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“You aren’t sick because you have cancer –
You have cancer because you are sick.” Dr Lorraine Day

Thank you for visiting Cancer Compass an Alternate Route.

This blog was created to provide information for those who are struggling with a cancer diagnosis and are looking for alternative options.  This is because cancer patients are often rushed into having surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation and aren’t given the opportunity to see if there are any alternative therapies that might be helpful to them.  There are many options available, but you will not hear about them from your oncologist, radiologist, or surgeon because it is illegal in the U.S. (and many other countries) for doctors to use anything other than the aforementioned therapies to treat cancer.  There are two reasons for this.

1. Doctors have only been trained to provide surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer so they will not be aware of how alternative therapies might be helpful for you.
2. Your doctor would risk losing their medical license if they mentioned anything other than these 3 medically approved options.

The War on Cancer

We are in the midst of a cancer epidemic as one in two men, and one in three women can expect to be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime.  About 1,665,540 new cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United  States in 2014. This estimate does not include figures for carcinoma in situ (which is a non-invasive cancer) of any site except for urinary/bladder, nor does it include basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas because they are not required to be reported to the cancer registries. Cancer is expected to claim 585,720 American lives in 2014 along with 7.6 million people worldwide.

Even though research and treatment efforts have intensified over the past three decades, the annual death toll has continued to rise.  Researchers point out that this is because people are living longer than ever, and since cancer becomes more prevalent with age it is unfair to just look at only the raw numbers when assessing our current progress.   Therefore, when mortality rates are calculated, they are adjusted to compare cancer fatalities by age group, over time.  Yet even when using this model for analysis, the percentage of Americans dying from cancer is about the same as it was back in the 50’s.   We must recognize that our current strategies are not working.

Billions of Dollars Spent-  The National Cancer Institute has an annual budget of 5 billion dollars, and has spent about 90 billion dollars on research and treatments since the war on cancer was declared in 1971. Pharmaceutical companies spend about 8 billion dollars annually on research and the development of new cancer drugs, and there are about 260 nonprofit organizations in the United States that have dedicated themselves to cancer that have annual budgets that top $2.2 billion.  All told, the money spent each year on cancer exceeds 16 billion dollars.  But one must ask, what has all of this money done to increase survival rates?

For most patients, cancer treatments are the exact same as they have been for the past 20 years, with the vast majority of them being treated with chemotherapy and radiation regimens.  We often hear about new breakthroughs that are happening in the cancer arena, yet these very expensive treatments are only available to a select few and are only extending lives by an average of 2 or 3 additional months, and this is often in a state of suffering.

The genetic link- 18% of all cancers are caused by various infections, 23% are related to obesity, 41% are due to environmental factors. This leaves approximately 18%, of which only 5% are attributed to genetic factors.  Yet despite the fact that such a high percentage of cancers are directly related to diet and lifestyle choices, of the $5 billion spent annually by the National Cancer Institute, just under 7% (or $438 million) has been specifically set aside to fund appropriate cancer prevention and control measures.   This figure is even worse for the pharmaceutical industry where the vast majority of funds are spent exclusively on developing new drug-related treatments.

As stated above, only 5-10% of cancers are due to genetic inheritance.  When we see cancer incidences that appears to be more prevalent in certain families, this actually has more to do with family members sharing the same dietary and lifestyle habits, and exposures to similar toxins than anything related to genetic inheritance.

Genetic therapy disappointments–  Billions of dollars have been spent looking for the genetic answer to cancer. But when mapping of the cancer genome was completed, the researchers were left with a mind-boggling puzzle of genetic switches that were either turned on or off with no pattern or similarities for them to work with. Any hope that gene-targeted therapies would lead to a quick victory over cancer were dispelled quickly.  There are a few gene-targeted therapies that can address certain lower-profile cancers, but most of these drugs will stop working once the cancer cells mutate further and are no longer vulnerable to the effects of the drug.  “What we know today is that very few drugs, even those with fantastic clinic results end up curing people because the cancer becomes resistant to the drug that we are using in almost every case.” Dr Richard Klausner, Director of the National Cancer Institute, from the documentary film based upon the book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

Immuno-therapy– This is where modern treatment modalities are heading. But if you take a closer look at the research, you can see that toxicity (adverse reactions to the drugs), along with the high costs of treating patients are both significant concerns that need to be considered by those patients who are willing to accept the treatments.  In reviewing the latest research, patients who were given a combination of immune-stimulating drugs for certain melanoma cancers (and were able to tolerate the side effects), had their lives extended by about 11.5 months at a cost of $300,000 per year, leaving their families facing financial hardship.

Epigenetics – Could we be we ignoring the obvious when it comes to genes?  The human genome has not changed significantly for thousands of years.  Why would our genes suddenly go rogue and become the cause of death for millions of people?  The answer is that damaged and faulty genes are not be the killers that they have been made out to be.  Perhaps what kills a patient is not the tumor itself, but the numerous reasons behind the cell mutations that have led to the development of cancer in the first place.  

Our bodies have genes that control normal cellular growth.  When this process is disrupted, these genes have the ability to switch on the development of cancer.  Some of these disruptors  include: exposure to carcinogenic substances such as smoking, asbestos, or radiation; lifestyle habits including obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and eating toxic diets; exposure to certain viruses; and experiencing severe emotional turmoil that has the ability to overwhelm and collapse the immune system.

The study of epigenetics reveals that our genes have the incredible ability to respond dynamically to the environments that they are exposed to– literally activating and deactivating the chemical switches that regulate how they will express themselves. This is clearly revealed in a study orchestrated by Dr Dean Ornish and involved prostate cancer patients who voluntarily adopted vegetarian diets and began incorporating exercise and stress relieving techniques into their daily lives. The study showed that over 500 genes were positively affected by the diet and lifestyle changes that were made. In fact, certain disease-preventing genes were up-regulated (turned on), and certain disease promoting genes, including the oncogenes involved in the development of cancer were down-regulated (turned off). The study suggests that comprehensive diet and lifestyle changes can induce positive changes in gene expression that can be beneficial to the general population as well as to those suffering from cancer. Read more about this study  with this link. 

Cancer is a symptom, not the problem 

It is time that we look at cancer as a symptom of already sick body, not as the main problem the body may be suffering from at the time of diagnosis. If we took this approach first, then we would address the deficiencies and the toxicity of the body that triggered the production of unhealthy cells in the first place.

A cancer analogy:  
Imagine going downstairs and finding that your basement is covered in mold.   You could put a mask on and spray bleach all over everything.
That bleach will kill the mold, but it will also damage your furniture, the walls, and everything else that you are storing down there, in just the same way that chemotherapy will do to the rest of your body.   But in the end, the original problem remains; you still have a damp, dark basement, and without any ventilation or sunlight that mold will grow back.

That is what happens to the body when we use conventional cancer protocols that see the cancer as the primary problem and tries to cut, poison, and burn it out of  the body.   When/if a patient is fortunate enough to achieve remission, the doctor will send them on their way saying ‘go and live your life exactly as you had before.’  Then, 6 months, 2 years, or 5 years later the cancer comes back…Why? Because the underlying cause of cancer was never addressed and the doctor took an already compromised immune system and damaged it further with extremely toxic treatments.

Conventional treatments don’t work because:

1. these treatments do not strengthen the body or the immune system, they weaken it.

2. they create more toxicity for an already toxic body.

The Immune System – Healing cancer successfully depends upon the ability of the treatments that are given to stimulate and rebuild the immune system. Our bodies are continually developing cancerous cells throughout our lives.  A healthy immune system is able to identify and destroy these rogue cells before they are able to grow uncontrollably.  It is only when the immune system fails at this most basic function that cancerous cells are allowed to grow and reproduce at uncontrollable rates.  For this reason, all cancer healing protocols must recognize that a breakdown of the immune system is the primary reason that a person develops cancer, and then work to address this issue by building this system back up- not tearing it down further as is the norm when having conventional medical interventions.  Start by addressing your nutritional deficiencies, as well as clearing the body of toxicity and you will begin to address the true cause of cancer.

Change your internal terrain:

• Read a collection of articles that are specific to the development of cancer
• Nourish your body with whole foods that are rich in enzymes and nutrients
• The health benefits of juicing and blending fruits and vegetables
• Understanding acid/alkaline balance
• Eliminate the sugars that feed cancer, and artificial sweeteners that are linked to its development
• Eliminate the nutritionally depleted processed and fast foods from your diet; we are overfed and under-nourished
• Read about enzyme therapy
• Remove the unhealthy fats that interrupt cell function
• Include cancer-fighting foods, supplements and herbal therapies.
• Incorporate various detox strategies to cleanse your internal and external environments
• Creating a healthy gut with fermented foods and probiotics
• Read about the healing benefits of essential oils.

Eliminate the toxins

• Hormones and antibiotics in conventional dairy and meats that promote the growth of cancer
• Chemical additives, preservatives and colorings
• Removing commonly used toxic chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine from your drinking water
• Why Genetically Modified Organisms are harmful to your body and the environment
• Removing pesticides, herbicides and fungicides
• Taking a closer look at vaccines
• Recipes to make your own natural products.

Informational resources:

• Learning relaxation therapies such as yoga, meditations and other stress relieving exercises.
• Documentaries, book-lists and a library of websites to provide an in-depth look at alternative cancer therapies.
• Information for breast health and breast cancer.
• Articles about corruption in our current health system that relies solely on pharmaceuticals that are doing nothing to cure diseases because they don’t address the underlying causes of our health issues.
• A growing collection of doctors and clinics who are using alternative methods to treat cancer.
• Search tools to locate holistic healthcare in your area.
• A collection of various alternative therapies for cancer.
• An extensive and growing collection of personal testimonials from those who have used alternative methods to heal cancer.

Disclaimer:

• The information contained in this website is intended, and shall be deemed to be, for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, or advice of a qualified licensed professional.
• If you elect to implement or use any of the information contained in this website, it is at your own free will and discretion, and this website, nor its administrator and affiliates are not liable for how this information is used by the reader.
• None of the statements regarding alternative treatments for cancer have been evaluated by the FDA, and many of the therapies that are written about have not been approved by the FDA.
• I am not a doctor and the content contained on this website consists of my own personal commentary or opinions, and is therefore protected under the laws of free speech.
• I assume no responsibility for inaccuracies in my source materials, nor do I assume responsibility for how this material is used by the reader, nor shall I be held responsible relating to any discrepancies regarding Google Translator’s inability to depict the materials as they were intended.
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