The Cancer Directory
• retreats, spiritual development and holistic holidays
• cancer information services
• cancer care and practical help with nursing, social needs, financial help and insurance
• cancer prevention
• product suppliers for natural medicines and supplements.
There is also a Bibliography containing a comprehensive collection of the most useful reading material, a section containing all of the scientific references for the research supporting the use of an integrated approach to cancer care, a Glossary of the terms used in this book and in the field of integrated medicine, and an Index for easy navigation through this book.
The Cancer Directory is essential reading material for anyone newly diagnosed with cancer and for the healthcare professionals who help them. Only by understanding the full range of needs and healthcare choices available to those with cancer will the very best choices be offered, the chances of survival be most enhanced and the most loving, compassionate care be given.
Only by fully empowering those with cancer during their treatment and recovery process will the innate creative intelligence and inner strength of each person be brought to bear in the quest to heal physically and spiritually through the crisis of illness.
Integrated cancer medicine is the medicine of the future, and Dr Rosy Daniel is undoubtedly leading the way.
This book is essential reading for everyone affected by cancer. Information is empowerment, and this volume contains all you need to know about cancer from both the orthodox and complementary worlds of medicine. This is simply the best guide to integrated cancer medicine there is!
PROFESSOR KAROL SIKORA
Introduction: how to use this book by Dr Rosy Daniel
If you are reading this book, it is likely that you, or someone very close to you, have received a diagnosis of cancer.
My heart goes out to you at this painful, confusing and frightening time. Nothing prepares us in life for the shattering blow of a life-threatening diagnosis. Almost all of us live our lives feeling immortal – as if bad things only happen to other people. But, from time to time, we are pulled in on the fishing line of life and brought face to face with our mortality – and forced to face the completely fragile nature of life. The more perfect and settled our life has been, the harsher the blow and the more imperative it is that both you and those around you treat you with the utmost gentleness, care and sensitivity as you come to terms with what is happening to you. You will need time and very good support to find ways to make sense of the crisis and, most important of all, to bring all possible creative intelligence to bear in finding the most effective healthcare solutions for you.
My own understanding of both the pain and possibilities within the experience of cancer came from my intense relationship with the remarkable Penny Brohn, co-founder of the Bristol Cancer Help Centre. Penny was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38, with three children aged under 10. Both of her parents had died within the previous two years, and her marriage was so shaky that, at the point of diagnosis, her world collapsed completely. But, after a few weeks of abject misery, grief and despair, the combination of her own native cunning and the immense unconditional love of her great friend Pat Pilkington enabled her to pick herself up, dust herself off, and find the complementary, alternative and self-help approaches that enabled her to turn a five-year prognosis of survival into 21 years of a glorious and adventurous life.
Her journey took her all over the world – from the alternative clinics of Dr Issles in Bavaria and Dr Contreras in Mexico to monasteries deep in Wales and mind – body medical centres in London. This journey also took her into the depths of her own psyche and spirit with counselling and spiritual healing, and towards the gentle restorative energy medicines of acupuncture, homoeopathy and craniosacral therapy. She learned how to nourish her body properly with healthy food, metabolic supplements and immune stimulants, and how to meet her emotional needs with the love of women friends instead of focusing only on the love of her husband. She lifted her spirit by becoming a writer, painter, mosaic artist and gardener, and fulfilled her life purpose by setting up the pioneering Bristol Cancer Help Centre, thereby changing the face of medicine for ever.
Penny was very frightened but she was also an extraordinarily brave person. She had no idea where to start and what would work. Every step of her journey was an exploration, a negotiation with herself, her carers and her medical team. The only guiding star she had on her journey was her profound feminine intuition and the counsel she received from those whom she called her ‘gentle giants’ – the doctors, nurses, therapists and healers who had also been brave enough to step outside of the rigid box of medical thinking in an attempt to understand the big questions: What role does an individual’s lifestyle have in the development of cancer? What are the person’s needs during the illness and its treatment? Most important of all, what power could a person bring to bear to affect the health of his or her body and the chances of recovery?
As a spiritual woman, Penny was also constantly aware of the power of prayer and the immense benefits that could be available through spiritual healing and seeking spiritual guidance.
Penny’s amazingly comprehensive view of the nature of illness and healing sparked a revolution in cancer care. At first, it was explosive, as doctors feared that alternative doctors and practitioners would harm patients, taking them away from potentially effective medical treatment while fleecing them financially. Later, during the 1980s and 1990s, a truce was declared as many practitioners positioned themselves and their approaches as being complementary to medicine rather than alternative. But since the late 1990s, a new medical movement has emerged, led by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and his Foundation for Integrated Health, to help pull down the walls dividing care for the body from care for the mind and spirit, and help remove the conflict for patients between choosing between orthodox, complementary or alternative medicines. The aim has been to foster a climate in which people with cancer and their carers can be helped to obtain the best of all worlds – individually tailored treatment to meet their needs at all the different stages of cancer and its treatment.
This is vital, as one thing is certain – your needs will change. Sometimes you will feel strong, independent and entirely in control through the use of your self-help approaches. At other times you may feel ill, vulnerable and tempted to become dependent on the professional help of others. This was another of Penny’s great teachings for her doctors – to recognize the changes in her state and needs so that they were able to perform a complicated but perfect tango with her as she explored her options, defined her needs, made her negotiations, and flowed between fear and certainty.
To help you make sense of your reactions, needs and choices, you will find three main types of information in the pages that follow. The first type is emotionally based to help you recognize your state, define your needs and determine the kind of support you will need before embarking upon your healing journey. The second type of information is descriptive, giving you an overview of the kinds of approaches available so that you can define your healthcare values, and make your own choices as to what approach, or blend of approaches, is right for you. These two levels of information are found in Part 1 of this volume. The third type of information is factual, and is contained in Part 2. Once you have defined your needs and values, and made your choices, this Directory will help you to find the best resources that you need.
My goal in writing this book has been to share with you my understanding of the emotional map of the cancer experience for both those with cancer and their carers, which has come as a result of more than 20 years of working with people with cancer. I have also wanted to convey the theory, practice and benefits of each dimension of the integrated medicine model. Finally, I have wanted to act like a truffle hound, rooting out the treasures buried within the immensely complex terrain of alternative, complementary and self-help approaches to cancer to guide you directly to what I believe works.
Many people with cancer have said to me that they felt like they had to get a PhD in the subject within six weeks of their diagnosis. They have had to learn about their disease, the treatments and all the possible alternatives in a very short period of time to make their choices. In many cases, the Internet made things worse as the array of options has become so mind-boggling. So, the intention of this Directory is to share with you the pearls of wisdom I have gained over many years of sorting the wheat from the chaff, learning from the experience of the 20,000 or so people I have worked with. These individuals, like Penny, have by trial and error found their own way to fight cancer and heal themselves effectively, and their hope and mine is that you will be able with this book to ‘cut to the chase’, and avoid weeks of research and worry. I hope that, in the pages of this book, you will find everything you need but, if you do not, then both I and my team of Health Creation Mentors are available for consultation to coach you through getting the best treatments, the best treatment outcomes and getting yourself fully established on the road to recovery. I am available personally to help you through my Bath clinic (tel: 01225 423333) and through my interactive Cancer Lifeline Kit and supportive Health Creation Mentor Service, with backup from my three Health Creation doctor partners (contact the Health Creation Helpline on 0845 009 3366).
Most important of all, please be reassured that there are people living today who have survived every single kind of cancer. It is clear that the ones who do best are those who truly face their situation, go through their feelings, and then set about taking a positive course of action to become proactive in their own defence.
My love and very best wishes go with you as you embark upon your road to recovery, and I hope that this Directory will guide you to many exciting and fulfilling sources of invaluable help. Meanwhile, please be aware that this is a living document. I would be extremely grateful for your feedback, input, ideas and corrections. All possible efforts have been made to make this Cancer Directory as comprehensive and accurate as possible, but your help in improving it further for future readers will be much appreciated.
Please send your ideas and feedback to:
Dr Rosy Daniel,
Health Creation,
77a Alma Road,
Clifton,
Bristol BS8 2DP
CHAPTER 1 How to make the integrated cancer medicine revolution work for you
Right now, if you are newly diagnosed or have been re-diagnosed with cancer, you may be feeling dispirited, frightened and confused. It is vital that you consider the following encouraging facts:
One Cancer is a two-way process – it can grow but it can also shrink or go into remission. Two People have recovered from every kind of possible cancer and are still alive to tell the tale. Three A healthy body has detection and repair mechanisms specifically for cancer cells. The integrated medicine approach works to repair and boost these natural anti-cancer processes in the body. Four There are many factors in addition to orthodox medicine, over which you have primary control, and which can positively affect your health and well-being. Five Your personal response to your cancer can make a huge difference to both your quality of life and chances of survival. Six You are unique and the average medical statistics do not always apply to individuals. Seven Your conventional treatment is only one component of your approach to fighting cancer. Eight It is vital that you do not rely too much on the effectiveness of medical treatment alone to ‘cure’ you of cancer. Give up the passive patient role and join forces with your doctors, and become as pro-active as you can about recovering your health. Nine It is you and not your doctors who are in overall charge of your situation. Ten Astonishingly, many of those who have embarked upon the integrated-medicine approach to cancer have ended up admitting that they are actually glad they had cancer because they now feel so much happier, healthier and more alive than ever before.Continue re-reading this list of facts until the message sinks in!
Go forward in the knowledge that you are a very powerful person in your anti-cancer team. There is a great deal of help available to strengthen, support and guide you in your treatment and self-help programme. It is possible to stabilize and live with cancer (rather than dying from it), and even to go into remission from cancer altogether.
A cancer diagnosis can start a profound and exciting journey of healing and self-development, giving you the push and permission to change what has been making you ill or unhappy for years. This book will help you to understand and discover every type of help that is available to empower you in both your fight against cancer and your personal healing journey.
What Is Integrated Cancer Medicine?
Integrated cancer medicine is the most powerful medicine available to those with cancer because it draws together every possible form of help that is available for you to fight cancer and heal yourself. Since the 1960s, there has been a revolution in medical thinking and science, and it is now clear that our health and chances of recovery from illness depend both on what the medical profession can do for us and what we can do for ourselves. Many of the factors that affect our health and well-being are within our own control, and involve us becoming stronger physically, mentally and spiritually to deal with and overcome illness. This means that, when serious illness strikes, we must seek to understand how the illness has developed, what our needs in going through the illness and its treatment are and, most crucially of all, how to use the help available at all levels of mind, body and spirit to get ourselves well again.
In practical terms for each person with cancer, this means opening up a treasure chest of possibilities to find the right type of help to crack the healing code. As mutually respectful partners on this detective mission, those with cancer, their doctors, therapists and supporters can draw from orthodox, complementary and alternative medicine the psychological, spiritual and self-help approaches necessary, as well as look longer term into the role of nutrition, lifestyle reorientation and environmental factors, all of which may play key roles in overcoming the disease and becoming a part of the winning statistics.
Historically, those who become ill have really only had the medical model to rely upon. In such a model, a person with cancer is completely dependent on the knowledge and skill of doctors and nurses, and the current level of scientific understanding of the disease. This puts the ill person in an entirely passive role – which is all very well if the doctors have the ability to fix the problem. But if the power of medicine is limited, as in most cases of cancer, this leaves the patient with nowhere to go, feeling as if he or she has gone over the edge of a precipice. Another weakness of the medical model is that it leaves you powerless, with nothing to contribute to your own recovery process and chances of survival.
In stark contrast, the integrated medicine model puts the person with cancer at the very centre of the recovery process, as the therapeutic team:
• seeks to understand your needs, values and insights in relation to the illness
• supports and empowers you to get the very best treatment options that best suit your values and needs
• helps prepare you psychologically and physically for your treatment
• helps you explore the meaning of the illness, the self-help path and how you can transform the crisis of illness into the opportunity for health creation.
In the integrated medicine model, illness is not seen as a random occurrence, but as a logical result of factors that have created a chink in your armour. Our job is to try to understand how the illness has developed, and use this message from the body to work creatively to get your health and life onto a stronger, happier footing than before.
Within the integrated approach, you will find loving care and recognition of the trauma and stress that diagnosis, illness and treatment may be causing you. You will find hope that a creative way can be found to overcome your illness. You will find empowerment and the vital help you need to become mighty in your own defence. You will find respect for your personal needs, values and insights, and you will find the opportunity to transform the total misery and threat of illness and its treatment into an opportunity for a profound re-engagement in living the life you love.
To make the integrated medicine revolution work for you, you will need to find your way to exactly the right resources nationally and locally. This means that you will have a map or overview of what is available, and what forms of help might be useful and when. So, in the pages that follow, you will find help to:
• understand the different types of help available
• understand when to use what type of help
• understand your reactions to illness
• understand the best state of mind to promote recovery
• set up your own support network
• get the information you need to make the very best treatment decisions, whether orthodox or alternative
• make informed treatment decisions that are right for you
• be well prepared for your treatment psychologically, physically and practically
• get the best treatment outcomes with support from complementary medicine
• convalesce properly after treatment
• get yourself on the road to recovery with positive health creation.
What Types of Integrated Medicine Are Available?
There are seven kinds of help available in integrated cancer medicine:
1. Orthodox cancer medicine
2. Alternative cancer medicine
3. Complementary supportive care
4. Psychological approaches
5. Spiritual help
6. Self-help approaches
7. Healthy lifestyle reorientation
1. Orthodox cancer medicine
This is the medicine provided by mainstream cancer doctors and nurses, and is written about in detail in Chapter 4. Within orthodox medicine, you will find help to obtain:
• an accurate diagnosis of your condition
• if desired, a prognosis for your condition (knowing the average outcome statistically for those with your condition)
• the conventional cancer treatments of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and possibly adjuvant treatments such as hormone therapies
• where available, the opportunity to be entered into a research trial in which the most up-to-date treatment is being tested
• where available, treatment with newly emerging technologies such as laser, cryotherapy and highly specialized radiotherapeutic techniques
• if appropriate, palliative care (treatment to control cancer symptoms) and residential respite care in a hospice
• where available, supportive care within orthodox settings from counsellors, psychologists, specialist nurses, chaplains, social workers and health visitors. Some enlightened units also offer complementary supportive care such as aromatherapy, massage, relaxation, visualization and group-therapy sessions.
2. Alternative cancer medicine
Alternative cancer medicines are those that may be used as an alternative to orthodox cancer treatment. These are written about in detail in Chapter 5 (The alternative frontier: getting the best alternative treatment), and fall into the areas of:
• anti-cancer nutrients that are taken by mouth to help combat cancer directly or to stimulate the body’s immune and tissue-healing systems
• herbal medicines that are believed to have direct anti-cancer properties or indirectly inhibit cancer growth
• intravenous metabolic cancer therapies that provide high-dose nutrients or herbal extracts for the body designed to exert a cytotoxic (cancer cell-killing) anti-cancer effect
• immunotherapy aimed at repairing or boosting immune function to get the body fighting cancer naturally
• neuroendocrine therapies aimed at rebalancing the body’s hormones and neurotransmitters to inhibit cancer growth
• physical therapies in which heat, light or oxygen is used to treat cancer
• nutritional therapies where strict diets are used to combat cancer
• mind – body medicine, where mind – body approaches are used to restore immune function and direct tissue-healing.
3. Complementary supportive care
Complementary cancer medicine involves the use of natural medicines or therapies that can be used in a supportive context alongside orthodox treatment for physical, emotional and energy support. These are written about in detail in Chapter 7; their role in symptom control is covered in Chapter 8. These are usually accessed in the community from complementary therapists practising in complementary therapy centres or from their homes, but are becoming increasingly available in hospitals and hospices (from nurses or complementary therapists). These include: