James Rhio O’Connor’s battle with Mesothelioma, a type of cancer that affects the body’s epithelial tissues, is an inspiration to us all for the courage and life-affirming positivity it demonstrated. For those of you who haven't heard about him, he was given a dire prognosis and did everything he could to research mesothelioma and the treatments available, prolonging his life past the point his doctors thought possible. He took matters into his own hands and did not allow himself to be overcome by despair. In learning about his fight against cancer, I realized that my own commitment to my health and wellness has put me in a position where I know exactly what I would do if I was in James’ position. Immersing myself in the sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda has lead me down a rewarding path of self discovery and self mastery that has given me a special understanding of the body’s needs and the most effective methods to restore the inherent balance of the body. Today, it is my pleasure to discuss these methods with you in the context of treating cancer.
If I received a diagnosis of cancer, I would orient all facets of my life around the creation of health and well being. To do this effectively, I would get a clear understanding of exactly what “health and well being” is by doing the relevant research on the topic. I would not wait until I had become a scholar to begin applying knowledge, however; as soon as I clearly understood a principle, I would integrate it into my life, making adjustments as I gathered more insights. In the following paragraphs, I will detail the concrete actions as well as the adjustments in attitude that I believe would be most effective in confronting a severe diagnosis of cancer.
Because it is well understood that our lives are an expression of our innermost thoughts and feelings, I would begin to treat my cancer by making my attitude as healthy as possible. Firstly, I would begin by accepting reality for what it is, without involving mental judgments are imaginary fears. I would view my situation in precisely these terms: there is cancer living in my body. This use of language is subtle but very important: it is not me that has cancer, but my body. I am not my body. Nor am I my thoughts or feelings. Indeed, I am the awareness of all of these. If my body contains cancerous cells, that does not compromise or diminish my identity in any way. I can still wake up every day and know that I am just as complete as the day I was born because my identity is awareness itself, and the vehicle for my awareness to move through space is my body. This mentality would give me the freedom to treat my cancer without allowing my self-esteem to become jeopardized.
After clarifying my understanding of my cancer diagnosis, I would think constructively about the reasons for this event in my life. Instead of feeling victimized, I would recognize my cancer as a reminder of the mortality that binds us all. It is necessary to be grateful for life in a human body and to experience human consciousness, which is the most highly evolved consciousness of all the animals we know. I would sit in a quiet place and get in touch with my deep feelings of gratitude for all the wonderful experiences as well as challenges and obstacles that life has presented me with. I would remind myself of the blessings of family, friends, food and shelter, and fully recognize that even a life cut short by cancer would be infinitely better than no life at all.
While treating my cancer, my approach would be, as I mentioned above, to create a total state of health and well being. This does not mean waging a war against the body in an effort to kill an invader. However, the first principle I would act on to simultaneously increase my vitality and decrease the power of my cancerous cells is that cancer cannot live in an alkalized environment. There are three specific dietary supplements I would take regularly to maintain the alkalinity of my system: aloe vera, chlorophyll, and sodium bicarbonate. Aloe vera juice naturally maintains the pH of the stomach, chlorophyll maintain the pH of the blood, and sodium bicarbonate is used by the pancreas to restore alkalinity to the chyme that is leaving the stomach and entering the small intestine. A daily regimen of these three supplements for ensure a healthy pH without having to become obsessive about the pH of every piece of food I put in my body.
Another dietary supplement that is of the utmost importance to fighting cancer is vitamin d. In fact, vitamin d is not a vitamin at all but a hormone that is typically available through sunlight and specific foods. One of the main benefits of vitamin d is that it regulates cell division by causing cells to go into apoptosis (cellular suicide by cessation of cell division) before mutations are caused by excessive cell division. In his book The Vitamin D Revolution, Dr. Soram Khalsa speaks at length about the research linking vitamin d deficiency to well over a dozen forms of cancer and other pathologies.
To further cleanse the body of impurities, I would receive colon hydrotherapy treatments from experienced and licensed professionals. Colon hydrotherapy is a gentle cleansing method to remove toxic buildup from the large intestine, which puts unimaginable strain on the liver, kidneys, nerves, lymphatic system and so on. I would receive three treatments within a week to ensure that my lower digestive system was free from toxins and harmful bacteria, and then systematically “rebuild” the digestive tract with healthy bacteria by ingesting probiotics and by eating foods that promote the health of beneficial bacteria such as okra.
To maintain a healthy lifestyle, I would look beyond contemporary western medicine and look to the oldest surviving traditions of health and vitality: Yoga and Ayurveda. In my three years of research, I have found no systems that better understand all the subtleties of the body and mind than Yoga and Ayurveda, which are over 5,000 years old and are becoming increasingly well known in the west. There are numerous Yogic postures and techniques that purify the blood, stimulate and tone the lymphatic system, and detoxify the nervous system and all internal organs. Rather than provide a detailed analysis of these techniques, I would offer the example of famous Yoga teacher B.K.S Iyengar, who, at over 90 years of age, recently claimed that he “has not yet felt the onset of age” because of his daily routine of Yoga and an Ayurvedic diet.
If my doctors did not believe chemo, radiation or surgery would be able to help, I would put my faith in the natural intelligence of the body using the steps I have outlined above. I would eat, sleep and exercise in a way that would allow the body to function at an optimal level. Indeed, I would allow myself to live in the way one ought to live every day, not just when someone is diagnosed with cancer. I would make the most of every day, living with honesty, integrity and most of all with an open heart. I would share myself with others and make every encounter with other living things feel special and sincere. I would take full advantage of the gift of life, and offer my thanks to its fathomless and infinite Source.
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