Pulse June 2018 | Page 66

asK tHE ExPErt carl o. HElviE, R.N., Dr.P.H. as lEadErs iN tHE sPa aNd WEllNEss coMMuNity, you know the benefits of a nutritious diet and active lifestyle has on your health. Following both will leave you lighter, brighter and more ready to take on the day. But, did you know that following the holistic lifestyle you prescribe to your clients could also help prevent cancer? national cancer Survivor’s day is June 3, and carl o. Helvie, R.n., dr.P.H., will be celebrating for the 44th year. In 1974, carl o. Helvie was told he had lung cancer and six months to live. Today, at age 85 and possibly the world’s longest lung cancer survivor, he shares the secrets and science behind his survival—a holistic lifestyle. In this month’s Ask the Expert, we caught up with Helvie (he may be 85 but he hasn’t slowed down) to discuss his new book, Reducing Your Cancer Risk (A Holistic Approach), what inspired him to forgo traditional treatments 44 years ago, and what he is doing to spread his holistic message to the masses. 64 PULSE ■ June 2018 Pulse: When you were diagnosed with cancer 44 years ago, why did you decide to forgo the traditional treat- ments for a more holistic approach? helvie: The doctor gave me six months to live with chemo and surgery, and I decided I did not want to be debilitated by the chemo for my last six months alive. As a nurse, I had seen many cancer patients who were treated traditionally and knew of both the short- term disability and long-term complications. Because I did not have symptoms, I wanted to remain that way, and I knew from my public health education that there are multiple factors in disease causation and in reversing the process—thus, the holistic approach. I also knew natural, holistic treatment might take longer but was less invasive and usually had fewer or no side effects. P: What was the easiest transition you made to a holistic lifestyle? The most difficult? h: The easiest transition was meditation and prayer that was a daily part of my routine for a few years before the diagnosis. One of the more difficult transitions was moving to a vegan diet with no meat, eggs, sugar and cheese. Cheese was especially difficult to give up.