Sandra Miniere

A Lighter Side to Cancer: From Wake-up Call to Radiant Wellness


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it was not happening then and still is not happening now. I approached my own healing with the desire to understand how my body broke down to produce cancer and how my soul and lifestyle may have contributed to this dilemma. I chose to take myself out of the box imposed on me by the medical power structure and find treatment options that made sense for me and my finances.

      Alternative Treatment Statistics

      •According to the National Cancer Institute’s 2007 Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Cancer Treatment PDQ®, a large survey of cancer survivors reported 38.3% of adults (about 4 in 10) used complementary and alternative medicine.

      •This 2007 PDQ® reported 61% used prayer and spiritual practice, 44% relaxation, 42% faith and spiritual healing, and 40% nutritional supplements and vitamins.

      •According to a 2005 study conducted at Ohio State University, about 70% of adults fifty or older used some kind of alternative medicine, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine. This is higher than the general adult population.

      •According to The World Health Organization, an estimated 65% to 80% of the world’s population (about 3 billion people) relies on holistic medicine as their primary form of health care. (Reported by Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Holistic Health Care Facts and Statistics, www.disabled-world.com, January 16, 2009).

      •Newsweek (December 2002) reported that Americans make more visits to holistic health care providers (some 600 million a year) than to MDs and spend more money out-of-pocket to do so, about $30 billion a year.

      With a commitment to find my own answers and chart my own course, I intended to discover how I could improve my health. The messages of fear and control within the medical establishment would not stop me. I spent six weeks before my surgery learning all I could from people, books and magazines. Whenever I could speak with someone who had success with an alternative treatment, I listened and learned. One of my former clients with breast cancer chose not to have any traditional treatment. She went to a doctor who treated her cancer naturally. Her tumor and cancer disappeared. When I met her ten years after her diagnosis, she told me she was still cancer free. The truth that cancer is a systemic problem took root in my awareness. Her story inspired me to take some risks and follow my gut instincts.

      Along with my research, I contacted Nicole, an intuitive, who was excellent at picking up clues about the future and giving me wise guidance. In the past she had been right about many important life decisions. If I ever needed her to be a guiding light for me, it was now. I was inundated with information and had to decide how I wanted to deal with my cancer. Nicole came through for me again, but when I hung up from our one-hour consultation, I was laughing out loud and walking around the house repeating, “Oh my God!” She described a short, male, bald-headed doctor about 200 hundred miles from my home. OK, I was living in the southeastern San Francisco Bay area. I could not drive that far west, but north, south and east covered a lot of possibilities. She saw me driving three to four hours to his office. He would help me, and that was all the information she could provide.

      Wow! How on earth was I going to find this man? I could not even comprehend how to begin. This felt like a treasure hunt to me. A few days later, I decided I could not do it because it would require finding “a needle in a haystack” of possibilities. So, I told the Universe: “You need to bring me the information that will lead me to this doctor who will play a major role in my healing.”

      Nicole also saw a female Hawaiian healer that would be helpful. Well, that one was a little more tangible. I knew who she was, but I had no idea how I was going to track her down. It was Auntie Margaret on the big island of Hawaii. I had read a magazine article about her 12 years prior to my cancer diagnosis. The article described her internal cleansing program for cancer patients.

      After speaking with Nicole, I began to get more clarity. All my investigating was paying off. My three-step healing program began to emerge in my mind. I began to develop “Sandy’s treatment plan,” which had three distinct phases: have a mastectomy, boost the immune system with an integrative cancer specialist, and participate in a deep cleansing program to detoxify my body. Of course, I would do the deep emotional, mental and spiritual cleansing as well, which is what I do for a living. With my plan in place, I felt energized and confident instead of weary. The world of cancer, its causes and treatments, started coming into greater focus. With my antenna of awareness up, I would do my best to ask people about these two healers. I wanted to find them even though it seemed like “mission impossible.” While I had some apprehension, mostly, I was also curious about how this “trust walk” would play out. The search took a back seat as I prepared myself for a vacation in Hawaii and a mastectomy.

      I realize that I chose this three-phase treatment approach because my beliefs and lifestyle were more in line with holistic and integrative medicine than conventional medicine. I worked as a mental health counselor in a medical center with doctors who practiced integrative medicine and acupuncture. I served on the board of directors of an organization in Princeton, New Jersey, that also focused on promoting holistic wellness. I also worked with the clients of a local chiropractor. My very being was immersed in holistic medicine, so that is the path I chose and trusted. I went into surgery with this three-fold treatment plan formulated in my mind. It gave me a sense of control and hope.

      Chapter 2 Lessons Learned...

      •Explore, explore, explore. Do your research because informed choices lead to the best cancer outcomes.

      •Put your attention, time, energy and money into getting the whole story.

      •Think outside of the box. Creative solutions may come from unexpected places.

      •With trust, a positive attitude and persistence, you will reach a destination that is right for you.

      •Divine interventions happen. Invite Spirit into your healing adventure.

      •A health challenge can become an opportunity for personal growth.

      •Be willing to change.

      •The biggest get-well question is: “What am I willing to do to participate in my healing?” Getting well and staying healthy is a life-long inquiry.

      Alternative and Integrative Approaches to Treating Cancer

      These brief descriptions of the approaches available to me in 2000 are based on information I currently obtained from the books Options: The Alternative Cancer Therapy Book by Richard Walters (1992) and Outsmart Your Cancer: Alternative Non-Toxic Treatments That Work by Tanya Harter Pierce, MA, MFCC (2009); and also official websites. Only the book Options was available to me in 2000.

      — Sandra Miniere

      Pharmacology

      •Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, MD, PhD — Antineoplaston Therapy — In 1967 Dr. Burzynski discovered a group of peptides (short chains of amino acids) and amino acid derivatives occurring naturally throughout the human body that inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Peptides offer a biochemical defense that is separate from the immune system. Antineoplastons reprogram and destroy cancer cells and do not interfere with normal cell growth. Treatment involves oral supplements and intravenous infusions, as well as customized nutritional programs to complement the treatment. After an initial stay at the outpatient center, people continue their protocol at home. His treatment could cost as much as $5,000.00 per month for intravenous therapy. He has survived many government attempts to shut down his Houston clinic.

      •Gaston Naessens (Biologist) — 714X is a camphor-nitrogen compound that is injected into the body’s lymphatic system. It is designed to strengthen the immune system and unclog lymphatic fluid. 714X enables the leukocytes (white blood cells) to resume their activity and destroy foreign cells. 714X is self-administered through injections in the groin area about once a day in 21-day cycles. It may also be inhaled through a nebulizer as additional treatment for certain types of cancer. Through the microscope he developed, the Somatoscope,