Far Infrared Light therapy - Living Well with Cancer - Part 1 by Mark Givert, Founder of Get Fitt

So often we receive questions about far infrared light therapy and using it with cancer patients.  Our experience of far infrared light therapy for cancer sufferers very much relates to the impact that it can have on one's quality of life.

With all of the people that we have worked with over the years, it is very common that people who are unwell and suffering from health challenges just do not feel good.

In addition most people tend to suffer from varying degrees of pain, fatigue and physical discomfort. There is no question that simply the experience of the Far Infrared Light Therapy leaves you with a sense of well-being.

The world can be a daunting place when you simply don't feel good on a daily basis year in year out.

That brings us to the experience of the treatment.

It is just like being on the beach in the Sun, and I am quoting many of our clients.

The Three Essential Experiences of Far Infrared Light Therapy

It is common for people who try far infrared light therapy to experience three things: 

1.      A sense of deep relaxation

2.      A Feeling of Well-Being

3.    Feeling energised

After all this is normally how most of us feel when we have been in sun on a beautiful day.

Daylight  Deficiency

I emphasise that Far Infrared is light therapy comprising invisible wavelengths of light; approximately 50% of daylight is far infrared. Also about 50% of the energy produced by your body is far infrared.

So we all know how we feel when we are outdoors in the sunshine, we feel great.

Unfortunately with our 21st-century lifestyle we are indoors at work, at home, we are commuting and hence are really not exposed to daylight very often.

In reality many of us are daylight deficient; the beauty of being able to take the Far Infrared Light Therapy at home is that you are able to infuse the whole body with invisible wavelengths of Far Infrared light that you would normally only get outdoors.

The good news is you get to experience that wonderful sense of well-being and have your sunshine experience daily whenever you want.

All this despite the fact that you are indoors and there is every chance it is dark, cloudy, cold and the Sun is probably not shining……

Of course when we feel good it is so much easier to face the daily challenges of life. 

Far Infrared for Stress Relief

Most of us are so stressed that our nervous system is just in constant overwhelm and we never really take the time to relax, rebalance the nervous system and basically calm ourselves down.

There is one particular study showing how Far Infrared Treatment can positively improve the activity of the nervous system – Improvement of autonomic nervous activity by Waon (Far Infrared) therapy in patients with chronic heart failure

Research is indicating that the relaxing experience that people have with the Far Infrared may be associated with the regulation of the autonomic nervous system helping calm us down.

Improved Sleep

Very commonly clients report that their sleep has improved; this normally means both the quantity and quality of sleep.

We all know how we feel when we get a really good night’s rest; we feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

Good sleep is crucial for good health.

It may be that the improved sleep that is experienced after Far Infrared Light Therapy is associated with the calming effect that the Far Infrared has on the nervous system as mentioned above.

Pain Relief

So many of our client’s experience everything from minor pains to debilitating and totally overwhelming pain.

This can be local pain and often commonly is full body pain; meaning pain throughout the body.

We have received reports from many of our clients explaining that they have had good experiences with our Far Infrared Light Therapy with their pain.

What we do know is that the fact that Far Infrared is light is a major factor with regards to penetrating deeply into the body.

It seems you get access to areas of the body that are so often inaccessible.

The Warming Effect of Far Infrared Explained

This natural form of light penetrates the body easily and deeply which is why it is so good at warming the deeper, harder to reach tissues of the body.

When the cells of the body absorb the Far Infrared Light heat is released within those cells; this is the Far Infrared warming effect.

What is so unique about this is this process does not significantly affect the air temperature. So it is an easy way to warm the body at comfortable low air temperatures.

Detoxification

Far Infrared Light Therapy/Saunas have been used for detoxification programmes including the programme for the 9/11 Ground Zero Rescue and Recovery Workers and Lower Manhattan Residents; This was known as Project Olive Releaf. 

The programme was for the Treatment of High Levels of Mercury and Lead Toxicity amongst other things.

Simply it is possible to warm the body and induce sweating at much lower and more comfortable temperatures using Far Infrared Light Therapy.

Toxins can be liberated and released within the sweat which can then be showered and cleaned off.

Life Extension

A JAMA report in 2015 showed that spending time in a sauna extended the life of study participants with other illnesses including cancer.

Interestingly according to the sauna study; a sauna two to three times per week was associated with a 24% reduction in risk of death, and  4 – 7 saunas a week with a 40% reduced risk of death.

A Healthy Heart & Healthy Blood Vessels

Current research has been showing that a major contributor to many illnesses including Cancer is blood vessel and heart damage.

Some of the latest research has been showing that we need the cells (Endothelial Cells) that are lining the blood vessels to be healthy and functional.

When these cells are healthy they promote the repair and healing of the blood vessels and may inhibit tumour invasiveness and metastasis - Dysfunctional Blood Vessels and Cancer.

Dysfunctional endothelial cells however, may under some circumstances stimulate cancer invasion and metastasis.

Far Infrared Light Therapy may have a positive effect on the health of the heart and the blood vessels – Far Infrared for Healthy Blood Vessels

Far Infrared for Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease

The Far Infrared Sauna is probably the most comfortable and easiest way to warm and heat the body.

A study in March 2017 indicated that regular sauna bathing can reduce the risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

The study is being carried out at the University of Eastern Finland. In a 20-year follow-up, men taking a sauna 4-7 times a week were; 66% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia and 65% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease than those taking a sauna once a week.

Conclusion:

Far Infrared light therapy is an enjoyable non-invasive treatment that can be undertaken in the comfort of your own home, and enjoyed by the whole family. Most of our equipment is totally portable, and is easy to travel with – Get Fitt Products.

Ultimately it is those actions which we undertake on a daily basis that transform our lives.

It is our suggestion that to include Far Infrared Light Therapy as part of your lifestyle, is possibly the greatest investment you will ever make in your most valuable asset ….Your health.

We do hope this article inspires and uplifts the reader and invite you to contact us should you wish to know more….here’s to your lasting and good health.

Yours truly

Mark Givert – Founder Get Fitt Ltd

For more Information  Please Contact:

Get Fitt Ltd

Telephone: 01727 602022

Email: admin@get-fitt.com

Website: www.get-fitt.com

Raw Avocado Super Cake - Nice to make for the Easter Break

This recipe comes to us courtesy of Natasha Corrett and will be used in our recipe project we are launching this year.  As Easter is nearly upon us and we fancy something a bit different, why not have a go at making this for yourself, for friends, or for the family. This cake is packed full of vitamin E and essential fatty acids, which help keep the skin looking young and feeling soft, because of the high avocado content.

Serves 12

5 very ripe avocados

2 lemons

150g agave syrup

150g coconut oil, melted

¼ tsp vanilla extract

½ tbsp rosewater

finely grated zest of ½ lemon and 1 lime, to garnish

for the base:

45g raw almonds

150g dried dates

65g raw Brazil nuts

35g raw pecans

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

53g desiccated coconut

Line a 21cm round springform cake tin with baking parchment.

To make the base, put the almonds, dates, Brazil nuts and pecans in a bowl, cover with water and allow to soak for 1 hour.

Drain the water and put the soaked nuts and fruit into a food processor along with the melted coconut oil and desiccated coconut. Whizz until you get a crumb-like texture that sticks together when you squeeze it between your fingers.

Tip the crumbs into the prepared tin and press evenly over the bottom. Pop into the freezer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Peel and stone the avocados and squeeze the juice from both lemons over them immediately; this will stop them going brown. Transfer the contents of the bowl into a high-speed blender along with the agave syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and rosewater and blend until you get an extremely smooth texture.

Take the base out of the freezer and pour this filling all over it. Pop back into the freezer for another 30 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for another hour. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Carefully remove from the cake tin, place on a plate and garnish with lemon and lime zests.

 © Natasha Corrett.  Recipe taken from Honestly Healthy Cleanse by Natasha Corrett (Hodder & Stoughton £25)

Nourishing Movement Recipe- Arame Seaweed Salad from Body Soul Nutrition

Liz Butler held a fascinating and practical workshop with Lizzy Davis last week, 'Nourishing Movement', which was extremely well received. They looked at how we can help ourselves heal during and after cancer treatment through exercise and diet.

We're lucky enough to be able to publish one of the recipes in our blog today, this was a real favourite of the day. Light, refreshing, delicious and nutritious.



Arame Seaweed Salad

Ingredients: 

·         25g arame seaweed

·         2 medium carrots, grated

·         1 medium beetroots, grated

·         4 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted

·         3 spring onions, finely chopped

·         1 inch piece of ginger, finely grated

·         1 large handful coriander, chopped

·         8 cherry tomatoes, halved

·         Dressing – 6 tbsp olive oil, juice of 1 lime

·         Salt

Serves 2 as a complete meal or 4 as a side salad

            Soak the seaweed in cold water for 10-15 minutes and then drain.
            Place the grated carrot and beetroot in a bowl together with the seaweed.
            Add the ginger, spring onions, cherry tomatoes and sesame seeds and stir.
            Add the olive oil, lime juice, salt and coriander and give the mixture a final stir before               serving.


            Enjoy.

Wheat-Free Pecan Bread

Inspired Nutrition taught us how to make this delectable wheat-free pecan bread at a wonderful workshop that they held for us on the 11th of March in Brighton. We've absolutely loved making this versatile dish at home and we're sure you will too.

Click here to find out what other workshops and events we have in store for 2017.

Ingredients: 

300 grams pecan nuts 

1tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp cinnamon

4 eggs

1 large ripe banana

2 tbsp olive oil

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2. Grind the nuts in a blender. Place in a bowl with the other dry ingredients.

3. Place the eggs, banana and oil in a blender. Blitz until smooth.

4. Pour the batter into the dry ingredients and mix well.

5. Spoon into a lined loaf pan

6. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn out and allow to cool.

Mega-Dose vitamin C, a Magic Bullet?

Dr Damien Downing shares his research and findings into the use of  Vitamin C for people with cancer

Yes to Life is "the UK's integrative cancer care charity” – integrative not alternative. Integrative medicine means using the best of every approach, because particularly with cancer there are very few “Magic Bullets”. But when your back is against the prognostic wall it is so easy to search for and grasp at treatments that might be “Magic”. I guess the favourite is currently mega-dose intravenous vitamin C. We need to curb our enthusiasm a bit here, for two reasons.

The first is that it just doesn’t make sense to be non-integrative and to put all your eggs in one basket. This is certainly true of vitamin C and it’s true generally. If a treatment is only considered to improve your prospects by 20 percent, or 30 or even 60, why would you bet on that alone? It’s not like horse-racing, there isn’t a prize for first-past-the-post. What does make sense is to stack the percentages up; 30 percent benefit from treatment A, 30 from B, 20 from a third, and so on. Vitamin C, and antioxidant therapy in general, can be a useful component of this approach. But you need to know about the pitfalls too.

The second reason is that there are difficulties – practical, financial and logistical – with mega-dose IVC. The financial problem is this; at over £250 a treatment, how often and for how long can you afford them? The logistical one depends on where you live; if it’s a 100-mile trip each way to get an IV, how often can you afford the time and energy? The top practical one is probably this; if you’ve had chemotherapy your veins are a mess, and IVC won’t help that. How many treatments will your veins tolerate?

So let’s reframe this.

The use of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in cancer is the legacy of Linus Pauling, twice Nobel Prize winner, who with Abram Hoffer invented the term “orthomolecular” for therapies using  molecules that are familiar to the body. In the 1970’s Pauling published, with Scottish surgeon Ewan Cameron, two studies reporting that cancer patients, who had been told that there was no further orthodox treatment for them, given 10 grams (2 teaspoons) of vitamin C per day, lived longer and had better quality of life [1,2]. It is important to note that in these studies the vitamin C (intravenous at first, then oral) was used alongside surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Of the two studies at the Mayo Clinic which have been claimed to refute the Pauling/Cameron hypothesis [3,4], one used vitamin C alone as the treatment, and the other gave it after chemotherapy had finished.

Most importantly though, both Mayo studies only gave vitamin C until there were signs of disease progression – which was an average of only 10 weeks. The principal author, Prof. Moertel, remarked; The claim that a life-extending treatment for a disease must be given until the day the patient dies is a bit unusual. This shows a profound misunderstanding of what they were dealing with – it’s not a drug, it’s food.

You can see why it mattered from the survival chart here, which I had to cobble up myself from the original Cameron & Pauling data, so apologies if it looks a bit wobbly. If you follow the 50% line across the middle you can see that in the control group the average survival of these “terminal” patients was about 40 days, or 6 weeks, and in the ascorbate group it was over 100 days, by which time the Mayo studies had stopped the ascorbate in most cases. One patient in 6 was still going at the end of the study just over a year later.

Now that’s not very long, but look at the second graph, which comes from the first analysis that Abram Hoffer made [5], of patients treated from 1976 to 1988. He tweaked the protocol by adding smallish doses of zinc and B vitamins to the vitamin C – and again it was integrative therapy; the patients also received chemo-, radio-therapy and/or surgery, in fact all of them did except one patient. And what a difference that simple and sensible tweak made; 1 in 3 still alive 9 years down the line, and the standard 5-year survival end-point increased by 800 percent.




The below image is how Pauling and Cameron summed up in 1979 [6];

Briefly, it is our view that supplemental ascorbate is of some value to all cancer patients, and can be of very great value, inducing tumor regression, in a fortunate few.

This, then is where I advise anybody with cancer to start – to be exact, this plus reforming the diet (see other blogs). At the 10 gram/day oral dose level the vitamin C can only be supporting the white blood cells of the immune system in doing their job – it can’t be killing cancer cells directly. But that’s OK; the treatment is scientifically plausible, it has been shown to be clinically effective (once you cut through the Mayo-derived confusion), and it’s cheap and easy to do.

And it’s safe, and doesn’t clash with other treatments. Despite frequent hyped-up claims to the contrary, my reading of the research is that it doesn’t interfere with chemotherapy at all. The conclusion of two systematic reviews on this in 2007 [7,8] was;

None of the trials reported evidence of significant decreases in efficacy from antioxidant supplementation during chemotherapy. Many of the studies indicated that antioxidant supplementation resulted in either increased survival times, increased tumor responses, or both, as well as fewer toxicities than controls.

There are two compounds that appear to work synergistically with vitamin C against cancer [9]. Because you/we probably don’t know how responsive your tumour is to vitamin C, it is sensible to take both. If you do have some data about tumour response, this might change.

Lipoic acid; a new, demonstrably more potent form of this, known as R-lipoic acid, is now available. In vitro (in the laboratory) this reduced the level of vitamin C needed to achieve an anti-cancer effect by about a factor of five [9]. Daily dose should be at least 400mg.

Vitamin K; has the same in vitro impact, and may also work on cancer in other ways. We therefore now recommend taking this as well. Daily dose over 300 mcg (micrograms).

References

1. Cameron E, Pauling L. Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer: Prolongation of survival times in terminal human cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976;73(10):3685-89.

2. Cameron E, Pauling L. Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer: re-evaluation of prolongation of survival times in terminal human cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978; 75 (9): 4538-42.

3. Creagan ET, Moertel CG et al., Failure of High-dose Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Therapy to Benefit Patients with Advanced Cancer, N Engl J Med. 1979; 301: 687-90

4. Moertel CG, Fleming TR, Creagan ET, Rubin J, O'Connell MJ, Ames MM. High-dose vitamin C versus placebo in the treatment of patients with advanced cancer who have had no prior chemotherapy. A randomized double-blind comparison. N Engl J Med. 1985; 312(3): 137-141

5. Hoffer A. Antioxidant Nutrients and Cancer. J Orthomol Med 2000; 15 (4): 193-200

6. Cameron E, Pauling L, Ascorbate and Cancer, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 1979; 123: 117-23.

7. Block KI, Koch AC, Mead MN, Tothy PK, Newman RA, Gyllenhaal C. Impact of antioxidant supplementation on chemotherapeutic efficacy: A systematic review of the evidence from randomized controlled trials. Cancer Treat Rev. 2007; 33(5): 407-18

8. Block KI, Koch AC, Mead MN, Tothy PK, Newman RA, Gyllenhaal C. Impact of antioxidant supplementation on chemotherapeutic toxicity: A systematic review of the evidence from randomized controlled trials. Int J Cancer 2008; 123(6):1227-39

9. Casciari JJ, Riordan NH, Schmidt TL, Meng XL, Jackson JA, Riordan HD. Cytotoxicity of ascorbate, lipoic acid, and other antioxidants in hollow fibre in vitro tumours. Br J Cancer 2001;84(11):1544–50. 5

I am not an oncologist and have no expertise in the treatment of cancers. I do not and cannot claim to treat cancer. I see patients, some of whom have cancers, and to those I offer adjunctive nutritional therapy, in which I do have expertise. I will not advise you on the use of chemotherapy, surgery etc. At all times my recommendation is for an integrative approach.

Soothing Mushroom Soup from Inspired Nutrition

Here is a very easy-to-make mushroom soup for you at home given to us by Inspired Nutrition at our Outsmart Cancer Cookery Class on Saturday.
It was absolutely delicious, healthy and very moreish. We can't wait to make it ourselves!
Click here to find out what other workshops and events we have in store for 2017.



Ingredients:

500 grams of mushrooms

1 large onion, peeled and diced

500ml homemade vegetable stock or broth

100ml coconut milk

1tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme



Recipe:

1. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft then add the mushrooms and       thyme.

2. Fry the mushrooms until lightly browned,add the hot stock then pour the
    contents of the pan into a blender and then blend until smooth.

3. Return the soup to the pan, add coconut milk and heat through.

4. Season to taste and serve in large bowls decorated with a sprig of thyme in each.

My Work Experience at Yes To Life - Anna Jevons

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Anna Jevons and I am a 14 year old, year 10 student from Highgate Wood Comprehensive. This week has been my much anticipated work experience week and I have been fortunate enough to have been placed with the Yes To Life charity. 

Monday morning began well, as instead of reaching for the usual school uniform I examined my wardrobe to find something that would fit the ‘smart/casual’ brief. After several changes, I was finally satisfied with my reflection in the mirror and headed for the tube. Living in London, I have been on the tube many times, but normally at weekends. This felt different. Instead of my usual 5-minute walk to school with friends, I found myself being caught up in the crowds of people, all seeming in a real rush to get where they needed to be. On exiting the tube, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people walk with such purpose. I walked on feeling a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation.

As soon as I arrived at the office, I was warmly welcomed by Sue, the Executive Director and Jane, the Junior Executive and instantly felt the friendly atmosphere. After hearing all about the charity’s aims, including changing attitudes and making integrative cancer care readily available, I felt thoroughly passionate about bettering the care for cancer patients. The pride these ladies take in their work is truly inspiring. I absolutely love that there’s a genuine impetus and motivation behind his company, that being Bryony Daly, who died at the age of 23 after suffering from a rare and highly malignant muscle tumour. Yes To Life keeps her name alive as it strives to accommodate the health and happiness of its beneficiaries.

At once I was keen to start working on the admin tasks I had been set and found them challenging yet incredibly engaging. Sue and Jane were extremely generous in taking the time to run through everything with me. It was only day 2 and I felt like I had learned so much already. For instance I’m sure the excel skills I’ve been taught, will be useful for any future career I embark on. Perhaps the most emotional part of work so far occurred when organising past files of patients, some of whom who had sadly lost their battle against cancer. In addition to witnessing these harsh realities, reading through the files also allowed me to witness the uplifting determination of many of the charity’s beneficiaries. This charity is really making a difference to hundreds of beneficiaries’ lives!

Although my work has been predominately office based, I did get to run an errand for Sue, which took me to a hipster juice bar/bicycle shop. It ended up with me pumping up a gym ball in the street, much to the amusement of passers-by. This was all to ensure the executives kept their posture whilst working for the cause! I’d like to thank Sue and Jane for giving me this opportunity which I’ve found so rewarding and hope the charity continues to flourish and go from strength to strength.