By Henry Relfield

Cancer can be a door to greater health and life-affirming well beings. While not the easiest way to discover additional meaning and joy in life, the experience of cancer can certainly take us there if we allow it to. Life after cancer treatment is typically radically different than it was before cancer diagnosis. In addition to the direct challenges of the disease and its treatments, many other issues surface.

People who have had cancer often experience a prolonged feeling of loss of control, which, in turn, can create anxiety and depression. The fear of recurrence can settle itself like a gremlin on the shoulder of the most confident survivor. Even after successful treatment, a cancer survivor's emotional states spin from hope to despair, gratitude to rage, confidence to fear. There may be financial challenges, relationship and intimacy issues, and career disruptions. All of these issues are real and without a magic fix. Without some attention paid to these issues, any physical healing will be incomplete and fragile. How people tackle the myriad of challenges faced after cancer is unique to each person. Successful strategies include psychotherapy, support groups, vacations, radical life changes, reprioritization of values, and daily healing activities. Whatever the solution, the cancer thriver must make time to heal. Healing on this level can, in turn, deliver a dimension of wellness never before experienced. Herein lies the gift of cancer.

Surviving cancer and its treatment is no small feat. Cancer is a formidable illness and its treatments are among the most taxing in all of medicine. Emerging from this experience is something that every survivor should feel both proud about and grateful for. Turning this experience into one that enriches our lives with added clarity of purpose and wonderment allows us to accept cancer as a teacher. Cancer is not an easy teacher, but its lessons are valuable nonetheless. Whatever we each learn from our experience with this disease is uniquely ours. The willingness to let this disease transform our lives so that we honor and cherish life even more fully makes us more than survivors - it turns us into thrivers. We thrive on the feast of life, cherishing each and every morsel.

By Henry Relfield

The chaos and emotions associated with a cancer diagnosis and treatment can be overwhelming. Just "getting through" the treatment becomes all consuming. Then, one day, conventional therapy is over. Now what? The transition from the completion of the intense and life-altering experience of cancer treatment to life after treatment is not always easy. While this is a welcome transition, many new issues surface.

Cancer and its conventional treatments typically cause radical changes in a person's life and the lives of their loved ones. Schedules are turned upside down, work is often put on hold, and visits from caring family and friends can be emotionally and physically consuming. During this time, very little is the same as it was. Even our perspective on life changes. Perhaps the most common perspective shared by people undergoing conventional cancer treatment is the realization that each day is different and essentially unpredictable; thus, it really does help to focus on taking things one day at a time. This philosophy works well during treatment, and then, the much-anticipated last treatment arrives and brings with it an entirely new set of challenges and unknowns.

After the last chemotherapy infusion or pill or the last radiation treatment, people with cancer feel a variety of emotions. For some, it feels as if the dam that has held a torrent of emotions at bay finally breaks. There is a river of emotions such as fear, anger, depression, anxiety, frustration, gratitude, excitement, and confusion that rushes into our daily lives. Being physically exhausted from the treatment can add to the turbulence. And yet, it is in the midst of all this that some of the most important decisions for long-term survival and quality of life must be made. Among these decisions are how to heal from the trauma of the disease and its treatments, how to lower the risk of recurrence and secondary cancers, and how to utilize the experience to live the most meaningful life possible.

By Henry Relfield

A diagnosis of cancer brings with it an acute awareness that there are no guarantees in life. Though this can be most devastating in terms of facing your own mortality, it reverberates through many other aspects of the cancer experience, including uncertainty in regard to diagnosis, the effectiveness of conventional treatment options, and the safety of all complementary therapies, we can make some generalized statements.

Mind-body techniques are generally safe. If meditation, stress reduction, counseling, relaxation, journaling, or any other mind-body approach appeals to you, it is worth a try, and it will assuredly enhance your sense of well-being. Acupuncture, biofeedback, constitutional medicine, and naturopathic medicine are all considered safe when offered by a licensed practitioner and when used as complementary therapies to conventional cancer treatments. Botanical and dietary supplements are safe and effective when used appropriately under the guidance of qualified licensed health-care practitioners.

Ultimately, evaluating safety as it relates to cancer treatment is individualized based on the person, the cancer, and the information the person receives. A 35-year-old woman with stage IV lung cancer will view the safety of a particular herb or treatment differently than will a 65-year-old man with stage II prostate cancer, and they will also assess the pros and cons differently. In the end, you will make the best decision if you gather as much information as you can, consider it carefully, and clearly understand the risks versus the benefits. Remember, just because something is labeled "natural" does not mean it is safe. Then again, just because a drug is approved by the FDA does not guarantee its safety, either.

Even if supplements are safe on their own, their interactions with conventional medications may make them unsafe. This is one of the reasons why it is important to utilize the expertise of a licensed health-care provider such as a naturopathic physician or integrative physician when combining supplements with conventional treatments. This is particularly true in the case of cancer because the disease is complicated and the treatments are powerful.

More information is being discovered at a rapid pace regarding interactions of herbs and supplements with drugs used in cancer treatment. Some of the interactions may decrease the effectiveness of conventional treatment, and some may increase the side effects. In addition, some herbs may be contraindicated for certain cancer types. Given the substantial potential benefits as well as risks associated with supplements, we recommend that patients consult a naturopathic physician, and ideally a naturopathic oncologist. These doctors are trained in the scientific use of natural therapies and have extensive training in health and disease as well.

By Gerald W White

Virtually all cancer patients, have an unspoken dread of what the next round of tests will reveal. Perhaps the dread of scan day (and the terror of a bad result) is worse among the population of the survivors who have experienced remission than it is among those who are presently engaged in the fight with active disease. I have often seen a version of this fear expressed by those who don't wish to have their remission discussed for fear the cancer would return. I have even heard from those who contemplate suicide rather than face the heart break of a dis-confirmation. This phantom can, and has, been defeated but to do so it must be recognized for the dangerous impostor that it is.

I cannot recall ever seeing any writer's commentary on what I now refer to as SCAN DAY SYNDROME. I know from my personal experience just how real it is. I am now discovering that its prevalence is widespread among the cancer population. So much so that I think it is time that we, as a nation, brought this syndrome out of the dark closet and looked at it in the light of day. I firmly believe that a thorough exposure of this latent dread will reveal it as the humbug that it really is. The extent of this problem was called to my attention by a woman whom I had successfully mentored from a death prognosis to a complete remission. In a private message to me she told of being driven by fear to the firm conclusion that her cancer has returned. This is a very good idea of the dark side of Mind/Body medicine wherein images of death can conjure up very real symptoms that usually show up as aches and pains. In this message this woman even expresses the shame of failure that she has lost her remission and all this with the actual scan still several weeks in the future. This may be seen in the wording of two sentences from this message as follows:

"--Jerry, I am experiencing fear as the day of next my CT (lung) scan approaches in another month. I have had lots of pain in my shoulder and hip (especially at night). My throat is constantly inflamed and I have been having ear aches for months now. I have been trying to ignore these new developments in hopes they would go away. I fear the worst - that the cancer has returned and is not only in my lungs but bones and brain as well as I am plagued by headaches--"

My reply to this troubled woman was as follows:

To help you deal with these anxieties I would first like to assure you that you are not alone. This experience seems to be almost universal amongst cancer patients. I would like to share with you some of the darker side of my own experience. I sense that there is a relationship to what you are presently experiencing. I am beginning to think that many who read my book, THREE MONTHS TO LIFE, get the idea that I was a full speed ahead, positive thinker every step of the way. This is simply not true and if I have given that impression I may have done a disservice. I wrote in the introduction to the book that we are not heroes, just ordinary people drafted to fight in a war without our consent. Consequently we are all subject to those depths of fear that seem worse in the dark of night. I can remember that for the first couple of years after my "miracle", the approach of "scan day" filled me with unspoken dread. Every part of my body began to ache and I could scarcely get out of bed for dreading what the new day might bring. I am very familiar with the symptoms you describe for I have felt them all. Yes, even the headaches, made worse for me since I knew that rcc mets have a high tendency to go for the brain. In short, every four months for over 2 years brought a repeat of this nightmare scenario. I never fully spoke of these feelings, even to my wife. I suspect that if I had, even close friends would have got tired of hearing about it after the first few times.

I, of course, cannot assure you that you do not have recurrent cancer. Neither do these aches and pains prove that you do. Having said all that, I can tell you with confidence that my phantoms eventually evaporated with the dawning of a new day when I finally realized that they were just residual effects from an experience that must have had its source in the pit of hell. Along the way I began to realize that when I actually had a huge cancerous tumor growing inside my body it did not actually hurt. This realization allowed me to say to those pains, "You are not really cancer, just anxiety trying to keep me in your grasp for whatever evil purpose you are trying to serve".

In the interest of "knowing your enemy", it should be understood that there are two kinds of pain -anguish, which is the pain we feel and anxiety, the pain we fear. Fear, if well fed, can make the feared pains real. Were the pains and fears real? Yes, they were. Did they have the power to kill? Yes they did!. Did they kill me? No they did not, but they surely could have had I chosen to harbor them and let them control my life. I have had more than my fair share of both these kinds of pain and have seen them expressed in many cancer patients for whom I have served as mentor and I can assure you that both can be deadly and, of the two, anxiety is the more complex to manage. Those who say that fear cannot kill have never experienced it to the sustained depths that you and I have.

Anxiety simply must be managed and held in check. Hopefully, understanding if for the impostor that it is will be the means of neutralizing it. Many people find solace from fear in spiritual faith. I once heard a prominent man say that if you don't have a spiritual value system and you find out you have cancer, you had better get one because you are probably going to need it. My advice to patients in the grips of this fear would be to fill your mind with good material. Read good books, listen to good music and engage in a serious, organized, program of healing meditation. What do you have to lose besides your fears? There is no record in the gospels where Jesus ever healed cancer but if you will look in the gospel of John to verse 12 of chapter 14, I believe you will find it strongly implied that we are capable of doing so in His name. This is not the ranting of a TV evangelist but rather a caring glimpse into the depths of a human soul for the purpose of drawing out unheard of strength. During nights when the patient is unable to sleep, I suggest turning on the light and use the time to read through words of comfort at least until you find enough comfort to get you through the night. Take it one night at a time and then don't be surprised when you wake up one bright morning and discover that nothing is hurting.

I recall witnessing a humorous incident that occurred on a golf fairway near the back of my condo some years ago. It seems that there was this bald headed man lining up his second shot when a premature tee shot from the foursome behind him chanced to hit him right on top of that bald head opening up a flowing gash. My neighbor, who is a doctor, rushed out to attend him. When we got there, the old man was dazedly screaming, "I'm going to die, I'm going to die". When my friend tried to assure him by saying "You are not going to die" he angrily replied, "I know Goddamn well I am!!". Of course, he did not die as the wound was as superficial as it was dramatic. The point of the story is that when anxiety peaks out, reason flies out the window and reassurance becomes hard to accept. Keep this simple story in mind when the nest wave of anxiety rolls over you and perhaps it will help you keep your head above water until the wave recedes.

The woman of the message took this advice to heart and, as I had expected, the tests all turned out negative for cancer and, lo and behold, the pains immediately subsided. Months later, when the next round of scans approached, so did all these phantom symptoms try to come back, but she never let them simply would not give them shelter in her mind and body. They soon left altogether.

It is vitally important for all cancer patients to understand that the human immune cells are fearsome warriors and they are very much on your side. Never be afraid to trust happiness, especially when it is trying its best to light back on your shoulder like a beautiful butterfly.

By Rose Liu

Cancer has become the leading cause of death today. The disease that can affect any part of the body, cancer occurs as malignant cells appear on a special part of the body. As cancer advances on its stages, the growth of the cells becomes uncontrollable. After a while, the cancer cells spread and affect other parts of the body. When this occurs, the body fails to defend its system and later causes complications. One of these complications is death. Unfortunately, not all varieties of cancer are curable. Treatment for cancer is still something that must be discovered.

Smoking, drinking alcohol excessively and improper diet are regarded as the main risk factors in support of this disease. There are many diverse tests offered to detect this disease. Digital rectal exam, fecal occult blood test and endoscopy are a few of them. For times surgery and chemotherapy have been the conventional treatments for this disease. Nowadays, new colon cancer alternative treatments are obtainable.

When diagnosed with cancer you should be aware that it's an extremely serious situation. But do not panic and lose all hope. There is certainly still a way out of this situation. All that you should do could be to understand some alternative cancer cures apart from the conventional ones. These cures are much cheaper and can be carried out by you. Simple and inexpensive are just few of the features of this treatment.

From these examples, it can be seen that alternative cancer treatments are possible even without modern medicine. One's condition can be effectively developed without the dangerous complications.

By Tracy Fitzpatrick

It is good news: the intensive stage of cancer treatment is coming to an end. Through chemo, radiation, surgery and other remedies, we cancer survivors have endured a lot and managed the rest of life as best we could. We feel grateful, but that is not all.

When the routine and intensity of treatment ends, painful and troubling emotions emerge for many cancer survivors. Now we begin to feel and process all that we have been through. During treatment, we focused on day-to-day coping. Afterwards, all the feelings of this traumatic time are still within us. In this less busy, quieter time of recovery, we begin to feel them. Ironically, the crisis has faded, but we are just beginning to experience its full impact.

We feel the little things-the pain when a nurse had trouble finding a vein, or the frustration or boredom when we sat a long time in waiting rooms. We also feel the big scary things: when we waited for test results not knowing, when we had to tell friends and family about our diagnosis, when we contemplated the possibility of our own death. The first months after treatment ends are when bottled-up memories and feelings come uncapped.

We also may feel frightened about ending treatment. At least during treatment we have some secure structure in life and some affirmative steps we are taking to beat cancer. After treatment we are not sure how to relate to cancer, and we can feel more alone with it. Our medical support team is gone. Our daily routines are mixed up again.

As our own feelings surge, our families, friends and co-workers think we are done with cancer, and they may be tired of dealing with it. They want to be assured that we are all right and to put the cancer experience in the past. But most of us cannot do that right away, so we feel a little crazy and guilty. We think that we ought to be able to move on, but it's not that easy. Does this sound familiar to you? I call this time the Feeling and Healing Phase of recovery.

What helps us through this Feeling and Healing time right after treatment? Here are seven specific steps that you can take on your own behalf during this tender time.

* Allow time for your body to rest and recover
* Build emotional support perhaps by joining a support group, doing therapy or coaching, or participating in chat rooms and other virtual forums
* Engage in activities that you enjoy
* Ask for continued support: let dear ones know what's going on
* Use your creative powers to express your feelings and process the experience
* Discover or design a retreat space for yourself and give yourself some time there
* Take an imaginary retreat through visualization

In the months right after treatment the key is to allow yourself space and time to absorb and process all that you have endured. You need ways to express your emotions and to share them, so you do not feel as alone. With time, the feelings begin to lose some of their grip. We feel less overwhelmed and new questions begin to pop up in our minds.

At some point-usually many months after treatment ends-you will begin to notice that thoughts and feelings of cancer take up a little less time and energy and that you are naturally starting to think more about the rest of your life. This may come in the form of dissatisfaction with some aspects of your life, or it may come in the form of yearnings or wishes for your life. You may find yourself curious and drawn to trying something new. You may be confused. You start feeling the desire to get back to life, but you recognize that you cannot go back to what life was before. Given all that you have been through, you may not know what you want anymore or how to go forward. These thoughts and feelings signal that you are shifting to the next passage of post-treatment recovery which I call the Now What? Phase.

There is some really good news here: at this particular time in your healing, there is a unique opportunity to use the fear, gratitude, and insights that arose from your cancer experience to transform your life. You have had to tap into your own strengths to cope and to manage fear. You may also have gained a lot of clarity about what is most important to you in life. Gather those insights to steer a course forward.

Life coaching is particularly helpful at this time. What is life coaching? It is a relatively new specialty that has evolved over the past 25 years. A coach guides a process designed to help each participant define his or her deepest values and goals and move toward building a life that reflects those aspirations. The assumption in coaching is that the participant is completely creative and resourceful and the expert in his or her own life. Coaches help you put that tap root down into your own insight, and then support you as you take action based on that insight.

By Tracy Fitzpatrick

I am so sorry you have had to hear these words, "you have cancer." No one wants this diagnosis!! As you probably already realize, you have the option of approaching this terrible situation one step at a time as you empower yourself to cope affirmatively. Through my cancer in 1994 and my husband's in 2009 and witnessing friends and coaching clients coping with cancer, I have gathered thoughts about some first steps you may want to consider:

1. Recognize that a cancer diagnosis is a tremendous shock. Do not expect that right now you can handle everything in life as well as normal. You have heard terrible news. You probably have strong feelings about this news. You may feel numb, like you are in shock.

2. Therefore, be sure to ask for help from your friends, family and community members. Here are some ways people can help in the first weeks of learning you have cancer:

o Find someone you trust to go to medical appointments with you. He/she can help you by taking notes about the doctor's comments, listening with you, helping you frame questions and collect information, and, reviewing and processing the information with you after appointments.

o Decide who you wish to share this news with and what you want them to know. You do not have to reveal all the details of your health status to everyone right away.

o Ask a couple of trusted friends to begin organizing logistics for you-for food, transportation, help with child care, communication with your network of friends. People in your community will want to be supportive so do not hesitate to ask clearly for what would be most helpful. At the same time, it takes a lot of energy to speak with everyone, so you may want to have one or two closest friends or family members coordinate your support network.

3. Collect medical and other information in a manner that feels empowering to you. Some want to know everything and search websites and ask their medical team. Others want to know only what they need to know right now and want to entrust someone else with the knowledge of all contingencies --a respected doctor, a significant other. Follow your instinct about this, knowing you can tweak your information gathering as you go.

4. Get a second medical opinion. Your doctor can recommend another physician to consult. This is normal practice in oncology, so no need to be shy about it. Even if you have fundamental trust in your current medical team, it can be helpful to gather additional information from other sources.

5. If you will have surgery, Peggy Huddleston's book and recording, Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster are outstanding resources for taking care of yourself through this step.

6. If you are preparing for a hospital stay, recruit one or two friends or family members who will serve as your patient advocates while you are in the hospital. Ask them to spend lots of time with you while you are in the hospital as care givers and advocates. Remember you are not hosting them but asking them to nurture you while you go through this experience. Make sure they are informed about your wishes and are willing to support you with comfort like getting ice from the kitchen or advocating for you with a nurse, if you are in pain, etc.

7. You have cancer, you do not become cancer. Even as you absorb this new fact about your body, remember that you are more than this diagnosis. Keep some comforts or symbols of those comforts close by--a quilt on your hospital bed, a favorite piece of music, a photograph or a poem that you bring to treatment with you, an inspiring message on your computer screen saver-whatever is meaningful to you. Stay tuned to your sources of support and spiritual practice.

8. Reflect back on other life challenges you have faced: What strengths within you helped you through earlier difficulties? What support did you tap then that would also help now?

9. Consider how to support your emotional health through cancer treatment. Some useful tools are starting a journal, reading books about how others have managed through this experience, joining a support group, speaking with a therapist or coach who knows you and/or works with those who are experiencing cancer, speaking with the patient resource center at your hospital, asking your physician for other resources, speaking with friends who have had cancer treatment, enjoying a favorite creative or artistic activity, prayer. What would feel most helpful to you?

An estimated 12 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year worldwide (figure provided by the American Cancer Society's Global Cancer Facts & Figures, 2008 for the year 2007). You are not alone. Many, many people get through cancer treatment and live fully during and after treatment or with cancer as a chronic illness. Best wishes to you!

By Robert Wascher

Cancer of the stomach occurs only about half as commonly today in the United States as it did 30 years ago, but it remains one of the "bad actor" cancers that are associated with a high likelihood of death. On a global scale, stomach cancer remains the #2 cause of cancer-associated death, while in the United States, gastric cancer is currently the #7 cause of cancer-associated death.

Known risk factors for stomach cancer include chronic infection with the Helicobacter pylori bacterium (and other causes of chronic gastric inflammation), smoking, obesity, decreased acid secretion within the stomach, stomach ulcers, pernicious anemia, a family history of stomach cancer, certain inherited cancer syndromes, and other less common risk factors. As with other GI tract cancers, diet also appears to play an important role in gastric cancer risk. For example, gastric cancer is more common among people who eat a lot of processed meat and red meat, smoked foods, and salt-cured or pickled foods. On the other hand, stomach cancer is less common among people who consume a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The role of salt in gastric cancer risk has been a subject of some debate, as clinical research studies have come to varying and contradictory conclusions regarding this issue. However, a newly published public health study, which appears in the current issue of the British Journal of Cancer, appears to strongly link excess salt consumption with an increased risk of developing stomach cancer. In this case-control study, 442 patients with stomach cancer, and 649 healthy patients without any clinical evidence of cancer, were evaluated. Multiple previously validated dietary questionnaires were administered to all of the study volunteers, with particular attention to dietary salt intake.

The results of this public health study indicated that the risk of stomach cancer was twice as common among patients who regularly consumed the highest amounts of salt, when compared to patients with the smallest amount of regular salt intake. After adjusting for other risk factors known to be associated with gastric cancer risk (including Helicobacter pylori status, smoking history, and other known gastric cancer risk factors), increased salt intake was still associated with a doubling of gastric cancer risk.

While case-control studies, such as this one, do not offer high-level clinical research evidence (unlike the "gold standard" prospective, randomized, blinded clinical research trials that provide "Level 1" clinical research data), the findings of this observational study nonetheless add to an increasing volume of data linking increased salt intake with gastric cancer risk.

Excessive salt intake has also been clearly linked to a significant increase in the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. Most hypertension experts are currently recommending that we lower our average daily intake of sodium, from the current 3,500 to 4,000 milligram (mg) per day level in the United States, to somewhere around 1,500 mg per day. At this level of sodium intake reduction, significant improvements in high blood pressure, and in the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, have been demonstrated by multiple high-quality clinical research studies. (An excellent pamphlet on the topic of dietary sodium reduction, as part of a heart-healthy diet, has been published online by the National Institutes of Health.)

As with many other dietary and lifestyle factors that have been shown to reduce cancer risk, reducing sodium intake, by reducing your dietary salt consumption, can pay big health dividends not only in terms of cancer risk reduction, but also in terms of reducing those other great global killers of mankind, cardiovascular disease and stroke!

For a complete discussion of the role of diet in cancer prevention, and other important evidence-based approaches to cancer prevention, order your copy of my new book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, now! For the price of a cheeseburger, fries, and a shake, you can purchase this landmark new book, in both paperback and e-book formats, and begin living an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle today!

For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my new book, "A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race," from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Vroman's Bookstore, and other fine bookstores!

On Thanksgiving Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com "Top 100 Bestseller's List" for Kindle e-books! On Christmas Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com "Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer" list!

Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity

Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author

By Richard Kennard

This is article four of a short series of articles which thoroughly discuss high calorie foods and nutrition. The aim is to uncover the most nutritionally dense foods and the easiest ways of getting them into the body. The focus is maintenance of bodyweight during illness or medical treatment but the information can apply to anyone needing a nutritionally dense diet. Please note that we are not doctors or medically trained. The information in this article has been gained from personal experience as a carer and from discussions with doctors and nutritionists.

In this article we look at strategies for overcoming having no energy to cook and making sure that you get the best return on time spent in kitchen.

No energy to cook

If you're undergoing chemotherapy or recovering from illness you are unlikely to have the energy to spend much time in the kitchen. Muster your resources by preparing the simplest highest energy foods you can. Take a look at the sample meals later in this series and the ideas about convenience food and pre-cooked meals.

Convenience food

Take a look at the range of tinned foods at your local supermarket. Most have quite a reasonable range and even sell half sized tins which may be useful if you're on your own and/or have reduced appetite. Look out for complete meals or foods that are heavy in calories and protein that can just be heated up and served with bread or on toast. An example of this would be a tin of beef or chicken stew.

If you or your patient can't cope with solids then a tin of soup (don't forget to add cream!) with a slice or two of bread and butter is good.

There are also lots of dessert options. One that we like for its simplicity is pre-prepared custard. Just heat it up and eat!

Pre-cooked meals

There are a number of vendors that will deliver pre-cooked meals to your house. Many of these companies sell packs containing a week's worth of main meals with the option to add desserts as well. The better companies will also have an Energy Dense menu that you can select from. This can be a great way of getting the hard work done by someone else just leaving you to focus on the eating. We talk about our favourite suppliers on the website.

Cook extra and use the freezer

Cook more than you need. If you're cooking something that can be re-heated later then cook extra and have the second helping the following day or freeze it. Stews/casseroles are great examples of food which lend themselves to this approach. A marker pen and plenty of plastic tubs also help. If you are unwell then perhaps a friend or relative could cook up a batch of food for you.

The microwave

Pre-prepared meals suitable for cooking/heating in the microwave are available from the supermarkets and also from a number of other vendors. See the 'Pre-cooked meals' section above.

In our next article we discuss supplements, the bowels and appetite stimulants.

By Vanessa Rodriguez

Actor Michael Douglas has just announced that "the tumor is gone".

The cancer death rate is decreasing around the world. According to a recent study, involving 34 European countries, fatality in 25 classes of tumors has reduced by 9% for men and 8% for women. The diagnosis of a tumor is no longer equivalent to an unavoidable death sentence.

There are many cases of celebrities who have recently overcome cancer through medicine, surgery and above all, prevention.

Back in 2003, at age 60, Robert De Niro learned he had prostate cancer thanks to a routine screening and found his cure through medication and surgical intervention.

Also, former New York mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, went through the same thing and was forced to withdraw his candidacy for the Senate.

A similar drama was lived by former South African President Nelson Mandela, British actor Roger Moore (one of the many faces of James Bond) and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, among others.

All of them have been cured.

But perhaps the most striking case is that of seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, who at age 25, faced much tougher competition against a tumor in the testes.

Even a formidable opponent such as pancreatic cancer has had its fair share of losses to treatment, as was the case with creator and CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs.

Australian singer Kylie Minogue is another celebrity cured of cancer, in this case, of the breast. Her colleague Sheryl Crow, is also a survivor.

Rod Stewart was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 1999 and took nine months to recover his voice after he underwent surgery in 2000.

Fran Drescher, best known for her role in The Nanny, developed a malignant tumor in her uterus in 2000. Early diagnosis and emergency hysterectomy saved her from death.

U.S. Senator John Kerry, knew he was cured of prostate cancer (diagnosed a year earlier) when he was in the middle of the 2004 presidential campaign. He lost that election but won his most important personal battle.

Also Olivia Newton-John, star of the film Grease, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. Today she is dedicated to spreading awareness about the disease.

In November 2004, the Spanish singer Joan Manuel Serrat was successfully operated for bladder cancer.

Recently, after several sessions of chemotherapy, doctors of Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo announced a complete remission of his lymphoma.

While medicine is constantly advancing, routine checks are essential. Robert De Niro said that when he was 40, his father had been diagnosed with cancer, and since then, he was subject to periodic screening. Because of this, doctors were able to detect the cancer that affected him two decades later. Early detection increases your chance of cure. And two years later he is able to say: "I'm fine and I was very lucky because we discovered it in time".