I was called last week by one of the patients we are in touch with at CANCERactive. She originally contacted us about 8 weeks ago – she had a rather large tumour in her breast. After a chat, we suggested simple things like using the Rainbow Diet, taking light to moderate daily exercise, taking 5 core supplements (like vitamin D, fish oils and curcumin), and a few other things to boost her blood oxygen and control the inflammation in her body.
The reason for her second call was to recount a story. She had gone for an appointment with her oncologist to discuss the latest scan results and plan the treatment programme but he couldn’t make the meeting, so another oncologist took his place. He looked at all her scans and said emphatically, “I’m glad to see your chemotherapy is working so well, the tumour is down more than 25 per cent”.
To which she answered, “I haven’t had any chemotherapy yet”.
A dangerous state of denial
This lady is not the first to experience the benefits of simply taking steps to get her body ‘fighting fit’. We have witnessed a great many others. People who have seen great improvements in their cancer, with or without the added benefits of orthodox medicine.
But then other patients recount they ask oncologists and nurses, “Should I change my diet? Should I take exercise? And the answer is invariably, “No point; it doesn’t make any difference”.
Worse, where people have changed their diet and added in some daily exercise, if they tell their oncologist it is met with a shrug of the shoulders and a comment that belittles their efforts.
Why would oncologists and nurses do this? Why do they comment when they do not know the facts?
It is actually dangerous. If diet, exercise, supplements, and simple complementary therapies like Hyperbaric Oxygen or hyperthermia can increase survival times, isn’t it breaking the Hippocratic Oath (thou shalt do no harm) to tell people otherwise.
The American contrast
In America, the CANCERactive patients know more, are told more by their oncologists and discuss more options. We have had patients recommended to go for Hyperbaric Oxygen by their oncologists as their radiotherapy will then kill more cancer cells – the first research on this was actually done in 1974 in England. Sloan-Kettering explains the benefits in survival time of whole body hyperthermia, if you’re having chemotherapy – it makes the chemo work better. We have also had patients told by oncologists at the same hospital to take melatonin – there’s a stack of research on its benefits.
So is there research on diet and exercise leading to improved survival? Yup, you bet. Lot’s of it. Here’s just one study:
7-year study shows diet and exercise benefit to cancer patients
The American Cancer Society was, like CANCERactive, set up by people touched by cancer for others in the same boat. It is now the largest cancer charity in the world and, as befits a brand leader, it focusses on the patient and their needs.
And here is one of their latest studies.
Colorectal cancer patients who improve their diet and lifestyle survive longer, with a reduced risk of death, over those who do not make the changes.
The results were presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and showed clear survival extension and ‘cure’ benefits. The study followed almost 1000 former patients for more than 7 years, all of whom had had surgery and chemotherapy and all were diagnosed as at least Stage III.
The American Cancer Society produced a booklet in 2012 entitled ‘Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors’. The diet is very similar to our own ‘Rainbow Diet’; and the exercise recommendations are also similar to our own – 45 minutes a day, which results in you getting puffed (out of breath).
This research was a check to see if the guidelines worked in real life. And they most certainly did.
Those who stuck most closely to the guidelines, had a staggering 31 per cent less recurrence and 42 per cent lowered death rate during the 7 years!
Realising the enormity of the results, the researchers were quick to point out that ‘This does not mean cancer patients should give up on the drug treatments simply for a healthier life style of exercise and nutrition”.
Perhaps that’s what British medical staff are worried about when they spread their diet and exercise nonsense.
