I am planting 12 Green Comet Broccoli starts and 10 Bright Light Swiss Chard starts. The plant stores around here don’t really cater to winter garden gardeners. Maybe that is telling me something like, “Winter gardens don’t do so well here, so we don’t the garden stores do not carry winter plants.” Of course, when I was in the high desert in southern California I was one of the few in my area that had a winter garden – and it did well. Guess I just don’t listen to what others are doing. For me. . . not only is gardening a pleasant activity, but the results produce me some very alkaline foods. I am lucky to have space to have a garden.

As you probably know Broccoli and Swiss Chard are alkaline. The only acidifying vegetables on this particular chart are corn, olives, lentils, and winter squash. Remember, all these Alkaline/Acid Food Charts are not all the same. Some say that fresh corn is alkaline, where as canned corn is acidic. Guess we just have to make up our own minds.

Here is part of a chart that classifies alkaline foods. I gleaned it from this website -

Extremely Alkaline

Lemons, watermelon.
Alkaline Forming

Cantaloupe, cayenne celery, dates, figs, kelp, limes, mango, melons, papaya, parsley, seaweeds, seedless grapes (sweet), watercress.

Asparagus, fruit juices, grapes (sweet), kiwifruit, passionfruit, pears (sweet), pineapple, raisins, umeboshi plums, and vegetable juices.
Moderately Alkaline

Apples (sweet), alfalfa sprouts, apricots, avocados, bananas (ripe), currants, dates, figs (fresh), garlic, grapefruit, grapes (less sweet), guavas, herbs (leafy green), lettuce (leafy green), nectarine, peaches (sweet), pears (less sweet), peas (fresh, sweet), pumpkin (sweet), sea salt (vegetable).

Apples (sour), beans (fresh, green), beets, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carob, cauliflower, ginger (fresh), grapes (sour), lettuce (pale green), oranges, peaches (less sweet), peas (less sweet), potatoes (with skin), pumpkin (less sweet), raspberries, strawberries, squash, sweet Corn (fresh), turnip, vinegar (apple cider).
Slightly Alkaline

Almonds, artichokes (jerusalem), brussel sprouts, cherries, coconut (fresh), cucumbers, eggplant, honey (raw), leeks, mushrooms, okra, olives (ripe), onions, pickles (homemade), radishes, sea salt, spices, tomatoes (sweet), vinegar (sweet brown rice).

Chestnuts (dry, roasted), egg yolks (soft cooked), essene bread, goat’s milk and whey (raw), mayonnaise (homemade), olive oil, sesame seeds (whole), soy beans (dry), soy cheese, soy milk, sprouted grains, tofu, tomatoes (less sweet), and yeast (nutritional flakes).
Neutral

Butter (fresh, unsalted), cream (fresh, raw), cow’s milk and whey (raw), margine, oils (except olive), and yogurt (plain).

Notice that my garden goodies are mostly in the “Moderately to Slightly Alkaline” departments. Too bad I cannot grow lemons where I live. I do however, buy them. We squeeze a lot of lemons and add the juice to water, as well as eat a lot of watermelon. I take pride in incorporating as many alkaline foods into my recipies that I can. That is why I like the garden. I currently have turnips, tomatoes, mustard greens, large variety of lettuces, and carrots growing, so the winter veggies I will be able to harvest this winter, while the summer crops will be toast in a month or so. I tried beets, but with little success. I do not know what went wrong. I do like the beet tops as well as the beets themselves. See this earlier post about the beet experience. Collard greens are growing the garden, but they are not very popular with me nor Alice. We like broccoli, all the lettuces, and Brussel Sprouts. No we love Brussel Sprouts. Especially steamed and eaten as a side dish or served with a Thai dish called Swimming Rama. Some may look at this recipe and say, “Vernon, it is not very alkaline.” And I would say, “No, but you can make it much more alkaline by using Stevia, Sucanat, or other more of an alkaline sweetner instead of sugar. Raw honey would work also. And the rice I use is a combination of Wild Rice, Quinoa, and Brown Jasmine. That helps a lot.  Besides Brussel Sprouts, Swimming Rama is very good with fresh spinach or broccoli. BTW, I cut the Brussel Sprouts in half before steaming.

There are other goodies in the garden. I will speak of them later. Good Day! Vernon “Vito” Johnston

Hi Vernon, I just saw my doctor who told me my prostrate is enlarged.
I am 55 and got a score of 3.2 on my PSA test. (I studied all night)
LOL…sorry…anyway, I had been feeling some pressure in that area
and more recently a pain in my lower back centered around my tail bone
area. I have started with a BS+MS (maple syrup) of 1 tsp BS and 2 tsp
MP. heating it on the stove and it does foam up a bit, I assume that’s
ok. But what were your symptoms? What was your PSA? sorry if i missed
that in your info…

I am thinking about completing this regiment before any biopsys as I
have heard they are disruptive and can cause the cancer to spread.

Thanks in advance,
John

Here is my answer:

Hi John. . . thanks for the email. My PSA at the beginning was 22.3. I am not sure what my PSA was when I started the baking soda molasses protocol. I used black strap molasses as you probably saw on my protocol page – http://phkillscancer.com/protocol. Don also used molasses for his dance with prostate cancer that metastacised to the bones. If you have not seen his story then please do – http://phkillscancer.com/baking-soda/djps-cancer-baking-soda-protocol-breathing-protocol-and-more. I believe others have had success with maple syrup.

My symptoms were that I was struggling with peeing and I had a tightness feeling in my pelvic area – no heavy duty pain. I believe Don had bone pain.

I also have read where biopsys can be disruptive. Has you doctor ruled out prostatitis (infection of prostate)? Here is one of many sites with prostatitis info – http://www.prostatitis.org/. It is my understanding that sometimes doctors ‘forget’ about that possibility.

Here is my video of how I prepared the baking soda mix – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl8Y8I_TsjI

And here is a post and a series of days where I recorded my experiences doing an ‘Alkaline Tune Up’ using baking soda and molasses. This was over two years after my original adventure – http://phkillscancer.com/baking-soda/baking-soda-molasses-cancer-protocol-repeat-alkaline-tune-up. You can type in ‘alkaline tune up’ in the search box to bring up all the dates. I went 10 days this time. First time was 12 days.

Again thanks for the email John. I am going to post this correspondence to the website blog. Your questions are very good, and will help others who may have similar questions. Vernon “Vito” Johnston

“Hi Vernon,

I am Arrow Durfee from www.HealthSalon.org

I suppose you won’t be too surprised to find out that you are being
discussed on a forum regarding PH and cancer treatment. The poster I
am discussing your treatment with posted this and I was kind of
stunned, wondering if it is true as I had not seen any mention of you
taking finasteride or casodex on your website. He said the following
about your treatment but I cannot find it on your blog. Could he have
found this information somewhere else? If so where?

“Pre-treatment PSA was 22 but has decreased to 5.88 after institution
of Finasteride and Casodex. So it was already at 5.88 when he started
the bicarb? Did it continue to fall after the Finasteride and Casodex?
He did not measure the PSA prior to the bicarb protocol. Apparently
not. That would be good to know. Since the doctors waited from March
to June to test, I assume they thought it would take that long for
those 2 drugs to work. Meaning the PSA was probably still falling by
June.

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m very glad he got his PSA to 0.1.”

this is the forum page we are discussing this on:

http://www.natmedtalk.com/alternative-therapies/4149-ph-therapy-might-ultimate-cure-2.html

I see now where you do mention that you were on these meds.. were you
on them when you did the bicarb thing also? At what point did you stop
them?

I hope you can clarify this information. Many people think that you
did not do any type of chemo therapy what so ever.

Thanks
Arrow”

This is me talking now. As you can see, Arrow did find where I spoke of finasteride. The doctor who prescribed finastride told me that the reason he is having me take finasteride is to sloooooooow the growth of the cancer. He also mentioned that its prostate specific antigen affects would also only be temporary. Its use was only for a limited time. He told me it would not fix the bone cancer or the prostate. Remember now that I am a human and not a doctor. I did not have a tape recorder with me recording this conversation with the doctors. Also, bear in mind (and those of you who have been to doctors know this) that the conversations that we as patients have with our doctors do not get written in their reports of the event word for word. Usually the will shorten it and say something like, “Mr so and so has these symptoms and I prescribed this for this reason.”

Here is an article that helps describe for me the drug finasteride and how it applied to me and to my treatment:

August 12, 2010
Chemoprevention in Prostate Cancer – do 5alpha-reductase inhibitors make things worse?
There’s a lot of media coverage today surrounding use of 5alpha-reductase inhibitors such as finasteride (Merck) and dutasteride (GSK) and their generic equivalents for chemoprevention of prostate cancer following publication of a study on finasteride by the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) and one earlier this year on dutasteride in the New England Journal of Medicine (see references below for sources and the journal articles).

So what do these drugs do?

The drugs in the 5alpha-reductase class were developed for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate to:

•Improve symptoms
•Reduce the risk of acute urinary retention
•Reduce the risk of the need for surgery including transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and prostatectomy.
Fair enough, but how does this relate to prostate cancer?

Well, testosterone is the major circulating androgen in men and is converted to the major intracellular androgen, dihydrotestosterone, by steroid 5alpha-reductase isoenzymes, designated as type 1 and type 2.  Finasteride inhibits the type 2 isoenzyme, whereas dutasteride inhibits both.

Many of you will be aware that in early stage prostate cancer, most men are hormone sensitive and respond to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which effectively acts as chemical castration to suppress the growth of the tumour of the prostate.  Later, when castration resistance sets in (CRPC), the disease is more advanced.  These days, if they are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, then a vaccine called sipuleucel-T (Provenge) can be considered or if metastatic and symptomatic, then chemotherapy with docetaxel (Taxotere) can be considered as a first-line option or cabazitaxel (Jevtana) after docetaxel has failed.

The goal of using the 5alpha-reductase inhibitors early was therefore to prevent or at the very least delay the development of malignant prostate cancer, essentially reducing the risk of developing the disease later.  Several studies have been published over the last decade to answer this question.

The big question is does this approach actually work?

My thinking was if it was that obvious, then surely urologists and primary care physicians would be rushing to prescribe either therapy?  Trouble is, they’re not, as this succinct AACR press release shows.

One of the problems is that the original Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) study back in 2003, a large randomized controlled trial consisting of 18,000 men, appeared to have conflicting results, since it showed:

•a 25 percent reduced risk of prostate cancer.
•a 27% increased risk in high-grade tumours, which was highlighted in the accompanying editorial.
This fact seems to have created doubt and concern amongst urologists and PCP’s.

Subsequently, there have been other reported studies with finasteride in 2008 (reanalysis of the 2003 data) and with dutasteride in the NEJM earlier this year, suggesting in both cases that the risk did not exist.  The doubt, however, still lingers as the AACR press release highlighted:

“64 percent of urologists and 80 percent of primary care physicians never prescribe finasteride for chemoprevention.

When asked for reasons for their decision, 55 percent said they were concerned about the risk of high-grade tumors and 52 percent said they did not know it could be used for chemoprevention.”

Another issue is the conflicting consequence of PSA suppression, which is still used by many urologists as the main biomarker for diagnosis and ADT treatment.  The NEJM editorial earlier this year noted the challenge:

“Among men without cancer, both finasteride and dutasteride treat lower urinary tract symptoms, produce dramatic prostate shrinkage, and reduce serum levels of PSA by 50% or more.

However, for the patient who believes that he is taking a drug to prevent prostate cancer, this decline in PSA level can lead to a false sense of security.”

Why is this?  The editorial went on to explain:

“Data from the PCPT indicate that finasteride produces a progressive suppression of PSA for the duration of treatment. To estimate what the “true” PSA level would be if finasteride were not taken, it is necessary to multiply the PSA level by 2.0 for the first 2 years, by 2.3 for years 2 through 7, and thereafter by 2.5.

However, if the PSA level ever begins to rise at all, a biopsy should be performed, because with an increase in PSA level, the risk of cancer is increased by a factor of 3 and the risk of high-grade disease is increased by a factor of 6.

In the Finnish study, men who received finasteride for more than 4 years had a risk of high-grade disease that was increased by a factor of 2.6.”

After reading all of the evidence in the various studies (cited below), I can see why physicians might be:

1.Confused
2.Concerned
It’s hard to make solid sense of the real impact of all the research, even as an unbiased scientist given the data that has emerged.  My overall takeaway from all the articles was as follows:

•Dutasteride and finasteride do not prevent prostate cancer.
•They do shrink tumours that have a low potential for being lethal.
•They do not reduce the risk of a positive biopsy in patients who have an elevated PSA level or an abnormal digital rectal examination.
•Use of these drugs for prevention may be controversial because PSA levels are suppressed, giving a false sense of security.
•If prostate cancer develops, the diagnosis may be thus delayed (by artificially low PSA levels) until they have high-grade aggressive disease that may be more difficult to cure.
My final observation is that perhaps we should be monitoring other markers of disease such as circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in the blood rather than PSA. Whether this would be a better measure of disease or not remains to be elucidated, but would certainly be worth looking at in future studies to see if it is a more accurate biomarker in early prostate cancer.” See the entire article including references here.

This is me speaking again. It seems that finasteride can be a little bit tricky. And speaking of tricky, I am under the impression that statins have a tendency to lower the PSA reading. At the time I was also on the cholestrol statin drugs. I suppose one would have to take into account this info also. Atorvastatin was one, as well as lovastatin and lipitor. Go here to see the drugs I was prescribed.

Allopurinol is also on that list, and there are some indications that that drug affects the PSA. I have no clue about the other drugs. And how do you factor in that I was not always on Allopurinol. It is too much for me to call. The bottom line for me is not only when the nurse said,  “First it was there, and then it was gone.” But more importantly and what had the most emotional and physical impact on me were the words in the letter from the hospital and the doctor that said, “NO CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF AN OSSEOUS METASTATIC PROCESS”! And this was after I was diagnosed with class 4 prostate cancer that metastacised to the bones from two different oncologists. The second opinion verified the first opinion, and also said there was more bone cancer in the pelvic area than was originally reported. You can imagine I felt relief.

And by the way. . . when my prostate specific antigen reading was at 0.1, the doctors were shocked that it was that low – even with finasteride and casodex. Of course, they did not write “We are shocked that the PSA dropped so dramatically” in the report. Those are words that they expressed to me. I will talk about casodex another time.

I hope that answers some of the questions about my adventure with finasteride. Also. . . I never did do chemotherapy, nor did I do radiation. The doctors insisted that because of the bone cancer, that in my case, surgery, chemo, and radiation were out of the question.

For another cancer metastacised to the bones baking soda success story go here.

Good night! Vernon “Vito” Johnston

I laughed of course, not because it was funny, but rather because I knew where this ‘blood in the urine’ was coming from. You see, I had fixed some fresh whole beets that I got from one of the local farmers yesterday as a side dish for some Vegitarian Pad Thai I made. And anybody who has eaten beets knows what I am talking about. The urine gets a red tinge from the beets; and the poop is also reddish. It looks like they have blood in them. I am still laughing. Alice had not even considered that her ‘bloody urine’ may have been caused by eating fresh steamed beets.

I probably would not have known either, if it had not been for an experience one of my friends related to me. While he was camping out at Slab City, California he noticed that his stool was coming out red. He was highly concerned and quickly made an appointment with his doctor. The doctor, after listening to his story asked, “Thom, have you been eating any beets lately?”  

“Yes, why” answered Thom. Of course we all know the doctor’s answer now.

Regardless, I am very happy it was the red beets that we ate. I am also glad she mentioned it to me (grin). It certainly was a relief for Alice (grin). That would have been a lot of unnecessary worry.  The only thing I have to worry about is what is going to happen to me when Alice reads this post. She might kill me! (haha!)

Beets, by the way, are very alkaline. We also ate the tops. Good Night! Vernon “Vito” Johnston

I have to admit I was a potatoe and corn chip addict, especially at night while working on the computer or watching a movie. It was either that or popcorn sprayed with olive oil from a Misto M100S Gourmet Brushed Aluminum Olive Oil Sprayer. I love butter, but with all the 40 pounds I packed on after the diagnosis, and because of the meds and my doctor’s orders not to work out my body, I switched to olive oil on popcorn. That was all well and good, but I was still putting on calories. Eating things like popcorn late at night just wasn’t getting the ‘slim me’ job done. That is where the convenient chunk or six of watermelon came to the rescue. Those juicy alkaline red chunks satisfied and still satisfy my hunger and my craving for chips and popcorn. What am I going to do when watermelon season is over?   

Lemon, on the other hand, is not really a food to eat, but it certainly makes a great additive in a cold glass of water or sparkling mineral water like Perrier. I think that since I was diagnosed with terminal cancer about 2 1/2 years ago I have had maybe 6 soft drinks. Soda pop is very acidic. So acidic that some say that it takes 32 glasses of water to neutralize one can of pop. That was a no brainer for me. Of those 6 sodas, I had none the first year. Out went the cokes, pepsis, and root beers. In came water, mineral water, and lemon water. I also use lemons to add to some of the food dishes I make – especially the Thai food and the salads.

The lemon drink that Alice makes is very delicious. Sometimes she adds ginger to it or even substitutes limes. Without the ginger the drink is a lemonade or a lime ade. Ocassionally she adds a sweetner like agave or raw sugar. Raw sugar is considered alkaline as well as raw honey, sucanat, and stevia – it all depends on what alkaline acid chart you are looking at. However, if you are in the middle of or beginning the process of alkalizing your body, then I would suggest that you pass on the sweetners. There have been many studies that say that cancer feeds off of sugars. But. . . if you have to have something sweet, then Stevia is probably your ticket. At the time, I just stayed away from all sweets.

You may want to know more about the ginger. What Alice does is to peel fresh ginger then cut it into chunks before she pounds it into a pulp in our Stone (Granite) Mortar and Pestle.  We have the  3 cup capacity 8 inch diameter – very useful, fun, and not too small. I actually like doing the pounding too. It gives me a very ancient feeling and gets me very close to the food preparation process.  Besides, my taste buds tell me it tastes better. Alice refers to it as “cooking with love.” You can also prep the ginger by putting it in a blender and zapping it. Make sure you peel and cut it into pieces first.

Then put the ginger pulp into a sauce pan and simmer it until it makes a concentrated syrupy liquid. Strain it into a container, refrigerate, and use when desired. Some people simmer it with a sweetner. But, we alkaliners know about that now. Then add whatever proportions of water, fresh squeezed lemons or limes, and the ginger syrup.

I just might have to do a video on this – especially the ginger part. In the meantime, give it a try!

Oh, one more thing about lemons. I read somewhere that when in doubt about the alkalinity of your foods just add fresh squeezed lemon. I guess they were thinking that since lemons are so powerfully alkaline that they would balance out the acid in foods. Hmmmmmmmm. . . I have heard of cold cooking meat with lemons or limes. That makes what Jim Ehmke said about raw meat being alkaline a little more palatable. But, that will be another time. Good Night! Vernon “Vito” Johnston

Heather: This reminded me of you. It made me wonder is this is the same as what you do/teach or if the saliva aspect heightens its effect. Tbis is what Heather was refering to:

A simple but powerful self-healing technique involving visualization, intention and – saliva!

VJ: Thanks Heather. . . I am certain about the ‘intention’ and the ‘imagination’ part, but know little about the saliva part. My experienced guess is that it works because focusing on the saliva guides a person away from themSelf so to speak. In other words, focusing on something physical (dripping faucet, saliva, breath) a person stays away from all thought. And most importantly, they stay away from negative thought. Vj

Heather: I never quite realized why no thought is so good. You just helped me see it was better than negative thoughts. The world just become a wee clearer, thanks!

But for me, focusing on the saliva made me feel like I was drowning. It was difficult, like oil pulling. When I had alot of saliva in my mouth anyway.

VJ: Of course then. . . drop the saliva! Drowning is definitely a negative experience (haha). Sometimes when I do the PTR Breathing, I move to counting my breaths – something like – one thousand one, one thousand two, and so on. This quickly puts me on track.  I picked this trick up after studying and practicing some of Don’s Cancer Recovery Protocol. Also, when I have positive thoughts and feelings I run with those. Even as you say, “no thought is better than negative thought”, those good feeling thoughts are the cats meow.  (I am adding this part to clarify the counting of breaths. I count as I inhale and as I exhale. Sometimes I hold my breath after the inhale and exhale. Generally the counting will go from 8 seconds a complete breath cycle to 20 seconds. Ocassionally I will do a breath that counts to 30 seconds)

And to add to your new understanding why negative thought is better, I might add that in most cases it is much easier for most people to focus on a mindless thing rather than on a stream of delicious thoughts. With time, effort, and practice, that will happily change. . . Vj

Also, do you mind if I post parts of this conversation on my blog? It would be helpful. Vj www.phkillscancer.com

Heather: yes you may post it,t but I am not sure that you meant to say ” …negative thought is better,”

I do find it easy to focus on good things but I enjoy counting and other activities too, but keeping alot of saliva at the same time made it stressful, just a little more than normal was ok for me. I think just getting more oxygen is also key. I have heard our air contains less oxygen now than it use to.

VJ: You are right. . . it was to read “And to add to your new understanding why NO thought is better”. . . etc. (grin, grin). Good for you for being able to keep up a stream of good thoughts and feelings. That is truly a gift many of us have left behind. . . therefore the ‘nothingness’ trick. Love, Vj

Heather:

Good Night! Vernon Vito Johnston

It is funny how I discovered my loss. My wife who has a very keen memory of my hairy back was almost shocked when she noticed that my back was hair barren. (I say barren because the back hair is not growing back.) This was after about a year from the time this whole cancer heart thing started. I don’t know if I have any pictures hanging around with me and my hairy back, but I do have a recent video  and post showing and explaining how I used Atomidine Iodine to fight skin cancer and blemishes.

Here is the list of most of the meds:

TAMSULOSIN HCL 0.4MG CAP
GOSERELIN ACETATE IMPLANT, 10.8MG 11/27/2008
ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM 80MG TAB
ASPIRIN 325MG EC TAB
AMOXICILLIN 500MG CAP
ALLOPURINOL 100MG TAB
LISINOPRIL 2.5MG TAB
METOPROLOL SUCCINATE 25MG SA TAB
SIMVASTATIN 80MG TAB
METOPROLOL SUCCINATE 100MG SA TAB
FINASTERIDE 5MG TAB
GOSERELIN 10.8MG IMPLANT 3-MONTH
LISINOPRIL 5MG TAB
TERAZOSIN HCL 5MG CAP
LOVASTATIN 40MG TAB
TERAZOSIN HCL 2MG CAP
BICALUTAMIDE (Casodex) 50MG TAB
OXYCODONE 5MG & ACETAMINOPHEN 325MG TAB
PREDNISONE 20MG TAB
TERAZOSIN HCL 5MG CAP
CIPROFLOXACIN HCL 500MG TAB
LOVASTATIN 40MG TAB
LOVASTATIN 20MG TAB
TERAZOSIN HCL 2MG CAP
SIMVASTATIN 80MG TAB
LISINOPRIL 10MG TAB
METOPROLOL SUCCINATE 100MG SA TAB
ASPIRIN 325MG TAB
DILTIAZEM (INWOOD) 180MG SA CAP
TERAZOSIN HCL 1MG CAP
DILTIAZEM (INWOOD) 120MG SA CAP 12/20/2007

It is kind of weird looking at this list of medications. It brings back memories.

I would think that the hormone therapy meds like the Goserelin implant and Casodex may be candidates for hair loss. After all this meds were designed to block my testosterone. I believe some transgender folks have used hormone therapy to try and get rid of some of their body hair. But what the heck, I also heard that some of the statins like lipitor and lovastatin used to control cholestrol readings may also play a role in body hair loss.

Of course, my body hair loss may have been caused because my age then was 64 years old. But. . . I don’t think so! Another thing that may have played a role were all those xrays that were taken of my pelvic area – I would guess close to 20 were taken. Those full body scans which required me drink some sort of cocktail designed to show the cancer trouble spots also may have played a part. I just don’t know. My guess is that it was a combination of the hormone therapy and the statins. Hopefully, my shiny back will once again grow some hair.

By the way, I have been off of the statins and the hormone meds for almost two years. It has also been almost two years since I have been seen by an oncologist, cardiologist, or primary care physician. Alkaline diet and alklaine substances have been good for me! . . . . Good Night!

If anyone here is like I used to be, then you would understand what I am talking about. Living life by default means that I go through life walking in the paths created by other people. A lot of people, including mySelf, are influenced by what others have set forth as ‘truth’ in living. Even when it comes to reclaiming one’s own health, there are many different modalities, methods, and ideas on how to accomplish this feat. For instance, what diet should I be on, what thoughts should I have, who should I listen to, how many pills, vitamins, and minerals should I be taking, what should I be taking, should I be taking anything, what doctor or what expert should I be listening to, should I try collodial silver, alkaline water, honey instead of molasses, baking soda, breathe through the mouth or through the nose, hold the breath and count to 14, chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and this list goes on and on.

I can study and research any or all these subjects and I will find pros and cons for each and every one of them. I can decide which to use because of the success ratio statistics show a stronger success rate than another. I can listen to stories from others who have tried certain things that worked for them, but did not necessarily work for others. It seems like a big crap shoot out there! You do something to help reclaim your health and then you hope. You hope that it works for you! If it does – good. If it doesn’t – then what? You go to the next one on the list of course, until hopefully you find which one lines up with you. Me thinks however, it is not a matter of a lining up with a system or protocol; it is more about oneSelf finally lining up with what feels good.

Default living is the opposite of intentional living. Intentional living is where I prepave, so to speak, where it is and how it is that I want to be or feel. I can do this in my mind or imagination. One of the ways I get there is by PTR Breathing, or just plain relaxing and breathing. Don’t be mistaken. It does take some effort. Can you imagine – taking effort to relax (grin)! Now that is an oxymoron.

Which brings me back to what precipitated this little blog note. I was feeling a little down lately. I wasn’t as full of the normal energy that I have become accustomed to feeling. It started affecting my thinking. I was feeling sorry for mySelf and had minor visions of deteriorating thoughts. I can’t do this! I have to turn my thoughts around to better feeling thoughts. So. . . I will do that! It is natural for me to be healthy. My body knows what to do; all I have to do is get out of the way. Relax and Breathe! Relax and Breathe! Good Night! Vernon Vito Johnston

When I prepare a meal I am constantly on the look out for ways to add an alkaline ingredient to what my food goal is. Take the Chocolate Cocounut Macaroon for instance. I was under the impression that chocolate was acidic, and was very happy to discover differently. (See my chocolate write up). I made the following macaroons from the study of several recipes. You see, most recipes are not created with the alkaline person in mind. I had to change, and mix and match:

5 egg whites (between slightly acidic to slightly alkaline)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or pound a vanilla seed with mortar and pestle (slightly acidic; not sure about just the bean)
1 cup of raw sugar  or even better – sucanat (slightly alkaline or better)
3 cups of flaked non sweetened coconut (fresh coconut is considered alkaline – dry is low alkaline to acidic. I use non-sweetened whichin my mind moves it more into alkaline)
1 cup or almonds pound in mortar or buzzed in blender – don’t blend too much, you might get almond butter. Just make a ground pounded meal out of it. I leave the skins on. (moderately to low alkaline)
Instead of almonds, one could opt for almond paste or experiment with almond butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F (I have a convection oven).  Line cookie sheets with parchment.
In large bowl beat egg whites and extract until firm, but not dry. 
In a separate bowl mix almonds or grated Almond Paste, raw sugar and coconut until the texture of small crumbs.  Gently fold mixtures together.
Drop tablespoons of dough 1 inch apart onto cookie sheet, or do what I do and use your fingers to make little mountains.  
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned on bottom and firm to the touch. The larger ‘mountains’ may have to stay in longer.
Cool cookies on wire racks.  Leave plain or smear or dip with melted chocolate.

Now the chocolate (alkaline, especially if you make your own chips with sucanat.  Here is an Amazon link  if you want to take a look at it. I will do that recipe later. Sucanat, along with raw honey, stevia, and raw sugar are considered alkaline.

The first time I made chocolate covered macaroons I used the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Now I am researching making my own so I can control what sweetner goes into the chocolate. And speaking of alkaline charts, you will notice that all charts are not equal. You can either drive yourSelf crazy trying to figure it all out, or be easy on yourSelf and pick out what works best for you. I do that! It makes me feel good, and remember: If you believe that something is good, and you do it, it benefits you. If you believe that something is bad, and you do it, it is a very detrimental experience.

By the way. . . the macaroons turned out very tasty and delicious. A bit rough around the edges, so to speak, but I will get better.  Most importantly, it is an alkaline healthy treat. . . Good Night, Vernon Vito Johnston

Hi Vito!
I thought I would send you some heartening news. As of yesterday I am feeling much stronger, thanks, no doubt to bicarbonate of soda. However I took this for ten days straight and then was offered some hebal remedy plus a massage lotion for my lungs and liver areas and for the soles of my feet by a herbal specialist in Queensland.
 
As an aside, and as a matter of coincidence, of which there is none, I contacted a American, Curtis Mitchell. He happened to be born two days before me but some many years later than I, and my grandchildren are called Curtis and Mitchell. However, he sent me a very encouraging piece of his belief. I have enclosed it here for your enjoyment. I am sure there are many cancer patients who would enjoy Curtis Mitchell’s message.
Here it is:
 
Enjoy the experience of Cancer. It can be more fun than folks lead onto. More beautiful in the moment than society can grasp. Find your breath in the moment and you’ll be able to  observe and be inline with whom you
 really are from your true place of being. Cancer does not exist with whom you really are nor will it ever affect you there. I think the hardest part of the journey such as Cancer is other people’s beliefs. Be aware of them and how they limit you. Some folks move beyond the diagnosis of Medical Doctors when they believe they can. My prognosis was paralysis and/or death and either I’m still dreaming when I snowboard and hike mountains and kayak and do all the things they said I would never do again, or beliefs play a large role in reality and maybe miracles are more in line with them.
It’s an honor to connect and chat with you and I hope to read your work about American Indian spirituality. I read yesterday in the Sioux language that they do not have a word for goodbye. You must have learned much
about such societies and cultures in your research.
 Breathe, Mate! Curtis
 I am very impressed with Curtis Mitchell’s thoughts!

I am talking now. . . Me too Frank. As I read Curtis’s words over again I see “Life” in them. He touches on some big points when he speaks of cancer not exist within who you really are, and the hardest part of the cancer journey is other people’s beliefs. “No kidding,” I say. And not only the present journey, but the prejourney which also plays a major part in setting us up for an illness. I noticed Curtis mentions Breathing. Seems to be a major theme in reclaiming ones’ health.

A friend in Israel mentioned that she sometimes does not even think about having cancer. I say, “And that is a good thing. Keep that up and your will reclaim your health much sooner.”

Here are a few lines from my Vitoisms and Poetry page:

* * *

Isn’t it a grand gift to ourSelves to sniff and snort along the trail leading to that Self we have yet to become. Some say we are already that Self. I don’t know about that. Seems that every twig I step over, every stone I stub my toe on, and every flower I smell  leads me to Who I Really Am. . . Vito

* * *

The personal world views of different people have been on my mind recently. So much so, that I have been looking closely at my own views. My World now is becoming plump with graciousness, abundance, deep relaxation, and Well-Being. I believe it is working. When I know it is, I will let you know. . . Vito

* * *

I feel that I am an explorer and an adventurer into the unknown. Of course, my life before was unknown also, but it was preset by the expectations on how I was supposed to be and act. It seems like parents, the churches, the government, and society as a whole have an idea already on how and who I was to be. And I fell for it.

Act is truly an accurate word to use. I felt for a long time that I was acting my way through life. Doing things and being what was expected of me. There were the occasional catching of the sweet ‘whiffs’ of what a true Vernon would be like. It kept me alive and interested. Probably also gave the illusions to others and to mySelf that I was operating outside of the box. I have discovered, since (and sense) that it was not the ‘oppressors’ keeping me from Me. It was Me! . . Vernon Vito Johnston

* * *

I didn’t know. I didn’t know that life could be so great. I really didn’t. . . Vernon Vito Johnston  sez  Good Night!