Chemotherapy: Is it Effective?

Am I asking a tricky question? Many would tend to think so, or yet, quickly answer: “Yes!”, however, when you ask them how they got to their conclusion, the only answer they can come up with is: “Doctors say it is.”

It is unfortunate, and unfortunately I am saying that it is unfortunate, that we have grown to trust medical doctors more than we trust common sense. It is nearly unfathomable for most to think that the common sense and God-given instinct about lifestyle and food choices could be better than a doctor’s advice. But, are the doctors telling us the truth?

History of Chemo “Therapy”
The first drug used for chemo therapy (treatment with chemicals that kill both bad AND good cells) can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. Mustard gas was used during WWI and WWII. During WWII a group of people was exposed to it and was found to have low white cell count. Without any studies, it was then assumed that this gas will have the same effect on cancer cells. In 1940s, instead of exposing patients to gas form of this chemical, several patients were administered the agent intravenously. The was an improvement in them… BUT only temporarily. The pharmaceutical industry quickly jumped at the opportunity to make more money. A promise of life, as short and miserable as it could be during and following chemo, although no one would advertise such facts, was worth big money to those suffering and to their families. The researchers, instead of doing long-term, in-depth studies of the effectiveness of the new-found miracle cure, started to look for other chemicals that would produce same results. Since then chemo drug development has exploded into a multi-billion unstoppable industry.

Side-Effects
(I am not sure what we call it “side” effects—these are newly induced diseases caused by poisonous chemicals)
This is an INCOMPLETE list
• Pain
• Erythema
• Nausea
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Anemia
• Malnutrition
• Hair loss
• Memory loss
• Depression of the immune system, hence (potentially lethal) infections and sepsis
• Dehydration
• Vertigo
• Hematoma
• Dry mouth/ xerostomia
• Psychosocial distress
• Weight loss or gain
• Hemorrhage
• Water retention
• Sexual impotence
• Secondary neoplasms

Damage to specific organs may occur, with resultant symptoms:
• Cardiotoxicity (heart damage)
• Hepatotoxicity (liver damage)
• Nephrotoxicity (kidney damage)
• Ototoxicity (damage to the inner ear)

I hope you are starting to think now… Independently, I mean. Given the list of these side-effects, who in their normal mind would ever call this “therapy” or a “treatment”? Even if you were to make it, by some miracle, you are damaged from within irreversibly. Hair loss is the least of all evils on this list in my opinion. So, please excuse me, but from this point on I will stop using term “therapy” in conjunction with such torture.

• Immunosuppression and myelosuppression
o Chemo cause depression of the immune system. Often it happens due to paralysis of the bone marrow and leading to a decrease of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. The latter two, when they occur, are improved with blood transfusion.
o In very severe myelosuppression almost all the bone marrow stem cells (cells that produce white and red blood cells) are destroyed.
• Nausea and vomiting
o Chemo induces stimulation of the vomiting center in the brain. However, the drug companies did not leave their patients “hanging”, or should I say “vomiting their guts out”, they came up with… yep, you guessed it, more medication that could suppress or alleviate or delay some of such reactions.

I don’t know about you, but I am already sick to my stomach just talking about adverse reactions to a “healing therapy”. Is it any surprise that millions of cancer patients die even when treated? Doctors won’t admit to this, but most of them die not due to cancer eating away at their bodies, but due to chemo (and all is adverse reactions you just read about). I will move on to what can provide me with an answer to the topic of this post: Chemotherapy: Is it Effective?

Statistics
Have you ever wondered about the fact that you only hear about 5-year survival rates when it comes to chemo? Yet, millions of people undergo the “treatment”. Just imagine if you had any other disease; let’s say an infection in your big tow. You go to see a doctor, and he proceeds to tell you that he will treat you, although while being treated you will be sick, you will lose hair, you won’t be able to function, but… maybe, just maybe, you will live, and maybe, just maybe you will live up to 5 years after the treatment. Will you still do it?

What if the doctor told you that there is only 5-year 2% survival rate* for patients with your condition? Will you still be willing to roll the dice and take a chance to be 1 out of 50 people that might live up to 5 years after the “treatment”? Or would you rather take your chances, change what you can in your life and diet and help your body heal itself, and maybe live another 10-20 years… or, if you do die, at least die without hair loss, nausea, loss of your immune system, etc.?

* [Royal North Shore Hospital Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2005 Jun;17(4):294.]

Conclusion
I hope, albeit this is a short post, you have drawn at least a small understanding of my take on whether chemo is effective or not. And if you are lost, somehow, the answer is an emphatic "NO"!

I was prompted to write about this after learning that at least four people that I know were affected by the cancer industry:
1. Mr. C, of whom I have spoken on this blog, who had received a series of chemo treatments and then was left to die (“No Hope” they told him);
2. A wonderful young lady that I work with has a brother who had just undergone a surgery, losing many of internal organs, after being diagnosed with cancer. He was already told that it will not stop the spread of cancerous cells, but… they did it anyhow, since money, apparently is more important than the human life.
3. My photographer friend’s acquaintance was diagnosed with cancer and is being sent into a surgery… with chemo to follow.
4. My niece’s young, very young friend was diagnosed with cancer and was immediately sent into surgery, having been told that even if she survives she will not have children. I am certain that chemo “offering” will immediately follow the surgery.

Chemo is ineffective. What IS effective is a preventative lifestyle and diet. What is effective for most chemo casualties in reversing and beating cancer is a change to low-fat all plant based whole foods diet and improving their overall lifestyle (activity level and chemical reduction in their surroundings). God created our bodies with a wonderful defense-mechanism called Immune System. It is only when we weaken it (our defenses) that our bodies become prone to getting sick. Chemo weakens our immunity even further, so it makes NO LOGICAL sense to believe it can help. Whole plant based organic diet provides essential material for our bodies to strengthen its immunity and beat foreign invaders, such as cancerous cells, even after they had a chance to multiply and implant themselves into our bodies.

To learn more on the topic of a plant-based diet make sure to come to my next information session. You can find details about it here a couple of posts below, or by clicking HERE. I hope that your curiosity has peeked enough and I will see you there.

I end with a cartoon that speaks volumes on the topic.


Until next time: Live an Unprocessed Life!

Surviving Cancer: Update

Last week I met (in person) with my mentee that is fighting cancer (let’s keep calling him Mr. C, until he is ready to share his own story with us, which I pray will happen in the near future).

I woke up early last Saturday. Demetrye went to train for marathon (see post below) and I was off to visit with Mr. C. It was almost 5-6 weeks since we initially met and, although, we communicated via phone and e-mail, there is nothing like actually seeing the person. I wanted to see his skin color, his posture, and his energy level. I wanted to go through his cupboards and the fridge to see what was really going into his body (I do that with people I consult, if you are wondering… : ) It is not my normal behavior, though, so don’t be scared to invite me over : ) )

When I got to Mr. C’s house he greeted me at the door. I was so pleased with what I observed. His skin, once yellow and tightened, now has a healthy glow to it. His eyes are full of living fires and zest for life. He no longer looks as exhausted as the first time I met him. There is more of a spring to his step, instead of a painful shuffle I observed on our first visit.

Mr. C and I chit-chatted while I grilled him about his food, his appliances and exercise. I was so excited by the changes that were made since I last rummaged through his kitchen. His counters are lined with super-machines: Vita-Mix blender, Green Star juicer, Excalibur dehydrator, a food processor, and a sprouter! It is every raw foodist’s Dream Team!

As Mr. C shared with me about his successes and temptations we threw together a cracker mix and laid it out on a dehydrator sheet—a great way to spice up an all raw, cancer fighting diet. Since Mr. C cannot consume sugary fruits (sugar feeds cancer, so even fruit sugars should be avoided until cancer is terminated), there has to be a way for him to add a new dimension to his diet and keep his palette satisfied, while eradicating cancer from within. We combined flax seed (we ground a portion and kept second portion as whole seeds) with garlic, tomatoes and celery, with a bit of water, and spread it to dry. I am planning to check with Mr. C to see how he enjoyed his treat.

Mr. C told me about an amazing awakening in his spiritual life and how he was divinely assisted in making a decision concerning his recovery path. I so pleased to hear it! I always encourage people to keep journals when switching from SAD (Standard American Diet) to whole foods diet. As the body purifies itself the mind gets clearer, and the spirit gets stronger. The voice of God is no longer clouded with toxic effects of poisonous food, so we are able to hear Him clearly.

Mr. C is also now able to move more. He now has enough energy to exercise and even mow his lawn. He is even planning on building himself a sauna! That’s a way to go, Mr. C! Plan your future! He is also developing his own garden where he will be growing delicious organic produce.

Mr. C had told me that he already has gone one full day with NO PAIN MEDICATION! I am certain that he will have many more of them.

Mr. C’s next check-up and physical tests are scheduled for the end of June. I know that the war is not over yet and I am not certain when it will end, but we are winning it—one battle at a time. We will keep praying for his complete recovery while giving his body tools to rejuvenate. Mr. C has more good days now, although he still has his bad days. But we know that all things are possible, because we believe in Mr. C’s Creator’s ability to perform miracles.

Please pray for Mr. C—he is an amazing family man and a community member. His family and the rest of us need him to hang around a while longer.

I will keep you posted on his progress.

Update Time!

My cancer mentee called me today! (Since I don’t want to divulge my friend’s name, until I have his approval, I have no gentler way to describe him. But let's call him Mr. C!)

I had tried to stay in touch with him and his wife, but it was a challenge in the last couple of weeks, so I let it go. I came to the conclusion that I gave them enough tools to start this journey and the rest is up to them.

He e-mailed me a couple of days ago, but I have not had time to respond, so he actually called me. How exciting—I finally saw the proactive side of him!

He simply called to report on his progress, which is very uplifting. Keep in mind that this man was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and by now, after chemo had failed and weakened him miserably, the doctors told him there is nothing else they could do for him, except maybe surgery on his thyroid, but even with that he is sure to die… at least that’s what they told him.

He called to tell me that he has more energy than he had in a long time—he is now exercising, mowing his lawn, traveling. A part of his femur bone was removed due to cancer, so he was in constant pain and discomfort. He told me that the pain has now lessened! When I first met him about 5 weeks ago, he had to take frequent naps, because he was so week. He told me that he does not have to knap as much anymore. He sound better too! Oh, and when I met him he was slightly overweight—he was able to lose 15 lbs without trying!

He also told me that the clarity of mind is returning to him, as well as his sight is improving! Is that awesome or what? He also reported that he became more spiritually in tune with God, which melted my heart. One of the things I tell people to do that start on the whole foods lifestyle is to always keep a journal handy. As you regain control of your body, you—your spirit, strengthens and gets control over your mind and flesh, thus making it easier for the voice of God to get through to you. If you are walking with God, you will experience a relationship with Him on a whole new level—you hear His voice better, you start having meaningful dreams, you are full of revelations and ideas. After all, you are living a fasted life!

But, back to my friend…

He went to see his oncologist a couple of days ago, and the oncologist was impressed so much with his improvement that he took detailed notes about my friend’s diet and lifestyle change and said that he will order and read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I am tickled!

For someone who started on an all raw diet he and his wife are making huge strides! Animal products are especially harmful for cancer patients, and I was impressed to learn that he fell to temptation only twice in the last 5 weeks, but what impressed me, is that he knew how bad it was for him, so he took immediate steps to get it out of his system—through juicing and green smoothies! Way to go!

When I met this man, I told him that I have no guarantees for his life, except that the quality of his life will improve. But I also told him that we don’t only depend on food for healing, we also know the Creator of that food that can complete the work of healing—He can guarantee whatever He chooses. In fact, He already did on the Cross! So, we are still praying for a complete recovery for my friend. Since he has become responsible for his health and took the ownership of his life, he now has the boldness to come to his Creator, and ask for the gift of Health! And our Lord might just amazes us once again!

If you are reading this blog, and you are a believer in Christ, make sure to mention my friend, Mr. C, in your prayer today—help to bring the miracle around!