During a routine physical exam in April 2004, my doctor noticed that I
had an enlarged thyroid. He sent me to get a sonogram to get a better
look and a few days later it showed two nodules or growths; one on each
side of my thyroid gland. One was 1.2cm, the other just over twice that
size.
I was then scheduled for a biopsy to check for cancerous cells and of course, the “c” word scared the heck out of me!
The results of the biopsy were inconclusive; the pathologist called
them “suspicious.” I called my doctor and he said they could be benign
follicular nodules or malignant tumors. To be safe, he recommended
surgery to remove the growths and part, or possibly all, of my thyroid
gland. He said that the only way to find out for sure if they were
cancerous was to perform a tissue biopsy after removal.
“But don’t you worry,” my doctor said, “if they are
malignant, surgically removing them will 100% cure the thyroid cancer.
And if they turn out to be benign, then it’s no big deal. We’ll put you
on synthetic hormone replacement medicine for the rest of your life,
and you’ll be just fine.”
He gave me the name of a surgeon and urged me to schedule surgery to
remove my thyroid. I was afraid. The doctor is always right, isn’t he?
Nobody wants to mess around when he spouts words like “malignant” or
“cancer.” I did as I was told and got on the phone right away and
scheduled surgery.
But I Wasn't Ready to Cut Out My Thyroid on a Hunch
Fortunately a small, but saner part of my mind totally balked at the
willy-nilly chopping out of my God-given thyroid gland, on the
unsubstantiated hunch that it may have malignant tumors.
So, with the support and urging of my husband, I contacted Wayne Garland that afternoon.
I’d heard him speak for many years about the body’s own healing power
and I wanted another option besides surgery. Wayne replied to me
immediately, saying “Oh dear, this isn't good news, is it? But it is
very reversible.”
I also consulted an endocrinologist for a second medical opinion, and
she scared me even more. She viewed the opinion of the pathologist that
cancer or precancerous cells may be present, and requested an additional
blood test. From this, she believed I had an 80% chance of having
thyroid cancer of some kind.
She recommended IMMEDIATE surgery to remove my entire Thyroid. She
then explained that after surgery, they would withhold Synthroid (an
artificial form of the thyroid hormone) until I get exhausted and
experience hypothyroidism and then give me a radioactive pill in the
hospital and put me in an isolation room there for 48 hours afterwards.
You've got to be kidding me - that's horrific!
Reversible
I kept remembering Wayne’s words. Reversible. They were like a lifeline to me.
I contacted him again and asked for his recommendation. I told him
of my fears and my objections to surgery. After our conversation, I
made a monumental decision. I canceled the surgery and put myself in
his care to see if we could battle this issue with my body’s
own arsenal.
My endocrinologist was beside herself when I told her and
vociferously reiterated the word “R-I-S-K” over and over again to me. I
assured her that I was making an informed choice about my own body, and
that it was important to me to try an alternate means to heal myself.
"As long as you understand the risk..." I stuck to my guns.
We Started with a Kidney Cleanse
Wayne Garland started me on a 3-day kidney cleanse and recommended
several supplements to give my body the nutrients to fight back; Life Transfusion Liquid Mineral Complex, Antioxidant, Super AKG Shark Liver Oil, Edgar Cayce Detoxified Iodine Thyroid formula, Balanced Woman, and Primal Defense.
- Upon waking each morning I squeezed 2 tablespoons of juice of a lemon into a large glass of purified water
- Breakfast consisted of a glass of organic cranberry juice (unsweetened) with a teaspoon of Liquid Minerals
- For lunch and dinner I pureed Wayne Garland's Miracle Potassium Broth soup with 2 teaspoons of Bragg Liquid Aminos
- Later in the evening, I had a glass of carrot juice with 3 drops Liquid Minerals
- All day long, I drank filtered water. With each 8-oz glass, I added 3 drops of Liquid Minerals
- Every 4 hours, I took 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
- Before going to bed, I drank a glass of Aloe Vera juice
And I Eliminated All Meat and Dairy
After the kidney cleanse, Wayne recommended I go on a
vegetarian diet and eliminate all dairy; no milk, cheese or ice cream.
Since we were fighting a thyroid issue, this was a no-hormone-added
diet. I drank soy milk and added tofu to my diet. I ate lots of
salads, beans such as black beans, garbanzo beans, and fava beans, and
steamed or Oriental veggie stir fries. Most of my veggies and fruits
were organic. I was delighted that I could still have fish and
discovered many new ways to prepare it.
Finally, Wayne urged me to add something else to my regime – Iscador.
Iscador is a naturopathic remedy from mistletoe, and it is
the number one protocol for all cancer in Germany. It boosts the
immune system overall, but specifically targets tumors and contains them
so the body can then overcome them. Wayne said he has used it very
successfully with all kinds of cancers; lung, liver, ovarian,
breast as well as Hodgkins Lymphomia.
My Daily Nutrition Program
My daily nutrition program usually included a light breakfast of a
tall glass of beet or beet & carrot juice (freshly pureed by
myself). Alternatively I would have a glass of unsweetened organic soy
milk or fresh strawberries. I always had at least one full glass of filtered water with Liquid Minerals with my morning supplements. I
occasionally had a couple of organic eggs. All day long, I drank
filtered water (about a gallon per day). Each tall glass had 3 drops of
minerals in it.
Lunch often consisted of beans (black beans, red beans, etc.), either
organic canned, or I cooked them myself from scratch to keep the salt
content down. I also had a fresh carrot or two and a couple of celery
stalks, with almonds as a mid-afternoon snack. Another favorite snack
of mine was dried Sea Marine Veggies at anytime of day. I had a cup of tea in the afternoon, always herbal non-caffeinated.
Dinners were varied. Often I ate a large fresh salad with lettuce,
dandelion greens, spinach, celery, carrots, tomatoes, etc. Most, if not
all, of the veggies were organically-grown. I used Barlean’s Flax Seed Oil
and balsamic vinegar for a dressing. One night I whipped up a meal of
tofu and snow peas with Bragg’s Liquid Aminos and sesame seed oil.
Another night I had a bit of low-carb pasta with soy/tofu parmesan
non-dairy cheese. At a restaurant I had freshly-made guacamole, with a
Talapia fish burrito.
Three Months Later
I had a follow-up thyroid ultrasound after three months on Wayne's program. The smaller nodule had no change, but the other one had REDUCED by more than half. No new nodules were present.
The conversation with the endocrinologist was a little different this time – in her notes she wrote,
“It does in fact appear that her left-sided 2.6 cm nodule
has now reduced in size to 1 cm which is a very impressive change. She
is on natural therapies with Wayne Garland. He is an alternative
medicine physician and she was taking mistletoe (Iscador). Whatever she
is doing is appearing to have some effect. For now, I asked her to do
serial ultrasound. We will not re-biopsy her nodule at this time.”
I was ecstatic! Wayne's words - Reversible - kept ringing in my head.
Five Months Later
I had another follow-up appointment with the endocrinologist. She
was still watching my progress closely and ordered another thyroid
ultrasound. At that time both nodules were essentially the same. I’d
hoped for another dramatic change, but Wayne reminded me that NO
change was good too; stability meant that neither nodule was growing
(which is usually the case.)
My endocrinologist at that time was comfortable enough with my
progress to advise me to continue what I was doing and come back for a
checkup in a year.
I Can't Believe It - Two Years from beginning Wayne Garland's Nutrition Program
In June 2006 I returned for a checkup and another thyroid ultrasound. The endocrinologist reported,
“A left-sided nodule noted previously is not convincingly
redemonstrated as a discrete finding. No new nodule is seen.” “Stable
solid nodule in the right lobe. No other nodule demonstrated.”
This meant that in the space of two years following Wayne's healthy regime, a growth on my thyroid gland had completely DISAPPEARED, without chemotherapy, drugs or invasive surgery!
According to medical science, this doesn't happen - they usually only grow larger over time.
Thank you so much, Wayne!
Andrea Billewicz
Alexandria, VA