Radical Remission

Radical Remission

Despite medical evidence of the existence of statistically unexpected, or -spontaneous remission,' from cancer, Kelly Turner, Ph.D., a researcher, lecturer, and counsellor in integrative oncology, was shocked to learn that no one was studying these cases of people who recovered from cancer against all odds, without the help of conventional medicine, or after conventional medicine had failed. Her dissertation research included a year-long trip to 10 countries to interview 50 alternative healers and 20 Radical Remission cancer survivors about their healing techniques. Since then, her ongoing research has led her to interview more than 100 survivors and analyse over 1,000 cases of radical remission to learn if there were commonalities behind these cases, and discovered that there in fact were. Dr. Turner's experience and evidence is presented in her book, Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds.

Each chapter of Radical Remission includes the gripping story of an individual's journey from grave diagnosis to wellness and the path they took to get there. Dr. Turner is careful not to raise false hope in sharing the personal stories and nine factors she identifies; however, she feels she has a scientific obligation to investigate and learn from every case of radical remission, and believes it is imperative to begin the process of scientifically examining these cases for potential clues on curing cancer and learn all we can from them.

Whether one is in the midst of receiving cancer treatment, recently diagnosed and seeking other options, or has been told that conventional treatment is no longer an option, Radical Remission seeks to inspire, give comfort, and to help people to optimise their health.

Dr. Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D. is a researcher, lecturer, and counsellor in the field of Integrative Oncology whose specialised research focus is the radical remission of cancer. Dr. Turner holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in New York City. More at www.Dr.KellyTurner.com and www.RadicalRemission.com.

Radical Remission
Harper Collins Australia
Author: Dr. Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D.
ISBN: 9780062268754
RRP: $39.99

 

Interview with Dr. Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D.

 

Question: What originally inspired you to study cases of those who'd recovered from cancer, against all odds?

Dr. Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D.: 10 years ago I was counseling cancer patients and helping them with their emotional journeys. By chance, I came across a case of Radical Remission and it made me pause - had this really happened? Did this person really turn around their Stage 4 cancer? I decided to do a little bit of research, and I quickly found over 1,000 cases of radical remission in the medical literature. However, no one was looking at these cases as a whole, or investigating them further - so, I decided to do that.


Question: Who did you write Radical Remission for?

Dr. Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D.: I wrote Radical Remission for anyone who's ever been touched by cancer, because I realised that the 9 most common factors that Radical Remission survivors utilize are things that anyone can do, right now. I lost my dear friend to cancer when we were just 16, and I wish he had at least known about these incredible cases of recovery.


Question: Can you talk about the research and processes behind writing Radical Remission?

Dr. Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D.: It took a long time! I've been studying this for 10 years now, and I come across new cases of Radical Remission every day. I started off by analysing the 1,000 documented cases of Radical Remission in the medical literature. I then realized that no one was really asking the survivors what they did to heal, nor was anyone studying the alternative healers that many of the survivors went to see (such as reiki healers, acupuncturists, herbalists, etc). So, I then applied for a research grant to travel to 10 countries over the course of 1 year in order to find and interview RR survivors and alternative cancer healers from around the world. It was a life-changing trip both personally and professionally. When I returned, I continued to interview RR survivors in-person and over the phone, and I have now conducted more than 200 in-depth interviews. The analysis of those interviews was and still is ongoing, but a point of "data saturation" came up after about 70 interviews.


Question: Are you able to share with us one story of an individual's path from diagnoses to wellness?

Dr. Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D.: It's so hard to choose just one, but I was honoured to interview Shin Terayama in-person - a father, husband, and businessman who lives in Tokyo, Japan. Shin tried surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for his Stage 4 kidney cancer, but nothing was working and he was sent home on hospice care. Little by little, he began taking control of his health and making small changes to his body-mind-spirit that made him feel better. He slowly began walking and eating normally again, and 3 years later, his scans showed that he was completely free of cancer - and that was more than 25 years ago! His full story is shared in Chapter 2 of my book.


Question: Is there one process that stood out that many of the patients, you interviewed, used to help their journey to wellness?

Dr. Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D.: I wish there were just one process that stood out, because it would have a been a much easier (and shorter!) book to write. However, it's impossible to say whether any of the 9 most common factors is more important than the others. Nevertheless, I will say that when you step back and look at all of the 9 factors as a whole, they all have been shown to directly or indirectly strengthen the immune system - and the immune system is how our bodies naturally remove cancer cells.


Interview by Brooke Hunter