the best thing for me in fighting cancer: community

I have cancer.  Apparently because genetics. I am using food-as-medicine to get rid of it.  And it seems to be working.

One year ago I learned about Tommy the tumor. My first thought was:  how can *I* possibly have cancer?  My life is very organic.  I was told that because of genetics, this was inevitable.  And that this size and type of tumor has taken about ten years to build up.

I made a lot of changes.  I roped in several of my patreon peeps and recorded a podcast.  I made a private forum (tied to that podcast) where I could talk to folks about details.  

The short version is that I decided to not get the surgery, chemo or radiation.  I decided to take my life from 90% organic to 99.99% organic and shift to foods proven to fight cancer.  Every week I discovered new optimizations.

Now, a year later, I got a new picture of Tommy.  It looks to my untrained eye to be half the size, but I talk to the expert later this month.



I have learned a lot.  I think that if I just simply knew this stuff ten years ago, Tommy would never have existed.  Despite genetics.


A side effect of all this is that I have lost 120 pounds.  And I have experienced a list of other health benefits.  I'm not sure, but I think I might be less bald and less gray - I don't mind being bald or having gray hair, but I do know there are other people care about this sort of thing.  I haven't had a cold or a flu during the last year.  Some skin stuff has cleared up.  


We are changing the kinds of gardens we grow to support this new path.  


I am hopeful and, at the same time, a bit freaking out.  Of course, I have about 50 hours of stuff to say.  I have received a bit of help from friends. And I've had to learn about a hundred times more about self-care than I ever wanted to learn.

My oncologist has been emphatic that I need to step up my game. Now. Today, tomorrow, and get this whole thing wrapped up in the next two to three months.  *My* analysis is that when I am doing this by myself, my game is okay - progress, but not stellar progress.  When people are here supporting me (or doing it with me), my game is strong.  

This is the awkward point.  The reason I decided to share this here.  I was going to simply keep this private until tommy is all gone, but given the need to step up my game, and coming to terms with how I do better with support, I am taking the risk of saying something.  

Awkward, awkward, awkward.  Weird.  Worry. Stress. There is a lot of wisdom in keeping this private.  I hope this gamble has greater upsides than downsides.



I hope that a lot of folks will come do this stuff with me, or support me, over the next couple of months.  

(Uncle Mud is on the phone with me as I write this.  He says I need to discourage people from trying to change my path. Instead, this is a very specific invitation to people who want to be here doing my existing, doctor approved, path with me. I am telling him that some people might wanna eat pizza while they are here helping, but not under the thumb of what I'm doing.  :)  )



During this adventure, a lot of my favorite online resources have disappeared from the internet complete with a message of "censorship." This means that if you want to visit with me about this stuff, you will need to go through a paywall.

https://permies.com/cancer



I can try to answer some questions in this thread, but all of my answers will be brutally vague.  The real answers will be in the private forum on the other side of the paywall.


A few of the threads in the private forum:

- food
- supplements
- more light
- month 6 optimizations
- new pics
- Surgery is canceled
- mitochondria
- the book
- necrosis
- metrics
- the best cure for cancer is community
- things I did two years ago that probably created tommy
- i have lost 120 pounds


I am sharing this because I am hopeful that a lot of people will:

 - cross the paywall and talk to me about all this stuff

 - some of those people will choose to come here (sepper?) and help me step up my game plan


My effort by myself turns out to be not-good-enough.  And I cannot get support in upping my game unless I ask.

Ah jeez, Paul, I wish I could teleport over to Yankland to help out. You've been a successful self-experimenter so far; looong may it continue.

Hi Paul. You are one brave guy. And you well know you’ll get loads of suggestions that take up precious energy to manage. What I have to offer is prayer. It’s invisible like chemo and radiation, the two most common treatments. And it’s powerful. Thank you SO much for sharing to your wider group of followers so we can employ our love and energy and prayer on your behalf.

Hi Paul,
I'm still pretty new to this site, and still figuring out where or what to do when looking or responding to people! Lol I know stupid in a way, but hey I'm trying.

I'd love to chat with you more privately and see if I could be a good fit? I don't know...all I know is I'm in the begining phase of looking for someone,  something, a homestead a place I  can go and make it a home with...to learn more, to live simply and be happy 😊
If you have time, I hope to hear from you
.
Thank you
Anna
annalaowilliams@gmail.com

Wow Paul, I will join forum to connect and discuss possibilities of how I can help.

Anna Williams wrote:Hi Paul,
I'm still pretty new to this site, and still figuring out where or what to do when looking or responding to people! Lol I know stupid in a way, but hey I'm trying.

I'd love to chat with you more privately and see if I could be a good fit? I don't know...all I know is I'm in the begining phase of looking for someone,  something, a homestead a place I  can go and make it a home with...to learn more, to live simply and be happy 😊
If you have time, I hope to hear from you

Have you read up about the sepper program (renting a cabin) or our bootcamp (40 hours a week with food and a bunk) or ant village (rent an acre for a year) or deep roots?

If you are thinking that we could be a long term fit, it could be that nearly all of your questions are already answered.

Paul,  I'm ready to offer any support to you that I can.  I finished radiation and chemo in Dec of 22, I still had my  cancer. Stage 4.

Was told to go home and try to rest, get my affairs in order and to preregister with hospice.

16 months later, doing treatments my way now!  Cancer not growing, feeling better, gained 25 lbs back of the 60 lbs I lost.

Stay strong.


Peace

Thanks to the permies.com staff for moderating this thread.  Sorry my topic is bait for trouble.

Just a reminder to folks:  if you go to the private forum, there is a lot we can talk about.  

If you are going to post in this thread, we will need to remove anything that could lead to ...   problems.   And any answers I give will be painfully vague.  

Also, I appreciate support, but please do not suggest that I deviate from my current path.

Deane Adams wrote:Paul,  I'm ready to offer any support to you that I can.  I finished radiation and chemo in Dec of 22, I still had my  cancer. Stage 4.

Was told to go home and try to rest, get my affairs in order and to preregister with hospice.

16 months later, doing treatments my way now!  Cancer not growing, feeling better, gained 25 lbs back of the 60 lbs I lost.

Stay strong.


Peace

I am finding a lot of stories like yours.  Each with a different recipe for success.  

I started with "could be stage 4" and immediately changed my life.  Some new tests a month later and "definitely not stage 4, but probably stage 3".  Now it seems to be a solid stage 1 and much smaller.  

One of the staff said a thing to me that reminded me of an interesting angle on this.

I have had some people contact me over the years and tell me that they have cancer and ask me what could be done.  My first bit of advice was to switch to organic.  And for most of those people, that "step 1" was brutally difficult.  For all sorts of valid reasons.  

The thing said to me today:  I was already 90% of the way there.  It was (and is) pretty challenging for me.   And that is all about going from step 64 to step 65 to step 66, etc.  These steps will seems utterly crazy to somebody contemplating step 20.

There is a lot that comes with 'hot-button' topics, especially when it effects those who we care deeply for.

As staff, I want to remind everyone replying to please respect Permie's Publishing Standards and abide by them.

Thank you for your collective understanding.

Congratulations on your moving through this cancer journey your way, with good results!  Would you mind sharing what kind of cancer you were diagnosed with? Prayers for continued recovery.

Y'all may have noticed that i am specifically NOT saying which food program I am following.  I am going to leave that for the private forum.  

My concern is that if we have that conversation here, it could be bait for the bad guys to do bad things.

Also, I can see that the staff have been busy deleting a lot of posts where people are suggesting all sorts of programs.  Most notably, extremely opposite programs.  And people are suggesting drugs and supplements without knowing what I am already doing - so they don't know if their suggestion is already being implemented, or even wise.

Please, all of this sort of thing must be taken to the private forum.

I think it's awesome that you're going even more organic than before! Yes, people are going to want you to do things their way. It's a people thing. (Good thing "my way" is the same as "your way." 😁 Seriously, though, I wouldn't try to get you to do anything "my way" because I respect your right to choose.)

I don't have the funds to join the conversation that's behind the pay wall, but I wish you the best.

Bettykay Pilcher wrote:Congratulations on your moving through this cancer journey your way, with good results!  Would you mind sharing what kind of cancer you were diagnosed with? Prayers for continued recovery.

I'm on the fence about sharing that publicly.  I don't know why it would be a problem, but my spidey sense says "shhhhh."

I can tell you that a tumor is involved, and there are pictures of it in the private forum.

T Bate wrote:I think it's awesome that you're going even more organic than before!

The tricky part of this is that I'm used to going to restaurants two or three times per week.  And now it is a hard zero.

Combine that with extreme food limitations and being a sub-mediocre cook (and a bucket of crazy that blocks building new skills in this space) and the food gets pretty boring.

I have Chaga that I can send if you will use it.

Paul,
we're cheering you on as you take on your path and want to give you a big hug for "coming out" with cancer. This post of yours will help so many others. I just know it! And honestly, cancer or no cancer, we want to know what the changes we need to make are.
And For what its worth, we're including your healing in our family prayers.

Thank you for sharing despite the awkwardness and difficulty.

Nicky (& Dave)

I will say that many have managed to climb that mountain, and that flooding ones'self with nutrition seems to be key...as well as living as closely in harmony with Nature as possible (you're already a champ of that part.)

Minerals uptaken by plants and animals in well-nourished soil helps to add depth of flavor to the food.  Anyone growing their own garden has noticed this, because the current machined and chemical'd food supply is a wasteland, so to speak.  Bodies need minerals (in usable forms) in order to function properly.

As far as cooking, learn to use herbs and spices.  Not only are they LOADED with good stuff, but they are easy to grow.  Think about it--what makes chow mein different from an Italian pasta dish?  In large part, the spices. (okay, soy sauce, tomatoes, cheese...)

I mean, when you learn to mix and match a handful of them, you get different cuisines.

Usable examples:
Mexican--cilantro, paprika, dried chilies/chili powder, cumin, oregano.
Italian--parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano, basil.
Greek--cinnamon, parsley, rosemary, oregano, mint
Indian--turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, fennel/anise
Chinese--star anise, soy sauce, ginger, peppercorns
Malaysian and other southeast Asian--add fermented soy or fish or shrimp sauce or paste, plus soy, ginger, mint, cilantro, chilies, lemongrass, galangal, kefir lime, coconut or coconut milk

And all of them add garlic.

Think in terms of salty, sweet, bitter, sour, umami/pungent.
So use something like garlic or onions, add something like ginger or mint, some chilies or pepper, some citrus juice or vinegar, something green or fresh--garlic chives, green onions, and parsley or cilantro work with nearly everything.

Take your base ingredients--whether you do vegetables or animal bits--add some spices, you'll have one dish.  Take the same base, add different spices, you get a different dish.

Might I especially suggest a keen eye towards eliminating the fats and oils that were not around before our grandparent's time?  Some say a toxic internal and external environment (including things we cannot see, such as dirty air, water, electricity) must be cleaned as well...including our filtering organs of kidneys, liver, colon, lungs.  And, like a funnel, once those are cleaned, drains unclogged, fluids flow and remove stagnancy and pollution.  Unplug the drain, stop putting more dirty water in, clean the bathtub, and your bathroom will end up sparkling again...eventually.

Will send prayers and good vibes...more of that invisible, airy-fairy crap that nobody believes in.  

Another reason to take this to the private forum:  some of the herbs you are suggesting are not allowed on my program.

Paul,

Sorry to hear that you have a cancer, but it’s also good to hear about the benefits it has had in your health.

With that said, I’m pretty new to these message boards, and not envolved in your physical
Community at all (although I was part of communities from which  you have very active members that I knew decades ago)….

So, forgive me if I bring any offense, it’s not my intention, it’s just my inattention or ignorance of the intimacies of your beliefs.

I wonder if it’s your belief that eating can cure any illness?

Certainly not, surely you acknowledge the limits…  if at the least acknowledge that despite all
Our best efforts or even perfect efforts, we will all die from some sort of illness at some point. So, any philosophy of health is limited.

I just want to say , in case you don’t feel this way already, it IS ok to seek treatments that don’t fit in with your philosophy. It’s ok to acknowledge limitations. Don’t be held back from such things by ideas or pressures concerning your image.

I myself am a physician. But I’m not limited to the majority philosophy of my field. I find some likemindedness here at permies… and it doesn’t have to be perfect likeminded. That’s ok/

I don't come to the forum often, but I've admired your work and everything you've been teaching us. Great job shrinking the tumor and wishing you all the best moving forward.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be obtuse - but what type of help are you asking for? Advice, donations, in-person helpers?

paul wheaton wrote:I have cancer.  Apparently because genetics. I am using food-as-medicine to get rid of it.  And it seems to be working.

One year ago I learned about Tommy the tumor. My first thought was:  how can *I* possibly have cancer?  My life is very organic.  I was told that because of genetics, this was inevitable.  And that this size and type of tumor has taken about ten years to build up.

I made a lot of changes.  I roped in several of my patreon peeps and recorded a podcast.  I made a private forum (tied to that podcast) where I could talk to folks about details.  

The short version is that I decided to not get the surgery, chemo or radiation.  I decided to take my life from 90% organic to 99.99% organic and shift to foods proven to fight cancer.  Every week I discovered new optimizations.

Now, a year later, I got a new picture of Tommy.  It looks to my untrained eye to be half the size, but I talk to the expert later this month.



I have learned a lot.  I think that if I just simply knew this stuff ten years ago, Tommy would never have existed.  Despite genetics.


A side effect of all this is that I have lost 120 pounds.  And I have experienced a list of other health benefits.  I'm not sure, but I think I might be less bald and less gray - I don't mind being bald or having gray hair, but I do know there are other people care about this sort of thing.  I haven't had a cold or a flu during the last year.  Some skin stuff has cleared up.  


We are changing the kinds of gardens we grow to support this new path.  


I am hopeful and, at the same time, a bit freaking out.  Of course, I have about 50 hours of stuff to say.  I have received a bit of help from friends. And I've had to learn about a hundred times more about self-care than I ever wanted to learn.

My oncologist has been emphatic that I need to step up my game. Now. Today, tomorrow, and get this whole thing wrapped up in the next two to three months.  *My* analysis is that when I am doing this by myself, my game is okay - progress, but not stellar progress.  When people are here supporting me (or doing it with me), my game is strong.  

This is the awkward point.  The reason I decided to share this here.  I was going to simply keep this private until tommy is all gone, but given the need to step up my game, and coming to terms with how I do better with support, I am taking the risk of saying something.  

Awkward, awkward, awkward.  Weird.  Worry. Stress. There is a lot of wisdom in keeping this private.  I hope this gamble has greater upsides than downsides.



I hope that a lot of folks will come do this stuff with me, or support me, over the next couple of months.  

(Uncle Mud is on the phone with me as I write this.  He says I need to discourage people from trying to change my path. Instead, this is a very specific invitation to people who want to be here doing my existing, doctor approved, path with me. I am telling him that some people might wanna eat pizza while they are here helping, but not under the thumb of what I'm doing.  :)  )



During this adventure, a lot of my favorite online resources have disappeared from the internet complete with a message of "censorship." This means that if you want to visit with me about this stuff, you will need to go through a paywall.

https://permies.com/cancer



I can try to answer some questions in this thread, but all of my answers will be brutally vague.  The real answers will be in the private forum on the other side of the paywall.


A few of the threads in the private forum:

- food
- supplements
- more light
- month 6 optimizations
- new pics
- Surgery is canceled
- mitochondria
- the book
- necrosis
- metrics
- the best cure for cancer is community
- things I did two years ago that probably created tommy
- i have lost 120 pounds


I am sharing this because I am hopeful that a lot of people will:

 - cross the paywall and talk to me about all this stuff

 - some of those people will choose to come here (sepper?) and help me step up my game plan


My effort by myself turns out to be not-good-enough.  And I cannot get support in upping my game unless I ask.

You're doing a fantastic job. Isn't this what life is all about? We do something that has consequences, so we learn not to do that again. And learn how to undo those consequences. Then we share our experiences. That's wisdom.

wow, I would really like to go up there, and help. I have been thinking I would like to go out there for YEARS AND YEARS. My daughter graduates high school next month and so I will be at a point in my life where I wont have any grandkids or any minors at home and I have dreamed about this!  I even paid $100 a long time ago and almost pulled the trigger. I loved your talks in Sandiego and tempe AZ! I will find out more about my financials 4/29-5/6! I will keep in touch.

Sorry to hear about the cancer Paul, but it's good to hear you've taken your health into your own hands and have been making progress.  I was wondering in recent videos if you were lighter.

My wife came through bowel cancer (with mostly conventional treatment, but definite dietary changes).  She's over a decade now since treatment.  She'll be with me when we are down in SEPPtember.

Here's hoping and praying things continue to improve for you.

Dear Paul,
It seems that your very life will be a testament to healthy living, a journey you have been on for some time now.
I wish for you to feel so much support that success becomes the only option.
Unfortunately your paywall is only offered to Americans.  Perhaps it will be extended to Canada at some time.
With deep respect.
Coreen

SO glad to hear that you're doing much better!  You got this.  I hope you get more people showing up too.  I would LOVE to come SEPP at the lab, if I didn't have the two doggoes and the birds, but I am also usually a mediocre cook so maybe it's a blessing.  I do my best cooking by _feeling_ as Uncle Roger says.  

I knew you could do it, I'm so happy you're making so much progress!!

Hello Paul, I am an eternal neophyte and don't post often, so feel awkward speaking now. Here for a few years and still learning to feel initiated, and always humbled by the forum. I just want to say, thank you for sharing this part of the journey and godspeed.

Hi Paul,
I applaud you for reaching out to your community. I have found that isolation is the worst part of being sick. I hope that your path gets easier and you have all the support you need.

Good job on shrinking Tommy, Paul.  Words fail me regarding the fact that “he” exists.  

Asking for help and support from your permie community is a great idea!


I have an idea that might be helpful.

How do I find the pay wall?  Can someone post or purple me a link, or simple instructions?

I only have cell phone and tablet.  I just limp along, and I am not very tech savvy

Many thanks!