Colour Breathing

Colour breathing can be done anywhere and is particularly useful to do while in hospital. First, lie or sit in a comfortable position. Become totally relaxed, block out distractions and noises. Think of a time where you felt totally happy, content and peaceful. Visualize the colour needed or keep a coloured piece of cotton, material, silk scarf or piece of clothing near you, so you can look at it.

If you are having trouble seeing the colour, place the coloured item over your eyes. Breathe the colour in through your nostrils or the solar plexus (lower chest area). Direct it to the area of the body, which needs the healing. Imagine the colour flowing down to this area and feel its healing essence. Say to yourself that this area is getting better and better every moment, and improving all of the time. Know this and believe this!

Do this exercise for 10 to 15 minutes at any time of the day. It is a great therapy to do in the morning before starting the day, or in the evening before retiring for bed. Imagine the appropriate colour permeating your entire being and always re-affirm greater health and well-being.

Colours on the Body

Another simple method is to place a coloured item (silk scarf, material, coloured cloth or a piece of coloured clothing) over the area of the body that requires the healing. Imagine the colour soaking into your skin and saturating this area with its beautiful healing qualities. Re-affirm its healing potential and feel yourself getting stronger and healthier every moment.

Coloured Clothing

Wearing the right colour in your clothing is very beneficial. Look at your clothes, feel them and let the colours emanate into your aura. Even dying your hair different colours has an effect on your physical and mental health. While going through chemotherapy I wore a pink wig to open my heart to love and calm my mind. It always made me feel peaceful and content.

There are so many wonderful natural Vegetable dyes available today. Try colouring your hair to enhance the feeling or emotion you wish to provoke. They say ‘blondes have more fun’. In colour therapy this rings true, as yellow is the colour of joy and happiness. They say ‘redheads are sexy’. After all, red is the colour of passion and sexual desire!

Coloured Foods

Eating different coloured foods also enhance healing. Red, orange and yellow foods have an alkaline and stimulating effect, similar to the colours. Green foods tend to be neutral and balancing. Blue, indigo and violet foods have an acidic and calming effect.

Coloured Stones

Coloured stones and crystals have a powerful healing effect when held over the appropriate area of the body. Each crystal releases a different vibration through its essence and colour. Crystals radiate their healing vibrations to the area required and assist in rebalancing emotions.

Drinking Colours

Using coloured cellophane paper is useful. Wrap the right colour around a glass of water and leave in the sun for two hours. The water absorbs the vibrations and power from the sun and the colour. Drink the water and you will be absorbing the coloured vibration required.

Green drinks made with wheatgrass, chlorella or spirulina help encourage renewal and balance, as green is the colour of empathy, healing and harmony. Other fresh fruit and vegetable juices, according to their colour, exert many healing effects from their subtle, healing vibrations.

Other methods of colour healing include surrounding yourself with coloured flowers and plants, artwork, paintings, using coloured paints, crayons and pencils, coloured make-up, hair ribbons and decorations. Be aware of the colour you decide to paint your home, as this will have either a stimulating or calming effect on yourself and your family.

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Exercise is available to us in a variety of forms, all benefiting the body in a myriad of positive ways. Some of the best forms of exercise available in the treatment of cancer include aerobic exercise like brisk walking, roller blading, surfing, snowboarding, swimming and cycling and joint mobility exercises such as stretching, yoga, breathing routines, tai chi, qui gong, pilates and the list goes on. How does exercise benefit our body in fighting cancer?

Exercise:

•     decreases cholesterol and triglyceride levels;

•      increases levels of HDL cholesterol – the ‘goody’ and lowers levels of LDL cholesterol –

     the ‘baddie’;

•     decreases resting heart rate;

•     strengthens the heart;

•     lowers blood pressure;

•      increases oxygenation throughout the body;

•     increases cardiovascular and respiratory function;

•     increases the elimination of wastes and carbon dioxide from the body;

•     increases the absorption of nutrients into the cells;

•    improves memory and learning function;

•    increases blood supply to the muscles;

•    aids good digestion and elimination;

•    increases immune system function;

•    increases energy levels and alleviates fatigue;

•    improves calcium deposition in bones and prevents osteoporosis;

•    promotes lean body mass while burning fats;

•    increases muscle strength;

•    increases the flexibility of joints and muscles;

•    increases bone, ligament and tendon strength;

•    enhances posture, poise, physique and hence confidence;

•    increases longevity.

Regular exercise has a powerful effect on the mind by enhancing the release of pain-relieving and mood-elevating substances in the brain called endorphins. Endorphins are similar in their effect to morphine, although much milder.

Endorphins are commonly referred to as the ‘happy drugs’. For a natural high, try incorporating regular exercise into your daily life.

Exercise also:

•    decreases tension and anxiety;

•    provides a natural release of pent up feelings and alleviates anger;

•    increases self-esteem and mental outlook;

•    relieves moderate depression;

•    increases the body’s ability to cope with stress;

•    stimulates healthy mental function;

•    improves sleep, prevents insomnia;

•    induces relaxation;

•    decreases worries, restlessness and elevates low spirits;

•    increases general feelings of well-being;

•    increases inner peace and has a positive effect on the moods;

•    makes us feel great!

Regular aerobic and relaxation exercises are valuable allies in overcoming cancer and preventing illness. Exercise makes you feel great, keeps your body flexible and supple, and promotes longevity and healing. It must be remembered that too much exercise can be just as dangerous for our health as too little exercise. Over-exercising places excess stress on the body, increases nutritional requirements and speeds up the ageing process.

Try to choose exercises that you enjoy. Whichever exercise you do decide to incorporate into your ‘healing routine’, always start slowly, listen to your body signals and gently increase the frequency and intensity of your work-outs. Moderation and balance in all areas of our life is a simple solution to good health.

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The Chinese have used dandelion for the treatment of breast cancer for thousands of years. It increases the production of bile and is a strong diuretic, due to the high potassium content found in the leaves. This is useful when undertaking chemotherapy, as the body tends to retain high amounts of fluid. One cup of dandelion tea after chemotherapy is a natural way to eliminate fluid from swollen knees, ankles, hips and stomach.

Dandelion is useful at improving the function of the body’s spleen, kidney, liver, pancreas and stomach. It may aid in the prevention of breast cancer and is beneficial in treating age spots, boils, anemia, cirrhosis of the liver, jaundice, rheumatism abscesses. Dandelion is rich in bioflavonoids, biotin, calcium, choline, folic acid, fluten, gum, inositol, inulin, iron, linolenic acid, magnesium, niacin, PABA, phosphorous, proteins, resin, sulphur, zinc, vitamins A, Bl, B2, B6, Â12, Ñ and E.

What is the best way to use dandelion?

• Herbal tea – put 2 to 3 teaspoons of the root into 1 cup of water, bring to the boil and gently

simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Drink 3 times a day.

• Salads – adding a few dandelion leaves to a salad during cancer treatment is a good way of

stimulating the appetite and providing the body with a rich array of beneficial nutrients.

• Juice – the leaves can also be juiced.

• Tincture — 5 to 10 ml of the tincture 3 times per day.

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Zinc facilitates the elimination of toxic metals from the body including arsenic, copper, cadmium and lead. It enhances the ability of the liver to detoxify alcohols and is helpful for the general health of the body’s immune system. It protects the liver from chemical damage and maintains the proper concentration of vitamin E in the blood. It also aids in the healing of wounds, prevents scar formation, and is essential for the health and function of the reproductive organs.

Zinc increases the number of circulating T-lymphocytes (by significantly increasing the body’s production of thymulin, responsible for causing the further replication of T-lymphocytes within the thymus). Zinc deficiency can cause the thymus gland to shrink and supplementing with zinc causes re-growth of the thymus gland. Zinc increases the production of antibodies and stimulates the production of interferon. People afflicted with cancer of the oesophagus and cancer of the prostate are often deficient in zinc. Zinc is an essential mineral for healthy prostate and reproductive system function. White flecks on the nails are a sign of zinc deficiency.

Mouth ulcers, appetite loss, loss of taste and smell, fatigue, increased stress and poor immunity are all side-effects of conventional cancer treatment. Zinc helps to ease many of these uncomfortable side-effects.

Zinc must be obtained daily from the diet as the body is unable to make enough

Good food sources of zinc include oysters, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, fish, oats, ginger, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, almonds, turnips, pecans and brewer’s yeast.

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 vitamins are all water-soluble and are not stored very well in the body. Thus, they are needed daily to support the many functions they carry out. Deficiencies of one or more  vitamins may occur fairly easily, especially during times of fasting, weight-loss, stress, or with diets that include substantial amounts of refined and processed food, white flour products, caffeine, oral contraceptive use, tobacco, sugar or alcohol.

B-complex vitamins are important in the general maintenance of health and good immune system function. It is believed they help to enhance the effects of chemotherapy and to decrease side effects associated with chemotherapy.

B-complex vitamins are useful in restoring nutritional status to underweight or malnourished cancer patients. They are excellent for improving energy levels and preventing fatigue associated with cancer treatment.

B-complex vitamins are extremely important for the normal functioning of the nervous system and are often helpful in bringing relaxation to individuals who are stressed, nervous, depressed or fatigued. Glowing skin, hair and eyes are influenced by  vitamins, as is the optimal functioning of our body’s liver.

Good sources of  complex vitamins include brewer’s yeast, brown rice, germ and bran of cereal grains, legumes, torula yeast, nuts and seeds.

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