Independence Day!

Today's is Malaysia's independence day. Or is it? Malaya got it's independence from the British on 31 August 1957 (picture shows the first Prime Minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaiming independence in 1957).

Sarawak got it's independence from the British on 22 July, 1963. Sabah (known as North Borneo then) gain independence from British Crown colony on 31 August 1963. Malaysia (joined by Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore) was formed on 16 September 1963. So fellow Malaysians, is 31 August our independence day?

Of Friends
Good friends are like that... You may not always see them, but you may trust that they are always there.

And remember...

Be kinder than necessary - - - Most everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly.......

Author Unknown

Painful Holidays

Yesterday, I went for a massage just before lunch. The massage was quite good. It managed to reduce the pain somewhat. My masseur told me that she has used very light strength to massage me. Still it was quite painful during the massage, especially on my right thigh and butt area. However, by 3pm, the pain returned and those areas massaged felt very tender and painful to touch. Subsequently, I visited Khadijah and Yeong for the Eid celebrations. Khadijah has prepared some healthy foods and I took some pasta. It was really good but I had to restrict my portions because she had used some oil and a little sea salt. Yeong noticed that I was walking with a limp and I told him that it was rather painful to walk. He then suggested that I try taking the CaCare pain tea. I told him I would probably know what to do after taking the x-ray scan on my pelvic area.

Later in the afternoon I called Yeong and said I will take up his suggestion to take the TCM pain tea. I was in pain and thinking why not just try the natural pain killer. He then gave me 3 packs of pain tea (each pack contains enough herbs for 7 decoctions) as a gift. I am really grateful and thankful for his kind gesture. I went home and started to make two bowls of pain tea to take for the rest of the day. After dinner, I took my first bowl and took the second bowl just before I retired to bed.

I got out of bed at 3am this morning because of the pain around my right thigh and knee cap area. I did some massage and also watched TV for a while and went back to bed at around 4am. That massage helped and I dosed off to sleep waking up at 9.30am this morning. I am not sure if this was due to the pain tea, my legs felt less painful this morning. Anyway, I will continue taking three bowls of the pain tea today.

Pilgrimage To India 2 - Update
Phew, finally, I managed to book all the train tickets online. Now, to keep myself healthy and most importantly able to walk when November comes.

I was unable to book the original route of travel (from Sarnath to Gorakhpur) and instead used an alternative route (Varanasi to Gorakhpur) which also gave me some problems. The original route was due to online booking problems while the alternative route was due to limited seats available (even at 90 days in advance). I had no problems booking for the other routes.

I also tried to contact two agents in India to do the booking for me. The first agent said under the Indian Railways rules, they can only start booking 60 days in advance. The other agent did not even reply to my inquiry.

Happy Holidays

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my Muslim friends:

EID al-Fitr

In Malaysia, we call it Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. When I was working in the Middle East, people there call it Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking).

Yesterday evening, I went for acupuncture treatment. I went back to my TCM college for treatment as the place where I usually go for treatment is closed of the EID holidays. The acupuncture treatment is the traditional type. The acupuncturist will insert the needle until I feel some numbness at the acupoint. A total of 9 needles was inserted and it was rather painful for the 30 minutes session. After the acupuncture, I was able to walk a little better. However, towards late night at about 1.30am, I felt some pain around my left knee cap. So I got up and then applied some ointment and did some self massage. It felt much better after that. I think I will go for a leg massage today.

Cancer Update

I have been alerted by an anonymous reader that this article may not have been originated from a prestigious US university/hospital. In view of the very informative article, I have decided to retain the article but remove references to that prestigious US university/hospital.

Cancer Update:

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.
3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
• Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.
• Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
• Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat, like chicken. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
• A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including be an sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
• Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to
have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen
therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap in microwave..

Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

When All Else Fails, Hope.

The last couple of months, I have been plagued with specific problems. In May I had the insomnia and restless legs problems that gave me a lot of pain and sleeping problems. That subsided about two months later and even my restless legs problems are now gone. Maybe the plant based iron supplements and the new herbal and vibrational medicine that I took helped. The pain on my right thigh and pelvic area has been giving me problems for quite sometime now but only recently, the situation seems to have deteriorated. At times after a massage, the pain lessened. Now, my left leg also seems affected. For the last one month, I have been walking like a penguin. I believe my left leg is due to some nerve problems and I think acupuncture would help. I am due for treatment today. As for my right thigh and pelvis area, I will know after an x-ray scan. Hopefully, it is also a nerve problem.

Generally, I am in good health. Occasionally my chest seems to be congested. My breathing is sometimes heavy and heartbeat also irregular at times. Occasionally pain on my shoulder blade areas are noticeable, especially after I wake up for sleep. Pain on my shoulder areas also appears at times but I think that has to do more with whether I had sufficient sleep or not. Normally, I if sleep well there is no pain. I have been coughing a little more that last few days especially towards the night. I am able to sleep much better if not disturbed by the pain from my legs.

If you asked me, how I feel now compared to one year ago? I now weigh heavier by about 4kg more that same period last year. However, my energy levels are lower compared to one year ago. The most obvious difference is that last year I can run but now, I have legs problems and even walking straight seems a challenge. The other subtle difference is that my chest area seems clear last year but now, I feel my chest compressed, breathing is a little more irregular. I think in this cancer survival journey, it's like a tug of war, each side pulling at the other end, both sides do not want to give up. However, the odds are always against the patient for it takes a lot of energy just to maintain a no win no lose situation.

Some people asked me what is the most dreaded thing about having cancer? I think it's the mental suffering and physical pain. Death is just one result of the journey or outcome. I have never experienced 24 hours of continuous pain until I had cancer. I have also never experienced so much in fighting in the mind during every waking hour of the day. I have also never cried so much in my life. Yet in all my despair, I live the best I can. I did not allow the cancer to define how I live. I have co-existed with my cancer for two years now. The cancer has behaved quite well actually, giving me less problems than some of my noisy neighbors. It has not prevented me to do anything I want to do. I may walk more slowly now, so what?

English Premier League (EPL)
Yesterday, I watched the EPL game between Manchester United (MU) and Arsenal. By half time, the score line was already MU 3 Arsenal 1. There could have been more goals in the first half. I am not a fan of MU and neither Arsenal. I just want to see what's left of Arsenal after the key players left the club.

This is the first EPL game that I watched in 2 years! I did not subscribe to the sports channel and so I watched it at my friend's house. By halftime, I told my friend, Arsenal is going to get demolished by MU. I was also tired and bid good night to my friend and drove home to sleep. This morning, I saw the score MU 8 Arsenal 2! Sir Alex, you got to talk to your boys.

Wise Words

The 10 Commandments of Common Sense
I would also like to share something interesting from Hal Urban’s book, The 10 Commandments of Common Sense - Wisdom from the Scriptures for People of all Beliefs. I am trying to get my hands on this book.

1. Don’t be seduced by popular culture. It prevents you from thinking for yourself.
2. Don’t fall in love with money. It will make you greedy and shallow.
3. Don’t use destructive language. It hurts others as well as yourself.
4. Don’t judge other people. Its better to work on your own faults.
5. Don’t let anger get out of control. It can wreak relationships and ruin lives.
6. Keep a positive outlook on life. It's the first step to joy.
7. Bring out the best in other people. It's better to build up than to tear down.
8. Have impeccable integrity. It brings peace of mind and a reputation of honor.
9. Help those in need. It really is better to give than to receive.
10. Do everything in love. It is the only way to find true peace and fulfillment.

Life Is Short

The last few days, my main problems seem to be my pair of legs. Pain pain here and pain pain there. The massage on Thursday was quite good. It helped to ease some pain and after resting my legs, it's much better now.

I am also experiencing some cough and irregular heartbeat. Been doing some deep breathing exercises to regulate my breathing and also increase the oxygen intake into the body. Otherwise, things look good.

I finally managed to get rid of my problematic car to a used car dealer. I have advertised to sell the car directly for over two weeks but no takers. I will be driving another old car. Come next week, I hope to get some acupuncture treatment before my acupuncturist closes for the Muslim EID ul-Fitr holidays for 3 days.

My ex-colleague Jennifer called me last Thursday and we spent sometime catching up. I have not spoken to her for I think 5 years now. Most of my ex-colleagues in the Finance Department knows of my condition. However, when I asked her about how CW was doing and she told me, "I don't think I should tell you. You may get upset". I think it was something bad, like not another one getting cancer or some serious disease. I told her I can take any bad news, so tell me. She said he passed away about two weeks ago in his sleep. He was in his forties, leaving behind wife and 3 kids, the youngest being 2 years old. Jennifer said she did not ask the wife the caused of death. Later, Jennifer told me that CW is quite fit and spends a lot of time jogging. This is definitely a surprise. I remember CW to be quite tall, slim, athletic and not the sickly type. Then again, accountants are always under constant stress and work pressure.

I remember another ex-colleague some 10 years back in the same department, as he was getting ready to leave home for work one morning. Suddenly, he suffered a black out and then collapsed. Apparently, he suffered a mild stroke. After he recovered, he made the decision to quit his job and went for something less stressful.

It Ain't Smooth

After my nearly slipped encounter while on the way to the bank yesterday, I had more problems with my pair of legs towards yesterday evening. It felt like I have been standing all day, the legs became very tired and painful. After dinner, I quickly went for a massage. It did help to ease the pain somewhat and I was able to sleep at night. My legs feel much better this morning but there's still pain.

I am hoping to restart my acupuncture treatment on my legs beginning next week. I am having some mechanical problems with my car. It should be sorted out by this weekend.

Pilgrimage To India 2 - More Booking Woes
This time round, I am facing more online booking woes. Firstly, the official Indian Railway online reservation would not permit foreigners to book online due to changes in the account verification method that only accepts the use of an Indian registered mobile phone and non acceptance of international credit cards for online payment. Secondly, some of the third party online portals like www.makemytrip.com also have similar restrictions for train bookings. While Cleartrip (www.cleartrip.com) does not have these restrictions, I found out that I was unable to book one particular train (Train No. 55150 - MUV GKP Express) from Sarnath to Gorakhpur. It did not show up when I searched for trains. Unfortunately this train was available at Makemytrip but they don't accept international credit card for payment. So, I am caught in a very frustrating situation. I wrote to Cleartrip and they have yet to reply. I also called them via Skype but could not get through. I am afraid by the time they reply, the tickets would be sold out. Meanwhile, I am booking for an alternative route through Cleartrip because this is the only place I can book. I am using the Varanasi station (in place of Sarnath) which is inconvenient but at least the journey is not affected. If we can't travel on this night train, the rest of the trip schedule would be all out of sync.

I just made another booking with 4 passengers but only 3 tickets were confirmed on AC2 class. The 4th passenger (which is a child) is on RLWL-1 meaning Remote List Waiting List. So I am not sure if the 4th passenger can travel. I can take a risk and wait for the waiting list to be confirmed later or alternatively, I will cancel the booking and book for 3 passengers. But then the confirmed tickets can be allocated to someone else who are next on the wait list and the 3 passengers may be on the wait list, worst off than before. The rest of us (4 or 5 people) will travel in another AC3 class (only 7 seats available) but I like to travel in one group but it looks like this may not be possible. This is really stressful.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Course

I would like to inform you that the KL ACADEMY OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE will be conducting a one year course called Fundamentals of Traditional Chinese Medicine in English. This course is based on the “Unified TCM curriculum for foreign students” in China, giving students a brief but concise knowledge on the practice of TCM. This is not a professional program due to short lecturing hours (120 hours versus over 3000 hours for the TCM degree course).

Fundamentals of TCM in English Course Structure
(A) Fundamentals theories of TCM
(B) Diagnosis of TCM
(C) Chinese Materia Medica
(D) Formularies of TCM
(E) TCM Internal Medicine
(F) TCM Gynecology
(G) Acupuncture & Moxibustion

Course materials from:
Nanjing University of TCM; Shanghai University of TCM
National Planned University Textbooks for International TCM Education
National Planned Textbooks for Colleges & Universities
National Higher Medical Textbook Research Society

Commencing date: 9th Sept 2011 (Friday)
Time : 40 weeks x Friday (7.00 pm ~ 10 pm)
Tuition fees : 2 x RM 800 (per 20 weeks)

ADDRESS:
138-140, Jalan Petaling,
50000, Kuala Lumpur
Telephone: 03-20265273
Contact Ms Beh 016-6507929

A Wet And Painful Day

Yesterday after lunch, on the way to the bank, it suddenly rained cats and dogs. Despite using an umbrella, I was wet all over. As I was walking on the verandah towards the bank's main door, I nearly slipped and fell. The marble floor was wet and slippery. Luckily I was walking slowly and managed to locked my legs to prevent myself from slipping. Although I did managed to keep my balance, it aggravated the nerves and/or muscle of my legs. It was painful to walk after that. Last night I also could not sleep due to the pain. I did not take any pain killers because they are not good for my body. I think I will go for a massage today.

Pilgrimage To India 2 - Update
In 2009, I used to book train tickets directly through the Indian Railway (www.irctc.co.in) online portal. I still have my account credentials. But this time round when I went to do my booking, I was asked to update my account status. As part of the updating process, I was required to input my mobile number and the website will sent me a code after which I will need to update the code in my account profile. However, the website has hard coded the country code, meaning they will only accept the mobile number to come from India. As a result, I could not update and hence unable to book. I wrote to IRCTC about this problem and they have yet to reply to me.

Besides the above problem, my friend Vishuddi told me that IRCTC now does not accept Mastercard or Visa card for online payment. I wrote to IRCTC for clarification and the official reply was that they only accept cards issued by banks in India. I wonder how are foreigners now going to pay for the train tickets online?

Luckily, Vishuddi told me to use a third party online portal (www.cleartrip.com). I will have to pay some processing fees but at least I can book. I made my first successful booking from New Delhi to Gaya two days ago.

Yesterday afternoon, I was trying to book the train tickets for travel from Gaya to Varanasi. However, after 30 minutes of trying, I was still not able to get the credit payment approved. I called up my Bank but was told, no attempt to debit the card was made and the bank did not block my card. So I was told to retry later. Sigh...

Later in the evening, I retried and I managed to get one booking through. But the second booking failed but my credit card has been debited! About 20 minutes later, I retried and it also failed. I am booking in a block of 4 passengers so that we all could be allocated a compartment but the actual allocation would depend on IRCTC's server. Just then I received a call from Cleartrip, India. I was surprised they actually called me to tell me that the booking has failed and they will manually try at their end to convert the booking. I was asked to wait 2 minutes. The gentleman at the other end, named Kuna was very helpful. He later confirmed that my booking has failed and asked me to try again 1 hour later as the problem was with IRCTC server. He said they will refund my two failed bookings. Well, I call that very good service! Cleartrip only charged a processing fee of Rs20 (US$0.45) per booking. They just converted me to a permanent customer.

You must be wondering why I don't book all the train tickets in one go? Well that is because IRCTC only allows 90 days advance booking (for example 24 August 2011 can book 22 November 2011 tickets). As I am traveling on different dates, I have to wait to fulfill the 90+2 days to book. Some sectors (like New Delhi to Gaya and Gorakhpur to New Delhi) are hot sectors where demand exceeds supply for AC2 class. If you don't book as early as possible or when it is open for booking, chances are that you may not get all the tickets that you want.

Other than flying, traveling on the train is the fastest and safest way to travel between town/cities in India. Traveling inter cities on the road at night is not recommended.

Best Of Both Worlds

Yesterday, I was going through some old files and I came across my blood test and full body check-up report that I did on 29 August 2006. At that time, the report said my lungs were clear. However, when I looked at the blood test results, I noted even then, my GGT levels were already elevated at 329 (normal range is 10-71). It was the only reading that was out of the norm. When you do a blood test (in my case , it was for work permit), do not conclude everything is in order even if only one reading was out of the norm. What I saw was the overall report by my doctor who certified that I am healthy (not exactly in those words). I am not trying to blame the doctor who examined me for what has happened to me. If only I did a little more to find out more about that abnormal GGT reading, the outcome today would be different. What I am trying to say is this. I should take more responsibility for my own health. While not trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, I think it worth while investigating more about any abnormalities you find in your tests.

Best Of Both Worlds
One of the things I discovered after attending Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) class is that a lot of my understanding about TCM are from heresay. Some are facts but mostly fiction. For example, the classic TCM and allopathic medicine cannot mix. If you talk to the allopathic trained doctors about mixing allopathic medicine and TCM, then you are just barking at the wrong tree. Of course, I also know of some exceptions, allopathic doctors that also prescribed TCM at the same time.

I am now more aware about TCM and its developments. At least I don't assume like in the past. I know who and where to check. Do you know there are so many well trained Westerners in TCM and that many books on TCM in Mandarin are written by them (and later translated into English)? Let me quote you just one example from the book Blood Stasis, China's Classical Concept in Modern Medicine by Gunter R Need. On page 14 of the book, Gunter wrote:

In the republic of China, million of pounds are invested yearly in pharmaceutical and clinical research. The three leading areas of research in medicine, established by the government 40 years ago are:

• TCM, the effectiveness of which can be explained step by step by modern scientific methods, regarding both acupuncture and herbal medicine.
• Western conventional medicine; different from our system, this frequently corresponds to and overlaps with the other two areas of medicine.
• Integrated medicine (Zhong Xi Yi He Jie) objectively applies methods fro both the above disciplines to find the ideal treatment for the particular type of disease. It is truly a 'holistic' medicine, and chooses the most pragmatic way, without following any dogma.

Empower yourself. If you need to read about TCM books in English, a good library to join is the International Medical College, Kuala Lumpur. Thanks to Yeong for this tip.

A Little At A Time

This morning, the weather was sort of cloudy and then it started to rain. I have to rush to town to do an errand and surprisingly, the traffic condition was smooth, even in the city center.

My restless legs problem has subsided, only pain around my right thigh and the pelvic area. I am also able to sleep though not as early as I want. OK, some back pain is lingering. Otherwise, everything else is routine. This is good.

The First Step Is The Most Difficult
I met the young man yesterday evening. He is quite handsome, slim and quite tall. He brought his Thai wife along. He told me he will not be taking any conventional treatment such as chemotherapy except that he will be going for a laser treatment to address a tumor problem on his back which has been causing him difficulty in walking. He now walks with the assistance of a foldable walking frame. It is also painful on the chest area when he coughs. I remember I had similar problems in my early days of my cancer. After about four months into the Gerson Therapy, the pain went away and I was able to cough normally. I told him he could get the same outcome if he followed the Gerson diet. I am trying to slowly ease him into the diet and later therapy, not wanting to frighten him. I purposely arranged the meeting at an organic restaurant so that I can show him what are some of the vegetables that he can use for juicing, making salads and for cooking. A picture paints a thousand words.

Anyway, his spirits are high and he has a strong will and believe that this diet would be able to help him. He wants to regain back his health and have started following part of the Gerson diet that I have introduced to him earlier. I am very happy that he can stomach the strict Gerson diet. I will introduce the rest of the Gerson therapy to him as time progresses. Previously, I just told the patient the full Gerson therapy at a go and they seems to be overwhelmed with so many things to do.

He also complained to me of body pains. I took the opportunity to introduce him coffee enema and how it detox the body. Coffee enema is also good in reducing body pains. I gave him a list of items and where to buy the items to start the enema.

I showed him one of my weekend meals that I cooked. It takes a little bit more work but no salt, no sugar, no oil and no soy sauce meal can also taste good. It can be made dried or soupy form.

Actually, I did not have to show him for he has been convinced after seeing me in person. I guess a living example is good testimony. I know when a cancer patient has rejected conventional therapy, the patient can feel a sense of loss of security. A doctor can give the patient confidence about the therapy but in this case he is now alone. Based on my own personal experience, there is nothing more reassuring when someone who has been on the same journey is there to hold and guide you.

A Note About My Diet - Part 2

Patients new to the Gerson Therapy often comment that Gerson’s list of prohibited foods is much longer and more restrictive than other “natural” or “holistic” approaches to healing and wellness. The Gerson approach looks at everything that goes into, or on, the body as important to the healing process. It is through this attention to detail that we are able to accomplish healing even in some extremely advanced cases, or in diseases that are otherwise not curable.

Occasionally Allowed and Prohibited Foods (please click to enlarge):

The following is an explanation for some of the foods on the Prohibited List.

Salt and Sodium
Salt and sodium in all forms, including table salt, sea salt, celery salt, vegetable salt, Bragg Aminos, tamari, soy sauce, “lite salt”, baking soda, Epsom salts, sodium-based baking powders, and anything with “sodium” in its name, as well as salt substitutes.

Oils and Fats
Oils and fats, and any foods that contain them. This includes corn oils, olive oils, canola oils, and all other vegetable oils except flax-seed oil as specifically prescribed; butter, cheese, cream and other dairy fats; all animal fats; all margarines or oil-based spreads; coconuts and avocado; all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils; Olean, Olestra or other “fat substitutes”; nut butters; and any other source of dietary fats, except as naturally occurring in allowed foods.

Proteins and High-Protein Foods
Proteins and high-protein foods, such as meats, seafood, and other animal proteins; nuts and seeds; soy or other legume-based food products; all protein powders or supplements, including barley or spirulina and chlorella, unless specifically used when prescribed for protein supplementation.

For more detailed explanation, you can download a copy of the Gerson Diet here.

A Great Start

The back pain is continuing to give me some problems. It's giving me some difficulty after I slept for a period of time, possible due to the weight of my body pressing against the back. My physical energy levels are still low. Last Saturday, I was carrying about 2kgs of books up on two flights of stairs. I was exhausted after that. Otherwise, I am feeling quite good. Hopefully, internally is a mirror reflection of the exterior, no white ant activities.

I am meeting the 28 year old guy which I mentioned yesterday this evening. He called me last evening to make the appointment. He said he started changing his diet and is feeling very hungry. This is quite normal in the beginning. I made some suggestions on what he can take in between meals. He would like to find out more about my diet this evening. I have printed some materials for him. He seems very eager to help himself and I am only pleased to provide the information that he needs. It's a great start for him.

Maybe I can convince him to take coffee enema?

Dr Gerson did a famous experiment with two rats. One rat had bone cancer and the other rat was completely healthy. He connected up the arteries and veins of both rats so the blood of the healthy rat ran through the sick rat and vice versa.

The outcome was spectacular. Instead of the healthy rat catching the cancer as you might think, the reverse happened and the sick rat was completely healed.

This proved outright that with a healthy immune system, even cancer will be defeated. And the major organ that he focused upon to tune up the immune system was the liver -- which is the chemical factory of the body.

A Note About My Diet - Part 1
There are many alternative therapies out there but for me, I am biased towards Gerson therapy. It's one of the therapy I am well versed and it's also the therapy that is keeping me alive. The two most important aspects of the Gerson approach to healing are freshness and purity. All of the foods ingested on the Gerson Therapy must be fresh, organically or biologically grown, and consumed in their most natural form. While many patients have used appropriate, compatible additions or adjuncts to the diet that have helped their healing process, there are many others who have failed to heal because they made too many “minor modifications” to the Gerson Therapy protocol. The Gerson Therapy has been shown to be successful in achieving remission and cure in many different diseases when used as directed; modifications may or may not affect the outcome of your particular condition, but significant alteration without medical advice from someone knowledgeable about the biochemical basis of the Gerson approach may reduce one’s chances for recovery.

Some of the permitted foods that I take are (please click to enlarge):

Tomorrow, I will continue with the prohibited foods.

Crude Awakening

For the last two days, I was awoken from my sleep at about 5am by back pain. Otherwise, the sleep was good. My sleeping pattern changed since I had the insomnia problem in May this year. Prior to May, I use to sleep between 11pm and 12 midnight and was able to get up at 6am. But since May, I have been getting up past 9am even if I can sleep at 11pm. I seem to be very tired and wants to continue to sleep. Well, I would like to continue to sleep but at the same time, I have to get up to do my therapy, such as morning enema and juicing.

Prime Of Life - Crude Awakening
Yesterday morning, I received a call from a young man. At 28, he was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer in June 2011. The cancer has spread to the lungs and the bones. From my conversation with him, he said the doctor said it is very difficult to treat such cases but have not spoken to him about any treatment option. I suggested to him to talk to his doctor to find out what treatment options are available to him. I also suggested that he find out the following from his doctor:

1. What type of chemo drugs will be administered to him?
2. Will the chemotherapy be able to cure or just lengthen his life if so, by how long?
3. How many patients with similar condition as him has recovered? More specifically, how many died?

The reason for asking question one is so that he can do some research on how effective the chemo drug and what are the side effects and how the side effects will affect his immune system and his quality of life. The second question will enable him to weigh the benefits of the therapy against the risks and side effects of the therapy, whether it is worth to take the therapy. The third question is to find out statistically, how successful the therapy is.

At this juncture, I would like to share some of what Lothar Hirneise (author of Chemotherapy Heals cancer and The Earth Is Flat) has to say about chemotherapy used in the treatment of laryngeal carcinoma (throat cancer). Usually patients are offered a sole chemotherapy with cisplatin, carboplatin (both have the most serious side effects), 5-FU or mitomycin, or they are offered a combination of the previously-cited preparations. Every doctor who recommends chemotherapy to his patients, should either justify in writing, that the chemotherapy he uses has demonstrated success relative to extension of life (not reduction of the tumor!) or he should make it clear to his patients that the measure is being employed for palliative purposes. He further wrote, "Although to this date there is not a single study that can demonstrate a significant extension of life through a chemotherapy (combination), this therapy is still being offered to patients."

Anyway, I reminded him that to your doctor, you are just another patient. The doctors are trained to recommend what the pharmaceutical companies tells them. If it is successful, well good. One oncologist said, getting a cure is like striking a jackpot. But for you I continued, it's a life lost and since this is YOUR LIFE, don't you want to take full responsibility for your own life?

I also suggested that he reads up on alternative therapy since his doctor has given such a poor prognosis. I gave him a few therapies to consider. I told him, I am unable to decide for him. I can provide clarification or guidance but the decision of what therapy to take must come from him. Once the therapy is chosen, especially the alternative therapy, I will be able to guide and help him to the appropriate resources.

Meanwhile, I suggested to him to control his diet, if possible go vegetarian. Stay away from sugar (foods and fruits that are sweet), oil (except Flax seed oil), diary products and soy products. This will help to control the tumor growth. As it is now, he is having pain around the chest area.

Bright Eyes

Today, I would just like to share a song with you.

Bright Eyes
Art Grafunkel

Is it a kind of dream,
Floating out on the tide,
Following the river of death downstream?
Oh, is it a dream?

There's a fog along the horizon,
A strange glow in the sky,
And nobody seems to know where you go,
And what does it mean?
Oh, is it a dream?

Bright eyes,
Burning like fire.
Bright eyes,
How can you close and fail?
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.

Is it a kind of shadow,
Reaching into the night,
Wandering over the hills unseen,
Or is it a dream?

There's a high wind in the trees,
A cold sound in the air,
And nobody ever knows when you go,
And where do you start,
Oh, into the dark.

Bright eyes,
Burning like fire.
Bright eyes,
How can you close and fail?
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.

Bright eyes,
Burning like fire.
Bright eyes,
How can you close and fail?
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.

Count Your Blessings

Currently, the pain on my right thigh and pelvic area is giving me a lot of pain and also causing me to walk with a limp. I have scheduled the x-ray scan this coming Monday and see what's causing the pain and then see what can be done. Otherwise, I am good. Being sleeping slightly better these days.

This morning, I got up a little early to begin my day starting with the morning enema. The reason is that I have to go to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to submit my withdrawal form. Everything was smooth, after a short wait, it was my turn with the processing officer. She was curious about my cancer treatment because one of her relative has been diagnosed with liver cancer and asked me what treatment I took. She was keen about Gerson Clinic in Mexico. I gave her Gerson Institute's website and also my email in case she wanted to have more information about Gerson Therapy. After completely processing my form, she gave me an acknowledged form with the remarks: Cubaan Pertama - LULUS (in English, First Try - PASSED). She immediately directed me to the next counter for an interview. Her supervisor then came and asked me a series of questions about my cancer, my condition, my alternative treatment (had to explain that conventional treatment was not effective), my former employer and whether I submitted an application to Social Security (SOCSO) for invalidity payments. I wonder if my application for withdrawal will be approved because I looked normal and not like a sickly stage 4 cancer patient.

Cancer treatment is expensive, whether doing conventional or alternative. But I feel alternative offers better hope for me. Conventional treatment only target the cancer treatment. Every medication is designed to kill the cancer cells directly. No cancer cells = Cured. Nothing is done to improve the immune system, in fact the immune system is being destroyed in the process. Normally, it also does not involve in changes to lifestyle, in particular diet. Hence, relapses are common. Alternative therapy like the one I am taking takes a different approach. Instead of attacking the cancer cells directly, the therapy heals the immune system through nutrition and supplements. It takes a longer time. The immune system then fights the cancer cells. When the body is completely healed, the body is ready to defend itself from future attacks. A change in lifestyle and healthy diet are expected.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to collect my TCM book on formulas for this coming Saturday's class from Khadijah. She told me that last week, she meet three child cancer patients (ages 11, 12 and 13). She said she gave my contact to one of the caregivers in case they want to explore other alternative treatments. I feel extremely sad when I hear about children getting cancer. I just wonder how are these young kids are going to cope with this disease? At the other extreme, we have older folks. Later in the evening, a reader contacted me through the phone and asked me for some advice on her 80 year old mother's throat cancer. I spoke to my hypnotherapist at 8pm. At the end of the conversation, she gave me a new mission. That is to stay alive and to help other cancer patients. She said, it's not easy to achieve a 2 year survival milestone just rely purely on alternative therapy.

Finally, Some Gain

Yesterday, I took a weigh of myself and noted that I have gained weight. I now weigh 65.8kgs, a gain of 3.8kgs. Wow, that's unprecedented gain since my cancer journey. Gaining weight is a good sign. I started taking legumes, lentils and sprouted bread as part of my plan to gain back some weight and it seems to be working. These foods are not recommended in the Gerson therapy. However, having said that, the doctor at Gerson Clinic told me that it is important to watch the body weight so that it don't go below 50kgs for an average adult. For me, I think it's 60kgs due to my heavy bones makeup. The doctor recommends taking of legumes for such cases. So I am not sure if there will be a price to be paid for the weight gain. The area I wanted to gain most weight is my butt but it's not happening. It's painful for me to sit, even on a cushion. Anyway, I quite comfortable to weigh around 65kgs which is ideal for me.

I have run out of imported organic coffee and currently using locally grown organic coffee to prepare my coffee enema solution. The quality is not so good. The roast is very light and so the coffee enema solution is light brown in color. Yesterday, I noticed that my afternoon enema discharge was black in color. Normally, it would be at most dark brown in color. So something is being discharged from my body.

I have also been taking another supplement for about 6 months now called Minyak Buah Merah (in English, Red Fruit Oil). This supplement is from Indonesia and thanks to my friends, they have arranged constant supply for me.

When It Pain, It Roars

I slept rather well last night and woke up to a day of beautiful sunshine. Today is also a state holiday in Selangor. So by right, I should feel on top of the world with the holiday mood and all. After my morning enema, I went about town doing some errands. Later on the way back home, as I was passing Old Town, I thought I would visit my acupuncturist for treatment at 11am but even he is on leave today. By lunch time, the pain on my both thighs (shown as the red line on the picture) was becoming a little unbearable. Some medicated oil and a massage on both the thighs brought some relief. The pain on my thighs is more painful than the pain caused by my tumors. I need to quickly get some x-rays and then go and see the orthopedic specialist and see what he or she has to say.

The thing about the thigh pain is that even when I do a hard cough, I can feel the pull on the nerves of the right thigh. I have been coughing off and on and most likely it's due to the herbal and vibrational medicine prescribed by my herbalist doctor. This is because I only had this cough after taking the medication. I still have about another two weeks supply of medication before I am due to a follow-up consultation.

A friend dropped me an email telling me about a health farm in Ipoh. She asked me if this is the same herbal doctor that I am consulting. I replied yes. The last time I was at his clinic, I did not take the opportunity to explore the surrounding areas behind the clinic. His clinic is located far away from the main road in a wooded area. Along the way to the clinic, I can see other orchards, mainly growing pomelos. I believe his clinic is also part of the health farm.

Smooth Morning

This morning, I went to the Selayang Hospital to get my medical report rectified. The traffic condition was rather bad. After arriving at the hospital, I noticed that every service road leading to and by the side of the hospital are fully parked on both sides of the road. I managed to get a parking space after 15 minutes of circulating the hospital. Had to walk 15 minutes to get to the main block. Anyway, I met the supervisor at the Medical Records Department and explained to her that Employees Provident Fund (EPF) requires my medical report to be signed by a specialist, preferably the Consultant Urologist that treated me. The supervisor was very helpful, made a phone call and then took my medical report personally to see the specialist. Half an hour later, she came back with the signed report. It was also my luck that the doctor who treated me was in clinic today. I have forgotten on which days my urologist comes to the hospital for consultation because the last time I met him was in October 2009. However, what I don't understand was that the supervisor is aware that EPF requires the medical report to be signed by a specialist but in my case, it was not done. Still, I am grateful that I was able to get it sorted out in just one trip. The supervisor could have just collected my report and asked me to come back another day. Actually, I am quite impressed with Selayang Hospital. It is definitely one of the better Government hospitals that I have visited. So far, my interaction with them was good. The service is quite good, staff responsive and doctors are also very courteous, at least at the Urology Department.

I have not been sleeping well for the last few days. Yesterday, I slept past 2am but woke up at 4.30am and after that could not fall back asleep. After coming back from Selayang Hospital, I was feeling very tired and also sleepy. This morning, I also felt some pain on my chest area. It felt tight and I also experienced slow breathing. I will take some rest after lunch.

Cancer Metastasis
I read something interesting on preventing cancer from spreading and thought I share it with you.

Scientists have discovered that a protein called JAK triggers contractions in tumors which allows cancer cells to squeeze though tiny spaces and spread, in research published in Cancer Cell. Tumors consist of cancer cells, tumor-associated healthy cells and scaffolding that sticks everything together called the cell matrix. Cancer cells spread by moving from the tumor, through this matrix, to new locations.

When cancers spread, a process known as metastasis, they become more difficult to treat, as secondary tumors tend to be more aggressive. It is thought that 90% of cancer-related deaths occur after metastasis.

JAK is not a new culprit in cancer. It has been linked to leukemia, so some drugs are already being developed which target the protein. Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information, said: "A huge challenge in successfully treating cancer is stopping it from spreading around the body, and keeping cancer that has already spread at bay."

If the doctors are able to develop a drug to keep the cancer from spreading, then survival rates from cancer treatment will improve drastically.

Showering From The Sky

I noticed that after a few hours while I have taken the herbal and vibrational medicine given by my herbalist doctor, I will start to feel unwell. This normally happens around dinner time. A little light fever and also stomach discomfort. My herbalist doctor has said these are healing reactions. However, I am my coughing that much after taking the medication. Last two days, I was feeling very warm in the body but have aversion to cold. I will normally sit on the couch or lie down brooding. But the feeling is dammed lousy.

Yesterday, after the follow-up massage, my whole body felt like been beaten up by someone. My pair of legs still hurts and according to my massuer, it's the nerve. I will have a word with my doctor and then go for an x-ray. After that, a further discussion with my doctor to see which specialist I should see.

Celestial Display
BBC reported that skygazers' across parts of the planet have been treated to a celestial display of the Perseid meteor shower. The spectacle is created when the Earth passes through a field of debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet.

At their most intense, the meteors can be seen at a rate of one per minute, although they will still be visible until 22 August.

Last night, the clouds were all over, so I could not get to see any stars, let alone the meteor shower.

• The meteors are called the Perseids because they appear to fly out of the constellation Perseus
• The yellow dot marks the Perseid radiant. The meteors can appear in any part of the sky, but all of their tails will point back to that area
• The best views of the meteor shower are likely to be in the Northern Hemisphere

Relief After Pain

Yesterday, my pair of legs was really giving me problems and I went for a massage. I told my massuer to concentrate on my pair of legs. My right legs, the pain is from the butt down to the knee joint. My left leg, the pain is from the side of the thigh to the leg. It's was one of those painful massage. My massuer told me that she only used very light strength. She said the pain points are around the strategic meridian points. In addition, my massuer also did some cupping on my back and on my butt. Anyway, the massage though painful was good. I was much relaxed after that. I managed to sleep at past 11pm last night and only woke up 9.30am this morning. I must be very tired. I will go for a follow-up massage today.

I also noticed that since Friday, I have symptoms of dyspnea. I have not been sleeping well for the past week. Last Thursday, my holistic doctor did a quick examination on me and told me I have arrhythmia symptoms. Both these relates to my breathing difficulties. I find I have to make an effort to breath normally. I have been practicing a lot more block breathing as well. My qigong sifu told me that if I practice block breathing at least three times a day, I would noticed fundamental changes to my body.

Bill Of Rights
Sometimes, I forget to treat myself better. During my discussion with my hypnotherapist, she asked me if I knew about my Bill of Rights. Well, I have heard of it but do not know the full details. These are the rights:

1. I have the right to ask for what I want ( recognizing that other people have the right to say no ).
2. I have the right to have my own opinions, views and ideas and to express them appropriately.
3. I have the right to have needs and wants ( that may be different from others ).
4. I have the right to say 'yes' and 'no' without feeling guilty.
5. I have the right to have feelings and express them assertively in appropriate situations.
6. I have the right to change.
7. I have the right to say ' i don't know' and ' i don't understand' .
8. I have the right to decline responsibility for the other people's problems.
9. I have the right to be respected.
10. I have the right to make mistakes.
11. I have the right to be myself ( to be different from what others are, or want me to be, or do ).
12. I have the right to have others respect my rights.
13. I have the right to choose not to exercise my rights.

Trip Down Memory Lane

Despite my condition, I still follow with interest the political developments in the country. In one sentence, "it's a big rotten mess". I think Malaysia is developing politically, only too slowly. I really look forward to vote in the next 13th General Election possibly towards the end of this year or sometime next year. Another political tsunami? I pray so. I have not been reading any local mainstream newspapers for many years now. I also follow a few political blogs and one of them is my favorite, Bernard Khoo's blog aka Zorrow Unmasked.

I was a former pupil of La Salle School Sentul, a missionary school where I received 9 years of my lower education (1966-1974). The picture shows the modern version of the school. During my time, the buildings on the right (and in the background) of the picture does not exists. Also the picture shows the main block of the school with new roofing. Bernard Khoo was the discipline master back then. Hearing his name give you the chills because he used to cane the students as part of the punishment. I think I was 14 years old then (in Form 2) and the was an examination going on. So certain buildings in the school were off limits. There were a group of us, including How Beng, Chee Meng, Chee Peng and me were determined to break the off limit rule and quietly sneak into one of the classrooms on the 1st floor of the main block to play monopoly, away from the main crowd. Towards the end of the game, there were only two people left, Chee Meng and me. I have amassed lots of properties and build lots of hotels. Somehow, Chee Meng was able to pay the rent every time he landed on my properties. Later, I found out that How Beng was quietly slipping money to Chee Meng to keep the game going! We were not caught by the teachers and it was a thrilling experience. There was another incident where I threw a stink bomb into the teacher's room and then ran for my life to avoid being caught. Yeah, I was not caught. There is another teacher whom we called him Mr Choo. He likes to use those big cane (thickness, the size of a large man's thumb) and I got in trouble a few times and was caned by him. Big after cane marks on the hands and legs. When I go home from school, I would received another caning from my father if he found out that I have been caned by the teacher. It must have been fun then to be anti-establishment.

When I was young, I don't know what danger is. I have climbed coconut trees and other kinds of tall fruit trees. I would also go to disused tin mining pools (picture) to swim without the knowledge of my parents. These pools are very big and also hundreds of feet deep, common sight in the 70s. Yes, I learned to swim in such pools. My brother's school friend was not so lucky because in one of his outing, he was drown. Words started to spread and my father banned us from going to such place for swimming. Still, I occasionally visited such pools. Because we swim by the side of the pool, a thin layer of mud would cover the skin of my hand and legs. My father would would do a simple inspection by scratching my hands and legs. If it left line marks, that means I have been swimming in such pools and would get another caning.

Still my growing up years was one of the most enjoyable time period in my life. Free and could not care less if the world would just drop down. No PS2, no computers, no hand phones, no modern gadgets, nothing. Just pure nature.

Month 24 In Therapy

Yesterday, I entered into the 24th month of therapy. It's a good feeling. I look forward to next month to celebrate my second anniversary.

Yesterday evening, I had another session with my hypnotherapist. It was a good session. Seeing a hypnotherapist does not necessary mean every session involves the use of hypnosis. Initially, I was also under the impression that all my session would be sort of under hypnosis. Except for my first two sessions, this rests of the sessions was not the case.

The technicalities aside, most of my sessions with my hypnotherapist was informal conversational in nature using various approaches.

My hypnotherapist who is also a qualified medical doctor told me that the darkened blood from my legs are expected because those blood are from the veins, meaning they are carrying carbon dioxide on the way back to the heart and lungs for re-oxygenation. She reminded me in future, to contact her for an explanation if I had some medical condition instead of second guessing.

My hypnotherapist also told me how she got started in the hypnotherapy and specialises on cancer patients. During her housemanship days when she was on call, she was visiting the cancer ward. Suddenly, a patient would called to her and talk to her. So what she did was to sit down and listen to what the patient has to say. The next day, the patient passed away! It would seem that for some reasons, patients would seek her out and she would then listen to what they have to say and the very next day the patients would die. In one case, a 17 year old boy asked her if he would survive the cancer. Being a newly qualified doctor, only a few months into the job, she answered if he work together with the doctors. He died the very next day too. Later she had a dream and the boy asked her why he died? Then she woke up. After a while, she became worried if this pattern is going to repeat. Later she learned to handle such situations. Because she has a passion for such work, patients would seek her out under the "law of attraction".

She said the dynamics of dealing with cancer patients are very different from other type of patients. Next month, she has invited me to join her in a talk, where she will be giving a presentation to a group of hypnotherapy students on working with cancer patients. She said the students would be asking me questions and reminded me to answer truthfully. I am excited to meet the future hypnotherapists.

Different Forms of Hypnotism
Ericksonian hypnotherapy
In the 1950s, Milton H. Erickson developed a radically different approach to hypnotism, which has subsequently become known as "Ericksonian hypnotherapy" or "Neo-Ericksonian hypnotherapy." Erickson made use of an informal conversational approach with many clients and complex language patterns, and therapeutic strategies. This divergence from tradition led some of his colleagues, including Andre Weitzenhoffer, to dispute whether Erickson was right to label his approach "hypnosis" at all.

The founders of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), a methodology similar in some regards to hypnotism, claimed that they had modelled the work of Erickson extensively and assimilated it into their approach called the Milton Model. Weitzenhoffer disputed whether NLP bears any genuine resemblance to Erickson's work.

Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy
Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy (CBH) is an integrated psychological therapy employing clinical hypnosis and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

In 1974, Theodore Barber and his colleagues published an influential review of the research which argued, following the earlier social psychology of Theodore R. Sarbin, that hypnotism was better understood not as a "special state" but as the result of normal psychological variables, such as active imagination, expectation, appropriate attitudes, and motivation. Barber introduced the term "cognitive-behavioral" to describe the nonstate theory of hypnotism, and discussed its application to behavior therapy.

The growing application of cognitive and behavioral psychological theories and concepts to the explanation of hypnosis paved the way for a closer integration of hypnotherapy with various cognitive and behavioral therapies. However, many cognitive and behavioral therapies were themselves originally influenced by older hypnotherapy techniques, e.g., the systematic desensitisation of Joseph Wolpe, the cardinal technique of early behavior therapy, was originally called "hypnotic desensitisation" and derived from the Medical Hypnotism (1948) of Lewis Wolberg.

CBT works on changing your negative cognitions, (or thoughts) about yourself or your circumstances into positive cognitions, which will allow you to approach life from a more positive perspective. A cognitive behavioural therapist will also work with you on learning new behaviour skills to enable you to deal with issues arising in your life, for example working on techniques to control panic attacks. They may also work with you on thought stopping exercises, or teach you relaxation techniques designed to counteract stressful situations.

Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy (CBH) is where CBT is combined with hypnotherapy to produce a more effective form of therapy which often can produce more rapid results than standard CBT alone.

Source: Wikipedia and www.carolynpotter.co.uk

Going With The Flow

This morning, after I just completed my enema, I received a call from my holistic doctor, Dr Devi from Ipoh. He said he is in town to deliver an acupuncture presentation to a group of young students studying Physiotherapy. He asked to come over so that he can treat my coughing with acupuncture. I got less than an hour to prepare and pack my juices and head for town. Anyway, I managed to reach the college half an hour late. After the presentation, Dr Devi asked me to sit in front of the students so that he can show how acupuncture is done. So treating me and using me as a demo patient at the same time. Many of the students asked me if it was painful and I said a little ant bite just in the beginning. After that, more and more students volunteered to have themselves be treated for sinus, headache, backaches, etc.

Dr Devi brought two acupuncturists (former students) who graduated from Dr Devi's acupuncture academy over 15 years ago to assist in treating the students as part of the demo. One of the acupuncturist, an Indian lady in the 60s told me that he met Dr Devi 15 years ago when she was diagnosed with early stage leukemia. She checked out of the hospital immediately (before receiving any treatment) so that Dr Devi can treat her. Dr Devi used acupressure, herbal and vibrational medicine. She has been cancer free ever since and now a practicing acupuncturist in Kuala Lumpur with a partner, pointing to another Indian gentleman. She also said she has not visited any hospital for any treatment ever since.

Anyway, after 30 minutes, the acupuncturist (who was Dr Devi's daughter) started to pull out all the needles. While pulling out the needle on my left leg, some blood oozed out. It was almost black in color, bad blood! She said my circulation on the legs are blocked. Another acupuncturist who was observing said to me, "drink low dose of liquid chlorophyll to cleanse the blood". The acupuncturist was surprised when I told him I am a stage 4 kidney cancer patient. He said that could explain why the blood is dark in color. He said Dr Devi has cured many cancer patients (after conventional medicine has failed), in a way trying to assure me that I am in good hands.

It's Just Procedurial

Yesterday just before dinner, I was feeling unwell again. Besides my stomach, I was feeling a little feverish too. The pain on my head was also bad. I felt so tired that I thought I would just lie down to rest. I have been feeling very tired these days after dinner time and I don't know why.

I went to Employees Provident Fund (EPF) just before lunch today to submit some forms to withdraw funds from my account. I need the cash to continue to fund my therapy. I was given a ticket number and told to get my documents sorted and checked before I can submit for processing. I made a mistake of filling up the form using blue ink. So the officer told me to get another form and fill in using black ink. And I did but I had to wait for more than 1 over hour before I manage to see the same officer to recheck my documents. After checking, I was asked to go and get another ticket number this time for submission to the processing officer in another counter (why can't they route the same ticket number?). When my turn came, the officer rechecked all the documents and then asked me to wait for a while and went to the back office looking for his supervisor. He came back and said the report from Selayang Hospital was not signed by a Consultant Urologist. I was given two options of either going the see two doctors in EPF's panel of doctors or go back to Selayang Hospital and get the Consultant Urologist to sign the report. I wasted over 3 hours going to EPF just to be told the report must be signed by a specialist. Why not indicate on the form that it has to be signed by the specialist? By the way, it took me about one month before I could get my report from Selayang Hospital. Now I have to go back to Selayang Hospital to get the specialist to sign. Not sure how long I have to wait because the department in charge is the Records Department. I can't go directly to see the specialist.

In A Circle

Last few days, I had some problem with my legs. Due to the pain, I could not sleep that well. So I asked my mother to apply some medicated oil on the back of my legs and then used the electronic massager to roll over the affected areas. It did provide me some temporary relief. I have also been doing a lot of self massaging.

Although I am in positive territory most of the time, there are occasionally pockets of lapses. Last night, I could not sleep and I was awake sitting on the couch with the TV on at 2am in the morning. I was not watching TV as my mind had other thoughts. I was just wondering how long more I had to endure all of these? Sometime back, I was reading an article about prisoners on the death row. They have been sentenced to death but they do not know when the execution date will be. It can be one week, a month, a year or more from now. Everyday they wait for news of their turn and many of them had developed mental and psychological problems. I think my situation is like theirs, probably with two differences. The first difference is that death row prisoners are in solitary confinement while I am not. That's make a great difference, possible that explains why I am still sane, or what's left of it. Secondly, like some prisoners who are appealing against their death sentence, I am on alternative therapy in the hope that I will get a chance to live. Appeals can take very long time, so some prisoners waive their right to appeal and chose to die. Success in alternative therapy also take a long time to materialise, if it indeed materialises, sometimes I also want to give up.

My therapist told me and from what I read, that there are three main possible reasons why cancer patients have trouble sleeping. The first reason is that the patients are in some form of pain that prevents them from sleeping. The second reason is that cancer patients constantly worry about their loves ones and about themselves so much so they cannot settle down to sleep. The third reason is that these cancer patients can sleep but choose not to sleep. Why? They are afraid that when they sleep, they will not wake up the next day. I belong to the first and second category of cancer patients with sleeping problems. But many a times, I do wish after I fall asleep, I will not wake up the next day. Sometimes, I feel so very tired, I want to throw in the white towel. I surrender. The state of constant uncertainty does take a heavy toll on my mind. I take my chances in my afterlife. But then I wake up the next day.

I get another chance to live another day and I also get another chance to meet my dark thoughts in another day.

It Comes In Pairs

I have been experiencing slightly more pain of later and according to my holistic doctor, this is due to the healing reaction of the herbal and vibrational medicine pills that I am taking. I am feeling a bit tired. Although I have been sleeping much better these days, I am still tired and get up late on most days.

This afternoon just before lunch, my stomach was feeling unwell. I also felt tired and took a short nap. After napping, I felt much better and had my lunch. My digestion is not very good of late. Yesterday just before dinner, I had the same problem.

Today, I am feeling a little lack of energy. My car is also giving me some problems of late. Looks like I got to trade in the car and buy another one. Can't do the same for my pair of legs.

How To Grow Sabah Snake Grass
Readers have been writing to me every now and then on where to buy Sabah Snake Grass (SSG). Although my blog does contain a link in the archives on where to buy SSG, I have added a new permanent picture link so that readers can just click on the picture to get the information that they required easily.

The price of SSG has been going up steadily. I have seen advertisements in Lelong.com.my selling SSG for RM50 per 500 leaves. A stage 4 cancer patient requires between 400 to 600 leaves a day and that would mean RM40-RM60 a day. This translates to RM1,200 to RM1,800 per month just on SSG consumption. As demand exceeds supply, the price may go up further. Prices at the Seremban farm is now at RM25 per 500 leaves.

When you are buying SSG at the farm, I would suggest that you buy about 20 SSG plants. SSG is very easy to plant. After about 5 weeks, you can have your first harvest. When the branches grow bigger, cut them off and plant more. If space is a problem, plant on pots. Just cut of the branches and plant. It's that simple. Even small shoot with a little branch will also do. See picture on left for examples of what is suitable to be planted. Just remember to water them regularly.

Gerson Plus Therapy

Yesterday evening, I had a chat with my holistic doctor about the medication that he gave me. I told him that I have been experiencing coughing after taking the medication. He said this is a healing reaction as the medication try to expel pathogens from the lungs. I have also been feeling more pain of late especially on my back area and he also said that this is also another healing reaction. I have also been feeling unwell and he said these are all good signs.

Yesterday, I met a young couple, in the early thirties through the recommendation of a friend of mine. The couple had a two year old child. The wife is stage 4 colon cancer patient. She underwent colon surgery and thereafter several rounds of chemotherapy. Despite all the treatment and not to mentioned the money spent, the doctor will say "There is nothing more we can do". Suddenly, alternative medicine which was never given a thought in the first place, seems to be the only hope. A body severely weakened by surgery and poisoned by chemotherapy now depends on alternative treatment to rebuild (a) the weakened body, (b) rebuild compromised immune system, (c) remove the poisons caused by chemo and (d) then regain the health back.

I hope you don't misunderstand me, I am not lecturing the couple but to share one lesson that can be learned. I have met so many of such cancer patients so much so history keeps repeating itself. I just want to say, don't just consider conventional treatment as the only option. Please consider alternative therapy as well before making the final decision.

Gerson Plus Therapy
I accidentally stumbled upon this cancer therapy while searching for something else on the Internet. What attracted me was that it contains the key word "Gerson" and I wonder what Gerson Plus Therapy (GPT) really meant? Although I am a Gerson Therapy (GT) user, I am by no means a qualified therapist on GT. What I did do was to follow Dr Gerson's therapy according to his original book, A Cancer Therapy - Results of 50 cases which was published in 1958. Subsequently, my stay at Gerson Clinic in Tijuana, Mexico in 2010, I believe the therapy has not changed very much (save for some changes in supplements) from what is written in Dr Gerson's book. I stand corrected of course. I am happy that some doctors have decided to continue on Dr Max Gerson's work and continue to enhance the therapy.

GTP is primarily based on GT but due to advances in medical sciences, new therapies are added to the GT.











GTP includes the following key components:

Full Gerson’s Diet Therapy:

• 13 Freshly prepared fruit and vegetable juices 
• Vegetarian meals
• Abundance of fresh fruit Fresh juices
• Extreme salt restriction 
• Extreme fat restriction
• Calorie restriction 
• Fluid forcing
• Animal protein restriction 
• Nutrient Hyperalimentation
• Acceleration of metabolism 
• Potassium compound - oral
• Pancreas enzymes – oral 
• Acidol
• CoQ10 – oral 
• Vitamin E - oral
• Niacin – oral 
• Brewer’s yeast
• Liver capsules 
• Thyroid - oral
• Vitamin C – oral 
• Lugol’s solution
• Liver/B12 injections
• Enemas of coffee and/or chamomile tea
• Castor oil days Castor oil packs
• Clay packs Herbal teas

Additions to the Full Gerson Therapy

• Complete enzyme therapy
• Daily PolyMVA
• Electrocardiogram
• Daily Nursing Care
• Complete Lab testing with chemistry profiles
• Daily Medical Consultations
• Somatometric Measurements
• Optional Companion Room and Board

Additional Supportive Therapies Include:

• Autologous Cell Vaccine
• Govallo Therapy
• Coley’s Mixed Bacterial Vaccines
• Physical Therapy
• Dental Toxin Review
• Pain Control
• Danoupolis Oral/Rectal or Rogers I.V./Intertumoral Urea w/Creatine
• Stress Management
• Surgical Intervention
• I.V. Polarizing (GKI) solution
• X-ray, Ultrasound, CAT or MRI
• Treatment for Heavy Metals
• Shark Cartilage Oral/Rectal/I.V.
• Chemotherapy Radiation Therapy
• Immunology Therapy I.V.
• Vitamin C Infusions
• Ultra Violet Blood Irradiation I.V.
• Chelation Therapy
• Autohemotherapy
• Hydrazine Sulfate, Oral, IV
• Laetril (IV, Oral or Rectal)
• Oncological Assessment
• Neural Therapy
• Tumor Markers
• Kalima or Colonic Therapy
• Additional Therapies as Required

Cancertutor.com has classified GT as a dated therapy and one of the main reason I believe is that modern scientific discoveries have not found their way into the Gerson protocol. Some doctors recognised the effectiveness of GT and decided to enhance the therapy by adding new discoveries to GT, to make it a better choice. All additional components are not automatically given to patients and will depend on the condition of the patient.

The GTP is administered by Baja Health & Wellness Center in Tijuana, Mexico and you can read more details here.

Health Status @ 6 August 2011

It's been quite sometime I have provided an update of my health status and the current therapies that I am taking. New information are presented in blue font.

Problem
Tumor mass of size of about 15cm on the right kidney and 21 and 20 nodes all over my left and right lungs respectively with one up to 3cm in size each in both lungs. Confirmed that it has not spread to the liver. All other organs are also normal. Another 3.5cm tumor was discovered in March 2010 at the T6 area and subsequently in July 2010, a lymph node the size of a marble was discovered just below the left collar bone.

Latest scan on 26 November 2010 showed slight improvement in the kidney tumor (shrunk from 15cm to 11.4cm) but the nodes on the lungs were also a little larger. In the August 2010 scan, it was the other way around.

X-rays scan on 26 September 2010 over the scapula (the bone of the shoulder), pelvic and upper back areas shows no obvious bony metastasis.

Blood test taken on 17 July 2011 showed that my GGT levels are still elevated. Hemoglobin, RBC and HCT are slightly below range as expected. My TSH reading has returned to normal level which is good news.

Prognosis
Consulted four urologists (one in Singapore and three in Malaysia) and two oncologists (one in Malaysia and one in Singapore). Both oncologists suggested removal of right kidney. Singapore urologist also suggested removal of kidney. The three urologists do not recommend surgery or chemotherapy. The last urologist consulted said most of his patients died within six months of surgery while two on the expensive (RM12K per month) drug Sutent is not responding. All agree that is no cure for the moment.

My urologist said my cancer is at stage 4 and did not recommend me to take any treatment. It is also my own choice not to take conventional treatment after considering all the facts of the case.

Subsequently during the 1 year review on 2 September 2010, my oncologist in Singapore recommended that I consider:

a. Tumor debulk and
b. Sutent medication or
c. Interferon treatment

I have so far rejected the recommendation as none of the treatment works.

MAIN THERAPIES
a. Gerson Therapy
a1. Coffee Enema
Two enema daily and alternative day castor oil enema. Taking half strength coffee and camomile mix. My enema formula is 4oz coffee, 8oz camomile and 12oz of water.

a2. Nutrition Diet
All fruits and vegetables mentioned are organic.
i. Juicing - 10 fruit and vegetables juices a day beginning around 10am and ending 7pm. 3 apple+carrot, 3 carrot and 4 green vegetable juices every hourly.
2. Diet - No oil, no sugar and no salt on all cooking. For breakfast and supper, mainly plain oats, no sugar or honey is added. For lunch and dinner, vegetables such as Siew Pak Choy, Lettuce, lady's fingers, cauliflower, broccoli and spinach are mainly steamed or boiled. K-salt is added for flavoring. A teaspoon of flaxseed oil is added when serving (but not during cooking). Mainly brown rice and sometimes organic potatoes is consumed. Hippocrates soup are also prepared consumption.
3. Supplements - K-salt, niacin, lugol solution, pancreatin, pepsin, Q10, Inflamezyme, Milk Tistle, Colostrum. Thyroid, Liver and B12 injections daily.
4. Others - Rye bread, papaya, guavas, oranges and bananas are consumed at regular intervals.

b. Additional Therapies
Clinic: Holistic Care Iridology, Ipoh
Treatment Started: 31 July 2011
Medication: Herbal pills and vibrational medicine.

This therapy was prescribed by Dr Devi after taking the Magnetic Quantum Resonance Test. This therapy is to clear the intestines of blockages.

COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES
c. Oxygen Therapy
Started using a personal oxygen generator with effect from 8 March 2010. Each session lasts 20 minutes. Now taking it on a need basis. Richer oxygen does help in controlling the growth of the tumors. It also reduces fatigue.

d. Qigong
Concentrated only block breathing exercise in July 2011 as advised by the Master. It's suppose to help increase the amount or oxygen that get fed into the lungs and body.

Health Status
My current weight is about 60kg and has been quite stable ever since. I have stopped taking the Low Dose Naltrexone medication and my hypnotherapist has provided me some reading material on alternative ways to get the release of endorphins.

Generally, I experience very low levels of pain most of the time and most of the pain are localised around my legs and on my rib areas (front and back). Occasionally, I do get tight chest and coughing are mainly due to the cooling effects of the herbal pills.

Sleeping on time is still a major concern, currently (since May 2011), I have been sleeping past 2am. The current problem seems to be the restless leg problem that is disturbing my sleep. Acupuncture seems to be able to help.

My energy are mid levels. Due to the pain on my legs, it has affected my walking a bit.

Verdict
Therapies are holding and I do feel wonderful and good.

Pain For Relief

I have been wanting to go for my acupuncture therapy on a daily basis but I am unable to because of some pain on my butt (like beaten by a cane) that I am experiencing. You see, my acupuncturist uses a eight points needle system wherein eight needles are inserted at various acupoints. Thereafter, eight electrodes are connected to the end of each needles. The other end of electrodes are in turn connected to electronic device powered by batteries. This form of acupuncture is called electro-acupuncture.

In my present case, my acupuncturist placed two needles, one on each side of my butt, two needles on the back of each knee joint and four needles around the waistline on my back. When the electrodes are connected to the needles, the patient can control the strength of the stimulation by adjusting each analogue dial on the device so that enough voltage stimulus for the patient to feel it; often this will be a pulsating sensation because of the waveform generated by the device that is perceptible. For me, I prefer a higher voltage stimulus for better therapeutic effect but the downside is that it is more painful. Most of the pain on the acupoints dissipates over time but not on the butt.

Yesterday evening just before dinner time, I was feeling a little unwell. I have a stomach upset, possibly due to digestion problems. It came about just after I took supplements. I just have too many to take in a day. After applying some Wind medicated oil, I felt much better. Last night, I did not sleep very well and looked kind of haggard today.

Electro-Acupuncture
Electro-acupuncture, the application of a pulsating electrical current to acupuncture needles as a means of stimulating the acupoints, was developed in China as an extension of hand manipulation of acupuncture needles around 1934. The procedure for electro-acupuncture is to insert the acupuncture needle as would normally be done, attain the qi reaction by hand manipulation, and then attach an electrode to the needle to provide continued stimulation. The benefits of using electrical stimulation are:

- It substitutes for prolonged hand maneuvering. This helps assure that the patient gets the amount of stimulation needed, because the practitioner may otherwise pause due to fatigue. Electro-acupuncture may also help reduce total treatment time by providing the continued stimulus. During electro-acupuncture, the practitioner can attend to other patients.
- It can produce a stronger stimulation, if desired, without causing tissue damage associated with twirling and lifting and thrusting the needle. Strong stimulation may be needed for difficult cases of neuralgia or paralysis.
- It is easier to control the frequency of the stimulus and the amount of stimulus than with hand manipulation of the needles.

Easier Said Than Done

Yesterday evening, I was really tired, possibly from my lack of sleep the night before. I went to be early at 11pm and fell asleep. This morning I woke up at 10am! I feel so much better today.

I also went for my acupuncture yesterday evening and possibly that helped too. I have been walking with a limp on my right leg before I started the acupuncture therapy but I noticed since the therapy started, my right leg is now healing. I don't walk with a limp anymore. However, I noted that my legs are still a little weak especially around the joints.

The medication given by my herbalist doctor in Ipoh seems to be a bit cooling. I have been coughing with whitish phlegm since taking some of the herbal pills. I will moderate the coolness with some ginger tea.

This evening, I am supposed to have another therapy session with my hypnotherapist. However, she text messaged me to say that her uncle has passed away this morning after battling with lung cancer for six months and would have to postponed the therapy session to next Monday. Six months from diagnosis to death is really fast. My therapist said it was mainly due to lack of strong will coupled with lack of family support. Of course, it is easy to blame other people for our own woes. The key is still oneself. She told me that she will discuss all these with me when we next meet. I suppose that having a positive mind is one of the most important factor in cancer survival. However, it is easier said than done.

Can You Trust Chemotherapy to Cure Cancer?

Former White House press secretary Tony Snow died in July 2008 at the age of 53, following a series of chemotherapy treatments for colon cancer. In 2005, Snow had his colon removed and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Two years later (2007), Snow underwent surgery to remove a growth in his abdominal area, near the site of the original cancer. "This is a very treatable condition," said Dr. Allyson Ocean, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Weill Cornell Medical College. "Many patients, because of the therapies we have, are able to work and live full lives with quality while they're being treated. Anyone who looks at this as a death sentence is wrong." But of course we now know, Dr. Ocean was dead wrong.

The media headlines proclaimed Snow died from colon cancer, although they knew he didn't have a colon anymore. Apparently, the malignant cancer had "returned" (from where?) and "spread" to the liver and elsewhere in his body. In actual fact, the colon surgery severely restricted his normal eliminative functions, thereby overburdening the liver and tissue fluids with toxic waste. The previous series of chemo-treatments inflamed and irreversibly damaged a large number of cells in his body, and also impaired his immune system -- a perfect recipe for growing new cancers. Now unable to heal the causes of the original cancer (in addition to the newly created ones), Snow's body developed new cancers in the liver and other parts of the body.

You can read the full article by Andreas Moritz here.