More Than Skin Deep

Basal cell carcinoma is a non-melanoma type 

of skin cancer and is known as the most

common type of skin cancer as it accounts 

for 75% of all skin cancers according to 

the American Cancer Society (PubMed Health).  

Of course wearing a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays is an ideal practice to exercise for prevention of skin cancer, but there's more to this story...

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Let's begin at the beginning: skin cancer is just that, cancer. So what does that really mean? The "C word" has become such a part of American daily life that I'm afraid we may have grown a little desensitized to the word- and more importantly the meaning.  Simply put cancer results when some type of cell damage has occurred causing the cells to grow/divide uncontrollably and made them unable to die as part of a normal cell life cycle.  These abnormal, damaged cells can result in a malignant growth or tumor. "Skin cancer does not have to be inevitable or unstoppable despite prior cell damage"(topicalinfo.org).

Your Pancreas vs. Cancer-

Your pancreas has the under appreciated  task of producing the enzymes need to digest food. These very same enzymes that routinely digest our food can also eradicate cancer cells in the body (they actually digest them)!!

"Pancreatin is a mix of many different enzymes, and those involved in the digestion of proteins are also used to help eliminate cancers that occur by dissolving the protein coating which protects cancer cells from being recognized by the immune system. Cancer is often a disease of protein metabolism because the pancreatin enzyme cancer defense mechanism can be overwhelmed by consuming protein rich foods at inappropriate times or in excessive amounts. Because protein digestion shares the use of the same enzymes (particularly trypsin and chymotrypsin) used to fight cancers, the body needs a time span each day approaching twelve hours or more without protein consumption for its cancer defense mechanism to work optimally... Mutations occur not infrequently in the body, but are normally destroyed by activated enzymes manufactured by the pancreas. Only when the amount of pancreatin delivered to the mutated cells is insufficient to "digest" them does the cancer have a chance to thrive"(topicalinfo.org).

YOU Have The Power To 

Heal Yourself

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Nutritional Protection:

Antioxidants:
Antioxidants are well known for their natural ability to neutralize free radicals (free radicals are toxins that attack and damage our cell membranes and DNA, creating cancer).  Eat up antioxidants in berries and cherries (especially acai and blueberries), avocados, kale, ginger, beets, parsley, spinach, brussel sprouts, cabbage, nuts & seeds, soybeans, citrus fruits, pineapple, pomegranate,and green tea... just to name a few.

Carotenoids:
"Beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein are all different varieties of carotenoids. They all act as antioxidants with strong cancer-fighting properties. Antioxidants protect cells from free radicals, substances that work to destroy cell membranes and DNA. Smokers tend to have higher concentrations of free radicals in the blood due to the chemicals they inhale. So, it's no surprise that studies have confirmed that antioxidants lower the risk of lung cancer for smokers.¹ (This is no reason to smoke, of course, as it is impossible to predict who will develop cancer in every instance.) Studies have also suggested that carotenoids may help prevent skin, breast, and prostate cancer.^2-4 Some carotenoids are also converted to vitamin A, which is necessary for healthy vision and cell growth." (cancer project.com)

Enjoy a hearty dose of carotenoids in some sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, pumpkins, cantaloupe, broccoli, apricots and spinach.

Vitamin C & E:
Both of these vitamins are powerhouses when it comes to combatting free radicals.  Get some Vitamin C from lemons, one tablespoon of lemon juice holds about 10% of the RDA for vitamin C.  Lemon zest also has a super cancer fighter in the chemical d-limonene.  Find vitamin E nutritionally in almonds, peanuts, seeds, brown rice, wheat germ, and extra virgin olive oil.  In fact, extra virgin olive is a hero inside and out- "according to Japanese researchers, putting extra virgin olive oil on your skin after sun (exposure) could protect you from ultraviolet radiation.  It is not a sunscreen, but vitamin E and other antioxidants nab free radicals caused by the sun before they do too much harm.  Just make sure you use extra virgin- regular olive oil isn't as effective" (Eat and Heal, p. 264).
 

Green Tea:
Dr. Santosh K. Katiyar has conducted a series of studies in the  chemoprevention of skin cancers.  Some of his findings include:

• "Green tea protects against cancers caused by UV radiation, and that green tea cream applied prior to exposure to a carcinogen is highly effective in protecting the skin against cancerous changes"
• "The progression of skin cancer is lessened by topically applied green tea"
• "Green tea extract has a protective effect in all three stages of cancer: initiation, promotion, and progression... green tea extract inhibits the development of melanoma" 

(The Green Tea Book, p. 68)

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AVOID:
Scale  back on animal proteins- you really can get all of the protein you need (and then some) from your plant based diet.  Let your pancreas do it's job without drowning it in animal proteins.

• "Avoid red meat, processed foods, red and yellow dyes, monosodium glutamate, nitrites (found in cured meats), saccharin, sugar, dairy products, alcohol, caffeine-containing drinks, aspartame (NutraSweet), and hydrogenated vegetable oils"(homemademedicine.com).

What is a processed food?  Think of it this way- if it goes through a building before it gets to you, it's a processed food. 

• ALCOHOL inside & out. "Discontinue any topical alcohol use, such as topical minoxidil, some deodorants, after shave lotions, and colognes. Alcohol in cosmetics is often in the form of isopropyl alcohol that, according to some sources, may enable parasites to flourish. Parasites can tie up the immune system unnecessarily, and may even promote cancer by stimulating stem cells to form trophoblastic barriers around the parasite. If these stem cells suffer genetic damage, such as from ultraviolet radiation, they can become cancers"(topicalinfo.org).

See the following 

• skin cancer topical home remedies, 
• home remedies for skin cancer, and  
• Squamous and Basal Cell Carcinoma Treatment Strategies

The Green Tea Book, by Lester A. Mitscher, Ph.D. and Victoria Dolby. Avery Publishing Group, 1998.
Eat and Heal, by the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing, 2001.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001827/

http://www.homemademedicine.com/home-remedies-skin-cancer.html

http://www.topicalinfo.org/
http://www.cancerproject.org/protective_foods/carotenoids.php