1. Detoxify the body: Like many people, I thought I was pretty healthy and eating well. But, I was feeling fatigued regularly and I knew there must be something stressing my body’s immune system if it couldn't fight off cancer. With much research and resolve, I went on a detoxification diet to clear the toxins from my system so that my body could get strong enough to heal itself. In the last blog post, Pulling the Disease Weed by the Root Part I, I spoke about toxins building up in our systems like heavy backpacks that our cells have to carry around while they do their regular day jobs. It’s a lot to ask of our cells. The standard American diet (which we have kindly spread to other countries – sorry about that) can take a serious toll on our bodies. Therefore, it takes serious effort to undo the damage from over-indulging or living in harmful environments over the years. From time to time, we have to empty out our toxic backpacks.
For me and many others, the ideal diet to help the body detox is a raw, vegan diet made up primarily of fresh organic vegetables. The body can get the protein and nutrients it needs from eating this way (there is a lot of protein in leafy greens like spinach and kale.) Juicing vegetables is a great way to detox because your body doesn’t have to spend energy on digesting food and it can re-direct that energy to much-needed cellular repair. On a detox diet, the body will first tackle the toxins in your body, clearing them out and then it can attack the abnormal growths and tumors.
As your body clears out the toxins, the liver needs extra support to process and expel them from your body. Some people are advocates for liver supplements such as Milk Thistle. Others advocate for enemas and colonics to help cleanse the liver and colon. All are good options, so choose what you believe will work best for you.
2. Detoxify the mind: Our mind and especially our belief system is a powerful part of who we are and how we operate in the world. If your mind is an endless loop of “not good enough,” “not thin enough”, “not smart enough” “not ______ (fill in your blank) enough”, then disease is not only likely, it’s probable. Our bodies believe what we think, and over time, negative thinking is just as toxic as a daily bowl of florescent Fruity Pebbles. At the same time as I detoxed my physical body, I began looking at the mental thought patterns that might have contributed to getting cancer.
3. Release painful or repressed emotions: Just as our food, external environment and negative mental patterns create a toxic load on our system, emotional traumas also create negative energy that is stored in our bodies and can lead to dis-ease. When healing the body fully, emotional traumas must be acknowledged and released.
I’ve always been a big fan of Louise Hay, who is the founder of Hay House and one of the early founders of the self-help movement. This quote from her popular book, You Can Heal Your Life is a great summary of her philosophy, which I share.
“The word incurable, which is so frightening to so many people, means to me that this particular condition cannot be cured by any outer means and that we must go within to find the cure. If I had any operation to get rid of the cancer and did not clear the mental pattern that created it, then the doctors would just keep cutting Louise until there was no more Louise to cut. I didn’t like that idea.
If I had the operation to remove the cancerous growth and also cleared the mental pattern that was causing the cancer, then it would not return. If cancer or any other illness returns, I do not believe it is because they did not “get it all out” but rather that the patient has made no mental change. He or she just recreates the same illness, perhaps in a different part of the body.” Louise L. Hay
This is not to say that every person can heal cancer by healing their mind. It's one important part of a complex formula and I'm very careful with absolutes. But for me, this felt true. To jump-start my healing, I spent a lot of time first detoxing my body in order to strengthen my immune system. I had great success with the full detox approach, partially because I was willing to do the physical, mental and emotional work required and partially because I believed it would work. I know what powerful allies the mind and emotions are in healing the body, so even though the cancer is gone from my body, I continue to do the emotional and mental release work to this day, well after after my original diagnosis. I believe it is THAT important for total and lasting healing.
4. Cut out the sugar! Cancer cells have over 40 receptor sites for sugar whereas normal cells have only 2. When you feed your body sugar, cancer cells are the first ones to eat. Sugar also impairs the immune system, feeds parasites and fungus and it causes the pleasure center in the brain to eat more. This means that it’s critical to cut out all refined and processed sugars as well as alcohol (yes, I said it), orange juice, apple juice and most fruits. Fruits lower on the Glycemic Index, such as blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are somewhat better and have other antioxidant benefits. If you choose to eat fruit, eat the full piece of fruit instead of juicing it. Save your juicing for green drinks if possible. Why? When you eat a full apple, you get the fiber with the fruit which slows down the conversion to glucose and makes it better than drinking apple juice. That said, if 1/2 an apple makes your green juice drinkable, then do what works for you.
I realize I’m treading on dangerous ground here, but if you are trying to heal from cancer or have other health challenges, SUGAR HAS GOT TO GO! When a doctor is looking for cancer, they use a PET scan, which measures glucose in your body, so they know about the sugar/cancer connection. Yet, doctors often dismiss this connection in an effort to help a cancer patient stay as comfortable as possible in their daily lives. I understand the desire to soothe with sugar in times of fear, but telling a patient it’s okay to drink wine or eat cupcakes when the patient is trying to heal from cancer is irresponsible; the doctor is actually encouraging them to feed their cancer. This is NOT okay.
5. Alkalize the body: Cancer can’t live in an alkaline environment. Cancer thrives in an acidic environment. What makes the body acidic? Sugar, caffeine, chronic stress, and processed food such as animal protein among other things. What alkalizes the body? A diet rich in dark leafy greens, colorful vegetables, sprouted grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, lemons and avocado. If you have the means, drink alkaline water. The optimum pH (Potential Hydrogen) level for our bodies is 7.2 to 7.4. (The pH of our blood is between 7.34 -7.45.) Below that is too acidic and chronic acidity creates the breeding ground for yeast, bacteria, diabetes, cancer, chronic fatigue, osteoporosis etc. You can buy pH strips to measure your alkalinity and there are many books and websites that address methods to alkalize the body. Just ask at your natural health food store.
I start every day with 1/2 to 1 full lemon squeezed into my water to help me alkalize as well as to get the colon moving first thing in the morning. It’s an easy first step. I've also read from multiple sources that you can alkalize your body with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in an 8 ounce glass of water once/day for about a week. It definitely worked for me. But only do a week at a time and then re-test and take time off before doing it again. Here's an article from Livestrong about how baking soda helps balance the pH levels. (Note: While they recommend 1-2 tsp per day, I recommend 1/2 - 1tsp/day. See what works for your body.)
6. Exercise/Oxygen: Cancer can't live in an oxygenated environment. Exercise is critical and has been said to reduce the risk of cancer by 50%. When you arm the white blood cells with oxygen, they are better able to fight off cancer. It’s like natural chemotherapy. Some cancer patients are not able to exercise. In that case, hyperbaric chambers are a great option for a therapeutic oxygen injection; they are more prevalent in Europe than in the United States.
7. Sweat: If you can't exercise, or even if you can, doing a little extra sweating while you are detoxing/healing is a great idea. Use an infrared sauna or steam room to let your body release toxins. I use the time to imagine stress and emotional baggage just sweating out of my body. I often accompany my sweat time with a confirming mantra such as this one, "I release all toxins, emotional pain and disease from my body. I am whole, happy and healed."
8. Detox through your skin: As the largest elimination organ in your body, the skin eliminates 25% of built-up toxins in your system. Using a dry brush before you shower is a great way to assist the skin with the elimination process.
9. Sunlight and vitamin D3 in the right doses refuel the body and help it fight off disease. Often, someone who is fighting cancer will have a vitamin D3 deficiency like I did.
10. Supplementation including vitamin C, pancreatic enzymes and immune system builders are showing great results in the treatment of cancer and helped me heal. And, you need a qualified MD or ND to help determine what supplementation is right for your unique situation.
These are just a handful of the tools that I used to heal. They can stand alone, work with other alternative treatments or work in conjunction with traditional cancer therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Above all else, my belief system was the most important tool for healing. I believed my body (and mind) could get strong and clean enough to heal itself with the support of the right medical doctor and supplements. For some people these approaches won’t work, particularly if their belief system does not support this line of thinking. But, I was desperate for ways to be self-empowered when I felt anything but empowered after leaving my doctor’s office with a cancer diagnosis and one cookie-cutter solution.
I’ll continue to share my path of physical, mental and emotional detox as the Holy Sit story continues. In the meantime, I invite you to pour a glass of green juice and join me in a toast to personal awareness, detective work and confronting root causes of disease. Only then can we identify the right tools that will heal us completely and lead to a very long, healthy life.
Before I could implement any of these important health tools, I had to ask myself a critical question; did I really want to heal? Or, more importantly, did I actually want to live? To find out why this line of questioning was so important to my healing journey, continue reading here.
In peace,
Emily
This is not to say that every person can heal cancer by healing their mind. It's one important part of a complex formula and I'm very careful with absolutes. But for me, this felt true. To jump-start my healing, I spent a lot of time first detoxing my body in order to strengthen my immune system. I had great success with the full detox approach, partially because I was willing to do the physical, mental and emotional work required and partially because I believed it would work. I know what powerful allies the mind and emotions are in healing the body, so even though the cancer is gone from my body, I continue to do the emotional and mental release work to this day, well after after my original diagnosis. I believe it is THAT important for total and lasting healing.
4. Cut out the sugar! Cancer cells have over 40 receptor sites for sugar whereas normal cells have only 2. When you feed your body sugar, cancer cells are the first ones to eat. Sugar also impairs the immune system, feeds parasites and fungus and it causes the pleasure center in the brain to eat more. This means that it’s critical to cut out all refined and processed sugars as well as alcohol (yes, I said it), orange juice, apple juice and most fruits. Fruits lower on the Glycemic Index, such as blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are somewhat better and have other antioxidant benefits. If you choose to eat fruit, eat the full piece of fruit instead of juicing it. Save your juicing for green drinks if possible. Why? When you eat a full apple, you get the fiber with the fruit which slows down the conversion to glucose and makes it better than drinking apple juice. That said, if 1/2 an apple makes your green juice drinkable, then do what works for you.
5. Alkalize the body: Cancer can’t live in an alkaline environment. Cancer thrives in an acidic environment. What makes the body acidic? Sugar, caffeine, chronic stress, and processed food such as animal protein among other things. What alkalizes the body? A diet rich in dark leafy greens, colorful vegetables, sprouted grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, lemons and avocado. If you have the means, drink alkaline water. The optimum pH (Potential Hydrogen) level for our bodies is 7.2 to 7.4. (The pH of our blood is between 7.34 -7.45.) Below that is too acidic and chronic acidity creates the breeding ground for yeast, bacteria, diabetes, cancer, chronic fatigue, osteoporosis etc. You can buy pH strips to measure your alkalinity and there are many books and websites that address methods to alkalize the body. Just ask at your natural health food store.
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| Baking Soda helps balance pH levels |
6. Exercise/Oxygen: Cancer can't live in an oxygenated environment. Exercise is critical and has been said to reduce the risk of cancer by 50%. When you arm the white blood cells with oxygen, they are better able to fight off cancer. It’s like natural chemotherapy. Some cancer patients are not able to exercise. In that case, hyperbaric chambers are a great option for a therapeutic oxygen injection; they are more prevalent in Europe than in the United States.
7. Sweat: If you can't exercise, or even if you can, doing a little extra sweating while you are detoxing/healing is a great idea. Use an infrared sauna or steam room to let your body release toxins. I use the time to imagine stress and emotional baggage just sweating out of my body. I often accompany my sweat time with a confirming mantra such as this one, "I release all toxins, emotional pain and disease from my body. I am whole, happy and healed."
8. Detox through your skin: As the largest elimination organ in your body, the skin eliminates 25% of built-up toxins in your system. Using a dry brush before you shower is a great way to assist the skin with the elimination process.
9. Sunlight and vitamin D3 in the right doses refuel the body and help it fight off disease. Often, someone who is fighting cancer will have a vitamin D3 deficiency like I did.
10. Supplementation including vitamin C, pancreatic enzymes and immune system builders are showing great results in the treatment of cancer and helped me heal. And, you need a qualified MD or ND to help determine what supplementation is right for your unique situation.
These are just a handful of the tools that I used to heal. They can stand alone, work with other alternative treatments or work in conjunction with traditional cancer therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Above all else, my belief system was the most important tool for healing. I believed my body (and mind) could get strong and clean enough to heal itself with the support of the right medical doctor and supplements. For some people these approaches won’t work, particularly if their belief system does not support this line of thinking. But, I was desperate for ways to be self-empowered when I felt anything but empowered after leaving my doctor’s office with a cancer diagnosis and one cookie-cutter solution.
I’ll continue to share my path of physical, mental and emotional detox as the Holy Sit story continues. In the meantime, I invite you to pour a glass of green juice and join me in a toast to personal awareness, detective work and confronting root causes of disease. Only then can we identify the right tools that will heal us completely and lead to a very long, healthy life.
Before I could implement any of these important health tools, I had to ask myself a critical question; did I really want to heal? Or, more importantly, did I actually want to live? To find out why this line of questioning was so important to my healing journey, continue reading here.
In peace,
Emily
Disclaimer: Every disease is as individual as the person. The information provided here on Holy Sit is just one viewpoint based on my experience and personal research. If you have cancer or a major disease, please use your common sense (as well as your intuition) and seek out qualified medical professionals for your healing team. Don’t stop searching until you find the doctor, health team and tools that work for you and support your style of healing.