Welcome back, fans of Latin and Greek root words as they pertain to English vocabulary! Happy Easter to all! The word Easter derives from the Celtic goddess Eostre, the goddess of the dawn. Easter, of course, is all about new beginnings and new life: consider the fecund rabbit that loves to have so many little bunnies; consider the dyeing of eggs, the former which remind us of the beautiful flowers of the vernal season, the latter which is of course another ultimate symbol of animal life. Just as daylight is resurrected each and every day, just as Dionysus was torn apart by the Maenads each and every year only to be reborn every successive spring, so too do the flowers and plants regain life each and every spring, all wonderful symbols of the resurgence of life.
Easter, too, is a time to eat brightly colored, well, candy. Milk chocolate rabbits. Brightly colored Cadbury creme eggs. Jelly beans of every hue. All permutations of sugar, sugar, and more sugar. Not necessarily a bad thing, if eaten as rarely as Dionysus rising from oblivion each year. Really bad if eaten every day.
Etymology moment:
Cancer: comes from the Latin root word cancer: crab, tumor, malignant disease.
Carcinogen: come from the Greek root word karkinos: cancer, crab. Root of such words as carcinogen ("gen" simply means "engenders"), carcinoma (cancer body), carcinogenesis (producing cancer), and teratocarcinoma (a "monster" cancerous tumor).
And, unfortunately, what with processed foods, which contain all kinds of high fructose corn syrup and every other HGI (high glyemic index--meaning--too much sugar) sweetener, all of which are conveniently located in the center aisles of mass chain monolithic grocery institutions (highly profitable, I might add, because of a long shelf life and very cheap to produce), Americans eat them all the way to contracting cancer. Recent research has suggested that cancer tumors (we ALL have them--it's just a matter of whether they metastasize or not) feed on sugar. It's their favorite food, by far. The human tongue, unfortunately, loves sugar. The problem is is that most humans do not have enough discipline to not eat sugar, ignore obsesity or signs of ill health, and then when they contract cancer they blame it on elements beyond their control.
Pretty convenient. Just like processed foods.
OK, I know it's impossible for most people to give up processed foods, to give up candy, to give up sugar. But what can one do to combat the types of things ingested (hate to call processed food, well food, 'cause it's not)? To stop that food from feeding tumors (through angiogenesis)? It's actually quite simple, and does NOT require a trip to the doctor's office.
I recently read a fabulous book entitled Foods to Fight Cancer. In it, the authors make the startling claim that it's not what you are exposed to in the outside environment, but it's rather what you eat that can put a halt to tumor growth for good. And be cancer free. Imagine eating what you want (within Apollonian moderation, while at the same time occasionally enjoying Dionysian wantonness) while still retaining the ability for your body to fight off cancer generation. All you have to do is eat the following foods (and these are actual foods):
1. Dark Chocolate. Make it dark: 70% or more.
2. Red Wine. Note that this is Red wine. Organic preferred.
3. Turmeric. Mix the turmeric with ground pepper (our human bodies cannot process turmeric very efficiently without piperine, a constituent of pepper). Ever wonder why there's a very low rate of cancer in India? Curry!
4. Garlic, garlic, and more garlic. Don't cook it, or lightly cook it. It's easy to grow. OG not necessary. Chew it raw, mix it with your favorite food. This is the most anti-carcinogenic substance known to humankind to date. Did I mention you should eat garlic? Onions too.
5. Blueberries. Blueberries. Blueberries.
6. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage.
7. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. But you have to cook them to release the lycopene. Pasta sauce, anyone? With garlic ... a sure winner.
8. Oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary.
9. Oranges and grapefruit.
10. Were you paying attention to numbers 1 and 2???????????
So, enjoy your Easter candy. It's an important part of life. Enjoy your dessert, moderately. But eat that which stops cancer from forming--it's NOT beyond your control, and some might lead you to believe. Rather, it's all about what you eat. Think of it as pre-cancer therapy. As a way of injecting your body each and every day with cures for cancer. Yes, cures for cancer before it manifests. Doesn't have to come from a drug company, who stands to make billions from an artificial cure. Ingestion. Read the book for more information.
And watch what you put into your digestive system.
Especially that sugar. (try LGI: Agave syrup, coconut nectar, wild honey--better).
Namaste.
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English Vocabulary via Greek and Latin Root Word Origins
- Magister Brunner
- I have long been fascinated by Greek and Roman mythology, and the Greek and Latin roots of English vocabulary words; their infusion within the English language respectively forms the core of cultural literacy and English vocabulary. Learning a vast array of English vocabulary words can help people write more powerfully, speak clearly and confidently, and read with a much deeper appreciation for great literature, not to mention perform well on college and graduate school entrance examinations, such as the SAT and GRE. Other than intense reading itself, there is no better way of learning and, most importantly, remembering English vocabulary words than by learning Greek and Latin root words. My own love for reading and subsequent keen interest in English vocabulary began with the B.A. (hon) degree in English I received from UW Madison, and continued with the M.A. in English I earned from the University of Virginia; I currently teach Latin and Greek and Roman mythology at Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville, VA, farm organically, am Executive Editor of Membean.com, and practice yoga and dhyana on a daily basis (qigong when clement!).
