“You have cancer.”
The tragically-common, often literal death sentence no one wants to hear. What do you do? How do you respond to those life-threatening words?
I may have a somewhat unpopular opinion when it comes to this. If I were told I had cancer? What I would not do is subject myself to conventional cancer “treatments” — chemotherapy, radiation, and other cancer-causing, toxic poisons presented by the medical establishment and pharmaceutical companies that kill instead of heal.
PLEASE understand that I am not in any way judging anyone who has taken these measures to treat cancer at the advice of their doctors and just about everyone “expert” out there. It would be absolutely terrifying for anyone to turn their back on the only perceived hope that conventional medicine offers cancer patients — even if you did have an inkling that those treatments were doing more harm than good. I do not in any way blame the victims of this deadly epidemic. I blame the system — the cancer industry — for poisoning the sick, and brainwashing them into thinking that’s for their benefit.
But today, I just want to talk about our options, as shunners of conventional wisdom, followers of alternative health, learners of traditional healing and lifestyle. What would you do if today you were told those dreaded words — that you have cancer?
This is my take on some of the alternatives for treating — and beating — this disease.
A Holistic Approach to Cancer
Though it may seem a bit dogmatic, whenever there is a health-related topic I want to learn more about, I tend to look toward the Weston A. Price Foundation before all else, if they have anything to say about what I am researching. The WAPF has a lot of credibility in my eyes because it literally stands to gain nothing off perpetuating the knowledge it does — other than the satisfaction of enriching the health and lives of people it reaches. The foundation makes absolutely no profit off their research and work, and are therefore completely unbiased. I think that is something pretty valuable — and very difficult to find.
So, I came across an article posted on the WAPF site written by Dr. Thomas Cowan, MD, regarding his holistic approach to treating cancer. In his article, Dr. Cowan suggests first and foremost the use of the Gut and Psychology Syndrome
But I wouldn’t want to start GAPS if I got cancer. I would start it right now. While I am free of disease. (But I’m not starting it yet, because I’m underweight and trying to gain a little before starting since weight loss is common with the first phase of the diet.)
I would really encourage everyone, unless raised on a completely traditional diet and never exposed to industrialized foods or modern toxins such as vaccines, antibiotics, and other drugs/chemicals, to use GAPS to heal their gut if they have any sign of damage. Gut health is so critically important to virtually every aspect of your body’s functioning. Your immunity stems from your gut. Your mental health and ability to handle stress stems from your gut. Virtually any and all illness is related with poor gut health.
Dr. Cowan also recommends treating cancer patients with low-dose naltrexone, to stimulate the body’s own production of immune-boosting endorphins; iscador, a therapeutic dose of mistletoe plant which elicits a tumor-fighting inflammation response (see Suzanne Sommers’ book, Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer–And How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place,
The Doctor Who Cures Cancer
I honestly think the very first thing I would do if I were to be diagnosed with cancer, however, would be to try Kelley Eidem’s cancer cure recipe. As completely bizarre and wacky as that sounds — I urge you to have a look at this article that explains how the author of The Doctor Who Cures Cancer
The book Kelly wrote is about a revolutionary doctor named Emanuel Rivici who began his practice in the 1920’s, curing his patients of terminal cancers. I have yet to read the book, but I am very intrigued from what I know of Dr. Rivici’s therapy. It involves using a nourishing diet to correct imbalances in the body’s pH. Clearly, what Kelley Eidem learned from the teachings of Dr. Rivici has led to profound healing in his life and in the lives of those he reaches through his book and websites.
A Beautiful Truth — The Gerson Therapy
Recently, I came across another successful alternative cancer treatment known as the “Gerson Therapy.” It’s based on the work of Dr. Max Gerson, a physician who began his practice in the late 1930’s, curing hundreds of terminally ill cancer patients with a diet-based therapy and detoxification protocol. Dr. Gerson provided a sample of the success of his treatment with his book, A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases and the Cure of Advanced Cancer
I learned of Dr. Gerson’s therapy by watching the documentary, A Beautiful Truth. I was very pleased to see as it began detailing the work of Dr. Gerson, the film pointing to the research of Dr. Weston A. Price as being fundamental in the development of the Gerson therapy.
Well, as the documentary went on, I was quite shocked to see Dr. Gerson’s daughter and current head of the Gerson Institute, Charlotte Gerson, promoting the therapy as primarily a raw vegan diet.
“What?!” I thought. “Did Dr. Gerson not pay attention at ALL to Dr. Price’s research — let alone the part where he sought out to find traditional cultures thriving on vegetarianism, and could not find such a thing??” There had to be more to this story, I felt.
I was right.
Dr. Gerson did not in fact advocate a vegan diet — a key component to his therapy was the inclusion of plentiful doses of raw liver juice, as well as fermented (and obviously raw) dairy.
Charlotte does not include these healing foods, but rather, prescribes a B-12 supplement. I cannot understand why she felt the need to change her father’s therapy which had proven so incredibly successful, and I’m bothered by the fact that the institute does not openly admit that its current protocol is in fact, not the same one used by Dr. Gerson himself. Still, even the current protocol offers profound healing to many patients today.
In addition to a diet rich in whole, organic foods, the Gerson therapy also promotes heavy inclusion of raw vegetable (with some fruit) juices — at least 13 glasses a day. Juicing is an excellent way to detox the body, and I think this is one of the most important aspects of the therapy.
Of equal importance in the Gerson therapy is the use of coffee enemas. Yes, it’s really what it sounds like. From the Gerson Institute:
“The scientific basis for the use of coffee enemas is well documented, and can be obtained from the Gerson Institute. Patients report that the enemas decrease pain and hasten healing. Biologically, enzyme systems of the gut wall and liver are stimulated, and bile flow is increased. This has been shown to enhance the body’s ability to eliminate toxic residues from environmental, chemotherapeutic, and other sources.”
Overall, I think the Gerson therapy is a wise choice for cancer patients. Since a plant-based, and even a vegan diet can be very detoxifying (although not very nourishing), it makes sense to me that this protocol would have a profound effect on cancer, especially with the other facets of detoxification included.
Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, a Modern-Day Cancer Healer
Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez is a physician focused on alternative cancer treatment using a “three-pronged” approach including individualized nutrition, enzyme therapy, and natural detoxification. Dr. Gonzalez’ treatments are actually based on the work of Dr. William Donald Kelley, who based his work off of Dr. John Beard, who first proposed in 1906 that pancreatic proteolytic digestive enzymes represent the body’s main defense against cancer. Gonzalez recently published a book about Dr. Kelley’s teachings, called One Man Alone: An Investigation of Nutrition, Cancer, and William Donald Kelley
Dr. Gonzalez, like his predecessor Dr. Kelley, believes that every body and every cancer has different nutritional needs. He bases his patients’ diet on first their individual metabolic type, then the specific needs of the body for the form of cancer it’s fighting. According to Gonzalez, some patients will require a strict vegetarian diet, while others may need red meat three times a day. There is no “one-size-fits-all” to his nutritional therapy.
“In terms of diet, Kelley… found that patients diagnosed with the typical solid tumors: tumors of the breast, lungs, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, uterus, ovaries, and prostate needed a more vegetarian diet,” Dr. Gonzalez explains in a recent interview with Dr. Mercola. “A patient with immune cancer (leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and sarcomas,( which are connective tissue cancers that are related to immune cancers) tended to do best on a high-fat, high meat diet.”
Also determined by nutritional type and the specific form of cancer the patient has, are the supplements and enzymatic therapies added to the individual treatment plan. In addition to the various vitamins, minerals and trace supplements, the administration of large doses of pancreatic enzymes is the focus of this facet of Dr. Gonzalez’ cancer treatment, which in the proper ratio of active versus inactive enzymes, are used not only as a cancer treatment but as a preventative measure.
As with Dr. Gerson, Dr. Gonzalez also includes the use of coffee enemas in his therapy, to stimulate the nerves in the lower bowels, causing the liver to release toxins as a reflex.
The individualistic protocol which Dr. Gonzalez uses with his patients does strike me as a more balanced and holistic approach than some other alternative treatments. I would definitely consider seeking treatment from Dr. Gonzalez if I were a cancer patient.
Dr. Burzynski’s Cancer Cure the FDA Tried to Shut Down
Another modern physician who has made extraordinary breakthroughs in the treatment of cancer is Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, a Polish medical doctor and Ph.D. biochemist who has discovered the genetic mechanism that can cure most human cancers. I’m not exaggerating. Dr. Burzynski has cured the most terminal of cancer patients with his natural antineoplaston therapy which he developed in his Texas-based clinic.
But his successes were shot down by the FDA, who tried first to steal his patents, and then to shut down his clinic and indict Burzynski for “illegally” providing his lifesaving treatment to his patients. As I mentioned in a previous post, I strongly encourage everyone to find out more about this story by watching the documentary film, Burzynski the Movie: Cancer is Serious Business, for an incredibly eye-opening look into what happens when cancer cures are actually found (their creators are faced with a 290-year prison sentence!).
While the efforts of the FDA to put Dr. Burzynski in jail were unsuccessful, the persecution against him continued. Though he is still allowed to practice and provide treatment, patients must be admitted only within the confines of highly-regulated clinical trials at his clinic. The court ruling in the Burzynski case determined that the only patients allowed to be treated by Dr. Burzynski in his trials are those for whom conventional cancer treatments — chemotherapy and radiation — have failed.
This was, tragically, the case for a little boy named Thomas Navarro who died not of his brain tumor, but of the toxic conventional treatments his parents were forced to provide him with, before his cancer was completely healed by Dr. Burzynski. You can learn more of Thomas’ story in the painfully moving film, Cut, Poison, Burn. At least watch the trailer — it’s absolutely chilling.
So unfortunately, though he would absolutely be one of my first choices of physiciasn I would entrust with my cancer treatment, I would not be able to seek Dr. Burzynski’s therapy, because I do not want to subject myself to chemotherapy and radiation, should I ever become sick with cancer.
Using other food-based and drug-free treatments to fight cancer
- Curcumin, the tumeric-based spice that gives curry it’s golden color, currently has more evidence-based literature supporting its use against cancer than any other nutrient. What’s especially interesting to me about this treatment is that it’s been proven to change the regulation of your genes to combat cancer. So in cases where cancer may indeed be caused by a “genetic predisposition,” curcumin can be especially effective in altering the response of the DNA.
Megavitamin therapy, just like it sounds, is a treatment using high doses of specific vitamins which exceed the “Recommended Dietary Allowance” in order to cure or prevent disorders. In cancer cases, it’s been shown that doses of up to ten times the RDA of vitamin C can kill off tumors by providing a buildup of hydrogen peroxide. This treatment was used by Nobel Prize winner, Linus Pauling, but of course is now scoffed at by conventional medicine after being inaccurately tested for efficacy by the Mayo Clinic. - Laetrile, or vitamin B-17, is a natural supplement shown to target and destroy cancer cells, which was banned by the FDA in 1971 despite its proven efficacy. Thankfully, a source of this natural substance can be found in the seeds of the apricot kernel, and when taken in large doses, can effectively treat cancer.
- Vitamin D optimization — this should be considered first and foremost, before any treatment for cancer is explored, in my opinion. Vitamin D, which is actually a neuro-regulatory steroid, plays a huge role in maintaining health, and has the power to alter the regulation of over 10% of your entire DNA! (This is called epigenetic influence, like with curcumin.)
So, I’ll ask again — what would you do if you got cancer? What do you think about alternative cancer therapies? Are there others I haven’t mentioned here that you would use instead?
[This post is linked to Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.]
Thanks for posting this. I think it is important to address now (as ugly as the subject is to think about before an illness) than later when you are overwhelmed with the emotion of the news of the C word. It is very interesting that different cancers a fed through varying foods.
But that is where I STILL would be at a loss. How would you know who to trust in this scenario? Who could tell you how to starve the particular cancer you have? Unless you went to a very specific doctor who has that knowledge . . . It would be nice to know that I may have the money when the time arises to see who I’d like but I am not sure I would — then there’s the healthcare crap . . .
I certainly have a lot to think over. THANK YOU for doing this research. I will be looking into it more!
Hm, what would I do? I would not got the conventional road that’s for sure. The body needs to detox ..Several natural substances have anti-cancer/anti-tumoral properties such as frankincense, paw paw, fucoidan, and limonene in citrus have been shown to have anti-cancer properties as well.
I already eat a good diet and try to avoid things that are damaging to the body, so my cancer fighting diet would not mean a very drastic change for me. Cleansing is a major part so I would do juicing more like the original Gerson therapy and not the current vegan version..The body needs tons of nutrients during this so I would be making sure I get enough vitamins etc..Someone said that most die of malnutrition and not the cancer..
The mental aspect is very important as well and some say 80% of the healing is in the mind and experienced healers say the ones that don’t make it are the ones that are not letting go off the past etc.
My husband is a naturopath so naturally we would work out a program that would work for me, that would mean muscle test to see what I need, in addition to other things he does..(iridology, bio feed back etc)..
So natural all the way..
Oh, one more thing, I would not hesitate to consult with an experienced doctor specializing in natural cancer treatments if needed..It’s time to add some habanero peppers, garlic and butter to my dinner..Thank for a great post!
I always thought I would avoid conventional treatments, and I would certainly look into holistic/alternative options first. However I know of 2 woman who opted for alternative treatments and both died anyway. Obviously there are a ton of variables at stake here, such as did they do the right type of alternative treatments, at the right time, for their particulat cancers? Unfortunately there are many people offering alternative treatments but few who are truly expert in knowing how to cure. It would be a really scary decision, and one I hope I never have to confront 🙂
Very informative Emily. You’ve done your homework again. 🙂 I don’t think anyone could say what they would exactly do until they’re put in that position….hard choices.
Very interesting about the Doctor Who Cures Cancer. Worth a shot!
Great article! I have wondered this myself. About 3 years ago, I started seeing someone who was advocating the raw vegan diet (based on Gerson’s success) as a cancer therapy. Because she believed it would help all illnesses, I tried it out on myself and my family for about 9 months. Thankfully, my husband talked some sense into me before I did any more damage to myself or my children. I was down to 15% bmi and my acupuncturist was concerned that my “connective tissues were disintegrating.” And I was following this nutrition protocol carefully. Thank heavens for WAPF and Maker’s Diet for getting us back on track and healthier than ever. I’m so shook up by my previous strict diet experience that I’m wary of even trying GAPS at this point in life, but I’m keeping it in my back pocket for future use. And I’m so bookmarking this post just in case!
Interesting post and the timing of it is appropriate for me. I have been following a “Ray Peat” diet customized for my specific needs…and am seeing results in health and energy, but also very recent evidence of repair of OLD damage.
I believe the body does the best it can with what it’s given all the time. Cancer is merely an adaptation by the body to the lack of proper resources supplied by the diet.
3 years ago, I would have been terrified if someone told me I had cancer. The FEAR would have paralyzed me. Not anymore! Give the body what it needs (which IS going to be slightly different depending on the individual’s “adaptations”) and the body can take care of the rest.
yeah, im doing the gaps diet and i think it is effective. eating sugar is a no no for me. ido feel tempted to eat grains but i think i can do without them. at least for the present. thanks for the article. ive been listening on to kevin giannis reprot for cancer and it is very helpful.thanks and god bless.
Our daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year and we did begin with the conventional route. As I began to question the docs about nutrition and realized I only received blank stares, I began to look into other things. I discovered WAPF and Nourishing Traditions and we’ve really changed things around here. We had finished 6 months of chemo and have had clean reports since. My husband and I declined radiation and maintenance chemotherapy for our daughter. We also declined long-term antibiotics, choosing kefir, fermented CLO/butter oil, kombucha and raw milk instead. 🙂 I don’t know what we’d do if the cancer returned, but from our docs’ perspective the only option would be radiation. I just can’t do that to her. Praying our dietary changes and God’s grace make a way. Thank you for this post!
Wow! I have totally floored people when I say that I refuse convential medicine. I won’t even seek it out since being diagnosed with lupus. <– See what happens with poor diet! Anywho, thank you for this article, now I can better explain why I wouldn't get chemo or radiation.
PS (Don't hate me for the tortillas. *grin*)
Great post! I would absolutely turn to one of the options you listed above (or a combination of them) if I got cancer (which, of course, I don’t plan to get since I know it can be prevented in the first place!)
I just recently watched Cut Poison Burn. I thought they did an amazing job exposing the FDA and ACS. I just wish they would have touched more on other nutritional therapies, but perhaps it was just beyond the scope of one documentary. I’m hoping A Beautiful Truth or something similar will be re-made so it will be up to par with other really well-made docs (technically speaking).
Brilliant post! My mother passed away 4 years ago from breast cancer, and I’ve wondered in the past year or two, since I’ve gotten into traditional foods, how different her outcome would have been if she had been treated with with an alternative therapy – I heard about the vitamin therapy and the Gerson Institute when I watched Food Matters. It’s so frustrating to see that these diet-based treatments are kept from gaining ground – especially when you see what conventional therapies do to patients!
More recently I’ve been wondering what I would do if diagnosed… thanks for giving me a great starting point to begin my own research!
Thank you for the very informative post. I am excited to find you! My mother was diagnosed with several types of stage 4 cancer in 1988 and wasn’t given much hope. My parents went to Mexico and treated it with the Hoxsey Treatment, chelation, and raw juicing. She did have a mastectomy because it was so severe and in so many lymph nodes, that even the natural doctors advised her to do it. She had a reoccurence in 2002 and treated it homeopathically and is fine. My brother treated his thyroid cancer with homeopaths, supplements, green drinks, and diet. I am a big believer in natural treatments for cancer. It is curable…in most countries except America, if you choose the traditional treatments.
It’s foolish when shunning the conventional medicine and approaching holistic foods to shun the marijuana research that has been proven to shrink tumors, and slowly rid bodies of cancer as well. It is as holistic as food approaches – it is a natural herb but because our government has classified it as a drug for years there are many sheep that still believe nothing but the negative without doing the appropriate research. The first thing I’m doing is investing in a good vaporizer or making some nice, no preservative old fashioned weed brownies.
Now some of the things here would be worth trying as well and if it doesn’t work at least you go to heaven giggling and slightly hungry instead of bald and throwing up on St Peter’s shoes.
Haha! Yeah, I don’t really see myself signing up for that kind of misery. But I’d totally try weed. Very interested to see some research about that.
in response to Demona, and Butter Believer.
I have a contact with a 9 yr reasearcher who knows TONS about Cannibus
and is supplying to those with a liscence. We need to band together, get educated, see the evidence and fight for our right to own and grow our own.
What Pheonix Tears on u-Tube. Then write letters to Gov. I don’t mind being contacted . The cookies and vapourizer will not cure you. happy maybe sure. You need the properlly made ‘tar’ which is not properly shown on most u-tubes.
We’ll let you know in March if our Daughter’s brain tumour is regressing with this or not.
The Lord has given MUCH here for our health. And the best of those choices the Gov. [ United Nations] likes to take away from everyone.
Uruguay is the 1st country to legalize it 100% , we all need to follow suit.
I would water fast and rest, like Herbert Shelton recommends. Now, after I came off the fast, I would stop following his recommendations, since he was a vegan. If I had the money, I would probably go to one of those fasting clinics. However, for a very extended fast, like 30 – 60 days, they would be *very* expensive. I don’t know if it would be better to go to the clinic first, and finish the fast on your own, or start the fast on your own, and finish at the clinic.
Hmm, I hadn’t heard of Herbert Shelton before, but I’m generally very opposed to fasting. Puts an incredible amount of stress on the body and hurts metabolic function. Then again, I’m normally not an advocate for a vegan diet, but I do think it can be beneficial when used as a temporary cleanse, and there have been many cancer patients who have had success with it. I just can’t imagine that fasting for such an extended period could have similar benefits.
My mom died from cancer a year and a half ago. Although INCREDIBLY sad, she DID live with a very aggressive form of Ovarian Cancer for 10 1/2 years – a cancer known to kill women within a year of being diagnosed. Her secret? Well, she was awesome and kind and a bit more zen then most people. She believed heavily in Traditional Foods – long before any of these wonderful blogs were around – she was very wise and grew up this way. She followed the protocol of Gerson Therapy after she was transferred to palliative care then lived another year and a half. She baffled all of her doctors and nurses. BUT she DID use conventional treatments in the beginning. She was terrified. Who wouldn’t be? EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY MEMBER OF MY FAMILY (MOM’S SIDE) HAS DIED OF CANCER. I’m so not kidding. This is some scary shit!!!!! My point is she combined real food with cleansing protocols like juicing and coffee (she hated these) enemas.
This is something that has bothered me for ages. I understand how a cleansing protocol is important for cancer. I recognize this, even when I am a real food girl. I very much respect Kris Carr’s approach for herself, and understand she is living with a Stage 4 cancer, making sense she keeps herself in a cleansing state to some extent. HOWEVER, it has always bothered me she encourages the world (and has some pretty powerful backing) on a vegan, raw food lifestyle being good for everyone. This is where I see a danger. But I will not take up a ton of space on this comment area. I just wanted to point it out. And I say, as usual, you are my favourite blogger. xo
I found this post really interesting, like so many of your posts, especially the “Pinkwashed” post. I have long believed that cancer is a business (with a whole industry built around it) but I was still horrified while watching Burzynski the Movie: Cancer is Serious Business. Actually, I am completely disgusted. So many innocent people dying, and all in the name of greed.
While I don’t think that any of us really know what decisions we would make in the face of a cancer diagnosis, I really don’t believe I would go down the conventional road either. There are so many valid points in your post, and in the comments that people have left. It gives me hope knowing that not everyone out there has been brainwashed.
Thank you Emily for this blog, and your Facebook page.