The conference was a wonderful chance for me to reinvigorate my love of natural medicine, but more importantly, it was an opportunity for me to reconnect with the amazing resilience of the human body and spirit.
I won’t overwhelm you with biochemical pathways and botanical mechanisms-of-action in this post. Instead, I’d like to share with you some of the highlights of the conference that hit me on a more emotional level…
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90% of Cancers are Preventable through Diet and Lifestyle Choices
In a talk given by Tina Kaczor, ND, FABNO, I learned that only 5-10% of cancers are genetically influenced.
That means… YOU have the power to make lifestyle and dietary choices that reduce your risk of developing cancer.
- 30% of cancers ~ linked to tobacco
- 30% of cancers ~ linked to standard American diet
- 10-20% of cancers ~ linked to obesity
- 4-6% of cancers ~ linked to drinking more than 1 alcoholic beverage per day in women, or more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day in men
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Cancer cuts through the B.S.
During a talk by Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO, it occurred to me that people living with cancer are some of the most “real” people on the planet. In the face of cancer, the “veil” of niceties, presumption, and putting-on-airs often falls away – because it has to. This gives rise to the beautiful opportunity for us to bear our souls to those we love and to make things right with those we may have harmed.
This can happen both in patients with a promising prognosis, as well as those diagnosed with terminal illness. Dr. Alschuler shared with us a gorgeous, brief video clip on how one man turned his diagnosis into a meaningful way to show his love to his family and community.
I hope you’ll take a moment to watch perhaps one of the most meaningful videos you’ll ever see:
