Books |
Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against the Odds
Kelly A. Turner
By
Published: Apr 30, 2014
Category:
Health and Fitness
The New York Times noted that at a recent meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, the 18,500 researchers and other professionals were treated to only a single poster session showing results about diet and cancer. “There were new hints that coffee may lower the risk of some cancers and more about the possible benefits of vitamin D,” the Times reported. “Beyond that there wasn’t much to say
Fatty foods cause cancer? That hypothesis has been “crumbling.”
Red meat causes colon cancer? The theory is “shrouded in ambiguity.”
Green vegetables help to prevent lung and stomach cancer? Broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts save you from colon and thyroid cancer? Those were exciting findings in 1997. A 2007 report pretty much invalidated those findings.
“Diet and cancer has turned out to be more complex and challenging than any of us expected,” said Dr. Walter C. Willett, a Harvard epidemiologist who has extensively studied cancer and nutrition.
And to prove it, the Times reported, that night’s banquet featured “a sumptuous buffet that included, among other fare, thick slabs of roast beef, a variety of rich cheeses and generous servings of wine.”
If I’m burning a lot of words before getting to “Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against the Odds,” it’s because the medical establishment is dealing with peer-reviewed findings and Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D. is dealing with 1,000 cases of anecdotal evidence. She may be completely right that cancer can — sometimes — be completely and naturally cured without invasive medical procedures. She may be partially right. Completely wrong? I don’t think so. But there is sufficient space in the gap between “completely” and “partially” right that it would be wise for me — and you — to be interested, even fascinated, and at least modestly skeptical.
Here’s where Turner starts: “If we’re trying to win the war on cancer, we should learn from those who have already won.”
This is exactly what she set out to do. Having encountered a case of what looked like a spontaneous cure from cancer, she set out to find others whose cancer was unaccountably cured.
Kelly Turner is light years from the author of one of my most cherished books: a “psychic healer” who plunges his hand into the stomach of the seriously afflicted — no incision necessary — and pulls out wads of bloody cotton. And the afflicted are cured! There are even photos! How about that!
In contrast, Turner has a B.A. from Harvard University. Radical remission was the focus of her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. Along the way she spent a year traveling to 10 countries to interview 50 holistic healers and 20 Radical Remission cancer survivors about their healing techniques. Since then, she’s reviewed 1,000 cases of radical remission.
Her research boiled down to one question: “Why did each of these people experience a spontaneous remission? Was it spontaneous or was it something they did?” In her book, she tells stories and suggests changes you might make in your life to increase your chances for a long and healthy life. [To buy the book from Amazon, click here. For the Kindle edition, click here.]
Let me summarize:
Change your diet.
Take control of your health.
Follow your intuition.
Use herbs and supplements.
Release suppressed emotions.
Increase positive emotions.
Embrace social support.
Deepen your spiritual connection.
Have strong reasons for living.
Sounds reasonable. But not so easily done. Diet? No sweets, no meat, no dairy, no refined foods. (Take that, American Association for Cancer Research!) Eat fermented foods (kambucha tea or sauerkraut) and you won’t need probiotics. Cook with garlic and herbs and you can cut down on antibiotics.
Only two of the healing factors on her list are physical; most are emotional or spiritual. And this is where she will lose many almost-there readers. Cutting out white sugar? No problem. (A friend who had $800,000 of surgery last year told me the two sure truths she learned are to excise white sugar and eat only fermented soy.) But surrendering to god, the universe, whatever? Not so simple.
My brother has devoted his life to cancer research. Great things happen in his lab. It’s a little hard for me to believe that Kelly Turner’s findings are more compelling. Maybe the point is that industrial medicine and radical approaches both have a place in healing disease. But Turner is also about preventing disease. For that alone, she deserves a hearing.
TO READ AN EXCERPT, CLICK HERE.
