Cancer Healing Research Trip Around the World

Dissertation Completed on "Spontaneous" Remission

2011-02-07T14:11:00.000-08:00

"Spontaneous" Remission Research Update from Kelly A. Turner - March 2011

I am happy to report that I successfully defended my dissertation last semester and graduated with my PhD from the University of California at Berkeley on December 15th, 2010.

If you would like to read a copy of my dissertation, you may do so by clicking here and then looking for the "PDF Download" link. (Blogspot unfortunately does not allow me to post PDF's; otherwise I would post it here). I cannot thank my interviewees enough for making this document what it is. My dissertation was, by necessity, long and wordy. If you are short on reading time, I recommend reading the Abstract and then jumping right to the Findings section.

So what next?

I am currently working on turning my dissertation into a book for cancer patients and designing a companion website that will allow people to both submit their healing stories online (anonymously if they wish) and/or search for healing stories that match their diagnosis. I hope that this book/website will prove to be both a source of support for cancer patients, and also a trove of rich data for researchers. I remain passionately interested in investigating why some people heal from cancer against unlikely odds, and I look forward to continuing to research and publish on this subject.

If you would like to know when the book is coming out, please enter your email address below. I thank you for your interest and support.

All my best,
Kelly A. Turner, PhD
kellyturner@shuniyahealing.com

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Research Update: August 2010

2010-08-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and colleagues,

I have spent the last year writing up all that I learned from the 50 healers that I interviewed during my trip, and also interviewing 20 new cancer survivors who experienced a "Spontaneous" Remission. In the center of the photo above is Shin Terayama, one of the 20 amazing cancer survivors I interviewed this past year who experienced a "Spontaneous" Remission from cancer - that is, a remission that occurs without any Western Medicine, or that occurs after Western Medicine has failed to achieve remission. Shin recovered from metastatic renal cell (kidney) cancer using alternative methods after he was sent home from the hospital on hospice. He has been cancer-free for 22 years.

The term "Spontaneous Remission" (SR) was coined in the early 1900's by Western doctors who could not understand why or how a remission could occur without Western medical treatment. To them, these rare remissions seemed "spontaneous." What is more likely, however, is that these unexpected remissions do have a cause, although one that has not yet been identified. My dissertation research set out to identify possible causes of "Spontaneous" Remission by interviewing 50 healers from around the world and 20 people who have personally experienced a "Spontaneous" Remission.

The hypotheses that my interviewees provided me with centered around the following central theme: Change the conditions under which cancer thrives. This theme is a departure from the traditional Western Medicine approach to cancer, which typically aims to "kill" cancer cells and then hopes they do not grow back. In contrast, my interviewees suggested changing the underlying conditions in the mind-body system, thereby allowing cancer cells to die off naturally. In addition, my interviewees theorized that if these changes were permanent, then cancer would not grow back.

The changes that my interviewees suggested making in order to change the conditions under which cancer thrives included physical, mental/emotional, energetic, and spiritual changes. The most frequent changes suggested were: radically changing one's diet, taking herbs/vitamins to cleanse the body and boost the immune system, releasing negative emotions (e.g., fear, anger), increasing positive emotions (e.g., love, happiness), following one's intuition regarding medical treatment, and deepening one's spiritual connection.

This is a very brief summary of my findings. I will be presenting my findings more fully at the American Public Health Association's national conference on November 8th in Denver, CO, and at other conferences in the spring of 2011. I am currently working on the final revisions of the dissertation, and have plans to turn it into both an academic journal article and a book for the general public. I will make an announcement on this website when the complete dissertation is ready to read, and when any other publications or presentations are scheduled. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me at kturner59@berkeley.edu if you have any questions.

Thank you very much to all of my 70 amazing interviewees - your true stories of healing were an inspiration to me about what the human mind/body system is capable of doing, and I am honored to share your true stories now with others who may benefit from hearing them. Although we may not have (yet) figured out exactly why you healed, the fact that you did indicates that we still have much to learn about the human system.

Sincerely,

Kelly A. Turner, MSW, PhD Candidate

University of California at Berkeley

Moving onto Phase II: Interviews with Cancer Survivors

2009-08-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

I have returned safely from my year of travels and interviews with amazing healers, and have begun the second phase of my research, which is interviewing former cancer patients who have experienced 'spontaneous' or unexpected remissions. Thank you to all whom I met this year during the first phase of my research - it was an honor to meet and learn from you, and I very much look forward to reflecting upon all that you shared with me as I write my dissertation.

For those of you who are viewing this site for the first time, please go HERE to read an introduction to this research project. Also, please feel free to read the various postings from my year of healer interviews; they are all listed below on the right-hand side under "Blog Archive."

Finally, if you are a cancer survivor who experienced an unexpected remission, or if you know someone who fits that description, please email me at kturner59@berkeley.edu. I would love to hear your healing story and include it (anonymously if you wish) in this research project.

Sincerely,

Kelly Turner, PhD Candidate

University of California at Berkeley

Brazil Summary

2009-07-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

For my healing research in Brazil, I spent four weeks at Jiao Teixeira Da Faria’s (nicknamed John of God) healing center named ‘La Casa de Dom Inacio,’ and I also visited a shaman healer in Rio de Janeiro named Carlos Sauer. The content of my Brazil interviews was both similar to what I’ve been hearing all year and also new in some respects. I will describe my interviews briefly here and will give a much fuller description in my final dissertation.

La Casa de Dom Inacio is a spiritual healing center in rural Brazil that is part of the Spiritist movement, although this center also has a heavy Catholic influence. The medium at this center, Jiao Teixeira Da Faria, has become internationally known in the last ten years for his healing work with terminally ill patients, having been featured on prominent news programs such as ABC Primetime and others. There are many full-length books that describe the healing that occurs at this center, but I will attempt to describe it briefly here. The core beliefs held at this healing center are 1) that humans are primarily spiritual/emotional souls living in secondarily physical and temporary bodies, 2) that therefore all illnesses have at least some spiritual/emotional component to them, 3) that ‘God’ is an infinitely loving energy source that humans can tap into for healing (e.g., via meditation, prayer, or faith), 4) that one’s soul is housed temporarily in a body during its time on Earth and continues to exist after the expiration of the physical body, at which point it is called a spirit or entity, and 5) that some humans, called mediums, have the in-born ability to communicate with such spirits.

Jiao Teixeira Da Faria is supposedly one such medium; more specifically, he is called a “full-trance” medium, meaning that he (i.e., his soul) can purportedly leave his body when he chooses so that a spirit can temporarily incorporate into the now-empty body and thereby perform healing work. Jiao “donates” his body for this healing work every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and all healing is given free of charge, as per the instructions of the spirits who work through him. He sees on average 700 people per day; it is estimated that he has seen 4 million unique people thus far during his 40 years of healing service. There are supposedly more than 38 different spirits who have incorporated into Jiao’s body since he was 9 years old; the most frequent spirits to incorporate identify themselves as the late Dr. Augusto de Almeida, the late Dr. Oswaldo Cruz, the late Dr. Jose Valdivino, and the late St. Ignatius of Loyola (after whom the center is named). Jiao’s speaking voice, personality, and physical mannerisms all change depending on which spirit he is incorporating that day. Each spirit also has a different healing specialty, and therefore a different spirit may incorporate depending on the needs of that particular patient.

The healing that occurs at the center can best be described as energy or spiritual healing, since the vast majority of people cannot physically see what is being done at the center, although many see physical changes immediately afterwards (e.g., a palpable tumor disappearing, being able to walk again, etc.). I say ‘vast majority’ because some people purportedly have the ability to see the spirits and the energy work that they perform as they are working through Jiao. The spirits who work through Jiao do not explain much about what they are doing exactly, although they have said repeatedly over the years (via Jiao) that they use the “energy of love” or the “energy of God” to do their work. The first room that a person walks through purportedly functions to energetically cleanse any negative or ‘stuck’ energy in that person’s energy field; the person is also supposedly diagnosed by the spirits in this room. The second room that a person walks through supposedly functions to provide him/her with a surge of high-frequency, loving energy, which is supposed to speed up (or start) the healing process.

After walking through the second room, the person who has come for healing will speak briefly to the incorporated Jiao. Usually no conversation is necessary, however, since the incorporated Jiao typically looks intensely at the person as he/she approaches and announces the treatment plan before that person has even had a chance to describe his/her problem. Also, the incorporated spirit is purportedly giving that person another surge of high-frequency healing energy in that brief encounter. The ‘treatment’ that is prescribed is either 1) an energetic/spiritual ‘operation’ to be had later that day, 2) herbal supplements to be taken for 2-3 months, 3) one or more dips under the center’s healing waterfall, 4) one or more sessions sitting in the first or second meditation room, or 5) one or more sessions laying under a ‘bed’ of crystals. Furthermore, everyone who goes to see Jiao-in-Entity is asked to eat the free vegetable soup that is provided afterwards, as it is considered infused with healing energy and therefore part of their treatment.

About 3% of people who have been recommended for a spiritual ‘operation’ on any given day will voluntarily request a physical surgery instead. The Entities will oblige by performing a physical surgery (via Jiao), although they have said repeatedly that an energetic surgery is just as effective. They say that a person who requests a physical surgery does so because he/she needs physical proof that something is being done to his/her body to heal it. However, due to Jiao-in-Entity’s high success rate with the spiritual/invisible surgeries (estimated at around 75-80%), the physical surgeries are becoming less and less popular. Nevertheless, the physical surgeries are unusual because 1) anesthesia is not used yet the patients report no or very little pain, 2) typical antiseptic procedures are not followed yet no case of infection has ever been reported in the 40 years that Jiao has performed these physical surgeries, and 3) little to no bleeding occurs. The spirits that work through Jiao have explained that they use an energetic or spiritual anesthesia that 1) numbs the patient, 2) eliminates completely the risk of infection, and 3) speeds up the blood-clotting process to such a degree that little to no bleeding occurs.

During the four weeks that I was there, Jiao-in-Entity saw between 500-1,000 people every day that he worked (every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday). While many people were there for the first time, I did meet many people who had been healed from metastatic cancer, severe stroke paralysis, etc. and were returning because they enjoyed the “energy” of the center and wanted to maintain their healthy status. Others were experiencing a much slower healing process that required them to return occasionally for continued healing energy. Despite the many verified cases of healing at this center - many of which baffle medical doctors when the patient returns healthy - there are also people who do not get healed at this center. The Entities have explained that they are conducting spiritual healing and that therefore a person’s soul is always helped through their work; however, that does not mean that the person’s body is necessarily helped or even healed. In the belief system of this healing center, a person’s soul may have chosen to go through a long illness as a way to learn or experience certain things, or that soul may be ready to leave the body and is choosing that illness as its method of leaving. Many terminal patients who come to this center and are not physically healed have nevertheless reported that they returned to their homes feeling a deep level of peace that, according to their families, allowed them to die/leave their body with ease, less pain, and love. In my brief interview with Jiao while he was not incorporated, he simply recommended that cancer patients “find the right doctor, take good medicine, and have faith.” Interestingly, the Entities have repeatedly disapproved of the word ‘cancer,’ which they say brings unnecessary fear to the patient; instead, they describe it as a ‘spider’ in the body or in the energetic field. There is much more to say about my four weeks at John of God’s center; however, I will save any further description for my dissertation.

My final interview in Brazil was with Carlos Saur, a gifted Brazilian-born shaman who also spent 20 years living in the U.S. where he was trained by Cheyenne Native Americans in the art of sweat lodge ceremonies. Like many of the healers I’ve interviewed this year, Carlos believes that many illnesses have an emotional or spiritual component to them, such as repressed emotional trauma or negative feelings that have been lodged into the body. While Carlos does not claim to treat cancer, he has helped cancer patients to eliminate or significantly reduce the size of their tumors through his energy healing. In addition to recommending a sweat lodge ceremony to his patients when appropriate, Carlos also gives one-on-one healing sessions wherein he goes into a meditative/trance-like state in order to sense where the emotional blockages are in the patient’s body. He is then able to draw the negative or blocked energy out of the person’s body via a special Native American yawning technique, which I had the honor of observing. He performs his healing work with the help of drumming and chanting, which he uses to call his spirit guides who guide him in his work. Carlos had many other insights into health and illness in general, which I will describe fully in my dissertation.

Africa Summary

2009-05-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

My interviews in Africa revealed a fascinating blend of traditional Spiritist practices overlaid with Christian beliefs and Western medical concepts. Although Western medical facilities exist in Zambia and Zimbabwe, I purposely focused my interviews on non-Western practitioners in order to collect non-Allopathic ideas about cancer and cancer treatment. Before I summarize my five interviews, however, I would first like to thank my hosts and translators, without whom the interviews never would have been possible. Therefore, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Debbie, Pete, Benson, and James in Lusaka; to Honour, Rachel, Bella, and Ben in Livingstone; and to Vusa in Victoria Falls.

One of my first interviews was with Traditional Doctor W. Z. Mwale, a diviner and also the Director of Research at the Traditional Healing Practitioners Association of Zambia (THPAZ). According to Dr. Mwale, there are 40,000 registered Traditional Healers in Zambia and 85% of the population will use Traditional Medicine at some point in their lives. THPAZ separates these 40,000 healers into five categories: herbalists, spiritual healers, faith healers, diviners, and traditional birthing assistants. Herbalists prescribe herbs and learn their trade through an apprenticeship or through books that have been passed down from their ancestors. Spiritual healers also prescribe herbs, but they do so through the guidance of spirits who communicate with them via dreams. Such spirits typically come to a person when he/she is in his/her early 20’s and when he/she is ‘worthy’ of spirit possession, meaning that he/she is honest, humble, kind, and has the strength of character necessary to follow the lifestyle guidelines that the spirits will require (e.g., not eating pork, not committing adultery, not lying, etc.). It is considered a blessing to be possessed by these ‘good’ spirits and thereby to become a spiritual healer. Faith healers are identical to Spiritual healers except that they are possessed by the spirits of Christian saints, such as John, Mary, or Michael. Faith healers also distinguish themselves by wearing traditional Christian robes and crosses and by carrying a bible. Diviners have the ability to know a patient’s diagnosis, etiology, and treatment by ‘reading’ messages that are in mirrors or that are in the pattern of bones that have been thrown into a bowl. Finally, Traditional Birthing Assistants are female Herbalists, Spiritual healers, Faith healers or Diviners who specialize in the birthing process.

Regarding cancer, Dr. Mwale spoke mostly of being able to treat cancers that present as wounds on the skin. From a Western medical perspective, Dr. Mwale may be referring to skin cancer or to other cancers (e.g., breast cancer) that are so advanced that the tumor protrudes through the skin and therefore appears as a wound. Furthermore, Dr. Mwale said that cancer is a very serious disease that is typically very difficult for traditional healers to treat. Nonetheless, his typical treatment for cancer (when it presents as a wound) is first to treat the wound with herbs that wash the wound, and second to put a different herb onto the now-clean wound in the hopes of killing the cancer. Dr. Mwale and all of my interviewees in Zambia and Zimbabwe were not willing to identify or disclose the names of the herbs they use for intellectual property reasons. They are all struggling to make a living as healers and keeping their herbal knowledge secret is the only way that they can continue to earn a living. Generally speaking, Dr. Mwale believes that all illnesses, including cancer, are caused by either “natural causes” (i.e., bacteria, toxins) or by witchraft (i.e., someone else wishing an illness on you). If the illness is caused by natural causes, then Dr. Mwale believes that Western medicine will be able to treat it successfully. If the illness, however, is caused by witchcraft, he believes that only traditional medicine can lead to a cure. Finally, Dr. Mwale noted that he is a Christian and, consequently, believes that witchcraft and its practitioners are aligned with the Devil, while Spiritual healing and its practitioners are aligned with God.

My second interview was with Trad. Dr. Masamba Yasyiana of Lusaka. She is a Spiritual healer who first learned about herbs from her mother and then was blessed with the spirit of her mother (and other ancestors) after her mother’s death. Because cancer in Zambia is not as prevalent or prominent as other diseases (such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB), Dr. Yasyiana does not have much experience treating it. However, she did say that most of the cancers she sees are caused by smoking, and that the four herbs that she uses to treat cancer have the ability to stabilize it. Nevertheless, she notes that Western Medicine is often necessary to completely cure cancer or to treat cases of advanced cancer. Generally speaking, Dr. Yasyiana believes that all diseases come from the devil in some way, and therefore that herbs prescribed by a Spiritual healer are helpful in any illness.

My third interview was with a husband and wife team of Spiritual healers, Trad Drs. Chininda and Chilyamulopa. Both were blessed with the spirit possessions of their ancestors, who now communicate with them via dreams. They are also both Christians and believe that there are two extremes in life – God and the Devil. According to their belief system, all humans as well as all spirits fall under the ancestral lineage of either God or the Devil. As Spiritual healers, they are under God’s lineage, while they consider witch doctors to be under the Devil’s lineage. Regarding cancer, they believe that it can be treated by herbs when it is in its early stages; however, in its later stages they note that it is “impossible to control” and terminal. They believe that cancer is caused by a germ/bacteria that eats away at the body, and the spirits have therefore guided them to use two herbs to treat cases of cancer: one herb to wash the wound, and a second herb to kill the bacteria. (Note: By once again referring to cancer as a ‘wound,’ it would seem from a Western standpoint that they are treating either skin cancer or an internal cancer that is at a very advanced stage). When asked about possible mechanisms behind the Spontaneous Remission (SR) of cancer, they commented, “faith must be happening.” They said that faith on behalf of the patient is necessary for any treatment to work, and that such faith is usually the belief that the herbs will work based on the fact that the doctor has used the same herbs to successfully treat similar patients in the past. However, in cases of SR, they believe that a stronger level of faith must be present.

My fourth interview was with Trad. Dr. Teppy from Zimbabwe. Like my other interviewees, she is Christian and was blessed with the spirits in her 20’s. In her case, most of one side of her body was suddenly paralyzed, which she believes was the spirits’ way of calling her into the profession. Through her spiritual training which lasted one year, the paralysis slowly went away. Now she invites her patients to spend the night at her house so that her spirits can send her dreams about their conditions, and she prescribes herbs according to what the dreams advise. She believes that her spirits are never wrong in their diagnosis or treatment recommendations; however, she sometimes needs to refer a patient to one of her colleagues who may have a specific herb that she does not have. Similar to my other interviews, Dr. Teppy believes that illness either comes from natural causes (e.g., germs) or from “bad people wishing it on you.” In terms of cancer, she has treated both “cancer on the outside [of the skin],” which she believes is due to natural causes, and “cancer on the inside [of the body],” which she believes is caused by a witchcraft curse. She uses different herbs depending on whether the cancer is on the inside or the outside, and notes that ‘cancer on the inside’ is much more difficult to treat. However, she says that she has cured some cases of ‘cancer on the inside’ with her special herbs that first clean the blood and then kill the cancer.

My final interview was with Trad. Dr. Chempamsha Kashinka, who was raised by his grandmother, who was also a Spiritual Healer. After she died, her spirit came to him to continue on the lineage of healers in their family. As with my other interviewees, Dr. Kashinka’s spirits communicate the diagnosis, etiology, and herbal prescription of his patients to him via dreams. According to Dr. Kashinka, cancer (and malaria, too) is presently harder to cure with herbs and other traditional methods than it used to be in times past. He attributes this decreased response to treatment to the chemicals in foods these days, the lack of vegetables and the overabundance of greasy food in the modern diet, and the abandonment of traditional values and behaviors. For example, he notes that young people today are much more promiscuous than they used to be, and that traditional rules such as ‘menstruating women should not prepare food’ or ‘a man should not have sexual relations with a menstruating woman’ are no longer being followed. Dr. Kashinka treats cancer using herbs and dosages that his spirits prescribe. He believes that cancer can be caused either by chemicals or by someone else wishing it on you (i.e., witchcraft). Finally, when asked about possible mechanisms behind the Spontaneous Remission of cancer, he replied, “You’ve got to believe.” He went on to explain the power of fully believing in one’s treatment and cure.

In summary, my interviews in Zambia and Zimbabwe were incredibly interesting from an anthropological standpoint. However, because the type and dosage of herbs that the healers use for cancer differ for each individual patient and differ amongst the various healers, I was not able to collect any tangible information that could be useful to cancer patients elsewhere. Furthermore, the understandable reluctance of the healers to reveal or share the details of their practices and prescriptions also made collecting transferable information very difficult. Finally, I was struck by how cancer is not a high priority for Traditional Healers in Zambia and Zimbabwe, since most of their patients are dealing with diseases such as malaria, TB, or HIV/AIDS. Nonetheless, the theme of herbal medicine and the theme of belief (and its importance in healing) are two themes that have come up repeatedly in my interviews throughout this year.

India & England Summaries

2009-04-14T05:58:00.000-07:00

The trip and its interviews have been picking up in momentum, which has given me less time to summarize them here. However, I will briefly summarize the interviews I had in India and England, while my final dissertation will include a much more detailed account of these interviews.

My focus in India was on Yogic and Ayurvedic healing, two alternative modalities to which many cancer patients have turned. My interviews regarding Yogic healing were held at Aurovalley Ashram, an ashram that follows the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. My interviews with the head Swami and the head asana instructor there revealed similar philosophies about health and healing. Briefly, they propose that illness comes about when there is a disequilibrium in the being somewhere, whether in the physical body, the ‘vital’ (emotional) body, the mental body, or the ‘psychic’ (intuitive, spiritual) body. Regardless of what caused the disequilibrium, the method of restoring equilibrium is always the same – raise your consciousness from the level of the physical/emotional/mental up to the psychic/spiritual. They noted that there are many different ways to raise one’s consciousness, although two methods that they often utilize are silent meditation and yoga asana practice.

There are many key points that underlie this simple prescription for health. First is the belief that life is a game/process whose sole purpose is to move each human being from a state of feeling finite and separated to a state of feeling infinite and joined to (what they refer to as) the Divine. Within this process, illness is seen as an opportunity to make a change in one’s life in order to move closer to the infinite and to the Divine. In this sense, illness can also be viewed as an ‘alarm bell’ from one’s soul announcing that one has gotten off-track somehow, either through poor physical habits (i.e., smoking, intake of toxins), poor emotional habits (i.e., excessive anger, jealousy, greed), or poor mental habits (i.e., constant worrying, constant thinking). The solution that is recommended for any one of these afflictions is to focus more on developing the psychic/spiritual being, because the mere action of developing this part of one’s being will automatically move it back on track, moving it closer to the Divine. When asked about Spontaneous Remission of cancer, both interviewees agreed that anything is curable and that anything is possible if people focus all of their time and energy towards merging their consciousness with the infinite Divine force.

One resident of the ashram was a living example of these healing methods in action, and she was kind enough to grant me an interview. This young woman had come to the ashram three months earlier from Europe, where she had developed a host of severe illnesses that caused her tremendous pain and required multiple medications. Her primary illness was severe, poly-cystic kidney disease (PKD) and her secondary illnesses were endometriosis and recurrent chest infections. Deciding to reject her doctor’s prognosis of constant pain and failing kidneys, she followed a friend’s advice and came to Aurovalley ashram to try to recover her health. Having never been exposed to yoga belief systems before, she was unprepared for the attention given to the mind and spirit. However, she approached it all with an open mind and began two meditation sessions per day and one intensive asana session per day. Within the first few days, her instincts told her to stop taking her pain medications; after doing so, her pain subsided within the first month. She also partook of the ashram’s vegetarian-only meals and no-alcohol policy. While she acknowledges the importance of a healthy diet and a toxin-free environment, she feels that the main source of her healing has been the “energy” that she connects to during meditation and throughout her day, which she believes has a healing effect on all the cells of her body. She looks forward to getting an MRI in a few months, which she is sure will show two, cyst-free kidneys.

My final interview was with Dr. Mamgain, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Ayurvedic Medicine at HIHT University. The Ayurvedic system of medicine is complex and very in-depth; however, I will summarize some key points of the interview here. Ayurveda is a system of medicine that takes into account the patient’s mental and emotional state, as well as the physical. Diagnosis is multi-faceted and includes the observation of very subtle indicators, such as the color of the tongue or the quality of the pulse. Diagnosis allows the practitioner to classify the patient within three ‘doshas’ or classifications, called vatta (airy/light), pittha (fire/movement), and kapha (earth/inertia). In Ayurveda, each person is seen to have qualities of all three doshas; however, a person is often born with a predominance of one or two. Being too extreme in one of the doshas can lead to illness. Therefore, the key to health is finding a functional balance between the three doshas. Restoring balance is achieved through an intensive cleansing treatment called panchakarma, followed by permanent lifestyle changes such as diet recommendations (e.g., no processed foods), mental/emotional recommendations (e.g., reduce sources of stress), and herbal supplements to help maintain the functional balance. Therapeutic oils are also a key treatment in Ayurveda. In Ayurveda, cancer is seen as an end-stage disease that represents severe imbalances in the doshas, often in all three. Panchakarma followed by lifestyle changes and herbal supplements is sometimes effective in bringing about remission, although sometimes the disease is too far advanced for the treatments to have anything but a palliative effect. Dr. Mamgain stressed that the mental/emotional/spiritual health of the cancer patient plays a key role in the healing process. In addition, many cancer patients come to her for an Ayurvedic ‘re-balancing’ once their chemotherapy and/or radiation is complete.

My England interviews began with a cancer survivor named Diana. Despite hereditary cancer all over her family tree, and the recent loss of her mother and sister to cancer, she achieved remission and has been cancer-free for over 10 years. She attributes her recovery to major changes that she made in her life after being diagnosed, such as removing dairy and most meat from her diet, installing a reverse-osmosis water filter for her home water supply, and beginning meditation practices. Her cancer was preceded by multiple, traumatic emotional events, such as deaths of loved ones and friction in her personal life. She believes that this emotional stress may have played a large role in the development of her cancer, especially because cancer can flourish when the immune system is weakened by stress. Dealing with the sources of emotional stress in her life and beginning a meditation practice were, in her opinion, key to her remission. The meditation practice, which she now practice daily, is a source of deep peace and fearlessness in her daily life.

My second and third England interviews were with members of the Brahma Kumaris (BK’s), a yoga-based, worldwide organization that has U.N. observer status. In this belief system, the soul is primary and the body is secondary. In other words, physical health is an effect/result of mental/spiritual health. Therefore, any illness in the body necessarily begins as a disturbance in the mind. For example, excessive worry in the mind may lead to a stomach ulcer. Alternatively, negative mental habits may weaken the body’s immune system, making it vulnerable to bacterial and viral infection. Underneath these specific examples is the BK belief that all human beings are sparks of a divine consciousness, and that such divinity is the most important aspect of ourselves. The body and mind are merely tools through which this divinity can operate in the world. The primary advice given to persons with a physical illness, therefore, is to practice meditation and to be mindful of every thought and action. These practices help to connect the person back to the divine energy source which is the primary aspect of their being. My second interviewee has witnessed Spontaneous Remissions when a person very strongly re-connects to this divine energy within them.

My fourth interview was with a retired psychiatrist and academic from Europe who has practiced and studied the interplay between the biological, psychological, and spiritual. While he gives much credence to the allopathic view of illness, he also points out that “we are past the point of questioning the mind-body connection” due to the discovery of physiological substances that are released during different emotional states (e.g., hormones, neurotransmitters, etc.). He believes that many, if not all illnesses have an emotional/mental/spiritual component to them, especially with regard to the immune system. Toward the end of his practicing career, this doctor was introduced to the idea of higher levels of consciousness/energy, and now he believes that there is an ever-present field of energy that we can connect to whenever we wish (via simple intention, meditation, psychodrama, etc.). He believes that this energy field does not originate in the body, but rather that the mind can connect to and then transmit this energy throughout the body to bring about healing; this is what he believes is occurring when reiki or energy healers work on patients. He knows of healers who have been able to shrink malignant tumors in one session using such energy work.

My fifth interview was with a well-known healer in Ireland. A psychotherapist by training, he healed his own lung cancer after he made the connection between his cancer and his repressed anger towards a family member. After he worked through and released this anger, his cancer went into remission, and chemotherapy and radiotherapy were no longer necessary. He believes that most illness originates in the mind; in other words, he believes that an unhealthy mind can lead to physical disturbances in the body that then make it more vulnerable to disease. He also believes in reincarnation and that each lifetime gives us an opportunity to learn and grow and move closer to spirit. Therefore, when working with cancer patients, he encourages them to release any unresolved emotions (especially anger) and to reconnect with spirit; it is his belief that such work will eventually allow the physical problem to resolve.

Finally, my last interview in England was with Danira Caleta, a well-known spiritual/energy healer who specializes in helping cancer patients. Danira believes in healing cancer cells, not killing them. She has observed that there is often an emotional aspect to cancer, such as a past trauma or grief that the patient has not fully processed. Her goals as an energy healer is to connect to a very powerful energy (‘spirit’ energy) and allow it to flow through her and out through her hands, which she holds a few inches above the patient’s body. In her opinion, this energy is naturally healing and rebalancing; therefore, her only job is to be a conduit of it. By combining questions about the patient’s mental and emotional state with this healing energy, she is able to release the emotional blocks in the patient so that the spirit energy can flow unhindered through the patient’s body. Using this technique, Danira has helped many cancer patients go into remission, sometimes very quickly. However, she is quick to note that unless the patient makes permanent changes in his/her life (e.g., dietary, emotional, and/or mental), the cancer may very well return.

Thailand Summary

2009-01-30T02:40:00.001-08:00

My research in Thailand consisted of an in-depth exploration of fasting and colon cleansing, a health treatment that has always been one part of traditional Thai herbal medicine – not to mention a practice found in many traditional healing systems – and which has recently experienced a surge in popularity. There have been several case reports of cancer patients who have gone into remission after such fasts/colon cleanses, which was the reason for my investigation of this treatment. I decided to engage in Participatory Research in order to understand more fully and first-hand this form of treatment. Therefore, I enrolled in a 7.5-day fast and colon-cleansing program and also conducted interviews with the head of the program and with fellow fasters. Afterward, I conducted an interview with the head of a different fasting/cleansing program and also with a ‘Family Constellation’ practitioner. I will give brief summaries of these experiences here, and will give a full analysis in my final dissertation.

The program I participated in began with a three day pre-cleanse, during which time I was instructed to eat only raw fruits and vegetables and to drink only water or fresh fruit juices. The purpose of this pre-cleanse was to begin detoxifying my digestive organs by eating foods that were nutrient-rich and yet easy to digest (as opposed to starches or proteins, which take longer to digest). Equally important, the pre-cleanse phase ensured that I created an alkaline – as opposed to an acidic – environment in my stomach and digestive organs, which was achieved by eating only fruits and vegetables (which have an alkalinizing effect on the digestive system). The developer of the cleansing program believes strongly that the overly acidic nature of the standard American diet, as well as the additional stomach acid produced by stress, contribute significantly to a variety of diseases (including cancer) and to the weakening of the immune system in general. I did not experience hunger during this phase of the program, although I did experience withdrawal symptoms from sugar and caffeine, such as brief periods of lethargy or irritability.

The afternoon before the fasting began, I was required to take a pH test of my saliva in order to check that my three days of pre-cleansing had indeed created an alkaline environment in my digestive system. My saliva test indicated that my pH was, indeed, alkaline and I was therefore instructed to eat a small salad for dinner and was given my first supplements at 7pm: three pills of herbal supplements and three pills of herbal intestinal cleansers. I would take this same set of pills five times a day for the next seven days. The purpose of the herbal supplements was to give my body all of the nutrients it needed while abstaining from solid food; the purpose of the intestinal cleanser herbs was to loosen any mucoid plaque from my intestinal walls, so that this loosened plaque could then be evacuated from my body via fiber/clay drinks and via colonics (see below).

At 7am the next morning, on Day 1 of the fast/cleanse, I drank my first fiber/water/bentonite clay shake. The purpose of the bentonite clay is to absorb any intestinal plaque that has been loosened by the herbal intestinal cleanser pills. The purpose of the fiber is two-fold: 1) it is not digestible; therefore, it serves to push the clay and plaque through and out of the body, and 2) it expands in your stomach, thereby keeping your stomach full; this prevents feelings of hunger. Every 1.5 hours I alternated taking either the six pills or the clay/fiber shake. At 2:50pm, I also drank a glass of carrot, ginger, and cucumber juice that was meant to assist in flushing out my lymphatic system. At 4pm every day I took a colonic that consisted of coffee, apple cider vinegar, and filtered water. The purpose of the colonic was to assist the fiber in moving the clay and intestinal plaque out of my system; apparently, the colonic achieves this far more quickly than fiber alone would. At 6pm every day I utilized a steam room, which helped to release toxins through my skin. At 7pm I drank a bowl of vegetable broth in order to provide minerals and to ease the mental challenges of not eating by having some sense of a “meal.” Finally, at 9pm I took a probiotic pill in order to help reestablish the friendly flora in my intestinal track, which were supposedly washed away each day by the combined effects of the clay, fiber, and colonics. On the morning of the eighth day, I took a final wheatgrass colonic to re-colonize the friendly flora in my colon. During the first four days of ‘post-cleanse,’ I slowly and sequentially re-introduced solid food: fruit first, then raw vegetables, then cooked vegetables, then simple starches, then protein. For seven days post-cleanse I also took fiber and probiotics daily.

The premise of this cleansing program posits that certain eating habits, such as eating hard-to-digest, bacteria-prone meat or predominantly acidic and enzyme-deficient foods, lead to a production of mucous on the walls of the small and large intestines. Stress also contributes to an acidic environment in the stomach, which also prompts mucous production. Over time, continual production of such mucous purportedly causes the layer of mucous closest to the intestinal wall to harden, turning into mucoid plaque. According to this cleansing program, such mucous and plaque have two major consequences: 1) they make it increasingly difficult for the body to absorb nutrients from food, and 2) they provide a breeding ground for bacteria and toxins. Both of these consequences in turn weaken the immune system. The developer of this program believes that once mucoid plaque has formed, the most effective way to remove it is with herbs. In his opinion, fasting/cleansing programs that do not use herbs to loosen mucoid plaque will have limited results. Participants of his program have reported results such as the resolution of constipation, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome; resolution of skin disorders such as psoriasis and acne; resolution of disorders such as high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, arthritis, depression, lower back pain, migraine headaches, and obesity; and an increase in energy and immune function. Some, but not all, cancer patients who have completed this program have reported remission.

My experience with the program was very positive overall. To my surprise, I did not experience hunger due to the constant fiber shakes. I did experience brief periods of lethargy and irritability, but these usually passed with time (20 minutes or so) or by drinking fresh fruit juice (which was allowed as much as was needed during the fast). I was also able to continue most daily activities including gentle walks, reading, gentle yoga practice, and computer work. I was warned that negative emotions and/or memories might arise during the fast; fortunately, I did not experience this to any notable degree, although some of the other fasters did. The most significant result that I experienced was the removal of mucoid plaque on a daily basis via the colonic process, beginning on Day 2 and continuing through Day 8. By taking photos of this plaque, I was able to confirm with both the head of the program and with photos in cleansing books that I was indeed clearing mucoid plaque out of my digestive tract. The simple, psychological benefit of knowing that such plaque is no longer in my body has been a lasting, positive result of the cleansing program.

It has now been almost four weeks since the end of the fast, and I can report that my digestion is significantly more regular than it ever has been, my skin has fewer blemishes, my allergies are less severe, I feel lighter in weight and have more energy and positive emotions than I did prior to the cleanse. Furthermore, I have not gotten sick despite my continued travels (currently in India). Research has shown that removing mucoid plaque allows the immune system to function optimally in the digestive system, thereby allowing it to identify and remove promptly any parasites or bacteria that one may ingest via food or water. As is recommended by the developer of the cleansing program, I am also currently eating a vegetarian diet (excepting eggs and dairy products), which may also be contributing to my positive results.

I had multiple informal and one formal interview with the director of the cleansing program. He told me that a few cancer patients have participated in his program over the years – some already in remission and others mid-treatment. Because he is not a medical doctor, he cannot legally say that his program treats cancer; however, he did tell me that those cancer patients who went through his program did report feeling much better after completing the cleanse in terms of their energy levels, pain levels, overall health, and positive emotions. The director is himself an experiential learner with “nature as [his] teacher”; he has participated in the 7.5-day cleanse every year for the past 11 years, eats very little meat and consumes very little alcohol, and is physically active every day. He is also known to have a consistently positive mental attitude, which I certainly witnessed during my 14 days at his center. To him, it is vitally important for one’s health to give the body a rest from eating at least once a year, so that the digestive system – as well as the rest of the body – can use the energy that is typically dedicated to digesting food to detoxify internal systems instead, especially the digestive system. For example, studies show that within 24-48 hours after abstaining from solid food, the liver detoxifies itself by expelling built-up, toxic bile. I personally saw this unmistakably green bile after my colonics on Days 2 and 3. In addition to annual fasting/cleansing, the director is a strong proponent of what he considers healthy living habits: proper food combining, vegetarianism, daily physical activity, and minimal stress/positive mental attitude.

I also interviewed the director of a different fasting/cleansing center in Thailand. Like the program in which I participated, this program was also based on Dr. Richard Anderson’s publications, so it involved similar components with only slight variations. However, this second program had a more clearly defined philosophy on health. For example, the second center proposed that health comes from the balance of five key elements: healthy eating (especially proper food combining), regular fasting/cleansing, proper breathing, regular exercise, and regular meditation (which regulates one’s mental, spiritual, and emotional aspects). The director of the second program cautioned against overly concentrating on just one of these five factors, such as becoming obsessed with healthy eating and neglecting one’s mental/spiritual aspect. This center’s philosophy also supports a return to the ‘healthier’ aspects of our past – the founder suggests remembering life 100 years ago when people ate fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm/garden; used fertile, nutrient-rich soil that did not contain pesticides; ate meat occasionally from freshly butchered animals that had been grass-fed and given no hormones or antibiotics during their life; lacked automobiles, which forced people to walk and exercise much more; and lacked a quick way to reach the nearest doctor, which forced people to turn first to herbal remedies that had been passed down through their family lineage. These are aspects of the past that the founder suggests we bring back into our lives for the sake of health.

In terms of sickness, the director personally believes that illness can come from a variety of causes, including germs that require a hospitable host (i.e., a host with a weak immune system), environmental toxins and carcinogens, or food that is either not sufficiently nutritious (e.g., due to over-farming) or toxic (e.g., due to pesticides). In terms of recovery from illness, the director personally believes that fasting/cleansing should be the first step in any return from illness, since it immediately sends the body into a detoxifying mode. He pointed out that such abstinence from food is the first thing any animal naturally does when it becomes sick. He also said that, when it comes to healing, one should never underestimate the importance of hope and faith. Finally, although he is not an oncologist, he did note that if he were to discover cancer in his own body, he would immediately go on a gentle fast that included the intake of raw fruits and vegetables only. In addition, he said he would partake in oxygenation activities, such as deep breathing, exercising, or the taking of supplements that are designed to oxygenate one’s cells, since cancer has been shown to develop when cells lack sufficient oxygen.

My final interview in Thailand was with a Family Constellation practitioner. The method of working with family constellations is a relatively new healing practice that rests on the belief that negative subconscious or repressed emotions - often handed down from one family member to the next - can lead to mental or physical illness (e.g., suicidality, cancer, etc.). As a result of this foundational belief, Family Constellation practitioners also believe that clearing such familial emotional baggage can lead to the resolution of the corresponding mental or physical illness, sometimes in a matter of weeks. There have been some case reports of cancer remission after Family Constellation therapy, which was the basis of my investigation of this practice. The clearing process forms the basis of Family Constellation work – it is done with at least two but usually more people, including at least the client and the practitioner. The session that I observed involved 20 people. First, a woman volunteered to have her physical illness ‘worked on’ and stood alone in the center of the room. The practitioner then asked her to “go deep within [her]self.” He then asked her to choose someone from the audience to represent her, using her intuition to guide her choice. He then asked her to choose someone else from the audience to represent her health. Once these two actors had been placed in the center of the room, the main participant – the person being ‘worked on’ – sat down on the side and just observed.

The practitioner then began asking the actors questions such as, “What do you [the actor playing the main client] feel when you look at your ‘health’ [the actor playing the role of the main client’s health]?” The actors were instructed to respond immediately with whatever they were feeling, either emotionally or physically. Based on their answers, the practitioner invited additional actors into the scene to play the roles of the main client’s relatives (e.g., father, spouse, etc). Through additional questions and answers, the practitioner was able to uncover the subconscious, emotional root of the main client’s physical illness. When this occurred, he asked the main client to re-enter the scene, taking the place of the actor who had been playing herself. He then asked the main client to speak ‘clearing’ words to the key relative, such as, “This [illness] is yours. I’m giving it back to you now.” According to Family Constellation theory, emotional clearing work such as this can bring about swift physical healing whenever the root of the illness is emotional and as long as the client is open to the clearing process.

I am currently conducting interviews in India and will post summaries some time in March.

New Zealand Summary

2009-01-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

Health in New Zealand is closely tied to the land. From the Maori herbs that grow from it, to the popular outdoor exercise that it provides, to the abundance of healing gems and stones found in its rivers, New Zealand’s land holds sacred meaning. Every New Zealander I met found some part of their health from the land. What follows are brief summaries from my interviews in New Zealand; as usual, I will include a full analysis in my final dissertation. I offer sincere thanks to my host Nan Rick, who facilitated many of these interviews.

My first interview was with a woman who uses crystal stones and precious gems to facilitate healing in her clients, especially emotional and spiritual healing. The vast majority of New Zealanders believe that certain stones, especially Jade, have energetic properties that can aid one’s mental and/or physical health. A tradition from Maori heritage, many New Zealanders wear such stones as necklaces today, and it is common to receive them as a gift (since buying one for oneself is considered bad luck to some). The woman I interviewed has a large collection of stones and gems, arranged by color. She asks her clients to pick some crystals from each color category; it is her belief that the client will intuitively choose the stones that will be most helpful for him/her. The client then lies down while this woman places the chosen stones on top of the client’s energetic centers, or chakras, according to color (red stones above the base chakra, green stones above the heart chakra, etc.). This healer then leads the client through a guided imagery session, which brings the client to a deeply relaxed state and also allows him/her to ask questions and intuitively receive answers, either from his/her inner self or from a higher power (depending on the client’s belief system). According to this woman, this kind of crystal work is not meant to cure physical illness, but rather to allow energetic and emotional/spiritual shifts to occur so that physical illness can more easily leave the body or so that future physical illness can be prevented.

My second interview was with a man of Maori descent who is currently very involved in his ‘iwi’ (tribe) as an elder. While this man is not a healer per se, his Maori mother raised him with Maori medicinal practices, the details of which he shared with me. Traditional Maori medicine utilizes many plants and herbs from the ‘bush,’ or what we call ‘the woods.’ For example, this man’s mother would place spider webs on his cuts, which scientists now realize help to coagulate blood. He also told me that the notion of ‘mind’ is crucial in Maori traditional medicine; there was no separation between mind, body, and spirit for the Maori people. As this man told me, modern medicine (e.g., painkillers) often does not work on Maori elders in nursing homes today, because they are unaccustomed to receiving medicine from someone other than a Maori priest, and do not believe it will be useful unless it has been blessed by a Maori priest. This reflects what Western researchers call the Placebo Effect, which indicates that mental attitude may enhance or reduce the effects of chemical drugs. This example shows that ‘beliefs’ about the herbs and rituals play a central role in Maori traditional medicine.

My third interview was with a young New Zealander and cancer survivor who attributes her continued remission to the Chinese practice of Qigong. While this woman did have surgery to remove a large tumor from her small intestine, she received no other Western treatment because they were contraindicated for her type of cancer. She had always eaten very healthy and was in top physical shape when she received her diagnosis; therefore, she was at a loss as to what more she could do to prevent a recurrence. She began reading books about health and kept coming across ‘qigong,’ the Chinese Medicine practice of exercise for both the body and the mind. Upon trying it, she immediately liked qigong because she could actually feel the energy in her hands and body. Put simply, the physical movements of qigong are designed to move qi throughout the body, unblocking any areas of energy stagnation and bringing revitalizing energy to parts of the body that may be lacking in energy. While this physical practice made her feel better, it has been the mental practices that have really made an impact on her health, in her opinion. As she explains it, one of the most important aspects of qigong involves the 24-hour practice of watching the mind and noticing where it is at any moment. Gaining awareness of her thoughts and emotions and being able to focus fully on the present moment have taught her that her mind is where her qi starts, and that qi blockages can lead to illness in the body. Keeping her mind focused and clear allows her to keep her body clear of energy blockages. Also, working with her qigong teacher has allowed her to let go of her fear of death and to explore the previously unexpressed emotions of grief that she believes may have contributed to the development of her cancer.

My fourth interview was with a cancer survivor of Maori descent, who was given six months to live 16 years ago. He received surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for his advanced stomach cancer, yet his doctors still told him to prepare for the possibility of death within six months. He decided to visit a naturopath, although he did not tell the naturopath about his condition. For diagnosis, the naturopath used a clear crystal ball and slowly rolled it up this man’s legs. The ball began to become gray in color as the ball progressed upwards, and was black by the time it reached his stomach. It became clear again by the time the ball reached his head. The naturopath said, “You’ve got cancer in your stomach” and recommended various lifestyle changes, including the following: to bury a copper spring two meters from his house directly above and parallel to the main water pipe, and to remove any aluminum from his bedroom, such as the clock radio. The patient also spoke with a gentleman from China, who recommended various lifestyle changes, including the addition of shark cartilage to his daily diet. Since then, this man has taken shark cartilage twice a day and has removed alcohol and dairy from his diet. Mentally, he has asked his doctors not to tell him that he is cured, so that he can keep vigilant about his diet and lifestyle. Finally, he has a unwavering zest for life, and when asked about his recovery from cancer, he says, “I wouldn’t be dead for quids.”

My fifth interview was with a Maori healer and this healer’s community of Maori elders. According to them, Maori health encompasses many things: a diet consisting of locally grown food, overall balance in one’s family and tribe, the ability to contribute to the community, having Elders in one’s life, having happy and balanced children, and having a Spiritual connection. Health maintenance for this group is believed to be achieved through healthy eating and exercise, the use of ‘bush’ herbs as needed, and communal healing through tribal gatherings and communal sports. For these Maori healers, illness is believed to occur as a result of poor diet, ‘sick’ land (which leads to non-nutritious crops), lack of exercise, or lack of mental well-being and happiness. Lack of mental well-being can be caused by a personal problem, a family or tribal problem, the removal of sacred items from a burial site, ‘wrong’ words or actions (e.g., anger), being too far removed from the land or the sea, and various other causes. With regard to cancer, this group of Maori healers considers it to be a modern disease that results from flaws in modern life; as one healer said, “Cancer is a misalignment of the Spirit and the Physical as well as the Emotional.” As such, this group of healers believes that every cancer patient will require different treatment, depending on their particular ‘misalignment.’ Maori cancer treatments can include medicinal herbs, deep massage, mud baths, a return to a traditional Maori diet, seawater internal (colonic) cleansing, and an exploration of the patient’s mental, emotional, and spiritual states.

Japan Summary

2008-12-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

The interviews I conducted in Japan provided me with fascinating new ideas about how/why cancer cells might form in the first place, and how they might be removed from the body by utilizing the immune system and the mind. I will provide brief summaries here and will include a full analysis in my dissertation.

My first interview was with Mr. Shin-ichiro Terayama, a former Stage 4 cancer patient who healed himself naturally from cancer after chemotherapy and surgery did not work. Twenty-four years later, he is still cancer-free and has dedicated his life to educating cancer patients about natural healing. Shin attributes his healing to numerous things. First, he changed the way he felt about his cancer to love, and ‘sent love to the cancer every day.’ He said that he imagined his cancer was a child – his child – whom he had helped to create (via his work stress and lack of sleep) and who now needed his love and attention. He also was able to let go of his fear of death due to his own personal belief system. Second, he felt inspired to wake up with the sunrise every day in appreciation of living another day, and by doing so he noticed that the sunlight and fresh oxygen made him feel better. He also began humming and singing/chanting during these sunrises, which is when he discovered what he now calls the subtle energy centers (chakras) of his body. He also began drinking mineral water only (because it smelled better to him), sleeping at least 8 hours/night, eating a vegetarian diet (because it made him feel better), and visiting a natural healing center at least once a month, where he soaked in natural mineral baths. In addition to these things, he also returned to his favorite hobby – playing the cello – something he had given up in order to meet the demands of his job as an electrical engineer. Finally, he was invited to the Findhorn Foundation, a non-profit organization in Scotland, to be a speaker and stayed at their retreat center for one month. In his opinion, the feelings of welcome and love that he received from the other residents during that month, including lots of hugs (which are uncommon in Japanese culture), helped him to recover completely. When he returned, a CT scan confirmed that his cancer was gone – the healing process took more than two years. While Shin believes that all of the changes he made in his life helped him to recover, he stresses the importance of the mental changes, such as sending love to his cancer, letting go of the fear of death, reducing the sources of mental stress, and increasing the sources of mental happiness.

My second interview was with Dr. Tsuyoshi Konta, M.D. Although trained extensively in Western medicine, various personal experiences have led Dr. Konta to believe that the spirit and mind are essential factors in determining physical health. He gave the analogy of a river whose source is the spirit, followed by the mind/thoughts, followed by the food and water and air that we put into our bodies, and followed last by our bodies. While he believes that the food/water/air that we put into our bodies (and the bacteria or toxins that may be in them) can often be the cause of bodily problems, he also believes that the quality of one’s spirit and mind/thoughts can either cause entirely or exacerbate bodily problems. Since he views the spirit as the source of this ‘river,’ he believes that any complete healing will necessarily address matters of the spirit and mind/thoughts, in addition to addressing matters of food/water/air and the body. To help his cancer patients, Dr. Konta therefore offers advice on all levels of his schema: for the spirit and mind/thoughts, he recommends that his patients reconnect with nature and with feelings of love, gratitude, and laughter. To help their bodies, he recommends changing their diet in a way that normalizes intestinal flora, changing their drinking water to mineral water, and taking herbal supplements such as a special form of ginger. Finally, Dr. Konta’s philosophy about health is inspired by quantum physics and string theory, and he believes that everything in the universe – including sounds, cells, and thoughts – is vibrating (at a quantum level). Therefore, he also uses ‘Cymatics’ on his patients, a small machine developed in England that can be programmed to emit a certain vibration that will purportedly ‘retune’ any unhealthy tissue or organ back to its normal, healthy vibratory frequency.

My third interview was with an alternative medicine practitioner who uses extensive moxibustion to treat his patients. Moxibustion is a technique used often in Traditional Chinese Medicine and which has been adopted by Kampo, Japan’s traditional medicine. Moxibustion involves holding a heated herb just above certain acupuncture points for 5-10 minutes.
Alternatively, the heated herb can be placed directly on the skin or on a small clay ‘canister’ that gets warm but not too hot. This practitioner has developed his own unique techniques in which he uses 20-40 clay canisters at once in order to warm the body significantly and to infuse it with the herb. He also squirts a bit of Vitamin B onto a small gauze pad, which he places under the warm canister, thereby allowing both the herb and Vitamin B to seep in through the skin. He places the canisters in different places for different patients (depending on their condition), and recommends that cancer patients receive the moxibustion once or twice a day for 2-3 months (for this reason, he often teaches a family member how to light and place the canisters). In addition, he also recommends a Japanese herbal supplement called “Natural DNA Collagen.” Finally, while he believes that his moxibustion treatments are an effective part of cancer treatment – and has indeed had cancer patients of his recover – he also believes that chemotherapy may be necessary, and that the patient should be in a calm and fear-free mental state.

My fourth interview was with Dr. Tsuneo Kobayashi, MD, an oncologist whose research has led him to develop a unique and highly sensitive method of analyzing a person’s blood to determine if he/she has cancer developing in his/her body, and, if so, to what degree. According to Dr. Kobayashi, this technique is significantly more sensitive than the tumor marker assays that are currently being used in the United States for cancer screening. This is especially pertinent for recovered cancer patients who are hoping to prevent a recurrence, which is often hard to detect until it is quite advanced. For any patients who show an elevated level of cancer development according to Dr. Kobyashi’s blood test, he will first recommend various lifestyle and dietary changes. If, after 3-6 months, there is no improvement in the blood test, he will recommend herbs, detoxifying treatments, heat therapy, and/or fasting in order to promote the natural removal of cancer cells by the immune system. After 3-6 more months, if the blood test still shows no change in the cancer level, he will recommend immuno-thermo-chemotherapy, which is chemotherapy given at extremely low doses while the body is being warmed by an external heat source (such as sitting in a bathtub of warm sand). According to Dr. Kobayashi, warming up the body while it receives the chemotherapy allows him to use a fraction of the typical dose of chemotherapy with equivalent results and much fewer side effects. Finally, Dr. Kobayashi has also researched the cause of cancer at a molecular level, and believes that the shutting down of mitochondria in healthy cells forces them to begin anaerobic respiration, which eventually leads to uninhibited cell reproduction, which is the hallmark of cancer. Furthermore, he believes that a drop in temperature can cause mitochondria to shut down, and that such temperature drops can be caused by stress, lack of sleep or exercise, or an unhealthy diet (which in turn can lead to a slow-down – and cool-down – of the digestive process).

My fifth interview was with Fumio Kawatake, a recovered cancer patient who has since founded an organization called “Weller than Well,” which aims to educate cancer patients about the natural methods they can use to assist in their healing. Mr. Kawatake’s ideas echoed much of what my other interviewees had said, such as the importance of the mind (moving beyond fear and into happiness/non-stress), diet (vegetarianism), and lifestyle changes (e.g., consistent and adequate sleep). My sixth interview was with a woman who recovered from breast cancer; she attributes her recovery not only to her surgery (she declined chemotherapy), but also to the major change she made in her personal life after her diagnosis. In her opinion, the stressful and ever-present circumstances of her personal life had compromised her immune system and given cancer a chance to grow. While the surgery removed the cancer, she had to remove what she believed was the causative factor of the cancer; therefore, she made the change in her personal life and has been cancer-free for over 15 years.

My seventh and final interview was with Dr. Nishihara, a dentist and researcher who has published extensively on the connection between the mastication system (mouth/jaw/tonsils/adenoids/etc.), bacteria, and illness. According to Dr. Nishihara, all auto-immune diseases and some cancers are caused by bacteria that infiltrate healthy cells. Most doctors believe that auto-immune diseases involve the body’s own immune system attacking healthy cells. Dr. Nishihara disagrees – he believes that the immune system is correctly attacking bacteria that have infiltrated previously healthy cells. In other words, the immune system is attacking bacteria, not healthy cells. These are called ‘entero-bacteria.’ Dr. Nishihara believes that breathing through the mouth (as opposed to through the nose) is one way of bringing bacteria into the body unnecessarily. Furthermore, he believes that eating cold foods and drinking cold beverages causes the sensitive hairs of the digestive system to function poorly, which causes the immune system not to function optimally and the bacteria (that entered through the mouth) to infiltrate the body even further. As a result of these beliefs, Dr. Nishihara treats cancer patients in the following way: 1) he gives them the “O-Ring Test” to determine which bacteria and/or viruses have infiltrated their cells, 2) based on the results of the O-Ring Test, he administers the appropriate anti-biotics or anti-virals, along with the pro-biotic ‘Bifidus Factor’ in order to restore the natural flora of the digestive system, 3) recommends that they consume only warm foods and beverages for 2-3 months, and 4) recommends that they breathe in and out only through their nose for 2-3 months with the help of a mouth guard that he himself developed. Using this treatment procedure, Dr. Nishihara has had incredible results treating a variety of auto-immune diseases and certain cancers.

As you can see, my interviews in Japan were extremely illuminating and complex, and I look forward to describing them further in my dissertation. I am currently in New Zealand conducting interviews and will post a summary of them in early February.

China Summary

2008-11-17T01:41:00.000-08:00

My month in China provided me with unique insight into the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Over the course of the month, I conducted six formal interviews and attended one professional conference on “TCM and Oncology.” I owe my deepest thanks to Dr. David Jin and Mr. Bryan McMahon, both of whom played an essential role in arranging interviews and providing translation. I will include a full analysis of my China interviews in my dissertation, but for now I will provide brief summaries.

My first interview was with an American student of TCM in Beijing. This interview provided a wonderful introduction to the principles of TCM and their application to cancer. In TCM, health is thought to be achieved through a balance of yin and yang, which are seen as the two, naturally occurring and opposing forces that are found in everything. For example, the sun has yang properties, while the moon has yin properties. Warmth has yang properties, while cold has yin properties. Activity has yang properties, while rest has yin properties. According to TCM theory, a person should always try to maintain a balance of yin and yang through a healthy diet and exercise regimen and through balanced emotions, mind, and spirit. TCM treatments such as herbs, acupuncture, gua sha (scratching), cupping, moxibustion, tui na (medical massage), tai qi, and qi gong are aimed to help the patient rebalance his/her yin and yang.

My second interview was with the Chief doctor of Bucheng Hospital in the city of Xi’an. He explained that TCM views a malignant tumor as stagnant or “stuck” energy inside the body, which results from an initial yin-yang imbalance that goes untreated for a long period of time and therefore leads to a complicated chain-reaction of events. In terms of cancer treatment, TCM in China is often used to lessen the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, and – perhaps most importantly – to rebalance the yin and yang once the Western treatments are finished. What I found most interesting is the fact that most TCM practitioners view Stage I cancer as ‘advanced,’ and prefer instead to catch the imbalance earlier on, when it is more easily treated by TCM alone. TCM diagnostic techniques include noticing very, very subtle abnormalities in the feel of one’s pulse and the look of one’s tongue, fingernails, and overall skin condition. These diagnostic techniques seem to diagnose imbalances that Western medicine would otherwise not notice or consider inconsequential. Therefore, TCM may potentially play an important role in the early detection of cancer.

My third interview included a private guided tour of Long Hua hospital in Shainghai, which is an entire hospital dedicated to TCM. While this impressive hospital is known for its focus on TCM, it nevertheless integrates many allopathic (Western medicine) diagnostic tools and treatments, such as blood tests, sonogram machines, IV’s, and pharmaceuticals. The layout is also similar to a Western hospital in that each floor houses a different specialty, such as Pediatrics or Cardiology. However, it is different from a Western hospital in that it has an herbal pharmacy, an Acupuncture/Tui Na department, and an ‘intake’ floor where new patients receive a one-on-one TCM diagnosis before being assigned to the appropriate floor. I saw one stroke patient receiving acupuncture needles with additional, electro-stimulation attached to them (in order to increase the strength of the treatment). The doctor told me that this patient could not walk three weeks earlier due to stroke-induced paralysis, but was now walking after receiving regular acupuncture treatments. In terms of cancer treatment, this TCM hospital does not offer chemotherapy or radiation, but rather offers TCM treatments for those patients finished with Western treatment, or for those patients who decline Western treatment altogether. The doctor I was interviewing told me of one Stage 4 cancer patient who had had surgery in a Western hospital before coming to the TCM hospital for TCM treatment only (no chemotherapy or radiation); he completely recovered.

My fourth interview included a private guided tour of Hua Dong hospital in Shainghai, considered the best Western hospital in Shainghai. Despite the fact that is an allopathic hospital, it also has a TCM department that offers acupuncture, herbal medicine, and various other TCM treatments. When I visited, the herbal department was following up with a woman who had originally come to the hospital for recurrent blood in her urine. The allopathic urology department in that same hospital had been unable to diagnose or treat her problem, which is why she asked to visit the TCM department. Through a combination of pulse/tongue diagnosis, specific questions, and Western urinalysis reports, the TCM doctors were able to diagnose her problem (i.e., imbalance) as ‘kidney qi deficiency’ and prescribed daily herbs. After two weeks of taking the herbs, the blood was gone from her urine and her urinalysis report had returned to normal. This was a fascinating example of how one can combine allopathic diagnostic techniques with TCM treatments.

Cancer treatment in this hospital often works like this: patients receive surgery and/or chemotherapy and/or radiation on the allopathic side of the hospital. Then, for those who choose (and many do), they come to the TCM department to rebalance their yin/yang (i.e., “rebuild the immune system”). The TCM doctor I interviewed in this department described cancer as a severe deviation from the body’s normal, healthy pattern; therefore, the TCM goal is first to bring the body back toward health and balance, and then – once it is stronger – to focus on clearing the body of any remaining toxins/cancer. In terms of ‘Spontaneous Remission,’ he did comment that a few patients had healed extremely quickly, or had healed unexpectedly from a very severe case of cancer. In his opinion, these rare patients had one thing in common: strong Zhen qi (translated as “upright” qi). Zhen qi is characterized by internal strength, health, and vitality, and there are TCM herbs that one can take on a daily basis to strengthen one’s zhen qi. Meditation (i.e., qigong) can also strengthen one’s Zhen qi. In fact, the head TCM doctor at that hospital is in the midst of a clinical trial measuring the effects of a new meditation technique for cancer patients; preliminary results seem to indicate that the meditation practice increases survival time by 10-15%.

My fifth interview was with a TCM practitioner who practices a more classical version of Chinese medicine, which he calls ‘Ancient Chinese Medicine.’ While modern-day TCM focuses mostly on how herbs and acupuncture affect the body, this doctor is equally concerned with how herbs and acupuncture affect the mind and spirit. In his opinion, there are three levels to human existence: ‘spirit,’ which is balanced when one re-connects to God, ‘mind,’ which is balanced when one keeps his/her mind still and focused on the present moment, and ‘body,’ which is balanced when the spirit and mind are balanced (alternatively, the body will develop physical problems when the spirit and mind are not balanced). In his opinion, herbs and acupuncture play a role in treating the physical problems of the body; however, they can also facilitate the balancing of emotional, mental, or spiritual imbalances. Ultimately, however, he believes that there is a limit to what acupuncture and herbs can do, and believes that the strongest source of healing lies within the patient. Therefore, his treatment recommendations for cancer patients include a relaxing/opening of the body-mind-spirit through herbs/acupuncture, meditation, and helping patients find sources of deep happiness.

My sixth and final interview was with a TCM doctor in her seventies who developed her own topical herbal patch for breast cancer and has been using it on interested patients for more than twenty years. Like all doctors in China, she was trained in both Western medicine and TCM. She also has researched extensively how TCM herbs affect the body in Western medical terms. Therefore, she stated that breast cancer results from an imbalance in the endocrine system, and that her patch combines over fifty TCM herbs that have been shown to affect the endocrine system in a regulating way. Many of her patients have had dramatic recoveries from breast cancer using her patch alone or in conjunction with Western cancer treatments; therefore, I strongly suggested that she consider a U.S.-based clinical trial of her patch. She has files, photos, and case reports of every patient who has ever taken the patch, which could be a goldmine for interested researchers.

Finally, I coincidentally was in Shainghai during the first “International TCM Integrative Medicine Oncology Forum,” and was able to attend one day of the conference. Although I could not understand the lectures (and translation was not appropriate in the quiet auditorium), many of the Powerpoint presentations were in both Chinese and English. The conference was quite technical in the sense that many presentations reported on the physiological effects of TCM herbs, but overall it was wonderful to see such a high level of research and professionalism being applied to TCM.

I am currently in Japan for the month of November, and the interviews are fascinating thus far. Stay tuned for my Japan recap at the end of the month.

Hawaii Summary

2008-10-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

September Recap:

Hawaii proved to be an amazing source of material regarding health and healing. My goal was to interview at least two doctors/healers in Hawaii, and I was able to network and eventually interview nine healers during my month in the islands. I will give a full description and analysis of these interviews in my dissertation, but for now I will share brief summaries.

My first interview was with an energy healer who practices BodyTalk. In this system, the practitioner “talks” to the patient’s body using a combination of intuitive questions and muscle testing for answers. BodyTalk is a complex theory of the body-mind-spirit that integrates many healing systems, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine. The BodyTalk system proposes that we are made entirely of energy, and that illness (e.g., cancer) occurs when either a blockage or disconnection of energy occurs. In the BodyTalk belief system, such a blockage can be caused by emotional, physical, or spiritual reasons (or a combination thereof). Releasing the blockage is seen as a necessary first step to healing illness, and such release can occur fairly quickly through the question/muscle-testing process, along with tapping the body in corresponding areas in order to release the blockage and to store the new, healthy pattern firmly into the mind-body-spirit. The healer I interviewed shared case examples of patients who had healed very quickly from cancer after only a few BodyTalk sessions; I hope to interview these patients during Phase II of my project.

My second interview was with a Kahuna healer. Kahuna is the native Hawaiian healing system, and it is traditionally passed down from a Kahuna healer to his/her apprentice (usually a direct relative). The Kahuna I interviewed was kind enough to share with me his knowledge of the Kahuna healing art, and specifically how it can be applied to cancer. He specifically shared with me how the Kahuna principles of healing can be applied with “extra” intention in order to speed up the healing process, thereby creating what others may call a “spontaneous” remission of cancer. This healer has also had patients who have healed very quickly from cancer using Kahuna principles, and I hope to interview them during Phase II of this project.

My third interview, albeit unplanned and therefore brief, was nevertheless informative and valuable. It was with a well-respected lomi lomi healer, who in turn learned lomi lomi from her mother, an elder and kahuna in the community. This healer shared with me her thoughts on the importance of incorporating prayer (being a conduit of loving energy from God to the patient) into a lomi lomi treatment, and exactly why and how doing that can aid in the healing of physical illness, such as cancer, which she believes is a virus.

My fourth interview was with another Kahuna healer who echoed many if not all of the same principles that the first Kahuna had mentioned. In addition, this healer also promoted the eating of Noni fruit when treating cancer, because of its antioxidant properties. My fifth interview was with a cancer survivor-turned-healing practitioner, who attributes his remission from Stage 4 cancer to a severe change in diet (to veganism), as well as to his faith. My sixth interview was with a healer who believes in and is purportedly able (due to a very specific life experience) to tap into the energy of ‘The Light’ (i.e., the Oneness or God) whenever he wants and send it very quickly to whomever asks for it for healing. His belief system regarding healing focuses on principles of energy, forgiveness, and love in the present moment. My seventh interview was with a person who believes in and is purportedly able to communicate with higher energetic frequencies/beings, who have provided her with very specific ideas about the cause(s) of cancer and how it may remit. This belief system centers on: non-resistance to the present state of things, letting go of future expectations, and experiencing unconditional love in the present. My eighth interview was with an 80-year-old lomi lomi practitioner who emphasized that the key to healing was unconditional love. Finally, my ninth interview was with a Yogini who uses a special program of movement, breath, and above all, proper spinal alignment, in order to restore the body to health, especially while battling cancer.

Taken together, these nine interviews provide an array of different healing beliefs, yet also some common threads. As this research project continues, I will continue to analyze all of the interviews for areas of convergence and areas of divergence, especially with regard to cancer.

Welcome to my Dissertation Research

2008-05-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the blog/website for my dissertation research on the Spontaneous Remission of cancer, which is part of my PhD in Social Welfare from the University of California at Berkeley.

This exploratory project asks various questions to doctors, healers, and people who have experienced Spontaneous Remission, including: "What do you think causes it?"

I will be interviewing Western oncologists and complementary medicine healers beginning August 1st, 2008. These interviews will take place both in the U.S. and abroad (in Hawaii, China, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, India, Zambia, England, Brazil, Chile, and Peru; I am open to visiting healers in other places as well - please email me if you have any suggestions).

After a year of traveling to interview doctors and healers, I will interview persons in the U.S. who have experienced Spontaneous Remission. Then I will compile all of the various theories and see if there are any commonalities. This type of research is an ethnographic form of Qualitative Research, and it is ideal for topics about which little is known, such as Spontaneous Remission.

If you would like to be interviewed for this study, or know someone whom you think I should interview, please feel free to contact me at kturner59@berkeley.edu.

-Kelly A. Turner, MSW, PhD Candidate