Dr. Yim's Clinical Pearls

Vitamin C and Cancer

Oxidative damage occurs as our bodies react with oxygen. It starts at a cellular level as our body reacts with oxygen. Highly reactive molecules are produced, called free radicals. Free radicals negatively impact other molecules within the cell causing oxidative stress. 

Oxidative stress is implicated in diseases like cancer, atherosclerosis, and autoimmune diseases. Antioxidants are substances found in food that neutralize the negative affects of free radicals.  In a study patients with cancer were found to have significantly lower serum levels of vitamin C.  Researchers suggest the lower levels may be due to the increased utilization of vitamin C to scavenge for lipid peroxides and their ability to isolate tumor cells.

Are you getting enough Vitamin C daily? Foods high in vitamin C include sweet red peppers, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, oranges, and kiwis.

Important Cooking Tips from The Healing Kitchen

  • higher doses of vitamin C helps maintain the integrity of intervertebral disks to help prevent back problems.
  • Vitamin C is vulnerable to heat, light and air so the freshest foods will have retained the highest levels. 
  • Baking soda added to veggies to retain colour creates an alkaline environment that destroys Vitamin C.
  • Cooking in copper pots destroys Vitamin C.
  • The best ways of cooking food to retain Vitamin C is as little as possible through steaming or stir frying.

Probiotics Help Children with Fever and Cough

Maintaining healthy flora is imperative with the fall flu season just around the corner.  They help the body fight invading bacteria and viruses.  In a study published by Pediatrics researchers found that children between the ages of 3 and 5 who took a single or combination of probiotics had a lower incidence of fever and coughing during the winter season.  Compared to the placebo group the reduction was either 32% for the single strain probiotic supplement or 28% for the multi-strain. 

Dr. Yim's maintenance protocol includes supplementing your diet with Greens First a physician developed food supplement.  This delicious product contains the probiotics used in this study.

 Before the flu season begins have your whole family regularly consuming Greens First.