Diagnosed with a rare occurrence of male breast cancer in 2005, Satish was looking for ways to cure himself. He learnt about the healing powers of food through inspirational people on the internet. He made changes in his food choices and experienced transformation in his health. Not just cancer, all his long-standing health challenges were taken care of. Read his phenomenal story below.

Satish Sharma
64 years, ex-IndianEconomic Service, ex-Indian Audit & Accounts Service, Musician & Health Coach
Delhi

Losing my mother

My first exposure to chronic ailments was when my mother was detected with stage-3 ovarian cancer in Dec' 2001, at the age of 71. She was put on the conventional allopathic cancer treatment. We desperately tried looking around for other options because her condition was deteriorating, but we couldn’t find much help. In less than 2 years, in Aug 2003, she lost her battle for life. My mother was a beautiful person. Losing her was a big emotional setback for me.

My health issues

I had a number of issues since a long time.

• I had angina pain in my left arm upon exertion since I was 48. My dad had died of heart attack at an early age of 53 in 1982. I had five uncles who had undergone bypass heart surgeries but had a semi-crippled existence before they finally died. So I thought it was all hereditary.
• I had been prone to asthma. Especially after coming to Delhi, I would always keep an inhaler with me.
• Since 1992, I had digestive problems.
• I had myopia since age 11 or so and my vision deteriorated over the years. When I was 45, I bought myself reading glasses as I couldn’t see from close anymore.
• For years, my gums used to be swollen and yellowish red with pus oozing out.
• My hair on my head, face, and chest were graying.

My tryst with cancer

In 2005, my wife noticed a black spot under my nipple. Initially, I just ignored it. I went for a vacation with my brother for 8 days. When I returned, the black spot had increased a lot in size. My wife asked me to go for a checkup immediately and I was diagnosed with stage-2 breast cancer when I was 50. Breast cancer is mostly associated with women, it is rare in men and we were shocked. Again, as I did not know what to do, I went the allopathy way. I was operated upon, started going for chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions and started taking medicines.

When cancer was added to my list of issues, I honestly felt this would be the end of life. With my death looming large, I told my wife to learn driving and learn to be more independent.

Turning point

At the same time, I kept browsing the internet and found that many people had healed themselves through wise food choices. I read and heard talks of Anne Wigmore, a raw food advocate, Joseph Mercola, a natural food advocate and Mike Adams, another natural living proponent. They all advocated the fact that food has immense potential to heal. I read about Brenda Cobbs, a cancer survivor who had cured herself through raw foods. I also read about Rene Caisse, a Canadian nurse, who had been healing cancer of many people using some herbs told to her by the Red Indian community.

All this reading gave me some hope that I would become better with food, I started making changes. I started having a lot of fruits and vegetables, especially in their raw form. Raw was important as I had learnt that cooking destroys the enzymes present in fruits and vegetables.

After a chemo or radiation session, immunity in the body is low for the next few days and it is advised to avoid raw in this period as it may lead to infection. So I would not have raw for few days after my session, but revert to a significantly raw diet after that.

I would eat only fruits till 12 pm to support the body’s elimination cycle as per circadian rhythm. I also reduced my intake of processed and packaged foods such as refined oil, sugar, salt, non veg and dairy. I was taking wheatgrass and aloe vera juices. Overall my focus was to eat natural foods, a major portion of it in raw form. In terms of exercise, I followed a moderate routine of going for walks.

The big impact

Within a month of doing these changes, I observed that my hair started turning black, my digestion became better, fatigue reduced and my breathing became absolutely normal.

By early 2006, I had completed the chemo and radiation sessions. I experienced the usual side effects such as losing hair and constipation. But I felt my misery was not as terrible as what I had seen my mom go through. Natural Foods had helped me cope better.

Over the period of next few months, I continued with incorporating natural foods and natural lifestyle. And I experienced the magic of body healing. I realized all my health issues had disappeared.

• My stamina became like that of a 35 year old. I could walk briskly for over an hour, run up the hill or 4-5 storeys of a building without puffing and panting or angina pain. And most importantly without any muscular/joint pains lingering on the next day like it used to be earlier.
• My wheezing and asthma became things of the past. Frequent bouts of cold and cough were gone.
• The gums were not swollen any more, they were taut and healthy pink.
• I was prone to constipation for years. Not anymore after switching to natural fresh foods
• There used to be a general feeling of headache, misery, pessimism and heaviness of the mind. All that went away. Now there was clarity of thought, optimism and sense of well-being.
• The quality of my sleep improved tremendously. I didn’t feel the lack of energy or the desperate need to sleep after lunch.
• I discovered I could read again from close distance. The process of ageing of my eyes was reversed through food!!

All this may sound unbelievable & dramatic. But this is my real experience and I’m a living example of how food can change your life.

Image credit:Clem Onojeghuo via Pexels

I was supposed to be on cancer medicines for 5 years. But few years down the line, I gradually dropped the medicines. Having experienced the transformational impact of natural foods on my health over the last few years, I knew I had to listen to my body. I felt I was in the pink of health and didn’t need medicinal support.

My wife and children were very upset with me. They were coming from a place of fear. But I had overcome all fears as I had understood that our body is programmed to give us good health. All we need to do is ensure we don’t interfere in its work through wrong foods, negative emotions, lack of exercise, poor sleep habits, etc.

The new life

Back in 2005, when I was diagnosed with cancer, I went on the extreme of eating primarily a raw diet. But soon I realized life cannot be lived in extremism. Food is a source of joy for us. Nature has given us sensory organs to enjoy different tastes, textures and aromas of food. Hence, after a few months, I adopted more of a balanced approach. But yes I have experienced the magic of raw foods which are living foods, beaming with enzymes. Hence, the raw in my diet is always more than the cooked.

I live and enjoy life my way now, I’m in charge of my health and understand what my body tells me. I binge on Diwali sweets, enjoy alcohol once in a while, indulge in pizzas with my kids, eat out at social gatherings. But I also know how to balance it out. The good things we eat always have to be more than the bad things.

I have been cancer free, disease free and medicine free for 10 years now. My children’s friends tell them I don’t look my age. This is the ultimate compliment for someone who did not know whether he would be living after being given a death sentence in the name of cancer.

I am now on a mission to spread awareness about natural living and bring relief to people. I run health workshops and teach others how to take charge of their own health. I help people understand the power of the food we ingest. I wish people can live young all their life, age should not be an excuse for disease.

(About Satish Sharma: Born in 1954, Satish did his Masters in Economics in 1979. He taught economics in Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar from March – December 1982, post which he worked with the Indian Economic Service and Indian Audit & Accounts Service. Having served with the Govt of India till 1992, Satish left it all for his love of music, to form the Blue Dolphin Band (with his wife Arlene). Their band has done over 3,000 music performances in the last 24 years or so till date. After experiencing transformational change in his health through Natural Living, Satish is now a health coach. You can know more about him on http://www.live-young.in/)