Synopsis: This article describes seven stages of alternative cancer treatment and building health. Each is a valid choice depending upon the rationale of the patient.
Do Nothing.
This is a valid choice with elderly and fragile patients who have several health considerations along with a slow growing cancer. The patient will likely succumb to another disease and the treatment may be worse that the value of the cure. My wife has a cousin who made this decision. After many years, he did succumb to prostate cancer. Who can say that he made the wrong choice? He was an old man when he died.
Manage symptoms.
Again, in weak and elderly people, this may be the most humane option. One family member with cancer was a lady in her nineties whose “chemo” was morphine. The weight loss associated with cancer, cachexia, can be addressed by supplements such as Sea Cure, which is a pre-digested deep sea white fish nutritional product. You may find additional information at: http://www.iherb.com/seacure.html There are various other supplements which are beneficial in the management of diseases. These are mentioned in other places in this series. The following site; http://cancer.wehealny.org/symptoms/1_1_7.html offers information on treating this condition.
Conventional treatment.
This is the most usual option used for treating cancer and is the only one that is known by many people. It is also the only option practiced by conventional medicine. In fact, the FDA will not study or license any treatment that is based upon nutrition.
Alternative augmented conventional treatment.
Many, if not most cancer patients also use alternative supplements with or without the knowledge of their doctor. A study reported by the American Cancer Society in 1998 showed that the more educated patients were the more likely they were to include alternative treatments in their cancer treatment plan. This site is no longer available on the internet.
I received a letter from the widow of a man who succumbed to cancer. He had received conventional cancer treatment. She said her doctor estimated that her husband lived six months longer because of the (alternative) care that he was given. This extra time was very important to her and the family.
Even when conventional treatment results in remission, there are many beneficial alternative things that can be done to increase stamina, reduce trauma, and shorten the recovery time. They include diet, supplements, cleanses, stress reduction, and many more of the considerations offered in this series.
Full alternative treatment.
It is estimated that ten percent of cancer patients opt for a completely alternative cancer treatment. There are many alternative cancer treatments. Some are more effective than others. The prevalence of cancer is so great that this low percentage results in a very large number of people who have beaten cancer by using alternative means. One correspondent told me recently that in his internet search, he had found over 600 people who had conquered cancer by dietary changes alone. Diet has been used to successfully treat cancer long before there was the internet.
Lifestyle change to eliminate cancer.
This is considered to be the most effective cancer treatment plan. It addresses the root cause of cancer and makes permanent lifestyle changes that provide a climate where cancer cannot grow. This is simple and natural to apply, but it is the most difficult for most people because they don’t want to leave the comfort of a familiar life style. Changing your life style may separate you from many family activities, especially those that center around food. it is very difficult to induce your family and friends to understand and accept the extreme value of these changes.
Our notion of what constitutes “the good life” will likely drastically change. It is difficult to be social in this atmosphere unless you have others with you who support the same values.
Maximum effort to eliminate cancer.
There are many treatments that can be successfully combined. They tend to be synergistic, (They multiply the effects of other treatments as well as being effective on their own). If a person is not responding well to the alternatives that they have chosen to follow, applying a “maximum effort” may produce good results. I have seen the “incurables Rescue Program'” as outlined on the following site to be very effective: http://www.healthfree.com/health/rescue/
This program requires a strict vegan diet plus several herbal cleanses and other procedures. Other treatments may be added to this program such as Essiac, MGN-3, Cesium Chloride, Coral Calcium, Laetrile (It is a very good treatment for some people despite some of the negative attitudes expressed towards it) and many more. Everyone is different. Find the combination that works for you.
Lifestyle changes to build optimal health.
When a person discovers that health is not just the absence of disease but the optimizing of their living potential, they may enthusiastically embrace the many options that forsake the toxic life style they formerly lived.
How and why does a person decide what course of action to take? I believe that we have learned to do those things that make us the most comfortable. Some may opt for short term comfort and do the most pleasant thing at the time. Others may be more comfortable in sacrificing short term comfort to reach long term goals.
I believe also, that our affluent society has bred generations of those who believe that they are entitled to comfort here and now. Unfortunately, nature doesn’t recognize this principle. We live in a world of cause and effect. Our tomorrows are based upon what we do today.
We are also “sold a bill of goods” on what constitutes normalcy and proper diet. Poor diet is actively promoted by the big moneyed interests. We are constantly barraged with high pressure advertising selling poor food choices.
When it comes to health issues, we compare ourselves with our peer group. Everybody gets arthritis, right? Actually, arthritis is a deficiency disease as is cancer. Once we know that, we can take the steps to correct it, regardless of what others may think or do.
Most people who successfully use alternative cancer treatments quit their program when the are symptom free of cancer. They don’t appreciate that not having a disease is not the same thing as being healthy. I have seen many people make wonderful recoveries from cancer to discover that it comes back when they let down their guard. Fortunately, getting back and staying on a good program will usually deliver them again.
There are some who have gotten the message and are enjoying healthier and more energetic lives that they could have imagined. There are many sites, devoted to the subject. Below are some of them.
http://www.veganoutreach.org/health/
http://www.veganrecipes.com/health-and-fitness.shtml
http://www.all-creatures.org/health.html
These sites advocate a strict vegetarian (vegan) diet. It takes a lot of courage and understanding to successfully embark on such a drastic change in our lifestyle. We are so accustomed to the convenience of restaurants and packaged foods, that it is a paradigm shift for us to get, prepare and eat fresh foods. Still, there is no other way to achieve a long and healthy life.
For more information on this subject, please read the information in this series on enzymes and on juice fasting.
Again, the choices are entirely up to you. There is no “wrong” choice. We are absolutely free to chose the path that we will take. However, we are not free to determine the consequences of our choices. Most people take the easy, short term path.