Blog Notes

March 2019

Prevent or Treat?

Veronica came to see me. She looked very stressed and worried which made me wonder what type of cancer she had and how bad it was. However, her story was different. She had been encouraged by her friend Betina to schedule an appointment with me.

Betina had been seeing me for some time. She had breast cancer and was undergoing treatment from her oncologist. However, she had asked me for as much supportive help as I could give her, both in general and to help reduce some of the toxic effects of the chemotherapy. Veronica, […]

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Values Elicitation

In a recent Naturopathic Note, I spoke of a process using a Values Elicitation Technique. I have since been asked to give another example of its use. So here it is.

Like the previous one, it comes from my time in Sydney in general practice, before I specialised in cancer support.

Valerie had an interesting and responsible job in the banking world. She enjoyed her job and the bank she was in, but recently she had wondered if she should move on. She had interviews at two other banks, both of which had offered her jobs. […]

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Cancer is Unique

If you want to avoid cancer – find a naturopath.

You may have heard that cancer is due to faulty genes or inheritance, or that it is the result of chance or bad luck.  This is not born of the evidence.

Cancer is fundamentally different from almost any other disease. It is not a disease of a particular organ or tissue, nor is it due to the actions of pathogens such as a virus, bacteria or mould.

Cancer is a disease (growth) that occurs at, in or on an organ or tissue.  It is not a disease […]

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February 2019

Two Theories on Cancer

If you or a loved one are facing cancer or trying to prevent it, it is helpful to know what may have caused it, to make some sense of this very frightening disease.

There are currently two major theories as to the cause of cancer. Both of them developed about a century ago.

The Somatic Mutation Theory of Cancer – (Soma = relating to the body)

This theory suggests that one cell (soma) has mutated (changed or been damaged) by a substance which is unspecified.  It is then assumed that every time this damaged cell makes copies of […]

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Values Elicitation

Mrs B had lived most of her life in the centre of the city and loved it. But now, her children were grown and married, her husband had died, and her arthritis was hampering her movements. She had often complained that her house where she had lived for nearly forty years was too small for her growing family, but now that she was living on her own, it was too large and the stairs were difficult to manage.

Her daughter had finally persuaded her to move to a retirement home about an hour’s drive away […]

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Eating Real Food

Jane’s mother brought her in to see me. Jane was fourteen and overweight, approaching twelve stone which is just over seventy kilograms. Jane was unhappy with her weight and made miserable by the girls at school that teased her for it. Jane’s mother insisted that her overeating was not her fault but that it was down to her genes. Looking at the mother she
might have had a point for her mother was also overweight. But I persevered with my questions.

“Let’s just check out your diet. What do you eat?”

“Normal food, you know.  Just normal […]

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Benefits 29 Years after Initial Consultation

When Richard was 7, his behaviour was very bad, especially in front of other people. He was another one of my Sydney clients, brought to me by his parents in 1989. Most of his mother’s friends thought he had ADHD, and this was at the time when children were being prescribed Ritalin. His parents and his headmaster were keen to avoid this for Richard. When they brought him in to see me, I  recommended that he and his whole family (for support, but also good for them) went on a  predominantly raw food diet, with small amounts of fish and some […]

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January 2019

PSA Coincidence

LR had been told that he had prostate cancer, that his PSA was high and that he should start on a program of chemotherapy. He refused because he was not at all sure of the benefits of chemotherapy and he was very concerned about the harm it could do. Instead, he embarked on a program over the next four years of three-monthly hormone injections, with the aim of bringing his PSA down to below 1.0. Three years later, his PSA had only come down to 5 and his oncologist added hormone tablets to his […]

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Chemo and Hair Loss

As my London practice grew, I came across a variety of problems associated with the medical approach to cancer and the use of chemotherapy and radiations.  One of these was hair loss following chemotherapy.

This is a  major concern for many people facing chemotherapy and its toxic consequences.  This apparently worries peoples so much that as much as eight per cent of women have considered refusing chemotherapy for this reason alone. Scientist [14-10-17 p.15]

I’ve had many clients who have opted to purchase and wear wigs. Most enjoy this, but some of them find the wigs uncomfortable, […]

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Raspberry Ice Cream

I faced a forthcoming dinner party that I was giving with some trepidation. I had planned to make a piquant salad with shredded fennel, apple and red onion to start with, followed by vegetable burgers with a tahini-tamari sauce and a generous salad, and a raspberry ice-cream to finish.

For decades I have followed the same dietary advice that I recommend for my clients.This means that all the food was organic, raw, and low in starch, sugar and processed fats. I knew that three of the guests (and myself!) would be delighted with the menu. […]

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