A couple weeks ago I saw a headline that read, "Hugh Jackman Beats Cancer for the Sixth Time!" Hugh Jackman, a popular Australian actor, recently had another basal cell skin cancer removed from his nose. My reaction to the headline was, "If he 'beat' cancer, it would not have recurred five times." To me, this is just one more proof that standard medical cancer treatment is a failure.
Did you know that a cancer patient is considered a "survivor" once they have lived for five years after their diagnosis? Even if they die a few days past the five-year mark, they are still statistically counted as a cancer survivor. Even if they develop a secondary cancer years later as a direct result of their cancer treatments and die from it, they are counted as a survivor.
Almost four years ago I was diagnosed with Stage II, grade 3 invasive breast cancer. That diagnosis was the catalyst for my cancer research which eventually led to writing this blog and a newsletter column. My doctors recommended surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. I did have a lumpectomy--surgical removal of the lump in my breast--but I refused surgical removal of lymph nodes, radiation and chemotherapy. Why? Initially it was because I had seen the devastation wrought by those treatments and their ultimate failure to cure cancer, and I knew there had to be a better way. Then, after beginning to research, I soon realized that my instincts were accurate: there is, indeed, a better way (MANY ways, in fact) to treat and cure cancer. So that is the path I chose. I have a passion to share what I have learned, because the majority of people do not even know that there is a world of alternative cancer treatments available that kill cancer while not only maintaining, but improving overall health in the process. There are better options other than surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
The most important component in fighting and preventing cancer is a healthy, properly-functioning immune system. The immune system is perfectly capable of fighting and killing cancer cells on its own when it is functioning properly. When the immune system is overwhelmed by poor diet; lack of nutrients; inadequate rest, exercise, sun exposure, and time outdoors in nature; over-exposure to product and environmental toxins; too much stress; and too many other unhealthy lifestyle choices, it cannot function optimally--so the body becomes inflamed, and bad things start to happen. The results of an over-burdened immune system are many and varied and include weight gain, arthritis, allergies, gut and intestinal problems, diabetes, autoimmune issues, unexplained pain, organ problems, and yes, cancer. The only way to effectively prevent, treat, and beat cancer is to address its cause. Surgery, radiation, and chemo only address the symptoms of cancer--and they don't even do that very well!
Surgery does not stop cancer from spreading. Surgery can remove a spot or a lump or a bump, but it is extremely unlikely that every single cancer cell is confined to that one spot, lump, or bump. No matter how careful the surgeon is and how "clean the margins" around the removed area, it is virtually impossible to get every single cancer cell. Worse, not only does surgery fail to stop cancer from spreading, surgery can be a cause of cancer spreading. When a doctor cuts into a cancer mass (including when doing a biopsy!), the cancer cells that were contained in the mass are now free to spread to other areas of the body. Cutting off body parts or cutting out cancerous organs is almost never warranted. It especially bothers me when women have healthy breasts removed because they are afraid cancer might spread there. I can't say this enough: removing a breast (or a prostate, or an organ, or part of a limb) will not stop cancer from spreading! In the case of breast cancer, removing the breasts results in the cancer growing back in much harder-to-treat areas like the chest wall. Also, surgery--especially very invasive surgeries--causes a lot of trauma to the body to which the immune system must respond. Healing the body from surgery requires a lot of the immune system's resources, leaving it compromised when it most needs to be at full strength to battle the cancer.
Ionizing Radiation causes cancer. You all know this--it's why x-ray technicians protect themselves and their patients from unnecessary exposure, and why nuclear reactor disasters are...disasters. Yet radiation is used in conventional medicine to treat cancer. It doesn't make much sense, does it? It's like trying to put out a fire by throwing gasoline on it. Radiation exposure is cumulative, so every x-ray, CT scan, mammogram, and airport security x-ray adds to the amount of radiation accumulated in your body and increases your risk of cancer. It is not uncommon to hear of cancer patients who have received the maximum allowed lifetime amount of radiation during their cancer treatment and are told they cannot receive any more. Radiation in the chest or upper back region can damage the heart and lungs. It also has other negative side effects like fatigue and radiation burns--burns which require healing and, again, pull valuable resources of the immune system away from fighting cancer.
Chemotherapy causes cancer. Perhaps you weren't aware of that? It's true. Chemotherapy does kill some cancer cells, but at the same time it mutates other cells into cancer cells. On top of that, the new cancer cells are resistant to the chemotherapy being used and are stronger and spread faster than the original cancer--which explains the cycle of a chemo drug only working temporarily before it has to be replaced by a different chemo drug. Meanwhile, cancer keeps spreading to more and more areas of the body...and the cycle continues until the doctor informs the patient that they are out of chemotherapy options and there is nothing more they can do. If that isn't bad enough, the side effects of chemotherapy can be horrific. Chemo is not a targeted attack on cancer cells; it indiscriminately attacks healthy cells as well, destroying the immune system and wreaking havoc on the body. Using chemo to treat cancer is like dropping a bomb on your house to eliminate an ant problem.
I don't have time in this one post to cover all the things you CAN do to work with your body's intelligently designed systems to prevent and beat cancer naturally, but the one thing everyone can start doing immediately is to change your diet and lifestyle and allow your body to get back to the place where it can work the way it is meant to work. There is more information on my blog as well as recommended resources that provide more complete information.
This is in no way meant to be a criticism of anyone who has undergone standard cancer treatment! As I stated earlier, many people just do what the doctors tell them because cancer is scary, and they don't even know they have other options. My purpose is simply to share the news that there are better options, and the hope that a cancer diagnosis does not have to be a death sentence.
I don't want to be a cancer survivor who meets an arbitrary timeline after needlessly suffering painfully through failed treatments. I want to be a survivor who
does the best I can to be a good steward of my body and my health, and leaves the rest in God's hands.
