A woman said her emphasis on diet helped her in her battle against cancer, and now her approach will be studied by researchers at Harvard University to see if it can help others.
For Kathy Bero, time in the kitchen is an investment in good health.
“It isn’t really about eating healthy,” Bero said. “It’s about eating specific foods that fight disease.”
She ought to know. In 2005, doctors diagnosed Bero with inflammatory breast cancer. Her prognosis for survival was 21 months.
At the time, Bero was 41 years old and the mother of two young girls. She fought the disease with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. But the cancer fought back.
“Eleven months after my first diagnosis, I was diagnosed with a high-grade tumor in my head and neck,” Bero said.
The medication took its toll.
“My kidneys were failing; my liver was failing,” Bero said. “My lungs were damaged. My heart was damaged. I told my oncologist that I’m done with that protocol because one way or another, I’m going to die. And I don’t want to go that way.”
It was then she decided to go off chemotherapy and use a strategy suggested by a friend.
“My friend kept saying you have to learn about anti-angiogenic foods,” Bero said.
Anti-angiogenic foods essentially block the creation of blood vessels so cancer can’t easily spread. Examples include organic vegetables such as purple potatoes, carrots and leeks.
“Leeks are at the top of the cancer-fighting list,” Bero said.
Also on her list: berries, walnuts, green tea and herbs, especially garlic.
“When a recipe calls for two cloves, I’m probably going to put in six because garlic is a really strong cancer fighter,” Bero said.
Bero said her diet – combined with a type of alternative medicine called Reiki, along with meditation and visualization – worked.
“My doctors just kept saying, ‘Huh. That is interesting,'” she said.
Today, more than 12 years after her first diagnosis, Bero, who is 54, said she’s cancer-free and now works as a cancer coach.
“She’s teaching me food is the best form of medicine,” said Phil Baugh, one of Bero’s clients. Baugh, a 43-year-old father of three, is fighting brain cancer.
“It’s stopped growing now, so it’s wonderful,” Baugh said. “And a huge part of that is food.”
Researchers at Harvard University learned of Bero’s success and will study her method.
“It’s exciting,” Bero said. “I’m now validated. I’m no longer the ‘crazy cancer patient.’ There’s a real science that is going to be there.”
Bero said Harvard researchers will study people who’ve had exceptional outcomes.
“They’re looking at our genetics and the genetics of the tumor,” Bero said. “What the outliers did; their attitude, environment, faith, social support. What they’re trying to do is create a database of all these different things and look for the commonalities between these people.”
The lead Harvard researcher, Dr. Isaac Kohane, said that because these outcomes are so rare, this particular study will take some time to complete.
Great article! This approach is far more affordable than many cancer treatment so I hope her methods get the exposure they should. There is a great website, cancertutor(dot)com that provides information on a whole slew of natural protocols that people have used to help fight their cancer. With the cost of cancer care prohibitive for far too many ppl, this site provides dirt cheap options that can be used alongside traditional treatment or on it’s own.
Thanks for this article, Met! I hope all readers read it since everybody will personally know somebody going through the disease
That is good. Definitely what you put in you get out… I rather spend on the organic than buy lists of cheap but not healthy. I’m with the meditation it’s good.
Thanks for posting Met. Very much appreciated!
I am in what’s app group where a member stated his sister followed a similar diet and her cancer layed dormont. I believe this is fact alongside a positive mind. Good and a informative read.
Good message that our ancestors had knowledge of. Some passed on in families and some didnt. I don’t believe there isn’t much out there that natural remedies are not able to cure. So much new generation of caribbean background don’t even know what a wash out is or would correlate aloe with poison. Too much of anything is no good but we must always try to result to the core and natural existence of things to eliminate unwanted variables like yeast when it comes to cancer. And yeast is a ingredient in alot of shelf products.
It’s interesting “to say the least” that I have read other articles in the news about herbalist and individuals,locally and internationally that have said the same thing and practice the same type of healthy lifestyle mention here. They have even manufactured healthy products based on proven research on persons who had very severe medical disease or conditions. They too practice and followed a regimen of only eating certain types of healthy foods that either partially or totally rid their bodies of the disease. I was just wondering why this woman story is of such big interests compared to others who have said or done the same thing. Why is her story more recognized and talked about to the point where researchers are now so highly interested in conducting further studies. For example, that Hondurian herbalist, Dr. Sebi. They gave this man a fight.