Quest for the Cure... Continues Video Series

The 11-part documentary "The Quest for the Cures...Continues" starts tomorrow! With cancer striking one in two men and one in three women, everyone should see it.

After tragically losing both parents to cancer too early, Ty Bollinger has made it his life's goal to spread the word about alternative therapies to heal cancer beyond the conventional treatments of surgery, chemo and radiation. You'll see 28 doctors, 11 scientists, 9 survivors and one special guest break their code of silence.

The first episode, "Modern Medicine and the Cancer Pandemic" airs Monday night (March 30th) at 6pm pacific / 8pm central / 9pm eastern. Register to watch here and you'll get a link when it's live.

If you can't catch it at that time, don't worry, each episode stays up for 24 hours.

Also check out a new 2-minute sneak preview of a very special interview with Chris Walsh, who was diagnosed with Clark’s Level IV Melanoma four years ago. He chose nutrition and natural therapies and is cancer free today. View the preview here.

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The Integrated Health Conference—Cure to Cancer Summit Wrap-Up

Hundreds of alternative doctors, practitioners, and thriver/survivors like myself converged on San Diego this past weekend to talk about successful treatments to heal disease, particularly cancer. A couple thousand others came seeking healthy alternatives to their disease. Some having gone the cut, poison, burn route—others coming with a diagnosis and feel the standard treatment by conventional medicine doesn't make sense or they fear the damage it does.

There was plenty to learn. So much information—felt like I was drinking from a fire hose. I met some really special people who were on their own journey and currently were cancer free because of the lifestyle changes they had made.

There was none more impactful than Jared—Kid Against Chemo, who conquered stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma at 17 with his diet changes and alternative treatments. It happened in a few months. After experiencing the devastating effects of his first round of chemotherapy when he thought he was dying, he told his mom he wanted no more chemo. This is one brave kid.

I also met Ty Bollinger, who has produced the most impactful 11-part documentary aptly named the Quest for the Cure... Continues. He picked up on the significance of my genetic cancer condition as a perfect example of epigenetics—the science of changing your genes through environment. In other words, I am able to manage the growth of cancer in my colon through diet and lifestyle changes. He invited me to be interviewed for his next documentary.

I'm passionate about telling others to not be discouraged if you have genes that give you a high probability of cancer like I have for colon cancer. Too many (like Angelina Jolie) opt to have the organ removed to avoid the cancer. The trouble is, you can still get cancer, which the doctors do tell you. Seems celebrities, who have influence on others, feel they are immune to those chances. Hmmmm.

Health Tips/Gems From the Conference

• 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will get cancer.
• Chemotherapy survival rate is 2.1% (source: Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2004).
• Cut out ALL sugar!
• Sleep increases our natural killer cells.
• #1 cause of death is iatrogenic (i.e., medical treatment) induced—a number like two 747s crashing every single day.
• "Cutting out a tumor is like smashing the Check Engine light with a hammer." Ty Bollinger
• 40 years of study show CBD kills cancer without damage to heathy cells.
• Curcumin, Boswellia, Ginger and Black Pepper fight inflammation—the underlying cause of all disease.
• All imported herbs are irradiated.
• From 1950 to 2009 morbidity from cancer remains relatively unchanged.
• Mind-body connection to cancer/disease is very powerful.
• Unforgiveness is like "drinking poison and hoping it hurts them." Chris Wark

Alternative Cancer Centers

• Dr. Lodi, MD: An Oasis of Healing, Mesa, AZ
• Dr. Tony Jimenez, MD: Hope 4 Cancer Institute, Baja, Mexico
• Dr. Contreras, MD: Oasis of Hope, Baja, Mexico
• Dr. Meza, MD: Sanoviv, Baja, Mexico
• Dr. Chillkov, OMD: Integrative Cancer Answers, Santa Monica, CA
• Dr. Connealy, MD: Center for New Medicine, Irvine, CA
• Dr. Sunil Pai, MD: Sanjevani Integrative Medicine Health & Lifestyle Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico

If you know anyone questioning the standard treatment for cancer, the centers listed can provide safe and effective treatment without the devastating effects of the conventional route. It's time to show the multinational pharmaceutical companies that there is a cure for cancer and it resides within our own bodies. When we feed on fuel God intended us to ingest—the fruit (fruits, vegetables, seeds, legumes, herbs, spices and grains) of the earth, we thrive, heal and avoid disease. We turn up tumor suppressor genes and turn down Oncogenes (Cancer producing genes).

Many went away from the conference with an arsenal of tools to conquer their cancer. The many doctors in attendance can return to their practice and provide a hope for cancer and illness to their patients. The foundational treatment that everyone at the conference could agree to? Diet. I'm excited that this movement is in motion and here to stay.

Who in your circle of family and friends can benefit from this information?

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6 Tips to Go Green on St Patrick's Day

I'm of Irish heritage so when St. Patrick's Day comes around it's fun to sport something green and eat corned beef and cabbage. I never eat corned beef any more (never really cared much for it). Frankly, growing up in my Irish household (including schooling by Irish nuns), we learned it was only necessary to wear green to avoid getting pinched if you were NOT Irish. Anybody else get this message?

Over the years St. Patrick's Day seems to have morphed into a day to eat green food, drink green beverages (especially the adult variety), and wear big green hats with the green-colored clothes. Everybody, whether Irish or not, participated. I don't drink, but I have gone to a local bar with my hubby to take in all the festive activities on St. Paddy's Day. On that day the whole world is Irish.

I'd like to add another way to celebrate St Patrick's Day. Go Green!

Here are 6 tips to Go Green starting this St. Patrick's Day:

#1 Reuse
Today recycling is easy. When I first started recycling, over 35 years ago, I remember having to drive some distance to the recycling center. This was before you got paid for some recyclable material. Now an important part of recycling is to reuse the item.

I reuse the nice glass container the Kombucha comes in from the store to bottle my own Kombucha when I make it. I also use the bottles for filtered water at my bedside and in my car.

Several food items I buy come in Ball or Kerr jars with canning lids. I save those to use as small flower vases or to make fermented veggies. If you're a canner, you can save those jars (and money) when you process those peaches, tomatoes or whatever you like to preserve.

#2 Repurpose
Think outside the box and repurpose an item for some other use. Like using milk and egg cartons to start seedlings for the garden inside out of the cold.  And don't forget to reuse the six-packs you got your starter plants in for seedlings the next year.

Before you throw anything away, ask yourself what you might do with it. When our patio table top got old and fell apart, we threw the top away and repurposed the metal structure into a flower stand by adding a trough and some shelves. Check out how this DIY structured flower garden came together.

#3 Save Water
I live in California where we have severe drought conditions at his point. A recent article in the LA Times stated that we have only one year of water left unless we get some serious rain and snow. Yikes!

We are on water restrictions in Northern California. To help out, while we wait to get hot water from a faucet, we fill a 5-gallon container, which we use to water plants outside. We water in the early morning so the water can be absorbed by the plant rather than evaporate in the mid-day heat. Inside, we only run water when needed.

#4 Plant a Garden
I bought my first summer garden plants for this season. Two tomatoes. I know it might be too early where you live. Some are still getting lots of snow. Boston broke an all time record for snow on Sunday with 108.6 inches for the season. You can always start your garden inside until the last frost passes.

Hey... Boston Strong! Send some of that snow out to California will ya?

I know from my gardening experience lately, tomatoes need heat and since we've had cooler summers (which means a shorter growing season for the tomatoes), getting an early start is important to get the best yields.

#5 Unload
We started reading and watching videos to learn about tiny homes—houses that are 600 - 800 square feet. The process made us reevaluate the stuff we had acquired. If you want to live in 750 square feet, you must eliminate all unnecessary possessions. Many people pay to store their excess stuff and may never question if they need it much less why they hang on to it.

When economic conditions caused a major shift in our lives and we went from homeowner to renter, we began to reconsider the importance of things in our life. I've been selling stuff that we find excessive since the move. It's been an interesting and fun exercise plus adds a few extra bucks to our budget.

#6 Dream Green
My husband and I have always wanted to have a house that was off the grid. He recently read the book Off the Grid by Nick Rosen. It recounts several families' stories across America who cut themselves off from public utilities and power their innovative homes with alternatives means.

Many years ago I planned on building an underground home, built into the side of a hill with a berm roof and lots of south-facing windows. Today we drive an 8-year-old hybrid car with license plate GRN ALT. We monitor our electricity usage so carefully, I call my husband the Energy Natzi.

We don't have our green home off the grid, but our dreams have positively shaped our thinking and enhanced our lives by redefining what is important.

Do you have a Go Green tip to add to the list?

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Super Foods Green Smoothie Recipe

I'm proud of my hubby who is training for a half-marathon in April. It will be his third. He's decided that having a half-marathon to train for keeps him motivated to get out and exercise. I say, whatever it takes to get a person to exercise is good.

He really gets into it. Carries a water bottle on his training runs. Marks up the calendar with the distances he needs to run on which days to get his body ready for the 13.1 miles on the day of the race. Studies about the right energy supplements to feed the muscles. Works on having an efficient running form. And looks for nutritious smoothie recipes that will build his body.

Here's one he found in the March Outside magazine that starts with his favorite drink—coconut water. It's a great drink for breakfast. Packs a wallop with protein and immune booster foods like maca powder and hemp seeds.

Super Foods Green Smoothie

from Outside Magazine

yield 2 servings

category Drink

cuisine Vegan

ingredients

16 oz coconut water

3 Tbsp plant-based protein powder

1 Tbsp hemp seeds

1 Tbsp chai seeds

1 Tbsp maca powder

1/2 C frozen mixed berries

2 celery stalks

2 kale leaves

1/2 frozen banana

directions

1. Blend until smooth.

2. Pour into a cup, add a flex straw and enjoy!

notes: • Use handful of spinach or 1/2 C peas to replace protein powder if desired.

If you don't have protein powder on hand, use a handful of spinach or 1/2 cup of peas (frozen is good) to replace.

You don't need to be a runner in training to enjoy the benefits of this green smoothie. Add it to your morning rotation of healthy foods to get your day started on the right foot.

Try it for a fine St Paddy's Day drink to get the luck of the Irish.

Have you discovered your favorite super food?

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Thai Coconut Soup

I love Thai food. It's very vegan-friendly with the use of coconut milk instead of dairy. I had a craving for coconut milk and vegetable soup recently and experimented with putting something together. Here's what I came up with.

Thai Coconut Soup

from Chris Pedersen

yield 6-8 servings

category Soup

cuisine Thai, Vegan, Vegetarian

ingredients

1 13.5 oz  can Coconut Milk

2 cans filtered water (use coconut milk can)

2 carrots, chopped

2 C chopped potatoes

1 C green beans cut in 1-inch pieces

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced

1/8 C lemon grass cut in 1/4-inch pieces

1 tsp sea salt

1 shallot, diced

2 tsp tamari

1/2 inch ginger, minced

1/2 inch turmeric root, minced

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/8 tsp Sambal Oelek

1/2 tsp curry

Seafood (optional—shrimp, white fish, etc)

directions

1. Add coconut milk and water to medium-size sauce pan on medium heat.

2. Add carrots, potatoes, green beans and onions then heat for 15 - 20 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 15 more minutes.

4. Add cooked seafood if desired.

5. Heat through and serve.

notes: • Use lite or full-fat coconut milk.

• Cook the seafood in 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in sauce pan for soup. Remove and set aside when cooked. Procedd with soup.

• Increase/decrease the Sambal Oelek to adjust the "heat."

This soup will taste even more delicious the second day as all the flavors marry.

What ethnic food do you crave regularly?

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Wisdom Wednesday

Tip:
The Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) recently released their Dirty Dozen(TM)—fruits and vegetables tested to contain unacceptable amounts of pesticides. One the other end of the scale, the Clean 15(TM) lists produce having the least amount of detected pesticides that would be considered acceptable for your family to eat. Make a note.

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