Why people with cancer who do not follow an integrated approach are missing out

For many years I worked as a veterinarian. I loved that work and learnt a few things. A dog with a broken leg has a simple health issue to manage. It does not need to attend a support group to learn how to cope with its illness and give itself the best chance of recovery.

By contrast, any person diagnosed with cancer who does not manage their illness in an integrated way, including attending an educational support group, in my considered opinion is severely limiting their chances of survival and of living well beyond cancer.

So this week, lets go Out on a Limb once more and examine the differences between a broken leg and cancer, an why an integrated approach to cancer management is mandatory, but first

Thought for the Day


May you find in me the Mother of the World.

May my heart be a mother’s heart, 
My hands be a mother’s hands.

May my response to your suffering 
Be a mother’s response to your suffering.


May I sit with you in the dark, 
Like a mother sits in the dark.

May you know through our relationship 
That there is something in this world that can be trusted.

Anonymous letter from a young Medical student

Working as a veterinarian, much of it was simple in the relative scheme of things. Take repairing a broken leg for example. The cause was something everyone could agree upon. Little Johnny left the side-gate open, the dog ran onto the road, the car hit the dog. Broken leg. Simple.

Diagnosis was usually simple. Maybe a clinical examination was enough; if an X Ray was needed the benefit far outweighed the risk. Simple.

Then repair would involve immobilization, maybe even surgery, but again, simple.

The healing phase too was straight forward. A dog can eat just about anything and a broken leg will heal. The dog’s emotions seem to be of no concern to the healing process; and what is going on in the dog’s head, its thoughts, just like its spiritual life – no problem. In fact, it is all simple!

Best of all with a broken leg, the final outcome is generally good. They nearly always heal. Well.



In fact, it is common knowledge that as broken bones heal they often over-compensate so that the part that was broken often ends up stronger than the original bone. This fact spawned the New Age healing saying “We get stronger at the broken places”.

Contrast all of this with the complexity involved when a human being is dealing with cancer.




When it comes to the cause, cancer is known to be a multi-factorial, chronic degenerative disease.

People commonly ask after diagnosis

“Why me? How did this happen to me?”

While much is known in answer to the basic question, for the individual concerned, the full story it is usually far from simple.




Then there is diagnosis. Often complicated. Sometimes there are contradictory test results,
interpretations. Sometimes not accurate enough and diagnosis is missed or delayed.

When it comes to treatment it is a sad fact that most current cancer treatments are quite tough on the person involved, and by extension, their families and friends. Clearly, not everyone survives a cancer diagnosis. Around one third die in the first 5 years. Far from simple.

Then when it comes to the healing phase, that phase that accompanies and goes on after any medical treatment, just about everything you can think of has some part to play. What someone eats influences outcome. Exercise. Sunlight. Emotional health. Mental state. Accessing the power of the mind. Spiritual life. Mind-Body Medicine.

All these thing warrant being taken into consideration. For some, the choices they make in this arena can truly make the difference between life and death.

Then there are other things to consider. Complementary therapies. Alternatives. How family and friends are coping. How they can be helpful rather than a hindrance. Financial issues. Finding meaning. Life after cancer. Reconciling death. And on and on.

Clearly, every aspect of cancer management is complex.

If someone diagnosed with cancer were to concentrate on just one aspect of the disease, like the medical treatment, they would be missing so many other important aspects. If someone diagnosed with cancer was to attempt to sort out all the complex issues on their own, how could we possibly imagine they would succeed?

Management of cancer demands an integrated approach. This means approaching the significance of the disease, its personal meaning, and its recovery by considering the body, the emotions, the mind and the spirit.

An integrated approach also involves working with an integrated team of health professionals as well as giving a pre-eminent place to consideration of what the person can do for themselves.

Attending to the latter effectively, learning what to do for yourself, is most effectively accomplished in a group setting. Residential programs are ideal as they provide the opportunity to withdraw from day-to-day life, to find genuine hope, to experience the recommended lifestyle changes such as the therapeutic foods and meditation, to learn from peers, to be inspired, to learn and to make good choices.

Sometimes I do miss the simplicity of my old veterinary days when treating broken bones was a delight. But actually, working with people amidst the complexity of managing cancer, seeing how well people do in body, mind and spirit when following this integrated path, helping to sort out the complexity, finding peace of mind amidst all this; being a part of all this is even more extra-ordinary – and wonderful.

NEWS


The world lost one of its bright flames recently. Many who read this blog will have come to know Jess Ainscough, The Wellness Warrior in some way. I was fortunate to know her over the years and was deeply saddened by her death.

Jane Treleaven has written a wonderful piece on her own reaction/ response to Jess’ death; it is highly recommended. LINK HERE



                  Jess speaking at a Cancer Survivors meeting in Melbourne

NEW BOOK – also highly recommended

Time to Care
Robin Youngson is a New Zealand Anaesthetist who I had the good fortune to meet some years back. He offers a powerful voice for bringing more compassion into medicine and speaks in a way his colleagues can relate to. He is the founder of Hearts in Healthcare.

In today’s beleaguered healthcare system, burdened with epidemic levels of stress, depression and burnout, Time to Care offers health professionals the opportunity of renewal. Here are the secrets to building a happy and fulfilling practice, wellbeing and resilience.

Youngson bravely relates his own transition, from detached clinician to a champion for humane whole-patient care; at times poignant, sometimes funny and always brutally honest.


NOTICEBOARD

NEXT SPECIFIC CANCER PROGRAMS
CANCER and BEYOND  May 2015   Monday 4th at 11am to Friday 8th at 2pm

Five Day Residential Follow-up Program at the Gawler Foundation in the Yarra Valley

This program is specifically designed for those with cancer or in remission, along with their support people who have attended a previous Gawler Foundation program or equivalent such as with Sabina Rabold, CSWA, Cancer Care SA, CanLive NZ, or with the Gawlers

A unique opportunity to meet with like-minded people once again, to consolidate what you already know, to learn more from the combined knowledge, have a real rest, to reaffirm your good intentions, and to go home refreshed and revitalised.

FULL DETAILS Click here

CANCER, HEALING and WELLBEING
Eight day Residential Program in New Zealand   May 15th  –  22nd , 2015

All welcome with a diagnosis or in remission; attendance with a partners and support people welcome.

This program will guide you through all the self-healing principles:
. Therapeutic nutrition
. Practical positive thinking
. Therapeutic meditation, plus the healing power of imagery and contemplation
. Accelerated healing
. Healthy, healing emotions
. Getting the most out of conventional medical treatments and minimising side-effects
. Being most effective as a support person/carer, and to looking after yourself in the process.

I will be leading most of the main sessions, with support from Ruth and 2 exceptional New Zealanders. We live-in for the full program so there is plenty of time for questions and personal interaction.

This program is organized and supported by Canlive New Zealand.

FULL DETAILS Click here


THE CONNECTION – There will be a screening in Melbourne soon of this excellent film length documentary film, followed by a forum with questions, answers and discussion led by Dr Craig Hassed, Prof George Jelinek and myself

Wednesday    April 8th    7pm
Classic Cinemas      9 Gordon St    Elsternwick

BOOKINGS   CLICK HERE

Cancer, transformation and meaning

We learn so much through sharing our personal stories. So as 2013 draws to an end, what a delight to be able to share some of the inspirational life story of a doctor diagnosed with breast cancer. Dr Ilana Galgut has been attending a group I have been facilitating in Melbourne for the last 2 years and she has kindly offered to share her story – as she presented it recently to a hospital meeting.

Stories can demonstrate how real suffering can be transformed, how often lives change for the better in response to adversity, and how meaning is found.

Stories grant us a glimpse into another human being’s life. We get to share in their experience, to travel with them, to understand something of the choices they made and why, to have the opportunity to consider what we might have done in similar circumstances, learn from other people’s strengths and weaknesses; be uplifted, be informed, be inspired.

Also, a big thank you to all those who have supported Ruth and myself throughout 2013 in the work we offer. May 2014 be a year of good health, deep satisfaction and profound meaning – now there is a nice thought!

But first

Thought for the Day
We are healed more by what we turn our mind towards in love
Than what we turn away from in fear
               Ian Gawler
                   I think this is mine; I have been saying it for years, 
                   but does anyone know where it may have been quoted earlier?

Here is Ilana's story 


- plus a photo of the 2 of us :)










Thanks for providing the opportunity to share a little of my story.

Up until the 25th of May 2011, I was a hardworking, capable, independent single mum whose whole purpose in life was to look after my patients and my children.

I was working part time as a women’s health GP as well as a Cosmetic Doctor - making people happy by putting needles in their faces! I was an evidence -based, very thorough conventional GP, not into all the “airy-fairy stuff” of meditation and supplements.

However, my life was about to change forever - and on the 26th of May, I found my cancer. Initially I reacted like a doctor and went about my working day, squeezing in an appointment for a mammogram.

But I did not come out of the x-ray department the same person I went in as. The non-perk of being a doctor kicked in immediately as I was advised of my diagnosis whilst still in the x-ray department. A biopsy followed as did a visit to my favourite breast surgeon to whom I used to send my patients.

The medical travelator began of CT scans, bone scans, mastectomy, chemo and radiotherapy. I felt no loss at removing my breasts as I deemed them to no longer be my friends but rather as wielding an atom bomb, which was about to take my life. In the same light I have not had a reconstruction as my scars are the testimony to how I saved my life!

I also did not grieve the loss of my hair as, yet again, the chemo was to annihilate any remaining uninvited guests in my body, the cancer cells.

Imagine my surprise when one day, my 10 year old daughter said to me, “ Mum, I think God gave us cancer to be good to us. Because without it you would have never stopped working so hard”.

Well how right she was. I needed a wake up call and it had to be something as huge as this to get me really moving.

In the same way that I looked after my patients, leaving no stone unturned, I set about investigating the best way to make sure that I am here for as long as I possibly can be.

I could not find the proof and the guarantees that my treatment would cure me. And what I discovered in my search for creating a healthy body went very much against my medical training and scientific background.

There was a large void in the system between the oncologists, the treatment and me the whole person.  I was told that stress does not cause cancer but I was stressed out to the max and had been living like a crazy girl. I was told there is no special diet that could help me and if there were, the oncologists would be advising me of it.

But it really did not sit well with me that all I could do was to hope that the treatment would work. So I set about to build myself a new body, ensuring that the body that developed the cancer, no longer existed. I decided that whatever I had been doing was clearly not the right thing.

I found myself a GP who is a very special lady. She helped me through the fear and anxiety of chemo and surgery and suggested that I attend a healing group at a Buddhist temple to help me cope better.

That was, I think, the real beginning of my new life. I learnt to meditate, think about the purpose of life and what really matters to me in my life. I learnt that cancer is not necessarily a death sentence, regardless of the medical prognosis. I was introduced to people who, in medical doctor language, should not be here today, never mind be cancer free.

And slowly, slowly I entered a world about which I was previously very cynical.

I changed my diet, changed my view of my work and career, realising that there was no need to prove anything to anyone, and embarked on a journey to learn more about myself.

I met a wonderful lady hypnotherapist, who helped me deal with heavy suitcases of emotional baggage that I had be lugging around from childhood. I read books about living and also books about dying. I started singing lessons, art classes and Latin dancing. I really was creating a new life, having more fun than I had had in many years.

One day it suddenly dawned on me that I had needed to learn about dying to really be able to learn how to live.

I was learning how to nurture myself and how to create a healthy body, mind and soul, retaining people and things that would foster my transition to a healthy life. It then struck me that yes, I had lost my breasts, but had grown some balls instead. I was unburdening myself of negative influences in my life.

One of my mentors, Ian Gawler, has written a book called You Can Conquer Cancer and I believe that I have conquered it. That does not mean that I will live forever, but I have allowed the cancer to open up my mind and broaden the opportunities that I afford myself. I have lost a lot but gained so much more and I am living a life that is not governed by the what-ifs, the should’ves and the could’ves.

At yet, I have not returned to my GP work as I am not currently well enough to do that but I have assisted many other ladies along their journey through breast cancer because I have learnt to embrace and utilise the best of all available therapeutic modalities - both conventional western medicine as well as complementary medicine. I have learnt to marry the two, as the combination was what worked for me, to get me through this life changing experience.

I will never be grateful for the experience of cancer as there is nothing nice about life with cancer looming in the shadows, but I believe that I took from it the opportunity to learn and grow and can truly say that I am now living my best life ever.

RELATED BLOG
You are the inspiration

NEWS – Very engaging/interesting/informative Video Link
Dr Neal Barnard, M.D. is the author of – the nutritional equivalent of You Can Conquer Cancer for Type 2 Diabetes and President of the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine – a very significant US medical body. Watch him here discuss the benefits of a plant-based diet on the Intelligence Squared Don't Eat Anything With a Face debate. Dr. Barnard and Gene Bauer won the debate, convincing more people in the studio to change their views on this important topic and winning a majority of the online voters. CLICK HERE

Trouble viewing? Watch here

Dr. Barnard’s closing statement:
Let's say your teenage son or daughter says to you, “Mom and Dad, I’ve decided I’m going to eat my fruits and vegetables, but I’m not going to eat anything with a face—and don’t worry, I know where to get my protein. This isn’t that hard." If you were to then look at the numbers and realize that your child's likelihood of becoming obese, having a heart attack, or developing cancer or diabetes just plummeted, you would be thrilled. That is what we are voting for now.

If you were part of an insurance group where your premiums depended on everyone’s state of health, and if everyone in the group decided to stop eating meat, you’d be thrilled.
The world’s strongest man is Patrik Baboumian, who recently lifted 1,210 pounds on an entirely plant-based diet.

The world’s greatest long-distance runner is Scott Jurek. He runs 100, 125, even 150 miles without stopping, and he does it faster than any other human being—powered by a plant-based diet.

On Monday, at the World Memory Championship in England, where contestants can memorize a deck of cards in 30 seconds and perform other mind-blowing feats, the world champion was 25-year-old Jonas Von Essen of Sweden, who was powered by an entirely plant-based diet.

Arguably the world’s greatest brain, Albert Einstein, wrote: “It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.”Einstein continued: "So I am living without fats, without meat, without fish, and am feeling quite well this way. It always seems to me that man was not born to be a carnivore."

A generation ago, we tackled tobacco. And while everyone is free to smoke, we just know we are not going to do it. Today, the issue is food. For yourself, and especially for your children, let me ask you to vote for this resolution: Don’t eat anything with a face.

Want to jump into a healthful plant-based diet? Start now at 21DayKickstart.org.

Interested in learning more? We have all the educational resources you need at PCRM.org/LitStore.

COMING EVENTS

Meditation in the Forest : April 11 – 17,  2014

The regular Pre-Easter retreat Ruth and I present is on in the Yarra Valley again. This year as well as providing the opportunity to learn more about relaxation, mindfulness and meditation, and to deepen your experience of same, the particular focus of the retreat will be on contemplation.

For details CLICK HERE

New Year’s Eve – and the marathon vegans return to Fed Square

Consider this – Janette and Alan Wakelin will complete 365 marathons on New Year’s Eve and will be arriving in Melbourne’s Federation Square that afternoon. The celebrations/welcome will be on from 2 - 4pm.

Maybe if you are coming in for the evening fireworks, maybe if you are simply inspired by their extra-ordinary endurance feat, you could join us in the city and welcome them home.

Details of their efforts CLICK HERE

Ian Gawler Blog: The right foods improve cancer prevention and survival

This week we show how innovative statistics are revealing which ones do the job! Also, Ruth and I are giving talks in Katoomba and Sydney this week, there is another study that demonstrates colorectal cancer survivors who consume the most red or processed meat are around 30% more likely to die over a 7.5-year follow-up, and then a must see video link! But first

Thought for the day
If you do not take care of your body, 
where are you going to live?
                    Karen Duffy, American actress with sarcoidosis

It is an exciting time in cancer research with a rapidly escalating number of reputable articles demonstrating how specific foods can add or subtract years from the lives of people after they are diagnosed with cancer.

We have known for a long time that unhealthy food is the number one item linked to cancer risk. Similarly we know from heaps of research that healthy food provides major cancer prevention.

Yet for so many years I remember hearing cancer authorities telling people diagnosed with cancer and the public alike there was no evidence once you developed cancer that what you ate would make any difference. Anyone who was to say that in this day and age would either be ill-informed or would need to overlook a substantial body of evidence to the contrary. (For just a small sample of some of this evidence, see some of my earlier blogs that bring it together.)

However, there are real challenges for researchers endeavouring to sort out which foods are most destructive, which most helpful. Enter epidemiologist Patrick Bradshaw, PhD.

“One of the major limitations of studying diet is that food nutrients are so intertwined and complex, particularly the way we eat them, it’s difficult to tease apart the effect of a single nutrient,” said Bradshaw.

The traditional method of analysing nutrient data is to examine them one at a time, one analysis for vitamin C, one for vitamin E and so on.

“The trouble is, nutrients tend to be consumed together, so if you see an effect, it’s hard to say which one it was for. If you analyse them simultaneously the statistical models tend to not work well.”

Bradshaw has a background in biostatistics and so he has developed innovative statistical methods that place the focus on dietary patterns rather than individual nutrients. He uses a form of analysis called hierarchical modelling that incorporates biologically plausible actions for each set of nutrients.

“We can apply this methodology to integrate biology into an analysis that looks at a whole lot of things together that can be correlated.” Results are proving to be very interesting.

On the prevention side, a study he led last year found that consuming a dietary pattern high in vegetables, fruits and lean meats was linked to a lower risk of pharyngeal and oral cavity cancers; a diet high in fatty, fried foods, sweets and processed meats was associated with an increased risk of laryngeal cancer.

Then for those already diagnosed, last year he found that breast cancer survivors who gained the most weight post-diagnosis had a greater risk of death from any cause as well as from breast cancer compared to women survivors who remained the same weight at diagnosis.

The reason behind this weight gain among survivors is not well understood, says Bradshaw, and it is something that he is working to understand.

Another area of survivorship he is focusing on is physical activity. Here, the research is consistent, with most studies finding activity benefits survival.

“It looks like women who get physical activity, in particular in those early years of diagnosis, tend to have a better prognosis - they had a reduced mortality rate, which I think could be a powerful message for cancer survivors. I’m really interested in what is happening during those early years. Those are the formative years in terms of breast cancer survivorship.”

 “I would like to hope that my research is informing something that people can employ on a daily basis that can make their lives healthier.”

Reference: May 15, 2013 issue  AICR's Cancer Research Update.

RELATED BLOGS

Let food be your medicine - Part 1

Let food be your medicine - Part 2

NOTICEBOARD
Please let friends or family in these areas know of this week’s events. Share the links for details:

Katoomba
July 9; Day workshop: Health, Healing and Wellbeing

Sydney
July 13 - 14, Weekend workshop: A New Way of Living

IN THE NEWS 



1. Thirty years presenting annually at the one place. An obsession or a delight? Well, 30 years at the Relaxation Centre have gone very quickly and it has been a pleasure to be a fixture on their calendar. Here is my old friend Lionel Fifield introducing me. He claims we look just like we did 30 years ago. He always was an optimist!!!






2. Foods can make you ill. Oh really!! Well yes, it seems they can, and this is an excellent website whose purpose is to provide you with information and resources on food intolerance and food allergy. From what I read, it does a pretty good job! Worth a visit, LINK HERE

RESEARCH NEWS

Red and Processed Meat Intake Linked to Death for People with Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer survivors who consume the most red or processed meat are more likely to die over a 7.5-year follow-up, compared with those who eat the least, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society.

Researchers analyzed the diet records of 2,315 participants from the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort and found a 29 percent higher risk of death from all causes and a 63 percent higher risk of death from heart disease for those who consumed the most red and processed meat before diagnosis, compared with those who ate the least.

REFERENCE: McCullough ML, Campbell PT et al. J Clin Onc. Published ahead of print July 1, 2013.

A  SOURCE of JOY
Thanks to Philip Woolen’s mum for this truly beautiful video of a deaf man flying 3 kites accompanied by the sublime Flower Duet from Lakme. When he flies spectators hold their hands up and wave them for applause. He flies 2 with his hands and the 3rd kite is attached to his waist. He is in his 80s.

Do yourself a favour. Chill out for 5 minutes and stay to watch to the end so you see the amazing landing of that last kite! LINK HERE

Cancer survivors? Cancer thrivers!!!

This is your personal invitation to be inspired, to be informed, to support cancer survivors generally and the self-help options specifically.

In the centre of Melbourne, on Tuesday, the 5th of March from 6.30 to 8.30pm, three remarkable cancer survivors will join me to talk about how we not only managed to survive against the odds, but to actually thrive in the process. The flier is attached at the end of this post.

Now there is a great notion. Not just a cancer survivor, a cancer thriver! So this week, continuing the theme of what is happening in the world of cancer, let us go “Out on a Limb” and discuss what it is to thrive amidst adversity, and meet some great “thrivers”. But first,

Thought for the Day
            Keep your goals and dreams just beyond your reach 
           And your integrity beyond reproach
                                           Richard Carmona, MD; 17th Surgeon General of the United States

Jess Ainscough, Scott, Stephens, Ruth McGowan. They all challenge the popular notion of what it is to have cancer. Vibrant, active, up-beat, full of life. How do they do it, given they have all faced life-threatening cancers and still in some sense live under that shadow?

One thing is for sure, their attitudes, their way of coping, their way of thriving, did not happen by chance or some stroke of good luck. Each of them in their own way has worked hard, continues to work hard, to be a cancer survivor, a cancer thriver.

Sure there are the common factors; taking nutrition and what they eat very seriously, developing a positive state of mind and working on the power of their minds, and of course meditating heaps; but then there are the individual variations, the personal touches that bring their individuality to the healing equation.

Jess is young and dynamic; on a mission to reach out and help thousands through her Wellness Warrior website, blog and Wellness Warrior Lifestyle Transformation Guide.














Scott is such a “bloke”, with the freshness
and openness of a real Australian man that
warms everyone’s heart and opens them to
his remarkable understandings and insights
into what it takes to heal and to be well.













Then Ruth, with the maturity that comes from
being a mayor amidst the devastation of the
Black Saturday fires. Who has known a brother
thrive through a long and difficult cancer; felt
the pain of his death, felt the powerful urge to
do all she can to survive and thrive through
her own challenges.

As a final bonus, Peter Roberts will be joining us with
his wonderful harp. Peter will play during the light
supper being served from 6.30 to 7.00pm before we
begin the talking, and then he will join me to lead a meditation.










Then there is You Can Conquer Cancer, my old book recently invigorated by a complete re-write and with a life of its own. Happily on this occasion, Dr Francis Macnab, that extraordinary psychologist and Minister of the Uniting Church’s St Michaels on Collins, will re-launch the new edition.

Takes me back to 1984 when Weary Dunlop, that famous doctor from Changi, Patron of the Cancer Council, long-term supporter of my work and someone I was privileged and proud to call a mentor and friend, launched the first edition.

Now the hope is that this new edition of You Can Conquer Cancer can be re-translated into the 13 languages the old one is in and maybe some new ones, and sell another 250,000 copies at least.

Over 120,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer in Australia this year. That is way too many people. We all need to do what we can to help those who are basically well to stay that way, to follow a healthy lifestyle and avoid developing cancer.

Then for those who do develop cancer, we need to help them to understand that they have a crucial role, quite possibly the most important role in their own recovery.

So tell the family, tell your friend and your colleagues. Tell them about the new book, maybe give them a copy. Share the flier attached to this blog with all you can. If you live within easy distance of Melbourne come and show your support for the cancer survivors, the cancer thrivers. Come and learn what you can do for your own health, healing and wellbeing. Entry is a modest $20, $15 concession.

The evening is in the beautiful St Michaels church at 120 Collins St and if you have not been in there before, it is one of Melbourne’s beautiful treasures. And all proceeds are going to the Gawler Foundation (everyone involved is donating their time).

See you there! The flier is attached at the end of this post.

RELATED BLOGS
A new year, a new way of living

The completely new You Can Conquer Cancer is released

Recovering from cancer is possible


RESOURCES

BOOK: You Can Conquer Cancer

CDs: The Gawler Cancer Program

What to do when someone you love has cancer

ON-LINE: The Wellness Warrior - Jess Ainscough

The Wellness Warrior Lifestyle Transformation Guide.

Wellness Activist and 'Cancer Thriver' Kris Carr writes in the Huffington Post about Her Crazy Sexy Kitchen

LIFESTYLE-BASED CANCER SUPPORT PROGRAMS: The Gawler Foundation


NEWS
Reclaiming Joy –A new book with a related theme.

Recently I was asked to write a foreword for a great book I can highly recommend. This is an anthology of stories from members of a group of thrivers managing cancer and other difficult circumstances. But it is way above what some of these books have been. This one is insightful, quirky, compelling. Well worth a read!

Here is the foreword I wrote for it which I hope inspires you to read it.

Truth is a rare and wonderful commodity. Eloquent truth even rarer, even more wonderful.
The truth is that chronic illness takes everyone affected by it through a wide range of thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Now, there are some people affected by chronic illness who become preoccupied with ‘being positive’. Or is it more accurate to say preoccupied with their own notion of what it is to be positive? Usually this version of being positive means ‘putting on a brave face’, ‘grinning and bearing it’, attempting to be ‘up’ all the time.

Some in fact do make a reasonable pretence of this façade. It can serve as a relief to those around them. ‘She is taking it so well’. ‘He is so brave’. Yet underneath, the nagging doubt. ‘How is she really?’

Well, the cost of being sunny all the time, is to ignore the truth and deal with the consequences.

The truth is that chronic illness involves ups and downs, highs and lows. Acknowledging this, rather than pretending it is not so, is actually easier, more energy efficient, more likely to lead to comfort and ease amidst the swings.

The truth leads to freedom. Freedom to feel as you do, freedom to be genuine, freedom to be authentic. The consequence of living the truth is that this state enables one to recognise difficulties, feel them, and rather than be stuck attempting to deny them, be free to do something useful in response.

So Reclaiming Joy is a wonderful book filled with eloquent truth. The contributors, all of whom share the common thread of chronic illness, speak personally and openly about their range of experiences—the good, the bad and the ugly! But then they also discuss their attempts to find practical solutions. Many of these attempts are successful and will have general and immediate relevance to a wide range of the community.

The book also offers insight, good humour and real positivity. This is not a book of wishful thinking. Wishful thinking is where you hope for the best and do nothing about it.

This is a book of positive thinking—where you hope for the best and do a lot about it!
My wish is that this book is read widely. In a time where so much chronic illness is around us, even affecting us personally, Reclaiming Joy offers insight, hope and real possibilities. Eloquent truth. A real blessing.

Dr Ian Gawler OAM
Author of Peace of Mind & You Can Conquer Cancer
Yarra Junction

Reclaiming Joy: Living well with chronic illness, by Ruth Winton-Brown

The book is most easily ordered by emailing Ruth Winton-Brown on: rwintonbrown@yahoo.com.au

Cancer survivors come to Today Tonight

There is nothing quite as compelling as a personal story well told. Jackie Woodroffe is nearly 30 years on from having widespread secondary breast cancer diagnosed and being told there was nothing more that could be done for her medically. Scott Stevens has fully recovered from advanced, secondary melanoma. Their stories of recovery provide welcome inspiration, hope and direction for everyone facing the many challenges cancer throws up.

The world need more good news cancer stories, needs to consider new ways of recovering and living; so it is wonderful that Channel Seven’s Today Tonight featured these two in such a positive light recently.

So this week, a Christmas treat with a link to their program, a couple of short but delightful links of kindness and humour in action, and a big wish for a Happy Christmas and a healthy, joyful and meaningful New Year. But first

Thought for the Day
Untamed beings are as unlimited as space.

You will never be able to overcome them all.

Yet, if you could simply overcome the hatred in your mind, 

You will find that it is as if you have overcome them all.


How can you possibly find enough leather

To cover the earth?

But if you could just wear leather sandals,

You will find it to be as if you have covered the earth. 

In the same way, you will never be able to change

All external objects.

But if you change your own mind,

There is no need to change anything else.
                                                Shantideva – 8th Century Indian Buddhist scholar

Great way to finish the year being a part of a program that featured two great cancer survivor/thrivors. True, I got to be described as a “cancer guru, miracle worker”!, but on Today Tonight I think that is a compliment. And I got to point out that my own story of recovery from secondary cancer 35 years ago was clearly proven and beyond doubt.

It is a well made piece, Scott and Jackie speak very well on it, so here is the link


Next, some fun for Christmas.
First a short clip demonstrating genuine, heart warming humanity at work – for animals
: Mumma bear and the three cubs
.
Then, it is always good to have a stereotype broken. This is very funny; who said you cannot herd cats.


So may the spirit of Christmas, that unconditional love spoken of 2 blogs back, fill your heart and all those you care for; and may you care for everyone and everything on this amazing planet we are spinning around upon.


RELATED BLOGS
A Christmas gift

The completely new You Can Conquer Cancer

Ian Gawler's cancer diagnosis - if it looks like a duck....


NEWS
1. First review for the fully rewritten new edition of You Can Conquer Cancer
It amazed me that when You Can Conquer Cancer was first published in 1984, it sold large numbers, I was asked to speak about it on many radio programs, yet there was not one review until many years had gone by. I wondered at the time if it was too much of a jump; that the notion of people with cancer being able to do things like change their diets, learn how to us the power of the mind and to meditate with the intention of recovering from cancer; whether that was too much for reviewers to contemplate or to feel confident to commit to with a review in writing.

Anyway, I have been doing the radio interviews again following the release of the major rewrite of You Can Conquer Cancer but this time a review already! It actually describes the book well and maybe explains why I strongly recommend reading it for all those of you who have read and are using the older version. This new book is a big step forward. Here is the link

2. January is Pt Stephens. 
In the next week or so, I will have details of the workshops and retreats Ruth and I will present in 2013 on my website, but the next event is a day workshop in Pt Stephens on Tuesday, January 15th.

For details and to book, click here

3. Meditation in the Forest: Yarra Junction; March 22nd - 28th, 2013

Ready to join Ruth and myself, take some time out and experience deep natural peace - amidst the majestic forests of the Upper Yarra Valley.

This retreat will take you deep into the essence of meditation - the direct experience. As well as being restful and regenerative, in this retreat I will be introducing and guiding a structured series of breathing techniques that enhance concentration, deepen meditation and facilitate healing and wellbeing.

For details and to book, click here

A Survivor's Bemusement

It is rather bemusing to be a long term cancer survivor and to have so many people claiming to be responsible for curing you and to have their own version of what you did.

During the thirty plus years since my recovery from disseminated osteosarcoma, I am personally aware of hearing the following people lay claim to my cure: one psychiatrist who taught meditation therapeutically, one chemotherapist, one naturopath, several shamanic healers, one rabid nutritionist, one Indian avatar (actually he did not make any claim, but some of his disciples did), and one ex wife.

Those who claim to have assisted significantly in the recovery include a surgeon, radiotherapist, counsellor, yoga teacher, one GP heavily into supplementation, several other GPs, diagnosticians and natural therapists, family members and friends!

Things that I took or did that others have claimed were what really cured me include food, juices, supplements, developing strong willpower, benefitting from good support, using meditation, imagery, yoga, exercise, spiritual healing, prayer, chemotherapy, taking injections of mistletoe and TB vaccines and taking various other herbs, elixirs and potions.

ARE YOU CONFUSED?
The fact is I did a lot and many of the above were really helpful. Perhaps it is no wonder that when my story has been retold by others, while the main points have usually been accurately presented, there have often been minor errors in the detail – usually to do with time lines.

My biography “The Dragon’s Blessing” was compiled by an independent journalist who had access to meticulous diaries I kept through my illness, my detailed medical records and to all the key people involved, including family, friends, healers and doctors. I believe it to be an accurate account of what really did happen during my life leading up to the diagnosis, my long and complex recovery and my life and work since.

One of the most common questions I have been asked over the years is “What did it? How come you survived when others did not? Were you just lucky? What made the difference?” Well in my view, the challenging reality is that there was not any single thing that “did it”. Most of the above were helpful. I attribute my recovery to a combined approach.

So was I just lucky? I do not think so. While it would be fair to say that I was a little bit lucky - I am still alive after all; in my view, the key points, the key points that usually have been accurately portrayed when my story has been retold, are these: the two things that helped me the most were my lifestyle generally, and my state of mind specifically.

My state of mind was aided greatly by the sustained practice of meditation. It enabled me to remain free of anxiety in the face of an extreme health crisis. My mind became clearer, more stable and better focused. As a consequence, I was able to think clearly, make good decisions and have the confidence, commitment and perseverance to gain the best outcomes from all that I did.

For the last thirty years I have helped others to take up a similar therapeutic lifestyle to the one I used and continue to follow personally. This approach is well documented in my book “You Can Conquer Cancer” which was first published in 1984 and has been updated since.

LIFESTYLE IS THERAPEUTIC
Based on my extensive clinical experience, and supported by the burgeoning amount of positive research in this field, I am of the view that a lifestyle program warrants implementation at the time of first diagnosis of cancer, just as it does for heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes and MS. There is no doubt in my view that lifestyle factors can do more than just improve the quality of life for people affected by cancer; A therapeutic lifestyle can improve survival times.

While it is relatively easy to instruct people in the technical aspects of how to meditate, and what constitutes healthy food, drink and exercise, it is far more challenging to address implementation of such a lifestyle based program, as well as the emotional, mental and spiritual needs they experience.

Again, based on my clinical experience, this is where group instruction and therapy is so important. Inspiration, hope, safety, emotional expression, the search for meaning, the capacity to endure, cope with setbacks, failures and triumphs; all these and so much more is possible when self help, peer groups meet around a common theme with a well trained and skilled facilitator.

SO WHAT IS NEEDED?

1. Doctors to recommend a lifestyle program for all people at first diagnosis of cancer (just like they do for heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes)
2. More research is needed on the therapeutic benefits of lifestyle specifically and long term survivors generally. Also, specific research is long overdue to investigate the effects of meditation on cancer survival.
3. Increase public awareness so people know what a therapeutic lifestyle is, what its benefits are, where to learn about it and where to receive the support they need to implement it.
4. Ensure access to suitable lifestyle based self–help programs led by well trained and authentic group leaders supported by sufficient ancillary staff and services. The Gawler Foundation, from which I am now retired, continues to provide what in my view is the world’s best practice model for this type of service.

NEXT WEEK’S POST

NUTRITION: What constitutes a healthy diet for the average person and for those looking to recover from major illness? What I actually did eat through my own recovery - and what I eat now that helps me to be really well and happy!