As we embrace the fall season, with its association to slowing down and introspection, it’s the perfect time to nurture balance, restoration and wellness. A core principle of Eastern energetic medicine is preventing illness which includes slowing aging to promote healthy longevity. This is supported by practices that transform Qi and Blood for balanced energy flow. This year, I shared insights on cancer prevention and management with the Japanese Acupuncture Association of California. This information is applicable to a variety of chronic, systemic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis(RA), inflammatory bowel disease (ISB), obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease (artherosclerosis), lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, SLE), psoriasis, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and alzheimer’s disease. Now I’m excited to extend this knowledge to you, focusing on ways to support a healthy lifestyle and reduce cancer risk.
My friend, first of all, let’s start by exploring the lifetime risk of developing cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, around 40.5 percent of both men and women will receive a cancer diagnosis at some stage in their lives, based on data from 2017–2019. Other sources reported that the likelihood of developing cancer from birth to death is roughly equivalent to one out of every four individuals, with both men and women facing similar levels of risk (Natural Institute of Health). In Japan, it has been said that that two out of every three individuals are affected by cancer, with one out of every three succumbing to the disease. (Dr. Keishi Tanigawa).
However, my friends, while cancer is a serious concern we don’t need to live in fear. Instead, we can be vigilant in caring for ourselves and our loved ones. Education is a powerful tool, enabling us to prevent disease, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and effectively manage age-related conditions.
Standard Cancer Care Treatments
Western medicine follows four standard procedures for cancer treatment, based on the Somatic Mutation Theory of Genetic Influence introduced by American biologist Dr. Robert Weinberg. These four approaches are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. While most of these treatments carry risks, immunotherapy stands out for targeting cancer cells more precisely with fewer side effects, though it’s limited to specific cancer types. Precision radiation therapy offers similar benefits. When detected early, simple surgical removal of cancer cells can be the most effective option. A simple surgery can be the best if the cancer cells are detected in the early stage and removed.
Holistic care
Holistic care approaches began with Dr. Otto Warburg 1883 – 1970 from Germany who introduced the Warburg effect based on western science’s understanding of the energetic system. He explained that damages in the mitochondria during energy metabolism caused by a toxic environment leads to cancer cell formation, before or instead of somatic mutation activities.
Warburg’s discovery has influenced cancer research by providing insights into potential therapeutic targets, such as disrupting cancer cells’ altered glucose metabolism to inhibit their growth. Additionally, it paved the way for diagnostic tools, like PET scans, which detect increased glucose uptake in tumors. Warburg’s perspective on cancer treatment was fundamentally different from that of Dr. Robert Weinberg.
From Warburg’s discoveries, I see 2 clear possible approaches to cancer treatments.
1. It is extremely important to establish cancer-preventative meals
It is very important to cut off the source of cancer cell growth.
Cancer cells, based on the Warburg Effect, heavily rely on glucose for energy through glycolysis, which supports their rapid growth and proliferation.
To help control this, it’s essential to reduce or modify glucose intake from carbohydrates in the diet, thereby limiting the primary fuel that cancer cells depend on for their metabolism.
The Keto Diet like mediterranean dishes is the answer to switch from glucose fuel, like switching from gas fueled cars to electric. These clean fuels are the following:
The Keto diet, which shares similarities to Mediterranean cuisine, offers a way to shift from glucose-based fuel to more sustainable alternatives—much like transitioning from gas-powered cars to electric.
These ‘sustainable fuels’ include the following:
Olive oil (rich in Omega-9)
Coconut oil (contains MCTs—medium-chain triglycerides)
Butter and ghee (clarified butter)
Fish oil (rich in Omega-3 fatty acids)
Avocado oil
Nuts and seed oils (like macadamia and flaxseed oil)
2. We need to improve the quality and quantity of our mitochondria
Warburg clearly showed that the mitochondrion is the organelle within the cell responsible for controlling the cell cycle and regulating growth
Caring for the mitochondria is the supreme requirement for not just cancer cases but also all other chronic inflammatory diseases that contribute to serious health challenges and accelerate aging
Activate the mitochondria by securing the stable supply of ATP through the energy sufficient keto type of foods
Until now, it was believed that mitochondria would become aged and sick if they were deficient in energy.
However, the latest research has shown that it is not a decrease in mitochondria, but rather that it is related to the quality of mitochondria. The quality of mitochondria depends on largely the management of highly toxic substances called reactive oxygen or reactive oxygen species (ROS).
It is said that thisoxygen role is a double-edged sword, 95 % of the oxygen is necessary for energy production, meantime 1-3 % of oxygen transforms into free radical. This is a double-edged sword, oxygen is used to synthesize large amounts of ATP, and in the process, highly toxic substances called reactive oxygen are always produced.
However, there are antioxidants in our cells and mitochondria that protect against the harmful effects of reactive oxygen, and the quantity of antioxidants is used as an indicator of the quality of mitochondria.
It is marvelous to understand that cells have antioxidant defense mechanisms, like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, to neutralize these ROS and minimize damage.
Let’s focus on the topics of how to protect mitochondria from damage, maintain optimal conditions, prevent life-threatening diseases, and rejuvenate every possible cell.
The following are from my healing paradigm and modalities
1. Medicinal Foods and Supplements to Improve the Quality of Mitochondria
It is always best to intake nutritional substances through food and liquid unless your food intake is very low or insufficient. Please see our webpage for in-depth information on the foods and supplements recommended. You can access it by clicking on this link.
You will find an extensive categorization of food groups and supplements like Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Minerals, and Antioxidants, for examples, Astaxanthin, Pycnogenol (pine bark extract from the bark of the pine tree, Grapes and Grape Seeds), N-Acetylcysteine, Taurine, NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) mitochondria and 5-ALA (5-Aminolevulinic Acid). You will also find additional medicinal foods that have an indirect effect indirect effect on SOD(Superoxide Dismutase) which are antioxidant defense mechanisms within the cell.
2. Therapeutic Exercise to Raise the Quality and Quantities of Mitochondria
Circuit Training
Interval Training
Oriental Aerobic Exercise and Erector Spinae Management
To read about these exercises, visit the section under Exercises on our webpage link here.
3. Other Healing Moddalities to Increase Mitochondria Function
Fasting
PGC-1α is a key regulator and enhancer of mitochondrial function, promoting their activity, improving their efficiency, and ensuring the maintenance of healthy mitochondria. Fasting is a potent activator of PGC-1α, leading to increased mitochondrial biogenesis, improved mitochondrial function, and enhanced metabolic health.
Bathing in Hot & Cold Water
By alternately bathing in cold and warm water, the protein control tower may be activated through a similar mechanism, increasing the number of mitochondria.
Stress Management
Any methods that create a dominance of the parasympathetic nervous system, we need to practice habitually daily. In my experience, practices such as meditation, prayer, faith healing, and chanting mantras or sutras help me feel a deep integration of body, mind, and spirit.
Good Quality Sleep
Sleep is a healing time that restores and rebuilds qi and blood, allowing mitochondria to produce energy more efficiently.
High-quality sleep helps balance the body’s antioxidant defense mechanisms, protecting mitochondria from damage. Good sleep is crucial for replacing old or damaged mitochondria by new ones, ensuring that cells remain energy-efficient which is called mitochondrial biogenesis.
I will cover this topic in the next newsletter. So please stay tuned!
In next newsletter I will also introduce Dr. Warburg’s scientific contributions and his successors in US and Japan as well as cancer treatment through medicinal foods and drinks from Dr. William Li’s Program. He specializes in angiogenesis, the process by which cancer develops its blood supply. I will share his comprehensive list of medicinal foods that can block cancer growth and metastasis.
Disclaimer: These recommendations are not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or dietary change. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here.