Radical Remission

Over the weekend I attended an online lecture delivered by Dr Lissa Rankin (lissarankin.com). Lissa is a physician who while practicing in the USA became curious about how better she could serve her patients beyond the conventional medicine she was taught at University. She has been on a quest for years now studying the mind body connection and how it can be harnessed for healing. She is the author of Mind Over Medicine, a book that details the evidence-based practices that have resulted in reversal of chronic illness including her own personal experience. She is now researching the sacred sciences with a particular emphasis on energy medicine.

The Whole Health Cairn

Lissa has developed the Whole Health Cairn which is a “radical new wellness model” that emphasises the factors that are important to address in order to heal disease and improve our physical well-being. These are:

1. Inner Pilot Light: this is described as the intuitive feeling we receive about what our bodies require in order to be healed. This may be as simple as a dietary change or weight loss and as complex as a change in relationships, profession or environment.

2. Relationships: isolation, co-dependence and narcissism are shown to be associated with disease and best be avoided while healthy relationships have been shown to be protective against disease.

3. Work/Life Purpose: avoid over-working and ensure there is adequate time for self-care. Aligning with our purpose and performing work that is meaningful to us and aligns with our values is shown to be protective against disease.

4. Spirituality: faith in a higher power (no matter what that is) has been shown to be protective and may include an activity that practices this faith among community.

5. Sexuality: unhealed sexual trauma increases the risk of disease while a healthy expression of sexuality has been shown to be protective.

6. Creativity: creative expression has been shown to release endorphins and reduce cortisol and lead to reduced pain and blood pressure, improved sleep and immunity and reduced levels of anxiety and depression.

7. Environment: the environment in which we live is vital to maintaining our physical well-being and includes access to safe air and water supplies, minimising or avoiding visual and sound pollution as well as providing access to nature.

8. Money: Lissa’s research showed that those who are affluent tended to be healthier, live longer and recover quicker. Access to sufficient resources improves health. Although this is not always in our control, attention to this area is worth consideration.

9. Mental Health: research supports a positive disposition as optimists were found to be healthier and to live longer. Trauma release is an essential element to this and I will focus a separate blog post on this topic in the near future.

Radical Remission

Although Lissa’s model is mostly geared toward reversing chronic illness and eliminating the need for pharmaceuticals and other conventional medical therapies, it can be considered when maintaining wellness after active cancer treatment. Indeed, her research references that of Kelly A. Turner, author of Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds. Kelly researched a cohort of patients who achieved radical remission after a diagnosis of stage IV cancer in the absence of active conventional medicine and found the following nine factors common among them:

1. Dietary modification: they consumed a largely plant-based diet

2. Herb or supplement: this was not uniform to all but one that they believed in personally

3. Taking control of their health

4. Following intuition

5. Releasing suppressed emotions

6. Increasing positive emotions

7. Embracing social support

8. Deepening spiritual connection

9. Having strong reasons for living

It is important to emphasise that these actions are not necessarily used to replace active medical treatment to treat cancer but indicate which areas can be personally addressed to improve the chances of successful treatment, and of achieving and maintaining wellness. I highly recommend reading either of these two books and/or seeking guidance when it comes to the specific areas in your life that can be addressed in order to maximise your chances of wellness.

References

1. lissarankin.com

2. Rankin, Lissa. Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof You Can Heal Yourself. Hay House, 2013.

3. Turner, Kelly A. Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds. New York: HarperOne, 2014.

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