Living with Cancer

You got the diagnosis : Cancer. There’s a lot that you may have to deal with:  Chemotherapy, radiation, being nauseated, losing your hair.  Most of the therapy involved with cancer treatments will feel invasive.  Most won’t be pleasant.  And who knows what the long term effects will be on your body.  You’d like to feel good in your body again, feel like you are yourself. You need some nourishment to keep you going through the ordeal.

Along with your diagnosis, you’ve most likely been poked, prodded, tested, retested, and given a million opinions about “what you should do”.  You’ve been given advice on what to eat and what not to eat, often finding that advice contradictory. Most likely you are pursuing the line of treatment that has been recommended by your primary care giver.  But, you’ve probably looked up alternate therapies online or tried a recommendation from a friend.  Piecing together a health care solution based on so many ideas about what’s good for you will often leave you more confused than when you started.

Cancer is a complex disease, but that doesn’t mean the treatment has to be complicated.  What you really need to do is cover the following four bases to not only help you get through cancer, but to do so in a way that will preserve your health and vitality as you age.

• First, you need to support yourself with nourishing treatment that focuses on activating your native healing ability. Even though a cancer diagnosis does mean that something has gone awry with your body’s normal healing process, that doesn’t mean that it’s down for the count!  If you want to be vital through your cancer treatment, and through a long and healthy life beyond, you should work hard to strengthen your body to the core.  Regular, gentle exercise and a clean – nourishing diet are two foci that every person experiencing cancer should have.  Seeking out treatments that are focused on support and nourishment, like natural medicine, massage and dietary therapy, will help you fulfill this principle.

• Second, you want to work directly on combating the cancer and the negative effects of the conventional treatment in a way that is effective, yet non-toxic. While we believe that support of the healing power of the body is the most important thing to focus on in cancer treatment, one cannot turn aside from the fact that the tumor needs to be dealt with.  If you are undergoing conventional cancer treatment, of course your Western doctors are working hard on that end.  There are a number of herbal substances and other non-toxic remedies that have been shown through Western laboratory research, as well as the tests of time, to have a direct impact on the growth and replication of cancer cells.  You should work to find these solutions using the best resources you have available.

• Third, you should make sure that all of your treatments form a seamless, mutually reinforcing whole. Interaction between your herbs, supplements, chemotherapy and radiation all need to be taken into account.  More than anything, you want to make sure that your whole treatment regimen is going in a similar direction and that the two factors above are balanced in a way that will preserve your quality of life.

• Fourth, you need to find time to just feel good in your body again.  The stress and emotional upheaval that cancer can cause in your life is worth a vacation.  The experience of living with cancer can, at times, feel quite unpleasant.  You’ll most likely be experiencing procedures that leave you feeling invaded and not at your best.  Gentle bodywork can help you to feel like yourself again.  There’s something quite valuable in feeling like a whole and nourished person during a process that can be taxing and aggressive.

Both Eric Grey and Amanda Barp are passionate about helping people through a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Amanda has had training specific to massaging people living with cancer and has spent time volunteering at Oregon Health and Science University massaging people who are receiving treatment for cancer.  She has learned how massage can be a part of deep nourishment not only physically but also emotionally.

Eric Grey has studied the ways that Chinese medicine can help people heal from cancer since he began school at NCNM.  His mentor, Heiner Fruehauf, is a cancer survivor and treats many people living with cancer from all walks of life, including people who choose not to pursue conventional Western treatment.  Under his tutelage, Eric has learned how to create safe, effective herbal formulas that support the body naturally while also having a direct impact on a wide variety of types of cancer.  He works hard to help his patients find the appropriate supplements to combine with their herbal formulas, while supporting their overall energy and peace of mind through gentle acupuncture treatment.