Week 5: Broccoli & Veggies Prevent Cancer

Ask any herbalist and they'll tell you that you can't single out an individual component or constituent of a given plant or herb, standardize the chemical and state that it is the one compound that will cure cancer or any other disease. Rather, it's the synergistic action of all of the constituents of that specific plant, taken together as a whole (including trace elements that can't even be measured), that create the desired effect we are looking for on our health.

So, while I heard back in the late 80's that cruciferous vegetables (members of the mustard family such as broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts) help prevent cancer and therefore one should eat more of them in their diet; that is much different from trying to identify and extract the single 'active' ingredient from a plant and use that as the next 'magic bullet'.

Not only that, but it is even more important that we make sure the veggies we are eating are organic, and not pesticide laden. More and more studies and research are coming out (http://www.toxicsinfo.org/Lawn/Pesticides%20&%20Cancer.htm) linking many different forms of cancer to the exposure to pollutants in our environment (including our air and water). Of particular concern are the contamination of our foods from pesticides, exposure to chemicals in home cleaning and lawn care products, as well as through recreational sports on chemically treated fields (think: golf). Here, once again, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

And especially for us as students of Acupuncture, using Food Therapy and Nutritional Counseling with our clients; while I personally do make specific recommendations to clients of herbs and food remedies to help them come more into balance and live healthier lives, the priority request is to eat organic; secondary to that is what specific recommendations are made for their particular dietary needs.

Because, I'll always remember the stunning example a particular Mom used to make her point about eating organic at an Eco-Farm conference one year. She placed white carnations in water colored with green food coloring. After awhile, once the flowers soaked the green water up their stems, soon their once white petals had turned green as well. And the Mom presented the flowers to the onlookers and said: "Just try to wash that off". The point being, pesticides -like the green water- find their way into the ground water of the plants they are sprayed on with the intention to protect, only to be pulled up into the stems, leaves, flowers and fruit of the plant itself...and once consumed, into our bodies as well. Just try to wash that off...