As some of you may know, in April of 2010 I was hospitalized and diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer that had metastasized to my liver and lungs. At that time my liver was starting to fail. It was enlarged, had "innumerable" lesions, I was jaundiced, severely anemic and in pain. I was given a 4-6 month prognosis. I made a few changes to my lifestyle and diet, but nothing major. I started supplementing and went on chemotherapy in June 2010.
It took a few months, but my liver slowly began functioning normal again, despite the cancer throughout. By the summer of 2012, I had been through over 50 rounds of chemotherapy. My liver had improved a bit, but my lungs continued to decline. Chemo may have slowed my cancer, but I had to come to a realization that it was never going to cure me. So, after about three months of research on every bit of information I could find, searching to answer every question I had... it all came down to the fact that I needed to be on an organic, nutritionally dense, plant based diet, completely free of meat and dairy, processed foods, refined sugars, gluten and chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, etc. So, October began my new journey. A journey into a completely different eating style. I never thought I ate "that bad" before, until I really dug my heels in, did the research and started really reading labels. I then realized that everything I have put into and on my body my entire life had brought me to where I am now. Genetics play a part, but the Standard American Diet, aka the SAD diet, with all of the refined foods, chemical additives, pesticides, low nutrient content, is a deadly, horrible way to play Russian Roulette.
The more I read about cancer the more I realize that it is not just the toxins we are constantly subjected to, but also a nutritional deficiency caused by the SAD diet. There is a really good video I will link that talks about a plant based diet vs the SAD diet and health risks.
If you look at the leading causes of death in the US, you can trace almost all of them back to our very unhealthy diets. Sure some people seem fine and tolerate it better than others, but why do we want to take any chance when we can take control of our lives and prevent it? I was 40 years old when I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I was oblivious to the facts and went about life as if nothing was wrong, even though for the last year before diagnosis I was steadily declining. I barely had the energy to climb a flight of stairs, had unexplained pain in my side on a constant basis, I was extremely pale, starting to yellow and sickly looking. I knew something was wrong but didn't think it was any big deal. Yet, my liver was failing and I was bleeding internally, becoming increasingly weak and anemic.
Since I switched to this diet my energy has increased, I have lost 30lbs (that I needed to loose), I sleep more soundly and stopped taking Ambien, I have had a huge mood improvement, I am much happier and active, and my blood glucose levels have improved dramatically. It has now been about 5 months. Even if I were disease free tomorrow, I would never go back to the way I used to eat, I am so much happier now, eating so many veggies is like taking an anti-depressant. Did you know that veggies contain serotonin?
I eat a high alkaline diet, I juice, drink green smoothies, eat a plethora of raw and cooked veggies, lots of leafy greens, some nuts and seeds, like almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax seeds. I eat as much raw veggies as I can, at the least over 50% raw per day up to 100% some days, averaging about 75%. I eat a very low glycemic, low fat diet and eat very little whole grains, never ever wheat, rye or barley as they contain gluten. Even if you do not have Celiac disease, gluten causes inflammation in your gut which can reap all kinds of havoc. Your immune system is highly tied to your digestive system. I also take pro-biotics, it is crucially important, especially if you are on chemotherapy. Besides the pro-biotic I supplement a daily vitamin, and curcumin, vitamin D and iodine. I also slowly switched over all of my body care products to natural, chemical free, since our skin is our largest organ and absorbs 80% of what we put on it. I could not do it all at once, I did it as I ran out of things or had the extra money. I use fluoride free, chemical free toothpaste, aluminum free deodorant, chemical free plant based laundry detergent, lotions, soaps, I even started replacing my make up.
After two years of just chemo the lesions had shrunk but not disappeared. I have only had one scan since I changed my diet and that was only a month or two after my change. The first scan I had after only 2 months of the diet change it showed the dramatic difference in my liver. There is only one tumor left. My lungs, which all along have been declining, each scan showing more tumors and more growth, for the first time there was no noticeable increase. I don't know what the next scan will hold for me, but I am hoping to see more positive changes. I have continued to take chemotherapy along with my diet. I am going to try to get something worked out to go to Hippocrates Health Institute and completely go off chemo.
I am writing this blog to help others who have been diagnosed with this disease and those who want to prevent disease. I do not claim to be an expert on the subjects of the diet or disease. I merely want this to be a spring board, and want to help people who don't know where to start. I encourage you to take this information as a starting point of your own research.
In closing, I may be a day late and dollar short, but there are so many people out there who have cured their cancer by diet alone. I really wish I had done this the day I was diagnosed, no, I take that back, I wish I had done this as soon as I was able to be in control of my own diet, long before cancer. But, I am remaining positive and really feel that this will make a difference, especially since my cancer is not a super aggressive one. Anyway I hope that this information can help some, and the whole purpose of my blog is to be a spring board for others in their journey to a healthier lifestyle. Don't just ignore this and think it won't happen to you, as I did.
I will be continuing to update this page and the links as I come across more information.
Natural Health Institutes:
Hippocrates Health Institute
Gerson Institute
Hallelujah Acres
Videsos on a Plant Based Diets
Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death
The Role of Meat in the Diet
Nutrition Information Links:
Chris Beat Cancer
Plant Based Diet Fighting Breast Cancer Cells
Plant Based Diet & Cancer
Cancer fighting properties of Broccoli
Cancer Fighting Foods
Microwaving Food "Nukes" Food at a Cellular Level
Simple Cancer Remedies
Prevent Disease
Vitamin D
Probiotics & Your Immune System (it is especially important to take Pro-Biotics during chemotherapy)
More On Fighting Breast Cancer
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