Oh Matcha!

For about a week and a half now, I've been drinking lots of Matcha Green Tea. I'd done extensive research on natural ways to combat cancer and green tea was highly recommended, so I ordered a large bag of organic Japanese Matcha tea from Amazon.

Matcha is different from coffee, and from other teas, in one important aspect: the caffeine in matcha works in a synergistic manner with all the other great stuff that matcha contains, including hefty quantities of phytonutrients, antioxidants, and amino acids.

Because the caffeine molecules in matcha bind to larger and more stable molecules (especially catechins), the caffeine is, essentially, released over time, instead of all at once, as it is with espresso or brewed coffee, into the bloodstream. In contrast to coffee, this timed-release mechanism tends to inhibit any sudden insulin increases, so there is no “crash” associated with quick drops in blood sugar that so many coffee drinkers feel an hour or so after drinking a cup. Nor does matcha stimulate the production of cortisol, the stress hormone, as coffee can.

The benefits of green tea have been known for decades. But now a super green tea that has slowly emerged from Japan called Matcha is gaining more and more attention. Matcha is cultivated by local farmers using traditional methods, from growing to grinding. It has traditionally been used to flavor and dye foods such as green tea ice cream and soba noodles.

In 2003, the University of Colorado published a report about the potency and concentration of EGCG, a powerful anti-oxidant found in green tea. The researchers found that Matcha green tea contained up to 137 times more EGCG than regular green tea.

Here are few of the amazing benefits of EGCG in Matcha Green Tea, specifically about Breast Cancer. There are countless studies that demonstrate the power of EGCG as an effective Tumor Terminator. Here are just a few:

• Suppresses inflammation and aggressive estrogen mediators in breast tissue.
• Causes Breast Cancer cells to die
• Suppresses the new blood flow that feeds Breast Cancer tumor
• Reverses epigenetic changes and prevents DNA damage that is often seen in Breast Cancer
• Suppresses stem cell production in human Breast Cancer

Aside from being a Cancer Buster, Matcha Green Tea hosts a number of other health benefits.
It is a powerful Anti-oxidant powerhouse, boasting a higher ORAC score than blueberries and pomegranate.

• It contains 5 times more L-Theanine compared to other green teas, an amino acid that creates alpha waves in the brain that induces relaxation.
• Matcha has been shown to improve physical endurance up to 24%.
• It boosts metabolism and burns fat.
• The chlorophyll in the green tea detoxifies heavy metals and toxic chemicals.
• One glass of Matcha is equivalent to 10 glasses of green tea in terms of its nutritional value and anti-oxidant content.
• Matcha is packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, tocopherols, carotenoids, selenium, zinc, chromium, and manganese.
• Believe it or not, this tea is high in soluble and insoluble fiber, which is great for your colon and cholesterol levels.

Drinking Matcha is a unique experience. The powdered green tea smells like freshly mown grass. Preparing it is very different from other types of tea. Matcha doesn't come in tea bags. It's loose powder that you have to spoon out into the cup. After heating your water, you add one to two little spoonfuls of Matcha to the Chasen (Matcha bowl) and whisk it vigorously. When you have a good heady froth, you immediately drink the tea. If allowed to sit, the matcha settles into the bottom of the cup and forms a thick sediment.

Since following my desire to pursue natural healing methods instead of taking a chemical for the next 10 years, Matcha, even though the taste is taking some time to get used to, has made me feel proactive in my health care. 

I have discovered that I do need to be very careful about when I drink my Matcha. For example, yesterday I had a cup of Matcha first thing in the morning and then again at 3p.m. I went to bed at 11 p.m. and found that I was unable to sleep. I tossed and turned most of the night. I kept wondering if it could be the Matcha. It must have been the tea because I was so tired and so ready to sleep but couldn't. Sometime around 2:30 or 3:00 a.m. I finally drifted off only to wake up again at 5:00 a.m. I haven't had any caffeine in the past 5 years due to advice from my cardiologist so I guess my body was overly stimulated from the small amount of caffeine in the Matcha. 

It's six of one and half a dozen of the other...medication with nasty side effects or organic, natural methods and sleepless nights. Decisions, decisions. I'm going to continue the Matcha and other choices I've made to fight the recurrence of breast cancer. Hopefully, changing up the times I drink the tea will take care of the insomnia. I sure hope so! The oncologist told me that sleep is vital to the healing process and I know it is during those periods of rest that my body is busy making healthy, new cells. I NEED MY SLEEP!

© bonnie annis all rights reserved

Researching alternative methods

If you've been keeping up with my blog, you know that many weeks ago I decided not to take the conventional prescription medications prescribed by my Oncologist. I did not make this decision lightly. I spent much time in prayer seeking God's wisdom and direction. I did not want to make a mistake regarding my healthcare.

Unsuccessfully, I tried two different prescription medications at the advice of my doctor. Both of those medications affected me adversely. The changes were drastic and ones I was not willing to continue experiencing. I called my doctor's office and shared my decision. His nurse documented my medical records and I'm sure has shared my decision with Dr. "F" by now. I haven't heard anything from his office so I'm taking that as a sign that he respects my decision. I'll see him on Tuesday and I'm sure he'll want more details but in the meantime, I've been doing my homework.

I am determined to live until God calls me home, please understand that. Many of my friends and family don't think so because they can't understand my refusing to follow doctor's orders. I can sympathize with them. In fact, I've always been one to immediately do exactly as my doctor instructed but this time, it's different. After my brush with breast cancer, I feel I've been given a second chance at life and I'm going to be responsible for medical decisions based on what I think is best for me. My compass is my faith in God. I am trusting Him with each decision I make.

I've watched many people in my family die from various types of cancer. I know the evil ugliness it possesses. I know it is serious business. I've seen it decimate the lives of ones I love and I know I face a fierce battle. Taking the natural route to healing should be the preferred course of treatment, shouldn't it? But instead, doctors prescribe chemicals that poison and radiation that kills healthy cells along with the unhealthy ones. I don't want to settle for that. I know there's a better choice.

There are many unconventional treatments for cancer. Just do a GOOGLE search and you'll find thousands of them. But there are natural methods that make sense and those are the ones I'm going to implement into my healing process.

I've already eliminated sugar and processed foods from my diet. I'm focusing more on raw fruits and vegetables...kingdom foods. There are so many preservatives in processed foods that we don't even know what we're eating unless we take a magnifying glass and read the labels. Sugar is proven to feed cancer cells so it only makes sense to eliminate it from my diet. Why would I want to consume something that is going to cause cancer to flourish in my body?

My research has led me to two additional discoveries. The first one is the benefit of Matcha Green Tea. Green tea is a drink made from the steamed and dried leaves of the Camellia sinesis plant, a shrub native to Asia. Some researchers believe green tea may protect against certain types of cancer because it contains antioxidants. Compounds taken from green tea can be useful in humans.

Green tea contains chemicals known as polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties. The major group of polyphenols in green tea are called catechins, and the most important catechin seems to be epigallocatechin gallate (sometimes called epigallocatechin-3-gallate or EGCG). EGCG may help cause certain types of cancer cells to die in much the same way that normal cells do. This effect is important because cancer cells are different from normal cells in that they do not die when they should—they continue to grow and spread.

The Chinese have been drinking green tea for at least 3,000 years, and it has been popular in some other Asian countries for at least 1,000 years. In recent years, scientists have begun to study its health effects more closely in laboratory and animal studies and in observational human studies.

Many laboratory studies have shown green tea acts against cancer cells in cell cultures. Test tube studies have suggested that compounds in the tea may help stop new blood vessels from forming, thereby cutting off the supply of blood to cancer cells.

The second discovery I made while searching for natural alternatives to prescription medications for cancer is the Ayurvedic herb, Ashwagandha. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center says "ashwagandha is often used in formulations prescribed for stress, strain, fatigue, pain, skin diseases, diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and epilepsy. It is also used as a general tonic, to increase energy and improve health and longevity and topically as an analgesic. Ashwagandha is rich in iron. Ashwagandha also reduced growth of breast, central nervous system, colon, and lung cancer cells without affecting normal cells. It was shown to prevent chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in mice. In a small study of breast cancer patients, ashwagandha alleviated chemo-induced fatigue and improved the quality of life."

These are natural remedies that I've decided to incorporate into my daily routine. I will be diligent to record any unusual side effects and discuss those with my medical team but I'm also going to be keeping detailed notes on the benefits I receive as I continue with this course of action. In essence, I'm making myself into a human guinea pig. It is my hope that something I discover will help someone else.

As I step forward in faith regarding these choices, I am trusting God to guide and direct me. If at any point, I feel His leading to discontinue any of these remedies, I will stop immediately. I have not happened upon these discoveries coincidentally. It is my belief that in answer to very specific prayer, God has led me to the exact supplements He's prepared for me to use.

I am not opposed to conventional medical procedures or medications but I do know my body. I know what I can and cannot handle. I know what I will and will not accept regarding anything that adversely affects my quality of life.

I'm sure there will be some who think I've gone off the deep end. But please don't judge until you've walked a mile in my shoes. For me, this is the right choice.

©bonnie annis all rights reserved