Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life

I'm reading the book now ... it's great.  He survived 19 years with an aggressive form of brain cancer!  That says something!  He talks about a lot of stuff and frequently includes results of studies on breast cancer patients.  I find it very interesting when he talks about changing ones "terrain;" also, about feelings of hopelessness and feeling alone and how that affects the K fighter cells (immune system).

Well worth reading!  He lived it and lucky for us, shared his experience! 

Oh, wow, totally wow.  I wasn't aware he'd written another book after Anticancer.  I'm going to request it from the library right away.  I had read his 'Instinct to Heal' as well.

I love this book, too - my BS recommended it to me during my surgical phase of treatment.  My whole family read it.

I agree that cancer is a cr*pshoot and there's nothing we can do that will guarantee we won't have a recurrence.  Partly this is because our individual actions are not enough - we're all exposed to numerous carcinogens on a daily basis, via air, water, food, cars, products, etc., without our consent and often without our knowledge.  So, pushing for stronger governmental regulation/elimination of toxic chemicals is important.

I, too, was one of those people that was dx'd with BC at age 30 despite the fact that I had no family history, exercised regularly, was vegetarian for the previous 9 years, had a healthy BMI, never smoke or drank, used natural bodycare products and cleaning products, and bought the majority of my groceries at the local health food store.  Part of me thought, "SCREW IT, a healthy diet and lifestyle obviously doesn't prevent cancer, so I might as well keep on with the ice cream sundaes!!"  But then it occurred to me that I could reduce my recurrence risk by altering my diet and lifestyle in specific ways that were NEW to me.

For example - instead of just thinking, "But I ate a lot of vegetables already and still got cancer!!", I now specifically eat lots of the anti-cancer vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts, instead of just random vegetables.  Instead of just thinking, "But I took vitamin C and had a high antioxidant level!", I got a new list of which anti-cancer supplements and vitamins to take, and raised my vitamin D levels from a 13 to a 77.  Etc!  Because if all of the healthy things I was eating and doing before weren't enough to prevent cancer, then instead of just doing more of the same, I should eat and do NEW healthy things.

I just listened to Anti-Cancer on audiobook. What I'd like to know is, how much would following the book's recommendations reduce recurrence risk? Does it cut it in half, by a quarter...more? less? And does following the recommendations in part produce any result, or is it an "all-or-nothing" deal?

One of the books I read talked about making treatment choices in terms of how much absolute reduction in risk there would be. If one's chance of recurrence is (say) 30%, I think many of us would consider it worthwhile to follow a treatment plan that would reduce that risk by half or a quarter, but the same person might decide against it if recurrence risk is already low even without the treatment. Fifteen percentage points of reduction is worth a significant effort...one or two points, maybe not so much. I think I will look at the book's recommendations the same way. I won't know until after my onc appointment next week how high my recurrence risk is, but if it's already quite low with the standard treatment, is it worth turning my whole life upside down (which I'd have to do, to follow all of the recommendations) for a point or two more? I don't know.

Personally I think it's great for so many reasons to live a healthy lifestyle, food, excercise and  all---but be realistic it won't prevent BC or much else. My dad did everything wrong--he died at 96--On the other hand my mom did everything right she died at 88--my sister does everything like my mom--She got BC 4 months after me with mets now and I did everything wrong and I got BC--so again crapshoot I guess.

@Shayne...Anti-Cancer advocates using the nutritional and other practices in the book in addition to standard treatments, not instead of them. Does the study compare exercise + diet to tamoxifen, or exercise + diet + tamoxifen to tamoxifen alone? What I want to know is whether exercise + diet provide any benefit over and above tamoxifen by itself, and if so, how much?

I am just finishing up my chemo treatments and will be starting on Tamoxifen shortly along with radiation.  Just wondering if anyone knows if there is a brand of the drug that is both gluten and dairy free?  I have celiac disease and am also lactose intolerant.  

Coming soon, a movie about the good doctor "A matter of Life"

http://chrisbeatcancer.com/a-matter-of-life-sneak-peak-trailer/

"There is no sure thing with cancer at this point, and it is highly likely that cancer will eventually kill me. However, it makes a huge difference to me if it takes cancer 20 years to kill me rather than 2, so I will do whatever may help hold it at bay for as long as possible"

Very well said Momine  

Thank you Ruby.

Liked the part in the trailer where he states in response to the question whether this is all about an anti-cancer diet and he said, it is more about anti-cancer body. I'm into eating kale at the moment (bought a great new book) and I've also planted some kale seeds in a small flower garden. I was out weeding this afternoon around the sprouts and it felt so relaxing digging in the dirt with my fingers. Then after washing up I came up here and looked at the trailer, and being still aware and in the present I'm heading out for a walk.

If anyone hasn't already read this book, do it. It's a new way of life.

Kathryn

Soltantio - I usually try to eat more vegetarian at parties.  I always offer to bring a large salad for every dinner party I go to.  I try to add some type of beans or nuts to the salad so there is a little protein in it for me. I also try to use spinach so it is more healthy than just lettuce.  This works for me.  I usually tell people I eat more vegetarian/no dairy.  My close friends that know about my BC usually accomodate even if I tell them I am fine with veggies...they usually get hormone free chicken anyway but since we moved last year out of state, most of my new friends don't all know so I just go vegetarian/no dairy.  If we go to a party with snack foods - I bring apple slices with carmel dip (for them...I don't eat the dip), hummus and veggies, popcorn popped in EVOO, organic tortilla chips with some type of bean dip or salsa or a bruschetta made on whole grain toasted bread.  Sometimes I eat some protein before I go in case it's only veggies I can eat there. 

@soltantio, if you are going to a dinner party and doubt there will be anything there you can eat, eat enough to tide you over before you go, or as you say, only stay a little while.

If I find a physical activity I enjoy for its own sake, I'll do it. I park four blocks away from my doctor's office because all the closer parking is limited to two hours. I don't mind walking if I need to get from one place to another, it's walking or running around in a circle from one place back to the same place that I don't want to do. One activity I do like is gardening. I haven't had the time or energy lately, and the garden in my townhouse was too shady to grow vegetables, but yes, I have grown potatoes and many other veggies in the past, and I grew flowers in my shady townhouse courtyard. If you have never had homegrown new potatoes you are missing a treat.I am planning to retire within the next year so I will have more time to do those kind of things, and I am looking for a place that is better for growing veggies, and more bike-friendly than where I lived up until recently or my mom's house where I am staying now, so I can cycle on some of my trips instead of driving. But I am not going to run out and then run back to where I started, run run run to nowhere, like a hamster in a wheel! You suggested things that are easy to you, but what makes you think they are painless to everyone--or anyone--else? You drink smoothies, made out of things I've never tasted in my life, barely even know what they are, and have no knowledge at all of how to prepare them! Changing my diet to that extent is not what I would call painless, and might result in my putting back on all the weight I lost and have kept off for ten years, which would definitely increase my risk for cancer.

Besides, as you say, there's you plus dozens or maybe even hundreds of other women here who "did everything right", including the stuff I don't want to do, and got breast cancer anyway. I have pretty much come to the same conclusion as you have: "doing some of it is better than doing none of it". So if I do anything, it will be what is painless for me, not someone else's idea of what's easy, and leave the rest of it alone.

Replacements for sugar

Raw honey real maple syrup agave lots of fruit.