The nurse grabbed four bags labeled “TOXIC DANGER.” She wore a protective gown, gloves and cap.
“Why are you suited up?”
“If any of these substances were to leak, it would burn me.”
“And you’re going to infuse these toxic chemicals into a vein close to my heart? I’ve got an idea... Why don’t we switch places? I’ll suit up with the HAZMAT gear and you can sit here.”
This is a humorous snippet from the story of Ginny Dent Brant’s battle against aggressive breast cancer, as told in her book Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at Ms. Brant’s story and see what we can learn...
Ms. Brant describes her encounter with cancer as a terrifying, heart-in-your-throat roller coaster ride of physical and emotional ups and downs, requiring her to exercise faith while making choices and to do it all under constant threat of death.
She begins by pointing out that she deemed herself at very low risk for cancer due to her no-smoking, no-drinking lifestyle.
Throughout her journey, she questions how she could’ve gotten cancer given her lack of family history and her healthy lifestyle.
In my experience, this is not unusual. Many cancer patients, probably most, simply never know why cancer attacked. In many cases, though, toxins are a key factor in the growth and development of cancer in an otherwise healthy body.
Endocrine disruptors are a silent cancer trigger
Ms. Brant discovered that 85 percent of breast cancers occur in women with no family history. She believes all of us—both women and men—are at high risk of estrogen-fed cancers, which include breast cancer and prostate cancer. I couldn’t agree more.
Even if you’ve never taken estrogen hormones or birth control pills, you’re swimming in a sea of xenoestrogens—synthetic hormones that mimic estrogen, also known as endocrine disruptors.
Endocrine disruptors are found in plastic water bottles, livestock and fish raised on conventional feed and hormones, as well as cosmetics, nail polish, cleaning products, the lining of canned foods, and the list goes on.
Try to eat organic, hormone-free foods where possible and reduce your exposure to chemicals as much as you can. It’s far easier to do this today with so many natural options for personal care and household products.
Reducing treatment side effects
Ms. Brant’s breast cancer was aggressive, so she felt compelled to do chemotherapy despite wanting to refuse the toxic treatment.
Fortunately, she found therapies that made chemotherapy’s side effects much more bearable. For example, she had a vitamin C infusion 24 hours before every chemotherapy treatment, which helped build her immune system and guard her gut against damage.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America recommends two other supplements with a chemotherapy regimen, L-Glutamine powder and L-carnitine capsules. These are not the end-all be-all, though. Alternative doctors will recommend a number of additional supplements based on each individual’s cancer prognosis and treatment so be sure you’re working with someone who can accurately access your situation.
Other protections Ms. Brant relied on included increased hydration to flush out toxins, organic nutrition and exercise. She also added compounded vitamin B12 shots and acupuncture, which helped keep her red blood cell counts within a healthy range.
Always, always get a second opinion
Ms. Brant encourages all cancer patients to always seek a second opinion for any cancer diagnosis, surgery, or chemotherapy regimen.
I would add that sometimes you should get a third, or maybe even fourth opinion. Ideally not all of these opinions should be from conventional oncologists or surgeons!
Ms. Brant learned this the hard way. She only saw her local oncologist for a second opinion after her fourth chemotherapy treatment. He was shocked that she could lift her head off the pillow, walk three miles, and look so well. She appeared as though no toxic treatment had happened the day before to which she credits her lifestyle, acupuncture, and supplementation regimen.
But he also said that research on her fourth chemotherapy drug showed no value for her situation and violated the rule “no more chemo than necessary!” Thus, she wished she’d asked earlier.
Genomic testing can make a difference
Labs can now provide genomic testing to discover which chemotherapy drug works best to target your cancer and your genes.
Given that chemotherapy drugs are poison and weaken your immune system, you only have one good shot at this. So, get the testing done early, before you start treatment.
The lab picks the best chemotherapy drugs, immunotherapies, and even supplements and hormone therapies for your cancer and your body.
Unfortunately, you may have to pay for this out-of-pocket. But Ms. Brant deems it worth the cost to avoid the toxic effects of treatment.
I’d also add that low-dose chemotherapy is an option endorsed by some of the alternative cancer doctors we’ve interviewed over the years. It’s just as it sounds, the drugs are given at far lower doses so they don’t cause such severe side effects but still offer benefit.
In addition to genomic testing, it’s worth exploring low-dose chemotherapy to see if you or a loved one might be a candidate.
Simple, fast relief for neuropathy
Ms. Brant also experienced nerve pain in her feet following chemotherapy. It’s a common side effect of the treatment, but she didn’t know how to find relief.
Her naturopathic doctor suggested soaking her feet using a 50/50 solution of warm water and apple cider vinegar. Doing this several times a week worked wonders and resolved her neuropathy pain.
Eight-step plan to avoid cancer
Ms. Brant encourages readers to take a proactive approach to health and to remember that your genes don’t dictate your future, your habits do.
She suggests eight ways to help prevent and treat cancer:
- Hydrate. Your body requires a fresh supply of clean water. Use glass or metal bottles. Drink filtered water, not bottled. Consume enough ounces of water daily to equal half your weight in pounds (weight: 150 pounds = 75 ounces water).
- Get deep sleep. Poor sleep cuts your production of cancer-fighting melatonin and weakens your immune system. Best of all, sleep is free.
- Get moving. Movement helps “take the trash out.” Exercise affects every system in your body. A sedentary lifestyle is the new smoking, and it’s a killer. For cancer patients, exercise is now the standard of care.
- Eat healthy. Some foods feed cancer. Others prevent it. Conventional foods come with a high chemical load. Ms. Brant says she never ate organic food before her cancer diagnosis. Now she always does. She also never knew genetically modified (GM) foods promote cancer... now she avoids GM foods like the plague. Even though these choices add to your grocery bill, she says that’s nothing compared to her $600,000 cancer bill.
- Guard your emotional wellbeing. Conflict and emotional pain cause bodily stress. Your body keeps score. Optimism and faith improve your chances of cancer recovery.
- Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. A spirit that exudes hope and joy in the midst of the storm helps you survive and thrive.
- Detoxify your body and your home. Toxins are everywhere. Do what you can to slash your toxic load. Also, turn off your Wi-Fi at night. If your toxic load exceeds your body’s filtration capacity, you’ll pay for it.
- Rebuild your gut. What happens in the gut affects your entire body. Your gut is also key to restoring your body to vibrant health after cancer treatments.
My takeaway
I couldn’t agree more with these eight ways to help prevent and treat cancer.
I also want to end with a hopeful but gentle reminder that while conventional medicine is always primed to kill cancer with great urgency, it’s not usually the primary tumor that kills the patient but the spread of cancer that’s deadly.
Many, many cancer patients live long, healthy, productive lives by simply stopping their cancer from spreading using natural methods or a combination of natural methods and conventional treatment.
Take the time to educate yourself on all of the treatment options available to you. In most cases, you can take weeks to consider each course of action before making your decision.
Meanwhile, if you want to hear more of Ginny Dent Brant’s story, her book is called Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer, and is available online.
Best regards,
Lee Euler,
Publisher
