Cancer And The Power Of Belief

According to the laws of quantum physics, in any scientific experiment the observer (a researcher) influences and alters the object of observation on a very fundamental level (observer-observed relationship). This fundamental principle of physics applies to you just as much. After all, your body is composed of molecules that are made of atoms; these atoms are composed of subatomic particles, which in turn, are made of energy and information. There is actually not even a trace of matter in what we consider physical creation. Although something may appear to be as solid and concrete as a rock, there is nothing solid about it; only your sensory perception makes it appear so.
Your thoughts also are merely forms of energy and information that influence other forms of energy and information, including the cells of your body. For example, if you are sad about something that happened to you, your body posture changes and your eyes lose their luster. Eye cells, like all other cells in the body, respond to your thoughts as a soldier follows the orders of his superior.
Therefore, if you believe strongly enough that you have cancer or if you are afraid of it, you face a significant risk of manifesting it in your body.
The placebo effect can work both ways. The belief that you have a deadly disease can be just as powerful as the belief that a certain medical drug can heal you. In an instant, the energy of your thoughts and beliefs delivers the information they contain to every cell in your body. The energy and information that make up the atoms, molecules, genes, cells, organs and systems in your body have no agenda of their own. They are certainly not malicious. All they do is follow orders. You manifest both what you like and what you do not like. In other words, you are what you believe. Furthermore, what you believe is determined by the way you see or perceive things. Clearly, your interpretation of cancer as a disease will likely turn it into a disease for you. Otherwise, cancer would just be a survival mechanism or a signal for you to take care of those aspects of your life that you have neglected thus far.
If you believe that cancer is a disease, you are more likely to be inclined to fight against it, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If you are strong-willed and the weapons you are using are powerful, you may be able to subdue this 'enemy' of yours, at least for a while. In such a case, you will be proud of having 'beaten' the cancer and, perhaps, you will praise the doctors or the medical treatment you endured for having saved your life. If you are weak and you use these same weapons in an attempt to destroy the cancer, you are likely going to succumb to what you would consider a malicious enemy. The doctor will express with regret that your body did not sufficiently 'respond' to the treatment (the weapons), claiming that he tried everything and that nothing more could be done. He will neglect to inform you that the weapons he has put into your body can be deadly.
Chemotherapy is so poisonous that leaking a few drops of the drug onto your hand can severely burn it. If drops fall on a concrete floor, they can burn holes into it. Spilling any chemotherapeutic drug in the hospital or anywhere en route is classified as a major biohazard and it requires specialists with space-suits to dispose of it.
Just imagine the holes chemotherapy creates inside your blood vessels, lymphatic ducts, and organ tissues when you undergo infusion after infusion! I have looked at the irises of patients (using iridology) who have gone through chemotherapy, and I saw the considerable erosion and damage of tissues throughout the body. Yes, this drug destroys cancer cells, but along with them, many of your healthy cells, too. Your entire body becomes inflamed. For this reason, your hair falls out when you undergo chemotherapy or radiation, and you cannot digest food anymore. Many patients develop anorexia - the loss of appetite or desire to eat. But this is not the only risk you can expect from modern cancer therapies. "Chemotherapy and radiation can increase the risk of developing a second cancer by up to 100 times," according to Dr. Samuel S. Epstein ~ Congressional Record, Sept. 9, 1987.
Given the extreme suffering cancer patients are being subjected to by undergoing cancer treatments, people like Jackie Onassis were fortunate to have died quickly, although unnecessarily. Tim O'Shea wrote in To The Cancer Patient: "...Chemo drugs are some of the most toxic substances ever designed to go into a human body, their effects are very serious, and are often the direct cause of death. Like the case of Jackie Onassis, who underwent chemo for one of the rare diseases in which it generally has some beneficial results: non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She went into the hospital on Friday and was dead by Tuesday."
I have personally seen cancer patients who successfully and naturally reversed their cancers but were then talked into taking a round of chemotherapy just to be sure to "get it all". They all died within a day or two of the first treatment.
The methods of modern medicine don't fight disease, they fight the body. Disease is the body's way of healing itself, and modern treatment is a sure way to impair or even destroy this ability.

[This is an excerpt from the book 'Cancer is not a disease, it's a survival mechanism' by Andreas Moritz]
Andreas Moritz is a writer and practitioner in the field of Integrative Medicine. He is the author of 13 books ( http://www.ener-chi.com/book.htm ) on various subjects pertaining to holistic health, including The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush and Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation.
His most recent book is titled 'Vaccine-Nation: Poisoning the Population, One Shot at a Time'. Moritz is also the creator of Ener-Chi Art and Sacred Santémony.
Much of his life's work has been dedicated to understanding and treating the root causes of illness, and helping the body, mind, spirit and heart to heal naturally.

Renal Cancer Survival Rate

Since the kidneys are amongst the most vital organs of the body, cancer growing in these parts is also quite dangerous. Amidst the growing number of studies conducted to combat the progression of this disease, the over-all average renal cancer survival rate has only slightly improved in the recent years. As per the latest studies conducted by the cancer research societies, the renal cancer survival rate in the United States is still around 60-65%.

A 5 year renal cancer survival rate refers to the percentage or number of patients who were able to remain living five years after they were diagnosed with cancer of the kidneys. These patients are all treated and have undergone surgery as well.

As we all know, we have 2 kidneys in our body. In some renal cancer cases, only one kidney may be affected of the cancer while the other wouldn't. In these cases, removal of the affected part may be recommended since the functioning kidney will still be able to continually do its work alone.

If the cancer is detected as early as stage 1, the better the prognosis. Patients diagnosed at this stage have more than 90% chances of surviving so long as recommended treatment is properly given.

As the cancer remains adamant on its progression, the more the prognosis may become quite low. Once the cancer moves outward and invades the surrounding tissues, the more difficult to control and remove it through surgery. At the last stage, once the cancer starts eating up vital organs near the kidneys, the rate of survival was reported to be at 10% - meaning 1 out of 10 patients reaches 5 years after being diagnosed.

Kidney cancer is slowly developed and not the type that spurts out of nowhere. It is the cause of unhealthy diet and constant abuse of the kidneys. Since this type of cancer is slow in the making, most patients don't detect it until they reached the later years of their lives - often around 45-55 years old. And the bad thing is, at this time, the cancer could be already in a critical stage.

It's true that despite the high renal cancer survival rate of patients whose cancer is detected early, not all cancer patients experience the benefits of having their disease treated on the first stage because only 50% of kidney cancer patients are determined at stage 1. A large number of cases are only detected at stages 2-4 when the cancer has grown enough to be confined.

Cancer Changes Everything

At the moment of cancer diagnosis, there is a marker in life, which bookmarks personal time as either Before Cancer or After Cancer.

But before that, there is the in-between time, when you don't quite know what is happening. You may have experienced troubling symptoms for some time, followed by lab work or medical exams. Or, it may have all started with a routine trip to the doctor - you were told that something seems suspicious or wrong. "How long has this lump been there?" After that, you may have gone through more visits and more tests, several weeks apart.

So at the time of receiving the definitive news of cancer, you have already been feeling fear, dread, confusion - many unpleasant feelings. While waiting for test results, you might have been counting on relief or expecting the worst. While waiting, we usually cope in the way that is most familiar, using our habits and patterns of thinking and feeling. If you are upbeat, you probably stayed that way. If you are more like Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, you probably have been feeling dark and dismal.

If you went through all of the tests, and the "all clear" was sounded, then the emotion of this experience will recede and ongoing life is not interrupted too much. However, even this near-diagnosis experience frequently has a powerful emotional result - "The time I almost had cancer, I really imagined what that was like." And life changes a little, sometimes actually for the better. Life seems more precious, with a hopeful and fresh future.

But if you received bad news, you will be experiencing shock, trauma, loss, grief, fear or confusion. Although there's a lot to do down the line to feel better, to be hopeful, optimistic, informed... at the beginning, it's just a nightmare. You are most likely numb, confused, worried or hyper-focused on only one aspect of the information. You could even be wondering what all the uproar is about, and sure that everything will be fine.

Some people experience the sense of the wind knocked out of them, dizziness or enormous sadness. There's a loss that life will never be the same again. Life After Cancer. No planning for life lasting forever, which it doesn't anyway, but we pretend. At the beginning of this journey, no one has any accurate idea if life will be shortened from cancer, but it is almost always a first fear. Cancer changes everything.

There are so many unknowns. At a time when you desperately want information about illness and treatment, and outcomes, there are frequently delays in getting that useful information. It takes time to get in to the doctor for medical appointments and time to get in for specialized tests. Waiting for more results is very challenging. You will be waiting with very little information for days or weeks at a time when you need some concrete information and direction. Even if you are very skilled at getting appointments, even if you have a friend who can help, it's hard to navigate the system and wait it out.

Around the time of diagnosis, people and their friends and family often try to feel better by doing research on the internet. At some point, using the internet to get medical information, find doctors and explore different treatment options works very well. At the beginning it can lead to more fear and less clarity. You will find information that is untrue, overly dramatic, holding false promises or simply not applicable to your situation.

Navigating the Cancer Patient Financial Assistance Landscape

We are halfway through the year and the FDA has already approved a number of novel cancer treatments. Yervoy was the first advanced melanoma therapy to be approved in over 13 years, Zytiga the first oral medication approved for advanced forms of prostate cancer, and Zactima the first oral medication approved for the treatment of a rare form of thyroid cancer. These approvals expand the treatment options for many cancer patients with few previous alternatives. Although this represents significant advancements, it does come at a significant cost. Some of these therapies, for example, can cost over $5,000 a month, requiring many patients to seek financial assistance from manufacturer programs and / or foundations.

Navigating the financial assistance landscape can be difficult. Luckily, there are great resources available that can help every patient pay for therapy. Below are some useful resources that can be used to help reduce your copays and treatment costs.

The Chronic Disease Fund

The Chronic Disease Fund offers assistance for cancers of the prostate, liver, lung, pancreas, thyroid, colon and breast. You can enroll into their disease funds online and they will work most pharmacies to help reduce a patient's drug copay throughout the year. They are often the preferred foundation for many specialty pharmacies and oncology practices given their extent of fund availability and fundraising capabilities.

The Healthwell Foundation

The Healthwell Foundation also represents a significant source of funding for cancer patients. Their disease funds include common cancers as well as more rare tumors such as chronic myeloid leukemia, cuteneous T cell lymphoma, and metastatic melanoma. Given their volume of funding requests, their colorectal, breast, brain, and lung cancer funds are currently closed until more donations are provided.

The Patient Advocate Foundation

The Patient Advocate Foundation offers copay relief for many common and rare cancers. They also provide many links to important web resources to help patients with therapy education, clinical trials information and management of symptoms. They also work with many other foundations to help patients find assistance in cases when their disease funds are closed or unavailable.

The Assistance Fund

The Assistance Fund provides copay assistance for more common cancers such as breast, colon and lung. In addition to providing financial assistance for drug copays, they also assist patients with costs associated with their insurance deductibles. Further, they help patients remain on therapy through their extensive compliance and adherence programs.

A Fresh Spin on Choosing A Radon Abatement Contractor

It may sound like a strange way to start a discussion with a radon abatement specialist, but you can learn a lot by making this simple request: "Tell me about the fan."

Radon is a pretty mysterious element, and unbeknownst to many, this odorless, invisible and potentially lethal gas is infecting thousands! In fact, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, causing over 21,000 deaths in the U.S. every year.

While radon gas may be mysterious, there's not much mystery behind a typical radon abatement system. A radon abatement specialist installs a system of plastic pipes to extract radon-rich air from the soil beneath the house, dependent upon the home's foundation.

In a basement installation, the plastic pipes extend through the basement's concrete slab. If a house has a crawl space foundation with a dirt floor, the contractor will cover the dirt with a continuous plastic sheet that's sealed to the crawl space walls. The pipe extends into the soil beneath the sheet to extract radon-rich air.

The Fan

The suction to extract radon gas from beneath the house and blow it outdoors (where it can diffuse harmlessly into the atmosphere) is provided by a special fan. The fan blades are the only moving parts in the system. The fan plays a critical role in any radon abatement system, and not just because of the suction it supplies.

Location, Location, Location

An inline fan is used in radon abatement because it is mounted in-line with the plastic pipe's vertical exhaust stack, as shown in the photo. The fan is always on, and because it operates continuously, a skilled radon mitigation specialist will install the fan where its noise will be least disruptive. Rubber couplings between the fan's flanges and the pipe can help to minimize fan noise. These same couplings can also be used on an exterior exhaust stack to lessen noise.

If the pipe's exhaust stack extends outside the house, it's better for the fan to be outside a utility room, bathroom or hallway-- rather than next to a bedroom or family room.

Sometimes the homeowner elects to have the exhaust stack concealed from view, meaning it will be placed within a home's closet or chase-most commonly the attic.

Selecting the Right Fan

Fans designed for radon mitigation come with different power and speed ratings. An experienced radon mitigation specialist will make sure to select a fan that's best-suited to the number of pipe penetrations into the soil, the length of the pipe run, and the density of the soil. A quality fan should have a warranty of at least 5 years.

The Cure For Cancer

I was amazed, in those early days of our journey, how many people knew of the "cure for cancer." Everyone, it seemed, was an expert and all you had to do was to eat this or take that. Herbs were excitingly wonderful with curative powers beyond belief. Supplemental vitamins were amazing and would cure everything from the common cold to cancer and everything in between - so the experts told us. As time went on, the burden of having to know everything became overwhelming. I fully appreciate why so many people do not undertake alternative healing, in their search for wellness. In those early days, we had a kitchen that bristled with bushes, leaves and bottles. Our cupboards groaned under the weight of stuff that would have made any health food shop look as if it were well stocked. Eventually, I reasoned that enough was enough and we cut back to a level over which I thought I had some control.
Some people just wanted to help at any cost, and they came forward with their own ideas of what to do, mixed with thoughts gained from experience or conversation with others or something that had been reported in the press (I hope to be able to talk of this at a later date). I remember going to dinner with a friend who had owned a nutritional supply company many years previously. "cancer!" He exclaimed when told, "well in that case, you have to do....." and he was off and running. His advice came thick and fast and non-stop throughout the entire meal until, in exasperation, I commanded him to cease and desist. "For pity's sake, stop talking about a cure for cancer!" I told him. "I'm sick and tired of bloody cancer! And I'm sick and tired of being told how to cure it about it." He was hurt and I was angry, but it cut the conversation off right there and then. And it was right there, on that wonderful sun-drenched veranda, that I decided to investigate the facts for myself, but I would do it in a reasonable and as scientific a way, as is possible for a layman to do.
Research Through Reading
I commenced reading. I enjoyed stories of survival, because those tales reassured me that what we sought, was possible. If someone else has done it, I reasoned, then we could do it. If it's been done, then it can be done again and if it has not been done, then someone has to be the first. Everything is possible. I found motivational books and read at every opportunity. I would repeat these stories to Donna, even as she slept, believing that, at some level, her mind was listening. Years before, I had found Louise Hay's books, and so I revisited her writings on a regular basis. They were (and are) easily read books, which are not too heavy in content and can be started from almost any page at any time. Even now, so many years later, I retreat to a comfortable chair with one of her books whenever I need comfort and reassurance.
In order to create some kind of basis for the healing journey, we decided to get guidance from people who had been there before us. Someone who had survived both diagnosis and prognosis. We had learned from many people, that meditation is involved in virtually all long-term cancer survival and so we wanted to learn how to meditate properly. We knew, too, that food is important so we needed to learn what to eat, and when to eat it and how to combine the different foods available and perhaps, as important as any other thing that we could do, we needed to associate with others who were on the same journey, looking for their own cure for cancer, so that we could draw from the communal strength and provide strength to our associates when they required it, because in doing so, we knew that someone, somewhere, would be there for us when we needed it too. We researched our options and decided to join a residential programme at the Gawler Foundation at Yarra Valley, in Victoria, Australia. I have mentioned Ian Gawler, the founder, previously and do so now, as a coincidence rather than anything else. We joined about forty other people for a ten-day live-in experience and there we learned in a most gentle way, about the foods that support a conflicted bodily system and foods that do not. We learned about the use of herbs and supplements from experts in those fields and, for me, the most important thing of all, we learned how to meditate from experts. I had already mediated for some time, but Bob Sharples and Ian Gawler taught me how to meditate.
Our Search To Find Our cure for cancer
And so our journey began. I was interested in researching liver cancer and quickly found that there is so much information on the subject of cancer. So much to learn. Too much really, and so I devised a rule, and I share that with you now, there are so many things, so many techniques, so many programmes throughout the world, that it is impossible to understand them all or to have a working knowledge of them all, so here's what we decided would work for us, if we heard of something, we would thank the people who told us, or thank the Universe for putting it in our way, and then move on, if we heard of it a second time, from a different source, we would notice it and thank the person or the Universe for sending it again, but if we heard it a third time, from yet another source, I would investigate it and investigate it as thoroughly as I possibly could. Now, you might have noticed, that I changed from we to I and there is a reason for that. The practical reason is that we had just one computer, but more importantly, Donna needed all of her strength in those early days, to maintain her healing. It was her job to concentrate on herself and to rest and recuperate and meditate when she could. There were times, of course, when she was able to do her own investigation, however, gradually that task fell to me. As the cancer support groups commenced, Donna became involved in that organisation. People wanted to speak to the survivor, to be with her and some, to hold her hand, to feel the real. To reassure themselves that it is possible, this survival thing. One person has done it.....
Beware The Weak Spirit
Being the survivor was exhausting for her and this is a good point to remember for you too. I believe that we each have a spirit, some might equate such a spirit with the description of soul, others describe it as presence. No matter how the word spirit is rationalised, I believe that spirit is a finite resource and quickly goes from a positive resonance to negative when not nourished through kindness and unconditional, positive regard for our selves, our fellow travellers, our world and our universe. Now these are cornerstones of life, and are life long strivings to perfect. Some believe that they are the reasons for our existence, whatever you may believe, I think they present us with areas of opportunity. Opportunities to learn? Certainly. Opportunities to grow? Undoubtedly all of these things, but also opportunities to show that we can be fully human in the true sense of the word. Sometimes, we come across another, who has not embraced their opportunities and whose spirit is lacking and those people innately identify another, whose spirit is more complete and they are driven to be with those people. Unconsciously attracted to one whose spirit is stronger. Like a sponge, they quickly take spiritual nourishment, leaving the once strong person, weaker, physically, mentally and psychologically. These weaker spirited people will drain you, if you are not prepared. We have all had the experience, I am sure, that when we have spent time in the company of some people, we my feel that they "have sucked the life out of me" - do you recognise this? That is a weaker spirit, recognising and taking the opportunity to gain sustenance from a stronger spirit. You must be aware of these instances on your healing journey and take precautions to not over-expose yourself. I have mentioned previously, to be aware of who you are around. Get around the right people, as the saying goes, because it is by being around the people you wish to emulate and who are like minded in their thinking, that you will be supported.
A final word about finding the cure for cancer
We have touched on a few of the beginning lessons for the healing journey. The basics we need to address. I shall attempt to expand on many ideas in future entries. These are my ideas based on our experiences and in no way reflect everything that is available. Research is a wonderful thing and today, the internet is a vast and impressive tool - beware of accepting available information on face value. I believe that no one can supply you with the cure for cancer. No oncologist, no naturopath, no surgeon. No one can cure you - except for yourself. We are our own healers, however, sometimes we need assistance to find the way. I have come to the opinion that it is what we put into our head that is the cure for cancer. What we put into our mouth, what we breathe, what we see hear and what we do. I still do not know how the order of importance sits, perhaps it is food, perhaps nutrition or herbs. I believe that the single most important thing that we can do is to gain psychological power. He who thinks he is lost, is lost. Nobody wins a race, without first seeing themselves breasting the tape in front of the field.

John is a published author, trained in Counselling, NLP, clinical Hypnosis and EFT with more than fifteen years in assisting people with cancer and their carers. John has facilitated both residential and day programmes, including cancer support groups during those years.
He has a blog at http://cancercauseandeffect.com where downloadable copies of "cancer Cause And Effect" may be purchased with the free E Book, "A Journey With cancer - Donna's Story" and Michael Masani's introduction to meditation "Meditation Made Easy."

Cancer Treatment Options, What Is The Most Effective

A person newly diagnosed with cancer is likely to be in shock and will automatically turn to the people they trust the most to help them with their problem. Our orthodox treatments as everyone knows are surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and the only other way to treat it is alternatively which is with natural products but this system of treatment will never be offered and is often criticised as not being scientific.

Nearly everyone is unaware about the causes of cancer and many believe it was because of fate or bad luck and will naturally look for the quickest way to have these foreign growths removed. They all believe they had followed a healthy diet and lifestyle so it was something that was beyond their control that allowed these growths to suddenly appear.

Our health care system today keeps us ignorant about the causes and yet the causes are well known. They have been well known for decades but it's only by a handful of people who have bothered to study the disease. Also you must remember that an uninformed person will seldom question any treatment that is recommended by their health professional, even if it's toxic.

To effectively overcome a diagnosis of cancer one needs to learn about it. For instance any cancer growth is actually cancer of the whole body and not just where the growth appeared. What has caused these growths to suddenly appear is the body's immune system which had been weakened so no amount of high tech treatment in the form of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy is going to fix that. That's why it returns again.

A far more effective way is to search for the reason why the immune system had been weakened and allowed these foreign growths to appear. All cancers are self caused, we have caused it ourselves by the way we now live with our food that's no longer fresh, our sedentary lifestyle and other factors. At present it's mainly a problem in western developed countries but is becoming a problem in developing countries as well. Seven million people a year are now dying from cancer around the world and we still only have treatments which only treat symptoms and not the root cause of the problem. A symptom is a sign that something else is wrong within the body.

To effectively heal the body of cancer without it returning you have to address the reasons why it first appeared and a good place to start is with the diet. The typically western diet is mostly at fault because of our high consumption of processed foods so common sense should tell us to correct it. We have moved away from eating food that we once produced ourselves to eating food that big businesses have processed and interfered with. Nature has the only cure for cancer and it lies completely with the food that nature produces as well as a few other natural lifestyle changes like exercise.

While treating cancer naturally has never been scientifically proven, it's never likely to be because natural products can not be patented so nobody can profit from them. Natural ways are a cheap and effective way to treat cancer. The reason all our medicine is drug based and artificial is because it can be patented, which removes competition and is then profitably. Our mainstream ways of treating the disease may have been scientifically proven but only proven to reduce the size of the growths and that won't stop them from growing back again.

While our doctors and medical system are very good at diagnosing cancer, their treatments today often fail because they are only focusing on removing growths which is of little help. True cures mean dealing with the original causes.

Four Costly Mistakes Many Cancer Patients Make

n my work with cancer patients I'm privy to the common mistakes made by many patients which routinely harm their health and may cost them their lives. I write this article in the hope these mistakes can be avoided. This article is derived from observations made in a sample group comprising 13,000 patients over a period of 37 years. Lest the article appear too negative it is worth mentioning that cancer patients in 2011 are living longer and there are many wonderful advances in cancer medicine. In fact patients will do better when forewarned of these common mistakes and at our institute we consider it a part of 'preventative medicine' to do so. Please pass this article around to anyone with cancer.

1. The most fundamental mistake is a failure to understand the nature of cancer. Sadly, perhaps due to fear of the topic, this is widespread, not only among the cancer patients we assist but among some naturopaths we encounter. Failing to understand the nature of cancer will influence all your treatment choices. The following is a brief outline.

At the time of diagnosis, cells will have been detaching themselves from the primary tumour, entering the blood supply and seeking to establish a 'new' colony. This process may have been going on for years before the first tumour is evident. These 'seed cells' called circulating tumour cells (CTCs), may lay dormant for years or activate and settle down at a site of least resistance and grow into a tumour. CTCs begin circulating when the original tumour increases in size from 1.5 - 2mm, about the size of a grain of rice.

It is worth remembering that cancer is a systemic disease from the onset and the tumour its late stage symptom. Cancer cells can only thrive in a specific environment with an impaired immune system and impaired mechanisms of regulation and repair.

With a better understanding of cancer, patients will realise they must act quickly and activate a sensible treatment plan. This sense of urgency and fear of conventional cancer medicine may cause patients to seek alternative therapies; which by nature are an alternative to conventional treatments (allopathic) and we do not recommend that path. We do however, support proven complementary therapies done with knowledge of the allopathic doctor and/or oncologist. Communication and transparency between our institute, the patients and the doctors and oncologists is crucial because there are times when even accepted complementary supplements can clash with cancer medicines. (See 4.)

The good news is that in 2011 the new breed of 'targeted therapies' used by oncologists are getting excellent results with lower side effects and people are living longer-up to 90 % of certain breast and testicular cancer patients will be alive after 5 years.

When integrative medicine is added to the scientific advances it combines the discipline of modern science with the wisdom of ancient healing. It can transform the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the lives of people living with chronic or life-threatening illness.

Proven complementary therapies such as touch therapies, mind-body therapies, acupuncture, sound nutrition, physical activity and fitness, and dietary supplements are worthy additions as long as they are not substitutes for mainstream medical care.

When used in concert with medical treatment they can help alleviate stress, reduce pain and anxiety, manage physical and emotional symptoms, and enhance quality of life for cancer patients.

2. Second deadly mistake - a failure to understand the nature of 'Dr Internet.

This mistake can powerfully influence patient treatment decisions. There is a huge cost in believing 'that which is repeated often enough must be true.' The internet is dominated by unproven alternative cancer cures but to the unsuspecting patient they may be inclined to believe the increasingly sophisticated and emotionally convincing websites that promote alt/med. The following Google searches were conducted on Firefox and illustrate how difficult it is to find balanced scientific papers on alt/med products or therapies. The following searches (on Firefox in early June) yielded these 'results'....

· Google search for 'black salve' - last week May 2011 = 8.5 mil results - this week June 4th = 9.2 mil results - June 8th = 9.34 mil results - June 14 = 10.5 mil (Up 2 million results in just over two weeks - what will it be next week?)

· Google search - 'apricot cures cancer' = 5 mil results

· Google search - 'Gerson Diet cures cancer' 1.8 mil results

· Google search - 'nature cures cancer' 320 mil results

· Google search - 'alternative cures cancer' = 6.5 mil results

· Google search - 'wake up cure cancer now' = 2.5 mil results

· Google search 'science cures cancer' = 6.25 mil results. In this case I was looking for scientific papers but the results 'flipped' to 'cannabis cancer cures' (it took over the search). This did not happen in quite the same way for Internet Explorer

· Google search - meditation cures cancer = 3.9 mil results

· Google search - cancer cleanses = 11.4 mil results (June 14 = 12.7 mil (up by 1.3 mil results in over 2 weeks)

As you can see, 'Dr Internet' is quite biased. Most of the Google results are from sites with commercial interests or those promoting an ideology such as 'raw foodism.' Good medical science results from respected bodies like the National Cancer Institute of America or Memorial Sloan Kettering of NY are not so easy to locate. Both have excellent research papers on complementary and alt/med products and therapies.

3. Third deadly mistake - Buying into the prevalent conspiracy paradigm that 'Big Pharma' is greedy and evil-that it's a tool of the wealthy who want to keep ordinary people sick so they can make more money. Whilst the medical system and industry is not perfect, it is at least regulated and under scientific scrutiny and rigor.

Such theories create unhelpful polarisation and are an attempt to invalidate advances in cancer science, medicine and pharmaceutical commerce while emotively promoting alt/med or a nature ideology. These beliefs can border on fundamentalism. The victims, as always, are the unsuspecting cancer patients.

The theory is also very imbalanced-nobody is mentioning the greed or dishonesty of alt/med practitioners or supplement sellers. Some of our patients have spent over $100,000 on unproven or even disproven alt/med therapies and regimens. Many of these treatments are kept secret. Patients at a 'cancer cure expert,' a naturopath, were told not to tell anybody of the 'secret' treatments (costing $1100 a week) because the evil AMA or Big Pharma wants to stop them 'curing' cancer patients so they can continue to 'slash, burn and poison.'

4. Fourth deadly mistake - A poor understanding of nutrition and basic biology. A belief that 'more is better' can be dangerous for cancer patients. The mistaken belief prevails that if certain foods or supplements can boost your immune system, enabling your body to fight off the cancer, then large doses will be more effective. Patients fail to consider that supplements are very concentrated and quite unnatural as the following study shows.

A study from the US National Cancer Institute in 1994 published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at the effects of beta carotene, a well-known anti-oxidant with cancer-fighting properties, on the incidence of lung cancer in men. One group of men were (sic) put on a balanced diet high in fruit and vegetables high in beta- carotene or pro-vitamin A, found in orange foods such as carrot and sweet potato. The next group was given beta-carotene supplements and the final group was given a placebo. Not only did the group with the fruit and vegetable intake get a lower incidence of cancer, but the group taking the supplements had a higher incidence of cancer than the placebo group and the trial had to be terminated.

In our sample group we have commonly found patients imbibing toxic levels of some elements (often copper), trace elements, minerals and fat soluble vitamins. Some supplements commonly taken can impede or undo the allopathic cancer medicine prescribed, hormone blockers such as Tamoxifen or Arimidex and some chemotherapies, for example.

The 'chemical cocktail effect' is an unknown. It refers to the unpredictable effect of concentrates in supplements, herbal medicines mixing with concentrates in other supplements, potentially creating metabolic mayhem. A result observe in blood diagnostics of our patients.

The remaining 3 common mistakes made by cancer patients will feature in part 2 of this series.

I'm a director of The Grace Gawler Institute for Integrated Cancer Solutions - a health promotion charity based on the Gold Coast in Australia.
We advise patients on navigating the cancer maze because it is so very confusing - like a jungle and without 'insider' knowledge patients are making these costly mistakes. My former male's emotional health work continues from the institute and merges with supporting men and boys with cancer and enabling husbands and wives to build needs based communication and emotional resilience to support them through the cancer journey.
The founder of the institute, Grace Gawler is my partner and I have been her 24/7 assistant for the last 4 years. It is intense work and this kind of closeness would drive many people crazy. Yet I remain in awe of her dedication and the high standard of her work. Grace has lived a life of service, often against tremendous odds and through significant adversity.
Grace was a full time care giver for a partner who had bone cancer (1974) and survived - he is alive today. She originally trained as a naturopath with a distinction in herbal medicine. Seeing that natural therapies could support conventional cancer treatment rather than replace them Grace these days helps patients build resilience and preparedness for the cancer journey.
Her devotion to finding solutions for her patients drives her to seek out the best - even when told it is impossible. Thus Grace collaborates with the world's top practitioners and institutions in cutting edge cancer medicine. Grace is published on PubMed and medical journals in Australia and the UK and 'fights like a Samurai' for the success of her patients. I trust you'll be inspired as I am.

Thousands of Indonesian children and babies are chain smokers

Aldi Rizal was just 11 months old when he smoked his first cigarette, and by the time he turned two years old, the Indonesian baby boy was smoking four packs of cigarettes a day. And there are thousands of other chain-smoking babies and children across the South Asian country just like him that are addicted to smoking, which some attribute to a lack of tobacco regulation in the country.

If you have yet to see the viral YouTube video of baby Aldi smoking, you can check that out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4c_...

Since the video first started to make news headlines around the world, the Indonesian Commission for Child Protection flew Aldi to Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta for rehabilitation, where he was allegedly able to eventually kick his habit. But thousands of other addicted children and babies across the country are still slaves to their smoking habit, and most may not get the help they need to quit.

According to reports, at least a quarter of Indonesian children over age 3 have tried cigarettes, and three percent of them are now regular chain smokers. And one reason why smoking is so common among children in Indonesia is because cigarettes are very cheap and accessible there -- costing roughly $1 a pack -- and there are virtually no limitations on who can purchase them.

In a recent MSNBC article on the subject, author Mary Schiavocampo recalls witnessing a ten-year-old child walking into a store and buying cigarettes without any problems. And the Indonesian landscape is littered with tobacco advertisements that appeal to children, as well as television, radio, and print ads with similar themes.

Another problem is that many Indonesian parents see no problem with their children smoking, and will even give them the money to purchase cigarettes. Once child mentioned in the MSNBC story, five-year-old Cipto, explained to reporters that he actually smokes with his mother.

Some are calling for increased tobacco regulations in the country in order to curb the child smoking epidemic, but others say that unless parents themselves begin to restrict their children's smoking habits, the problem will only continue.

World No Tobacco Day

Smoking kills 6 million people every year around the world, and more than half a million non-smokers get affected from second hand smoke. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death. In fact, tobacco kills more people every year that alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. Unless more people quit smoking, this deadly habit could kill up to one billion people in the 21st century.

The World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed worldwide every year on May 31st to help smokers abstain from consuming tobacco for at least 24 hours, smokers are also encouraged to give up the habit for life.

WNTD was started in 1987, when the World Health Assembly (WHA) of the WHO passed a resolution which formed the initiative. The primary aim of WNTD is to educate people about the deadly nature of tobacco. Each year on this day WHO chooses a theme that carries a message to quit smoking and raise awareness on the dangers of smoking. This year the WHO has taken a new direction that stresses the legal side of tobacco prevention, as opposed to the typical "awareness" theme.

WHO is persuading more countries to sign a global treaty to ensure public protection from smoking. The treaty, 'The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control' (FCTC) is known as the world's primary tobacco cessation instrument, and is the focus for the theme this year. The treaty was drafted 6 years ago and 172 countries have signed it, though 20 percent have done nothing to implement it's recommendations. In addition, major countries such as the U.S. and Indonesia have not even signed it.

In the U.S. tobacco abuse is responsible for 440,000 deaths annually. Eighty percent of adult smokers begin smoking before age 18. Adolescents who smoke are more likely to drink heavily and more likely to use illicit drugs than their nonsmoking counterparts. In addition, adolescents who smoke are more likely to have panic disorders and other anxiety disorders.

In Indonesia there are 21 million child smokers. There is essentially nothing to stop companies promoting cigarettes to youth. In countries such as Brazil and Nigeria tobacco companies sponsor party nights to attract new young users. In Russia, women are persuaded to smoke by selling cigarettes branded by the fashion giant Yves Saint Laurent.

For countries that have signed the treaty, the WHO FCTC places certain requests including obligations to:

- Protect public health policies from commercial and other interests of the tobacco industry
- Protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke
- Warn people about the dangers of tobacco
- Regulate the packaging and labeling of tobacco products
- Offer people help to end their addiction to tobacco
- Ban cigarette sale to and by minors
- Support economically viable alternatives to tobacco growing

The WNTD campaign will focus on fully implementing the treaty to protect present and future generations from the consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure.

If more people give up smoking this will be a major victory for health services worldwide. It will help prevent millions of unnecessary deaths and save a huge amount in health care costs. Not to mention, the next generation will be healthier.

Something to think about:

How do you feel about inhaling insecticide, car exhaust, gas chamber poison, ant poison, floor cleaner, moth balls and nuclear weapons? This is what a smoker inhales in one puff. The insecticide is nicotine, car exhaust is carbon monoxide, the gas chamber poison is hydrogen cyanide, ant poison is ammonia, the mothballs is naphthalene and the nuclear power is radioactive compounds. Chewing tobacco has even additional deadly agents such as including formaldehyde used to embalm dead bodies, cadmium which is found in car batteries and lead found in paint.

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