An Overview of Healing

This post is in response to a comment left by Amanda who requested that I give a summary of my healing journey, including the ups and downs, over the past two years. It's been quite a trip and it's not over yet, even though I've been cancer-free since January 2008. As I've achieved a greater state of health I've become more in-tune with the needs of my body and I have a better understanding of the connection between my physical and spiritual well-being. This journey is not a temporary phase of my life, as I once thought it would be, but rather a lifetime committment to reach my greatest potential on all levels of body, mind and spirit. This opportunity wouldn't have presented itself had I not been diagnosed with cancer and chosen an alternative natural path to healing.

I've remained faithful to a plant-based diet since early 2006 which I believe is the most important contributor to my healing. It wasn't always easy to stay the course but my desire to reverse the cancer kept me motivated. My exams at three-month intervals showed that the cancer had stabilized and the tumor markers were slowly declining. Despite all my good efforts there were a few times when the markers were unpredictable - up a little, then down a little on the next visit, then up again. That sometimes felt defeating, but I understood that this type of bloodwork isn't always reliable. It's more cause for concern when the tumor marker continuously rises by many points at a time. That didn't happen for me but I still sometimes had doubts, and that's when it was tough to remain patient and faithful to my protocol. Keeping a possitive outlook was at times tricky but it became much easier when my tumor markers started to plumet.

I didn't start to see an uninterrupted downward trend in my tumor markers until I started fasting one day each week and then switched to a high-raw diet. (80-100% raw). I believe this helped my body to detoxify on deeper levels than were possible with mostly cooked food. Fasting once a week wasn't easy but I felt it was important to periodically divert my body's energy from digestive tasks to deeper healing. With habitual practice fasting became easier. I've since gotten out of the habit of regular fasting but I keep trying.

It took a period of several months for me to switch to 100% raw. My first attempt at 30 days raw was a huge struggle. I felt deprived mainly because I missed the grains. I continued to research, learning more about how to prepare raw foods, what to have on hand, etc. and in early 2008, after several months of being high-raw, I transitioned to 100%. It's now my preferred way of eating.

Here's a picture of the residual nodules on my neck that was taken about a year ago.







...and this was just a few weeks ago.


It's hard to tell if there's much change since the lighting is different.
These nodules may be scar tissue, I'm not sure. They were noticeably larger and brighter pink when the cancer was still active and spreading. This is about all that's left and they're stubborn. I've tried therapeutic doses of enzymes, daily infrared sauna sessions, and countless other attempts to dissolve them, but they're not yet ready to budge. They are a reminder to me that my body has other important rebuilding work to do and will get to these later. Stay tuned for my next post when I'll write more about raw foods, my dry eyes and supplements.

Long Time No Post

My winter crops


It’s been such a long time since my last post and lately I’ve received emails from people wondering how I’m doing. Well, I’ve been doing great – just too busy to even think about posting. Since this is day one of my spring cleanse I decided that now would be the perfect time to resume posting. I was going to wait until after the holiday on Tuesday but when I woke this morning I felt ready and eager to begin.

Allow me to back up a little bit before I get into my cleansing plans. First, for those who have asked - I’ve been cancer free since January 2008, just over one year now! I have my tumor markers checked every 4 months and last time the reading was at 17, which was great news because the normal range is 0–40. I’m due for my next check-up in early June, and my next thermascan will be in August. (If you’re not familiar with thermography you should be! It’s an alternative to mammography which you can read about in my report below this post. I've mentioned it before on this blogsite and I'll continue to do my best to get the word out about thermography).

My diet is still “high-raw”, which in my case means that 95-100% of my food is uncooked: fruits, vegetables, greens, sprouts, nuts, seeds and juice. Last year (or was it the year before? I’m losing track) I had blood work as well as hair and urine analysis and found out that I had high levels of heavy metals including mercury in my system. These toxins were interfering with my body’s absorption of nutrients and the test results also revealed that I had an underactive thyroid, hormone imbalances and many deficiencies, including iodine, vitamin D and iron.

I had all the mercury amalgam fillings removed from my teeth (they were over 25 years old and releasing vapors into my system). I’ve also been taking natural supplements (versus synthetic) and although it will take my body time to rebuild there is improvement with my thyroid which now tests normal. In June I’ll see how I’m doing with the other deficiencies. The point I’d like to make here is that I should have been tested for toxins and deficiencies when I was first diagnosed with cancer – especially iodine and vitamin D. That would have aided and likely sped up the healing process.

Even though I’ve been doing great I’m ready to take my health to the next level. I still have residual nodules on my neck, although they’re much fewer in number and barely noticeable now. My back was completely covered with these nodules when the cancer was still spreading but it's now completely and beautifully smooth and clear. The oil glands in my eyes are still clogged (I don’t understand the connection but that condition came with the cancer) and my eyes are still extremely sensitive to bright light – especially sunlight. I believe that with periodic cleansing these conditions will improve as my body continues to heal.

The winter was long and cold and I got into the habit of eating dense foods far too often – nuts, seeds and avocados – especially around the holidays when I made rich nut-and-date-based desserts. Not surprising this type of food took a lot of energy for my body to digest and my stamina declined. I resolved to do a spring cleanse to clear out the winter debris and congestion and increase my energy levels.

In January I started growing wheatgrass so I could have 2–4 ounces of the potent juice daily. That’s helped with cleansing but there’s nothing like a fast to really re-boot the body. I’ve looked forward to a rest and a fast, especially since I’ve been way too busy, sleeping less and feeling run down for more than a month. Last week my eyes were so tired that I burst a blood vessel which turned half of my eye dark red. It looked horrendous and caused my already sensitive eyes to be even more so. I wore shades for nearly a week. That episode and other signs of fatigue made me eager to start a fast.

I don’t know yet how long or what type of cleanse I’ll do, but I’d like it to be at least ten days with a few days of fasting. Today I’m doing the Master Cleanse fast, which is lemonade made of fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne and water. (Because of the maple syrup it’s not raw, but is mineral-dense). I drank one quart today and felt wonderful. I didn't experience any hunger, perhaps because yesterday I ate only fruits and vegetables without any fats, in preparation of the fast.

Sunday and Monday I plan to eat only fruits and vegetables, (no fats), followed by a water fast of one to three days and plenty of good rest. I’ll gauge how I feel each day and plan accordingly, and I’ll post regularly during the ten-day cleanse. That’s it for today.

Raw Food Wonders

It’s been ten days since I broke my fast and I’ve been sticking with a low-fat raw vegan diet. For the first few post-fast days I incrementally reintroduced food, starting with fruit only the first and second day, followed by fruits and vegetables the third and forth day, and from the fifth day forward I added nuts, seeds and avocados. I haven’t had any oil yet, nor have I desired it.

The first thing I noticed as soon as I broke the fast was that my elimination started almost immediately. I was completely surprised since it normally takes a few days for me to get back on track after fasting. I was doubly amazed, considering the fact that this was the longest fast I’ve ever done and I thought it would take longer than usual to “wake-up” my system.

There was absolutely no fat in my diet for the first four days following the fast and I attribute my rapid and efficient elimination to this fact. That trend has continued – even now ten days after the fast has ended. I find the low fat raw vegan diet to be an absolutely wondrous experience for many reasons and I will remain on it for as long as it feels natural and correct for my body.

This was not always so. I tried for weeks before the fast to reduce my fat intake – not for purposes of weight reduction since that’s normal – but for healing. Since the fast ended it’s become easy to significantly reduce my fat intake. (Watch for the link to my soon-to-be-published report on plant-based diets in the next week or two for more insight into dietary fat reduction for health).

I’ve been on a high-raw diet for more than a year, with the past nearly five months at 100% raw. During this time my weakness has been fats – especially cashews – but that’s changed post-fast. Since increasing my fruit consumption I don’t crave the fatty foods and instead of my usual servings of fat with almost each meal - in the form of oil, avocados, seeds or nuts sprinkled on salads, or in dressings, seed cheeses, pates, dips and the like – I’ve upped my fruit servings to compensate for the eliminated fat calories.

That means I eat mountains of fruit, as well as greens, vegetables and some fats. It seems to be working for me as I remain extremely energized, productive, and euphoric. I’m certain that my body is using this fine-tuned nourishment to continue the healing process.

I experienced an interesting, yet disturbing occurrence at the end of my fast indicating that I had become mineral-deficient while fasting. My toes and leg muscles cramped up while sleeping. (That happened to me in the past after drinking distilled water exclusively for several years. Muscle cramps usually indicate a mineral deficiency so I switched to filtered water and the cramps went away. Then I went back to distilled water with minerals added and the cramps stayed away).

Anyway, after the fast the cramps continued for several days and developed painfully in my hands as well. As I incrementally increased my daily food intake (especially fruit) the cramps lessened. It’s been two days now since I’ve experienced any cramping – a sure sign that my mineral stores are being rebuilt with this low-fat vegan diet. My body wasn’t (and isn’t) craving fat and I believe I’ll continue to do well as long as I consume enough calories to maintain my weight - primarily from fruit, not fat.

Before I started the fast I had some extensive testing done to see if I’m still toxic in heavy metals, (including mercury). The tests may also give clues as to what’s going on in my body that might be preventing the elimination of these neck nodules (a vestige of the cancer I had until recently). I’m still waiting on the results of blood work, hair and urine analysis and thyroid ultrasound. I’ll post again when I have the results to share.

Meanwhile I’ll continue with this pleasurable low-fat raw vegan diet. For anyone interested in more information about this diet I suggest getting the book by Dr. Douglas Graham, called “The 80-10-10 Diet”. It’s a must-read if you’re into health at any level.

Spring Cleanse - Day 9

I'm in the homestretch and still feeling great. I've experienced hunger off and on each day of the fast but today was the first day I really felt the urge to eat. It was a nagging sensation that didn't quit until after an hour-long meditation. Thankfully it didn't get the best of me. The white coating on my tongue is nearly gone and there have been no detox symptoms today whatsoever. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the successful conclusion to my first ever ten-day fast.