A cancer coach dishes on surviving cancer and living WELL

So I am feeling a bit sleep deprived and feisty this morning so bear with me.  A few weekends ago I was in the car and heard a commercial by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).  They had the gall to copy my motto. They claim that they not only want to you to survive, but to live as well.  First of all, that is pretty ironic, but I’ll get to that in a minute.  However, they left out a very important part.  I named my radio show Survive and Live Well.  The reason being that I believe that we don’t just want to treat cancer, we want to beat cancer, survive, and live well.  They only want you to live as well. Not as well as you did before, or better, just that you don’t die from the treatment (which many do). Perhaps it’s okay with them if you suffer from the treatments for the rest of your life as long as you walk out alive.

What MSKCC and most other cancer centers don’t take into consideration is the need to protect healthy cells from damage.  Chemotherapy and radiation are incredibly damaging treatments. They harm the lungs, heart, and more–much  of which is life-threatening and most of which is quality of life-threatening.  For example, very often a patient will develop peripheral neuropathy—be it mild or severe, which can dramatically affect one’s quality of life.  This is really unacceptable as these side effects can often be prevented or at least minimized. To read more in my post with Dr Keith Block, click here.

Important to know, chemo and radiation kill some cells (healthy and cancerous), but not cancer stem cells. They also make the cancer stem cells more aggressive, leading to metastases (oh yeah, they forget to tell you that too). Read more here.

So here is my beef with them copying my motto.  Perhaps they left off the well as this clearly is not important to them.  If it were, they would have a real integrative department.  They seem to miss the point.  They are good researchers; they know that supplementation during treatment is effective.  They know there is much that can be done to mitigate risks and improve the efficacy of treatment.  However, their oncologists do not understand this—why aren’t they trained in integrative medicine?  I ask myself how this can be.  Sure, they hang a shingle on a door that says they have offer integrative services, but it is a farce.  What they offer is complementary medicine, which is used along with conventional treatments to help with the side effects—meaning it will make you feel better.  Integrative or adjunctive means offering things that increase the efficacy and safety of treatment or procedures.

Many of my clients have been permanently harmed by this misconception—from there and treatment centers around the world. They come to me for remedies for the effects.  I will say this right now…prevention is far easier then reversal, and in fact, most often, the damage is not reversible.

Furthermore, many, if not most, of my clients have not had their vitamin D level or CRP levels checked by their oncologist (not to mention cancer markers).  This spells ignorance at best, negligence in actuality.  How could an oncologist not request these labs? These two tests provide critical information for resolving some of the causes of cancer. For whatever reason, most oncologists just do not focus on the cause of one’s cancer, only to slash, poison, and burn away the symptoms.

Numerous studies have linked Vitamin D deficiency to the development of cancer. Science has found that most tumors have receptors for Vitamin D. Cancer cells were once healthy cells that became damaged in some way. When D latches onto those receptors, it differentiates that cell, which can slow down or stop the growth of that cell and help it revert back to a normal cell.

Even when oncologists run the D test, they are often off base with the new recommendations for healthy levels. Listen to my discussion with Dr Michael Schachter on the role of Vitamin D in Cancer.

CRP stands for C – reactive protein, which measures inflammation within the body. Inflammation is the precursor to cancer, it is a driver of cancer. If the number if found to be high, measures can be taken to remedy the problem. The trick is knowing that you need to remedy the problem–in other words, if they don’t test  you, you don’t know.

If you are considering conventional treatments, please do not accept them unless your cancer center, and oncologist in particular, is knowledgeable on the subject and implements integrative measures during treatment. There is a plethora of research showing that integrative measures work and are safe.  For more on that please read Is it Safe to Take Antioxidants and Other Natural Agents During Chemo and Radiation.  And please, work with a coach who can help you to resolve the reasons for your cancer–until those are resolved, will will not achieve true health.

It is nearly impossible to heal from cancer on a long-term basis if you do not take steps to resolve the reason for your cancer.  Do not be misled that ‘cancer just happens’ or that ‘sometimes good cells go bad’.  While yes, the later might be true, it would be a mighty good idea to get your genes to behave—and this can be done.  But that is a story for another day.

For more information on integrative doctors, please visit my Integrative Oncologist and Naturopathic Doctors page. If you have an oncologist you like but need supplement support, speak with a coach or an integrative pharmacist such as David Restrepo at Vitahealth Apothecaries.

This information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, cure, prevent or diagnose any diseases or conditions. The information in this post does not represent medical advice, and I encourage you to discuss this information with your integrative oncologist or naturopathic doctor. Always consult with a medical doctor before you consider any prescription or over the counter drug or herb.

Read 12 Things a Cancer Doctor Should Never Say, my most recent article on The Truth About Cancer website. Look for my upcoming article Emotional Trauma and Cancer: The Missing Link, in their October newsletter.

Elyn
~~If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any~~
Elyn Jacobs is a breast cancer survivor and holistic cancer strategist who helps people make better, healthier, non-toxic choices. She emphasizes the critical nature of addressing the root cause of cancer and not just its presenting symptoms (such as the tumor). Elyn specializes in understanding the role of estrogen in breast cancer and debunks the myths associated. She brings a plethora of knowledge to her practice and will help you think outside the box so you can incorporate every lifeline you may need for long term survival. Elyn is a Contributing Editor for The Truth About Cancer and was creator and host of the Survive and Live Well Radio Show on the Cancer Support Network. She is on the Medical Advisory Board for BeatCancer.Org and is on the Advisory Board to the Radical Remission Project. Elyn was the former Executive Director of the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation. Contact Elyn via her website. Elyn offers consults via Skype, phone or in person.

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