Cancer Prevention, Secondary Prevention

‘Surviving and Reversing Cancer’

(Secondary Prevention)

As we look at some of the literature regarding the radical remission of cancer, we would do well to take this information quite seriously because the cancer patients involved and the alternative medicine practitioners involved have some of the most important guidelines available regarding secondary prevention of cancer (reversing the disease after is has developed). We are far from helpless after we receive a cancer diagnosis; there are powerful, proven interventions to reverse cancer cell growth. This is not to say that every and all cases can be reversed, but it is to say that specific alterations in our lifestyles and the environment can make a huge positive difference in our health span. Let us listen to those who have walked the walk.

There are at least 1,000 documented cases of total remission from a variety of different types of cancer:

·       Radical Remission involves cases where the cancer simply reverses itself in a total sense without the benefit of traditional treatment.

·       A second aspect of the definition includes cases where the patient attempts conventional treatments but the cancer does not improve and the patient seeks alternative methods of intervention, which lead to remission.

·       A third aspect of the definition would include those cases where the patient participates in both traditional treatments and alternative treatments in cases where there is less than a 25% chance of five-year survival, but yet, there is total remission.

When oncologists are queried as to whether they had encountered a case of radical remission, most all of them have indeed had such encounters, but none of these oncologists have attempted to publish these case studies in an academic journal. This is important because it means that there are potentially many, many cases of radical remission that are simply never reported in a formal sense. Researchers who have done hands-on direct interviews with over 100 cancer patients whose disease has gone into total remission have identified several key factors that these patients have in common:

·       They have radically changed their diet to eliminate sweets, meat, dairy, and refined foods and have increased fruits and vegetables and organic foods.

·       They have learned to be their own health care advocate, to take control over their own health in an active way.

·       These patients follow their own intuition which may be more productive than trusting logical thinking. This intuition may involve inspired creativity.

·       These patients used herbs and supplements to strengthen their immune system, and to detoxify the body.

·       Releasing suppressed emotions like anger and fear; this includes learning to deal with stress. Patients may want to see a therapist and practice daily forgiveness, all of this to strengthen their immune system.

·       These patients were able to increase the frequency and intensity of their positive emotions and they were able to feel more loving and happier. There is a physiologic basis for this being a method of healing because the brain releases healing hormones that help us to lower blood pressure, lower heart rate and levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

·       Most all of these patients were able to engage a viable social support network, to include being able to benefit from physical touch and from not feeling alone; feelings of isolation are the enemy of healing.

·       Deepening your sense of being spiritually connected is another factor that was prominent in this group of radical remission patients. This helps people to experience a deeper level of peace and comfort.

·       Researchers learned that these patients needed to have a strong reason for living. This involves an inner core of confidence and it is interesting that this can sometimes be misinterpreted as the patient being in denial. Actually, a bit of denial can be quite healthy at times because it can allow the patient to mobilize strong positive motivation for going forward during a very difficult time in life.

Mike Fremont

This is an amazing athlete who has a powerful story to tell. He holds the single age world record for half marathon distance and an American record for the 90 to 94-year-old age group. He ran a 2:56:26 for the half marathon at age 90. Mike holds the American and world records for the marathon, 26.2 miles in his age group, and the same age group for his 6:35:47 finish at the Huntington marathon in November 2012. He attributes his longevity to a vegan diet that he began at age 69 as a response to a cancer diagnosis; this compelled him to stop eating meat and dairy. He believes the dietary change helped shrink his tumor and along with surgery killed off the cancer cells completely. On May 3, 2015 this elite athlete ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon in a time of 3:54:00 at 93 years of age!

Ruth Heidrich

Ruth was a 47-year-old who had been an active runner for about 14 years and who believed she was quite healthy. Her diet consisted mainly of low-fat dairy, chicken and fish; in hindsight, she learned that this way of eating was highly acidic, was much too low in fiber, much too low in healing nutrients, high in saturated fat and was an eating regimen that leads to high levels of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) that predisposes to cancer cell growth. In 1982 she was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer with a golf ball sized cancerous tumor in her right breast that had spread to one lung and to some of her bones. After her surgery, she learned that Dr. John McDougall from the McDougall Health and Medical Center had begun a clinical research study to demonstrate that breast cancer could be reversed by way of a low-fat, plant-based eating plan. She participated in this study and soon felt stronger, lowered her cholesterol, and was a faster runner. She utilized her new eating regimen as the primary intervention to stop her cancer growth; she declined chemotherapy and radiation. Ruth experienced total remission of her cancer and has increased her exercise to include completing an Ironman six times and running numerous marathon-distance events. Ruth had also suffered from osteoporosis and has been able to discontinue the medications for that and has found that her arthritis has completely disappeared and that her bone density tests have greatly improved.

Some Additional Notes About Cancer and Nutrition

Here are a few important additional comments about the foods we eat and cancer prevention.

·       Higher intakes of animal protein increases production of cancer-related hormones

·       Many of the plant foods most people consume are not protective against cancer in a significant way. We need to be selective and educated about specific plant foods that are protective against cancer.

·       Garlic is a superhero against many cancers; other allium vegetables like onions and leeks are also excellent cancer fighting foods.

·       Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, arugula, cauliflower, kale, turnips, and collards are also very powerful cancer cell fighters

·       Dietary fat is known to promote abnormal cell activity that may be linked to cancer

·       Dietary fiber in plant foods fights cancer

·       Plant lignans, one of the four classes of phytoestrogens, help to prevent breast cancer. Flax seeds are the richest source of lignans

·       Beta Glucans in mushrooms, barley and certain other foods is a super boost to the immune system, is antiviral, slows the aging process and provides interferon to destroy cancer cells.

·       Berries are among the world’s top foods for fighting cancer. Most berries contain ellagic acid, which has been found to inhibit tumor growth

·       Turmeric: This orange-colored spice, a staple in Indian curries,

contains a polyphenol called curcumin and has been found to be useful in reducing cancer risk. It has the most healing effects on breast cancer, bowel cancer, stomach cancer, and skin cancer cells. Studies also indicate that

curcumin may be able to destroy cancer stem cells that have developed resistance to chemotherapy drugs, and protect against radiation-induced damage.

·       Leafy, dark green vegetables like kale, collards, spinach, chard and certain kinds of lettuce and mustard greens are among the most powerful plants on the planet. The carotenoids that give leafy greens their dark green pigment are also linked to a reduction in rates of breast cancer, skin cancer, stomach cancer and to reduce rates of cancer of the mouth, pharynx and larynx.

·       Legumes such as beans, peas, lentils, peanuts and soybeans are potent cancer fighters; some studies found that eating beans and lentils was correlated with a decreased risk of cancers of the entire digestive tract!

·       Red grapes contain many plant nutrients including anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, flavonoids, and resveratrol that has been found to block the development of skin, breast, and leukemia cancers at all three stages of the disease (initiation, promotion, and progression).

·       Walnuts contain a number of potent nutrients that help fight cancer and boost overall health. Walnuts appear to be particularly protective against breast and prostate cancers.

·       Celery contains two anticancer compounds, apigenin and luteolin. These antioxidants combat free radicals, short circuit the replication cycle of cancer cells, and cause cancer cell suicide in numerous types of cancer.

·       The following foods tend to facilitate cancer cell growth: red meat, dairy, alcohol, sugar, soda, and genetically modified foods.

References

Contreras, Francisco and Kennedy, Daniel: ‘50 critical cancer answers,’ Authentic Publishers, 2013.

Moss, Ralph: ‘Cancer therapy, the independent consumer’s guide to non-toxic treatment and prevention,’ Equinox Press, 1992.

Turner, Kelly A.: ‘Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds,’ Harper Collins books, 2014. Pgs 8-14, 22, 43, 72.

Zahler, William: ‘Health, Inertia, and Information: Why Are We Sick?’ Create Space, March 2018.

Zahler, William: ‘Synergy and the Dynamics of Lifestyle Change,’ Create Space, January 2019.

William Zahler, MSW, ACLM

April, 2019