Cancer Care

Basic Supplements - Step 1, Part Two: Elevate your nutrition

• Bio-Strath - for digestion, stress tolerance, and immunity. 
  
  
• Vitamin C – the positive effects in cancer treatment are well documented.
  
  
• Vitamin D - 8,000 IU for one month then reduce to the upper limit of 4,000 IU – many forms of cancer are linked to a deficiency.  We suggest having your level checked as some people need more.
  
  
• Magnesium – involved in over 300 biochemical processes. Adequate magnesium hydrates the colon and keeps the bowels moving easily.
  
  
• Omega 3 fatty acids – modulate inflammation, important for overall health.
  
  
• Probiotics – up to 65% of immune function is based on adequate levels of healthy gut flora, helps maintain an alkaline pH.

Get That Oxygen Flowing - Step Two: The Breath of Life

• Iron deficiencies can result in low oxygen in the blood stream.  Supplement with a natural iron product for 1-2 months.  Your new diet and supplement routine will improve your digestion and ability to absorb iron naturally from your food.
  
  
• Become posture perfect.  You can’t breathe fully when the respiratory system is crushed down by poor posture.  Your lungs need room to breathe!
  
  
• Walking in the fresh air breathing deeply into your body is one of the best exercises there is.  Find a buddy or walk on your own so you can take in the natural beauty all around you.  Cancer can give a whole new perspective on the importance of so called ‘little things’.
  
  
• Try something new – line dancing, biking, hiking, rock climbing, ballet, curling, skating, snowshoeing, or rebounding.  Get moving – get breathing! 
  
  
• To fully eliminate CO2, perform a cleansing breath a few tunes daily.  Slowly exhale until your lungs seem empty then gently puff through your mouth saying “ha-ha-ha-ha-ha” until you can’t puff out anymore.  You may be coughing when you finish but you’re on your way to improved oxygen circulation.
  

Download Toxic Load - Step Three: Cleanse a Little

• When chemo or radiation treatments are finished and you’re feeling strong, a cleanse could be the next right step.  Assuming you have followed the dietary and supplement suggestions above your body may have done a significant amount of detoxifying already! A cleanse can be an extra boost.
  
  
• According to many Naturopaths and Holistic Nutritionists most people have a “toxic load” somewhere in their body. Free radicals abound causing inflammation. Parasites, fungi, bacteria, or viruses can set up house when there is waste or toxin damaged cells to host them.  When the neighbourhood gets cleaned up, they stop multiplying and die off.
  
  
• Pathogens like candida, set up a protective “biofilm” once they’re established.  Serrapeptase is an enzyme that when taken on an empty stomach, scours the body digesting material like the biofilm, leaving unwanted organisms vulnerable to your housecleaning efforts.
  
  
• Spirulina is a superfood that removes heavy metals and biotoxins that result from pathogen “die-off” and actively bind to and remove free radicals.
  
  
• A gentle detox such as Flor-Essence, Pascoe or Cleanse Smart, undertaken for a month or more promotes deep cleansing while allowing you to continue your healthy lifestyle with minimum discomfort or inconvenience.

Environment and Exposure - Step Four: Home/Office Clean Sweep

• Where and how you live impacts on your health.  It’s important to have a clean, healthy home and workspace.
  
  
• Simplify – get rid of nonessentials.  A lot of negative energy is wasted shuffling things around that no longer serve a purpose.
  
  
• Reduce exposure to cell phones and computers. Make your life “vital” less “virtual”.
  
  
• As you use up cleaners, detergents, and cosmetics replace them with natural products to reduce chemical exposure.
  
  
• When purchasing new furniture or carpets, air them outside the home to reduce off gassing. If that’s not possible vacuum new purchases several times for a few days.  Some companies like Leons use a bees wax based stain protection
  
  
• Plants reduce airborne toxins and gases and create a living ambiance that is health promoting.  Try sprouting.  They’re green, growing, and you can eat them!  Sprouts, like broccoli, are well documented for their anticarcinogenic properties.
  
  
• If you have lung cancer and have never smoked, consider purchasing a radon detector and check levels in your home or workspace on an ongoing basis.  Levels can fluctuate significantly from day to day, season to season.  Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
  
  
• Dispose of weed killers and any other toxic yard products.  If weeds are truly offensive to you digging them out is good exercise and the safest alternative.  It’s becoming quite trendy to let Mother Nature express herself more freely by maintaining a yard that is well kept but full of biodiversity.  Ralph Waldo Emmerson said, “A weed is just an herb whose virtues have yet to be discovered”.
  
  

Mental and Emotional Fitness - Step Five: Building Resilience

Many medical experts agree that negative or suppressed emotions can play a part in the development of cancer.  These states cause chemical changes that impact on digestion, detoxification, and inflammation, i.e. elevated cortisol. 

• If you struggle with latent conflict, chronic worry or fear, it’s a good time for an emotional detox.  Get help if necessary to free yourself from these life-zappers.
  
  
• A well-known physician/author wrote that in addition to type A and B personalities, there is a type C personality, the cancer prone personality.  According to him, this personality is characterized by worrying about, and putting the needs of others before your own, often doing for others what they should be doing for themselves.  This can apply to family, friends, and career.
  
  
• If that sounds like you, having cancer is a valid reason to set new personal boundaries and work on getting in touch with your own needs. 
  
  
• Journal. Become a witness to your life.  Record problems and find healthy solutions.  Most of all celebrate your wins! 
  
  
• Practice contentment.  It’s understandably a challenge to feel content when you’re dealing with cancer, but it isn’t about behaving better.   Contentment and gratitude release endorphins and other chemicals that promote healing.  The more you are able to replace unhappy thoughts with contented thoughts, the more positive energy you have working for you!
  
  
• Make your emotional wellbeing your top priority!

A Tapestry - Step Six: Looking at the Big Picture of Your Life

• People ask tongue in cheek “why am I here?” but it’s a legitimate question.  According to author Stephen Levine, whose works have been used by Hospice, our souls communicate to us through illness when we’ve wandered too far from our purpose.  Don’t be afraid to ask the question.  The answer will come to you when the time is right.
  
  
• Dream big.  Deepak Chopra says every cell of your body is eavesdropping on your thoughts.  If you’ve got dreams still to fulfill your body will do all it can to get you there.  Do your part by taking the best care of it you can!
  
  
• Set goals in your journal and formulate a plan to carry them out.  Your thoughts focused on future plans will keep momentum heading in that direction.

You are meant to be well.  You are meant to be happy.  Don’t be afraid to step up and grab it!

Additional Helpful Tips!

• Astragalus is an herb widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  It supports the immune system, protects the kidneys, slows tumor growth, and in studies it doubled the life expectancy of patients who opted for chemo or radiation therapy.
  
  
• Deep Immune Combo by St Francis Herbs is based on an ancient TCM formula.  It contains astragalus and other researched immune boosting ingredients, including medicinal mushrooms known for their anticarcinogenic properties.
  
  
• The essential oil Frankincense has been shown in studies to promote healing in various forms of cancer when applied topically with a carrier oil.
  
  
• Spending time outdoors promotes health and healing.  Go bare foot when you can. The Earth is constantly emitting a negatively charged ionic field that counteracts the highly positively charged fields produced by computers, cell phones, artificial lighting, and electronic appliances.
  
  
• Cancer is usually characterized by acidosis.  You can monitor how well your kidney’s are keeping up with detoxification by urine testing.  A consistent pH of 6.5 – 7.4 first thing in the morning  indicates acid wastes are being eliminated efficiently.
  
  
• The lymphatic system drains toxins from every cell of our bodies.  Dry body brush a few times weekly to avoid lymphatic congestion.

Truly Healthy Eating - It's All in the Combination and Preparation

• Try to eat some fresh, raw produce every day.  Fruits and veggies contain enzymes, often referred to as the spark of life, and a unique form of water called EZ or exclusion zone.  This water stores energy like a battery and protects cells from damage.  It’s the ideal form of water for your cells.
  
  
• Fresh fruit requires little digestion and should be eaten on an empty stomach allowing at least 20 minutes to pass before eating anything else.  If eaten with other foods it will begin to ferment them causing digestion to stall.
  
  
• Heavy protein and complex carbs should be eaten at separate meals as they require different mediums in which to digest.
  
  
• Avoid eating heavy proteins (all meats, fish, eggs, cheese, soy) after lunchtime.  According to natural health pioneer Hannah Kroeger, it takes the liver up to 8 hours to break these down into amino acids and by then the lymphatic system, which transports them, is at rest.  The amino acids can get dumped into your weakest body part i.e. a tumor, joints etc. 
  
  
• Soak beans and legumes overnight then rinse before using to reduce phytic acid, Nature’s defense against molds and decay, which can limit nutrient absorption. 
  
  
• Mung beans and a compound found in Brussels sprouts (ICZ) are currently being studied for their potential in cancer therapy.  You don’t need to wait for a new drug – just eat lots of mung beans and Brussels sprouts!
  
  
• How you cook your food makes a difference.  Cook gently.  Overcooking, browning, grilling and burning creates carcinogens like acrylamides and advanced glycation end products (AGES).
  
  
• Eliminate alcohol.  Even moderate consumption is associated with an increased risk of cancer.

It’s a brand new day. If you need to talk, come see us.  Some of our staff have been down the path you’re traveling and we’re here for you!

NCBI (National Center for Biotechnical Information) is a credible resource for information on natural approaches to cancer therapy and prevention. The more informed you are the better choices you can make.

*Revised September 2024