'The C Word - Your questions answered' at Camexpo 2015

Today's post is from our chairman Robin Daly introducing the expert panel 'The C Word - Your questions answered' that he is hosting at this years Camexpo at 3pm on Saturday 26th September. If you are interesting in registering to come along this weekend you can do so here.

Autumn is drawing in and it’s coming round to Camexpo time again. Yes to Life has been generously supported in having a stand at the show for many years, but this year, as a part of our 10th birthday celebrations, the charity is camexpo Charity of the Year...woohoo! We will also be hosting a panel Q&A on the subject of cancer and complementary therapies called 'The C Word - Your questions answered'.

Camexpo is a professional event, targeting the complete spectrum of complementary therapists, many of whom will have had some degree of contact with those with cancer and probably also many questions regarding supporting them. With this in mind, we have assembled a formidable team of experts who share between them a vast range of expertise and experience, with the aim of being able to give an authoritative answer to any question on the subject that a therapist may have.

Embracing Natural Beauty after Cancer with Etie'no

This weeks post is from Precious Jason who founded her own natural skin care brand Etie'no after undergoing treatment for cancer. Precious has been kind enough to donate some of her lovely products for goody bags for our events, and take it from us - they smell good enough to eat.

My dream is to make people feel good about themselves. Cancer is not a full stop.

On 2 June 2012, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia and had to go through several doses of chemotherapy, total body radiation and a bone marrow transplant on 16 May 2013. My skin was damaged; my hair and nails fell out. I found myself with very dry, sensitive and itchy skin and nothing safe enough to use. Some companies used the natural ingredients all right but added artificial preservatives to increase the shelf life. The problem I found was that the preservatives were harsh on my already damaged skin and came with a long list of side effects.

That was when I decided to put my knowledge of natural ingredients to use.

Raw Beetroot Dip

Today's post is a recipe from Jenny Phillips who specialises in supporting cancer patients with diet & lifestyle interventions. She herself recovered from breast cancer 10 years ago and now helps others to improve their health through nutrition.

‘Keep it simple, and keep it colourful’ is my mantra in the kitchen. This is a typical meal – delicious, nutritious and fast to prepare - chicken with sweet potato & thyme chips, steamed broccoli and a beetroot dip.

Beetroot nourishes the blood, supports the liver and is heart healthy. The phytonutrients which give the characteristic strong red colour have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This is very desirable from an anti-cancer point of view, and in-vitro studies have shown a cytotoxic effect when beetroot extract is administered to breast, pancreatic and prostate cell lines.[1]

Beetroot can be juiced, grated raw and added to salads, or baked in the oven with olive oil, apple and garlic. Here it is transformed into a dip that can be spread onto crackers or served on the side.