SECTION 1 - DEALING WITH CANCER
BEING DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER
BEING DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER is a very frightening experience for
most. What you need to do next could be equally bewildering.
Firstly, it is important that you come to terms with your illness. Coming to terms
does not mean you are admitting that you are a victim of cancer but rather,
accepting that your body has metabolically broken down resulting in a cancerous
process. Recognizing the problem will also help you look for a solution rationally
and therefore bring all the resources and resolve necessary to overcome this
problem.
It also helps to know that statistics can be misleading. Being given, say a 30%
survival rate or 3 months to live need not apply to you (remember this is a statistical
forecast based solely on treatment using conventional approaches). Healing
cancer does not need to be a painful process, which involves toxic side effects (eg.
radiotherapy, chemotherapy) for there are other alternatives and many centers
around the world have successfully organized cancer healing programs
incorporating holistic, body, mind and spirit based therapeutic solutions eg.
Burzynsky, Gerson Institute, Oasis of Hope etc.
STAY CALM
WHAT MATTERS MOST: PEACE OF MIND, FOCUSING ON
WHAT’S IMPORTANT
Try not to panic. A clear mind allows you to take a more rational and reasoned
approach to your healing. This is critically important as at this point, many patients
are pressured by their doctors of the impending doom if they do not immediately
commence treatments, hence leaving little time for the patient and their families to
consider all the possible treatment options.
Note that cancer normally develops over a period of time before it manifests itself
and only in exceptional circumstances does the cancer take a highly aggressive
course. Hence, we recommend that you and your caregiver:
find out as much as possible about the disease and the treatment options
available which should include exploration into conventional, alternative and
complementary (CAM) and also integrative approaches.
discuss the treatment options including their probability of success and likely
side effects. It is your right to know about these so you can carefully weigh your
options.
participate in the decision making (unless you are a minor). Leaving the
decision solely to your physician or to your family may place you in a treatment
protocol that you are unable or unwilling to put yourself through or that you will
subsequently regret. Quality of life during and after the treatment is also an
important consideration.
find another oncologist if he/she tells you that there is nothing else that can be
done for you.
KEEP AN OPEN MIND
YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOLLOWING A CANCER
DIAGNOSIS IS TO PUT IN PLACE THE BEST CANCER CARE
PROGRAM FOR YOURSELF.
Our biggest challenge in helping patients to heal or to deal with cancer is that the
patients (including those dear to them) are not able to grasp the possibility that
there could be a better way.
While conventional oncologists continue to rely on treatment protocol that is based
on surgery, chemotherapy and radiation despite the poor outcome and hoping for
different results, we sincerely hope that you will open your mind and explore other
treatment modalities to find out if other approaches might be useful in bolstering
your fight against cancer. We are asking you to think out of the box.
Over-treatment, and treatment protocols that utilize so many toxins many a time
constitute a failing strategy. And even if you are lucky enough to be one of those
who survived, you may have the ‘accepted side effects’ such as chemo brain
symptoms, constant pain, loss of feeling in your feet and toes and others.
The following is an excerpt from the Malaysian Oncology Society's website
STATISTICS - WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Basically it means that using the existing modalities (methods, protocols,
drugs) and technologies, only 1/3 of cancers can be cured and these are
generally in stages 1 and 2 (early stages and localised). That’s well and good for
those who fall into this group what about the other 2/3? That can’t be comforting
for the majority.
How about in America?
In America (widely considered the frontier of medical technology), U.S. President
Nixon sensing the graveness of cancer epidemic declared war on cancer and that
was in 1971. The enemy was ‘cancer’ and the weapon of choice ‘chemo
(poison), radiation (burn) and surgery (slash)’.
During that time, only one out of every ten Americans developed
cancer. Today, despite the trillions of dollars that have been spent on cancer
research, that figure has risen dramatically to one out of every two men, and
well over one out of every three women in the US will develop cancer in
their lifetime. This simply means that despite the claims that the war on cancer
is starting to improve, the truth is, they are worse off than ever before.
If you are truly going to win the war on cancer, there must be change and the
change must begin now! You can do better and have a better chance in beating
your cancer because you are (by virtue of reading this e-guidebook) looking at
ways to take effective action to both support your body and help it fight the
cancer.
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE CONVENTIONAL THERAPIES
ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING WITH DEVELOPMENTS IN
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, TO IMPROVE EFFECTIVENESS
WHILE DIMINISHING HARMFUL SIDE EFFECTS. HOWEVER,
THE SAME CAN BE SAID OF THE COMPLEMENTARY AND
ALTERNATIVE MODALITIES.
EMPOWER YOURSELF WITH KNOWLEDGE AND
TAKE CONTROL
Once you are diagnosed with cancer, take control of your own health and empower
yourself through learning and knowledge.
Deciding on the best option
The primary mission for you to go forward from the point of diagnosis is to look for
the best option.
This is the point where you must take control of your destiny. Bear in mind that
many oncologists are well meaning and uses his or her skills and knowledge to
design the best protocol for you based on the latest publicized clinical studies within
the field familiar to them. If you are offered a medical treatment for cancer where
the probability of a cure is high, choosing what to do is straightforward.
Go ahead, embrace that treatment as your main focus and go through whatever
that’s needed to be done. However, if a cure is not so likely from the medical point
of view then you’ll need to take space and time to weigh your options. However,
do note that missing from this protocol of the usual slash/ burn/ poison that are
normally prescribed by the conventional methods are the most important
physiological and biochemical properties of the growing cancer cells and the
consideration of various important factors — which include diet, detoxification,
supplementation and lifestyle modifications that support cancer healings.
Options when the cure is not so likely:
Go through with the conventional medical treatment anyway and hope that you
will beat the odd
Seek a cure from the non-conventional options
Combine the best of what is available
Decisions about cancer treatment are personal and you need to feel comfortable
with your choices. Once a decision has been made, begin to plan and to move
forward.
Do you know that in the U.S. up to 90% of people diagnosed with cancer consider
using complementary therapies and 75% do not tell their doctors what they are
doing 1.
Source: 1. Powell KE, Casperseen CJ, et al. Physical activity and chronic
diseases - American Journal Clin. Nutri 49: 999-1006, 1989
