What is the role of nutrition in building health and helping to prevent cancer? It's a vast question, but one with an easy answer. Quite simply, good nutrition builds a strong immune system. A strong immune system can help prevent cancer. It's interesting, people assume they are healthy if they feel well and don't have any symptoms of illness. In fact, "feeling well" can be far from the body's actual state of health. All too often, we hear of someone who goes in for a regular check-up and discovers either a lump in their breast or an abnormality in their blood work.

Although they may claim to "feel great and very energetic," test results tell the tale of an underlying problem ­ unbalanced chemistry which may have been going on for weeks, months, or even years, without any apparent warning symptoms.

So what is true health? Dorlands' Medical Dictionary states health "is a state of optimal physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity." It also states holistic health "is a system of preventative medicine that takes into account the whole individual." It's clear, health is not merely the absence of symptoms, but a state where the entire body functions its best.

Don't Start with Just One Part
If you truly want to be healthy, you need to address your body as an integrated machine, where one part affects and is dependent on all of the other parts, instead of looking at it as made up of segregated parts. It's an attitude that is especially important in the case of being diagnosed with a disease such as breast cancer. Having a disease or ailment affects the whole body, not just the affected part. It follows then, that any treatment or positive change you can make in your health will also affect the whole body. Focusing on the entire body's nutritional balance is the greatest defense against cancer and reoccurrence, and is even more important than genetic heredity. By creating a strong internal environment through proper nutrition, you can raise your body's capacity to fight any disease.

Be Proactive, Not Reactive
When someone is on medication or undergoes a medical treatment such as radiation, chemotherapy or surgery, there is an urgent need to follow good nutrition. Many healthy cells are sacrificed during drug treatment to kill off cancer cells. The effects of chemotherapy and radiation are toxic, and weaken the body's immune system and overall health defenses. The chemotherapy drugs inhibit many vitamins, minerals and enzymes that are necessary for cellular growth and repair, creating a nutritionally depleted internal environment. To counteract the nutritional side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, eat whole foods and avoid empty calorie foods that are high in sugar, white flour, and processed fast foods.

Through diet, rest, nutritional supplements and exercise you can dramatically affect your current and future health. Being proactive not only helps to establish more control over any health problem, but also gives a person a sense of control, knowing that he/she is doing his/her part to become and stay well.