I Have Cancer—6 Tips

"You have cancer," is still the worst phrase a person can hear. It changes your life forever. Sadly, you become a member of a growing class of people who feel the grief and vulnerability of having a disease that not only kills, but the conventional treatment prescribed often harms and leads to death.

I'm not going to make this post about my feelings toward the conventional approach cancer patients are subjected to. But I will be firm about what you should do.

Remember you are ultimately in charge of your health. Not the doctor. Not your family or friends. YOU! You need to make the decision for YOU. Because you have to live with the disease. It's happening in your body. Not the doctor's. Not your spouse's. Not your friend's. YOU!

1. Don't Panic
The doctor will insist you need to get treatment started right away. They will role out the conveyer belt in front of you and urge you to jump on. Enjoy the ride!

Don't panic. It took many years for the tumor/cancer to develop. You have time to make an informed decision after you consider the remaining tips.

2. Get a Second Opinion

The doctors may balk at you getting another opinion, but remember, this is about YOU. Search out other treatment centers. Do your homework. Which brings up #3...

3. Educate Yourself

There is a vast sea of research and information out there for you to explore. Get on the web and start googling.

I learned everything I could about my defective gene. Did you know the majority of genes in your DNA are exclusively for repairing things that go bad during cell division (i.e., DNA replication). Realizing that process is happening right now as you're reading this post, I hope you begin to understand how cancer might develop.

This process will help you make peace with your cancer. After all, the cancer growing in you is YOU. Your body. A symptom in your body that is sounding an alarm: "Something is wrong!"

Please take this seriously, you are in charge of your health and YOU can affect your heath with changes in lifestyle choices. People do it every day.

4. Live Life to the Fullest
I've heard it said that health is 100% diet and 100% mental. You can change your health by changing what you eat. Equally important is what you think about yourself and others, stress you're under—your overall attitude. If your'e a negative person, then you need to make some changes. Negativity breeds ill health. Here are 3 studies that show how your thoughts can make you sick.

Slow down. Take time to pamper yourself. Count your blessings—of course there are things you can be thankful for. Live your life to the fullest every day.

Shortly after my cancer diagnosis, my husband took me to Paris, fullfilling a promise he made to me years earlier while on a business trip there. We enjoyed only 5 days in Paris, but we made the most of it. That trip is still one of the best trips I've taken—living life to the fullest.

5. Change Your Diet
When I started my diet changes I hoped to stop the possibility of cancer growing in my colon. Some thought I was extreme and wondered why—some were even mean. But I didn't care what they thought. I wanted to make my body healthy and not allow cancer to grow. Create an environment in my body that could NOT sustain cancer. Yup.

After succeeding, I discovered what happened to me was an example of epigenetics. No matter what my genes said,  I could control my gene expression (good or bad) by my environment—what I chose to eat and drink, think, or be exposed to.

So where do you start with changing your diet? Begin by eliminating processed food loaded with dead food, chemicals and sugar. Sugar has been added to everything. "Nom, nom!" said the cancer cell—makes me grow big and strong! Eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. Drink lots of purified water. If your body needs animal proteins, stick with wild-caught or strictly grass-fed with no hormones or antibiotics. I eat eggs from chickens eating what they forage as they free-range or fed organic food.

Don't make it complicated.

6. Beware!
I think when doctors get their medical degree they lose their ability to think critically. They are trained to focus on assessing the symptoms in order to apply an appropriate diagnosis, which can then be used to prescribe a medication. So when they tell you diet will not affect your cancer, they are not thinking.

Really? The cancer can be healed with a drug, but not food? So (you might ask) the reason you have cancer is because you haven't taken the right drugs?

Nonsense!

Here's another tool to add to your toolbox so you might get a fair shake and make it out alive if you get a cancer diagnosis. Click below to get a FREE guide from Chris Wark (fellow cancer conquerer) on what you should ask your oncologist.

Please pass his on to anyone you know who is facing cancer. I'm sure you know several since cancer has become a pandemic in this country. Remember when you didn't know anybody who had cancer? I'm old enough to remember.

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Attitude: Vacation Revisited

Probably the most enjoyed vacation we've taken lately was back in 2011 when we toured the Southwest National Parks and surrounding sights with friends. I thought you might like to revisit the trip or perhaps you're seeing the post for the first time. You may discover some places you'd like to visit with your family. Come on... let's go!

Photo by Mike Eisenhard

Places To Go ~ Things We Saw
Starting with Zion National Park in Southwest Utah, the neat and upscale town of Springdale invites travelers to the entrance of this majestic, wow-factor, geologic wonder—my favorite park on the trip. A convenient shuttle runs through town and delivers you to the park entrance and visitor center. Boarding a double shuttle, we could disembark at any stop in the park.

Our first morning, we chose to hike the Watchman Trail. We made our way up a short canyon passing colorful displays of wildflowers to an overlook with a panoramic view of the valley below and the Watchman Peak standing at Zion's entrance.

Photo by Mike Eisenhard

From Zion, we drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We took a walk out to Bright Angel Point, the Southern-most point of the Kaibab Plateau, a short walk from the lodge. As soon as I came along side the railing with a 3,000+ drop, my legs went wobbly, I started sweating, my gut began to churn and I could not look out at the expansive scene. Yes, I have a fear of heights.

Fear of heights did not keep me from hiking down the Kaibab Trail into the canyon one morning. Unfortunately, we hiked behind the morning mule train to the Supai Tunnel.

Yes... we skirted a river of mule pee. Sheesh... what a ghastly, strong smell. My husband remarked that it smelled like strong cat pee, except cats pee ounces and mules pee gallons. Of course, there was also the mounds of poop to avoid.

The views were all worth the bother of a bit of animal excrement.

Next stop, Antelope Canyon adjacent to Lake Powell in north Arizona in the Navajo Nation. This was my "had to see before I die" (aka Bucket List item) spot. It's the most photographed location in the Southwest. Can you see why?

This amazing slot canyon was discovered in the 70's by a Navajo girl tending her sheep. At many points in the canyon we had to walk toe-to-heel and maneuver our bodies to fit through.

Photo by Mike Eisenhard

It's the weirdest experience. The Navajo guide led us to a crack in the earth and started walking into it until he disappeared.

Photo by Mike Eisenhard

We encountered a series of metal stairs that led us deeper into the canyon. More stairs exist along the tour, some no wider than the width of my foot.

We visited Bryce Canyon National Park next. Unlike Zion, Bryce is not really a canyon, but rather a bowl containing eroded sandstone formations of reddish to white color.

Also, unlike Zion, the road through the park is outside the geologic area of interest. Park roads provide access to viewing spots where you can see the bowl or amphitheater of formations.

Sego Lily at Kodachrome Basin

We also visited Kodachrome Basin State Park, a short drive down the most scenic highway in the US—Highway 12. We drove as far as Boulder on Hwy 12 and discovered Hell's Backbone Grill. Boulder, population 180, is said to be one of the most remote towns in the US, so finding this gem in the middle of nowhere was kismet. They prepared a dish just for me to accommodate my diet. Check out the cookbook the proprietor/chefs authored, which highlights their creations.

"Kitchen" in our cabin at North Rim Grand Canyon

Food On The Trip
Speaking of my diet, we planned carefully for this trip to ensure I would have food to eat. We bought a Koolatron 26-quart electric cooler complete with plug for the car and added a 110AC adapter for power in the hotel/cabin. The cooler is very quiet and very effective. I packed a container with a pre-made veggie salad (it lasts three days). I brought beans and feta cheese to make my daily lunch salad—yum. Added the whole veggies stored in green bags (see Keep Your Vegetables and Fruit Fresher Longer) to the cooler and away we went.

I cut more veggies when needed and expected to add some from locations on the road (a risky assumption). Turns out the veggies lasted the whole trip. Used the last carrot on the last night during the return trip home.

We brought Trader Joe's Organic Instant Oatmeal for breakfast and added a handful of the organic/raw trail mix I made for the trip. Also brought along our Proctor Silex water boiler (it's awesome), coffee press and Mighty Leaf loose tea that Bob used to make green tea every morning.

Friends on the trip with us marveled at how self-contained we were.

We had healthy food options everywhere except at Bryce. In that location the Syrett family "own" the area outside the entrance to Bryce Canyon. It consists of lodging, campgrounds, services, one restaurant with huge buffet (gag me!) and one fast-food place. Everything is institutionalized. Order a pancake and you got butter and syrup in little sealed containers. They had almost nothing for me to eat, but I got by with a potato, carrot, zucchini, onion and sun-dried tomato stir fry they prepared for me. It was tasty, but overcooked for my liking. I also took my chances with a veggie burger they had. I used a piece of whole grain bread that we bought in Bishop at Schat's Bakkery to replace the white bun it came on.

Globemallow

We enjoyed every minute of the trip. Colorful wildflowers gracing the landscape, singing birds, rich colors of rock rising to the heavens and breathtaking scenery stretching to the horizon.

With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the 

animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. ~Jeremiah 27:5

It's really hard to come back. I especially enjoyed being unplugged. For a serious recharge, I recommend a clean break from the noise of email, phone, blogs, twitter, etc. It feels great!

When was the last time you unplugged? And for how long did you unplug? Scroll down and leave a comment below.

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6 Tips to Go Green on St Patrick's Day

I'm of Irish heritage so when St. Patrick's Day comes around it's fun to sport something green and eat corned beef and cabbage. I never eat corned beef any more (never really cared much for it). Frankly, growing up in my Irish household (including schooling by Irish nuns), we learned it was only necessary to wear green to avoid getting pinched if you were NOT Irish. Anybody else get this message?

Over the years St. Patrick's Day seems to have morphed into a day to eat green food, drink green beverages (especially the adult variety), and wear big green hats with the green-colored clothes. Everybody, whether Irish or not, participated. I don't drink, but I have gone to a local bar with my hubby to take in all the festive activities on St. Paddy's Day. On that day the whole world is Irish.

I'd like to add another way to celebrate St Patrick's Day. Go Green!

Here are 6 tips to Go Green starting this St. Patrick's Day:

#1 Reuse
Today recycling is easy. When I first started recycling, over 35 years ago, I remember having to drive some distance to the recycling center. This was before you got paid for some recyclable material. Now an important part of recycling is to reuse the item.

I reuse the nice glass container the Kombucha comes in from the store to bottle my own Kombucha when I make it. I also use the bottles for filtered water at my bedside and in my car.

Several food items I buy come in Ball or Kerr jars with canning lids. I save those to use as small flower vases or to make fermented veggies. If you're a canner, you can save those jars (and money) when you process those peaches, tomatoes or whatever you like to preserve.

#2 Repurpose
Think outside the box and repurpose an item for some other use. Like using milk and egg cartons to start seedlings for the garden inside out of the cold.  And don't forget to reuse the six-packs you got your starter plants in for seedlings the next year.

Before you throw anything away, ask yourself what you might do with it. When our patio table top got old and fell apart, we threw the top away and repurposed the metal structure into a flower stand by adding a trough and some shelves. Check out how this DIY structured flower garden came together.

#3 Save Water
I live in California where we have severe drought conditions at his point. A recent article in the LA Times stated that we have only one year of water left unless we get some serious rain and snow. Yikes!

We are on water restrictions in Northern California. To help out, while we wait to get hot water from a faucet, we fill a 5-gallon container, which we use to water plants outside. We water in the early morning so the water can be absorbed by the plant rather than evaporate in the mid-day heat. Inside, we only run water when needed.

#4 Plant a Garden
I bought my first summer garden plants for this season. Two tomatoes. I know it might be too early where you live. Some are still getting lots of snow. Boston broke an all time record for snow on Sunday with 108.6 inches for the season. You can always start your garden inside until the last frost passes.

Hey... Boston Strong! Send some of that snow out to California will ya?

I know from my gardening experience lately, tomatoes need heat and since we've had cooler summers (which means a shorter growing season for the tomatoes), getting an early start is important to get the best yields.

#5 Unload
We started reading and watching videos to learn about tiny homes—houses that are 600 - 800 square feet. The process made us reevaluate the stuff we had acquired. If you want to live in 750 square feet, you must eliminate all unnecessary possessions. Many people pay to store their excess stuff and may never question if they need it much less why they hang on to it.

When economic conditions caused a major shift in our lives and we went from homeowner to renter, we began to reconsider the importance of things in our life. I've been selling stuff that we find excessive since the move. It's been an interesting and fun exercise plus adds a few extra bucks to our budget.

#6 Dream Green
My husband and I have always wanted to have a house that was off the grid. He recently read the book Off the Grid by Nick Rosen. It recounts several families' stories across America who cut themselves off from public utilities and power their innovative homes with alternatives means.

Many years ago I planned on building an underground home, built into the side of a hill with a berm roof and lots of south-facing windows. Today we drive an 8-year-old hybrid car with license plate GRN ALT. We monitor our electricity usage so carefully, I call my husband the Energy Natzi.

We don't have our green home off the grid, but our dreams have positively shaped our thinking and enhanced our lives by redefining what is important.

Do you have a Go Green tip to add to the list?

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Wisdom Wednesday

Tip:
Want to increase your efficiency? Add a live plant to your desk or work area. Plants in the work environment increase productivity by 15% study found.

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Wishes for a Merry Christmas and Bright New Year

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Bright New Year! As I reflect on 2014 and look ahead to next year, first let me say I appreciate each of you. If you learned something and perhaps incorporated a few new things into your lifestyle that made you healthier, I am thankful.

I will be signing off until next year, but it won't mean I'm not thinking about you. Work has begun to redesign and re-orgainze the website. Once completed, you should find it easier to access what you're looking for—whether it's older posts, recipes, a product I've talked about or you're new and want to achieve optimum wellness. You'll discover health tips, information and recipes for your healthy journey.

I'll also be telling you about my children's books and how they fit in to my message for a healthy lifestyle. What? You didn't know I'm an author of children's books? My bad... I've needed to bring together my two identities (health coach/blogger and children's writer) for some time. It will make my life simpler (and you know I like that).

As a parting message, I thought you'd like to see a list of the most popular posts for 2014:

The Road to Health Comes Down to Diet 

March Is Colon Cancer Awareness Month

Conquering Illness: A Personal Story

African Bean Soup

An Herbal Combination to Fight Cancer

Why Is Vitamin D So Important?

Which post did you find most helpful in 2014?

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Blessings of Special Needs Kids

Give a warm welcome to special guest poster, my friend, Nancy Hill—a fellow traveler on the journey of eating clean, traditional foods. She has two of the sweetest boys, which she adopted as wee ones knowing they needed special care. Enjoy reading about her latest diet journey and a blessing. ~Chris

Well, lots of changes going on around here…dietarily speaking! After 6 years, we’re officially no longer vegetarian. We’re now eating Paleo-style (although I dislike the label “Paleo!"), Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) to be exact, recommended by our new functional-pediatrician doc to address Philip’s GI issues. It was not an easy decision, or transition, but based on weeks of research, we feel it’s the best move at this point to help heal Philip’s gut and resolve his dysbiosis/small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), as well as malabsorption and nutritional deficiencies.

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6 Tips to Achieve Christmas Bliss

Do you find yourself in a state of frenzy during the Christmas season, whether it's being bombarded by commercialization or feeling the stress of getting a gift for everyone on your list? Here are some tips for calming your heart and re-adjusting your attitude this season.

#1 Approach the Season With a Sense of Gratitude
Be grateful for what you have—friends and family who love you. They won't stop loving you if you don't get them a gift. The gift of you may be all that's needed.

#2 Give a Gift With Meaning
Make up a coupon to give something of yourself (babysitting for your girlfriend with small kids whose budget has no room for babysitting). The list is endless.

#3 Take Time to Serve the Less Fortunate
There are plenty who are homeless and hungry during the Christmas season. Take time to schedule several hours on a service project to help those in need. You'll never feel more blessed than when you serve others.

#4 Keep Your Expectations In Check
Don't assume anything. Inquire, plan and be ready to grant grace at every turn. Slow down and let the frantic pass you by. Be gracious when you get the gift you think is… you fill-in here.

#5 Remember What This Time of Year Is REALLY About

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you—he is Christ the LORD.
Luke 2:11

I wish you all a blessed Christmas always remembering that our gracious and merciful heavenly Father sent His only Son Jesus to be born a baby and then perish on a cross to redeem me and you from the penalty of our sins. And for that we celebrate Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

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Thanksgiving

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Giving: A Show of Gratitude

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, we tend to look beyond ourselves and think about giving. Webster's Dictionary defines give: to make a present of... However, give is just a word with no feeling behind it. We add the emotion from something in our heart. A genuine attitude for giving might best be offered with gratitude: a feeling of appreciation or thanks.

Attitude is one of my roots of health and one way to improve your attitude is to show gratitude. Volunteer your time to the less fortunate. Giving to others helps us forget ourselves and our troubles. It tends to reinforce a thankful feeling within.

At this time of year one favorite family tradition has been to fill a shoebox with goodies and items for a child living in a third-world country who lives in dire circumstances and a seemingly hopeless situation. We accomplish this through Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse.

What is Operation Christmas Child?

Through a simple gift of a shoebox filled with everyday items, we can share the love of Jesus with a child on the other side of the world. Pack the box with toys, school supplies, toothbrush, soap, etc. Add a picture of your family and even a letter to the child. A tracking code may be added to let you know the destination country of your shoebox.

In 2007 I volunteered at an Operation Christmas Child processing center in Southern California and learned that boys ages 10 to 14 are under-represented in shoebox gifts. From that point on we always pack a box for a boy in that age range.

The Dollar Store offers lots of great items to include in a shoebox. For an older boy, I always include duct tape. Having been to a third-world country, I've seen what the children create out of empty liter bottles, aluminum cans and string or wire. Duct tape can be creative magic for them.

In addition to a t-shirt, here's what we put in our box:

Need a bit of instruction? Maybe this video will help... or at least give you a chuckle:



What kind of holiday family traditions do you have for showing gratitude?

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