Q: So from your clinical perspective of working with oncology patients over the years, what would you say are the most common patterns of those that get diagnosed with cancer?
Dr. West:
I thought about this a lot because I know so many people are familiar with Dr. Nasha’s Terrain Ten, those Terrain Ten are big and important in clinical practice.
We see about five patterns that are the most important.
Stress, metabolic imbalance, inflammation and inflammation is just a cornerstone for everything because everything ties into inflammation, I think environmental toxins. And then I also think about immune function in the microbiome. So those are the five patterns that I tend to see the most in clinical practice.
The top most common patterns of those that get diagnosed with cancer:
1. Stress (includes trauma)
2. Metabolic Imbalance
3. Inflammation
4. Environmental Toxins
5. Immune Function (microbiome)
Top Five Ways to Prevent Cancer
1. Breathe
Dr. West: There’s so much more to this than just breathing. And the thing is, is that, first of all, breathing gets us in our body, right? It helps to root us again, but it also helps us to be in our true nature. And I think that we’re so, like I said, heady or busy doing other things that we. We get out of that, we forget what our true nature really is. And there’s other things that we’re defining ourselves by. And there’s something so special and sacred about just being with ourselves. And so breathing enables that to happen. Meditation is another avenue there. And then, you know, not only being in our true nature, but also being in nature. Nature, nature, nature, breathing and nature. There’s been studies showing that trees actually improve our immune function. And that’s why in Japan, so many people go forest bathing. And forest bathing means that they’re just essentially out in the trees. Study examples >
2. Move
Dr. West: We do need to be moving and I’m sure that you’ve heard this and I’m sure a number of people have heard this, but sitting is considered the new cigarette or smoking. So we need to be getting up, I would say, every 45 minutes, get up and move for even if it’s two or 3 minutes, you’re moving your body, you’re getting your blood flowing, you’re getting your lymphatic system flowing. It’s important. We need to be doing that and we’re meant to be moving again, going back to ancestors. We weren’t sitting at a desk all day. We were hunting, we were gathering food, we were hunting, we were migrating. So we need to be moving. I do think that at least 20 to 30 minutes a day of some form of routine exercise where you’re devoting to that. That movement is important, but we can’t think, oh, well, we did the 20 to 30 minutes this morning, so now it’s fine for us to sit all day so we don’t have to keep exercising, but it’s important to move. So I think movement is important.
3. Fasting
Dr. West: Getting at least 13 hours a night away from food and having the key to that’s going to be 3 hours between finishing dinner and going to bed.
4. Eating an Anti-inflammatory Diet
Dr. West: It’s so easy for us to have processed foods now. And then the other thing that happens is people get away from peanuts or get away from gluten as almonds tend to become a big part of our diet. And those are super high in omega six and the American diet. And I know you had Jess Kelly on and she talked quite a bit to this. I love Jess. But the thing about the American diet is that we tend to be so overloaded in omega sixes and we don’t have enough omega three and omega three are anti-inflammatory foods. And if we know that inflammation is one of the largest drivers of cancer, then the first thing we can do is be aware of what we’re putting in our mouth. And I think one of my favorite things that I always recommend to my patients is fish oil, olive oil. I think we have some really therapeutic oils out there that can be helpful. And then really trying to stay away from unprocessed foods and eating whole foods, kind of going back to being social creatures. We were also meant to eat whole foods. We weren’t meant to have processed things.
5. Cultivating Community
Dr. West: I will never forget when I got out of medical school, someone said, you know, medical school teaches you how to be a safe doctor, but it doesn’t teach you how to be a good doctor. And so it really is the practice of medicine. And as I’ve worked with oncology patients over the years, I have discovered how important community is. And I think that we have gotten away from that in our social media world and we are social creatures, but it’s not that we aren’t meant to be social on the computer, we’re meant to be with other people. And so I think cultivating community is a really large aspect of that. And they have actually done studies on ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and women who have a strong social network specifically with other women, sorry guys, but it’s been with women that they have significantly improved overall survival rates. So there’s something there for that.
Listen to the complete podcast with Dr. West and Ivelisse Page below, it is full of additional tips and details:
Hi, I’m Ivelisse Page and thanks for listening to the Believe Big Podcast. The show where we take deep dive into your healing with health experts, integrative practitioners, biblical faith leaders, and cancer thrivers from around the globe. Welcome to today’s episode on the Believe Big podcast. My name is Ivelisse Page. Today’s episode is all about navigating conventional oncology and how to find the best oncologist for your care. My guest today is oncologist Dr. Sarah Ali. Dr. Sarah Ali is a triple board certified hematologist and oncologist, currently undergoing another fellowship in integrative medicine. She was honored with a 2018 top doctor award and is passionate about educating her patients about wellness and vitality as they go through traditional cancer treatments. Currently, Dr. Ali is practicing at Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura, California. Welcome Dr. Ali to the show.
Dr. Sarah Ali:
I am honored. Thank you so much Ivelisse.
Ivelisse Page:
It was so wonderful to meet you at the Society of Integrative Oncology and you’re just such a delight to speak to. I’m so thankful that you took the time to speak with us today. Our listeners are always interested in discovering what our guests’ favorite health tip is. Do you have one that you can share with us?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
I thought this question was going to come really easy for me because all day, every day, we’re giving our patients advice on what to do to be healthier and live better lives. I finally came down to the message of: just chill and relax. So many of our patients that come in with a cancer diagnosis absolutely warranted to be scared and frightened. But unfortunately when we take on that kind of energy long-term, it creates the state of anxiety and even on a biologic level. It can create inflammation in our bodies. And we know that inflammation can be detrimental to cancer treatments and overall health. If we’re not relaxed, then we might not sleep well. And then that leads to us not eating well and thinking well and moving well. So I do think that being relaxed in a state of joy is my advice for all my patients. And if you spend enough time around me for my family and friends, that’s my advice. Find your joy.
Ivelisse Page:
That’s incredible. It’s so true. I think that once patients are on this road, it is so overwhelming and they are stressed and trying to make sure they’re researching all their options and to take a moment to breathe and to relax to really see things from a different perspective is so good. What that’s really great advice. Is there a tool that you would suggest?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
I think your question really encompasses what integrative medicine is all about. There are so many different aspects of integrative medicine, and one of them is relaxation coming into your body again and getting out of your head. There is one example I can share with you. He was a young gentleman with a new diagnosis of a blood type cancer. And he had shared with me on prior visits his tendency to drink and to do other recreational drugs, to cope with his life. And I knew that once I had this diagnosis for him, that I was going to share with him something that was going to change his life. I needed him to hear me. I wanted him to settle down and just listen to me, and this Ivelisse this is the first time I had ever tried this technique. I wanted him to breathe with me. So I asked him to sit up, put his shoulders back, close his eyes, and I took him through this breathing exercise. And it’s something that Dr. Andrew Weil, our mentor and program director for integrative medicine taught us. It’s called 4, 7, 8. And with counts four you inhale, hold for seven, and then you release the eight counts. You do this 4 times. And I did this technique with him. it was something that changed my practice, actually, something as simple as breathing and I saw what it did to him and our relationship within that office visit and thereafter that I took a minute to just breathe. And he was able to really relax and really listened to me and get on board with the next steps. What it does, it taps into our autonomic nervous system. And our parasympathetic system takes over to fully relax. And this is no side effects. It’s completely free. I taught him how to do it on his own, and it was just one of those examples of integrative medicine, just breath work. That can be so life changing.
Ivelisse Page:
Yes, definitely. My husband works with Navy seals and they shared with him that’s a technique that out on the field when they’re in a stressful situation that they use to kind of help to calm them, I love that no matter where you are, you can use that technique. Thanks for sharing that. Oncology is such a difficult field emotionally. What made you decide to be an oncologist?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
Oh, that is an amazing question. It was a multitude of things and to be completely honest I love to share this, that I never really wanted to be a doctor. It was something that was within our family. So many people were doctors and it was just almost expected that we were going to be on this path of medicine. And it was through a very unfortunate series of events in my family. I had lost my brother and sister in a car accident, all of a sudden. And my older sister who is going through a medical school four months after losing my brother and sister, she puts her hand on her neck and feels the lymph node. Ultimately biopsied, and she’s got Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. And my younger sister who was in the same car accident, she is really just putting pieces back together for herself. She spent weeks in the ICU and she was healing. So here I am in the late years of maybe junior year of college, I considered myself, Ivelisse, out of five of us, I was the last man standing. Somebody had to do it. It was with that mindset that I said, okay, I’ll go to medical school. I realized so late in my third year of medical school, that the oncology rotation was where I loved the patients. I loved the science behind oncology. And I felt like that was something that was just really exciting me and energizing me. It was probably a year or two later that I realized that within oncology, we do so many amazing things for healing and we have amazing outcomes, but for the people who don’t have an opportunity and do have to come to terms with the ultimate reality of death, that they could have a chance to say goodbye in ways that I didn’t with my brother and sister. So I felt like I was on this journey with everybody to prepare, to give them hope and to just be with them in connection. That was so meaningful for me. What
Ivelisse Page:
incredible story I’m tearing up, just thinking about that. What an incredible physician that makes you to be. And I think because you can understand what a family is going through in the midst of crisis, and that compassion definitely comes through when anyone speaks to you. That’s an incredible story. And what a legacy you’re leaving behind for your family.
Dr. Sarah Ali:
Thank you. We are so blessed. We’ve got so much happiness. My, both of my sisters are doing amazing and awesome. We have so many things to celebrate with their children now. It’s incredible. So a big story on hope as well.
Ivelisse Page:
Yes, definitely. What is your best advice for someone who finds out that they have cancer?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
So I feel that the initial consult that we have with a new diagnosis, we have so many things to cover in terms of: this is what the pathology report showed; this is what the scans showed; the blood tests. Now we’ve got treatment, side effects, potential toxicities. I can spend easily 45 minutes, one hour and still not have enough time. But at the end of the visit, I’ll ask my patients, okay, what are your questions? And it was: what should I eat? That was the question that was 95% of the time they wanted to know. And it really isn’t about what should they eat? It was more about what do they have control over and what can they start to do to help this experience go more favorable to have the best outcome as possible. So I think that’s where integrative oncology really comes in, is we’re going to do our work with the traditional treatments with whether it be chemotherapy, manipulating hormones and immunotherapy, surgery, radiation. What are we going to do in the office versus what is everybody going to do at home? And integrative medicine is there’s so many aspects of really what that means. The challenge we have currently is, can we put it all under one roof or are patients going to have to seek individually what’s important to them? And we can talk about the financial aspects of that later on, but the integrative medicine aspect it involves having, I think, first and foremost, a really strong dietician. Knowing what nutrients are important for us during treatments. How much protein is good enough. There is such thing as too much. And as, as patients go through and seek guidance, my hope for the future of integrative oncology is that oncologists can be that source of information for them. Yes there’s a lot of fear. There’s so much top five and top 10 lists going around of what to avoid and what to do. It’s overwhelming. And I think it’s incredibly confusing for patients. There’s so many discussions about sugar, and I do believe that consumption of overly processed foods and really sugary foods can be detrimental. But I also think that there is a balance. That as humans we can withstand a little bit of sugar from time to time. I think it’s our attitude about the sugar. That’s almost more important than the sugar itself. If we have a concept or an ease about what we’re doing in life, I think that’s ultimately, what’s going to work for everybody and it’s forgiving yourself being moderate in your lifestyle, not going extreme. I think ultimately those are the principles that are going to enhance treatments and longevity.
Ivelisse Page:
I agree. And that’s one of the things that is so important is avoiding the white flours, the sugars, but it can take over your life as well. There is a direct correlation, as we know from the studies that showing that, the sugar does not help your healing process, whether you have cancer or whether you have the flu. It’s really important to avoid that. But, my integrative doctor gave me some great advice once and he said, if your whole day is spent on treating the cancer and what you’re not able to do and what you’re removing, then the cancer is winning. So there has to be that humanity side of balancing, what is best for your case, doing what’s best for your body, but then also having great quality of life through a very traumatic and difficult time. Did you have nutrition training in medical school?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
I will say that when I was in medical school, if we did have a nutrition module, It wasn’t substantial. I don’t remember much. And it’s shocking that we didn’t, and I know of medical school programs now that are incorporating nutrition labs and cooking courses, classes for wellness. So that’s promising. The medical school curriculums are taking nutrition more seriously. We have really awesome dieticians in a lot of our cancer centers that can guide patients. But I think there’s always room to, to boost that and make it better. If we think of our diet as part of our healing then I think we would take it a lot more seriously. And what integrative medicine in general could do for us is disease prevention is catching all of this inflammation and cancer even before it starts to manifest in our bodies. And to do that with diet, that would be incredible.
Ivelisse Page:
When I was at the waiting rooms, my oncology, appointments, here are individuals whose bodies are broken down and trying to heal. And I see carts being rolled with potato chips and soda and candy bars. I know that in their eyes, they’re just trying to encourage, and I was told by my oncologist that their main concern is that patients are going to lose so much weight that they aren’t going to be able to continue treatment so they tell them to eat whatever they want. But, if you think about a child who is sick with the flu, are we going to give them a soda and hamburger, French fries? Or, are we going to give them orange juice and chicken noodle soup and things that are healing to the body? It’ll be great to one day have those messages merged into this area where there is so much confusion. So what does the nutrition aspect look for you now that you’ve been through this integrative training?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
I think the most exciting aspect of nutrition is really one in particular, the Mediterranean diet. There’s anti-inflammatory properties within the food options. I think the Mediterranean diet also is more forgiving. There’s so many more options. It’s not as restrictive. And I like that. When we have patients going through their cancer treatments, there’s a lot of do’s and don’ts, but with the Mediterranean diet, they can have lean proteins. They can have fish, fruits, vegetables, healthy grains. I like the Mediterranean diet. Another aspect of nutrition that is so fascinating is the world of mushrooms. To learn more about the properties within a specific mushrooms, I would say what I’ve learned is to avoid the white button mushrooms that we find raw in our salad bars. Stay away from those. But more of the Asian mushrooms, maitake, shiitake, reishi mushrooms, turkey tail, lion’s mane they have properties when cooked properly. They have anti-inflammatory effects through the cell wall, the beta glucans. Once we ingest them, our body can recognize them, enhance an inflammatory response that is actually favorable for fighting cancer. The studies and the data that we have, I think it’s emerging. But we can actually start to heal with something as simple as mushrooms.
Ivelisse Page:
A hundred percent. And that’s something that I actually incorporated into my healing journey all those years ago. And even to today, I take host defense, which is a supplement that you can take either via spray, through veggie capsule and it’s phenomenal to help keep your immune system strong. Going into another area that we get asked a lot is, how to bring up wanting a more integrative approach to treatment with their oncologists. What would your advice be to patients who want to pursue a more natural approach, but are concerned that their oncologists won’t support them?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
Oh, that’s a great question. I think what I’ve noticed with patients is they’re scared to bring it up. They think we’re not going to support them. And one of the questions that I like to ask from the get-go in the very beginning is I get to know my patients is what are your values? What’s important to you, and can we work on this together? And the answer is always, yes, we can work on this together, but it’s really, I just want to know what’s important to them and something I would discourage for majority of my patients is something alternative. Because I am a conventional oncologist, I see great value in chemotherapy, and then that the treatments that we do, but I feel passionately that we can integrate the other modalities and we can work together. So with whatever patients have in mind I try to encourage a very open and honest communication in the office. What are they doing? What are they curious about? And is this going to have a negative impact on treatments? What are some things that we need to look out for? Do I need to monitor them with blood work a little bit more carefully? If I see something that is going to be obviously harmful, then that’s the discussion we’re going to have, but if there are other modalities of treatments, then I try to make them feel as comfortable about it, and so we can work together. That’s the fun of integration is that we don’t have to do one or the other. We can do both.
Ivelisse Page:
That’s such great advice. And I really believe that it’s important to have this team approach to your care. When we, at Believe Big, were talking to individuals who were sharing how, like you said, it’s really important to find an oncologist like yourself that is open and humble enough to listen to a patient’s desire for a more integrative approach, and to make sure you have that person on your team who is willing to listen and that’s just so valuable to a patient. So I’m really grateful that you are one of those who listens to their patients.
Dr. Sarah Ali:
Thank you. We don’t know everything. We have so much more access to information now than ever before. And just to, to have that collaboration with our patients, if they have something that they want to try, or if there’s emerging data that doesn’t look like conventional FDA approval just yet, then first do no harm, but let’s see what we can do. I feel integrated medicine can give our patients an opportunity for better outcomes, even less toxicity, have longer remissions and even higher cure rates. If we can start to incorporate all of these modalities of diet, nutrition, exercise, energy, medicine, acupuncture, even spirituality. What we feed our minds, and the human potential, when we start to believe in a positive outcome, what our bodies can do and how we can respond and align ourselves with wellness and health during a time that is pretty scary. We have great potential.
Ivelisse Page:
Yeah, definitely. One aspect Dr. Ali that isn’t spoken about in conventional medicine is that watchful waiting period when the patient has had their labs and most oncologists say everything looks good. Let’s wait and see for three months. And we’re always sharing with patients. Don’t wait and see. This is really a time to continue with healing, to continue to move forward in, in your nutrition and the other aspects of your health. How has your perspective on that watchful waiting period with your patient?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
You’re asking me a question that I have never considered, but the message that I have in these in-between times is don’t give up, don’t slow down. If you are eating well, continue to do so and decreasing the stress in your life. It’s really simple. I do encourage eating well, sleeping well, moving well, speaking well, believing well and just this visualization of a positive outcome for yourself. These are all things that is really encompassing of a healthy lifestyle. What happened before the diagnosis of cancer? What was happening in life that allowed cancer to happen? There’s things that we’re never going to be able to control, but let’s focus on the things that we can. And even to the point of genetics, there are genetic mutations that are responsible for cancer. What I’ve come to see in my practice is that’s a rare situation. Occupational exposures, something within the environment that could trigger tumor development or even emotional that has not been addressed in healthy ways. Those are things that can lead to sickness, inflammation, cancer. So in these three month visits and three month follow-ups, what can we do is continue to heal. We’re going to do therapeutic things to kill the cancer, but it’s on the patients to really take that and heal within themselves. And so your question has helped me think about how to frame my visits with these follow-up three months, six month followup visits, a little bit more directed. There’s work to do. There’s a lot of work to do.
Ivelisse Page:
That’s great. What can we do as individuals, and Believe Big in general as an organization, to continue to help bridge this gap, that’s right now between this conventional world of oncology and the integrative complimentary medicine world. What would you say would be something that we could do to bridge that?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
I am so appreciative of what your organization is doing bringing it about the awareness of what integrative therapies are like and generating enthusiasm, bringing knowledge and financially giving people hope about what they can do. I think just giving us a chance to speak and for me to share my message is incredibly amazing for me to do and for you to give me that opportunity. Exerting political pressure is also I think something important that we can come together with not just state by state, but nationwide. And how can we get integrative therapies to be covered by insurance? We’re not thinking about wellness in terms of the way we should. We’re not being compensated for wellness. It’s more for prescribing medications and being sick. So I feel that your organization is something that is so vital and it’s a voice for patients. I came to know something just this morning and you probably mentioned it during your keynote speech at the Society of Integrative Oncology conference, where I met you. It was about mistletoe therapy. And how important you were in bringing that as an awareness to people in America. In November of last year, I was invited to Switzerland and I was able to tour the Arlasign Clinic in Switzerland and they are just leading the way on what mistletoe extract can do for cancer patients. It was so incredible to me. I came back so energized and wanting to do mistletoe therapy for more of our patients. You’ve been so instrumental in Hopkins doing phase one clinical trials and getting the data so we can look at mistletoe extract more seriously, but this is just one example. In Europe, we have a therapy that can reduce side effects of treatments, have even anti-tumor properties if given IV versus subcutaneous, and looking at what natural plant medicine can do for us. Mistletoe has a host plant and they found that the the life span, the lifecycle of mistletoe is offset of the host tree in the somewhat of a semi parasitic fashion. We can manipulate those properties in our advantage when it comes to tumors and how to treat. Patients undergoing mistletoe therapy, in my experience, they looked better. They didn’t look as worn down and tired and fatigued. They’ve been doing this for generations to the point where, it’s covered by insurance.
Ivelisse Page:
And that is our goal here. We hope that one day as the trials go through that, it will be covered by insurance and it can become a part of standard-of-care, so that conventional oncologists like yourself can prescribe it.
Dr. Sarah Ali:
And this doesn’t have to be an alternative therapy if we can prove that it has benefit and and where Europe has already done. But if we can get our data and offer that in conjunction to traditional therapy, I think this is going to be just really exciting. So Ivelisse you’re doing it. You’re already doing it. Thank you.
Ivelisse Page:
Thank you for being a part of this podcast, really just so grateful for your insight and for your time. And in closing, could you share what would be your advice for a patient in selecting the best oncologist for their care?
Dr. Sarah Ali:
Ah, I love this question. It’s relationship, and as with any relationship we have with our life partners, our family, our friends, it’s communication. So it’s almost like you got to get a vibe with your oncologist, get a sense.. Are you going to be able to talk to them? Are they going to listen to you? I think that’s really the most important thing is developing a trusting relationship with your oncologist. And if it doesn’t feel like a good fit, then move on. Find somebody that is going to listen to you in the way that you want to be heard. And it’s really just finding that relationship. I think that’s the advice that I would give in finding that care team that is going to look at you as an individual, listen to you, guide you and I think that’s where you’re going to have the best outcomes when that relationship is nurtured.
Ivelisse Page:
Yep. I agree. And for those listening, who would like our free questions to ask oncologists our resource, please email us at info@believebig.org. And we can send you the free PDF that you can take along to your appointments to discover, as you’re interviewing oncologist, if this is the person that’s going to be best for my care. Dr. Ali, thank you so much for joining us today and for all that you do for the patients that we serve.
Dr. Sarah Ali:
It’s my pleasure. And thank you again for giving me this opportunity to chat and to share. It means so much. Thank you.
Ivelisse Page:
If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support our podcast, please subscribe and share it with others. Be sure to visit believebig.org to access the show notes and discover our bonus content. Thanks again, and keep believing big.
What’s your name, where do you live, and what do you do for a living?
My name is Kevin Forsyth, and I am 65 years old last month. I have an amazing wife of 37 years – and the love of my life – Sandie Brown Forsyth, and 2 son’s – Josh who is 37, Ben who is 33 and his new wife Une. I also have an adopted son – Birama Konate who is 33 with his wife Fatima, and their 3 sons Dauda, Mamadou, and Baah who live in Philadelphia. Then there is the rest of the family our dog Bo, and his little buddies, Tumbleweed, Summer, Bruce, and Tigger.
I live in Birmingham, Alabama. We have a family business since 1995. Forsyth Consulting provides Licensed and proprietary background music services for business. We also provide acoustic analysis, along with audio and video systems for business.
Describe how you discovered your illness?
This is an interesting story. I had my first colonoscopy in January of 2014 at the age of 57. It was clear and no polyps. I was healthy, exercised, and no family history. About 7 months later, I started having some pain in my stomach and went to see my regular physician. We tried some things that conventional medicine would typically do, and none of it worked. He then referred me to another Gastro who then performed an Endoscopy that was clean, and a subsequent colonoscopy in which they found a 5cm tumor on my colon at the Secum. I was shocked after having a clear colonoscopy a year earlier. I took the pictures and report to my original Gastro doctor and compared images side by side. He was just as surprised as I was. It was night and day. It was apparently very aggressive and did not start as a polyp. 9 days later, I had a Colectomy whereby they removed 10” or large and 2” of small intestine, and put it back together. During this surgery they removed approximately 27 lymph nodes around the colon, and determined that 3 had been invaded by the cancer indicating a Stage 3 diagnosis. He then recommended conventional treatment of Folfox 6 chemotherapy. I started 6 infusion sessions – 1 every 2 weeks. What the Oncologist said in our first meeting really blew us away. She said, “ I want you to get a PET Scan – I am worried about your liver.” Sandie and I looked at each other in disbelief. Liver? What about the liver? She told us I had tumors in my liver of which we were completely unaware. Then she told us that I had a 5% chance of survival. That was the lowest point for us.
From that point forward I requested copies of all my radiology reports and pathology reports. The liver tumors were clearly shown on my radiology report. Then we went through the stages of disbelief, sadness, and anger, then focused on healing. All I could think of is what would happen to our family business, my wife, my sons, and our future. I wanted to heal and give it my best effort. My youngest son came back from Seoul South Korea to help in the business. Sandie started looking at studies and information on Mistletoe Therapy from Switzerland that my oldest son sent to her. This eventually led her to Believe Big . The chemo was brutal and by the 5th treatment I had what I thought were 3 heart attacks in one day. They literally knocked me to my knees. I went back in to see the Oncologist and she wanted to continue with treatments saying “Mr. Forsyth – I am just trying to save your life.” I looked at Sandie and with her encouragement and study of the videos and information I made the decision to terminate my Oncologist opting instead of finding an Integrative Oncologist who would work with my Naturopath.
The good news is the tumors did shrink in my liver after the first 5 rounds of Folfox 6 and Naturopathic remedies enough for another Surgical Oncologist at UAB to perform a Microwave needle ablation on two tumors in my liver. We chose this option versus a 50% liver resection. The surgery appeared successful. Through gene testing, my new Integrative Oncologist determined that I had a slight defect in a gene that made one of the drugs in Folfox 6 particularly damaging, but effective. He changed up the cocktail and I started another round of 6 treatments that were not quite as bad. I completed 3 and let my integrative oncologist know that due to how well my CEA markers, Full Terrain tests and clear scans, I would no longer take any more chemo. He then had to fire me, but that was understandable.
12 months after my second surgery one of the two spots on my liver came back. This was disappointing, and then had to undergo a one third liver resection removing the small lobe of my liver. That was the tough surgical recovery. My Naturopath was providing tele medicine conference calls with me at least once per month after Full Terrain testing that also included dietary recommendation, fasting recommendations, exercise, and supplements along with Mistletoe Therapy of which I continue to do today now 5 years clear since my last surgery in November of 2016.
One of my surgeons calls me his Unicorn. Both send newly diagnosed cancer patients to me who are interested in hearing about my journey.
When and how did you discover Believe Big?
During my first surgery, my oldest son Josh sent my wife – Sandie a link saying Read Swiss Mistletoe Study. Sandie subsequently discovered Believe Big when studying Mistletoe therapy for cancer patients on their website. I also studied their website and watched their videos and testimonials. I was very inspired by Ivelisse’s journey since she had the same cancer and issues I had, and it provided so much hope. Believe Big is a wonderful resource for newly diagnosed cancer patients and their families.
What Integrative Therapies did you adopt and how did they improve your condition?
My Naturopath at Namaste Health Center ordered plasma testing for me from Biofocus in Germany to test 4 types of Mistletoe Therapies and Thymus to see which ones had the strongest NK killer cell response. My native kill rate at that point was only 8% and a normal healthy person is 23% and up. This test came back indicating that Abnoba Fraxini had a 22% plus response and Thymus extract had a 19% plus impact. I chose to proceed with those two therapies as a result. I started subcutaneous injections every other day for the next 4 years. We continued performing Full Terrain Testing on my plasma looking at over 50 markers of internal inflammation of which we did once every 90 days to catch “ The Embers before the Fire”. Her resulting report post a telemedicine call provided a supplement regimen, recommendations for fasting, and dietary recommendations and recipes for the foods that would help build my immune system involving a Mediterranean / Ketogenic approach to eating. This along with intermittent fasting and exercise worked. In retrospect I believe that my out-of-control cancerous growth was primarily aggravated by Stress and my Integrative Oncologist is a big fan of Yoga and Meditation. This should have also been something I was doing prior to being diagnosed, but I had no idea the stress was getting to me.
What is your diagnosis today?
The American Medical world says that today I am cancer free, but I learned so much during this journey about cancer. I discovered you have cancerous cells in you from the time you are born. Your immune system keeps these in check. Once your immune system breaks down, this is when out of control cancerous activity starts. The key to good health is a strong immune system.
We also know the way to a strong and effective immune system consists of eliminating sugar from your diet, Ketogenic / Mediterranean eating with clean natural foods, intermittent or regular fasting, and exercise along with a good supplement regimen makes this happen. Had known 20 years ago what I know today, what would I have done differently that might have prevented my out-of-control cancerous activity? Most of us particularly men don’t wrestle with these truths until something happens like cancer, then we adjust if we are knowledgeable enough and understand the truth of our immune system.
How has your experience with Believe Big changed your life?
What Believe Big provides is that when you are diagnosed with Cancer, you have a place you can go to learn and begin your journey relating to Naturopathic approaches to healing. Their focus on Mistletoe Therapy is very important. Their introduction to Quality naturopaths around the Country is a great resource particularly since these physicians are trained in Mistletoe Therapy among the other techniques for healing and good health. I have sent dozens of newly diagnosed cancer patients and lots of other folks to Believe Big. I believe in their mission, and we support them as they have initiated the Johns Hopkins FDA Mistletoe trials, and the New Wellness Center planned for Colorado. It will be amazing that one day you can go to a single place helping you make decisions regarding your own health.
If you could do anything differently about your cancer experience, what would that be?
First a foremost it is imperative that all newly diagnosed cancer patients need to implement these Naturopathic paradigms right away for the best chance of success. Waiting until you are well into conventional medical therapies reduces your chances of success. It’s so easy to change your health paradigm with things like eliminating all sugar from your diet. Mediterranean / Ketogenic eating with clean foods. Intermittent fasting daily, and exercise. Don’t wait. Start right away.
Additionally, you don’t have to rush into medical treatments while you are still in shock from your diagnosis. There is more than one way to heal. Take a deep breath, do some research, and make good decisions with informed consent. Read your radiology reports and pathology reports. Make sure you understand them. Ask you doctors to explain all of it while you are in their office and show you scans slice by slice, so you have a clear understanding of where you are at. You will find that not all radiologists, doctors, and physicians agree on what they are seeing and the best approach to heal. Get second opinions and find a competent Naturopath. Both the Doctors and Naturopaths need to collaborate with you, your family, and each other. If you find one that is not cooperating, stop and find another one that suits your needs. Healing is a collaboration. Not a doctor telling you what to do, and you only doing what they ask. Men especially – don’t be stubborn.
How did living in an area with limited access to integrative therapies and Naturopaths impact you? How did you overcome it?
Believe Big’s resources for Naturopaths was the key. Additionally, my Naturopath being able to do remote telemedicine was huge. I could not take off for weeks from our business to be in a clinic, and could not travel once a month to Durango, Colorado. The past several years – remote telemedicine has become a lot more common. If your doctor’s will cooperate with your Naturopath on blood draws in addition to the ones, they need – it’s a win win. You can also go to local entities like Lab Corp to get your blood drawn and they will accept your Naturopath’s scrip. Be extremely positive, pray for peace and healing, and Thank God every day of your life and for the amazing support your family can provide you during this difficult journey.
How has overcoming cancer changed your life? What are your new life goals?
I fully recognize God’s gift of life and the amazing creation of the human body and its ability to heal. To love and appreciate my wife who has been the key to my survival of this ordeal. And to give back by sharing the good news with others dealing with the same issues. May God Bless Believe Big and its mission on earth, and Thank You Lord for our ability to learn and understand your great creation.
Are you or someone you know going through a cancering process and unsure of what you should be eating? Are you confused by the many cancer diets out there and want some great insight on how to approach nutrition? In today’s episode, you will get the answers to those questions and more! Jess Higgins Kelly is a Master Nutrition Therapist, and Oncology Nutrition Consultant. For over a decade, Jess has had extensive experience working with cancer and chronic illness clients from around the globe.
Dr. Dagmara Beine is not only an amazing practitioner, but she truly understands what a family goes through as her daughter Zuza was diagnosed with cancer AND given a very poor prognosis at 3 ½ years old.
Having worked in emergency medicine for 12 years, Dagmara understood the value of western medicine and how it could save her daughter’s life. However, as her daughter moved through her treatment and recovery, she was shocked at how western medicine failed to care for Zuza as a whole person. She knew as a mother and clinician that she needed to incorporate other tools to guide Zuza through treatment and help her thrive as a cancer survivor. She is going to share with us today the tools she found and uses today in her practice.
PS – Please follow our podcast on Spotify or iTunes and share this episode with a friend.
An evening of inspiration, information, and celebration. You will be the first to hear the latest regarding the mistletoe clinical trial with The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, inspiring stories from patients on the impact Believe Big has had on their cancer journey and some exciting NEW announcements!
It’s good for our bodies, our minds and our relationships. It changes the way we interact and react in our daily lives. Gratitude changes how our immune systems and our bodies respond to positive and negative events. Gratitude changes the way we look externally and internally. It’s a Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual exercise.
Gratitude journals and other gratitude practices often seem so simple and basic; in our studies, we often have people keep gratitude journals for just three weeks. And yet the results have been overwhelming. We’ve studied more than one thousand people, from ages eight to 80, and found that people who practice gratitude consistently report a host of benefits:
Physical
Stronger immune systems
Less bothered by aches and pains
Lower blood pressure
Exercise more and take better care of their health
Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking
Psychological
Higher levels of positive emotions
More alert, alive, and awake
More joy and pleasure
More optimism and happiness
Social
More helpful, generous, and compassionate
More forgiving
More outgoing
Feel less lonely and isolated.
“Mighty Micah” Beats Stage IV Cancer! Watch his amazing story!
5 Practical Steps to Manage Stress & Your Health During the Holidays
Functional medicine expert, Dr. Jill Carnahan, MD shares that having some stress in life is unavoidable, but there are positive, healthy strategies to help you manage it. And while there’s no such thing as a stress-free life, building habits that support you can go a long way in keeping your stress levels in check. Regularly practicing these techniques can prevent stressful times from interfering with your life. Even if you can’t rid yourself of the source of your stress, you can learn to manage it and prevent it from affecting your health. Dr. Kelly Turner shares that stress can keep the body in fight or flight mode, instead of rest and repair mode.
What can you do this holiday season to manage stress? How can you make this year different? Here are our favorite tips.
Practice Gratitude – It isn’t always possible to change your circumstances, but you can change where you focus your mind, heart, and soul. The words we speak can set the course for your future. Need a tool to help you? Our new Gratitude Journal will encourage you to speak God’s promises over your daily life, affirm his blessings, and help you to pray from a place of victory.
Plan Ahead & Set Boundaries – Be intentional with your time. Get adequate consistent sleep by setting an alarm on your phone for the same time each night to turn technology off and get ready for bed. Planning ahead by simply taking the time to write out a daily or weekly to-do list can work wonders for keeping stress at bay. “It’s ok to say “no”. You are not obligated to accept every invitation, request, or opportunity that comes your way. Especially if you know saying “yes” will make you anxious or doesn’t align with how you really want to be spending your time.”
Learn New Ways to Relax – We love the NEW One Minute Pause app or learn a new hobby like photography or painting.
Make Time for Exercise – Exercise not only decreases stress hormones but also boosts energy levels and the feel-good chemicals in the brain. You don’t have to join a gym. A short, brisk walk outside can do wonders for your mood. There are also several apps you can use at home to help keep you motivated like Sworkit, 7-min workout, or the Peleton app.
Know What You Can (and Can’t) Control – For some people, the holidays can trigger stress and anxiety because of past experiences. Many have family members that can be difficult, leaving us with a lot of negative emotions. Set an intention to create a different way of navigating challenging relationships. Acknowledge the triggers and set an intention to approach that person with a positive outlook. Keep conversations light and don’t get drawn into their drama or debate. You don’t have control over what others say and how they act, but you DO have control over whether you allow others to affect your mood and stress level.
For years now, Believe Big has been spreading the word about integrative therapies for cancer. Every day, we hear more positive outcomes– like six-year-old Micah’s.
Micah’s oncologist put it best: “This is a first for us. He’s doing better than we’ve ever seen.” And your gifts helped make Micah’s miracle possible.
Thanks to you, Micah received the integrative therapies that helped him overcome a rare Stage IV cancer called ACC. Overcoming ACC is even more amazing when you realize that most children don’t even make it through the harsh treatment, let alone beat the disease.
Now I’m hoping we can count on you again because I have some exciting news.
Believe Big has been offered a $100,000 challenge grant. But, we’ll only receive the money if we reach our goal of raising $300,000 by the end of the year.
Can you imagine how much more we could do for our patients with another $100,000? But we’ll need everyone’s help to get there. That’s why I’m asking if you’ll become one of our Hope Givers. You can provide vital support by:
Making a one-time donation by December 31st
Becoming one of our Monthly Partners
Becoming a Family or Corporate Partner
Participating in your employer’s Matching Gift Program
Sharing Micah’s video story with 10 friends via text or email.
You have certainly come through for us before. When the pandemic threatened to halt some of our essential programs, we found new ways to deliver them, thanks to your help. We were even able to offer new services like our virtual support group!
If you’re wondering whether your gift will make a difference, look no further than by watching Micah’s story (or Mighty Micah, as we call him). Then consider how many more people we could help if we receive that challenge grant.
I thank you for whatever gift you can make and for helping us change the way Americans think about cancer.
Sincerely,
Ivelisse Page
PS: Please consider forwarding this webpage url or texting the video link to TEN people you know.
“Mighty Micah” Beats Stage IV Cancer! Watch his amazing story!
I was invited to the very first dinner when Believe Big was launched, and that’s when I heard Ivelisse’s remarkable, hope-filled story. I was blown away by her testimony about her journey to becoming cancer-free.
After hearing that inspiring story, it was so easy to volunteer at the Believe Big offices and to donate financially to this cause I wholeheartedly believe in. Believe Big respects the mind, body, and spirit connection and offers their incredible guidance and assistance to anyone on the cancer journey. I know this firsthand, as they helped me when they provided useful information, direction, and emotional and spiritual support as I walked with both my husband and niece on their cancer journeys. Believe Big helps so many of us who have seen our loved ones suffer through cancer. Their tireless efforts to assist others facing this ugly, hideous disease are successful largely due to their supporters’ financial contributions.
I ask each of you to come alongside Believe Big by giving any amount you can, so the word of its mission can spread and more people can receive help.
Cancer is a journey none of us volunteer to take, but each of us has been affected by it in one way or another. Partnering with Believe Big is an excellent and rewarding way to help cancer patients and their families. The resources and support Believe Big offers are free to patients, but we need to provide the finances so the good work Believe Big does will continue and increase. I hope I never, ever hear the diagnosis that I have cancer, but if I do, I know that my first call will be to Believe Big. Willie (Lieberman) Barrett Believe Big Supporter
Everyone knows someone with cancer. I encourage you to get involved with Believe Big today! Your support will help so many thrive in the face of cancer!
I was invited to the very first dinner when Believe Big was launched, and that’s when I heard Ivelisse’s remarkable, hope-filled story. I was blown away by her testimony about her journey to becoming cancer-free.
