, my most recent past lifetime was spent as a deity. I may have been the goddess of alligators. Ambling slowly along in a warm swimming pool, soaking up sunshine and tropical breezes, I resemble a large, sleepy cold-blooded creature. I take my winter vacation–a great opportunity of quiet, restful retreat into the tropics–to take herbs (for prevention of cancer and parasites) that would be far too upsetting and cleansing for my busy schedule in New York. My book, Personal Renewal, offers tips for creating such a healing atmosphere at home with a “healing space” and a “virtual trip” to the beach.
Traditional Asia herbal medicine sees certain cancers, intestinal parasites, mucus conditions resulting in lumps, certain forms of arthritis, asthma, congestive heart problems, forms of diabetes, and overweight as having a common root: the body’s inability to adequately detoxify from poisons, combined with excess water retention and low vitality. Rich foods and lack of adequate sun and exercise also underlie poor absorption of nutrients. Call it sludge, phlegm, fat, or cholesterol. It looks like fat, cellulite, sticky nasal or lung congestion, or swollen, sometimes painful, lumps. That sort of gunk may even interfere with the electrical charges necessary for the mitochondria to keep our cells popping along keeping us young and healthy.
It is a good idea to take time at least once or twice a year to detoxify such poisons, reduce inflammation and support better digestion and absorption. Many have done that sort of cleansing along with meditation during religious rituals. But too many of us cannot afford the time, effort, or lack the education or will to deep-cleanse correctly. I compromise. I vary my diet, supplements, and herbal regime according to my location (for example, New York, Vermont or Florida) because of weather and other conditions. Here it is: Anticancer remedies either on the beach or at home on a virtual beach vacation.
The aim is to eliminate poisons and unabsorbed minerals including calcium and use herbs to help dissolve tumors.
Coffee
I have been preaching against the use of coffee for years. Here’s a surprise. I drink espresso in the tropics. It takes the minerals out of your body–including some calcium out of your bones. Coffee helps eliminate poorly absorbed minerals and the caffeine stimulates energy and reduces appetite for some. In the tropics or with lots of sunshine the ultraviolet rays you absorb increase vitamin D to help absorb calcium. The total effects are still controversial – The caffeine may help to prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons’ maybe. But I figure it is ok for me to use it for a while on vacation. In NYC, the stress of espresso may be too much especially in cold weather.
Some anticancer experts have also recommended coffee enemas to purge the liver. If you use coffee in any way, supplement your digestion with acidophilus. With regular use, take lots of extra vitamin D and calcium (separated from the coffee by several hours at least.)
Ripe Fruits and Juices
Very ripe fruits contain a valuable form of sodium. So do okra and celery. This improves calcium absorption. Apples, celery, walnuts, a little olive oil and sesame seeds is a favorite breakfast along with green tea.
Herbs with Anticancer Effects
Turmeric root and powder added to organic green tea
Chic Ko and Curcuma pills (Xiao Zhong Liu Pian) from Health Concerns in Oakland, California. They make Chinese herbal pills that are purified to suit American standards of purity and excellence. This combination of tumor-dissolving herbs includes those that melt phlegmy lumps. For example curcuma is a form of turmeric. Agrimony is a blood and liver cleanser. Myrrh prevents decay and reduces lumps. Prunella reduces lumps in the neck and breast and is a cleansing antiinflammatory. Sargassum seaweed also softens lumps.
Kelp seaweed and pills
Kelp detoxifies the body from heavy metals and radiation. It tones metabolism and used with the above herbal combinations can help to dissolve phlegmy lumps. When eating kelp or other seaweeds as food, toast it in a 200 degree oven until it is crisp. Or follow directions on the bottle when taking pills. Use a smaller than recommended dose–especially if you are nervous, anxious or insomniac–then work up to the recommended dose in order to allow your body to become accustomed to the stimulating effects of seaweeds.
NOTE: a lump is more likely to be benign if it is soft and moveable, not hard and deeply rooted and not moveable. Always have adequate medical exams to determine the condition and progress of fibroids and other lumps.
Herbal Tonics
Use herbal tonics if you use deep cleansing herbs over a period of time. Cleansing can be weakening. Medicinal mushrooms also protect immunity. Consider using pills, extracts, or cooking your own reishi, shiitake and/or enoki mushrooms. Always thoroughly cook mushrooms. Never eat them raw. Cooking potentiates their anticancer qualities and prevents harmful germs. They taste nice steamed in a little water or stirred into pasta dishes.
I just finished reading your book Personal Renewal and find it fascinating. I plan to put many of the suggestions to good work, including drinking green tea…which I do not like…and I will start on a cleansing diet.
Thanks for all the good information.
Sally
Hi, I am very interested in all of your posts. It is very exciting to read and learn more about herbal and traditional medicine. One thing that has caought my attention is the topic of quality control. Despite the benifits of herbal remidies, more and more information comes out about questionable manufacturing and processing practices particularly in China. Now I am totally against the over abundance of China bashing that has occured, but some of the products are in fact being processed with toxic and unhealthy substances. I look forward to hearing more about safe hebal remidies in the future. thank you tim j
Hi Sally
They are making green tea with flavors these days – like papaya green tea and others.
Even Liptons is making it.
Have fun cleansing.
love, L.
Dear Timothy
Many people are concerned about quality control of herbal products – especially herbalists and educators. The American Herbal council and other non-profit organizations such as ITM Institute for Traditional Medicine in Oregon , which researches Chinese herbs, are aware of the problem and informing us and the public about unsafe herbs. See itmonline.com. for scientific research on specific conditions and herbs used in China and abroad for them.
The chinese herbal products I recommend are pills made in California by Health Concerns or East Earth Trade Winds. I am sure there are others. The herbs are processed in Calif. –checked for purity throughout all the stages of packaging.
We are always ready to hear about new herbs or herbal problems. My approach is to find safe herbs and herbal substitutes that people can use, cook or make at home.
HI Letha,
I am new to your blog referred to your herb ideas by a friend. We just learned that my husband has rectal cancer. He is a smoker, normal weight, has arthritis, back trouble and two big toes are fungal. We really believe there could be a relationship between the fungus and the cancer now. Also I am starting him on vitamins, daily, C, milk thistle, fish oil, for now and order some Essaiac from Canada, want to get some mushrooms, use garlic in cooking, canola and olive oil and am radically going to change our menus, reducing red meat, adding more fish, vegetables and fruits which we have a tendency to not eat enough. I am also giving him juice.
Already the first oncologist we talked to poo poos too many herbal remedies so we have to proceed ourselves without much help from him.
We are considering Cancer Treatment Centers of America [one in Tulsa is closest] and MD Anderson. I am leaning toward CTCA because of the dual approach of classical traditional approaches such as chemo and radiation with surgery and herbal, nutrition, exercise, hydrotherapy, accupuncture etc. I have a friend of course that is totally into MD Anderson since she worked there and says it is the best in the country and not crazy about alternative, but many other friends whom I trust their stories of healings through herbal and alternative remedies themselves and of friends etc.
What cost efficient ideas could you offer me, money is an issue, we have to pay for all alternative stuff ourselves as I doubt the insurance company will.
I realize you cannot give medical advice just wanted your thoughts or anyone who has been through rectal cancer or knows someone who has.
Thanks, you may email me or post it here, glad4JC@aol.com
Hi Letha! Thanks for sharing your tropical paradise with us, reminding everyone how important it is to take time out to rejuvenate. About this time last year you helped me resolve a hair loss and scalp issue – I still battle with extreme flakiness in the winter, but nothing like what it was. I still have a number of unopened boxes of Chinese herbs you suggested and wonder if they have an expiration date – also if I should use them as a maintenance/preventive of scalp sebhorrea and hair loss? If not, I could toss them –
Perhaps if you could briefly go over what each one is good for:
1. BU ZHONG YI QI WAN “Invigorator Tea Pill Extract”, imported by Kingsway Trading Inc.
2. LIENCHIAOPAITU PIEN (Golden Lily brand)
3. SHOU WU PIAN (polygonum multiflorum Thunb.), dist. by East West Inc.
Do any of these dilate or thin the blood?
I have a popped blood vessel in my eye (bruising, not an infection) and was told not to use any aspirin or do heavy lifting until it heals.
Thanks for being there!
Gratefully,
Juni
Dear Gladys Brierley
I have taught Asian herbs at health conferences attended by MDs and other health professionals at Columbia Univ. ONe chicago clinic based on the Cancer Centers of America approach presented a spectacular report on their success because they combines, diet, herbs, cancer drugs and meditation and yoga – an integrated approach. I support such work and wish you the best.
For reasonably priced medicinal mushrooms see Health Concerns
Power mushrooms or Coriolus PS – both pills.
to order call 1 800 233 9355 and use my name LETHA as password
If he is allergic to mushrooms because of yeast or fungus -there is a chinese patent remedy
Strong Xiao jin tan capsules sold at some herb shops or at Lin Sisters in New York – see their link on my site or call
212 962 5417 to order them. Use the recommended dose. Yu still may need surgery if things are progressing quickly. I cannot advise about that.
For the fungus on toes apply tea tree oil externally.
all best, Letha.
Hi Juni
I would toss out the patent remedies. They are probably too old by now.
The first Buzhong — is for treating weakness and lifts the other herbs to head. The lien chiao is for skin itchiness, acne, etc. the last one, Shou wu pien is for falling hair, dry hair and scalp.
I think a better approach now would be to use an herbal pill made in Calif. that treats dry itching skin because scalp problems are also skin/hair problems.
It is called Skin Balance made by Health Concerns
1 800 233 9355 use my name LETHA as password.
Apply a light massage with oil of jojoba. See my book Healthy Beauty for lots of advice on this. Also use a humidifier in bedroom during winter.
lL.
Hi Again Timothy and others concerned about chinese herbs
I found a new interesting development – Traditional Medicinals a California company uses herbs combining them with chinese patent formulas. They are bound to be cleaner than those direct from china.
Also in Fla. I found a cold/flu combination called Wal Borne (or some such) which uses westerns herbs with gan mao ling – a chinese formula.
The new development is using herbs from china – especially the smart combinations of herbs – purified and combined with western herbs – a new good trend.
Hi, Letha!
Thank you for sharing yourself and knowledge so freely with all of us. I have tried various herbal things in the past – alfalfa, cherry juice, fish oil, acidophilus pills – among others. None of them have agreed with me. Different things happen – canker sores, spotting, dryness of mucus membranes. Why would this happen with such innocent-seeming things? Any wisdom you have would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Jamie
Hello Jamie
It is hard for me to talk about side-effects when I cannot see you. Canker sores – may result from an excess acid condition, low immunity, or allergy.
Spotting – bleeding between periods is serious and if long term can signal a hormone imbalance, the presence of a tumor, or extreme weakness and low energy. It’s best to have that checked if it continues. You may need herbs to clear the uterus or others to raise low energy. It is individual and usually not related to any foods. However, a continued diet of raw cold foods can lead to uterine and menstrual problems. So a good combo as I described in Feed Your Tiger is about 60 percent raw and 4 cooked–if you are basically healthy and cold foods do not make you feel weak, chilled or give you diarrhea.
Dry mucus membranes can result from food that is drying, salty, overspiced. You may have an ongoing condition from smoking, pre-diabetes, or other that results in that.
First start with a simple diet like my baseline diet in Feed Your TIger
increasing fruits, vegetables, reducing protein and fats.
Then see which of the animal types seems to be useful to you now. Which ones apply most to your eating style.
If you eat to sooth emotions – you may be a Dragon or Bear. If you eat to calm nervous, hyper energy, anxiety, fear, or crave spices and alcohol, see the Tiger Diet. If food and eating are part of a philosophy or ideal perfection, see what you can learn about Cranes with the Crane diet in Feed Your Tigerl
Hope that helps.
best, L.
Thank you, Letha! I look forwards to learning more and feeling better. Hey, by the way, your pickle recipes look great! I hope this next year is a very happy one for you!
Thank you again,
Jamie
I found your blog from google, Your blog look great, I have bookmarked it.
Thank you, Isaac.