Gawler Foundation News

Dealing with Cancer

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +1100

Isabelle Henry wants every other cancer sufferer to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The 60-year-old Ascot vale nurse was diagnosed with uterine cancer in April last year and plummeted into a journey of emotional turmoil.

Facing the possibility of death on a daily basis, Ms Henry knew there was something beyond chemotherapy, hospital wards and surgery.

Stumbling upon The Gawler Foundation in July this year, Ms Henry did a 12-week program in Footscray to learn all there is to know about self-help techniques for people experiencing cancer.

"The Gawler Foundation empowered me to take control and consider healthy eating, a positive attitude and dealing with the possibility of death on an emotional level," she said.

Since completing the 12-week program, Ms Henry's test results are all clear, she has gone on a trip to America, found employment as an over the phone health coach and is the face of The Gawler Foundation's Christmas Appeal for 2010.

To donate to The Gawler Foundation, visit http://www.gawler.org/the-christmas-appeal

ABC - Compass - A Good Life

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Compass - A Good Life: According To Ian Gawler

30th August 10:10pm

In this three-part series prominent Australians present their view and ideas on ‘a good life’. Each program features one guest whose argument is then examined in interview with Compass presenter Geraldine Doogue. In Episode 1, Ian Gawler, cancer survivor and renowned healer, talks about his pioneering work in integrated ‘mind-body’ medicine and the therapeutic use of meditation and nutrition. He claims his prescription for healthy living is synonymous with a good life.

http://www.abc.net.au/compass/

Annual Conference - Profound Healing - Sustainable Wellbeing

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1000

Annual Conference - November 13 and 14, 2010

Bookings for The Gawler Foundation Annual Conference - Profound Healing - Sustainable Wellbeing are now open. For full program details see below.

Take an active role and make a difference to your health, happiness and life. Be informed, inspired and motivated and access knowledge at the forefront of research. Learn skills and self-help techniques to prevent illness and manage your health and wellbeing.

Over two days, keynote speakers, panel discussions, interactive workshops and other activities will be offered as part of this exciting, informative and inspired event which is suitable for anyone interested in prevention and wellbeing, people and carers affected by cancer, MS or other lifestyle illnesses and Health Professionals.

Held annually at the Hilton on the Park, Melbourne, this Conference brings together leaders in integrated cancer care and preventative health.

The brochure and registration form for our annual conference are now available.

Download Brochure

Download Registration Form

A Good Life: According to Ian Gawler

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Last night on Compass on ABC1, Ian Gawler talked about his pioneering work in integrated ‘mind-body’ medicine and the therapeutic use of meditation and nutrition.

If you missed the program on ABC1 television, you can still view it on the Compass website. Click here

Volunteers Needed

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Seeking volunteers for the following positions:

To assist our resident gardener, Tobias Mager, in the vegie gardens & grounds – benefit: you’ll get to learn a lot about organic / biodynamic vegie growing, working in a beautiful environment.
To assist the Group Leader with our Burwood or Footscray 12 week “Living Well – Cancer, Healing & Wellbeing” program, on a rostered basis, preparing room set up, welcoming participants, preparing morning tea, etc...
To assist one day a week in our Resource Centre at Yarra Junction processing mail orders.
To assist with events like our Mind Body Spirit seminars held in March, June and October each year.

Applicants need to be reliable and have time on their hands to assist on a regular basis. The work is very rewarding and your assistance much appreciated by staff as well as our program participants.

If interested, please contact Rudi Uriot on 5967 1730 or email rudi@gawler.org for a volunteer application form.

Join us on Facebook

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +1100

Join The Gawler Foundation Group on Facebook and you'll be notified about all news and events.

Letter to Mr Brumby

Thu, 06 May 2010 00:00:00 +1000

6^th May 2010
The Hon John Brumby
Premier of Victoria
1 Treasury Place
East Melbourne VIC 3002

Dear Mr Brumby

The Gawler Foundation would like to congratulate you on the very generous funding to the Olivia Newton John Wellness Centre at the Austin Hospital. This is indeed a very strong commitment to the ongoing health and wellbeing of all cancer patients in Victoria.

You may not be aware that The Gawler Foundation has been providing services such as those planned for the ONJ-Wellness Centre for over 28 years. Indeed The Foundation established and ran Australia's first Cancer Support Group in 1981 and has continued to do so in Victoria since that time. In addition to the Support Groups, we have conducted a 12 week Cancer Living Well program for over 25 years.

Consistent with the principles of integrative medicine, our 'Living Well' programs apply a self-help approach designed to improve both quantity and quality of life. Our residential and non residential programs enable participants to make informed, effective choices and better manage their own situation through workshops teaching meditation (for stress management and stillness) and nutrition (to support the body' immune system), as well as providing support to work through issues relating to their emotional, spiritual and psychological needs. Participants in The Gawler Foundation programs find real hope and empowerment through attending our programs.

Over the past couple of years, we have focused on broadening our outreach program to enable more people with cancer in lower socio-economic areas to access our non residential support groups and programs. In 2009, we have programs running in Footscray, Dandenong/Springvale and Hawthorn. Through a series of bursaries we have been able to offer this service to people with Health Care Cards at a greatly reduced rate ($40 for 12 week program). We fund this through the generosity of our supporters and most recently through a generous gift from the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation.

Our simple goal is to make our programs available to all Victorians who are dealing with cancer. For over 25 years we have worked hard toward this goal without any Government funding at all. (We did receive a modest grant of $15,000 over a decade ago) We believe that the promotion of lifestyle based approaches to cancer care, in conjunction with more mainstream treatment will not only improve health outcomes for Victorians with cancer, but will also reduce the already overburdened health budget.

Cancer patients need to have a range of options available to them. We recognise and applaud your initiatives in funding and supporting the Olivia Newton John Wellness Centre at the Austin. Olivia's own journey with cancer changed the way she viewed cancer care and the Wellness Centre is testimony to this and the need for treatment options which are integrated and holistic.

Mr Brumby I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or your representative in the near future to explore how The Gawler Foundation can work with you to help more Victorians get the very best of cancer care through an integrated approach to health, healing and wellbeing.

Yours sincerely

Karin Knoester

Chief Executive Officer

CC Daniel Andrews MLA, Minister for Health.

Dorothy Edgelow recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours List

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +1000

The Gawler Foundation congratulates our very own Dorothy Edgelow OAM who was recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Dorothy has been a stalwart of the Gawler Foundation since its inception and was one of the original major donors who provided financial resources to purchase the Yarra Valley Living Centre site. Dorothy continues to work in our programs and has extended her work to include her Children's Whole Health Foundation. Congratulations Dorothy. You are a star. Karin

See the from Professor David de Kretser,A.C., Govenor of Victoria

The Gawler Foundation Hawthorn Centre is now officially open!

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +1000

An official opening was held on Friday 25 June at the centre at 565 Burwood Road, Hawthorn. Almost 100 people helped us celebrate this milestone in The Foundations history. The Centre is open weekdays between 9am and 4.30pm. Drop in and say hello, have a cuppa, and browse the Resource Centre and Information Kiosk.

Dignitaries of the evening from left to right.

Karin Knoester - The Gawler Foundation CEO

Prof Rob Moodie - Guest speaker

Ian Gawler OAM - Founder of The Gawler Foundation

Dr Craig Hassed -GP and program facilitator at The Gawler Foundation

Relish Designs

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +1000

The Gawler Foundation would like to extend their thanks to Relish Designs.

Melissa Wittig - Owner of Relish Designs is a "health" focused interior designer / decorator, writer and educator. Melissa has a passion for healthy interiors and creating healthy homes that promote wellbeing. Melissa provided valuable advice and assistance (all pro bono) in creating the spaces at the Hawthorn Centre.

We utilised treatments that minimise VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions (gasses) released into the indoor air environment. We were please to work with Melissa who assisted us in creating a stylish, comfortable and beautiful space without compromising human health.

Relish Designs offers a range of services to help you create a healthy home.

Relish Designs
P.O Box 4224
Briar Hill,
Victoria, 3088
Ph : 0417 122 399

AMA calls for integrated approach to cancer care.

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1000

We are very encouraged to see articles like this (More work needed to implement evidence base in psychooncology in cancer care) from The Medical Journal of Australia, (September 2010). The Gawler Foundation’s approach to cancer healing has always embraced an integrated psychosocial and biological approach to cancer treatment, and this research is greatly anticipated. Read the press release here.

Ian's blog - It only has to be done once

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1100

There has been some discussion recently in the medical press regarding my case history; its accuracy and its relevance to others with cancer. It seemed to me that the matters raised had been satisfactorily answered but then Linda Calabresi, medical editor for Australian Doctor (the journal that goes weekly to all Australian GPs) suggested the record needed to be set straight, so my response has been published and is reproduced below.

The issues of contention revolved around the timelines for my illness and the dates on photos taken of my cancer, as reported my Dr Ainslie Meares way back in 1978, and the 30 year follow-up of my case in 2008; as well as me being described as having followed a vegan diet during my recovery.

The reality is that I was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma in January 1975, had metastases confirmed in December 1975 and was found to be cancer free in June 1978. What happened in between was quite complex. I tried most things you could think of and probably a few you would not!

When I recovered Ainslie Meares, who had introduced me to meditation, reported my case in the Medical Journal of Australia. While he acknowledged many of the things I had done, he felt the most significant factor may well have been intense meditation.

It is true he reported I had more severe disease when we first met than I did, however, he had not shown me his article before submitting it and this error seemed to me to be of no material significance. If a woman has a pregnancy confirmed, but the dates are wrong; unless there is major intervention, she will still have a baby. I certainly had a very poor prognosis when I went to Dr Meares; if there had been no major intervention, all the experts were sure I would have died within a few months. As it was, I did recover and I too felt the meditation was crucial.

The main photo in contention was of the rather large mass of cancer on my chest that was mis-labelled as being taken in July 1977, when in fact it was taken before I began chemotherapy in October 1976. This again seemed of minor importance but I do have the complete series of photos each month from then until the chest had cleared completely towards the end of 1977.

Because my history is so complex, when it came to having it told in book form, I decided not to do it myself as an autobiography, but to agree to a journalist, Guy Allenby writing it. Guy had full access to my medical records, the meticulous diaries I kept, and he interviewed my medical staff, family, friends and colleagues. In my opinion, The Dragon's Blessing is accurate, so anyone interested in the proper timelines will find them there.

Regarding what I ate during my recovery, it was mostly vegan. If you eat meat once a week, you are not strictly a vegetarian but you certainly are not a rabid carnivore. It is hard to characterise diets in a few words, and anyway, I do not recommend people do exactly what I did. What I do recommend has been readily available since "You Can Conquer Cancer" first came out in 1984. Anyone really interested could come to the residential or non-residential programs I established, come to a workshop or listen to my CDs on food. I have also written some blogs on food and will do more soon, particularly on why it makes good sense to avoid dairy and adopt a relatively low protein diet.

The good thing about the discussion is that it has provided another opportunity to present the merits of a therapeutic lifestyle for people with cancer in a medical forum.

Cancer is a lifestyle disease and the value of a therapeutic lifestyle needs to be discussed early for people diagnosed with cancer just as it is for people when they are first diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes.

If we really want to treat cancer best, we need to prevent it and the soundest way to prevent it is through a healthy lifestyle.

You can read Ian's Letter to Australian Doctor here: http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/50/0c06d750.asp

Hansard mentions TGF

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1100

The following excerpt has been reproduced from House of Representatives Hansard, Australian Federal Parliament - Monday 25 Oct

Re: Pink ribbon day

By: Member Ms Ley

"My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago. She had a mastectomy and has recovered very well. I mention my mother because she is a little bit alternative and her view was that chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a lifetime of drugs probably was not for her. She was going to take an alternative path. My mother, Angela Braybrook, has always been a keen follower, as I have said, of alternative therapies. She followed the Gawler Approach. I met Ian Gawler a couple of weeks ago and I was truly impressed by his view of how we can approach a diagnosis such as cancer in our lives. It would be very easy for me, as some-one who has not been diagnosed with this disease, to say, 'Well, if you are diagnosed, this is what you should do,' but when my mother was diagnosed with cancer I had firsthand knowledge of someone taking that approach. She decided that diet and meditation was the key, and that is the work of the Gawler Foundation. Ian Gawler, as members of the House will know, was diagnosed with almost inoperable secondary cancers some 30 years ago. He has lived a long and happy life since then. Doctors had completely given up on him and he took matters into his own hands and struggled through an awful period when he worked out that the way to go was through diet and meditation. He travelled overseas, he looked into the spiritual side of life and his experiences are recorded in his book The Dragon's Blessing, which I recommend. In fact, when friends of mine are diagnosed with cancer, as happens all too often, I give them a copy of the book.

My mother implemented the Gawler Approach. It is about organic food, it is about plant based food and it is a vegetarian diet, but the most important thing is the meditation. When I met Ian Gawler in Melbourne a couple of weeks - it was not planned; it was a social event-I asked him particularly about the meditation. I said, 'We all have such busy lives; how difficult is it?' He said that it was really difficult. He meets people all the time who say they can manage the diet part, because they just have to work it out and stick to it, but the meditation part is a lot more difficult. His advice was: 'Practise it, try it, and even if you can only do it for 10 minutes at a time it will come to you. You will learn to do it. You will be so much better for it.' He said to me, 'Of course you should start early; you should not wait till you get diagnosed with a serious illness.' The alternative approaches that do not rely on medication sit side by side with traditional Western medicine. That, I think, is the key thing that Ian Gawler says. Do not throw away Western medicine-it has an extremely valuable place-but look also at what you can do to support yourself in other ways.

It is important that the House recognise breast cancer for the serious disease that it is, but we should also take pride in our oncologists, breast care nurses, support workers and community members and all that they do every day. The reduction in deaths, to the extent that it is happening, is largely a result of their very important work. To meet these people is truly inspiring. So today, 25 October, I urge everybody to buy a badge, wear a badge and do what they can to support more research into breast cancer."

for full transcript see http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/latesthansard/rhansard.pdf ( starts page 11)

A musical foundation

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1000

Michael Johnson presents - A Twilight Music concert. Saturday 2 Oct

As well as touring as a concert performer, Michael has been working in the field of music for meditation for over twenty years. He has been working at The Gawler Foundation since 1991, providing his tranquil music to aid the meditative work with the "mindfulness music" sessions. He also runs the Twilight Music concerts, held every month at the Hawthorn centre.

Michael has 11 recordings to his name and is currently Musician in residence at the ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS MELBOURNE. He performs regularly around Australia as a solo artist but also with his groups 'Light of the Moon', 'Clair de Lune' and 'The Light Ensemble'.

Tel Michael on 0407 302 771
For more information http://www.michaeljohnson.com.au

An Open Letter to the Editor

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1100

Treatment of cancer is an individual journey. What works for one person may not necessarily work for another.

The Gawler Foundation prides itself on working with people as individuals to give every participant their best chance of a recovery.

The recent articles in Australian Doctor and The Australian in relation to the specifics of Ian Gawler's recovery from cancer over 30 years ago are of great concern to the Foundation

The Foundation has its genesis in the healing journey of Ian Gawler and was established on the lifestyle principles he found most helpful during this time.

We work within an integrated medical framework and utilise lifestyle based self-help techniques including a focus on nutrition, meditation, healthy emotions, and spiritual and psychological support in our work with people with cancer.

Over the 30 years that the Foundation has been in existence there has been a natural evolution within our programs in response to evidence-based research and experience. As such, what the Foundation teaches today may differ slightly from what Ian did, however the principles of providing the body with good nutrition, managing stress through meditation, addressing unhealthy emotions, positive attitudes and support remain the cornerstone of our approach.

Ian Gawler is a pioneer in the application of mind-body medicine, he is a beacon of hope for those affected by cancer and the large number of people who have benefitted from our programs and Ian's pioneering spirit stands as testimony to our work.

These articles are in no way helpful to the important work of the Foundation nor to those people suffering from cancer.

Karin Knoester

CEO - The Gawler Foundation

Rome To Santiago Website has launched

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1100

Announcing the launch of the website www.rometosantiagoproject.com.au. John Bettens, a past program participant at The Gawler Foundation living with two types of cancer, will embark on an incredible 3000 kilometre walk as a fundraiser for the Foundation. He will set out in April 2011 and walk from Rome, Italy, to Santiago, Spain, on the Pilgrams path, also known as 'The Camino'. Check out the website and make a donation today. All proceeds benefit The Gawler Foundation's work.

Hawthorn Centre Special Christmas Trading Night - 10% discount

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1100

The Hawthorn Centre will extend trading hours on Wednesday 8th Dec to celebrate Christmas with our fellow Auburn Village traders.

All purchases made between 5pm and 8 pm on the night will receive an extra christmas bonus of a 10% discount* on all items in the shop.

Pop in and see Bronwyn at 565 Burwood Road Hawthorn, pickup some great christmas gifts and enjoy a wonderful festive season.

* Members are entitled to an extra 10% discount on top of regular membership discount on Books, CDs and DVDs.

MS research on ABC's 7.30 Report

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +1100

New MS research done by Prof George Jelinek has been previewed on ABC's 7.30 report (16/12/10).

Prof Jelinek has been running his 'Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis' retreats here at The Gawler Foundation for many years, and this research is wonderful evidence for it's healing potential and the health and 'quality of life' benefits available to those afflicted with MS.

Watch the story

ABC 7.30 Report Transcript

See our Summer Magazine Healthy Living for a summary article about the research.

Gawler Foundation Raffle - Ticket Winners Announced

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1100

Here are the results for The Gawler Foundation annual raffle.

1^st Prize – Ticket Number 49449

2^nd Prize – Ticket Number 34757

3^rd Prize – Ticket Number 25699

4^th Prize – Ticket Number 7506

5^th Prize – Ticket Number 16063

6^th Prize – Ticket Number 47256

7^th Prize – Ticket Number 32462

Book Buyers Prize – Ticket Number 36536

Congratulations to all winners and thankyou to all those who participated - your contribution helps.

Christmas Wishes

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1100

Christmas blessings for the Season.

Click here for The Gawler Foundation Christmas Ecard.

A life extending experience

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Rob Cameron talks about his life-changing, life-extending experience

Past program participant Rob Cameron shares about his experiences at The Gawler Foundation in December 2010.

Read all about his time here.

John Bettens crosses the Italian-French border

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Congratulations to John Bettens who recently crossed the border from Italy into France - a milestone that signifies over 800 kilometres of walking since April 1. John is walking over 3000 kilometres from Rome to Santiago on the 'Pilgrims Path' (or Camino) to raise money for the Foundation. Read his blog with stories from the road and lots of photos. Donations welcome.

Tax Appeal 2011 Steven Bell stays strong

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Can you support our vital work?

As a partner of someone going through cancer you need to be coach and cheer squad, nurse and dietician, lover, supporter and friend. But who supports the carers? How do you stay strong for the ones you love when your whole world is turned upside down by cancer?

Unfortunately, Steven Bell knows all about the plight of carers. Steven has lost both his father and brother to brain cancer and his mother to pancreatic cancer. He is now supporting his beloved spouse Heather who is currently battling ovarian cancer.

Click here to read Steven’s moving story of hope and determination

Fortunately, The Gawler Foundation is be able to offer programs not only to people with cancer but also to their carers, offering families the opportunity to focus and go deeper into the healing process, to address any issues and obstacles, deal with setbacks, transform fear and learn new techniques for healthy living.

But we still receive no government funding for this work which we heavily subsidise for people on disability or low incomes, so we are constantly reliant on the kind generosity of people just like you to keep going.

Click here to read Chief Executive, Karin Knoester’s 2011 appeal letter

This year, why not reduce your tax and support the important work of The Gawler Foundation? For Australian tax payers all donations over $2 made to The Gawler Foundation are tax deductible.

Click here now to make a donation

Please make your tax deductable donation before June 30, so that we can continue supporting seriously ill people and their carers.

Thank you for your support,

Karin Knoester
Chief Executive
The Gawler Foundation

June Life and Living Program - now taking bookings

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Our next Life and Living program will commence on Monday 13 June (and complete on Thursday 23 June).

Beth and Sandy are here to chat through any questions you have about the program and take your booking. You can contact the Foundation anytime between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday on 035967 1730.

Join us for this life-changing program and learn how to live well.

Ian Gawler Announces Australian Lecture dates 2011

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Ian Gawler Lecture dates and topics for 2011 are now available. Click here for more details

Over the next few months, Ian and Ruth will travel around the country to present a series of public lectures and workshops. They will take the opportunity to catch up with people they know, those who are interested in their work and to meet new faces.
Maybe you know someone in the areas they are visiting; if so, please forward this information.

Full details will be on Ian's website, iangawler.com in April.

Integrated cancer care - A different paradigm

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +1100

by Siegfried Gutbrod

"Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out." Václav Havel

After spending five years overseas, I came back to Australia and rejoined The Gawler Foundation in April this year in the role of Therapeutic Director. I quickly noticed that the overall landscape for the provision of cancer services had changed in Australia in the time I was away. One of the new phenomena was the newly established integrated cancer services offered by the Victorian and other state governments, as well as the building of new integrated cancer wellness centres such as the Olivia Newton-John Wellness Centre, part of the Austin Hospital in Melbourne. I explored, in more detail, the services being offered by these new centres and I was very pleased to recognise that many of the services/therapies offered in these centres fall into the integrated healthcare model. The services/options include:

Personal and family support
Massage
Meditation/relaxation/Tai Chi
Exercise
Nutrition
Peer support groups
Emotional/psychological and spiritual support

Wonderful! It seemed that many of the services The Gawler Foundation has been promoting so vigorously over the last 25 years have finally found their way into mainstream medical cancer care. A dream of Ian Gawler’s coming true? After looking more deeply into the reality of 2010, it became clear that the hoped-for miracle has not quite happened yet. At first glance many of the integrated cancer services/centres offer a range of options for people with cancer and their families/carers that is similar to The Gawler Foundation. All seem to fit well into the model of Integrative Medicine to which The Gawler Foundation is fully committed. This model incorporates evidence-based and safe therapies from conventional medical care, complementary therapies and lifestyle interventions applied in a holistic way and including the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social dimensions. However, there are significant paradigmatic differences between the approach of The Gawler Foundation and that of integrated cancer centres. It is the main purpose of this article to start naming these differences as they have a profound impact on the ‘consumer’ of these services; the people dealing with cancer, their families and carers.

"Integrated cancer care has been the cornerstone of The Gawler Foundation's programs for twenty five years. So, how are recently established 'Integrated cancer centres' similar and different to the approach taken by the Foundation and what does that mean for those seeking cancer support?"

The underlying paradigms for the integrated cancer services/centres as I understand them are:

The expertise and therapies of conventional medical care represent the primary tools for dealing with the illness of cancer e.g. surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The belief that the application of these tools by representatives of conventional medical care alone can determine the outcome of the treatment in terms of ‘quantity of life’/survival time.
The application of a ‘curative approach’ to cancer focuses squarely on the diagnosis and elimination of the pathology of cancer through specific cancer-destructive therapies.
The conventional medical expert knows what is best for the patient and acts accordingly, with a high level of authority.
The patient is expected to be relatively passive. This has the potential to leave the patient in a disempowered position and when the patient asks what he/she can directly contribute to the healing process, the answer is very often ‘nothing’ except trusting the medical profession and to follow advice.
The abovementioned complementary therapies and lifestyle options are seen by conventional medicine under the heading of ‘Supportive Care’. This is seen as beneficial to the adjustment and quality of life of the person receiving the treatment for cancer but has a minimal role in healing and survival time.
Following on from this, the concept of ‘hope’ for survival or increase in survival time is greatly discouraged by ‘Supportive Care’. There is a fear of ‘creating false hope’ with all the legal and other implications that can go with it, creating a passive culture of hopelessness.The underlying paradigm for The Gawler Foundation approach is:
The person with the illness needs to be encouraged and supported to take charge of his/her own healing process, to be in an empowered position, in the driver's seat of the healing journey.
Empowerment requires that the person with the illness be informed of what lifestyle options and complementary therapies are available (in addition to the conventional medical interventions) at the beginning of the healing process. The person with the illness needs to be able to make an informed choice of what interventions he/she consciously chooses to achieve the healing goal. The decision will take into account both quantitative and qualitative measures.
Hope is real and critical and often is the starting point that leads to remarkable, unexpected outcomes. There is plenty of evidence of people who, against all odds, have survived cancer long term or found a way to co-exist with cancer for long timeframes or simply exceeded their statistical-based prognosis. Hope is not just wishful thinking. Hope, in order to be effective, needs three components. Firstly, it needs to be directed towards achieving a healing goal. Secondly, it needs to include a commitment to a set of specific interventions which have the potential to alter the outcome. Thirdly, it needs to be backed up by the willpower to implement these interventions. There is growing statistical evidence that this form of hope increases survival time.
There are many intervention options that directly impact the key outcome measure of survival time. The interventions applied by conventional medicine (surgery, chemo, radiotherapy) are important options, however, there is clear and increasing statistical evidence that lifestyle interventions also impact survival time (meditation, nutrition, emotional and spiritual aspects, physical exercise etc).
The ‘healing approach’ focuses on the whole person by embracing the physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual dimensions of the ill person.
Better decisions can be made by the person in the driver's seat from a state of inner peace. Stress and fear can be transformed by the person with the illness into inner peace using the lifestyle tool of meditation and good therapeutic help.There is no guarantee for achieving the healing goals. Death is an inevitable outcome of life in general. When people can transform the fear of their own mortality, irrespective of whether they are diagnosed with a serious illness, they have a better chance to enjoy life to the fullest and to have a ‘better death’ whenever that may occur.

The Gawler Foundation’s approach does not appeal to everybody diagnosed with cancer. Actually, it only appeals to a minority as it requires a very active role of taking responsibility and usually involves committed, dedicated work related to lifestyle interventions such as using food therapeutically and alleviating stress on a deep level. Many people diagnosed with a serious illness are very happy to stay in a passive role and hope that the medical experts will do the right thing to ‘fix the problem’. I respect that choice without judgment. However, we see many people who reach the end of the medical road and are told that there is nothing more that conventional medicine can do except to provide palliative care. Only then the search begins in earnest for other options outside of mainstream medicine. Ideally people diagnosed with cancer would be told at the early stage of all the options in the model of ‘Integrative Medicine’. Unfortunately this is not happening.

"Ideally people diagnosed with cancer would be told at the early stage of all the options in the model of ‘Integrative Medicine’. Unfortunately this is not happening."

As indicated above, at first glance there seems to be a narrowing of the difference in paradigms between conventional medical care for cancer patients and the approach of The Gawler Foundation. However, below the surface there remain significant paradigmatic differences which are not easy to bridge and are important to acknowledge. Nevertheless, I very much welcome the growing significance of ‘Supportive Care’ in the field of integrative cancer services/centres as this directly benefits the people who have been diagnosed with cancer, their family and carers.

Siegfried Gutbrod, Therapeutic Director at the Foundation, is a counsellor, group facilitator and spiritual care consultant for dying people. He holds a Masters degree in Counselling and a Diploma in Psychophonetics Counselling.

TGF supports Science of Nutrition in Medicine and Healthcare conference, to be held 13-15 May 2011 at the Swiss-Grand Hotel & Resort, Bondi Beach, NSW, Australia

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +1100

ACNEM (www.acnem.org), CSIRO (www.csiro.au/org/About-FNS.html) and NSA (www.nsa.asn.au) have come together to jointly convene this new conference, aiming to present a blend of new and important nutritional science and research with new and innovative clinical application, public health and prevention, to a combined audience of doctors, healthcare practitioners, scientists and researchers. Dr Norman Swan of the ABC Health Report will be acting as Master of Ceremonies and Facilitator of the panel discussions.

Conference themes include:

Epigenetics and nutrigenomics
Mental health
Metabolic conditions and cardiovascular disease
Cancer
Scientific (abstracts) stream

The conference is expected to appeal to:

GPs and medical specialists, registrars
Nurses
Scientists and researchers
Naturopaths
Dieticians
Nutritionists
Herbalists
Psychologists
Other allied health professionals
Public health professionals and policy-makers

You can find more information about the conference at www.nutritionmedicine.org.au. Invited speakers (to date) are also shown on the website, along with the call for abstracts and student scholarship information.

Mind Body Spirit Seminar on March 26 - An integrative approach to health and wellbeing

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Please note: this event is now sold out.

Take the next step on your journey towards health and wellbeing with this fascinating seminar from renowned leader in integrated medicine Professor Avni Sali.

Find out about new Scientifically sound complementary therapies and learn how to integrate them into orthodox/mainstream medicine for a holistic and highly individualised approach to healing and illness prevention.

When

Saturday 26 March 2011 from 1.30pm - 4.00pm

Where

The Gawler Foundation Hawthorn Centre
565 Burwood Road, Hawthorn (Melways Map 45 Ref F11 Train: Auburn Station 5mins walk)

Download pdf here now

Mind Body Spirit Seminar on June 4th - SOLD OUT

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Please note: this event is now sold out.

Topic: Sleep better without drugs by Dr David Morawetz

Saturday 4 June 2011 from 1.30pm - 4.00pm

Where

The Gawler Foundation Hawthorn Centre
565 Burwood Road, Hawthorn (Melways Map 45 Ref F11 Train: Auburn Station 5mins walk)

John Bettens Radio National Interview Tonight

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +1000

John Bettens will be interviewed on the 'Australia talks' program tonight on Radio National (621). He will be calling in from the road, somewhere in France, to talk about the role of positivity in healing and offer inspiration to others. The timeslot is 6.10pm to 6.40pm. The program will be of great interest given the subject matter of positivity and health.
John has just passed his 1000 km milestone. Well done John! Catch up with his blog at www.rometosantiagoproject.com.au

Program participant Rob Cameron interview 'Beating cancer'

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +1000

Past Life and Living program participant Rob Cameron was recently interviewed in a major New Zealand publication. Read his story here:
http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/beating-cancer-beyond-chemotherapy/

Hawthorn Centre celebrates 1st Birthday

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +1000

Thank you to everyone who dropped in or called last Friday to wish us a HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY at the Hawthorn Centre. In the past year, around 500 people have walked through the doors to attend our progams and meditation sessions. Shopping at the Resource Centre/book shop has also proven to be a popular past time with many people commenting on the range of healing related titles we have being 'outstanding'. Don't forget to check out the information kiosk next time you are in.

We are all looking forward to the next year as it unfolds; one in which we continue to touch people's lives and support bodies, minds, emotions and Spirits. Thank you to everyone for their part in this milestone.

Congratulations to the Hawthorn Centre and the wise, wonderful people who make it happen there every day.

Hawthorn Centre celebrates 1st Birthday

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +1000

Happy 1^st Birthday

To

The Gawler Foundation's

Hawthorn Centre

565 Burwood Rd Hawthorn 3122

You are invited to celebrate with us on

Friday 24^th June

9:00am - 4:00pm

20% Off in the Bookshop

Healthy Treats

Free Laughter Session & Meditation 12:00 - 1:00

Concert for Wellbeing

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +1000

Carmen Warrington, David Jones and Michael Johnson perform a concert for people with serious illness and their families on Saturday 13 August 2011.

Warrington and Jones had the idea for the concert after recording the CD 'Healing: Meditations to support recovery and wellbeing' with Johnson earlier this year.

"We wanted to present music and guided meditations for personal healing and to support people with serious illness and their families," Ms Warrington says.

"People who just want to relax and cultivate positive feelings will also get a lot out of it," she says.

The three performers meditate together and draw inspiration from years of teaching meditation and helping people in crisis.

Michael Johnson has been leading meditation groups at the Gawler Foundation for 20 years and Carmen Warrington and David Jones both run meditation groups and retreats.

"This concert provides beautiful, soothing music and a relaxed atmosphere to unwind and gain a sense of wellbeing," she says.

Carmen Warrington performs original songs and guided meditations set to ambient world music by Jones and Johnson.

Award-winning musician David Jones plays drum kit and introduces an East-meets-West feel with Tibetan, Japanese and crystal bowls, a kalimba and a hybrid Indian drone.

Michael Johnson plays folk harp, bringing Celtic, renaissance and world music influences to the concert.

The 'Concert for Wellbeing' is on Saturday 13 August 2011 at 7:30pm, in the Wyselaskie Auditorium at the Centre for Theology and Ministry, 29 College Crescent, Parkville. For bookings contact 0407 302 771 or email info@twilightmusic.com.au

John Bettens arrives in Santiago

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +1000

John Bettens has arrived in Santiago!! Well done John.

Read his blog post here: http://rometosantiagoproject.com.au/2011/08/arca-o-pino-to-santiago-de-compostela-august-5/

Seeking Board member at TGF

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +1000

The Gawler Foundation is an incorporated Association governed by a Board of Management. The Foundation Board is currently seeking to recruit new members to the Board. We are particularly interested in recruiting people with HR/IR, Marketing, Fundraising, Accounting or Medical backgrounds.

If you are interested in joining the Gawler Foundation Board and have a working knowledge of governance issues then please contact Karin Knoester, Chief Executive on 03 5967 1730 or email karin@gawler.org with a copy of your resume.

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES TO ATTEND A GAWLER DIABETES RETREAT

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +1000

Type 2 diabetes is very common in our community. It can result in serious disability, including blindness, stroke, heart attack, limb amputation and kidney failure. Research shows that it responds very well to the sort of therapies advocated by the Gawler Foundation (TGF). In 2012, TGF will be running a research study to see whether attendance at a retreat and lifestyle change can make a difference to diabetes. It is quite possible that some people attending the retreat may find that their diabetes is cured if they can maintain the lifestyle changes. The study, approved by Monash University and St Vincent's Hospital, will involve people who apply being randomly allocated to either attend the week-long retreat from March 26-30, 2012, or to standard care through their local doctor. Being accepted into the study is no guarantee that you would attend the retreat; there is about a 50% chance of being in the group that comes to the retreat. The retreat will be facilitated by a team led by Prof George Jelinek and Dr Craig Hassed, in addition to TGF therapists and general practitioners. Prof Jelinek currently leads the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis retreats, and Dr Hassed leads some meditation retreats and contributes to others at TGF. Please bring this to the attention of relatives or friends with type 2 diabetes; the retreat will be at no cost to participants. For further information, please contact the Programs Office at TGF on (03) 5967 1730 or the research officers Dr Greg Rumbold at TGF or Emily Hadgkiss on (03) 9288 2737

Time for time out at our Women's retreat

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Tired? Need some time out? Maybe some time to nurture yourself? This exciting experiential weekend retreat has been designed by women for women. Take a break from your busy life to recharge, reconnect and refocus your energies. Time out at The Gawler Foundation in the Yarra Valley will nurture and invigorate you through meditation, relaxation, movement, massage and a range of creative activities. A balance of structured sessions and free time will give you ample opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty and tranquility.
Our next Women's retreat is Oct 28-30.
Book now for some well deserved time out.
http://gawler.org/moving-to-your-rhythm-a-women-s-retreat-for-nurturing-and-recharging/

Ian Gawler presents a weekend workshop in Hawthorn Sept 17&18

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +1000

Ian Gawler OAM will be presenting two workshops on the weekend of Sept 17&18 in Hawthorn Melbourne.

On Saturday Ian will present on 'Relaxation, Mindfulness and Meditation'.

On Sunday Ian will present on 'Eating your way to health'.

Attend one or both days for a rare encounter with Ian. Plenty of time will be allocated for questions.

For more information see Workshops . Spaces are filling quickly for Ian's only Melbourne workshops this year.

Early bird conference registration prize winner.

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Congratulations! Helen Brown from NZ is the winner of our early bird conference registration prize draw.

Helen will enjoy an overnight stay with buffet breakfast for 2 people (double or twin room) at Hilton on the Park, Melbourne.

Early bird raffle prize winner

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Congratulations! Rant Anica from South Australia is the winner of our early bird raffle prize draw.

Rant will enjoy a weekend meditation retreat at our Yarra Valley Living Centre.

Members and Volunteers Christmas Party

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +1100

The Gawler Foundation 2011 Members and Volunteers Christmas Party

Members and volunteers are invited to join us on Friday 16 December 2011 at midday at the Yarra Valley Living Centre, 55 Rayner Court, Yarra Junction for our annual Christmas party.

Catch up with old friends and new with welcome drinks, a meditation, delicious three-course themed lunch, lots of entertainment and the drawing of the 2011 Raffle!

For costs and bookings telephone us on 03 5967 1730 or email info@gawler.org

RSVP by 8 December 2011.

Tuesday night meditation at Yarra Junction - Christmas break

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Tuesday night meditation - Christmas break

Our Tuesday night meditation sessions with Robyn, at Yarra Junction, will take a break over the Christmas period. The last evening meditation session for 2011 will be Tuesday 13 December. Sessions will commence again on Tuesday 7 February 2012. We look forward to seeing you again for a wonderful new year.

For more info call 03 5967 1730 or email us on info@gawler.org

Annual Conference SOLD OUT

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +1100

The Gawler Foundation Profound Healing – Sustainable Wellbeing Conference is SOLD OUT!

Thank you to everyone who has booked to come along to our Annual Conference. Your response has been overwhelming and the event is a sell out. For more information on the event please visit: www.gawler.org/speakers

Please take a moment to register your interest so we can keep you up-to-date with the 2012 Conference details when they become available.

2011 Around the Bay in a Day bike ride in memorium of Tim Johnson

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +1100

Today our thoughts and gratitude go to the Johnson family who are participating in the 2011 Around the Bay in a Day bike ride in memorium of Tim Johnson. This tribute ride will honour Tim’s approach to living with an attitude of hope, fun and energy. Funds raised from the ride will be donated to The Gawler Foundation. To read more about Tim and his family’s amazingly positive and generous spirit please visit their page on everydayhero.com.au

Team Tim Johnson's fundraising page for The Gawler Foundation

www.everydayhero.com.au

Tim valued personal fitness highly. His sporting highlights were running the Melbourne marathon in 2003 and winning the La Trobe footy grand final in 1993. He talked in recent years about wanting to add some bike rides to his list of athletic experiences.

Ian's response - No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +1100

Ian's Response - No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition

FROM IAN GAWLER'S BLOG IN REPLY to THE AGE ARTICLE 31.12.11

For the Monty Python fans, remember their skits where in daily life situations the Grand Inquisitor would dramatically sweep onto the scene while the soundtrack trumpeted “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition”?

It was the scene that came to mind when one of the most surprising propositions of my life was put to me recently. At first the suggestion seemed laughable.

“Would you like to put your name to a scientific paper with me that will claim you never had cancer and that what you really recovered from so famously was widespread TB?”

Think about this. How would you respond if what you believed in deeply were to be questioned? Would you simply dismiss it? Would you investigate, or would you attack it? Maybe just stay silent and let it all blow over? Or observe who else may like to take up the argument?

This is the situation I found myself faced with back in March 2011 when Associate Prof. Ian Haines put the suggestion to me that I never had secondary cancer. I feel some explanation to my readers is warranted, and have submitted an edited version of this piece to The Age as an Opinion Piece.

Haines had approached me as a friend. He had spoken at a Gawler Foundation Conference, we had worked on other projects together; he had even been in charge of treating my father who had died of bowel cancer.

But then to confuse the matter further, the article was already written and the co-author was Prof. Ray Lowenthal, a long-term critic of my work. What to do?

In my experience, the mind is like a parachute; it works best when it is open. I have always had a deep commitment to seeking the truth and to responding to the best evidence available. There was no choice.

I checked with all my original doctors. All were confident all the necessary tests had been performed to confirm the clinical signs that the boney masses that appeared around my body were secondary cancer and not TB. A biopsy was not included in these tests as it was deemed unnecessary and to biopsy a bone cancer can necessitate a surgical procedure under general anaesthetic (as it did for my original diagnosis).

All my specialists confirmed I had both secondary cancer and TB. Two had expertise with TB. Dr. Alistair Robertson said
“I certainly do not think that it is at all likely that you just had TB”.
Dr. Jonathan Streeton said
“One gets calcification from TB, but nothing remotely of the appearances of your calcification”.

Furthermore, in 2004 my left lung was surgically removed due to damage caused by the TB and the cancer. The lung contained a large boney mass and the examining pathologist reported its histology was consistent with “osteosarcoma after chemotherapy”. There was no suggestion that this cancellous bone could be from TB, just cancer.

Another crucial point is that I did have a course of heavy chemotherapy after the secondaries were diagnosed. Such treatments are well known to severely depress immune function, thus making even minor infections potentially life-threatening. If I did actually only have widespread TB, not only would my oncologist Dr. Ivon Burns have been negligent, but the chemotherapy would have killed me.

So, for Haines and Lowenthal to contend “unequivocal evidence that the patient was cured of widespread metastases is lacking” insults the doctors who established my diagnosis. The article was not based on speaking with the treating physicians or examining the large number of X rays and pathology reports. In my view their theoretical speculation is scientifically sloppy and mischievous.

It attacks me personally and they clearly aim to imply that if my case history was invalid then my work is invalid. In my view this makes their article dangerous, as it could lead vulnerable and needy cancer patients away from self-help measures that could improve their quality of life and their chances of survival.

So, I said “no” to Haines and the Medical Journal of Australia refused to accept it without my permission. However, Haines and Lowenthal went ahead and published it (against my expressed wish) in the Internal Medicine Journal, which must have different standards.

And then came the front page of The Age and a few other newspapers. Last time I was on the front page of The Age was in 1981, 30 years ago when it announced my plan to start the first Melbourne Cancer Support Group.

What has changed since? A paradigm is a particular way of thinking about a subject. It is common to accept things that reinforce and to reject everything that conflicts with our point of view.

What would you do if you were a cancer specialist who had an experience that did not match your paradigm?

I know that for me one of the biggest obstacles I needed to overcome to recover was my Veterinary training and the belief that secondary osteogenic sarcoma, the bone cancer I had was uniformly and rapidly fatal.

But what if you were a busy oncologist and somebody did do just that; recover from advanced secondary bone cancer? Would you dismiss it? Would you investigate? Would you attack?

I have been attacked quite a deal over the past 30 years.

Of course I believe in good diagnosis. Of course I believe in appropriate medical treatment. Of course I believe that people can influence their own wellbeing and the course of their disease.

What I recommend is best described as Lifestyle Medicine. It is to do with what you eat and drink, your exercise and emotional health, the power of your mind and techniques like meditation. This is not “alternative” medicine. It is good medicine. It is safe medicine.

There is a need to make it clear my life is not work. My work started with my life and my recovery, but 30 years later that work has evolved in response to new experiences and research and now stands in its own right.

Happily my life is fully congruent with what I teach. Anything I recommend I either did or more likely, continue to do. I have never heard of an oncologist trying a course of their own chemotherapy to find out what it is really like. That would be absurd, but to claim that what I do is dangerous or risks taking people away from effective treatments is equally absurd.

No one I know of ever died from eating well or meditating too much. However, are we allowed to say that people do sometimes suffer inordinately and die from chemotherapy and its complications?

There needs to be a realistic and balanced perspective and patients need to be helped to make well informed decisions.

My understanding of science is that it advances by observing unusual events and investigating them. Thirty years later I have observed many people recovering from cancer against difficult odds.

Around 20 years ago on ABC TVs Couchman show Lowenthal challenged me to present my 50 best cases for evaluation. I readily agreed but he subsequently claimed that he was unable to gain funding for the research. My feeling is that project would have been a much better use of energy. Maybe it is time for a cooperative investigation and a real sense of everyone working together.

If you feel motivated, letters to the Editor of The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald would still be useful.
Or add a comment below.

Happy New Year. May 2012 be a year of peace, good health and deep seated happiness.

Link to The Age article

Ian's response - Another thing

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +1100

Ian's Response - Another thing...

FROM IAN GAWLER'S BLOG IN REPLY to THE AGE ARTICLE 31.12.11

Firstly a big thank you to all those of you who have contacted me in the last week to offer support and reassurance in the face of the rather bizarre and false suggestion that I never had secondary cancer (The Age 31 12 11).

The personal messages, the letters to the Editor (see the comments section this week), and the many comments on last week’s blog (that make for inspiring reading if you have not checked them out yet) have all been very heartwarming.

There seems to have been a concerted challenge going on for the last few years that has centred on attacking the validity of my medical history, with the implication that somehow that undermines the work I have been involved with.

Much of this I have chosen to ignore, but maybe there is value at this time in clarifying the key points.

Firstly, it should be obvious that my work is not my medical history. It is true that this work grew directly out of my personal history of recovering from widespread, advanced bone cancer. But then from that initial starting point, some elements have been confirmed while others have evolved based on the next 30 years of continual research and formal study, the many workshops and conferences attended, as well as the input of the many great colleagues I have been fortunate to work with. But even more important in the development of what I have to offer, has been the vast amount of knowledge and experience gained from the thousands and thousands of people I have worked with over those 30 years.

Now that work has two elements. Firstly it offers hope, and secondly it has the lifestyle based self help techniques I and others teach.

The hope began with my own recovery and many people continue to take heart from the fact I am still alive. However, 30 years later there is even more hope available based on the recorded experiences of so many people who have used the techniques I have advocated.

Regarding the techniques, there is nothing “alternative” about what I teach. I have always been committed to an Integrative Medicine approach.

Integrative Medicine (IM) combines the best of what conventional medicine has to offer with the best of Complimentary Medicine and the best of what a person can do to help themselves. IM attends to the body, emotions, mind and spirit. IM practitioners function within a multidisciplinary context, working collaboratively towards the best health outcomes.

So within that IM context, my actual work focuses on what people can do for themselves. The work is about empowering people, and focuses on improving quality of life and extending survival times for those affected by cancer and MS particularly, as well as preventing illness and generating long-term happiness and wellbeing for anyone who is interested!

My cancer work was first documented in “You Can Conquer Cancer” way back in 1984. So anyone who was or is confused about what I may or may not recommend could easily check. If you want to know what I have to say about a vegan diet, why question what I actually did during my own recovery, consult the book and be clear about what I actually recommend in current time.

This is why I did not take the earlier challenges in the Medical Journal of Australia about my own recovery too seriously. For a start they came from my ex wife. Then Prof George Jelinek and my current wife Ruth responded in the MJA directly, and so at the time, no comment from me seemed the best response. Now it seems some more clarity may be useful.

Much of that earlier criticism revolved around mistaken timelines. It has to be noted that my medical history is complex. Despite my best efforts, the media nearly always tells it with some errors. Even Dr Ainslie Meares got some bits out of sequence when he first recorded my case in the MJA in 1978. I did not make anything of this at the time because it seemed of little consequence. It seemed like arguing over whether a woman was 3 months pregnant or 6 months pregnant at a particular point in time. She is still pregnant, she will still have a baby and by the time the child is 30, who cares?

Sure accuracy is important and that is why I agreed to my biography (The Dragon’s Blessing) being written by Guy Allenby, a respected journalist who was encouraged and authorised to speak with all my doctors, family, colleagues etc, and to get the facts right. If you do want the facts, check the biography.

But really, it is the work and the outcomes recorded by many other people that warrant the most attention.

However, now the personal attacks have gone deeper. Haines and Lowenthal have questioned whether I even had secondary cancer in the first place. This confusion arises because I did contract TB as a complication of my secondary bone cancer and TB can occasionally lead to calcification within the body. The esteemed doctors speculate that the boney lumps that were confirmed at the time to be metastatic osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) were in fact just TB and I did not have cancer secondaries.

To summarise what I wrote in last week’s blog, this is not correct because the authors, amongst other errors, failed to take adequate account of three crucial pieces of evidence.

i) The clinical experience and the medical records of the treating physicians

The authors did not consult the treating doctors: Mr John Doyle (surgeon in Melbourne), Dr. Ivon Burns (Oncologist in Melbourne), Dr. Alistair Robertson (Oncologist in Adelaide) and Dr. John Piesse (GP in Melbourne). They did not access their medical records, including their clinical histories and the extensive diagnostic investigations that were carried out.

An example of what might have helped them to draw a more accurate conclusion comes from the radiologist’s report from the initial diagnosis of the secondaries in December 1975:
“ Mottled calcified areas of varying size from 1.5 to 3 cms in diameter are demonstrated overlying the right sacroiliac region, the appearances of which are those of glandular metastases”.

If Haines and Lowenthal had spoken to my doctors, they would have clarified the basis for their initial diagnosis and how, years later they stand firmly by it.

ii) The available histology

The authors say that I did not have a biopsy at the time of first diagnosis, but then discount the fact that histology was performed on a large boney mass removed from my left lung following pneumonectomy in 2004. That report cited:
“foci of coarse sclerotic and heavily calcified bone which are devoid of viable osteocytes. The latter appearance in particular is recognised as a change which may occur in osteosarcoma after chemotherapy”.

iii) The effects of cancer related chemotherapy on active TB

The authors have overlooked the significance of me having received chemotherapy in 1976 with Adriamycin, Vincristine, Cyclophosphamide and D.T.I.C. (Dacarbazine). This treatment was administered because my condition at the time was actively advancing. It is well known this combination of chemotherapy is powerfully immunosuppressive. To give strong chemotherapy to a patient with widespread, active TB would almost certainly result in miliary TB and a rapid death. By contrast, I experienced no significant side effects.

Finally, having decided to speak up, there is one more matter. The Age quotes Haines: ''I've seen beautiful young girls with their whole lives ahead of them and they go into these holistic therapies and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and then in the end we have to look after them. They all eventually get to us''.

Last weeks blog comments contain great responses to the “beautiful young girls” and the costs and “they all eventually get back to us”. But just to be clear, “You Can Conquer Cancer” costs $27.95, my day workshops are usually around $100, the 12 week non-residential program that I set up in 1981 and continues to be presented by the Gawler Foundation staff and other people I have trained around Australia and in New Zealand, costs $450 at the Foundation, while those with a Health Care Card can attend for $120. The 10 day residential program at the Foundation’s Yarra Valley Living Centre – fully inclusive of meals and accommodation, costs from $2990 to $3490(all inc of GST). Subsidies are available for those in real need and have been made possible by the Foundation’s fundraising efforts and big support base.

So what to do?

It does concern me a great deal that some vulnerable and needy people may be misled by Haines and Lowenthal’s article and that the subsequent newspaper coverage may well prevent some people affected by cancer from realizing they can do a lot to help themselves. Therefore, in my opinion, what the two have done is dangerous.

How can you help?

It seems incredible that after 30 years there is still a need to get the self help message out there and to assist people with cancer to realize that they can help themselves significantly by attending to their lifestyle.

If you know of people who are confused by all that has been going on, please do refer them to my blogs of these last two weeks.

Letters to the papers, to doctors, hospitals, even politicians will be helpful; maybe you have something you would like to say to Assoc Prof Ian Haines at Cabrini Hospital, Malvern or to Prof Ray Lowenthal at the University of Tasmania; maybe add a comment on the blog.

And thanks for reading a long blog!

Gawler Foundation News

Dealing with Cancer

ABC - Compass - A Good Life

Compass - A Good Life: According To Ian Gawler

30th August 10:10pm

Annual Conference - Profound Healing - Sustainable Wellbeing

Annual Conference - November 13 and 14, 2010

A Good Life: According to Ian Gawler

Volunteers Needed

Join us on Facebook

Letter to Mr Brumby

Dorothy Edgelow recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours List

The Gawler Foundation Hawthorn Centre is now officially open!

Relish Designs

AMA calls for integrated approach to cancer care.

Ian's blog - It only has to be done once

Hansard mentions TGF

A musical foundation

An Open Letter to the Editor

Rome To Santiago Website has launched

Hawthorn Centre Special Christmas Trading Night - 10% discount

MS research on ABC's 7.30 Report

Gawler Foundation Raffle - Ticket Winners Announced

Christmas Wishes

A life extending experience

Rob Cameron talks about his life-changing, life-extending experience

John Bettens crosses the Italian-French border

Tax Appeal 2011 Steven Bell stays strong

Can you support our vital work?

June Life and Living Program - now taking bookings

Ian Gawler Announces Australian Lecture dates 2011

Integrated cancer care - A different paradigm

Siegfried Gutbrod, Therapeutic Director at the Foundation, is a counsellor, group facilitator and spiritual care consultant for dying people. He holds a Masters degree in Counselling and a Diploma in Psychophonetics Counselling.

TGF supports Science of Nutrition in Medicine and Healthcare conference, to be held 13-15 May 2011 at the Swiss-Grand Hotel & Resort, Bondi Beach, NSW, Australia

Mind Body Spirit Seminar on March 26 - An integrative approach to health and wellbeing

When

Where

Mind Body Spirit Seminar on June 4th - SOLD OUT

Where

John Bettens Radio National Interview Tonight

Program participant Rob Cameron interview 'Beating cancer'

Hawthorn Centre celebrates 1st Birthday

Hawthorn Centre celebrates 1st Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday

To

The Gawler Foundation's

Hawthorn Centre

565 Burwood Rd Hawthorn 3122

You are invited to celebrate with us on

Friday 24th June

9:00am - 4:00pm

20% Off in the Bookshop

Healthy Treats

Free Laughter Session & Meditation 12:00 - 1:00

Concert for Wellbeing

John Bettens arrives in Santiago

Seeking Board member at TGF

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES TO ATTEND A GAWLER DIABETES RETREAT

Time for time out at our Women's retreat

Ian Gawler presents a weekend workshop in Hawthorn Sept 17&18

Early bird conference registration prize winner.

Early bird raffle prize winner

Members and Volunteers Christmas Party

The Gawler Foundation 2011 Members and Volunteers Christmas Party

Tuesday night meditation at Yarra Junction - Christmas break

Tuesday night meditation - Christmas break

Annual Conference SOLD OUT

The Gawler Foundation Profound Healing – Sustainable Wellbeing Conference is SOLD OUT!

2011 Around the Bay in a Day bike ride in memorium of Tim Johnson

Ian's response - No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition

Ian's Response - No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition

Ian's response - Another thing

Ian's Response - Another thing...

Happy 1^st Birthday

Friday 24^th June