Your Immune System Can’t Do Its Job When It’s Burdened by Toxins
The following is adapted from The Grace of Cancer by Veronica Villanueva.
Chocolate soufflé is my favorite dessert. But was it worth dying for?
I had to ask myself that question—and many like it—when I was diagnosed with “incurable” lung cancer. Every time, my answer was the same: living was more important. So I dramatically changed my lifestyle: I cut out sugar, ate healthier foods, meditated, took dietary supplements, and incorporated any number of other treatments into my daily life.
The doctors told me I only had six months to live, but nearly four years later, I am more alive than ever. My healing journey taught me many things, but above all, it showed me that we need to stop using our bodies as garbage trucks. We are not built to store anything bad inside of us, and when that happens, we only breed disease.
A nutrient-rich diet, balanced hormones, and good bodily functions are the secrets to a healthy life for anyone, not just for those battling cancer. That’s because your immune system can’t do its job when it’s burdened by toxins. Read on to learn about the common places that toxins hide and what you can do to reduce their presence in your diet and body.
Eliminate Heavy Metals
Toxins are everywhere. They enter your body from medications, synthetic hormones, non-organic food contaminated with pesticides, processed food, and the environment. The most damaging toxins linked to cancer are heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and aluminum.
Mercury is everywhere. It is in the fish we eat, especially tuna. If you cannot live without fish, stick to fish with lower levels of mercury, like sardines, salmon, tilapia, North Atlantic chub mackerel, and freshwater trout.
Mercury can also be found in dental amalgams, which is a mixture used for fillings. In order to heal, your mouth needs to be clear of toxins, too. When I had all the mercury removed from my mouth, I learned I may have had an infection caused by root canals. To avoid taking any chances, I switched over to a biological dentist, which is essentially a holistic dentist that avoids harmful chemicals.
Make Lasting Changes to Your Diet
When you are ill, you cannot cheat yourself of proper nutrition. A good diet is non-negotiable. Making long-lasting changes may be hard at first, but as soon as you start noticing positive results, eating well will become easier.
The food you eat can either help you thrive or poison you. Remember, you are not just eating for calories. You are eating to heal yourself and to strengthen your immune system.
Follow these tips to reduce toxins in your diet and body:
Care for Your Lymphatic System
If you did not know, our blood delivers nutrients to our cells while our lymphatic system removes the toxins. If the lymphatic system gets blocked, it cannot flush out the toxic debris, which leads to a compromised immune system.
A compromised immune system is the perfect environment for disease to breed in the body. To prevent your lymphatic system from becoming blocked, add exercise, massages, dry brushing (exfoliating by rubbing a dry loofah or brush over the skin), raw foods, herbs, and plenty of lemon water to your daily routine.
Take Toxin-Binding Supplements
Another way to remove toxins from your body is by taking toxin-binding supplements. I take chlorella daily, which cleans toxins from the food I eat and stimulates my immune system to aid faster healing.
Chlorella is a type of freshwater algae that inhibits the absorption of heavy metals in the body, especially mercury. These days, chlorella is considered a superfood. It is very nutritious, as it contains proteins, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and omega-3 fats. In addition, chlorella is supposed to boost the immune system to battle against bacteria and viruses, as well as fight cancer and other diseases.
Detoxify Daily
As I have learned firsthand, under the right conditions, cancer growth can be both slowed and reversed—and I am far from the only person to experience this turn of events. According to the National Cancer Institute, there are 7 million Americans alive today who have lived five or more years after their cancer diagnosis. The lesson here is that cancer is reversible.
If your immune system is overcome by toxins, it can’t do its job. During my fight with cancer, I made every effort to clear my body of toxins and reduce inflammation. I noticed the effects immediately: my bloating disappeared, I had more energy, my mind cleared, and I slept better.
Even if you do not have cancer, detoxification therapy should be a part of your life. The more conscious you are of the things you’re putting into your body, the more sure you can be that your immune system will be capable of fighting disease.
For more advice on detoxification, you can find The Grace of Cancer on Amazon.
Veronica Villanueva discovered her “why” after being diagnosed with stage IV cancer in 2016. She knows she is alive today to share grace, blessings, and the lessons that cancer has taught her. Her “incurable” disease gave her the gift of knowing herself, loving herself, and sharing herself with others in a profound way. Through her work as a trained Cordon Bleu chef and certified health coach, Veronica aims to inspire others to embrace a holistic lifestyle built on a commitment to growth, eating healthy foods, taking the time to create memorable moments, and of course, fostering loving relationships.
