Here is an interesting article showing how extracts from Reishi mushrooms can help improve your health.  I hope you enjoy reading it.

Cancer’s Natural Enemy
Feb 13, 2008, 10:32

Japanese researchers have uncovered a remarkable new way to boost your immune system’s ability to kill cancer cells, viruses, and pathogenic bacteria by up to 300%.

Cancer rates in the U.S. are officially off the charts.  A century ago the disease occurred in 1-in-100 people.  Today, half of all adults will get some form of cancer in their lifetime.  That’s 1-in-2 people!  Why this alarming increase? It’s being caused by a steady and widespread breakdown of the immune system among our population.  Cancer cells are naturally present in everyone’s bloodstream, but are kept in check by a special immune cell called NK (short for Natural Killer).  When NK activity weakens either from old age, poor nutrition, or stress, cancer cells are free to multiply and become tumors.  That’s what is happening throughout our country today.

We need better treatments.  When a person is diagnosed with cancer, the only treatments permitted in this country are chemotherapy and radiation.  Both have horrendous side effects, such as hair loss and vomiting.  Both poison the immune system and destroy Natural Killer cells, thus increasing the chances of relapse.  And both have poor long-term survival rates.  This isn’t the case in other countries.  In Japan, for instance, a surprising new, natural cancer treatment involves stimulating the patient’s immune system so tumors are gobbled up by a feeding frenzy of NK cells.  You might be surprised to learn that doctors trigger this sudden blast of immune activity with a natural substance found in certain Japanese mushrooms like those in the Gano Excel Coffees, Tea, Hot Chocolate and other products.

These mushroom extracts are now one of the leading cancer prescription treatments in that country! Using the immune system like this is the next big frontier in medicine.  It holds the promise of finding real cures, not just for cancer, but heart disease, arthritis, allergies, and many other ills.  But even though the Japanese are doing a better job in the battle against cancer, it will take many years if not decades before U.S. doctors accept the idea that the immune system is the key to beating cancer and other diseases.  Sadly, that will be too late for most Americans who are now over 50 or younger, people with a family history of these diseases.  That’s the bad news. The good news is that scientists have recently isolated the active substance in these medicinal mushrooms and put it into capsule form and hot beverages. Since your immune system is your first line of defense against more that just cancer (it’s how your body fights off the flu, colds, recurring infections, pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and virtually any other disease), medicinal mushrooms offer benefits that go far beyond just cancer protection.  People who would also greatly benefit from medicinal mushrooms include

• Those with a history of smoking.
• Those with a history of heavy drinking.
• Individuals working in the medical field who are exposed to highly contagious diseases.
• Elderly individuals with weakened immune systems. This is because Natural Killer cells respond slower as we get older, resulting in recurring bouts of infection and noticeable decline in general health.

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