Gone way too soon. That sentiment is ringing loud and clear over the last week or so with a string of world renowned performers passing, many of them as a result of a battle with the BIG C, others from chronic illness and digestive disorders. As a man who has been in a 10 year journey with stage 4 colon cancer, a digestive disease, it is so tough for me not to discuss this topic publicly. This has been due to fears from being condemned by health authorities for discussing how to thrive in life beyond disease using natural methods of coping mentally, physically and emotionally. I believe there is a place for traditional methods of treatment in acute situations, but should this be a reason to stop an education for those looking to be proactive with avoiding any life threatening disease or chronic illness? Life is just too short not to have the information that might help us grow old slowly and feel good doing it. Music legend David Bowie (liver cancer), acclaimed actor Alan Rickman (pancreatic cancer), Celine Dion’s husband and manager René Angélil (throat cancer) and beloved 1970s television star Dan Haggerty (spinal cancer) all died from this horrible disease recently. Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey, age 67, had been battling intestinal issues for months. Frey co-wrote many of the Eagles hits, including "Hotel California," and "Heartache Tonight." Legendary Soul singer Natalie Cole also passed from a battle with Hepatitis C and heart disease. All of these folks were in their 60's .You should not be dying in your 60's. 60 is the new 40 for crying out loud!! I cannot speak for any of these cherished artists and performers, but with my own battles with THE BIG C, I believe my past choices of hard living, disregard for proper nutrition and choosing to remain ignorant played a huge role in my body's weakened state to develop stage 4 cancer. I was a music tour manager for 8 years living on the road, drinking too much alcohol, not exercising and eating a very poor diet due to living on a tour bus and waking up in a new city daily. I can only guess reaching the level of stardom that these people were able to reach, did not come without paying the price of enormous and compounding amounts of stressful, depressive, mood and hormonal situations. How much did they focus on their overall well being and choosing to be nutritionally sound? Were they fed information about natural health or shielded from it? With all of their financial fortunes, one would think that these individuals would be able to afford to travel to the ends of the earth to find the best doctors and a "cure" for each of their conditions. But for many of these folks, it may have been too late to start changing their lifestyle choices. It all starts with an AWARENESS and education about proper nutrition and lifestyle choices. Life is just too short. We only get to run through it once. I truly believe that what I have learned in the past 10 years from my own experience and research about putting premium nutrition into my body gave me the opportunity to not only recover from a life threatening illness but to thrive in life. Every 9 months or so every cell in our body replaces itself with a new one. What we put in and on our bodies directly affects the life cycle of those newly formed cells. It is most noticeable in the rapid dividing cells in our body, meaning our hair, skin, nails and teeth enamel. These tend to show our current health state more vividly than anything else. Have you ever gone on a nutrition kick for a couple of months and all of a sudden someone compliments your skin or complexion? This is because the newest skin cells that have grown are fresh and nurtured from your recent lifestyle decisions and are showing off the glow of goodness from that change. There is a compounding effect behind this. Where your skin shows results quickly, it will take consistency for the same to happen to an organ such as your liver or lungs. Does it make sense that by being consistent with a positive lifestyle change, it will add quality nutrients to your diet and will improve the condition of those vital organs just as it did your skin? Time, Consistency, Amount, Hydration and Sleep all play a factor in our quality of life. If you want to grow old slowly and feel good doing it, here is my suggestion. Focus on nutrition in your life. Choose ingredients daily that are filled with powerful antioxidants that work like a detergent to help our bodies cleanse itself. These same chemical compounds are known to eradicate oxidative stress (free radicals) in our bodies which reek havoc with the communication within our cellular network. Choose foods that are known to contain anti-inflammatory properties to keep friction, redness and swelling to a minimum. Healing begins only when these cease to exist. Choose nutrients that build our immune system daily. This natural defense system or force field is how our body defends itself from foreign invaders that intend to bring harm to us. We must strengthen our immune system to protect our own well being. Choose foods that are alkalizing to the body (dark leafy greens, beans, seeds, root vegetables, fruits and most any colorful foods), nutrients that serve as clean burning fuel for our digestive engines versus too much acidic foods (dairy, sugar, sodas, processed meat, coffee, fast food) that leave behind a harsh residue that our body is forced to clean up and work overtime. All of these suggestions can be found easily and conveniently in the functional food blends that I offer at RockinWellness.com. Receiving new information regarding health and wellness can be overwhelming and intimidating. Rockin' Wellness provides healthy choices in the forms of smoothie and tea blends which are delicious tasting, convenient and easy to prepare. All of our products are alkalizing, immune system building, and loaded with antioxidants. Be sure to check out our simple and delicious smoothie and tea blends at RockinWellness.com May we all grow old slowly and feel great while doing it, :) Seth Luker coFounder & PresidentRockin' Wellness Inc.
