Cancer Care: Integrating The Best Of Western And Eastern Healing Wisdom

Cancer invariably affects many of us -- young, old, rich and poor. By the way things are cancer is here to stay. It is written that by 2020, new cases of cancer will double to 20 million a year. A review of literature shows that we are not winning this “war” against cancer. Cure for cancer still remains uncertain and elusive for most people.

Malaysians are a people of different ethnic background with various healing traditions derived from the Malay, Chinese, Indian and various indigenous races. The practice of “alternative” medicine is allowed, and is popular among Malaysians. In 1995, my wife and I started a semi-charitable organization called CA Care with the aim of helping cancer patients who have failed to find cure for their cancer through modern medicine. We understand that cancer in a complex problem and we need multi-approaches to achieve healing. The world needs more than the perspectives of medical science to help understand and solve this problem or at the very least contribute to lessen the pains and sufferings. Our strategy is to combine the best of what medical science has to offer besides relying on our Eastern healing wisdom. To us, healing of cancer should come from within. Patients need to participate in their own healing process and do what is best for themselves. After dealing with patients for over a decade we found our ways to be effective.

Our Cancer Care Therapy consists of the following holistic steps:

Step 1: Give total commitment to your healing. This is your sickness and only you can heal yourself -- others can only help. If you come to us but do not believe that we can help you, then go and find someone else whom you have faith in or can trust so that he can help you better. Searching for healing in cancer needs your whole-hearted commitment. You need to change your ways -- your lifestyle and mental attitude. It is more than swallowing some pills or getting an injection. Our decade of experience shows that those who participated fully in the healing process benefited tremendously.

Step 2: Seek proper medical help. We do not substitute medical doctors. We advise you to consult your doctors and get the best possible treatments, but at the same time know the limitations of what medical science can do. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are invasive and destructive. Most patients who came to us have generally undergone all these treatments and they failed to find a cure. So it is good that patients learn to know, “when enough is enough”.

Step 3: Take herbs. Herbs are not magic potions. But, herbs can restore the imbalances that exist in the sick body. People of China and India have been taking herbs for thousands of years to cure and maintain their health. Herbs do not kill cancer cells like the cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs or radiation. Many “educated”, presumably “scientific people” are skeptical about taking herbs. Our experiences show that herbs do no harm but on the contrary, help many cancer patients. There is a saying: the believer asks no question, while no answer can satisfy the unbeliever! If you do not believe in herbs, our advice is, find other avenues for your healing.

Step 4: Eat rightly. But, we also know that diet by itself cannot heal cancer, just as drugs or herbs alone cannot cure it. However, diet is important and can determine the progress and direction of your healing. From our experience, having to give up one’s favorite food is often refuted and even detested by some patients. They counter with: My doctors say I can eat anything I like -- food has nothing to do with my cancer. We suggest that you read more widely. Every year, more and more evidence accumulates and points to the fact that what we eat determines the progress and direction of our healing or have a great influence on whether we get sick or not. Today, we are aware that the causes of 70% of cancers are related to our food and lifestyle. Studies have shown that as the Western way of life gains popularity in the developing countries, more and more people in the third world are getting cancers.

From the literature, we know that cancer patients benefit from a diet that consists of the following:
• Fresh vegetables, either raw or cooked.
• Lots of fresh juices and fruits.
• Whole grains, cereals, seeds and nuts in an as unprocessed form as possible.
• Avoid taking meat, dairy products, table salt, white sugar and cooking oils in the diet.
• Avoid types of food that are preserved, canned or processed.

Step 5: Lead a happy, stress-free life. We advocate that you do proper exercise daily but do not over-strain yourself. Qi-kung, tai-qi and deep abdominal breathing exercises are good for you. Also, cultivate a positive attitude. Avoid anxiety, anger and other forms of negative emotions. Learn to love and to forgive and forget. Let go of any emotional baggage that you have been carrying in your life! We also find that those who believe in God or a higher being/order, cope better with their sickness. We advise cancer patients to find solace in the Loving God, according to their own beliefs. On top of all these, patients who have full-hearted family support and tender loving care, generally fare better. Love, care and understanding of the spouse, children and relatives are important recipes for healing.