A cancer coach is someone who walks alongside a person with cancer to support and advocate for them every step of the way on their healing journey, from formulating therapeutic protocols, to setting reasonable goals, to being a listening ear. Support is given in a variety of areas, including nutritional and lifestyle strategies, detoxification techniques, stress management and targeted supplementation. A cancer coach can be invaluable to someone with cancer, as well as a considerable support to their family.
Table of Contents
5 Areas a Cancer Coach Focuses On
1. Nutritional Therapy
Nutrition has a profound effect on physiology and metabolism. Eating right for your metabolic type is never more imperative than when you have cancer. It’s vital to get adequate nutrition to give the body the building blocks necessary to fight the disease. Dialing in macronutrients (protein, fat and carbs) is critical for optimal energy production, which is needed for repair, detoxification, and healing.
You’ve likely heard that it’s recommended for all people with cancer to go on a vegetarian diet, cutting all meat from their diets. That’s a great strategy if your individual metabolic type supports that type of eating. But, what if you happen to be a Fast Oxidizer (one of the six metabolic types] whose metabolism thrives on meat? There’s no one diet that is right for everyone, and this concept holds true for people with cancer.
Determining your unique metabolic type is a foundational piece of the puzzle when it comes to health and dysfunction because the right nutrition, along with the correct macronutrients, have a powerful effect on biochemistry, the oxidative system, and the autonomic nervous system.One such effect includes the ability to think more clearly, which is indispensable during a health crises. Uncovering and eliminating hidden sources of sugar, which feeds cancer, is also part of a nutritional therapy protocol, as is assuring enough quality protein is consumed for healing and repair.
Excess weight is a risk factor for imbalance and dysfunction, including cancer. Eating for your metabolic type helps to balance the oxidative rate, or the rate at which energy is burned inside the cells, and promotes a healthy body weight. This is significant because adipose tissue is inflammatory. Eating right for your type balances hormone levels, decreasing insulin and cortisol. Too much insulin is inflammatory, and elevated cortisol puts the body in a catabolic state, causing it to breakdown, which is the last thing you want when facing cancer.
2. Exercise Strategies
People with cancer are often lethargic, which makes it difficult to exercise. A coach can offer advice and support. There are certain types of exercise that don’t raise cortisol levels, yet balance hormones and promote fat loss by reducing insulin levels.
Having a coach in your corner can keep you motivated and accountable in adhering to a consistent exercise routine, and can meet you where you’re at individually in terms of your fitness and stamina. A coach can also educate you on the favorable impacts exercise has on bodily systems, and cheer you on in terms of your progress, and on days when quitting seems the better option.
Education is a great motivator. Most people like learning about the mechanisms behind certain therapies. Once they know how they work, it’s easier to be compliant. Exercise is preventative, so establishing good habits while you have cancer, will go a long way in preventing your cancer from returning once it’s in remission. It will also help you maintain a healthy weight, decreasing your chances of developing a chronic disease in the future.
3. Targeted Supplementation
Supplementation, as part of a holistic cancer protocol, is critical to building and strengthening the immune system. When the immune system is functioning at full throttle, the body can heal itself. This is the foundational goal of a holistically-based disease-fighting protocol, to strengthen the body so it can do its job.
Digestive support, high-dose enzyme therapy, and vitamin and mineral supplementation are a few key players, with functional lab testing playing a valuable role in determining what supplementation is the most appropriate and will best support the body.
It’s paramount the body gets adequate nutrition, but also that it’s able to absorb and assimilate the nutrients coming in.
It’s truly amazing how many healing therapies you can make in your own kitchen, including liposomal vitamin C and essiac tea. There are many others as well. It’s possible to fortify your body, following natural healing protocols, from the comfort of your own home.
[Read More: Pectasol C And Cancer]
4. Detoxification
Toxicity is a risk factor for cancer because toxins interfere with normal physiology. Detoxification promotes healing, enabling the body to function as it should, while freeing vital resources so the body can heal and repair. EMFs, poor air quality, environmental toxins, GMOs, toxins in body care and cleaning products, all play a role in the development of disease. Finding ways to minimize exposure is essential, as is mitigating the damage.
Detox is much more than a two day juice fast, rather a targeted detox protocol that utilizes natural therapies to cleanse the liver, lymphatics, and bloodstream. Infrared saunas, rebounding, ozone and red light therapy, along with parasite cleanses and coffee enemas are just a few strategies to help the body release toxins. There are many more strategies, and all can conveniently be done within your own home on your own time schedule.
[Read More: Rebounding For Lymphatic Drainage [Bounce Your Way To Wellness]
Metabolic Typing is a detox therapy in itself because when the body is nourished and gets enough minerals, it begins to release heavy metals from the cells. Exercise helps the body detoxify as well, not only through sweating, but by making more ATP. The more energy the body can make, the faster it can heal itself.
Self-care is also a form of detoxification because it lowers stress hormones, putting the body in a state of repair, rather than breakdown, promoting restful sleep and good digestion. When the body is in a state of balance, it can achieve homeostasis, whereby systems in the body can function together harmoniously. This is the ideal environment for healing.
5. Stress Management
Fighting a disease is a significant stressor. It not only takes a toll on the body, but also the mind and the emotions. Finding effective ways to deal with and manage stress is a key component in a holistic protocol. What works one day to reduce stress, may not be as enjoyable the next, so having an arsenal of stress-management therapies is key to keeping stress levels manageable.
Cancer is a wake up call for many people, often bringing up negative feelings that have long been buried because they were too painful to deal with. These feelings and emotions need to be dealt with so they can be released. A coach can be invaluable in this area, employing a holistic approach that encompasses body, mind, and soul.
We all experience acute stress, which is usually limited in nature. It’s the chronic, or prolonged stress, that does a number on health, including weakening the immune system, and aiding in the growth and spread of cancer. When stress hormones are elevated, they inhibit anoikis, a process responsible for destroying diseased cells and preventing their spread.
The repercussions of this mechanism not working properly can be dire. For these reasons, it’s imperative for anyone with cancer, to find ways of managing stress. Removing the source of the stress would be ideal, unfortunately that’s not always possible, so management is the next best course of action. Not only is cancer a physical and emotional stressor on the person that has it, it also negatively impacts the partners, children, and caregivers.
Adequate nutrition, a low-sugar diet, quality protein, regular movement, eliminating toxins, and supplementation all reduce stress, as does self-care, getting enough sleep, and dealing with uncomfortable emotions. Forgiveness is also fundamental for releasing toxic emotions. It’s important for all of us, but especially those with cancer, to understand the consequences of stress and its effect on healing.
Key Points
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is terrifying. Your mind conjures up worst case scenarios, your thinking is chaotic, you’re constantly anxious and can’t relax, depression can even creep in. A cancer coach can help ease your fears by giving you targeted strategies to work on to strengthen your body and ease your mind.
Being proactive is a balm to the soul. Targeted lifestyle changes are powerful and their effect on the immune system should not be underestimated. The infamous saying: “Two heads are better than one” has never been more applicable than when a cancer patient and cancer coach walk together on a journey of healing.
Do you or someone you love have cancer? Would you like someone to share the journey with? Let me know in the comments:)
Disclaimer: This article is strictly for informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice.
Thank you for this hope inspiring article about 5 Ways A Cancer Coach Can Support Someone With Cancer. I have never heard about cancer coaches.
Getting news about cancer must be one of the most scary news possible. So, having a cancer coach who knows how to help in this difficult situation must be really helpful.
Hi Sandy,
Yes, in my opinion, having someone in your corner when fighting cancer is invaluable. Another team player can be powerful and make all the difference in one’s healing journey. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I have a very close neighbour who died of cancer. The major motivator for his death was depression. Since he discovered he had cancer, till he died, he didn’t go a day without alcohol and that made things worse for him. How I wish he met with a cancer coach then or came across this sort of information, who knows whether he would still be alive. I will gladly share this post out to the world to get more people sensitized concerning cancer and how a health coach can be of great help.
I’m very sorry to hear about your neighbor. Depression can be very real in the face of a dire diagnosis. A coach can help immensely in this regard. It’s unfortunate that all us have been touched by cancer in some way.
Thanks for your comment and for sharing my article. I appreciate it!
I think that a cancer coach is an excellent idea, and I am sure that many people I have known, who have both survived and passed on from cancer, would have appreciated some unbiased support.
It is best to have a coach who is not a close family member or friend that can get too emotional, and someone knowledgeable to support you and advise you on the best roads to take on the road to either recovery or even to die in a more dignified way.
Hi Michel,
I think anyone with cancer can greatly benefit from the support a coach offers, whether that’s a newly diagnosed patient or someone who has metastatic cancer. Coaches offer education and support to make the journey a little less frightening and discouraging.
Coaches are unbiased, and you make a good point, that family members and friends are not the best option to step in as the role of coach. Emotions could potentially cloud their judgement. A person with no shared history is a much better choice.
I appreciate your comment!
The job of a cancer coach is a really professional one. Seems like they combine the job of both the doctor and the counselor together. which I find really interesting. I don’t know any cancer patients but the work of this person is really fascinating to me and that was why I jumped in here.
The different processes of helping the patient has to take a lot of patience. Like you said, cancer can make a person have psychological issues, as well. It’s the work of the coach to help with this also.
I think the job of a cancer coach is an important one. A cancer coach is not a licensed professional so is in no way acting as a medical practitioner, but rather works alongside doctors and counselors if need be.
A coach helps the patient implement strategies that build and strengthen the immune system so it can more effectively do its job. And to be there as a motivator and a listening ear.
Thanks so much for reading!
Hollshope,
It’s so interesting that you wrote this. I have lost two very important people to cancer. I believe you are right by saying that they really do need a coach through this very rough time. Cancer is not only painful, but the word alone strikes fear into most hearts.
By having someone helping and pushing a little here and there to get up and go is needed. I actually liked your post, I hope anyone who has cancer, or knows of some one that unfortunately has it, reads this. I personally believe it will help, if not to recover, at least to put up a great fight. The fight is a serious battle, and in most cases it takes someone stronger to be in the corner.
Nice job keep up the great work.
Thanks Don!
I’m sorry you’ve lost people to cancer. It’s so heartbreaking. My deepest condolences. Cancer is a frightening and dreaded disease. Having a coach can be invaluable. I think we could all use one in the best of times, and how much more indispensable in a time of crisis. Someone to keep us motivated, accountable, and to fight alongside us every step of the way.
Thanks for taking the time to comment!