Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

What are the functions of antioxidants? Antioxidants protect various compounds in the body from damage by some very active forms of oxygen, produced by various chemical reactions necessary to maintain body functions. Antioxidants protect cells exposed to toxic environmental factors, such as cigarette smoke, that cause cell damage, damage that can, in turn, contribute to the onset or progression of many diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Should I take vitamin E to protect my heart? In nature’s design, this vitamin is actually a group of substances called tocopherols. They are found in abundance in plant foods high in the good fats almonds, wheat germ, whole grains, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, and in cold pressed or minimally processed vegetableoils . Vitamin E and other tocopherols are powerful antioxidants, as well as vitamins. Like other antioxidants, they protect unsaturated fats from being damaged by oxygen. In humans, they help to protect against cell damage an...

I know I must cut down on saturated fats, but what about cholesterol in foods?  Cholesterol has many roles in human health. For example, some hormones and bile acids are synthesized from cholesterol, and cholesterol is part of the cell wall. But your body makes all the cholesterol you need, so you do not need to get more from foods. Up to a point, cholesterol from foods does not alter your blood cholesterol, but above a certain level, in most people, it raises blood cholesterol. A few people can eat more, with no damage, but if you have heart disease, you must be extra careful. Where is cholesterol found? Cholesterol is found only in animal foods, and most often it is dissolved in the fat part of the food. If you decrease the amount of animal fat you eat, you decrease your cholesterol intake as well. As you know, two of the richest sources of cholesterol in foods are egg yolks (egg whites have no cholesterol) and liver (cholesterol is synthesized in the liver). You can eat ...

What is blood pressure?  Blood pressure is a measurement of the pressure exerted by the blood rushing through the arteries. It is controlled mainly by the heart muscle, the many small arteries (arterioles) in the circulatory system, and proper kidney function. The strength of the heart determines the force with which the blood is pumped; the size of the small arteries (and their clear or clogged condition) determines arterial resistance to blood flow, and the kidneys control the amount of fluids in the body, which raise or lower the volume of blood. When blood pressure is taken, two sets of numbers are recorded: the higher number is the systolic pressure, measured at the peak of the heart’s contraction (from the Greek systellein , “to shorten”), and the lower number is the diastolic pressure, measured when the heart is dilated and resting for an instant between beats (from the Greek diastelltin, “to dilate”). The normal range, when you are resting and free from stress, varies ...

The heart as a pump The heart is a pump that rhythmically contracts and relaxes. Think of the principles at work in a hand operated water pump. When the handle is depressed, pressure is put on the water and it exits through a spigot. When the handle is raised, a vacuum is created and water is drawn in from the well. The flow of the water forces open a little “trap door,” a valve, which opens in one direction only. Once the water is drawn up into the pumping apparatus, it cannot flow backward into the well, only outward to the spigot. This is the way the heart works. It is the pump in charge of circulating oxygen, water, and nutrients through the bloodstream to all of the body’s tissues, including its own. The heart wall is a muscle, and just like any other muscle, it needs oxygen, water, and nutrients to function. But unlike other muscles for example, the ones in the arms or legs, which, when resting, need only a little oxygen the heart muscle needs a good supply of oxygen every s...