Surviving Cancer: A New Perspective on Why Cancer Happens & Your Key Strategies for a Healthy Life

by John Poothullil MD

Overview

Surviving Cancer offers hope and a strategy for anyone who has been diagnosed with a solitary tumor.

In reading these pages, you will learn that the body can continue living while accommodating a solitary cancer. There are actions you can take that may prevent it from spreading, even if there are complications.

Surviving Cancer explains how you can change your diet and lifestyle habits to survive cancer — to keep it from metastasizing and spreading to other organs in your body. Most of all, it will explain how you can literally starve cancer cells... forcing them to disappear or die.

The main focus of this book will teach you that diet is perhaps the key factor in defeating cancer, especially avoiding grains. Grains create enormous amounts of glucose in your bloodstream—and cancer cells thrive on glucose to survive and multiply. High blood sugar levels also encourage the body to release insulin, and again, this is a great danger to your cancer. Insulin promotes cell growth, including cancer cells.

The book provides insightful information on the causes of cancer, how it forms, how it may spread, and what you can do to control the cancer and return to a healthy life. The chapters also contain specific advice on avoiding exposure to environmental toxins; the value of sleep, exercise, and stress reduction; the use of spices in cooking; building good bacteria in your gut; and many other factors you con control that may help prevent a cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.

This book is for anyone who has cancer localized to a single site and not yet colonized in another part of the body. It is also for anyone who believes they are at risk of cancer due to heredity, lifestyle, working conditions, or for any other reason.

Surviving Cancer is also especially important for anyone with Type 2 diabetes, with or without cancer, to learn about the link between the two.If you have diabetes, this is an important cautionary book to read to prevent yourself from developing cancer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780998485027
Publisher:	New Insights Press
Publication date:	07/01/2018
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	1,117,966
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

John M. Poothullil, MD, FRCP, practiced medicine as a pediatrician and allergist for more than 30 years, 27 of which were in Texas. He received his medical degree from the University of Kerala, India in 1968. He holds certifications from the American Board of Pediatrics and The American Board of Allergy & Immunology. During his medical practice, Dr. Poothullil became interested in understanding the link between diabetes and cancer. His interest turned into multi-decade research project that guided him to investigate cancer.

Read an Excerpt

FEAR. Fear is what most people feel upon receiving a diagnosis of
cancer—and perhaps you are experiencing it. The capacity to feel fear is an integral part of human
nature, but so are adaptations that allowed our ancestors to survive life-threatening situations
for tens of thousands of years.
HOPE. Hope is my objective in writing this book, to share with you that it is possible for
most people confronted with the prospect of dying from cancer to lessen the degree of threat
that cancer makes on their life. There are real actions you can take to prevent yourself from dying
from cancer. If reading this book reduces the intensity and duration of your cancer-related
anxiety and fear, I will have accomplished my minimum objective in writing it.
In a nutshell, you will learn that if you have been diagnosed with a solitary cancer, such as a
tumor, it may cause symptoms due to its location or size. But in a vast majority of cases, a solitary
cancer can be treated, or removed. It is when that cancer releases thousands of cancer cells that
roam all parts of the body, scouting for suitable locations to start their own housekeeping that
makes cancer life threatening. If even just a few succeed, they can create enough disruption of
metabolic processes in the body to endanger life itself. They do so by confiscating nutrients your
normal cells need to sustain themselves, not just in one site but in multiple parts of your body.
As a metaphor, we have to think of cancer as an iceberg in the ocean and you are a boat
approaching it. One can't know the true size of the iceberg by looking at the top of it. You can
only see the portion above the water, and what is beneath the sea is far larger. Similarly, one can't
know how long a cancer has been in existence when it is detected; it may have been growing for
years, if not decades. One can navigate around a solitary iceberg once the location and the direction
of the iceberg's movement is known. More often than not, one can survive a solitary cancer
once the location and size are known. But the chance of an accident increases when one has to
navigate around multiple icebergs. In the same way, when the number of cancers or cancer sites
in the body is increased, the chance of survival is reduced.
My message is that many types of cancer are survivable—and this book will serve as your
guide around the iceberg. In reading these pages, you will see that the body can continue living
while accommodating a solitary cancer.

Table of Contents

Prologue xv

Part 1 The Why of Cancer

1A A new perspective on the why of cancer: The Adam Cell 2

1B More on the why of cancer: The immortal gene 3

2A Characteristics of a human cell 4

2B Pondering cells on Earth 5

3A Chromosomes and genes: Drivers of cell reproduction and functionality 6

3B How genes control the function of cells 7

4A Cells have evolved to work together collaboratively, but cancer cells do not 8

4B How cells form collaborative groups in organs and tissue 9

5A How do cells get their energy? 10

5B The chemistry of cellular fuel: ATP 11

6A Cell multiplication in normal cells is orderly 12

6B The biology of cell multiplication and genes 13

7A Phases of new cell development 14

7B Why stem cell research is valuable to help us understand cancer 15

8A The body's normal mechanism for destroying abnormal and dysfunctional cells 16

8B The importance of cell self-destruction (apoptosis) 17

Understanding adaptations and mutations 19

9A Cells can undergo mutations in their genes, but it is not always cancer 20

9B The chemistry of how gene mutations happen 21

10A Mutations are actually for benefit, but some end up as cancer 22

10B Mutations help organisms survive 23

11A Mutations are what created humans 24

11B Not all adaptations lead to mutations 25

12A The causes of gene mutations 26

12B What we know about mutations and their link to cancers 27

13A It's the accumulation of mutations that counts 28

13B The science of some mutated genes 29

14A Inheriting gene mutations does not always lead to cancer 30

14B Is cancer contagious? 31

15A So what caused MY cancer? 32

15B The mathematical calculation of tumor growth speed 33

Some Internal Characteristics of Cancer Cells 35

16A How cancer cells sustain their multiplication 36

16B The mechanism of sustained multiplication signaling in cancer cells 37

17A How normal cells stop multiplication and self-destruct (apoptosis) 38

17B The mechanism of how cancer cells resist apoptosis 39

18A Additional death-defying acts in cancer cells 40

18B More on cancer cell mechanisms to resist self-destruction 41

19A Cancer cells can reprogram their production of energy 42

19B Why cancer alters the energy production within a cell 43

Some External Characteristics of Thriving Cancer cells 45

20A How cancer cells induce blood vessel formation 46

20B The mechanism of new blood vessel formation 47

21A Cancer cells can evade immune surveillance 48

21B The mechanism of evading immune destruction 49

22A Metastasis: How cancer cells multiply 50

22B The mechanisms of cancer cell scouting 51

23A How cancer cells utilize local cells and their environment for metastasis 52

23B The mechanism of metastatic colonization 53

Some Cancer-Enabling Factors of the Body 55

24A Factors causing gene mutations 56

24B The challenge of detecting mutations 57

25A The role of inflammation in helping cancer cells 58

25B Inflammation: A welcome mat for cancer cell entry and residence 59

26A How chronic accelerated cell regeneration is a cause of mutations 60

26B Chronic cell regeneration: Ideal for the initiation and survival of cancer 61

27A The link between elevated blood glucose level and cancer 62

27B Insulin as a cancer stimulant 63

Detecting Cancer and the Most Common Treatments 65

28A A growing array of early testing methods for cancer susceptibility 66

28B Problems in cancer screening 67

29A The current capabilities in testing for genetic mutations 68

29B More on detecting genetic mutations 69

30A The three primary cancer treatments: surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy 70

30B How does chemotherapy work? 71

31A Other common cancer treatments 71

31B Additional cancer treatments in early trials 73

32A Using gene manipulation to stop cancer 74

32B The future of gene manipulation 75

33A Immunotherapy to combat cancer 76

33B More on immunotherapy 77

34A Stimulating the body's immune system 78

34B More methods of stimulating the body's immune system 79

35A Using high temperature to kill cancer 80

35B The role of body temperature in cancer formation 81

Part 2 How to Survive Cancer

Starving Cancer Cells 85

36A The key to starving cancer cells 86

36B Cancer cells excel at obtaining glucose 87

37A Why cancer cells might die without glucose for their fuel 88

37B The correlation between glucose and cancer cell multiplication 89

38A What is glucose and how can I avoid it? 90

38B The difference between maltose, lactose, and sucrose 91

39A Glucose from carbohydrates is not an essential nutrient you need 91

39B The vast amount of glucose in complex carbohydrates 93

40A Nature did not intend for humans to consume so much carbohydrate-based glucose 94

40B The chemistry of cells burning glucose 95

41A Does eating whole grains or gluten-free grains avoid glucose? 96

41B How much glucose is actually in carbohydrates? 97

42A Reducing your consumption of grains is especially vital for diabetics with cancer 98

42B Will I lack energy if I give up the carbohydrates in grains? 99

43A Which is more important: Treating your diabetes or treating your cancer? 100

43B How much carbohydrate does your body need? 101

Special Section: Grains, Glucose, and Cancer 101

What to Eat 119

44A Eat lentils and other legumes instead of grains to help feel full 120

44B Lentils contain "resistant starch" 121

45A The anti-cancer benefits of eating mushrooms and seaweed 121

45B The antimicrobial power of mushrooms and seaweed 123

46A Consider a modified paleo diet or the ketogenic diet 124

46B How the ketogenic diet helps your body burn fats rather than glucose 125

47A Can you eat specific nutrients to prevent cancer? 126

47B Benefits of nutritional therapy 127

48A The health benefits of cooking with fresh herbs and spices 128

48B Spices contain many micro-nutrients your body needs 129

49A Can I eat refined sugar? 130

49B The plague of high sugar-content drinks 131

50A The importance of the bacteria in your gut 132

50B Bacteria: Sentinels in the intestine 133

51A Another reason to keep your colon healthy 134

51B The gut as training ground for white blood cells 135

52A Do you need to supplement with dietary fiber? 136

52B Does a high fiber diet help fight cancer or any disease? 137

53A Reduce your alcohol consumption (sorry, but it's true) 138

53B The link between cancer and grilled food + alcohol 139

54A What to drink to support your health during cancer 140

54B The benefits of natural plant nutrients 141

55A Eating less as you age 142

55B How nature helps us to eat less 143

Weight, body fat, and exercise 143

56A Lose body fat and reconnect with your authentic weight 146

56B The ineffectiveness of commercial weight loss programs 147

57A Is it useful to count calories to lose weight? 148

57B Weight gain and cancer in women 149

58A An easy way to lose pounds if you have gained weight 150

58B The reason you may gain weight quickly 151

59A The best way to lose weight: Listen to your brain to avoid overeating 152

59B How your brain knows what you eat 153

60A To avoid gaining weight, chew slowly and eat mindfully 154

60B The importance of chewing 155

61A Pay attention to your brain's hunger and satiation signals 156

61B You need a variety of foods to get the nutrients your body needs 157

62A Be careful: Missing nutrients may cause you to overeat 158

62B Don't bother measuring nutrients 159

63A Exercise is good for general health and possibly to fight your cancer 160

63B The metabolic background of exercising 161

64A Why exercise is not useful for weight control in the long term 162

64B Why exercise is not the way to lose weight 163

65A Why exercise might help to reverse or halt your cancer 164

65B The benefits of exercise in surviving cancer 165

Environmental pollutants and inherited susceptibility 167

66A 10 tips to prevent cancer from environmental causes 168

66B Recommendations on what to avoid if heredity is a factor for you 169

Stress, mindset, sleep, and hope 171

67A Managing your stress (Part 1) 172

67B The source and mechanism of stress 173

68A Managing your stress (Part 2) 174

68B Why people tend to eat when under stress 175

69A Minimize negative frames of mind 176

69B Mind over cancer: Using mental exercises to defeat cancer 177

70A Get rest and good sleep 178

70B The physiology of sleep 179

71A Anticipate the happy events of life 180

71B Savoring pleasurable events 181

72A Find compassionate caregivers 182

72B Challenges of your support team 183

73A Living to 120 (yes, really!) while surviving cancer 184

73B Evolution and longevity 185

Part 3 Key Points and Conclusions

Summary of key points 189

Notes 197

Glossary 201

Index 205

Acknowledgments 213

About the author 215

Editorial Reviews

Excellent book, very informative and useful. Factually supported, eminently readable and lucidly written. Valuable advice for anyone diagnosed with cancer. As an oncologist working in this field for decades, highly recommended. — M.V. Pillai. MD, FACP, Clinical Prof of Oncology, Th. Jefferson Univ.

Offers several new perspectives on cancer that don't appear in other books. Readers willing to make
lifestyle changes to prevent, limit, and curtail cancer's appearance and spread will find this book offers not just hope, but a proactive approach. — D.Donovan, Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher