The NHS's backward 'nutritional' advice!

Sure you all know how much further I think we can go to heal through correct diet (macrobiotics is my weapon of choice as many of you know) but good to know some US hospitals at least starting to change the shocking advice oncologists give patients... Time to a change NHS - wake up!!! Even the American Cancer Society has information on macrobiotics... This is all the Royal Marsden has to say and this from the 'top' cancer hospital in the UK. By 'a sensible and balanced diet' they mean anything you like pretty much - as long as you dont lose weight! Ridiculous... even if you're overweight (a LOT of cancer patients) they will still say if you lose weight its a sign you are being overtaken by the cancer. Wrong on so many levels ... I am 10kg lighter than I was diagnosed but you know what, I feel GREAT!!! When I was on chemo and started losing weight they gave me carte blanche to eat as many pudding as I wanted despite the huuuuuuge body of research into how suga can feed cancer (one such article here) and sent me off with me a crate of nasty aspartame-filled drinks (I think we stlll have almost ever single one of them dont we Mum?). Truly revolting & it seems quite poisonous too (decide for yourself here here or here!)

This is more for those who have chosen the conventional route of treatment, long put behind me (I wont see my oncologist til April next year now so really going it alone now!) 
Anyway...


Memorial Sloan-Kettering and MD Anderson urge people on Chemotherapy to ‘Choose Healthy Foods’

In contrast to UK recommendations, which include pictures of cheeseburgers, sticky, sugary buns and milk shakes, top American cancer centres MD Anderson, Texas, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York recommend much the same as Chris Woollams and CANCERactive do in the article ‘A Diet for chemotherapy’. You will note they talk about limiting sugar intake – but then six or so studies in the last 18 months have shown glucose feeds cancer.

"When you´re being treated for cancer, it´s important to avoid extreme diets that may leave you short on key nutrients," says Veronica McLymont, PhD, RD, director of food and nutrition services at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

* Choose whole grain breads and cereals.

* Drink 100% fruit or vegetable juices.

* Fill half of your plate with vegetables and fruits.

* A few times a week, choose meatless meals such as vegetarian lasagna or vegetable stir-fry.
* Snack on carrot sticks, sweet pepper slices, and fresh or dried fruits.
* Have a leafy green salad with dinner.
* Limit sugary foods -- the kind with lots of calories but very little        
nutrition.
* Pick lean meats and fish more often than red meat and processed
meats.

 

Try to Eat, Even If You Don´t Have an Appetite

Lack of appetite is common during cancer treatment. Some treatments can even make food taste unpleasant. "Even though you don´t feel like eating, it´s important to get adequate nutrition," says Sarah Rafat, RD, a senior dietitian at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Here’s what to do: 

* Choose high-calorie, nutrient-rich foods such as avocados, nuts, beans,      
seeds, puddings (not sure about this one!?!?!?), and cooked cereals.

* Eat small meals throughout your day.
* Don’t wait until you´re hungry to eat. Instead, eat at certain times of day.
* Keep your favourite foods close at hand - not burgers my friends!!!
* Make your meals look appealing. Add parsley, lemon slices, cherry      
tomatoes, and other colourful garnishes to your plate.

read more here ... Source Cancer Active

To read the CANCERactive article, ‘A Diet for Chemotherapy’

JustGiving and full personal update coming next few days I promise...
 

Macrobiotics, intro to beans & recipes!

So, due to popular demand here goes with my monthly or so food section of the blog. The ideas is to focus on one food group each week and give some ideas for recipes mainly from the Kushi Institute too.

''Some general guidelines for the Japanese style macrobiotic diet are the following (it is also said that a macrobiotic diet varies greatly, depending on geographical and life circumstances):
    •    Well chewed whole cereal grains, especially brown rice: 40–60%
    •    Vegetables: 25–30%
    •    Beans and legumes: 5–10%
    •    Miso soup: 5%
    •    Sea vegetables: 5%
    •    Traditionally or naturally processed foods: 5–10%
Fish and seafood, seeds and nuts, seed and nut butters, seasonings, sweeteners, fruits, and beverages may be enjoyed occasionally, 2–3 times per week. Other naturally raised animal products may be included if needed during dietary transition or according to individual needs.''
(source Wikipedia)

I should be starting with whole arguably but this month its BEANS, mainly cos everyone seems to want my recipe (thank you to my teachers) for hummous! So, a few snippets of info from Bettina Zumdick's excellent new book follows with some information I learned over the summer. Beans are from the western perspective a valuable source of protein, fibre, minerals and fat. In combination with whole grains will provide all the daily requirements of essential amino acids, which are the essential protein building blocks that cant be synthesised by the body. Bean products like tofu or tempeh (yum!) can easily replace animal protein in a diet to give you all the protein you need and unlike animal products which contain high levels of saturated fats which are well known factors to increasing cholesterol and chance of heart disease (see the China Study) beans have been found to do the opposite. From an eastern perspective beans strengthen the kidney and urinary function. Beans also contain valuable amounts of minerals such as iron, phosphate, copper, the list goes on. They also help regulate blood sugar level, and contain good levels of insoluble fibre linked to preventing gallstones and normalising overproduction of bile acids. I hugely recommend Bettins's book 'Authentic Foods' if you want to know more. If you are worried about lack of vitamin B12 wild caught atlantic fish would be your best bet.

Beans should make up no more than 10% of your daily intake of food by weight, next to 40-50% grains (that's about a quarter of your plate only) and most of the rest vegetables, according to macrobiotic principles if I am not mistaken. The macrobiotics also love to have a pickle at the end of a meal, the fermentation of which I have started to get quite into lately. The recommended for daily use beans (most energetically helpful on regular basis) in macrobiotics are: lentils, chick peas, black soybeans (hard to find) & aduki beans. Aduki beans are a favourite as they work so well in desserts too!

Guide to approx soaking amounts per cup of beans (cups) / cooking times for UK pre-soaked / unsoaked:
Chickpeas: 3-4 cups / 2-2.5 hours / 3 hrs
Aduki beans: 2 cups? / 45 mins / 1 hour?
Lentils: 2-3 / 15-20 mins / 30-45 mins
Black soybeans: 4 / 2-4 hours?
Butter beans: 4 / 45 mins - 1 hour? / 1.5-2 hrs
Kidney beaks: 3 / 1 hour / 2 hours
Black beans: 4 / 30-45 mins / 1 hour
Mung beans: 2.5 / 1 hour / 1.5 hours

The main trick with beans is don't add salt til the last 10 minutes or the beans wont cook. About 1/4 tsp salt (good quality sea salt only!) per cup is maximum you should ever use. Use konbu to soak regularly but if you have trouble with gas/indigestion after eating omit the konbu until cooking starts and make sure you soak with lemon juice for up to 24 hours and then throw out the soaking water before adding your cooking water. Also if the beans are taking forever you can 'shock' them to speed up process - pour cold water carefully down the sides of the hot saucepan onto the beans. You can eat the konbu after the cooking process - it contains plenty of excellent trace minerals.

Macro hummous (serves 2-4)

- 2 cups chick peas
(if from dry soak overnight with postage stamp sized piece of konbu* aka kelp. cook for approx 1 hour or until soft)
- 1 clove garlic (optional)
- 1/4 onion / grated (optional)
- 2 tbsp tahini (experiment with different types)
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 tbsp ume paste*
- 1 tbsp ume vinegar*
- lemon juice to taste

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Be sure to save the chickpea water to use as you need to achieve the desired creaminess. You can leave thicker or go for smooth peanut butter consistency. This chickpea water is highly nutritious and can also be used as base for a soup if you cook an extra 1/4 cup of chick peas to add as well plus one veg such as cauliflower. You can use spring onions instead of onions or neither if you want too keep the hummus for more than a 2 days. if no veg is used this will keep for 4 days or so. I like to keep a few chick peas aside and add at the end to give the end result a bit of texture when adding them into the blended hummus. Enjoy!

Cauliflower & chickpea soup soup

- 1/4 cup chickpeas
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 litre of pure water
- 1/2 cup cauli greens/branches sliced thin
- 1 small onion
- whole cumin seeds
- bay leaf
- pinch of salt
- pepper to taste

Dry roast the cumin for a few minutes in a hot saucepan. Add some oil and once hot add the onion. Cook until glassy. Add water, chickpeas, cauliflower, salt & bayleaf plus any other veg leftovers like carrot (diced small) if you wish. Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is starting to soften. Don't overcook it. Serve immediately with parsley garnish.


Aduki bean & squash pudding

- 1.5 cups cubed squash
- pinch salt
- 1 cup fresh apple juice
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1/2 cup rice syrup*
- 2 pinches cinnamon
- 1/2 cup kuzu* or other thickening agent like arrowroot
- few drops vanilla essence

Boil squash with 1 cup apple juice and pinch of salt. Mash. Dissolve kudzu with small amount of water, add to squash 6 apple juice plus other ingredients. Blend, adding any seeds or buts at the end if you wish. Deeelicious!

* all starred items are available at any good whole foods store or at the macro shop I use. the brand to look out for in the UK is clearspring. I use konbu every day, kuzu is bit pricey but very useful and ume paste for a LOT of dressings.

Hope you find this informative and useful! sorry I dont have pics!!!
Health update coming soon…
d.

Update July: USA/Kushi Institute for Natural Healing ...

Hellooooo! So, coming to the end of first week at the KI in Mass. Really inspiring stuff, all about yin and yang of food essentially and how foods affect us. So many incredible stories about how people have healed themselves from the Macrobiotic ('long life') diet. It starts from Hippocrates' saying "let food be thy medicine and medicine be Thy food"... So interesting considering doctors these days start from the Hippocratic Oath yet only study a few hours of nutrition (what H. was all about really) in their entire study and training!!! And the food in hospitals is accordingly terrible as we all know. There is one Macro hospital in the US but that didnt come easy and due to the nature of the industry, money and power (the devilish pharmaceutical industry) Macro is far from being accepted as mainstream healing method even though depositions have been made to Congressional hearings, etc over the years and always well-received due to the healing of many stage 4 cancer patients like me (among others) using Macrobiotics. Those case studies are quite incredible and the food though subtle is deeelicious when by the right hands. Meeting macro 80 year olds with diabetes who look 60 at the most and 60 year olds lookin more like 35 year olds is quite eye-opening too, thats for sure!!! Wow! So, i have been learning all about how foods affect us on a profound level, affecting all aspects of the human body including the autonomic nervous system, the immune system and more. i've had a wonderful shiatsu massage, watched cooking demos (more practice next week) by the very gifted macro chef/counsellors here, met some lovely and courageous people, plus had a one-on-one counselling session with John Kozinski to fine tune my diet. So, no tofu for me, more sea-salt (and always well cooked-in to the dishes), some more fish for strength,better cooked snd soaked grains (i was undercooking my brown rice bigtime for a start, should be soaked overnight them cooked for 40 mins plus), switching honey i sometimes use for far healthier brown rice syrup and more more more. My condition is all about tightness so food that helps open up my digestive tract and build it up is the order of the next few years. My main remedy he prescribed me (made of water, soy sauce, umeboshi plum & thickening agent called kuzu) had an almost immediate effect and i have had 6/7 nights pain-free after a month or more of pain every night plus i have even slept thru the night on a couple of occasions. Especially joyous days tend to follow for me after that i can tell you! So, i really see the power of the right food already after a challenging few months for me health wise. Its been so bad i have been running average of only 5-10km per week and obviously my 100km challenge has been rather sidelined, which is a shame. Guess i will just have to run more in autumn/fall when i get back from my trips to US and after that, Japan. Any more donations would be gladly accepted, lord knows i need the motivation! In other happier news I was accepted on the Mandala Yoga Ashram teacher training program and sent off my deposit before i left England. So, big changes afoot there too, i will start in September and be headed to the ashram monthly thereafter for 2 years when i will qualify. A unique chance to not only do something very healthful with my life but also to really grow as a person, towards my goal of being a yoga teacher. Exciting times for me. After that i dream of coming back here for sure to learn more about Macrobiotics... Really is fascinatng stuff! Our standard meat, sugar, non-food and dairy-heavy diets these days are just so destructive but seeing first hand a leukemia patient who was given 3 days to live by his medical doctor not only being alive 3 months later but seemingly well on his way to a full recovery. Mind-blowing stuff and he is certainly not the only one!  I write this on my mobile so cant add any links right now but i will try to later if you want more info on Macrobiotics for example and some recommended books. It really can help ANY medical condition! Much love Dave www.mymtokyo.com www.Mindlessfulness.blogspot.com http://marianadubsessions.podomatic.com

Belly-aches & musical musings

Guess I should update the blog before I leave my laptop behind me and head off into the wilderness. Well, not only the wild but I am off to the USA for the first time tomorrow for a month - will be facing some wilderness over in Yosemite & Sequoia National in California (bring on the tree-hugging!) for sure (them bears better watch out!) but now also some city (New York!) plus 2 weeks studying Macrobiotics at the Kushi Institute in Massachsetts. I am traveling light with just one 42litre duffel and I couldnt fit a toothpick more in! - something I find very difficult these days - I really cant wait! I will try to update the blog when I am there but adding photos might be a challenge. We will see...

This update I also wanted in this blog to make sure you didnt think I had it ALL easy. Yes I have been in Devon surfing this last month, also enjoying the gorgeous Gower in Wales plus have done my yoga teacher training interview for which happily I now have my place - which I have of course accepted. BUT, it has been a really tough month or so as well. Its funny how its only through a certain amount of suffering that we can really feel bliss, contentment and peace. After 10 days (I though that was bad) of horrible colic attacks stopping me sleeping I had 2 short but deep sleeps at the ashram, waking up feeling refreshed and rested. And boy did I feel good... i even wrote a blog about how incredible it was to feel no pain after 10 days of it. Then it hit again and to be honest it hasnt abated. We have been trying all kinds of dietary adjestments but once again it just seems to be my body doing what it wants, when it wants & I just have to grimace and bear it. The only thing that seems to bring relief is Bicarbonate of Soda... hardly ideal long-term but trust me I dont have any choice. The number of times I have been sitting in my bed for hours at a time unable to sleep for the pain, knowing the next day would be ruined because of it I cant even remember.  Who knows what's going on in my digestive system really, and whether this is still all massively linked to emotional or psychological issues that may well have been the seed which began this whole process of dis-ease... but I hold on to the idea that it is my body getting on with the catharsis of toxins built up over the years I know it needs to start my energy moving awy from cancer cell production to only healthy cells. In a way the ridiculous amount of rain has only mirrored the feeling of frustration...
 
still, in the midst of the snippets of love, friendship, laughter, inspiration, freedom - yoga sessions, a wedding, festivals, sightseeing, walks, swims in a torrent, healing, chanting, meditations, - I STILL really wouldnt change my situation for the world...



Lastly, some music for those of an open mind: MYMTOKYO 07.2012 (click the link)

I used to do a monthly radio show for Samurai FM with full voiceover but it was just too time consuming so I dropped it. This is the first 'show' if you can call it that now its voiceover-less for over a year. There is some ambient mellow stuff but not only that - also techno, bass music and more... thats my only warning to those wanting only easy listening this is not for you... though you will find moments you will enjoy I think. Its a wide selection showing some of the stuff I have been listening to lately. Not a lot of place for the genre I am most known for playing - techno - in my life these days ...

Daveのガンブロッグアップデート(Japanese)

先月はベルリンにてエレクトロニック・ミュージックへの思いを再確認をし、ケントにていとこのリチャードと５回目のレースに参加した一ヶ月となりました。レースは、一週間にも及ぶ寝不足により非常に辛い10kmになりました。何はともあれ、このレースを終えたことにより目標の100km中の48kmを走り終えたことになります。5月で約半分を終えました。それにしても、何で微妙な距離の8kmレースで始めたのかがわかりらない。とにかく、あと52kmです！募金もぜひお願いします、まだまだ目標にしている金額には至らないので、もしご友人・ご家族の方で僕のチャリティーに興味がある方がいるならば、ぜひご協力をお願いします！先月も募金を募ることができ、チャリティーに寄付することができました。1kmに100円頂ければ、年度末には10,000円のも金額になります。寄付はイギリスはケントの多発性硬化症患者用の治療センターと日本の津波災害によって親を亡くした孤児を養っているあしなが育英会への寄付となります。また、募金の40％は自身の非科学的ガン治療の資金として使わせて頂きます。現在ビタミンC点滴をできる限り受けており、他の非科学的治療も実施しております。以前皆様のご協力に頂いた基金は底をついてしまいました。さらには寄付金の一部はイギリスにあります病の末期症状で苦しむ子供をサポートする基金と自分のようなガンとの闘病を続けている患者のサポートをしているYes To Life基金にも寄付させて頂きます。Yes To Lifeには僕も昨年大変お世話になりました。

是非大きなご協力をお願いいたします！

他のニュースとして今週から本格的にサーフィングを始めました。先週ケントにてレッスンを受け、これから２週間はデヴォンにある世界でも有名なクロイド・ブレイクと言うポイントの近くにある改築された農家に住みながらソーンタン・サンズと言うポイントで練習をします。クロイドのサーファーはとにかくすごい！自身はまだ体が固い！今まで使ったことのない筋肉を使っており、とにかく楽しんでいます。サーフィンは鍼治療の先生のおすすめで、彼によるとサーフィンは道教っぽい究極のスポーツだと勧められました。昨日発見したように、とにかく流れに沿ってやるしかない感じでした。一生懸命パドリングをしてようやく乗り心地のよさそうな波にたどり着いたと思ったら、すぐさま他の波に押されては元の位置に戻されました。その後はもう少し考え直してからサーフィンすることにしました。昨日のハイライトと言えば、海に入る２度目のときでした、強い雨が降り始め、やがてゆるりとした雨に代わり、そのうち完全に止み、海はとにかく静かでピースフルな場所に代わりました。人も少なく、小さな波が流れ、海面には太陽の光が踊るように反射していました。完璧な時間が流れていました！初日のような天気が続けばいいんだけど、海に入ればあまり関係ないかな。

ここ数ヶ月は移動が多くなるそうです。今はデヴォンにいるけど、次はウェールズにてヨガのトレーナーインタビューを受けに、そのあとはヘイオンワイにてフェスティバルに参加し、その後は一週間家で過ごします。その後、友人の結婚式に参加してからカリフォルニアにて一ヶ月ビーチと山・森を楽しんでは、イギリスに戻ります。9月には3週間日本で過ごし、自身のMarianaイベント（９／８土）とLabyrinth Festivalに参加します。春は少しの余裕ができたので、とにかく自分が今やりたいことをやってみてはと思い。どこの角を曲がれば何が自分を待ち受けているかは、誰も知ることのできないことであり、カリフォルニアのレッドウッド国立公園の古代森林との出会いとそこで自分が何を学べるのかは特に楽しみしております。

(translation H. Naka - thanks Hiro!)

RUNNING & RIDING (waves!) UPDATE May June 2012

 So…last month I enjoyed a brief week in Berlin 
revitalising my love for electronic music and back in Kent saw me complete race 5, this time with my cousin Richard puffing and panting with me! After a week of poor sleep it was a struggle I have to be honest, my legs feeling like anvil's for pretty much the full 10 kilometres. Anyway, completion means I am now 48 km into my 100km. Oh why did I have to start with that odd 5 miler (8 km) race! Anyway, 52km to go! Please keep your pledges coming, I haven't received anything like the amount I was hoping for so if you have any friends or family who might like to support my charity efforts & give me added motivation. Just 1GBP or 100Y per km would amount to 100GBP or 10,000Y payable at the end of the year.

To remind you, I am raising money for a new centre to provide relief to Multiple Sclerosis sufferers in Kent, some of the money will go to my continued efforts to beat my cancer through alternative means (I am continuing the intravenous vitamin C when possible, plus various other things & my original fund is basically finished), plus small portion to a foundation providing special days for terminally ill young people. The money raised from Japan will mainly go to the Ashinaga orphanage, giving a home to the many displaced by the tsunami.  

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY!

In other news I have finally started surfing proper this week. I had a lesson last week in Kent & for next 2 weeks I am based at a gorgeous converted farmhouse in Devon by the world famous Croyde break, though I am sticking to the tamer Saunton Sands. The surfers at Croyde the other day were most impressive! So far, so stiff! Really working some muscles I didn't know I had, but I am absolutely loving it. My acupuncture doctor recommended it above all other sports for being the ultimate Taoist sport and I can see why. There is no option but to go with the flow as I discovered yesterday.

No sooner had I reached surfable waves (swallowing my own body weight in water on the way) paddling through some heavy whitewater, was I pushed back by 8 or so waves to the point that I was back where I started! Had to re-think my game plan a little after that! Highlight so far was yesterday when I headed back for my 2nd session of the day in the bucking down rain, changing in heavy rain then getting out to light rain and total peace out on the water. Few people, small, clean waves & incredible light dappling the rain-splashed water. Actually, perfect! Looking forward to weather like the first day of course but once you're wet, it really doesn't matter.

Busy few months of moving about for me. Now Devon (via Costwolds to see my cousin Cat - thanks C&C hiking Factory!), then Wales to the ashram for my Yoga Teacher Training interview, then a small festival in Hay-On-Wye, then back home for a week. Friends wedding, then California for a month of beach bumming and tree-hugging ;-] then back to UK. I am also planning 3 weeks in Japan again in September for my event Mariana & my beloved Labyrinth festival. Phew! I figured in the spring I have some savings so why not do the things I most want to RIGHT NOW. We can never know what lies just round the corner & I am especially keen to meet those ancient trees & see what I can learn from them…

Thanks to kind donations at Hiroshi & Yae's wedding and Hiroshi's generous doubling of that amount from his own savings we just donated 20,000Y to the Ashinaga orphanage!  - nice!!! I also donated 100GBP to the Willow Foundation from funds raised & added 100GBP to my fund which unfortunately is almost dry after a year if intensive treatment & care! THANK YOU!!! Add your pledge to my 100km challenge now dave@mymtokyo.com - I have run 38km so far, only 62 to go! Next race is Folkestone Coastal run in Kent UK on May 27th...

(Personal update coming soon)

弥恵と紘の結婚パーティーでの皆様の募金とそれを倍の額にしてもらった紘の協力により「あしなが育英会」へ２万円ほどのお金を募金する事ができました、皆様ご協力ありがとうございました。また100ポンド（約13000円）をWillow Foundationへ募金もさせて頂き、さらには自身の治療ファンドに同額を追加させて頂きました。ファンドも１年にも及ぶ集中的な治療を経て残り僅かとなりました。ありがとうございました！僕の100km挑戦への募金、是非お願い致します（dave@mymtokyo.com）。本日までに38kmを走りきり、残り62kmとなりました。次のレースは５月２７日のイギリスはケントでのFolkestone Coastal 10Kです。。。

(Translation H. Naka)