Cancer ‘Miracle’ Survivors: What Do They Have in Common?
Monday, 27 Oct 2014 04:01 PM
Spontaneous remission of cancer for no known medical reason, called “radical remission,” befuddles conventional doctors so much that the subject isn’t even studied.
Most of the time, doctors don’t even try to explain it.
“For every one case that’s published in medical journals, a hundred more go unpublished,” estimates Kelly Turner, who has exhaustively researched the subject for the past decade for her eye-opening new book, “Radical Remission: The Nine Key Factors That Can Make a Real Difference.”
She set out to uncover the commonalities among unlikely cancer survivors. What was it about these “miracle” patients that allows them to live when so many others with the same type of cancer perish?
Turner identified nine top factors that were common among the beneficiaries of radical remissions.
She emphasizes that her findings are not a prescription to beat cancer. “All I can say,” she tells Newsmax Health, “is this is what these people did.”
No. 1: Radically changing diet. Survivors often eliminated chemicals and other toxins found in refined food, and avoided ingredients that may contribute to cancer growth.
The diet adjustments fell into four key areas:
- Reducing or eliminating sugar, meat, dairy, and refined foods.
- Increasing vegetables and fruit.
- Eating organic foods to help get rid of toxins.
- Drinking lots of filtered water instead of soda, juice, or milk.
The intake of fruits and vegetables was high, up to 15 or 20 servings daily, including raw, lightly steamed or roasted, and/or juiced versions.
A typical plate would be half to three-quarters vegetables and fruits, and some also drank juiced green vegetables.
The remainder of the plate would contain protein and minimal whole grains, if any. Some people omitted gluten, and some juiced other vegetables, such as cabbage.
To eliminate toxins, some people occasionally did fasts lasting three to seven days, typically under the supervision of a holistic health practitioner or nutritionist.
No. 2: Taking control. “We’re taught to be patients, be there quietly and do what we’re told,” says Turner. But cancer survivors essentially became the CEOs of their own healthcare, educating themselves on the meaning of test results, getting copies of their medical records, and tracking progress.
As an example, one man with stage 4 prostate cancer had his prostate removed but continued to have rising PSA tests, indicating unrelenting growth of cancer. Although death seemed imminent, he started experimenting with his diet and tracking his PSA results. Seeing that certain foods lowered his PSA, and adjusting his diet accordingly, helped him survive.
No. 3: Following intuition. Acting on a gut feeling in making decisions took many forms, but was a consistent factor. One survivor quit a job he felt was “killing him.”
Another moved out of a house that she felt was not healthy, and later learned of toxic mold in the building, which may have contributed to the cancer. Another person felt the need to move to a sunny climate, without realizing that low vitamin D from lack of sunlight is linked to cancer.
No. 4: Using herbs and supplements. “There was no one magic bullet,” says Turner. Most often, people worked with naturopathic doctors, herbalists trained in traditional Chinese medicine, or nutritionists, who used blood tests to determine which supplements and herbs were best.
Some people didn’t have access to these types of health professionals and instead educated themselves about nutrients and herbs, finding what worked for them. Turner studied people all over the world, and choices of herbs were typically influenced by what was common in a given region.
No. 5: Releasing suppressed emotions. Unloading emotional baggage played a key role for survivors. Emotions fell into two categories: past and future. Grief or anger, for example, often related to past situations, such as divorce or other traumatic or stressful times. Fear of uncertainty in the future and stress were understandably common. All of these have been shown to weaken the immune system, which reduces the ability of a human body to heal from cancer.
Survivors dealt with emotions in many different ways. Some worked with therapist, while others used a journal, or took courses that helped them manage stress and let go of emotions that gripped them and blocked healing.
No. 6: Increasing positive emotions. Many survivors made a point of doing something each day that made them happy, at least for a few minutes. For example, happiness for some came from spending time with grandchildren. For others, it meant doing more work in the garden, taking flying lessons, or simply taking a long walk.
No. 7: Embracing social support. “Everybody said ‘As soon as I was diagnosed, I had this outpouring of love and support from my family that touched me so much, I know it helped me heal,’” says Turner. On the flip side, survivors also found there were certain people they felt they should avoid.
One woman, says Turner, put it this way: “If I felt drained after being with a person, I stopped hanging out with them. If I felt energized, I made a second date.”
No. 8: Deepening spiritual connection. “According to my research, it doesn’t matter who or what you believe in,” says Turner; “What matters is if you have a spiritual practice.” The key, she says, was doing something that brought about a connection to what was often described as “divine energy.”
Among survivors, practices took many shapes. For some, it was practicing their faith. For others it was meditation, a nature walk, or watching the sun rise.
No. 9: Having strong reasons for living. “Some people go through cancer saying ‘I don’t want to die,’” says Turner, “But the people who tend to survive say “I want to live, I want to live, I’ll do anything, I just want to live.’”
This held true, she says, even if the medical odds of survival were only a fraction of one percent. Reasons for living varied greatly, from a passion for travel to wanting to know one’s grandchildren or writing a novel.
Turner hopes that her work prompts more formal study of radical remission, and that these lead to more effective cancer treatments. http://kelly-turner.com/
The full version of this article appeared in Health Radar newsletter. To read more, click here.
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