As you probably realize, an anti-cancer diet constitutes a major theme of the articles we post, the lectures we give, and the educational materials we distribute at BeatCancer.org.
But there is one crucial cancer-fighting nutrient that is hardly ever discussed, so I invited my colleague Mauris Emeka to write about it.
As we all know, oxygen is an invisible gaseous element that’s in us and all around us. This colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas is in fact, the most abundant element on earth. Oxygen makes up approximately 90 percent of water as well as a large percentage of the earth’s surface and comprises up to 20 percent of the air we breathe. All animals and plants alike require oxygen, probably the most valuable nutrient needed by our body. In fact, nearly two-thirds of our body is oxygen. Think of it this way: We can live for several weeks without food and for several days without water; but we can live for only a few minutes without oxygen.
One thing that fuels various degenerative diseases is lack of oxygen. When the millions of cells that make up our body are deficient in oxygen, our health suffers. Adequate oxygen helps make the environment in the body more alkaline and less acidic. When our cells are low in oxygen it causes our body to produce carbon monoxide, and that’s not a good thing, because carbon monoxide is acidic. Cancer and all diseases thrive in an acid environment.
So, how does a lack of oxygen at the cellular level affect the cancer process? The German scientist, Dr. Otto Warburg, won a Nobel Prize in 1931 for discovering that cancer cells produce energy through a process called fermentation, and that process does not require oxygen. Cancer cells do not need oxygen; in fact, oxygen suppresses them. But normal cells need oxygen and lots of it.
According to a study conducted at the University of Georgia and published in the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology in May of 2012, low oxygen levels in cells may be a primary cause of uncontrollable tumor growth in some cancers. The research team analyzed data from seven different cancer types — breast, kidney, liver, lung, ovary, pancreatic and stomach — and found that even more important than genetic mutations, long-term lack of oxygen in cells may be a key driver of cancer growth.
The bottom line is that when we do things to introduce more oxygen into our body, that enhances our healthy cell growth and prevents the growth of cancer cells. So, here’s the central question: What are some things we all can do to bring more oxygen into our body and, thus, make it uninviting for cancer of any kind?
- Drink half of your body weight in ounces of water each day — preferably, filtered water that’s slightly alkaline and ionized. The oxygen in this water goes into the cells of the body with ease.
- Eat a healthy diet. An all-natural, mostly raw, plant-based diet brings considerably more oxygen into the body than cooked food.
- Do deep breathing and do it often. Breathe in through the nose to the count of four, letting the air expand the stomach, then hold it to the count of four, then slowly exhale through the nose to the count of seven or eight.
- Eat smaller meals. This frees up the cells in the body to receive more oxygen.
- Allow fresh air into your environment — open a window to get fresh air in your home or office. Unless it’s extremely cold, consider cracking open a bedroom window where you sleep.
- Do aerobic exercises, like dancing, jogging, and rebounding. Among other things, this forces deep breathing and exercises the lungs.
- Add hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to bath water — put about five pints of three percent hydrogen peroxide into a tub of bath water and soak in it.
- Do the Budwig Protocol, consisting of flaxseed oil and cottage cheese — one-half cup of cottage cheese and one-fourth cup of flaxseed oil (both must be mixed extremely well). This mixture has proven to increase oxygen circulation in the body. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi won another Nobel Prize in 1937 for discovering that combining certain essential fatty acids with sulfur-rich proteins (like those in cottage cheese) increases oxygenation of the body. (Note: be sure the flaxseed oil is fresh and has not gone rancid).
- Take Oxy E, a cellular oxygen enhancer. Oxy E is one of several supplements that can supply the body with a steady diet of free oxygen at the cellular level, plus it helps detoxify the body, neutralize free radicals, and increase pH (alkalinity) levels. For more information, visit www.healthproductscenter.com.
Editor’s Note: Oxygen represents the “O” in Mr. Emeka’s five-vowel anti-cancer paradigm. To learn about other factors that help fight cancer, read his excellent book Cancer’s Best Medicine.
 Low oxygen levels could drive cancer growth, Medical Press, May 3, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-oxygen-cancer-growth.html reduced energy efficiency and signaling to cell proliferation drive cancer to grow increasingly faster. Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, 2012
 University of Georgia. Low oxygen levels could drive cancer growth, research suggests. Science Daily, 3 May 2012. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120503194219.htm.