I came across this excellant article which I knew I had to share with my readers. I have been given permission by the author to reprint it here.
MESSAGES OF CANCER by Dr. Joel E Brame
According to Marshall McLuhan, “the medium is the message.” If so,then what is cancer trying to say? One of the fundamental principles of natural health is that the body is never trying to harm or kill us, although we might interpret illness as such. Instead, it is just trying to send us messages in whatever ways will get our attention.
For example, lung cancer is the ultimate message for smokers. The message threatens, “Stop smoking or else.” Once smokers acknowledge the message and take effective action, their chances of long-term survival significantly improve. They feel better on all levels once the smoking stops, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. In these cases one hears the person exclaim, “Cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Holistic cancer specialists that reside in distant countries such as Switzerland, Canada, and China, with different educational backgrounds all seem to say the same thing: an individualized holistic support program for each person improves long-term cancer survival. From my perspective, supportive cancer programs must address the unique messages sent by cancer. Therefore, this article will discuss three common messages of cancer.
Before this discussion, one must trust in three underlying principles of health. a) the importance of seeking the cause of illness rather than just managing symptoms; b) emotions are at the core most chronic illnesses; c) cancer is a process. The last principle means that is the long-term underlying process (including DNA damage, hormone imbalances, and environmental carcinogen exposures) that culminates in the tumor agreement with these principles, you will find the following messages to be powerful guideposts indeed.
1.) The first message of cancer involves nutrition. A naturopath in China has seen that an improvement in nutrition habits is critical to cancer survivorship. These improvements include ramping up intake of nutritious whole foods and reducing intake of synthetic, processed foods. Regardless of the cancer treatment chosen (conventional or alternative), long-term nutritional changes are part of this message of cancer. In this case, the body screams, “I need real fuel and I need it it now, otherwise I can’t do my job of keeping you protected from renegade cancer cells anymore.”
A medical doctor in Mexico pointed out that good quality nutrition during and after treatment really makes a difference. People with cancer need to choose foods that are easy to absorb, alkalinizing, and energizing. Why? Forty percent of cancer-related deaths actually come from malnutrition (called “cachexia”). Cancer cells gobble up nutrients faster than body cells, especially sugar. By choosing foods that preferentially feed normal cells, one is heeding the nutritional message of cancer.
2.) The psychology. According to physicians and psychologists in Canada, Switzerland, and USA, cancer bears a message on the emotional and spiritual realm. To see cancer only on the physical realm is to miss a tremendous opportunity for growth and possibly survival. One physician in Vancouver, Canada has seen patients go into remission by “heeding the message” of love and forgiveness that cancer often presents.
A Swiss medical doctor who sees hundreds of cancer patients each week at his clinic applies anthroposophical and Chinese medicine, along with his other conventional and natural approaches. Because he takes a holistic approach, he sees that cancer messages frequently involve a disturbance in the person’s core identity. The individual’s mission or purpose is taken away or disrupted, such as the young mother losing a child, or the woman sacrificing her own ambitions to serve her husband’s desires. Another common scenario is the senior executive who gets promoted to a permanent position he dislikes and is diagnosed with colon cancer one year later.
Not every person who has an experience like this develops cancer, but most cancer patients have had a disruptive experience one or two years before the cancer diagnosis. The cancer emerges to encourage them to examine how they have dealt with this experience. Once they work through this process, and they “hear the message” of the cancer, the cancer is no longer “needed” – remission can occur more freely and permanently.
3.) The third message warns the patient of underlying damaging processes that lead to cancer. Cancer thrives within a body that is oxygen- and nutrient-deprived, and full of sugar, inflammatory reactions, and altered immunity. In a recent Las Vegas conference, an American nutritionist lectured on his experiences with cancer. He said that if he were to summarize all his knowledge and experience of cancer into one facet, it would be this: Cancer is an opportunistic illness that grows amidst a toxic body environment. In other words, cancer gives a message that the body is toxic and improperly regulated. It says, “For the last time, clean yourself up!”
These three messages of cancer act as undeniable guides. One should take the time to discover them. How? Perhaps sit quietly and still, then ask the cancer what it may be saying. If the answer does not come easily, daily or weekly journaling can help—try writing using the non-dominant hand to move beyond the mind and into the heart. For those artistically-inclined, drawing the scenario on paper sometimes brings out additional insights. For faster results, work with a holistic practitioner who can help you uncover the hidden messages.
Dr. Joel E Brame is an expert in coaching and motivating others to achieve their health and energy goals. Trained as a physician, counselor, and life coach, Dr. Brame helps energy-seeking clients rediscover their passion and purpose, identify and overcome energy and weight loss obstacles, and create a stronger body with renewed confidence and power. He has personally experienced the radical transformations that come with an energized and healthy lifestyle, overcoming several chronic ailments through lifestyle changes alone.
Joel’s messages of creating positive energy and precise action extend through his seminars, books, articles, and personal weight loss coaching. He serves as a professor in biological sciences, psychology, and nutrition at local colleges. Joel has contributed articles to many local and online publications and has given award-winning radio interviews. He is also a sought-after speaker on holistic approaches to energy, weight loss, and cancer prevention. http://www.joelbrame.com
