PDF Summary:Radical Remission, by Kelly A. Turner

When patients recover from cancer despite bleak statistical odds, what factors contribute to their unexpected healing? In Radical Remission, researcher Kelly A. Turner examines cases of patients who experienced surprising recoveries from cancer—either without conventional treatment, after conventional treatment failed, or by combining conventional and alternative approaches. Through interviews with over 100 cancer survivors and 50 alternative healers, Turner identifies nine factors that appear most frequently in these cases.

Turner's findings span physical, emotional, and spiritual domains. These factors include dietary changes, emotional release, social support, and spiritual connection. She explains how each element can support the body's healing process, noting that while every individual's system is unique, most survivors she studied incorporated all nine factors to some degree. The book presents these elements as accessible practices that can be used for cancer prevention, treatment, or recovery.

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Drastically altering your diet and incorporating herbal remedies and supplements can be dangerous. Some herbs and supplements can interfere with the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs by altering the activity of enzymes and transporters involved in drug metabolism. For example, St. John's wort can reduce the effectiveness of certain chemotherapy drugs by increasing their metabolism, while grapefruit juice can increase the toxicity of some drugs by inhibiting their breakdown. These interactions can lead to suboptimal treatment outcomes or increased side effects.

The Nine Crucial Elements for Recovering Radically

Turner explains that Radical Remission involves nine main elements that contribute to healing. Each person's physical, mental, and spiritual system is unique, so the factors that matter most for healing will differ for each individual. She points out that these elements aren't rare, expensive, or difficult to obtain. Though these take effort, research shows they all support health. They can be used to stop cancer from developing, to treat cancer alongside Western medicine, to treat cancer without Western medicine, or to avoid cancer's recurrence.

When the Nine Main Elements May Not Be Enough

While the nine main elements may be helpful in many cases, there are some situations where they may not be enough. For example, some cancers are highly curable with standard treatments, such as early-stage breast cancer or testicular cancer. In these cases, delaying or refusing conventional treatment in favor of alternative approaches can lead to worse outcomes. One study found that patients who chose alternative medicine instead of conventional treatment for curable cancers had a higher risk of death. This suggests that while the nine main elements may be helpful, they may not be enough to cure certain types of cancer on their own.

We'll now explore these elements in detail.

Internal Factors: Mindset, Emotion & Spirit

Emotional Wellbeing

One principle Turner discusses is that releasing repressed emotions can improve physical health. These emotions might stem from previous experiences and could be aware or unaware, as well as negative or positive. Common negative emotions include stress, fear, trauma, regret, anger, and sadness, but you might also retain positive feelings, like happiness.

(Shortform note: In The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk explains that releasing repressed emotions can improve physical health because it allows the body to shift from a state of chronic stress to a state of calm. When you repress emotions, your brain’s alarm system stays on high alert, flooding your body with stress hormones and keeping your nervous system in a constant fight-or-flight mode.)

Turner explains that keeping stress harms your immune system and how well it combats cancer, but letting it go makes your immune system stronger. She cites studies that show letting go of anxiety, fear, or anger can enhance immune function. For example, breast cancer patients who took a ten-week stress management course showed increased white blood cell counts compared to those who didn’t take the course. Likewise, melanoma patients who joined a six-week stress management and relaxation program experienced a noticeable boost in NK cell activity compared to those who didn’t. NK cells are a distinct type of leukocyte that attach to cancerous cells and kill them by releasing a toxic substance called perforin.

How Stress Affects Your Immune System

In Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Robert M. Sapolsky explains that chronic stress can suppress the immune system by altering the expression of genes in immune cells, including NK cells. Stress hormones like cortisol can downregulate the production of cytokines that activate NK cells, reducing their ability to recognize and destroy abnormal cells. This means that when you let go of anxiety, fear, or anger, you’re not just changing your mood—you’re altering the hormonal and neural signals that influence how your immune cells function at a molecular level.

External Factors: Diet, Lifestyle & Social Environment

Turner also explains that people who survive Radical Remission often modify their diet to support their recovery from cancer. They cut back on or cut out sugary foods, meat, dairy, and processed items from what they eat. The reason is that cancerous cells metabolize glucose far more quickly than typical cells. So, it's logical for people with cancer to minimize refined sugar intake to avoid "nourishing" those cancerous cells. They can get glucose from natural sources in produce. In addition, Turner notes that consuming produce aids in preventing cancer, and people with cancer who increase how much produce they eat live longer.

(Shortform note: While it’s true that cancer cells metabolize glucose more quickly than normal cells, it’s not accurate to say that reducing your intake of refined sugar will keep you from “nourishing” those cancerous cells. This is because the body maintains a constant level of glucose in the blood, regardless of how much sugar you eat. When you eat sugar, your body breaks it down into glucose, which enters your bloodstream. Your pancreas then releases insulin, which helps your cells absorb the glucose for energy. If you eat more sugar than your body needs, the excess glucose is stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen. When your blood sugar levels drop, your body converts the stored glycogen back into glucose to maintain a steady supply of energy.)

Certain produce, like cruciferous vegetables (such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower) and allium veggies (including garlic, onions, and scallions), as well as berries with a deep color, are powerful in combating cancer. Cruciferous vegetables have nutrients that can prevent cancer cell growth, stop them from metastasizing, and even kill cancer cells. In addition, regularly consuming grains in their entirety has been associated with reduced rates of cancer. To gain the benefits of cancer-fighting nutrients, Turner suggests consuming fruits and vegetables of various colors, as each hue indicates a distinct nutrient that fights cancer.

When to Avoid Certain Foods

While these foods are generally beneficial, there are some situations where you may need to avoid them. For example, if you have neutropenia (a low white blood cell count), you may need to avoid raw cruciferous vegetables, allium veggies, and berries with a deep color, as they can harbor bacteria that could cause infection. Similarly, if you have severe bowel inflammation, you may need to avoid grains in their entirety, as they can be difficult to digest and may irritate your digestive tract. Your dietitian can help you determine which foods are safe and appropriate for you to eat during treatment.