Cancer - The Reality - And Why Functional Medicine Is Vital In Preventing The Disease

February 4th marked World Cancer Day. Every year 14 million people around the world hear the words 'You have Cancer'. 90% of cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors such as smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise. One in four South Africans is affected by cancer, either through diagnosis of family, friends or self. There is no indication, that despite millions of rand being poured into research, that there is an overall decrease in the number of deaths from cancer.

A workshop at the Alberlito Hospital in Ballito, organised by Jaime Ernst from the Ballito Cancer Support highlighted ways of preventing the disease. Dr. Hennie Palm, one of the few Integrated Health Practitioners in KZN, was speaker at the function, and he was joined by a Ballito Cancer survivor, Derek Stafford.

"Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said thousands of years ago, 'Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food,' and functional medicine agrees. Food is used as medicine in a condition specific way. Herbal and micronutrient medicines are used to address underlying dysfunctions found on the labs to support normal healthy function." Said Dr. Hennie Palm

Palm discussed a variety of nutrient rich foods that are an integral part in the treatment - and prevention of cancer, including fresh organic vegetables, plenty of water (preferably reverse osmosis filtered water), oily fish, berries and seeds and nuts, and he stressed the importance of starving the disease of anything containing glucose. 'Cancer loves sugar' stay away from anything containing glucose and you'll starve cancer cells, said Dr. Hennie Palm.

"It is also vital that we increase our Vitamin D intake - 15 minutes in the sun every day will boost your intake. Vitamin D boosts our immune systems and a healthy immune system will prevent cancer cells from forming. Exercise is also vital as it impacts every cell in our bodies." Explained Plam

Derek Stafford, a Cancer Survivor living in Ballito, said that he came from a long line of cancer sufferers. Stafford backed the Functional Medicine ethos as he had found that by minimising cancer promoting foods and maximising the intake of foods that fight cancer had helped prevent the disease from returning.

"The reason that cancer is not going away is because people do not change their diets and habits." An interesting fact that Stafford uncovered is that in countries around the world where red meat is very prevalent in the diet, there were more cancer sufferers, as opposed to countries that do not have red meat as a staple in the diet.