I have found that in this world "love without boundaries" is such a difficult task for us. Because we have gotten hurt by others;therefore, bitterness and unforgiveness lies deep within our hearts. Many of us have become what Matthew 24:12 speaks of, "Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold." Sin can look like many things...others hurting [physically, mentally, emotionally] you, turning their loyalty away from you, breaking of trust, lies, and even, just plain silence toward you. Unfortunately, we do live in a broken world, where there are many broken people and because of this our love does become cold.
But God...because God has forgiven our sins, we should not withhold forgiveness from others. Unforgiveness and bitterness if left untouched and is dwelled upon, becomes a deep stronghold within ourselves and it comes to affect not only ourselves, but those around us. In fact, this stronghold shuts down the power of prayer and disables the flow of healing and outreach to those around us.
I am not saying that it is easy to forgive others for their wrongs and weaknesses, but we what I am expressing is that we must remember and realize that because Christ has forgiven us, it should help us produce an attitude of forgiveness toward others.
I remember reading a book several years ago by Stormie Omartian, and one tiny sentence at the beginning of the book, captured my attention and it has stuck with me ever since...I don't remember the exact words that it used, but the gist of it was something like this...when you don't forgive, you are basically setting yourself above Christ's law of love and saying, in not so many words that Christ's death on the cross wasn't good enough! That really pulled at my heart strings because at the time, I had so much bitterness and unforgiveness in my heart. It made me realize that I was telling God, that His son's death, just wasn't good enough. I couldn't believe that my actions were showing Him that what His son did for me just wasn't enough to cover the sins and weaknesses of others.
I have to say that the forgiveness wasn't an overnight process, but as I gave my bitterness and unforgivessness to God and allowed Him to work in my life and heal my heart. I began to see my "cold heart" turn into gentleness, affection, and compassion for others. Allowing God to work in my life and in my heart, gave me the opportunity to show others Christ's love and live a life of "love without boundaries."
I ask you today, if you are harboring any unforgiveness or bitterness, give it to God and ask Him to begin to work in your life and in your heart. Don't allow bitterness to become a disease in your heart and soul for this will only allow the enemy to have a stronghold in your life and it will begin to turn your heart cold toward God and others.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Humility, Desperation, and Dependence
This morning I was convicted by the Holy Spirit by the words that I ended my last post in," I will boldly say, 'I am expecting to hear the doctor say, ...there is no hint of disease or trace of cancer!' ."
I felt that maybe saying that, there was a hint of pride in my words. I want my words to glorify and edify God. Several times the Bible warns us that "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). In James 5:5, God says, "...God sets himself against the proud but he shows favor to the humble." I want the words that I speak [and write] to show that I come before God in humility and brokenness and that my prayers and words are for serving Him. I want my words to be based on the character and promises of God, not on pride.
Over the past couple of months I have had to grow strong in my prayer life, put my self-confidence away; throw my pride aside and come to Jesus with a sense of desperation and dependence. I then have had to and must continue to patiently and expectantly watch as God responds to my prayers and acts on my behalf.
This was truly my heart when I spoke [wrote] those words yesterday. I think that God wants you to grow in your prayer life today, heed to His spirit, humble yourself and depend upon Him. Remember, that God's timing isn't always our timing, but put your confidence in Christ and His Word no matter what happens. He is your hope and He will surely reward your trust in Him!
I felt that maybe saying that, there was a hint of pride in my words. I want my words to glorify and edify God. Several times the Bible warns us that "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). In James 5:5, God says, "...God sets himself against the proud but he shows favor to the humble." I want the words that I speak [and write] to show that I come before God in humility and brokenness and that my prayers and words are for serving Him. I want my words to be based on the character and promises of God, not on pride.
Over the past couple of months I have had to grow strong in my prayer life, put my self-confidence away; throw my pride aside and come to Jesus with a sense of desperation and dependence. I then have had to and must continue to patiently and expectantly watch as God responds to my prayers and acts on my behalf.
This was truly my heart when I spoke [wrote] those words yesterday. I think that God wants you to grow in your prayer life today, heed to His spirit, humble yourself and depend upon Him. Remember, that God's timing isn't always our timing, but put your confidence in Christ and His Word no matter what happens. He is your hope and He will surely reward your trust in Him!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Knowledge is Power Part II...
I realized one very important thing that I forgot to mention in my previous post...Dr. Warburg's research "hypothesized that cancer, malignant growth, and tumor growth are caused by the fact that tumor cells mainly generate energy by non-oxidative breakdown of glucose (a process called glycolysis). This is in contrast to "healthy" cells which mainly generate energy from oxidative breakdown of pyruvate. Pyruvate is an end-product of glycolysis, and is oxidized within the mitochondria. Hence and according to Warburg, cancer should be interpreted as a mitochondrial dysfunction." I think Dr. Warburg summed it up perfectly in a lecture by saying, "Cancer, above all other diseases, has countless secondary causes. But, even for cancer, there is only one prime cause. Summarized in a few words, the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar." The first part of this was a bit technical, but that is why I added the quote from Dr. Warburg that summed up the technicalities in layman's terms. Basically, the cancer cells feed off of sugar, because your body has no oxygen in your cells, the unhealthy cells continue to multiply by feeding off of each other and the "sugar" state that your body has created.
Since I am in a "cancerous/diseased" state, to me this all seemed to be too simplistic...in the fact that...if you just give your body more oxygen, then it would eradicate the disease it has because you are putting oxygen into an environment where none exists. Well it isn't quite that simple...oxygen cannot cure disease UNLESS it's delivered to the Cells and Tissues of the body. So we can't just breathe through our lungs to get oxygen (because then what would be the point of eating, if we could nourish our body with just breathing? LOL.) Right now I am trying other methods of helping to help supply my body with oxygen. Some examples of this include drinking water with a product called "cell food (http://www.luminahealth.com, drinking water with lots of Barley Grass powder, and soaking my feet in diluted 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide.
Other things that I am doing include: taking Omega-3 Fish Oil (gel caps), Vitamin E (gel caps), and a liquid vitamin called LiquiVive (http://www.lifenatural.com/liquidvitamins.htm. On a side note, your body tends to absorb anything liquid better than it does caplets. For example, taking a liquid vitamin as opposed to a caplet form. On several websites, I have read your body tends only to absorb between 10-30% of vitamins in a caplet form as opposed to about 90-95% in a liquid form. Many times the caplet form doesn't absorb as well because of what is used to bond the vitamins together...so if you are going to take a caplet form of a vitamin then make sure that it is an organic/natural pill, those tend to breakdown and dissolve in your body more easily than others (e.g. like Centrum). As for the fish oil, yes it is better to take the liquid form, but if you are going to take any form of it...make sure that it is a very purified form (which is probably the more expensive of the brands). "The easiest way to tell whether your fish oil is reasonably free from contaminants is through smell and taste. A very fish taste or smell of fish oil is highly indicative of oil that is not sufficiently refined" [Dr. Barry Sears, author of "The Zone Diet" and "Toxic Fat"]. Look for oils with five-star ratings, indicating that they are pure and potent. I have found fish oils both at Whole Foods, health food stores, and on-line.
I do want to mention that I am taking more of the recommended dosages on some of the above mentioned products. Most of these products are intended for people who are in a semi-healthy to healthy state of being, and just want to maintain or improve their healthy state. As for my case, since I am in a state that the doctor's call "cancerous," then I am taking more than the recommended dosages on some of the products.
As for the hydrogen peroxide soaks...these soaks are actually recommended for many different types of illnesses, such as people who suffer from fibromyalgia, gout, edema, and many others. The idea behind hydrogen peroxide/oxidative therapies (e.g. through the skin, orally, or intravenously) is "based on the belief that you have toxins in your body that are typically burnt up in the process of oxidation (oxygen). Oxidation breaks down toxins into carbon dioxide and water. However, if the body is weak or deficient (whether through the lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking, improper breathing, or environmental pollution) our bodies cannot eliminate the toxins adequately and a toxic reaction can occur. Therefore, by introducing oxidative therapies, it introduces active forms of oxygen. Once in the body, the hydrogen peroxide/ozone breaks down into various oxygen sub-species which contact anaerobic viruses and microbes (i.e. the viruses that can live without oxygen) as well as diseased or deficient tissue cells." Basically once this process takes place, your body becomes saturated with these forms of oxygen and the toxicity is oxidized and eliminated from your body. If you want more information on this subject let me know and I will be happy to tell you what I know about it. Again, this is just me giving information that I have.
Since we are on the subject of toxins...I wanted to reinterate why it is so important to have a pH balanced diet. If you don't have a balance diet, your body can go into a state of what doctors call "inflammation." Dr. Andrew Weil (a nutrition and health expert) says, "We all know inflammation on the surface of the body as local redness, heat, swelling and pain. It is the cornerstone of the body's healing response, bringing more nourishment and more immune activity to a site of injury or infection." But there are other types of inflammation, one is called silent inflammation. Silent Inflammation is described by Dr. Barry Sears, as "the most dangerous type of inflammation because you do nothing about it as it continues to attack your organs for years until enough accumulated damage occurs to produce a visible chronic disease." This type of inflammation begins slowly and over a long period of time. At first there is no pain associated with it until it becomes into a chronic disease (e.g. heart attack, cancer, etc). Dr. Sears book, "Toxic Fat," describes how we need to have a balance of pro and anti-inflammatory responses. If we one or the other out of balance, then our body is under constant inflammatory attack, but at a low level of intensity. This is how a "pro-inflammatory diet" causes what he calls Toxic Fat Syndrome. The end result of it, is that your body develops chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer's. But if you follow an anti-inflammatory (e.g. pH-balanced diet) you can avoid chronic diseases.
One thing that Dr. Sears points out in his book is that "many of the diseases (e.g. heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc) that the 'Western civilization' has are probably due to our dietary changes that have occurred in the past twenty-five years." I am sure that you have noticed that there are so many people that have cancer now than there used to be twenty-five years ago. Many of you know of at least one or more people that have cancer. I don't think that it is a coincidence, but I am fairly sure that a lot of it does have to do with our diet.
I will admit, I am guilty of having had a poor diet. I wasn't much for vegetables (not that I am the biggest fan now), but I did like fruit, but didn't seem to eat much of that this past year. I did eat a lot of junk food and things that weren't healthy for me...and the interesting part of all of that...is that one day, I actually thought to myself...well this can't be that bad for me because I am not really gaining weight! Little did I know, there was this thing called silent inflammation. I will be honest and say that I have never been tested for this "Toxic Fat Syndrome" which is linked to silent inflammation, but I truly wouldn't doubt if I had it. He gives a list of questions in his book and says if you answer three or more of them...it is quite likely that you probably have high levels of silent inflammation which can lead to the syndrome.I was able to say "yes" to four of the questions. :( Saying all of that, brings me back to my point of writing all of this...his book mentions that you don't have to be fat to have this "toxic fat syndrome." Which surprised me, since my thinking was, "well I am not gaining weight...so this can't be that bad for me."
All of that said, it is so important to keep a well balance diet if you want to fight off chronic disease. There are several websites and resources out there that give you hints and tips to an "anti-inflammatory diet."
Two months ago, today, God impressed upon me to begin a fast for forty days. I decided to start with the Daniel fast that Aaron and I did a few years ago. I prayed and sought God about the purpose and reason for the fast. I told him that I was expecting great things on His part and asked for His grace to be able to finish well. Those forty days have since passed and I know that I only finished well because of His supernatural grace. During that time, I did a lot of researching on my own and God brought resources to me as well to make more informed decisions about my eating habits. I actually changed my fast to a more restricted one, based on the information that I researched and was given. I have since introduced a couple of other foods into my diet, but I feel that God continues to impress upon me that I must continue so that I make this type of eating a life-long habit. Not just one for a momentary passing. I know that my eating habits will be a life-long process and that in the moments that I just want to give into eating unhealthy foods all the time because that is what is quick and easy...God's strength in me will prevail, because I am weak in those moments.
On November 30, 2010...I will have my next follow-up appointment and I will boldly say, I am expecting to hear the doctor say, "...there is no hint of disease or trace of cancer!"
Since I am in a "cancerous/diseased" state, to me this all seemed to be too simplistic...in the fact that...if you just give your body more oxygen, then it would eradicate the disease it has because you are putting oxygen into an environment where none exists. Well it isn't quite that simple...oxygen cannot cure disease UNLESS it's delivered to the Cells and Tissues of the body. So we can't just breathe through our lungs to get oxygen (because then what would be the point of eating, if we could nourish our body with just breathing? LOL.) Right now I am trying other methods of helping to help supply my body with oxygen. Some examples of this include drinking water with a product called "cell food (http://www.luminahealth.com, drinking water with lots of Barley Grass powder, and soaking my feet in diluted 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide.
Other things that I am doing include: taking Omega-3 Fish Oil (gel caps), Vitamin E (gel caps), and a liquid vitamin called LiquiVive (http://www.lifenatural.com/liquidvitamins.htm. On a side note, your body tends to absorb anything liquid better than it does caplets. For example, taking a liquid vitamin as opposed to a caplet form. On several websites, I have read your body tends only to absorb between 10-30% of vitamins in a caplet form as opposed to about 90-95% in a liquid form. Many times the caplet form doesn't absorb as well because of what is used to bond the vitamins together...so if you are going to take a caplet form of a vitamin then make sure that it is an organic/natural pill, those tend to breakdown and dissolve in your body more easily than others (e.g. like Centrum). As for the fish oil, yes it is better to take the liquid form, but if you are going to take any form of it...make sure that it is a very purified form (which is probably the more expensive of the brands). "The easiest way to tell whether your fish oil is reasonably free from contaminants is through smell and taste. A very fish taste or smell of fish oil is highly indicative of oil that is not sufficiently refined" [Dr. Barry Sears, author of "The Zone Diet" and "Toxic Fat"]. Look for oils with five-star ratings, indicating that they are pure and potent. I have found fish oils both at Whole Foods, health food stores, and on-line.
I do want to mention that I am taking more of the recommended dosages on some of the above mentioned products. Most of these products are intended for people who are in a semi-healthy to healthy state of being, and just want to maintain or improve their healthy state. As for my case, since I am in a state that the doctor's call "cancerous," then I am taking more than the recommended dosages on some of the products.
As for the hydrogen peroxide soaks...these soaks are actually recommended for many different types of illnesses, such as people who suffer from fibromyalgia, gout, edema, and many others. The idea behind hydrogen peroxide/oxidative therapies (e.g. through the skin, orally, or intravenously) is "based on the belief that you have toxins in your body that are typically burnt up in the process of oxidation (oxygen). Oxidation breaks down toxins into carbon dioxide and water. However, if the body is weak or deficient (whether through the lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking, improper breathing, or environmental pollution) our bodies cannot eliminate the toxins adequately and a toxic reaction can occur. Therefore, by introducing oxidative therapies, it introduces active forms of oxygen. Once in the body, the hydrogen peroxide/ozone breaks down into various oxygen sub-species which contact anaerobic viruses and microbes (i.e. the viruses that can live without oxygen) as well as diseased or deficient tissue cells." Basically once this process takes place, your body becomes saturated with these forms of oxygen and the toxicity is oxidized and eliminated from your body. If you want more information on this subject let me know and I will be happy to tell you what I know about it. Again, this is just me giving information that I have.
Since we are on the subject of toxins...I wanted to reinterate why it is so important to have a pH balanced diet. If you don't have a balance diet, your body can go into a state of what doctors call "inflammation." Dr. Andrew Weil (a nutrition and health expert) says, "We all know inflammation on the surface of the body as local redness, heat, swelling and pain. It is the cornerstone of the body's healing response, bringing more nourishment and more immune activity to a site of injury or infection." But there are other types of inflammation, one is called silent inflammation. Silent Inflammation is described by Dr. Barry Sears, as "the most dangerous type of inflammation because you do nothing about it as it continues to attack your organs for years until enough accumulated damage occurs to produce a visible chronic disease." This type of inflammation begins slowly and over a long period of time. At first there is no pain associated with it until it becomes into a chronic disease (e.g. heart attack, cancer, etc). Dr. Sears book, "Toxic Fat," describes how we need to have a balance of pro and anti-inflammatory responses. If we one or the other out of balance, then our body is under constant inflammatory attack, but at a low level of intensity. This is how a "pro-inflammatory diet" causes what he calls Toxic Fat Syndrome. The end result of it, is that your body develops chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer's. But if you follow an anti-inflammatory (e.g. pH-balanced diet) you can avoid chronic diseases.
One thing that Dr. Sears points out in his book is that "many of the diseases (e.g. heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc) that the 'Western civilization' has are probably due to our dietary changes that have occurred in the past twenty-five years." I am sure that you have noticed that there are so many people that have cancer now than there used to be twenty-five years ago. Many of you know of at least one or more people that have cancer. I don't think that it is a coincidence, but I am fairly sure that a lot of it does have to do with our diet.
I will admit, I am guilty of having had a poor diet. I wasn't much for vegetables (not that I am the biggest fan now), but I did like fruit, but didn't seem to eat much of that this past year. I did eat a lot of junk food and things that weren't healthy for me...and the interesting part of all of that...is that one day, I actually thought to myself...well this can't be that bad for me because I am not really gaining weight! Little did I know, there was this thing called silent inflammation. I will be honest and say that I have never been tested for this "Toxic Fat Syndrome" which is linked to silent inflammation, but I truly wouldn't doubt if I had it. He gives a list of questions in his book and says if you answer three or more of them...it is quite likely that you probably have high levels of silent inflammation which can lead to the syndrome.I was able to say "yes" to four of the questions. :( Saying all of that, brings me back to my point of writing all of this...his book mentions that you don't have to be fat to have this "toxic fat syndrome." Which surprised me, since my thinking was, "well I am not gaining weight...so this can't be that bad for me."
All of that said, it is so important to keep a well balance diet if you want to fight off chronic disease. There are several websites and resources out there that give you hints and tips to an "anti-inflammatory diet."
Two months ago, today, God impressed upon me to begin a fast for forty days. I decided to start with the Daniel fast that Aaron and I did a few years ago. I prayed and sought God about the purpose and reason for the fast. I told him that I was expecting great things on His part and asked for His grace to be able to finish well. Those forty days have since passed and I know that I only finished well because of His supernatural grace. During that time, I did a lot of researching on my own and God brought resources to me as well to make more informed decisions about my eating habits. I actually changed my fast to a more restricted one, based on the information that I researched and was given. I have since introduced a couple of other foods into my diet, but I feel that God continues to impress upon me that I must continue so that I make this type of eating a life-long habit. Not just one for a momentary passing. I know that my eating habits will be a life-long process and that in the moments that I just want to give into eating unhealthy foods all the time because that is what is quick and easy...God's strength in me will prevail, because I am weak in those moments.
On November 30, 2010...I will have my next follow-up appointment and I will boldly say, I am expecting to hear the doctor say, "...there is no hint of disease or trace of cancer!"
Knowledge is Power!!
Today, the holy spirit impressed upon me to begin to share the knowledge that I have acquired over the past couple of months. I was also asked by a dear friend of mine to share this knowledge with you. I do want to warn you that this information will lead you to improve your health. I am not a medical doctor nor a dietician; therefore, know that I am sharing the things that God (the Great Physician) has given me as a tool to improve my health.
These past couple of months have been truly eye opening for me. I have learned that most diseases in this world are caused by insufficent levels of oxygen in our bodies. I emphasize caused because there are many things that are precursors or by-products of disease (e.g. viruses, microbes, germs, harmful bacteria, genes, stress, and toxins in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the things we consume), but not necessarily the cause. One article that I read said that while these above mentioned factors do "characterize most diseases, or might be precursors or by-products of disease, they do not CAUSE disease. Rather, they bring about a condition in the body (oxygen deficiency) that, in turn, causes disease."
A two-time Nobel Prize-winning doctor, Otto Warburg, won the Nobel Prize in 1931, for his research into cellular respiration, showing that cancer thrives in anaerobic (without oxygen) or acidic conditions. Dr. "Warburg reported that cancer cells maintain a lower pH, as low as 6.0, due to lactic acid production and elevated CO2 (Carbon Dioxide). He firmly believed that there was a direct relationship between pH and oxygen. Higher pH means higher concentration of oxygen molecules while lower pH means lower concentrations of oxygen."
What I have gathered from that information and many other articles is that a body that is rich in oxygen has a lower probability of acquiring disease, and because cancer cells, harmful bacteria, toxins, pathogens, and disease microorganisms can't live in a high-oxygen environment, they cannot survive!
Did you know that every human being has cancer cells existing in their body, but the difference between someone who develops cancer and someone who is healthy, is that the person who is healthy has a strong immune system that is able to fight off the existing cancer cells. Eating poorly, not exercising, and high stress levels, are just some of the ways that we compromise our immune system on a daily basis.
That is why you always hear commercials and doctors say, "eat healthy," "eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day," and exercise daily. All of these things (even though we seem immuned/or desensitized to them) have an underlying truth...they create oxygen to your body. They help your body create an oxygen-rich environment that fights off diseases.
Now to go into some details of what I have learned about our bodies and food. [If you remember earlier, I talked about how Dr. Warburg's studies found that having an anaerobic (low oxygen) and/or acidic (low PH level) environment creates an environment for cancer cells to grow.] Therefore, knowing that information, it is important for us to have a diet that is "pH" balanced. I am sure you hear that term in commercials, on food labels or cans, and through media all the time.
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are said to be basic or alkaline. For example... Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at 77 °F. Here is a picture of what some typical pH values look like (they range from 0-14). Think of the colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV [Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet]), just like a continuum. The Red is like a 1 (acidic) on the pH scale and 7 is Green and 14 (alkaline or base) is Violet. The ideal pH level is between a 7.35 and 7.45. Here is a link in wikipedia that gives you an idea of what this looks like and what types of things would be considered acidic and alkaline(base):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PH_Scale.svg.
Also, here is one of the better sites that I have found that gives you a great idea of what foods are acidic and alkaline. It is a good start to giving you a great idea of what types of things should be in your diet to keep you at the ideal pH level. http://www.balance-ph-diet.com/acid_alkaline_food_chart.html.
Now, remember this is a balancing act, from what I have read it seems that you should eat about 80% of your food in the alkaline level and about 20% in the base level. It seems that it is better to be more alkaline than base...given the knowledge that we now know that cancerous/diseased cells tend to grow in an acidic environment.
If you want to know your pH-levels on a daily basis...you can buy pH strips at some health food stores, on-line, or in a some medical supply stores. There seems to be two different types of pH strips, one looks like a scotch tape roll (less expensive $5-10 per roll) and the other is like strips of white plastic with a little square of litmus paper (more expensive $15-25/50 strips) at the end of it.
If you are struggling with cancer or any other type of disease, especially auto-immune related, in my opinion, it would be important for you to check your levels at least once daily. Just to make sure that you are staying more on the alkaline side of the pH balance.
This is just ONE of many components that I am currently doing. I will post more as the week goes by. I hope that this has been helpful to you. If you have any questions or comments...please feel free to comment on this page. I do moderate the comments, so it won't automatically show your comments until I allow it to.
Ultimately, I want to say...God is the one who is in charge. We have to do our part in helping ourselves, but ultimately it is our FAITH in Him that overcomes all things.
--Con Amor, Tina
These past couple of months have been truly eye opening for me. I have learned that most diseases in this world are caused by insufficent levels of oxygen in our bodies. I emphasize caused because there are many things that are precursors or by-products of disease (e.g. viruses, microbes, germs, harmful bacteria, genes, stress, and toxins in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the things we consume), but not necessarily the cause. One article that I read said that while these above mentioned factors do "characterize most diseases, or might be precursors or by-products of disease, they do not CAUSE disease. Rather, they bring about a condition in the body (oxygen deficiency) that, in turn, causes disease."
A two-time Nobel Prize-winning doctor, Otto Warburg, won the Nobel Prize in 1931, for his research into cellular respiration, showing that cancer thrives in anaerobic (without oxygen) or acidic conditions. Dr. "Warburg reported that cancer cells maintain a lower pH, as low as 6.0, due to lactic acid production and elevated CO2 (Carbon Dioxide). He firmly believed that there was a direct relationship between pH and oxygen. Higher pH means higher concentration of oxygen molecules while lower pH means lower concentrations of oxygen."
What I have gathered from that information and many other articles is that a body that is rich in oxygen has a lower probability of acquiring disease, and because cancer cells, harmful bacteria, toxins, pathogens, and disease microorganisms can't live in a high-oxygen environment, they cannot survive!
Did you know that every human being has cancer cells existing in their body, but the difference between someone who develops cancer and someone who is healthy, is that the person who is healthy has a strong immune system that is able to fight off the existing cancer cells. Eating poorly, not exercising, and high stress levels, are just some of the ways that we compromise our immune system on a daily basis.
That is why you always hear commercials and doctors say, "eat healthy," "eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day," and exercise daily. All of these things (even though we seem immuned/or desensitized to them) have an underlying truth...they create oxygen to your body. They help your body create an oxygen-rich environment that fights off diseases.
Now to go into some details of what I have learned about our bodies and food. [If you remember earlier, I talked about how Dr. Warburg's studies found that having an anaerobic (low oxygen) and/or acidic (low PH level) environment creates an environment for cancer cells to grow.] Therefore, knowing that information, it is important for us to have a diet that is "pH" balanced. I am sure you hear that term in commercials, on food labels or cans, and through media all the time.
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are said to be basic or alkaline. For example... Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at 77 °F. Here is a picture of what some typical pH values look like (they range from 0-14). Think of the colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV [Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet]), just like a continuum. The Red is like a 1 (acidic) on the pH scale and 7 is Green and 14 (alkaline or base) is Violet. The ideal pH level is between a 7.35 and 7.45. Here is a link in wikipedia that gives you an idea of what this looks like and what types of things would be considered acidic and alkaline(base):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PH_Scale.svg.
Also, here is one of the better sites that I have found that gives you a great idea of what foods are acidic and alkaline. It is a good start to giving you a great idea of what types of things should be in your diet to keep you at the ideal pH level. http://www.balance-ph-diet.com/acid_alkaline_food_chart.html.
Now, remember this is a balancing act, from what I have read it seems that you should eat about 80% of your food in the alkaline level and about 20% in the base level. It seems that it is better to be more alkaline than base...given the knowledge that we now know that cancerous/diseased cells tend to grow in an acidic environment.
If you want to know your pH-levels on a daily basis...you can buy pH strips at some health food stores, on-line, or in a some medical supply stores. There seems to be two different types of pH strips, one looks like a scotch tape roll (less expensive $5-10 per roll) and the other is like strips of white plastic with a little square of litmus paper (more expensive $15-25/50 strips) at the end of it.
If you are struggling with cancer or any other type of disease, especially auto-immune related, in my opinion, it would be important for you to check your levels at least once daily. Just to make sure that you are staying more on the alkaline side of the pH balance.
This is just ONE of many components that I am currently doing. I will post more as the week goes by. I hope that this has been helpful to you. If you have any questions or comments...please feel free to comment on this page. I do moderate the comments, so it won't automatically show your comments until I allow it to.
Ultimately, I want to say...God is the one who is in charge. We have to do our part in helping ourselves, but ultimately it is our FAITH in Him that overcomes all things.
--Con Amor, Tina
Friday, November 12, 2010
Confidence and Strength
This week I was truly excited to see that they have scheduled my next check-up appointment for November 30, 2010. This next verse "...Let the weak say, 'I am strong'" (Joel 3:10) gave me the strength to continue being obedient to what God has called me to do (e.g. eating right, taking my vitamins, eating my barley grass, drinking my daily water dosages, exercising, writing this blog for all to hear God's word, conducting my daily foot soaks in H202, and reading, memorizing, and surrounding myself with His daily word and songs).
Some days it truly is a struggle for me to all the things on my 'to do' list, including not only my health related things, but loving my family, spending quality time with them, and performing the daily duties around our home. Overwhelmed is a word that has come to my mind many days, but I then just remind myself of what Isaiah 27:5 says, "Let him take hold of my strength." I have had to do just that! I sometimes literally reach my hands up to God and say, "Jesus help me today, I need your strength." I know that I can't juggle all of life's demands on my own and I need the Lord to help me, to give me His grace.
At times when I feel like I have failed to meet "my daily expectations," I have to remind myself of Hebrews 10:35, "Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward." I have to remember that I have to be confident in God's word, regardless of what happens on a day to day basis. I remind myself that because I have put my confidence in Jesus Christ and His word, that He is my hope and He will reward my efforts if I trust in Him.
At the end of the day, I have to tell myself, even if I feel as though I wasn't quite perfect in all the goals I wanted to accomplish that day...God sees my efforts and knows that my confidence and strength lies in Him.
If you have had a particularly stressful day and you are feeling overwhelmed and weak...say to yourself, "I am strong." I have the power and strength of the Lord God and He will see me through today...tomorrow...and all of my days. Or maybe you have had an uneventful day, but others around need encouragement and peace in their lives...share these words with them. Who knows, maybe you can be the light in the darkness of their day!!
Some days it truly is a struggle for me to all the things on my 'to do' list, including not only my health related things, but loving my family, spending quality time with them, and performing the daily duties around our home. Overwhelmed is a word that has come to my mind many days, but I then just remind myself of what Isaiah 27:5 says, "Let him take hold of my strength." I have had to do just that! I sometimes literally reach my hands up to God and say, "Jesus help me today, I need your strength." I know that I can't juggle all of life's demands on my own and I need the Lord to help me, to give me His grace.
At times when I feel like I have failed to meet "my daily expectations," I have to remind myself of Hebrews 10:35, "Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward." I have to remember that I have to be confident in God's word, regardless of what happens on a day to day basis. I remind myself that because I have put my confidence in Jesus Christ and His word, that He is my hope and He will reward my efforts if I trust in Him.
At the end of the day, I have to tell myself, even if I feel as though I wasn't quite perfect in all the goals I wanted to accomplish that day...God sees my efforts and knows that my confidence and strength lies in Him.
If you have had a particularly stressful day and you are feeling overwhelmed and weak...say to yourself, "I am strong." I have the power and strength of the Lord God and He will see me through today...tomorrow...and all of my days. Or maybe you have had an uneventful day, but others around need encouragement and peace in their lives...share these words with them. Who knows, maybe you can be the light in the darkness of their day!!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
All-In...
The "Serious Poker Dictionary" defines All-In when a player puts the last of their chips into a pot.
About 22 months ago, my pastor asked Aaron and I a very serious and important question. He asked us "are you all-in?" In this case, he was asking us if we were on board with the vision that God had given him to start Thrive Church. He asked us to give him six months to help him start the church. In my point of view, I felt he was asking us for a huge faith move. And at the same time asking,"Do you have enough faith to believe that God has something awesome in store for the people of Katy/Richmond and for you too?"
Aaron and I were quite comfortable where we were at. We loved the church we attended for so many years and had so many close friends that it was hard to think about leaving all of that, to begin a church from the foundation up. But that is where God had stepped in, a few months earlier...He began to prepare my heart slowly and subtly. I'm not really sure where the preparation truly began, but I felt myself slowly beginning to be pulled in a new direction...so once our pastor cast out his vision and told us we had forty-eight hours to give him an answer...we had to step out in faith and know that when we said, "Yes, we'll do it." That this was what God had called us to do.
Those couple of days were ones that were quite difficult for us, but through much time in prayer and seeking God we made our decision to say "yes." Today we are proud to say that we made the decision to be "all-in." We have seen so many people's lives be changed for God's glory.
At this point in my life, I have had to to tell God, okay...here you go, here's my chips, I'm "all-in." Almost every moment of everyday over the past two months I have had to fight with the enemy to cast down imaginations that are not true of God and His word. I have tried to do my best to be obedient to all of God's commands on me (e.g. through my eating habits, exercising, researching things on my own about cancer, taking time to focus on the Word of God). So that no matter what happens I know that I have followed everything that He has asked of me and I can be confident in God's promises.
Mind you I am only human and I have had weak moments where I have waivered here and there, but the Lord knows my heart and know that I am seeking Him with all I have. I know that in Hebrews 10:35, it says "do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens." I have to remember that God is truly my hope and my confidence. If I trust in Him he will truly reward me.
When you decide that you are "all-in" and you are wanting and willing to seek God. Remember to find strength and knowledge through His word and He will reward you because you have confidence in Him.
About 22 months ago, my pastor asked Aaron and I a very serious and important question. He asked us "are you all-in?" In this case, he was asking us if we were on board with the vision that God had given him to start Thrive Church. He asked us to give him six months to help him start the church. In my point of view, I felt he was asking us for a huge faith move. And at the same time asking,"Do you have enough faith to believe that God has something awesome in store for the people of Katy/Richmond and for you too?"
Aaron and I were quite comfortable where we were at. We loved the church we attended for so many years and had so many close friends that it was hard to think about leaving all of that, to begin a church from the foundation up. But that is where God had stepped in, a few months earlier...He began to prepare my heart slowly and subtly. I'm not really sure where the preparation truly began, but I felt myself slowly beginning to be pulled in a new direction...so once our pastor cast out his vision and told us we had forty-eight hours to give him an answer...we had to step out in faith and know that when we said, "Yes, we'll do it." That this was what God had called us to do.
Those couple of days were ones that were quite difficult for us, but through much time in prayer and seeking God we made our decision to say "yes." Today we are proud to say that we made the decision to be "all-in." We have seen so many people's lives be changed for God's glory.
At this point in my life, I have had to to tell God, okay...here you go, here's my chips, I'm "all-in." Almost every moment of everyday over the past two months I have had to fight with the enemy to cast down imaginations that are not true of God and His word. I have tried to do my best to be obedient to all of God's commands on me (e.g. through my eating habits, exercising, researching things on my own about cancer, taking time to focus on the Word of God). So that no matter what happens I know that I have followed everything that He has asked of me and I can be confident in God's promises.
Mind you I am only human and I have had weak moments where I have waivered here and there, but the Lord knows my heart and know that I am seeking Him with all I have. I know that in Hebrews 10:35, it says "do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens." I have to remember that God is truly my hope and my confidence. If I trust in Him he will truly reward me.
When you decide that you are "all-in" and you are wanting and willing to seek God. Remember to find strength and knowledge through His word and He will reward you because you have confidence in Him.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
True Faith...
The definition in Webster's dictionary says Faith is an "allegiance to duty or a person; loyalty; fidelity to one's promises; sincerity of intentions; firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust."
God's word describes faith as "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 New King James Version)." The New Living Translation says " Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." The beginning point of our faith, you see, is believing that God is who he says he is. And then ending with believing He will do what he says He is going to do. That is truly why it is so important that we read God's Word so we have the knowledge of God's promises. If we don't know what He has promised us, then how can we have faith in what He says? But when we know what those promises are, but we don't see them actually happening, yet we still believe that they will come to pass, then we demonstrate true faith.
I like the following example of how faith may play a part in an everyday life scenario..."Do you remember how you felt when you were very young and your birthday approached? You were excited and anxious. You knew you would certainly receive gifts and other special treats. But some things would be a surprise. Birthdays combine assurance and anticipation, and so does faith!"
One thing about God's word I will say is that like pretty much anything in our life...His promises are conditional, and there are some things we must do. God's word says this about diseases and healing, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you (Exodus 15:26 New Living Translation).
When I say that His promises are conditional, I mean that we must heed to what God impresses upon our hearts and what His word says. You must "fight" with your faith and God's word. One example might be, if you ask God to give you a raise or promotion at work...it is not to say that He can't just make it happen, but it might be likely that He may want you to do your part by working hard, showing up to work on time, researching ways to improve your job, learning ways to handle your money by investing, etc. This may be His way of preparing you to be equipped and ready for the position that He is about to put you in. Another example may be that you want to make an "A" in a class or that you want to pass an exam for your job...you can't expect that you will will make that "A" or pass without having studied for your tests or done your homework in the class. Also, if we are wanting to be healthy...we must eat right (e.g. not eating too much of the things that are unhealthy for us and eating the healthy things) and exercise.
If you have never given your life to Christ, you need to let Jesus be the Lord over your life. Romans 10:9,10 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." When you repent of your sins and confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you can have confidence to believe God for the prayers you ask of Him. If you are a new Christian or if you don't know the Lord's promises, then I would encourage you to read's God word, memorize it, and keep it in the "...midst of your heart; for they [God's words} are life to those who find them and health to all of their flesh. (Proverbs 4: 20-22)"
Believe in the power of your prayers and confess with faith without wavering, because Jesus is faithful to what He has promised.
I pray that these words have encouraged your heart and that you always pray with faith. Even webster's got it right when they said faith is defined by "firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust."
Con Amor, Tina
God's word describes faith as "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 New King James Version)." The New Living Translation says " Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." The beginning point of our faith, you see, is believing that God is who he says he is. And then ending with believing He will do what he says He is going to do. That is truly why it is so important that we read God's Word so we have the knowledge of God's promises. If we don't know what He has promised us, then how can we have faith in what He says? But when we know what those promises are, but we don't see them actually happening, yet we still believe that they will come to pass, then we demonstrate true faith.
I like the following example of how faith may play a part in an everyday life scenario..."Do you remember how you felt when you were very young and your birthday approached? You were excited and anxious. You knew you would certainly receive gifts and other special treats. But some things would be a surprise. Birthdays combine assurance and anticipation, and so does faith!"
One thing about God's word I will say is that like pretty much anything in our life...His promises are conditional, and there are some things we must do. God's word says this about diseases and healing, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you (Exodus 15:26 New Living Translation).
When I say that His promises are conditional, I mean that we must heed to what God impresses upon our hearts and what His word says. You must "fight" with your faith and God's word. One example might be, if you ask God to give you a raise or promotion at work...it is not to say that He can't just make it happen, but it might be likely that He may want you to do your part by working hard, showing up to work on time, researching ways to improve your job, learning ways to handle your money by investing, etc. This may be His way of preparing you to be equipped and ready for the position that He is about to put you in. Another example may be that you want to make an "A" in a class or that you want to pass an exam for your job...you can't expect that you will will make that "A" or pass without having studied for your tests or done your homework in the class. Also, if we are wanting to be healthy...we must eat right (e.g. not eating too much of the things that are unhealthy for us and eating the healthy things) and exercise.
If you have never given your life to Christ, you need to let Jesus be the Lord over your life. Romans 10:9,10 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." When you repent of your sins and confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you can have confidence to believe God for the prayers you ask of Him. If you are a new Christian or if you don't know the Lord's promises, then I would encourage you to read's God word, memorize it, and keep it in the "...midst of your heart; for they [God's words} are life to those who find them and health to all of their flesh. (Proverbs 4: 20-22)"
Believe in the power of your prayers and confess with faith without wavering, because Jesus is faithful to what He has promised.
I pray that these words have encouraged your heart and that you always pray with faith. Even webster's got it right when they said faith is defined by "firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust."
Con Amor, Tina
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