“I’m afraid it’s bad news. You have cancer.”
Let’s say the person hearing these words is a woman in her 50s. Though it could just as easily be a man. Or a woman (or man) in any other decade of life.
First point is, whoever they are, chances are good that it doesn’t occur to them to do anything other than follow doctors’ advice.
After all, to do anything else would be crazy as no one knows better than doctors do how to treat cancer.
If the patient has the money to they may seek second and third opinions.
But either way, they then show up for their surgery and/or chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.
At some point, they might ask their doctor whether there is anything they can do to improve their odds – for example, should they change their diet?
If they smoke they might be advised to give up, and if they are morbidly obese, to lose weight.
But otherwise they’re likely to be told there’s nothing they can personally do to alter the course of their disease, other than show up for their appointments and take any prescribed medication.
And far from being put on the health-boosting, disease-busting diet that is so urgently indicated, if they lose weight during treatment they may even be advised to eat certain high-calorie junk foods to help them put weight back on.
If they’re lucky, they may be told they need only surgery – and that surgery may prove to be successful in removing their cancer. Where this is the case, and especially if the patient eats well and lives well after this, that may be the end of their run-in with cancer.
But many patients are prescribed chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. These treatments do far more damage to the body.
Patients are often told initially that they are responding well to them; scans show their tumours shrinking.
But what too often happens – sometimes years down the line; sometimes within just a few months – is that the cancer not only “returns” (it never really went away), but spreads to a second location.
At this point, surgery is unlikely to be an option but the patient may be told they need more chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.
The problem with both of these is that although they kill cancer cells, they also kill healthy cells.
And because these treatments are (a) so toxic and (b) so destructive to the immune system – the body’s only defense against cancer – they may act more like cancer fuel than cancer foe.
This is why in some cases – too many – a cancer that initially seemed to respond well to these treatments soon returns and spreads like wildfire.
At this point the patient is often told by their doctor that there’s “nothing more than can be done” and informed they have just a few months (or maybe a year or two) to live.
But – and here we get to the crux of the issue – although such patients have had extremely aggressive and invasive “treatment”, in reality they have not yet had any true treatment for their cancer at all.
The tumour is just the symptom, and it’s been poisoned and/or irradiated.
But precisely nothing has yet been tried that might get to the root of why they had cancer in the first place and/or strengthen their immune system and/or restore their body to a state of health.
I have seen it happen, or heard of it happening, far too many times. Maybe you have, too.
And tragically, most who are handed down a death sentence by their doctor accept it and believe there is no hope for them.
Others feel motivated enough to venture into the world of alternative medicine, now that orthodox medicine has nothing further to offer them.
But it’s an extremely steep learning curve for those new to the concept, and it takes real persistence to work out the best nutrition, lifestyle and treatment plan from the massive array of treatments, diets, pills, potions and gadgets on offer.
I don’t know what it is that’s made you read this far.
Maybe you’re lucky enough to be healthy and are simply aware that this is something you need to think about. In which case that’s wonderful, because in an ideal world we would all get savvy about health and healing while we still have our health, and with the luxury of time on our side.
Maybe cancer’s a topic close to your heart because someone dear to you has it, or had it.
Maybe you’ve read this far because you’ve been diagnosed with cancer or another life-threatening illness.
In which case, let me be clear: I’m certainly not telling anyone to rule out conventional treatment.
All I’m saying is, do your research and ask a lot of questions.
Get educated on all you can be doing to bring your body back to a state of health and balance. This will involve every area of life (diet, lifestyle, living environment, emotional state, relationships and exercise to name just a few).
Maybe you’re reading this because orthodox medicine has given up on you, but you’re not ready to give up.
Good. Please, don’t be. If a doctor has told you that “nothing can be done”, I hope you’ve translated that to, “I am not qualified to help you” and moved on.
You have a challenge ahead, but always remember that however dire your prognosis, someone who had what you now have figured out how to turn it around.
Insofar as you can, surround yourself with people who see this and support your efforts to take charge of your health.
And if you have cancer of any stage or variety, find a qualified health practitioner to help you design the wellness program that you need to optimise your health.
You may not feel this is necessary. You may feel you know enough about health and healing to manage your own treatment without assistance.
As a holistic health writer, I’ve met many people who feel this way.
But let me share this: I’ve been studying holistic health and healing for over 20 years now, I’ve been writing about them and researching them even more extensively for nearly 10 years, and I’ve also been to college to study nutrition…and if I was faced with a serious health challenge, I wouldn’t feel qualified to treat myself; I’d be looking for a specialist in the holistic treatment of my condition.
Maybe because I’ve seen or heard of too many who were convinced they could treat their own cancer, and who did not make it.
I wrote more than I intended there. It can be summed up in two simple points:
1. Whatever your current state of health, if you haven’t taken charge of your health yet, start today.
2. And if you are dealing with serious health challenges, hire the best expert help you can afford.
I agree with every word of this and hope it is read by people who most greatly need this information.
View CommentIt’s sad enough when someone dies of cancer and even worse when they could have survived if they hadn’t been misled.
View CommentConventional cancer treatment is a crime against humanity. Take chemotherapy — the FDA defines an “effective” chemotherapy drug as one that achieves a 50% or more reduction in tumor size for 28 days. In the vast majority of cases there is absolutely no correlation between shrinking the tumor for 28 days and a longer life or better quality of life for the patient.
More shocking still: “In 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that in the previous year, the average oncologist had made $253,000 of which 75% was profit on chemotherapy drugs administered in his/her office. Yet, surveys of oncologists by the Los Angeles Times and the McGill Cancer Center in Montreal show that from 75% to 91% of oncologists would refuse chemotherapy as a treatment for themselves or their families. Why? Too toxic and not effective. Yet, 75% of cancer patients are urged to take chemo by their oncologists.”
View CommentI so agree with you Valerie! Its so poisonous and rarely works, so sad, I try and help spread this kind of message too but often end up being attacked for it!
View CommentYes, and if you study the history of chemotherapy you realize it has nothing to do with science but more with murdering.
Another aspect to take in consideration is that people should as the article points out become in control of their body health as the starting point and quit bad habits like smoking and eat more chemopreventive food like curcumin and cocoa extracts.
View CommentExcellent stuff as always Sarah. It is so sad to hear of people accepting a gloomy prognosis – it then almost always becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We are fortunate to know enough about just how cancer can be eliminated from the wonderful work of people like Thomas Lodi and the Hippocrates Institute in Florida. In my opinion, in most cases of cancer, this should be the mainstay of treatment, empowering people to take charge and eliminate the disease by strengthening their immune system and their personal emotional state. What a shame that people often only turn to the “alternative” treatments after all else from the conventional medical side has failed. It is no longer enough to state things such as “I don’t smoke so I won’t therefore get cancer”. We all need to increase our nutritional and emotional health at a cellular level to ensure that we remain in the 50% who do not succumb to this disease state.
View CommentMax: “In my opinion, in most cases of cancer, this should be the mainstay of treatment, empowering people to take charge and eliminate the disease by strengthening their immune system and their personal emotional state. What a shame that people often only turn to the “alternative” treatments after all else from the conventional medical side has failed.”
View CommentYES, YES and YES…
Hi Sarah. Hmmm…. my sister had life threatening cancer and what she went through with conventional treatment I wouldn’t wish on anybody…. that said, to completely dismiss mainstream therapy (as Steve Jobs did for many years) would be foolhardy. Also, quoting the f**ked up American health system (Valerie) proves only the perverse corrupt nature of that system (read: country) not the various merits of one treatment over another.
View CommentSo sorry to hear about what your sister went through, Steven.
I think the American “health” system is possibly the most corrupt in the world – but would also say, in general, that when we look at the actual “science” chemotherapy is based on it is A LOT less persuasive than the medical establishment would have us believe.
But I do certainly agree with you that we shouldn’t dismiss mainstream medicine completely – far from it.
View Comment“You may feel you know enough about health and healing to manage your own treatment without assistance” / “I wouldn’t feel qualified to treat myself; I’d be looking for a specialist in the holistic treatment of my condition”.
Excellent points.
View CommentI noticed that Steve Jobs name has been mentioned in these discussions. Though I have always felt that if I was diagnosed with cancer (or other life threatening condition) I’d seek the holistic way first, it did unnerve me a bit that somebody like Steve Jobs, with no financial concerns, could afford the best in holistic medicine yet still died. Does anybody have any comment to make on this please ? Thanks
View Commentso good and true. Holistic natural treatment is the best way to go with low risk. Chemo and synthetic drugs are not meant for the human body and do nothing but harm and destroy the immune system whereas anti cancer natural treatment will only make you healthier by strengthening the immune system. Why do chemo and drugs? Makes no sense.
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