A Healthy You: The Five to Thrive
by Cindy GatesAt the core of cancer prevention or survivorship is the act of proactively reducing one's risk of developing the illness or the progression of the illness.We all know that we need to eat healthier, exercise and reduce our stress level and the book Thriving After Cancer by Lise Alschuler N.D. is an excellent resource.On a deep cellular level, transformation takes place constantly. Cells die as more cells are born. We will have an entirely new skeleton every 10 years, the life span of our liver is 150 days, taste buds are transformed every 10-14 days and the tiny villi that line our intestines turnover every 2 to 3 days!!There are 5 core strategies in her book: spirit, movement, rejuvenation, diet and dietary supplements.All of the above can help your immune system, reduce inflammation, help with hormonal balance, help with insulin resistance, and aid in digestion and detoxification.We will cover the spirit core strategy in this article .
1) Power of Love. Studies show that he presence of loving friends and family can reduce stress hormones and help stimulate the healing process.
2) Laugh More! Laughter is the best medicine. Researchers have found that laughter has positive health promoting effects on the body. It can increase blood flow and lower blood sugars. It can also help with sleep and relaxation. Experiencing a big belly laugh can turn on certain genes and turn off other genes. Laughing can turn on at least 27 genes that increase natural killer cell activity.
3) Not Negative. It's ok to feel not okay. Negative emotions can be a tool for adjusting our response to the issue at hand-it can tell us that something in our current situation needs to change. Also remember to give yourself a glance of loving kindness in the mirror, even if just for a brief moment. People who have joy and happiness tend to be healthier and live longer.
4) Good Deeds Feel Good. A study showed that spending time and money on other people and helping them actually makes them happier than spending time or money on yourself.
5) Have Hope. Hope is one of the most important aspects of health, particularly facing a life-threatening illness such as cancer. Hope brings up motivation to engage in that which we believe will improve our lives. Hopelessness in people with breast cancer reduced survival at five years and up to ten years.
Quote by Stephen Covey: "We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey." And that's why spirit-which encompasses joy, hope, laughter, service and love is the foundation of Five To Thrive Plan.