Sixty-two year-old LAH came to seek our help after her breast turned “rotten.” As usual, my first question was, Who asked you to come here? Her reply, A staff working at a Buddhist healing centre. The reality is that LAH’s condition is beyond “repair.” The doctor said neither surgery nor chemotherapy is indicated. Her cancer has spread extensively to the lung, liver, bone and lymph nodes.

My initial advice to LAH is, Go home and think first. What do you want to do? LAH had already decided. She wanted me to prescribe her some herbs. Okay –  let’s try.

LAH was given Capsule A, C, D and M. In addition, she had to drink four types of tea: Breast-M, Lung + Lung Phlegm; Live-1 + PLM and Lympho + SAP. These teas have to  be brewed and they are not good tasting. LAH assured me that she would be able to tolerate their awful taste and smell.

To my surprise, LAH’s health improved after two weeks on the herbs (more detail to be discussed in the next posting). She was in a happy mood when she came to see us. Her radiant face showed it all. I did not expect she would benefit from our herbs so soon.  In fact, she told my wife that the breast wound had started to dry up. And she was healthy enough to came to our centre riding the motorbike by herself.

About a week later, LAH showed up at our centre again. And this time she came with her son. We came to understand that LAH had kept her cancer recurrence secret. None of her children know about this problem. One son lives in Kuala Lumpur. When he came home to visit his mother, he was puzzled to see so many herbs in the house. It was only then that he learned about her mother’s illness. So this son came to seek more information from us.

Watch this video:

The following are the gist of our conversation that morning. I hope many of you can learn something from this story.

1. The doctor said I only have three months to live – cannot operate, cannot chemo.

In her excitement, before we could even settled in our seats, LAH said, The doctor said I only have three months to live. I must quickly get my affairs in order. This is something I often hear from patients. So I was NOT taken aback at all by such statement. Instead, I laughed aloud as if it is a good joke! My response: Very good!

LAH: Doctor said cannot operate, cannot chemo.

Chris: That is okay! Since you cannot operate, cannot chemo and you are going to die within 3 months; then you cannot blame me if you die after seeing me. What else can I do? (Both patient and Chris laughed).  I shall explain later why I behaved like this that morning.

2. Will you die within three months?

C: Let me ask you. In your heart, do you believe that you are going to die within three months? I don’t think you will die within three months! But if you believe what the doctor told you, yes — you will die within three months.

There was one cancer patient from Sungai Petani. He was also told the same — you die within three months. He went home and put X, X, X in his calendar. This is a countdown to the day when he was supposed to die. And every he took note of the number of days he still have left. This patient came to seek my help but there was nothing much I could do to “break up” his belief. I never get to see him again after his first visit.

3. The herbs have helped you. So continue taking them and be patient.

Chris: When you first came to see me, you were in bad shape — right? You were half-dead (more of this in the next posting).

LAH nodded in agreement.

C: Looking at your face now, it is different (laugh). You are much better off after taking the herbs. I don’t think you are doing to die within three months. I am not trying to mislead you by making you feel good so that you can continue to take my herbs. It is just that when I see your face, I feel happy. You look healthy enough. You are not going to die within three months.

LAH: The doctor told me so. I just listen.

C: Now that you are okay. Be patient – don’t be in a hurry trying to get well. Healing takes time. After the three months are up, then we can say we have won – you win, I win.

LAH: I want to live – waiting to see his (pointing to her son) child.

I have seen many patients who are like you. They were told they only have three to six months to live. But they don’t die as predicted.

Case Study 1: This was a man with metastatic bone cancer. Let’s call him Raju.  In spite of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the oncologist told Raju to go home and get his affairs in order. He only had six months to live. At home he was unable to sleep. He had to take morphine many times a day due to the pain.

His son came to seek our help. After two weeks on the herbs Raju was able to come to our centre. When he got well he travelled to India to show his son the “property” he has there. Raju did not die within six months. He was still healthy after ten years.

Case Study 2: Nancy had lymphoma and underwent six cycles of chemotherapy. A few months after the completion of her chemo, she suffered a relapse. The oncologist told her to undergo a BMT (bone marrow transplantation) which would cost RM100,000. The oncologist told Nancy, If you don’t do BMT, you will die within four months! (that would be in December). Nancy refused further medical treatment because she said she almost died during her initial chemo treatment.

Nancy came to seek our help and was prescribed herbs. Three months later, I asked Nancy if she had picked a date in December to die, since this was what her doctor said was going to happen to her! Nancy blared out, No, no. I am not going to die yet! I was glad to hear that and replied, Wonderful that you have decided not to die yet. If you believe what you doctor told you, then you die in December!

Nancy lived for another two plus years. Later in this article, you will learn that Nancy died after indulging in a “bad diet”.

Case Study 3: Ama is a 59-year-old lady with ovarian cancer that had spread to her lung. She underwent chemotherapy. On completion of her treatment the doctor told her daughter. Your mother may die tomorrow, may be next week but at most she has three months. When Ama came to see me with her family, she was having difficulty breathing. I prescribed Ama some herbs and she took them without any problem. Surprisingly, Ama became well. It has been more than 12 years now and Ama is still very much alive and well. Her son came to collect Ama’s herbs last week. She is doing well!

Case Study 4.Henny was diagnosed with a sarcoma in her lung. This is indeed a rare cancer – the first of its kind that I ever encounter in my two decades helping cancer patients. Henny went to Singapore for consultation. The oncologist told her to undergo chemotherapy. Without chemotherapy you have only six months to live. If you undergo chemotherapy, you have two years to live. Henny did not see the wisdom of undergoing chemotherapy. She came to seek our help instead. After taking our herbs, Henny’s condition improved and she could lead a normal life.

Seven years later, in mid-2019,  we met up with Henny (arrow) in Surabaya, Indonesia. See, everyone was smiling!

Lessons we can learn from these stories:

1. When you die – God decides not men.

You have three months or six months to live! I have heard this a thousand times. The truth is, no one of earth can tell you when you would die or how long you can live. So in CA Care we refrain from playing God. Medically and scientifically someone may be right to tell his/her patient that he/she is going to die soon. By saying that it makes you feel like a god who knows everything. What is the purpose of telling your patient such an “unhelpful and damaging” prognosis? Is that statement going to help or “destroy” the patient?

Sadly, many people don’t understand or learn about the nocebo effect. Search the internet and this is what it says,  Nocebo effect is said to occur when negative expectations of the patient regarding a treatment cause the treatment to have a more negative effect than it otherwise would have.

The doctor is not helping his/her patient by such negative prognosis. In actual fact, the doctor is causing more “damage” to his/her patient. My advice to everyone: If you have come to a stage where you cannot offer any more treatment to the patient, the last act of kindness or responsibility is for you to keep your mouth shut if you have nothing good to tell your patients.

When LAH told me about dying within three months, I made it out like it was a funny joke and we laughed it out together! My reason is this – we have to break that voodoo curse. If you believe in that curse, the patient may just die believing that what is said is true. So, when talking to LAH I related to her some extra-ordinary examples of patients who were similarly “cursed”. But they did not die as predicted. So my message is, Don’t believe in the prognosis.

1. To live or to die – it’s your choice!

Patients have a choice. When December was around the corner, I asked Nancy (Story 2) if she had fixed the date when she was going to die. I did this to indirectly tell her that if she wanted to die as predicted, she better get prepared. But Nancy had a choice to live if she wanted to live. I was glad to hear her response, No, no, I want to live! That is it! Patients, if you want to live you will do whatever it takes to make you live. But if you say, it is no use helping myself because after all my doctor said I am already going to die already – so why take care of myself anymore? If you harbour that attitude you will die!

4. Stay alive and continue to do what is right.

Don’t be kuai ku (trying to be funny) and start doing what you like, forgetting what I have told you!

I have seen cases of patients who started to go back to their old ways after becoming well. Some started to eat what they like. Some others stopped taking the herbs. If you do these, you are going to die!

I told you the story of Nancy earlier (Story 2). She was supposed to die within four months. After she took the herbs she led a healthy life for two plus years. In her third year, before the Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration, I warned Nancy about taking “bad food.” Nancy broke down and cried. She told me she had missed all the good foods the pasts two years – not being able to eat this or not. Now she said, for this coming CNY, I am going to eat. I am going to dig my grave with my fork and spoon. Sad indeed – a few months after this, I was told Nancy died.

5. Don’t be afraid – everyone has to die.

I told LAH. By telling you all these, I am not promising that she is going to live for years to come. No, I am not implying that at all. But I want everyone one to realize that, We all have to die one day. So, don’t be afraid. At CA Care we remind all our patients to be grateful and be happy. As cancer patients, let us pray that while we are still alive, let us not suffer. If you can eat, can sleep, can move around and have no pain, please be grateful and don’t ask for me. No one lives forever.

On the other hand, what is the use of being alive but becoming a “vegetable”. There is no meaning if we have to suffer – can’t eat, can’t talk, can’t walk, can’t sleep and always in pain. You want that?

6. Don’t take this drug!

Chris: The doctor said he would not give you chemo. Neither would be recommend that you go for surgery. So what did he want you to do?

LAH: The doctor wanted me to take this oral drug — Letronat.

(Note: This is a letrozole, a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor. Many patients know it as Femera or Tamoxifen).

C: Oh no. I don’t think you should take this drug. I have patients who suffered badly after taking Tamoxifen or Femara. So if I were you, I would not take this oral drug. You could suffer many side effects.

7. Be careful. Don’t simply listen to the advices of those around you.

Friends and family members want to help you. I can understand that. Unfortunately, before you get cancer, they know nothing about cancer. But now that you have cancer, all of them become  “professors” overnight – they will tell you to take this and to take that. Be careful. Don’t simply follow everything they say. I also have patients, after becoming well, will forget what we told them. They start to go for this supplement and that supplement just because their friends recommend them to take them. Well, that is their choice!

8. Take care of your diet!

This is my plea to all patients. Please take care of your diet. You cannot eat anything you like even if you think you are already well or “healed.” Of course, if you are already tired and want to “go home” sooner, go ahead and eat what you like. Enjoy your food to the fullest. And go in peace!

I recalled the case of a colon cancer patient whom I called Penang Hill uncle. After his surgery, he refused chemo and took our herbs. His doctor had no objection because Uncle was already old – past his 80s. He was well for more than two years. Then he started to join the company of his old buddies. They frequented the coffee / eating shops every morning. Uncle started to eat fried bee hoon, and chicken rice (according to him he took on the rice, not the meat). He suffered a relapse. The cancer spread to his lungs and he died. I can tell a hundred more stories like this. So be careful with your diet.

9. My final advice: You are now on the right path – continue to do what make you well.

I told LAH, You have taken the right path and you are doing well. Continue to do what you are doing. Take the herbs and take care of your diet.

This advice appears logical, right? You don’t need to have much “brain” to understand why I give this advice. In my next posting, you will learn that this is not the case with LAH and other patients like her! Sad.