Are You Willingly Swallowing Poison?

My dad finished Phase One of his treatment yesterday.  For the past six weeks he has been getting radiation treatments and chemotherapy every single day. This radical therapy is a precurser to surgery.  Dad has colorectal cancer and the tumor is quite large.  His doctors are hoping  that over the next few weeks, the tumor will shrink enough so it can be surgically removed. They want to leave the rest of his necessary organs in tact when they remove it; so this was the recommended course of action.  Fingers crossed that it works!

This has been difficult on dad.  The lower half of his body is burned to a crisp. He can't sit for long periods of time, the burning is almost unbearable.  I can't even imagine the discomfort and the humiliation involved.  It's been tough but this was the easy part.

Dad told me yesterday each radiation treatment lasted exactly eleven seconds.  He would lay there on table with his unmentionables exposed and silently count.  He knew all this can't possibly be good for him.  A former military man, he knows the danger involved but he didn't have much of a choice,.  Keeping track of the time gave him some sense of peace and a feeling of control.  Over the past couple of days, however, he noticed the treatments were longer.  He warned the doctor. "That's too long!" he said.  The doctor patiently explained it's procedure to extend the dosage as they approach the end.

In addition to this painful treatment ( the radiation itself is not painful but what it does to the body after the fact is), dad has been taking chemotherapy pills twice a day. We all know about chemotherapy. It's toxic poison. Not only does it attack the offending cells in the body, it also destroys the good ones.  The cancer itself doesn't necessarily kill you, the treatment does.  

Twice daily, before he swallow those little toxic pills, he hesitates. He admits this openly. "I should not be taking these," he says.  "I am willingly ingesting poison." But at this point, he feels he has no choice so he submits.

This is not going to a blog about the pros and cons of cancer therapy. As a Health and Wellness Professional, I know how dangerous all this is for him. Personally, I would never submit to it if I were in his shoes. But that's me. My father is a grown man and made the decision to follow this course. He trusts his doctors. Perhaps if we knew about his cancerous tumor earlier, we could have tried a different approach.  But the fact is, my dad cannot continue to walk around with a blockage  within and it cannot be removed until it shrinks back a bit. Despite my personal feelings on the subject, my dad has my full support.

My dad is willingly swallowing poison to save his life. That's somewhat understandable. But what about the rest of us? We willingly swallow poison every day. 

Cynthia, what on earth are you talking about?

Think about it for a moment. What are you eating? Are you eating foods that are full of life, organically grown and healthy or do you stuff yourself with foods loaded with hormones and harmful preservatives? Do you stop by the local drive-thru and call it dinner?  Is your freezer and pantry filled with processed, prepacked, instant meals? Have you ever stopped to read the ingredients? How many are you actually able to pronounce? Do even know what they are? Do you care?

I used to love my vodka. Grey Goose, on the rocks, twist of lime.   I stopped drinking for awhile. Then I tried it again, in excess, about a year ago.  I was sick for two days. I learned a lesson. My body doesn't like it. It's toxic to my otherwise healthy system and I function so much better without it. Not to mention the fact that it makes me do stupid things and make foolish decisions. Alcohol, cigarettes, recreational drugs, painkillers and all those prescribed medications we willingly take without question because our doctor tells us we should: Poison.

Skin care, body lotions, shampoo, makeup? What are the ingredients on that jar of wrinkle cream you spread on your face every day? Is it loaded with herbs and botanicals and cruelty-free? How about household cleansers, laundry soap? Are they natural and good for the environment?  If not, they are poison.

How about the things we see and hear on daily basis? Television programs, magazines, the internet sites we frequent, books we read? If they are not feeding your soul and making you a better person then guess what? Poison!

Your relationships? Friends, family, your mate? Are they encouraging, positive people you can depend on? Do they make you feel good about yourself  or are they negative, discouraging, toxic people? Do you feel pressure to do things you ordinarily would not do when you are with them?  Do you draw energy from your relationships or do you feel completely drained?  Poison!

All these things I mentioned, you have the power to change. Stop swallowing poison! It might feel good, look good, taste good, but eventually it will wear you down and yes, it will kill you.

As for my dad, I will continue to hope and pray that the choices he made to treat his cancer are the right ones.  I hope you will join me in believing only the best for him.

And this is my Daily Cyn.............