When we were small, our mom gave the 3 of us pomegranates-that ruby red fruit which appears along with the fall/winter season. We had so much fun picking out the seeds and popping them into our mouths. We had no idea about the super power of this fruit.
We Healthshifters have grown up since then. Our knowledge about nutrition has also grown as we continually learn about the power of food to prevent and reverse disease. We know that things we put into our body affect our cells. Recently, we had the great privilege of watching Dr. Mark Hyman interview world renowned physician, scientist and author, Dr. William Li. In this podcast (click link below) the doctors discuss at length “Why Food is Better Than Medication To Treat Disease” and how food is truly a precious substance. Of great interest to Healthshifter was Dr. Li’s discussion about pomegranates as he shared his mother’s cancer story. She had been diagnosed with metastatic endometrial cancer and treated with immunotherapy–a newer protocol which gets cancer by activating the immune system. He added to her therapy pomegranates and cranberries both of which contain polyphenols. After 30 days of treatment she was cancer free. While approximately 20% of patients will have this response to immunotherapy, Dr. Li explains that his mom responded so dramatically to the treatment because her gut microbiome had a particular bacteria-Akkermansia-that communicated with her immune system to help eradicate the cancer. We cannot take a probiotic containing this bacteria. However, Dr. Li explains that we can change our gut microbiome and grow Akkermansia by drinking one 8 ounce cup of pomegranate juice over the course of one week. We can feed the Akkermansia with this juice and polyphenols from other foods like cranberries. These dark and very powerful fruits will help change the inside of the gut and as Akkermansia grows it talks to our immune system, makes it better and enhances the response to immunotherapy!
Healthshifters have always loved pomegranates and have been eating this precious food substance since we were very young. We now understand the enormous affect they have on our bodies and welcome you to watch the inspirational podcast featuring Dr. William Li and Dr. Mark Hyman. For ease in deseeding we use the 60 Second Pomegranate Deseeder which you can purchase on Amazon. It works like a dream!
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