Calm Over Cancer

11/09/2025

For anyone with breast cancer, and especially those facing decisions after mastectomy or with node-positive disease ~ this article by Dr. Brian Lawenda on the SUPREMO trial is worth your time. Read beyond the headlines. The nuance matters.

👉 Dr. Brian Lawenda - Substack

My two cents.

11/06/2025

🌿 Your Gut Health Matters!!
Especially During Immunotherapy.

Did you know that what you eat 🥑and take 💊 can actually influence how well your cancer treatments work?

advisor Dr. Nina Fuller Shavel recently shared re ent research updates on how gut health impacts immunotherapy outcomes.

💡 Here’s what we’re learning:

🥦 Fiber matters: Ongoing Phase 2 research is exploring how much daily fiber supports the best treatment response.

☀️ Vitamin D counts: Low levels can reduce effectiveness - ask your doctor to check your numbers and discuss optimal supplementation.

🚫 Watch out: Antibiotics, steroids, and PPIs (acid-reflux meds) may reduce immunotherapy effectiveness.

🍒 Superfruit spotlight: The Amazonian berry camu camu (1,500 mg daily) showed promising benefits when taken before immunotherapy in a recent study.

Your microbiome isn’t just about digestion it’s part of your immune defense. Nourish it well. 💛

11/02/2025

Advocating for Yourself in a Rushed Medical System.

Navigating medical appointments, especially during or after cancer treatment, can feel overwhelming. Our healthcare system is often fast-paced, with 15 minute-appointment slots and busy providers. But you still have rights and your voice matters.

Here are a few ways to protect your well-being and ensure you are fully informed.

Request documentation of refused tests.
If you ask for a test and your doctor says it's unnecessary, ask them to note your request and their refusal in your chart. This creates a record of your concerns.

Arrive prepared with questions.
Before your appointment write down questions you want answered. When you sit down say: "I have a list of questions I'd like to go through before I leave." Even in a rushed system you have the right to clarity.

Bring another set of ears.
When we're anxious or overwhelmed. We can easily miss details. Having a friend, spouse, or family member present can help you remember important information. If you must attend alone, ask if you can record the conversation so you can revisit it later.

Listen for unclear language.
Listen for terms like "standard procedure or the protocol" as these words can make recommendations sound unquestionable but they may not be always right for you as a unique person.

Ask: Are there alternatives?
What are the side effects or risks? What happens if I take more time to think about this?

Remember: Rushed consent is not a full understanding. You deserve full information, real options and time to make choices that are right for you.

You are the most important person on your health and treatment team. And you voice matters.

11/01/2025

Dr. Mindy Pelz always brings fire to the conversation about women’s health and fasting — and I was so fortunate to see her live at the Metabolic Health Day Conference in October. 🔥

Every minute was packed with insight on hormones, mitochondria, and metabolic healing.

If you’ve been curious about how hormones, energy, and your body’s timing all work together in recovery, Dr. Pelz is the voice to listen to.

✨ When oxytocin rises, cortisol falls — and your body begins shifting from stress to healing.

She explains it beautifully in this short clip, reminding us that joy, connection, and laughter are as metabolic as any supplement.
Watch 👇 here.

10/31/2025

💡 What If We Could Know Sooner?
Most people think you “wait and watch” after cancer treatment.

You finish surgery, chemo, or radiation… get your scans… hold your breath.

And hope.

But what if there was a way to see—molecularly—whether any trace of cancer is still lingering before it shows up on a scan?

That’s where something called MRD testing (Minimal Residual Disease) comes in.

It’s a blood test that looks for microscopic fragments of tumour DNA in your bloodstream. In other words, it can sometimes detect recurrence months before imaging ever would.

A recent STAT News article explored how MRD testing could reshape decisions after treatment — who truly needs more chemo, and who doesn’t.
And that’s huge.

Because right now, most treatment decisions after surgery are based on population data, not your data.

If MRD is negative, it might mean your body has cleared all detectable disease — no need for unnecessary chemo “just in case.”

If it’s positive, it’s a powerful early warning that calls for action, not panic.
It’s not perfect. It’s still evolving. But this is the kind of precision-informed care that actually makes sense — care based on what’s real in your blood today, not what might happen someday.

For anyone navigating that “now what?” phase after treatment, MRD could be one of the most important conversations to have with your team.

Article link in comments 👇

If you’d like to learn more about how tools like MRD fit into recovery or follow-up planning, send us a message here at Calm Over Cancer.

We’ll point you in the right direction.

Because the sooner you know, the sooner you can act — with clarity, not fear.
— Adele
🩵 Calm Over Cancer

10/31/2025

⁉️This question was asked today in our community:

“We are 22 months into our diagnosis and just this month are experiencing severe constipation. We’re using daily Senna and Dulcolax, have tried a full bottle of magnesium citrate, and even suppositories — nothing is working. Blockage has been ruled out (there’s gas and no abdominal pain). What is this? Please help.”

We can’t comment on what this is - but here’s the help we recommended 🔆

💧 Hydration can make a surprising difference. Sometimes it’s not just how much water we drink — it’s whether our body can absorb it.

Try this easy homemade electrolyte water:
💦 2 L water
🍋 1 whole lemon, sliced
⅛ tsp pink (or sea) salt
200–300 mg magnesium glycinate
Mix, refrigerate. Sip slowly throughout the day. This mix helps pull hydration into the cells and can gently encourage bowel movement.
Sometimes the simplest shifts — like improved hydration — can help the body rebalance. 🌱

10/30/2025

☀️ Your Immune System Runs on Sunshine

But Let’s be real — for half the year, many of us barely see the sun. ☀️

Between long winters, short days, and life mostly spent indoors, Vitamin D deficiency is incredibly common in northern climates.

🧩 Why it matters:

👉 Vitamin D = simple, powerful immune support

Vitamin D helps your immune system recognize threats, reduce inflammation, and recover from stress or illness.

When levels drop too low (which they often do from October to April), your immune system can feel sluggish — or even start overreacting.

It’s amazing how many people feel a real shift in mood, energy, and immunity once they correct a deficiency — especially those of us living in places where sunshine is a luxury!

📚 What research shows:
- People low in Vitamin D are more likely to catch respiratory infections (BMJ, 2017)

- Adequate Vitamin D helps calm chronic inflammation (JAMA Network Open, 2021)

- Low Vitamin D has been linked to higher risks of autoimmune disease (Front Immunology, 2019)

💡 Simple ways to stay in range:
Ask your doctor for a 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] blood test

Most adults need around 1,000–4,000 IU daily (more if deficient)

Choose Vitamin D3 (not D2), and pair it with Vitamin K2 + magnesium for better absorption

Ideal range on labs: 75–125 nmol/L (30–50 ng/mL) — not too low, not too high

💬 Let’s talk:
Do you take Vitamin D year-round?
Have you ever tested your levels — or noticed a difference in how you feel when you supplement?

Drop a ☀️ in the comments if you’d like us to share a post on how Vitamin D connects to fatigue, inflammation, and cancer recovery.

10/28/2025

🌿 Today’s Calm Over Cancer Feature

Today’s Calm Over Cancer feature brings us back to the heart of this entire movement — where calm, clarity, and courage first took root.

💫 Adele Kulyk – From Chaos to Clarity: The Heart Behind Calm Over Cancer

In this deeply personal and powerful conversation, Calm Over Cancer founder Adele Kulyk sits down with co-host Treena Wynes to share how loss, love, and relentless advocacy led her to build a movement that’s changing how people approach cancer care.

💡 What You’ll Learn

The moment that inspired Adele to take action after witnessing broken systems up close

How a friend’s stage IV diagnosis sparked a global mission for reform

What “navigating with data, not despair” truly means

How to pause, breathe, and make empowered choices after a diagnosis

Why calm and credible information can change everything

💛 “You don’t need another opinion — you need information you can trust.”

For more than 15 years, Adele has guided families through the chaos of diagnosis — connecting them to global experts, precision diagnostics, and real options that go far beyond the traditional system. Her work blends science, strategy, and compassion to help individuals move from confusion to clarity and action.

With calm and clarity,
Adele & Treena
Calm Over Cancer

10/25/2025

In Toronto this weekend. Let’s go Blue Jays! ⚾️

Sitting in a room full of cancer advocates at Health eMatters — all of us learning how to turn experience into impact.

This isn’t theory. It’s people who’ve lived it, lost it, and are still showing up online to make it easier for the next person.

It’s powerful. It’s personal. And it matters.

10/24/2025

Today’s Calm Over Cancer feature brings us back to the foundation of it all — understanding the person, not just the diagnosis.

👩‍⚕️ Dr. Nasha Winters – The Foundation of Personalized Cancer Care

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Nasha Winters, ND, FABNO, integrative oncologist, researcher, and co-founder of the Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health — joins Adele Kulyk to explore how testing, terrain, and true personalization are reshaping the future of oncology.

💡 What You’ll Learn

How Dr. Nasha’s Test – Assess – Address framework became the foundation for individualized care

Why jumping straight to treatment misses the root cause — and what to do instead

How the body’s terrain acts as the ecosystem for healing

The power of advocates in bridging gaps between medical systems

How to reframe from “Why me?” to “Why is this happening for me?”

💛 “We have to know the person in front of us before we can know how to help them.”

🎁 BONUS DOWNLOAD
We’ve added a special resource to your Summit Portal: BUT you must be registered to access the Bonus!

Metabolic Regen – 6 Steps to Dealing with a Cancer Diagnosis
Created by the Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health (MTIH), this clear and compassionate guide helps you take calm, grounded steps after a diagnosis.

🧭 Inside you’ll find:

Six practical actions to take right away

Guidance on connecting with Certified Terrain Advocates™

Links to the Terrain Ten™ Questionnaire, MTIH resources, and metabolic nutrition principles

Dr. Winters has spent more than three decades pioneering precision-based, integrative oncology — combining advanced diagnostics, clinical insight, and a whole-person approach that honors both data and humanity. Her work continues to inspire a global movement toward informed, empowered healing.

With calm and clarity,
Adele & Treena
Calm Over Cancer

10/24/2025

Woohoo!! We are making waves, in the very best way & got over 1,200 reactions on our posts last week! Thanks everyone for your support! 🎉

10/23/2025

🌿 Thriving After Cancer: More Than Just Survivorship 🌿
Today, we’re excited to share Jeanne Tregilgas’ powerful session on true healing after cancer. Jeanne, a two-time Stage 4 cancer thriver and expert in integrative nutrition, knows firsthand the challenges of recovery. She’s here to guide you through a healing journey that goes beyond just surviving. 💪

In her session, Jeanne dives into:
✨ How to balance oxidative stress and restore your immune system post-treatment
✨ The importance of gut health and nutrient replenishment
✨ Emotional and mental healing after cancer therapy

🎁 A Gift You’ll Want to Keep
Jeanne has generously shared her presentation with us—full of actionable steps to help you thrive after treatment.

REGISTER FOR ACCESS TO ALL THE BONUSES - Available Until October 30th!

YOU have the power to rebuild your health—body, mind, and spirit. 💛

Let’s focus on thriving, not just surviving.