Inspiring
Beating Breast Cancer Could Be More About Diet Than Drugs
Like many breast cancer patients, Vicky Stewart was concerned about the side effects of the drug Tamoxifen, which she was told she had to take while in remission. So instead, she self-prescribed exercise and superfoods -- like the spice turmeric, which is often used in curries and she says "makes cancer cells commit suicide." (There's also been journal-published research to support that idea.)
Similarly, in 2003, author and filmmaker Kris Carr was diagnosed with a rare and incurable stage 4 cancer in her liver, known as epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. Since then, she's kept the disease at bay by going vegan, reducing stress, and exploring alternative therapies, like massage and meditation.
Both Stewart's and Carr's experiences seem to prove that we can keep disease at bay by changing some very basic tenets of our daily lives -- not by taking drugs, but by changing what food we're putting in our bodies. And finally, it seems science is taking note.
Getting to this point has been an uphill battle, though. You can bet that recommending a few simple diet tweaks to cancer patients isn't exactly popular with the Big Pharma crowd. They'd much prefer that people like Stewart and Carr ring their cash registers to combat disease. Stewart confessed to The Telegraph:
The doctors absolutely will not say that the diet is going to do anything to help the cancer in any way, other than to say a healthy diet is going to help in the fight against any disease.
But that didn't deter her. And four years later, she believes her diet (which included lots of turmeric, garlic, ginger, fresh fruit, veggies, juices) assisted in her recovery. And she says attitudes seem to be shifting a bit now, thank goodness. She's even involved in a research project that is looking at how lifestyle can be used to help other victims of the disease.
To think that money is going toward studies like that is not just heartening -- it's empowering. Stewart and Carr are thriving illustrated examples: Cancer sufferers can take matters into their own hands, and natural measures may be just as or even more effective than side effect-causing drugs at managing and preventing illness.
What do you think of these women's stories? Do you believe it's possible to keep cancer at bay with natural, lifestyle measures and diet tweaks?
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Freela
My doctor would DEFINTELY tell me that diet plays an important role in fighting diseases. Any doctor who downplays that is being deceitful. There are a lot of lifestyle factors that play into cancer and other diseases. That being said, modern medicine has a place and I would hate to see people decide to treat their cancer with tumeric rather than chemotherapy. A lifestyle overhaul would be a good thing for many people- fighting cancer or not- but there are plenty of effective pharmaceutical treatments as well. I think the smartest thing would be to use the best of both.
Michelle
RhondaVeggie
chrise6972
There is a proven link between obesity and increased risk for breast cancer, so how can you lose when you make positive dietary changes. There is also evidence that exercise may help prevent breast cancer. As a survivor who chose traditional trearment (surgery, chemo and radiation) , Iwould encourage ALL women to practice prevention, early detection and to seek medical advice for any concerns. Early detection and appropriate treatment are critical to survival.
Dee
Stephanie
Judy Medeiros Fitzgerald