The Gift of Cancer – A Miraculous Journey To Healing

I once told a breast cancer patient, ” Indeed you should consider yourself very lucky.” She retorted, “What is so lucky? I have already got cancer!” I went on to explain that I have many patients who really suffered because of their cancer – they were in pain, had swollen arm after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. For her, she looked fine and good without any problems. Is that not really lucky? What if you were to know that Brenda, the author of this book, The Gift of Cancer, had to battle with three cancers over 14 years, and she considered cancer, after all that she went through, as a gift! Where is the logic?

Why Cancer is a Gift

After her third cancer diagnosis, Brenda realized that her cancer was more than just a physical threat.

Deep in my heart I suspected there was a purpose to my illness. Seeking that purpose became my quest. When I was finally able to see cancer as my teacher, not my enemy, I began the difficult journey of healing from the inside out.
My survival depended on my letting go of old patterns that had opened the possibility of cancer to emerge. The cancer had come as a messenger to let me know if I didn’t change, I was going to die. Without changing anything but my perception, I turned the cancer into a helpful messenger, a gift.
Having cancer taught me the hard way that healing negative, limiting beliefs, misperceptions and denied emotions is the most important thing we can do if we want health and wellbeing in our lives. This is authentic healing … mind, body and spirit coming into harmony to create optimum health.

Letting Go and Letting God

I uncovered a valuable insight … My need to be in control coupled with my attachment to results was hindering me in countless ways.
Once I was willing to let go … I found peace. I started to appreciate the power of letting go and allowing God’s help in solving my problems. That’s when my life began to flourish.
Before the cancer, I was consumed by fearful thoughts of self-pity and feelings of lack. I processed everything in my life from a foundation of negativity and looked for what was wrong with me and everyone else. It never occurred to me to look for what was right and wonderful.
My cancer was a gift … it had come to propel me toward my spiritual growth, assisting me in transforming my negativity into life-affirming perspectives and beliefs.
I began to understand that by loving my cancer, I was actually loving myself. As long as I battled against it, it would battle against me.

Follow My Advice Or You Die, I Am The Expert!

In pages 94-95, Brenda related her meeting with her oncologist. This was after being diagnosed with her third cancer.

Oncologist: Brenda, I know we’ve had our differences about some of your treatment, but I would be remiss if I didn’t give it to you straight. It is my best professional opinion that within one to three years, and let me stress that three years is stretching it, there is a very good probability your cancer will metastasize.”

Brenda: What does that mean exactly?

Oncologist: What it means, exactly, is that it will spread to your bones, brain, or lungs. Please understand, this is not a big stretch. It is a very predictable prognosis for many women who have had breast cancer. Let me add, Brenda, if that happens, there is a very high probability that at that point, chemotherapy won’t be much help. On the other hand, if you do chemotherapy right away, you will have a chance of living at least five years, maybe more.

Brenda (thinking to herself: This is my prize? Maybe five more years? Five more years of being sick? Five more years of feeling like hell? Five more years of waiting for the other shoe to drop? Was this the best I could hope for? The best modern medicine had to offer?): Can you guarantee me at least five years if I do your protocol?

Oncologist: I am afraid not, Brenda. No one can give you a guarantee. And let me add this: if you refuse this treatment, the probability of your cancer metastasizing within a year is high. And if that happens, you probably won’t make it. I urge you to make your decision quickly. It is imperative that you begin treatment right away.

Brenda wrote, As I listened to his words of doom, my worst fears came to the surface, once again I began to questions myself.

As I read through Brenda’s conversation with her oncologist, I could not help but ask, Is this not the same, fear-instilling script being played over and over again — in American, here and many other parts of the world?

After that she said “no” to chemotherapy, even if she was told that her life was a risk without it. Breda chose alternative treatment instead. To her, the path to true healing is to find the connection of the mind, body, and spirit. Twenty-four years later I am healthy. Grateful for the road travelled and eager to help others awaken to their heart-centered power and purpose.

Brenda had this message for all of us:

Doctors do not cure anyone.
Throwing drugs at a problem is just adding more poison to an already poisoned system.
We understand how toxins enter the body through the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink. But there are other equally threatening toxins that can affect our wellbeing … emotional and mental toxicity … also creates imbalance and ultimately leads to disease.

Patients, heal yourself

Listen to our inner voice, trust our intuition, and look at the true source of healing.
When we are willing to look deep within and take responsibility for our choices, we have the power to alter the course of our lives in miraculous and unexpected ways.
Giving power to an outside source, regardless of who or what that source is, renders one powerless to change any existing circumstance.
There are no quick fixes or magic bullets.
Not everyone survives this disease.
We each hold the key to our own healing. We cannot heal someone else.
Patient must have a deep desire to heal.

Spirituality

We are raised in a society where we learn to trust in experts and things outside ourselves. I would be considered crazy for going against expert advice. But my decision was not about being logical or going with the status quo. My decision was about seeking a higher guidance and honoring that guidance to the best of my ability.
Everything that occurs in life exists by divine orchestration. Nothing is a mistake. There are no accidents and we are not the victim of any circumstances or person. I believe everything that happens in our lives happens for a reason.
There is no right or wrong choices on this journey. Each choice is made for a reason … Every experience is meant to teach something, while simultaneously bringing us closer to our spiritual selves.
The body is always talking to us. Sometimes the conversation is subtle and sometimes, the conversation is not subtle but communication is always happening. It merely requires that we listen.
Forgiveness is essential to heal not only our bodies but also enhances our spiritual growth.
Healing isn’t exclusively a physical tenet. We must address our emotional and spiritual bankruptcy as well.

Change

I’d like to wrap up with one of the most difficult pills to swallow. Change….even when faced with a life-threatening situation, we are still resistant to change. Change brings up fear. Even when the habits and patterns of our lives are destructive, we tend to stay stuck in those patterns.
Change, as difficult as it seems, is what life is all about. To resist it is to create a life filled with pain and struggle.

Breast Cancer: It is all about you — your human nature and attitude

SM was 53 years old when her CA 15.3 was elevated (on 15 October 2009). Follow up examination indicated left breast cancer. SM underwent a mastectomy. The histopathology report indicated:

“a Stage 2 (T2NoMx, 5 cm tumour, resected margins, areola and nipple free (of cancer). Left axillary lymph nodes Sinus histiocystosis (7/7).”

SM did not go for any chemotherapy or radiotherapy. She came to seek our help and was started on herbs. She was told to take care of her diet. But it was not to be. SM thought it was easier to follow her doctor’s advice — she took Tamoxifen instead. Preparing and taking herbs was too much of a hassle. Not being able to eat what she liked did not make life that “meaningful.”

Every 6 months, SM came back to her doctor for routine check up. Everything was okay.

Year 2010

On 7 May 2010, her CA 15.3 was at 13.4 (normal). Ultrasound of left axilla on 24 May showed:

“an ill defined 17 x 17 x 23 mm hypoechogenic area and another 18 x 14 x 11 mm well defined hypoechogenic area in the left axilla. Conclusion: metastatic deposit and lymphadenopathy.”

(Note: The first sign of trouble coming. Human nature: Why bother? You are not dying yet!)

Year 2012

On 19 June 2012, SM’s CA 15.3 still remained normal, at 13.7

(Note: Human nature: Nothing serious! Normal. So far so good. This is what you want to always hear!)

Year 2014

On 18 November 2014, SM’s CA 15.3 increased to 76.4. For the first time her CEA also increased, to 7.9. Previously her CEA was always below 5.0 (normal).

Since her CA 15.3 had risen so much, SM was told to stop taking her Tamoxifen.

In spite of her worsening CA 15.3, mammogram of her right breast showed “no evidence of malignancy.” Unfortunately no imaging was ever done on the left side.

USG of abdomen showed everything was fine.

(Note: Human nature: Nothing serious! Mammogram showed no cancer in the breast (but was it the wrong breast that they checked?). Anyway, this is what you want to hear!)

Year 2015

SM came back to see her doctor in March 2015 — another routine check up.

Her CA 15.3 on 10 March 2015 had increased to 173.6. Her CEA also increased to 14.8.

CT scan indicated:

Enhancing left axillary lymphadenopathy, measuring 1.8 x 18.9 x 14.3 mm.
Several ill-defined hypodense lesions seen in the left lobe of liver measuring 10 mm. Conclusion: Left axillary lymphadenopathy and liver metastasis.

In view of the above, the doctor suggested that SM undergo chemotherapy. She refused and came to seek our help instead.

Why did SM stopped taking the herbs? She preferred to follow her doctor’s advice. She took Tamoxifen. According to her it was easier — no need to cook the herbs, no need to take care of her diet. So while on Tamoxifen, SM ate what she liked — based on the usual standard medical advice.

Like many others, SM came to us after things got worst. In March 2015, SM was started on herbs. Barely 2 months later, 4 May 2015, her CA 15.3 was 135.4 (reduced from 173.6) and her CEA was at 4.8 (reduced from 14.8).

Comments

Often we tell patients. Cancer is about you — your nature and your attitude towards life. We also say, Your life is in your hands. Decide what you want to do. We need to understand that we cannot eat the cake at the same time keep it. You can decide what you want to do but unfortunately, you cannot determine the outcome of your choice.

SM’s cancer showed sign of progression one year after her mastectomy, in 2010. The USG result showed he cancer had spread to her arm pit. She did nothing about it. After all it was not an emergency.

In 2014, her CA 15.3 increased to 76.4 and her CEA increased to 7.9. What did SM do? Nothing. Perhaps the alarm bell was not loud enough.

It was only in 2015, after the cancer had spread to her liver and when the doctor wanted her to go for chemo that she “ran” to us for help. That too is an understandable human attitude!

After talking to SM for a while, I knew in my heart the kind of person I had to deal with. She only wanted to win by the easy way — not prepared to “sacrifice” if she can have her way. That was why she came to us after reaching the “dead end” of her path.

SM took the herbs for about 2 months. Her CEA and CA 15.3 dropped. To patients it is already lucky if the markers do not increase or stabilize. The markers drop? That’s a great blessing. What else do you want?

What say you about the effectiveness of the herbs in this case? Still quackery? Still hocus pocus?

One last note. There is nothing to celebrate here! The drop of CEA and/or CA 15.3 would not last forever. These markers will rise again, if you decide to “misbehave.” So SM is not out of the woods yet.

What have you got to say about these quotations?

Lung Cancer: Chemo prolongs life? Why do a biopsy if you don’t want chemo?

KB is a 67-year old Indonesian — with a history of heavy smoking for some 50 years. About 3 months ago, he had fevers and started to cough; sometime with white phlegm and sometimes just dry cough. He also lost a lot of weight.

He went to see a doctor in a private hospital. X-ray and CT scan indicated:

a 9.8 x 11 cm mass in the right upper lobe.
a non calcified 1.2 cm nodule in the left lower lobe.
small (1-1.5 cm) mediastinal lymph nodes.

A FNA of the right lung mass done on 17 March 2015 confirmed lung cancer, likely an adenocarcinoma, Stage 4.

KB was asked to undergo 8 cycles of chemotherapy. The total cost of the treatment is about IDR 120 million.

Chris: Did you ask the doctor if chemo is going to cure your father’s cancer?

Daughter: Can only extend his life.

C: So what do you want to do now?

D: No, we don’t want to do chemo.

Questions to ask

The above are the standard questions I often ask patients when they come to seek our help. Almost all patients were told that in spite of their terminal cancer, they should undergo chemotherapy to either stop the cancer from spreading or to prolong their life. Chemotherapy is also said to improve quality of life.

Frankly, I find these justifications rather hard to swallow.

Ask these questions:

Can chemotherapy really prolong life? Many patients told me that they would not go for chemo because their relatives, friends, parent, etc. had chemo and died. To these people chemo did not prolong life.

Nose (NPC) Cancer: Chemo and He was Dead Six Months Later – Why?

Dissecting Chemotherapy Part 7: Avastin + Alimta Nearly Killed Me (after saying this, the patient died).

Of course, some patients benefited from chemotherapy and remain alive but NOT without enduring severe side effects.

I googled “does chemotherapy prolong life” and here are some interesting answers I got.

One person asked: Does chemo work? I don’t think it will prolong my life, and most likely kill me? He got the following responses.

I was a cancer chemotherapy specialist doctor for twenty years.I treated thousands of people with various combination chemotherapy regimens. I don’t think I killed any of them with the treatment – though over two thousand died from their cancers. I often thought it would be better to not use chemotherapy in situations where no cure had ever been achieved with drugs – pancreatic cancers, advanced non-small cell lung cancers, many brain malignancies, etc. I spent a great deal of time trying to talk some patients out of taking chemotherapy. In the USA, many people will not accept the ‘supportive care only’ option no matter how carefully it is explained that chemotherapy has never cured some types of advanced malignancies.
Nobody can or will give you any guarantees with chemotherapy.Why do you think it will most likely kill you? What evidence are you basing this on? … Some people conclude that the treatment is worse than the disease, and myths about people being killed by chemo bolster this belief. It isn’t always effective. But in those cases it is the cancer, not the treatment, that kills the patient – they have died in spite of treatment, not because of it. Distressed relatives sometimes look for something or someone to blame, and some conclude that it was the treatment that killed the person. People with aggressive and advanced cancers who agree to chemotherapy aren’t duped; they do so in the full knowledge of these facts because they have a life-threatening disease and this is their best chance. Chemo and other cancer treatments are not perfect, very far from it.
No, if chemo worked there would be fewer people dying, and in most cases it’s the “therapy” rather than the cancer that killed the patient. The drug severely damages the liver and ravages the immune system.
Wow, what a question. It’s a personal choice. You should research it very carefully, all positive and negative opinions about it.I know that I would never choose chemo. I would be willing to have surgery, and I’m not sure about radiation, but chemo, never. We are all going to die anyway, and we should die the way we want to and not let others tell us how. Chemo would take away my will to live, so what’s the point?

Another person asked: Will Chemo buy me more time ?? Anyone, Ideas? I was diagnosed 6 weeks ago with stage IV non small cell lung cancer with a tumor in left lobe, 1 brain tumor and several swollen lymph-nodes. I was told today I could expect to live 1 year. Beyond 12 months will be in God’s hands. I had targeted radiation on the brain tumor. I have started chemo and it has made me feel horrible. I’m short of breath and I little tired. But when I take the Chemo I feel like it’s speeding up my clock. What I mean is I cannot help but wonder if the side effects of the chemo will steal more days of my life than this dreaded cancer. Close friends and family are telling me to stop killing myself with chemotherapy!!! Has anyone out there been thinking the same way? I’m so afraid of losing the ability to function normally daily.

The following are some comments from readers.

My mother struggled with this decision when she was diagnosed with leukemia. Hers was a very aggressive form that didn’t respond well to treatment. Her doctor then wanted to start her on a very aggressive chemo regimen called CVP, which has tons of nasty side effects (it is one of the regimens they give when getting patients ready for bone marrow transplants). She was torn with the decision of what to do. I had already told her that if I had to choose between quality and quantity, I would rather have her feeling good for a month, than a year of her being miserable. When the decision came, she asked me what she should do (I am an only child). I told her there was no way I could answer that. It was her decision, her body, her life. I told her that I would love her and support her in whatever decision she made. She went to church regularly, so I told her to pray about it and she would find the answer. In a few days, she told her oncologist that she wanted to suspend her treatment. She never started the aggressive chemo, and I cared for her until she passed away.
Now as I watch my husband go through chemo for lung cancer, and see how he suffers with it, I can even more clearly see how my mom made the right decision for her. My husband is a different personality, therefore he has a different approach. No one can blame you for the choice you make at this point. It is yours to make. I know you will make the right choice for you, and I pray you find peace as you make that choice.
I’m sorry that this disease as come in to your life, yes it SUCKS!!! I pray that you will feel better soon. My dad is 55yrs old and was diagnose just about a year ago, and yes they told him he’s terminal and only had 6 months to a year to live. Is going to chemo worth it?? That just depends on YOU ….
My wife, 53 years of age, was diagnosed in May 2011 with two tumours in the lung and three brain mets. We were told ‘months rather than years’! Decided on no radiation treatment as there is no conclusive proof that it extends life. Began chemo at the end of June (Cisplatin and Pemotrexed). The first two scans on the lung showed a reduction in the tumour size each time. The third lung and brain scan in December showed that the lung tumours were continuing to shrink and one of the brain mets had disappeared completely. The oncologist told my wife ‘that without this treatment you wouldn’t be here now’. My wife has had a pretty horrid time with nausea and vomiting … Fatigue is another problem, along with a sore mouth but she hasn’t lost her hair. She’s been working in our garden, and has considered going back to work but I think the constant need to have naps might prevent that. Overall, very happy with the way things are going.
It’s definitely your choice. Chemo is doable and not everyone has a horror story to tell about it. For me the worst part was the fatigue. Maybe I’m fortunate that I have no long term side effects. No doctor should be telling you that you only have a year to live, as they’re not God and don’t know how you’ll respond to treatment.
My husband, Jerry, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer the last week of Jan. 2011. When his oncologist saw him for the first time he said “I can’t cure you, but I can give you an extended amount of time, and a better quality of life”. After 7 weeks of chemo and radiation the tumor that was the size of an orange is now the size of a pea and is inactive. The other four active spots in his other lung are gone as is the spot on his lower neck and lower spine. His oncologist now is saying he can have surgery to remove the dead tumor (we have till Jan. 26 to decide if he wants to go through surgery as he is 74 years old). Please don’t believe everything your doctors tell you. With your own determination, the help of all medical options, and with prayer, anything is possible.
My sister just passed from non-small cell lung cancer (BAC). She was on Alimta as her chemo drug. As soon as the dr. gave her a time frame of life expectancy she went downhill. We had her on supplements, vitamins, etc. There are tons of alternative treatments if you just type in alternative cancer treatments you will find tons of treatments. Most of the alternative treatments you can do at the same time as chemo. I believe all green is the way to go – I could not get my sister to try that.
The first line of chemo can be very difficult – I won’t sugar-coat it. But they should know pretty quickly if it’s working or not, and may be able to adjust your dosage if the side effects are too hard. When I got the first scan back that said the chemo had shrunk my tumor by almost half, I decided I could handle it for awhile longer. It was worth it. The second line of treatment was much, much easier My hair grew back, the side effects were only 2 or 3 days and very manageable. That chemo worked so well that all signs of active cancer have disappeared, and I was able to stop chemo and do a watch and wait. I am now 2 1/2 years past my Stage IV diagnosis, and doing great.
If only we could clone ourselves, try various treatments, then pick the one that worked best.
I was diagnosed in August with stage IV NSCLC with a dozen mets to ribs femur pelvis, skull, and spine.
I had 2 week radiotherapy to the skull, which was effective in stopping progress, and headaches.
I cancelled my scheduled Chemo after testing showed I had no identifiable mutations, So was not eligible or targetted therapy. I have adopted a strict vegetarian diet, I meditate and do Gigong. I have 5 fresh vege juices a day, and take a few supplements. A herbalist specialising in traditional medicine has made me a tonic I take 3 times a day. This is my alternate chemo.
My latest scan showed no new cancer and a mild progressive enlargement of the existing ones.
I feel fine, no one would suspect I was ill. Apart from the 2 weeks Radio I have spent VERY little time in the hospital environment
I had chemo 30 years ago for leukemia, so it does not worry me. I do not believe chemo offers me much advantage. It will also do a huge amount of damage to my own defense system.
Maybe I am just fortunate to have a slow growing cancer, or maybe what I am doing is right. I will never know. But I am so happy i gave my body a chance to figure this out for itself before embarking on toxic intervention. Chemo might be the right thing for me down the track, but for now my body’s immune system has a chance to catch up to the disease and maybe stop it. Myself, my wife and my oncologist are very happy with my situation and see no reason to change, at this stage.

Many thanks to each of you who took the time to give me your opinions. I will re read your notes and think carefully. My Dr was intent on me starting chemo full speed ahead. To be honest I wonder if money is a driving force in the push for so much random chemotherapy. I wonder how they select a drug for each person. I would like be sure it’s not eny meney miney mo —- let’s try this one to see if it will help her. They gave me so little information I have had to hunt the internet for details … Poison is poison —- and poison kills right?

If chemo prolongs life, don’t you want to ask ” prolong by how long or how much” – – days, weeks, months or years?
Next question, Prolonging life at what cost — in terms of suffering and money?

Drs Tito Fojo and Christine Grady in the USA appear to swim against the current too. They wrote an interesting paper: How much is life worth: Cetuximab, non-small cell lung cancer and the $440 billion question. The first author is from the Medical Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA, while Dr. Grady is from the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.

This is what Dr. Fojo & Grady wrote in their paper:

In the United States, Treatment with Erbitux treatment for lung cancer costs an average of US$80,000 (to prolong life by 1.2 months), which translates into an expenditure of US$800,00 to prolong life of one patient by one year.
The median US household income is US$50,233.
The cost of Avastin treatment is US$90,816 and that is said to prolong life by 1.5 months.
The cost of Tarceva treatment is US$15,752 and it is said to prolong life by 10 days.
The cost of Nexavar treatment is US$34,373 and it is said to prolong life by 2.7 months.
Greater than 90% of the anticancer agents approved by the FDA in the last 4 years cost more than US$20,000 for a 12-week treatment.
These examples challenge the oncology community to address some serious questions:
What should count as a benefit in cancer?
What is the minimum amount of benefit needed to adopt a therapy as the new standard?
Is 1.2 months of additional life a “good” in itself?
How much should the quality of that 1.2 months matter? Or the cost?

(Take note: none of these drugs cure cancer. They just prolong life by just a few days or months)

In concluding their paper, Dr. Fojo & Grady wrote:

The all too common practice of administrating a new, marginally beneficial drug to a patient with advanced cancer should be strongly discouraged.
In cases where there are no further treatment options, emphasis should be first on quality of life and then cost.
For therapies with marginal benefits, toxic effects should receive greater scrutiny.
We must deal with escalating price of cancer therapy now.
The current condition cannot continue … the time to start is now.

For more read:

1. Dissecting Chemotherapy Part 4: How Much Is Life Worth? Erbitux for Lung Cancer

2. Are Medical Bills Killing Patients?

3. The cost of cancer drugs

What about the side effects?

Read this research paper on chemo-radiation. http://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/chemoradiotherapy-prolongs-life-for-older-patients-with-lung-cancer/article/245291/

Median overall survival for the chemoradiotherapy group was 22.4 months, compared with 16.9 months for the radiotherapy-only group. This means chemotherapy prolongs life by 5.5 months.

Although chemoradiotherapy was well tolerated, grade 3 and grade 4 hematologic toxic effects were more prevalent among those patients:

Leucopenia occurred in 63.5% (61) of the chemoradiotherapy participants, but in none of the radiotherapy patients;
neutropenia in 57.3% (55) of the chemoradiotherapy patients and none of the radiotherapy patients; and thrombocytopenia in 29.2% (28) of the chemoradiotherapy patients and just 2.0% (two) of the radiotherapy patients.
Grade 3 infection also was more common with chemoradiotherapy (occurring in 12.5%, or 12 patients) than with radiotherapy (4.1%, or four patients).
Incidences of grade 3 and grade 4 pneumonitis and late lung toxicity were similar between groups.
Seven treatment-related deaths occurred, in three chemoradiotherapy patients (3%) and four radiotherapy patients (4.0%).

No thanks to chemo

In this case, KB decided not to go for chemo. The choice is easy to make. The treatment is going to cost him IDR120 million or RM 33,171 — to prolong life with no cure. Then there are the side effects to contend with. The daughter said, My father would not be able to stand it.

Yes, chemotherapy can make you feel nauseated and make you throw up. It can make your hair fall out. It can temporarily depress the immune system. It can cause bleeding complications, such as GI bleeding. It can cause kidney damage. It can cause heart damage. It can cause lung damage. it can cause nerve damage. It can make you lose weight. It can even result in your death from complications. In short, it is not something to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, the disease it’s meant to fight is a formidable foe indeed. It is your own cells, and often the difference between the toxicity of chemotherapy against the cancer and against normal cells is all too often not that great. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/05/20/chemotherapy-versus-death-from-cancer/

Does chemo really improve quality of life?

Chemotherapy is the primary treatment approach for metastatic … lung cancers. Although the treatment can prolong life—by weeks or months—it is not likely to produce a cure. While chemotherapy may prolong life and provide some relief from symptoms of disease, it is also associated with substantial side effects. Patients facing incurable cancer must weigh the risks and benefits of a treatment that will not cure their disease, but could prolong their life. Unfortunately, the reasons for choosing chemotherapy treatment in the face of incurable disease may be unclear to patients. http://news.cancerconnect.com/patients-with-advanced-cancer-may-have-inaccurate-expectations-of-chemotherapy/

Our advice

As you can see from the above, different people have different perceptions about chemotherapy –confusing indeed. Eventually it boils down to, It is all about your own choice! Do what you feel comfortable with… follow your heart! There is no definite answer, we are each different and for some chemo works and for some others it does not.
Referring to this case (and many others like this), I have this advice: If you don’t want to do chemo, why do a biopsy?

1. Lung Cancer: Why do a biopsy when you don’t want to go for chemotherapy?

2. The Truth About Biopsy

Medicinal Mushrooms: Are they any good?

My grandmother used to collect mushrooms that grew out of the ground. She would cook it and I had a chance to eat it. That was when I was a young boy. I also learned that we just cannot collect and eat any mushroom from the wild — it could be poisonous and some people die because of eating the poisonous mushrooms. That was all that I knew about mushroom.

When I grew up and was teaching in the University, I made many visits to Japan. There I used to see people selling mushrooms by the roadside around the railway station. I was told this was expensive but delicious to eat. I did not buy it even though I cooked my own meals while in Japan.

After my retirement from the university, my wife and I visited China. On one of our visits, we went to the northwestern part of Fujian province. On the first night at Wuyishan we ate many kinds of mushroom for dinner. I was amazed how delicious these mushrooms were. As a botanist, I was even more amazed at the many species of mushrooms that they had to offer. In the shops, they sell many, many types of dried mushrooms. I was impressed and up to this day I said to myself, if I can, I would like to go back to Wuyishan again to take a closer look at these mushrooms.

Last year, 2014, I crossed path with mushrooms again when my daughter brought home two books on mushroom; Medicinal Mushrooms by Christopher Hobbs and Healing Mushrooms by Georges Halpern. Well, this time I was hooked! I spent many months reading about mushrooms and their medical benefits.

While surfing the internet, I stumbled into a website by Dr. Alla Kiroshka from New Zealand, http://medimushrooms.com/info/about-dr-alla_11 She has a very interesting personal experience to share with us.

Alla was born in Moldova, one of the ex-Soviet Union republics. In 1983, Alla became a qualified Medical Doctor (M.D.) specialising in Facial-Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Alla wrote:

Despite my love for surgery and my skill in the operating room, fate had other plans for me. After a good few years of being in practice, I developed an allergic condition that prevented me from continuing my career as a surgeon.

Though I had access to the very best medical doctors and resources, traditional medicine failed me. No one could pinpoint what exactly I was allergic to and none of the usual treatments were working.

I became so ill that I spent most of my days in bed. I had tremendous difficulty walking and talking. It got to the point that I was finding it very hard to breathe. I could feel my life slowly slipping away from me.

Then, a family friend – professor of medicine in China – learned of my condition and suggested that I try some medicinal mushrooms since traditional allergy treatments were not working for me. He recommended three varieties of medicinal mushrooms – Reishi, Maitake and Shiitake.

Unfortunately, these products were not available in the Soviet Union, and it was not possible to obtain them via the usual channels. So, our family friend devised an innovative way to get them to me.

One day I received a package from him in the mail. It was a 500-page medical reference book. When I opened it, what I initially assumed to be dust flew out of the pages. However, I quickly realised that this was no ordinary ‘dust’ – it was the powdered version of the recommended mushrooms. No instructions had come with the powdered medicinal mushrooms. So, I devised my own dosages and began taking them.

Within 2 or 3 days, I started seeing small improvements – my appetite and strength were returning. By day 10, I was up and about. The results I was experiencing were nothing short of miraculous! Each day the symptoms were diminishing and eventually were totally gone.

Today, many years later, medicinal mushrooms are a regular part of my health regimen. The benefits are so great that I have no desire to stop taking them.

From Being Healed to Helping Others: Rather than return to the operating theatre, I decided to pursue another lifelong dream of mine – having my own business. In 1990, I started one of the first privately owned medical enterprises (i.e. clinics) in Moldova. I began my research on medicinal mushrooms. Unfortunately, political restrictions continued to prevent me from being able to import them and share them with others.

I immigrated to South Africa, where I lived for over 15 years in magnificent Cape Town at the foot of Table Mountain. It was there that I was finally able to realize my desire to help others experience the healing effects of medicinal mushrooms. After a visit to New Zealand in 2006, I fell in love with this beautiful country. So, in 2007, I moved there with my family …. opened Organic Health Centre in Christchurch where I offered health consultations and sold my line of medicinal mushrooms.

In life, I like to believe what others say or write about. But I would not swallow everything blindly. So for the past many days while writing this article, I have been eating many kinds of mushrooms! I made my own mushroom mix (powder) and added them into the fruit juice or soup for my breakfast. I cannot claim that they heal me of anything (because I am healthy!) but one thing I know they don’t kill me like what my grandmother told me some sixty years ago! Some patients are also taking them. Are they any good? We will know the answer very soon!

Let me quote what I have read.

In the introduction of his book, Christopher Hobbs wrote:

Mushrooms have been valued throughout the world as both food and medicine for thousands of years. Throughout the world, many people enjoy hunting for wild mushrooms, delighting in the variety of shapes, sizes and colours … In Japan, pushcart vendors on the streets still sell medicinal mushrooms to the average citizen who uses them to maintain health and protmote longevity. Some Japanese people have even been said to travel hundreds of miles in order to collect wild mushrooms. Likewise, for over 3,000 years the Chinese have used and revered many fungi (mushrooms) for their health giving properties, especially tonics for the immune system.

Georges Halpern, M.D., Ph.D. wrote in his book:

Many claims are made for medicinal mushrooms. Sometimes out of sheer enthusiasm and sometimes for commercial motives, authors make exagerated claims. A few of these claims border on the outlandish ….Throughout this book, I present scientific studies on medicinal mushrooms, their immune-modulating capabilities and their curative properties. Most of these studies were done in the East — in China, Korea and Japan. Western science has been slow to catch up to the benefits of medicinal mushrooms…. Some in the West have been quick to criticize scientific data from the East, but I believe that this criticism is unwarranted. No medicinal mushroom is cure-all and no mushroom can make the body unassailable to disease. What mushrooms can do is stimulate the immune response, giving a powerful boost to the functions of the body that are already in place for preventing and fighting disease.

Mushrooms are excellent for your health ….Mushrooms can make you healthy in many different ways, but they do so chiefly by awakening the immune system and making it more alert…Mushrooms can promote good health by strengthening the immune system. Problems in the immune system come in two varieties. When the immune system is underactive, it make you susceptible to infections, cancer and other illness. When it is overactive, it may create allergies and autoimmune reactions. Autoimmune means the immune system is over stimulated and mistakenly attacks the body…. As more research has been conducted on medicinal mushrooms, it has become evident that some of them are immunoregulators, substances that can quiet or activate the immune system, depending on the particular circumstances.

In his book, Dr. Halpen presented fascinating facts and stories about healing mushrooms;

Maitake or dancing mushroom. traditionally used in Japan as a tonic to boost the immune system and increase vitality … supposed to prevent cancer and high blood pressure…. ability to lower cholesterol levels. Beta-glucan from maitake may haveuse as an alternative therapy for prostate cancer. Maitake can help protect the liver against the effects of bad nutrition.
Shiitake or forest mushroom. The Japanese Health & Welfare Ministry approved Lentinan (from shiitake) for treating many kinds of cancer. Lentinan triggers the production of T cells and natural killer cells. Lentinan is the third most widely prescribed anticancer drug in the world. LEM from shiitake is believed to be helpful against hepatitis B.
Reishi or Lingzhi. This is the king of herbal medicines! Reishi is considered a tonic … used to treat a variety of ailments, including chronic fatigue syndrome and diabetes. It is believe to detoxify the liver and help cure hepatitis. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) it is used to treat asthma, gastric ulcers, insomnia, arthritis and bronchitis. In Chinese art, reishi is a symbol of good health and long life. Chinese women take reishi for beutification of the skin. In Japan it finds its way into hair loss formulas. Reishi inhibits angiogenesis (development and growth of blood vessels that feed the cancer) and is used for prostate cancer.
Cordyceps. The wonders of Cordyceps have been known in China for at least 1,000 years …. a national medicinal treasure … used to increase energy and vitality. It is used to treat liver diseases, cancer, angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmias, bronchial problems, anemia, jaundice, infertility and sexual dysfunction.
Agaricus or Mushroom of the God. This mushroom is from Brazil. In clinical studies, it seems that Agaricus polysaccharides can inhibit tumors from growing besides stimulating the white blood cells to kill malignant cells. Preliminary findings also show that Agaricus has a potential in treating inflammatory and allergic conditions.
Trametes or Turkey Tails. The Japanese have long used this mushroom as a folk remedy for cancer. In Japan this is made into an anticancer drugs called Krestin.The drug is almost always prescribed to cancer patients who have had a tumour removed and are undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is often prescribed for colon, lung, stomach and oesphageal cancer. In TCM it is used to treat lung infections, excess phlegm and hepatitis.
Hericium or Lion’s Mane or Monkey Mushroom. In TCM it is prescribed for stomach disorders, ulcers and gastrointestinal ailments. Polyscaccharides from this mushroom may help against stomach, oesophageal and skin cancer. Extract of this mushroom has been shown to stimulate the immune system which in turn helped to control and reduce the burden of sarcoma tumour.
Chaga. This is a mushroom from Poland, Siberia and North America. Chaga is a Russian folk remedy for cancers, including inoperable breast cancer, lip cancer, gastric, parotid gland, pulmonary, stomach, skin and rectal cancers and Hodgkin’s disease. Russians also use Chaga to treat ulcers and gastritis.

Below is a summary of what people say are the benefits of these mushrooms. Ask me if these mushrooms really have all the “magic” cures? I must admit, I don’t know. But I take the position that if you don’t try you will end up not knowing. If you don’t want to know, you will forever remain “under the coconut shell.” If these mushrooms are not harmful or don’t kill you, then why not? I know one thing — I have been taking these mushrooms and I am still alive to write this article!

Documented to help in the following	Cordyceps	Reishi	Maitake	Agaricus
Anti-aging / longevity	Yes	Yes
Anti-inflammatory, decrease susceptibility to colds / flu	Yes		Yes
Anti-oxidant	Yes	Yes		Yes
Circulatory problem				Yes
Detoxification – chemical and heavy metal				Yes
Diabetes	Yes		Yes	Yes
Digestive problems				Yes
Energy and vitality, endurance and stamina	Yes		Yes
Heart function	Yes
Hepatitis and Cirrhosis	Yes		Yes
Immune system – improves, modulates and regulate	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Improve memory	Yes
Insomnia / restful sleep	Yes	Yes
Kidney disease / function	Yes
Liver – detox and regeneration	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Lower blood pressure	Yes	Yes	Yes
Lower cholesterol	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Lung: asthma & respiratory problems	Yes	Yes
Muscle strength	Yes
Nerve function		Yes
Osteoporosis				Yes
Radiotherapy side effects	Yes
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)			Yes
Sexual function for men	Yes
Stomach disorder, ulcer, gastrointestinal (GI),				Yes
Stress – emotional and physical, fatigue	Yes	Yes		Yes
Weight loss / obesity			Yes
For cancer	Hepatitis, liver cirrhosis.	Tumours, anti-angiogenesis, side effects of radiation, skin, liver	Prostate, bladder, liver, adjunct to chemo.	Liver, tumors, induce apoptosis, anti-angiogenesis, preventive.

Documented to help in the following	Chaga	Lion’s Mane	Shiitake	Turkey Tail
Acid reflex, IBS	Yes
Allergy	Yes
Alzheimer’s disease		Yes
Anti-aging / longevity	Yes
Anti-inflammatory, decrease susceptibility to colds / flu	Yes		Yes
Anti-oxidant		Yes
Detoxification – chemical and heavy metal	Yes
Diabetes	Yes	Yes
Edema – water retention	Yes
Energy and vitality, endurance and stamina	Yes
Gum disease	Yes
Hair loss	Yes
Heart function	Yes
Hepatitis and Cirrhosis			Yes	Yes
Hormonal imbalance (menopause)	Yes
Immune system – improves, modulates and regulate	Yes	Yes		Yes
Improve memory	Yes
Insomnia / restful sleep	Yes
Kidney disease / function	Yes
Kidney stone	Yes
Liver – detox and regeneration			Yes
Lower blood pressure	Yes		Yes
Lower cholesterol	Yes		Yes	Yes
Lung : asthma & respiratory problems	Yes			Yes
Lymph node- – swelling	Yes
Muscle strength		Yes
Nail – brittle, crack	Yes
Nerve function – calm	Yes
Pain – muscle, joints	Yes
Psoriasis	Yes
Radiotherapy side effects
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)	Yes
Skin injury / rashes	Yes
Stomach disorder, ulcer, gastrointestinal (GI)	Yes	Yes
Stress – emotional and physical, fatigue	Yes
Varicose veiin	Yes
Weight loss / obesity	Yes
For cancer	Breast, uterus, ovary, cervix, prostate, lung, stomach, liver. bone, lymphatic, rectum, skin, melanoma, leukemia, brain, spleen, thymus, parotid gland.	Stomach, oesophagus, skin and sarcoma	Anti-cancer drug in Japan. Production of T and natural killer cells. Product: LEM and lentinan	Breast, stomach and oesophagus.Product: PSK (krestin) and PSP.

NPC: Chemo — 80 percent cure! No thanks. Mom died after 5 cycles of chemotherapy

Ju (not real name) is 36 years old. Her problem started with severe headaches. Then both sides of her neck became swollen, making it difficult for her to turn her head. She had to take painkiller everyday.

Ju consulted an ENT specialist in a private hospital. She was told that she had either NPC (nose cancer) or lymphoma. Whatever it was, Ju was asked to undergo six cycles of chemotherapy. She would probably have to undergo radiotherapy as well. The doctor told Ju that with the treatments she would have a 80 percent chance of cure. Ju promptly rejected medical treatment and came to seek our help.

Gist of our conversation.

Chris: What did they want you to do?

Ju: Chemo (6 times) and radiation (did not ask how many times).

C: Did you ask if chemo and radiation are going to cure you?

J: Eighty percent chance of cure.

C: Eighty percent?

J: Yes.

C: What happen if you don’t do the treatment?

J: May be die la! No, I did not ask.

C: Do you believe that success rate is 80 percent?

J: No!

C: Why don’t you believe the doctor?

J: Because of bad past experience. My mother also had chemotherapy for her lymphoma. She was 63 years old then. She was supposed to do 6 cycles of chemo but she died after finishing 5 cycles.

C: She died?

J: Yes.

C: Where did she do the chemo?

J: In Penang (the same oncologist that Ju went to). That was 5 years ago, in 2010.

C: So you know that chemo does not cure cancer but can also kill.

J: She was bald.

C: She had 5 cycles and that means about 5 months of treatment.

J: Yes. Each cycles cost IDR 5 million.

C: So for 5 cycles it cost IDR 25 million. Money gone, mother also died. I understand. It is very hard for me to push you to go for chemotherapy. It is difficult. You are still young — 36 years old. And now they tell you to go for 6 cycles of chemo.

J: No, I don’t want chemo. That’s why I am here.

Comments

In the internet chat room, one doctor wrote:

I was a cancer chemotherapy specialist doctor for twenty years.I treated thousands of people with various combination chemotherapy regimens. I don’t think I killed any of them with the treatment – though over two thousand died from their cancers.

I am going to ask the same question that I asked Ju: Do you believe what this “great” cancer doctor said?

One reader wrote this.

Nobody can or will give you any guarantees with chemotherapy.Why do think it will most likely kill you? What evidence are you basing this on? … Some people conclude that the treatment is worse than the disease, and myths about people being killed by chemo bolster this belief. It isn’t always effective. But in those cases it is the cancer, not the treatment, that kills the patient – they have died in spite of treatment, not because of it.

So now, the logic is …. it is the cancer that kills you, not the poisonous chemo! That is what they want you to believe. Another good selling point.

Read what some other people said:

Liver Cancer: You are still around? It’s a miracle

Ben (not real name), 65-year-old Indonesian, first came to see us in 2013. This is what was written in his medical report dated 13 August 2013.

The above named gentleman first came to see me at Z Hospital on 12 August 2013 with a presenting history of abnormal liver enzymes. Of note, he is a known case of chronic hepatitis C infection (since 2000), diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, old stroke and post cholecystectomy. He also has allergy to penicillin.

Laboratory investigations, ultrasound abdomen and CT scan abdomen were done for further evaluation.

Ultrasound Abdomen dated 13 August 2013

Finding suggestive of liver cirrhosis, associated with multicentric hepatoma. The large mass in right lobe liver is 8.4 x 7.2 cm. There are also multiple smaller nodular lesions in right lobe liver, which are about 1.0 cm to 2.0 cm. A calcification in right lobe liver.
The spleen is enlarged, 14.5 cm.
Small right renal cysts.

CT Abdomen and Pelvis dated 13 August 2013

Multiple enhancing masses seen at the liver. The largest one measures 6.9 cm x 7.4 cm.
Liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension.
The spleen is enlarged measuring 14.8 cm.
Small right renal cyst, 0.9 cm x 1.5 cm.
Prostate is enlarged measuring 4.9 cm x 6.1 cm with no focal lesion seen.

Mr. Ben was diagnosed to have the following medical problems:

1) Chronic hepatitis C infection with chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension (splenomegaly, thrombocytopenia and trasaminitis).

2) Multicentric hepatomas.

3) Post cholecystectomy.

4) Right renal cyst.

5) Diabetes mellitus.

6) Hypertension.

7) Old stroke.

He is currently on the following medications:

1) Legalon

2) Propronolol

I have advised him to seek early treatment from Consultant Oncologist in view of further treatment of his multi-centric hepatomas (i.e. TACE or RFA).

Based on the above, the doctor told Ben the following:

Liver transplantation would be impossible due to his age.
Liver surgery may be an option.
He needed to undergo chemotherapy.

Ben refused further medical treatment and came to seek our help.

One Year Seven Months Later

Ben came to see again in late April 2015, one year seven months later. He had gone to see his doctor and did a CT scan.

CT Abdomen and Pelvis 28 April 2015

There are multiple enhancing masses seen at the right lobe of the liver. The largest one measures 10.5 cm x 15.4 cm seen at segment 6 of the liver. There are two small calcifications seen at the left lobe of liver.
Spleen is enlarged with greatest diameter measures 14.5 cm.
Prostate is slightly enlarged with greatest diameter measures 4.3 cm x 6.2 cm.

With much “satisfaction” in his face Ben told us:

Ben: When I saw my doctor yesterday, he shook hands with me twice!
Wife said: The doctor commented, “You are still around?” (implying that Ben should have been dead by now). According to the doctor, among his patients, in cases like this, the longest survival time was only 9 months.
B: Generally by 3 to 6 months they were gone. When I first saw him almost 2 years ago, I was given only two months to live.
Chris: Does he know what you are doing.
B: I told him I am on herbs.
C: Was he angry because you were taking herbs?
B & Wife: No, no. He said, “Good, go on with the herbs.”
B: The doctor said, “It is a miracle.”
C: Yes, at CA Care we see miracles every week! This is NOT something unusual. Thank God for this blessing.

Listen to our conversation that day.

Comments

Ask these questions.

Almost two years now, Ben is still alive and well. Why? He was entirely on the herbs — no chemo at all (that was the only option he had). What does that tell you? Herbs are not proven? Hocus pocus?
What about those who did medical treatment? Maximum of 9 months and they were dead? Even from Ben’s own experience, his many friends were gone after medical treatment. Ben told us he has a doctor friend (trained in Germany) who was very impressed with his progress. The doctor even asked for CA Care’s address!
Sometimes, we tend to think that people who go for herbs and forsake scientific medical treatments are dumb fools, deficient in knowledge and uneducated. NO, that is a wrong presumption! Generally those who come to CA Care are well educated people. Like the case of Ben, he was once the President of a university! He knew what he was going into.