Free 100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It by Florence Strang Page B

get a rash, it’s pretty safe to say you won’t react, but there is never a
    100 percent guarantee. If you have known gallstones, or bile duct obstruc-
    tion, you should avoid dandelion as it promotes the flow of the digestive
    enzymes, which is healthy for most but could worsen gallbladder disease
    symptoms if you’re one of the lucky ones with gallstones. The high vitamin
    K content can alter bleeding time if you take blood-thinning medications.
    While I suppose you could, it’s probably best not to eat the dandelions
    in your yard because they have probably been the “going place” for neigh-
    borhood dogs, and if you’ve sprayed or treated your yard with
    any kind of fertilizer or weed killer, the toxic effects can stay in
    Open your mind
    the soil for many years. Eating chemical weed killer kinda can-
    and your kitchen
    cels out any beneficial health effects. (Ya think?)
    to a fresh, healthy,
    Specialty health food stores or farmers markets are the best
    cancer-fighting
    places to buy organically grown dandelions. Since they’re so easy
    dandelion salad.
    to grow, they’re usually pretty cheap, too, and, because they are
    grown on farms, the leaves are huge, beautiful, and flavorful.
    Have a little respect, please, for the common pesky dandelion, for as
    you are blowing those fluffy seeds into the air while you’re making a wish
    for better health, part of the answer might be sitting right in your hand.

    Perk #10
    Cancer Gave Me
    Something to Hope For
    B y modern-day definition, hope means
    to wish for something, without the
    certainty that it will be fulfilled. It is an
    unsure optimism. The Bible, however,
    gives a different meaning to the word
    hope. In biblical terms, hope is an indica-
    tion of certainty; a strong and confident
    expectation. It is not just wishful think-
    ing; it is a sure belief that what you hope
    for will come to pass.
    I throw around the word hope on a
    daily basis, in the modern sense of the
    word: I hope it doesn’t rain; I hope the stain
    comes out of my new dress; I hope I get a
    refund on my taxes. All of these are things that I desire to happen, but I have
    no confident expectation that they will happen (especially the tax refund!).
    If these wishes do not come true, it’s really no big deal. Hoping for life on
    that other hand—well that’s a different matter. It is here that I employ the
    biblical definition of the word hope.
    Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer,
    believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Matthew
    “Refusal to hope is
    11:24). In this quote, Jesus assures us that when we have faith,
    nothing more than a
    and truly believe that we will receive, our prayers are certain to
    decision to die.”
    be answered. The power of prayer, then, lies not in the asking
    —BERNIE SIEGEL, MD
    but in the belief that what you ask for will be granted. That is
    hope. In that sense, cancer gave me something to really hope
    for. I did not “wish” for a full recovery, I “hoped,” with certainty, that my
    prayers would be answered.
    I 48 J

    Perk #10: Cancer Gave Me Something to Hope For
    49
    HEALTH TIP #10
    I Hope You Know the Difference Between Omega-3
    and Omega-6
    I f you don’t know the difference between omega-3 and omega 6-fatty acids,
    you’re not alone. But once you learn about your 3s and 6s, this is one
    secret you won’t want to keep to yourself.
    Omega-3 essential fatty acids are nutrients that your body relies on to
    function. They are involved in all new cell growth. They are also concen-
    trated in the brain to improve and maintain brain health and are necessary
    for healthy skin and hair production.
    The “essential” part means our bodies don’t manufacture this fatty acid,
    and we need to get it from outside sources.
    The real magic of omega-3 is that it reduces inflammation. The inflam-
    matory process is responsible for most of the human body’s chronic mal-
    adies such as heart disease, arthritis,