Healing Cancer Naturally

Nobody knows exactly what causes cancer, but there are a number of theories around. These include many myths about high fat diets causing cancer but this is only true if the fats are damaged, processed or hydrogenated. There is a lot of evidence that high levels of good fats are actually protective against cancer.

William Kelley, in his book Cancer: Curing The Incurable, suggests that lack of pancreatic enzymes may be a contributor. Christian Allan and Wolfgang Lutz, in their book Life Without Bread, present evidence that high intakes of carbohydrate, especially sugar, contribute to the growth of cancer cells. There is also evidence that EMFs (electro magnetic fields from computers, appliances, cell phones, and overhead wires) may cause cancer and other cell damage. Sometimes the very screening processes that are supposed to save lives are among the causes. There are also links to certain emotional states or personality types.

There are a lot of people out there looking for information on how to heal their cancer the natural way. If you’ve found your way to this page, chances are you or a loved one has already got cancer, and you don’t really care what caused it just now, you’re more interested in how to get rid of it. We’ve been getting a few emails from people looking for help with cancer, so it seems to be time to put it together in one place.

Please note: This is not a tested cancer protocol, although some of the information is taken from protocols that have been used successfully. It’s my opinion, based on what I’ve read, and what I would do if I had cancer. It’s a broad summary, and I encourage you to use this as a starting point for doing your own research and deciding for yourself what steps you need to take.

Step 1 – Clear your head

The first thing I’d do is try and clear my head. You’re likely to be feeling very frightened and daunted. How can you be expected to make a rational decision feeling like that?

I’d immediately start using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to settle my emotions and help me get to a state where I could see my way forward. I’d also encourage family and friends to use EFT as well, for their grief or worry.

Depending on exactly what your feelings are, you might use statements like:

Even though I’m terrified about this cancer…
Even though I don’t know what decision to make….
Even though I can’t see my way forward….
Even though I don’t know why this happened to me…
Even though I have this pain… (or whatever your physical symptoms might be)

These will make more sense after you read the EFT info.

Step 2 – Decide what direction you want to take

What you decide in the days after diagnosis could determine the whole course of what happens later. So take as much time as possible to educate yourself before making any decision. Don’t even let them take a biopsy till you have time to get your head around what’s happening.

If you decide you want to use natural healing methods, you will probably meet a lot of resistance from your doctors. This can be very hard, so it’s good to be prepared. Don’t be defensive, but you may be in for a fight, so know ahead of time what you will say if you need to. Do some EFT before you go, be educated about your decision, maybe take a support person to back you up. Have some questions you want answers to, like “What is your success rate with the treatment you’re suggesting?”, “How many people are still alive 5 years after your suggested treatment?”, “How many people are still alive 5 years later if they don’t have the treatment?” and “If you had my illness, would you have this treatment?”.

There are a number of people who have chosen to have allopathic treatments (eg surgery or chemo therapy) and successfully combined them with natural therapies. This is an option you may wish to consider. Personally, I wouldn’t – I would choose option 4 below. My ranking of the safety and effectiveness of the various options is:

Worst – Chemo and radiation therapies, as they damage your immune system, making it much more difficult to heal naturally. Chemo is ineffective for most forms of cancer. [Though there are exceptions: Acute Iymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, and nonseminomatous testicular cancer. Also, a few very rare forms of cancer, including choriocarcinoma, Wilm’s tumor, and retinoblastoma. But all of these account for only 2% to 4% of all cancers occurring in the United States.]
2nd worst – Surgery. Many believe that once a cancer is cut, it stops being self-contained and metastasizes (spreads). Note that this will also apply to a biopsy, so if possible avoid having a biopsy till you’ve decided how you want to proceed.
Neutral – Do nothing. Statistically, long term survival is actually better if you do nothing than if you follow the options offered by allopathic medicine.
Best – Appropriate lifestyle changes and natural therapies, chosen to support your body’s own healing mechanisms, such as (expanded below):

Step 3 – Decide on your protocol

If you decide to go with option 4, you now need to pick a protocol. The information below is an overview of some of the aspects you’ll want to consider. But you’ll need to do a lot of research to find the right combination for you. Probably the most comprehensive website covering the different protocols is www.cancertutor.com which I’d recommend as your next step after reading this overview.

Diet

Diet is a crucial factor in healing from any illness, so these recommendations are appropriate for any chronic illness. The three main elements of diet are:

Eating real food
Eating the right proportions for your particular needs (your metabolic type)
Eliminating any food allergies/intolerances. An elimination diet to determine individual food intolerances is often necessary, as these can be quite unusual and almost impossible to predict.

The most important thing is to eat only whole foods, properly prepared, organic where possible. My first choice as a reference book is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

This means eliminating:

Sugars – including sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, golden syrup, corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice. Very limited intake of fruits, and no tropical or dried fruits (to reduce fructose, as all forms of sugar are associated with tumour growth). Whole food sweeteners such as raw honey, pure maple syrup, molasses may be added back in small amounts later, but should be avoided until you are well
Refined carbohydrates – such as white flour, white bread, pasta, white rice, grains that have been puffed or flaked
There are some indications that eating gluten grains can lead to lymphoma, and especially to esophageal cancer. This is not because gluten grains are carcinogenic, but because they inhibit the action of natural killer cells that help prevent cancer. This applies not only to people with celiac disease but to at least some parts of the population that don’t. If you have cancer or any kind of chronic disease, it would be worth eliminating gluten grains from your diet, especially if you have cancer anywhere in the digestive tract. These two articles by Ron Hoggan give more details: The Cancer Connection and Gluten is a Dubious Luxury of Non-Celiacs. Also check out Trace Your Genes to Health, by Australian M.D. Chris Reading for more information on genetics and chronic disease.
Soy products such as soy milk, yoghurt or cheese; tofu; vegetable protein; soy flour & protein powders. (Normal processing doesn’t neutralise their anti-nutrients, so only eat fermented products such as tempeh, miso & tamari)
Pasteurised and homogenised milk (though butter and whole milk fermented foods such as yoghurt or kefir are fine)
Dangerous fats – such as margarines and commercial, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils
Caffeine (eg. tea, coffee, sodas and chocolate) & alcohol
Artificial sweeteners – eg. aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), sucralose (Splenda), saccharin, cyclamate, acesulfame-K
Additives – such as artificial flavourings or colourings, MSG (often called “natural flavour”) and limit preservatives as much as possible
Pesticides or GE foods

Look for fresh, minimally processed & organic whole foods such as:

Fresh proteins – Meats, organ meats, seafood, eggs, whole unpasteurised or cultured milk products. For cancer, I would only eat raw protein, at least at first, such as raw dairy products, raw egg yolks, raw liver and marinated fish (see note on special cancer diets below). Include bone broths.
Unrefined carbohydrates – Lots of vegetables, and small amounts only of fruits, legumes, whole grains or flours (preferably gluten free)
Stable fats & oils – Butter, coconut products, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, animal fats
Natural flavourings – Sea salt, herbs & spices, stevia
Supplements of essential fats, such as cod liver oil, flax oil, ground flax seed, and ground sunflower seed.
Foods that are high in laetrile, such as apricot kernels, almonds, and apple pips may be helpful. This is mainly to prevent the development of any malignant cells, but they also provide many good nutrients.
Fresh water. Water quality is important. If you’re on a town supply, your water will probably have chemicals added to it. You’ll need a filter such as a reverse osmosis one, to get rid of them. The average person needs around 2 litres a day, but needs vary. I’m told that hospitals in Singapore & China are having good results with cancer patients consuming large quantities of alkaline, ionised water.

Of interest may be Jerry Brunetti’s video series on treating his cancer with food.

Beyond this, each person has their own different needs as far as amounts of fat, protein and carbs go.

Special cancer diets

There are a few around. Here are websites for some of them:

Dr William Kelley – He suggests metabolic typing to determine individual food requirements, and recommends only raw animal protein, such as raw eggs and liver. His entire book can be found online at http://www.whale.to/a/kelley.html
Joanna Budwig – Her famous flaxseed oil, cottage cheese and sunlight protocol can be found at this site: http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/budwig_protocol.html
Dr Gerson – http://www.gerson.org/ – largely fruit and vegetables, plus raw liver

Some people recommend a completely vegetarian diet for cancer and tumours, and have good results. But not just any vegetarian diet – there are specific foods recommended (eg raw foods) and disallowed.

Another thing many of them have in common is that they exclude cooked animal protein. They only allow animal protein raw, such as raw eggs and raw liver. This makes more sense to me, especially if Dr Kelley’s theory that cancer is due to insufficient pancreatin is correct.

One of the metabolic typing researchers found that 80% of his cancer clients were Carbo metabolic type, but 20% were not. If you’re a Carbo type, a vegetarian diet could be appropriate for a time, but otherwise wouldn’t. So it seems to me that it’s important to find out what metabolic type you are, before deciding which special diet is right for you.
Some thoughts for people who are already vegetarian

You probably became a vegetarian because you believed it would be best for your health, and for some people it is. But now you’re sick and need to make some changes. You may need to consider some extra things.

I’ve been pondering why a person can be healthy on a vegetarian diet, then suddenly get cancer, and it seems to me that there are three main alternatives.

The causes of your cancer are nothing to do with diet, in which case you need to carefully look at some of your other stressors, as discussed below
You are one of the 80% of cancer sufferers who is a Carbo type, so should be fine on your vegetarian diet. But maybe there are some specific elements of your diet that have been contributors. Possibilities include gluten or other food intolerances, eating unfermented soy such as tofu or soymilk, eating a lot of refined carbs or sugars, eating processed foods that contain artificial sweeteners or not getting a full range of nutrients.
You are one of the 20% who doesn’t suit a vegetarian diet. In this case, if you go onto a raw fruit and vegetable diet, for example, you may move even further away from the right diet for you. If you suspect that this may be the case, I’d once again urge you to get metabolic typing done. If you are a protein type, you need to consider incorporating raw egg yolks and raw, organic liver in your treatment plan.

Specific Supplements

There are a lot of supplements that can help cancer. I’d start with these ones as key supplements:

Vitamin C, in gradually increasing amounts. If you can get access to intravenous Vit V injections, there is evidence that this is very helpful. See www.rense.com/general67/intra.htm for more info.
Vitamin D – get your levels checked and supplement if necessary.
Laetrile (in the form of apricot kernels). No, they are not poisonous, and won’t harm you if you take the correct dose. 1 kernel for each 10lbs body weight is the maximum recommended daily dose, spread throughout the day. For more details, including suppliers, see: www.frot.co.nz/sift/apricots
Transfer Factor or Transfer Factor Plus, to boost the immune system. See www.4life.com
Pancreatin or proteolytic enzymes. See Dr Kelley’s website above.

Building up immunity is one of the ways of fighting cancer – so supplements that help immunity may be appropriate. Some others include:

CoEnzyme Q10
Antioxidants such as Vitamin A, E and selenium
Pau d’arco
Garlic
Shark cartilage
Olive leaf extract
Essaic tea
Curcumin

A good naturopath or nutritional therapist should be able to help you decide on the right supplements. Or work through the Cancer Tutor website mentioned above.

Further reading on supplements and good foods for cancer: Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by Balch and Balch. (Note that they are biased towards a vegetarian or low fat diet, so bear that in mind if you think you’re more of a protein type)

Lifestyle Changes

Cancer is going to have a huge impact on your lifestyle. Start by making your new lifestyle supportive of healing, with some of these changes.

Avoidance of stressors (such as: overwork, worry, toxins, excessive exercise, lack of rest). This is very important, as healing cannot occur fully when the body is still over-stressed. Choice of entertainment is important here too, as reading or watching the news, and many movies and books are stressful and negative.
Plenty of sleep.
Moderate Sunbathing – to increase Melatonin production. Short amounts every day are helpful even if it’s cloudy, but it’s important to avoid getting burnt.
Moderate Exercise only – pre-anaerobic, and avoiding lactic acid build up. Although moderate exercise is generally beneficial for health, too much can lead to overstressing of the immune system.
Avoiding toxins such as smoking and exposure to chemicals or heavy metals.
Reducing computer use to reduce exposure to EMFs. Changing to an LCD monitor can also be helpful, as they emit less radiation.
Deep breathing, and special breathing techniques – to assist oxygenation
Laughing and having more fun. Laughter is a wonderfully healing thing. Famously, Norman Cousins used laughter as one of his tools in recovering from ankylosing spondylitis. You can even do a laughing meditation – build up to 10 minutes twice a day. Some links on how to do one: http://www.oshoworld.com/onlinemag/nov_issue/htm/doityourself.asp
Consider what other lifestyle or physical factors may be interfering with healing. Are parasites, candida or mercury poisoning a contributing factor?

Pulsed Electro Magnetic Field Therapy

There is evidence that the right kind of electro magnetic therapeutic device can enhance healing for many illnesses including cancer. We don’t have much information on availability in other countries at this stage, but email us if you want to discuss it further.

Energy work

There are a variety of techniques that can improve the flow of energy through the body to help support healing. Some examples are:

Reiki – a “hands on” system of using directed healing energy. This is particularly helpful for relaxation and pain reduction. You can see a Reiki practitioner, or be trained to use it yourself. Highly recommended that at least one person in each household be “attuned” to the Reiki energies.
Acupuncture – It balances up the body and increases healing energy flows. Traditional Chinese techniques are recommended. Some practitioners use electrical stimulation of the acupuncture needles, which is NOT recommended.
Cranio-sacral therapy and cranial osteopathy can improve energy flows by working on constrictions in the body’s fascia.
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), as mentioned above – our bodies are electrical systems as well as being biochemical and mechanical. All negative emotions, and many related illnesses, are caused by disruptions to the electrical patterns. Restoring the balance by tapping on specific meridians neutralises negative emotions. This is especially helpful with a stressful disease like cancer, to ease internal stress.
Touch for Health, and Reactive Muscle Balancing or Kinesiology are two other energy techniques which involve testing for muscles that are electrically “switched off” (even though they may be strong), and switching them back on again. This allows energy to flow more freely through the body.
A recommended book is Energy Medicine, by Donna Eden. This covers a number of energy techniques that you can learn and use yourself.
A helpful website for learning other energy techniques is www.tapintoheaven.com. This includes coverage of EFT and some of Donna Eden’s techniques. The owner of the site, Gwenn Bonnell, is an energy practitioner and also runs a Yahoo discussion board for EFT and other energy techniques, which is wonderfully informative and supportive.

Relaxation, meditation and the mental/emotional component

Last but absolutely NOT least, this may be the most important element of a cure from any serious or chronic illness. It can also be one of the most challenging aspects, as it necessitates a complete change in many people’s belief systems. There is an overlap with the energy techniques above, as many of them can be incorporated into your relaxation sessions or used as tools to explore emotional issues.

Regular relaxation sessions are important for healing. These could include meditation, biofeedback, guided imagery or anything else that gets your brain into an alpha state. Some possibilities include:

Sound and light machine sessions. See http://www.photosonix.com/ or http://www.altered-states.co.nz/
Reiki, as mentioned above
Creative visualisation and guided visualization. A good book is You The Healer, by Jose Silva.
If you are very physically tense, massage and treatments such as Rolfing, can help you to physically relax. This then makes it easier to get into a relaxed mind state.

Positive thought, self-belief, mind control, and the importance of mental attitude over all other parts of treatment are crucial. Addressing the mind-body connection, seeing how thoughts create illness and health, and becoming a different person to the one who got sick are essential components of healing.

Dr Hamer documented 15,000 cases of cancer and found that in every case there was a serious, acute-dramatic or isolating conflict-shock-experience 1-3 years prior. He worked with 6500 advanced cancer patients, and after 4-5 years 6000 were still alive, a very impressive success rate.

There are many roads to emotional, mind-body healing. Here are just a few of them:

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a good way of changing any self-sabotaging beliefs. As your illness and/or recovery progress, it is very likely that many emotional issues, self-defeating habits or unsupportive beliefs will arise. Rather than ignore them (as our busy lives usually give us an excuse to do), look at them, accept that they are affecting your life, then use EFT to neutralize their power over you.
Avatar is an experiential program that can make profound changes in the way you see yourself, by helping you unearth those self-limiting beliefs, and erasing them in a gentle, fun way. Learn more at http://www.avatarepc.com/
Another excellent resource is The Journey, by Brandon Bays. This is her story of how she eliminated a basketball-sized tumour in 6 weeks. It includes a protocol for working through the issues. Her processes can be used for many physical and emotional issues. Also see her website at http://www.thejourney.com/ for practitioners or workshops in your area.

Hard as this may be to believe at this stage in your journey, a time will come when you begin to realize that your illness has a message for you. If you are open and willing to listen to it, this could be your key to heal not only your cancer, but your life