RETHINKING CANCER
A Brave New World of Effective Natural Therapies by Linda Sechrist
S
usan Silberstein takes her message for preventing cancer and recur- rences to medical and nursing
schools, continuing oncology nursing education programs and universities from her
BeatCancer.org headquarters in Richboro, Pennsylvania. The nonprofit organization provides research-based education and counseling on how to prevent, cope with and beat cancer through immune-boosting holistic ap- proaches. Since 1977, it has helped nearly 30,000 cancer patients and more than 50,000 prevention seekers. “Early detection is better than
late detection, but it’s not preven- tion,” says Silberstein, who taught the psychology of health and disease at Pennsylvania’s Immaculata University. “We focus on building up patients— minimizing treatment side effects, enhancing immune system function, improving nutritional status and ad- dressing the reasons for sickness in the first place.” “Conventional medicine never
addresses the cause, which is a pro- cess that needs to be understood so the individual can turn it off,” elaborates Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology-trained
scientist Raymond Francis, author of Never Fear Cancer Again: How to Prevent and Reverse Can- cer. Based on his experi- ence beating cancer and
14 Natural Awakenings San Antonio
research into cellular biochemistry and molecular biology, he concluded that the disease is a biological process that affects the entire body, not something that can be cut out, killed or poisoned. “Central to healing and prevention is the elimination of things that fuel the growth of cancer cells, such as sugar, toxins, heavy metals, nutrient-deficient processed foods and an acidic environ- ment in the body,” observes Francis. “Regular exercise, a daily, high-quality multivitamin and detoxification are equally crucial to restoring the body’s biological terrain.” Doctor of Naturopathy Judy Seeger,
founder of
CancerCleanseCamp.com and host of
CancerAnswers.TV and Cancer Winner Radio, recommends both a regular detoxification regimen and ongoing healthy nutritional plan to help maintain a healing alkaline envi- ronment. While this helps cleanse the body of environmental toxins, the toxic emotions and stress that produce acid, weaken the immune system and create an environment for cancer to propagate, must also be dealt with. Experts generally agree on a range
of basic, commonsense preventive mea- sures that include a low-fat, plant-based diet; aerobic, flexibility and strength exercises; healthy sleep habits; and other stress-reducing activities. “These are basic ingredients for maintaining sound health, and can be crucial toward im- proving the health of an individual with cancer,” says Dr. Keith Block, the “father of integrative oncology,” and author of Life Over Cancer. He founded The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, in Skokie, Illinois, that customizes care plans based on each person’s medical, biochemical, physical, nutritional and psychosocial needs.
Nourish Biochemistry Thousands of cancer patients have outlived their “medical expiration date” by using alternative nontoxic treatments and approaches, many of which are documented in Outsmart Your Cancer, by Tanya Harter Pierce. Lou Dina, a cancer survivor who
like Francis, underwent a journey of intensive research, became a patient ad- vocate and authored Cancer: A Rational Approach to Long-Term Recovery. Dina speaks at conventions hosted by the Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy (FACT), founded in 1971 by Ruth Sackman. He also appears with other survivors in the FACT documen- tary based on Sackman’s book, Rethink- ing Cancer: Non-Traditional Approaches to the Theories, Treatments and Preven- tion of Cancer. From decades of findings by inter-
national clinicians, FACT educates prac- titioners and patients to view chronic degenerative diseases as systematic malfunctions caused by breakdowns in the balance of body chemistry that are subject to bio-repair. However mani- fested, they are viewed as correctable and controllable via an individualized program that includes a balanced diet of whole, unprocessed, organic foods— spurred by Gerson therapy that floods the body with organically grown nutri- ents—supplementation and detoxifica- tion. Other key measures involve body temperature therapy, cellular and stem cell therapies and the use of botanicals. “Nutrients in food directly impact
the mechanisms by which cancer cells grow and spread,” explains Block. “They also indirectly impact cancer by changing the surrounding biochemical conditions that either promote or inhibit the progression of malignant disease. This is why targeting only tumors is not enough to quash cancer. Conventional cancer therapies almost inevitably leave behind at least a small number of malig- nant cells. Your internal biochemical ter- rain plays an integral role in determining whether a tumor will regain a foothold after treatment, metastasize to distant sites or stay where it is without posing a threat.” Block notes that a healthy bio-
chemistry can help prevent unpleasant and possibly life-threatening, compli-
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