So far in my life, I have had the greatest of joys, my children, and grandchild, my career as a coach, living the dream of moving to live on a tropical island, living the dream of living at my favorite ski hill, but by the far the best has been being married to the great love of my life, my husband Martin. To love and be loved, to walk side by side all the days of my life with my great love. is the greatest gift of life. Alongside the great joys, have been the great sorrows. My baby brother died tragically at the age of 14, I was married to an abusive man, I survived by a miracle what should have been a fatal car accident, I have lived for 17 years while our son slowly died of brain cancer, I have placed his ashes on top of a ski hill and have released his ashes for the final farewell to the sea. All of this I have lived and loved.

With out any doubt in all of this, this tapestry of love and life, that is my story, the most terrifying words I have ever heard, are the words to my husband ” We suspect you have prostate cancer, we hope it hasn’t gone to your bones”. Cancer, will not take the great love of my life, I swore to myself, not by under my watch. What follows is the story, not over yet, but according to the latest medical tests, the prostate has shrunk by one third and is now a normal size for a man his age, and the nodules have disappeared, it is a story of belief!

I know that this is going to seem a bit or maybe a lot out there, but the path to health started at our Vet’s office. Please bear with me here! Our rather famous dog Ruffus, floppy ear and all, has chronic ear infections, so on an otherwise innocuous visit to none other than Dr, Bob, for Ruffus’ ear our journey started. ” It may be out there” said Dr. Bob,” but try cannabis oil on his ear, it is known to literally rub away tumours.” That statement told me that this man was something special. And before I knew it, out came tumbling our story, about the accident, Robin and the latest, the high PSA and cancer threat, into that wise and knowing face and eyes I told it all.

And so Ruffus'( he is actually a trained medical doctor as well) vet explained to us that, cells can go a bit whacky, and they just need to get back on track. He gave us an anti cancer protocol to follow, which aims to give the cells what they need so they stop going whacky. He recommended Resveratrol and Zinc, to help the cells start returning to normal, we started it immediately. But then he looked at me and said ” You have been through great trauma, and you need help. it is in that moment that I believed! I see it in your face, he said, I see it in your eyes. I knew this was a man that could see what all the others had not and I knew I could trust him and believe his wisdom.

The Prostate Wellness Program that we have been following is based on the belief that if the body can become unwell, the body also has the ability to heal itself. We know from the science of epigenetics, that genes that have been stressed for too long, stop functionning properly and cause disease, we also know that the genes can gain start functionning when the stress is removed. We were built to handle stress in short bursts, like when threatened, and then return to normal. We were not built to live day in and day out, year in and year out in a state of stress reaction! Stress comes in three main ways. Physical stress, biological stress and emotional stress. Martin had a broken neck ( physical stress), accumulated biological stress ( from toxins in foods, air and other environmental toxins and emotional stress ( from losing a son) all in less than one year. I wasn’t really surprised that all of the trauma he had been through showed up in his body. The Prostate Wellness Program that we are following has been developed to holistically, provide his mind and body the tools it needs to heal.

Nutrition, the foods we eat or don’t eat have a major impact on our health. So, some foods build the immune system, some foods fight or kill cancer and some foods are to be avoided because they add to the stress load.The diet is comprised of lots and lots of vegetables, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage,onions, garlic, carrots, ginger, pumpkin seeds, figs, and coconut oil are foods knowns to fight cancer cells, so Martin eats a lot of them. We have teas made of ginger, tumeric, green tea, graviola( from a tropical fruit, known to be 10,000 more powerful killing cancer cells than chemotherapy, and lemon and honey which has an anti microbial effect, which he drinks through out the day.

We avoid beef , replacing it with chicken, pork and fish, I buy wild fish and grain fed meat and chicken. We have organic whole and ancient grains like quinoa. We avoid dairy, sugar and wheat because those are hard on his body and we want to make things easy.

We take a probiotic to make sure that digestion is efficient and allows nutrients to be absorbed and drink Kombucha ( learning to make it at home).

We cut way back on the amount of wine we drink, it had been creeping up throughout the stress of the past couple of years. This relieves stress on our bodies, particularly the liver, which needs to be focused on removing toxins from the body, and not dealing with excess alchohol.We have added in red wine when possible because it has Reversatrol in it, which among other benefits helps kills cancer cells and changes the genes in cancer cells, preventing them from fully expressing themselves.

We basically do not eat processed foods and “eat clean” , meaning foods as close to their original state as possible. I read the ingredients and if there are more than three or four and or I don’t know what they mean I don’t buy them. If my grandmothers would not have recognized it as food, I don’t buy it! I make salad dressing at home which is full of anti cancer ingredients such as garlic, black pepper, tumeric and coconut oil and does not have any of the additives that store bought dressing have, It is even easy to make homemade mayonaise. I tried to make ketsup but so far without much success!

In order to make sure his cells have what they need Martin takes supplements. Resveratrol a powerful antioxidant, Zinc, which all cells need to function properly, Viatmin D3 ( a lack of which is associated with prostate cancer) AHCC to support the immune system, Omega 3s and Curcumin, which kills cancer cells.

 

I believe that the physical stress Martin has experienced needs to get out of his body. His head hit the roof of the car after turning over at 65 miles per hour and broke his neck at C2 ( often called hang man’s veterbrae for obvious reasons). Although the fracture healed beautifully, his body sustained a physical trauma, for example, he now has over all muscle hypertensiveness, so the physical part of the program is aimed to get it out, so his cells can work efficiently and smoothly.

Regular exercise to the point of sweating, just pounds it out. Martin is a runner, so he, Ruffus and I run 4 times a week.

Yoga, a practice that unifies the mind, the body and the heart, helps get the tension out of all three, we practice yoga, also including Ruffus nearly 7 days a week. It is in this practice that we are aiming to get the stress out of the body, so that the mind will be calm, a calm mind can heal the body.

Accupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, and massage work to keep the body working properly. Bi-weekly accupuncture, keeps the energy systems in balance, chiropractic adjustment keep the body alligned and working efficiently as the spinal column is the communication center of the body and we need it to be efficient and static free, and massage helps keep the muscles supple and blood flowing properly.

Posture. In the trauma of the accident and the fatigue of the grief, Martin noticed that he was slumping while standing wlking and sitting, in order to support his body he has been working on standing up straight, allowing his organs to work more efficiently.

Heat, we know that toxins escape from the biggest organ of our bodies, our skin, so along with sweating from exercise, we take nightly soaks in the Jaccuzi, making sure that the water is hot enough to cause sweating. Infra red saunas are known to help remove toxins and we have a single infrared light.

Vitamin D walks. Each day we expose our skin to the sun in order to help the Vitamin D be absorbed.

Meditation and visualization. In order to calm the body and the mind, we have two meditations that we do each day. The first by Dr. Joe Dispenza is specifically designed to help heal the body, by changing beliefs. The second by Jon Kabat- Zinn, the father of mindfulness, is a body scan designed to draw awarenesss to thoughts and remove tension from the body.

Sleep. Sleep is when we rest and heal, most of Martin’s adult life sleep has been a struggle for him So by adoping new sleep habits, including a pre bed time ritual, comfortable bed, dark and quiet room, reduce the amount of caffeine in a day, along with the yoga, meditation his sleep is improving.

Emotions. The emotional stress of the accident, our son’s dying for 17 years and his ultimate death from glioblastoma, not to mention just life itself took it’s toll. The aim of the emotional part of this program is to heal the grief, avoid storing further negative emotions and increase the joy.

Th synergy of eating well, exercising, and meditating combine to reduce the number of negative experiences in a day, which in turn reduces the amount of stress in the body and the mind, which makes for better mood, better sleep, better well, everything.

Talking. Improving our relationship, through better communication and compassion for one another has reduced lots of stress for both of us. We used to be inclined to let things go and then irriation would build up and eventually explode in non loving ways. Now we are more likely to inquire lovingly about what is going on at the time, so we are able to be clearer and more loving and relaxed with each other.

We start our days now, talking and snuggled up in bed instead of rushing to our work and devices. At first, we called them worry “meetings” A safe place to put our worries and concerns out, not necessarily to be solved but out there. We found of course that it has reduced the worrying, reduced the stress, and strengthened our connection.

Pets. We have two beloved kitty cats and the famous Ruffus. We take lots of time to be present and mindful with each of them. I know that science has proven that people with broken bones, who pet their cats, heal more quickly. But we don’t need science, to tell us that petting our ultra soft gray kitty, or romping with Ruffus or sharing the yoga matt with 19 year old Millie, is good for our health. Our pets bring us joy, make us laugh, relax our bodies and warm our hearts.

Joy. I discovered, as I was recovering from the car accident and Robin’s death, how important it is to do something joyful each day. There is a section in my daytimer for Joy. Joy is in the heart, it is a state of being, so finding ways for joy is as personal as each one of us. We tend to find joy in simple things, a beautiful walk in the snow, playing with our pets, sitting by a cozy fire, evn stacking wood. So what induces Joy is not important, only that it is present.

Humor. When I was a kid I used to laugh so hard that my sides hurt, We know, from science once again that laughter is good for our health, but we don’t need science to tell us what a good belly laugh will do for us. We started watching I Love Lucy reruns in the evenings and boy do we ever laugh.

Belief. There is much written about beliefs and their power! Henry Ford said ” If you think you can you can, and if you think you can’t you can’t, either way you are right” We know from work about Placebos, that it is the belief along with the emotion from the belief that make a pink sugar pill work as well as a pharmeceutical. and we know that the nacebo effect is equally true, that if we believe we will have an adverse reaction to something we are much more likely to do so. My understanding of the stress that Martin has been under as well as my belief and his ,that it can be reversed is the glue that pulls and holds this program together.

Energy. We know that life is made up of energy. All of life, water, plants, animals and us. We have very consciously chosen to surround ourselves, only with positive energy, with the people who love us and support our program, with nature, our house is built into a mountain and with thoughts that are loving and kind. We call the plan we are on, The Prostate Wellness Program, instead of the anti cancer protocol, because there is a positive energy to it.

A day in The Prostate Wellness Program

7:00 AM Wake up, drink hot water with lemon, first thing. Followed by coffee and snuggle time. Meditate

8:00 Breakfast, eggs cooked with coconut oil, tumeric, garlic, black pepper, carrots. onions, cauliflower or broccoli, or cabbage

9:30 First walk of the day with Ruffus. Also serves as Viatamin D bath.

10:00 Daily teas made. I make them mindfully, intentionally sending love into each cup and I even Reiki them for extra power! Green tea, ginger or tumeric tea with honey, graviloa tea. Teas are consumed throughout the day.

12:30 Lunch Example salmon with quinoa rissoto, made with ginger, garlic, onion, turmeric, served with colesaw.

4:00 Walk or run with Ruffus.

5:00 Joe Dispenza meditation

5:00 Disconnect with devices.

6:00 Dinner example chili, with lots of tomatoes , chili powder, tumeric, corn bread and green salad with curled carrots!

7:30 Last Ruffus walk of day.

8:00 Yoga for Sleep

8:30 Soak in Jacuzzi.

9:00 Glass of wine, read or watch light TV or movie

10:30 Bed time

 

Important note. We believe in using all the tools available to us. We have developed this wellness plan, consulted with practitioners from various modalities and relied on Western medicine for blood work and other lab tests to give us objective information.

 

This Prostate Wellness Program has been developed with the help and support of many people and resources to each of you, heartfelt gratitude for your expertise, care and belief!

To:

Dr. Bob,we will never have enough words to express our gratitude for what you for showing us a path back to wellness, for your knowledge, for your protocol and for your care. http://www.doctorbobs.com/

 

Our daughter Katarina de La Cruz, for so much love, for your steadfast belief in the body/mind connection, for your support. http://purepangeabeauty.com/

To Dr. Joe Dispenza for for You Are the Placebo, Making Your Mind Matter The wisdom, science and belief are at the heart of our Program.
http://www.youaretheplacebo.com/

To our friend and Chiropractor Dr. John Barret Lancaster, for your kind, calm and competent advice, not to mention the many adjustments.
//www.chiropartners.com/about-us/our-doctors/dr.-john-lancaster—cary–nc-chiropractor.html

To Sharon Speicher our dear friend and accupuncturist, for reminding us to use all tools available including the wisdom of Western Medicine. Sharon Speicher Acupuncture & Body Work

To my best friend for nearly 40 years, Dr Tessa Hebb, the embodiment of love and friendship.
https://carleton.ca/3ci/people/tessa-hebb/

To the love of my life, Martin