What does it really mean to nourish your body? You feed yourself every day, whenever you feel hunger. But how do the decisions you make about what you eat, how much, the quality of the food, where you eat – affect you?

The diagnosis of cancer is terrifying – it puts most people into the foetal position, where they just want to block everything and everyone out. Feeling that life is over does NOT serve you. So stand up and really take a good look at yourself. Because right now you’ve been offered an opportunity to really make change to how you live your life.

What do you really hunger for? I can guarantee that it has nothing to do with the sweet, highly-processed foods that many of us consume. They contain so few nutrients that our bodies do not call out for them. But they do fill us, all those empty cracks and crevices aching to be filled, for a moment until the next crack appears. I suggest that this hunger has nothing to do with food – it’s an emotional, spiritual need to find meaning in our lives. To feel like an important part of something bigger than this daily, painful grind that we get stuck in.

Nourishing your body is different from feeding yourself. It’s taking the time to really listen to what your body needs. If it hungers, don’t fill it with more empty, sugar-filled calories. Give it life-supporting nutrients in the form of raw, or lightly steamed vegetables.

If food isn’t what you hunger for, take the time and space to find out what is. Meditation can take you deep into the heart of your personal self and will reveal to you the beautiful human being you are. It takes time, and practice, practice, practice, but the rewards far outweigh the initial frustration.

If you find yourself bored with life, then get outside. Experience this world. Enjoy walking around your neighbourhood and peeking through windows into the lives of those around you. You are not alone. Or go to the woods – there you will find real peace and serenity.

I realize this information seems quite intangible, but it is important that you realize that you are being asked to change the way you live your life. It isn’t working. So what’s wrong? Where does your pain lie? Where is your grief or fear buried layer, upon layer deep within your cells? Find it, bless it (for it has served you), and give it to the Divine unifying force for healing and removal. Trust that it is possible and it will be so.

Helen and I have just started helping a client recently diagnosed with cancer. We wanted to outline the steps that we take as we go, so that everyone has access to the information.

The most important thing to do is to go online and do some preliminary research about your cancer, so that you understand what’s going on in your body and can formulate questions for when you next see your doctor. My go-to place is www.lef.org and in the search box, I type in Protocol for … Cancer. Usually I get lots of information. Print it out and put it aside.

Next, pick up a 2 or 3″ binder and many tabs to go inside it. This will become your Wellness Binder and it’s where you’ll keep everything you’ll need to reference along your journey. You’ll put your preliminary research here (okay, you can put it in the binder now), information about diets, supplements, lifestyle changes, detoxification strategies, contact information about your cancer care team, questions that come up between appointments and whatever else you can think of.

The article below is the next piece that you’ll add to your binder. You’ll find it a valuable tool for helping you to keep track of your health care (especially when visiting the hospital).

1. Expect mistakes and have an advocate with you in the hospital.
2. Check every medicine. Make sure the dose is right. If you don’t know the correct dose – ASK.
3. Be assertive. “Being nice can get you killed.”
4. When in doubt, “say No.” Demand an explanation.
5. Be vigilant during transitions, from one floor to another, or when shifts change.
6. Alert the nurse or “rapid response team,” if something seems wrong.
7. When discharged from the hospital, get detailed instructions and contact information. Know what symptoms might signal a worsening situation or infection.
8. Hospital doctors may never speak to your primary care physician. Take your records and don’t assume doctors already know what’s in them.
9. Double-check everything. Don’t assume no news is good news or that test results are always correct. Get copies of lab results in a timely fashion. If something seems wrong, request a repeat.
10. Take a friend or family member to doctor’s visits. Nearly every error made in the hospital can also be made in the outpatient setting. A second pair of eyes and ears can be very useful in getting instructions and spotting problems.

• Take a list of your top health concerns/symptoms.
• Ask your doctor for a recap to make sure you’ve been heard.
• Take notes or record the conversation so you can remember.
• Carry a list of all your medicines and supplements.
• Find out about the most common and serious side effects your medicines may cause (a great resource for chemotherapy drug information is www.chemocare.com).
• Ask the doctor how confident he is about your diagnosis. Find out what else could be causing your symptoms.
• Get a second opinion.
• Ask health care providers to wash their hands before they examine you.
• Keep track of your progress: Keep a diary of relevant measurements such as weight, blood pressure, blood sugar.
• Be vigilant when moving from one health care setting to another. Mistakes and oversights are especially common during transitions.
• Ask how to get in touch with health care providers. Get phone numbers or email addresses, and learn when to report problems.

This afternoon I received a request for information about alternative cancer care treatment options in Brantford, ON. I put the call out to all of my online contacts and this is what we have found out to this point. I’m posting it here so that anyone else looking for this help will be able to access it. Thanks to Lee Overton for providing most of this research here!

1. Nutritionist – Julie Daniluk of the Big Carrot recommended
   Irene Yaychuk-Arabei, DNM
   Holistique
   Brantford, ON
   (519) 752-7373
   shakti1@rogers.com
   http://www.brant.net/holistique/bios.htm
2. One of the only Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practioners in Brantford is Monica Wecklein.  She’s wonderful and very effective. She recently opened up her own place at her home (converted her garage to a wellness spa equipped with a Hydro Therapy tub).  She also trained in natural therapies and consulted clients for 10 years in Ottawa before moving to Brantford and becoming a TCM practioner.  She also holds a degree in Psychology. Monica Wecklein
   48 Tutela Heights Rd.
   Brantford, ON N3T 1A1
   519 752-0305
3. Chiropractic
   Harmony Chiropractic recently hired a holistic nutritionist.  I haven’t heard of any others so far or tried this one. However, we have experienced their chiropractic services (Sublaxation) which is the same as the typical Chiropractor treatments. They understand overall wellness and seem to be building their business to support this. http://www.harmonychiropractic.ca/
   124 Charing Cross St
   Brantford, ON N3R 2J1
   (519) 756-1303
4. Kathleen Gorden is a very experienced yoga teacher who has started a Restorative yoga in her home studio.  I was very happy to see this as it’s hard to find Restorative yoga in Brantford. If you are not familar with Restorative yoga it’s very healing and and a form of gentle exercise. She’s had lots of experience with people living with Cancer.  She is also does wonderful meditationwhich is so healing.  She does private classes too and is very reasonable.kathleen.yoga@rogers.com
5. Naturopaths
   As far as Naturopaths go I’m currently in transition.  Amy Tweedle my former one moved so I’m meeting a new one in Cambridge this week.  Dr. Reid is his name and I’ve heard great things about him and the centre.  He partners and consults with an MD so they can do all kinds of tests that regular Naturopaths can’t.   They also work with a compounding pharmacy which is sweet and hard to find. They also have a nutritionist on staff.There is also Holistic Healing Arts. Dr. Alfred Hauk the owner would be the one I’d explore as some of the others are pretty fresh out of school http://www.ndoc.ca/about-us/who-we-are. He’s got a pre-med background from Germany and has been doing this for a long time.  We’re also investigating Complimentary Healing Arts (a.k.a The Anello Clinic).  They do have a waiting list but that might be waived in a cancer situation.
   http://www.anelloclinic.com/services/index.html
   401 Laurel Street,
   Cambridge (Preston), ON
   N3H 3Y7
   519 653 3731The Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors also has this listing available of ND’s in Brantford, but no information about their areas of specialty: http://www.cand.ca/Find_an_ND.findnd.0.html?&no_cache=1&L=0&no_cache=1
6. Acupuncture – Ryan Ess suggests Dr. Tom McChesney who is located in Ancaster nearby. He does Contemporary Medical Acupuncture.
7. For supplements try Tip Top Health Shop (Colborne and Clarence) or S&H Health Store (in the Galaxy Cinema plaza) as they are the more inexpensive options.  Both will order things in.

This is not a complete list and as we find more treatment options available to people in Brantford, ON we will post them here. Turning Point Nutrition has not worked with any of these therapists but has worked with the people who provided their names to us.

We hope that they can serve you well.

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