From 'Why me?' to 'What more do I want from life?'.

Today's post is written by Claire Timmerman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 24 years old. She has very kindly shared her story with us in the hope that it will inspire others to remain positive when facing a cancer diagnosis, and in life after treatment.

Claire and her husband hold Simply Sumptuous retreats in Orgiva, Southern Spain. One of the retreats - 'Women and Cancer' (7th - 14th June 2014) - is dedicated to women who have experienced cancer.

When I was 24, I was out having drinks with friends one night.  It was Friday 13^th and all of a sudden I found myself doubled over in pain.  Not one to normally leave a bar early - well I was only 24 - I went home.  The weekend was spent with sporadic bursts of a similar abdominal pain until finally on Monday, I went to the doctor, who sent me to hospital that night. The next morning I found myself having emergency surgery for the removal of a large ovarian cyst – the size of a cantaloupe melon!  I never imagined that a few days later they would tell me that the cyst was part malignant – I had ovarian cancer.  It was a surreal feeling.  Even afterwards, when friends and relatives would be in touch and they would be in tears, it just felt odd. 

BIKEast 2014 Transylvanian Transfagarasan Cycling Adventure - are you up for the challenge?

Our Yes to Life bikers thought they had cracked it with the last leg of the BIKEast Challenge when they made it to Istanbul. They looked longingly at the photos of gleaming faces and reconnect with the euphoria whilst reminiscing that incredible journey. 

Well it’s time to oil up the bike chain, get back into the saddle and start training for the next big adventure with the Yes to Life team of bikers and a host of new bikers.

A Mid-Week Treat: Prawn and Mango Curry Recipe

Today's post is written by Jenny Phillips who specialises in supporting cancer patients with diet & lifestyle interventions. She herself recovered from breast cancer 10 years ago. 

Jenny has kindly shared a recipe with us which contains turmeric, a spice which can make a positive contribution to your health. 

The Golden Spice: a recipe to brighten up your day

Turmeric is the bright yellow spice most often used in South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It adds a golden colour and is frequently used along with other spices to create a curry flavour. In this easy to make recipe it is paired with cumin in a creamy coconut sauce. The mango adds a subtle sweetness.

The active ingredient within turmeric is curcumin, and this has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is one of the ten supplements discussed in a review by the Society of Integrative Oncology (1), who quote:

“Curcumin has been shown to prevent a large number of

cancers in animal studies. Laboratory data indicate that

curcumin can inhibit tumor initiation, promotion, invasion,

angiogenesis, and metastasis.”

Although this curry will not deliver curcumin at therapeutic levels, eating this spice within meals increases its absorption, and may make a small but positive contribution to overall health.

PRAWN & MANGO CURRY

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Top Ten Nutrients and Lifestyle Tips to Support Mental Wellbeing

Today's post is written by Sophie Tully, the Nutrition Education Manager at Igennus Healthcare Nutrition. Igennus Healthcare Nutrition focus on providing natural means of improving health based on scientific research. 

Top Ten Nutrients and Lifestyle Tips to Support Mental Wellbeing

During cancer treatment and recovery, it can be extremely difficult to stay mentally positive and happy. Stress, anxiety and even depression are understandably common in cancer patients, yet we all know the benefits of a positive mental attitude when it comes to being healthy and able to fight illness.  Stress and low mood can deplete the body’s resources while it’s repairing the damage caused by increased stress hormones and inflammatory stimulation. As a result, it becomes much harder to focus on fighting cancer and getting better. But, fear not, there are a number of stress-busting foods and nutrients that can not only help to calm anxiety, reduce stress and lift your mood but can actually boost your immune system too.

Mind Choice: Seize the day

Today's post is the second post written by Clare McLusky who provides us with an insight into her experience with cancer and the popular practice of Mindfulness. 

Clare has a Masters degree in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy from University of Oxford and teaches Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy to people living with cancer. Clare is also a qualified Occupational Therapist, Yes to Life Helpline volunteer and one of the founding members and facilitators of Oxford Sangha, practicing in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.

January was a real struggle and it took me practically the whole month to recover from Christmas and to feel alive and focused again.  The festive period combined with the school holidays is frequently a time when I find myself becoming scattered and depleted.  The culmination is that I drift along feeling tired, eating more, meditating less and becoming increasingly unaware of where my attention is and consequently making less choices in the moment, for example, about whether or not to follow a train of thought.  I am more reactive than responsive to life.  This vicious cycle keeps going until I have a deadline that can no longer be put off.  I then do the necessary to feel alive and focused again in order to get the job done, which for me is a return to healthy eating, exercise, meditation, journal writing and setting intentions.  Thank goodness for deadlines!

Your Mitochondria and Cancer

Today's post, written by Xandria Williams, discusses mitochondrial damage and highlights the importance of lifestyle and diet when it comes to preventing, and recovering from, cancer. 

This is an excerpt from Xandria Williams' latest book 'Detecting Cancer' which is now available for purchase. 'Detecting Cancer' is the third book in her 'Cancer Quintet', of which the first two are 'Vital Signs for Cancer' and 'Cancer Concerns'. Xandria Williams has worked as a Nutritional Biochemist and Naturopath for over thirty years. For the past ten years she has had a particular interest in researching cancer as a process, and the ways in which nutritional, plant and other natural substances can be used to help restore health

  

YOUR MITOCHONDRIA AND CANCER

 “The cause of cancer is no longer a mystery; we know it occurs whenever any cell is denied 60% of its oxygen requirements.”[i]

“Cancer, above all other diseases, has countless secondary causes. But, even for cancer, there is only one prime cause. …the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.”[ii]

Thus stated Nobel Prize Winner Dr Otto Warburg 90 years ago.

Changing Sides

This post was written by one of our long time supporters, Jane Fior, a psychotherapist who for the last 23 years has been supporting cancer patients and those close to them face the impact, feelings and challenges of a cancer diagnosis and treatment that ensues.  In 2013 Jane was diagnosed with cancer and this is her truly moving story.  We thank Jane for sharing this with us.

I am a psychotherapist and for the last twenty-three years I have been supporting cancer patients and those close to them face the impact, feelings and challenges that a cancer diagnosis and treatment brings in its wake. I have always been interested in the role of complementary therapies and a keen supporter of an integrated approach.

Although I had not had cancer myself, with the exception of a scare in my mid-30s, through my clients, I learned how different reactions can be from person to person, no matter what the prognosis, and how certain key points can turn out to be the hardest to navigate for that individual. Not surprisingly, these are prompted by how you are given the news that you have cancer, how you get on with your medical team, coping with the side effects of the treatment including loss of hair, physical symptoms and bodily changes, the end of treatment, the challenge of recurrence and the shift to palliative care. In other words, vicariously, I was familiar with the terrain.