Today my sweet friend Season Johnson shares the story of her son’s battle with Leukemia and how they’re using holistic therapies to help him recover. Kicker’s story is such an inspiration. I’m so proud Season is allowing us to follow along on their journey, and is also using it as an opportunity to help others. Please check out her blog, Facebook Page and Instagram (I love her instagram feed…it’s so inspiring!).
When your job is to help people heal from and prevent disease and then your 3-year old gets cancer; your only choice is to choose strength and then take matters into your own hands. My sweet little boy, Kicker, was diagnosed with Leukemia, on December 4th, 2013. As a holistic nutritionist with a background and education in holistic healthcare, I’m fortunate to have the tools and resources necessary to help my child not only heal from cancer, but fight with grace and strength. Once my son was diagnosed, we realized that we had no other choice but to place him in the hands of conventional medicine. He would be taken away from us if we did not do chemo. I immediately employed a team of alternative physicians and practitioners to support us through the fight of our lives.
I began to research and study cancer, and quickly realized it’s NOT a death sentence. The statistics you hear do not have to apply universally. If we begin to look at cancer as a metabolic disease and a symptom of unbalance in our bodies, we can proceed with treatment by addressing the underlying cause of the disease, heal the body from within and declare more and more people cancer-free.
It’s important to understand that we all have cancer cells in our bodies; in fact we make them every single day.
It’s a matter of what we put in our body, what we’re exposed to environmentally, how physically active we are and how strong our immune system is that will determine whether or not those cancer cells grow and become active.
Participating in routine detox to rid the body of the processed foods, environmental toxins and medications we’re exposed to is a major player in preventing and healing from disease. Most pediatric cancer patients die from treatment, not from the disease. In fact, it’s very rare that a child dies from cancer alone, they most often die from opportunist infections. These infections present themselves due to a severely weakened immune system, induced by the harsh and toxic treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, prophylactic antibiotics and steroids, etc.
It seems obvious to me that one of the most important parts of treating cancer should be detoxing the body. In addition to the toxic chemotherapy drugs that are pumped into these tiny little bodies on a regular basis, breaking down a tumor with chemo releases dead tumor waste that’s extremely toxic to the body and needs to be eliminated. I’ve yet to meet an Oncologist who advises their patients to detox the dead cancer cells out. It makes sense to me that this could be a reason many cancers come back. Our bodies have the ability to naturally detox through urine, waste and sweat but that’s not nearly enough to push the toxic medications and dead cancer cells out.
Here’s what I’m doing to help my son fight for his life
I’ve taken matters into my own hands and Kicker has not experienced any side effects from the 100+ doses of chemotherapy he’s received. I hope you’ll benefit from learning what we’ve done to support his body. Aside from following a ketogenic diet, and implementing a therapeutic protocol for immune support, we’ve done four detox therapies for him.
1. Castor Oil Pack Detox
The castor oil pack is specifically for detox. In my experience, it’s very effective when dealing with non-cancerous uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts. Other conditions which seem to respond well include headaches, liver disorders, constipation, intestinal disorders, gallbladder inflammation or stones, conditions with poor elimination, nighttime urinary frequency, and inflamed joints. Kicker holds the castor oil pack against his liver for at least 20 minutes (the length of a cartoon) and does this five nights a week.
Some details should you and your medical professional decide to use castor oil packs:
It’s not to be used during pregnancy, heavy menstrual flow, or the presence of internal bleeding. Click here to read the procedure and the supplies needed.
You may fall asleep and wear the pack all night if needed. If using a heating pad, unplug it before falling asleep.
For maximum effectiveness, apply the pack as often as possible – at least four consecutive days per week for at least 4-6 weeks. Daily use provides the most beneficial effects.
2. Detox Bath with Epsom Salt and Baking Soda
The sulfates in Epsom salt help flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances. Your skin is a highly porous membrane – adding the right minerals to your bathwater triggers a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it. The baking soda helps rid the body of chemicals from food, drugs, radiation exposure, etc.
We do these baths at least 4 days week.
Materials we use for one bath:
2 cups Epsom salt
2 cups baking soda (aluminum free)
Procedure we use:
Add salt and baking soda to a very warm bath and let dissolve for five minutes.
Click here for information about other at-home detox remedies that Season recommends.
3. Nebulize for Glutathione production
We purchased this nebulizer and our Osteopath put together a ‘cocktail’ of detox nutrients to stimulate Kicker’s glutathione production. This very important antioxidant helps prevent damage to cells.
As Dr. Mark Hyman states, “(Glutathione) is the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent disease.” Although our bodies naturally produce glutathione, when the liver is burdened with toxins (medicine, environmental toxins, radiation, etc) our body becomes incapable of producing the necessary amount – making it an important part of cancer detox. For more on the importance on glutathione, and how to make sure you aren’t deficient, read this. Contact your holistic physician or work with an alternative pharmacy, like this one.
4. Green Juice
This green juice is important to our detoxification routine. It assists in the rapid removal of metabolic wastes from the body and the rebuilding of damaged tissues. Juicing helps clear the kidneys of toxins and contribute to the proper digestion of food.
Kicker drinks this juice at least 4-6 days a week.
Green juice consists of the following:
1 apple (to sweeten)
1 orange
2 stalks of celery
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch cilantro
8 beet greens
1 red bell pepper
1 green cabbage
1 lemon
1/2 bulb of ginger
It’s very important that the produce in the juice is all organically grown. I don’t recommend powdered greens as most of them have been preserved and are not in their most nutrient-dense state.
So where do you even begin?
If you have cancer or love someone who does, it’s important to implement changes immediately.
1. I would address diet and begin looking at a ketogenic diet.
2. Increase your daily water intake to a number of ounces equal to 50% of your body weight in pounds. This is important so you can successfully flush toxins out of your body.
3. I would employ the services of a holistic physician that specializes in cancer and purchase the supplies necessary to begin detoxing.
Here is a resource to find a holistic naturopathic doctor in your area who supports cancer patients.
If you are in California, these are the two wellness centers I recommend:
Optimal Wellness
Cancer Center for Hope.
On the east coast, Dr. Nick Gonzalez M.D. Dr. Rashid Buttar, DO.
Stay tuned to my blog as I will continue sharing important information on healing our bodies of disease, as well as great recipes and how-to videos.
A few great resources for more information:
www.ChrisBeatBancer.com
www.thetruthaboutcancer.com
www.thecharliefoundation.com (ketogenic diet information)
www.Drmercola.com/cancer
Photo credits: All photos were taken by Season Johnson and used with permission.
Disclaimer: This information is designed for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your condition.
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