It's dangerous and just not right to play with the lives of the terminally sick by throwing expensive drugs that can drain them of their life savings to "cure" their cancer but to leave them vulnerable to even more problems. Unfortunately this happens regularly.

Heart failure can, of course, be just as life-threatening as the cancer that Gleevec is intended to treat. Not only are many cancer drugs ruinously expensive -- with some varieties costing upwards of $100,000 a year -- but they can also cause serious side effects such as fatal strokes and blood clots.

Virtually none of the conventional cancer treatments do anything to address the underlying cause of the disease so it is not in the least bit surprising that they would cause serious side effects.

My experience with many cancer patients is that they frequently seek natural treatments far too late in the process, and it is very difficult to reverse a severe chronic disease when most of their health reserves are depleted and drained. This is not always true but seems to be present in the majority of cases I have treated.

That is why the best option is to stay free of cancer to begin with, which is why I urge you to check out these changes that will cut your cancer risk in half:  

• Control your insulin levels: Make certain that you limit your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as possible.

• Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats.

• Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down.

• Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. Ideally, it would be best to monitor your vitamin D levels.

• Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.

• Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.

• Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please understand that fresh conventionally grown vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are older and wilted in the grocery store. They are certainly better than no vegetables at all, so don't use that as an excuse.

• Maintain an ideal body weight.

• Get enough high-quality sleep.

• Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.

• Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.