Articles > Health Tips > Coping with Cancer

If you have been diagnosed with cancer, or know someone who has, then the very best thing that you can do is to find out the very latest information about treatments

There is really only one place to begin and that is Dr Ralph Moss's website http://www.cancerdecisions.com/index.html

His life and energies are targeted at providing the most up to date, unbiased and positive information on dealing with cancer. And, he is deeply dedicated to finding the most holistic answer for people facing the disease. Go there!

Prevention

A change of lifestyle - i.e. to the way you handle stress in your life and a revision of your diet could reduce your chances of getting cancer by over 60% according to the American Cancer Society

I have collected guidelines, wisdom and suggestions from the most prestigious and eminent figures in the spheres of orthodox and holistic medicine. There are three main areas of your life to improve to prevent the development of cancer AND to help your body fight it - they are diet, detoxification and balanced living - see below.

Facing Cancer

There are many examples now of people choosing to use only alternative care in their fight against cancer. Many of them succeed, but the lifestyle changes that they must to make are considerable. I do not necessarily recommend that people consider taking this completely alternative path unless their cancer is caught very early on and then only if they know a great deal about diet and complementary therapies AND they are very self disciplined.

If you have already been diagnosed or are coming to complementary treatment after or during orthodox western treatment, you still have an excellent chance of increasing your chances of living for many years and improving the quality of your life. That said, the dietary changes and the alternative meditation and exercise regime recommended will take dedication from you.

However I do believe that everyone who has cancer can improve their general standard of health, strengthen their immune system, and mitigate many of the negative side effects of the powerful western medical cancer cures by improving their diet, and their lifestyle. Here are some suggestions of where to begin:-

DIET

Add to your diet:-

Clean water - this implies either filtered or bottled water for most of us!
Live yogurt
Organic whole grain breads
Brown rice
Organic Fruits - especially apple, red grapes, berries and citrus fruits (including peel)
Organic Vegetables - especially carrot and cruciferous (broccoli, cabbage) and tomatoes (with oil!!)
Nuts, especially almonds and brazil nuts
Seafood, and oily fish
Tofu and soybeans
Mushrooms - especially shitake, maitake, mu-ehr (tree ears)
Organic Low fat milk
Green tea - the perfect replacement for black tea, and very healthful and cleansing in itself
All herbs especially garlic
Reduce:
Go for free range Poultry - turkey is the best option
Cheese, except for low fat varieties
Meat - so that you have either meat, poultry or fish no more than once a day

Avoid:

White Sugar - honey is the best substitute, but unrefined brown sugar is fine in small quantities
Stimulants - best to have herbal, fruit and green tea instead of black tea and coffee
Alcohol - maybe a little organic red wine for special occasions
Fat
All processed meats
All dyes and artificial ingredients
Ideally you should add to your great new diet with supplements. Personally I think most people for most of their lives should take a good multivitamin and multi-mineral supplement. However, when you are taking medication, always talk to your doctor or specialist about what can safely be taken - as certain vitamins can reduce the efficacy of some drugs.
Building up yourself:
Calcium and Vitamin D taken together - but do this under advice as it can cause constipation
Fish Oils
Essential fatty acids
Building up your immune system:
Echinacea
Wild indigo (Potter’s echinacea combines both echinacea and wild indigo)
Lungs:
Liquorice

DETOXIFICATION

There are several ways to reduce the level of toxins (poisons) in your body. Eating the right diet is a good start, but there are essential supplements, and changes to your regular practices that need to be made.
I really recommend that you read more about antioxidants and herbs. Dr. Moss has a list of books on his site. You might also wish to consult a medical herbalist. Whilst herbs are far more gentle to your system and seldom cause side effects when used on their own, they must be used carefully when you are taking orthodox medicines.
Cleaning up your life
Quite obviously your body functions best in a clean environment. So you absolutely need clean water and clean air - to ensure a clean body. Of course you know this, but let me remind you of some of the things that go to make our environment healthier:-

Water

We all should be consuming several glasses of water a day, the recommendations run from 2 -10 litres a day, and I advocate 3-5. If you are very, very lucky your tap water is not highly contaminated with fluoride, chlorine, and other metals and chemicals. However, if you live in an city or suburb, then this is unlikely. So, you will need to drink bottled water or to purchase a filter system.

Air

One of the most disturbing (to me) facts that has recently been recognised is that our homes are actually MORE toxic that a city street in rush hour. Why? Because we use cleansers, detergents, plug-ins, drier sheets, with PERFUME. And all that perfume is made up of unnatural chemicals that are very toxic. It's time for us all to re-discover more natural and healthy ways to have a clean and nice smelling home:-
If you cannot be bothered to do anything "old fashioned" then at least make sure that all the household products that you purchase are made by Ecover or one of the many environmentally sound companies
Re-discover the traditional incenses from the Far East
Use essential oils - a few drops in water and sprayed on your carpet before vacuuming reduces pet and other household odour, use in pug-ins, burners or diffusers instead of artificial room scent
More and more I am using vinegar (white wine is the least smelly) as a mild cleanser and antiseptic for household surface. If you combine with a few drops of essential oil - it small nice and cleans well.
For furniture polishing opt for an non-spray with beeswax
Have loads more houseplants. All plants are healthy to live with, and some actually absorb some of the worst toxins emitted by carpets, decorating products and office equipment
Use green (environmentally sound) decorating materials - the paints are every bit as good as the toxic ones, and not poisonous to us or our world!
When you go for new flooring go for natural (wool fibre hemp, seagrass) carpets, rubber or linoleum flooring (not the plastic stuff)

Body

What we use on our bodies includes everything from deodorant to mascara, bubble bath to lip balm. Every time you select a natural product rather than one made from synthetic chemicals, you do yourself and your environment a big favour. EVERY time! You also ensure that your body has more energy to fight off infections and illness, because you are putting less stress on your system.
Supplements For detoxification:
Vitamin C,
Vitamin E
Vitamin A
Selenium

LIFESTYLE

It is essential to handle your stress in a positive way, this means that you have to find the right means for you to release your fears and worries. You need to look at yourself clearly and honestly, and take responsibility for yourself mind, body and spirit - and you need to DO IT NOW. Sorry to shout, but you must stop putting off and put YOU FIRST, and take that first step today.
Changing your life stye is a process and in will take many months, but essentially there are three aspects to it:-
INTENT - you will need your determination, your stubbornness and your good humour, and you will need same believe in the future - a little drop of hope. This step takes no measurable time, but it is essential.
PROCESS - this is the lengthy, ongoing nature of personal growth, evolution and development. Many people find that once they have tackled an important issue in their lives, another appears that they obviously now m=need to address - like peeling the onion layer by layer. The secret is to do small steps. Whilst the overall goal is big, you achieve it with small do-able steps, that you can take pleasure in (more about aspects of the process below).
REFLECTION - you need to make reflection a regular part of your life. By acknowledging your achievements and your progress, you will make the process of change a celebration and an affirmation of your commitment to living your life to the full. There will come a time when you achieve your initial gaols, and you definitely need to celebrate this - whilst knowing that your future will bring more change and challenges - because learning is what life is all about.

Ideas for Processing

Whilst there is never any point in blame, your will need to acknowledge that there are things in your life that are not conducive to health.

CLEAR YOUR MIND AND YOUR HEART

In my experience there are two great obstacles to a healthy mind - old baggage and bad habits. If you have not attended to the baggage that you carry emotionally and mentally from your past, then please do so. If you cannot find a good counsellor or life coach to help you, then I strongly recommend that you find a do it yourself workbook - Louise Hay is the person who springs to mind immediately, although there are other good writers in this field.
Once you have started to clear the baggage, it will be clear to you what I mean by bad mental habits. The most common of these are worry, pessimism, dishonesty and procrastination. None of these are hereditary - although you will undoubtedly have learned them as children, and adopted them into your life without question.

Worry - Worry is just another way of beating yourself up. It solves nothing, it helps no one, and it takes vast amounts of energy that you could use in a much more creative manner. So, challenge that little voice inside - she/he is a bully, and the best way to handle bullies is stand up to them. Another wee secret is to sing - in drowns out that vile little voice (and you don't need to sing aloud).

Pessimism - Here's a great quote - "It's much more realistic to be optimistic than pessimistic, because 99% of what you worry about never happens". Think about it. And, even when scary or challenging things happen - you handle it. I promise you all the old rumours and myths that you receive the energy you put out are TRUE! When you are optimistic and positive in your approach, you life changes. try it.

Dishonesty - Lying to ourselves usually starts when we want to "fit in" or to make life "easier". Yes, of course compromise is essential, but you can compromise so much that you find yourself in a self made prison with no room to grow and nowhere to go. It is essential to take stock of where you are - preferably every year - just so that you avoid trapping yourself in impossible relationships, or horrible positions. Sure we all make mistakes, what you need to do is to LEARN from them then move on.

Procrastination - Most of us put things off sometimes, and that is a GREAT thing. However, sometimes you will put things off when you know it is the wrong thing to do for your own good - and that is a problem. Most of the time I think this happens because the mountain of stuff to do is too high. Simple answer. Take one step at a time. Give yourself one - three small tasks each day. Do them for a week - then celebrate your accomplishments. It works - I promise!

FIND AND MAINTAIN YOUR BALANCE

Creativity

There are dozens of things that you can do that will help you feel better about yourself on all levels. Anything creative is perfect, and remember simple daily things like cooking and gardening can be very creative - so expand your knowledge about what you enjoy or find a creative activity to learn. I always recommend trying to find several creative things that you enjoy - this keeps your interest, stops you getting bored and allows you to find creative pursuits that are suitable for different seasons and moods.

Movement

Some sort of gentle movement like Yoga, Chi Kung or Tai Chi is important to help you feel that you are still working with your body and to reduce stress and tension. Dance and western style exercises are less appropriate because of their usual speed. Slower more deliberate movement helps you to focus on your breath and upon the way the energy flows through your body, and they all emphasise holding yourself poised and relaxed. From the western schools the best options are Alexander Technique and Feldenkras.

Inner peace

Meditation is highly recommended, as is learning reiki for yourself. Both are incredibly healing and centring on every level. Using one or both on a regular basis will help you feel more in touch with your best self, and able to handle everything that comes your way. they will help to still the small (but sometimes loud and annoying) voice inside you head that is at the root of anxiety and much dis-ease.

Treat Yourself

It can help immensely to have a regular session of the complementary therapy that you like best, as this will help you to relax profoundly and generally support your health in an holistic manner.

All therapies are holistic in that they will effect you totally, and thus bring you to a place of inner relaxation and tranquillity. The important thing is to find therapists you trust and therapies that you love.