Throughout my morning ritual a number of aspects about my approaching day will find themselves being thrown around and inspected in my mind. Most often I’ll spend my moments contemplating my studies, my friends, my future, and food — never the health of my microscopic cells and if they are replicating correctly. Very rarely do we think about the high level of efficiency at which our bodies perform. In every second of every day there is a beautiful concurrency of parts happening within our bodies. Maybe it’s the impeccable quickness of our lungs oxygenating red blood cells; or possibly the intricate coalescence of our eyes and brain. Regardless of how amazing the collective abilities of our bodies are, we rarely contemplate them, unless something isn’t operating as it should. Only then is the spotlight centered onto the inner workings of our body. For many, the moment they experience a cough or runny nose, they begin obsessing over it. The next day they are at the top of the doctor’s patient list, stressing about a sore throat and itchy eyes, or complaining about a small cough. In almost all cases, this anxiety only worsens the predicament and in effect causes more symptoms. If you’re like me, at the first notification of an approaching illness you make simple adjustments of counteraction. Rather than meeting with a doctor to prescribe an antibiotic, I would follow a specific regimen that will lead me down the road to recovery: saturating myself with herbal teas and pure water, designating ample time to rest, and I would be sure to schedule more time for meditation and yoga. I have also found it beneficial to spend a few minutes exploring medical websites, to compose a list of high vitamin-C foods to incorporate into my diet. I believe our bodies are self-sustaining, that we were designed to heal and restore ourselves. Through modified diets, exercise, and metaphysical activities, any infirmity can be alleviated and/or cured; we simply need to commit ourselves to the correct natural remedy.
There isn’t a soul in the world that chooses to have cancer. It is a result of seemingly unrelated lifestyle choices, or perhaps hereditary mutations. Upon word from my doctor that I’m diagnosed with cancer and given an estimated amount of time left to live, I imagine I would acquire a completely different style of thinking. Being only 18 and having many years ahead of me, I live a lighthearted and almost carefree life. I very seldom consider the amount of sodium nitrate I consume, or the amount of time I spend with my friends inhaling the carcinogens from their cigarette smoke. Instead, I would begin appreciating everything I’m given, as if it were my last. The number of conventional products proven to contain carcinogenic substances is astounding, and I’m sure I would spend countless hours grieving over how many harmful materials I unwittingly exposed myself to. After understanding grieving would only carve me a deeper void, I’m sure I would begin exploring the vast world of cancer studies. The first step on my pursuit of knowledge would be to study cancer and read many survivor stories. As I’ve mentioned before, I am partial to using the internet; therefore, I would use the world wide web as my door into the never-ending hallway of innumerable other doors, or in this case, cancer studies and other related topics. Though the more and more I reflect on this, the stronger I believe that being given a cancer prognostic would compel me to search for and utilize any “door” I could find. As humans normally do, I would be even more driven towards my goal if death were knocking at my door. After only minutes searching, I’ve found there are scores of websites and pieces of literature dedicated to educating cancer patients. However, before I began researching for this essay I was very unaware of how vast and inviting the world of cancer studies is; it is much like a field of low hanging apple trees, where countless sources of information, like Cancer Monthly and the American Cancer Society, are available to anyone willing to reach out for them. Much alike the driven James “Rhio” O’Connor, I would schedule many doctor visits to discuss different treatments, the methods involved, and their effects. Also, I have a few family friends that have survived breast cancer and I imagine, after explaining my situation, they would share which treatment they chose and how it affected them.
Since cancer’s disheartening debut into the medical field, a multitude of procedures have been developed. In the world of cancer treatments, they range from chemotherapy (which is in my opinion, the atomic bomb of cancer treatments, effective yet bearing depressing side-effects) to gentle, holistic therapies. Although countless doctors spend their lives attempting to formulate a cure for cancer, any ultimate cure would never be revealed because far too many organizations profit from benefit conventions and fundraisers. Instead, countless procedures have been designed to increase a patient’s dependency on more prescriptions. Contrary to the belief that the medical systems work for the benefit of mankind, their entire agenda seems designed to collect as much money possible from each patient. If I were to undergo chemotherapy, for example, surely it is plausible that my cancer cells would be impeded, but it is a certainty that I would develop symptoms requiring additional drugs. Instead of embarking upon the long, downward spiral of surgeries and chemical deterioration, I would choose to ingest specific organic vitamins and minerals that would treat the infected part of my body. Also, however hard it may seem, my holistic treatment would involve me attempting to remove sugar and preservatives from my nutritional regimen. In addition to a finely tuned diet, exercise, meditation, acupuncture, and massages are sure to cultivate my health. My dilemma could also be alleviated through mental well-being; hence, I would meditate and perform yoga in accordance to the location of my cancer. In Rhio’s case, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, one of the rarest and hardest to treat of cancer types. Although it develops around the protective lining of many organs, holistic remedies have still proven effective. The body should be thought of as a garden, one that requires nurturing and proper nutrients. If only people cogitated more on what they allowed to enter their bodies, cancer’s dreadful statistics would diminish. For nearly every problem that occurs within us, there are simple precautions that could have prevented it. Regardless of the belittling view the American society has developed on holistic treatments, if I were diagnosed with cancer, I would educate myself and provide complete devotion to a natural rejuvenation of my health.
By: Rodriguez, Dylan
