Tag Archives: cancer

Breast Cancer: Apparently “cured”, her cancer recurred after 18 years

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WC is a 69-year-old lady. About 18 years ago she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. She underwent a lumpectomy followed by 6 cycles of chemotherapy and 30 session of radiotherapy. She was not given any tamoxifen.

All went well for WC after these treatments. She did not bother to go back to her doctor for routine check up either.

Sometime in September / October 2017, WC felt her left breast (where she had a lumpectomy earlier) was hard. The nipple was retracted and discharged blood.

WC went back to the surgeon who operated on her earlier and underwent a mastectomy.

  1. Tumour is positive for ER and PR receptors but negative for c-erbB2 receptor.
  2. A total of 7 lymph nodes are dissected and 5 of these show metastasis.

After the operation WC was referred to an oncologist and was asked to undergo 6 cycles of chemotherapy. Radiotherapy is not indicated since she had this treatment before.

Each cycle of chemo would cost about RM 2,500 to RM 3,000. In addition WC has to take letrozole or Femara. This means WC needs to be on this hormonal drug for 5 to 10 years.

WC came to seek our help.

Comments 

There was a lady from Indonesia. She had undergone chemo, radiation and took Tamoxifen for 5 years. After 5 years her doctor said she is cured after a CT scan. Unfortunately, one year later, on her sixth year, the cancer spread extensively to her bones. According to her doctor, it is just her “luck” that such disaster happened.

Nancy, a 54-year old housewife, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. She had a mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction. No chemotherapy or radiotherapy was indicated but the doctor wanted to put her on tamoxifen (for five years!). Nancy declined.

Prior to her breast cancer, Nancy was on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). She was well aware that HRT could result in breast cancer. Her doctor checked and monitored her breast health every month to ensure that everything was under control. But it was not to be. Two years on HRT, cancer reared its ugly head in her right breast.

Nancy came to seek our help and was started on herbs. She was well. After 5 years, with her “all-knowing-attitude”, Nancy decided that she was cured and did not need our help anymore. Fourteen years later, Nancy came back to see us again. Her cancer recurred extensively in her bones. We tried to help but she died a few months later.

All patients like to hear that his/her cancer can be cured or is cured after treatment. I have been helping cancer patients for more than twenty years now and there is one bitter lesson that I learned — there seems to be NO CURE for cancer! Surviving and being well for 5 years is not a cure — but some doctors would say that is cure!

At CA Care, we tell patients that we cannot cure their cancer. If they come to us in search of a magic bullet to cure their cancer, my answer to them is: You have come to the wrong place.

Our mission is to help those in real need, and we don’t intend to mislead them by promising a “cure” — because we know deep down in our heart there is no cure!

 

We often remind our patients that you don’t have to die yet if you have cancer. Do remember that no one lives forever. All of us will have to die one day. If you can eat, can sleep, can move around and have no pain then what more do you want?

Learn to be contented and be grateful for each day that you have. In this way, your life would be more meaningful.

 

 

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Cancer: Is doing nothing an option?

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If you or someone in your family is diagnosed with cancer, you may wish to take time and reflect on the following.

1-cancer-statistics-in-malaysia

  1. In 2012, there were 37,400 new cancers and in the same year 21,700 died of cancer. That’s a lot of death due to cancer, in spite of them being treated?
  2. The most common cancers in Malaysia are: colon, lung, NPC (nose), lymphoma and prostate for men. For women — breast, colon, cervical, ovarian and lung.
  3. We do not know WHO will get WHAT cancer in our lifetime. But do we have to wait until we get cancer to know what went wrong? That would be too late!

We know that bad diet (e.g. smoking, excessive sugar intake, alcohol, etc.) and unhealthy lifestyle can lead to cancer. Instead of spending so much money to treat cancer why don’t we spend money to learn how to “prevent” or minimize the chances of getting cancer in the first place? Bah, who is interested in that!

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  1. The cost of cancer treatments is expensive. You may need to spend all your lifetime savings, pawn your jewelleries or sell your property — land, house, etc., to pay for these treatments.

2-economic-impact-of-chemo-drugs 3-hospital-bill 4-costly-to-die 5-brancrupt-rate-in-us

  1. What if we do nothing?

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  1. What ???? … you may die sooner if you undergo all those treatments dished out to you. Doc., you can’t be right on this?

6-cynthia-foster

  1. What ??? again ???? … chemotherapy is a waste of money?

  1. Hi doc., you must be joking, right?

9-martin

7-ken-murray-1

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richard-smith-stay-away-from-oncologist

 

More advice ….read what Dr. Gilbert Welch wrote:

 

gilbert-welch-do-nothing-is-better gilbert-welch-fight-the-battle-to-the-end

 

 

 

 

Rectal Cancer: What to do next? Oncologist said he has not come across any research report that links diet to cancer.

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WL is  35 year old Malaysia male. On 25 September 2015, he sent us an e-mail as below:

Hi Dr Chris,
My name is WL. I have worked in Penang for the past 12 years. Recently I have took  up a job in China and I have been there for about a month. Last week I went back to Malaysia and I went to see doctor in Ipoh because I found blood in my stool. Also it’s not easy for me to pass motion.

Initially, I thought it could be my piles which I’m having for more than 10 years back. During that time the doc asked me to leave it since it was not serious. When I got back to see the same doctor last week, he felt something was not right. He asked me to do an endoscopy.

Unfortunately, the report said, “moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma”.

I am going back to Penang next Wednesday (9/28) to get more opinions from different doctors. I’m thinking if I can meet you, I can find more from you about the alternative way of using herbs. Can I know if you will be available next week or the following week? If yes, should i come to see you after or before the tumor surgery? Kindly advice. Thanks.

Reply: Go and get the cancer removed. Either do it in KL or Penang. There are many doctors who can cut you up but be careful where you go to.

Hi Dr Chris,
Thanks for the reply. Attached files of medical report. I understand your point. Do you have any recommendations for a doctor in Penang? It will be easier for me and my family because my wife is just 4 months pregnant.
CT scan, 19 September 2016: Slight irregular and eccentric wall thickening at lower rectum n keeping with lower rectal tumour/lesion as noted clinically.

Histopathology report: Rectal tumour biopsy – moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.

WL came to seek our opinion. This was what I told WL.

  1. There is no other option. The tumour has to be removed.
  2. The main concern is whether WL has to use a colostomy bag after that, because this a rectal cancer. According to WL the doctor he consulted said that might be the case. It would indeed be a great disadvantage if WL, being a 35-year-old, has to deal with such a bag throughout his life. Stressful and messy indeed. The idea is try to avoid having to use a colostomy bag if possible.
  3. I suggested that WL take time to “shop” around for a better surgeon. One surgeon I had in mind was in Kuala Lumpur. It would be worth that extra effort for WL to consult him and let him do the operation if there is not necessary to use a colostomy bag after that.
  4. I also informed WL that there is a surgeon in Singapore (in private practice) who would be able to construct an “artificial rectum” should there is a need for one. In this way, WL would not have to use a colostomy bag. It would be worth spending some money to go to Singapore to consult him. But perhaps, before seeing someone in private practice, it would be a good idea to start seeing someone in Singapore General Hospital and take it from there.

About three weeks later, WL came back to see us again.  He had his rectal tumour removed by the surgeon in Kuala Lumpur, as suggested. The total cost of the treatment was RM 40,000. WL was hospitalised for a week.  After the surgery, WL had to use a temporary colostomy bag for a few weeks. After that he needs another surgery to rejoin the rectum.

Before the surgery,  as suggested, WL went to Singapore General Hospital for consultation. The total cost of the surgery would be SGD 50,000 — almost four times more expensive than the cost in KL hospital.

Chemotherapy

An oncologist came to visit WL while he was still in the ward. According to the oncologist WL needs to undergo chemotherapy, using Xelox regimen (Xeloda + Oxaliplatin). WL needs 8 cycles and each cycle would cost about RM 4,000. Chemotherapy would start 2 to 6 weeks from the operation date.

The oncologist told WL the following:

  1. You are still young.
  2. Your situation is very critical.
  3. If you don’t do chemo, you will lose the battle.
  4. Within two years the cancer will spread all over.
  5. If you don’t do chemo, you have a 65 percent chance of recurrence, i.e. the cancer would come back.
  6. If you do chemo, you have a 65 chance that the cancer will not come back.
  7. You can eat anything you like. According to the oncologist he has not come across any research report that links diet to cancer.
  8. While warded in the hospital, WL had diarrhoea. The oncologist suggested that WL take fried food to stop the diarrhoae!

Chris: Do you believe what the oncologist told you about the diet — that your husband can eat anything he likes?

Wife: No, I never believe him.

There are three lessons we can learn from this case.

One, chose you surgeon wisely. If you go to the “wrong” surgeon, you may end up having to wear the colostomy bag the rest of your life!

Of course, it is logical to expect that it is more expensive to undergo medical treatment in Singapore than in Kuala Lumpur or Penang. No one to blame here — it is the exchange rate! It cost almost the same on a dollar-to-dollar basis.

Two,  when told to do chemo, always ask if this treatment is going to cure you? What is your chance of obtaining a hundred percent cure — after all this is what you want anyway.  When you get the answer from your oncologist, evaluate his answer critically.

WL was told: If you don’t do chemo, you have a 65 percent chance of recurrence, i.e. the cancer would come back. What does this mean? In  simple language, it means that even without chemo there is a 35 chance that you will survive! Not ALL those  who do not do chemo ended up dead. Right?

WL was told: If you do chemo, you have a 65 chance that the cancer does not come back. It means that even if you undergo chemo as suggested,  there is 35 percent chance that the cancer can come back — meaning chemo does not guarantee you a cure! Right?

Therefore, it is up to YOU — the patient — to decide which path to take! Make your own decision because no one can help you  in this dilemma.

Third,  even WL’s wife — an ordinary housewife, could see the fallacy of the oncologist’s advice about diet. But if you need to read to believe, there are hundreds and hundreds of books written about diet and cancer. In my library at home I have no less than a hundred books on food and cancer! For those who prefer not to buy books, then go to the internet for free information. Click this link: http://www.wcrf.org/,  http://www.aicr.org/cancer-research/.  In 1982, American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) was founded to advance the simple but then-radical idea that cancer could be prevented. AICR focused on the link between diet and cancer, and immediately began supporting cutting-edge research in this area and educating the public about the results. It has published three global expert reports:

  1. Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global perspective, published in 1997
  2. Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, published in 2007; and
  3. Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention, published in 2009.

For those caregivers, be forewarned though, that teaching patients to become healthy makes no money! Asking them to change to good diet and lifestyle means you cannot prescribe any more drugs or herbs for their ailments. And when patients become healthy they don’t need to come back and see you again! So, from all angles, it appears that suppressing the truth and letting the status quo prevails is better?

For busy people out there, let me help you a bit on this connection between diet and cancer. Read what these outstanding doctors said:

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Ho, ho, I believe we all want to be just as smart (or even smarter) than a pig, right?

 

 

 

 

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Bring her home and let her die in peace and with dignity.

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Part 3: Praise God. She did not die!!

Part 1: The mantra of  NO CURE BUT THERE ARE TREATMENTS is meaningless.

Part 2: Come back and see me again after a week!

Part 3: Praise God. She did not die!!

Six days after taking papaya leaf juice and our herbs (without anymore chemo and antibiotics), GM is still alive. She did not die, instead she had improved! Unfortunately she is still unable to walk. GM was carried into our centre by her husband. When settled on a chair, GM looked normal (watch the video below carefully).

I asked her: Do you still want to die? She answered: No, no, no. I now want to live.

Let us find out why GM wanted to die when she was under treatment in the hospital.

 

Under treatment in the hospital:

Besides having to endure the severe side effects of chemo and radiation, she developed stubborn high fever. Before the onset of her fever GM felt very cold and trembled. This lasted for about an hour. Then her fever starts. The temperature could go up to 41.2 C. She felt hot outside but cold inside. The high temperature could last 2 to 3 hours. So GM was miserable 3 to 4 hours during each fever attack. And she had to endure 3 to 4 attacks a day, even at night. It was when the temperature shot up to 41 C that GM felt she wanted to die – this happened twice.

From the doctor’s report, GM first started to develop stubborn fever 4 days after her first chemo-treatment in late April 2016. Even rounds and rounds of antibiotics, the fever refused to go away. This means that GM has been going through “hell” for many months already.

After 6 days on herbs at home:

The family decided to stop all medical treatment and brought GM home. So no more antibiotics and chemo! She was started on CA Care herbs and in addition took young papaya leaf juice twice a day. Miracle happened! Her health improved. The stubborn fever subsided and she had low grade fever once a day (instead of high fever 3 to 4 times). Even when there was a fever attack, she did not feel cold anymore. She did not tremble anymore. The highest fever recorded was 39 C, otherwise, her body temperature stayed around 37 C and 38 C.

Update:  A few days later, we got a message from GM’s sister saying that GM did not have any more fever! Another battle won! Now, there is one more immediate problem left to be solved — how to make GM regain her strength and start walking again.

GM’s Platelets Count Shot UP to 245 after a week on herbs:

  While under treatment in hospital At home only on herbs
Date 1 August 2016 2 August 2016 3 August 2016 8 August 2016
Platelets count 34 101 109 245

 

Why GM Was Unable to Walk

The doctor wrote: The patient is bed-bound. We wanted to know the story behind this sad development. GM’s sister wrote to explain what actually happened.

  • When she was diagnosed with cancer, she still could walk very well like normal people.
  • After her 1st chemo  she was still able to walk well.
  • After the 2nd chemo , she felt the right leg was a bit “sour” but she was still able to walk.
  • Same happen after the 3rd chemo, right leg felt “sour” but still could walk.
  • She started radiotherapy on27 June 2016.
  • On 1 July 2016, her leg felt weak and she could not walk so well. And this symptom persisted but the doctor just told us it was because of low salt inside body. This can make people tired and has weak leg. At that time, she already could not walk by herself.
  • My sister started to sleep for about 20 hours per a day on 5 July 2016. We thought she was tired because of the radiotherapy.
  • However, when we went back for the 9th session of radiotherapy on 8 July 2016, her oxygen level dropped and doctor said she could not continue with the radiation any more.
  • Blood test showed her calcium in the bloodstream was too high(5.57) and my sister already became “confused.”
  • The doctor said the tumour had already gone into the bone marrow.
  • So, they stopped radiotherapy and start her on chemotherapy again.
  • After that day, she could not walk anymore and had to just lie on the bed.

Comments

Praise God, another battle was won. If the patient wanted to die, then there is not much we can do to help. But if a patient wants to live, there is still hope. Let’s not give up hope. With God’s blessing, we can look to a new day. GM did not have any more fever, something that the doctor was desperately trying to “fight” for months.  God’s natural medicine found in papaya leaf juice make the fever disappear within a week!

This not the first time we encountered “end-of-the road” case like GM. In fact, GM’s case is not as serious as some of these cases below

Goh of Sarawak. Seventy-three-year-old with colon-liver cancer. He had swollen legs and stomach, was unable to walk. Doctors on ward round skipped him, This case I don’t want to touch. No use, his liver is not functioning anymore. He was in constant, severe pain and was on morphine. They left him to die. He too wanted to die.

The family brought him home, to die at home. His son started him on CA Care herbs. The other family members said, No need to give him anything — why waste money? On his birthday, they made him a coat, ready for his funeral. As Goh started to take the herbs, his swellings were gone, the pain vanished and his health was restored. He became healthier than he was before he had cancer!

Miraculous healing! Read more: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2010/12/10/the-story-of-goh/

2. Suri: Sixty-one year-old, diagnosed with lung cancer which later spread to her brain. She had undergone 22 x radiation, 40 cycles of chemo, 1 year on Iressa, 2 years on Tarceva, and 1 month on Sutent. The family gave up treatment and sought our help. They had spent 2 billion rupiah or SGD 300,000 and Suri ended up like a zombie – unable to walk and talk. Oblivious to her surrounding and had no facial expression. In short, she was a living dead.

Two months on CA Care Therapy, she could walk, talk, smile and laugh! Some months later, she could even go shopping!

Read more: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2011/09/10/lung-brain-cancer-an-impossible-healing-1-hope-after-a-disaster-%E2%80%93-when-iressa-tarceva-forty-cycles-of-chemo-and-sutent-did-not-cure-her/

3. Medan Lady: Soon after undergoing chemotherapy in Singapore in December 2011, she ended up in a hospital in Medan. Is this the final destination after a long journey – one and half years of chemo and spending about two billion rupiahs? On 17 December 2011, all family members from various parts of Indonesia flew home to be with her. She was gasping for breath and unable to recognise people around her – her eyes rolled upwards and were not responsive. The doctor told the family members to just pray.

At that point, a visitor told her family: “Why don’t you go and see Dr. Teo?” The next day, 14 December 2011, her two daughters flew to Penang to seek our help. There not much hope. The patient was dying. What can I do? This was what I told them: “In such a situation (mother about to die in the hospital) I really don’t know what to say or do. I can give you some herbs and you go home and try them. If she does not die after one week, you come back and get more herbs! For now, what I can say is – just try. If you are lucky and with God’s blessing she might come out of the hospital alive, otherwise I really don’t know.”

Read more: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2011/12/27/utero-ovary-lungs-cancer-part-1-she-almost-died-after-spending-two-billion-rupiahs-on-chemotherapy-in-singapore/

4. GM’s own grandmother. Many years ago, GM’s grandmother was also diagnosed with a rare, aggressive and deadly cancer. They called it anaplastic thyroid cancer. The lump in her neck was cut open and then closed. Nothing could be done. She was sent home without any treatment and given at most 6 months to live. She came to us for help and lived for some years! Can we do the same to her granddaughter? Only through God’s mercy and blessing.

When GM’s sisters came to seek our help a week before, right in my heart, I thought GM was going to die. No more hope. But after seeing GM (after 6 days on herbs), right in my heart, I am full of hope that with God’s mercy and blessing GM is not going to die if she is being properly managed.

 

 

 

Looking at Cancer From a Christian Perspective by Larry Burkett

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Larry Burkett was an American author and radio personality whose work focused on financial counseling from an evangelical Christian point of view.

Born-again Larry left his electronics company to join the staff of a nonprofit ministry, Campus Crusade for Christ, as a financial counselor. In 1976 Larry left Campus Crusade to form Christian Financial Concepts (CFC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching the biblical principles of handling money. In September 2000, CFC merged with Crown Ministries, creating a new organization, Crown Financial Ministries. Burkett served as Chairman of the Board of Directors until his death. Burkett died of heart failure after a long battle with cancer and other health problems.

His book, Hope When It Hurts, contains many advices to fellow Christians who are facing life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. After all, the author himself had surgery to remove his cancerous kidney and shoulder blade.  After reading though this wonderful book, I was much taken aback by his sound, down to earth advice. I have learned and was blessed by his advice and outlook about what it means having to go through life with cancer. To my Christian friends, I say — Read this book!

Hope when it huerts Larry Burkett

Here are some quotations from Larry’s book.

Peace with God

  • In the years since I was diagnosed with cancer, I can honestly say that God has been good to me. He hasn’t chosen to rescue me from this difficulty but rather, has sustained me through it.
  • I have never asked God WHY this happened. It really doesn’t matter why. Instead, I have asked WHAT God would have me to do as a result of having cancer.
  • We’re all going to die some day; that is NOT a choice. We can choose to live in fear or anger or pity or in the peace of God. that’s OUR choice. I choose to live in God’s peace, enjoying each and every day as best I can. I sincerely pray that all of God’s people will choose to do the same. Happiness REALLY is a choice.
  • There are times when I was afraid … I trusted God and still felt afraid. Perhaps it was the fear of the unknown. Usually the things we fear are those things that haven’t happened yet. Almost all of us are able to cope with the present, no matter how good or how bad it might be. Franklin Roosevelt once said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
  • Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the ability to look fear in the face and proceed with your life.
  • When emotional storms raged in my heart, I prayed to Him with words similar to the disciples, “Lord, don’t you care what’s happening?” He did and He blessed me with His peace. My testimony to you is that God is in control. He is holy. He is righteous. He is completely sovereign. He never makes a mistake and He is completely worthy of your trust.
  • (After cancer diagnosis) … I knew that as long as God wanted me on this earth and He had a plan for my life, nobody could take me. And when God’s plan for my life was finished and God no longer wanted me here, nothing could keep me here … That’s why I … always temper my prayers with the caveat “if it is Your will.”
  • Most of all I asked the Lord for peace, His peace. I have experienced a lot of trauma in my life, and I know what it’s like to live with God’s peace and without it.
  • To receive a blessing from the Lord in your time of need, I point you to John 14:27, John 16:33 and Philippians 4:4-7.

God’s Ways

  • Often God uses natural things to rescue His people. They are not always those instantaneous, miraculous answers that we see sprinkled through God’s word.
  • We helped one another to be strong. When one of us got down, the others comfort, console, encourage and pray…That’s why God put other people in the world to be able to help you when you aren’t functioning at 100 percent.

What will happen to the ministry if I die?

  • So what does happen to a major Christian ministry when the leader becomes gravely ill …or dies? That was on my mind, as well as the minds of many of our supporters.
  • The ministry of Christian Financial Concepts is not my invention or my creation. Instead, this ministry exists because of a calling from God … As is the norm in our society, people give praise and accolades to teachers and writers, but I have tried over the years not to let that go to my head because … we’re stand-ins for what the Lord wants to accomplish.
  • If the ministry is built solely on me, and if it cannot survive without me, then it’s not the work of God. I have consistently told my staff: “This is God’s ministry and He will supply our needs. The day He stops supplying our needs is the day we will close our doors, because there will no longer be a need for what we do.”

Note: Many people (and I too)  have asked a similar question, What is going to happen to CA Care when Chris Teo is gone! Yes, the answer is with Go. We are just His stewards. My wife and I are just as happy to close CA Care ANYTIME  if this is His will — Let your will be done, Lord.

Prayers Make A Difference

  • I cannot overstate how much it meant to know that God’s people were praying for me. I could literally feel their prayers. I could sense God’s hand upon me.
  • Though God didn’t remove the tumours supernaturally, He certainly did provide what He promised to me, and that was His peace. I believe it came as a direct result of God’s people caring and praying.
  • When ask how could (others) pray for me, I replied with four items: that God would grant my doctors mercy and grace in the upcoming surgery; that the cancer would not return; that God would sustain us in His supernatural peace; and that He would use the circumstances to draw us closer to Him.

Why People Become Ill

  • I personally believe there are at least four reasons why people become ill.
  • First, we live in aging bodies in a fallen world, which results in sickness and suffering. If I drive my car long enough, I know the parts must eventually be replaced and the same is true with our bodies.
  • Second, some people get sick because of sinful behaviour which is, in fact, harmful to their bodies.
  • Third, God allows an illness to come upon people for the benefit of the kingdom of God. Obviously God didn’t cause (the) injury, but He allowed.
  • Fourth, God sometimes allows Satan to buffet Christians to determine the caliber of their faith. The clearest example of that in Scripture is Job.
  • The idea that no Christian should ever be sick or experience any kind of problem …. except as the result of unconfessed sin, is not biblical and it comes very close to heresy. Certainly God “allowed” .. . cancer because He knows about everything that happens to each of us. Probably none of us will know WHY these things happen. But I don’t believe that God goes around zapping His people with disease as a reminder of their previous sin.
  • Be careful when you box God into one, and only one, way of responding. He is sovereign, meaning He is completely free to rule and act as He chooses. He is not a magical genie to be called out of an old lamp to rescue us upon demand.
  • We also can be presumptuous with God when we conclude that only good things happen to His people. I disagree with the basic premise that bad things never happen to good people.
  • If you are building your Christian foundations on the idea that your commitment to God will automatically insulate you from suffering here on earth, you’re in for a big shock.

Bear Witness

  • …Even if you have cancer or some other terminal illness, live in such a way that others can detect the hope that is within you, and then be prepared to tell the reasons behind your hope… Don’t be phoney about it; just ask God to grant you joy and peace in your affliction.
  • Let God’s grace and strength transform what looks like a problem for you into an opportunity to witness to other people.
  • It’s true that we can be discouraged, but we’re never in despair … Our Lord promised: I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18.
  • God is faithful. He is a forgiving God. God is merciful. He cares about the pain and suffering you are experiencing, whether it’s physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. Trust Him and He will give you peace.

Thoughts from Judy Burkett

  • Few things in life are as upsetting as having a loved one facing a serious or life-threatening illness and not knowing what the outcome will be.
  • It didn’t occur to either of us to ask God, “Why is this happening?” Instead … we began to focus more on “How are we going to cope with this?”
  • We prayed steadily that God would give us His peace in the midst of the turmoil.
  • There are times when we worried and were upset. And we prayed for God’s peace on my occasions, particularly when we were afraid or things seemed to be spinning out of control. And the results seemed to be the same each time: We felt like God was literally holding us in the palm of His hand.
  • So if you’re in turmoil right now … let me encourage you to diligently seek God’s peace. Pray specifically for it, and ask others to pray for you.
  • Knowing .. that God is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11) we did not assume that Larry has “special status” with the Lord. Sometimes God heals people outright; at other times, though faithful, godly saints succumb to serious illnesses.
  • God, show us the way. …Our prayers was for God to supply wisdom and guidance to us… we faced many decisions without the luxury of time to think them over.
  • We needed wisdom to clearly discern what God was responsible for and what we were to take responsibility over.
  • Clearly discerning the things God was responsible for helped us to identify the things we need to relinquish to Him: the first was Larry’s life. Neither I, the doctors, nor anyone else could keep Larry here on earth one second longer than God desired. That’s one major issue I had to give back to the Lord. Doing so also relieve a great deal of pressure, because that meant God, and no one else, was responsible for keeping Larry alive.
  • God, give us strength. Coping with a medical crisis is exhausting. Sleep patterns are interrupted. Comfortable daily routines get cast aside. Watching a loved one hurt is hard work too. … we assumed the posture of faith — trusting God to meet our needs and to supply what we could not supply ourselves. And true to His Word, God raised us up and enabled us to endure days that we never thought we’d see the end of.
  • God, you will be done. Our deepest desire was that God would be glorified through the circumstances we faced. I know that’s easier said than done.
  • I conclude with this thought: God made you. He knows what you can and cannot handle. He promises never to give you a burden you cannot bear without a way of escape. When you find yourself overwhelmed and exhausted by the stress of it all, you may well be taking on more than God want you to assure. Remember, you’re just a part of God’s plan.

Words from CA Care to All Patients

You and I have to die one day. We cannot

run away from this reality. It is how we die that matters.  If you can eat,

can sleep, can move around and have no pain; what more can we ask for? You want

a cure, but there is no cure! Let us learn to be grateful for what we are each day.

Read more:

Cancer — What to do next?

Larry Burkett’s Cancer Experience: The Undemocratic and Monopolistic  American Medical System for Cancer Treatment

 

 

 

 

Cancer Diagnosis – Do Your Homework. No need to rush to get things done!

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Naturopath and nutritionist David Getoff discusses some things you should and should not do when they get a diagnosis of cancer. He says it's important to do your homework and look at your options before deciding on a treatment. 

Don't be pushed into a panic mode! Four different experts give you four different answers. Your doctor may not be right.

CANCER’S COLLATERAL DAMAGE: PART 4–WHY THE RICH AND FAMOUS DIE FASTER WHEN THEY HAVE CANCER

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by Yeong Sek Yee & Khadijah Shaari

Yes, the rich and famous (and insured) do die faster when they have cancer…more from the collateral damage due to the conventional (and scientifically proven?) cancer treatments than from the original cancer itself. A classic example is the sad story of Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in January 1994 and died in May 1994, just barely 5 months after diagnosis.

In the best-seller, HOW WE DO HARM, Dr Otis Brawley, an oncologist and Vice-President of the American Cancer Society, bluntly stated that….”If you are rich and insured, you face another menace. Ironically wealth can increase your risk of getting lousy care. When wealthy patients demand irrational care, it’s not hard to find a doctor willing to provide it. If you have more money, doctors tell you more of what they sell, and they just might kill you. “

Below is a list of 15 (there are many, many more) rich and famous personalities who have succumbed to cancer and the average period from the date of diagnosis to death is less than 2 years. How is it that the scientifically proven/tested conventional cancer treatments did not help them? Did their cancer treatments come along with excessive collateral damage to their body system or were their cancers just too aggressive?

Likewise, you may remember that Malaysia’s most famous and leading oncologist, the late Dr Albert Lim, succumbed to prostate cancer on March 8th 2013 after less than a year of scientifically tested cancer treatments. He had metastasis to his pelvic area, liver and lungs as well. Was there excessive collateral damage or was the prostate cancer too aggressive??

HERE ARE THE 15 RICH AND FAMOUS WHO TRIED BUT DID NOT SURVIVE:

1) JO ANN DAVIS, 57

Jo Ann was a US Republican Congresswoman for Virginia and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. She underwent chemotherapy treatments and a mastectomy. In early 2007, she suffered a recurrence. When the cancer returned, she underwent chemotherapy again. Jo Ann died on Oct 6, 2007.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: 2 years

2) LINDA McCARTNEY, 56

Linda McCartney, wife of Paul McCartney died in April 1998, less than three years after it was announced that she was treated for breast cancer. Although her chemotherapy treatments had seemed to have her cancer in check, she took a turn for the worse in March 1998 when the disease spread to her liver.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: Less than 3 years

3) HEATHER CLARKE, 39

Heather was the wife of Darren Clarke, a PGA Golfer. She died in August 2006 after a two year battle with breast cancer that had spread to her bones and liver. She was treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: 2 years

4) MIRIAM ENGELBERG, 48

Miriam, a well-known US cartoonist was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 at the age of 43. Three years later, the cancer had spread to her brain and she died at age 48.

Summary Points—a) From diagnosis to recurrence: 3 years  b) From diagnosis to death: 5 years 

5) ELIZABETH EDWARDS, 57

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of John Edwards (a US presidential candidate) was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and was treated with a combination of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. In March 2007, a recurrence was discovered after she cracked a rib and a subsequent X-ray showed spots on another rib, on the other side of the chest.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to bone metastasis: Less than 3 years.                            

6) KING HUSSEIN OF JORDAN, 63

In July 1998, King Hussein was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) and immediately underwent chemotherapy at MAYO Clinic in US. He was treated there for six months and returned to Jordan in January 1999.

In late January 1999, King Hussein returned to MAYO after his doctors found evidence that the lymphatic cancer had recurred. King Hussein underwent two bone marrow transplants with cells from his younger brother and sister (in December 1998 and January 1999).

In February 1999, King Hussein returned to Jordan for palliative care and subsequently passed away on February 7, 1999.

Summary Points—a) From diagnosis to recurrence: 6 months  b) From diagnosis to death: 7 months. 

7) FREDDY FENDER, 69

Freddy Fender, singer of hits like “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” and “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” was diagnosed with lung cancer (two lemon-sized tumors) in January 2006. He underwent chemotherapy but later decided to stop treatment because of severe effects on his body. Following Fender’s initial round of chemo, he had a PET scan which showed that the tumors had shrunk, but also revealed that he had nine other tumors. Freddy Fender died on October 14 2006.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: 9 months. 

8) SUZANNE PLESHETTE

On August 11, 2006, Suzanne Pleshette was treated for lung cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre and the hospital claimed that the cancer was the size of “a grain of sand” when it was found during a routine x-ray, that the cancer was “caught very much in time,” that she was receiving chemotherapy as an outpatient. She was later hospitalized for a pulmonary infection and developed pneumonia, causing her to be hospitalized for an extended period ……as part of her treatment, a part of her lungs was removed… Pleshette died in January 19, 2009of respiratory failure.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: 1 year 5 months

9) DAN FOGELBERG, 56

Dan Fogelberg, a singer and songwriter, discovered he had advanced prostate cancer in 2004. He underwent hormonal therapy and achieved a partial remission but failed to completely eliminate the disease. Dan subsequently died on December 15, 2007.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: 3 years

10) LUCIANO PAVAROTTI, 71

Pavarotti, opera singer was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2006 and required emergency surgery to remove the tumor. On September 5, 2007, Italy’s AGI news agency reported that Luciano Pavarotti’s health had deteriorated and the singer was in a “very serious condition”. He was reported to be in and out of consciousness multiple times, suffering kidney failure. He finally passed away on September 6, 2007.

Summary Points—From diagnosis to death: 11 months 

11) DANA REEVE, 44

Dana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve (Superman), was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2005 and passed away on March 6, 2006.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: 7 months only 

12) TONY SNOW, 51

Tony Snow, a White House spokesman, was treated for colon cancer in 2005 at which time his colon was removed and subsequently underwent six months of chemotherapy. In March 2007, doctors determined that the cancer had spread to his liver. He died in July 2008.

Summary Points: a)   From surgery/chemotherapy to liver metastasis: 1 ½ years  b)   From surgery /chemotherapy to death: 2 ½ years

13) MICHAEL LANDON, 54

Michael Landon was the star in the hit series “Little House on the Prairie” and “Bonanza”. On April 5, 1991 he was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver and lymph nodes. He underwent three sessions of chemotherapy but subsequently died on July 1, 1991.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: 2 months 

14) ARCHBISHOP CHRISTO DOULOS, 69

The Archbishop fell ill in June 9, 2006 and medical tests showed that he suffered from advanced cancer in the LARGE INTESTINE (COLON) and an unrelated malignant growth in the liver. A first operation to remove the intestinal cancer was deemed successful but later a liver transplant in the US was abandoned after discovery that the liver cancer has spread. The Archbishop passed away in January 2008.

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: 1 ½ years 

15) MARTIN D. ABELOFF, 65

Dr Martin Abeloff, an international authority on the treatment of breast cancer and chief oncologist and director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Centre at John Hopkins University for the past 15 years, died of leukemia on September 14 2007. His leukemia, a form that is sometimes slow to grow, was diagnosed a year before that (i.e. approx September 2006).

Summary Point—From diagnosis to death: 1 year 

In his book, Dr Otis Brawley revealed a secret: Wealth in America (and elsewhere as well) is no protection from getting lousy care…in fact, wealth can increase your risk of getting lousy care.

Do you fancy getting some collateral damage?

 

Information about Cancer: Don’t Panic!

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stupid defined 2

If you or your loved ones happened to have cancer, there is no need to panic. Take time to learn by reading from different sources. There is  NO right or WRONG way to handle cancer. It is only your way.

So without knowledge or information, how can you handle this situation? Read, Ask, Think and Reflect and Make Your Choice using your COMMON SENSE.

At the end of it all, it is you and you alone who pay for the consequences of your own choice.

We have written 3 comics to help you understand the “Cancer Game.”

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Available: http://bookoncancer.com/productDetail.php?P_Id=76

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Available: http://bookoncancer.com/productDetail.php?P_Id=78

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http://bookoncancer.com/productDetail.php?P_Id=79

Given honest answers … about surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy … the chances are high that the patients will “run away” from them!

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YB is a 52-year old lady. About three and a half years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy in Kuala Lumpur. It was a triple negative tumour. YB went to Singapore for follow up treatments. She received 6 cycles of chemo using FEC. Then she had 12 more cycles of chemo using Taxol and Carboplatin. No radiation was indicated.

When YB started chemo, she also took our herbs and took care of her diet. The side effects she suffered was much less compared to others. She was alright after the chemo treatment.

Unfortunately things did not turn out right. YB took a trip home to Kuala Lumpur (she was staying in Singapore) to visit relatives. She felt dizzy and started to vomit. Her condition deteriorated. Whenever she moved her head, she would feel dizzy or had severe headaches and would start to vomit.  She had to lie down. As long as she did not move her head, she was okay.

YB did a CT scan and MRI. There were tumours in her brain.

YB’s daughter wrote: 11 January 2014.

Dear Dr Chris,

My mother has a relapse of her cancer to the brain. MRI shows 3 lesions in her brain. One of them is approximately 3 cm which caused swelling and subsequently dizziness, vomiting and headache. Meanwhile, she’s been given steroid to reduce the swelling. We are planning to see you right after the full report is out.

12 January 2014::

Dear Dr Chris,

CT scan result is out and it seems that the primary tumor is from the left lung. However, my mom has not suffered any symptoms or difficulties with breathing.

What would you do if she was your mother and given the following details?

1. The neurosurgeon suggested surgery to remove the big tumour in her brain. According to him,  the two small tumours cannot be removed  surgically and YB has to undergo radiotherapy. Surgery would cost SGD6,500 and radiation cost SGD 2,000 to 3,000 (foreigner’s rate. Singapore citizen pay much less).

2. Can surgery cure her brain cancer? The surgeon said, NO, the tumour will recur. Because of that YB has to go for radiation. Whatever  it is the family was told that YB will eventually die.

3. Did the doctor indicate how long your mom could survive? The surgeon said this,

a. If patient does nothing and is only on steroid, she has 2 months to live.

b. If patient undergoes chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she has 6 to 7 months to live.

c. If patient undergoes surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she has 6 to 7 months plus 3 months.

According to the surgeon these are based on statistics and also on the assumption the surgery goes not well without any complications.

What does the family want to do now? Everybody in the family decided to give up further medical treatment. They would rather go on herbs.

Did the doctor give you such information out front? No. We have to ask questions after questions and we get answers bit by bit. Nothing is laid out neatly like the above.

Comments:

Bravo to patient empowerment!  For you to make a decision you need honest answers. You do not get honest answers if you dare not ask! So patients, learn how to ask questions. Don’t just be satisfied with just an answer! Ask and ask, dig and dig until you are satisfied.  This is because it is your life and you have to bear the consequences of that intervention not your doctors.

After you get the answers, use your common sense to make your decision. Follow what your heart says.

It seems very clear. If doctors give honest answers … about surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy … the chances are high the patients will “run away”!

What would you do if you are told that chemotherapy spreads and makes cancer more aggressive?

What would you do if you are told the following about radiotherapy?

  • Radiation makes cancer more aggressive. 
  • Radiation reprogrammed less malignant breast cancer cells into Induced Breast Cancer Stem Cells (iBCSCs). This explains radiotherapy actually enriches the tumor population with higher levels of treatment-resistant cells.  Researchers UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center said radiation treatment killed half of the tumor cells  treated. The surviving cells are resistant to treatment and become iBCSCs. They were up to 30 times more likely to form tumors than the non-irradiated breast cancer cells. 
  • Radiation gives a the false appearance that the treatment is working, but actually increases the ratio of highly malignant to benign cells within that tumor, eventually leading to treatment-induced death of the patient.

In Cancer: Is Doing Nothing Not Better than Doing Something

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28 February 2013: Dear Dr. Chris,

How are you? I hope you still remember me. Last November 2012, I went to meet you at your center with my family.

Last month on 25 January 2013, I went for another surgery to close my colostomy. Currently I face quite a number of problems like stomach pain, can’t eat (weight loss 5 kg in a month) and diarrhea. These few days the stools came out with blood clots. I went to see a few doctors in the government hospital but they can’t solve my problems.

Dr. Chris, I am seeking your advice and please tell me what to do as its really hurt. Awaiting your prompt reply.

Reply:   Yes, sure I remember you. Let me ask you some questions first:

1) Before this surgery, did you have such problems,  like pains, etc.?

2) When did your problems start? If after surgery, how many days after surgery?

3) Are the problems getting worse or getting better.

Let me know and we shall go from there.

1 March 2013: Dear Dr. Chris,

Thanks for your prompt reply.
1) No, I don’t have these problems — pains and etc.,  before my surgery.

2) After surgery, on the 3rd day, initially I thought it was my gastric problem as I didn’t take any food at that time. But it’s not coz the pain in my abdomen still continued. It is so painful that I can’t sleep at night. The doctors only gave me Tramadol and also Morphine to ease my pain.

3) It’s getting worse especially theses two days. Thick and sticky blood came out. I am very afraid and don’t know what to do.

Reply: Thanks for your reply.

a) It looks like the problem is due to the surgery. And we don’t know what they did wrong there. Did you go back to the surgeon and ask? It looks like they only give you painkiller and morphine.

b) Coming out with thick and sticky blood is something not right, especially if this happen so long after the surgery. I wonder if they leave anything behind / inside when they close you.

My advice: We need to know the reason why and what went wrong. Why not go back to the surgeon again. Well, he can’t know unless he takes another CT scan. Okay for this time, you need to do the scan to know what really happen so that he can fix the problem for you.

Please let me know what happen if you do this. I am not sure what I can do or give you to correct this because I too don’t know what has gone wrong. Take care.

13 March 2013: Dear Dr. Chris,

I’ve just been discharged from the hospital. My condition is not good. I will meet you in your Center this coming Friday (15 March 2013) at 10:30am. I will bring my latest CT scan report. I hope you can help me.

Patient came to Penang again on 15 March 2013. While of this visit, we put patient on the e-therapy . The following is the recording of our conversation that day.

17 March 2013: Dear Dr. Chris,

I’ve just come back and arrived KL last night. Thanks very much for helping me and me. My  family and I are very grateful and appreciate for all your kind assistance. Yesterday I started to take Cap A, B, C, D.  I shall take the other herbs today when I go back to my home in JB. Last night the whole night I couldn’t sleep coz I had to move my bowels.

There are a lot of bowel movements and the stools are dark in colour and very smelly. My stomach feels much tender. I feel very, very weak after going to toilet so many times. I think more than 10 times till morning. I can hardly walk.  I had also started on my diet according to your advice.

Dr. Chris, l will arrange to meet you again next week after my one week on herbs and continue to do the e-therapy as what you have said. By the way, can I take morphine 10mg x 2 if I feel pain in my tummy? Till now my tummy is painful maybe becoz of too many times moving my bowels. Another thing is that I can hardly pass urine and it’s so painful during urination. Please advice.

Reply: 17 March 2013:  Thank you for your feedback.

a) I am glad that you started to move your bowels, meaning it is not blocked.

b) For this one week you will suffer from all the cleansing process. Take it easy.

c) Yes, you can take pain killer if you cannot bear the pain BUT did I not give you Pain Tea to take? Take Pain Tea 6 times a day and see if it helps.

d) Travelling is bad and staying in a new place is also bad for you. So I suggest you don’t come to Penang yet. Take the herbs for 2 to 3 weeks first. The first week you will suffer healing crisis. Second week I hope you get better and by the third week I hope you get much better. Even if you come now there is nothing much I can do because we need to allow the body to heal itself and this takes time. There is NO magic bullet. So you should think of coming here only in about 3 weeks from now to allow the herbs to work first. As it is it, it is too SOON.  Write again after one week and let me know your progress and then again after two weeks.

23 March 2013: Dear Dr. Chris,

It’s the first week after I took your herbs and also had strictly kept to my diet i.e. no sugar, salt, oil and meat. I only took fruits and vegetables. Here’s the outcome after taking the herbs and Cap A, B, C, D.

1) Tummy still bloated but these two days felt more tender.
2) Both legs are still swollen.
3) Difficult to urinate and is painful.
4) Bowel movement is difficult and a lot of blood comes out.
5) Good appetite.
6) Fever on and off.
7) My Pain tea had finished and seems to work as I took 6 times a day like what you have said. Dr.,

Last two days I went back to hospital to see the surgeon as I wanted to know how he would explain my condition in detail. During conversation, I made notes for your reference as follow:

Leo:   Dr. what actually had happened to me? Can you explain in more detail? I thought this was only a minor surgery to close my colostomy (in January 2013). You said everything was fine. The only thing is in the future I would have a little bit of difficulty moving my bowels because my rectum is narrow.

Dr. X:  Your cancer tumors spread too fast after surgery although we have checked it before surgery.

L:  Why these few days I passed out stools with a lot of blood (50% stools and 50% blood) and the anus burnt and so was painful?

Dr. X:   Oh, your anus is painful every time you pass stools is because it’s too narrow to pass through. There’s blood in your stools because your cancer tumors had spread and its messy inside your colon. This I can’t help you as you had stage 4 CA Rectum although it has been removed in 2012. It had recurred.

L:   Can you do another surgery to open the colostomy like I had previously? I don’t want to suffer like this.

Dr. X:  The risk is too high. Maybe only 30 percent chance of survival if I do the surgery again because your intestine had burst and moreover the tumors are everywhere in your colon. You will die on the table due to severe bleeding.

L:  That means I would have to leave it like this, everyday suffering from tummy bloatedness and waiting to die one of these days? Do you think how long can I can survive?

Dr. X: I’m sorry we really can’t do anything. Go home and spend your precious time with your family while you are still able to now. Maybe you have less than three months to live or even shorter.

L:   I am really disappointed with what you have said as I had full confidence in you. But after all these, you say you can’t do anything. Since last year my CEA till January this year it never exceeded 6 ng/mL. The lowest was 2.5 ng/mL. One last question:  why is it now there are stools coming out from the wound that you closed the colostomy.

Dr. X:   Stools do come out sometimes because you can’t move your bowels at the down part. Once you can move it, there won’t be any more stools coming out again. It will close by itself if everything is fine one of these days.

Dr. Chris, I won’t give up just like this. I will continue to take your herbs for every time you said CA Care is the last stop for people like us. I know your herbs are not a magic bullet but I believe if I continue to take them and stick to your diet, my life will be prolonged. I didn’t ask for much and I have prepared myself. It’s all God’s will. 

Reply:  Thanks so much Leo for giving me the update of your conditions. Okay, after taking the herbs for a while now, has your condition improved or not?

27 March 2013: Dear Dr. Chris,

Dr. Chris, I’m planning to visit you this coming Sunday to do the e-therapy. I feel better after I did it that day in your center. Regarding the video taken, it is not necessary to cover my face because I want to share with others …. After all, these are true.

Note; The last e-mail I received from Leo was 20 April  2013. I was later informed that Leo died.

Stop and Think

When I talked to Leo, I asked him many times, “Before the surgery, were you okay?” The answer: Yes, very well and no problem. After the surgery Leo suffered complication and he died soon afterwards.

Many people could not and would not accept that at times it is better to do nothing than to do something.  I am sure Leo would not have suffered if he did not go for the operation. Leave thing the way it was. And I am sure that he would have lived longer if he “did nothing.”

Another story come to mind. Terry (not real name) had recurrence of his lymphoma. His red blood counts were low. According to the doctor it was very dangerous and he must come to the hospital and do something.  Talking to Terry, I also knew that he bought up this idea wholesale. But when he was talking to me, me he looked pale but was okay … could walk, talk, no pain, etc. So my advice was to take it easy. If there is no emergency, don’t fix it! Take the herbs and papaya leaf tea and see what happen in the next few weeks.  But people generally want quick fix. He went off, landed in a hospital and a week later was dead.

IS DOING NOTHING NOT BETTER THAN DOING SOMETHING? The choice is yours, it is your life.

Malaysia’s Well Known Oncologist Died of Cancer

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Yesterday I got a shock when I received an e-mail informing me that Dr Albert Lim Kok Hooi died of cancer. The first thing that struck my mind was: How could this be? Is it a hoax? I wrote back to the one who sent me the email that I could not believe the information. He then sent me this link: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/3/9/nation/12815175&sec=nation

In the article is the photo of Dr. Lim, the oncologist – this is my first time knowing how he looks like. From the article too I learned that his funeral was held at Trinity Methodist Church, Petaling Jaya. If this was in Penang, this is also the church Im and I worship in every Sunday – Trinity Penang.

I must say I do not know the late Dr. Lim at all, but I suspect we have “heard “of each other through our mutual cancer patients – he, an oncologist and I an alternative medicine practitioner (often referred to as quack or snake oil peddler)  who is on the other side of the great divide. Our patients went to see him for consultation and his patients came to see us after all those “scientific” treatments have failed them.

I also “know” him through his writing in the Star column. Dr. Lim was a prolific writer. And from his writings I learnt that his was an ardent and staunch supporter of “scientific medicine.”  I first learned of Dr. Lim as being the leading oncologist in Malaysia some 16 years ago when patients came to see me after consulting him.

As I surfed the Internet, I also stumbled onto what Dr. V. M. Palaniappan,Ph.D.  (I also do not know him as a person) wrote in  http://ecohealingsystem.blogspot.com/

I read a sad news today in The Star (Malaysian, p.16, Saturday, 9 March 2013). This reports the death of Dr. Albert Lim Kok Hooi, a great Consultant Oncologist who was just 60, due to CANCER. It seems he was passionate about many issues, including animal and human rights, the rights of underprivileged, unhealthy lifestyles and habits of people, and the like. Reading all about Dr. Lim, it appears he had been a wonderful human being, and has contributed to the society to the fullest. If he lived for another one or two decades, with this caliber and good soul, he could serve a lot more to humanity. I sincerely regret his loss. May God bless his soul, and to rest in peace!

Likewise, I too felt sad to know that Malaysia has lost one of its outstanding sons “too soon”. At age 60 because of cancer.  Allow me to extend our sincere belated condolence to his beloved family. As children of God, we believe his soul now finds rest and peace with the Lord.

I spent days surfing the Internet trying to find out more details or hints of what had really happened. Unfortunately, I was NOT fortunate. I could not find any information about his illness, although I had access to the articles that he wrote. The link to the 10-page listing of his articles are in:  http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=Dr%20Albert%20Lim%20Kok%20Hooi

Dr. Lim also has his own blog: http://dralbertlim.wordpress.com/page/6/ And his most recent posting was on 13 January 2013. And he died on 9 March 2013 – that is, just about two months after that posting?   Sounds like a heart attack rather than cancer.

The questions that strike the mind are: When did he get his cancer? What cancer? What treatment did he undergo?  These, I believe, are fair questions to ask. I went through his articles trying to find out if he ever disclose or give any hint that he had cancer in his writing. I do not seem to find any.

Let me say that even though I have never met Dr. Lim, I found some of what he had written interesting, especially coming from an oncologist! I wish many doctors and oncologists have similar views like him.  Let me highlight what Dr. Lim wrote over the years in his articles in the Star. In fact, he was spot on regarding the issues below – and I hope cancer patients do take note of his advice seriously.  These are good advice!

Cry me a river, 9 December 2012

  • The cancer has been growing in your body for decades. It takes 10 to 20 years for the first cancer cell to transform to a mass of detectable and diagnosable cancer.
  • Take at least two weeks to a month to work things out. Do not embark on any treatment – surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy – until most of your questions are answered. And until your emotions are no longer on a roller-coaster.
  • Never be pushed to see any doctor against your wishes.
  • Choose your surgeon wisely. You should also choose your radiologist and your pathologist.
  • Needless to say, you choose your oncologist. Change your attending oncologist by all means if you are not satisfied with him/her.

http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2012/12/9/health/12417247&sec=health

A sickly sweet life, 7 October 2012

  • Sugar is as harmful to our health as tobacco and alcohol, and yet, by comparison, so little bad press is given to it. There is much science behind the harm of sugar.
  • All the food we take (even if it does not taste sweet) has sugar in it. Fruit and vegetables contain sugar to a varying degree. Eating fruit (whole, not canned or bottled) and consuming a healthy diet (fruits, vegetables, whole grain, blah blah blah) is more than sufficient for our caloric requirement.
  • The sugar and the sweetened condensed milk we spoon into our coffee and tea are harmful. And so is the sugar in sodas, rose syrup and other sweet drinks. Not to mention the sugar in candy, sweets, chocolates, doughnuts, cakes, nyonya kuih and biscuits encrusted with sugar.
  • All this sugar is refined sugar as opposed to unrefined sugar, which is found naturally in fruit, vegetable and meat. Refined sugar is usually made from cane sugar, but stripped of all its natural goodness.
  • The copious amounts of sugar we consume through all the sweet drinks and food make up another approximately 90 pounds (40.8kg) or more of sugar a year. This 90 to 100 pounds of refined sugar (whether sucrose or fructose) is, to use an accurate term, a poison, i.e. a harmful substance that has no benefit.
  • For starters, we should avoid all processed meats, including bacon (bak kua in our local context) and most sausages.

http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?sec=health&file=/2012/10/7/health/12127186

Fat chance of cancer, 13 July 2008

  • It also advises against eating more than 6 gm of salt per day. I can’t imagine what 6 gm of salt is but I do not add any salt at the table and I would reject all foods that taste perceptibly salty.
  • How do you tell the common folk that their 10 favourite foods are a no-no from the scientific health-wise point of view? Nasi lemak, roti canai, curry mee, wanton mee, burger, doughnuts, fries, char kuay teow, chicken rice and mee goreng are out.

http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2008/7/13/health/1567884&sec=health

Something about Dr C, 6 January 2013

  • Dr C also taught me a lesson in healthy eating. Whenever we dine together, I notice he attacks fruit and vegetables before all else. I begin with the canapés, he starts with the fruit. I end with the Coeur a la Crème, he ends with fruit.
  • You don’t know how very guilty I feel whenever I dine with Dr C. He tells me that the fruit will fill him up. That would make it difficult for him to consume much else. He drinks water mostly.

http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?sec=lifeliving&file=/2013/1/6/health/12522144

Only human, 10 June 21012 

  • My failing as a doctor is my impatience with the pronouncements of alternative and traditional medicine. I feel bad each time I try to explain science to my patients and know that at times I have hurt their feelings.
  • The rights of a patient matter a lot to me. This includes the right of privacy, and the right not to undergo treatment.
  • To me, it was her fundamental human right: to be treated, not to be treated, to map the rest of her life, to die at a time and manner of her choosing.

http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2012/6/10/health/11421917&sec=health

Of course, I must say you cannot expect me to agree with everything that Dr. Lim wrote. That is understandable. We stood at the opposite, extreme ends of the pole.  Nevertheless, let not our differences of knowledge, training or upbringing divide us. As human beings we are merely travelers on a journey of learning experience as we walk through life on this earth. Once our job is done, we are called HOME. No one lives forever. Doctors also get sick like any other mortals. And CANCER doctors do get cancer too. And they also can die of cancer. This is the reality or irony of life.

I am not a medical doctor. After teaching and researching in the university for 26 years I got involved with the alternative management of cancer. I used my scientific knowledge trying to find truth through a non-conventional view.

Dr. Lim’s death had brought forth one question I often ask myself. If one day I were to be inflicted with cancer – like those thousands who have come and to seek my help – would I keep this illness a secret? My blunt answer is: NO.  This is because I am here on earth for a reason – and I am on a journey to gain experience. I would want to share my trials   and tribulations with my fellow travelers. I believe it is important and fair on my part that I share with you not only my successes but also my bitter experiences. I take the view that my experiences would be useful lessons or examples for others to learn from. If I fail I have to tell you and warn you of the pitfalls of my journey. Some of you may not agree with my personal beliefs. That is perfectly okay with me too.

Recently, I interviewed a cancer patient and at the end of our conversation I asked if he would want me to cover his face for our video presentation. He said NO, there is nothing to be ashamed about if you have cancer. I did not commit any crime!  I have full respect for this patient and am very impressed and proud of such an attitude. To me, failure to win over cancer is not a failure.  I come to this conclusion because I have learned early in my cancer career that there is NO such thing as a (permanent) cure for cancer. You get cancer, you die. You may have a remission but that is not a cure. That seems to be the scenario all over the world today.

President Hugo Chavez died of cancer after four surgeries and lots of chemotherapy.  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and she died after much chemotherapy.  Ted Kennedy died of brain cancer. In this blog, I have written about Tony Snow  who died of colon cancer that had spread to his liver. Then there was a story about Steve Jobs who died of pancreatic cancer. In fact the list goes on.

The world’s most iconic scientist of our time, Nobel laureate James Watson also has (prostate) cancer.  And I was told he refused to undergo the standard medical treatment. In his recent talk, Dr. Watson said: There’s now pretty good research that suggests that if you take a baby aspirin a day, you get less cancer … So every morning, I take an anti-inflammatory, to the laughter from the audience. He joined in with his own distinctive, raspy chuckle and shrugged, asking: Why not?  Watson also takes Metformin. The drug is normally taken by people who have type-2 diabetes, but research shows that fewer of those taking the drug get cancer.  He said: If this is right, this is a bombshell, and all chemotherapy should be done with Metformin.

 Source: http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/PRN-watson-and-cancer-193383.aspx

In his blog, Dr. Palaniappan raised some interesting questions about Dr. Lim’s “secret adventure” with his cancer. This is what he wrote (http://ecohealingsystem.blogspot.com/):

  • With all the credentials, Dr. Lim must have been a real … capable radiologist and oncologist…. how can Dr. Lim, a CANCER SPECIALIST, die of CANCER?
  • If a heart specialist, a child specialist, a skin specialist … dies of cancer, he/she can be excused … How can a CANCER specialist die of CANCER? How can a cardiologist die of heart attack?
  • If such best brains do not have the capacity to guard themselves, how are they going to protect the common people? How can we accept them as guardians of our health? Great and disturbing doubts appear to have risen.     

You may wish to ponder what Dr. Palani’s said. You may agree or disagree with him.

To me, Malaysia has lost a good doctor. If Dr. Lim were to leave behind his legacy by writing about his “battle” against cancer it would be a greater help to all of us.  If scientific medicine, which he believed in so ardently, has been so effective against cancer, what is it that went wrong that he had to die of cancer? I am sure this is the question that most, if not all, cancer patients want to know.

I am reminded of what happened in France in the 19th century at the time of Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard – two great scientists of that period. Pasteur was a chemist and microbiologist, who put forward the germ theory. According to him diseases are caused by infectious microbes, that impair the functioning and structures of different organ systems. This paradigm is the basis for the use of antibiotics today.

Pasteur’s contemporary and friend, an equally great scientist, Claude Bernard was a physiologist. He argued the germs are not as important as the body’s internal environment – what he called le milieu intérieur. According to Bernard, The constancy of the interior environment is the condition for a free and independent life. Bernard thought that the body becomes susceptible to infectious agents only if the internal balance – or homeostasis as we now call it – is disturbed. After all, there are billions of microbes and bacteria inhabiting our guts, our blood, our whole body. Why do we sometimes get sick from them and sometimes not? When a bacterial or viral agent is “going around,” as we say, why do some people fall sick while others remain healthy?

History has it that when Pasteur was on his death-bed, he said:  Bernard is right. The microbe is nothing. The environment is everything.  With that confession, the world is left a bit wiser!

Source:  http://greenearthfound.blogspot.com/2009/09/louis-pasteur-versus-claude-bernard-on.html

Healing of Cancer is About You As A Person

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The author of this book, Tami Boehmer is a Stage 4 breast cancer patient. She wrote: I fought off depression and was haunted by the sinking feeling I was going to die. I felt useless and empty. I was searching for meaning in life. On one of my daily morning walks, an idea popped into my mind. “Why not write a book about other advanced stage cancer patients and how they beat the odds?” I thought it would not only be therapeutic for me, but it could help others. I knew from experience that people needed to hear success stories and the importance of hope in fighting cancer.

These miracle survivors taught me cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence. From them, I learned cancer was the beginning of a new way of life filled with appreciation, hope and discovering my potential.

Common attributes of “miracle survivors”

My biggest question was: What sets people apart who beat the odds of a terminal or incurable prognosis? As I was putting the stories together, I noticed many similarities among survivors. Rather than passively accepting their circumstances; they decided to transform them by:

  • Refusing to buy into statistics and the death sentences.
  • Never giving up, no matter what.
  • Relying on support from family, loved ones or support groups.
  • Choosing to look on the bright side and see the gifts that cancer brings.
  • Giving back and making a difference in other people’s lives.
  • Having a strong faith in God or something larger than themselves.
  • Being proactive participants in their health care.
  • Viewing their lives as transformed by their experience.

There are 27 chapters written by 27 outstanding cancer survivors. Let me quote what some of these champions said.

Greg Barnhill, 56 years old, intraocular melanoma and mesothelioma

I’ve had two rare diseases. Now to be alive and well – it’s a miracle. From the fall of 2001 to December 2006, I’ve had seven surgeries. I have no gallbladder, spleen, omentum, or left eye, but thanks to the man upstairs taking good care of me, I’m here. I believe it’s for a reason. My faith had a lot to do with my survival.

I’ve read we all have gifts and we should use them. Mine is compassion, and until now, I didn’t realize I had it. If this building burned down, I could tell you what you’d need to rebuild it. That’s not a gift, it’s skill. Compassion is a gift. I know what it’s like to lie there wondering if you’re going to live or die. Some of the patients I see don’t get any visitors because they’re from out of town. I can be there and let them know someone cares and understands.

Deb Violet, 55 years old, stage 3A lung cancer

I feel there was a reason I had lung cancer. Why did I get it, and why did I survive? I think it was so I could give back to society, help people with this disease, speak up and give them encouragement that they, too, can survive.

I wake up in the morning and thank God for the day because every day is a blessing. And when I crawl in bed at night, I thank God for the day, no matter how good or bad it was. Cancer has blessed me to be able to do that.

If I have inspired others and given them hope, I know my work is well worth it.

Cathy Winebrenner Wolfe, 38 years old, ovarian cancer

This experience has changed forever who I am as a person. It makes the little things seem nonexistent. I know what the big obstacles can be; I’ve already climbed that mountain. I am thankful for each and every day.

Bob Kiesendahl, 39 years old, chronic mylogeneous leukemia (CML)

It wasn’t a matter of IF I was going to survive, it was WHEN I survived. And I knew when this was all over; I wanted to do something to help others affected by cancer.

By sharing my story, I can say, “Cancer rearranges your priorities in life and puts things in perspective. I tell them how my cancer has never left me. It may have left my body, but it is always in the back of my head. I have chosen to embrace how the experience has changed me for the better, not what it has taken from me.

Brenda Michaels, 60 years old, cervical and breast cancer

I began to look at the emotional and spiritual components of disease. It opened my eyes, and I had a profound awakening as a result … and I wanted to share that with others. I never prayed, “God help me with this.” I always prayed from the position that, “Okay God, this is what’s happening. I am asking for guidance, and I’m open to receive.”

I started feeling grateful for all the good in my life, including my cancer. In that moment, cancer was the right thing for me to be experiencing because it was part of my waking-up process.

I was always trying to control everything. It’s incredibly fatiguing to try to control everything in life when in actuality there’s no control. I realised that while I couldn’t control events in my life, I COULD control my response to them. I could learn from it. I used to always have to be right as opposed to letting my spirit guide the ship. I’m not about being right anymore.

People think if you surrender to cancer, it will kill you. But that’s not true.

Paul Falk, 32 years old, acute myeloid leukemia

They gave us the choice of standard treatment protocol or an experimental one called the Denver Protocol. We chose the latter.

To kill the cancer, you have to prune the tree severely without killing it.

Lisa (mother): But when he was going through that, I started praying the rosary. I dozed off and woke up at 2 a.m. There was a beautiful lady dressed in white and she was sponging Paul’s head … and murmuring to him softly. The next morning … we knew that he (Paul) was going to be all right. We didn’t discuss it for a year because I thought I was nut. The woman in white obviously wasn’t a nurse. I have a friend who prays to Mary … (My friend) said, “… Mary has been here.”

We asked the doctor what happened to the other kids in the Denver Protocol. She told us ninety-seven had died, two were close to death, and one made it – that was me.

I believe I survived because I fought the disease and stayed positive. I understand now that even in grief and sorrow, God works through all our experiences.

Ann Fonfa, 61 years old, Stage 4 breast cancer

One of the things I like least about the medical establishment is when a doctor says, “You have two months to live.” They can’t know absolutely, so don’t believe it. Don’t accept it. Spit on it! Stomp on it! They’re wrong.

People used to call me and say, “I’m dying from cancer.” I’d say, “Wait, let’s have an attitude adjustment. You’re LIVING with cancer. Get that dying stuff out of your mind.

It is all how you look at it, not what is happening.

The big thing for me is to be able to help people in a meaningful way. I have that joy in my life ever day. Making a difference in people’s lives; that’s what keeps me going. It’s an incredible feeling.

Evan Mattingly, 43 years old, Stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer

One oncologist said I had three to five years to live; another said five to eight. I thought, “They’re both liars; I’m going to live longer than that!”

Steve Scott, 48 years old, Stage 4 colon cancer

You can talk to friends or relatives all you want, but they aren’t in the same orbit. You need to talk with others who are going through it. I saw other people going through this, and found there was something I could learn from each one of them.

We need to make a difference in the world. We understand now material things aren’t what we need in life. Connections to other people, empathy, and helping others are what’s important.

My advice to people who are going through a similar diagnosis is to never let a doctor take your hope away.

Jonny Imerman, 34 years old, Stage 4 testicular cancer

Cancer has taught me to live one day at a time. If you wake up happy and go to bed happy knowing you’re helping people, you can be grateful for that.

There is no question in my mind I had cancer because I was supposed to figure out a way to make the system better. I think people go through certain things because there’s a larger purpose. They see a gap and get passionate about filling it. I’m one of those guys. That’s what gets us stoked and motivated: knowing we’re making a difference.

Dave Massey, 51 years old, Stage 4 germ cell cancer

When my cancer was first discovered, my fate seemed sealed. The doctor told me if I wanted to live even six months, both my legs would need to be amputated at the hip … The doctor didn’t even determine what type of cancer I had. His motto appeared to be, “When in doubt, cut it out.”

Thankfully, I found another doctor who disagreed. I was successfully treated with legs intact.

The doctors told me they could save my legs, but the chemo would be very harsh. At times it felt as though they would figure out how much chemo would kill me, dump a little bit out, and give me the rest. In fact, the chemo almost killed me twice.

Once you’ve had cancer, everything else seems easy. It’s amazing how when you change the way you look at the world, the world changes. You just have to have faith it’s going to work out, and it always does. 

Charlie Capodanno, 10 years old, Stage 4 chroid plexus carcinoma (CPC)

Mother (Deirdre Carey): We believed in miracles and the power of prayer and held on to that one glimmer of hope. If his chances were one in a million, our thought was, there’s no reason he can’t be the one. We had our faith, which absolutely carried us through.

Attitude is the driving force of every action you take. You can live in a world of doom and gloom or you can rise above it.

Daniel Levy, 50 years old, oligodendroglioma

From my experience and from talking with other cancer survivors, I realize you must accept that you may die before you can do what’s necessary to go on living. Otherwise, you may freeze and not do everything you can to beat this or any other “terminal” illness.

The mind has a tremendous capacity to heal. I believe the act of participating in getting well helps make that happen.  I discovered I have to be my own primary care physician. You go to the doctors for their expertise, but they are fallible. I knew I need to make the final decision about what happens to me. I took charge of my own health and my treatment. That’s why I’m here today.

Mary Jocobson, 55 years old, adenocarcinoma

Actually, you have a 5 percent chance of surviving. When we cut you open, it’s going to spread. You already have about forty tumours all over the area. If we don’t do the surgery now, you’re not going to make it.

I didn’t die on the table, but I didn’t wake up from the surgery either. I was in a coma for two years. Doctors and nurses at San Diego Balboa Hospital kept me alive with feeding tubes, while treating the cancer with chemo, full-body radiation and hormones.

While doctors were studying my case, they found fifty other women with my type of cancer. But most women had died because they didn’t know how to treat it.

With all the hormones they gave me, I had gained a whopping 152 pounds. I was 160 pounds when I was admitted and left weighting 302. (My daughter told me) “Mom, the cancer didn’t kill you, but the weight will.”

… I went to the gym…within six months I slimmed down to 180 pounds … by the end of it … my body weight was down to 165 pounds.

Over the years, I made a name for myself. People thought it was a joke … I became the first woman to pull a 250-ton (500,000 pounds) train.  Today I hold the title as the world’s Strongest Woman in my age group.

It’s not a matter of how strong I am. I’m a normal, everyday woman. We’re all strong if we put our minds to it.

Buzz Sheffield, 59 year old, Stage 4 carcinoid cancer

I don’t wake up and fear dying; I don’t even think of dying. We’re all going to die. I know with Spirit guiding me, I’m strong enough to survive anything. If there’s a will, God always has the way. That’s what motivates me to keep going. Even when I’m in pain, I know it’s serving a purpose – usually it’s a reminder to slow down because I’m a very active person.

How long I’m here, it’s up to Spirit. I think there is one reason why I’m doing so well: God does not want me yet.

Denny Seewer, 60 years old, Ewing’s sarcoma

I began to vomit just driving to the office for the next chemo. The smell of the place made me nauseous. Everyone in the waiting room looked like I did – emaciated.

There were times when I felt totally alone. Even my wife could not truly understand how I felt since I was the one with cancer. I didn’t understand why it happened to ME. Most days I doubted that I would ever survive.

I remember a turning point … but it was not a pleasant one. I felt so utterly ill from treatments, I didn’t know if I wanted to live any longer. I was sitting on the toilet and vomiting into a bucket at the same time when I specifically asked God to either heal me or take me home. I had enough.

My advice to anyone facing a grim cancer diagnosis is to please never give up. God didn’t create you to go through this life and its unexpected turns all alone.

A word from Bernie Siegel, M.D.

Self-induced healing is not an accident or a spontaneous lucky occurrence. It takes work, and the work is learning to love ourselves, our lives, and our bodies. When we do that, our bodies do the best they can to keep us alive. Remember life is uncertain, so do what makes you happy and eat dessert first.

Foreword by Doug Ulman, survivor of chondrosarcoma  – President and CEO of Lance Armstrong Foundation

If all you do is share your story, you are doing a great deal. It is such a powerful testimony … its significance can’t be measured. Sharing your experience is almost always therapeutic for you, and the benefits to others are far-ranging … Knowing others have been down the same road is very powerful. People want to be inspired and hopeful.

Comments

These are stories of exceptional people. We honour them. Science cannot explain why they survived their terminal cancer. Neither can science hope to duplicate or replicate these successes. Theirs are stories about the resilience and endurance of the human spirit. Success is more than just undergoing surgery, chemo or radiation.

What strikes me most about these survivors is their desire and willingness to share – to give rather than to take all the time. This is indeed a rare human quality.

How many of us appreciate that at times it is more blessed to give than to receive?

At CA Care we receive many phone calls and emails every day. It is all people asking for help all the time.  We choose to set up CA Care to help others, so we have no complaints. We understand our role – most of the time being a doormat.

Let me share with some of my thinking about what cancer is all about.

Our Message For All Cancer Patients

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The last chapter of this book:  My Patients, My Teachers

Human mind is so wrapped up by pride and prejudice

 that proof can rarely penetrate it ~ Dr. S.I. McMillen in None of These Diseases

I have learnt many things from the hundreds of patients who come and see me. Each and every one of them will somehow bring me a lesson that I learn from – that is if I am willing enough to decipher the message. Therefore I always have to open my eyes and ears at all times. There are two levels of my learning. From the physical aspect, I learnt about the truth of the medical treatment of cancer. This truth is not commonly talked about or rarely documented – if at all, especially in medical journals. But come and sit with me every Friday and Sunday and hear what patients have got to say about their medical treatments. You will be shocked. Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, a medical doctor in New York, USA (in Knockout by Suzanne Somers) had put it very aptly when he said: It is hard for me to believe that an oncologist who has gone through four years of college, four years of medical school, three years of residency, and then three years of oncology post-residency training can’t connect the dots. You have to be an idiot not to be aware that for most of the cancers chemo isn’t doing anything. It’s all in the journals. It’s not like it’s a secret. The fact of the matter is that 95 percent of the patients who call my office haven been brutalized by the orthodox system … my staff just sits there dumbfounded by their stories, story after story, over and over again. Everyday.

You don’t need to be a doctor to know what the current medical treatments could do to patients. Try not to be blind and deaf and you may probably learn something. Anna D. Smith, a Broadway actress and playwright said: Cancer therapy is like beating the dog with a stick to get rid of his fleas.

I have learnt enough and have said enough about that physical aspect of cancer treatment, and I could go on a meaningless bashing spree. But this is not the purpose of this book. Let me remind you there is also a spiritual aspect of cancer. Pain, joy, and life have inner and deeper meaning. The lessons I learnt have indeed enriched and strengthened my belief in the Almighty Healer – call him God or whatever names you may wish. Things happen for a reason. The sooner we know the sooner we can find healing.

In the story of Ben (Chapter 3), I have learnt my first lesson about God’s way. Ben benefited from the herbs. His doctor said he only had two months to live. He did not die within the two months, instead he got better! For a raw, naïve, non-medical person – that was a great achievement – to be able to prove that the doctor was wrong. Ego gets into the head believing that now you are a hero! I ate my humble pie when Ben died a year and three months later. I wanted to give up CA Care – No use, I can’t cure Ben. It was then that I realized –Am I playing God? Life or death is not for man to decide. It is God’s prerogative. At best – however smart we may think we are, we can only postpone or defer death for only a while. When Ben was in the hospital, he told Cindy that there was no need for any more heroic act, he was ready to go. And he felt at peace. In retrospect and after much reflection, I believe that Ben was meant to be my first cancer teacher. I was raw and naïve and knew nothing about cancer. He was there to lead me. After he had finished his job, he left.

Cure and Magic Bullet

Many patients come to us – not wanting to see the left or right – they have only one aim, expecting and wanting us to cure their cancer. No, we cannot cure you! Don’t ever expect that after you have taken our herbs the cancer will go away the next day or a few weeks or months later. Such expectation is ridiculous. The situation becomes even more ridiculous when patients who come had already undergone all the medical treatments and failed. Yet when they come to us they expect a miracle – to be cured!  When I think of this – and it happens very often – I am flabbergasted. Simple common sense tells you that it is not possible and unreasonable.

Patients generally want to hear only what they want to hear. And they only want to find what they are looking for. We, at CA Care, spend hours talking to patients trying to help them – trying to make them see what has gone wrong and how to go about living again. But all too often it is just a waste of our time. After a week or two they write back and ask: Why is my CEA still high? Why has my tumour gone bigger? Why is my pain still there? Mind you, these are people who have failed in their medical treatments.

The next favourite question patients often asked is: What are the herbs doing for me? They would like to hear us say: The herbs are going to kill all the cancer cells, or The herbs are going to stop the cancer from spreading, etc., etc. Better still: The herbs are going to cure you of your cancer! These words are pleasing to their ears. But I know, right down in my heart, there is no truth in such claims. So, I would give patients this straight answer: I don’t know. I know they don’t like that answer but I am not going to sell my soul and tell them lies for the sake of being able to sell our herbs.

Let me quote what Dr. David Agus, an oncologist and professor of medicine and engineering at the University of South California (in The End of Illness) said: If you come to me for help in treating advanced cancer detected late … your game is likely to be over soon… I say it because it’s the truth … it’s a shame that the technology and innovation in medical research and treatment are so archaic, outdated, and, dare I say, in some cases barbaric.

Nobody has ever shown that most chemotherapy actually touches a cancer cell. It’s never been proven. Doctors such as myself arrive at solutions through plain old trial and error, and therefore we can’t always explain how things work. I can’t always tell you why a certain drug works or how it works other than to say I have seen results proving that it does. I also can’t always give you’re a straight answer as to which course of therapy might work for you. In fact, doctors – myself included – don’t actually know why these drugs kill cancer cells at all! There’s a lot of trial and error in my business.

Medical science and even an outstanding oncologist cannot answer with honesty this all important question that patients asked. And I am not going to give you half-baked answers to mislead you.

The reason why I say this goes back to spiritual integrity. I can get away by giving you cooked up answers that you want to hear, but is that right? I am reminded of the words of Harold Kushner, a Jewish rabbi: There is the morality of cleverness and wit, in which success means getting the better of the other person by means of a slick business deal or a clever answer. There is the morality of righteousness, in which the highest good is thoughtfulness toward others.

To me, cancer is not just about a tumour in your breast, lung or liver. It is about you, as a human being. There is a quotation: There is no incurable disease, only incurable people. I often tell patients: After talking to you for five minutes, I would probably know if I can help you or not. Many patients come with a lot of personal baggage – this has to be cleared off. Perhaps this personal luggage could be the source of the problem.

Healing on Your Own Terms

After helping thousands of patients over the years, I have learned that almost 70 percent of them are here to find a magic bullet or wanting to find cure on their own terms. Our therapy is not easy to follow. You need to heal yourself – and it is you and you alone who can heal you. Others can only help but you decide you own fate. No two persons taking the same path would end up at exactly the same destination. Cancer is about you as a person. If you are not able to change your mental attitude, your diet, your lifestyle, etc. no one else can help you. You are a goner if you come and tell me: If I cannot eat meat life is not worth living; I have no time to cook the herbs; The herbs taste awful, etc. There is another quotation: You can choose your ways but you can’t choose the result. No amount of money that you have can ensure that you get the result that you want when it comes to cancer.

Complacency

One frustrating lesson that I have learnt and seen happened over and over again is complacency. This problem arises because patients misunderstood or are misinformed that cancer can be cured. This misinformation is further compounded by the doctors’ pronouncement that everything is alright: I have taken off all the tumours; After five years you are cured, etc. There is no truth in such statements. Patients go home with false assurance and continue to live their previous lifestyle. Unfortunately, soon afterwards, they suffer a relapse i.e., the cancer comes back. One breast cancer patient asked her doctor: Why the recurrence? The doctor answered: Oh, it is just your luck.

We know of cases where cancer relapses even after ten to fifteen years of remission. This implies that there is no certainty of a complete cure for cancer. Perhaps cancer patients are not aware or have not been properly told of the disturbing fact that conventional medical treatments can only help, not cure. In her book, (The Activist Cancer Patient) Beverly Zakarian said: One of the few things known with certainty about (ovarian) cancer is that it is uncertain.

Do not be misled. If you think that you are done with cancer, cancer may not be done with you yet. So, do not be complacent. We take the view that patients need to consider the change to healthy lifestyle and diet as permanent. From our experience, we know that most patients would ask for their unhealthy and forbidden food the moment they feel well enough to talk and eat. This is indeed most regrettable and disappointing. It makes no sense to revert back to an old lifestyle or habits at the first sign of regained health. Also, patients may need to continue taking the herbs and cleanse the body for a long time yet. There are people who would reduce or totally stop taking the herbs after the initial signs of recovery. The risk of a relapse is too great to take any chances. We have numerous stories to tell you about cancer recurrence – and all too often being due to complacency.

Be Grateful

At CA Care we do not set a lofty goal. I hope the picture below impart our message to all of you. You need to cultivate your own well-being or your healing. You need to have time for yourself. After you follow our CA Care Therapy, you may lead a life without pain. And if you can eat, sleep, move around and move your bowels and pass your urine, then I say to you – What else do you want? Be grateful for what you are and what you have. Be grateful for being able to wake up in the morning and have another day.

 

However, CA Care is a wrong place to come and seek help if you want to see your cancer cured and gone forever. We just don’t have that cure you are seeking for. Go elsewhere and find someone else. And if you can find one who can cure your cancer, please let us know so that we can send all our CA Care patients there too.

Accept Reality

We fully understand that cancer patients want to live as normal a life as possible. They don’t want to be treated as sick people everywhere they go. They want to do what everyone else does. But this is where, common sense comes into play. You have to accept the reality of your situation. If you have cancer, there are things that you can do and things that you cannot do; no matter how well you may feel.

I recall one educated, professional man with pancreatic cancer. He came to see me after his surgery and said: I did the surgery in Singapore. My surgeon said he had removed all the cancer. He came home very confident after such reassuring words from his doctor. However, his medical report indicated that the head of the pancreas and gallbladder had been removed in addition to a part of his stomach, duodenum and proximal jejunum. This is indeed a serious case. Anyway, I did not want to say much, neither did I want to deflate his hope even though I knew that pancreatic cancer is one of the worst anyone could ever have. There is no cure for this. I was very aware that his man was in a denial mode.

I prescribed him herbs. He took the herbs and followed our diet. I must say he was fortunate to have a loving wife and family who cared for him and his food. And he lived in a lovely home.

His blood results for the first six months after taking herbs had been most encouraging. In these six months his CA 19.9 was around 1.0 and all his liver function enzymes were within normal range. However, on 2 November 2003, this patient, his wife and sister-in-law came and presented the results of his blood test and wanted to know why everything suddenly had become bad. Can anybody explain that? In the period from June to November, his CA 19.9 shot up to 417, and all his liver function enzymes were elevated. I told him: I am not god and I do not know everything. Worse still, I cannot fix everything when things go wrong! You have to pay the penalty for whatever wrong you have done! And I asked him point blank: Honestly, tell me what did you do differently in July, August, September and October? I did not know what you did, so I cannot guess. Tell me honestly what happened in those months. Then I drew a chart of his CA 19.9. From June to November, the value had shot up to 417. Why? How could this happen? I told him – You are an educated man and a professional. We all can agree that this graph does not tell a lie.

Reluctantly, he told me that in August 2003, he moved his job position from Penang to Kuala Lumpur because he had won a project. In January to July he lived in his home in Penang with his family. His wife took care of

him and kept an eye on his diet. In August he had to live in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur and needless to say, he was living on hotel food. Although he did not tell me, I came to know that he also traveled to some countries in Europe on business trips. All this happened after August 2003. And in November – barely three months after that, we could see the damage done.

As much as we would like to help, there was nothing much that we could do for him. The last time I saw him was on 2 November 2003 and he died in March 2004.

I often faced such situations – patients coming to me asking why their condition had deteriorated. My standard question is: What “sin” have you committed? Go back and think about what you have done – what you ate and what you did that you were not supposed to do – the answer is there. There is no need to pretend or try to play innocent.

This pancreatic cancer patient tried to justify his move to Kuala Lumpur by saying that he had to work to enable him to support his children’s university education. Granted, we all understand our obligations. But the sad truth, I learnt after his death, was that he was not a poor man. He left millions in his bank account! His only problem was he had NOT learnt life’s lesson – Enough is enough! I also learnt that greed often drives people to disaster.

I said this again and again, we at CA Care can only help you. Your healing is yours to seek and achieve. To those who truly need our help, we say this: Live and don’t give up hope. There is an option. There is hope. But if you want healing on your own terms and refuse to learn and change, then there is nothing much anyone can do to help you. 

This book is available in printed form at our centres only. E-book is available at

http://bookoncancer.com/productDetail.php?P_Id=56

 

Part 3: She Found Hope in CA Care

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In mid-May, our sister-in-law in Singapore called to inform us that her sister had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She became the fourth person in her family down with cancer. She requested to see us. Of course, we are here to help those who need our help.

We were indeed happy to know that after two and a half hours of conversation with us, Corinna had found hope in what we are doing. We did not promise her a cure – but we promised to do our best to help her! Are we just providing “false hope”? To cancer patients and skeptics, we have this message for them:

As we talked to Corinna that day, we saw the transformation in her! Watch this video!

Let me reproduce the e-mails that Corinna wrote.

26 May 2012

Hello Corinna, I spent the whole of Saturday editing your videos. What stood out is that the first hour at CA Care was probably the darkest hour of your life — never even smile! Then after that there was magic! You put on your sweet, infectious smile! What happened? Look at those photos —  would you like to tell us what happened inside you? We can share that will those who are going to read your story!

                                                         Her first hour of gloom

                                                     The break of dawn!

Dr Chris,  Thank you very much for the photos.

The first two pictures clearly reflected my fear, my frustrations and confusions.

Having been told by the Singapore oncologist that I have no hope and he couldn’t cure me, I was on the verge of giving up. Will this man (you,Dr Chris) who is talking to me now offer me any solution and hope? I was praying then that GOD will show me HIS direction. The 3rd photo showed my eyes closing talking to GOD.

When you started talking, I became more alert and your words slowly flowed to me and I experienced calm and peace.

I just felt at that moment GOD was communicating to me through you. God was telling me that HE will not abandon me, HIS child. You told me you are not the one curing me but GOD. Your words already healed me then as I have never spoken to any human who puts GOD above himself.

You have helped so many cancer patients, yet you are so humble and did not claim any credit for yourself but gave all to GOD as you believe HE did all the healing. You believe and witnessed many miracles. You helped reinstall my faith in GOD. I was lost but I found my way.

The last 4 photos showed my joy in knowing that it is not the end of the world. I will fight this battle with GOD’s help for my family, all who show me so much love and to you Dr Chris who brought life back to me.  

19 May 29012  Hi Dr Chris/Beng Im,

My husband Gerard, daughter Andrea and I would like to thank you both for the great hospitality on 17th May.

Prior to seeing you, I was lost and confused. I wanted very much to go ahead with chemo despite knowing that my chances of survival were extremely slim, if not zero. I am glad to have made the trip to Penang. You and your wife gave us so much warmth and love.

My faith in GOD has strengthened tremendously after hearing all your talks and stories. I felt like GOD was talking to me through you. I knew immediately then that if GOD brought me to this world so beautifully, why do I want to destroy the clean and pure body that he gave me with chemicals? We always say, Let Nature takes its course – so why don’t I let the herbs and plants from Nature and God Almighty heals me.

I have started taking all the herbs on 18 May and they are so sweet smelling, reminds me of what our parents used to give us when we were young. I didn’t feel any pain throughout the day except vomited once in the evening, probably receiving too many visitors and tired myself out.

I slept last night from 11pm to 3.30 am without taking any further painkiller. My sleep was probably disturbed by my colleague sms  telling me that she lost her job. I felt sorry for her as she is under great pressure.

This morning, Gerard and I went to the beach for a stroll. My back was aching but I feel so great now after taking your herbs. I have faith in all your herbs and GOD above will help me walk this difficult path too.

Thanks once again for everything Dr. Chris and I will continue to update you on my progress. May GOD Bless you and Beng Im always as this world needs you both to bring joy, hope and happiness.

Warmest regards
Corinna

22 May 2012  Good afternoon Dr Chris,

Guess who called me earlier? I was shocked that he called me personally — The Oncologist !!!!! He asked me why I didn’t follow up with him after seeing him last Monday 14 May. He said I should go for treatment as he thinks there is still hope for me (??????).

I told him I have decided to go for herbal and he repeated that I should reconsider chemo. He said he has read my blood and urine test and I should seriously consider chemo. He asked me to go down to his clinic for further advice as he feels I should give him a chance to talk to me.

I am surprised that someone who dashed my hope reversed his gear so fast. Suddenly he thinks there is hope when in the first place he didn’t even read all my test reports last week when I was in his clinic. I would have waivered if not for the faith you built in me. I am glad that I am strong enough to know what I myself want.

I have already put all my trust in GOD and in your herbs and I will stand by my own decision.

Today is my 5th day on your herbs and I am already feeling so much better. The pain has sudsided a lot and I am much stronger, happier and able to sleep well at night.

Once again I thank you very much for helping me and enlightening me in my most difficult time of my life.  

24 May 2012  Dear Dr Chris,

Thanks very much for your reply and great advice. I would like to update you on my progress as today is my 7th day taking yr herbs. For the past few days, I am able to go to the beach for a walk every morning for half to an hour. But when I am back, I will feel a little tired, on/off nauseous and some discomfort when I cough with spasms from my abdomen once or twice. Strangely thereafter, I would look forward to taking your herbs and every day after the first bowl, all my tiredness, nauseating and discomfort disappeared.

By noon, I become very lively and energetic and I don’t even feel that I’m sick. I know that the herbs are working well on me as my appetite has improved tremendously. I’m following the strict healthy diet recommended by your wonderful wife and I’m glad I have the discipline to do so.

Yes, you can go ahead and write my story even with my name / identity and face. There is no need to mask my “pretty” face – ha, ha, ha!!!! I give you my full approval. I believe God sent you to heal me as you give me so much joy and comfort at my darkest moment in my life when I’m lost and confused. I would have given up and surrendered if not for my prayers been answered by GOD to show me direction to find life again.

Tks vm

Warmest regards, Corinna

Her full story:

Part 1: An Encounter with an Oncologist – A great disappointment

Part 2: Conversation with Chris Teo in Penang

Part 3: She found Hope in CA Care 

Note: After taking herbs for 2 to 3 weeks, patient decided she wanted to go for chemotherapy. While of chemo, she died in the early morning of 12 December 2012.