Today we’re talking about something we don’t often discuss — what happens after cancer treatment ends. We celebrate remission. We ring the bell. But survivorship is its own journey. After learning that only 10 percent of cancers are genetic and mine wasn’t, that left 90 to 100 percent that lie within my control.
Here are seven important things NOT to do after a cancer journey — with wisdom from God’s Word, research, and recommendations from my medical team. After all I went through with my doctors to beat this cancer, I certainly do not want it coming back.
- Don’t gain weight. – This suggestion was emphasized by my oncologist. Many times, we get offended when our doctors encourage such things, but I appreciate the truth. Obesity is a top risk factor for cancer and recurrence, and also for heart disease. I had an estrogen-fed and aggressive cancer. Fat cells produce estrogen, and these fat cells grow in response to insulin and inflammation. And toxins store in fat cells. Sixty percent of Americans are either overweight or obese, and I count myself in that number. Obesity predisposes us to insulin resistance which in turn creates more inflammation and higher cancer risk. Maintaining a healthy weight is key to longevity, cancer prevention and recurrence, and living a healthy life.
- Don’t keep eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) – Cancer Treatment Centers of America had a huge bulletin board where patients posted the changes they made after their cancer diagnosis. Their answers mainly centered around diet and gardening. Some folks were learning to grow their own crops with little to no chemicals. Many were eating more plants and less sugar. Many had changed to eating more whole foods.
The American diet is a highly processed food diet. I’ve definitely changed to eating more whole, organic foods, and I’m making more things from scratch including ingredients with nutrient density and cancer-fighting power. I’m also making my own bread from freshly milled flour. I made a video on the reasons I now mill my own grains. It will be referenced below.
These changes from a highly processed diet to a more whole-food, low-carb plant-based diet are changes that must be permanent. Our standard American diet is cancer-promoting, and I can never go back to that.
- Don’t ignore blood sugar levels – One of the greatest lessons I learned in the cancer journey is that cancer is a metabolic disease. Dr. Robert Elliott, a 55-year oncologist, cancer researcher, and commentator in my book “Unleash Your God-given Healing,” was a big believer in the metabolic theory of cancer. This theory began with Dr. Otto Warburg, who won the Nobel Prize in 1931 in medicine. It changed the way Dr. Elliott treated his cancer patients, and it enabled him to get better treatment results. Sugar weakens the immune system within hours after eating. High sugar levels decrease our ability to respond to stress, damage our microbiome, drive inflammation, and accelerate cancer. We now know that cancer cells have more insulin receptors than regular cells. All these reasons caused me to reduce my processed sugar intake, and to ask my doctor to keep a check on my A1C levels and fasting glucose. You want your A1C levels to be below 5.7. And now that mine are there, I’m keeping them there.
- Don’t become sedentary – Movement and exercise are key to living a healthy life and preventing cancer. Your lymphatic system is your trash disposal system, and it only works when you move. I exercised daily before cancer, and exercise helped me throughout the cancer journey. Obesity and the sedentary lifestyle compete with each other for the top cancer risk factor. Don’t let either take hold in your life. Movement and daily exercise will be a part of my life until the day I die. It’s that important and a key to preventing cancer recurrence.
Deep sleep is when our bodies repair, regenerate, and detoxify.
- Don’t neglect your body’s need for sleep – Never forget that deep sleep is when your body detects cancer cells, kills cancer cells, repairs defective cells, and detoxes. When you miss a night’s sleep, your natural killer cells in your immune system decrease by about 70 percent. The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, which followed over 10,000 people for eight years, found that poor sleep quality increased cancer risk by 59%. According to Dr. Michael Bruce, the sleep doctor, sleep affects every organ system and every disease state in the body. The more sleep-deprived you are, the more cancer cells multiply.
Realizing that making sleep a priority is an important strategy to prevent cancer recurrence, my husband and I have made significant changes. When we travel, we often spend the night before at an airport hotel to avoid missing a night’s sleep. When we travel overnight, we allow a full 24 hours to catch up on our sleep and recuperate. And we no longer take those red-eye overnight specials to save money.
- Don’t return to chronic stress patterns and neglect emotional health – Fear of recurrence, anxiety, and emotional distress are common among survivors. Chronic stress impacts the immune system and overall health. Psalm 23:2 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Rest is not laziness; it is obedience. Survivorship may be a call to healthier boundaries and stress management.2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” Seeking counseling, prayer, or support is not weakness — it is wisdom.
- Don’t Let Fear Control Your Future – Fear of recurrence is real. But it does not get to define your days. After I finished my cancer treatments, I was advised to live each day to the fullest. In my case, I’m not promised tomorrow. I now live considering “everyday as a gift from God to serve Him until He calls me home.” I don’t live in fear, but in gratitude. Knowing that I’ve made many productive changes takes away the sting of fear.Joshua 1:9 says, “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Survivorship is an invitation to live courageously — not recklessly, but faithfully.Survivorship is not just about being alive — it’s about living well. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has plans for hope and a future. But we also have responsibilities related to our health. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Stewardship includes continued medical care, healthy lifestyle changes, and paying attention to changes in our health. We are to walk by faith, not by fear.
What lessons have you learned from the cancer journey?
View this message on YouTube:
Seven Things NOT TO DO after Cancer
Related video:
Seven Reasons I Now Mill My Own Whole Grains
For Your Health,
Ginny
Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served on the front lines of American culture as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many TV and media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer and was recently awarded the First Place Golden Scrolls Award for Memoirs, a finalist in Serious Writers Book of the Decade, and Second Place in both Selah Awards for Memoirs and Director’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. It recently received the Christian Authors Network’s (CAN) Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing for reaching 62.5 million people with a message of cancer prevention and survival. It was written with commentary from an oncologist and was featured on CBN’s Healthy Living Show, Atlanta Live, and CTN’s Homekeepers along with over 75 media outlets. Learn more and cancer and wellness prevention blog and book information at www.ginnybrant.com.
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**** This content is strictly the opinion of Ginny Brant and is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Ginny Brant nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program. ****
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