Alternative treatment: good stories

In this page I want people who have been treated for cancer to share their experiences and perspectives. I hope this page will constantly develop and grow so that it becomes a rich resource for those visitors to this site who are still juggling with decisions.

Christopher Sheppard's account of his healing
Fasting
Glynn William's story
I beat cancer with herbs
Cured by self-hypnosis
Other stories

Christopher Sheppard's account of his healing

If you are wondering if anyone really does choose alternative approaches to healing cancer, you will find Christopher's site very interesting.

Fasting

This story was told to me by Dr Solomon Bard, a doctor well-known in Hong Kong for his interests in music and archaeology. He was a medical student in Hong Kong when the Japanese invaded. Among the people interned with him was a man that he knew had a highly aggressive testicular cancer that had spread throughout the man's body. Dr Bard knew the case well because it had been presented to the medical students. The cancer had been treated with radiation and had retreated for a while but it had recently returned. The man's prognosis was not good. It was expected that he would die in a matter of a few weeks or months.

However, in the internment camp this man was given the same starvation diet that all the internees were given, just enough rice and vegetables to keep him alive. Three years and nine months later, this man emerged from the camps cancer free and was still alive ten years later.

When I reported this case in the Hong Kong press, another ex-internee wrote to the paper that he also knew of several cases where the camp diet seemed to have cured a number of cases of syphilis!

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Glynn William's story

In 1995 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's type Lymphoma at the age of 28.

"In the beginning of October, 1995, I went to see the doctor because of swelling on both sides of the groin area which came on within about a week, not getting any better, along with discomfort. I was totally exhausted, lethargic, did not have the energy to get up, had no appetite and was losing weight and I was having chills. I was diagnosed with hernias. I then was referred to a surgeon in the hospital in Comox, who upon subsequent examination, disagreed that I had hernias, and suspected a lymphoma. He then did a biopsy of my lymph gland in my groin, and sent it away for tests to the cancer clinic in Victoria. I was in the Comox hospital for about a week, at which time they sent me home to wait for a call from the cancer clinic in Victoria. I was experiencing chills and fever at that time, along with constipation caused from a mass in the abdomen where the abdominal lymph glands were swollen, and pressing against the intestines, causing gas buildup, and pain.

I was extremely weak and tired. My mom had heard from a friend about Flor Essence (Essiac), and I started taking it. Soon after, I began taking 2 ounces of the tea twice daily, in the morning, an hour before eating, and at night an hour after eating, at bed time. The swelling on the lymph glands had spread to the left lymph glands in my neck. The swelling grew larger and then hardened up and the discomfort went away (did I still have cancer, I wondered).

After the results got back, I was told that I had Hodgkin's disease. I wasin stage 2b at when I was in Comox, but at the time of the diagnosis hadprogressed to stage 3b in the advanced stages of Hodgkin's. I was sent tothe Cancer clinic in Victoria and I was given the choice of starting chemotherapy. I did not want to take it, but agreed to take it along with an "alternative therapy", the Flor Essence. I was told that I would have 16 chemotherapy treatments over a 8 month period, and chose to have it administered in my home town, the first treatment was given in Victoria.

After the first chemotherapy treatment the swelling in my neck reduced drastically. While I was in the Royal Jubilee hospital in Victoria, my mom smuggled in flor essence tea to my hospital room twice daily.

During the time I was taking the ABVD chemotherapy, I experienced a weight loss of more than 10% of my total body weight, even though I ate regularly, and became weaker with every treatment. I never completely lost my hair. Eventually the chemotherapy resulted in a severe axial motor neuropathy after about the 4th treatment, but I stayed on it until the 5th treatment. I then went to Victoria to see a neurology specialist, and the cancer specialist there. My pulse was up to 130, and my blood pressure was high. I was given muscle, nerve tests, and chest x-rays. The x-ray showed that my heart and lungs were normal. My nerve signals were much weaker than they should have been. The doctors agreed that I was experiencing a side effect from the Vinblastine I was taking. The alkaloid in the Vinblastine blocked a protein that the nerves need to maintain themselves, resulting in deterioration of the nerves. I was in the hospital for about a week. I was then urged to keep taking the chemotherapy on another regimen. I refused and continued taking the flor essence.

I was called on a daily basis by the doctor in Victoria urging meto take chemotherapy. The doctor also contacted me on the Internet through email, and had the doctor here talk to me. At that time, I had very little muscle strength at all, and had difficulty in buttoning up a shirt, or doing other movements required of my hands and arms. My legs were extremely weak as well, including my feet. I could only flex my knees a very small amount before my legs collapsed under me. I could walk only with the aid of a walker. The doctors told me that I would recover from the neuropathy, and that the cancer would start growing at an exponentially increased rate if I did not take the chemotherapy. I continued taking flor essence, and began gaining my weight back, and my bowel movements normalized while taking the flor essence. I was also doing regular yoga exercises. The swelling never got any bigger, and kept shrinking. I was then referred to Victoria again, and was given a cat scan which showed that all my lymph glands were now normal, 4 months after the original diagnosis, and I told the doctors that I would continue with the flor essence, since I was not getting any worse and could see no need to deviate from what I was doing. I worked on stretching my spine, along with all my nerves, in order to stimulate them to faster recovery. I also did regular diaphramic breathing exercises to give me more energy. I got better a little at a time, and in May of 1996 had another cat scan that showed normal lymph glands, and no mass in the abdomen, groin or neck areas. I am able to walk without difficulty now, use my arms and hands normally. Almost all my strength has returned, and my legs are almost at normal strength now. I still have a bit of weakness in my calf area, and have difficulty in running, but it is getting steadily better now. I also took daily vitamin supplements, one 400 IU vitamin E, one 10,000 IU beta carotene, 2 ginseng, one shark cartilage, one 1000 mg. Vitamin C, drops of liquid echinacea on the tongue every 3 hours, and then capsules of echinacea 380 mg.=20 I also took a parasite program, which is based on the idea that cancer and many other diseases are caused by intestinal flukes, worms. The program gets rid of any worms in the body using black walnut tinctures, and wormwood capsules. I also drank Kombucha mushroom tea, once in the morning, onceglass after lunch, and again before bedtime. The doctors have told me that the amount of chemotherapy which I received should not have been enough to get rid of the cancer, and have me going for checkups with my local doctor every 3 weeks, and CT scans every 2 months (at the last check) there is no sign of the cancer returning. All the Lymph glands were of normal size and location. I also had chest x-rays, which were normal.

Contact Glynn's website at www.north.island.net/~glynnw/

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I beat cancer with herbs

It is time for all the world to know that cancer can be beat.

I am a cancer survivor. I will make this short and to the point. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the wing of the breast and one of the lymph nodes was positive. I refused conventional treatment of any kind. I truly believed that there was an alternative cure somewhere.

So, I prayed and let divine intervention lead me in whatever direction while affirming my healing. I found out about the Essiac Tea through and alternative cancer group . Bless that day... I am alive and healthy today, and that was three and a half years ago (early 1995) I became a vegetarian, did a parasite cleanse, took high antioxidants, and drank glasses of carrot juice daily. I changed the products I use on my body daily, and have become quite conscious about the air we breathe and the water we drink.

My message to all that will listen is that we have become too comfortable with automation and fast foods. The public mass needs to be educated in nutrition and the chemical warfare that invades our bodies on a daily basis. Essiac Tea can be taken by everyone as a preventative to the possibility of cancer. Essiac Tea is a blood and liver cleanser as well as giving the immune system support.

Our nation needs to become aware that everyones' immune system is in a weakened state. The answer is: Clean up our immune systems and make them strong again. We will then live on in a healthy state

I am looking forward to communicating with anyone on this subject.

Pam Walters pamwalters@webtv.net

Cured by self-hypnosis

This story is excerpted from Positive Health magazine (see www.positivehealth.com) September 1998. It was first published in the Wessex Cancer Help Centre Newsletter, 8 South Street, Chichester, West Susses PO19 1EH, England

Mrs X , the patient of therapist John Benest, is a woman in her 70s who was diagnosed early in 1996 with cervical cancer. She received radiation for the cancer but there were signs that the cancer may not have been cured. In October 1997 she was introduced to an alternative therapist.

"He asked me how I saw my cancer , which to me appeared as a black lump. He then showed me how to go into a trance like state and visualise my cancer on a sheet of paper, and as I enjoy painting as a pastime, he suggested that I try to paint it to a nice healthy pink colour. I did this everyday and finally had a plain sheet of paper. After a while I noticed that my jaundice was improving and my water was a better colour. In mid-December last year, I was doing my visualisation and as the paper appeared, thinking I must try to colour the lump pink, a match appeared and set the paper on fire, which seemed strange. When I attended the outpatients clinic on the 6th February 1998 the doctor told me that he could not find the cancer, and although I do not feel my old self, I feel that I am getting there and I am convinced that the mind can help to heal the body if you will let it."

Her therapist says this of her treatment:

"After I had treated her by correcting her natural energy field...Using hypnosis I helped her to visualise the cancer as pink healthy flesh and gave her the Relax & Let Go tape"

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Other Stories

This is a story that has been circulating as a chain letter. Chain letters are a pain in the neck but this one is a story that has a good moral - or rather a life enhancing point. Do NOT copy it to ten friends!!! Tell your friends to visit this site and read it here.

Thinking of you: A Story to Live By

by Ann Wells (Los Angeles Times)

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip.

It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached. "Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago.

She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion." He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special. I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life. I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them. I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event-such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom. I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends'.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I'm guessing-I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good Friends whom I was going to get in touch with-someday. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write-one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.

And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is...a gift from God.

"You've got to dance like nobody's watching, and love like it's never going to hurt."