Introspection Instead Of Surgery: A Contemplation On Preventive Mastectomies And The Like

I've been seeing many people this week who are trying to heal from cancer. It's a disease that is very misunderstood and, from what I've experienced, is not the major cause of death. It's the treatment of cancer that is responsible for the death of people dealing with cancer. Radiation, chemotherapy, and harsh chemical pills all indiscriminantly kill the bacteria and life essence in our bodies. A woman I know who was being treated with a chemotherapy pill experienced internal bleeding when the pill burned a hole through her stomach and gave her painful ulcers in her throat. I've also worked with several people in the last month who have had most, or all, of their thyroid glands removed when a small tumor, or precancerous cell appeared. Double mastectomies (removal of the breasts) are even being performed as "preventative" surgeries for women who may run the risk of developing breast cancer.

Removing your breasts may, in fact, prevent breast cancer - but removing your brain will also prevent brain cancer! I don't see that as the solution to health. I feel for all of the women and men who give their breasts, reproductive organs, and other body parts to the surgeon to prevent, or remove, cancer from their bodies. We're looking at this as if our delicate bodies are the very cause of cancer, but I don't believe they are the cause of cancer. The body is simply reacting naturally to imbalance. Searching for, and identifying, what caused the imbalance is the most important step to healing from illness.

Chemtrails, radiation from cell phones and computers, poor diet, environmental pollution, plastic bottles, car exhaust, genetically modified foods, refined sugar, chemical preservatives, food colorings, synthetic perfumes, aluminum in deodorant, tight bras or other accessories that cut off lymph circulation, overcooked protein, aflatoxins in peanuts, cashews, and pistachios, one's emotional state, and hundreds, if not thousands, of other factors must be taken into account to identify the cause of cancer and other diseases.

It takes a lot of personal meditation and consideration  to find the root of one's illness. My partner, Aemen Bell, believes, as many traditional herbalists believe, that disease is a prophet or guru that comes to us and forces us to go inside and reflect on our lives, our choices, and discover what our spirits and bodies want. It could take a few months to learn this lesson, or it could take a whole lifetime. I believe that true health and happiness is attained once we learn the lesson of our spirits. When we go to doctors for surgery, radiation, and deadly prescriptions we are, essentially, killing this prophet. We are literally cutting ourselves off from learning the important lessons about our bodies and our health. I am thankful that I have never had a life-threatening illness, but I was close to it and would have, without a doubt, developed one had I not listened to my body.

I had spent all of my childhood and young adulthood with severe illnesses. I developed sinus infections on a monthly basis and would be bed ridden for days. The antibiotics that were given to me created digestive issues that led to severe blood toxicity, fevers, and dehydration. I would often lose consciousness and become hospitalized until the saline drip brought me back to life and I was sent home. I then developed asthma and had to carry an inhaler around with me everywhere I went. My condition worsened and I found myself on a nebulizer machine, breathing in harsh steroids for thirty minutes 2-3 times a day. I then developed severe cystic acne and, after a year of harsh chemical face washes, I was prescribed Accutane to deal with my condition. The medication destroyed my liver and, ten years later, manifested as a bleeding, painful rash on my scalp and face known as sebaceous dermatitis. I had a hard time swallowing food and underwent tests at a gastroenterologist which showed that I had scar tissue in my throat from acid reflux. When I asked what caused the acid reflux he said "The acid" and handed me a prescription before hurrying out of the room to medicate his next patient. It was then that I decided to fully reject the medical establishment. 

I listened to conventional doctors for nearly twenty years and found myself becoming more ill, taking more prescriptions, and becoming more dependent on the medical system. I even followed the advice of naturopaths for several years and found myself on dozens of supplements and food plans that didn't agree with my own philosophy. It wasn't until I began studying nutrition, reading hundreds of books and articles about food and health, testing supplements and herbs on my own body, trying dozens of dietary philosophies, working in health food stores, and apprenticing with other practitioners that I began to find my own inner guidance. I learned what foods, herbs, energies, lifestyle choices, and spiritual beliefs made me healthier and which ones made me sick. My illnesses were my gurus and once I finally started listening to them I was able to completely reverse my "irreversable" diseases and totally heal my body without any medications whatsoever. 

The most important thing that I'm realizing is that health is a moving, changing creature. Our bodies and our spirits are constantly changing, shifting, and adapting to our environments. The same foods, herbs, and daily rituals that I healed from are not necessarily the same ones I will continue to be healthy with. It is because of this constant changing environment within us that we must learn to listen to our bodies so that we can grow with them and give them what they need as they shift and adapt to new environments . A friend of mine once said "The only absolute truth is that there are no absolute truths". He couldn't be more right!

So I ask you to really listen to your body. Settle into it. Feel how your stomach reacts to the food you put in it, how your skin looks every morning. Notice how your lungs feel when you walk and run. Notice your emotional state before and after eating. You do not have to be a monk to be mindful, you just have to turn off your distractions (phones, radios, computers, televisions) so that you can be aware of your feelings and not preoccupied with someone else's idea of what you should be feeling. If you seek a practitioner or shaman, the best one will be someone who opens you up to yourself and guides through your own path.