The Definitive Guide to Thriving After Cancer

Description

A companion to The Definitive Guide to Cancer, this practical and fully revised guide (formerly titled Five to Thrive) outlines a five-step plan integrating both conventional and alternative therapies for cancer survivors. 
 
You Have the Power to Thrive. If you or someone you love is a cancer survivor, you may be living in fear that one day it will return. But you can protect yourself and build a strong anti-cancer defense system of health and wellness with this practical five-step plan from Dr. Lise Alschuler and Karolyn Gazella. In this companion to The Definitive Guide to Cancer, Alschuler and Gazella teach you not just how to survive, but also how to thrive after cancer by integrating the best of conventional, natural, and alternative cancer prevention therapies to support and enhance your body’s five critical pathways. With simple, empowering daily actions that you can start today, it is the only program that provides the comprehensive approach needed for optimal health and recurrence prevention.Preface 

Introduction The Five to Thrive Plan

Chapter 1 Core Strategy #1: Enhance Your Spirit

Chapter 2 Core Strategy #2: Let’s Move

Chapter 3 Core Strategy #3: Enrich Your Diet

Chapter 4 Core Strategy #4: Utilize Dietary Supplements

Chapter 5 Core Strategy #5: Create Rejuvenation

Chapter 6 Screening Strategies That Make Sense

Chapter 7 Our Genes Are Not Our Destiny

Resources
References by Chapter
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Index“This incredibly valuable resource will serve not only to reduce the risk of cancer and its recurrence, but also decrease obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and many other chronic ailments in those who follow its sound advice.”
—Donald I. Abrams, MD, UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine

“By describing the epigenetic impacts on five key bodily pathways, the authors are able to effectively teach readers how to use this  information to positively transform their health.”
—Ajay Goel, PhD, Director of Epigenetics and Cancer Prevention, Baylor University

“Scientifically sound and deeply moving…a rare combination of education and inspiration.”
—Tina Kaczor, ND, Naturopatihic Oncologist and Senior Medical Editor of Natural Medicine Journal

“A powerful voice of compassion, optimism, and soulfulness.”
—Philippa J. Cheetham, MD, Department of Oncology, Columbia University Medical CenterDr. Lise N. Alschuler and Karolyn A. Gazella have been collaborating since 2002. Together they are the authors of The Definitive Guide to Cancer. They also host the popular Internet radio show Five to Thrive Live! featured on the Cancer Support Network at www.w4cs.com. For more information about them, visit www.FivetoThrivePlan.com.

Lise N. Alschuler, ND, FABNO, is a naturopathic doctor with board certification in naturopathic oncology. She graduated from Brown University with an undergraduate degree in medical anthropology and received her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University. Lise currently practices at Naturopathic Specialists, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is past president of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, is a founding board member of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and currently serves as a director on both the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology and the Naturopathic Post-Graduation Association. She is the vice president of quality and education at Emerson Ecologics, where she developed and manages the Emerson Quality Program—a rigorous quality assurance program for professional dietary supplement brands. She also works as an independent consultant in the area of practitioner and consumer health education.

Previously, Lise was the department head of naturopathic medicine at Midwestern Regional Medical Center–Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations–accredited regional hospital offering comprehensive integrative cancer care. Prior to that, she was the clinic medical director and botanical medicine chair at Bastyr University Natural Health Clinic. She is widely recognized as an expert in cancer treatment and prevention and is a sought-after speaker to physicians, patients, and the general public. While Lise was in clinical practice in Seattle, Washington, she was recognized as one of Seattle’s “Top Doctors” by Seattle Magazine, she received the President’s Award from the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and she was named as one of the “Naturopathic Elders” by the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. Lise is also a breast cancer survivor. For more information, visit www.drlise.net.

Karolyn A. Gazella is the publisher of the Natural Medicine Journal, an innovative peer-reviewed medical journal for holistic-minded health care practitioners (www.naturalmedicine journal.com). Karolyn has been writing and publishing wellness information since 1992. She is the author or coauthor of hundreds of articles and several books as well as the blog The Healing Factor, on PsychologyToday.com. In 2009, Karolyn was named one of the “Top 10 People in Integrative Health Care and Integrative Medicine” by the Integrator Blog. She is a volunteer for the Medicine Horse Program located in Boulder, Colorado, which is an innovative equine-assisted therapy program that helps high-risk youth. In 1995, Karolyn she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. For more information, visit www.karolyngazella.com.The Five to Thrive Concept

At the core, cancer prevention is the act of proactively reducing one’s risk of developing the illness. But we take our philosophy one step further. To us, this journey is about rediscovering vitality no matter what we encounter. The Five to Thrive Plan will make sure you’re the healthiest you can be if ever you do develop cancer. It may seem counterintuitive, maybe even radical, to describe a person with cancer as healthy, but the most effective risk reduction plan also prepares your body for the potential of battle. We need to create a foundation for success against cancer. The Five to Thrive Plan helps you look at cancer prevention differently. We show you—based on scientific evidence—that you have the power to change the course of cancer development, and in doing so, to transform your health. The scientific concept of epigenetics (the science of examining factors that influence the behavior of our genes) continues to confirm that we can change the way our genes behave. We can, quite literally, transform our internal landscape, and our plan shows you how to do that.

We begin by identifying the body’s five key pathways that have the most influence on whether we are healthy or become sick. These pathways are:
 1. The immune system
 2. Inflammation
 3. Hormonal balance
 4. Insulin resistance
 5. Digestion and detoxification

The Five to Thrive Plan helps you enhance the immune system, reduce inflammation, sustain hormonal balance, prevent and reduce insulin resistance, and optimize digestion and detoxification.

These five key pathways in the body can be positively influenced by focusing on five core strategies:
 1. Enhance your spirit
 2. Let’s move
 3. Enrich your diet
 4. Utilize dietary supplements
 5. Create rejuvenation

As you can see from the illustration on the opposite page, within each of the five core strategies, there are five critical action steps. These actions steps have been prioritized based on their influence on the body’s five key pathways. If an action positively impacts the five pathways, it becomes a priority within the Five to Thrive Plan. The connection between actions and impact must be validated by the scientific research in order to make it part of the plan. When you focus on the five critical action steps within each of these core strategies, you are positively affecting the function and health of all five pathways. As a result, you will significantly reduce your risk of developing cancer and live a more vibrantly healthy and joyful life.US

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