Brian Clement

I recently went to hear Brian Clement speak in London. If you've never heard of him, he's worth a google - this is the man who runs the Hippocrates Health Centre in Florida. Founded by Ann Wigmore in 1961, Hippocrates premise is that disease can be reversed by eating a living (raw), vegan diet. Sprouted grains and wheatgrass (in the form of juice and implants) feature heavily. Other holistic modalities like FIR infrared saunas and psychotherapy are also employed.

The first glorious positive of this seminar was the catering. To be greeted by a raw, vegan, gluten free buffet with fresh young coconuts to drink, was frankly unusual and inspiring. Rarely are these seminars coherent in their message when it comes to food (at a Brandon Bays seminar I attended, we were given Tomato Cuppa-soup in the break....!)

I must admit to finding Brian somewhat preachy. However, his message is powerful, and I'm with him all the way. Considering how many thousands of people he has seen heal in this way, it's maybe unsurprising that he's firm in his delivery.

Hippocrates believes that to reverse disease we must consume only raw, living foods. Cooking at high heat alters the chemistry of food, making it less easily absorbed and creating carcinogenic acrylamide. I have to say, that living in a country like England, which is often damp, and rarely warm for long periods, eating 100% raw would be a real challenge, and almost every nutritionist I have ever met agrees that in the cooler seasons we should eat warming, comforting food. However, incorporating raw in the form of daily salads, sprouted foods and vegetable juice makes a lot of sense. Giving up mucous forming food like dairy, and meat is also a must when reversing diseases like cancer.

These are Hippocrates' recommendations for returning to health (in this order);

1. Affirmative thought

2. Constructive diet

3. Productive movement

4. Pristine environment

5. Emo-spirit (emotional/spiritual)

All five points need to be addressed, but it's interesting, particularly with Bruce Lipton's seminar so clearly in my mind, that affirmative thought comes in at the top of the list.

Hippocrates is vehemently anti sugar, even in the form of carrots and 'foodie' sugars like palm, agave etc. The University of San Francisco states that "Sugar contributes to more that 3.5 million deaths globally each year." All disease is metabolic, so it's easy to see that the meteoric global rise in sugar consumption has a huge effect on our health. Harvard Medical School states that the average person derives between 40% - 70% of their calorific intake from sugar. Historically only the aristocracy ate fruit, and even then only about 1kg a year. Now the poorest amongst us eat the most sugar, and most of that is processed. Children in the western world consume DOUBLE their body weight in sugar annually. A recent report in the UK states that 26,000 children had one or more rotten baby teeth surgically removed under general anaesthetic last year due to sugar consumption. If this is what sugar is doing to our teeth, imagine what it's doing to our overall health. Breast cancer cells metabolise fructose better than ALL other sugars. In short, if you have cancer, viruses, bacteria or fungus, cut out sugar. Pretty much all of us should quit the habit then!

I came away feeling that I need to reassess some aspects of my life, notably the recommendation of at least one hour per day of exercise (incorporating resistance training, aerobic activity and trampolining which is very important for moving the lymph). I no longer juice carrots, and have set up a weekly order of wheatgrass and snowpea shoots, which I drink or implant daily. As a result I am noticeably more alkaline and I feel mentally clearer.

As always, the key lies in finding what works for you as an individual, taking it gently, observing your body, and not being afraid to make changes along the way.

Epigenetics

I've mentioned Bruce Lipton before, but having seen him speak, I would absolutely recommend reading his book 'The Biology of Belief', or getting to one of his lectures. 

Last month I finally got to hear this incredible man speak. I've never seen a lecture hall full of such a diverse group of people. It wasn't the usual cancer crowd, there were people of all ages and races. There were dreadlocks and pashminas, suits and students. There was an air of anticipation and excitement, and he didn't disappoint. This man gave us six hours of his vital energy - he crammed his whole book brilliantly into one day of beautifully-explained education, from the origins of modern day physics to the way our cells work and communicate with each other. By the end I felt excited, and stronger in my belief that epigenetics plays a HUGE part in disease, and more importantly, in the reversal of disease.

Epigenetics is the study of environment on our genes. It's a relatively new idea that our fate is not controlled by our genes (flawed genes are actually responsible for less than 1% of all disease) rather that our cells respond to their environment, and our PERCEPTION of our environment. These are the factors which change our genetic activity.

Each of our 50 trillion cells is a mini version of us. They form a community which works in harmony, communicating and moving as one.

If you change the chemistry of the blood, you change the health of these cells. The brain releases chemistry (in the form of dopamine, oxytocin, cortisol etc) via the nervous system to alter the blood. So, as you change environment or perception, you change the chemistry of the blood. An example; through perception fear creates a surge of inflammatory chemistry in the body. This shuts down the growth of cells. Fear is an interpretation of an external event. It has a purpose; to fill the body with enough adrenaline to 'fight or flee'. This stress response shuts down the gastro/immune system and redirects blood and energy towards the arms and legs. Consider that we no longer use our fight or flight response properly. Even playing computer games creates stress hormones, shutting down the conscious brain and causing the hind brain to predominate. Working from this place of reflex behaviour means that absorption in the gut and the immune system is impaired for much of the time. Consider how that affects health in the long term.

Humans are an energy source. Each thing has it's own vibration. Cancer shows as a different vibration to healthy tissue. Cells move and communicate through the use of signals. In experiments it has been shown that the physical body is 100 times more efficient at using energy signals than chemical (ie drugs). Think about this in relation to energy healing, or simply positive thinking. Our thinking creates a cascade effect. We can either cause harmony and healthy growth within our bodies, or fear, inflammation and chaotic growth.

We are architects of our own experience and destiny. Our belief carries more power than our reality. What does this mean? When I was diagnosed, there was an elderly lady who had also just been told she had breast cancer. We regularly saw each other at the Tuesday breast clinic. She would tell me that she could smell her own fear, that she was living in constant anxiety. Imagine what this was doing (chemically) to her already depleted body and to the systems she needed most to return her to health. 

I left the lecture convinced that diet plays a HUGE role in the reversal of disease. After all, much of what we are spoon fed by the food industry is processed, toxic and inflammatory. Living foods are vital to heal. But I also came away trusting that thoughts, beliefs and positive energy are actually top of the list in healing fully.

Travel

Holidays have proven to be an unexpected measure of my progress. With each passing year I notice that I'm less anxious about flying, more relaxed and more present. What still challenges me though, is how to eat well on a restricted diet in an unfamiliar place. 

Having just spent two blissful weeks in Ibiza, I found myself to be more organised than usual. Depending on where we are going, I usually send a food box ahead, containing dry goods like gluten free flour, corn and oat cakes. This time however I took advantage of British Airway's generous baggage allowance, and packed one whole suitcase full of home-made granola, protein balls, nuts, seeds, coconut oil and my most basic supplements (magnesium, krill oil, B patches, quercetin, Angioblock, Artemix, Dimpro and Kiki's greens). I also took a colloidal silver water filter which meant that we avoided the plastic issue, whilst saving a small fortune on bottled water. 

Flying can be stressful on the body, so prior to leaving I juiced everything in the fridge and took a litre of green juice with me to the airport. I left blueberries and bananas in the freezer for an emergency smoothie on my return. 

I always wear an electro-magnetic protector when I fly (or in busy train stations and built up areas) to protect against radiation, which can be extremely depleting.

On arrival we headed for the supermarket and stocked up on locally grown fruits and vegetables. Organic produce is hard to find in Ibiza, so we sought out health food shops and asked about good local markets.

We eat out a lot on holiday, and I think that attitude is key here. Enjoying a consciously chosen meal beats panicking about it's origins, or worrying which oil it may have been cooked in. Anxiety about food impedes absorption more than the simple act of enjoying a meal which is possibly less than ideal. I generally opted for salads, and in the absence of nuts and seeds allowed myself goats cheese for protein.

I stayed hydrated (drinking up to 2 and a half litres daily), meditated daily and practiced simple yoga stretches by the pool. I avoided toxic sunscreens, instead opting for coconut oil (which needs to be reapplied often as it only has a SPF of around 8).

Most importantly, I concentrated on the positives; a green juice in a local juice bar, a power salad in a beach cafe, a swim in the sea fully present, laughter with my family, a beautiful sunset. These things are just as important to health as diet, and energetically are incredibly healing. 

The cruise ship analogy.

My analogy of a cancer diagnosis is one of having lived my entire life on a cruise liner. I never had to think about steering this ship, or where I was going. I gorged on the buffet laid out before me, without consciousness. It was easy, but unsatisfying.

On diagnosis I felt that I had been cast out of the liner into a small row boat. Attached to the rest of society by a flimsy rope, life became a struggle to keep up. I felt isolated. Friends and family, still aboard the liner, waved at me eating cake, drinking wine, cheering me on. And I looked up longingly, misguidedly thinking that all I wanted was to get back onto that ship. 

Over time I started to look around me, to see the beauty of life inside my boat, the responsibility that I now embraced, and the madness of life on the liner. I began to steer my little boat, and wish that others (cancer free of course) could join me in the beauty of my adventure. 

I cut the rope.

Sometimes the storms down here are rough, but they are never less than exciting. I feel connected to the waves, vibrant and alive. I am constantly learning how to navigate this journey.

And when I look closely, I see a community of little boats, an armada. I am not alone. I never was. I was just in the wrong boat. 

Releasing Expectations

When I discovered that conceiving a baby with my husband was going to be neither easy, nor conventional, I learned a hard lesson....we don't always get what we want. There was deep grief, a sense of loss, and lack of acceptance. Until this point I had always believed that whatever you desire is achievable if you work hard for it. Overnight I had lost my naive sense of misplaced entitlement and it came as a shock.

Fast forward almost 12 years (and two children later); I feel well. I Am well. I'm doing everything in my realm of sustainable effort to survive cancer, but that experience dulled my belief that you can strive for, and achieve, whatever you want. For a long time I retained a little place in my heart for the possibility that I may not be able to reverse disease. Sometimes I used this as a disclaimer, and I understood how dangerous that was. I'm well aware that many people do not survive cancer, regardless of which healing modality they use. Only recently have I come to fully embrace the fact that the choices I've made have contributed to a perversely magnificent existence, and a quality of life that I have never previously experienced.

When we strip away expectation and entitlement we become fully present to what is ACTUALLY happening, and life becomes an amazing series of moments, lived fully, enjoyed wildly, appreciated entirely. The key is to be conscious that every experience can serve as a positive lesson if we're willing to observe and be open.

I don't feel sad about that little place in my heart. I see it as a space of recognition, a place where I'm aware that I no longer hold on to old ideals. Everything IS possible, and that in itself is a miracle.

Intuition

I've recently read 'Radical Remission' by Dr Kelly Turner. This book focuses on what was once called 'spontaneous remission', a phrase which Dr Turner recognises as a misnomer. Most people who are living healthily after a cancer diagnosis have not 'spontaneously' recovered, rather they have put time and energy into healing. Dr Turner found, whilst researching over 1000 cases, that although there were more than 75 alternative healing protocols, nine key elements were employed by every survivor. This piqued my interest. What were they? As well as the expected dietary changes, intuition featured strongly. 

What is intuition? The dictionary defines it as "the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning". Animals exist intuitively - it's a survival mechanism. Humans, despite having lost touch with much of our innate instinctive behaviour, ARE aware of 'gut feelings', we just need to learn how to listen to, trust, and be guided by them.

In those early post-diagnosis days I had a strong intuition that chemotherapy was wrong for me, that in my weakened state it would kill me. As vehemently as I tried to reject this feeling, I couldn't dismiss it. Saying 'no' (to my oncologist) was alien and uncomfortable to me then, but it was a lesson I had to learn in order to honour my intuition. 

Meditation, conscious breathing and staying present help to focus attention so that we may become more open to our intuition. I've received direction and information so many times this way. Many books on spirituality ('Conversations with God' springs to mind) discuss this re-membering, this re-connecting, not only with self but with something bigger. Never underestimate how beautifully we can be guided in times of extreme need if we are open. Trusting this inner voice can bring great peace, which is fundamental to healing.

The cost of cancer

The average cost of cancer treatment in the UK (surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy) costs around £30,000 per person. When I first discovered this fact I was shocked. It wasn't that I put a price on my life, rather I felt undeserving that such a large sum of money be spent on a treatment plan which offered a statistically low chance of long-term survival, when MANY other lives, at risk purely for want of food and clean water could be saved for that price. And so I quickly realised that cancer is big business. In the UK we are fortunate to have the NHS, and I don't subscribe to the conspiracy theory that doctors want us ill to line their pockets. What I DO believe is that big pharma makes a killing (literally) from it's drug profits. This poses certain problems. Pharmaceutical companies spend millions of pounds developing drugs and getting them approved. They need to charge extortionate fees to cover their costs before patents expire. However, this also means that companies are reluctant to investigate natural substances which cannot be patented. If we only believe what the European Medicines Agency (EMA) sells us, then we are in big trouble.

It's expensive to go it alone in treating cancer, to pay for private doctors, to buy equipment, and even to eat well. I've been incredibly lucky to have been supported financially, emotionally and mentally by my husband, family and friends. I understand that for many this level of financial commitment is difficult if not impossible. 

However, in the face of regularly being told "I can't afford to eat well/heal naturally" I would say that there are many things we can each do that cost very little. Emotional health is at the heart of most disease. Meditation costs nothing, and prolonged practice has been proven to reverse disease. Borrowing books from the library is free. I would recommend 'You Can Heal Your Life' by Louise Hay as a good place to start in releasing blocked emotions. Many towns in the UK have cancer care centres where you can have free healing. I was grateful to receive (free) Reiki, Aromatherapy and counselling at The Nightingale Centre when I lived in London. Yes2Life is a fantastic charity which offers guidance in locating support centres. They have a scheme to help cancer patients fund their treatment, and I was fortunate to receive a grant towards buying a FAR infrared sauna. Macmillan also offer one off grants of up to £289 to help cancer patients during treatment. (You can get application forms from your breast nurse). You don't need to join a gym to exercise. Walking is free and gentle on your body, whilst being in nature is grounding and energising. Organic food is expensive it's true, but when cooking from scratch and removing meat, alcohol, sweets and processed food from the trolley, you can expect to actually reduce your grocery bills. Buying in bulk from companies like Goodness Direct saves money, and growing-your-own is also an option for many. We've recently joined an organic allotment project. We devote our time to helping with the plot, and in return get fresh, organic produce for a small donation. Water filtration systems (as described in this post) can be prohibitively expensive, yet are an important aspect of healing. Until you can afford the best, make do with a colloidal silver jug filter for all cooking and drinking needs. 

My point is that you can make changes if you choose to, but you have to WANT to take responsibility for your own health. Many of us have given away our power and feel helpless and stuck (in a stressful job or an unhappy marriage), but we've made choices to get into these situations, and can make choices to change them. For many people, reducing stress, and getting happy are fundamental to healing.