Cancer Thrivers: Polly Noble

This is the third entry in my Cancer Thrivers Series. You can check out the first two entries here:


Cancer Thriver: Jess from the Wellness Warrior
Cancer Thriver: Cortney from Green Drink Diaries

Polly has an amazing story and I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to share it with you today. 




I understand this is your second time with cancer; the first you followed the traditional methods. How did you feel when the cancer returned, and what made you decide to explore options outside of chemo? Most people don't even realize they have any, so how did you discover holistic healing?

Obviously being told the cancer had returned was disappointing as no-one ever wants to be told they have cancer, especially not twice in 4 years! But I took it as best I could and vowed to do as much as possible to make myself well again. I refused to let this cancer be my downfall. During my first diagnosis, I had read The Journey by Brandon Bays who healed herself naturally by healing emotional issues that had remained unresolved. This opened up to me a whole new world of alternative healing and the possibility of the body healing itself. From here, I just read and read more books on how the body was designed to heal so when I was diagnosed for the second time and coupled with the fact i had suffered very badly with side effects from conventional treatment such as chemo and radiotherapy, it was kind of a no brainer to try a more natural approach.

How did you family and friends respond to your choice to go the alternative route?

I sat my family down and said, “you may not like nor understand why or what I’m doing but I feel that this is for me to heal naturally. I don’t want to know if you disagree or have concerns - it’s not helpful for me to hear it so please keep it to yourself. I just need to know you love and support me” to which they agreed because they are amazing.

Did you work with a regular Oncologist or some form of holistic doctor? How do you feel you were treated?

I have had to become my own doctor! I am fortunate to have an oncologist who is very understanding and happy for me to do this my way. I have employed a team of practitioners from acupuncturists to energy healers to integrative doctors so that I have a support system available to me as and when i need them but ultimately it’s me that decides what to do and when which I encourage others to do. It’s so easy to give your power away to your doctor but it’s up to the person with cancer to take responsibility and do everything they can to help themselves heal or live with cancer peacefully.

Did you use any detox tools to help move the toxins out, such as enemas, skin brushing, foot bath, etc?

I do daily enemas, skin brushing, far infrared saunas (i bought one for my home), exercise to get the lymph system pumping as well as taking zeolite clay every morning.

Tell us more about the Cancer Journey book and your inspiration behind that?

I began writing The Cancer Journey-Positive Steps To Help Yourself Heal with 2 other people as part of a 21 day challenge to achieve the impossible! It took us a lot longer than 21 days as you can imagine but it was a wonderful springboard to creating a book that is helping many people. The Cancer Journey is a book I wish I had had when I was first diagnosed at 24. Its a very practical guide as to what someone with cancer can do to help themselves whatever route they choose to take - conventional or alternative. There is often a lot of information on diet and lifestyle that oncologists and doctors don’t tell you or simply just don’t know enough about which could actually make a huge difference between healing or not. 

Can you tell us a little bit about the healing program you are now implementing?

My healing program has 2 fundamental parts; detoxification and nourishment. I concentrate on flooding my body with much needed nutrients, vitamins & minerals and detoxing my body of toxins and any other matter, whether physical, emotional or mental - stuff I no longer need. In addition, I use meditation to help me calm my mind, put more attention on stillness and turn down the volume on the crazy fear-fueling thoughts that love to pop up and try to freak me out. I use vision boards, affirmations, exercise and juicy future goals to keep me inspired and motivated. All in all, everything I do is to help my body kickstart its natural healing mechanism which exists within all of us.

What is your status today? How are you feeling?

I feel great! The last scan i had, my doctor said was very encouraging as there had been no growth to any organs and no real change. So at least it’s not getting bigger.

What other books would you recommend for the newly diagnosed?

The fist thing I recommend someone do when they are diagnosed is to take inventory of their life and in particular their diet. Adopting an anti-inflammatory diet is super important to reducing and improving the environment in which cancer loves to thrive. Crazy Sexy Diet by the awesome Kris Carr is a great start, Anti-cancer by Dr David Servan-Schreiber, The China Study by Colin Campbell, Healing with whole foods by Paul Pitchford and Healing The Gerson Way by Charlotte Gerson

What lead you to blog and create your own life coaching program?

I was a life coach before I became a holistic health coach so helping people live their best life has always been something I have wanted to do. With my interest and love of food and nutrition it made sense to combine the two to help people use food to improve their health as i feel this impacts every area of life if its out of balance.

Any other tips for newly diagnosed?

Don’t panic, get lots of different opinions and look at all options before making a decision. Whatever route you decide to go down whether that be alternative or conventional, there are always many options available to you. 

About Me..

Polly Noble is a holistic health coach,  raw food coach, inspirational speaker and co-author of "The Cancer Journey". She also writes for The Huffington Post, Passion Magazine and makes regular appearances on BBC Radio. Having been diagnosed with cancer for the second time in February 2010, aged 28, Polly embarked on a kick-cancer-butt mission to heal herself naturally using a more holistic natural approach.

She is passionate about using her journey on the cancer train to help others arm themselves with everything they need to know to create health and happiness and change their diet and lifestyle to make prevention their priority, whatever their health. Having studied and researched extensively not only through books but her studies at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition, she wholeheartedly believes the body can be healed naturally and shares her insights & experience with you here. Polly's kick-ass attitude inspires and motivates people to weed out the toxic crap and get real with the good stuff! Polly's is co-author of "The Cancer Journey - Positive Steps To Help Yourself Heal" which is available from www.thecancerjourneybook.com or Amazon. She is also the subject of a documentary, following her throughout her healing journey.

Mission Statement...To inspire others to live a happier and healthier life and to do everything in their power to achieve this in every moment so they can live a life they love.

Mottos:

Go green, get clean

Become a green juice junkie! 

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Living Nutz Product Review

I recently had the pleasure of receiving a box of Living Nutz samples. These are raw nuts that have been soaked, coated in deliciousness, and dehydrated. They have several flavors, some sweet, some more savory. My favorite is the "Tahitian Vanilla Bean Coconut Creme Walnutz". They just melt in your mouth and are the perfect snack. Other flavors include "I Love Vegan Cheesy Almonds", "Bodacious Banana Bread Walnutz", "Passionate Pesto Walnutz" and several more. Admittedly, I'm more of a sweet than savory, but there is definitely something for everyone here. These are the perfect snack to carry in your purse for when you just need a little something on the run. You can order these nuts at Living Nutz website.

Have you tried Living Nutz? 

31 Things: #30 Learn to Make Nut Milk

Yesterday I decided to make nut milk. I bought some raw almonds (highly recommend going to Trader Joe's for the best deals), soaked them overnight, and then today they were ready to become milk! I decided to make plenty, so I had soaked two cups of nuts. Little did I know how much that would create. First, I added the 2 cups of almonds, and put 8 cups of water in my Vitamix. I blended it on high for a couple of minutes until I had some awesome looking, yet slightly chunky milk.

Then, I got a bowl, and my nut milk bag (attained from the Raw Food World) and poured the milk mixture through the bag into the bowl. Well, since I had NO idea how much milk this would make, my bowl immediately filled and overflowed and I was so shocked I still had a good squeeze on the bag, and milk squirted all over me, the counter, floor, etc. I immediately grabbed a large mixing bowl and transferred the milk into that. Then SQUEEZE! Just squeeze that bag until every little drop of milk comes out and all that is left is the pulp.

I made 2 1/2 Quarts of Almond Milk. I tasted the milk, and while good, I always like the milks that are slightly sweetened. So I added a squirt of Agave nectar. Perfect.

After looking at how much milk I had, I decided to make one of the quarts chocolate almond milk. I added 3 Tablespoons of raw cacao powder. Very tasty. I am so excited to be able to make my own milk! And now that I have learned a bit, I might make less next time, plus, larger bowl so no explosions! Overall it really only took 10-15 minutes, and without the mishaps it might have taken less. The same method can be made to make any kind of nut milk; hazelnut, brazil nut, cashew milk, etc. I will certainly try some of these next time. 

So what to do with the pulp? Freeze it for now. Almond pulp (or any of the nut pulps) are often used in raw baking recipes. Cafe Gratitude's dessert book uses almond and hazelnut flours for nearly every recipe. Raw tiramisu anyone?

Have you made nut milk? 

Cancer Thriver: Cortney from Green Drink Diaries

This week I had the opportunity to speak with Cortney of Green Drink Diaries. She is a holistic cancer survivor and she gave me permission to print her story. I think you'll be impressed.

How I Beat Cancer

3 months before my cancer diagnosis.

In October of 2008 I was diagnosed with Stage II Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After weeks of testing and the staging confirmed by PET/CAT scans and a bone marrow biopsy, my husband Kevin and I had to make a decision. Were we going to go with the oncologist’s recommendation of R-CHOP chemotherapy and radiation? There were so many unsettling factors. The type of Hodgkin’s I had was very rare and there were no conclusive studies on what type of conventional treatment was MOST effective. The chemotherapy that was suggested by my oncologist had many side effects, but the one I found completely unbearable was infertility.
On the same day we received my official diagnosis and were given our tour through the chemo room and the wig shop, Kevin and I came home feeling unsettled and bewildered.  While I was lost in my thoughts of whether to freeze my eggs or agree to have embryos frozen, he began research on alternative cancer treatment. Neither one of us had any experience in the alternative cancer world. He began discovering other people who felt similarly as we did. They believed there had to be another way, a better way to treat cancer. We also found several survivors who treated or were treating naturally, such as Jerry Brunetti and Kris Carr.

Over the next few weeks, packages arrived at our door on a daily basis. Kevin began to read about the reasons that conventional medicine was not always the best way to approach treating cancer. He became more and more educated on the effectiveness of alternative cancer treatment. I had difficulty having faith in his new alternative cancer philosophy. How could this “natural” treatment be so effective, but yet doctors continue to treat almost exclusively with c​h​e​m​o​t​h​e​r​a​p​y​, radiation, and surgery? It must be because modern American medicine was superior to diet change and supplementation? I needed to educate myself on it. I focused on a book by Bill Henderson called “Cancer Free: Your Guide to Non-Toxic Healing” and in November began the protocol he lays out in his book:
1. Beta 3-D Glucan Immune Boosting Supplement
2. Raw Organic Vegan Diet, No Meat, No Sugar, No Processed Foods, No Cooked Food
3. Budwig Protocol (Cottage Cheese/Flaxseed Oil)
4. Vitamin C/ Green Tea Supplement
5. Barley Power Supplement
6. Dr. David Williams Daily Advantage Vitamins
7. HcG Urine Test to monitor progress

After many heated arguments and tears, I had finally agreed to give alternative cancer treatment a 3 month trial period. Our next step was to find an oncologist who supported us in our journey. After leaving the first oncologist, we found a holistic M.D. at first who knew of an oncologist, Dr. Stephen Szabo who she heard was more-open minded to patients trying alternative treatments. After one visit with him he confirmed that he believed I had “time to try alternative therapies” and agreed to monitor the cancer while I continued my nutritional protocol. It was shortly after this I began to notice the cancerous lymph node in my neck drastically reducing in size, almost to the point of non-detection after only a month on my new diet.
In January of 2009, I attended the 12 day detoxification and raw foods course at the Living Foods Institute here in Atlanta. It was there I was introduced to new ways to enjoy raw foods.  I also received 7 colonics to detox my colon in order to allow proper assimilation of the cancer-fighting nutrients I was putting into my body. I did many other things to detox my body also, such as drinking Essiac Tea, reflexology, drinking Alkaline water, sweating in a dry heat sauna, and exercising on a Cellerciser rebounder. During this time I also kept my anxiety levels calm through prayer, reading biblical scripture, and reciting positive affirmations.
My January HcG Test showed improvement from my November score. I was set for another HcG test in March when I discovered I was pregnant. It was a scary and uncharted territory for us. My oncologist seemed confident and we worked together along with my OBGYN through the next few months of morning sickness and blood tests to make sure my body was handling the pregnancy well and the cancer wasn’t acting up.

Finally, on May 4th, 2009, Dr. Szabo gave us the surprising news that I was in “clinical” remission! He believed that CT/PET scans were NOT a superior way to monitor the form of cancer I had because of its indolent nature. Instead, I am monitored via bloodwork and physical examinations.  Following several months of excellent health reports, I received “clinical” remission status. I went on to have an unmedicated and natural birth to Ruby-Claire Campbell on November 19^th 2009.

As of this writing in October, 2011 I remain in clinical remission. I have chosen to address my cancer through lifestyle change. This is a lifelong commitment. My diet is not as extreme as it was in the beginning, but I still stay completely away from sugar, processed foods, and conventional foods. I eat a TON of nutrient-dense, organic vegetables: a big, colorful salad and 64 ounce veggie smoothie everyday. I rarely eat meat, but when I do, it is grass fed, free-range meat or wild-caught fish. I still drink green tea, take Vitamin C, and Dr. David Williams’ vitamin supplements each day. I eat the Cottage Cheese/ Flaxseed Oil mixture at least 4 days a week.

I think there is a place for conventional medical treatment and intervention/monitoring. For my husband and I, it was a PRAYERFUL decision to approach the cancer the way we did. We believe that God gave us a fully functioning, self-healing body that when brought back to its original state can fight off the malfunctioning cell growth of any form of cancer. It will be a journey to keep the cancer away, not a destination. That is how we hope Americans will begin to look at their health care.
For a more detailed version of this story, please click HERE.
My Series on Fighting Cancer with Alternative Therapies
Introduction
Part 1: A Day in the Life On My Alternative Cancer Protocol
Part 2: 5 Tips for Alternative Cancer Confidence
Part 3: You Need an Advocate to Support You!
Part 4: Facing the Critics of Alternative Cancer Treatment: Friends, Family and Forums Who Mean Well
Part 5: The Three Day “Eat For the Cure!”

31 Things: Visit the Harry Potter Theme Park

This past week I went with my Dad to Orlando, Florida. He had a business trip, and then we took an extra few days to visit Universal Studios. We basically had two days travel, I had two days to myself while he was in conference and we spent the weekend at Universal. Overall I'm glad we got to go on this trip, but it definitely had it's ups and downs. The downs included GPS issues, arriving at addresses that didn't exist, wasting time on my two days and barely getting anything done, rain on our first morning at the amusement park, lack of decent food choices, which all created a bit of crankiness on my part. On the bright side, I visited a really cool (and expensive!!) raw vegan restaurant called Cafe 118. I had a fabulous Tropical smoothie of pineapple, banana and coconut. I also ordered the raw lasagna, and a few desserts to go. Very friendly atmosphere, tasty food, but prepared to break the bank. And....of course there was the HARRY POTTER THEME PARK!!! Sadly it was raining for a bit that morning, but by the time we got the the Harry Potter section the rain had mostly stopped. They really did a great job recreating the town and Harry's school, etc. It all seemed very real. Most of the stores were just gimmicky, but we saw a demo at Olivander's wand shop, which was a lot of fun, toured the castle in a full action ride, and just had a really good time. The other positive was due to my health, my Dad had to wheel me around in a wheelchair (that's not the positive) and because of this, we got to cut through so many lines. They had regular and express lanes, express lanes were something people paid extra for, but often times they saw the wheelchair and the employees ushered us through the express lane. We rarely waited for rides or shows. Overall it was a pretty good trip. Here are some photos.

Raw Lasagna

Raw Smores

Raw Hazelnut Tart

Entrance to Harry Potter Park

Hogwarts Express

Hogwarts School 

Now that I'm back, it's time to do some cleansing! Will post details soon.

David Wolfe's Raw Granola Recipe

This is a super simple recipe for a delicious raw granola. I've modified it some from the original recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups almonds (soaked 8 hours)
1/2 cup raisins
2T lemon juice
2T cinnamon (I might increase to 3 if you really dig cinnamon)
2T Bee Pollen
3T Cacao Nibs
Optional: Raw honey, fruit, for toppings

Directions:
In a food processor, mix almonds, raisins, lemon juice, cinnamon and bee pollen until reaches a granola consistency. Remove from food processor and stir in cacao nibs. Top with honey, bananas or any other kind of fruit and serve!

My Cancer Journey

Seven years ago this summer a lump in my neck turned out to be Hodgkin Lymphoma, a cancer that affects the lymphatic system. I like to joke to people that on Monday of that week, I received a promotion at work making me the General Manger of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. On Thursday I signed the papers for my first home, and on Friday, I was diagnosed with cancer. It's not really funny, but amazing to me that so many life changing situations happened literally at once.

When I found out my diagnosis, I was relieved. I had been suffering from severe depression, to the point of suicide and had prayed that something would happen to take me from this world. I felt like I got my wish. A few weeks after my initial diagnosis, I had an appointment with an oncologist, who discovered the cancer had spread to both sides of my neck and down through my chest. This is highly unusual, and at the time I believed it happened because I wanted to die. Why I still think that may have been a part of it, I've recently learned a bit more about cancer and it's possible the biopsy they did actually cause the cancer to spread. You can read more about this in my previous post, What Your Oncologist Never Told You About Cancer.

My parents were of course extremely concerned; my Dad's reaction to the news is the reason I initially decided to live instead of letting it take me. I told my doctor I would not be going through chemo or radiation and she told me I wouldn't make it to the holidays. Seven years ago. Never allow the doctors to scare you with a death deadline, you create your own destiny.

Once making the decision to heal holistically, I checked out every book, blog, dvd, etc. that related to healing cancer. I believe that any disease, is an imbalance in the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. Most western medicines only focus on the physical, and most of the time the symptoms rather than the actual cause. I started out by changing my diet, going on a strict vegan raw food diet for the first year. I lost over 100lbs, and completely stopped the spread of cancer. I also did some emotional healing. Check out my post on Healing With Energy Psychology for more info on this.

After a couple of years, things remained stable, and I got frustrated. I fell off the wagon, started eating junk again, ignored the emotional work, hadn't even acknowledged the spiritual work, and dove into work. I worked a lot of hours and had the weight of the world on my shoulders. In the Spring of 2009, I started having a lot of fatigue issues. I went in for my tests, and the cancer had spread like wildfire. I had cancer in my lungs, under my arms, kidney, etc. Everything on my blood tests was off the charts bad, my organs had started to shutdown, and this time my Naturopath, who normally is very supportive, told me there was nothing more to be done and to put my affairs in order, it would only be a matter of weeks. I realized at this point I couldn't jack around anymore. I had to make a choice: live or die, and that choice had to be mine. I couldn't do it for my Dad or anyone else, it had to be for me. I took a couple weeks off of work, ate lots of veggies, spent a lot of time in bed, because by this time I could barely move, and decided that I really hadn't given life a proper chance. So I made my choice.

Two years later and obviously I chose to live. This time, instead of focusing mostly on the physical and half-hearted with the emotional, I have undergone entire lifestyle changes. Physically I got back into a healthy diet, focusing on Green Smoothies. I incorporated Superfoods into my diet, reversing many of the poor results on my blood tests. Triton, my furry 142lbs newfoundland/great dane mix got my booty shaking with daily walks. I also bounce on a rebounder, and started getting into yoga. I detox my body daily by skin brushing, make regular colonics appointments, etc. I got certified in Reiki, an energy healing tool, and receive other energy healing from my Mom. You can read about how one of the tumors in my neck shrank in under 15 minutes with several witnesses in my post Healing With Tuning Fork Sound Therapy.

Emotionally, I started doing mirror exercises, reading Louise Hay, using EFT (emotional freedom technique) to release the emotional causes of my cancer, forgiveness exercises and much more. Spiritually I recognized my connection with the Universe, meditate daily, and next week will embark on a Spiritual journey as I fly to Oregon for a Vipssanna Meditation retreat.

So how am I doing? Tumors in my armpits are breaking into pieces. The primary tumor in my neck split into two, and once piece is shrinking, while the other is slowly pushing itself out of my body. Whoa! My energy levels are up, I am still anemic, but I did go up a point on my latest blood test. I'm healing, and with a little more work and a lot of faith, I plan on ending 2011 completely healthy and free of cancer, eczema, anemia and hormone imbalances.

The things mentioned are just a few of the healing tools I have used, but the ones I found most effective. Once I return from Oregon, I will get updated tests, and I intend to kickstart a new healing program. More on this later.

What do you do to stay healthy? Have you ever faced a major disease? How did you handle it?

Crazy Sexy Diet

I've been following the work of Kris Carr for a few years now.  Eight years ago she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, incurable. Instead of giving up, she decided focus on healing herself. She filmed a documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer, that showed us doctor's visits, emotional breakdowns, and discovering green smoothies.  She has written three books now, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, Crazy Sexy Cancer Journal and the new Crazy Sexy Diet. 

Crazy Sexy Diet is a great tool for anyone hoping to heal themselves from any ailment, or someone simply wishing to convert to a healthier diet. In her book, Kris encourages readers to "eat your veggies and shake your God pod."  Eating a high alkaline diet, and moving your body, are two important keys in her lifestyle guide. Ten chapters cover topics such as testing your PH, the truth behind sugar and milk, detoxing your body, juicing tips, meditation, healthy snacks, supplements, and most importantly, her 21 Day Adventure Cleanse. The cleanse is worth the price of the book.  Kris' cleanse does not restrict how much you can eat, only what you eat.  She provides daily encouragement, through affirmations, fun tips, and exercise suggestions. The cleanse also includes a weekly juice fast, giving your body a day of rest to release as many toxins as possible.

With guest articles from greats such as Dr. Brian Clement, Emily Deschanel, Rory Freedman and many more, this book is packed with excellent tips for converting to a healthy lifestyle that will make you feel great and heal your body.

Rawman & Green Girl: Cartoon Superheroes

How do you introduce rawfoods, green smoothies, organic living and composting to a little kid? Cartoons of course! These videos are cheesy, fun and educational.  Check them out, share them with your kids, and support this wonderful cause!

Rawman & Green Girl on Cafe Press: http://shop.cafepress.com/rawman-&-green-girl

Ho'oponopono Meditation

In my previous blog on Balancing the Mind I mentioned a Ho'oponopono meditation I did.  Hoʻoponopono (ho-o-pono-pono) is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness.  "Thank You, I Love You, Please Forgive Me, I'm Sorry." This is the Ho'oponopono mantra.  Recently, raw food activist Angela Stokes-Monarch featured this powerful prayer in her blog.  She describes two meditations that she practiced using this mantra, one she called Healing the Ancestral Lineage and the other the Animal Healing Meditation.  The first deals with blockages in your ancestral line, things you may be carrying from relatives in your past.  The other she did to clear the energy from all the animals she consumed before choosing the vegan lifestyle.  I decided to focus on the Animal Healing Meditation first.  I laid down, legs straight, arms uncrossed, and visualized cows, pigs, chickens, etc in various conditions.  I mentally repeated the Ho'oponopono prayer over and over again in my head as I visualized.  After a few minutes passed I started visualizing an image of myself as a little girl, then my current self looking in a full body mirror, images of my tumors, and people on my forgiveness list also popped up.  I kept on mentally repeating the mantra, as I explored many different issues, even world issues.  I felt tingles up and down my body and the mama tumor in my neck started to vibrate.  I'm not quite sure how long this experience lasted, anywhere from 15-20 minutes, but afterwards I felt such a release and I swear some of my tumors had changed.  I highly recommend this incredible clearing experience.

Loving Tuesday's: Health and Beauty

I love my new Desert Essence Organics Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner, Burt's Bee's facial scrub, goji berries, fresh purple basil from the farmer's market, bouncing on my rebounder, walking down the Trolley Trail with Triton, picking out delicious sounding yogurts for Mom (even though I wouldn't eat them myself), reading Shazzie's Detox Your World, my dry skin brush, Silk's new Dark Chocolate Almond Milk, cozy black sandals, ballerina slippers, going out without makeup, curling my hair, colonics, deep restorative sleep, raw "southern greens" (yummy kale and collards with cayenne and garlic), RAW CACAO, green smoothies, meditation, dancing to Grace Potter and the Nocturals, local natural soap company Zum, Bad Seed Farmer's market, Tooth Soap, exfoliating with my foot scrubber, aloe vera, walking in the park, smelling the fresh Irises I just put in a vase, raw veggies, strawberries, the zapper, painting my nails in wild colors, laughter