Cancer as a Chronic Disease

I just returned from the Institute for Functional Medicine’s 17th International Conference, Cancer as a Chronic Disease. Close to one thousand oncologist, family practitioners, nurses, registered dietitians, nutritionists and cancer thrivers attended the intensely scientific Conference which looked at cancer as a disease more people are living with.

I want to share the major points made at the conference and the implications these points have for the choices we make each day.

1. “Cancers, not Cancer.” (Dr. Jeffrey Bland)
Cancer is not a single disease that occurs in different areas of the body, but rather there are many bio-individual types of cancers specific to the individuals experiencing them.

2. Hence cancer treatments need to move away from the “one type of treatment fits all” to targeting treatments specific for an individual’s personal biochemical make up. Testing for the viability of chemotherapy treatments and supporting individual nutritional and lifestyle changes may improve outcomes by as much as 40 percent.

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A note on testing:
Genetic testing, though a young science, may help to determine which treatments may work for you. There are tests that determine if the cancer will respond to a chosen chemotherapy. There are tests to see if you have genes that might not accept the chosen chemotherapy.

Testing for nutritional and biological markers may help to target some of your diet and supplement choices. If nutritional markers were found to be depleted in zinc, a registered dietitian, nutritional consultant or physician could come up with a plan of supplementation and foods to help you get back in the normal zone.
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3. Some cancers may have hereditary predisposition but our physical environment, emotional health and lifestyle choices play a major role in whether those genes are expressed. The physical environment includes the place where we live and work as well as our internal physical terrain. Internal terrain describes our body’s individual biochemical makeup.

4. With more people thriving after treatment, General Medical Practitioners need to know how to advise their patients on the emotional, nutritional and lifestyle changes that will best sustain optimal health. It was repeatedly stated that an integrative approach supports the reduction of the reoccurrence of cancer.

5. “Illness versus Wellness.” (Dr. Dean Ornish quoting his teacher Sachtenanda)
The difference in the two words is simply “I” as contrasted to “We.” Together, in a supportive and active community, we are healthier than alone.


What simple steps can you implement to improve your health during and after cancer?

There are many practices that we can embrace to support our health and increase our well being. These diet and lifestyle recommendations discussed at the Conference give each of us an important role to play in our healing process. Dr. Jeffrey Bland pointedly stated, “Knowledge of the truth consists not in proclaiming it but in living it.”

Remember these three things: 1) Optimize eating, 2) increase physical exercise, and 3) reduce stress. Here are the key details.

Let’s start with food.
Most experts now feel that eating the Mediterranean Diet can reduce your risk of a cancer diagnosis and/or recurrence by as much as 30 percent. What drug could do that?

For all of us, this diet sustains your health by providing a phyto-pharmacy of nutrients, optimizing proteins, and supplying nourishing fats that help create an environment conducive to healthy cell metabolism.

The recommended diet includes:
• 5-11 servings of vegetables and fruits (predominantly vegetables), with a serving size being ½ cup for vegetables other than leafy greens which are one cup in size
• Whole grains and legumes – 2-3 ½-cup servings of whole grains and legumes
• Healthy fats – olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, walnut oil and rapeseed
• Animal protein that is lower in fat, organic and preferably free-range and grass fed – fresh water fish, organic poultry, lean meats
• Low-fat dairy which is rich in the protein cysteine so necessary for health.
• Mushrooms and herbs
• Healthy sweeteners such as Stevia, whole fruits, occasional honey and maple syrup

It eliminates:
White flour or any refined or processed grains or prepared foods
White processed sugar, including organic sugar.
All Trans or Hydrogenated fats found in fast and processed foods
Overeating saturated fats
Fast Food
Alcohol and Smoking


Physical Exercise
Doctors Dean Ornish from the UCSF Medical Center, and Keith Block, of Chicago’s Block Integrative Cancer Medical Center, both agree that: 30 minutes of exercise a day can improve the outcomes of cancer therapy and decrease your side affects from chemotherapy and radiation.

Of course you need to start where you are and work up to 30 minutes a day if you have not been exercising. But the studies were there and I was surprised to learn that you can reduce your risk of cancer and cancer reoccurrence by 40 percent simply by exercising for half an hour a day, 5 to 6 times a week!

It can be as simple as taking a brisk walk around the neighborhood or joining a dance class. Regular exercise changes your metabolism so that you are circulating more oxygen and nutrients, de-stresses your system, and stabilizes your weight – helping to optimize your health.

Dr Block even has his patients exercise while doing their chemotherapy. No cushy chairs or beds for them, they are on tread mills or rollerblading around Lake Michigan!


Relaxation or Stress Management
Bringing awareness to stressful situations and relaxing with meditation, music, walking, good sleep, prayer, or artistic expression is vital to your health.

We are not simply a physical expression of our genes. We can change our genes with our lifestyle choices, including relaxation and stress management.

Dr. Ornish cited his studies which demonstrated that gene expression in over 500 genes were beneficially affected by diet and lifestyle changes including stress reduction through meditation.

Thinking positive thoughts, bringing awareness to your daily actions, creating a nourishing, loving and safe place to be – either alone or with others, taking three breaths before, during and after meals, learning to meditate, and practicing yoga or Qigong, are just some of the many ways to reduce stress and increase your health.


This is just a taste of the information shared at the Cancer as a Chronic Disease Conference. Studies, ideas, philosophies and arguments filled our four days. But it is the simple changes I’ve shared above – through diet, exercise and stress management – that I most wanted to share with you. These are the steps that each of us can take right now in our daily lives. Taken together, they have a significant ability to reduce our chances of a cancer diagnosis or recurrence and improve our treatment outcomes. I encourage you to see what steps you can take today to improve your own health!

Many Blessings!