Yesterday, I visited my holistic dentist for a cleaning and some mercury removal. (If you don’t know about the dangers of silver amalgam fillings, I highly suggest viewing this video, produced by the BBC in 1994, Poison in the Mouth.)

My dental hygienist, a lovely and thoughtful woman, indicated that she was interested in the benefits of a living and raw foods diet, sharing that she had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. This beautiful woman looks the picture of health, and one would never know she had just endured such a traumatic experience. She was rapidly doing everything she could to learn about non-toxic living and changing her lifestyle to include healthier non-toxic habits and products. I was overjoyed to hear that she, unlike so many others, knew intuitively that there was a better way to deal with her health issue than to subject herself to the abject poisoning from chemicals and radiation that would be inflicted upon her by mainstream allopathic medicine. She had already gone through her house and added filters to her shower and drinking water faucet to reduce exposure to chlorine and fluoride, eliminated dangerous household chemicals such as can be found in lotions and shampoos, and was cleaning up her diet.

She did not reject allopathic medicine wholly. She is intelligent enough to know that there is a benefit to many aspects of Western medicine. (If my arm is broken, it’s unlikely I’ll seek an herbalist as my first line of defense in healing it.) She had surgery to remove the cancerous cells, but was not interested in walking the entire path of standard cancer treatment which seems to kill more people than it helps. Her interest was in those things she could do that would not only help her deal with this particular health crisis, such as alternative therapies, but also in cleaning up her life, in general.

Sadly, her family believes she is going “too far” by taking the steps she is taking toward better health. Like so many well-meaning but misguided loved ones, rather than support her in her journey, they are critizing her willingness to positively change her life and to try methods of treatment and recovery that are not embraced by mainstream doctors but that happen to have successful results for many who are willing to look beyond the the standard American model of medicine.

Fortunately, there are resources to investigate for anyone who is interested in more natural ways to deal with the physical imbalance that presents itself as cancer. Organic raw and living foods is but one tool that can support the body and fascilitate healing, addressing nutritional needs, as well as removing toxins from our lives and our bodies.  In addition, our emotional state and the amount of stress in our lives needs to be addressed. For many, this means incorporating meditation, yoga, or other calming practices that they had never considered, but which can add a depth and balance to their lives that they will never again want to do without.

Luckily, there are many who have documented their own healing and share this helpful information. Brenda Cobb is one such person, with great insight and personal experience in dealing with (and healing) cancer. In this video, which is really a radio interview, Brenda Cobb offers information about her own healing with raw foods, in addition to other changes in her lifestyle. She was so empowered by her own healing that she created a healing center for others.

The following books will prove useful, as well, and offer a great deal of information about personal healing, or -as in the case of The China Study- research that cuts through the propaganda of Big Pharma.

The trailer for Crazy Sexy Cancer is moving, powerful and inspirational. Some moments are uplifting and optimistic. Others are raw and emotional. A realistic portrait of a woman determined to survive and heal, and the steps she took to do it. (She’s still defying doctors’ prognoses, by the way, and raw food was a big part of her journey.)

Available on DVD March 4, 2008