100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (40 page)

By doing these three simple things, you will make incredible strides in

the quality of your life and, quite possibly, the quantity of your life as well.

1.
Stand Up

Are you sitting down for this? Well, don’t! Several large population studies

indicate that sitting is the worst thing you can do for your health. Two major

studies looking at the activity profiles of almost one million people indicate

that the more time you sit, the more likely you are of dying from heart dis-

ease, diabetes, and other factors. Even if you are a marathon runner who

exercises three hours a day, if you spend the rest of the time sitting, either

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at your job, or in front of the TV, you still have the same higher risk of illness

and death. The more hours you sit, the bigger the risks. Four to six hours

seems to be the maximum sitting time per day. Standing for long periods

did not show the same negative risks (which might be the reason for the

gaining popularity of
standing
computer workstations).

Standing while on the phone, or putting your laptop on a file cabinet

so you can stand to work, are ways to reduce long periods of sitting.

I wonder . . . could this mean the eventual end to chairs in doctors’ wait-

ing rooms?

Think about it: how long do you sit per day?

Stand up for you health!

2.
Breathe Deeply

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that you are breathing right

now. In any event, I invite you to go ahead and take a really deep breath

and hold it for two seconds before you release it. Feel good? Feel your cells

getting a jolt of energy and your brain waking up?

Breathing is something that we all take for granted. We do it every day,

but are we really getting the most out of this automatic body function?

Every cell in your body needs oxygen to survive. But daily stress can

cause you to take short and shallow breaths. Deep breathing not only deliv-

ers a burst of oxygen to your body and brain, it also stimulates your

diaphragm—that muscle in your gut that pulls your chest cavity open when

you breathe. Your diaphragm is directly connected to the autonomic nervous

system. That’s the system that gives us extra energy when we’re running from

danger, but it’s also the system that slows your body down and helps you

to feel calm. Deep breathing stimulates the “parasympathetic” body

response that tells our brain “everything is fine, all is well.” As soon as this

system is stimulated, your muscles begin to loosen, your heart rate slows

down, and you feel more relaxed.

Oxygen is the first of the three vital necessities of life (the other two

being water and food). Without breath, there is nothing else.

You can practice deep breathing anywhere. Just breathe in slowly,

making sure your belly pushes out as you inhale, hold it for two seconds,

then release the breath slowly. As you release try to imagine the stress

Perk #41: Cancer Shook Up My New Year’s Resolutions

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leaving your body. Repeat this three or four times comfortably. Try this

exercise when you really need it, like in the airport when your flight is

delayed or if the person in front of you at the “ten items or less” line has

eleven items.

Proper, efficient, deep breathing is an art that should be practiced. It

might sound crazy to take a class on what you’ve been doing since you were

born, but I encourage you to explore it. There are many different kinds of

breathing, such as mindful breathing, meditative breathing, and
Ujjayi

breathing. You can check your local yoga studio or meditation center for

breathing classes or look online for therapeutic breathing tapes that will

help you get started. Become a professional breather!

3.
Install a Chlorine Filter

We all need water to drink, and, in most cases, that means turning on the

tap. But among the dozens of nasty substances in tap water, chlorine and

its byproducts may be the most harmful. Lucky for us, they are the easiest

to eliminate.

Chlorine is used in water purification. It’s one of the chemicals that dis-

infects the water and is very effective at ensuring that the water we drink is

“bug-free.” The problem with chlorine occurs when it reacts with other nat-

ural contaminants in the water to form a group of toxins called tri-

halomethanes (THMs). The chemicals known as THMs have been linked to

a variety of illnesses like asthma, heart disease, eczema, and cancer. Chlo-

roform is one of the THMs that is causing concern.

A report by the World Health Organization on the safety of drinking

water (
Trihalomethanes in drinking-water,
WHO, 2004) indicates there is clear

evidence that the chemicals known as THMs are linked to bladder and liver

cancers in animal models. Other studies have linked THMs to high risks of

cancer and reproductive problems in humans. For this reason, the U.S. Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency continues to reevaluate and set new limits on

the levels of THMs that are allowed by law in the public water supply. Unfor-

tunately, THMs are also absorbed through the skin when taking a shower,

and you breathe in harmful vapors from the steam. Chlorine and its byprod-

ucts can cause dry, itchy skin and worsen skin conditions as well. This is

why I like to call chlorine “the
other
Big C.”

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

Luckily, an activated carbon filter will remove a large percentage of chlo-

rine, THMs, and other harmful contaminants from your drinking and

bathing water. Filters can be mounted on your kitchen faucet, hidden under

your sink, or attached to your refrigerator water source. You can buy a water

pitcher with a built-in filter, and there are even carbon filters that attach to

a water bottle for travel! (Visit www.Brita.com.) Activated carbon filters can

also be purchased for your showerheads. They are simple to

install and maintain and come in many different styles and

Stand up and hold

colors.

your chlorine-free

The levels of filter power vary, so check the specifics on

water high while you

any filter you plan to purchase. You’ll want to check for the

take a deep breath.

maximum percentage of THMs, chlorine, and other contam-

It’s healthy multi-

inants filtered, but you also want to look for a filter that lasts,

tasking at its best!

which would be indicated by the “manufacturer’s rated

capacity” or the number of gallons of water that the carbon

could effectively filter.

Installing a water filter at your drinking water supply and in your shower

is a fast and easy way to remove chlorine and THMs from your body, and

add to your health.

Perk #42

Packing Light

W
ith the cancer clinic nearly 240 miles

from my home and being in a long-

distance relationship, I often found myself

packing and unpacking my suitcase. Packing

is a chore that I have never enjoyed, and it

seems that I always manage to forget some-

thing. However, once I had lost my hair

from the chemo, I was amazed at how much

lighter I could pack. No more shampoo,

conditioner, hairspray, mousse, hair dryer,

straight iron, or Velcro rollers! All I needed

was my well-groomed “mock hair” and

some clothes.

Leave the hair-care products at home

and pack more shoes and purses.

HEALTH TIP #42

Don’t Mock the Tuna

I
f you’ve started swapping animal-based foods for plant-based foods to

reduce your risk of cancer, you may think some foods are just plain

unswappable. Well, think again. I assure you, for every food that you

love that contains meat, chicken, fish, or dairy, there is a combo of vegeta-

bles, fruits, nuts, or seeds that will satisfy your taste buds while pro viding

you with the tools you need to reduce your risk of cancer and other illnesses.

Sometimes, you will see replacement recipes for chicken nuggets or egg

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salad that are vegan, called “mock” food—mock chicken nuggets, mock egg

salad, and so on. To mock something is to make fun of it. Food choices