The health benefits of probiotics—the beneficial bacteria found in live-culture yogurt, fermented foods, and dietary supplements—are well known.

From resolving diarrhea to bolstering immunity, probiotics contribute to health in many ways.

Not so well-known? Compounds called prebiotics.

What Are Prebiotics?

Prebiotics, dietary fibers that humans can’t digest, serve as food for probiotics. Consuming more prebiotics will contribute to flourishing colonies of good bacteria in your system.

Most prebiotics fall into the category of carbohydrates, with the main prebiotics being inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), and galacto- oligosaccharides (GOS).

These prebiotics, when consumed in functional foods or taken in dietary supplement form, contribute to the growth of healthy bacteria in the intestines.

Benefits of Balanced Gut Flora

• Enhanced Immunity

  The common cold and similar respiratory viruses back off when faced with the power of probiotics.

  One six-month study found that overweight and older adults who took a daily probiotic supplement had a 27 percent lower incidence of upper respiratory tract symptoms compared to a group that received a placebo. The most significant effects were seen in people 45 or older, as well as those with obesity.

  Lead researcher Benjamin Mullish, MD, said the study provides "further evidence that the gut microbiome has a complex relationship with our various organ systems. It doesn't just affect how our gut works or how our liver works, it affects aspects of how our whole body works."

  Immune function tends to dwindle as people age, yet prebiotic supplements (specifically GOS) also bolster immunity in older people.

• Weight and Appetite Regulation

  Scientists are learning that dysbiosis—an imbalance of gut flora caused by too few healthy bacteria or an overgrowth of bad bacteria and yeast—may negatively affect weight. Probiotics and prebiotics both help the gut return to a more balanced state. Appetite, caloric intake, and body mass index all tend to go down when people take prebiotics.

• Improved Focus & Mood

  A typical Western diet high in saturated fats and sugars can negatively affect the mind. This diet-cognition link is thought to relate (at least in part) to out-of-balance gut bacteria.

  It may seem surprising that gut health influences mental clarity, but the connection has been well established in research. In fact, when probiotics and prebiotics get added into the diet as supplements, thinking processes can improve.

  Mood receives an uptick from prebiotics, which are associated with less anxiety, depression, and stress. When healthy volunteers supplement with prebiotics for three weeks, their anxiety—as measured by cortisol levels—goes down.

Nutrition and Supplements for Bone Health

• Vitamins

  Without certain vitamins, minerals can’t do their job of binding to the tissue that forms into bone.

  • Vitamin D

    One of the most important vitamins for healthy bones, vitamin D is needed to prevent serious risks.

    Production of this vitamin happens naturally when the cholesterol in our skin is converted into D by the sun’s rays.

    About 10 to 15 minutes of daily sun exposure yields the equivalent of 400 IU of vitamin D, but if sunlight hours are abbreviated or you’re avoiding the sun, supplemental D is a good alternative.

    Dietary sources include:

    • butter
    • liver
    • fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel)
    • cod liver oil
    • egg yolks

  • Vitamin K

    Vitamin K2 helps the body use calcium the right way. Think of it as a traffic director—it helps move calcium into the bones and keeps it out of places it doesn’t belong, like the arteries. Postmenopausal women, who are particularly at risk of osteoporosis due to hormonal shifts, may have lower levels of K. 

    K2 also works as a partner to vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, while K2 helps guide that calcium into your bones. Together, they make a powerful combination for bone health.

    When shopping for a supplement, you may see K2 listed as MK-4 or MK-7. Both forms support bone health, but MK-7 is often used in supplements because it stays in the body longer.

• Minerals

  • Calcium

    Calcium is the foundation of good bone health. It's readily available in supplement form, and foods such as:

    • broccoli
    • carrots
    • cauliflower
    • dairy products

    The problem here is one of nutrient absorption, with some researchers suggesting that only 10 percent of the mineral being absorbed from our diet or supplements.

    When supplementing, look for “whole food” concentrates in calcium supplements, which will be easier to assimilate.

    But remember:

    • Your body can only absorb about 500 mg of calcium at a time.
    • Unless it is taken with magnesium, most calcium will either:
      • move through the body without being absorbed
      • wind up as kidney stones or gallstones

  • Magnesium

    Some sources say that the real cause of osteoporosis is insufficient magnesium. One study indicates that most women over the age of 40 have low levels of this mineral.

    About 60 percent of our body’s magnesium resides in the bones, and it is a crucial partner with calcium, taken in the right proportion.

    Finding that balance is key—with too little magnesium, calcium will be excreted rather than absorbed.

  • Phosphorus

    Another key player in the delicate calcium balance. 80 percent of our body’s phosphorus is found in bones and teeth.

    However, too much of this mineral can keep calcium from being absorbed!

    This is one of the main reasons that drinking soft drinks can affect bone health: the phosphates in soda compete with calcium.

  • Boron

    An important factor in bone metabolism, boron helps facilitate the absorption and balance of:

    • calcium
    • magnesium
    • phosphorus

    Boron is available as an individual supplement, but look for it in combination with other minerals (such as calcium and magnesium) too.

• Herbs and Extracts

  • Resveratrol

    Older, overweight men strengthened their bones by taking 1,000 milligrams of resveratrol.

    That’s a fairly high daily dose, but this group of men was at significant risk of developing osteoporosis due to low-grade inflammation caused by metabolic syndrome (a cluster of risk factors linked to diabetes and heart disease).

    The supplement stimulated bone formation and mineralization during the 16-week trial.

In the classic film The Graduate, Mr. McGuire (Walter Brooke) gives young Benjamin Braddock (a 30-year-old Dustin Hoffman) one word of advice: “Plastics.”

There’s a “great future” in the stuff, he says. McGuire was right. There was a great future in plastics—for plastics manufacturers, not for the rest of us.

Plastics now pervade our lives in countless ways, obvious and obscure. Even more murky is the havoc they wreak on our health. Some toxic effects are known, others are suspected, and still others may go undetected.

Ways to Reduce Plastic Exposure

While you may not be able to eliminate plastics from your life entirely, there are many ways to reduce contact.

• Avoid Plastic Containers

  Make purchasing decisions based on whether or not there’s plastic involved.

  • Choose produce that’s not packaged in plastic.
  • Buy products (such as laundry detergent) packaged in boxes instead of plastic bottles.
  • Use reusable bags for groceries. 

• Use Reusable Bottles

  Avoid bottled water. Use reusable water bottles, coffee cups, and travel mugs whenever possible.

  Billions of single-use plastic bottles are trashed every year.

  The EPA estimates Americans dispose of 25 billion plastic foam cups annually. That's 82 cups per person a year.

• Don't Use Plastic Straws

  Talk about toxic contact—lips to plastic straw is one of the worst.

  Straws are also among the most commonly found litter on beaches.

• Avoid Plastic Cutlery

  If you’re getting take-out, ask the restaurant to skip the plastic tableware or suggest they start using compostable cutlery because it’s important to you—their customer.

  If you’re expecting leftovers while dining out, bring your own container from home. 

• Wear Natural Fabrics

  Every time you wear and wash your clothes, tiny bits of fabric rub off, either onto you or into your washer and down the drain into the ecosystem.

  Choose clothing made from natural fibers such as cotton—not plastic-based materials such as polyester. 

• Buy Cloth Diapers

  The EPA estimates the typical child uses 8,000 diapers before being potty trained.

  Cloth diapers reduce your child’s exposure to plastics and help the environment.

• Use Reusable Razors

  Using a razor with disposable blades versus a disposable razor will reduce plastic toxicity entering your home and the environment.

What is The Vagus Nerve?

Your vagus nerve is actually a complex bundle of nerves that connect your brain to many areas of your body, allowing for two-way communication and assisting in a wide range of body processes.

Also called the 10th (or “X”) cranial nerve, it’s the longest nerve in the body.

• Why Is It Called The Vagus Nerve?

  Its name is derived from the Latin term for “wandering” (vaga, as in vagabond) because of the way it wanders around the body.

• What Connects to The Vagus Nerve?

  It connects the brain with your ear, throat, neck, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, and gallbladder.

• What Does The Vagus Nerve Do?

  The vagus nerve’s many critical functions include:

  • perceiving sensory experience from the heart, throat, lungs, and abdomen
  • assisting with swallowing, the ability to talk, the gag reflex, and some taste sensations
  • controlling the involuntary and smooth muscle actions of the digestive, detoxification, and cardiovascular systems
  • allowing the gut and microbiome to communicate with the brain
  • regulating heart rate and blood pressure

  It’s particularly associated with the parasympathetic nervous system body functions—that is, the actions the body performs when in the “rest, repair, and digest” mode versus “fight or flight.” It helps us deal with stress, fear, and anxiety.

  With all of this, the vagus nerve may play a role in the following, and so much more:

  • cognition
  • gut health
  • epilepsy
  • mood disorders
  • cardiovascular disease
  • heart rate variability
  • stress
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • long haul COVID-19
  • gastroparesis
  • inflammatory bowel disease
  • slow heart rate
  • low blood pressure
  • loss of the gag reflex
  • migraines
  • episodes of vasovagal syncope:
    • flushing
    • nausea
    • drop in blood pressure
    • heart dysrhythmia

Supporting Vagal Tone

Many of the broader concepts of the vagus nerve’s effect on overall wellbeing and our ability to support it are still relatively new and not entirely understood.

Although more serious vagus nerve damage may require medical treatments such as vagus nerve stimulation, we can support our day-to-day vagal tone via various holistic approaches.

• Voice and Throat

  Singing, humming, and chanting help to activate the surrounding muscle to stimulate the vagus nerve. Gargling may also work via similar mechanisms.

• Cold Exposure

  Short but extreme cold temperature exposure like a 30-second cold shower, splashing cold water on the face, or rolling around in the snow with very little clothing may activate the vagus nerve and reduce the fight or flight response over time.

• Breathing Exercises

  Breathing exercises, both immediately and with regular long-term practice, help support the parasympathetic and vagus nerve responses, which can be particularly helpful for stress, anxiety, and heart rate variability. There are many methods of breathwork, and they often take just a few minutes of time per day.

• Meditation

  Meditation supports vagal tone and stress response, especially when practiced regularly.

• Microbiome Support

  Probiotics, prebiotics, fermented foods, and high-fiber, prebiotic-rich foods support the microbiome.

• Foods and Supplements

  • omega-3 fatty acids
  • fatty, cold-water fish
  • bitter-tasting herbs
  • zinc
  • plant foods
  • tryptophan-rich foods
    • oats
    • nuts
    • bananas

• Herbs

  We’re still in the very early stages of understanding the role that herbs and supplements may play in vagal health. Consider nootropic, nervine, calming, and adaptogenic herbs such as:

  • ashwagandha
  • bacopa
  • holy basil
  • gotu kola
  • shankhpushpi
  • kava
  • green tea
  • hot peppers / capsaicin

• Lifestyle

  • exercise
  • massage
  • laughing
  • socializing
  • hugging
  • loving-kindness meditation
  • acupuncture
  • yoga
  • t’ai chi
  • prayer
  • time spent in nature

What You Need

• White eggs
• Cold water
• Vinegar (Roughly 2 Tbsp to every pot of eggs you boil, except for the onion skins)

Natural Dye Ideas

• Pink

  Beets - Cut 1 beet into chunks and cook with the eggs. The eggs will turn a pale Victorian pink.

• Pale Blue

  Crushed Blueberries - Put about ¹/₄ cup frozen blueberries in a tall glass of water with two cooked eggs. Stir the blueberries, squish them against the glass and the eggs. The eggs will turn a pale blue with some very interesting specks and streaks where the fruit touched the shell.

• Vivid Blue

  Purple Cabbage Leaves – Boil 2 eggs with roughly half of a head of purple cabbage. Contrary to the striking purple color of the dye, the eggs will turn a brilliant bright blue.

• Bronze-Orange

  Yellow Onion Skins – Boil 2 eggs with the skins of roughly 3 yellow onions. The eggs will turn a rich bronze-orange color. The onion skins will leave a design on the eggs.

• Red

  Lots of Red Onion Skins.

• Violet Blue

  Fewer Red Onion Skins.

Dyeing the Eggs While They Cook

1. Use a separate pan for each color.
2. Add the eggs, natural substance, roughly 2 Tbsp vinegar and cold water to a pan. You just want to cover the eggs with water. (You want the color to be as concentrated as possible so be careful not to use too much water or else the color will be diluted.)
3. Bring the eggs to a boil and let the mixture boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat, cover it with a lid, and let simmer for 10-12 minutes.
4. Transfer the eggs, liquid, and some of the natural substance to a bowl and let them cool completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to let the eggs dye for several hours or overnight. (Include some of the fruit/vegetable substance to add patterns and specks to the eggs. If you want a more solid color, let the eggs soak over night in only the colored liquid.)

Dyeing the Eggs After They Are Cooked

1. Place the white eggs in the bottom of a deep pan. Cover with roughly 2 Tbsp vinegar and cold water. Bring to a boil and let boil for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it with a lid, and let simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Using a separate bowl for each color, mix the natural dyes with the eggs. You want the eggs to be completely covered by the dye but you want the color to be as concentrated as possible.
3. Once the eggs are dyed, remove them from the colored liquid, rinse them with cold water and let them air dry for 5 minutes. Pat them dry with a paper towel. For a shiny finish, rub them with vegetable oil. Be careful with all of the dyes as they may stain.

Without adequate sleep, we are at risk for many diseases, and we falter in efficiency and productivity. Ayurveda, an ancient science of healthcare, offers sage advice in the slumber department.

Dosha Sleep Styles

First, it is important to understand the typical quality of sleep experienced by each dosha (energy type).

• Vata Sleep Style

  Vata individuals tend toward interrupted sleep. This is due to their nervous and anxious nature, and most insomnia tends to originate from a vata imbalance. This vata-type insomnia can stem from excessive thinking and worrying as well as hypersensitivity to people and surroundings.

• Pitta Sleep Style

  Pitta individuals may get moderate to little sleep, but it is sound. An example would be the efficient owner of a large company who functions well on four hours of sleep and a power nap. A pitta-type insomnia, though, can result from unresolved emotions like anger, resentment, and jealousy.

• Kapha Sleep Style

  Kapha individuals tend towards heavy, prolonged, and excessive sleep, which further exacerbates the sluggishness of their natural constitution. Kaphas rarely experience insomnia. They will derive health benefits from purposefully shortening their sleeping time and not napping during the day.

How Much Sleep is Enough?

Ayurvedic practitioners often recommend between six and eight hours of sleep a night. A kapha may need less, while a vata may need more. When aiming for longer sleep, it is important that it be had before sunrise to be in harmony with nature.

A vata-dominant person could also nap in the afternoon if overwhelmed or depleted. Most Ayurvedic lifestyle recommendations include instructions to be in bed by 10 pm, asleep by 11 pm, and up by 6 am. How do we make that happen?

Ayurvedic Aids to Slumber

• Daily Review

  Ayurveda recommends setting aside time in the evening to quietly review the day. This practice helps to release the tensions and concerns of the day and to empty the mind of bothersome thoughts. Yoga asanas are valued, but no stimulating or aerobic poses should be done.

• Massage

  Oil massage of the head—especially with grounding sesame oil—followed by a warm bath promotes a sound sleep. Applied to the feet of a vata-dominant person, the sesame oil anchors and calms. Follow by a warm bath for best results.

• Hearty Meal

  For some vata-dominant types, heavier food for dinner helps. In Ayurveda, that means whole grains, root vegetables, dairy, and boiled rice with milk and ghee (clarified butter). The last meal of the day should sustain you until breakfast but not cause gastric distress.

• Music

  Singing, chanting, listening to calm music, and placing oneself in joyful circumstances are good preparations for sleep. Pitta-aggravated insomniacs may benefit from using soft natural botanicals to calm their irritation before bed.

• Comfort

  The bed must be conducive to sleep and free of disturbances by animals or children. The room should be cool and dry, comfortable and uncluttered, with as few electronic lights, noises, or vibrations as possible.

  Leave the television and computers outside the bedroom. Many people get disturbed by the evening news. Avoid this influence before bed, along with stimulating music, movies, and video games. Read something calming or inspiring, or listen to music for a few minutes.

• Prayer and Meditation

  Prayer and meditation are the preamble to sleep for many. Prayer is where you do most of the talking, meditation is where you are listening!

If, with all these lifestyle recommendations, you still need help with peaceful slumber, Ayurveda recommends drinking warm milk. If dairy intolerant, use warmed rice, coconut, almond, or other nut milks. To this, you can add a pinch of nutmeg, poppy seeds, and/or gotu kola. Nutmeg and poppy seeds are both excellent sedatives, but can lead to dullness of the mind if overused on a daily or copious basis.

Herbal Ayurvedic Sleep Remedies

You may need to experiment to see what works best for you.

Sweet dreams!

• Ashwagandha

  Ashwagandha (one to four capsules) taken with warmed milk and a bit of raw sugar helps the body cope with stress and leads to deep, untroubled sleep.

• Topical Soothers

  Medicated bhringaraj oil applied to the scalp or hairline calms the mind and excessive mental activity.

• Sedative Herbs

  Jatamansi and valerian herbs can also sedate and work for some, while being too heavy for others.

• Calming Tea

  Chamomile tea is a good standby for all three doshas.

Beetroot or “beets,” the edible taproot portion of the beet plant, get a bad rap in the West.

In portions of Eastern Europe and beyond, where borscht (beet soup) is frequently on the menu from noonday on, they’ve long known of the endurance-boosting qualities of this seemingly simple red vegetable.

Now athletes, and the scientists and nutritionists who study ways to boost athletic performance on the playing field, are taking notice of beets.

Working with his colleagues in the Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences at England’s University of Exeter, Andy Jones, PhD, looked at whether, and how, beet juice could impact athletic performance.

How Does Beetroot Juice Help Athletes?

Beets are rich in inorganic nitrates, which are beneficial to vascular health and function.

Consumed a few hours in advance of your activity, those nitrates mingle with the bacteria in your saliva and convert them to nitrites. (If you use mouthwash or gum after consuming the beet product, this conversion will not occur.)

Your body takes it from there, converting the nitrite into nitric oxide.

Benefits of a Nitrate Boost

Athletes know that the average nitrite boost of 12 percent to 14 percent means improved blood flow, muscle contraction, and neurotransmission.

That can improve performance, the study showed, by as much as 2 percent.

Another plus: Blood pressure drops when those nitrites kick in.

Effects of Beetroot Juice

• For Speed

  A separate study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that the consumption of beetroot improves running performance.

  Another study published by Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that nitrate-rich beetroot juice enhanced the time trial performance that put trained cyclists in a simulated high-altitude environment. Beetroot was found to be a credible agent in improving endurance exercise at high altitude.

• For Endurance

  Athletes in Dr. Jones' study also needed an average of 3 percent less oxygen to maintain specified levels of moderate exercise if they drank beet juice two to three hours before a race or a game.

  That’s right: Drinking beet juice means you’ll use less energy to keep up the same pace as before.

  A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reported that those drinking the juice just prior to working out could push their workouts 16% longer, suggesting that increased dietary nitrate intake has the potential to enhance exercise tolerance during long-term endurance exercise.

• For Strength

  Another study showed that even nonathletes can benefit from beet juice.

  Patients with heart failure who drank it saw a 13 percent boost in their muscle power two hours after consumption.

How Much Beetroot Juice Should You Take?

Jones and his team concluded that when it comes to beet juice and athletic performance, you should drink about 2 ¹⁄₂ cups roughly two to three hours before you need it.

Concentrates (“shots”) and powders are available over the counter. If that’s your preference, you’re looking for the equivalent of roughly 600 ml of juice to achieve peak performance.

The word cancer frightens many of us, and colorectal cancer has the double-whammy of being both common and deadly.

What is Colorectal Cancer?

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Common Questions

• How Common is Colorectal Cancer?

  About 4 percent of the population will develop this form of cancer over the course of their lifetime.

  Unfortunately, the colorectal cancer rates in the US are rising 1 to 2 percent annually in people under 55.

• How Deadly is Colorectal Cancer?

  The five-year survival rate is 65 percent, but if caught in the earliest stages, the survival rate jumps to 90 percent.

  To that end, the FDA recently approved a blood test that can screen for colorectal cancer. It's been approved for use in people with average risk who are ages 45 and older.

• Can Colorectal Cancer Be Prevented?

  Genetics account for only 5 to 10 percent of colorectal cases (and family history up to 25 percent), which means prevention tactics can greatly reduce your risk and improve outcomes.

  Prevention comes in two forms: healthy habits for prevention and screening to catch cancer early while it’s most treatable.

  Ask your doctor if you’re eligible for a blood test or screening as well as the pros and cons of a colonoscopy versus at-home kits. Don’t put that off!

  In the meantime, incorporate healthy habits and useful supplements into your routine.

How to Reduce Your Risk of Colorectal Cancer

There are two primary themes to remember when it comes to reducing colorectal cancer risk:

1. Reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.
2. Encouraging healthy gut function, including microbiota.

• Lifestyle

  • Exercise

    One of the best ways to reduce your risk of colon cancer is to exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes on most days. For optimal protection, researchers suggest 3.5 to 4 hours per week of vigorous activity.

    Inactivity has a greater impact on colorectal cancer risk than genetics. While it may not seem connected, exercise improves gut motility, enhances the immune system, decreases inflammatory insulin and insulin-like growth factors, decreases obesity, and improves antioxidant status.

  • Regular Screening

    It’s also crucial to be screened and to remove polyps larger than the size of a pea, which are more likely to turn into cancer. Fortunately, they grow slowly over 10 to 20 years.

  • Other Changes

    Some of the best ways to prevent colorectal cancer are those that prevent and manage many other diseases, including other types of cancer.

    • not smoking
    • avoiding obesity
    • controlling blood sugar
    • limiting alcohol (below 3 drinks a day)

• Colon-Friendly Diet

  One of the primary reasons colorectal cancer is so common in the United States is the standard American diet. Studies link colorectal cancer risk to excessive red meat, fat, protein, and calories.

  A whole-foods diet emphasizing vegetables, fiber, fatty fish like salmon and halibut, plant protein, and good hydration significantly protects you because it:

  • feeds healthy gut flora
  • encourages healthy elimination
  • decreases inflammation
  • decreases oxidation
  • balances blood sugar
  • nourishes the body

  • Embrace Fiber

    One meta-analysis found that people who consumed more than 27 grams of fiber daily had 50 percent less chance of developing colorectal cancer compared to people who consumed less than 11 grams of fiber daily.

    Eat five or more servings daily of vegetables and fruit. Include naturally high-fiber foods such as nuts, seeds, whole grains (especially oatmeal), beans, legumes, apples, and pears.

    Ground flax, psyllium, chia, hemp seeds, bran, and other fiber supplements can be helpful, but food sources are best.

    The Role of Fiber

    • Keeps stool soft and moving through
    • Improves blood sugar stability
    • Feeds and support healthy (and anti-cancer) gut flora
    • Improves the body’s ability to detoxify

    Fiber and Your Gut Flora

    Microbiota (gut flora) love chewing on fiber. If you don’t consume enough fiber, they turn to an alternate food source – your protective mucin gut lining!

    Fiber and Flatulence

    Incorporating more fiber into the diet can make you uncomfortably gassy.

    Try a slow introduction to give your gut flora a chance to adjust. If you haven’t adapted after a few months, ask your doctor to test you for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

  • Reduced Fat Intake

    Reducing fat in the diet encourages more favorable gut flora and compounds like butyrate that discourage cancer formation.

  • Additional Nutrients

    While fiber in the diet is the most important, additional support may be found from:

    • prebiotic inulin
    • other complex polysaccharides
    • mucilaginous herbs (like marshmallow and aloe inner gel)
    • probiotics such as Bifidobacterium longum

• Probiotics & Prebiotics

  Gut flora have a tremendous impact on colorectal health and cancer risk.

  Probiotics are healthy bacterial flora, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium, found in supplements and lactic acid-forming fermented foods.

  Probiotics are food for the good bacteria, including fiber, mucilage, FOS, and inulin.

  Preliminary studies suggest that probiotics and prebiotics can:

  • improve gut health and motility
  • make the colon less hospitable to cancer cells
  • fight and prevent cancer cells and tumor formation
  • reduce the damage from carcinogenic foods like:
    • grilled red meat
    • cured meats
    • bacon

• Medicinal Mushrooms

  Mushrooms have long been used in Asia for cancer treatment and prevention.

  They contain complex polysaccharide starches, including glucans and beta glucan (and other beneficial compounds) that improve immune system health to better fight and prevent various types of cancer.

  In modern Asia, mushroom polysaccharide extracts are often prescribed as adjunct cancer treatments to improve outcomes.

  To make the polysaccharides bioavailable, medicinal mushrooms should be cooked, heated, or simmered in water, even better if powdered first, or try extract capsules.

  • Turkey Tail

    The most human studies have been performed on turkey tail mushrooms, usually as an adjunct in cancer treatment to improve outcome and remission rates.

    In these studies, turkey tail extract:

    • kept colorectal cancer progression in check
    • decreased the voracity of cancer’s progression (how deep it went, how far it spread)
    • increased survival rate in patients also receiving conventional care

  • Reishi and Shiitake

    A handful of studies show that reishi and shiitake extracts also inhibit colorectal cancer.

• Nutritional Supplements

  While fiber in the diet is the most important, additional support may be found from prebiotic inulin, other complex polysaccharides, mucilaginous herbs like marshmallow and aloe inner gel, and probiotics such as Bifidobacterium longum.

  • Calcium and Vitamin D

    In population studies, the better the intake of these nutrients, the lower the risk. Although not all studies agree, some note a reduced risk on par with exercise: 10 to 15 percent.

    In a four-year, well-designed study, the combination of 1,400-1,500 milligrams (mg) calcium citrate or carbonate and 1,000 IU vitamin D3 together reduced cancer risk for healthy postmenopausal women.

    Other studies have found that vitamin D supplementation reduces risk by 50 percent.

  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids

    People who consume more omega-3 fatty acids from wild, coldwater fatty fish have a reduced risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancers.

    Taking 2.5 grams of fish oil daily reduces cancer’s growth rate.

    Higher doses of fish oil (4.1 grams EPA, 3.6 grams DHA daily) for 12 weeks rapidly reduced cancer markers in colon polyps in a small group of high-risk cancer patients.

  • Turmeric

    Turmeric powder in the diet or supplements may help prevent or fight various types of cancer including colon cancer through immune system support, deceased inflammation, and increased antioxidants.

    This potent anti-inflammatory spice and its constituents slow the promotion and progression of colon cancer and encourage cancer cell cycle arrest.

    Clinical Studies

    Cancer patients who consumed turmeric powder (as well as garlic, onion, tomato, shiitake, rice bran, kale, blueberry, and pineapple) in addition to their regular diet improved antioxidant status and other clinical measures of improved treatment outcomes versus those who did not.

    One study suggested a dose of 3.6 grams of curcumin for colon care.

  • Green Tea

    Drinking five or more cups of green tea (or taking 250 to 500 mg of the standardized extract) daily may be helpful.

    Green tea provides antioxidants and can improve the immune system’s response to cancer, particularly in nonsmokers.

    Thanks to the EGCG antioxidant in green tea, it can:

    • inhibit cancer growth
    • induce cancer cell death
    • inhibit the inflammation that fuels cancer

    Clinical Studies

    In one study, green tea supplementation reduced colorectal tumor incidence in post-surgery cancer patients by 50 percent.

    In another large study of nonsmoking men, each daily 2 gram intake of dry green tea leaves (about the amount in one tea bag) was associated with a 12 percent reduction in colorectal cancer risk.