Anticancer: A New Way of Life - Softcover

Servan-Schreiber, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0452295726 ISBN 13: 9780452295728

Publisher: Penguin Books, 2017

Synopsis

The revolutionary, New York Times bestselling guide to the powerful lifestyle changes that fight and prevent cancer--an integrative approach based on the latest scientific research

"A common-sense blueprint for healthy living." --Chicago Tribune

"Resonating with cancer support communities and recommended nationwide." --Los Angeles Times

"Life affirming . . . filled with practical advice." --The Seattle Times

David Servan-Schreiber was a rising neuroscientist with his own brain imaging laboratory when, in the middle of an equipment test, he discovered a tumor the size of a walnut in his own brain. Forced to confront what medicine knows about cancer, and all that we still do not know, Servan-Schreiber marshaled his will to live and set out to understand the complex inner workings of the body's natural cancer-fighting capabilities. He soon found himself on a decades-long journey from disease and relapse into scientific exploration and, finally, a new view of health.

Anticancer is at once the moving story of one doctor's inner and outer search for wellness and a radical exposition of the roles that lifestyle, environment, and trauma play in our health. Drawing on the latest research in integrative medicine that blends conventional and alternative approaches, Servan-Schreiber concisely explains what makes cancer cells thrive, what inhibits them, and how we can empower ourselves to prevent their growth. His advice details how to develop a science-based anticancer diet (and the small changes that can make a big difference); how to reap the benefits of exercise, yoga, and meditation; which toxic, unsafe products to replace in your home; and how to stave off the effects of helplessness and unhealed wounds to regain balance.

Anticancer's synthesis of science and personal experience marks a transformation in the way we understand and confront cancer. A long-running bestseller that has changed the lives of millions around the world, Anticancer remains a pioneering and peerless resource, an inspirational and revolutionary guide to "a new way of life."

About this title

About the Author

David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, was a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and cofounder of the Center for Integrative Medicine. He codirected an NIH laboratory for the study of cognitive neuroscience and published more than ninety articles in scientific journals. His pioneering book Anticancer: A New Way of Life became an international bestseller and was translated into more than forty languages. He is also the author of The Instinct to Heal and Not the Last Goodbye. Servan-Schreiber died in July 2011, leaving us a profound legacy of new understandings and pioneering work in disease prevention.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Anticancer

A New Way of Life

By David Servan-Schreiber

Penguin Publishing Group

Copyright © 2017 David Servan-Schreiber
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-452-29572-8

Foods That Act Like Medications

From ANTICANCER: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD

Foods That Act Like Medications

If certain foods in our diet can act as fertilizers for tumors, others, to the contrary, harborprecious anticancer molecules. As recent discoveries show, these go far beyond the usual vitamins,minerals, and antioxidants.

In nature, when confronted with aggression, vegetables can neither fight nor flee. To survive,they must be armed with powerful molecules capable of defending them against bacteria,insects, and bad weather. These molecules are phytochemical compounds with antimicrobial,antifungal, and insecticide properties that act on the biological mechanisms of potentialaggressors. They also have antioxidant properties that protect the plant’s cells from dampnessand the sun’s rays (by preventing cellular “rust” from forming when the cell’s fragile mechanismsare exposed to the corrosive effects of oxygen).

Plums, Peaches, and Nectarines: It’s Time for Stone Fruit

Berries have recently found some competition: peaches, plums, nectarines, etc. (collectivelyknown as stone fruit), whose anticancer virtues were previously unknown. According to agroup of researchers in Texas who reviewed more than a hundred species, these fruits—particularlyplums—are at least as rich in anticancer elements as small berries. In this time ofeconomic recession, it’s good to know that a single plum contains as many antioxidants as ahandful of berries and costs far less. In laboratory tests, stone fruits have also demonstratedtheir efficacy against breast cancer cells and cholesterol.

Probiotics

The intestines ordinarily contain “friendly” bacteria, which help digestion and facilitate regularbowel movements. They also play an important stabilizing role for the immune system.Among the most common of these bacteria are Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillusbifidus.

It has been demonstrated that these probiotics inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells.Their effect on the facilitation of bowel movements also lowers the risk of colon cancer by reducingthe time the intestines are exposed to carcinogenic substances in food. Probiotics thusalso play a role in detoxification. In addition, according to a 2006 Korean study, probiotics improvethe performance of the immune system, as well as increasing the number of NK cells.Organic yogurts and kefir are good sources of probiotics. Soy yogurts are usually enrichedwith probiotics. These precious bacteria are also found in sauerkraut and kimchi.Finally, certain foods are prebiotics, which means they contain polymers of fructose, whichstimulate the growth of probiotic bacteria. Examples are garlic, onions, tomatoes, asparagus,bananas, and wheat.

Green Tea

Rich in polyphenols, including catechins (and particularly epigallocatechin gallate-3, orEGCG), which reduce the growth of the new vessels needed for tumor growth and metastases.It is also a powerful antioxidant and detoxifier (activating enzymes in the liver that eliminatetoxins from the body), and it facilitates the death of cancer cells by apoptosis. In the laboratory,it enhances the effects of radiotherapy on cancer cells.

Turmeric and Curry

Turmeric (the yellow powder that is one of the components of yellow curry) is the most powerfulnatural antiinflammatory identified today. It also helps stimulate apoptosis in cancercells and inhibit angiogenesis. In the laboratory, it enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapyand reduces tumor growth.

Take note: To be assimilated by the body, turmeric must be mixed with black pepper(not simply with peppers). Ideally, it must also be dissolved in oil (olive, canola, or linseed oil,preferably). In store-bought curry mixes, turmeric represents only 20 percent of the total. Soit’s better to obtain turmeric powder directly.

Recommendations for use: Mix ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder with ½ tablespoon ofolive oil and a generous pinch of black pepper. Add to vegetables, soups, and salad dressings.A few drops of agave nectar can remove the slightly bitter taste.

Ginger

Ginger root also acts as a powerful antiinflammatory and an antioxidant (more effectivethan vitamin E, for example) and has protective effects. It acts against certain cancer cells.Moreover, it helps reduce the creation of new blood vessels. A ginger infusion tea also helpsalleviate nausea from chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Recommendations for use: Add grated ginger to a vegetable mix while it is cooking in awok or frying pan. Or marinate fruits in lime juice and grated ginger (a touch of agave nectarmay be added for those who prefer more sweetness). Make an infusion by cutting a smallpiece of ginger (about an inch) into slices and steeping in boiling water for ten to fifteenminutes. Can be drunk hot or cold.

Cruciform Vegetables

Cabbages (brussels sprouts, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) containsulforaphane and indole-3-carbinols (I3Cs), which are powerful anticancer molecules. Sulforaphaneand I3Cs are capable of detoxifying certain carcinogenic substances. They preventprecancerous cells from developing into malignant tumors. They also promote the suicideof cancer cells and block angiogenesis. In 2009, at the Cancer Research Center of the Universityof Pittsburgh, biologist Dr. Shivendra Singh and his team studied the impact of sulforaphane—an antioxidant contained in cruciform vegetables—on prostate cancer in mice.

They made two radical new discoveries. First, consumption of sulforaphane three times aweek considerably increases the action of NK cells against tumors (by more than 50 percent).Second, tumor-carrying rats that consumed sulforaphane were shown to have half as muchrisk of developing metastases as those that did not.

Take note: Avoid boiling cabbage and broccoli. Boiling risks destroying sulforaphaneand I3Cs.

Recommendations for use: Cover and steam briefly or stir-fry rapidly in a wok with alittle olive oil.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber. Copyright © 2017 David Servan-Schreiber. Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0452295726
• ISBN 13: 9780452295728
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288