Ross Walter Nutritionist and Naturopath health articles and blog - Ross Walter Nutritionist & Naturopath

Your immune system finds and destroys cancer cells!

1/11/2019

If you know me or have read some of my articles here, you may know that the topic of cancer comes up a lot, because it has been my main area of interest in natural health treatments for many years.I was initially drawn to natural cancer treatments because the general public believe that this is the biggest and baddest health problem, because a diagnosis of "cancer" fills people with such dread and fear, that it reminds people that we really are mortal. We shouldn't fear cancer at all, but welcome it, as it is your body giving you warnings and telling you that it is not liking what you are doing to it. It may take some time to change this perception of cancer, but we can start now.

My fears of cancer disappeared when I started reading cancer research over 12 years ago, when I found that your body's white blood cells, in particular the Cytotoxic CD4+ T-cells and NK (Natural Killer) cells, have a primary task every day in our bodies to find and destroy virus-infected AND cancer cells! Hence it is your own immune systems that CAN and DOES fight cancer every day!

I have linked a short video showing this - actual footage of your immune system cells attacking cancer cells and destroying them! Watch this video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntk8XsxVDi0

This information and this video highlights the importance of your immune system for the prevention and treatment of cancer!

Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are NOT the only options for cancer treatment! These actually don't help you much at all, because both chemotherapy and radiotherapy (ie, chemical therapy and radiation therapy, respectively) actually CAUSE more cancer by poisoning the body and destroying the immune system - the main part of your body's defence against cancer! It just doesn't make sense to do this.

I still read a lot of cancer research, and I put this knowledge into practice with my clients. There is no one cure for cancer (and probably never will be) as treatment requires a holistic (whole body) approach using a combination of correct nutrition and avoiding some specific foods, supplementation, stress relief and management, detoxification, mindset, lifestyle, exercise and other treatments.

If your immune system is not strong, or you get frequent infections or illnesses, or if there is a family history of cancer or autoimmune conditions, this is where I can help - this is what I do!

Sunscreens are a major cause of skin cancers

1/11/2019

Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of skin cancers in the world. But incidences are also rising in countries that are generally colder or not well known for having a lot of sunlight, such as the UK or in the Scandinavian countries.
There are several reasons for this, including the lack of the protective ozone layer in the southern hemisphere, and the increasing use of sunscreens as a result of government sun-safe campaigns.

From looking at the research into sunscreen ingredients and health, I would not recommend using commercial sunscreens as they are the main reason for causing skin cancers. When their marketing says they protect you from the sun, it isn't true. Sunscreens CAUSE skin cancer.

There are 3 ways sunscreens cause skin cancer:
1) Sunscreens block the production of vitamin D, required for absorption of calcium for healthy bones and teeth, and prevention of hundreds of illnesses and chronic diseases, from colds and flu to mental health disorders. Cancer risk is reduced by over 50% with having sufficient vitamin D levels in your body. Vitamin D is a massive immune system booster, and as your immune system destroys cancer cells when it is working well, you need to support your immune system to do this. See my other articles on sunscreens, vitamin D and cancer below.

2) Sunscreens block the UV-B radiation which protects you from the sun and prevents sunburn. But it's the UV-B light which is needed for your body to produce vitamin D! HOWEVER, sunscreens therefore allow you to stay outside in the sun longer (and not get burnt) to be exposed to more of the UV-A radiation, which is the one that causes skin cancer... Let that sink in - sunscreens give you a false sense of security to stay out in the sun longer and be exposed to MORE skin cancer causing UV-A light.

3) Many chemicals in commercial sunscreens (read the ingredients list again) include carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals and hormone-disrupting chemicals which can affect your whole body to negatively affect your health.

Even sunscreens promoted by the Cancer Council have very toxic ingredients including neurotoxins, or they affect fertility or cause DNA damage (ie cause cancer), or disrupt your normal hormones. Australia's Cancer Council's own brand sunscreen contains 5 cancer-causing chemicals, and 4 hormone-disrupting chemicals, in their ONE product! It also contains other chemicals banned in other countries and other damaging chemicals too.

Scientific research proves this:
One study published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2000 (entitled: "Sunscreen use and malignant melanoma"), it showed that people who used sunscreens did NOT have a reduced risk of malignant melanoma, that they spent more time in the sun and got melanoma even if they didn't get sunburnt, and there was an increased risk of melanoma from sunscreen use.

An expert Dermatologist, Dr Bernard Ackerman, who has published 625 research papers on skin cancer says that there is no proven link between sun exposure and melanoma. And people with melanoma have it on less exposed body areas.

Sunscreens actually CAUSE more skin cancer than they prevent.

Please check your sunscreens, and do your research on the ingredients in them. For your family's health, be sun-safe by getting some sunlight on your skin in small doses regularly (but not enough to burn) and if you need to stay out in the sun for longer, cover up with clothes and a hat, or use a natural sunscreen that does not have toxic ingredients in it, from a health food shop.

If you do not think you are getting enough sunlight to maintain your vitamin D levels (at around 5-10 minutes per day in spring or summer) you can opt for a good vitamin D3 supplement - ask me for details!

Glandular fever and EBV can lead to ongoing health issues

25/3/2019

I've been seeing a lot of people lately with ongoing complications of Glandular Fever, caused by the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV).

Many people don't know they have had Glandular Fever, unless their doctor tests for it, as it presents just like a flu infection, but usually with a longer period of fatigue afterwards (called the "post-viral fatigue"). Symptoms include enlarged lymph glands in the neck and throat, enlarged spleen, jaundice (yellow skin colour, as the virus can infect the liver in some people), very sore throat and heavy cough, muscle aches, headaches, no appetite, fever, and more.

Glandular fever is sometimes called "the kissing disease" as it is transmitted by saliva! You don't need to kiss to transmit it, but can be from shared food, kitchenware, cups, or saliva on hands. The infection is most common in adolescents and young adults.

Natural treatments for Glandular Fever are the same as for most viral infections - rest and sleep, supporting the immune system to fight the infection, and antiviral nutrients or herbals to kill the virus, and more. There are no current traditional medical treatments for EBV, and you are usually just told to rest and keep fluids up. Not all that helpful...

There can be serious complications of the initial EBV infection, including inflammation of the heart muscle (causing irregular or abnormal heart beats), neurological problems (meningitis, seizures, facial and muscle paralysis), blood clotting disturbances, thyroid conditions, and chronic fatigue which can last for weeks or months afterwards.

Once you have recovered from the initial infection that may not be the end of it, as EBV has a tendency to hibernate when your immune system is fighting it. But when your immune defences are down (because you might not be looking after yourself), it comes out of hibernation again and again to cause havoc around your body. EBV can infect your infection-fighting white blood cells to cause them to multiply rapidly but also reduce their function. This is how EBV is linked to several types of blood cell cancers like lymphomas, and other types of cancers too, including cancer of the breast, stomach, and EBV is also linked to causing AIDS.

EBV is also lead to immune system dysfunction and autoimmune conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes, Coeliac Disease, Lupus (SLE), autoimmune thyroid conditions (Hashimoto's and Grave's Disease) and many more. EBV reactivation has also been linked to Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Bartonella, Chlamydia, and other infections.

If you have had Glandular Fever and/or EBV confirmed in the past, the key is to look after your health so that your immune system remains strong and able to keep EBV at bay. If you aren't looking after yourself with lots of stress, poor diet, lack of sleep, poor lifestyle choices etc, then EBV can be reactivated and contributing to your health issues, including some very serious conditions as mentioned above.

If you have some of these health issues - thyroid conditions, liver and digestive problems, heart conditions, and you have had Glandular Fever or EBV confirmed, I can help with improving your immune system to fight the infection, to reduce symptoms, as well as prevent it reactivating. So you can kiss the EBV goodbye!

why you should avoid plastic water bottles and containers

16/1/2019

When I see clients for helping them to improve their health for all types of health conditions, I always ask about their fluid intake - what types of drinks they consume daily, how much, and with regards to water, what type of water they drink, tap water or filtered or bottled, and what type of container they use to store or carry their water in.

While it's great that most people do take water with them to work or when they go out, most people I see are still using plastic bottles for this purpose. I explain why this isn't good for your health, and they quickly change to healthier options!

We now have "BPA-free" plastic bottles and containers because BPA (Bisphenol-A) was added into plastic decades ago to make plastics flexible and durable. But in 2010, the Australian government announced a voluntary phasing-out of BPA in baby bottles only, based on scientific studies showing that BPA was causing many health issues. Other products followed, but it was still a voluntary measure by the plastic producers. Other countries also made similar decisions to reduce BPA in products.

BPA was replaced by BPS (Bisphenol-S), apparently being safer. As time went on and more studies were done on BPS, it was found that BPS is causing exactly the same health problems as BPA and is just as harmful. Some studies show that 81% of Americans have BPS in their urine.

BPA and BPS, even in very small amounts, have large effects on your cells and your body. These chemicals leach from the plastic into the water or food they contain. BPA and BPS are endocrine disruptors or xeno-oestrogens, as they mimic oestrogen and its effects in your body. Endocrine disruptors and xeno-oestrogens disrupt your hormones to affect a cell's normal functioning to cause metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity, asthma, birth defects, heart conditions, menstrual cycle issues and PMS symptoms, infertility, prostate enlargement, and many types of cancer.

The issues with BPA and BPS and other chemicals in plastics are worse when the plastic is exposed to warmer temperatures, as the chemicals leach much more in summer, or in hot cars, or worse, when used in the microwave oven to cook or heat foods. BPA and BPS also causes similar affects in animals and wildlife, as our waste water and plastics get into waterways.

BPA chemicals are also found in your shop receipts, in the thermal paper used. BPA is also found in the lining of many tins of various foods, with tinned tomatoes being the worst possible to buy and consume. Tomatoes are very acidic and this eats away at the BPA, so there will be BPA in the tinned tomatoes, and this will affect your health. Just use fresh tomatoes instead! Steam some fresh and organic tomatoes yourself to use in cooking, as well as being better for you and the environment! BPA and BPS exposure can also come from using plastic cooking utensils, plastic kettles, and paper cups lined with BPA/BPS, soft drink cans, and other sources.

Even if you have "BPA-free" plastic bottles and containers, the manufacturers are not telling you that the BPS or other chemicals added to them are just as dangerous to your health as BPA. No plastic bottles or containers are safe! Get rid of them! Replace plastic containers and utensils with glass, stainless steel or other inert containers!

Roundup (Glyphosate) is in foods and known to cause cancer

13/8/2018

Being a Clinical Nutritionist and Naturopath isn't just about helping people with what to eat, but is also about education on what to eat, when, and how, and in even more detail!

One extra little detail is what your food was exposed to in terms of chemicals, toxins, or manipulation during or after production (such as irradiation or genetic modification, and how foods are cooked) which can make all the difference between a food that is healthy and a similar food that is damaging to your health.

One such suggestion I like to make is to avoid your food being exposed to toxic chemicals, such as herbicides, pesticides, fungicides etc. One of the most prominent and dangerous herbicides used on food crops is Roundup (also known as glyphosate, and found in many other brands of herbicides). Even though Roundup is promoted as safe (by its manufacturer, Monsanto), it can cause severe adverse health effects as found in recent research, including birth defects, spontaneous abortions, infertility, hormone disruptions, autoimmune conditions, neuro-degenerative diseases and even cancer (especially Non-Hodgkins lymphoma). It also gets into the environment, animals and the water supply, causing more issues.

Many food crops are genetically modified to be "Roundup Ready", meaning that the crop can be sprayed with Roundup when it's still young to kill the weeds around them, but the young plants can survive being sprayed. Such Roundup Ready crops include wheat, corn, canola, soy, and even cotton.

Roundup is also sprayed on cereal crops (ie wheat and corn), to kill the plants once their grains/seeds have set, to make it easier to harvest them. Unfortunately this leads to the chemical being present in your foods - breakfast cereals, breads, bakery products, soy foods and canola oil. This is one reason why I do not recommend people to eat wheat, corn, soy, or any processed foods with canola oil - unless it has been tested and certified as "organic".

A judge and jury in the USA have just awarded a 46-year old man about $289 MILLION in damages after successfully proving that Roundup caused his cancer. He was a gardener/groundsman and used Roundup regularly, but he isn't expected to live much longer because of his cancer. There are many hundreds more people suing Monsanto for health issues caused by Roundup.

Avoid using Roundup in your gardens or around food crops, as it can be absorbed through your skin to have the same effect. Have a look online for safe, natural herbicides or pesticides that you can cheaply and easily make at home, or just pull your weeds out by hand!

Local councils around Australia are notorious for using Roundup around the streets and parks, but some are heeding the warnings of Roundup and are trialling using steam as a more environmentally friendly and safer alternative to killing weeds! And of course it will be much safer for their employees and the general public too.

For your health and that of your family, please avoid using Roundup in your garden, and avoid Roundup Ready GMO foods.

How your immune system works to keep you alive!

20/7/2018

This article is about your immune system! You might not think much about your immune system or think that it does very much, but your immune system is on alert constantly to protect you from all known and unknown infections, injuries, damaged cells and more, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, for your entire life! Your immune system, quite literally, keeps you alive!

There are two main parts to your immune system:
1) Innate immune system - these cells protect you from all unknown infection-causing microbes, bacteria and viruses! They recognise what is "self" or safe and what isn't, and will attack and destroy any foreign invaders. This part of your immune system is how we have been able to survive for millenia without modern medicines or medical interventions! The innate immune system, when confronted by a new microbe or invader, learns from this and then trains the adaptive immune system for longer-term defence mechanisms.
2) Adaptive immune system - the adaptive immune system develops antibodies against each invader. Antibodies are then used by the immune system to more quickly respond to and stop infections in future!

Contrary to popular belief, newborn babies do have an immune system! They get this from the mother during development, then from being exposed to good bacteria during birth, and from breast milk which is high in immune system proteins and antibodies. Their immune system gets stronger each day to protect them!

Your immune system is affected by factors such as stress, a poor diet (ie, nutrient deficiencies or excesses), poor digestive system function, chemicals and toxins in foods and environment, poor sleep quality or quantity, and chronic (long-term) infections, medications (antibiotics, NSAIDs, anti-inflammatories, immunosuppressives, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, steroids, etc), and other factors. then it's not going to work as well as it should. Reduced immune system function can lead to longer and more severe infections, reduced or slow healing of wounds, inflammatory conditions, auto-immune conditions (where the immune system turns against your body to damage organs and tissues), and even cancer. Your immune system has several types of cells which find and destroy cancer cells, so when the immune system isn't working optimally, this can allow cancers to grow and spread.

Suppressing your symptoms and your immune system with medications (as listed above) may reduce your symptoms, but will increase the risk of further or more severe infections or other chronic conditions such as cancer.

Having a good immune system is incredibly important, not just to prevent those nasty head colds or flus in winter, but for your long-term health and survival! Your immune system can be affected and reduced by so many factors. If you suffer from frequent infections such as colds, flu, tonsillitis, sinusitis, UTIs, allergies or intolerances, any autoimmune conditions, cancer, or any chronic infection, then your immune system needs help!

This is where I can help! By investigating all possible causes of a poorly functioning immune system and treating the causes, you CAN have your health back!

PMS or menstrual symptoms indicate a hormone imbalance

30/4/2018

Why are females so complicated?! I don't mean in a relationship sense, but hormonally! Male hormones (mainly testosterone) by comparison are generally stable (females may say that men are emotionally "flatlined"!), but there are many more dynamic hormones in a female (FSH, LH, several oestrogens, progesterone, testosterone and more!) which can change from day to day through their cycles.

Female hormones must be finely tuned and balanced for menstrual cycles, fertility, pregnancy and other processes. Unfortunately many things can upset the delicate hormone balance, such as stress, nutrient deficiencies (and excesses), alcohol, digestive system function, exposure to toxins and chemicals, exposure to plastics, and other potential factors.

If you are female and have any regular symptoms just before and/or during your period such as headaches or migraines, cramps (especially if severe), bloating, pains, acne, clots, being very emotional, sore breasts, difficulty getting pregnant, miscarriages, or if your period is irregular in frequency and duration, then you have a hormone imbalance. A "normal" period really should be symptom-free, except for the bleed! Unfortunately, other period symptoms have become normalised by doctors, when they really are signs of hormone imbalance.

In addition, if you (or any other female you know) has PMDD, PCOS, endometriosis, fibrocystic breasts, fibroids, or cancers of the breast, ovaries, cervix or uterus, these are more chronic and severe symptoms of hormone imbalance. Hormone imbalances can result in these very serious conditions. This is why hormone imbalances should not be ignored or hidden each month with painkillers and anti-inflammatories or contraceptive medications. The root causes of the hormone imbalance needs to be investigated and resolved. This is what I do!

In my detailed questioning, I will seek to identify all root causes of hormone imbalances. I may also recommend specific pathology testing, including a saliva test of female hormones (which I have noted that not a lot of doctors or even specialists even look at), before recommending a personalised treatment plan.

How good would it be to not have any PMS symptoms or other chronic female conditions (PCOS, Endo, fibroids, etc)?! You can! And I would like to help you have a "normal" period again, or resolve other female hormone related health issues.

Does coffee really cause cancer?

2/4/2018

A Judge in the US (30th March 2018) has recommended that Starbucks and other coffee companies must put a warning label on coffee products sold in California, because of a cancer-causing chemical produced in the roasting process!

The chemical in particular is called acrylamide, which is formed when sugars in foods are exposed to high temperatures when baked, roasted or fried. The amount of acrylamide formed is also dependent on the species of the plant, how long it has been stored or cooked, or other factors.

Typical foods which can produce acrylamide are vegetables such as potato (fried chips, crisps, hash browns etc), bakery products (toast, breads, biscuits, cakes etc), breakfast cereals, and other high-carb starchy foods.
But does coffee cause cancer?

Generally it does not! BUT acrylamide in foods such as coffee can increase the risk of SOME types of cancers in animal and human studies. This is despite the assurances from the Australian Food Standards organisation which suggests that there are no human studies showing this.

But cancer is a very complex condition for which there are multiple causative factors in each person, and there is no one single cause of cancer in anyone. This also means that acrylamide on its own is unlikely to cause cancer, and certainly not from one cup of coffee! Perhaps acrylamide exposure over a long period of time on its own can increase cancer risk, but the other nutrients such as antioxidants and others in coffee can potentially negate that risk.

There are many studies also showing the benefits of coffee in some types of cancers too!

Every week we see a study suggesting something like coffee, red wine, chocolate etc being bashed in the media as causing cancer, then the next week another study comes out saying how good it is for you! Nutrition science is so confusing if you just follow the sensationalist media, and not look at the details of the published studies. The summary graph attached shows multiple studies showing both benefits and risks of coffee, wine, tea and other common foods and drinks!

The issue with scientific research in nutrition is how well designed the study was. For example, whether a study was just looking at the increased risk of acrylamide alone on cancer and inferring that as coffee contains acrylamide, it causes cancer. Or whether whole coffee beans were tested for acrylamide content and then showing an increased risk in coffee drinkers versus non-drinkers. Or what temperature the coffee beans were roasted at, or the water temperature in the coffee, or whether a coffee drinker had good nutrition intake and lifestyle, or an increased genetic risk for cancer, or a thousand other possible factors!

Have your coffee! Drink it and enjoy it! I generally recommend 1-2 cups of brewed coffee per day at most, and preferably none after midday, as it can affect sleep! If you feel the need to have a coffee for an energy pickup after lunch, then there are reasons for this which can be explained and can be resolved without the need for coffee at that time of the day! You will need to see me for this!

What is MTHFR?

19/1/2018

What is MTHFR?! No, it isn't an acronym for something very rude, but for Methylene-TetraHydroFolate Reductase, which is a bit of a mouthful, so MTHFR is much easier!

MTHFR is a human gene, which codes for the production of an enzyme of the same name. The MTHFR enzyme is important for chemical reactions in the body involving vitamin B9 (also called "folate"). The enzyme converts the folate in your food (mainly in plant based foods) into the active form of folate which your body can then use.

Folate is important for many purposes - the synthesis of DNA and the production of new cells, for "methylation" reactions (such as turning on and off gene expression), for metabolising amino acids from proteins (for hormone and neurotransmitter production), for the production of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, to turn off inflammation, for energy production, for critical detoxification functions, and many more functions.

The MTHFR gene and enzyme are especially important because mutations of this gene can have significant impacts on your health. Depending on which mutation of this gene you may have, of which there are 34 different ones, there are 2 main variants which can be tested for, because of their importance in your body.

Depending on the type of MTHFR mutation you may have, it can mean a 20% loss of function, or 40% or even up to a 70% loss of function to the MTHFR enzyme activity. This means that all of the uses of folate can be severely compromised. One of the biggest impacts of a MTHFR mutation is regarding detoxification of chemicals from the body. If your body cannot detoxify environmental toxins efficiently, this can cause a lot of chronic physical and mental health issues.

"Folic Acid", which is an artificially synthesised form of folate found in many vitamin and mineral supplements, is not the same thing as the natural folate. It doesn't have the same effects at all. But most importantly, IF you have the a MTHFR genetic mutation, you MUST NOT be taking any supplement with folic acid in it. Because your body cannot metabolise folic acid properly, folate levels in your blood and body can build up and reach toxic levels, and also inhibit the metabolism of natural folate. Some studies and researchers have suggested that even people without any MTHFR mutation should still avoid all supplements with folic acid in them. There are other forms of folate in supplements which are safer and more effective!

MTHFR mutations are common in people who have heart disease, glaucoma, many psychiatric or mental health conditions, some types of cancers, high levels of inflammation, infertility and recurrent miscarriages, autism spectrum disorders, and many other chronic health issues which don't seem to go away no matter what you do for them. If you suspect you may have a MTHFR mutation due to chronic health issues, you can get tested for this.

Testing for the MTHFR mutation can easily be done with a simple blood test. This test costs just $90, but can be very useful in helping you to achieve your health goals! If you have (or someone you know has) health issues which don't seem to be improving, despite being on a good treatment plan, then a MTHFR genetic mutation can often be the cause of this. Testing for the mutation can give peace of mind and the effects of the mutation can be greatly reduced as there are additional steps in a treatment plan which you may need to include. Please contact me or the clinic to arrange a MTHFR test!

NEW CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING - IS IT ANY BETTER?

5/12/2017

At a recent (but terrible) cancer prevention presentation at the Qld Cancer Council (see my previous article on sunscreens), it was announced that the National Cervical Screening Program of pap smears for women every 2 years is being replaced as of 1st December 2017. Pap smears are no longer being done as a form of preventative screening. However it appears that not many women know about this change...

The current pap smear tests which check for abnormal cervical cells as a form of... proactive checking against cervical cancer is being replaced by the new Cervical Screening Test (CST). Instead, the CST will only check for the HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), which is one cause of cervical cancer. And the CST will only be required every 5 years instead of 2 years for the pap smear.

The CST will still require the same uncomfortable procedure to obtain cervical cells as the pap smear, just less frequently. Only if the HPV virus is found will someone actually visually check your pap smear for abnormal cells.

The issues here are several:
- The CST test is only looking for ONE possible causative factor of cervical cancer, being the HPV,
- The CST ignores all other possible causes of cervical cancer,
- and the less frequent testing (a money saving measure?) is a concern.

I believe these changes may in fact put more women at risk of cervical cancer. Abnormal cells found in the pap smear test are a better indicator of potential cervical cancer, so why the change?

Recent research (Oct 2017) suggests that an HPV infection alone is NOT sufficient to cause cervical cancer! Cervical cancer, and other reproductive cancers in women, are related to female hormones and often an imbalance between the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. The same research also suggests that an immune system dysfunction and inflammation are also equal causative factors in the development and progression of cervical cancer. Other recent research (Oct 2017) says these other factors are mandatory for the development of cervical cancer. So pap smears or the new CST are simply not good enough screening tests for this type of cancer.

As a better preventative for cervical cancer, or other female cancers, or in fact ANY cancer, you can get your immune system function checked, inflammation levels tested, and female hormone levels tested regularly for a much better picture for the prevention of ALL female reproductive cancers, and for your overall health.

Ask me for details of these tests, for a better peace of mind.

do you know what is in your sunscreen?

11/11/2017

Apologies about the longer than usual article this time! But it's important.

Because I have been running a series of “Cancer Prevention” presentations around Brisbane for the past couple of months, as so happens in Facebook, you get adverts targeted to you! I got one from the Cancer Council for their “Cancer prevention for educators” talk in Brisbane, so being very sceptical and curious, I booked in!
I attended their talk recently. The first thing I noticed was a display of various unhealthy drinks at the front, and which they explained later, was to show the amount of sugar in each, as sugar contributes to weight gain they said. They ignored the main issue of sugar, that it directly causes and feeds cancer, or that it causes inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, and many other chronic health issues! None of that was mentioned.
And the ironic thing they missed was regarding the refreshments table at the back of the room – sugar-laden snacks of muffins and cakes… They just don’t get it do they?!
I expected the “same old” information, and yes that’s what I got. They said at the beginning that it would be evidence-based information. I thought otherwise, as you will see when you read some more of this article…
Their “prevention“ advice was pretty light, and a lot was missing. More troubling was that much of their advice was actually going to cause more cancer in many people.
On the topic of sun health, they want everyone to slather on sunscreens every 2 hours, wear sun protective clothing, wear tight-fitting and wrap-around sunglasses when outside ALL the time, and stay out of the sun ALL year around in Qld, because the UV light levels are allegedly too high and dangerous even in Winter!
They obviously didn’t read or know about my last article on the dangers of wearing sunglasses for prolonged periods – research shows that they block up to 98% of sunlight entering your eyes, but you need this to make your sleep hormone (melatonin), your feeling happy hormone (serotonin) which prevents depression and other mental health issues, and your protective skin pigment melanin, which prevents you burning more severely.
I asked the presenter if they were aware of the health implications of wearing sunglasses, which I summarised, and they said they were not!
I asked a question about the issue of getting enough vitamin D, due to the importance of maintaining good levels to improve health and prevent chronic disease. They said everyone should have enough vitamin D from just walking from their house to their car each day… really?! That’s nowhere near enough from the research I’ve read, and I’ve only seen 2 clients with healthy vitamin D levels in the past couple of years.
The topic of eating well came up, and of course they said to follow the government food guidelines, which we all know is a pile of brown smelly stuff, and is the reason why we are seeing so many chronic health conditions these days. They showed an example of a “good” kids lunch box, which was anything but. It also included a small plastic bottle of water. I commented that they should be informing people of the dangers of using plastic bottles, especially for children, and especially in summer – as the hotter the temperature is, the more hormone-disrupting and cancer-causing chemicals will leach from the plastic into the water. A cancer council representative said it was a good point, but they are just focusing on getting kids to just drink more water at the moment. Even if it’s toxic and cancer-causing?
There was a lot more which was not that exciting, and other bits which were shocking, but I will write about those in another article.
Lastly, I spared their embarrassment somewhat when I spoke to the speaker and her boss afterwards, to ask about what testing is done on sunscreens. They said they are tested by the TGA which uses the highest quality testing. Ok, I said, so how do you explain the 4 hormone-disrupting chemicals, 5 cancer-causing chemicals, and many other toxic ingredients in your own brand sunscreens? (See the info in the meme picture)
They looked a little surprised, but said they have faith in the TGA and their scientists who made it. I asked if they can look further into this, because the resources I used to check their ingredients is highly regarded.
I gave them a copy of the meme picture, and 2 pages of recent published research which contradicted their “advice” on sunscreens, skin cancer, sunglasses, and vitamin D.
I hope they look further into this, as they are supposed to provide “evidence-based” information to the public for preventing cancer. But on what I saw and heard in this presentation, they do neither.

WHAT IS CANCER?

29/10/2017

What actually is cancer?

The typical definition is that “Cancer is a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body”. This is not entirely correct or a complete enough definition.

My definition is better (IMHO) and is “Cancer is a SYMPTOM of chronic and systemic dysfunction, toxicity and disease, which causes the cells to lack the ability to perform normal functions such as metabolism, growth and programmed cell death.”

Cancer is not a disease, but a symptom of whole body disease. Tumours are a symptom of cancer, not the disease itself!
Despite what various cancer charities tell us, there are many known causes of cancer, many of which we are exposed to on a daily basis. When we know what the causes are (which we actually do know), prevention becomes very simple.
I have put together a 1-hour introductory presentation on cancer, which explains what cancer is, how it starts in the body, what causes it, and how you can prevent it. Follow-up or advanced presentations are available on cancer treatments, both medical and alternative. These presentations also make up a cancer workshop which Ross is presenting in person and online soon!

More information on this will come soon in further articles on this topic!

is water fluoridation good for you?

30/3/2017

There has been a few mentions in the media this week on various chat shows about some comments that a TV personality (Pete Evans, celebrity chef and paleo advocate) said on the topic of water fluoridation. This article dives into the murky waters of water fluoridation! Yes the pun was absolutely intended!The truth is that we NEED fluoride for healthy bones and teeth! But in the form of CALCIUM fluoride which can be found in only some natural waterways, or in your fruits and vegetables! This "natural" fluoride only occurs in some natural waters under high pressure as calcium fluoride is generally insoluble otherwise.

Unfortunately calcium fluoride is NOT the form of fluoride which is added to Qld water (or in other states in Australia or the USA or in a literal handful of other countries around the world). The "fluoride" added to our water is either sodium fluoride (used as a rat poison), sodium hexafluorosilicate and fluorosilacic acid - which are waste products of fertiliser and aluminium smelting and extremely toxic poisons... Hence not all "fluoride" is the same, or safe to ingest.

Some other facts about fluoride which the government or medical authorities won't tell you:
1) One of the world's most prestigious medical journals, The Lancet, published a study in 2014 which concluded that fluoride was one of several industrial chemicals which are neurotoxins (ie, toxic to the brain). In this study, neurotoxins like fluoride were said to cause developmental delays in children, and are linked to and increased risk of autism, ADHD, and other cognitive issues.
2) Other studies on fluoride have shown that children exposed to fluoride in their drinking water have a lower IQ.
3) Despite the Qld government's decision to fluoridate water supplies in 2007, only one-third of Qld councils are doing so, as many have reversed their decision and stopped fluoridation, after researching the issue more.
4) Water fluoridation has been shown in published research in 2015 to cause thyroid and parathyroid dysfunction including hypothyroidism (low thyroid function, which leads to low body temperature, reduced metabolism, fatigue and weight gain), reduced immune system function, increased inflammation, and other health conditions.
5) Some types of fluoride used in public water have been shown in research in 2011 to cause cancer, especially bone cancer in teenage boys and thyroid cancer.
6) Excessive fluoridation can cause fluorosis in teeth, which is a mottling discolouration with lighter and darker patches. Because fluoride also gets into bones, a similar effect occurs there to cause bone damage.
7) Research from 2011 also suggests that water fluoridation toxicity causes genetic changes in our DNA, which can explain why this leads to cancer and other side effects.
8) Almost all countries in the world do not fluoridate their water, because they are aware of the scientific studies linking the toxic waste product forms of fluoride with a wide range of adverse health effects.
9) Water fluoridation does NOT solve the causes of tooth decay, which are from poor oral hygiene, not brushing teeth correctly or frequently, and a poor diet of too much SUGAR in your food and drinks! Sugar feeds oral bacteria which produce acidic wastes that eat away at your teeth. Better education and public awareness campaigns for oral hygiene will achieve far more benefit and for less cost, and much safer than water fluoridation.

Water fluoridation is an example of government, medical and industry-sponsored mass poisoning of the population. It's about making money for them, as it's not for any health benefit. Luckily there are some things you can do to avoid toxic fluoride - a good quality water filter such as a reverse osmosis filter with specific fluoride filter and remineraliser can remove 99% of fluoride, or some ceramic filters can reduce about 80%. The jug or tap adapter type filters won't remove any fluoride. I'm contacting a couple of water filter suppliers to see what deals they can offer you!

If you don't believe me, please do your own research into what forms of fluoride are added to your water, where they come from and what effects they have on your body, for your health and that of your family. There's tons of published, peer-reviewed research to back this up, and very easy to find - now that you know the forms of fluoride to look for.

why you should avoid all plastics - even THOSE "BPA-FREE"

29/1/2017

Plastic bottles, containers, utensils, toys and other everyday items are seen and used everywhere because they are cheap, easy to make, convenient, light and easily replaced. But this creates a lot of problems to the environment, animals, and even your health.

This article is mainly about the dangers of plastics to the health of you and your family.

No plastic bottles or containers are safe! It doesn't matter whether it be store-bought plastic bottles of water, or reusable bottles that you carry around, or those the kids take to school or which you keep in the car. They ALL contain toxic chemicals which have been proven in research to leach chemicals into the water or foods they contain. It also doesn't matter if the plastic is "BPA-free", PET, Tupperware or anything. They all leach chemicals into the water or food, and 50 times more so when they are hot, which is just one reason why you should never use plastic containers in the microwave oven, or to store hot foods...

The chemicals which leach from plastic containers include hormone-disrupting chemicals and cancer-causing chemicals. Plastics contain chemicals like phthalates which mimic the female hormone oestrogen, and are therefore called xeno-oestrogens. Pregnant women and children are the most vulnerable to phthalates and other hormone-disrupting chemicals, according to research. These oestrogen-mimicing chemicals interfere with your evenly-balanced oestrogen levels to cause a wide range of symptoms and health issues, such as birth defects, male infertility or prostate cancer, early puberty in girls as young as 7 years, PMS symptoms or an irregular cycle in adult females, and other conditions. Other chemicals in plastics have also been shown in research to cause cancers. So you don't want these chemicals in your water, food or on your skin where they can be absorbed to cause these health issues!

If you can try this experiment - put a plastic bottle 1/2 filled with water in your car and leave it there all day in the sun. Then take off the lid and smell the water - it will smell a lot of chemicals. DON'T drink it! In fact, once a plastic bottle has been left in a hot car or in the sun, it should be thrown away. And yes this applies to refillable water bottles which children take to school for the same reason - they get hot in summer and leach chemicals which can affect their health.

There was a problem with BPA plastic a few years ago, proven to disrupt hormones and cause cancer, then this was replaced by "BPA-free" or "BPS" plastic... which sure enough after a few years, was shown to have exactly the same issue. No plastic bottles or containers are safe for hot foods or hot conditions. BUT, it has been shown that freezing water or foods in plastic containers has a similar leaching effect.

Other plastic items which you may not have thought of being a major health hazard include:

Plastic cooking utensils - replace with stainless steel
Plastic kettles - replace with stainless steel
Tinned vegetables, especially tinned tomatoes (as the tin liner is BPA plastic to stop the acidic tomatoes from eating away at the metal tin) - replace with FRESH tomatoes and vegies
Plastic wrap in contact with your food
Frozen "ready meals" in so-called "microwave or oven safe" plastic containers - remove the meal from the plastic and put into a glass container or stainless steel saucepan to heat up
There are plasticiser chemicals like phthalates found in cosmetics, hair care, body washes, fragrances and perfumes, household cleaning products and vinyl products in flooring and your car - use natural alternatives, and check the ingredients!
Thermal receipts from shops.

So what products should you use instead of plactics?! For children's water bottles, stick to stainless steel bottles for their durability. Yes they mostly have plastic lids, but this usually isn't in contact with the water if standing upright. For adults, use stainless steel or glass containers, perhaps with a neoprene or silicon cover to protect it. For cooking and storing of foods, again use stainless steel, glass, enamel or cast iron cookware (not aluminium or copper, as these too can cause toxicity). For other plastic products, find alternatives which are safer. More frequent washing of your hands after contact with plastics may also reduce your health risks.

You may not be able to completely avoid all plastic products, but you can be more aware and find replacement products for most of these to reduce your risk of health issues.

meal replacement options are not real food or healthy

28/6/2016

I'm NOT a fan of commercial meal replacement options as a way of losing weight or getting healthy. I don't care what brands they are, the ones I have investigated are crap, and very bad for you.

The meal replacement brands all make big promises to helping you to lose weight quickly as long as you buy their product and do little else. One product that's dominating the radio adverts lately promises to guys to help them lose weight without you losing all the beers! What a joke! Alcohol gives you 7 calories per gram, compared to carbohydrates only giving you 4 calories per gram. With carbs being a major contributor to weight gain and other adverse health conditions, alcohol is far worse.
If you want to lose weight and be healthier, you need to acknowledge what you may have been doing in the past was wrong and take responsibility for that and make some major changes to your food choices and lifestyle. The marketing of these meal replacement products is that you can get healthier if you made SOME changes, but it's like you can still keep on smoking...
And then we look at the ingredients of these meal replacement products. They are scary. One meal replacement product for weight loss commonly advertised on the TV (Optifast) has two forms of sugar as the second and third highest ingredients, and aspartame, a cancer-causing artificial sweetener, in it as well. I can't see how this works to help with weight loss as sugar is one of the major causes of obesity and weight gain.
Another product is "the man shake" which contains a lot of carbohydrates, and thus contributes to weight gain. It also contains sucralose, an artificial sweetener (also known as "splenda") which has also been shown to cause cancer, and many other negative health effects including an increasing risk of diabetes, digestive conditions and more.
In addition, their suggested menu plan on their website is appalling, with so much food, including having morning tea, afternoon tea and dessert every day (except one day in a fortnight)! Eating a better meal plan and some regular movement or exercise will shift the extra weight far better than this meal replacement program ever will. And you DO have to lose some of the alcohol too.
Weight gain has many factors (of which I have written about here before) - many more than just what you eat or how little exercise you do. Hence to lose weight, you have the address all of the known or possible causes. These meal replacement programs do not fix any of these causes, and as such, they will not work for weight loss in the majority of people. Better would be to get a personalised plan from a Nutritionist and Naturopath that first identifies YOUR causes and treats your causes.
If weight gain is an issue for you, I'd like to help you with real, scientifically proven methods, that are still healthy and actually work! And without buying expensive artificial food full of unhealthy junk.

cancer charities causing more cancer than they prevent

5/5/2016

As you may know from my posts on this page, educating people about and treating people with safer treatments for cancer is one of my main interests. There are a couple of things that really annoy me about the modern treatment options, 2 of them are chemotherapy and radiation therapy; neither of which have very good successes against most cancers, as they both destroy the immune system (which protects you against cancer) and they actually cause more cancers...

The other thing that annoys me is the so-called fundraising by cancer charities who beg for your hard-earned dollars for "research", when most of it goes into their administration costs and expenses to keep themselves going. They also make appalling decisions regarding their fundraising - and I have seen 2 such examples in the past day.

1) The Cancer Council - are advertising for fundraising for "Australia's Biggest Morning Tea" later this month, to get people and businesses/corporates to host a morning tea with plenty of "delicious food" in return for a donation.
2) The Breast Cancer Network Australia - are advertising for the "Pink Bun Campaign" with a national bakery chain to make a special pink bun with sweet bread, icing and pink sprinkles, where all proceeds go to the BCNA.

The problem with these campaigns is that they are using unhealthy foods that actually CAUSE and PROMOTE cancer growth and development! Irony at its finest. Sugar, and other carbohydrate-rich foods that break down into sugar in the body (ie bakery and grain products such as flour) and the chemical preservatives etc in these sweet foods have been shown in much research to cause cancers.

"Charities" like these do not have a clue about what they are actually doing to your health, or the consequences of their actions. If these charities are really about research and prevention, why don't they know that sugary foods and drinks will cause cancer?! Why should they get your dollars if they are wasting it on their costs, including their massive TV advertising budget on these events, and not on real prevention or research? Why aren't they instead recommending a "healthy" option and education program instead?

As I have done in the past and will continue to, I would be suggesting that you boycott these events, and tell these charities to look at what they are actually doing.

There's plenty of research evidence that the effectiveness of some natural treatment options far exceed those of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer, including nutritional improvements and supplements, herbal medicines, reducing stresses and emotional traumas, reducing exposure to toxic chemicals in foods and the environment, and many more. This is how I can help people with cancer.
I know that the general public and supporters of these charities are well-meaning and want to help, but these unhealthy fundraisers are not the way to do it. My article is not against anyone touched by cancer, or supporters of these charities, but the charities themselves who have no clue of the consequences of their activities.

The truth about cancer

16/4/2016

If you know me or have read some of my articles here, you may know that the topic of cancer comes up a lot, because it has been my main area of interest in natural health treatments for many years.

I was initially drawn to natural cancer treatments because the general public believe that this is the biggest and baddest health problem, because a diagnosis of "cancer" fills people with such dread and fear, that it reminds people that we really are mortal.

My fears of cancer disappeared when I started reading cancer research over 8 years ago, when I found that your body's white blood cells, in particular the CD4+ T-cells and NK (Natural Killer) cells, have a primary task every day to find and destroy virus-infected AND cancer cells! Hence it is your own immune systems that CAN and DOES fight cancer every day!

Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are NOT the only options for cancer treatment! These actually don't help you much at all, because both chemotherapy and radiotherapy (ie, chemical therapy and radiation therapy, respectively) actually CAUSE more cancer by poisoning the body and destroying the immune system - the main part of your body's defence against cancer! It just doesn't make sense to do this.

I still read a lot of cancer research, and I put this knowledge into practice with my clients. There is no one cure for cancer (and probably never will be) as treatment requires a holistic (whole body) approach using a combination of correct nutrition and avoiding some specific foods, supplementation, stress relief and management, detoxification, mindset, lifestyle, exercise and more aspects. That's where I can help - this is what I do.

For the general public though, most remain uninformed of the MANY natural treatments that are scientifically proven to be safe and effective. If you are interested in learning more about many natural cancer treatments, please have a look at this great 9-part documentary series called "The Truth About Cancer", which is being re-released this week (from 11th April 2016).
The first couple of episodes of TTAC have been shown, but you can catch most of the remainder by registering via this link:

https://go.thetruthaboutcancer.com/?ref=c267ef1a-e493-446a-adbd-b06d96f224d6

If you like the information, you can buy the series and watch them over and over at your leisure.

I encourage you to be informed, and share the information to others!

talcum powder (baby powder) linked to cancers

26/2/2016

As a holistic nutritionist, I don't just help people with their diets, but on lifestyle improvements, education and preventative strategies as well. This is a good example of a product that we may innocently use in our lives, but can severely affect our health...

It has been suspected for a while that talcum powder (ie, baby powder) was linked to ovarian cancers, and it seems that the courts in the USA have agreed with the scientific evidence and ordered the personal and cleaning products company Johnson & Johnson to pay about $100 million (Australian) in compensation to the family of a woman who died from ovarian cancer from using their products.
A search of "talcum powder and cancer" among online scientific research papers finds thousands of studies linking talcum powder to various cancers.
Why would talcum/baby powder cause cancer? Because the powder is a mineral that contains some asbestos in its natural form or from contamination, and asbestos is a known carcinogen (ie, it causes cancer). Asbestos in talcum powder can also cause mesothelioma (fibrosis of the lungs) and potentially lung cancer if it is inhaled, as well as breast tumours and other gynaecological tumours when used on those areas.

For your health and safety and that of your family and friends, if you have any talcum powder, please throw it away! Please share this message so others are informed too.

"new" immune therapy for cancer treatment

18/2/2016

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diagnoses because of what most people have seen or experienced in their families. But it shouldn't be like that.

Some of you may have seen the "latest" potential cancer treatment in the news, which in some recent tests involves taking some white blood cells out of the body, then the cells are modified somehow, returned to the body and "trained" to destroy cancer cells. It sounds amazing, except this isn't new at all!

Your body's white blood cells, in particular the CD4+ T-cells and NK (Natural Killer) cells, have a primary task every day to find and destroy virus-infected AND cancer cells! They do this naturally without any help!

However you need to provide the right conditions for these immune system cells to be able to do their job to prevent damaged cells (ie cancer cells) from getting out of control. As your foods are your building blocks of your cells, what you eat is central to the prevention and treatment of cancer. But there's a lot more to it than that - your digestive system function needs to be optimal, stresses need to be removed and handled better, and other lifestyle and environmental factors will need to be investigated and improved too. This is the holistic (whole body) approach to Nutritional Medicine, which I do.

You don't need to wait for this "new" treatment. It can be done now! I would like to be able to help you sooner rather than later.

See my cancer information page here for more details.

Sunlight doesn't cause skin cancer (part 2)

19/1/2016

Here is part 2 of my article on "sunlight does NOT cause skin cancer": (please see below for the part 1 article if you missed it!)

An expert Dermatologist, Dr Bernard Ackerman, who has published 625 research papers on skin cancer says that there is no proven link between sun exposure and melanoma. And people with melanoma have it on less exposed body areas.
Queensland has the highest rates of melanoma per capita than anywhere in the world. Research shows that the greatest rise in melanoma is seen in countries/areas where chemical sunscreens are most heavily promoted and advertised, and not due to changes in the ozone layer.
In the Cancer Epidemiology Markers and Prevention Journal in 2011, 49000 women were studied over 15 years, and the research showed that there was no evidence of cumulative UV exposure increasing the risk of skin cancer. In the same journal in 2011, 38000 women were studied over 15 years, concluding that sun exposure reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and dying from any cause, but there was an increased risk of dying from solarium use.
Let's have a look at a sunscreen recommended and sold in Australia from the Cancer Council - one would think a reputable source for a good product?! Well, it appears not... Some of the chemicals in their sunscreens include (source: http://skinhealth.com.au/blog/product/everyday/):

Phenoxyethanol - a preservative. Unfortunately this is a neurotoxin and shown to affect the nervous system, causes dermatitis, causes reproductive damage and genetic damage (ie, cancer), according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Hydroxybenzoates - a paraben, antioxidant, antimicrobial and preservative. This chemical can cause skin irritation and allergies. Parabens are oestrogen hormone mimicking chemicals that have hormone interfering effects on the body, and have been linked to breast cancer development and growth.

Benzyl alcohol - a preservative. This chemical can irritate the skin and over time can cause allergic dermatitis, and is very dangerous for very young children as it has caused some deaths in premature babies. It can also break down into other chemicals, one of which is formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemical.

Not only do sunscreens cause skin cancer from giving you a false sense of security outside in the sun (they allow you to spend more time being exposed to the cancer-causing UV-A radiation and not getting burnt) but they also contain chemicals which can directly cause cancer too...

If you can't regularly get out into the sun, then vitamin D from food the next best option, particularly fish liver oils such as cod liver oil. Very few other foods actually contain vitamin D3. Some plant foods contain vitamin D2 but this isn't as usable in the body. You can also get vitamin D as a supplement, such as Vitamin D3 (not D2!) which can be taken as a tablet, capsule, liquid or oral spray. See your health practitioner or myself for any questions!

From recent research, it is clear that we need vitamin D from sunlight for many benefits to our health and we should not be scared of going out in the sun. Check the table in the attached picture to see how much sun exposure you should get for optimal vitamin D levels without burning. Also, avoid the toxic and cancer-causing chemicals found in most commercial sunscreens and either use a natural one from your local health food store, or look for a recipe online for a safe and effective sunscreen using coconut oil!