I'll add my own story. I've had bloody stools for the last 20 years or so. About 6 years ago my stools started coming out very flat - and looking as if a knife was shaving them on the top and bottom. Typical of colorectal cancer as the bowl movement is trying to scrape past the tumor.

It had gotten so bad that sometimes I was so impacted nothing would come out at all unless it was liquified. (Sorry for how graphic this all is).

I went on the net and found out about the Budwig protocol and other natural remedies for cancer. After reading everything I could, I decided to spurn allopathic medicine completely. This was a tough decision as I had 6 year old twin boys and a raging tumor in my colon to think about.

My decision was that I would try alternative medicine until the blockage of my colon is complete and I'll have no choice but to have surgery (and be forced to accept everything that comes with it). I wasn't hopeful because I heard that the Budwig diet often makes things worse before it gets better - and there was no room for worse.

Fortunately the Budwig diet made an improvement right away, and after a month or two I was actually having normal bowel movements again (though the flat ones still come and go). But I really couldn't follow the Budwig diet very carefully, only having the mixture once a day and not following the very restrictive diet very closely. However I am vegetarian and don't smoke or drink.

Yes my New Years resolution will be to follow it more closely since the tumor is still there. But lets look at the bigger picture. I've lived that last 6 years of my life with an absolutely normal lifestyle, including strenuous exercise, the demands of running a business, raising a family etc which I attribute almost entirely to the Budwig protocol (as loosely as I've followed it). People are always in awe at how young and healthy I look for my age, and this is with a raging case of colorectal cancer for the last 6 plus years.

My other choice was to submit to radiation, surgery and chemo immediately. If I went that route, how normal of a life do you think I would have 6 years later? Would I be playing tennis, racquetball and lifting weights 3 times a week, in addition to working 50 hour weeks and raising a family with teenaged twins? All that and astounding people with how young and healthy I look? We all know the answer to that one.

All I can say is this stuff works. Read everything you can and only listen to your own instincts and reasoning. Don't give in to the fear peddlers because it will cost your health, your life and your families savings.

One fortunate thing for me (that I highly recommend if possible) was that I didn't share my cancer diagnosis with anyone. So there was no family pressure for me to "do the right thing for my family", "grow up and be sensible" etc. I was able to make my decision apart from all that certain massive drama. And anyone looking at survival tables from colorectal cancer will know that the correctness of my decision is clear.