In what now seems like ancient history, people would record TV Shows and family movies on a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder). In the first years of the VCR era, there were two competing cassette tape formats: Betamax and VHS. Although Betamax was available almost two years before VHS, had higher resolution than VHS, had smaller cassettes, and was basically the superior format, it eventually lost the battle for the VCR standard. Although it was technologically superior, Betamax decks were more expensive to produce and were physically heavier. The average buyer, not that interested in a somewhat better resolution and higher quality, went instead for the lighter decks and lower cost. Betamax lost the VCR war because it lost sight of what the customers needed most and were willing to buy.
Some medical technology, especially regarding cancer, is stuck in the Betamax groove — it is looking to improve chemotherapy and radiation techniques to be more precise at targeting cancer, but it is still using highly toxic techniques, thus missing the main point — the health of the patient. Technology based in toxicity is not likely, in the long run, to be the winner in the war against cancer. Cancer itself is forged in the furnace of toxicity, where normal cells, sensing a hostile environment, attempt to find a new way to deal with it. Some cells mutate in an inflammatory and toxic environment because these now formed cancer cells are well suited to harsh conditions. If its environment remains toxic or even becomes more toxic, the cancer can handle it better, but in the process loses contact with the cell’s purpose in the first place, which is to be part of a community (the body), working together for a common purpose.
Towels are now the number one cause of dry skin…
Any statistic or data is only meaningful in context. The above statement is true, and amusing because it is out of context. Politicians and journalists are experts at taking information out of context to advance their agenda, but even “pure” fields like science are not above cherry picking data to promote a drug or treatment. After all, the money flows to them for providing those drugs or treatments. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of doctors and pharmaceutical companies who believe they are on the side of what is good and right, taking on cancer and saving lives. But their view can be influenced by research that is funded by some with special interests.
Toxic treatments are still dressed-up poison. Yes, they may knock down cancer, and maybe they kill enough of the cancer before killing you that they can declare victory. But they are stuck in the context of a toxic treatment. In contrast, the context of cleaning up the body’s environment and reducing, not increasing, toxicity is what will win in the long run: people don’t want a treatment that makes them sicker if they have a healthy alternative that can make cancer leave for good.
A rising tide lifts all boats
Research is the jewel of science: if done well, it takes a neutral stance and accepts the results, wherever they lead. Toxic medical and natural non-toxic approaches both benefit from good research. When a study determines that cancer is influenced by a certain metabolic pathway, for instance, that information might be used to produce a drug that impacts that pathway, or to naturally affect that pathway by steering the body through targeted nutrition.
Here is an example. Published in Cancer Cell, a review article looks at advances in detailed cancer tumor categorization. Researchers at the University of Bern, Switzerland explained new diagnostic techniques which allow detailed analysis of tumor composition and getting that information quickly to treatment providers. Cancer tumors are complex, generally made up of various types of cells, some of them not even cancerous in themselves. So analysis of this complex colony provides physicians with details which they can use to better tune therapies. Advances include gathering tumor data through blood tests instead of direct invasion of the tumor, and standardizing genetic testing data.
The researchers explain that their goal is to provide this data so that physicians can better predict the effect of therapies for each patient. The article is aimed at oncologists, who generally use chemotherapy. So the likely use of this research is to find “better” toxic treatments for cancer. However, research like this could be used for any therapy development. Already, genetic testing is being used to tune nutrition for patients to better respond to cancer.
Consider modern newscasts: much of “news” these days provides commentary; in other words, they tell you how you should think about the information they are giving, rather than just providing that information factually. Medical research doesn’t have to be targeted to toxic treatments, but it is easier to get funding if the research suggests how that data could be used in standard medical practices. Yet good research benefits everyone, including natural and holistic treatment providers.
Just trying to live
In reality, cancer is just cells that have gone hyperactive in searching for genetic (actually epigenetic) responses to a harsh environment. They may be reacting to mental or physical stress — either can cause your cells to deal with the stress by sharply changing their environmental responses. External toxicity from chemotherapy plays right into this: they are under more pressure and work even harder for solutions. This automatic response makes cancer appear to be aggressive, as though it was thinking of new ways to thwart the threats against it, and of course, chemotherapy is such a threat. So any toxic treatment is going to favor cancer formation in the long run. Sure, the chemo might knock the cancer back on its heels temporarily while it figures out how to deal with the toxicity, but once it does, the cancer is officially “drug resistive”, meaning basically that the chemo has lost its effectiveness against the cancer.
Research is constantly being performed on the ways cancer develops drug resistance. Published in Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, researchers review the various ways that cancers adapt to drug therapies: they can ignore apoptosis signals (signals within the body to order the cell to die), they learn how to pump the toxic drug out of the cancer cell, they change the tumor microenvironment to compensate, they may use different metabolic pathways to work around those that the drugs inhibit, and they can, if all else fails, strategically retreat to their cancer stem cells which can ride out the chemotherapy assault like seeds in the ground can survive a forest fire. Cancer is the ultimate “survivalist.”
The body responds to stress and toxicity (which is a form of stress to the cells) with inflammation. Inflammation does damage in the process of attempting to heal, which is OK for temporary stress, but for long term the damage adds up and opens the door for more disease. The longer inflammation continues, the more stress the cells experience, which prods them to find a genetic response to deal with the stress. So using toxins to fight cancer is similar to hiring criminals to fight crime.
The big gamble
Of course, the hope is that the drugs will kill the cancer before the drug resistance kicks in. That’s a gamble that seems to work for some patients, but have they managed to destroy the hardy cancer stem cells? Those who have been cancer-free for many years have likely improved their lifestyle and made their internal environment less inviting to the cancer. This suggests the question, “why not do that in the first place?” You can make your internal environment favor health rather than cancer, as well as so many other diseases. And if you do gamble on the drug therapies, that’s all the more reason to fix your lifestyle now, so the cancer has no home to come back to.
All therapies can improve with new research data. Natural medicine is learning even more ways to help you improve your internal environment, reduce inflammation, and “un-friend” cancer. At the very least, improving your diet and lifestyle to match the way your body was designed to operate helps you no matter your current state of health. But if you are dealing with cancer, you have added urgency!
Dr. Nemec’s Review
Environment is the key in health. Don’t think cancer, don’t think disease, don’t think how am I going to get rid of this. Instead see it from your cell’s point of you. Is this a nice environment to live in or is this harsh and toxic, which will stimulate the cells to either die prematurely or to turn malignant? It just takes common sense to understand: if you put your cells in an inflammatory and toxic environment they are going to change to try to adapt — this is called cancer. So to heal you must change the environment physically, and even more importantly, mentally and emotionally.
I like the Switzerland study in that they’re using genetic testing to customize treatments. We’ve been doing this with our nutritional genetic testing and immune testing — this customizes diet and supplementation to target one’s unique genetic and immune make ups. Much better to use it for optimizing health promotion than chemotherapy selection.
Over the last 40 years of treating patients, so many of said, “how did I get this?” How did I get this cancer — I eat well, I take supplements, I am not stressed, I have a good life, I exercise. The answer is always found in the mind. We test for all stressors including subconscious and conscious stress programs. Conscious ones you most likely are aware of, subconscious ones you’re not: they happened in early childhood and they stored in your brain — now they secrete stress chemicals continually and this causes immune suppression. So it’s not just diet, it’s not just toxicity — all of those are very important, but it is these stress programs stored in your system that cause the most severe immune dysfunction. So that’s why our program addresses the physical and mental-emotional blockage so you can release all toxins, all inflamers, both physical and mental-emotional, because without this you will never heal: no matter where you go, no matter what you do, it will be just a temporary fix. Help your body do what it was created to do. Make an environment so it can do this. Remember those cells are your cells — they are you — so be good to your cells and they will be good to you and give you a long healthy life.
Here are the ways we can help you in your health journey:
- Outpatient Comprehensive Teaching and Treatment Program-has the most benefit of teaching, treatment, live classes and personalized coaching. This program has the most contact with Dr. Nemec with 3- 6 month programs that can be turned into a regular checking and support program for life. This is our core program that has helped so many restore their health and maintain that restoration for years.
- Inpatient Comprehensive Teaching and Treatment Program-is our four-week intensive inpatient program for those that are not in driving distance, usually over 4 hour drive. This is the program that is an intensive jumpstart with treatment, teaching, live classes and coaching designed for all our international patients along with those in the US that do not live in Illinois. This program is very effective especially when combined with our new membership program support.
- Stay at Home Program-is offered to continental US patients who cannot come to Total Health Institute but still want a more personal, customized plan to restore their health. This program also includes our Learn Membership Program.
- Membership Program is our newest program offered for those that want to work on their health at a high level and want access to the teaching at Total Health Institute along with the Forums: both Dr. Nemec’s posts and other members posting. And also, to have the chance to get personalized questions answered on the conference calls which are all archived in case you miss the call. The Membership Program has 3 levels to choose from: Learn, Overcome and Master. The difference is at the Overcome and Master levels you received one on one calls with Dr. Nemec personalizing your program for your areas of focus.
