Highwood Highlights No. 24. March 2009
Thoughts on Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Disclaimer: The following discussion presented by Dr. Bird of Highwood Health is not to be taken as medical advise. It is presented for the purpose of personal education and research and as a point of discussion. Although many of the items mentioned have scientific research support, references are not given since extreme brevity is a major aim. A little research on the part of interested persons should easily lead to finding references. This information is not copy right. If it is shared with others then a similar disclaimer should be provided.
Highwood Health Centre frequently has guests coming who have been diagnosed with cancer. About half of these guests come as an adjunct to orthodox treatments where their aim is to optimize immune health and/or recuperate. The other half are largely people who explain that they wish to see if they can beat the cancer by using “purely natural” methods, at least before considering surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Many of these people with cancer are quite confused about the best approach to treatment. Some cancer sufferers are even under the impression that if they use orthodox treatments then they have “denied the faith”, as it were, and departed from “God's methods of healing”. Such persons need to be very careful about imposing their personal limits, interpretations and opinions on God. The following article is written in the hope of helping those who are faced with the challenging decision of what kind of treatment regime to follow when faced with a diagnosis of cancer.
A healthy basic lifestyle is foundational to all cancer prevention and treatment. This includes optimal exercise, nutrition, sunshine, water intake, stress control, sleep, air and breathing quality, social health and spiritual health. It also includes abstaining from obvious pollutants, including nicotine, alcohol and illicit drugs as well as minimizing environmental pollutants that are inhaled, applied or ingested. The most commonly compromised areas that we note at Highwood are exercise, sunshine, water intake, dental health and chemical exposure.
Some persons are scared of biopsies because they are worried about anecdotal (I have not yet seen any scientific evidence) reports of biopsies stimulating cancer spread. I generally advise biopsies for two reasons. First, without a biopsy you often do not know what the enemy, if any, is. For example, you may spend years worrying about a breast lump when a biopsy would show that it is totally benign. Secondly, in my opinion, the immune depressing effect of the worry that can occur from not knowing “what it is” can be just as bad as any pro-cancer effects of the biopsy itself. Also, a good immune system, along with one or more of the natural remedies mentioned in this article should suffice to minimise the alleged risk of spread.
For those who decide to “go totally natural”, there are a number of important considerations. First, how are you going to monitor your progress? I think that orthodox medical testing is almost always needed in order to check progress. If, after a month or so of the “all natural” approach the cancer has got worse, what are you going to do? I suggest reconsidering adding orthodox methods such as surgery, chemo and/or radiotherapy as advised by an oncologist. Remember that there are natural side-effect reducers for orthodox treatments. These include such things as glutamine and beta-carotene.
Secondly, you need to consider what actually is natural? For example, is consuming 15-20 carrots per day natural? I don't think so. But many folk doing “all natural” therapies will consume this much in their juicing regimes. What about having 30grams of vitamin C intravenously. Is this natural? I don't think so. Sure, vitamin C is natural, but 30grams isn't. Neither is having it intravenously. Are colonic irrigations natural, or coffee enema's? I don't think so. A colonic is an invasive procedure requiring special equipment. As for filling the colon with a strong coffee solution. This is using a drug and an invasive procedure. If consuming 20 carrots per day is natural then surely radiotherapy is natural too. X-rays are natural, just like carrots. They both occur naturally in the environment. Who knows whether or not a few naturally occurring X-rays from space are not of some good, just like a little stress is of some good (e.g. see, Monfared, et. al, Natural background radiation induces cytogenetic radioadaptive response more effectively than occupational exposure in human peripheral blood lymphocytes, Czechoslovak Journal of Physics, Vol. 53. Supplement 1, Jan. 2003)? Twenty carrots and radiotherapy are both using something natural, but in an unnatural amount.
If you are wanting to go totally natural then also consider how much support you have and how much stress you are under. Many natural regimes require a lot of time and support. If you don't have this then you may need to consider alternatives. For example, I once saw a patient with five children and breast cancer who was traveling around Australia in a camper van and wanting to do “all natural therapy”. This would be a near impossible challenge. Also, if you are under considerable stress then going “all natural” may not work very well due to the stress neutralizing much of the good immune effects. For example, if you are looking after your grandchild due your son or daughter's marriage breaking up you might have too much stress to have an effective response to purely natural therapy. We had a lady in these very circumstances come to Highwood with very advanced breast cancer who had been going “purely natural”. From her state, it had obviously not worked. We must remember that natural regimes rely heavily on the body's own immune system rather than external anti-cancerous substances and are therefore, of necessity, prone to being retarded by excessive stress.
For natural therapies I consider the following to have a good anecdotal track record and/or research support:
Foods: High vegetable diet, especially cruciferous veges, broccoli sprouts, sprouts in general, beetroot and garlic.
Juices: Not too much sugary content. Focus on green vegetables and beetroot.
Herbal teas: Red clover, nettle and sheep sorrel. Three times a day is suggested.
External rubs: Castor oil and frankincense oil.
Poultices: Potato (changed not less than 6 hourly); charcoal/ground linseed, red clover and sheep sorrel.
Supplements: Selenium at around 100 micrograms per day. Vitamin D supplements if unable to get optimal sunshine. A general good mineral and vitamin supplement.
Other external therapies: Alternating hot and cold treatments.
Special extras: I have found that natural therapies work better when combined with prayer. For those interested, I suggest reading the gospels of Luke and John while doing the natural regimes. Luke was a doctor.
Monitor progress after a short period of testing and if you are deteriorating then get an orthodox review or reconsider the above factors. If you are not prepared to carefully, rationally monitor your progress then you are playing “Russian roulette” with your life. Avoid expensive multi-pill-popping natural regimes. Beware of those trying to “make a buck” out of your situation. Remember that usually orthodox oncologists working at government hospitals have no monetary bias relating to the advise that they give you. Try and be relaxed and not be “closed minded”.
Testimony: The following is a testimonial that we have on file for public release from a guest called Patricia: “Yes, I had an improvement in my health condition. My experience at 'Highwood Health' was of a loving, caring community, the spiritual atmosphere was so apparent, I felt much loved and at 'home' with all I came in contact with. It was the most beautiful and meaningful experience I have ever had in my life, I felt so, so good after my 5 days... I hope to come back again!”
Highwood Highlights is a brief and simple message sent out monthly by Highwood Health Centre, www.highwoodhealth.org www.highwoodcollege.org (Ph. 03 5963 7011). To subscribe send an email to davidbird777@bigpond.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. To unsubsribe please put "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Please send other email correspondence for Dr. Bird to birddavid777@yahoo.com as the Highwood newsletter email address is checked infrequently.
Disclaimer: Any medical comments made by Dr. Bird are not to be taken as personal medical advise and are presented for general educational purposes only.
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