One of the most awful parts of navigating a cancer diagnosis is the side effects from treatment.
I got my first up-close and personal taste of this during a very difficult conversation shortly after my 3-year-old son, Kicker, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. While chatting with another cancer dad, he shared his experiences with his young son and how I needed to prepare for…
- all of the vomiting from chemotherapy
- how Kicker would lose all of his hair
- there would be major mood swings
- most likely, Kicker would have some difficulty walking
- in the next year, we would be hospitalized at least 10 times for secondary infections
This man really was trying to help, and he was gentle in his words. However, I was absolutely horrified, and my “mama bear” mode took over.
As a result, I took matters into my own hands over the next couple of weeks. I didn’t want these things to happen to my son. So, I reached out to our Osteopathic Physician, Nutritionist and Naturopath, and we devised a natural healing protocol. The goal was to help Kicker stay as healthy as possible during the his 3-year chemotherapy treatment.
First, we overhauled his diet. Then, we focused on detoxing his system, as well as, put him on an essential oil and supplement protocol. Basically, we supported him with natural medicine every step of the way!
Thankfully, Kicker never experienced those horrific side effects!
He threw up only one time during treatment, never lost his hair and was never hospitalized for secondary infections. In fact, he actually stayed healthy and vibrant during the entire three and a half years of daily chemo.
So, to help, here’s 10 things we did prior to Kicker receiving the high doses of chemotherapy and before any surgery:
- Take a detox bath every day for the week leading up to chemotherapy and/or surgery, as well as, for at least one week after. This also includes the day of the procedure, as long as, the surgery site was not exposed to the water. Here’s my detox bath recipe.
- Do castor oil packs every day for the week leading up to chemotherapy and/or surgery, as well as, for at least one week after. Here’s my castor oil pack instructions.
- Take Quicksilver Glutathione. Follow dosing directions on the bottle. (To order, create a free account in my online dispensary. You’ll also receive a 15% off discount. Sign up here for an account.)
- Drink ½ of your body weight in ounces of filtered water daily with freshly squeezed lemon. Make sure to drink only out of a glass or stainless-steel container, and here’s my favorite water filter.
- After chemotherapy and/or surgery, drink 24 ounces of filtered water with freshly squeezed lemon in it.
- Rebound for 10 minutes every day for the week leading up to chemotherapy and/or surgery.
- Practice 10 minutes of meditation AND prayer every morning before you begin your day. Then, write down 10 positive affirmation. The Headspace App is a great guide, but here’s some simple examples:
- I am healthy.
- I am strong.
- I am capable of healing.
- I am beautiful.
- I am loved.
- I am supported.
- Before chemotherapy and upon waking from chemotherapy, take Nux Vomica. Follow dosing directions on the bottle. (To order, create a free account in my online dispensary. You’ll also receive a 15% off discount. Sign up here for an account.)
- Drink 12 oz. bone broth every day for the week leading up to chemotherapy and surgery. Here’s my recipe.
- Completely remove all sugar and grains for the week leading up to chemotherapy and/or surgery, as well as, for at least one week after.
And as some extra support, here’s a list of 15 healthy snack ideas to bring to the appointments:
- Organic Seaweed – Here’s our favorite.
- Organic Unsweetened Coconut Flakes – Here’s our favorite.
- Superfood Bars – Here’s our favorite.
- Organic Beef Jerky – Here’s our favorite.
- Organic Cucumber with Celtic Sea Salt
- Sliced Apples with Almond Butter Packs or Coconut Butter Packs
- Cocoyo Yogurt
- Organic Raw Cheese – Here’s our favorite.
- Bone Broth – Here’s my recipe. You can make it ahead of time and store it in a mason jar.
- Organic Green Juice – Here’s our favorite recipe. You can make it ahead of time and store it in a mason jar.
- Plantain Chips with Guacamole – We love these plantain chips, and we get organic mini guacamole containers at Costco.
- Hardboiled Eggs
- Homemade Gummies – Here’s my recipe.
- Kale Chips – Here’s my recipe.
- Homemade granola – Here’s my recipe.
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Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you again for sharing this!!!
🙂 You are so very welcome! I’m glad you found it so helpful!
What does “rebound for ten minutes” mean?
Hi Wendy – Here’s a great article that might help you: https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/rebounding/
This is the most wonderful story and display of mama caring for her young. I send you and your family lots of love and hope that your little man is doing better. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Awe…thank you so much! And yes, he has finished treatment and is thriving!
I just completed 18 weeks of strong chemo & can attest to the benefits & power of castor oil packs. Most patients on the chemo regimen I was prescribed have to take Neulasta to boost their white blood cell count; mine never deviated from normal levels. In fact, one of the 1st questions the oncologist asked at each visit was “are you still using castor oil?” They were fascinated at castor oil’s ability to keep my immune system so strong. Now in remission but still not even a month out of treatment, I still use castor oil packs regularly b/c it boosts my energy and reduces residual side effects that cause pain.
Wow!!! Love this, Jenny. Thank you so much for sharing and am so thankful that you did so well. Congratulations on being done!!!!! 🙂
Jenny,
Thank you for sharing your experience with castor oil packs and so happy to hear that they helped you tremendously. Jenny would mind sharing the way you prepared the castor oil packs? My mom just got diagnosed with rectal cancer and going through chemo pills and radiation and would love to use the castor oil packs!! Thank you kindly for you assistance!!! Blessings !!!
Sayra – Here are my directions on how to do them: https://www.seasonjohnson.com/choosing-strength-cancer-detox-remedies/
Thank you so much for this info! Question about rebounding – would tap dance be similar in benefit?
I can’t say for sure, but I do think the movement and “exercise” would be beneficial.
Thanks for your prompt reply! We are praying for a fast recovery from surgery for our son in a few weeks.
Castor Oil pack question – if we have never done it before, is there any concern of doing the detox pre surgery? I don’t want him to feel sick or anything because of the detox. Is it so gentle that that shouldn’t be a concern? Thanks so much.
Hi Beth – I would always suggest to consult your physician to ask bioindividual questions. However, this is a gentle detox therapy, and it’s been my experience that this will help prior to most procedures.
Hi Season,
My husband will be starting treatment for rectal cancer in the coming weeks. He will have radiation 28 times coupled with oral chemo pills. I have purchased thriving through cancer but I am wondering how to best detox him from the radiation exposure and minimize side effects of chemo taken on a daily basis. Any information would be appreciated.
Hi Brandy – So sorry to hear all that you and your husband are going through! I would definitely just directly into the detox module in the program. Everything listed there is what I would recommend. If you have additional questions after looking that over, feel free to email me at info@seasonjohnson.com.