The Smartest Cancer Advice You’ve Ever Heard

The Smartest Cancer Advice You’ve Ever Heard These doctors treat the disease — and have beat it themselves

Surviving cancer was a life-changing experience for these top cancer experts, even though they'd spent their careers helping patients fight the illness — and thought they knew everything they needed to know to beat the disease.

"When you're the patient, you learn a lot about what it really takes to keep yourself healthy," admits Carolyn Runowicz, MD, director of the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut. "Things like eating well and exercising regularly suddenly seem like a matter of life and death."

Here, she and two other cancer survivors reveal how they coped with treatment, how they stay well, and what we all should be doing to protect ourselves now.

I have to disagree with some of this advice, because I live in one of the breast cancer research heavy areas of the US. The top experts sometimes speak out about the situation, and what they say makes a lot of sense.

1) Time is of the essence. Under no circumstances delay, deny, “futz around”, sink into depression, try alternative cures first, or otherwise waste time. This is a major killer with cancer.
2) It is absolutely VITAL that you get a second or even third opinion. DO NOT be embarrassed at all.
3) Research is happening at breakneck speed, and *nobody* knows everything that is going on everywhere. So it is up to you to do the leg and phone work.
4) Get to where the research and treatment are happening. Leave “Podunk” and move to where the action is. Physically visit research facilities, study medical information on the Internet until you are an expert in your condition. Find out about experimental and research programs. Keep in daily touch with your family, but it is best if they can go it alone most of the day, because you must have time to do what you need to do.
5) Just breast cancer alone can have a dozen versions that can only be distinguished by experts. This matters, because they have a dozen different treatments, optimized for each particular kind.
6) Be extra careful to NOT consume substances that might accelerate tumors; this is the flip side to eating healthy foods. Get approval for any alternative medicines you try.
7) Cancers can sometimes act almost like they are intelligent, so if they are attacked, they will try to survive and fight back. This is why 3 different treatments are often used at once, to overwhelm its defenses.

Great article! More people should read up on these issues. One thing all people can be sure of, cancer comes over TIME...the word time, is the key. Cancer takes 10, 15, & 20 years to show up in your body. So for years of drinking the chemicals in water, hormones in the meats & dairy, & pesticides - mostly everyone, not only smokers, can count on a bout or two of cancer in their lifetime. The 2nd key is early detection!

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.