'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.

Top 10 Tips for Abundant Energy!

Today's post is from Sophie at Igennus, who gives us her top 10 tips for getting back that energy we all remember from our youth.

At this time of year, we may want nothing more than to feel healthy, vibrant and full of beans. Sadly, the reality, for many of us, is a bit more sluggish than we’d like, with that abundant energy we remember from our youth seemingly gone forever.


This needn’t be the case!

A few simple changes can make a tremendous difference to our energy levels and sense of wellbeing. Once you start feeling better you’ll be able to do more, move more and enjoy more and so you’ll feel even better - a huge, positive snowball effect.

Here are my top 10 tips on how to regain vibrant energy and feel like your younger self again.

Puyssentut - un refuge holistique en France

Today's blog was written by Jane Fior, who recently visited Puyssentut, a retreat near Toulouse in France. Read on to hear about the amazing experience Jane had, and to see if you might fancy it yourself!

A while ago, Yes to Life drew attention to Puyssentut, a centre in France. A young couple with two small children were restoring a chateau near Toulouse, with the intention of hosting holistic retreats for people who had been diagnosed and treated for cancer. At that point they were looking for volunteers to help with the renovation.

I noticed this and kept it in mind, now and then having a look at their website and the progress of the venture but at that point having no idea that I would turn out to be an appropriate candidate.

Seeds of Change - Our Recent Linseed Workshop

Today's post is about our recent well-being workshop special at The Linseed Farm, where we were hosted by lovely owner Durwin Banks and got to hear some fantastic talks from Yvette Jordan and Pete Cohen.

The sun was shining and the day started with a fascinating tour around The Linseed Farm. As well as generally enjoying the country air, we also got to see the entire process of production from seed to oil.

'The linseed farm aspect was fascinating, we saw them milling the meal and pressing the oil. It was amazing to actually watch this happening in real time.' - Simone  

Durwin grows linseed/flax in all its forms and supplies direct to individuals across the country and was happy to share all kinds of facts.

Linseed contains a high source of omega 3 fatty acids ALA (alpha linolenic acid), as well as protein, fibre and vitamins and minerals such as  Zinc, Iron, Magnesium & Calcium.

The Linseed (Flaxseed) Oil produced on Durwin's farm contains 60% omega 3 making it one of the richest sources and because it’s plant based, it’s a great vegetarian and vegan source. Omega 3 is well documented for it's health benefits, and is particularity important for people with cancer so it was great to discover such a rich source.

Re-purposing old drugs for cancer: sometimes old ‘uns can be good ‘uns

Today's post is from our chairman Robin Daly who discusses how the re-purposing of drugs could unlock new potentials for treating cancer.

The re-purposing of old drugs for cancer is making headline news this year. So is this really ‘new’? Is it even ‘newsworthy’? Or is it simply yet another of those endless ‘cancer breakthrough’ stories so beloved of the media?

To answer the first question: this is far from a new idea. The incidental positive effects of some old, safe, tried and tested drugs on cancer has been noted for many years. For example, metformin, given to people with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels, has the striking effect of transforming their risk of developing cancer from higher than normal healthy people to lower. The thing that is new is the level of interest around this phenomenon.