Info you won't get from your cancer charity.

1. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
1. Question Everything You Are Told
Whether you beat cancer or die from it depends a lot on the Treatment Plan you follow.
When your medical team proposes a Treatment Plan, you absolutely need to ask:
 How effective is this treatment for my type of cancer?
 Will you show me a few studies that will verify this treatment will prolong my life, when
directly compared to no treatment at all?
 Will you get permission from a few of the patients you have treated with this method so
that I can speak to them?
 Will this treatment cause secondary cancers?
 What is the chance that the cancer will come back after treatment?
 Could the side-effects cause serious pain, damage to vital organs or death?
 What tests could help determine the treatment most likely to work for me?
(if you opt for chemo, ask about Chemo-sensitivity testing to determine the best drugs)
See a full list of questions at cancerireland.ie

2. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
2. Check out all your treatment options
If you are referred to a mainstream oncology department in your local hospital, you will be
offered Conventional Treatment. The most commonly used Conventional Treatments are
Surgery, Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy. You may be offered a combination of these
treatments depending on your cancer type and a whole range of other considerations.
Regrettably, you will not be offered (or even told about) Alternative Cancer Treatments.
These are natural or other treatments that are being used successfully around the world and
include High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), Gerson therapy, Budwig Protocol, Iscador
and others.
Many cancer clinics now successfully use a mix of conventional and alternative treatments for
better outcomes. This is known as Integrative Medicine.
There are also numerous Complementary therapies. These are used to augment your
primary treatment(s), reduce pain and stress, boost your immune system etc.
See a full list of treatments at cancerireland.ie

3. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
3. Get a Second Opinion
Doctors can have their own opinions and thoughts about how to practice medicine. They can
have different ideas about how to diagnose and treat conditions or diseases. Some doctors
take a more conservative, or traditional, approach to treating their patients.
Not every doctor can be skilled in using all the latest technology. Getting a second opinion
from a different doctor might give you a fresh perspective and new information. It could
provide you with new options for treating your condition. Then you can make more informed
choices.
Ask your doctor for a recommendation.
Ask someone you trust for a recommendation.
Check with your health insurance provider.
Ask to have medical records sent to the second doctor.
Learn as much as you can about your condition.
See more at cancerireland.ie

4. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
4. Get Expert Personal Cancer Coaching
You can get expert advice from experienced Cancer Coaches to help you decide which
treatment gives you the best possible chance of returning to full health. It doesn’t cost much
and you can speak directly to the coaches by telephone and online.
Two well-known successful coaches are Ralph Moss and Burton Goldberg.
Burton Goldberg has traveled the world in search of the top therapies and treatments
available from the fields of alternative medicine, natural healthcare, integrative medicine and
conventional medicine. He is available for healthcare consultations by telephone to help you
and your family choose the top healthcare treatments available for all types of cancer.
Ralph W. Moss, PhD, offers phone consultations to help patients individualize their cancer
treatment. In pursuing this goal, he not only studies the relevant scientific literature, but
frequently travels the world in search of doctors, clinics and hospitals offering new and
effective approaches. He also investigates new food supplements and other purported
treatments. Dr. Moss maintains an attitude of “friendly skepticism.” While he is open to
credible new treatment options, both conventional and alternative, he demands proof of
both their safety and effectiveness. He will not be swayed by anything less than rigorous
scientific evidence.
See more at cancerireland.ie

5. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
5. Check out “Prehabilitation”
Time between diagnosis and treatment provides a ‘window of opportunity’ to optimize
health. For patients with cancer, “prehabilitation”— interventions given between the time of
diagnosis and the start of treatment—has the potential to reduce complications from
treatments and improve physical and mental health outcomes, according to a report in the
American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
Some studies have shown that prehabilitation interventions, individually or in combination,
can increase the range of treatment options, lower complication rates, and improve physical
and mental health outcomes. Benefits include a reduced risk of hospital readmission and
lower health care costs.
Studies have begun to show that physical and psychological prehabilitation interventions can
reduce treatment-related complications, decrease length of hospital stay and/or
readmissions, increase available treatment options for patients who would not otherwise be
candidates, and quickly facilitate return of patients to the highest level of function possible.
See more at cancerireland.ie

6. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
6. Starve Your Cancer
A number of medical scientists and alternative practitioners know that the most logical,
effective and safe way to treat cancer is to cut off the supply of food to tumors and cancer
cells, starving them with a lack of glucose (sugar).
Cancer cells derive their energy from an process known as glycolysis. Glycolysis requires
glucose; without it most cancer cells simply cannot survive.
Like sugar, meat feeds cancer cells.
Oncologists generally agree that the actual cause of death in cancer patients is cachexia, a
condition of severe weight loss and wasting associated with protein mal-absorption.
Meat, especially red meat, being the most readily assimilable protein, becomes a banquet for
cancer cells.
Emphasizing the use of plant sources of vegetable protein such as legumes and beans that
contain cancer-fighting compounds should be a prominent part of an anti-cancer diet.
See more at cancerireland.ie

7. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
7. Detox and Alkalize Your Body
Detoxification is a very important factor in dealing with disease in general but especially cancer.
Nowadays, every person has a body overloaded with toxins. The WORSE toxins are those you put on your
body, including cosmetics and shampoo.
There are a number of ways to detox, including:
Induced sweating (physical exercise)
Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is the most biologically active form of lipoic acid and is the form that the body
produces naturally. ALA is a powerful antioxidant and mercury chelator.
Magnesium is a crucial factor in the natural self-cleansing and detoxification response of the body.
Other ways to detox include Vitamin C, Raw Food Diet, Yoga.
Alkalization
In the 1930’s, an interesting natural cancer treatment was proposed as a simple, effective answer to
cancer – almost any cancer. This treatment approach is called alkaline therapy or pH therapy.
Ideally, this approach begins with an alkaline diet. There is general agreement amongst natural healers
and medical professionals alike, that changing a cancer patient’s diet is extremely helpful when someone
is confronted with a cancer diagnosis
The second step is to use some nutritional mechanism to move the internal cancer cell pH from the
optimal mitosis range of pH 6.5 to 7.5, to above 8, which shortens the life of the cancer cell.
See more at cancerireland.ie

8. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
8. Recruit Your Support Team
Even though your needs are greater when you have cancer, it can be hard to ask for help to meet
those needs. To get the help you need, think about turning to:
→ family and friends can keep you company, help with meals, errands, go with you to doctor’s
visits or treatment sessions etc
→ others who also have cancer can talk with you about what to expect. give you hope for the
future, tell you how they cope with cancer and live a normal life etc
→ people in support groups can help each other feel better, more hopeful and not so alone and
learn about what’s new in cancer treatment
→ people from your spiritual or religious community can help with your struggle to understand
why you have cancer or wonder about life’s purpose and how cancer fits in the “fabric of life”
→ health care providers: Doctors , Nurses, Pharmacists, Social Workers, Psychologists can all help
you with physical or mental pain or anxiety.
→ caregivers are the people who help with your daily tasks such as bathing, getting dressed, or
eating. Caregivers are often family members or close friends.
People feel good when they help others.
No one needs to face cancer alone. When people with cancer seek and receive help from others,
they often find it easier to cope.
See more at cancerireland.ie

9. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
9. Be Your Own Advocate
Even though your needs are greater when you have cancer, it can be hard to ask for help to meet
those needs. To get the help you need, remember:
→ family and friends can keep you company, help with meals, errands, go with you to doctor’s
visits or treatment sessions etc
→ others who also have cancer can talk with you about what to expect. give you hope for the
future, tell you how they cope with cancer and live a normal life etc
→ people in support groups can help each other feel better, more hopeful and not so alone and
learn about what’s new in cancer treatment
→ people from your spiritual or religious community can help with your struggle to understand
why you have cancer or wonder about life’s purpose and how cancer fits in the “fabric of life”
→ health care providers: Doctors , Nurses, Pharmacists, Social Workers, Psychologists can all help
you with physical or mental pain or anxiety.
→ caregivers are the people who help with your daily tasks such as bathing, getting dressed, or
eating. Caregivers are often family members or close friends.
People feel good when they help others.
No one needs to face cancer alone. When people with cancer seek and receive help from others,
they often find it easier to cope.
See more at cancerireland.ie

10. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
10. Compile a Personal Health Record
The Personal Health Record is a tool that you can use to collect, track and share past and current
information about your health and can give your medical care providers more insight into your personal
health story.
You are ultimately responsible for making decisions about your health. A Personal Health Record can help
you accomplish that.
Medical records and your personal health record are not the same thing.
Medical records contain information about your health compiled and maintained by each of your
healthcare providers. A Personal Health Record is information about your health compiled and
maintained by you.
There are several reasons to keep a personal medical record, including:
• Each facility or doctor involved in your care has a separate medical record for you. A personal medical
record combines these separate files into a single, more complete medical record.
• A personal medical record is always available when you need it. This is especially important if you go
to a new doctor or facility or if a record is lost or destroyed.
• A complete and accurate medical record gives new doctors the information they need to provide you
with the best possible care, including follow-up care and management of any side effects.
• Having your medical records at home gives you private time to read and understand them, which may
help you feel more in control of your health care.
See more at cancerireland.ie

11. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
11. Manage Physical Pain
Cancer or treatment for cancer may cause you to feel pain.
Tumors, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy may cause you pain. Patients with advanced cancer
have more severe pain, and many cancer survivors have pain that continues after cancer treatment ends.
Pain control can improve your quality of life.
Pain can be controlled in most patients with cancer. Although cancer pain cannot always be relieved
completely, there are ways to lessen pain in most patients. Pain control can improve your quality of life all
through your cancer treatment and after it ends.
Pain can be managed before, during, and after diagnostic and treatment procedures.
Many diagnostic and treatment procedures are painful. It helps to start pain control before the procedure
begins. Some drugs may be used to help you feel calm or fall asleep. Treatments such as imagery or
relaxation can also help control pain and anxiety related to treatment. Knowing what will happen during
the procedure and having a relative or friend stay with you may also help lower anxiety.
Pain can be treated in a number of ways, including:
• Drugs
• Radiation
• Nerve Blocks
• Physical treatments, such as heat, cold, and exercise
• Integrative treatments include massage therapy, acupuncture, and music.
See more at cancerireland.ie

12. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
12. Manage Anxiety and Stress
Anxiety and distress can affect the quality of life of patients with cancer and their families.
Patients living with cancer feel many different emotions, including anxiety and distress.
Anxiety is fear, dread, and uneasiness caused by stress.
Distress is emotional, mental, social, or spiritual suffering. Patients who are distressed may have a range
of feelings from vulnerability and sadness to depression, anxiety, panic, and isolation.
Anxiety and distress may affect a patient’s ability to cope with a cancer diagnosis or treatment. It may
cause patients to miss check-ups or delay treatment. Anxiety may increase pain, affect sleep, and cause
nausea and vomiting. Even mild anxiety can affect the quality of life for cancer patients and their families
and may need to be treated.
Treatment can include the following:
• Individual (one-to-one) counselling.
• Group therapy.
• Self-help groups.
• Hypnosis.
• Meditation.
• Relaxation training.
• Guided imagery.
• Biofeedback.
See more at cancerireland.ie

13. Thirteen Steps to Help You Recover from Cancer
13. Verify Your Treatment Is Working
There are a number of laboratory tests available to check whether your treatment is working,
including:
CellSearch ®
The test identifies and counts the number of circulating tumor cells, down to 1 cell, and from an ordinary
7.5 ml blood sample. The cut off limit is 5, so if the patient has less than 5 CTCs the prognosis is far better
than if the number is above.
With the CTC test it is possible, after as early as 3 weeks, to see if a given treatment works. If not, it can
be stopped immediately and replaced by another type of treatment. This saves valuable time by avoiding
unnecessary treatment often associated with many side effects, and the CTC test is capable, much better
than previously, of predicting a specific prognosis.
ONCOTRACE
This test will report the number of Circulating Tumor Cells and any positive Circulating Cancer Stem Cells,
and the immunophenotype of these cells.
Other Tests:
The AMAS Test
The CA Profile
HCG Urine Immunoassay
Maintrac
See more at cancerireland.ie