Your Road Map to Recovery
1
Take a Deep Breath
We understand that the thought of having cancer growing within us can be a very motivating factor to make quick decisions around how we choose to attack the disease, however in most cases, unless there are no imminent threats to life due to secondary complications, you do have time to take a breath and explore your options.
It’s normal to be experiencing an overwhelming amount of emotions ranging from denial, frustration, helplessness to anger, however, many of these emotions can cloud your thinking and be toxic in a number of ways. While it’s easier said than done, accepting your diagnosis, accepting the cancer and trying to see the cancer as an opportunity to grow and learn more about your body, can be quite liberating and can take your attention away from “why me” to “let me learn what my body is asking from me”. Accepting the cancer doesn’t mean you accept it as a death sentence, but you acknowledge that it is there, providing you with the freedom of mind to deal with it and overcome the obstacle.
Many people who have recovered from cancer have said that accepting the cancer and even thinking about it with love instead of hate, played an important part in their recovery. Some felt that the cancer was a gift, a wakeup call from the life they were living and an opportunity to live a healthier life which allowed them to not only beat the cancer, but actually come out of the experience, healthier than before.
It was likely your GP delivered the news of your diagnosis, who then quickly referred you on to an oncologist. The only tools in your oncologist’s toolbox are Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiation and in some cases, Immunotherapy. You will find that most oncologists will use very strong, persuasive language, telling you that you MUST accept one of these options immediately and if you do not accept one, your only option will be to die as a result of the disease. This is irresponsible and often not true. But as many of us do not understand cancer and the oncologist is wearing a white coat and is in a position of authority, 99% of the time we just accept what they are offering as our only option if we wish to live.
We are not here to encourage you not go down the path of receiving traditional treatments, however we do encourage you to ask questions of your doctor and oncologist to find out exactly what you are dealing with and what they would recommend if it were their Daughter, Wife, Mother or Father. CLICK HERE to download a list of questions we recommend asking your doctor before making a decision about your chosen path of treatment.
Seek second opinions from other traditional medical practitioners as well as alternative medical practitioners. Speaking with other people who have dealt with similar situations as you, both traditionally and alternatively can also be extremely helpful. Use the Community Forum section on our website to connect with other people and discover how they have approached their treatments and recovery.
We have designed this website to provide you with a single reference point to find everything you will need to answer the questions you probably have in regards to what you should eat, what you should cut out, what toxins to avoid, how to discover what could have caused your cancer and how to beat it, how to plan your treatment and recovery and much more. So, take the time to have a look around and if you cannot find the answers, please drop us a line and we will do our best to add that resource. If you would like a structured meal plan which will simplify the challenge of knowing what to eat to give your body the best chance of healing from within, check out the MEAL PLAN page. There is a small fee for the meal plan which goes towards helping us to continue to invest in this website so we can provide information and support for people suffering from cancer.
Before making any decisions about your treatment path, take a look at your past habits and see if they could have contributed to developing cancer. We now know that 90-95% of cancers are developed from dietary and lifestyle factors. The good news is that if our body created the cancer from our habits, by reversing those habits and saturating our bodies with anti-cancer nutrient dense foods, removing toxins and managing our mindset, we have the ability to reverse the effects and allow our body’s to heal and be well again.
If you are not familiar with meditation, we strongly recommend you take the time to investigate how you can incorporate some form of it into your life. Being still and focusing on your breath, can help calm the mind, bring oxygen to your cells and help clear a space to take in everything you have learned which will allow you to more clearly see the path you should take which is unique and right for you. There are many great downloadable guided audio meditations you can play on your phone or a speaker.
For a start, try one of our guided meditations: HERE
You will find that your family, friends and doctors will all have an opinion on which path you should take, but only YOU will know what feels right and what path is best for you to walk. Meditation provides a time where you can let go of your conscious mind, the mind which often tries to find logical solutions to your problems and allows your subconscious mind to come forward and offer solutions which are more aligned with your primal instincts.
So, stop, take a minute and take a breath, both literally and figuratively. Explore your options and see what feels right.
Every individual’s severity of cancer will vary and therefore, so will their ability to care for themselves and the level of care they may require. You might have a mild form of cancer which requires very little attention and may not have a significant affect your day to day life, or you might require a lot of assistance until you are well. Either way, having a plan and a surrounding yourself with a team of people who have your back, can help reduce stress and help clear a path for your recovery. You don’t have to walk that path alone.
Start thinking about the things which you may find difficult to maintain doing yourself while you are undergoing treatments/protocols or planning your recovery.
Start with the people you live with. What additional things can your spouse, children or parents do for you that you would normally do? For example, house cleaning/maintenance, grocery shopping, taking your children to after school activities etc. Compile a list, or we would recommend downloading our template on the “Planning Your Journey To Wellness” page.
Then start delegating the other things can they do to help you with your at home treatment, such as preparing juices and smoothies and your healing meals from the Controlling The Odds Meal Plan etc. Many hands make light work and maintaining consistency with your nutrition is critical. Ensuring you are consuming foods which are designed to not only nourish your body but also create an inhospitable place for cancer to survive, is incredibly important. Making the juices, meals and shakes is not difficult but it will require some time on your feet and you don’t want to risk being tired and missing them as a result of not having the energy to prepare them.
Again, having a plan and having people help you execute it is imperative. More on this is covered in the page “Planning Your Journey To Wellness”.
Once you have visited the next page and made your plan, we recommend holding a meeting with your family and friends so that you can discuss who will support you and in what way. Write down what has been decided and ensure everyone knows their role and is 100% sure that they can commit to it. Download the template HERE or visit the “Planning Your Journey To Wellness” page.
Some tasks such as walking your dog, you might really enjoy and the exercise and sun exposure (We recommend 15-20 mins of sun exposure per day) might actually be beneficial for you and you might want to retain. Some people find housework therapeutic and a good source of gentle exercise. We are not saying you should become lazy or become disconnected to your normal day to day life, however delegating tasks which may be physically or mentally draining can allow you to reserve your energy for activities which can help you heal and get well sooner.