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| Maggie's Cancer Centre, Dundee Scotland |
It's been three years since the Cancer diagnosis today. Three years is actually exceptionally good for the type of Cancer I have, by any standard. My expiration date has been predicted so many times. A Cancer diagnosis can turn your life into complete chaos or blissful awakening. It's your choice. When one gets a diagnosis especially a grave one like in my case, given two months. What do you do? The hospice offered me free services to get my affairs in order. They referred me to a lawyer to write my will, they even had a filmmaker offer his services to shoot messages I would like to leave my family and friends. I was gathering photos and materials I wanted in the film, then, I stopped, picked up the phone, told him I changed my mind and that I'm going to fight this. They said maybe I should do it anyway, at least it's done and I won't have to regret not doing it later on. I declined, it was not setting me up for the right mindset to turn this nightmare into a dream. It was brave, but if I didn't make it beyond the two months, yes I would have regretted not doing it. I never called him back.
I now have three years of Cancer research behind me, and believe me, I've just scratched the surface. It takes so long to decipher, validate, qualify, test, or even make sense of what you read. Cancer is such a massive industry, it's easy to get overwhelmed, lost, confused, or just give up. If I had known what I know now, I would treat myself very differently. There was so much uncertainty about the protocols I chose the first time, the dire predictions adding more pressure to decisions I've had to make on limited time. I've always encouraged people to read up on Cancer now, because if you start researching on the day you get the diagnosis, you may not be thinking clearly, under time pressure, you may be panicked or too shocked to establish coherence. Reading up on Cancer doesn't mean you're inviting it, reading up on Cancer puts you ahead in prevention, and it's a healthy lifestyle anyway, so why not.
Conventional medicine can tell you what your disease is and where it is, then they prescribe patented drugs or treatments for it. But, they won't tell you the cause, the mechanism, or the pathway involved. To fully understand why that is, you need to look deeply at how the medical industry and medical schools operate. It's too lengthy to discuss, I leave that up to you. Here's where the gap is, patients often want to know more, like how it occurred. They seem to imply that it just happens randomly, well, no! Instead of naming your disease and then getting rid of the growth by burning, poisoning, and cutting, we should look into what's going on inside, when we understand that, we can supply the body what it needs. Not saying conventional treatment doesn't work, I've had chemo myself, although had I known I actually had time, I would have gone a completely alternative route, I still deal with the side effects of chemo more than a year after. But, of course, I'm grateful, it did help.
Not one protocol would work for everyone, we are all different. The key is to tune in, understand your body, hear what it wants. I'll share here what I think one should do when you do or a loved one gets a diagnosis. I'm not claiming to be an expert, far from that. This is all based on common sense gathered from my extensive research and the endless quest for the cure, which I am told by conventional means, doesn't exist.
1. Eliminate Stress. I know. It's like - how? That's what I felt like, easier said than done hey! This is number one on my list, it is stress that triggers Cancer cell expression. We all have Cancer cells but not every cell turns malignant because the body is able to reverse it unless you keep inundating it with stress all the time and not doing anything to manage it. I wouldn't say eliminate as we all deal with life on a daily basis, stressors are a part of our existence, but get off the flight or fight mode, it gets your body's PH balance out of whack, creating an acidic environment Cancer cells thrive on. This depletes oxygen to your cells and creates an anaerobic environment which makes a perfect home for Cancer cells. The key is to change your reaction, change the way you perceive the trials that come to you, change your attitude, aim for happy despite trying circumstances. Meditation and Tapping have helped me with this. This is number one because this step alone can start a surge of healing. In her book Radical Remissions, Dr. Kelly Turner recognised that only 2 of the 9 steps Cancer patients who's had spontaneous Remissions took is physical, the rest is mental, emotional, and spiritual. It was a long and hard journey to even get me to a place where I'm just chilling, I'm still working on it, but it is possible. Change your thoughts to change your immune system. You've got to take control of your thoughts and of your mind. Allow positive thoughts to flow even in the most wearisome of situations. Stay away from bad energy and toxic people and noxious environments as much as you can. Think Epigenetics. I wrote about Psycho-Oncology here.
2. Definitely Eliminate Sugar. I'm a big baker and this was a hard one. Not only is sugar hidden in so many things, the cravings tempt so much at times. White rice is something I'm still working on. I do give myself treats from time to time, the occasional scoop of ice cream, toast with butter, one little square of chocolate. That's just me though, getting rid of sugar completely is the standard here. When you get a pet scan, they inject you with radioactive glucose, because Cancer cells survive on sugar, they naturally seek the glucose and that glows in your scan for the radiologist to interpret, so if your Oncologist or Dietician says you can have sugar, don't believe them. Sugar feeds Cancer. Starve the cells of sugar. The body doesn't classify the sugar source either, it turns into sugar, they gobble it up. When you've got Cancer you need to watch out for hidden sources of sugar or sugars that may be healthy for most, like fruit, but not recommended whilst you're healing from Cancer. When I started juicing, I was adding a pear or an apple to make it palatable but as I got better and my taste buds adjusted to the new diet, I was able to eliminate the fruits completely and just juicing vegetables. I do add frozen berries or dark cherries to one of my supplement, it needs it to mask the horrible texture. The only fruits I eat are pineapple which contains the Cancer fighter enzyme Bromelain and Papaya which has Papain.
Conventional medicine can tell you what your disease is and where it is, then they prescribe patented drugs or treatments for it. But, they won't tell you the cause, the mechanism, or the pathway involved. To fully understand why that is, you need to look deeply at how the medical industry and medical schools operate. It's too lengthy to discuss, I leave that up to you. Here's where the gap is, patients often want to know more, like how it occurred. They seem to imply that it just happens randomly, well, no! Instead of naming your disease and then getting rid of the growth by burning, poisoning, and cutting, we should look into what's going on inside, when we understand that, we can supply the body what it needs. Not saying conventional treatment doesn't work, I've had chemo myself, although had I known I actually had time, I would have gone a completely alternative route, I still deal with the side effects of chemo more than a year after. But, of course, I'm grateful, it did help.
Not one protocol would work for everyone, we are all different. The key is to tune in, understand your body, hear what it wants. I'll share here what I think one should do when you do or a loved one gets a diagnosis. I'm not claiming to be an expert, far from that. This is all based on common sense gathered from my extensive research and the endless quest for the cure, which I am told by conventional means, doesn't exist.
1. Eliminate Stress. I know. It's like - how? That's what I felt like, easier said than done hey! This is number one on my list, it is stress that triggers Cancer cell expression. We all have Cancer cells but not every cell turns malignant because the body is able to reverse it unless you keep inundating it with stress all the time and not doing anything to manage it. I wouldn't say eliminate as we all deal with life on a daily basis, stressors are a part of our existence, but get off the flight or fight mode, it gets your body's PH balance out of whack, creating an acidic environment Cancer cells thrive on. This depletes oxygen to your cells and creates an anaerobic environment which makes a perfect home for Cancer cells. The key is to change your reaction, change the way you perceive the trials that come to you, change your attitude, aim for happy despite trying circumstances. Meditation and Tapping have helped me with this. This is number one because this step alone can start a surge of healing. In her book Radical Remissions, Dr. Kelly Turner recognised that only 2 of the 9 steps Cancer patients who's had spontaneous Remissions took is physical, the rest is mental, emotional, and spiritual. It was a long and hard journey to even get me to a place where I'm just chilling, I'm still working on it, but it is possible. Change your thoughts to change your immune system. You've got to take control of your thoughts and of your mind. Allow positive thoughts to flow even in the most wearisome of situations. Stay away from bad energy and toxic people and noxious environments as much as you can. Think Epigenetics. I wrote about Psycho-Oncology here.
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| Eat, Pray, Meditate! |
2. Definitely Eliminate Sugar. I'm a big baker and this was a hard one. Not only is sugar hidden in so many things, the cravings tempt so much at times. White rice is something I'm still working on. I do give myself treats from time to time, the occasional scoop of ice cream, toast with butter, one little square of chocolate. That's just me though, getting rid of sugar completely is the standard here. When you get a pet scan, they inject you with radioactive glucose, because Cancer cells survive on sugar, they naturally seek the glucose and that glows in your scan for the radiologist to interpret, so if your Oncologist or Dietician says you can have sugar, don't believe them. Sugar feeds Cancer. Starve the cells of sugar. The body doesn't classify the sugar source either, it turns into sugar, they gobble it up. When you've got Cancer you need to watch out for hidden sources of sugar or sugars that may be healthy for most, like fruit, but not recommended whilst you're healing from Cancer. When I started juicing, I was adding a pear or an apple to make it palatable but as I got better and my taste buds adjusted to the new diet, I was able to eliminate the fruits completely and just juicing vegetables. I do add frozen berries or dark cherries to one of my supplement, it needs it to mask the horrible texture. The only fruits I eat are pineapple which contains the Cancer fighter enzyme Bromelain and Papaya which has Papain.
3. A Complete Vegan Diet is recommended but I think as long as it's about 80% plant based, you're good. I'm such a meat eater, this was difficult but I'm getting there. If you decide you still want meat, make sure it's organic, fresh and properly sourced. I have written a previous post about this, here! and on food combining here. Plants hold the answers to all our health problems, if everyone goes vegan today, it will solve a lot of world problems, but that's another blog post altogether. I would recommend changing your diet from day 1. You can enhance immune function through dietary and lifestyle changes. It's been said that an intensive healthy lifestyle and a plant based diet can actually turn off Cancer-causing genes and turn on Cancer- protecting genes. I try my very best to juice every day, usually organic carrots, kale, celery, cucumber, ginger, lemon, and wheat grass. I would add cabbage and peppers sometimes. The Gerson Therapy requires 13 juices everyday! Living Fuel is part of my daily regimen too. I take PEO - parent essential oils, turmeric, I drink frankincense water, and lemon water, or alkaline water, coconut water. I take a herbal cocktail. It's a full-time job, it takes so much time and effort, but that I manage to do it is a blessing, I'm just happy I have the strength to do it. The closer to its natural form is how you want your food to look and taste like. Make sure you eat food that is alive and full of goodness. You're going to have to or get someone to make your food for you, you just don't know how even commercial salads are prepared. In the past 3 years, healthy fast food is growing in the UK, I have tried most of them and gladly there are a few good ones now. I would trust Crush, Protein Haus, Pure. Neal's Yard Cafe, Le Quotidien, to name some. I come to these places when I don't have the energy to make something. There's a lot of controversy regarding Raw Food, I tried doing this, but, I think you need to listen to your body too. Yes cooking destroys most of the nutrients but sometimes it's not digestible, so I've switched to 50/50. Cancer patients don't have working taste buds, esp. if you've had chemo. You don't enjoy eating as much anymore. I take three drops of wormwood in water before meals, and it's kept my appetite up. If you're having chemotherapy, drink lots of green coconut water to re-balance the electrolytes you lose, find one that's in the pure form, green, those chopped up white ones are soaked in a chemical to keep them from getting brown, and there's added water and sugar in the packaged ones. In the UK, you can get it at coconutty.co.uk
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| Green Juice by Caroline Reyes-Loughrey Photography |
4. Eliminate Dairy. Cow's milk, organic or not has been shown to contain 35 hormones and 11 growth factors, one such growth factor, called IGF-1 is strongly linked to many cancers. In his book, The China Study (a good read) Dr. T. Colin Campbell says casein, which makes up 87% of cows milk protein promoted all stages of the cancer process. If you don't have the right enzymes to metabolise these hormones, they flood the body with excess estrogen and you don't want that, especially if you have breast cancer. Milk, isn't what it is marketed to be, it is highly processed and the way the conditions by which it is delivered from "farm to table" is appalling. It is full of antibiotics, mucus, pesticides. No cheese! No milk! It's a cancer promoter.
5. Improve Gut health. This is key. I only started to feel good when I started to treat my gut. All disease start here. If you are having problems there, you won't be able to absorb the nutrients you put in, no matter how hard you try. You've got to clean it! You've got to support it. It is your second brain, it's the only part of your body that functions on its own, it doesn't need the brain to operate, it's where your sustenance comes from, don't overload it with putrid food it can't digest, let it breathe, treat it with respect. After chemotherapy, Cancer cells, and Cancer stem cells still linger in your bloodstream, you've got to let those out. I started with Colonic Irrigation sessions from a specialist. For a cancer patient, twice a year is recommended, but for healthy individuals, once will suffice. A session is usually three Colonics, at least. You can also take Colosan, or Oxy Power to cleanse the colon if you don't like your backside poked :) Learn to do enemas at home. I do coffee and herbal enemas everyday. I love it, I make it my "me time", I either listen to music, a podcast, or I meditate and relax when I do this. One ritual, although tedious, that I look forward to. Read here for benefits and recipes. Take prebiotics, and probiotics, eat fermented foods, but try and make it yourself, you just don't know what commercially fermented foods contain, what kind of salt they use, for instance. Start and end your day with bone broth, this creates a lining in your stomach that protects it and gets it equipped to absorb the nutrients you're going to put in, the evening broth seals and soothes your gut. Here are the benefits and recipes. Your diet plays a major role in establishing your gut health and supporting your Microbiome's good bacteria, but you've got to support it. Visit Dr. Axes' website, loaded with information on gut health.
6. Eliminate Food Sensitivities. When I had Cancer I found out that I am gluten sensitive, it's been hurting me all these years and it took one test to find out. Take a food sensitivity test to find out your food tolerances and sensitivities. Most of us are not aware what our body can and cannot take, we usually remedy a headache, a stomach ache, or skin breakouts with a pill, but we never address the cause. One test and you will know what you can actually eat. While we're on the tests subject. If you're a Cancer patient and completely overwhelmed by the options, there is a test, a detailed molecular profiling of your Cancer genome that tests against a list of alternative treatments. This will tell you what treatment should work best on your cancer. Only two companies as far as I know does this, a lab in Greece and one in Germany, although I was told there are labs in the UK that does this now, another research topic then. If you're in the UK, Dr. Wendy Denning can facilitate this for you and there is a blood test to check for circulating Cancer cells in your system and how much. I get Vitamin infusions at her clinic.
6. Eliminate Food Sensitivities. When I had Cancer I found out that I am gluten sensitive, it's been hurting me all these years and it took one test to find out. Take a food sensitivity test to find out your food tolerances and sensitivities. Most of us are not aware what our body can and cannot take, we usually remedy a headache, a stomach ache, or skin breakouts with a pill, but we never address the cause. One test and you will know what you can actually eat. While we're on the tests subject. If you're a Cancer patient and completely overwhelmed by the options, there is a test, a detailed molecular profiling of your Cancer genome that tests against a list of alternative treatments. This will tell you what treatment should work best on your cancer. Only two companies as far as I know does this, a lab in Greece and one in Germany, although I was told there are labs in the UK that does this now, another research topic then. If you're in the UK, Dr. Wendy Denning can facilitate this for you and there is a blood test to check for circulating Cancer cells in your system and how much. I get Vitamin infusions at her clinic.
7. Reduce Toxic Exposure. We are bombarded with toxicity all over, it's almost impossible to avoid getting exposed to carcinogens even when you're all clean and green, sadly. But, you try your best, and the best you can do is stay vigilant and inform yourself. Read labels. Toxic exposure is harmful to the healthy individual, it can be fatal to a Cancer patient, especially lung Cancer, even being beside someone with perfume I can't tolerate, I struggle to breathe. When you're looking after a Cancer patient, make sure to use nontoxic cleaning solutions at their home, don't suffocate them with bleach. There are safe plastics but I have switched to mostly glass and stainless steel in my kitchen. Get rid of all toxic chemicals in your home, switch to natural and non toxic. Change your personal products and cosmetics too. How's your water? Make sure you're drinking good water. There is information about health, water, consumer advice, etc. at the Environmental Working Group site, make sure you bookmark this website, loads of practical information. I refer to them a lot.
8. Get a Functional Medicine Doctor. Supplement with essential oils and herbs. Functional medicine will answer the why as opposed to the what in your Cancer journey. You work collaboratively to address the root cause of your disease and find a suitable solution based on your individual profile. I went to a herbalist who ordered a detailed blood test from which we determined what I'm deficient in, and where I can improve on. My herbal concoction is purely me and for me, no guessing which supplement you need. This dramatically jump started my healing. This was the time I put my wheelchair in storage. Support your liver and kidney health too, those need to be cleansed as well. I take milk thistle seeds for liver reinforcement.
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| Milk Thistle Seeds by Caroline Reyes-Loughrey |
If it's a slow-growing cancer, you can do all this, well you've got to do it, but if it's urgent, then there are more aggressive therapies that have good success rates, but be wary of scams too, believe it or not there are marketers out there whose business is to ply on the weak and desperate. New claims and therapies pop up everyday and that's good except I wish it's regulated somehow. Cancer is very expensive. Prices of therapies vary so much, it's like shopping for shoes. It seems to me that they can charge as they please and patients just don't have the energy nor the time to question or argue with the line "is there a price for your life"? I have come across clinics that charge 6 US dollar figures!
My main therapy remains to be Cannabis Oil, there's a tab on this page on Cannabis, but it's been in the news lately and there are exciting things happening, I will update my Cannabis info soon. Again cancertutor.com is a good place to start if you're looking for options. Watch the series, The Truth About Cancer, where Ty Bollinger goes around the world searching for available Cancer therapies and cures. The website is a wealth of information as well. The book Mom's Not Having Chemo by Laura Bond outlines a lot of these therapies as well.
Cancer is scary. It's complicated. It affects your life and your family on so many levels. It brings out the best and the worst of everyone around you. Don't buy into the fear Cancer brings, change your thoughts, see it as individual cells that need attention and love and care, don't work against it. Nourish it. If you follow the protocols I wrote above, then you would understand that you would want to do this anyway because now you understand why you got ill in the first place and maybe why and how you've allowed it to happen. Even just acknowledging that, sends messages to your brain that you've got it now, they're going to be looked after and hopefully you have time to fully recover. My last scans didn't give me a good picture and it really hit me, I questioned the sanity of my efforts, but I would be worse if I stop, so...keep moving! Use the Cancer to strengthen your core, it did mine, that's why I'm still fighting against insurmountable odds. I'm not talking about fighting the Cancer, that's going against it, but fighting the pain or thoughts of pain that come with it. The journey can get agonising, and dark but as long as you remain committed and focused, you should always manage to bounce back and see the light. You need to heal the whole body, mind, and spirit, not just where the disease is. It may be the hardest thing you'll have to do for yourself, but if you've got a purpose, it is possible to heal from this. It is easy to feel isolated and misunderstood as well, I personally don't mind doing it alone, I love my solitude, if you can't have support from those around you, well, slay your own dragons! Seek help elsewhere, Macmillan, Maggie's, online forums. Try meditation and yoga. Listen to inspiring people, watch happy movies, sing even when you have half a lung left, do what you love, raise your consciousness, talk to the universe, imagine your future, be close to nature, get sunshine. Eat, pray, meditate, and love! It makes you cheesy, this Cancer!
What I experienced the past three years is more than just a transformation, it's an evolution. I'm not the same person I was three years ago but wherever this goes, I like myself better now so I know I'll be just fine. It feels like my third birthday really, an excuse for a birthday cake :)
What I experienced the past three years is more than just a transformation, it's an evolution. I'm not the same person I was three years ago but wherever this goes, I like myself better now so I know I'll be just fine. It feels like my third birthday really, an excuse for a birthday cake :)
Quick list of my supplements:
cannabis oil, living fuel, frankincense, parent essential oils, baobab, chia seeds, moringa, powerful teas like soursop, oregano, and essiac, milk thistle, wormwood, turmeric, zinc, selenium, multivitamins, vitamin D, vitamin C, red reishi, l-glutamine, iodine, chlorella, green juice, boswellia extract, herbal concoction of ashwaganda, astragalus, shcizandra, siberian ginseng, gingko biloba, and liquorice
Routine:
coffee enemas, infrared sauna, magnesium and hydrogen peroxide baths, meditation, ozone therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, oil pulling, dry brushing, vitamin infusions, acupuncture, massage, energy healing, chakra healing, Bio-mat
I'll come back to this post if I remember some more. If you want to know more about something posted here, send me an email or comment below.
“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.”
Thomas Carlyle
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
Maya Angelou
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| Meditation Circle, Caroline Reyes-Loughrey Photography |
http://www.danielmaxwell.co.uk - acupuncture
dr. wendy denning - Vitamin C infusions and molecular blood test
http://www.urbandetox.org.uk/pages/ozone-therapy.php - ozone therapy
