If you’re done with treatment, you’ve probably asked the question “now what?”

In this episode Meg, Nancy, and I explore this question through the lens of making sure your remedies are evidence-based. The point of being evidence-based is that the remedies are “tried and true”, and that well-executed studies show the remedy is safe and useful.

Your well-meaning family, friends, and neighbors want you to know about the “latest and greatest” treatments and supplements because they want to see you survive and do well after a cancer diagnosis, but there is a lot of conflicting information and if it hasn’t been proven to be safe, it could cause more harm than good.

Making personal choices on the healing path.

Whatever you choose to do on your healing journey is up to you and your doctor. Sometimes that is your oncologist, sometimes another doctor (naturopathic, functional, integrative, etc). Sometimes it means talking to your registered dietitian about what foods and supplements are appropriate to use. 

What makes the anti cancer lifestyle unique is the evidence-based approach inherent to the program. 

“Recommendations are evergreen, nothing is controversial.” ~ Nancy Kane

The program takes origin in a book written by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, who did the research and used it as his healing journey.

“Even though I wanted to sleep, I read it all the way home on the plane, because I was so inspired.” ~ Meg Hirshberg

Why Evidence-Based Makes a Difference.

Many supplements are not regulated by the FDA and there is no guarantee what you are buying. This is one of the problems with not following an evidence-based protocol.

Some supplements are not safe to take because they could increase your risk for recurrence.

Some supplements may not actually do anything to help you, even if they don’t hurt you. You’d be wasting your money without any real benefit.

And some supplements may interfere with medications you are taking. It’s important to be aware of drug-nutrient interactions before taking any new supplements.

These are just a few reasons why the Anti Cancer Lifestyle program sticks to evidence-based recommendations.

Origins of the Anti Cancer Lifestyle.

In truth, Anti Cancer, A New Way of Life, Dr. Servan-Schreiber’s book was instrumental in my healing journey as well. Although I read it many years ago, it left an impression on me that diet, physical activity, a “can-do” mindset, a supportive network of friends and family, and avoidance of toxic chemicals are the way to healing. (Please do not confuse healing with cure.)

It makes me think about the slower pace of life in which I grew up as a child. The world just wasn’t as fast as it is now. And I look for ways to embrace that slower pace whenever possible.

Everyone has a different level of comfort when it comes to pursuing various treatment options. The healing journey from a cancer diagnosis is a very personal one, and at the same time, (I’ve said it many times) a team sport.

In addition to the time-tested and evidence-based suggestions made in this book, I also rely on recommendations from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund. Many times their recommendations overlap and they are always evidence-based.

Putting it all together.

I spent many years reading, researching, and piecing things together on my own. And even though it was lonely sometimes (a lot), I don’t regret doing it that way because I felt I was responsible for my healing and wellbeing.

There is a lot of information out there on the WWW (world wide web), both free and paid, vetted and unvetted. You have to know how to sift through it to find the gold nuggets.

To that end, I have created a program for breast cancer survivors to help make sense of all the information that gets tossed your way. Because it can be overwhelming.

The program is called Wings of Hope. You can find more information about it here: https://www.subscribepage.com/wings-of-hope. This is not a support group (I went and didn’t like them). This is not just a teaching class, you can find all the information for free.

In Wings of Hope I help you make sense of the information, I help you take action on the things you want to incorporate into your life, and you get the added benefit of community (which is more important than you think).

Sure, you can do this cancer thing on your own. But why would you want to?

Which ever road (well-paved or the one less traveled) you decide to take on your healing path, I wish you the very best outcomes and a deep, true healing of your mind, body, emotions, and spirit.

Here are some of the highlights from this episode:

• 1:55 Meg Hirshberg’s cancer story.
• 5:09 Nancy Kane’s professional caretaker journey and cancer connections.
• 12:30 What can you do to avoid a recurrence?
• 13:12 The Anti Cancer Lifestyle Online Course.
• 17:30 How to find the program.
• 22:56 Assessing the standards of evidence.
• 28:35 On staying current.
• 32:14 Which supplements are safe to use?
• 36:00 On chemical exposure in HABAs (health and beauty aids).
• 45:40 Organic or conventional?
• 50:17 Wabi Sabi – how do you celebrate imperfection?

Links Mentioned in this podcast:

• anticancerlifestyle.org 
• Costco
• Thrive market
• Misfits market

A new episode is released every second and fourth Thursday of each month.

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