Q&A with Ginny Dent Brant
Author of “Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer”
Q: Talk about your how long you have battled cancer, and how your initial diagnosis affected you emotionally and spiritually.
A: I was diagnosed just four months after my mom died from breast cancer. After going through the horrors of it with her, my initial response was shock, denial, and fear. I struggled spiritually with my diagnosis because I was a health nut. In desperation, I made an appointment with the hospital chaplain. He encouraged me to see my cancer as a gift from God to help other people. He suggested I write a book since I was an author and speaker. My response, “No thanks. I don’t want the gift!” I didn’t want to talk about cancer publicly and I was concerned what this cancer journey would do to my husband. My treatments included five surgeries, a year of chemotherapy infusions, and five years of chemotherapy by mouth. So technically, six years of treatments.
Q: What kind of research did you do once you were diagnosed with cancer?
A: My diagnosis sent me on a quest to discover why I got an aggressive and deadly cancer for which I had no risk factors or genetic indicators. Since I was told that every weapon would be brought out to save my life, I wanted to find out what I could do to help my doctors beat my cancer and minimize the side effects of the treatments. I read over fifty books on cancer written by doctors, scientists, nutritionists, etc. I attended medical and cancer summits online where I heard doctors, scientists and nutritionists from all over the world lecture about their research and experiences. I also attended three conferences where cancer experts lecture. And I searched the medical and science journals tirelessly to connect the dots between the Bible, nutrition, the science of how the immune system works, and conventional and integrative medicine. All this research put me in a quarantine mode for three years!
Q: You implemented some specific changes to your lifestyle in addition to taking chemo. How did your doctors react to that?
A: My doctors were amazed when my blood work six weeks after chemotherapy showed that my red and white blood cells and platelets were all within normal ranges. They called me their “Rock Star” Cancer Patient because this usually takes two to five years. A local oncologist I got a second opinion from after my fourth round of chemotherapy, asked me what I was doing differently. He was shocked that I had walked two miles before the appointment, and I was smiling and feeling great. After 30 years of practice, he had not seen this before after my chemo regimen (that he called the worst with the most side effects). He actually held up his waiting room to find out what I was doing differently. That oncologist is now actively involved in research and cancer prevention. We often go to the doctor wanting them to cure our ails with a pill, surgery, etc. We need to be asking, “What can I do to help my doctor improve my health status?” My book’s foreword and commentary is written by an oncologist and medical researcher who runs a breast cancer center who agrees with my lifestyle changes and approach.
Q: Are there specific things people can do to boost their immune system that might help with viruses such as COVID-19?
A: These same eight steps keep our immune system armed and ready for battle. For example, if you are properly hydrating (which my book clearly explains how to do), exercising regularly, eating nutritious foods that build the immune system and nourish your gut, your susceptibility for COVID-19 or any virus or flu will be less. And if you do get it, your symptoms will be less. I believe this COVID-19 is a wakeup call for us to realize we need to take better care of our bodies. This disease is clearly worse in those who have underlying conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung issues, and poorly functioning immune systems—many of these caused by our own lifestyle choices and lack of common sense. Since rebuilding my immune system during and after my cancer journey, I’ve not had the usual yearly colds, flu or viruses. Although I’m limiting going out in public and I’m practicing the CDC guidelines, I know that if I do get exposed to COVID-19, my immune function is strong and my own body will take care of it in general.
Q: How has your cancer journey affected your faith?
A: I thank God for each day. I’m grateful for how He has created the body to heal and repair itself. I’m grateful for the gifts of nature He’s provided for our healing. It’s all a part of his miraculous design. But we must do our part. We must care for our body as the Bible instructs us. We can either enhance the wonderful immune system God has blessed us with by our lifestyle or we can suppress it. My journey has given me a new purpose in life—to educate and inform other people, help others to prevent cancer, and help those in the who are currently battling cancer. It’s not something I would have chosen, but God is opening the doors and I’m excited about this new direction. Although those with my diagnosis and who go through the treatments as I did are not promised tomorrow, my new philosophy is “Everyday is a gift.” I plan to serve Him faithfully until He takes me home.
Q: What are some of the risk factors for getting breast cancer?
A: There are two things that are not listed as risk factors by the American Cancer Society (ACS): the role of xenoestrogens and stress. Both of them increase our estrogen load over our lifetime. ACS and breastcancer.org are just now starting to caution people about xenoestrogens. Obesity is the number one risk factor for any cancer. The sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and drinking too much alcohol are all risk factors for all cancers. Taking the birth control pill and hormones after menopause are specific risk factors for breast cancer. Breastfeeding actually lowers your risk. Your risk for any cancer goes up after age 60.
Q: Explain what you mean by “We are living in an Estrogenic World.”
A: I was puzzled that I got an estrogen-fed cancer for which I had no genetics or risk factors. I was also shocked to learn that of the men who are getting breast cancer, 90 percent are estrogen-fed. A Canadian cancer coach at a cancer convention said to me, “Ginny, we are living in an estrogenic world.” Now I fully understand what she was trying to tell me. My research clearly shows that there are xenoestrogens, chemicals that mimic estrogen in our air, our water, our food, and in the products we use to clean our homes as well as our personal care products. These xenoestrogens combined with our own body’s estrogen are increasing our estrogen levels. In the end, this was found to be one of the main causes of my cancer.
Q: Can you give us a few nuggets of truth that most people don’t know that could help them prevent cancer?
A: Our bodies are performing miracles right now. And when we sleep at night, the miracles and healing power increases. Seventy to eight percent of our immune system is in our gut. So it’s important to keep our gut lining healthy and thriving with good bacteria. Antibiotics and chemotherapy destroy this important gut lining. After chemotherapy, this lining must be restored if a cancer patient is to return to full health. And this is done by the foods that you eat. Sixty to seventy percent of the products we put on our skin gets absorbed into our bloodstream and is circulated through our body. These toxins can overburden and distract our immune system. There are foods that prevent cancer and foods that feed cancer. Blueberries, onions, garlic, cruciferous vegetables, and many herbs are just a few that build our immune system and prevent cancer. Highly-processed foods, foods high in sugar, additives, preservatives, and residue from pesticides, and any foods that you personally have a reaction to suppress our immune system. Our immune system is key to preventing and battling cancer.
Q: Can you explain one of your steps and how you used it in your cancer journey?
A: Exercise is one of my favorites. I did it to reduce stress. For example, after my first surgery with one hundred stitches, I had more tubes and medical devices attached to my body than I knew what to do with. I asked the nurse what I could do to get my catheter out and she said get up and move. The benefits were amazing. I was released early with no tubes! Throughout chemotherapy, I walked two miles before and after each treatment and everyday in between. The lymphatic system is a part of our immune system. All of our body systems work autonomously, except our lymphatic system. It only works when we move. That ‘s why exercise is a great way to prevent cancer. Movement is key to removing trash from your system daily. My daily movement helped my chemotherapy to target my cancer and helped my body to take out the trash afterwards. I also used specific exercises to rebuild and hold my bone density. It is well known that exercise can help to prevent cancer, but research also shows that exercise prevents many other diseases.
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