Ask Dr. Pam
Note: I have shortened this email and changed it somewhat in order to address an important question I am often asked by readers and members.Dear Dr. Pam: I am a cancer patient who has been told I only have a few months to a year to live. I have some difficult decisions to make in terms of treatment; I'm not clear that the recommendations I am getting from my doctor are going to be very helpful. The other issue is diet. I've been eating the Standard American Diet, which may be why I have cancer. I read The China Study and if I had read it sooner would have changed my ways and maybe avoided this. Now, I'm faced with asking myself whether changing my diet makes any difference at all or if I should just let myself eat anything in order to enjoy my remaining days as much as possible. Your thoughts?
These types of emails, and I get them regularly, are painful because I want to help everyone survive and thrive. I'm reminded when confronted with situations like this that I can't fix everything and that the advice to just practice dietary excellence is too simplistic in some cases.
There are several issues to address, starting with treatment. You are smart to question whether or not the treatments you are being offered are productive solutions; while some cancers respond to traditional treatments, most do not. Sometimes treatment only reduces tumors in the short term but does not prolong life, which should be the main goal. Furthermore, side effects from some treatments can be so dreadful that a terminal cancer patient has little quality of life for his/her remaining time. The decision to not receive these treatments is understandable and should be respected by family members and friends.
Even if the traditional treatments offered by your oncologist are not effective, this does mean that other and better options are not available. For over 15 years, I have referred cancer patients to Dr. Ralph Moss at www.cancerdecisions.com. Through his reports, many of our members have successfully identified treatments that have sometimes saved their lives, prolonged their lives, or helped them to conclude that effective treatments were not available for their type of cancer. In response to this, some people have chosen to finish their days enjoying life as much as possible without pursuing a chance for cure, and I repeat my earlier statement that as difficult as these decisions are, they should be respected by family and friends.
Now to address your very important question about diet. I cannot promise that a Wellness Forum-style diet will save your life. But I can promise that everyone gets better when they adopt this diet. What that may mean for you is slightly longer survival time and better quality of life. I cannot cite research studies showing that terminal cancer patients live longer when they eat a plant-based diet. But many people during the last 16 years have shared stories of family members who have lived far longer than they were supposed to (some for a few more months and some for a few more years), and enjoyed good quality of life during their remaining months or years. This is considerably different than the end-of-life scenarios we have all experienced with family members and friends with cancer.
Some people with terminal cancer do recover and remain in remission. Forks Over Knives features one of them, Ruth Heidrich. Ruth had metastasized cancer (lung and bones) and completely recovered after adopting a whole foods plant-based diet many years ago. Now in her mid-70's, she is still working and competing as an athlete.
There are several studies that show that diet and lifestyle choices make a positive difference in reducing the side effects associated with many treatments.
In making your decision, you must evaluate what is important to you. Foods like cheese, French Fries and junk foods may taste good, but they offer only momentary pleasure and do not promote health. Your choice is somewhat dependent on whether you have chosen to accept your prognosis or fight to regain your health and extend your life. It is unlikely that you'll be able to recover while consuming health-destroying foods. But only you can make this decision.
There are some additional factors that contribute to the decisions made under these circumstances, which include the age of the patient, the overall health status of the patient, the type of cancer, and economic resources (which are a factor in the availability of some non-traditional treatments).
In conclusion, the best we can do for cancer patients is to make them aware of their options, encourage them to consider these options carefully, and respect the decisions they make. While it may seem that the way to be helpful is to talk patients into adopting a Wellness Forum-style diet and focusing on survival, the choices are ultimately theirs.
For a simple and easy way to get the nutrition of 17 fresh, raw, vine ripened fruits and vegetables every day for only $1.50 and FREE for your child. Please call me at 866-508-2910
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