Why Do We Get Cancer?

This article is a little different from the others because I’m truly concerned. The number of cancer cases is rising across the world, and 25 per cent of the population in wealthier economic stratas will get some form of cancer in the coming years. As a holistic cancer healer, I have worked with cancer patients to heal without conventional treatment, with conventional treatment and negate side effects of conventional treatment. And I have realised that conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are quite ineffective for many cancers, a fact that has been proven time and again in so many clinical studies.

So what causes cancer and how can we prevent, manage or reverse it more successfully? How can we avoid the bad quality of life, conventional treatments give us and live a long life even if we get cancer? The answers are actually simple and going back to basics. Every research has shown that behind “spontaneous remissions”, which means that the cancer begins to disappear or not spread without any conventional treatment, is the painstaking effort of every cancer patient and his/her loved ones in following an anti-cancer lifestyle and very, very consciously reducing stress. If we have to make a pie for holistic strategies to treat cancer, it would have percentages listed below in terms of treatment:

•Anti-cancer diet and nutrition: 25 per cent
•Anti-cancer exercise: 25 per cent
•Stress release and guided imagery to reduce emotional baggage: 50 per cent

Yes, you could be eating right, not smoking, being a vegetarian but if you carry stress and emotional baggage around, you will accumulate toxins that can mar your health and promote bad cells growth. So what are the things you can do to keep the good cells going strong and cancer cells down? Here they are:

Fix your plate. I don’t have to keep repeating the obvious, right? 50 per cent of your plate should be vegetable and salads of different colours, 20 per cent should be complex, high fibre carbohydrates, 20 per cent should be proteins and 10 per cent good fats like nuts, seeds and raw extra virgin olive oil. Vegetarian protein can include tofu, nuts & seeds, yoghurt and non vegetarian protein can include full eggs and oily fish.

Fit in exercise. Exercise should alternate between a 45 min walk and yoga to strengthen joints and reduce inflammation. It should also be moderate, not light or heavy. Heavy exercise causes oxidative stress that produces free radicals that kill the good cells in our bodies, thereby lowering our own body’s defence towards fighting bad (cancer) cells. Moderate exercise pacifies lymph nodes, which control our immunity, hence making our immune system strong and equipping it to fight any disease.

Sleep 8 hours. If you’re not rested and rejuvenated, your body’s immune response dulls and increases inflammation, even if you’re eating the best diet. This makes the body defenseless to attack from bad cells.

Meditate. This is the most effective and the most difficult task to do. I remember when I began meditation, the pranayamas were easier, but to just sit with my eyes closed and try and empty my mind when there were a million things going on, was the toughest. But guided meditation music helped me. It can help you too. Look for albums with guided imagery, voice meditation, easy peace as key words. Put on your headphones, sit in a quiet place, and allow the album to guide you. There is usually a soothing voice asking you to breathe deeply and visualise. Guided meditation has been linked with many cases of “spontaneous remissions” in cancer treatment. Even oncologists were amazed to see patients’ cancer going into remission without any chemotherapy, radiation or drugs due to guided imagery.

Cancer is a lifestyle disease, like any other. Fix your lifestyle, to fix your number of good cells and equip them to fight the bad ones. Amen.