Cancer Is Not The Tumor

Cancer is the number two cause of death in the US. Cancer is predicted to overtake cardiovascular disease as the number one cause worldwide by 2012. Cancer will likely affect you or someone you know in the course of your life.

Many in medicine view cancer as a separate and foreign entity that needs to be removed or killed. The patient and doctor's energy is focused on destroying the tumor. The tumor, however, is not cancer. Cancer is a disease process and the tumor is the end result of that process. Removing or shrinking the tumor may be a necessary part of treatment for some, but it does not resolve the process that led to the tumor in the first place.

When I was in medical school I worked for a stonemason. By the end of every summer, I had thick calluses on my hands. As a reaction to chronic stress and irritation, the body forms calluses. They do not attack us, they are not separate from us, and they do not happen over night. Cutting them off or taking therapies to shrink them would work temporarily, but if the sources of irritation are not removed, i.e. hauling basalt slabs and swinging a mattock, the growths ultimately return.

Like calluses, cancer is the result of our body's own physiology reacting and straining against stresses over time, usually years to decades. The cancer process is active long before a tumor appears. To truly heal cancer, the sources of stress and irritation that led to the tumor will need to be identified and resolved.

As the cancer process often took decades to progress to a tumor, resolution and healing do not occur overnight. There are many contributing factors. The whole person: body, mind, and spirit need to be considered. Environmental exposures, foods, lack of appropriate exercise, hormone imbalances, toxic thoughts, inefficient elimination of wastes, immune imbalances, chronic inflammation, fun, spirituality, and epigenetics, are just a few factors that need to be assessed.

People often feel helpless when diagnosed with cancer, but according to the National Cancer Institute up to 75% of all cancers are due to the accumulated results of the choices we make each day (lifestyle). This means we have a great deal of power over the process. Choices we make can contribute to the cancer process as well as help heal it.

Treating the cancer process is not simple or easy. The body has the amazing ability to heal itself, but there is a point of no return. Depending on the type and stage, some people diagnosed with the cancer process may be past this point. There are still things we can do to help these people, even if their cancer process has reached a terminal level.

Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation may be necessary parts of treatment at any level. There are many natural therapies that can minimize the side effects of these treatments without interfering with their intended purpose. Avoid self-prescribing in the health food aisle. Some antioxidants, vitamins, and herbs will interfere with these treatments. Just because products are natural does not mean they cannot cause harm.

Dealing with the cancer process is a journey. There will be emotional and physical challenges for the person and their loved ones. It is important to have a physician you trust and are comfortable with to stand with you and guide you and your family through this journey.

Dr. Lou Walters is a licensed naturopathic physician in the state of Montana practicing at The Source Wellness Center. He earned his doctorate degree at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM), where he graduated summa cum laude. Dr. Walters is certified in homeopathy from the New England School of Homeopathy and Applied Kinesiology from the International College of Applied Kinesiology.