Cancer: An Overview of Nutritional and
Holistic Approaches to Its Treatment

1. Introduction/Disclaimer
   • Cancer: What It Is
   • Cancer: What It Is Not
2. The Anti-Cancer Game Plan
   • Putting on Your Game Face
   • Detoxification
   • Preventing or Limiting Spread
   • Building Up the Body and Breaking Down the Cancer
   • Transforming Your Life

This article is a summary, from various sources, of some of the nutritional and holistic elements that can aid the body in remembering its former wellness and lead to a victory over cancer. It does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your health practitioner before adding to or eliminating any current treatments used, or experimenting with any of the suggestions outlined below.

Cancer: What it Is

Cancer is the name given to a broad group of diseases that are all characterized by uncontrolled, abnormal growth by the body's cells. At the micro level, it is believed to be caused by mutations or changes in a cell's DNA that turn off biological "safety switches" and allow the cell to divide wildly.

Conventional therapies are primarily aimed at killing the malignant cells by chemotherapy or radiation, or removing them by surgery. If all the cancer cells are destroyed or removed, the chances for a complete cure are good. If some cells escape the therapy, the cancer will return at a later date, and may have spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body. In that case, because cancer drugs and radiation often damage vital organs and weaken the immune system, the cancer may spread much more quickly than before. More recently, the cutting edge of conventional medical focus has moved to genetics, and to identifying and switching off cancer genes - an approach that holds much promise in the long run, but raises concerns about the unforeseeable effects of genetic manipulation.

From an alternative health perspective, cancer is best seen as a symptom of a systemic imbalance that inhibits the body's ability to regulate it's own processes effectively. Treatment is aimed at restoring the body's balance and allowing the body's own healing mechanisms to operate. Essentially, the body, not a drug, radiation or surgeon, assumes the job of identifying and eliminating all cancerous cells - an immune response that that scientists believe happens on a daily basis in healthy individuals.

Cancer: What it Is Not

While a serious, life-threatening disease, cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence. In fact, the world is filled with hundreds of thousands - millions in fact - of cancer sufferers who have conquered this modern day scourge through alternative or conventional medicine, or a combination of both. Few have passed through the process of without experiencing their own personal and spiritual transformation. But for many of those who have found their way back to wellness, the key has been devising and implementing a sound plan for success.

The Anti-Cancer Game Plan

1. Putting on Your Game Face

Every cancer cure starts with a positive outlook, mental toughness, and "ownership" of the affliction by the patient.

Be Positive

In the outstretched hand of every problem we face in life, no matter how horrendous, there is a gleaming gift of personal understanding, if we choose to accept it. Grab that gift with both hands and examine it carefully, continuously - even gratefully, if you can. See what lessons you have to learn from a diagnosis of cancer - and put it to work to help you keep a positive outlook. Only you can know what that gift might be, and honesty is the only policy. Be honest with yourself about your life, your dreams and aspirations. Putting on an outwardly optimistic face while being overwhelmed by gloom may be a tribute to your acting skills, but from a healing perspective, it is worth almost nothing. Wellness begins deep inside, and negativity is only a bad habit. Be prepared to joyfully change anything and everything that doesn't have positive, life-affirming aspect to it. Watch lots of comedies, read uplifting stories, laugh. Learn to cultivate joy in watching a sunrise, changing a diaper, or smelling a pine tree.

Howdy-Dowdy talk? Not really. Humans aren't just bodies or brains, they are integrated mind-bodies The mere act of positive thinking works to stimulate your immune response and fight the cancer. Depression , pessimism and "why me" thinking - while a natural first response - results in a drop in immune response and T-cell activity - making it tougher for your body to contain the growth of your cancer. Your body is hard-wired to seek a healthy equilibrium when your thoughts are positive, upbeat and centred on your spiritual connection to something greater. Religious? If not, then this would be a good time to start, since religious people often live longer and healthier lives, and have more robust immune systems - due, no doubt in part, to the mind-body connection. Remember, think as though your life depends upon it - because it does.

Be Mentally Tough and Take Ownership

Guess what? This is your life, and your health challenge. Take ownership of it, and be confident of your ability to deal with it. With respect to your illness, everyone else is there for support and advice. Only you can drive the bus.

In any healing process, there will be ups and downs, reverses and advances. Sometimes you will run to the finish line, but sometimes you must take two baby steps forward, and one baby step back. The key is to remain focused on the ultimate goal, not the daily turbulence. Mental toughness means perservance and faith in yourself, your health practitioner, and your body's ability to heal itself.

It means realizing that how we face life and death may be more important than the fact that we do live and die. Ask yourself, "why do I want to be well?" How will you change your life when your health returns. How will you use that health to help others? Even the healthiest 50 year old alive today will live only a few years longer in the grand scheme of time than his 50 year old twin who dies in a car crash. When it comes to health, it is often true that accepting death is sometimes the best prescription for a longer life.

Choose a doctor you respect, like and believe in, don't accept one by default. Be ornery and unyielding where it is necessary to your healing. Do your own research, and open your mind to possibilities for healing. Look for wisdom everywhere. When it comes to cancer, studies have show that the ones who find their way back to remembered wellness and health are the ones many conventional doctors label as "non-compliant" and bull-headed. Be prepared to be told you are wasting your time and money. The simple fact is, those who docilely accept their doctor's prescriptions succeed less often then their tough-minded brethren who look inside for their destiny.

2. Detoxification

Cancer is an imbalance in the body's ability to heal itself, and detoxification is the first step in restoring the body's health.

Over our lives, we absorb countless toxins through the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the stress we generate. Disease-causing hydrogenated fats, nitrites and preservatives, for example, are a staple of most processed foods. Even the fruits and vegetables in our supermarkets are bathed in pesticides. Chlorine and fluoride, toxic to the body at even low doses, are added to the water supply, and mercury to our dental amalgams. Lead, arsenic and cadmium are pumped out by our factories, automobiles and cigarettes, and pumped into our lungs and bloodstream.

These toxins place an enormous burden on our body's cleansing mechanisms, at the cellular and organ level. When we are in a state of wellness, unwanted substances are efficiently mixed with bile from the liver and purged through the intestines, secreted through our urine or sweated out through our skin before they can do any lasting harm. But due to poor diet, stress, overwork, genetics and a degraded environment, our cleansing system may break down. The liver becomes overworked, bile production falls, and parasites, chemicals and harmful bacteria become established in the intestines. Refined foods like white flour clog our bowels, and refined sugars shock our pancreas and liver into a state of constant stimulation. Fat soluble poisons accumulate in our cells, and as our immune response becomes muted, autoimmune diseases like arthritis, lupus, diabetes and cancer begin to develop in the population. As our cleansing mechanisms are overwhelmed, these toxins begin to damage cells, alter DNA or exacerbate an existing genetic susceptibility - activating a cancer gene, for example.

Stage one in the battle plan is to detoxify the body as best we can, reducing our exposure to toxins and getting rid of as many harmful poisons as possible. Detoxification means:

A. Identifying and avoiding toxins - there is no point trying to bail out the boat while it is still leaking. You must stop ingesting toxins 1 through the food, water and air. If you smoke, first or second hand, stop. Eat only organic, whole foods if you can, avoiding chemicals, preservatives and refined foods like the plague. Don't eat fatty or fried foods, foods containing hydrogenated oils, soft drinks or any refined sugar. Wash your fruits and vegetables in a mild, unchemicalized soap and rinse very thoroughly to remove as much pesticide residue as possible. Drink only charcoal-filtered water. Eliminate exposure to common toxins like ethyl alcohol and benzene.

B. Boosting liver function - when it comes to health and cleansing, the liver is the body's master gland. It breaks down all toxic substances - drugs, chemicals, body waste - and combines them with bile to be flushed out via the intestines. In cases of serious illness, the liver should be protected and bolstered to ensure its maximum health, because it is the cornerstone of the body's healing process. Consider introducing the following liver-friendly practices:

• Support the liver with homeopathic medicines (consult a homeopath for the rights ones for you), herbs such as alfalfa, milk thistle, licorice root, dandelion, red clover, and taheebo 2, and supplement with Vitamin C, magnesium, calcium and zinc.
• Drink lemon water (from a freshly squeezed lemon) or whole lemon drink 3 every morning upon rising - lemon is a great de-toxifier.
• Drink freshly made organic vegetable juices with meals, particularly carrot juice - an excellent way to support liver function. Organic vegetables are key, as it is important that the juice be free from chemical contaminants. Make a juicer an essential appliance in your kitchen.
• Don't overeat - over-consumption of food is one of the best ways to exhaust your liver. Ordinarily a two or three day fast is an outstanding tonic for the liver, but fasting in the presence of a malignancy may be unwise, and should not be undertaken without medical supervision.
• Avoid alcohol and drugs - it isn't just a coincidence that heavy drinkers suffer liver damage.
• Avoid foods that need to be cooked - raw fruits, vegetables and lightly cooked foods put the least amount of strain on the liver.
• Avoid refined foods - they lack the enzymes and vitamins needed for the liver to do its job.
• Avoid meat - it is difficult to digest and strains the liver. Rely on non-meat sources of protein like fish and tofu.
• Cleanse the intestines - poisons carried by the blood stream from the intestines go directly to the liver (see below.)

C. Cleansing the intestines - While the liver is the body's key organ for processing toxins, the intestines are its chief mechanism for eliminating them once they have been broken down. The intestinal system has two distinct components - the upper, small intestine, and the lower large intestine, known as the bowel or colon.

As a result of a diet of refined foods and fats, most colons become clogged and coated with dead and decaying fecal matter. The widespread presence of antibiotics in food and medicines destroys the healthy balance of bacteria in the colon and leads to the emergence of harmful bacteria, fungi and parasites. Wellness simply cannot exist in the presence of a diseased or congested colon, as the toxins it fails to remove will affect and damage every other system in the body. Cleansing the colon will support the liver and significantly boost the body's ability to heal itself.

The techniques suggested for liver cleansing will have a beneficial affect on the intestines. It is extremely important that only whole, non-refined foods are eaten. In addition, the following practices will be required:

• increase fiber consumption - a high fiber diet is crucial to colon health and cleansing, because the fiber is necessary to scrape the walls of the intestines and stimulate elimination. A fibre supplement 4 may be essential in the short run to help unclog the bowel.
• Eliminate parasites and yeast overgrowths - herbal remedies such as black walnut hulls for parasites, and capryllic acid or taheebo for yeast are extremely valuable.
• Restore a healthy bacterial balance - take daily supplements of "friendly" colon bacteria such as acidophilus to create a healthy bowel environment and suppress harmful bacteria.

D. Cleansing the blood - the blood and circulatory system are key components in overall health and immune function. Purifying the blood detoxifies poisons, increases circulation, stimulates immune response and helps eliminate excess fluids. To assist blood purification:

• Drink 8-12 glasses of pure, charcoal-filtered water every day - de-hydration puts a strain on every organ and allows toxins to concentrate and damage cells. Hydration encourages flushing of poisons through the skin, urine and feces.
• Drink only filtered water and non-processed herbal teas such as taheebo, raspberry leaves, mint, and chamomile. Avoid all beverages with sugar, artificial sweeteners and flavours, and all carbonated drinks. The latter can put strain on the kidneys.
• take regular Epsom salt baths - an excellent way to draw impurities out through the skin. Make the bath as hot as can be tolerated without discomfort.
• Supplement with cleansing herbs - such as echinacea, dandelion, burdock and red clover. The herbal combination Essiac (also known as Flor-Essence) is an excellent blood purifier.
• Dry-brush massage - the skin is the largest organ of toxin elimination, and stimulation through dry-brush massage is the best way to encourage its cleansing activity and stimulate lymphatic drainage. Use a natural fibre brush or loofa mitt every day on dry skin to brush the body from head to toe, except for the face or over sores or growths. If you do enter into a detoxification program, dry brush massage must be an essential part of it.

E. What to Expect from De-toxification - the process of detoxification can be very powerful, and may produce a number of symptoms of varying intensities such as flu-like illness, diarrhea and changes in fecal composition, outbreaks of skin rashes and boils, fatigue, dizziness, brain fog, a general feeling of unwellness, and the like. These symptoms are a result of toxins being poured out of the body, and are actually positive signs that cleansing is occurring. However, if the symptoms are severe, or prolonged, reduce the detoxification techniques used until a more acceptable balance is reached. As the body detoxifies, its ability to heal will increase exponentially.

3. Preventing or Limiting Spread

The most dangerous aspect of the majority of cancers is their ability to spread, or metastasize, to other organs and other parts of the body. While a slow growing tumour limited to a non-essential area can be more chronic than life-threatening, survival prospects for cancer sufferers decline dramatically once a cancer has spread to other key organs. Therefore, keeping the cancer localized in one place while the body marshals its defences for healing becomes paramount for a return to wellness.

One of the most effective options available for limiting cancer spread is the prevention of angiogenesis through the use of shark cartilage. In order to grow and spread, tumours require the proliferation of a network of additional blood vessel networks to feed and nourish the renegade cells. This process of creating new blood vessels is called angiogenesis, and shark cartilage has shown great promise as an anti-angiogenesic substance. It appears to help stop the spread of solid tumours by inhibiting the formation of those new blood vessels that cancer cells require to grow and move elsewhere in the body. It may also provide a boost to the immune system as well.

There is related medical research support for this approach. In Novermber of 1997, a research team at Harvard Medical School, led by Dr. Judah Folkman, claimed to have permanently eliminated large tumours in mice using naturally occurring, anti-angiogenesis proteins.  

Dr. Folkman's team used two substances, angiostatin and endostatin, to completely regress tumours in laboratory mice, and leave the animals cancer-free for virtually their entire lifetimes.  If these positive results continue, and transfer to experiments on human subjects, it could  herald a new era in cancer treatment.    The research team's results were published in the journal Nature.

Upon a diagnosis of cancer, therefore, it seems prudent to begin immediate supplementation with shark cartilage. However, it should be noted that young persons, persons with heart conditions, and others suffering from conditions where blood vessel inhibition is not recommended, should be cautious about using shark cartilage unless under medical supervision. Consult your health practitioner in this regard.

4. Building Up the Body and Breaking Down the Cancer

There are numerous natural weapons that bolster health and aid in the fight against cancer, but like conventional drugs and therapies, what works for one person may be totally ineffective for another. Success will involve finding the rights ones for you. With that in mind, some of the keys to healing process process are:

• Rest and Regeneration - much of the body's healing and regenerative processes take place during deep sleep. Make sure you get get plenty of rest, because without it, all the supplements and therapies in the world won't help. Stop before your feel tired, not after your body gives out and forces you to bed. Make play and relaxation an important part of your everyday life.

• Moderate Exercise - exercise isn't just good for the heart, it supports every system in the body, including the immune system. Exercise moderately and regularly, but don't over do it. Even if your health permits only minimal exercise, it is important to keep the body active. Gentle activities like Tai Chi and yoga are ideal, as is a brisk 30 minute walk every day. Avoid exercising near busy roadways or industrial areas, if possible, to minimize the absorption of lead, carbon monoxide and heavy metals via the lungs.

• Deep Breathing - as with many disease processes, cancerous cell growth is primarily an anaerobic process. That means that it prospers in an low oxygen environment, and is adversely affected by high oxygen levels. By increasing the oxygenation of the blood and body tissues through deep breathing, you can simply and easily increase the effectiveness of the immune system and put up another roadblock for your cancer. Breathe slowly and deeply from the diaphragm, filling the lower portions of your lungs first, then the upper portions. Your lower abdomen should rise while you breathe in. Slowly breathe out, empty the air from the upper portions first, as your abdomen slowly falls. Do this daily for ten minutes, three times per day.

• A Whole Foods Diet - the importance of a balanced, "whole foods-based" diet in the fight against cancer cannot be over-emphasized. Avoid refined and commercially prepared foods, which are either de-natured and stripped of all vitamins and enzymes, or filled with harmful fats, chemicals and preservatives. Eat mostly raw, organic vegetables and fruits, avoiding red meat and all non-organic chicken and turkey. Substitute tofu, organic boiled eggs, tempeh and fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines where possible.

  Eliminate all fried foods, and foods with saturated and hydrogenated fats and additives. Use extra-virgin olive oil or small amounts of canola or flax seed oil for cooking. Eat brown rice, kasha, quinoa, potatoes, and bulgar, and rely on lemons, cayenne, curry, vegetable or sea salt, garlic and unadulterated spices for flavour. Eliminate dairy products with the exception of yogurt or kefir. Even with these restrictions, it is possible to eat like royalty, and to prepare healthy and delicious meals. Drink only filtered water and unadulterated herbal teas.

• Meditation and Mind-Body Integration - Modern scientific research is continually affirming the mind's ability to influence bodily processes that were once thought to be totally beyond the mind's control...

  It may not be an exaggeration to say that, when used effectively, the mind's remarkable potential makes it the single most powerful front-line weapon in the fight against disease. The famous "placebo effect" is an ongoing demonstration that belief can be the most effective medicine of all.

• Immune Stimulation - A strong immune response is a potent weapon against cancer, and can be enhanced and fortified by a diet of whole foods, and the use of a variety of herbs, vitamins and minerals, and dietary supplements. Herbs or herbal combinations such as echinacea, taheebo, Cat's Claw and Wheat Grass have been used to boost immune system function and treat cancer. Many impressive anti-cancer claims have been made about the herbal combination known as Essiac 6 or Flor-Essence, which has prospered as an alternative medicine of choice for many cancer patients for over 60 years.

  High doses (4 - 20 grams ) of Vitamin C have been championed by two-time Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling as highly effective against cancer growth, while the combination of Vitamin E and the mineral selenium has synergistic anti-tumour and immune enhancing effects. Zinc is another important mineral involved in immune response and liver function, particularly for men suffering from prostate cancer.

  Vitamin C, being water soluble, should be taken in divided doses over the day. For example, if the daily dose is 10 grams, take 2 grams 5 times per day. Vitamin C in powdered form is the least expensive way to obtain large doses, and can be added to water and baking soda to reduce acidity. Because it oxidizes quickly after mixing with water, the powder drink should be consumed within 30 minutes of mixing. Some health practitioners believe that a sufficiently high dose of Vitamin C will positively impact the treatment of most cancers and most viruses, and that non-response simply reflects an inadequate daily dose. At a certain point, however, known as the bowel tolerance level, diarrhea will result from oral ingestion. For very high doses -above 30-40 grams - intravenous Vitamin C therapy has been used by qualified health practitioners with apparently good results in cancer and Aids patients.

  Lastly, a number of supplements are linked to improved immune response and anti-cancer activity. Flax seed oil, along with many fish oils, are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Recent studies suggest that Omega-3 fatty acids may inhibit the growth of cancer by blocking the formation of certain types of prostaglandins, which can promote tumour growth. Phytochemicals are substances found in fruits and vegetables which appear to have anti-cancer effects. There are a number of supplement products 7 offering phytochemicals derived from de-hydrated green and orange vegetables which are quite good. Pcycnogenol is a powerful anti-oxidant derived from pine bark or grape seeds which has shown promise against heart disease, diabetic complications and has had anecdotal success against cancer.

5. Transforming Your Life

There are of course many other approaches, techniques, and alternative treatments for cancer - energy work, the Hoxsey formula, hydrogen peroxide, and frequency generation, to name but a few - and this article cannot pretend to do more than scratch the surface.

But in the final analysis, cancer, like all illness - indeed like all human experience - is more than just a misalignment of proteins or a misfiring physical process. It is an invitation (usually unwanted) to re-examine your values, beliefs, goals and accomplishments, and to decide why your health is important to you, and what wellness really means. It is an opportunity to transform your life, and to glimpse potentials and opportunities that you never considered possible. In Joy's Way 8, Brugh Joy, M.D. wrote of the transformational experience in these words:

In whatever form of treatment, the patient is not simply passive. He or she must clear the psychological areas that were factors in precipitating the disease and are factors in perpetuating it. The pattern configurating the factors that allow disease to manifest in the body is not in the outer awareness of the patient. It is deeply buried.

...When you can forgive both another and yourself, the pattern is broken, and you move from the law of karma (action and reaction) into the law of grace (resolution) - that effulgent state that transmutes and heals. ... The outer conditioned mind alone cannot do it. It must be connected with what can only be called the spiritual aspect; then the honesty cards must be drawn to see clearly whether the unconscious and subconscious balance of forces is for transformation through death or through the life process.

But by taking control of your illness, opening your mind to new and exciting possibilities, and establishing a sensible game plan, cancer can be beaten, and total health restored. But if you fail to seize the gift that is wrapped in your illness, and accept the challenge to transform your life, even though the malignancy may be destroyed, you will have missed a valuable chance at wellness.

Good luck - you are on a great and awesome adventure, but you are not alone.

1. A good reference in this regard is The Cure for All Diseases, by Hulda Regehr Clark, published by ProMotion Publishing, San Diego, CA.

2. Taheebo, also known as pau d'arco or Lapacho, is a tea made from the bark of the pau d'darco tree in South America. It is also available in tincture or pill form. Used by the Incas for millennia as a healing tea, taheebo has a pleasant taste and is known as an immune booster, with anti-yeast and anti-tumour effects. It cannot come into contact with plastic, and should be stored in paper bags and brewed in a ceramic tea pot maker. Boil uncovered 1-2 tablespoons of the bark in 8 cups of water for 5-10 minutes and then let sit for 15 minutes before drinking.

3. To make whole lemon drink, select a fresh lemon (organic if possible), and wash the skin carefully, removing all dyes and scraping off all rotting segments. Cut the whole lemon into pieces and blend (skin and all) with 2 cups of filtered water and 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Drink all at once or in two or three portions over the day.

4. An excellent fibre supplement is herbal FibreBlend by AIM, which includes a synergistic combination of fibre and anti-parasitic and bowel supportive herbs.

6. An article on Essiac's history and composition.

7. Two excellent products are Aim's Barley Green and Nikken's Emerald Harvest.

8. Joy's Way: A Map for the Transformational Journey: An Introduction to the Potentials for Healing with Body Energies, 1979, J.P Tarcher Inc., Los Angeles, distributed by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, page 176.