Cinco Vidas

“After countless years of helping people participate in the process of healing their lives and curing their bodies when they have been diagnosed with cancer, I can tell you that I have seen the power of faith, hope, and healing, and what they can accomplish.”

Such is the beginning of Dr. Bernie Siegel’s new book, Faith, Love, and Healing: Inspiring Lessons Learned from People Living with Cancer, a collection of first-person accounts of almost three dozen cancer patients who share their stories. Some talk about when they first heard about their diagnoses; others about near-death experiences, focus on gratitude and mindfulness, and post-surgery triumphs.

“Helpful for anyone living with cancer,” says one Amazon reviewer, “just diagnosed and all family and friends of anyone with the disease. Caring, real and insightful.”

“Bernie Siegel is one of the greatest healers of our time,” says Deepak Chopra, author and spiritual leader. “The stories he shares in Faith, Hope, and Healing demonstrate the healing effect of treating cancer not just with conventional medicine but by changing the way you think about your disease, the way you act toward those who love and care for you, and the way you feel about yourself. The mind is the most powerful tool you have for fighting back.”

“If you or a loved one have to go through major medical care . . . this book can be . . . life-saving and soul-saving,” says Dr. Andrew Weil.

Siegel first wrote about the power of the mind in fighting illness in his first book on the subject, Love, Medicine, and Miracles (published in 1986). In it, he shared stories of seriously ill patients who survived against the odds, and those who seemed to give into their own deaths. A staunch believer in the healing power of the mind, he has his own radio show (“Mind Health Matters”) and originated “Exceptional Cancer Patients,” a specific form of group therapy that uses patients’ drawings, dreams, images and feelings to help them find personal empowerment and healing potential. He also has a plethora of articles on his website, about everything from remarkable recoveries to forgetfulness.

“The reason that medicine has not explored the issue of self-healing and patients who exceed survival expectations is that we either give the treatment the credit or refer to them as miracles or spontaneous remissions,” he writes. “Our bodies love us, but if we do not love them and our lives then our body tries to get us out of here as fast as it can. It’s obvious from many studies and my own patients that a reason for living also relates to the will to live and survival.”

If you’re looking for a little inspiration in your fight against cancer, order this book today!

For a copy of Dr. Siegel’s inspiring book, please see his website or his Amazon page.

After chemotherapy treatments, you can have lingering side effects. Several, unfortunately, seem to hit the hands—things like numbness and tingling, rough skin, split nails, and even carpal tunnel syndrome.

To help you deal with these troubling symptoms, we’ve gathered a few recommendations. Whatever you may be experiencing, be sure to tell your doctor. Even if you don’t think it could be connected to your cancer treatments, it often is, and your doctor may be able to help.

Lingering Numbness & Tingling: According to Dr. V. K. Gadi, writing for Everyday Health, Taxol (paclitaxel) is associated with neuropathy (numbness), and also weakening of the reflexes. Sometimes just waiting it out will result in an improvement. Physical therapy may also help. Other survivors recommend massage, acupuncture, and supplements like vitamin B and glutamine (10 grams 2-3 times a day). Mark Stengler, MD and contributor to Daily Health News, recommends acetyl-L-carnitine, a natural substance that can have a regenerative affect on the nerves, along with a B-complex vitamin, vitamins E and C, selenium, and pycnogenol (an antioxidant). Read our other post for more natural recommendations. Read More »

Think you can freshen the bathroom air a bit with one of the many air fresheners on the market? Well, it may help the room smell better, but the fumes it creates aren’t worth the fragrance.

A 2007 survey by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) evaluated 14 air fresheners and found phthalates in 12 of them, including those labeled as “all-natural.” (Phthalates are used to make the scent last longer, and are hormone disruptors and probable carcinogens.) The NRDC’s report says, “Of all the products in the home, clean-smelling air fresheners seem to pose little risk. But the fresh scent of air fresheners may mask a health threat—chemicals called phthalates that can cause hormonal abnormalities, birth defects, and reproductive problems.” Read More »

Have you heard about this film? It’s a new documentary, sponsored by the Foundation for the Advancement in Cancer Therapy (F.A.C.T.). It follows the lives of five men and women who used biological therapies to overcome serious illness. Definitely caught our attention!

According to the F.A.C.T. website, four of these people had been diagnosed with cancer, and the fifth with a severe case of Lyme disease. All have outlived their diseases, between 15 and nearly 40 years so far. They are part of a group of survivors who sought guidance from Ruth Sackman, past-president of F.A.C.T., and her book, Rethinking Cancer, published in 2003. Read More »

We posted an earlier article on the potential dangers of aluminum in deodorant, but today, we wanted to expand on that a bit. We’ve been talking a lot about materials that can act like estrogen in the body, which may encourage cancer cells to form. Did you know that aluminum is one of them?

Like parabens, phthalates, and pesticides, aluminum can act like estrogen in the body, affecting estrogen receptors and increasing breast cancer risk. Laboratory research shows that aluminum salts, common in most deodorants, can directly bind to estrogen receptors, and can affect estrogen-regulated gene expression in breast cancer cells. Read More »

We love stories of triumph over tragedy, so here’s another one for you. What would you do if you were told you were going to die of cervical cancer? If somehow you skirted that diagnosis, what would you do after years of harrowing treatment that included chemotherapy, radiation, and the removal of one of your kidneys?

For Meaghan Edelstein, the answers are “keep fighting” and “reach out to help others.” Diagnosed with stage 3B cervical cancer in February 2007, she wasn’t given much hope for survival. For two months prior, doctors insisted her symptoms were caused by stress. When they finally realized what was going on, they thought it was too late. Read More »

If you have a loved one with cancer, you may automatically (or by choice) be placed in the role of advocate. If so, what can you do to be sure he/she gets the best treatments and care?

Your loved one will probably be going through all types of emotions and physical hardships, making your help invaluable as he/she fights to recover. We’ve gathered a few tips here to help make your journey a little easier to navigate. Try not to be overwhelmed as you review this list. Remember to take things one step at a time, and to do your best to continue to exercise, eat right, and get enough sleep. Maintaining your  own health is equally as important during this difficult time.
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The First Lady, Michelle Obama, is talking about food. She’s encouraging children to eat healthier, and parents to offer more nutritious meals and snacks. We have an obesity epidemic to deal with, and it’s great that we have some leadership in helping our children to overcome this dangerous trend.

Isn’t it interesting, though, that as we grow more and more conscious of the food we’re putting in our mouths, we’re still applying all kinds of chemicals to our bodies on a daily basis? The skin has the potential to absorb the toxic ingredients in those products, but many still haven’t gotten the message that what’s listed on the bottle could end up inside the body. Hopefully, Cinco Vidas readers are being more careful!

Women are especially at risk, as we use so many more products than men, particularly make-up products. Let’s talk about three of the most concerning items—these may be in your makeup bag right now. Read More »

Growing up, most of us learn to equate dirt with disease. A clean house is a healthy house, right?

Maybe not! It all depends on what you’re using to clean. According to the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia, “Many chemicals contained in household cleaning products are the same as those used in industrial settings. Many scientists are becoming concerned that long-term, low-level exposure to chemicals may be just as dangers as short-term, high-dose exposures. They also worry that we do not understand the impact of exposure to the cocktail of chemicals found in household air and dust.”

We researched a few common household cleaning products and found some surprising information. If you’ve got some of these items in your cupboards, you may want to consider replacing them. Read More »

We’ve been talking about various ingredients in your everyday personal-care products that can be harmful. We’ve mentioned phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde, talc, 1,4 dioxane, and more. But when it comes to your health, it’s not about any one particular ingredient.

You’ve probably heard about radiation exposure—radiation that you may encounter through x-rays, or even as a part of your occupation. It’s not about radiation, necessarily, but about how much radiation your body is exposed to over your lifetime. Read More »