Health & Nutrition Strategies for Cancer Survivor's & Everybody Else

What's in your diet?

I'm extremely impressed with Sentara Healthcare's intention to build a comprehensive cancer center in our commuting region. Cancer rates are expected to rise by 30% in the next 12 years. This initiative will allow patients the full spectrum of care including diagnostic and treatment. Also, in a stunning turn of positive events, Vidant to our south is also proposing world class cancer class This is a much needed and very positive response to Northeast North Carolina's cancer disparities.

When I relocated to the region 10 years ago, and began my cancer advocacy, options were very limited.

Mere screening was a challenge. The nearest comprehensive center is at least 3 hours away. Not good for a region where breast and prostate cancer are some of the highest in the country. Cancer disparities include delivery of health services including epidemiology research. A comprehensive cancer center will offer clinical trials and studies to determine causes. Epidemiology is the branch of medicine that deals with incidence, distribution and possible control of diseases and their factors. That correlates well with my food safety expertise. I define it as “cause and effect “ of which I'm a disciple. I agree with and support the research and published reports regarding cancer's, dietary links. In fact, I'm betting my life on that proposition.

Kudos to the GBM (Green Bronx Machine). I started looking at this 501c3 from my hometown, a couple of years ago. It's a student based initiative to grow food in urban areas, beginning in a neighborhood that I frequented. Some of GBM' s mission statement is that “healthy students help drive healthy schools, and that healthy schools are the heart of a healthy community. They envision growing communities where those that are “apart from” become “apart of”. I like that concept. They're learning, it's all about the food, at an early age. If they figured it out in the South Bronx, we're behind the curve.

The Albemarle region of North Carolina, is agriculture based. It's been known for centuries for its rich soil and long growing period. Agriculture is a culture, somehow or another we've gotten away from eating local grown food to eating imported stuff that's poor quality or fake, has to be preserved, and has poor shelf life. Maybe that's the reason our region's health disparities are the worst in the state and consequently, we're among the poorest. Clearly its a result of decades of misguided leadership because it wasn't always that way.

Developing the “Organic Capital of the World”,means developing clean sustainable agriculture enterprises like spin farming (small plot intensive farming) which is a method of small acreage farming that can generate a six figure annual income of organic produce. Or high tunnel and green house farming for year round yields. Clean certified organic food will fix the health disparities, and make a major commercial economic impact. It's time.

On a personal note. I had my annual scans and complete blood work. Deleting all dairy and enriched carbohydrates from my diet did not have an impact on my lab results. However, I've seemed to have reduced my inflammatory outbreaks, to a minimum.

Finally, here's a couple of voluntary recalls that may be of interest to our region: Johnsonville Sausage's Jalapeno Cheddar Smoked Sausage , Est. 34224. was recalled for extraneous material (hard plastic), Tony Downs Food Co.'s Canned Breast in Water, P-65 was recalled for extraneous material (hard plastic. Let food be your medicine.