JoAnne's Blog

Be Encouraged!

I have not written for quite a while, I'm not sure why.  I have no excuse.  Life just kind of gets in the way, especially when everything is going smoothly, not really thinking about the blog and not really having anything to say.

But lately it seems there is a lot to talk about.  This covid-19 has everyone talking, many are living in fear and wonder about the future; what does it hold for our children and grandchildren?  Will this virus ever be stopped by a vaccine and will it be mandatory?  Will this 5G network of towers be harmful as some say?  I don't know.  Are we going to remain a free country or are we going to be subject to rules and regulations by a government of which we have no say?  Freedom of speech is under attack, freedom to worship in our churches has been curtailed, the right to raise your child as you see fit is under attack, and on it goes.

You know as a Christian, it is no surprise to me, that we are reaping the results of a society that has fallen completely in love with the ways of the world and is bent on glorifying itself.  But I am here to tell you that God is still on the throne!

We need to be spreading the good news of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us and stop dwelling on what the world is saying.  God has forgiven us of all our sins and healed us of all our diseases through his Son Jesus and why, because He loves us!

In February, just before all this covid-19 started, I had an ultra sound that showed some type of mass in my stomach.  The doctor said it was quite possible that the cancer had come back.  I clearly remember something rising up in me and saying to the doctor something like You gotta be kidding me! Three times the enemy has tried to take me out; it's not going to happen. My doctor just kind of looked at me and said, well we'll just see what turns up.  He scheduled a CTC scan. 

I walked out of that office and immediately started speaking to the devil (not sure if I should really have been giving him the time of day, however) saying things like  'who do you think you are?  I'm a child of God, you can't mess with me!  You've already tried 3 times, give it up already. I don't care what that scan shows, you are not taking me out or making me sick.  I think I even said something like I can't wait to see your reaction when you see the victory that I will have again.  I will live to declare the works of the Lord.'  I had no fear, only peace.  I came home and told my rock (Wynn, my husband) who had no real reaction to speak of.  Together, we agreed and took authority over the supposedly cancer in my body and said that it had to leave, that it had no place in my body.  My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and it has to leave.  I started taking a little more care about what I was eating and doing;  but I was in a different place than the last few times when I was told I had cancer.  I was not in any kind of performance position, like other times.  I knew that there was nothing that I needed to do for God to heal me.  God is my healer.  I wrote a little chorus for Psalm 103:2-4 that I sang and I quoted other scriptures about healing.  I just felt the joy of the Lord and peace.  I believed that he healed me the moment I asked him to and I actually forgot about it most days. 

Because of covid, I had to wait several months and finally at the end of July when things were starting to get back to normal, re: hospital app'ts. etc. I received a date for the CTC scan.  I was so excited, I couldn't wait to see what it would show and the truth was I didn't care what it showed, because I know God is for me and not against me and He wants me well.  Jesus didn't just die for my sin but for my healing too.  The doctor called me 2 days later and reported that the scan showed nothing there, absolutely no sign of cancer anywhere.  Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, be encouraged!

God is never the author of sickness or disease; it is always the work of the devil to kill, destroy and take away our peace.  When we ask God for healing, it is His will and he answers right away.  We need to learn how to receive it and take it.  If you are standing for a healing, know that it is always God's will  to heal you.  Get into the Word and let God wash over you with his  amazing love, grace and healing power.

Alone

 

Now if you listen closely

I’ll tell you what I know

Storm clouds are gathering

The wind is gonna blow

The race of man is suffering

And I can hear the moan,

‘Cause nobody,

But nobody

Can make it out here alone.

 

This is an excerpt from a poem entitled "Alone" written by Maya Angelou.   It is the basic need of humans to have people around them that this poem stresses. To see the world slowly moving away from the value that others play in our lives is a very sad thing indeed.   God made us for relationship and of utmost importance is our relationship with Him.

For the cancer patient it is extremely important to recognize that he/she needs to have people who will come along side and be there for them.  This is not a time to be alone.  It is healthy  to verbalize what you are feeling and talk about it with someone you can trust.  I recognize that there may be times when you do not want to talk.  And that's okay!  There is always someone who is ready and willing to listen when you are ready.  Just having people around that care is extremely helpful to your well being and ultimately your healing.  Choose wisely and surround yourself with people who will encourage and support you in whatever you do. 

 

Do No Harm.. Love Yourself

I just listened to a cancer lecture by Dr. Francisco Contreras that I found intriguing.

In it he emphasizes that any cancer approach should involve no harm to the patient and that one should love themselves.  We need to love ourselves enough to take care of our body.  He discusses eating healthy food, getting proper rest, exercising, taking time to enjoy life, and laughing more.

He said "There is misinterpretation when dealing with cancers.  95% of money and time is spent on getting rid of the tumour and 5% of money and time is spent on the patient.   The tumour is NOT the issue.  It should be 95% of money and time spent on the patient and only 5% of money and time spent on the tumour."

His key point through out was that it is more important that the spiritual and emotional needs of the patient are met first, because they are eternal.

He states, "Do No Harm and Love Yourself!"

 

 

The Truth About Cancer

I have been watching The Truth About Cancer series with Ty Bolinger on the computer.  This is an amazing event happening in Florida and you can watch it live on your computer.  The most up to date information on cancer and alternative cancer therapies are being shared.  This is something you do not want to miss if you or a loved one has cancer.  Doctors from all around the world are participating.

Go to https://go2.thetruthaboutcancer.com/2017-live-event/watch/

 

 

Words Carry Power

“We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.”- Winston Churchill

How many times have we said something and then wished we hadn't?  I believe it is especially important to watch what we say when we have a cancer diagnosis or any type of disease.   When we think and speak negatively, it affects how we act and view any situation.  Take for instance the person who has been told, after a cancer diagnosis, that he/she has only a certain amount of time left to live.  True to the doctors words, often people will die within the given time frame.  Why is that?   No one can really know; but I believe that they took those words "to heart".  Perhaps, they felt hopeless.  Speaking negatively about a situation just comes naturally to us because it is human nature. To speak positively about a situation requires a deliberate decision.  What we need to understand is that whatever we say is a reflection of our heart attitude.  In other words, our words are simply an overflow of what is in our heart.  If I am going to think poorly about my situation, I will speak poorly about it.  On the other hand, if I think positively about my situation, I will speak positively about it. 

There is good advice here as well for the person who is supporting someone.  Be careful that you do not speak negative thoughts that would place an extra burden on the one who is ill.  Be ready with positive words that will strengthen and encourage.

Time For Change

When you get diagnosed with cancer, your body is saying to you that "It's time to make some changes in your life!"  At least, that is what I am proposing.  The first time I had cancer I didn't do anything different.  I was just happy that it was over and all was well.   Then, several years later, cancer invaded my life again.  I can't help but wonder if I had changed things the first time around, would cancer have reappeared.  Of course, there is really no way to know.  There are so many factors involved with cancer. 

However, cancer is definitely a break down of the immune system.  Therefore, it is imperative to build it back up.  But just as important as that is, it is also important to find out what is suppressing the immune system and keeping it from doing it's job.  This is where things get complicated and where the medical system fails.  It seems that the medical system is more concerned with treating the symptoms, ie: tumours, etc. than finding out what caused the cancer in the first place. Please understand I know there are exceptions; and symptoms that are life threatening must be treated immediately.  But there is time to sit back and assess your life.  You probably still have tomorrow.  What things could be causing you 'dis-ease'?  What can you do to ease those situations?  How can you learn to cope better?

In my case, anger and control were issues that I did not handle well.  Once I realized the problem, anger was fairly easy to deal with, as it was mostly directed at myself. I had to learn to really accept and love who I was/am.  Being in control was (and still is at times) extremely difficult for me to give up; but it was a big part of my journey with cancer.  Other factors for me were diet, exercise, breathing properly, (yes, you read that right) and learning to detox the physical, emotional and spiritual areas of my life.  You can find out more about this in my book "TWICE: Lesson, Insights and Healing from Cancer."  My point is that we must take a look at the environments surrounding us both inside and out.  If changes need to be made, face them head on and if necessary get the help to do it.

Cancer does demand a life change and the key to getting well and staying well is to embrace those changes.  It's never too early or too late to begin.  Cancer does not need to be a death sentence.

 

Sugar and Cancer

Just recently there has been some new information regarding sugar and cancer.  It is a well known fact that cancer cells love sugar; they actually thrive on it.  Hence, cancer cells show up so clearly on a CT scan, which includes putting a type of sugary solution in your body. 

Therefore, I have always understood that we need to avoid all types of sugar, of course the kind in cookies, cakes, pies, candy, etc.; but also to avoid having too many fruits because of the sugar.  This always puzzled me because I once heard of someone who cured her cancer by juicing only the purple grapes. Also carrot juice is high in sugar and beneficial for cancer patients.

Dr. Tony Jimenez, M.D., the Medical Director of the Hope 4 Cancer Institute in Tijuana, Mexico, along with a scientist from India who works with him at his clinic have discovered that fruit of any kind, as well as carrots and beets, does not feed cancer, in spite of the sugar they contain.  This is because the fructose (one form of sugar) in these foods is a "left-spinning" molecule.  That's what the lower-case "l" in front of the fructose means.  Cancer feeds on "right-spinning" molecules of sugar -- glucose, sucrose, etc.  Dr. Jimenez says that even honey, syrup and molasses that is unadulterated is quite healthy for cancer patients.  

So this is good news for those of us who do like something sweet.

This information was found on Bill Henderson's website  www.beating-cancer-gently.com

Also, www.chrisbeatcancer.com is another site that talks about eating fruit

 

Fantastic News!

I have some news that is just so great that you probably will wonder why I have not posted it before now.  But approximately 3 weeks ago I had a CT scan.  The results were that there is no new activity in my body.  The tumours that were there, spotted in 2013, have shrunk significantly.  This is just the best news.

In October of 2013, I had a CT scan that revealed that some small cancer tumours had returned in the lower abdomen area, in my lymph nodes.  I was going to Africa in January 2014.  I didn't tell anyone and just trusted that I would be fine.  When I returned, I began the Budwig program of cottage cheese and flax oil along with Barley Max, juicing and Beta1-3D glucan.  I cut back on meat consumption, but not entirely and of course cut out most sugar, white products, etc. I do have a sweet tooth.

And now here is the result, 2 years later.  Cancer is not a death sentence.  I feel fantastic and people tell me I look great!  (Who are they kidding?)  Seriously, though it pays to take care of yourself and put whole foods in your body.  It helps that my husband loves to garden and so I know where a lot of my produce comes from.

When I eat meat, I buy grass fed beef, organic free range chicken (and eggs) and salmon, that my husband catches.

As I mentioned, I do have a sweet tooth and will share in another post what I have just learned about sugar and fruit.

 

 

Cooking With Fats!

Do you know what are the best fats to cook with?  It is very important that the fat you use has a very high "smoking point".  The smoking point is the point at which the fat turns rancid.  The higher the smoking point, the better.  When you heat a fat, that has a low smoking point, it turns into trans-fats. I don't know about you but I don't want trans-fats making up the fat around my cells.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the fats that we cook with beginning with the three worst fats to use for cooking.  I am sure that the first one is no surprise and that is margarine.  The second one is extra virgin olive oil.  This, frankly, was a surprise to me, when I first read it.  But it turns out that as it's from the first press of the olives, it's "smoking point" is extremely low.  It is best used in salads.  The third fat is vegetable oils.  Besides being highly processed, they are also high in omega 6 fats, which most people already have enough of.  This is significant to know because too much omega 6 in the cell membrane creates inflammation.  Research has shown that chronic inflammation is linked to many diseases, such as heart disease and cancer for example.

So what are the best fats to cook with?   Coconut oil is, in my opinion, the best fat to cook with because it has a very high smoking point. "Pure" olive oil is second best, if you don't like the flavour of the coconut oil, which my husband doesn't particularly care for.  Pure olive oil has a medium to high smoking point.  As it is from the 3rd and sometimes 4th press, it is a much more stable fat and doesn't break down as fast or easy as extra virgin olive oil.  Be sure to keep the cooking temperature at a medium range.  The third best fat is organic butter which has a medium smoking point.  If the butter is from grassfed cows, you get a lot of healthy omega 3's as well as an essential fat called CLA.  All three of these cooking fats support healthy cells.

The above information has been gleaned from books and articles that I have read on my journey to good health.

Bon appetit!

 

 

 

Attitude

I have always maintained that attitude is key to any situation or relationship. I just recently read a quote from Chuck Swindoll that I would like to share with you today. I believe it to be so true.

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company or a church or a home.

The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day.  We cannot change our past; we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play the one string we have -and that is our attitude.  I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so it is with you - we are in charge of our attitude."

                                                                                    Chuck Swindoll 

Attitude played a major role in my cancer journey.  I chose not to let all the cancer "stuff" dictate my life.  At the base of my positive attitude was hope.  Without hope, I would not have been able to enjoy living the way that I did through the journey.  "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."  Proverbs 13:12 NIV 

My hope was then and still is in God.  Psalm 146:5 NIV says, "Blessed  are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God."  The KJV version puts it this way, "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God."

God has given us the opportunity to become new creations through His son, Jesus Christ.

In Ephesians 4, the Bible says this about our attitude.  "You were taught, with regard to your former ways of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."  NIV