Welcome to my little refuge of online support, recommended reading, and empowering web links. I try to be very discriminating with the information I share here, because I want you to have the best and not be overwhelmed by the rest! Peruse this humble oasis, check back from time to time (because I’ll be adding to it), and feel free to make suggestions if there are additional resources you’d like me to include. I hope you’ll find something here that’s a good support as you embark on your healing journey.
Information on Conventional Cancer Treatments:
The National Cancer Institute is a good resource that can help you understand the specifics of diagnosis and current, conventional treatment options as they pertain to various cancers:
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network is another place to get detailed information about conventional diagnosis and treatment options for cancer. At present the Network has released Guidelines for Patients with breast, prostate, ovarian, and non-small cell lung cancers, as well as chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), multiple myeloma, melanoma, and pleural mesothelioma. Additionally, doctors and patients alike can access its Clinical Practice Guidelines for physicians on all cancer types (you’ll need to set up a free online account first, which is easy to do).
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
There’s lots of information there. Please don’t feel like you need to understand all of it. That’s what I’m here for–to help you decipher it and chart a healing course from among your many options for comprehensive treatment.
Information on Complementary Cancer Treatments:
The “Treatment Toolbox” is a fantastic resource that contains links to research on a number of the therapies I utilize in my practice as well as to some cutting edge perspectives on the appropriate use of conventional treatments. You’ll find the toolbox here:
If you have questions about how the therapies you’re considering work or if you’d like to feel more empowered as you consider your treatment options, then this may be a good resource for you. Some of the information is a bit technical, though, so please don’t let it overwhelm you.
Like the Treatment Toolbox, the Annie Appleseed Project is a treasure trove of online information and resources pertaining to the origins of cancer and its appropriate, collaborative treatment. Here is a link to the Project website:
As with many Internet resources, though, massive amounts of information bring both a blessing and a burden. Even I can feel a bit daunted by the volume of data on this site, so, while it’s a good one to be aware of, please don’t feel like you need to know everything it has to say. It’s my job to sort through the whole heap and separate the wheat from the chaff!
Cancer Thrivers is a wonderful web resource recently launched by two colleagues of mine, Lise Alschuler, ND, who is a naturopathic oncologist, and Karolyn Gazella, who is a naturopathic medical journalist. Both women are cancer survivors, or, more accurately, cancer thrivers, and they’re on a mission to empower others with cancer to be the same. I heartily encourage you to peruse their website here:
Cancer Thrivers: Because it’s Time to Thrive!
I’m pretty discriminating with which newsletters I suggest to my patients (because there are so many out there and lots of them aren’t very worthwhile). Cancer Thrivers is one that I enthusiastically endorse because it’s really excellent, inspiring, and practical. Not to mention that Lise and Karolyn are two lovely human beings.
Ralph Moss, PhD, is a pioneer ahead of his time when it comes to thinking and writing about new-paradigm cancer treatment. I have great respect for him and for the courage with which he champions true healthcare. His website is:
Ralph Moss, PhD and Cancer Decisions
You may wish to sign up for his thoughtful, weekly newsletter on integrative cancer care.
Inspiration for the Journey:
Michele Miller is the super-talented artist responsible for most of the photographs on my website. She’s also one of the most inspired souls I know. You’ll find more of her beautiful work at:
Michele Miller – Artist Extraordinaire
Have a look! I often think of Michele’s images as being akin to poems in photographic form. Her pictures and jewelery pieces are incredibly heartfelt, and they say so much.
Mark Nepo is one of my personal heroes. A cancer survivor, poet, and philosopher, he’s a corageous soul who’s been to the edge, and then chosen to live from that vital place and share his stunning reflections with us all. Check out his website:
I encourage you to read anything Mark has written, as he’s a beacon of life and hope.
David Whyte is an incredible, soulful poet and human being:
His Close to Home Poetry and Music album is frequently on an endless listening loop in my household, and I wholeheartedly recommend it for inspiration.
Caring Bridge is an amazing resource for the nurturance of family and community bonds during challenging times of illness. It’s completely free, and it’s a great way to keep in touch with loved ones who live far away while you’re healing:
It’s really easy to set up, and the service definitely makes me appreciate modern technology. If you’re needing support, you might like to check it out.
MyLifeLine.org is another spectacular resource, and it’s designed especially for people who’s lives have been touched by cancer. It offers free, personal websites for cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers, and it was created by a cancer survivor herself. You can preview the site here and, if you’d like, set up a page to create community around your experience of cancer and Healing:
If you feel so inclined, I heartily encourage you to take advantage the opportunity to receive support from loved ones near and far; you’ll benefit beyond measure, and your story will undoubtedly touch those close to you in ways you can’t imagine.
Feeling alone in your struggle with cancer can be one of the toughest parts of the journey. Often, friends and even well-meaning loved ones have a really difficult time relating to and understanding your experience. If you’re an adolescent or young adult with cancer you may like to know about the I’m too Young for This! Cancer Foundation (or i[2]y for short):
I’m too Young for This! Cancer Foundation
This marvelous organization is dedicated to supporting people between the ages of 15 and 40 who are living with all types of cancers. Through i[2]y you can connect with people who know exactly what you’re going through, have fun (imagine that!), and even find information on important concerns like fertility preservation during cancer treatment. This is a wonderful resource, and I heartily encourage you to have a look and see what i[2]y is up to.
The Breast Cancer Network of Strength is a wonderful organization dedicated to peer support of people with breast cancer and their loved ones:
Breast Cancer Network of Strength
If you’re facing breast cancer and you’re feeling lonely or frightened this may be a place where you can connect with someone who has “walked a mile in your shoes.”
Food for the Journey:
In my tireless mission to nourish people with more good food and fewer bottles of pills, I encourage you to visit Portland’s bountiful farmers’ markets:
Portland’s Bountiful Farmers’ Markets
You can’t make a better investment in your health than to eat fresh, seasonal produce, local, grass-fed meats, and wild seafood. Moreover, shopping at farmers’ markets is a fantastic way to support our local economy and to live more sustainably.
If you want to jump in to Deep Nourishment with both feet, then you may like to become a CSA member. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it’s a really cool way for folks to partner with local farms:
Portland Area Community Supported Agriculture
In exchange for an annual “share,” you’ll receive a weekly box of just-picked, usually organic produce dripping with vitality, while your farmer will benefit from your financial support and receive the satisfaction of knowing the people she’s feeding.
I’m a big fan of what I like to call “kitchen alchemy”–that is, learning how to culture homemade versions of foods that you might otherwise commonly purchase. Two very nutritious foods to prepare at home are kefir (a close cousin to yogurt, but even better) and kombucha, a delicious, sweet-tart, lightly effervescent drink made from tea that’s inoculated with a special culture. The folks at GEM Cultures are my go-to source for all things fermented, and they can hook you up with excellent starters, complete with instructions on how to get your kitchen alchemist’s workshop set up:
Gem Cultures – Kitchen Alchemy and All Things Fermented
These foods are not only fun and easy to make (Children love to help out with these little “science” projects!), but they are also potent sources of beneficial “probiotic” organisms that are essential to the maintenance of healthy gastrointestinal and immune systems, especially during periods of stress, illness, or antibiotic therapy.
If you’d like to get your hands on some of the yummiest fish you’ll ever taste that’s not on an actual seashore, click here:
The folks at Vital Choice are really good people, and their seafood is superb. If you’re a fan of canned tuna I recommend you check out their troll-caught albacore packed in extra-virgin olive oil; it’s a lower mercury choice than most other brands, so you can safely enjoy a serving up to a few times per week. If you’re feeling adventurous, then go for their Portuguese mackerel or sardines in extra-virgin olive oil. Trust me–these babies are scrumptious, and not fishy in the slightest. Moreover, they pack a real punch in the essential fatty acid department, which makes them an excellent “fast food” choice for support of neurological health, child development, and Healing.
For an unmatched “superfood,” Pure Synergy can’t be beat. If I was stranded on a desert island and could only have one supplement, I think I might choose Pure Synergy. It’s not meant to treat any specific disease, but rather to complement your nutritious diet with a powerful array of concentrated, food-based micronutrients and healing phytochemicals:
For a bit of inspiration, you may also like to click here and read about Synergy Company founder, Mitchell May’s personal story of Healing. He’s an amazing human being, and he’s been a tremendous inspiration to me over the years. The ethics and deep integrity he’s imbued the Synergy Company with are an inspiring model for how business can be a force for personal renewal as well as planetary healing.
General Ecology makes Seagull Water Filters that I think are the best available for home use. They produce tasty and very clean water that retains its natural minerals (unlike distilled water). You can find more information on these purifiers here:
General Ecology – Seagull Water Filters
High quality in-home water filters require an initial investment, but I think they’re well worth it in the long-run.
A Few of My Favorite Books (on healing, cancer, living, and loving):
- The Healing Path: A Soul Approach to Illness, by Marc Ian Barasch
- Here and Now: Inspiring Stories of Cancer Survivors, by Elena Dorfman and Heidi Schultz Adams
- How to be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers, by Toni Bernhard
- Naturopathic Oncology: An Encyclopedic Guide for Patients and Physicians, by Neil McKinney, ND
- You Did What? Saying ‘No’ to Conventional Cancer Treatment, by Hollie and Patrick Quinn
- Breast Cancer Beyond Convention: The World’s Foremost Authorities on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Offer Advice on Healing, edited by Marry Tagliaferri, MD, LAc
- The Definitive Guide to Cancer: An Integrative Approach to Prevention, Treatment, and Healing, by Lise Alschuler, ND, and Karolyn Gazella
- Anticancer: A New Way of Life, by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD
- Life Over Cancer, by Keith Block, MD
- Foods that Fight Cancer: Preventing Cancer Through Diet, by Richard Beliveau, PhD and Denis Gingras, PhD
- The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery, by Rebecca Katz
- Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by Sally Fallon
- Cuisine for Whole Health: Recipes for a Sustainable Life, by Pauli Halstead
- Primal Body-Primal Mind, by Nora Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT
- Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food, by Catherine Shanahan, MD, and Luke Shanahan
- Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather’s Blessings, by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD
- Grace and Grit, by Ken Wilber
- Who Dies? An Investigation of Conscious Living and Conscious Dying, by Stephen and Ondrea Levine
- Lessons from the Dying, by Rodney Smith
- Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and Revelation, Edited by Roger Housden
Support for Caregiving and Grieving:
Being a Compassionate Companion: Teachings, stories and practical wisdom for those accompanying someone who is dying, an intimate conversation with Frank Ostaseski. You can access this 3-CD audio recording here:
Being a Compassionate Companion
Frank founded the first center dedicated to spiritual care of the dying, the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, CA. He’s got a truly amazing, shining heart, and I encourage you to check out his current work and teachings at the Metta Institute, too:
