The C-Word: A Miracle Cure

imagine a forgotten "cure" for arthritis, lyme disease, candida, parasites, respiratory infections, acne, allergies, varicose veins - and some people think - certain cancers.

i'm on a number of listservs where people discuss alternative and complementary therapies. since i'm obsessed with ways to help the body heal itself, i usually do some investigation - online and asking doctors, naturopaths, acupuncturists and healers i know, along with people who've tried it. if it still sounds interesting, i test it on myself and i ask my friends and family if they want to try it.

for most of the people i know who have candida, the effects can be so debilitating and so hard to resolve, that something that may CURE it, permanently, is life-altering.

so far, from everything i've know, this seems to work, despite the scare-mongering around it. it works even better if you take a little time to clean up your body first, drinking lots of water, stopping processed foods, cutting back on animal products, etc. but it seems to work even if you don't do that.

first - here's the legal disclaimer - i am NOT a doctor and am not qualified to diagnose or treat any illnesses. anything i describe is my personal, anecdotal experience and i am not instructing you to do it.

also, every time i mention this stuff on facebook or twitter or something, people get really angry about it. and they are also REALLY scared of it - which in my mind - is always something to watch out for.

so what is it?

yes, bizarre as it sounds - turpentine.

the first time i read about someone drinking it, i thought the guy was insane. then i did some research. a lot of recent information comes from a doctor called jennifer daniels who now lives outside of the u.s.- if you click on the link, she explains how it works.

there's a naturopath in canada called tony pantelleresco who explains how to mix it with honey.

think about it. natural turpentine is pine sap. it's the oil of a pine tree and in its natural state, it's what the tree uses to heal its own wounds. it's a component of propolis (what bees collect) and has strongly antibacterial and antifungal properties. it's been used as a disinfectant and cleaning product most recently. and, in this country, was also taken as a cure-all by native americans. as an essential oil, it's called terebinth.

native americans passed their knowledge to african-americans who, during the time of slavery and afterwards, had limited access to medicines. it also spread amongst poor whites and was used both topically and internally for just about everything, but especially with farm kids, mixed with a little castor oil for "de-worming."

i spoke to an iranian friend recently about trying turpentine for a cold and he said, "oh no, that's what they used to give children for worms! a little turpentine on sugar." i've heard similar things from russian friends.

personally, i've been experimenting myself with the internal and external use of turpentine. externally, i have put 1/2 a cup of it in the bath - mixed with a carrier oil like almond or olive oil (because it can be a little stingy on hot skin) - i have massaged it into sore muscles and applied it to injuries. a dot of it on a q-tip applied to a pimple does clear it quickly.

some people say it reduces varicose veins, so far no real change, but i will add to this if it does.

in theory, taking a little turpentine (1 to 1/2 teaspoon mixed with white sugar or honey followed by a few big glasses of water) kills infectious microbes and parasites almost instantly. after i do it, i have actually passed small (but dead, phew) worms. also, in a few hours, my stomach flattens out - a sign of the candida being killed off. for me, i find the optimum dose is every few months, unless i suddenly have some sort of infection.

the unpleasant side-effects of ingestion can be burping it up all day - which can be minimized by adding 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the water you drink after ingesting it and brief diarrhea/loose bowels as the parasites leave your body. if it feels too intense, take less turpentine - maybe 1/4 teaspoon to start.

i've also seen the sugar-turpentine remedy work for kids, the elderly, my friends, my housekeeper, my employees and my neighbors for everything from respiratory infections, emphysema, upset stomachs, brain fog, candida, post-stroke to fibromyalgia. it has never failed to produce remarkable results. a kid with a fever and a cold jumped out of bed in a few hours, a girl with severe fibromyalgia immediately relaxed, a 90 year-old woman with a chronic lung condition could suddenly breathe (after just 15 drops in a teaspoon of sugar), a guy with bad brain fog after a stroke felt clear and sharp immediately. with regular use (every other day for five or six days), my friends with candida see relief of their symptoms.

kit campbell, a woman who overcame her IBS by cleaning up her diet and taking turpentine following jennifer daniels and tony pantelleresco shows how she does it. she decided she preferred the honey or olive oil carrier method.

the reviews on amazon for the organic, natural turpentine i buy show that i am not the only person who is using it internally.

so why does every bottle of turpentine carry dire warnings? a few years' ago, turpentine was listed in the merck manual, the NIH and the new england journal of medicine as the cure for a number of illnesses. even webmd suggests it can be used externally for skin conditions.

i've read arguments that it is a poison, but from what i understand, it is only hard on the body if ingested in very large quantities, using that logic, even in small quantities, tylenol or acetaminophen is toxic to the liver and, according to our friends at the FDA, is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S., leading 15,000 trips a year to the emergency room. (if you insist on taking tylenol or paracetemol, keep some NAC on hand as it helps re-build your stores of glutathione).

according to jennifer daniels, the reason is that turpentine is too cheap and available and resolves too many conditions, thus not appealing to regulating organizations which get a lot of support from corporations.

in any case, the kind of turpentine one uses is important. it should be pure gum spirits which are made from tree sap rather than mineral spirits which are made from petroleum. this is available in any art supply or hardware store, just check the label carefully.

or one can order the organic one from diamond g forest.

last of all, there is a theory that the cancer cell mutation is caused by molds, parasites and other opportunistic microbes - in which case, turpentine might be an effective piece of a healing protocol. my suggestion is to find a doctor or healer who understands it or do your own research.

imho, it's an incredible tool. i keep it in my medicine cabinet!

The C-Word: Not Budweiser, the Budwig Diet

While trolling around cancer online support groups, I have been amazed by the results people report from the "budwig diet." It was popularized and written about by a German doctor, Johanna Budwig. The crux of it is mixing cottage cheese with flax seed oil - in a ratio of 2-1 - in a blender so that it is totally creamy and then topping it with freshly-ground flaxseeds and a little fresh fruit.

I've never tried it but here's what I read: people recovering from stage-4 breast cancer, from pancreatic cancer, from multiple myelomas - however, it doesn't seem to work as well with lung cancer.

According to these happy cancer survivors, one of the crucial things is that one follows the protocol to the letter - with no "cheating" or variations. Though of late, it seems that they are eliminating wheat as well.

If you are pondering complementary or alternative "cures,"I suggest you try it for 8 weeks and see how you feel. Obviously, there are no clinical trials. I am not a doctor so I can't prescribe medicines or treatment, but it's worth looking into.

the information below includes references to her books that, if you decide to follow it, are easy to buy on amazon.com and elsewhere.


INTRODUCTION to the BUDWIG PROTOCOL with DIET DETAILS
This plan has stopped cancer & other diseases for over 50 years
----------------------------------------
This can help you to follow Dr. Budwig's protocol. It is based on her book, "Cancer - The Problem and the Solution" [1999], her
cookbook, "The Oil-Protein Diet" [1952]

Most people begin gradually, adding healthy foods & liquids and eliminating damaging ones. The diet seems simple, but foods are powerful and can damage or heal a person. The Budwig plan has healed people of many kinds of cancer and other diseases and conditions.

In liver, pancreatic, stomach and gall bladder disease it's best to begin with a "Transition Diet" - After the transition, begin the diet below with small amounts of the oil & cheese as well as the other foods.

Dr.Budwig had over a 90% success rate with this protocol with all kinds of cancer patients over a 50 year period. Many research studies done in the last ten years support the cancer-fighting value
of foods, juices, sun exposure and relaxation Dr.Budwig recommended.

To start the diet, it helps to have 3 appliances:
1- A coffee bean grinder to grind the whole brown flaxseeds sold in health food stores or online.
2- An immersion hand-held mixer (a stick-shaped mixer), to blend flaxseed oil [FO] and cottage cheese [CC] together so that they become one food, making the oil water-soluble and more absorbable.
3- A vegetable juicer. A masticating or extractor type may give a more healthful juice than a centrifugal type. Many members like Green Star.

FLAXSEED OIL and COTTAGE CHEESE (FOCC) or quark:
Generally, each tablespoon of Flaxseed Oil (FO) is mixed with 2 or more tablespoons of low-fat organic Cottage Cheese (CC)or quark.
That is a FOCC ratio of approximately 1:2. Cold-pressed refrigerated liquid FO is used, for example, Barlean's & Spectrum. It's better
to buy regular FO instead of High Lignan FO. Healthier lignans are obtained at a lower cost by using freshly ground flaxseeds.
[used instead of Linomel].

TO START THE DAY - About an hour before breakfast, have a glass of raw sauerkraut juice. It has cancer-fighting benefits. Home-made is best in order to get the digestive enzymes.

Anything pasteurized has lost its enzymes.
But, you can get healthy lactic acid from Biotta brand juice, ordered online. Lactic acid in the juice helps the digestive tract work better all day.

BREAKFAST -
Start with a cup of green tea or herbal tea. It provides warm liquid required for the ground flaxseeds to swell properly. That is important. Then eat your Muesli [Muesli in the Budwig diet refers to the recipe below. Cottage cheese, quark, homemade yogurt cheese or kefir cheese are OK to use.

Budwig Muesli [FOCC] recipe: [Prepare only enough for one meal - avoid storing. Eat it as soon as possible, do not let it sit.
[1] Blend 3 tbs flaxseed oil with 6 tbs organic low-fat CC and 2 tblsp milk (no water or watery liquids at this point) with a hand-held
immersion electric blender. The mixture should be like rich whipped cream with no separated oil within about a minute. VERY IMPORTANT!!
[2] Grind 2 tblsp whole flaxseeds and add. [This replaces Linomel]
[3] Add fresh [frozen if necessary] berries which contain cancer-fighting ellagic acid. [Use organic fruits, if possible]
[4] Add other fresh fruit if you like, totaling 1/2 to 1 cup of fruit.
[5] Add some fruit juice [e.g. dark grape, blueberry] or milk if mixture is too thick. Fruits & their juices are proven cancer fighters.
[6] Add organic raw nuts such as walnuts or Brazil nuts [no peanuts] and, if you wish, a bit of vanilla. Try various fresh [or frozen if necessary] organic fruits and flavorings for variety. Limit honey to 1 or 2 teaspoons a day.

MID-MORNING -
Freshly-pressed vegetable juice from carrot and/or radish, stinging nettle, beet, celery, lemon, apple [carrot and beet juices are
especially helpful to the liver and are excellent cancer fighters.]

GO OUTSIDE FOR SUNLIGHT - Sunlight on the skin is very healthful for vit.D and other benefits [even in winter]. Dr. Budwig stressed the value of sunlight. Avoid burning & avoid sunscreen & sunglasses.

If you feel up to having some exercise, individualize it according to your strength - DON'T OVERDO IT. Some quotes by Dr. Budwig regarding exercise: "Often yoga or sport is very important, but sometimes the patient should not do this" and "I would never allow a cancer patient with metastases to jog, ride a bicycle, or to practice yoga. His body must relax." She added, "There is no one treatment that applies for everyone. The patient must also feel for himself what is good for him." and "The whole subject of sport must be treated on a very individual basis."

One form of exercise that is beneficial for most people is using a rebounder [a mini-trampoline] because it helps clear the lymph system and promotes better drainage.


BEFORE LUNCH -
A cup of warm green or herbal tea. Use honey if desired (no sugar). Also suggested, one tblsp whole flaxseeds, freshly ground and added to a glass of Champagne, known to help digestion & absorption. [1999 book]

LUNCH -
RAW vegetable salad with various homemade salad dressings which may include 1 or more tblsp FO blended with 1 or 2 tblsp organic low-fat CC plus 1 tblsp organic apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and spices. Or, for sweeter dressing, try FO & red grape juice or another fruit juice. You can vary the salad dressings based on the recipes in the Oil-Protein Diet Cookbook. Several recipes do not include cottage cheese at all. The body can utilize 2 or 3 tblsp oil without cottage cheese. Avoid commercial salad dressings. Experiment with spices, honey or garlic for variety.

If still hungry, make baked or steamed veggies. [See dinner]

LUNCH DESSERT: Repeat breakfast recipe with varied fresh raw fruits (organic if possible). This is the second FO/CC serving of the day:
three tblsp flax oil & 6 tblsp CC with fresh fruit but NO flaxseeds. Smaller amounts of food are digested better. Work up to six tblsp FO
per day, if possible, mixed with twice as much CC, depending on digestive ability and size. Chew very well to optimize digestion. Predigestion
starts in the mouth by mixing saliva with the foods. Try to have your meals in a peaceful atmosphere. Stress reduction is important.

MID-AFTERNOON -
Two tblsp whole flaxseeds, freshly ground, stirred into a glass of sparkling wine or Champagne OR one teaspoons flaxseeds, ground and
stirred into a glass of fruit juice: grape, cherry or pineapple. Chew the ground flaxseeds for better digestion.

RELAX, IN THE SUN IF POSSIBLE, to relieve stress. It's healing. Seek out nature, music, chat, laughter, or what pleases you.

LATE AFTERNOON -
One tblsp whole flaxseeds, ground & added to blueberry or papaya juice. Both papaya & pineapple [above] have digestive enzymes if they are fresh. Most bottled juices have lost their enzymes but still have valuable nutrients. If making the juice, drink it immediately after
preparation before the enzymes are lost by air and light. You want to get as many natural enzymes as possible [as well as electrons from flax seeds & oils]. [Note: Instead of the fruit juices, some members heal using homemade vegetable juices as described at 10 a.m.]

DINNER -
Vegetable soup or a variety of veggies and starch-containing foods, well spiced. Add Oleolux and nutritional yeast flakes after cooking. Choices of cooked starchy foods - buckwheat (JB's top choice-digests well), millet, brown rice, lentils, beans, peas, yams & potatoes. Add lightly cooked vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach, beets,carrots, chard, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, onions,artichokes, asparagus, peppers, kale, green beans, etc. Also, addspices such as cayenne pepper, paprika & others. AFTER COOKING,
add Oleolux 'to taste,' made with coconut oil, flaxseed oil, garlic and onion [recipe in Files under 'Foods']. Also use it as a spread on bread [sprouted grain, homemade or Ezekiel].

EVENING -
A glass of organic red wine if desired.

The above diet can be varied by the many recipes in Dr. Budwig's book "The Oil-Protein Diet Cookbook," sold on Amazon and Barlean's  websites for about $10.

THE FOLLOWING IS VERY IMPORTANT:
Dr. Budwig stressed that we must AVOID UNHEALTHY FOODS and SUBSTANCES such as hydrogenated fats, trans-fats, most animal fats, butter, sugar, white flour, preservatives and processed foods as well as pesticides and chemicals, even those in household products & cosmetics. Also, drink chemical-free pure water if possible.

++ Avoid leftovers - food should be prepared fresh and eaten soon after preparation to maximize intake of health-giving electrons &
enzymes.

++ At least 3x a day drink warm green or herbal teas, unsweetened or sweetened only with honey.

++ Stress is very damaging. Avoid stress and anxiety; take time to relax & enjoy each day. Listen to beautiful music, laugh, do deep breathing, connect with nature, spend time with people you like. Eliminate anger and sadness through EFT, counseling, support group or some method of letting go of it.

++ ELDI oils are oils for external application. Dr.Budwig had her patients use them extensively.

++ Dr.Budwig did not include supplements in her protocol. Also, as far as we can tell, she did not use drugs with her protocol and generally discontinued those that were taken.

Some supplements, especially high amounts of man-made antioxidants, can seriously interfere with how well the diet works, as can/will some drugs and treatments (particularly cytostatic [chemo and radiation] treatments, cortisones, hormones and many pain killers). She also warned against the dangers of ozone and oxygen therapy
for the cancer patient. Ozone resulted in death for some members.

++ The foods in the Budwig Protocol give your body what it needs daily to stop cancer. Dr. Budwig warned that you should follow the diet strictly for three years before relaxing a little, but you can never stop these foods for more than a day or so, and you cannot regularly include damaging foods or supplements. Doing so
may allow the cancer to return. This has happened to some people.

Dr.Budwig's book "Flax Oil as a True Aid Against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer and other Diseases" offers an understanding of the scientific principles behind this protocol. Her cookbook "The Oil-Protein Diet" gives practical diet information and recipes. Both of these books can be ordered from www.Amazon.com or from
www.Barleans.com for about $10.

Her newest (and last) book, "Cancer-The Problem and The Solution," written in 1999, is available from http://www.nexus-book.com

2015: The Pleasures of the Flesh

i woke up this morning and, since it's the first cold sharp day of the new year, i made my bed, crisp and clean, and washed all the dishes and hung up my clothes from the night before.

as i stood in front of the white porcelain sink, my feet chilled by the wood floor, i was struck by the pleasure of the warm water on my hands and the steady balance of my legs. i picked up each tea cup one at a time and looked at how beautiful it was. it made me so happy that i stopped and took a deep breath and felt how easily and simply my lungs expanded.

all of sudden, i was filled with such overwhelming gratitude that my eyes filled with tears. not just for my body doing easily what i needed it to do, but for clean running water, for warm water, for the heat and light and space in my home, even for the softness and reliability of my ratty sweatshirt.

i felt so happy i could burst.

at our post-yoga dinner (yes! i did bikram yoga for new year's eve and it was my best new year's eve in years), i was talking with friends about the things i did to survive cancer. my friend susan avery reminded me how we met at a funeral of a friend. she had been going through her cancer at the same time that i was. at the funeral, i said to susan, "that could have been me."

i don't remember because when we think about our pasts, how we see them keeps changing depending on the present.

but this is not a post about being sick.

this morning, struck breathless and almost weeping with gratitude, i changed the water in the flowers on my dining table and i remembered one thing that saved me, that still saves me - impulse and hedonism - or the pleasures of the flesh.

one of the hardest things about a life-threatening illness is when you are in the hospital and your friends leave. because they get to walk out. they get to walk out and take a big breath of fresh air and feel the sun on the tops of their heads and go back to their everyday lives.

http://tomnewyears.tumblr.com/

in the hospital system, you're increasingly cut off from any sensual pleasure. my senses registered pain and nausea from the needles, the drugs and the smells of rubbing alcohol and cleaning fluids. my tastebuds were numbed. my hearing was jumbled and incoherent. my memory was shot. my brain craved sedation.

i couldn't take another minute of it. i felt like i'd rather die than spend one more second looking through the window at life rather than living. (i am a dervish, so i am not scared of death. in my experience, death is liberating and bright.)

if i was going to be alive, i wanted to be immersed in every second of the material world.

so i walked out.

natural medicine gave me a chance to taste, to breathe, exercise, to feel - not that my way is the only way. just that that worked for me.

like most people whose lives are compromised, i learned to be immensely grateful for every pleasure my body and mind offered me.

all those things we do without thinking - letting your tongue roll over something complex and delicious, inhaling the fragile scent of flowers, reading and comprehending rich, intoxicating prose, listening to a song that makes you float, drinking, swimming, bathing, stretching, kissing.

all those things we have but we don't appreciate - clean water, quiet nights, heat, food in the refrigerator, shoes, clothes that protect our skin and keep us warm. a place to keep the objects and, even more importantly, the people we love safe and secure. the ability to pay our bills and keep our electricity and internet and cell phones running.

so for the beginning of 2015,  if you are reading this, i wish you so much love it feels your heart might burst. i wish your eyes, lips, tongue, skin, muscles, tissues, nerves to give you pleasure. i wish you prosperity and safety and security. i wish you a year of days so crystalline and pure in their beauty that you can barely let them end.

i wish you clean air and water and food and week after week where you don't have to worry about your health, your finances, your loved ones. i wish you clean sheets and a bed. i wish you the freedom of forgiving people who have hurt you and i apologize for any way i might have hurt you or made you feel less. i wish i could erase any pain you still carry.

i wish you gratitude and awe and wonder and serenity that life will unfold in a way that supports you and embraces you. i wish you to feel powerful and graceful.

YOU ARE AMAZING.

i love you. i kiss you. i am so grateful for you.

http://tomnewyears.tumblr.com/

please click on the link and keep it open in another window. the music makes all the difference...

The C-Word: Anti-Cancer Supplement #1

One of the supplements I always recommend to anyone I know who has cancer is polyMVA. It's both effective along with chemotherapy and radiation or on its own. I also use it as an immune system boost any time I feel anything coming on. In my case, I started taking it while I was getting chemo, along with CoQ10. I noticed that, despite being around young kids and spending lots of time in public places, I didn't catch so much as a cold. On the one day when I started to get a bit sniffly, I took an extra dose of the polyMVA (normally, I took two teaspoons in a glass of water, three or four times a day) then two hours' later, a big dose of vitamin c and the next day it was gone. I was also incredibly resilient, I was able to take pilates during chemo and start swimming laps again within two weeks of stopping.

PolyMVA is a dark liquid combination of palladium and lipoic acid (the poly) along with minerals, vitamins and amino acids (MVA). To me, it tastes - probably because of all the b-vitamins - like marmite without any salt. Bad, but not gag-worthy. Clearly, the clever name was not created by a copywriter. That said, while it hasn't been subject to an FDA review (and honestly, I am not always impressed by what they do pass), there are scores of survivors who rave about the product and share stories online and in podcasts. A man called Walter Davis actually has created a regular PolyMVA radio show in which he invites people to give testimonials.

I was lucky enough to interview Gary Matson, a retired pastor, who now runs the doctors' programs with the company. He had actually been a bereavement counselor when his 62 year-old wife was diagnosed with stage-4 brain cancer. His son was a doctor in Southern California and got them the best allopathic medical care. They'd followed every traditional protocol and, finally, were told she had two weeks to live. In the hospice, someone mentioned PolyMVA and he started giving it to his wife. Within three months, an MRI showed that all of her tumors had stopped growing. Within five months, all of her previous tumors were gone. Unfortunately, she did die of a seizure in the 6th month - but that's a longer story.

So PolyMVA was named and invented by a Long Island dentist called Merrill Garnett, DDS, who was diagnosed with stage-4 brain cancer himself in the early 90s. He had also done some graduate work in biochemistry, so he started researching a nutritional cure that could cross the brain blood barrier at the Stony Brook laboratories and others in Long Island. He eventually came up with a combination of high-level, high-powered anti-oxidants including B1, B2, B12, rhodium, palladium and alpha-lipoic acid that helped the mixture cross into the brain. The combination of ingredients is water and fat-soluble so able to penetrate the cell walls and activate the cell mitochondria, repairing the cancer cells and improving the quality of the surrounding cells.

I'm not a biochemist myself so my explanations are not as clear as some of the infographics. The end result is that the PolyMVA works by "flooding" anerobic cancer cells with oxygen, thus "electrocuting" them, while strengthening the normal cells to keep them from mutating into cancer.

According to Gary, the transformation of the cancer takes time - normally, it takes about 4 months on what is called the "loading doses." In natural medicine, this usually means a larger beginning dose that sets the healing process in motion. A loading dose can be 6 to 8 teaspoons a day which is what I was taking - or 1 tsp for every 10 to 15 pounds of body weight. While it doesn't usually have an instant effect on one's sonograms, within a week or two of this dose, almost every cancer patient has a marked increase in energy and appetite and color back in their cheeks.

In about 4 months though, most people's tumors begin stabilizing and even shrinking.

The main disadvantage is the price. It's about $180 for a large bottle - which is even more than it cost when I was taking it. In my case, that meant about $500 a month. Taking coQ10 - and I recommend epic4health as one of the best distributors of the product - increases the bioavailability of the PolyMVA but adds to the cost. Also, in order to make it most effective, it's crucial that you give up sugar and processed foods - which a lot of people find extremely difficult to do - even when faced with death as an alternative. Palladium is an expensive mineral no matter what you use it for, so the product seems unlikely to get cheaper. On the other hand, I was happy to see that Iron Man used a palladium arc to get his power (even though it was poisoning him, too). The last disadvantage is that vitamin C interferes with its delivery, so you need to wait in between doses.

The advantage is that you can call the customer service at Amarc enterprises (the manufacturer) until quite late since they are in California. My personal contact is a woman called Vivien Ariola, and they will give you friendly advice on how to take it and/or modify your diet. Most of them are cancer survivors themselves.

Today, there are a number of doctors who have experimented with or prescribe polyMVA for their patients. Amongst them, the late oncologist, Dr. Rudy Falk and oncologist James Forsythe, who has a 60% remission rate using the PolyMVA, and metabolic cardiologist, Stephen Sinatra, who recommends it simply for oxidative stress.

Personally, I found that my oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering was not particularly averse to this supplement, but on the other hand, I was such a squeaky wheel that she may have just hoped I would continue getting treatment.

In your search for alternative or complementary cancer medicines, it's good to know which ones are not scams or weird "healing secrets." These days, I seem to get an email or two a day with the headline: "what your doctors don't want you to know!" or "secret healing from the Bible" or "weird spice CURES cancer."  Basically, they don't really explain what they are - or they are simply overpriced combinations of garlic and turmeric - which you are better off buying from a reputable supplement company.

Since I get zero benefit from this, and I tested it on myself and friends, you can probably trust your intuition here. I'd recommend that everyone who has cancer - especially leukemia and/or brain cancer or, even, heart disease - add PolyMVA to their healing arsenal.

Remember, you will be healed. Keep repeating to yourself - I am healed, I am healthy, I am vibrant, I am cancer-free.

The C-Word: Staying Solvent When You're Sick

I've read a ton of books on treating and surviving cancer, interviewed 30 people who've survived cancer using alternative methods, a wealth of healers who have assisted people using western protocols or worked with people who chose to opt out.

But no one's ever mentioned money. Or how to deal with your finances when you are sick. Or, the harder one, I think - how to deal with your finances when you come out the other end.

If you are sick, here is crucial advice. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR FINANCES. In the new age world, we say, things grow when they have attention. It's like a houseplant, if you water it and put it in the sun, it will grow. You don't have to have the answers, you just have to see what's what. (I admit that this is not my strength). Just start.

Talk to your doctor about the cost of your care. Only 19% of people do - because they are scared they won't get such good care. But the truth is, your doctor may be able to help reduce some of the costs, especially if you don't have insurance. I spoke to a doctor recently who told me that they often work with patients - and sometimes reduce the cost up to 75% depending on what they can afford. I have friends who have negotiated with the billing departments of hospitals and managed to get their bills down 50 to 75% or more.

The other thing I recently learned is that if your doctor is doing blood tests or labs, find out where he/she is sending them. The labs charge you separately and they are also willing to help you out, especially if your doctor is already making concessions. Try calling the lab and asking if they can get you the results for less. If they can't, ask the doctor - sometimes different labs and diagnostic centers - even right across the street from each other charge totally different prices. Again, another friend found out the lab where her son's blood was being sent was very expensive. She asked someone in billing at the hospital and was told to walk across the street. The first lab was charging $1300 for the results, the place across the street - which was not as pretty, admittedly, but just as accurate - was charging $350.

One of my friends said, "You should spend whatever it takes to heal your cancer, because what good will your money do you if you are dead?"

This is true. But if you live, what will you do if you can't afford it any more?

Unlike standard chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, which are generally covered by your health insurance, alternative care requires you to pay out of pocket right from the start. (One could argue that, if your health declines having chemotherapy, you will end having greater costs in the long run. Most insurance, brutally, will only cover you up to a point. But that's another story).

On the other hand, if you are self-employed or you lose your job while you are sick, you will need to clean up the financial tangle when you get well. In the current economy, that can take some time, so be patient with yourself. For me, it was useful to remember that having a lot of money doesn't make you a better person - or more of a success - though it may feel that way.

After a lot of leg work, I found two very kind financial advisors from Forest Hills Financial Group who gave me some insights. Daniel Hochler and Isaac Cohen both had experience with family members with cancer and other illnesses so they know how difficult it is to face both things at the same time. They will actually come to your home and try and make sense of your various bank accounts, insurance policies and debts.

Of course, the first piece of advice is what everyone hears - the best way to prevent a financial collapse when you have a major illness - is to have at least a years' worth living expenses of saved. Plan ahead. Sadly, that doesn't work for many people. But, if you have a family history of cancer, you might consider starting to save now. Isaac recommends you save 15% of your gross income.

My advice is - the minute you are diagnosed - you, and a friend who isn't judgmental, go through all of your paperwork and get an overview of your finances. (I mentioned lying in bed, waving to a paper bag full of unopened bills and crumpled receipts, and Isaac did say that was not the best way to start. So organize what you can, in a way that makes sense.)

You may be pleasantly surprised to see that when you get the big picture, it's not all that bad. Perhaps you have very little debt. Or perhaps you do have a lot of debt, but you have assets that you could liquidate (or sell). Issac suggests that you look at every possible asset you have.

When I was diagnosed, I had already been out of work for several months and my savings were gone.

So here are some things you can do, even when it feels like you have no options.

1. Life Insurance - Do you have permanent (not term) life insurance? What Isaac told me is that you may be able to sell the policy. You may also be able to take out a loan against it. Check to see if your insurance has disability coverage or long-term care coverage.

2. Retirement savings and 401(k) - do you have either of these? Again, you may be able to either withdraw some or all of it, or take a loan against them.

3. Mortgage, Credit Cards and Car Loans - call them and tell them what's going on. A lot of banks will actually give you a "forbearance" which means that your loan payments are deferred for some time. While this actually doesn't do you a lot of good - it does take the pressure off. If you can afford to keep your payments up, I suggest you do it, because when the forbearance period ends, you will suddenly have a lot on your plate again. But do call your banks and credit cards and tell them you are sick or recovering and they may be able to work with you. It's when you don't call them back that they start going a bit crazy. Also, keep records of all your phone calls - get the names of who you spoke to and when - just in case they don't keep their side of the bargain. You'd be surprised, with credit cards and car loans, you may have some negotiating room to lower your interest rate or find a lower pay-off amount.

4. Get a little help from your friends. I know a number of people who've used Indiegogo or other crowd funding sources to cover some of their extra expenses. There is a crowdsourcing especially for cancer patients called Give Forward. They have good advice, but I don't know if they have the reach of a Kickstarter. I was also amazed at how many of my friends gave me giftcards to Wholefoods or Organic restaurants. What is good is to get a friend who can be an intermediary so that when people call or email or facebook to ask how they can help, your friend can ask them to help pay a bill or donate a gift card to a juicebar or a grocery store.

5. Credit Rating. Make sure you look at this thing. It seems scary, but it's worth checking regularly when you are not well, because you don't know if there are any discrepancies. If you have a friend who wants to help, ask them to sit beside you on the bed and read things aloud to you. If there are discrepancies, your friend could write a letter on your behalf to correct them.

6. Get friends to help you contact these resources for cancer patients.  The only hard thing is that when you are not well or recovering, a cordless phone or a computer screen can make you feel sicker. So see if you have a healthy friend who can help you make the calls.

7. Cut back where you can. The minute you are diagnosed, find ways to trim your budget. Personally, I cancelled my newspaper subscription and reduced my cable to the minimum. I took my car out of the parking lot and parked on the street. I don't go to Starbucks anyway so that wasn't a problem. But find ways to cut back that won't affect your emotional state (remember, you need to feel good so you will get well). Buy your household supplies in bulk - send a friend to Costco or Sam's club. Send another friend to the farmer's market for fruits and vegetables. Eat home rather than eating out - which is wiser when your immune system is compromised.

8. Don't cut back on the stuff you NEED for your health, even your emotional health. If that means juice, acupuncture, energy work and organic food, try to find the best way to get that stuff. Especially, if you are still weak.

9. Get a financial advisor. If you have a bit of money saved, think about having someone advise you on the best way to organize your assets so that you will not come back to total devastation when you are well.

BUT BE CAREFUL - there are a lot of insurance salesmen who work for companies like AIG and Mass Mutual - they will try to convince you buy life insurance or put all your money into their annuities (from which they will make money) and often you can't get the money out in less than 10 years without enormous fees. I had a "friend" called Les Edwards who convinced me to sign all my savings to his control while I was dealing with a family emergency and it was very expensive and extremely stressful to untangle.

10. Your home. Unless you have a lot of help, I wouldn't recommend selling your home while you are ill or in recovery. You need a sanctuary and a safe place to be. If you have a place that you could move to, effortlessly, and people to help you in the process, that is another way to free some cash. If you live in an expensive rental - and again, you have help - you might move to a cheaper one. But this is really a last resort if you are not well.

11. Look at your car and homeowner's and other insurance. You might be able to greatly reduce your monthly premium payments by raising the deductible (this is what you would have to pay out-of-pocket if you have an accident, before the insurance payments kick in).

12. Wills and trusts. It's a good idea, early in your treatment, to make sure you have a will and everything in it is the way you want it. My suggestion is to do this not immediately after being diagnosed - when you are still in a panic and not thinking clearly - but once the details of your treatment have been decided and you have a little rhythm. You don't want to do it late in the treatment, because, especially if you are doing a conventional treatment, it can make you weak and too tired to think. Also, remember that the computer emits an EMF that is theorized to slow healing, so don't spend too much time on it when you are weak.

I had left everything I owned to my daughters, who were at that point, minors. What Isaac explained is that if I had passed away, everything would actually have gone to their fathers who were their adult next-of-kin. He told me that lots of divorced people did not want to leave their homes and property to their exes! Instead, he suggested I create a trust for the girls. Today, I would like leave everything to Sasha who is 21 and knowing that she is a very caring older sister, I would leave her to divide the assets with her younger sisters.

Issac reminded me that in the midst of the chaos, one needs to remember the kids. Make sure that they know that there is a plan in place so they will be looked after. If they are old enough to understand, get them involved in the financial planning, but don't make minors beneficiaries, because then their adult guardians will make the decisions for them.

If you run a business, create a transfer strategy to make sure your family is protected, no matter who your successor is. Review the ownership of the business and separate your assets.

Though once you get well, that's when things get really tough. At that point, your creditors and family members are often exhausted of trying to help you hold things together.

And in this economy, it's tough to pick up the pieces.

One idea is to contact Debtors Anonymous. They can help you not do what I did, which is not look at anything and hope that it would go away.

They have regular meetings and can help you organize the way you face your creditors.

In my case, in desperation, I called 311. They directed me to an NYC program called the Financial Empowerment Center.  A bright young woman called Elena actually looked through all my paperwork and created a spreadsheet with my monthly income and my costs. She also looked through my credit rating with me and helped me correct errors.

She recommended lawyers and tax accountants who did pro-bono work. Apparently, this is a nationwide intiative that is expanding. So if you are in the U.S.,  try contacting them.

However, WATCH OUT FOR PAID CREDIT COUNSELORS! There are lots of unsavory ones who make money off you and/or steal your identity and other horrid things. Try and find a government-initiated program or get a referral from a friend.

Just remember that money is not scary (I tell myself this), it is energy and numbers. Don't give it power over you. Like your body, it needs you to pay attention to it to stay healthy.

If you can survive a major illness, you can survive a major financial setback. Lots of people come back even stronger.

If you are a friend of a person recovering from an illness, offer to help with that stuff. You have no idea how long it takes to get back to normal.

And keep breathing. You will get there.

Please add any other ideas!

The C-Word: Bless You!

I've been busy sending emails to friends about supplements for spring and summer allergies.

What is interesting is that in my post-cancer diet - no sugar, wheat, dairy, processed foods or alcohol - all my allergies, sinus problems, migraines and rashes disappeared. That said, when one of the amazons has an allergies - I dose them up with supplements and it clears right up.

Here's a combination that seems to work miracles. I'd suggest you take it twice a day.

2000 mg of vitamin c - be sure it's pure l-ascorbic acid because it can give you an upset stomach
2000 iu of vitamin d3 - we use drops of micellized d3
20 mg of zinc
1600 mg of turmeric - we like new chapter turmeric force

and - the most crucial -

600 mg of NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/may2010_N-Acetyl-Cysteine_01.htm

Quercetin and Bromelain - we use NOW FOODS and take one capsule

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/quercetin

You can also boil two cups of water with cinnamon bark and fresh ginger. Strain it and drink as tea if you have a sore throat, too. It's equally nice and spicy as an iced version. If you can find Ceylonese or Asian cinnamon, it's so sweet you don't need honey or anything.

Oh - my Philadelphia friend and healer, Michelle Hughes, reminded of another allergy remedy, especially for swollen eyes in the morning. Take a teaspoon of local raw honey in your tea (or sucked off the spoon) in the morning and the evening. You can buy the honey from the farmer's market - just be sure that it is local and comes from as close to your location as possible, as trees and flowers vary. 

In my plant-based medicine classes, they always suggest giving up wheat and dairy when you have allergies as they increase inflammation and histamine levels, but Rara would rather suffer than give up bagels with cream cheese and Zarina needs a big, foamy cappuccino every morning.

So the elimination part is up to you.

Feel better!

The C-Word: What's Left To Eat?

At this point, you've read all the things I gave up - wheat, dairy, processed foods, any kinds of preservatives, sugar - especially refined sugar, animal products (except for very rarely, a little bit of organic, grass-fed meat or chicken or wild fish). Sometimes, when the weather was warm, I even ate totally raw - and gave up the rest of the grains, too. You might be despairing - WHAT do you eat?

Chokeules helps me out with this.
 
As it turns out, I did not have to become a breatharian. This gentle, detox diet would probably do wonders for almost anyone. It's very good for soothing the body, as well as giving it the support it needs to heal itself. If you are trying to kickstart a weightloss program, lower your blood pressure or cholesterol or simply soothe your body during a stressful time.

A lot of people follow the ketogenic diet very successfully to "starve" their cancer out but I didn't do that. Instead, I tried to make my diet at least 80% vegetables. These days, if you live in a major metropolitan area, you'll find many of the ingredients and even pre-prepared food in health food stores, supermarkets and amazon.com. Any time, I mention vegetables here, I mean organic and non-GMO - you must read labels carefully. If you absolutely can't find organic, wash and peel the vegetables before you use them. But personally, I think anyone with cancer should not eat ANY pesticides or GMO products, so it may be better to bite the bullet and try to find organic or at least, locally-grown from small farms.

I put my diet together by reading cancer diets online and by consulting with nutritionist Joel Fuhrman so some of my recipes are modified from his book which is totally worth reading when you are feeling strong.

Any time I use salt, I use himalayan pink salt, but you can also use sea salt. Commercial table salt is bleached and refined and, according to Max Gerson, the doctor who created Gerson therapy for disease, it causes an imbalance in the body.

On a different note, if you have radiation therapy, I suggest you bathe in sea salt and baking soda, half-a-cup of each, soaking in the tub for 20 to 30 minutes afterwards to recover. If you are getting chemotherapy, I'd suggest taking a little glutamine along with your other supplements to help re-heal your stomach lining.

A few suggestions, try to make everything as fresh as possible, don't eat leftovers too often and never microwave anything. Microwaving heats food by making the water molecules jump around and there is a theory that that affects the chemical composition of the food and how it reacts with the water in your body. Remember you are 70 to 80% water. 

A ban on microwaving can be tough in the morning when one is in a rush. If I really don't have time, I eat a handful of raw nuts along with a dried or fresh fig or two - as long as it doesn't have any preservatives or sugar.  I tend not to have smoothies for breakfast even though they're fast, but for me, they are too intense in the morning.

Before Breakfast

Here's what I do in the morning. I have two tablespoons of Essiac tea and then a big glass of water with 2 spoonfuls of PolyMVA Then I do some oil pulling since chemo can do a lot of damage to your gums and teeth. Lots of dentists don't like to work on cancer patients as we get infections so easily.

For my oil pulling, I use one tablespoon of raw coconut or sesame oil and one drop of myrhh essential oil because it is a good antibacterial. I put it in my mouth and swirl and swish it around while I take a shower and walk the dog or read emails - 5 to 10 minutes. I spit it into a paper towel or directly into the garbage and go rinse my mouth.

Next I have a green juice:

4 or 5 leaves of lacinato kale or 2 or 3 of regular kale
a small bunch of cilantro or parsley
a small bunch of dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens and/or swiss chard
broccoli stems or any raw vegetable parts that you didn't cook
one small lemon
one to one-half a cucumber, depending on the size
4 stalks of celery
1-1/2 inch of fresh ginger
1/4 green apple - to taste

All the ingredients must be organic (except maybe the ginger because it's hard to find), because when you drink the juice, you are getting a super concentrated dose of the vegetable and you don't want a concentrated dose of pesticides with it. I put all these in my Omega HRT 350 juicer.
I mix up the combinations so it doesn't get boring. Sometimes I add a couple of carrots instead of apples. I don't add beets because they don't agree with me but they are good for the blood. You can add some from time to time, but not too much because, of course, they are so sugary.

If I am in a hurry, I buy a cold-pressed Green Love from organic avenue in New York City. Or the Squeeze truck's Stand and Deliver. These brands are great because they don't (currently) use hpp - a way of preserving the juice by squeezing all the air out of it (which tragically kills enzymes with possible bacteria) and means that it really isn't raw any more.

Either before or after, I drink a cup of hot water with a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice. I also take my probiotics.

In Paul Pitchford's famous Healing with Whole Foods, he suggests waiting for an hour or two after you wake up before you have solid foods. This is a brilliant book on healing the body with food but it's heavy reading so if you are in the throes of chemo or radiation, maybe a friend can start it out for you.

If you have a few cups of green or black tea after the juice and everything else, you probably won't be hungry for a little while. When you are ready, here are some possible foods.

For Breakfast:

 Chia porridge

2 tablespoons of chia seeds
2 tablespoons of shelled hemp seeds
2 tablespoons of flax seeds
1 handful of goji berries (for sweetness)
pinch of salt

I put everything together in a bowl and then add a cup of almond or coconut milk, stir it up well and let it sit. Within a few minutes, it will be thick and custardy. If it's too thick, I add more nut milk and/or a little hot water to warm it up. Sometimes, if I really need it a little sweeter, I add a sprinkle of coconut sugar on the top. You could also use a few drops of stevia extract but I don't like the aftertaste. You'll notice that if you don't mix it in, it hits your tongue first and you need less.

Black rice toast and Avocado.

Toast a slice of Food for Life Black Rice bread (which tastes more like a soft-baked cracker than bread, it's relatively low-carb and gluten-free), top it with artichoke pesto* and slices of fresh avocado. There is an American illusion that we don't have enough protein. If I am with someone who is stressing out, I might add a strip of eggplant bacon or some chopped roasted almonds.

Artichoke Pesto*

I put this on everything - from quinoa pasta to grilled salmon. You can buy it but it's better if you make it because there are theories that corn and canola oil contribute to the growth of tumors whereas olive and coconut oil do not. So here's a recipe, but I suggest you play around with the ingredients to taste. I don't use parmesan cheese but if you do, make sure it is organic and adjust the salt accordingly.

small bunch (1/4-1/2 cup chopped) cilantro/coriander
8 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspon of cayenne (or maybe a fresh green chili if you like it spicy)
1 cup of walnuts (especially good for prostate cancer)
1 cup of olive oil
1 8 oz package of frozen artichokes, thawed and chopped
sea salt to taste

I just put it all in the Vitamix and pulse until it is chunky but spreadable texture. It keeps for a week or two in the refrigerator. You can dip carrot sticks in it or mix in more olive oil and lemon and use it as salad dressing. Artichokes are great for clearing the liver and blood.

Oatmeal

Joel Fuhrman suggested I make it using Steel-Cut Oats which is quite slow-cooking. I used to cook a large amount in advance and then put it in a container in my fridge and heat it up a little at a time. I cook two cups of oatmeal with three cups of water, one cup of fresh apple cider, one tablespoon of organic blackstrap molasses, fresh cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, nigella sativa (onion seed) and ginger, along with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I add 1/2 cup of chopped almonds, hazelnuts and/or walnuts and sometimes chopped dried figs which (along with sour apples) are one of the fruits that good for killing cancer cells. I eat the oatmeal as is or I add a little nutmilk to make it more liquidy. If you desperately need it sweeter, add a tiny bit of raw honey on top after you serve yourself. In Chinese medicine, all the spices are warming and cancer quite often makes a person cold, so this is a Qi-building tonic.

Since I refused to take prednisone (or steroids) with my chemo, I kept my bones strong but I had bad nausea. I counteracted the nausea with A LOT Of fresh ginger. It actually worked very well.

Again, if I am eating animal protein - sometimes, I have a small amount of grilled wild salmon over baby kale with artichoke pesto and olive oil on top. I try not to eat farmed salmon - organic or not - and I never buy it from places where they sell massive quantities of fish like Costco or Sam's Club.

If I'm in a rush but want something savory, I chop some broccoli, quickly parboil it in the tiniest bit of water and eat it with tamari or a little bit of miso.

For Lunch:

Smoothie

I usually save my smoothies for lunch because they keep me full for a long time. My favorite smoothie is still the same:

1 avocado
3-4 leaves of kale or swiss chard, stems removed
packet of unsweetened acai
1 scoop of delgado protocol stem cell strong (this has lots of good mushrooms and parasite-killing herbs) but you can use other brands.
1 scoop of delgado slim blend (not trying to lose weight - this is very filling and nutritious) - again, this is the brand I use, you can use other vegetable-based protein blends, just read the ingredients carefully.
1 cup of vanilla unsweetened hemp milk
1 cup or so of coconut water, more if it gets too thick


Big Green Salad

I am very organic when I cook and even more so with salad because I think respecting your vegetables and their combinations is key, otherwise chewing it feels like a chore for horses. I do what the French do and start with a big salad bowl. I make the dressing at the bottom, put the salad on top and then toss it all together. All the measurements are approximate and you will have to see what works for you.

1/4 to 1/2 cup of extra virgin organic, cold-pressed olive oil
2-3 big tablespoons of pesto, basil or artichoke or one of each.
1 tsp black olive tapenade (check the ingredients to make sure there are no preservatives)
a few anchovies very finely chopped (optional)
1/4 cup of fresh herbs - whatever you have, basil, coriander, oregano... if you use thyme or rosemary, of course, you will need much less and have to chop very finely
a few squeezes of fresh lemon

stir this all up and taste, maybe add some Coconut Aminos if it needs more salt.

If it's summer, you can chop in some fresh tomatoes, but otherwise, don't eat unripe tomatoes. In Chinese medicine, nightshades cause inflammation and unripe tomatoes seem especially suspect.

Add a small washed bag of organic baby greens - spinach, arugula, kale, swiss chard, watercress, whatever you can find. If I have some leftovers in the fridge - like roast chicken or grilled fish or meat or vegetables, I heat them a little in a hot oven (just in case of mold or bacteria) and throw them in, too. You can also add cooked beans, edamame or corn (as long as it is organic and not canned or frozen).

If you want to add something really tough and chewy, like carrots or cabbage, be sure and grate it well first so that it mixes together with everything else. After it's tossed, throw in the broccoli or kale sprouts because they wilt very quickly - though peat shoots really hold their own. Eat this up immediately, it won't keep.


Vegetable Slaw

I make this more like an Asian-style slaw and it's good way to eat lots of cabbage and carrots. If you add cucumber, know that it will get much more drippy and liquid. You can do that whole thing of removing the seeds of the cucumbers first but it's tedious.

1/4 head of cabbage chopped
3 or 4 carrots grated
1 daikon grated (daikon is a japanese radish that has cancer-killing properties)
1 cup of mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup of broccoli or kale sprouts
1 cucumber grated (optional)
1/4 cup chopped almonds or hazelnuts (I use these instead because peanuts cause inflammation and when you have cancer, you are trying to keep your body as calm and uninflamed as you can).
 1/4-1/2 cup fresh basil, coriander and mint, chopped

In a small bowl, mix the sauce

1 clove garlic minced
1 small shallot or three scallions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon nam pla (fish sauce - more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon raw honey
juice of 1 lime or lemon
1-4 thai chili (seeds removed) chopped very fine, depending on how spicy you want it.

Toss it all veggies together and then add the sauce a little at time to taste. You can put it all in fridge to marinate for a day if you like. If you do prepare it ahead of time, don't add the cucumbers or sprouts til you're just about to eat. This makes me one serving, but I eat a lot of salad.

The dressing is very Asian-inspired, but you can try out your favorites. If you decide you want to use a mayonnaise-type dressing for a classic cole slaw, I'd suggest you make your own. Most commercial mayonnaises use soybean oil which is usually GMO, pesticide-laced and too high in omega-6s. If you can find a local, small batch organic mayonnaise using olive oil and cage-free eggs, go for it.

Zucchini "Pasta" with Basil Pesto

For this, you need a spiralizer. They are not too expensive and they are a super cool kitchen tool to have around because you can cut spirals of all kinds of vegetables and that makes them more interesting to eat.

1-2 small zucchinis/courgettes
2-3 tablespoons of vegan basil pesto (this just means pesto that has no cheese, but you can just as easily do it with a little parmesan)

This is kind of a trick food because it's so easy. You chop off the top, impale the zucchini in the spiralizer and put a bowl in front of it. Then spin it around until long, "spaghetti" strands start filling up your bowl. Toss it with the pesto and add more or less to taste. It's wonderful to eat if you are missing the "pasta" texture. You have to eat this relatively quickly too, as the zucchini can get watery from the salt.

For Snacks:

I usually have lots of fresh carrots, celery, daikon, jicama and cucumber chopped up that I can dip into hummus, artichoke pesto, or even olive oil and lemon.

I like oat cakes (homemade made using coconut oil or grass-fed raw butter rather than goosefat or Nairn's) with almond, hazelnut or cashew butter.

I also eat Brad's Nasty Hot Kale Chips. You can see the spicy food is a theme for me. There are other versions, too. But it's good way to keep up your cruciferous vegetables. If you can't buy them and you don't have a dehydrator, I suggest tossing kale with salt and garlic and putting it in the oven at the lowest temperature you can possibly use and letting it dry out for a couple of hours. Just check it from time to time to ma

Tart green apples or fresh or dried figs are the few fruits that you can eat without much trouble. I wouldn't eat large quantities but they are a nice snack when you need sweets.

Hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and chickpeas all have anti-cancer properties, so you can eat a handful of them whenever you want. These days you can buy them in all different flavors, too.

I just discovered this recipe online for when you are craving chocolate.

Coconut chocolate sea salt fudge

Melt an equal amount of coconut oil and unsweetened chocolate into a pan at very low heat so the fat doesn't separate from the cocoa solids, add a pinch of himalayan or sea salt.
Sweeten with coconut sugar, stevia extract or lo han guo extract - all low-glycemic sweeteners that you can actually eat from time to time. Don't add too much though because they can still trigger sugar cravings if it gets too sweet.
 Ladle mixture carefully into an ice cube tray.
Put in freezer for thirty minutes.
When solid, loosen from ice cube tray with a knife and pop out into a plate or freezer-safe container. Return to freezer til you are ready to eat.

You can eat one or two when your sweet cravings are driving you crazy.

One of the best way to detox from your sugar cravings is a glass of water with a tablespoon of Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar.  Put all the sweets out of sight and then chew some chlorella tablets which are also good for quelling sugar and junk food cravings.

For Dinner

If it is winter, I like a hot, hearty meal to warm me up - and also heat up my kitchen - in the evening. But there are sometimes, especially in the summer, when I find I don't feel very hungry at dinner and I skip it all together. For the most part, if you have cancer, I don't believe you should force yourself to eat if you are not hungry. It's better to rest and eat small amounts of food when you do feel hungry. It may seem scary when you lose weight, but rest assured it will come back when your body is in balance. DO NOT EAT JUNK FOOD IN AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN WEIGHT! That can backfire and weaken your immune system even more.

Here a bunch of warm things you can make so you eat more vegetables without feeling like you are eating a tragic meal of cold leaves while everyone else has something hearty.


Lentil or Split Pea Soup

If I making dinner for myself (without kids), I usually make soup. Since I am an Asian, I like the taste of browned onions and garlic, so I'll start by browning them in a little coconut or olive oil.

One onion, sliced or chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced
2-3 tablespoons of olive or coconut oil
1 cup of dried lentils, split peas or dried beans - or a combination. If you are impatient like me, I suggest you soak them the night before, or in the morning when you are doing your oil-pulling.
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1/2 to 1 cup of maitake, shitake and reishi mushrooms, chopped
any other vegetables cooked or raw you have lying around, broccoli, kale, cabbage, sweet potatoes, chop them up and throw them in.
4 cups of purified water

Brown the onions and garlic with a little salt in the oil. You can even add the other raw vegetables and brown them a little because it changes their texture and adds a little sweetness, but you don't have to. Then add the beans/peas/lentils, mushrooms and water and anything else you want to put in. I often add anything that is leftover in the fridge - usually, it's raw or roasted vegetables. Then you let it simmer forever (that's what it seems like to me) but it can be a few hours unless it's well-soaked. You have to check on it and add water when the pulses suck it up, so that it doesn't get too thick. Once it's finished, you can eat it immediately and save some for the next day or two as well.

Roasted Broccoli

This is a delicious way to prepare broccoli that my youngest daughter discovered online and that we have customized. We make it often because everyone likes to eat it and we go through several heads of broccoli in one sitting.

1 head of broccoli
4-5 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cloves of minced garlic
Sea salt/himalayan salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper (only because it tastes better)
One fresh lemon to squeeze

Preheat the oven to 425 (farenheit). Cut up the head of broccoli, separating the florets and leaving the stems (you can juice those tomorrow morning). Put it in a bowl and toss with the olive oil and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Put it in the oven at 425 for about 15 minutes, check on it from time to time. If it's nicely browned around the edges and slightly crispy, you can take it out. If it feels too soggy, reduce the heat to 300 and leave it in for a few minutes longer so that it gets drier and crisper.

Put it in a serving dish and squeeze a little lemon over it if you like. Or don't, if you don't feel like it. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This is similar to the broccoli, those sometimes bitter brussel sprouts become slightly sweet and crispy and quite luscious after roasting.

Two containers of brussels sprouts, maybe a pound and a half
3 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of coconut oil or grass-fed butter
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
himalayan or sea salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Rinse the sprouts, remove the outer leaves, chop them in quarters and put them in a big bowl. Toss them with the oil or butter and garlic. Put them on a cookie sheet or a wide baking pan. Roast for 10 minutes, then toss in the hazelnuts and reduce the heat to 300. Roast for another 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned but not burned.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Yams

This is a regular dish in my house and the prep is quite similar to the other roasted things.

4 big yams, washed and chopped into bite-size pieces
4 or 5 shallots, peeled, maybe cut in half if they are big
1 or 2 additional root vegetables if you have some, washed and chopped.
8-10 big cloves of garlic
Vietnamese cinnamon, ground
Fine Herbes or Trader Joe's 21 Salute
Sea salt or Himalayan Salt
4 tablespoons of coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 450. Basically, add the vegetables (and shallots and garlic) to a roasting pan. I use my 13 x 9 cake pan. Sprinkle with spices, salt and coconut oil and stir it all up with a big wooden spoon. Shake the pan slightly so everything is distributed evenly and put it in the oven. I leave them there for about 20 minutes and then I reduce the heat to 350 and leave them in there for a really long time - like maybe another 45 minutes. If I have time, I take them out in the middle and toss them around the pan a bit so they cook evenly. But even if I don't, they seem to do fine, the slightly burned ones taste nice too.

Sauteed Kale or Spinach

I go back and forth between the two - sauteed kale has a lot more body and can stand up to longer cooking so it can become a nice combination of bitter and sweet. Sauteed spinach becomes soft and soothing and it's a good comfort food.

If I am making sauteed spinach, I heat a few tablespoons of olive oil first along with slices of three or four garlic cloves and a few sprinkles of himalayan or sea salt and pepper. I like to let the sliced garlic brown a little before I add a big bunch of spinach. I add salt to taste and cook the spinach just until it's wilted and bright green.

If I am sauteeing kale, I add the oil and garlic but then I devein (take out the hard stems) and chop the bunch of kale and add it as soon as I am finished chopping it. I cook it for quite a long time so it is not too chewy.

What is crucial is that you never heat the olive oil to smoking point. Olive oil is full of anti-oxidants as long as it is not overheated. So let it brown your garlic gently. If you feel you want a nice crispy, stir-fry sensibility, switch to coconut oil.

Tandoori Roasted Cauliflower

I adapted this from a recipe I found on PureWow - and you could use theirs instead, just never use "vegetable" oil - always choose coconut, olive or palm fruit. Then I followed some advice from my friend Purvi and made a nice tahini and garlic dip for the cauliflower on the side. The recipe I found used yogurt, but I used coconut yogurt without much trouble. Since the point of the yogurt is to keep the cauliflower moist and to hold the marinade to together, you could probably even substitute coconut butter.

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 head organic cauliflower

1½ cups plain Greek yogurt/coconut yogurt/softened coconut butter

1 organic lime or lemon, zested and juiced

4 tablespoons tandoori marinade (i use Shan Masala but there are a number of brands that make it)

1 tablespoon crushed fresh garlic

2 teaspoons sea salt or himalayan salt

Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly grease a small baking sheet with coconut oil. Set aside.
Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.
In a big bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper.
Dunk the cauliflower into the bowl and use a brush or your hands to smear the marinade evenly over its surface. (Excess marinade can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days and used with meat, fish or other veggies.)
Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry and lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower.
Let the cauliflower cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges and serving it with a tahini dip or a nice raita (yogurt, mint, coriander, cucumber and roasted cumin seeds) and a salad.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I recently made this but substituted ground chia seeds mixed with water for the egg (I am allergic to eggs) and the teenagers ate it all up. If you're avoiding dairy, you can use daiya mozzarella in the place of the cheese.

There are a lot more recipes in Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live and Alexander Junger's Clean Eats- and even just looking online. When I eat raw - way easier in spring and summer - I like Organic Avenue's cookbook. Or I buy pre-made stuff at my current fave raw food place, Juicepress. I WISH Karliin Brooks of The Squeeze would write one because her moc' n' cheese is worth going vegan for,

See? Not too hard! Start with one or two meals a day and then gradually ladder back!

If you fall off the wagon, do not stress.  Have a bite or a taste of something you crave. Eat it slowly, enjoy it, savor it. They say we most appreciate the first and last bites of everything we eat. Two bites should be enough then. Eventually, your taste buds will be cleaner and you will find the taste of artificial colors and flavors will be harsh and chemically. Sugar will give you a sudden headrush and you'll discover how quickly grains bloat you and make you sleepy. It's ok to have a little from time to time. But let your body rest, too.

The most important thing is to take the time to believe that your food is made with love and cooked to nourish and heal you. Take the time to bless your food and feel gratitude for the planet and the Source which gives you food to eat.

Sometimes the belief alone will transform your food.