A must-read for chemotherapy patients

The use of chemotherapy in cancer treatment has exploded over the last several years, with a 68 percent increase in chemotherapy drugs since 2003.

But that isn’t necessarily good news for anyone but drug companies who are raking in trillions from cancer drug sales.

Because although chemotherapy may be effective in killing cancer cells, it is indiscriminate and destroys healthy cells in droves too.

As a matter of fact, many people are as harmed by chemotherapy drugs as they are cancer itself!  Since the drugs so severely weaken the immune system while killing off healthy cells, this can threaten the patient’s life just as the disease does.

If you are facing cancer, I URGE you to do your homework and get several opinions on your treatment plan.

And if you do choose to undergo chemotherapy, the good news is that research has been done that shows an effective way to help keep your body as strong and healthy as possible, as well as warning about the absolute worst thing to do during the process.

Here’s the scoop:

Of mice and men
A study conducted on mice at the University of Michigan indicated that the level of intestinal health is a primary factor to successfully completing and surviving chemotherapy.

The researchers gave mice lethal injections of chemotherapy that would, if given in a proportionate dose, kill most adult human beings, too.

But they also gave some of the mice an injection of a molecule called "Rspo1" or "R-spondon1."  This substance activates stem cell production in the intestinal wall, and these stem cells are “superstars” that can help rebuild damaged tissues faster than the chemotherapy can destroy them!

The result?

Between 50 to 75 percent of the mice who were given R-spondon1 survived the fatal chemotherapy dose!

Although this study was performed on mice and not on men, mice are nearly identical to humans in terms of biology, gene expression, endocrine system function and more…so they’re a pretty good indicator of what would happen in a human.

Get some R-spondon1…or make your own!
Even though this study used an injection of R-spondon1 as the "catalyst" of stem cell production in the intestinal lining, the truth is your cells already possess the ability to produce R-spondon1 on their own!

In fact, your intestinal wall contains cells that are regenerated every 4-5 days in a normally healthy person.

But what determines the health of those stem cells more than anything else is your GUT BACTERIA.

If you have a healthy population of friendly gut bacteria, the genetic expression of your intestinal cells is also normal and healthy.

On the other hand, if your gut bacteria is out of balance (favoring harmful microbes), the gene expression of your intestinal cells will be hampered, which in turn will slow or downright cripple the regeneration potential of your intestinal cells.

The warning--watch out for antibiotics
Antibiotics “work” by killing bacteria in your body.  But since they don’t know the difference between healthy and dangerous bacteria, they kill ALL bacteria—and that includes your healthy intestinal flora.

This can be especially dangerous for someone going through chemotherapy!

Since the ability to survive chemotherapy is clearly dependent on a strong level of healthy gut bacteria, and antibiotics kill off your friendly flora, antibiotic use during chemo could potentially be harmful or downright fatal.

This is especially a concern because many cancer patients are, you guessed it, prescribed antibiotics as an infection-preventive measure while they undergo chemotherapy!

A healthy gut is a key to surviving cancer and beyond
Clearly, having a healthy gut is vital to increase your chances of surviving chemotherapy and rebuilding and maintaining health beyond treatment!

Here are three very effective gut-supportive measures you can take:

Eat for a strong flora balance
This is far and away THE #1 most important cancer-fighting measure you can take.

The National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society estimate that at least 30-35 percent of all cancers are related to a poor diet!

Concentrate on real foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, whole grains, reasonable (3-4 oz.) portions of meat, fish, and poultry, and drink plenty of filtered water.

At the same time, avoid soda, sugars and refined carbs as these feed cancer cells as well as nourish the harmful bacteria in your gut.

Get a daily dose of friendly bacteria
Probiotic supplementation is crucial to achieving and maintaining a strong intestinal flora balance.

Even if you have the best diet, many other factors like stress, medications, environmental toxins, and lacking sleep can disrupt your flora balance.

So daily probiotic supplementation is truly your “intestinal insurance policy.”

Stop smoking
What many smokers don’t realize is that in addition to causing lung cancer and encouraging the development of many other cancers, smoking also destroys your gut flora!

If you smoke, please quit already.  Millions of people have done it before you and it's not impossible.

If you need help, there are lots of stop smoking programs and aids out there.  Pick one and put that cancer-creating habit behind you for good.