Anticancer:
David Servan-Schreiber was a French Neuropsychiatric and Researcher. “Having been treated twice for a malignant brain tumor, David, became a leading figure in his engagement for integrative medicine approaches to the prevention and treatment of cancer. He popularized his knowledge through teaching seminars, lectures, books, a blog and audiobooks. On July 24, 2011, almost 20 years after his cancer diagnosis, he died of brain cancer.” (Wikipedia)
All of David’s books help reduce the risk of cancer—and not only that, they also help prevent other illnesses such as Diabetes, Degenerative diseases, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and others.
It is important to explore David Servan-Schreiber’s books and work as a guide to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reducing the risk of cancer. However, we must also keep in mind that his advice should never replace the guidance of our own doctors.
David’s guidelines can be found in the book “Our Body, Love, Truth“. These guidelines are also available in the original French Version on the website Psychologies (Link), and in English translation on the website Healing Journeys (Link).
David Servan-Schreiber:
“I’m often asked whether it’s possible to sum up healthy living in a few simple and easy-to-remember rules. I’ve tried to recap everything I’ve learned in this field over the past twenty years of practicing integrative medicine. It comes down to twenty tips. I know they work for me. I hope they bring you good health and happiness too!“
Food Guidelines:
Go retro:
Your main course should be 80 percent vegetables, 20 percent animal protein, like it was in the old days. Opt for the opposite of the quarter-pounder topped with a token leaf of iceberg lettuce and an anemic tomato slice. Meat should be used sparingly for taste, as when it used to be scarce, and should not be the focus of the meal.
Mix and match your vegetables:
Vary the vegetables you eat from one meal to the next, or mix them together – broccoli is an effective anticancer food, and is even more effective when combined with tomato sauce, onions or garlic. Get in the habit of adding onions, garlic or leeks to all your dishes as you cook.
Go organic:
Choose organic foods whenever possible, but remember it’s always better to eat broccoli that’s been exposed to pesticide than to not eat broccoli at all (the same applies to any other anticancer vegetable).
Spice it up:
Add turmeric (with black pepper) when cooking (delicious in salad dressings!). This yellow spice is the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory agent.
Skip the potato:
Potatoes raise blood sugar, which can feed inflammation and cancer growth. They also contain high levels of pesticide residue (to the point that most potato farmers I know don’t eat their own grown potatoes).
Go fish:
Eat fish two or three times a week – sardines, mackerel, and anchovies have less mercury and PCBs than bigger fish like tuna. Avoid swordfish and shark, which the FDA says pregnant women should not eat because they contain a high concentration of contaminants.
Remember not all eggs are created equal:
Choose only omega-3 eggs, or don’t eat the yolks. Hens are now fed on mostly corn and soybeans, and their eggs contain 20 times more pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than cell-growth regulating omega-3s.
Change your oil:
Use only olive and canola-oil1 in cooking and salad dressings. Go through your kitchen cabinets and throw out your soy-bean, corn and sunflower oils. (And no, you can’t give them to your neighbours or your relatives… They’re much too rich in omega-6 fatty acids!)
Remember to add Mediterranean herbs to your food:
Thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, mint, etc. They don’t just add flavor, they can also help reduce the growth of cancer cells.
Say “Brown is beautiful”:
Eat your grains whole and mixed (wheat with oats, barley, spelt, flax, etc.) and favor organic whole grains when possible since pesticides tend to accumulate on whole grains. Avoid refined, white flour (used in bagels, muffins, sandwich bread, buns, etc.) whenever possible, and eat white pasta only al dente.
Keep sweets down to fruits:
Cut down on sugar by avoiding sweetened sodas and fruit juices, and skipping dessert or replacing it with fruit (especially stone fruits and berries) after most meals. Read the labels carefully, and steer clear of products that list any type of sugar (including brown sugar, corn syrup, etc.) in the first three ingredients. If you have an incorrigible sweet tooth, try a few squares of dark chocolate containing more than 70% cocoa.
Go green:
Instead of coffee or black tea, drink three cups of green tea per day. Use decaffeinated green tea if it gets you too wired. Regular consumption of green tea has been linked to a significant reduction in the risk for developing cancer.
Make room for exceptions:
What matters is what you do on a daily basis, not the occasional treat.
Guidelines (No Food Related):
Get physical activity:
Make time to exercise, be it walking, dancing or running. Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity at least 5 days a week. This can be as easy as just walking part of the way to the office, or the grocery store. A dog is often a better walking partner than an exercise buddy. Choose an activity you enjoy; if you’re having fun, you’re more likely to stick with it.
Let the sun shine in:
Try to get at least 20 minutes of daily sun exposure (torso, arms and legs) without sunscreen, preferably at noon in the summer (but take care to avoid sunburns!). This will boost your body’s natural production of Vitamin D. As an alternative: discuss the option of taking a Vitamin D3 supplement with your doctor.
Banish bad chemicals:
Avoid exposure to common household contaminants. You should air our your dry-cleaning for two hours before storing or wearing it; use organic cleaning products (or wear gloves); don’t heat liquids or food in hard plastics; avoid cosmetics with parabens and phthalates; don’t use chemical pesticides in your house or garden; replace your scratched Teflon pans; filter your tap water (or used bottled water) if you live in a contaminated area; don’t keep your cell phone close to you when it is turned on.
Reach out (and touch someone!):
Reach out to at least two friends for support (logistical and emotional) during times of stress, even if it’s through the internet. But if they’re within arms reach, go ahead and hug them, often!
Remember to Breath:
Learn a basic breathing relaxation technique to let out some steam whenever you start to feel stressed.
Cultivate happiness like a garden:
Make sure you do one thing you love for yourself on most days (it doesn’t have to take long!).
Get involved:
Find out how you can best give something back to your local community, then give it.
More Details from My Own Experience:
Loïc from HealthInYourPlanet:
After a few years of trying to apply David’s advice, I’ve noticed more and more books being released on healthy lifestyle topics. This is sometimes called “Health knowledge vulgarization“, as mentioned by Jessie Inchauspé in her book “Glucose Revolution“.
Below you will find some information I’d like to highlight or add alongside of David Servan-Schreiber’s books. These notes are reflecting my humble feedback. Please keep in mind, I’m not a doctor. It’s just few additional topics I’ve read and about that may be worth exploring also.
Potassium:
Our potassium level is something we need to monitor; especially if we follow David’s guidelines. This mean:
Eating certain potassium-rich foods such as: Avocado, Sweet Potato, Quinoa, Chocolate, and Tomato,
Combined with:
Being dehydrated, eating too much salty food, or increasing physical activity can cause problems.
The combination of high potassium and dehydration can disrupt blood chemistry (sometimes referred to as ‘toxicity’) and lead to side effects like headaches or even sometimes strokes.
To avoid this, it’s important to understand that the kidneys naturally regulate potassium levels and overall blood chemistry by continuously filtering the blood. This process is called maintaining pH balance. The more water we drink, the better our kidneys function. Excess potassium is then naturally released through urine.
This is why staying well hydrated is so important. Drink fluids often water, Tea, or Herbal infusions. Proper hydration helps return our Blood pH to a neutral level, which is important not only for potassium but also for balancing Salt and Sugar levels.
If you don’t drink Tea, try to drink at least Water every day.
Doctors generally recommend to an average adult, drink about 2–3 litters of water per day, depending on their diet (or up to 4 litters if engaging in physical activity). David Servan-Schreiber emphasized the importance of drinking tea daily, especially green tea, which is known for supporting liver function and reducing Cancer Risk due to its natural detoxifying properties.
However, tea can sometimes cause sleeping disorders or anemia. As alternatives, you can drink decaffeinated tea, herbal infusions, or simply water to stay hydrated while avoiding tea-related side effects. Always consult with your doctor, especially if you have concerns about anemia or herbal infusion side effects, as some infusions can cause adverse reactions in high amounts.
Rooibos Tea (also known as Red Tea) is recognized for its detoxifying properties without the caffeine-related side effects. Following some study Green Rooibos harvested from the bush would contain even about half of Detox Agents found in Green Tea, .
Hydration needs can also depend on your diet, including food intolerances and the amount of salty food consumed. Eating healthier foods may improve both sleep and digestion, which in turn can support a healthier lifestyle and increase your enjoyment of tea.
Light Therapy:
David Servan-Schreiber mentioned light therapy in his first book, Healing Without Freud or Prozac, mentioning the interest and the impact of light on our well-being. He also explain the benefits of using a Wake-up light (also called a “Clock light“) to reduce stress (Link). This kind of device can help us to “Start the day on the right foot,” as the saying goes.
Clock Light:
A Clock light is a type of alarm clock. But instead of ringing, it slowly increases light intensity in the morning—simulating a sunrise. Because our body senses light even with closed eyes, this gradual exposure helps us wake up gently and naturally. At the same time, it can be surprisingly effective at improving morning energy levels.
This type of device may also help reduce stress. If you try one, you might quickly notice the benefits.
Clock lights may even support Natural Vitamin D production from early morning exposure (Link). Another useful device in this context is the S.A.D. light.
S . A . D Light (Seasonal, Affect, Mood Disorder):
David Servan-Schreiber emphasized that Light Therapy Sessions can be a very effective way to combat depression. This includes treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.)(Link), which tends to occur during winter when daylight becomes limited.
Doing 20 minutes of light therapy in the morning can help the body naturally regenerate Vitamin D—even more so than using a Clock Light. This supports not only the Immune system, but also Digestion, mood, and general energy levels.
- Important Note: Light therapy should not replace prescribed vitamin D supplements. It may contribute to vitamin D levels, but it does not substitute for medical advice. Always consult your doctor.
- Another Note: At HealthInYourPlanet.com, we refer specifically to Light therapy and S.A.D. lights but not UV light. UV light operates at a different intensity and wavelength, and may increase the risk of Skin Cancer. Please be aware about the difference.
Transit:
Our Digestive process and Gut transit are very important for our overall health and can help reduce stress more than we might realize.
As Giulia Enders mentions in her book Gut (Link): If you are the kind of person who goes to the toilet once a day, you may avoid many illnesses related to the gut such as colon cancer, for example.
Gut transit and Bacterial diversity have a major impact on our mood. The gut is sometimes called our “Second Brain” due to the high number of nerve connections and its influence on our well-being. Our mood can even be affected for several days based on what we’ve eaten. Understanding how gut bacteria function allows us to make better dietary choices according to our context, personal situations, and family.
“Farting” is also considered as natural process—it’s not wrong to have a Little Fart occasionally.
Giulia’s book explains the importance of maintaining Healthy bacteria in our gut. While the book is somewhat technical, it helps us understand the complexity of the gut microbiome and the sheer number of bacteria involved. It reminds us that What matters most is what we do daily not the occasional treat.
Try to Prepare Veggies for Each Meal:
Nutritious advice and meal suggestions can be found at the following (Link). You can also find menu ideas via another (Link), which helps provide examples of Prepared meals for a typical week while maintaining a balanced diet.
Useful tips can also be found in the book by Jean-Marie Bourre, especially if your routine diet includes too much of the same type of food. One helpful strategy is to plan a two-week menu in advance.
For example, by assigning specific meals to specific days such as “Saturday lunch: Chicken Basquaise” every two weeks you can better organize your meal planning. This approach helps you prepare more varied and sophisticated meals while maintaining structure and routine. It’s a practical tip for managing your diet more effectively.
Healthy Balanced Meals from Cancer Research UK:
Preparing Three Food Product Categories for Each Meal:
- 50% Vegetables
Mixing vegetables is a good idea—especially using a generous amount of green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, green beans, etc. - 25% Protein
Reminder: Vegetarian proteins are less easily absorbed than animal proteins, so keep that in mind—especially if you are increasing your physical activity. - 25% Grains and Carbohydrates
These can be alternated at each meal (wheat, rice, potatoes, pulses, quinoa, buckwheat, etc.). More information is available at this (Link).
Don’t forget to include grains on your plate. Culturally, this might seem different or uncommon, but if you try it, you’ll likely feel better overall. Grains provide a wide variety of vitamins and are known to support digestion (Transit), liver function, nutrient absorption, and weight management.
For example, Pulses are rich in Vitamin B. If you eat pulses twice a week, you may quickly notice positive effects on your health.
Food Intolerance:
Food intolerances are sometimes related to specific types of food that may irritate the gut. This can include certain prepared meals that contain ingredients known to trigger food intolerance.
The type of Foods with a “Risk of intolerance” are often the same as those with “Risk of allergy“. You can find these potential allergens marked in bold on the ingredient list of food product packaging.
(Food intolerance is a Complex Topic. It can be difficult to handle it, because we might be tempted to remove entire food groups from our diet. However, doing so, without proper guidance can reduce variety and nutritional balance in our own routine diet.)
Leaky Gut Syndrome:
As previously mentioned, Probiotics, Prebiotics, oily fish, and rapeseed oil—with their Omega-3 content—also help regenerate the gut’s internal barrier known as Mucus, which acts as our natural defense.
Some people sometimes complain about minor headaches or unusual pain, which can occasionally be linked to diet and individual body tolerance.
This is generally a Sign that something is off, and we should re-examine what we’ve eaten to identify any possible triggers.
If you suspect a certain food is affecting you but aren’t sure, a good way to test it is to:
- Add the food to your diet for one week,
- Remove it the following week,
- Then reintroduce it again the week after.
This approach helps you better understand which foods may be causing an issue and what to watch out for.
For example, Dairy products contain Lactose, which is a common allergen. Lactose is present in all dairy products in varying amounts. Milk contains more lactose than cheese, but cheese should still be consumed in small portions, as it’s more concentrated.
(Dairy is generally recommended daily but in small quantity.)
It’s also helpful to know that eating cheese and/or butter in the morning may assist the body in self-repair. The body naturally absorbs animal fats, which help regenerate the gut lining. (Butter is also known to support synapse function in the brain.)
Drinking tea supports liver function and digestion, but tea may also cause side effects such as anemia and sleep disturbances. Therefore, it’s important to include iron-rich foods like green vegetables—spinach, broccoli, cabbage—in your diet.
(See also the NASH diet. Be careful with restrictive diets, as they can increase the risk of Yo-Yo dieting.)
It’s useful to understand how the Gut absorbs Vitamins. For example, Calcium and Iron can interfere between each other’s for absorption, while some vitamins enhance each other for absorption. (Vitamin C, for example, helps increase Iron absorption.) Regardless, we must ensure we consume all vitamins at the proper levels.
In any case, do not hesitate to discuss these topics with your doctor. Every unusual symptom or unexplained pain should be reported. While it may seem minor, you could be detecting a food intolerance or something more significant.
Depending on the situation, give feedback to your doctor or even to the restaurant or place you have eaten.
Be careful to the Food Supplements:
Always follow recommendations from your doctor, pharmacist, or the information provided on the vitamin packaging. Always ask your doctor for advice, even if the vitamins are available without a prescription.
EMDR:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a hypnosis-based technique recommended by David Servan-Schreiber, also known as Desensitization and Reprocessing, used in cases of trauma and to help with stress.
However, according to some recent information, EMDR techniques are not strongly recommended if you are experiencing severe psychosis, suicidal thoughts, or have a heart condition, or in cases of schizophrenia, according to the website ConsoGlobe (Link).
EMDR appears to have shown positive results according to David’s books, but it may be wise not to rush into this technique too quickly, as it is still relatively new. More studies are likely to be published soon. Do not hesitate to discuss about it with your doctor.
Try to Detect if you are in Danger to react rapidly:
Taking care of ourselves is very helpful for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but keep in mind that in some situations, we might not realize or might forget the dangers we are exposed to. A situation can quickly become dangerous and completely out of our control.
Your personal health, and others health, is always the most important.
Sometimes, it’s better to leave a place or area where danger is present and contact the local authorities to avoid safety risks.
Contacting local authorities is important so they can properly handle the situation.
“Keep remembering, you are not alone.
Even in difficult moments,
Help can always be found around you:
Government services, charities, social workers,
They can help you face your challenges.”
Also
“Keep in mind:
Whatever happens,
your health is the most important thing.”
Mindfulness:
If you like to practice mindfulness, you can find some help at the following (Link).
Sugar Intake by Day:
David mentions in his book the issues related to sugar and its link to cancer risks (and not only cancer), but also to other conditions such as diabetes, the yo-yo dieting effect, and being overweight.
David Servan-Schreiber recommends avoiding sugar as much as possible because “Sugar calls for more Sugar,” especially when it’s found in highly processed foods containing refined sugar.
Fruits also contain sugar called fructose but the Fruits are rich in vitamins and beneficial for health. Try to maintain your “5 a day” by including a higher proportion of vegetables than fruits. For example: 3 portions of vegetables and 2 portions of fruits per day.
Dr. Saldmann and various websites explain that there is a maximum daily intake level for processed Sugar, which should not be exceeded: For example, 25 grams per day in Canada. This limit varies by country depending on multiple health-related factors. (Link).
This limit is defined as the point at which the risk of developing Cancer begins.
David Servan-Schreiber advises not to eat processed sugar at all.
One important thing to understand is that we must constantly be mindful of what we eat, because sugar (Like salt) can be found everywhere. You can even find sugar in a can of green beans, for example, which can increase your sugar intake without you realizing it. (Sugar is often used for food preservation and to enhance taste.)
We recommend always double-checking the ingredients listed on packaging for example, by using the Yuka app (Link), which can help in this regard.
Twenty-five grams of sugar is a level that can be exceeded very quickly. For example, a single 33cl can of Coke already contains Fourty-Five grams of sugar (equivalent to about twelve sugar cubes).
When we begin to pay attention to this issue, having a mental picture in mind helps us visualize the amount of sugar we consume daily. It gives us a threshold so we can understand the risk.
This improves our awareness and nutritional knowledge, while also keeping in mind—as David Servan-Schreiber mentions What matters is what you do on a daily basis, not the occasional treat.”
Sweetener (Be Careful):
When we try to reduce Sugar, sweeteners are not always the best option, as some sweeteners are also known to be carcinogenic and may increase the risk of certain Cancers (Pancreatic Cancer, for example).
Some fizzy drink brands, such as Fever-Tree or Karma Cola, contain less sugar by default. However, dentists also recommend avoiding fizzy drinks as much as possible due to their acidity and the harmful effects on our teeth.
Conclusion:
I would like to mention that if you’re starting to develop an interest in health and well-being; especially in the topic of Anticancer approaches; try reading some of David Servan-Schreiber’s books. All of his books are insightful and chronologically explain the progression of his research.
David’s first book, “The Instinct to Heal: Curing Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy“, is one of the most important.
In this book, David explains ways to fight depression, because his research showed that depression can weaken the Immune system, which in turn increases the Risk of Cancer.
His book “The Body Loves the Truth“ is also excellent and offers a helpful overview of many of his main guidelines. (As the first 20th guideline in this page)
You might not realize it straight away, but it takes a lot of time to fully absorb the knowledge in his books
First to understand it completely, but then also few more years to begin changing habits.
Changing habits is a long process for everyone, much longer than we often expect. We need to be patient with ourselves and even more with those around us.
This is also one of the reasons I created the www.HealthInYourPlanet.com website. It offers a way to share simple Health information and show where people can find TrustWorthy sources. It also provides health education in a non-intrusive way. This is sometimes called “Health knowledge vulgarization“, as mentioned by Jessie Inchauspé in her book “Glucose Revolution“.
New books on health topics are published every year, and that’s very good news; it helps people improve their awareness and learn how to take better care of themselves.
Don’t hesitate to visit your City Library you’ll probably find many books in the health section.
Some may think that people interested in health informations, are being overly cautious about something that might become dangerous for them and others. But when people start collecting health information on their own, they usually end up turning to their doctors for more information.
In the end, it’s a win-win and a virtuous cycle.
David Servan-Schreiber Bibliography:
- “Healing Without Freud or Prozac” (Rodale Books, 2011) ISBN978-1-4050-7758-3
- “The Instinct to Heal: Curing Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy” (Rodale Books, 2004)
- “Anticancer: A New Way of Life“
- “Not the last goodbye“
- “The body loves the truth”
Please do not hesitate to visit other pages from www.HealthInYourPlanet.com, You will be able to find other advices Books on Health and Sustainability Topics : (Link)
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