Each time I have a baby I go through a season of worrying I have cancer again. Months of sleep deprivation, limited time to prepare healthy food, and kid-overload can make your body feel like something is really wrong. But I forget the power that I really have to prevent!

Cancer free now since 2008 after choosing a completely holistic approach, I can’t afford to abandon my anti-cancer diet and lifestyle, even if a new baby makes it super difficult.

So remembering some of these 5 easy strategies to stay cancer confident has me feeling more empowered about being perfectly fine!

Originally published: 10/1/2015, Updated 7/23/2025

5. Learn what really works. My newest book is packed with everything I wish I’d known sooner: the exact cancer healing protocol I used, plus over 100 natural remedies for everything from anxiety to headaches to immune support. It’s a guide for anyone who wants to take their health into their own hands—without fear leading the way. Use code FRIENDS5 for $5 off of the digital e-book! You can also bundle it with my Anti-Cancer Lifestyle Guide!

You have more control than you think. Every step you take toward health is one step away from fear. I’m here cheering you on every step of the way.

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The post Worrying You Have Cancer? 5 Tips to Help You Stop (#2 is SUPER Easy!) appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

I’m writing this post on a four hour Amtrak train ride from Boston to New York, wrapping up a nine day trip with my husband.  Travel strategy is fresh in my head, and since it’s been a few months since my last post, I wanted to catch up with everyone here!

(Links updated, 2024. Originally written in 2017)

Today I’m sharing a bit of what worked and what didn’t along our travels these last seven days. To make this trip happen, we DROVE  from our home in Atlanta in our minivan to South Florida, dropped our three kids off with my parents there and took a PLANE  to New York. Then we took the AMTRAK train  to Boston and then back to New York where we will catch a PLANE  back to South Florida and will drive back home to Atlanta. 

Phew. And YES we are very grateful for my parents wanting to binge watch their grandchildren.

PERFECT isn’t a thing….especially on vacation.

I am proud to say that we are not PERFECT people. I ate steak once on this trip. And had a bit of ice cream. And on the Amtrak I ate a microwaved sandwich. Oh Lordy Be I was starving. I even joked to my husband…”you know <insert any health blogger here> would say that they just FAST if there’s nothing healthy to eat”….as I bit into my rubbery sandwich. <sigh>

These are obviously not everyday healthy choices and definitely not anti-cancer. But it has been 9 years since my cancer diagnosis and more than 8 years since remission. It’s nice at this point to occasionally have a treat that I enjoy and loosen the obsessiveness and intensity this lifestyle can create.

I still struggle with guilt sometimes about eating food I typically don’t eat (especially sugar when I rarely do,) but I’ve learned over the years that if I choose to do it, I’m going to let it go and enjoy the moment.

I’ve also learned that I don’t eat a lot of it. With sugar in particular too much of it makes me feels sick. Even if I order the kid-sized portions I usually don’t even finish that.

It’s nice to open up a bit to you all today. Sometimes it is easier to keep the stuff I eat that I’m not so proud of to myself, but I’m a real person and “Mom!” to three kids. It’s nice to RELAX the rules and rigidity sometimes.

Click “Continue Reading” for those 10 tips and hacks

10 Healthy Living Hacks For Traveling

#1 Bring a Variety of BARS

• Pre-packaged and sealed food can be brought on planes. We stocked up on packaged food bars that would last our entire trip. These can serve as a quick breakfast or a snack so you’re not tempted with easy picking snacks. Bring a variety so you don’t get sick of them. ALOHA bars have a variety pack you can bring along and are organic, non-GMO, lower in sugar or under, and have a good amount of protein.

#2 Bring Along a Portable Water Filter

• For water we each bought a large bottled water (usually FIJI if I can find it) once I get through airport security. We used this same bottle to refill throughout our trip using my favorite water filter (edited: my favorite portable water filter is no longer sold, but this one is similar) that I bring along with us. For how much I would love to drink from glass, I didn’t want to risk breaking them in out travels and no stainless steel because I wanted a disposable container.Each morning before we adventured out we refilled both our large FIJI bottles and put them in our backpack. If you really want to go hard care and drink water from rain collectors, rivers, or lakes, you need to check out the LifeStraw straw! You could drink straight from the cups at a restaurant as long as you don’t mind looking a little strange.

#3 Bring Your Non-Toxic Bathroom Along With You

• We typically never check baggage to avoid losing bags and paying extra fees, so all of our things had to meet carry-on regulations. All of my non-toxic makeup could be brought on the plane without a problem. All lotions, conditioners, shampoos, shave cream, etc. was fine to bring on as long as they were under 3 ounces. The travel section at Target had 3 ounce EVOS non-toxic shave cream and 3 ounce Dr. Bronner’s soap. My shampoo and conditioner fit in travel sized clear containers along with my facial cleansing oil and homemade deodorant.

#4 Clean Hands Yes Please

• Dr. Bronners has an awesome spray hand sanitizer that is free of triclosan and other yucky chemicals and is also under 3 ounces so you can pack it with you.
• Norwex body and face cloths are PERFECT for bringing along to wipe kids up or dirty hands when you can’t get to a bathroom before eating. They mechanically remove bacteria and dirt, up to 99.9%! Their mini-envirocloths and travel wet bag set are great for wiping up tables and surfaces.

#5 Non-Toxic Sunscreen

• For sunscreen, you usually need more than 3 ounces on a long trip, so I have found that most CVS, Duane Reed, and Walgreen stores we visited had ALBA brand Very Sensitive sunscreen which is a 2 or 3 (out of 10 with 10 being the most toxic) on the EWG scale. This is a much better option and readily available than other conventional sunscreens (and it works well when reapplied every 2 hours or so.) If you need a lower score and can afford the price tag, Sun2Sea is a 0/10 in toxicity, EWG approved, reef safe and $27 for 2.5 ounces.

#6 Eat Without Guilt

• Rather than focusing on what you SHOULDN’T eat, focus on what you can and how you’ll feel afterwards- both physically and emotionally. Thinking about how I am going to feel AFTER my meal helps me see through the emotional cravings. If I eat a salad with a side dish of green beans and sweet potato, I am going to feel a lot better than if I choose to eat a pizza (even if it’s loaded with veggies.) Let yourself have one fun meal a day or every other day. Sometimes setting “rules” for myself in this way helps me with letting go of any guilt. (Disclaimer: Obviously if you’re adhering to a cancer healing diet at this point you would want to stay the course and avoid all foods that are not allowed on your particular diet.)

#7 Smoothies Are Your Friend

• Look for smoothie and juice places. These were EVERYWHERE in New York and Boston. On the sides of the road or in walk-in stores. A quick Google search is your best friend. My husband and I settled into a pattern of a nutrition bar for breakfast, smoothie for lunch, and then sit-down dinner. Also- ask them to throw in greens to your smoothie. Many of the side street smoothie places in New York did this for free for me.

#8 Stay at an AirBnB

• If you book at an AirBnB or VRBO locations you may have access to a blender in the apartment or home. I bet you could even ask about a juicer! We booked three different AirBnB locations for a our trip and asked our host for all kinds of recommendations and requests well before our trip started. You’ll also have a fridge and can stock up on groceries or have them delivered to your place before you even arrive. This would be ideal if on an anti-cancer or special diet.
• I found that with AirBnB we got what we paid for. Our first location was so drastically not as described that we got them to refund our money and found a hotel for even cheaper than they were charging! Our second place in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston was nice and clean and just as described. We are checking into our third location when we get into New York today so we shall see!

#9 Strategically Pack Your Supplements

• I packed all of my week’s worth of supplements in my supplement box, but looking back it would have been easier to pack my individual time’s supplements in separate snack-sized baggies.

#10 White Noise App + Eye Mask

• Something that surprised me for both of our stays in New York and Boston was how BRIGHT it gets in the early morning, Sunrise in Boston was before 6am today! I am so glad I brought an eye mask. Also- The “WhiteNoise” app on my phone saved the day from noisy street traffic, garbage trucks, and door slams which allowed us to get restorative sleep each night.

I hope you guys found all of this helpful! Traveling can be tricky when you’re trying to live healthy but it’s definitely doable. I’d love to hear your tricks for travel. Share in the comment below!

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As cancer researcher and author of Cancer-Free: Your Guide to Gentle, Non-Toxic Healing, Bill Henderson once said, “No cancer either begins or thrives if the patient’s immune system is strong.” So, a first priority for either prevention or healing is to prioritize equipping your immune system. We can learn about one of the fundamental ways to do this through the research of pharmacologist and immune system expert, AJ Lanigan and his product, Beta 1, 3-D Glucan for cancer.

This post includes an interview with AJ I did in 2022 and answers many great questions I have been asked about Beta Glucan since I started taking it in 2008. I really think you’ll enjoy it! (If you are short on time, there are timestamps in the video description so you can skip between questions.)

***For the lowest price on Beta Glucan visit this link —> HERE! 

(Updated: November, 2023. Originally published January, 2011)

Transfer Point/ Better Way Health brands of Beta-1, 3D Glucan has been shown to increase immune activity as much as 160x than its competitors.

What Is Beta Glucan?

Beta 1, 3-D Glucan is an immune modulating supplement extracted from baker’s yeast. Its primary use is to strengthen the immune system without causing an autoimmune response from over-stimulation.  It functions by planting a receptor in the outer membrane of your “neutrophil immune cells” that allows them to better recognize cancer cells (and other pathogens) in order to destroy them. Normally, your body’s cellular defenses do not recognize cancer cells as they are disguised from the immune system.

I took Beta Glucan every morning through my cancer treatment starting in November, 2008. Because the therapeutic dose called for 500mg per 50 pounds of body weight and I was 120 pounds, I alternated every other day 1,500mg/ 1,000mg. After taking it, you have to wait 30 minutes before eating.

Even though (at the time of this post) I have been cancer-free for 15 years, I still take 1,000 – 1,500mg of Beta 1, 3-D Glucan every morning, 30 minutes before breakfast and have so for the past 15 years.

Beta Glucan for Cancer

AJ Lanigan himself had his Beta 1, 3-D Glucan tested at Harvard, Tulane, the University of Louisville, Baylor, Johns Hopkins among others, and it has been on the market for over 30 years. Through peer-reviewed studies, they tested it against other high-end immune boosting products and found it in fact to be “far superior” to all others on the market.

It’s quite astonishing, but THOUSANDS  (198,000 as of 2023) of studies have been performed on glucans and their ability to modulate the immune system, making it more effective in finding and attacking pathogens.

There is an entire organization that has gathered these studies and you can visit their website HERE and search for specific studies or browse alphabetically.

Watch My Interview with Beta Glucan Expert, AJ Lanigan

(Added for 2022 update)

After 14 years now of taking Beta Glucan daily, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and record an interview with the formulator, AJ Lanigan. I definitely had a few questions for him, and he didn’t disappoint in answering them thoroughly.

How did AJ get started into Beta Glucan research? (01:00)

Beta Glucan as regular immune system care: (08:20)

My personal experience with Beta Glucan since 2008: (12:20)

How does Beta Glucan help the immune system and can effectiveness be measured? (13:45)

Beta Glucan for Kids vs. Kids’ Multivitamin? Which is best if I had to pick one? (~24:00 -28:00 mark)

Beta Glucan’s activity on a cellular level: (31:15)

Can my immune system become “dependent” on Beta Glucan? Can I “take a break” from Beta Glucan? (34:00)

Beta Glucan being “so expensive” — addressing this problem through “pulse dosing.” (My favorite part of the interview!) (35:00)

Last Question: “I’ve heard a rumor that I really don’t have to wait 30 minutes to eat after taking Beta Glucan. Is this true?” (Listen to the whole answer!) (47:15)

Where Can I Buy Beta Glucan?

I purchase my Beta 1, 3-D Glucan from a local Atlanta company, Better Way Health. This is actually the same company I purchased my first bottle from in 2008! It is important that you purchase beta glucan from Transfer Point or Better Way Health, as it is the most potent beta glucan on the market. You can get 10% off of your order by using my code “ACM” at checkout.

***For  the lowest price on Beta Glucan visit this link —> HERE! 

(Update 2024: I am now at 16 years remission and still taking Beta Glucan at the maintenance  2 capsule dose daily!)

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Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a doctor or a cellular biologist.  Humbly speaking, I don’t even consider myself a “cancer researcher.”  I am simply a survivor wanting to share my story, the knowledge I’ve learned (that worked for me) throughout my holistic anti-cancer journey, and to help raise awareness for alternative cancer treatments as a whole.  As such, I am greatly simplifying much of this information for timeliness and comprehension’s sake.  Never hesitate to do your own research. If you have any questions or thoughts along the way, please leave a comment below.  THANKS!

The post Taking Beta Glucan for Cancer | My 15+ Year Experience appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

So you decided NOT to run or race for a cure this year because you don’t agree with where the money is going? You want your money to go to cancer charities that actually help people? Maybe you want your money to make a difference in non-toxic cancer research and cancer prevention?

Every year MILLIONS of Americans will give their hard earned money to a conventional cancer charity in memory of a precious loved one impacted by cancer. From this, BILLIONS of dollars will be used to fund more research on harmful, carcinogenic, patentable chemicals and procedures “experts” say will be the next big cure for cancer. They have no idea that prevention makes a huge impact and that integrative and alternative cancer treatments are options for healing cancer as well.

Chris Wark gave a great explanation of why not to donate to some of the most popular cancer charities and how very little of your donations actually go towards helping cancer patients. It is SO worth a watch. Check it out HERE.

Also, read the financial details of both Komen and American Cancer Society and decide for yourself where you’d like your money to go.

Neither are cancer charities that actually help people nor do they support research on  prevention strategies  or non-toxic alternatives.

But the below organizations do!

These 5 non-profits (cancer charities that actually help people) are devoted COMPLETELY to helping people impacted by cancer. Several of them directly help patients and most of them focus on teaching prevention and non-toxic strategies. I love that they are all unique in their purpose and how they are supporting people and families going through cancer. You can make a donation today by clicking on the red donation links below each organization.

(Updated: October, 2022, originally published 2016)

My Favorite Non-Profits and Cancer Charities:

HealingStrong: A 100% volunteer based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2013 whose mission it is to equip and empower locally-led natural healing support groups, specifically for those healing naturally from cancer. We are passionate about connecting people within their own communities where they are living to love and support each other on their healing journeys. In addition to our community support groups, over the years we have provided educational retreats, juicers, and other resources for FREE to those dealing with cancer.

***Note from Cortney: I actually co-founded HealingStrong with a group of holistic cancer survivors near Atlanta, led by my dear friend Suzy Griswold. In 2017 we published our 12 month/lesson Leadership Guide and Curriculum for our group leaders waiting to get started in cities all over the U.S. in Europe, and Australia! We currently have over 175 active groups meeting all over the U.S. See if we are already in your city HERE!

We are hoping to grow to over 200 groups this year and fund additional staff and outreach opportunities.

**DONATE TO HEALINGSTRONG**

Cancer Crackdown: Founded in 2012 by Steve and Tara Mann. Cancer Crackdown is a 501(c)(3) that works side by side to develop treatment and wellness plans and “help fighters and survivors to be successful in following (their healing plans) to reach their overall health goals.” They offer a wide range of resources and encouragement for those fighting, those surviving and those that wish to prevent cancer.

**DONATE TO CANCER CRACKDOWN **

The Annie Appleseed Project: Started by holistic cancer survivor, Ann Fonfa and a 501(c)(3) since 2003, the Annie Appleseed Project “decided to challenge the existing treatment paradigm, to question the existing research methods and subjects, and to propose new directions for both ending with true Integrative Oncology.” The Annie Appleseed Project website has TONS of information on various non-toxic healing options for all kinds of cancer. An AMAZING resource! Ann also hosts an annual CAM for Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine Conference that is fantastic!

**DONATE TO THE ANNIE APPLESEED PROJECT**

Lighthouse Family Retreat

Lighthouse Family Retreat is a faith based non-profit that exists to strengthen every family living through childhood cancer. They host restorative retreats and provide resources so that families and their support systems can find hope in God and help in their cancer journey.

**DONATE TO THE LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY RETREAT**

Donate Directly to a Cancer Thriver: It’s no joke that a cancer diagnosis is a drain on your finances. If you know someone who is on a dealing with cancer, consider supporting them with a one time gift a set amount on a monthly basis. Many people have pages set up for donations or just put it in their mailbox!

See my post on 25 Healthy Ways to Help Someone With Cancer. 

I’m Broke But I Still Want to Help!

If money is tight for you, there is still a lot you can do!

• Tell the about your favorite holistic cancer blogs and social media accounts.
• Bring them freshly pressed juice or smoothies from a juice bar once a week.
• Watch their kids for them!
• Chop veggies and make them green juice and smoothies at their house!
• Mow their grass or clean their house.
• Give them a foot massage.
• Paint their toenails with non-toxic nail polish.
• Make them a gift basket of non-toxic beauty products, teas, and inspirational gifts.
• Make them Essiac tea and bottle it for them.
• Pray openly for them in writing and send it to them with healing scriptures.

You can be someone’s angel in more ways than just giving financially.

Donate today to one of these beautiful, trailblazing organizations. And feel free to share this post on social media to let others know!

If you know of any others doing great works for non-toxic cancer research and advocacy, give them a shout out in the comments below!

Subscribe for my newsletter and get your FREE Anti-Cancer Habit Tracker at the top of this page.

Connect with me on Facebook or Instagram.

The post 5 Cancer Charities That Actually Help People appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

If you’ve been studying alternative or holistic cancer treatment for any length of time, you may have pondered how you would introduce it to a friend who hasn’t yet considered it or doesn’t know of it as an option for healing.

It can be a bit nerve-racking to think of offering such controversial “unsolicited advice.”

But when your friend or family member is diagnosed with cancer, you KNOW what they are going to be told by their oncologist, and you want them to know other options. I know for me- it feels like if I didn’t, I would be doing them a great injustice!

If you have been following my blog or simply have been researching on your own about the business-side of the pharmaceutical cancer industry for a while, then you would know that the conventional recommendations for cancer are pretty standard and (for the most part) really tough on the body. There is a time and a place for conventional care, but a dietary and lifestyle change as a first step is reasonable and important.

So how do you talk with them about dietary and lifestyle changes prior to beginning treatment? And how do you bring it up without getting push back or feeling like you’re overstepping boundaries?

How Do I Share With Others About Alternative Cancer Strategies?

There was a time when even I didn’t know how to approach this conversation, even after being on the receiving side of the information when I went through cancer 12 years ago.

Your loved one will be told that unless they agree to chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, their cancer will get worse and they will most likely die. I was told that these were my only options as well. We now know that this is NOT TRUE. There are hundreds if not thousands of testimonials of people who have healed from cancer without pharmaceutical intervention. You can see even more here.

In most cases oncologists aren’t mean-spirited. They just AREN’T taught about the benefits of nutrition change, detoxification, herbal remedies, emotional healing, and other alternative therapies. It wasn’t part of their pharmaceutical industry-funded medical school curriculum. Non-toxic strategies are not in their tool belt.

My first oncologist told my husband and I this when we first asked about natural therapies. He simply said that natural treatments weren’t really studied, he didn’t know anything about them anyways, and didn’t feel comfortable recommending it to us. So we moved on.

How to Share:

• Approach Your Loved One Humbly and Lovingly. It’s very important to approach them in a loving and helpful way. They DESERVE to know this information and make their decision from there. Leave it in their court. You’re not trying to win them over to anything. It’s THEIR decision to pray about, research and make.

• Offer SPECIFIC help. Give them specific options and ideas to choose from. DO NOT SAY “Let me know if I can do anything to help.” They most likely will not ASK. Find some great, healthy ideas here —> 25 Healthy Ways to Help Someone With Cancer. You could also purchase the Square One Holistic Cancer Course for them or purchase it for yourself and loan it to them. There’s also the 20 Questions for Your Oncologist Guide, and the Survivor Stories E-book  by Chris Wark that speaks for itself.

• After that, if you pray…PRAY PRAY PRAY, because the pressure they will have on them to follow doctor’s orders is heavy. But have HOPE, because each day many are choosing natural therapies as a first line of defense in healing from cancer.

“It’s easy to get passionately excited and overzealous, but stay calm and LISTEN…”

Sample Email and Ideas for Conversation:

Here’s a great tool for you to help you formulate dialogue in an email or in your head before you talk to the person affected by cancer. Take note that the writing in italics and (parentheses) are my notes to YOU! Copy and paste as needed.

Remember, the warmer, more personable, and better listener you are, the better! Be yourself!

—————————————————-

Hey there friend, (insert name or whatever you’re comfortable with)

I heard recently about (your dad’s, your mom’s, etc.) cancer diagnosis and am so sorry to hear this.

I can imagine it comes with all kinds of emotions and also big decisions that will take some time to process and work through. Please know you are on my mind (heart) and I want to help how I can. (or you’re in my prayers, thoughts, etc…)

How can I help lighten your load? Would you be ok with me bringing dinner by one night this week? What night works best for you? (Be prepared to do this and bring something healthy. You can find plenty of recipes on my Pinterest page. You could also grab some To-Go meals from your local Whole Foods or healthier restaurant or just something that they love. Depending on how well you know their habits, you can even say “We would love to bring you some smoothies for breakfast one morning.” Also- if they are out of town, you may want to ask for their address and favorite grocery store and send a gift card for some healthy groceries or an Instacart order. Just offer some way to help!)

I also wanted to share with you something I’ve been learning about for a little while now. I’ve been reading the stories of quite a few people who were diagnosed with cancer and decided to choose dietary and lifestyle options to both support the body before their treatment began and during treatment. Some chose to continue their lifestyle changes as their treatment exclusively and did really well and healed completely. I included links to their stories in this email as I feel that this information is valuable to you.

It’s quite amazing what nutrition and other natural strategies can do to help our bodies. It’s definitely worth looking into, and no matter what you decide, I am here for you!

Here are the links:

www.anticancermom.com/how-i-beat-cancer

www.chrisbeatcancer.com/category/natural-survivor-stories/

www.cancercompassalternateroute.com/testimonials/

www.healingstrong.org (these are local support groups for people using integrative or holistic treatment.)

(I of course could include many more articles and links, but remember- you don’t want to overwhelm them! If they’re interested, they’ll ask for more.)

You are on my mind and I hope you find this so helpful! Again, let me know a day next week I can bring dinner by!

All My Best, (praying for you…love you, etc.)

<Sign YOUR NAME>

——————————————————–

What NOT to do:

Now that you know what to do, here are a few pointers on what NOT to do:

• DON’T overwhelm them with information and passionate stories of people healing cancer naturally. It’s easy to get excited and overzealous, but stay calm and LISTEN. Don’t ask too many questions, but a general “Where are you guys at right now in this?” should get you an idea of how much they know about their situation and what their timeline for diagnosis and treatment is.

• DON’T get angry or offended if they don’t listen to you. They will have a LOT of pressure on them to follow doctor’s order. They may even have pressure from a doctor in their family. They will be VERY afraid of dying in most cases and leaving behind their children and loved ones. Most won’t want to “take chances” with an “unproven therapy” and they will buckle under the pressure to take the “safe road” of following doctor’s orders, but it’s still worth giving them the information.

• DON’T scare them. Offer information about alternative therapies as an option for them to research. Don’t say anything negative about chemo, as it could be the best option for their circumstances. But if they ask about what you know about chemo and its toxicity and effectiveness, that is a great opportunity to send them to talk with them and send them additional studies or articles.

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment below or on my Instagram or Facebook pages. 

If you’re looking for more posts and recipes about healing cancer naturally, check out my Get Started Page.

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The post How Do I Share About Alternative Cancer Treatment? appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

I have been wanting to write about Essiac Tea and its role in healing cancer for practically forever. This post is a long time coming and I’m excited to share this easy Essiac tea recipe with you! For history, how to make, and instructions, see below

BUY ESSIAC HERE (Use coupon code ACM10 for 10% off!)

Nurse Rene Caisse

The History of Essiac Tea:

Essiac tea is named for Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse (pronounced “Reen Case”,) who developed the formula for her Essiac tea recipe from an ancient remedy used by Canadian first nation tribes, (possibly Ojibwa.) It literally means “Tea of Life.”

“Essiac” is Rene’s last name spelled backwards. She learned of the Essiac tea herbs from one of her patients who had recovered from advanced breast cancer 30 years prior (this was in the 1920’s.)  This patient had learned of the herbs from a native medicine man and recovered from her cancer while only drinking the tea from the herbs.

Rene began using the Essiac tea blend on some of her cancer patients who were deemed “lost causes” (starting with her own aunt) and had great and surprising success. She opened and ran her own clinic for over 30 years (which was eventually forced to close by authorities.) Read Rene Caisse’s own words about this HERE. She helped thousands of patients heal using her Essiac tea recipe and became known as “Canada’s Cancer Nurse.”

How It Works:

The traditional Essiac tea recipe used by Rene Caisse is made from 4 herbs:

Burdock Root: Reduces mucus, helps maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract, stimulates a healthy immune response, used for weak digestion, as a diuretic for waste retention and to sweat out toxins through the skin. It has vitamin A and selenium to help reduce free radicals and its chromium content helps maintain normal blood sugar levels.

Slippery Elm (inner bark): Helps dissolve mucus deposits in tissue, glands and nerve channels. The inner bark, rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamins(A,B,C,K) helps to nourish and soothe organs, tissues and mucus membranes and is helpful to the lungs. It also helps neutralize acids from indigestion.

Sheep Sorrel Root: Used in traditional folk herbalism to cool the body, creates sweating and detoxification through the skin: as a diuretic useful in maintaining healthy kidney and urinary functions. It is rich in vitamins and trace minerals (ascorbic acid, mineral oxides, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and silicon. It is thought to nourish the glandular system.

Indian Rhubarb Root: Used traditionally in small amounts, this herb acts as a gently laxative and helps purge the liver of toxic buildup and waste. It helps neutralize acids due to indigestion. Its malic acid also carries oxygen to all parts of the body, aiding in healing and promoting a positive and balancing effect upon the whole digestive system.

(Thank you to www.essiacinfo.org for this!)

***Any Essiac tea recipe can be made with a 4-herb or 8-herb blend, but the 8-herb blend is believed to be even more effective than the original 4-herb. Later in life, Nurse Caisse preferred the 8-herb after studying its effects alongside Dr. Charles Brusch. The additional herbs in the 8-herb formula are not diluting the original 4-herbs but are ADDING to the amount of total herbs. Because of this, you will see below that you actually take MORE liquid with the 8-herb version and it is more bitter and potent.

The additional herbs in the 8-herb formula are: watercress, blessed thistle, kelp, and red clover.

My Essiac Story for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma:

Essiac is an EXCELLENT natural therapy for lymphomas since it helps release and flush toxins from the lymph system, altering the environment that encouraged circulating cancer cell activity in the first place. (See above herb descriptions.)

My experience with Essiac was pretty incredible. I added Essiac into my daily natural cancer protocol about 6 weeks after I started my anti-cancer diet. Its results were noticeable within 2 weeks.

I had a walnut-sized lymph node in my neck that began shrinking quite rapidly to the touch within days after beginning Essiac. I was grateful it was palpable from the surface and we could gauge my progress from its behavior.

Two months after beginning my natural cancer treatment (and about 3 weeks after starting Essiac,) I went to a local living foods center to receive detox therapies and was asked ONLY to consume the foods and juices there for my 12 days there. So, in keeping with the instructions I stopped consuming two parts of my protocol: the Budwig mixture and Essiac.

After my 12 days there I actually noticed an obvious INCREASE in the size of my lymph node. It was coming back! I immediately began Budwig and Essiac again and never turned back. My cancer has been in remission since 2009 and that lymph node has NEVER increased in size again.

 Who Should NOT Use Essiac:

• People receiving chemotherapy should consult with an experienced naturopath or herbalist to address interactions and detoxification during or after chemotherapy. However, I have read testimonies of Essiac users going through chemo and it actually made them feel BETTER, so consider this case by case. The official Genuine Essiac page says that there are no known drug interactions with Essiac
• Pregnant and nursing women should use caution with any Essiac tea recipe. The main concern is that the herbs will cause toxins to be released into the mother’s bloodstream which could pass into baby. With this said, I have heard of women using Essiac during pregnancy and nursing. I also think about the fact that oncologists easily prescribe chemotherapy to pregnant women, and there’s no way that Essiac could cause more harm than that!  If I were faced with cancer during pregnancy again, I would consider Essiac, ramping up slowly to the full dose.
• People with major kidney and liver problems should consult their doctor before using Essiac.

My Favorite EASY Essiac Tea Recipe:

Genuine Essiac is the brand I recommend, as it is the most affordable and closest to the original recipe and work of Nurse Rene Caisse. You can read their entire story on their website. (Make sure to use promo code ACM10 for 10% off!)

When I drank Essiac during my cancer season, I didn’t feel confident enough to make my own and ended up buying REALLY expensive (but awesome) pre-made Essiac (see bottom of post.)

Nowadays I definitely feel better about making my own, homemade Essiac tea. It turns out it wasn’t really that hard to make in the first place!

After much research, my favorite version of pre-blended dry Essiac is from Genuine Essiac.

You can purchase a 1 lbs bag HERE and the 3 lbs bag HERE. My favorite are the individual 4 ounce bags that equal one gallon of Essiac tea HERE. That way you don’t need to measure anything, just pour out the bag into the water!

How to Make:

To make 1 gallon of Essiac tea: This will easily cover 2 weeks of twice to three times a day of Essiac consumption.

Step 1: Around bedtime, use a large pot with lid and bring 1 gallon + 3/4 cup of filtered water to a boil.

Step 2: Stir in 4 ounces Essiac Tea blend, stir in, and boil on medium for 10 minutes (set your timer.)

Step 3: Turn off heat and let cool and brew overnight for 12 hours. (Lid is optional but I always fear a bug will get in so I put a lid on.)

Step 4: After 12 hours, stir tea and pour into a one gallon glass pitcher or store in separate containers with lid. I prefer to use stainless steel or glass. There is no need to put in amber glass bottles (like I’ve suggested in the past) since your homemade Essiac will be stored in a dark refrigerator.

If you have old Essiac bottles, you could still use them to store your homemade Essiac, but I prefer the simpler method of using a glass 1 gallon pitcher.

Step 5: Drink your Essiac batch within 2-3 weeks. Before each pour from the container or bottle, give your Essiac a stir to mix the herbs up. Unlike past recipes I’ve shared, this Essiac recipe is the closest to Nurse Caisse’s method and she had her patients drink the gritty herbs along with the liquid for extra benefit.

To Drink Essiac Tea:

• Measure out 3 ounces of the Essiac tea, making sure you stir before pouring. For years I used to add enough hot water to warm up the tea and drink warm, but I have since been advised that Nurse Caisse actually served the tea room temperature or COLD.
• Optimally, make sure to wait 60 minutes to eat after drinking Essiac and try to take Essiac two hours AFTER eating. Consume 3 times per day if healing from cancer.
•  If you don’t like the flavor or texture, you’ll get used to it! It did and I love it now. It tastes like….LIFE! If you need a little help, you can  add stevia drops.

Sample schedule for an Essiac Routine:

7am: Essiac

8am: Breakfast

10:30 Snack

11:30 Essiac

12:30 Lunch

3pm Snack

6:00pm Dinner

8:30: Essiac

9:30 Snack if needed

Pre-Made Essiac Tea:

When I was going through treatment I was overwhelmed by the idea of making my own Essiac tea. I felt like I was prepping food in my kitchen 24/7! So my husband and I spent a fortune buying 1-2 bottles of Flor-essence brand Essiac tea a week at almost $60 a bottle!

If that’s you, and you have the money, you can find the pre-made Flor-essence brand I used HERE.

But making your own Essiac tea is as simple as boiling water and dumping in the bag now. With this new method I have learned, Essiac is simpler than making Kool-Aid! Remember to buy the pre-measured bags if you are getting started!

For Essiac Tea Community, other Essiac tea recipe ideas, and to hear MANY successful testimonies and share your own, see the Essiac Tea Users Facebook page.

Connect with AntiCancerMom on Facebook or Instagram.

See more posts on anti-cancer lifestyle and diet and alternative cancer treatments HERE.

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Sources and References:

http://www.essiacinfo.org/caisse.html

http://www.healthfreedom.info/Cancer%20Essiac.htm

The post Essiac Tea Recipe + How I Used It To Heal From Cancer appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

This past September, 2018 marked the 10-year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. Perhaps I should say that it has flown by, but in reality it feels like a lifetime ago! Choosing alternative cancer treatment has led myself and my family down a lifestyle path I would have never imagined pre-cancer.

10 Things I’ve Learned 10 Years After Alternative Cancer Treatment

For those of you that don’t know the whole story, I was reluctant to try natural therapies at first, primarily because of my family history of cancer and my people-pleasing, rule-following personality, but my husband was adamant that the path of conventional care (chemo and radiation) was not right for us. Here are a few things I have learned along the way.

#10: Most people with cancer have time to explore their options.

I love how Chris Wark puts it: “Cancer is a natural, normal process in the body. Everybody has cancer cells….the tumor is a symptom of a bigger deficiency….a suppressed and overloaded immune system.”

Over the years I have heard hundreds of stories of people who are being rushed into treatment by their oncologist. Please know that in the vast majority of cases, you have time to research a second or even third opinion. Your doctor is a resource to HELP YOU make your treatment decision. You are not entitled to them once you receive your diagnosis. The better you understand your cancer and your options, the more empowered you will feel as you heal.

The average cancer diagnosis timeline is about 3-6 weeks from discovery and testing to treatment starting. What if were you to use that time to make major changes to your diet and lifestyle? (See HERE for nutrition info.)

This gathering of studies (observed mostly in countries with socialized healthcare where patients have to “wait their turn” for treatment) shows various survival outcomes if treatment was delayed. Most of the results were inconclusive- NOT showing an obvious disadvantage in patients who had to wait longer, up to 60 days without any conventional treatment.

When I was diagnosed, my first oncologist (who consulted with MD Anderson) suggested 4 rounds of R-CHOP chemotherapy + possible radiation. We got a second opinion from a second oncologist who said he would be comfortable with our desire to “wait” and change our lifestyle but did suggest I consider the immunotherapy Rituxan (rituximab.) We declined but knew that was an option if Plan A wasn’t effective.

Same cancer, same person, different opinions.

#9: There is no “one size fits all” alternative cancer treatment.

Over the past eight years of blogging I have chatted with A LOT of people recently diagnosed with cancer. The varying kinds of treatment options have only expanded and different people are drawn or led to certain treatments. The important thing is that you pour into research and pray for leading in the right direction.

Depending on your life’s circumstances and family dynamic, financial situation, etc. you will have to weigh the pros and cons of which treatment is best.

Sometimes a purely holistic path is the right choice for now and sometimes a change to a more integrative path is the right way as a reasonable Plan B. If you have a spouse who is unsupportive in the decision you want then some tough, prayerful choices will need to be made. Everyone’s circumstances are different. If you have young children or limited funds your decision may also look different.

I’ve talked to people who have used several months to change their lifestyle and then integrated some conventional treatment, went to an alternative cancer clinic, or had that surgery they were waiting for.

They feel more comfortable that way and I think that is great that they have prayed and researched to that point in order to decide. CancerTutor.com also has a wide variety of ideas for alternative cancer treatment.

Cancer Clinics in Mexico such as Hope4Cancer, or CHIPSA hospital are options as well.

#8: Sometimes a CT or PET scan is just what someone needs to not let their imagination get the best of them.

Some of you will gasp that I even said this- especially with my ongoing stance in support of nontoxic approaches to cancer as a first defense, but let me explain.

Although I don’t LOVE the idea of radiation and toxic, radioactive chemicals that is involved with a PET scan (it helps that I didn’t know any better at the time I received a PET scan), for me it ended up being a part of my diagnosis that was helpful in the long run. I had a very vivid imagination and throughout the staging process thought that cancer was probably all over my body due to the digestive problems I had for over a year prior to my diagnosis.

Turns out that my PET Scan showed very detailed evidence of cancer under my left jawbone and residual evidence in my right rib cage near where the largest tumor was removed for biopsy. But it wasn’t anywhere else that I was imagining it was!

Knowing this allowed me to visualize healing in these areas and gave me peace that I wasn’t disease-ridden like I had thought. If I would have just opted for a blood test like the RGCC or urine test like the CAProfile or Navarro hCG test, I wouldn’t have know this.

#7: “Information overload” is a thing.

Informing yourself is important but overwhelm can kick in quickly. Having an advocate to help you with your research and plan of action within a few weeks after diagnosis will help with the feeling that you need to know more “or else.” The “If I don’t, God won’t” mentality can be overwhelming and taxing to your mental and physical health.

A few tips to help with this:

• As a general rule, transitioning to an organic high raw plant-based, nutrient dense, no processed food diet is a great start and will serve as a base for the nutritional side of your treatment.
• Doing your best to get 8-9 hours (or sleeping until you wake up naturally) while going to bed between 9 and 11pm will result in the best restorative sleep for healing to take place.
• Moving your body everyday through exercise, preferably in fresh air is always going to benefit your health.
• As you begin to form an idea for how you want to heal, find a practitioner who is an expert on this form of treatment.
• Monitor your progress carefully!
• Consider hiring a cancer coach such as Dr. Anja Sonst or Bailey O’Brien to help you get started and whittle down any research for you. You can also purchase the Square One Healing Cancer course which comes with access to the Square One online support group.

#6: Kids + strict anti-cancer lifestyle = HARD.

Enough said. The more my family has grown, the harder it has been to take care of myself in the super intentional way I did when I was first diagnosed. When our first child was born I still had a handle things and was super motivated because it was so soon after my diagnosis. But when baby #2 and then #3 came along several years later I had to be strategic and at times was barely holding onto my sanity. I have learned how to relax some of my strict standards and trust God for my health.

With baby #4 here now, I have to be REALLY intentional and have hired help in areas that I am no longer able to handle alone such as house cleaning and childcare several hours each week so I can prep food and meal plan and overall have some “self care”, aka ALONE time or just simply SLEEP.

I also found that the more time that has passed since my 5-year remission date in 2013, the harder it has become to stick to what I did in the beginning. I have ended up focusing on a clean, high organic plant foods diet with some clean meats, minimal to no processed sugar and making time for myself and my emotional needs, especially when my children are in their more needy baby and toddler years, (although this has been a sloooow learning process!)

I also still take many of my supplements including Beta-1, 3D Glucan and do an Essiac tea detox at the change of each season when I’m not pregnant or nursing.

As with anything, I listen to what my body shows a need for and consider getting labs run for nutritional deficiencies if I feel something is going on.

#5: There is also dishonesty and greed in the alternative cancer industry.

This is a tough one to talk about. I add this in here because in the ten years since my diagnosis, the popularity of alternative and nontoxic cancer treatment has blown up which is AMAZING! But with that has come greed and the ripe opportunity to take advantage of desperate people.

Just because someone is seemingly an “expert” and speaks confidently does NOT mean you should take their ideas and spend a bunch of money on their recommended supplements, herbs, memberships, courses, or clinic stays.

Research well, spot check for other references, and look for themes in advertisement. It is sometimes very difficult to spot a genuine recommendation over one that is fueled by commission on a product or sneaky marketing strategies. This is especially true in social media groups.

In many cases you can find studies on the product or genuine experience, so look for those too and check who sponsored the study. (Unfortunately many alternative cancer strategies are not studied because they are not profitable. When in doubt, go with your gut and not an impulse.)

When someone shares their healing story with the protocol they used, look for long term evidence of their testimony and be weary if they are making outrageous claims or selling something.

You can read my reviews of products and testimonies I trust on my Start Here page.

Often keeping it simple is 95% of a good plan for healing.

#4: Asking for HELP with paying for treatment can be a beautiful process.

It’s not uncommon these days to see GoFundMe campaigns in your Facebook or Instagram feed, but fundraising requires persistent and a shift in your belief to truly gain traction.

The Freely Funded program is an excellent place to start if fundraising is new to you. You can read my full review of what to expect with the program HERE.

If you haven’t been diagnosed with cancer, I also highly recommend obtaining a healthcare sharing membership in place of insurance. Samaritan Ministries is the only one (to my knowledge) that will share expenses for alternative medicine and alternative cancer treatment. We have been members for 6 years and I have had about a dozen various needs paid for, most of them using an alternative practitioner for mine or my families’ needs. I HIGHLY recommend. You can check out all of my blog posts on Samaritan Ministries HERE.

#3: It’s not just about the food.

Healing from cancer is as much an emotional healing as it is a physical healing. For many years I focused intensely on food, ignoring the other aspects to healing.

Many others neglect it too. Your EMOTIONAL health and needs are just as important if not MORE important than your physical needs. Addressing where you are not at peace in your life, where you are holding on to regrets, unforgiveness, heartbreak, or negative patterns of belief is a significant part of your healing and it is ongoing.

I often meet people who just can’t understand this (or perhaps they don’t want to.) They live their life existing and simmering in their own angry, bitter, anxious, depressed juices and have just given up.

There is so much you can do to remedy this once you decide to. Here are just some of the self-help resources that I’ve used and recommend:

• An excellent therapist or life coach. Talk therapy, CBT, or just plain accountability can help so much. Complaining about the cost is another self-defeating behavior. YOU are worth it. Invest in yourself and your healing. Welcome the change and believe God will open new doors!
• Physical exercise and investing in yourself to better yourself is just as much emotional as it physical. A regular exercise schedule is proven to increase hormones that help you think more clearly and live with more joy and less anxiety.
• De-stressing from burdensome people and places is NOT easy, but for those with the strongest will to heal and live, it must be done. Sometimes the most radical decisions are needed to move on from these situations.
• Books I have read and found helpful for Emotional Healing:
  • Jesus Today: Daily Devotional by Sarah Young (the perfect healing devotional)
  • The Purpose Driven Life: Rick Warren
  • You Can Beat the Odds: Surprising Factors Behind Chronic Illness and Cancer: Brenda Stockdale
  • The Art of Extreme Self Care: Cheryl Richardson
  • DARE: The New Way To End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks: Barry McDonagh
  • A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can
    Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives: Dr. Kelly Brogan, MD
  • Feelings Buried Alive Never Die: Karol K. Truman
  • The Feeling Good Handbook: Dr. David D. Burns, MD

#2: Like-minded community and support is SO important.

I have written an entire post devoted to online community for holistic and alternative cancer support, but the best support is in person.

HealingStrong natural healing support groups are currently a network of over 130 groups mostly in the U.S. and Canada and with 35 groups internationally. Our groups support our attendees at all levels: education, connection, community, and prayer.

Learn more about our groups at HealingStrong.org.

#1: Don’t be stubborn and dogmatic about ONLY doing natural therapies.

This is a hard one for me to write, but the fact is I have gotten close to people over the past ten years who, for various reasons, did not want to change course on their alternative cancer treatment plan even though it wasn’t working.

If after six months on a focused nontoxic protocol your cancer has continued to worsen and/or you have run out of funds, a prayerful discussion with your doctor and support advocate can help guide you in the direction of next steps.

When my husband and I decided to move forward with a 3-month trial period of nutritional and lifestyle overhaul, we were not dogmatic about it. We knew what our next options were if my body did not respond to what I was doing.

We knew what additional alternative therapies we could add, we knew we could pursue going to a clinic overseas, and we knew we could possibly add in an immunotherapy drug which would not impact my fertility or cause me to be sick like the chemotherapy would have. We also knew where we could pursue funding if we needed more money.

We had next steps in mind but at the same time believed fully in what we were doing at the time. Constant progress evaluation and monitoring is needed when pursuing alternative treatment.

Well there you have it. If I were to summarize all I have learned in the past 10 years in a nutshell, it is don’t lose sight of the forest through the trees.

Healing from cancer is not just about one change or one fix. It’s the result of many small decisions day after day and after day, one step at a time.

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The post 10 Things I’ve Learned 10 Years After Alternative Cancer Treatment appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

Comparing Water Systems to Find Your Best Fit

Do I Really Need to Filter My Water?

Do you want me to just cut to the chase? Our tap water in the US is not safe to drink. We are going on 175 years, post-Industrial Revolution now, of dumping chemicals into our water supply – none of which belong in our bodies.

Nothing caused my husband and I to realize the importance of toxin-free water more than my cancer diagnosis in 2008. We started learning that practically EVERYTHING in our modern world can lead to an environment that encourages cancer growth including our chemical-laced public tap water.

In the U.S. and other developed countries clean water and proper sanitation has been essential to the decline in infectious disease incidence starting in the early 20th century. This has been significant in the overall decline of mortality, but with this addition of chemicals to our water supply to kill off pathogens has come a different problem – the cumulative effect of toxic chemicals in our drinking water and an increase in chronic disease.

Because of this (in addition to our diet, lifestyle choices and environmental factors,) chronic diseases such as cancer, inflammatory diseases like asthma, and other disorders have become prevalent and considered normal in our culture.

Chemicals from automobiles, lead, chromium, viruses, bacteria (including anthrax and salmonella,) and pharmaceutical residue dumped or urinated into the water supply are all easily detectable in our water supply (and our blood tests) in addition to the things that are intentionally ADDED to our water such as chlorine and fluoride.

Comparing THREE Popular Options: Boroux Filters, Aquatru Reverse Osmosis, Water 4 Life Alkaline Ionizer

This guide will help walk you through our own decision-making process for the right water filter for our family. I have had experience with all three units over the years, so I’ll share my honest opinion and decision making as we go.

Filter	Removes Fluoride	Removes PFAS	Alkalizes Water	Installation	Price Range	Maintenance
Boroux	Yes	Yes	No	None (gravity)	$$	Low
AquaTru	Yes	Yes	Yes No	Countertop plug-in or under counter	$$-$$$	Moderate
Water4 Life Genesis Alkaline Ionizer	Yes	Not Verified	Yes	Countertop, gravity or under-sink options	$$$	Low–Moderate

My family’s journey into better health has been a long one, beginning with my cancer diagnosis in 2008 and our decision to address it using non-toxic methods. The need to find a better water filter became one of our first changes.

At the point of my diagnosis we were using a simple Brita hand-held filtering container. We learned that although it removed chlorine and odor, it did not remove many of the other more harmful substances like PFAS forever chemicals, pharmaceutical runoff, fluoride, or microplastics.

After much research and the persuasion of a few people we respected, we purchased an alkaline water ionizer. We loved and enjoyed the heavenly tasting water from this system for 7 years, but when it stopped working in 2016, we knew we needed to do some new research. Buying another alkaline ionizer would be expensive and there were many other options available. There were also some questions on how thorough the contaminant removal and filtering certifications were.

 After much debate we now use Boroux gravity-fed water filters and this post discusses why we made that choice.

I also include the two other options we compared them against and why those may be a better option for you depending on your circumstances. There’s also some nuance with the relationship between the popular Berkey brand filters and Boroux filters, and I will discuss that as well.

Can you explain the relationship between Boroux and Berkey?

Some of you may know that I recommended Berkey water filters for years — and for good reason. They are identical to all of the qualities of the Boroux filters I spoke about above. In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) slapped a “stop production order” on Berkey for claims made about its ability to filter microorganisms. In order to do so, they would have to be classified as a “pesticide” and they did not have this type of certification. This put many Berkey distributors out of business and made it very difficult to find replacement filters. Today they are no longer in production and any Berkey black filters still for sale are inventory produced prior to the EPA stop-sale ban.

The family who owns BerkeyFilters.com, (who I purchased my Berkey filters from,) decided to pivot and launched Boroux independently from Berkey. This means they now have full control over the design, manufacturing, and testing of their filters. I love this company because they have sought out ongoing testing and have received multiple certifications that Berkey never underwent. They are essentially a better, more transparent Berkey filter. Same filter technology (carbon/coconut shell), but they aren’t making claims without backing it up with testing and certification.

Boroux filters are fully compatible with old Berkey systems, so if you already have a Berkey unit, you can use Boroux filters perfectly (we do.)

What We Use: Boroux Gravity-Fed Water System

The Boroux water filter system is a non-electric, portable, gravity-fed water filtering system that filters 99%+ of contaminants such as viruses, bacteria, environmental pollutants, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals from our water supply.

We have used Boroux/Berkey black gravity-fed filters since 2016 and have found this system to be the easiest, most thorough, and most cost-effective solution to filtering our family’s water.

8+ Reasons I Love Boroux Water Filters

#1. Filtering Capabilities and Certifications:

As I mentioned above, very little compares to the filtering capabilities of the Boroux water filter system. You can read the third-party reports of their filtering capabilities to get started on your research below. Just reading them again makes me so thankful it is what we filter our water through everyday. They are also one of the most highly and thoroughly certified water filters you can buy. Boroux filters are tested by ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited laboratories and adhere to NSF/ANSI Standards 42, 53, and 401. Here’s a quick rundown of what it removes and percentages:

BOROUX Foundation Filter Contaminant Removal Chart (Source)

#2. PRICE

Compared to other options for filtering water, you cannot beat the Boroux on price.

A stainless steel Boroux system has no mechanical parts and will last a lifetime with a ~$300 investment + filters every few years (if you need fluoride filters they will need to be replaced more frequently but we will get to that below.)

Each black Boroux foundation filter only needs to be replaced every 12-months (or technically every 6,000 gallons.) Each Boroux liter of water costs an average $0.02 per gallon. Compare this to $0.20 per gallon in a Brita filter and up to $2.00 per gallon for bottled water!

Over the course of 3 years, the Boroux filter system will only cost you your initial ~$300 while other water systems you have to keep buying filters. For a Brita filter this adds up to around ~$500 for three years (and counting!) Bottled water will cost you hundred per month for a family.

PURCHASE a BOROUX system for 20% off using code ACM20

Daily Cost Comparison (1 gallon/day)

Compared to ~$3,500 alkaline or hydrogen water systems, $8,000+ all-house systems, and ~$350+ reverse osmosis systems that require twice yearly filter replacement and often professional installation, you cannot compete with the simple investment in a gravity-fed system.

You also don’t have to worry about anything breaking or how long your warranty lasts.

#3. Filters Last a Long Time!

I mentioned this above, but each Boroux filter lasts 6,000 gallons. A set of 2 (which is typical use) is 12,000 gallons! Depending on how much water you or your family uses, these can last longer than 12 months, although they are warrantied for only a year and that is when the company recommends replacement. If filtering slows down, simply remove your filters and “prime” them by scrubbing them gently and running water through them again using the priming tool (“blue” or “tan”) – included with your filters. 

This refreshes flow and maintains performance. Clean the stainless steel chambers with water and vinegar monthly (1 to 3 ratio vinegar to water,) and scrub the filters every 6 months or so.

We aren’t perfect on this maintenance routine, but it’s worth it to protect our investment!

#4. Taste of Water

I will be honest here. I loved the taste of my alkaline water ionizer. Boroux does not win in this category because the pH of the water is not altered (it will stay the pH of your tap water,) and it’s not ionized. But the water still tastes so clean and fresh! People come over to our house and comment all the time on how great our water tastes. 

This makes me more attuned to the horrible, chlorine-taste of water whenever I’m out at a restaurant or someone else’s house (even if they have a Brita or another kind of filter!) I can especially taste the plastic leaching in certain bottled waters!

#5. Easy to Refill

Different kitchen setups will create different strategies for refilling your Boroux system, but I found the best thing is to keep it close to your sink so you can refill it with your extendable water sprayer in your kitchen. I can extend mine up to the top of the unit and let it sit there until the water is at the top. We do this every night as we’ve found that is a good rhythm to making sure we have clean, filtered water for the entire next day!

Another option is to fill a large Vitamix or blender container or another water pitcher with water and make as many refill trips as needed to refill your Boroux system.

PURCHASE a BOROUX system for 20% off using code ACM20

#6. No Need for a Plumber + Easy Setup + No Electricity Needed + Better for the Environment

That pretty much says it all. For the first 7 years after my cancer diagnosis we had an alkaline water system because someone told us that it would help us with fighting cancer and my acidic internal environment by alkalizing it.

This system required special installation and if the power was out, we couldn’t use our machine and didn’t have clean water.

The same goes with a reverse osmosis system, many of which also require fancy installation to a degree and wastes ~2 gallons of water per 1 gallon of filtered water it makes.

We are grateful for the simplicity and steady-nature of the gravity-fed, non-electric Boroux system.

And I am especially grateful for the amount of plastic bottles the Boroux system helps reduce, especially since latest reports are that only 9% of our plastic actually gets recycled (with the rest going to landfills.) 2025 preliminary reports are showing that number closer to 5%.

#7.  Filters Fluoride

Even though updated science is consistently showing that internally consumed fluoride today has no benefit in overall dental health, 70% of municipal water plants in the US still add fluoride to their water supply.

Not only does evidence show that internally ingested fluoride does little to help teeth, it is an extremely toxic substance linked to many health issues including endocrine disorders, allergies and cancer. (Source) 

Most developed countries including Japan and 97% of Europe do not fluoridate their water. It is an outdated practice based on outdated science and needs to be addressed.

You can check your area’s fluoride status HERE.  If it shows that fluoride is added to your water, you will definitely want to consider adding a Boroux fluoride filter to your system when you purchase it. These simply attach in the bottom container to the top black filters in the above Boroux container and need to be replaced every 1,000 gallons. I found my county’s fluoride additive percentage to be above even government recommendations.

The only modern studies to show benefits from fluoride have always been in topical fluoride used as a treatment in dental offices and perhaps some evidence that topical fluoride toothpaste has helped.

#8. Comes in 3 Colors to Matchy Matchy your Kitchen!

This is such an added perk with the Boroux! If you prefer a matte black or matte white finish instead of the standard stainless steel, you can add it for an additional $20! They are beautiful units!

PURCHASE a BOROUX system for 20% off using code ACM20

Boroux Cons: (that are minor in my opinion…)

So, not everything’s perfect and this wouldn’t be a realistic or honest portrayal of my experience with the Boroux system if I didn’t have a few opinionated cons. Here are a few things that were I wish were a bit different (but honestly just reflect on my lazy tendencies…

• Priming the Filters- All water systems require some sort of priming, so you really can’t get away from this. Boroux makes it easy though! All filters come with a priming tool which makes the process super easy!
• Sometimes it needs a babysitter– So, unlike other filters, the black Boroux filters need to be consistently used or they dry out and will need to be re-primed. This is true if you are going on more than a weekend long vacation. Check out the storage guidelines below.

          Boroux Official Guidance on Storage:

• • Weekend trips (a few days): No special prep needed—filters in the system are fine. If flow slows a bit upon return, a quick prime is all that’s needed.
  • Away 7–10 days: Remove filters from the chamber, place them in a zip‑top bag with a little water, and store in the fridge (ideally the door) to keep them moist—Boroux notes they can stay in the fridge for up to 30 days.
  • Away long-term (>30 days): Let the filters air-dry completely (3–5 days), then store dry in their packaging—dry storage prevents mold and odor issues.
• Cleaning your Boroux – Just like with anything, every month or so I clean out both Boroux top and bottom reservoirs with vinegar and water spray and some paper towels or a Norwex cloth. Sometimes I go two or three months and have never noticed a change in taste or smell.
• Its LARGE presence – Whenever new people come to my house they are immediately drawn to asking questions about my water system. You can see what it looks like in the picture above. It is a LARGER presence on your counter. I personally like it because my health journey and lifestyle is something I enjoy talking about!
• Having to manually refill- I don’t mind this so much because we just stick to the routine of doing it every night before bed and checking at lunchtime, but I imagine for someone just used to grabbing water from the tap, this would be annoying. But it’s SO worth it to me knowing I’m getting the BEST water.
• Only a few sizes available – Boroux is currently only available in two sizes: 3 gallon and 1.5 gallon. Berkey still does sell their larger-sized units (4.5 and 6 gallon units) if 3 gallons isn’t large enough for you. Another tip is to just buy the 3 gallon Boroux unit and get 4 filters so your water filters faster and then make it your routine to refill twice a day.

Where Can I Buy a Boroux Water Filter System?

You can purchase a complete 3-gallon Boroux Water Filter system starting at around ~$350. Shipping is FREE. If you are just looking for replacement filters for your existing Berkey unit click HERE.

For our family of 8, we go through a day’s worth of water (~6 gallons) using an old Berkey 6-gallon model in about a day. The 3-gallon Boroux model would need to be refilled twice a day for us.

***Make sure to add on your fluoride filters if needed!

PURCHASE a BOROUX system for 20% off using code ACM20

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Another Great Option: AquaTru Reverse Osmosis System

The AquaTru is a plug-in, reverse osmosis (RO) water filtration system that removes 82+ contaminants, including lead, fluoride, PFAS, chlorine, and microplastics, using a four-stage purification process. Its countertop model offers a clean, efficient alternative to under-sink RO units – without requiring a plumber or permanent installation.

This is a great choice for those who prefer easy installation with the added instant fluoride removal and purification of RO technology. Under sink options are also available but require a plumbing expert for installation.

4 Reasons to Consider the AquaTru RO Filter

#1. Reverse Osmosis + Certified Performance (Source)

AquaTru’s 4-stage RO system removes the most common and dangerous tap water contaminants, including:

It is NSF-certified to Standards 42, 53, 58, 401, and P473 – even more than the Boroux above. 

A big perk of the Aquatru is not having to fuss with adding additional fluoride filters. Reverse osmosis machines naturally do that. With Boroux and alkaline water machines you will need to purchase additional filters and install them.

#2. Easy Setup, No Plumbing Required

One of the things I love most is that AquaTru sits right on your countertop and doesn’t require installation. You just fill the tap water tank, press a button, and it filters your water into a separate tank, ready to pour. It plugs into a standard outlet and fits in most kitchen spaces. It’s plug and go! It wins the “ease of set-up” award over Boroux.

#3. Filter Replacement is Easy

AquaTru uses three compact filters that snap in and out – no tools needed.

• Pre/Carbon Filter: lasts 6 months
• Reverse Osmosis Filter: lasts 2 years
• VOC Carbon Filter: lasts 1 year

The machine will let you know when it’s time or you can set a calendar alert. Compared to other RO systems that require 2–4 filter changes a year, AquaTru is refreshingly low maintenance.”

#4. Alkaline Water is Also an Option

For a marginal additional fee you can grab the alkaline water unit in both of the countertop sizes that AquaTru offers.

AquaTru RO Cons: A few things I don’t like…

• Needs Electricity: I have perhaps an irrational fear of the power going out and not being able to get fresh, filtered water, but this is a legitimate concern for some. I prefer the Boroux water system to the Aquatru for this reason.
• Filter replacement often: There are 3 filters and you’ll need to keep track of when they need to be replaced.
• Wastewater: Although much more efficient than under-sink RO systems, AquaTru still produces some wastewater, about 2 gallons of wastewater per 1 gallon of filtered water.
• Appearance: Its white plastic presence in my otherwise stainless steel and black kitchen is not a deal breaker, but I like the stainless steel, or white or black matte appearance of the Boroux.
• Minerals Removed: Like all RO systems, AquaTru removes minerals from the water. If you want them back in, you can add mineral drops or use AquaTru’s Mineral Boost add-on.
• Refilling often: The largest-sized countertop Aquatru (or any reverse osmosis machine) I have seen doesn’t even go up to a gallon. Compared to the 3-gallon Boroux, you would be filling up more than 3x as much! This would be a lot for our family. An undersink, faucet model would be a better choice if choosing RO.

Where to Buy:

Shop the AquaTru Countertop RO system. Check for sales HERE.

***AquaTru also has under counter options and alkaline options that I have NOT tried on their website.

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Water4 Life Genesis Alkaline Filter

The Water4Life Genesis is a high-end, electric alkaline water ionizer that connects directly to your kitchen faucet and produces both alkaline and acidic water through a process called electrolysis. The Genesis uses advanced filtration combined with powerful ionization to adjust the pH of your water, remove contaminants, and produce antioxidant-rich alkaline water for drinking, cooking, and wellness.

We used a Genesis-style ionizer as our family’s main water system for over seven years — especially during the early years of my healing journey — and I have a lot to say about the pros, the cons, and the ideal use cases for a system like this.

7+ Reasons I Love the Genesis Alkaline Water Ionizer

#1. Ionized, Alkaline Water with Antioxidants

The primary benefit of an alkaline ionizer like the Genesis is that it doesn’t just filter water –  it transforms it. Using electrolysis, the machine separates water into acidic and alkaline streams, and you can choose the pH level you want. This gives you control over water pH, ranging from about 3.0 (acidic) to 10.5+ (alkaline) depending on your local tap water.

The alkaline water produced contains molecular hydrogen, which is a powerful antioxidant and may support cellular health, hydration, and detoxification. The acidic water can be used for cleaning, skin care, and disinfecting.

#2. Built-In Filter for Contaminants

Before ionization, the Genesis runs your water through a high-quality internal filter. This reduces:

• Chlorine
• Chloramine
• Sediment and rust
• Some VOCs and organic contaminants

While it doesn’t filter as thoroughly as a reverse osmosis or gravity-fed system like Boroux, it does improve taste and removes the basics. Many families choose to pre-filter their water (especially for fluoride or heavy metals) using a whole house or under-the-sink filtering system.

#3. Easy and Instant Alkaline Water

Once installed, the Genesis makes it easy to get alkaline water on demand. You simply press a button on the touchscreen panel to select your desired pH level, and water flows immediately. A genteel voice chimes in “Alkaline water in 1st step” and you can adjust the level for your needs.

There’s no waiting like with gravity systems, and no refilling of tanks. This is great for large families, high water usage, or people who want alkaline water throughout the day for tea, smoothies, and meals.

#4. Build Quality and Warranty

Genesis ionizers are designed and made in Korea to last. The internal plates (which perform the electrolysis) are solid titanium coated with platinum, and they’re self-cleaning to avoid mineral buildup. 

They also come with a 5-year warranty and 60-day money back guarantee.

#5. Health Benefits of Alkaline + Acidic Water

While I always recommend listening to your body, many people (myself included) report improved hydration, digestion, and energy levels when drinking alkaline water consistently. It’s hard to tell with me because so much of my diet and lifestyle changed during that cancer healing season all at once, but I felt amazing drinking this water and making my daily smoothies and tea with it!

Even the acidic water output is useful! We’ve used it for:

• Cleaning produce
• Disinfecting cutting boards and sponges
• Spraying on skin breakouts or irritation

#6. Sleek on the Countertop

The Genesis is designed to sit next to your sink and looks sleek and high-tech with its touchscreen controls. While it does take up counter space, I’ve found that guests are always curious — it becomes a conversation starter, just like our Boroux system.

Installation is relatively simple for anyone comfortable with a few tools or can be done by a handyman in under an hour.

#7. No Plastic Waste + Unlimited Water

One major bonus: no more plastic water bottles! The Genesis provides a steady flow of purified, ionized water without needing to buy and dispose of bottled alkaline water — which is expensive, wasteful, and often not even truly ionized.

If your family drinks a lot of water, you’ll love the fact that the Genesis provides unlimited water on tap.

What About Fluoride?

One of the biggest downsides of ionizers like Genesis is that they do not remove fluoride. If you live in an area with fluoridated water (you can check your ZIP code here), I highly recommend using a pre-filtration system that removes fluoride — such as an AquaTru RO system or fluoride-specific gravity filters like Boroux.

Once fluoride is removed, your Genesis can still ionize the water beautifully.

Genesis Water Ionizer Cons: What I Wish Was Different

• Lack of testing certification and transparency: Although the sales page claims the machine filters out 99.99% of impurities and contaminants (not fluoride,) there is no testing or certification provided. This was standard process years ago when we bought the machine, but nowadays in order to be considered trustworthy, testing and PROOF is needed.
• Requires Electricity: If the power is out, the unit can’t ionize water.
• Installation Can Be Tricky: Some faucets may not be compatible, and you may need adapters or a plumber.
• Doesn’t Remove Fluoride or Heavy Metals: The filter is great for chlorine and taste, but not enough on its own.
• Price Tag: Most Genesis units start around $2,000–$3,500, which is an investment. However, it replaces bottled water and expensive alkaline brands over time.

Where Can I Buy the Genesis Alkaline Ionizer?

You can find the Genesis through Water4LifeUSA.com, and it’s often bundled with extra filters, pH drops, or pre-filtration add-ons. They also have good customer support and payment plans available.

Make sure to measure your faucet setup and consider whether you’ll want a pre-filter system to get the most benefit out of your Genesis.

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The post The Anti-Cancer Water Filter Guide appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

So, flashback to 2008, and I didn’t know anything about harmful skin care ingredients. Learning how to treat my cancer naturally really gave me a crash course in junky beauty and hygiene products and the chemicals that make them harmful. I was working incredibly hard eating a cancer-combatting diet, implementing a detox strategy, and changing my lifestyle, so it didn’t make sense to continue to use carcinogenic chemicals on my skin. Creating a non-toxic shower experience became an absolute priority.

The most common offenders such as “sodium laurel/ laureth sulfate”, “propylene glycol,” or anything ending in the word “-paraben” are in the majority of commonly store bought products. Not only are these ingredients harmful to you, but they are washed into our water supply with little concern for the generational impact that could have. I quickly learned that when it comes to detoxifying my body, less ingredients = way more.

My Non-Toxic Shower: Soaps, Shampoo, and Shave

Originally posted November 1, 2013, updated January 2019

Over the next few posts, I’ll introduce you to products I used while treating my cancer and also a few products I discovered along the way that I like even better or just found to work better for my busy life as a mom.

Know that healing is a JOURNEY. I did not start doing this all in one day, but I was VERY INTENTIONAL about doing everything I could to help my body reverse what CAUSED my cancer in the first place. Yes, eventually you need to leave the chemicals behind, but take it one product at a time. You can start by using the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep archives to check your commonly used products’ levels of toxicity. Go HERE and enter in the name of your product. Green is good and the lower the number, the better.

Other posts in this series:

The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom Series: Lotions, Deodorant, Make-Up, and More!

The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom Series: THE SALON POST: Nail Polish and Hair Color

My Non-Toxic Shower: Soaps, Shampoo, and Shave

Face Wash: 

For the longest time I would simply use the Oil Cleansing method to remove the day from my face, but today I use Annmarie Aloe-Herb Cleanser. the 100mL bottle last me 5-6 months used once daily in shower. I use Annmarie Skincare for all things face and anti-aging.

Shampoo/ Conditioner:

1. “No ‘Poo” (baking soda and white or apple cider vinegar method) This method would hands down be the least toxic method of cleaning your hair (and also the cheapest!) “No Pooing” was total weirdness for me until my hair started to look AMAZING a few weeks after starting. I noticeably received hair compliments then that I don’t get now that I’ve stopped. You can click on my friend Brittany’s blog, The Pistachio Project for the complete rundown on how to do this. There are also some GREAT YouTube videos on how to apply it. If you’re doing it correctly, your hair will NOT smell like vinegar once it is dry. I eventually switched back to regular shampoo and conditioner, but my hair looked REALLY good while I used the “No ‘Poo” method, and if it weren’t for it being so long now, I would still be “no poo-ing.”

2. Hugo Naturals Volumizing Shampoo Vanilla-Sweet Orange: I really like this shampoo for my long, frizzy hair. The other more natural shampoos I tried didn’t cut it for me and made my hair smell like patchouli-enriched hippie locks. It is a fabulous 1 / 10 in toxicity on the EWG’s Skin Deep rating scale. It’s accompanying conditioner is also safe and smells yummy.

3. Andalou Shampoo and Conditioner: this combo also works great and is low on the EWG scale.

4. My favorite shampoo for my oldest daughter’s long, curly “Rapunzel” hair is Nature’s Baby Organic Tangerine-Vanilla. 1 /10 on Skin Deep rating scale. I also use it to bathe both of my children. We detangle with Shea Moisture Coconut detangler spray after using one of the conditioners above.

Soap:

1. I have used Grandpa’s Oatmeal Soap for YEARS now and have never switched. It doesn’t dry out my skin in the winter which I love and has a low rating on the Skin Deep rating scale.

2. While healing from cancer, you can use Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Castile Soap for almost anything. 1/ 10 on the Skin Deep rating scale.

Shaving Cream:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kiss My Face Shaving Lotion. It has a moderate rating on the EWG’s Skin Deep rating scale, but I still think it’s much better than other naturally-leaning shaving products I have tried. Simply using a non-toxic conditioner on your legs or face works as well.

Shower Water Filter:

I have written about the topic of chemicals and pharmaceuticals in our water a few years ago, so make sure to read that article here if you drink or shower in water. (: The shower filter we use is very moderately priced. You can find the model we use HERE.

In the future I am planning on changing over to a Berkey shower filter since its filters last MUCH longer.

And check out the other posts in this series:

The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom Series: Lotions, Deodorant, Make-Up, and More!

The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom Series: THE SALON POST: Nail Polish and Hair Color

You can also see my other Beauty and Hygiene recommendations HERE and read about how I clean my home using only non-toxic ingredients HERE.

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The post My Non-Toxic Shower: Soaps, Shampoo, and Shave appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

The Budwig Protocol is the common name for the diet and lifestyle developed by Dr. Johanna Budwig in the 1950’s to help restore otherwise hopeless, advanced cancer patients back to health.

 Note: “The Budwig Protocol for Cancer” was originally published on January 26, 2011 and has been updated in 2024.

The Budwig Protocol For Cancer

Dr. Johanna Budwig has been referred to as a top European cancer research scientist, biochemist, blood specialist, German pharmacologist, and physicist. She is known and highly respected around the world, even still today as Germany’s premier biochemist.

In the 1940’s, she discovered a new process of analyzing the composition of fats using chromatography paper. She used this to distinguish unsaturated fats from saturated fats which led to her further study of polyunsaturated fats and eventually her discovery of the danger of trans-fats. (I’ll get more into this below.)

Her discovery of the effect of fats in the overall health of the body led Dr. Budwig to become interested in understanding anything that could interfere with the natural process of cellular oxygen uptake in healthy cells and eventually cancer cells.

Dr. Otto H. Warburg

Dr. Warburg and the Metabolic Cancer Theory

Following the work of Dr. Otto Warburg (himself a Nobel Prize winner,) Dr. Budwig studied how cancer cells are anaerobic- this means that they thrive in a low-oxygen environment. Instead, they rely primarily on GLUCOSE (sugar) to survive.

This is the reason that people with cancer should avoid processed sugar as much as absolutely possible – because isolated sugar fuels cancer cell replication through aerobic glycolysis, or sugar fermented into lactic acid.

Even though Dr. Warburg discovered this and studied it further, he passed away before he was able to find a way to restore the anaerobic cancer cell to its original aerobic, healthy function and metabolism. This is where Dr. Budwig came in.

Dr. Budwig developed her “Oil-Protein Diet” to combat cancer in the 1950’s in post-war Germany when the use of chemotherapy for cancer was in its infancy. Picking up where Dr. Warburg left off, Dr. Budwig believed she discovered the reason why our healthy cells become anaerobic in the first place.

According to her, it is quite simple:

In order for our bodies’ cells to process oxygen as fuel, they need certain enzymes to be present in the fat content of the foods we eat.  However, because so much of the Standard American Diet (SAD diet) consists of chemically-treated, processed, sugar-laden, denatured foods, the necessary enzymes our bodies require for cellular respiration have been destroyed and in some cases even replaced by manufactured fats (i.e. trans fats) which are completely useless to the body.

Over time, this sets up a whole host of problems from heart disease, to skin and lung problems, to brain and liver problems, to diabetes and immune deficiency syndromes, to cancer. Simply put, to remain HEALTHY, our cells NEED to be able to process oxygen and use it efficiently, and the Budwig diet provides this.

The “Oil Protein Diet” and Cancer

Dr. Budwig discovered that when she combined sulfur-rich proteins like quark (common in Europe) or cottage cheese (U.S. equivalent) with highly unsaturated essential fatty acids, like those rich in omega-3’s found in flaxseed oil, the unsaturated fatty acids bonded molecularly with the sulphuric proteins.

This bond made the flaxseed oil water-soluble, enabling it to be absorbed instantly and effortlessly through the cellular membrane.  In turn, the instant flood of vital nutrients, energy-rich electrons, and essential enzymes to all cells (remember, the enzymes were what was missing in the first place) acted as a spark that re-ignited their ability to burn oxygen, thus encouraging restoration of ALL cells to a healthy aerobic state.

Skepticism

Skeptical of this, in 1990, Dr. Budwig’s findings were re-examined by Dr. Dan C. Roehm M.D. FACP (oncologist and former cardiologist).  After his own testing, Dr. Roehm concluded:

“This diet is far and away the most successful anti-cancer diet in the world. What she (Dr. Johanna Budwig) has demonstrated to my initial disbelief but lately, to my complete satisfaction in my practice is: CANCER IS EASILY CURABLE, the treatment is dietary/ lifestyle, the response is immediate; the cancer cell is weak and vulnerable; the precise biochemical breakdown point was identified by her in 1951 and is specifically correctable, in vitro (test-tube) as well as in vivo (real)…” _Dr. Dan C. Roehm M.D. FACP, oncologist & former cardiologist, in “Townsend Letter for Doctors”, July 1990

Dr. Roehm added: “I only wish that all my patients had a PhD in Biochemistry and Quantum Physics to enable them to see how with such consummate skill this diet was put together. It is a wonder.”

As Dr. Roehm mentions, it is important to note that even though the cottage cheese-flaxseed oil mixture is the cornerstone of the Budwig’s diet, it is NOT the entirety of her lifestyle protocol.  Dr. Budwig also emphasized the importance of raw foods, a vegetarian diet, low stress levels, and healthy amounts of sun exposure. More detailed information on the science behind CCFO as well as how to implement Dr. Budwig’s full protocol can be found in her two books: Flax Oil As a True Aid Against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer and Other Diseases, and The Oil-Protein Diet Cookbook.

Full Budwig Protocol Schedule

(From Dr. Budwig’s Cookbook)

Pre-Breakfast:

Drink 8 ounce glass of sauerkraut juice

Breakfast: 

Budwig Linomel-Muesli

• using a coffee grinder, grind 2 Tbsp flax seeds, set aside
• Combine 1 tsp honey,  3 Tbsp milk, and 3 Tbsp of flaxseed oil and blend with immersion blender.
• Gradually add in 3.5 ounces (100g) of cottage cheese or quark and blend some more. A little more milk can be added.
• You can flavor this mixture differently each day with nuts, berries, banana, fruit juice, shredded coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, etc.
• Always eat the oil-protein mixture within 20-25 minutes of making it

Mid-Morning Snack:

Drink 8 ounces freshly juiced carrot, celery, beet, or apple juice (or a combination).

Lunch:

Raw salad with Oil-Protein mixture on top

• To make oil-protein mixture, blend 2 Tbsp flaxseed oil, 2 Tbsp milk and 2 Tbsp cottage cheese or quark. Once blended, combine with mustard, Celtic sea salt, choice of herbs, or salsa.

(You can see all of my cancer fighting salad recipes HERE or in my Anti-Cancer Lifestyle Guide with over 25 recipes and 5 days of meal plans HERE.)

Afternoon Snack:

Drink 8 ounces of pure vegetable-fruit juice combo with 1-2 Tbsp of ground flaxseed oil.

Dinner:

Should be light and early, around 6pm.

• Cooked rice, buckwheat, or oats paired with vegetable soup and Oleolox (read more about how to prepare in Dr. Budwig’s cookbook. I haven’t personally eaten it.)

My Thoughts: 15 Years After Cancer

It has been 13 years since I originally wrote this post, and I have learned a lot about Dr. Budwig’s findings since then. Most importantly (and kind of surprising,) was that once I really dug into her cookbooks, I realized that the cottage cheese-flaxseed oil recipe I had been following from Bill Henderson’s book for many years was not at all what Dr. Budwig had her patients doing.

Whereas Bill Henderson’s “mixture” was a full dose of cottage cheese (2/3 cup) and flaxseed oil (6 Tbsp) once a day WITHOUT the ground flaxseeds, Dr. Budwig instructed her patients to eat a smaller dose (3.5 ounces of cottage cheese + 3 Tbsp flaxseed oil then add 2 Tbsp freshly ground flaxseeds) several times a day along with fruits, vegetables and their juices.

Even with Bill Henderson’s deviation from Dr. Budwig’s ratio, I ate his version of the Budwig mixture below for seven years and my cancer was in remission after six months and has been in remission since.

Here’s the recipe I used:

Simple Budwig Mixture Recipe: (from Bill Henderson’s “Cancer Free” book)

• 2/3 cup organic cottage cheese (I like Nancy’s brand since it does not have carrageenan or other additives.)
• 6 tbsp flaxseed oil
• optional: add berries, bananas, or nuts to taste and also stevia

Directions: Mix by hand first and then blend it with an immersion hand blender until the oil is completely mixed with the cottage cheese. A large coffee cup or soup bowl (see picture above) has worked best to mix it in. Then add other ingredients if you would like. A great video demonstrating this can be found here. Note: It is very important to mix just the cottage cheese and flaxseed oil FIRST! Wait 5 minutes after blending, then add the other ingredients and consume mixture within 25-30 minutes of making it. It cannot be stored for later as it loses its potency.

You can also try the Chocolate Budwig Pudding, Strawberry Budwig Smoothie, and Vanilla-Cinnamon Budwig Smoothie.

Frequently Asked Questions

Since 2008, I have also had some really challenging and well-informed questions from you guys, so I’m going to go over some of those here as well:

How long do you need to stay on the Budwig protocol?

I ate the Budwig mixture (from Bill Henderson’s book Cancer-Free: Your Guide to Gentle, Nontoxic Healing) along with my mostly raw vegan, organic diet for SEVEN straight years with VERY little deviation. I remember reading many years ago that Dr. Budwig recommended staying on her diet for at least FIVE years after remission, so I felt like seven years was sufficient, especially because I was still laser-focused on staying away from processed sugar, striving for gut health, and eating a mostly plant-based diet.

Now at the 10 year mark, I feel confident with my decision to transition off of the Budwig mixture at the seven year mark and it probably could have happened sooner, but no sooner than 5 years.

Do I need to add ground flax seeds to the mixture and do they need to be freshly ground?

Over the years I have learned that I never was actually on Dr. Budwig’s Protocol, something readers clued me into over the years with questions, mainly about whether I used ground flaxseed on my cottage cheese-flaxseed oil mixture. (I didn’t.)

The late Bill Henderson (whose book and protocol I used to heal), in his quest to simplify an anti-cancer healing protocol that anyone could afford and complete at home, simplified Dr. Budwig’s protocol down to a mixture that could be eaten everyday. For me, I had no problem eating the full amount in one sitting (2/3 cup cottage cheese with 6 Tbsp flaxseed oil)- something Dr. Budwig spread throughout the day into 2 or 3 servings.

If I were to do it all over again- YES- I would add in the ground flax seeds. Would it have been more work? YES. I would have had to have freshly ground my flax seeds with a coffee grinder each morning before work (you can already see in my daily anti-cancer routine– I was jam packed.) I don’t love the additional work and dishes, but it IS part of Dr. Budwig’s original recommendations.

Can I eat the Budwig mixture in two portions or do I have to eat it all at once? Can I store it for later?

For the first 7 years of eating the Budwig mixture, I had no problem eating the Bill Henderson recommended dose of 2/3 cup cottage cheese + 6 Tbsp flaxseed oil, but every now and then I would get a reader message about it being too filling or in some making them nauseous.

I always recommended for them to split the mixture in two (which is actually more in line with Dr. Budwig’s dosing. The only downside to this is it takes double the time and dishes. I also noticed it is more difficult to blend since there is less food for the blender to blend, so more splattering takes place.

Just use 1/3 cup cottage cheese and 3 Tbsp flax seed oil and blend with an immersion blender.

You can not store the mixture for later as it loses its potency.

Even after splitting the Budwig mixture in two, I still don’t feel well after eating it. What should I do?

I sympathized with this after I had my third baby, because for some reason (I blame the lack of sleep, stress, overwhelm, and lack of self-care,) my body began rejecting the mixture and it made me sick! After careful consideration, I began transitioning to a mostly plant-based, still low sugar diet due to some postpartum problems with my gallbladder and digestion.

So I know it happens.

Perhaps it is the sudden change in oil or the dairy or emotional stuff. Who knows. You need to listen to your body. Try it for a little while and try the smaller dosing and if you still don’t feel right about, consider another protocol and work with your holistic practitioner.

I am vegan, lactose intolerant, and allergic to dairy. Are their alternatives?

Dr. Budwig wrote about hundreds of people who claimed to have had a dairy intolerance that did well on her protocol. She believed that the chemical properties of the quark or cottage cheese changed when bound with the electron-rich flaxseed oil.

If you are deathly allergic to dairy, I wouldn’t try it. If you are not, then I’d give the Budwig mixture a try in the smaller dose first over the course of a few weeks. Then add in the second dose or full morning dose.

And regarding the vegan alternative: if dairy products are a moral or biological limitation for you, Dr. Budwig’s approach is probably not the right fit for you. The Gerson Protocol or a variation on that would probably be a better fit seeing that it is plant-based and well-researched and studied as well.

To alter the Budwig mixture would be to stray from what Dr. Budwig confirmed in her research and experience. I might add too that although many vegan alternatives (nuts, coconut yogurt, etc) have been discussed, the sulfuric protein in quark or cottage cheese and the Omega 6 – Omega 3 ratio it maintains with the flax seed oil is the only option that Dr. Budwig herself recommended.

Conclusion:

It’s crazy how much can change in ten years. In revising this article, I realized how much I have learned over a decade and how much scientifically has changed in the acceptance of the metabolic cancer theory. Here are just a few studies still looking into Dr. Warburg’s research and Dr. Budwig’s writings:

Current Published Discussions About Dr. Warburg’s Metabolic Cancer Theory:

2010 Manuscript: The Warburg Effect: How Does it Benefit Cancer Cells?

2010 Manuscript: Understanding the Warburg Effect: The Metabolic Requirements of Cell Proliferation

2006 Study: Induction of oxidative metabolism by mitochondrial frataxin inhibits cancer growth: Otto Warburg revisited

Interviews/ Writings of Dr. Budwig:

Excerpt from: “Cancer- The Problem and the Solution”

Fats as True Aids- Three Lectures By Dr. Budwig

The Budwig Foundation (many primary resources and writings here translated from German!)

Dr. Budwig’s stated that healing must take place in the “body, mind, and soul!” She was firm about healing not just being from her diet, but from all aspects of our lifestyle. (You can read more about the Budwig mixture, and all aspects of an anti-cancer lifestyle in my  Anti-Cancer Lifestyle Guide!)

With that said, I believe that even though I did not use Dr. Budwig’s exact protocol, the amount of oxygen and electron rich flaxseed oil combined with the sulfuric protein in the cottage cheese made a HUGE difference in my recovery and ten year remission from NLP Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experience, too! Feel free to leave a comment below.

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The post The Budwig Protocol for Cancer + FAQ’s (and my experience 15 years later…) appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.