Week 41: Going Raw

22 Jan 2012

Well a lot has happened since my last post. I've now started a new alternative medicine regime and - so far - it feels good. I am going to give it an extended try so I have decided that, for now, I will not be opting for either the suggested chemotherapy programme or the Tarceva tablets. 

If you read the last post, you will have seen my mention of Xandria Williams' book, Cancer Concerns. Well, I was so impressed by the rational, scientific argument behind her approach that I decided to see her and to follow her recommended treatment. At the core of this lies some tests to establish more about my particular situation. So blood and urine samples are, even now, winging their way to Florida for a CA Profile test to establish more about the nature and the activity levels of my cancer cells. I have also taken an on-line test to establish my metabolic type. This will help determine the exact nature of the treatment programme.

 However I have already started on the core of the treatment, which involves:

• cutting out glucose in my diet as cancer cells need it for energy and are very good at grabbing it ahead of healthy cells. This means no sweet foods but also no potatoes, parsnips, rice, pasta etc as well as high glucose-level fruits such as apples, pears, and bananas and soft-drinks;
• cutting out all dairy products, red meat  and alcohol (except for an occasional glass of red wine, I'm happy to say); 
• making 70-80% of my diet raw food, primarily vegetables;
• eating plenty of garlic and oregano;
• when I do eat cooked food, trying to keep it to lightly poached or grilled fish and gently cooked organic vegetables;
• drinking plenty of juiced raw, organic vegetables and red berries with ginger;
• taking very large doses (70 tablets a day) of pancreatic enzymes;
• eating something called a Budwig Mix, which is goats' or sheep's yoghurt blended with flax oil.

 At first this seemed very daunting. I came out of the consultation in shock. I recalled asking what I would eat when I met up with my mates in the pub. The answer -  salad and a glass of red wine or still mineral water - wasn't entirely reassuring at the time! My mates are more pints and pies lads.

However, so far, it really hasn't proved too bad. This may surprise old friends who know of my weakness for shepherd's pie, sausages, steak & kidney pie, and heavy, school-dinner-ish puddings with lashings of custard. These are now becomng a distant memory. And it's not as dull as it might sound. Armed with a new super-charged juicing machine and several raw food cookbooks, I can report that there is a surprising variety of things you can eat within this diet and - admittedly after only 10 days - I have managed to stick to the 70-80% raw food, including several meals out (thanks to wonderful friends who bravely continued to invite us out for dinner devised some ingenious menus).

Meanwhile I am keeping up my cycling, energised by a new software programme on the iPhone (Endomodo) which uses GPS to show your route and to calculate your average speed, distance travelled, feet climbed etc. A wonderful addition to the obsessive cyclist's armoury!

It is still early days but my energy levels are staying high and I feel well. The cough is no worse and may even be a little better. So I shall see how it goes and report back later. So far, it certainly seems preferable to more drugs. 

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