I have spent the last few years with an increased number of patients coming to me to assist in the diagnosis of cancer and the initial and ongoing support. It has been a humbling experience and has directed me to study “cancer”, to get to know it and how it is defined and managed from a variety of philosophies. This past year I spent studying everything I could find, including spending the year with Donnie Yance from the Mederi Foundation in Oregon. Donnie has worked with people with cancer and chronic diseases for many years and I first met him back in the ’90s when he published his first book, Herbal Medicine, Healing, and Cancer. I am still processing the huge amounts of information I have from him.  I also read, The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukheriee. I have  been studying how other cultures “see” and treat what is called cancer. This includes homeopathy and ayurvedic and I have read much in books, articles, and rarely on the internet.

Cancer is a term that sets off anxiety, fears, sadness, and sometimes panic. Please take some Bach rescue remedy right now.

I hope to share some of my thoughts and insights over the next few months and give some recommendations to help this word become less of a trigger.

One comment I hear over and over again is “I do everything I can to eat right and take care of myself to prevent cancer. Why me? What did I do wrong?”

One comment I hear too often is “I had the genetic tests and I have the genes that could cause cancer so I am having those organs removed so I don’t have to worry.”

Remember, we all die. Remember that the leading cause of death is not cancer but heart disease. Remember also that chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer  become more common as we age and we are living longer so the time called old age has changed. Wear and tear of life makes us more susceptible to misfires. Its not because we are bad or have done bad things. It is part of life. Finding ways to get rid of the fear is the basis of all true philosophies from a belief in a higher power to meditation. Letting go decreases our vulnerability to cancer and heart disease. If our core essence is strong we can live a great quality of life, and it is only when disease becomes dis-ease that we increase our risk.

Please give me your feedback and questions.     Pat