Ep. 27; Preventing Environmental Cancers & Tori's Cancer Story

Approximately 40.5% of men & women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime. Everyone knows someone who has been impacted by cancer, that's why it's an important topic to discuss. Morgan's good friend Tori comes on to share her story after being diagnosed with a blood cancer at 25. She opened up about how the diagnosis impacted her life and the things that helped her along the way. Then Simone Gisondi comes on with her expertise in natural health, holistic cancer therapies, and disease reversal. She shared the things that are causing environmental cancers in our lives and how we can stop it. Plus, her thoughts on alcohol causing cancer and what diets actually help our bodies. 

Follow Tori: @toriwilkinson

Follow Simone Gisondi: @simone.gisondi

Follow Morgan: @webgirlmorgan

Follow Take This Personally: @takethispersonally

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Take personal life with the rolling game Fuelsman.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
This week's episode feels super important for a number of reasons,
but I'm going to share some stats here to really
drive that point home.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
In twenty twenty two.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
There were nearly twenty million new cancer cases and nine
point seven million cancer deaths worldwide. By twenty forty, the
number of new cancer cases per year is expected to rise.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
To twenty nine point nine million.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Approximately forty point five percent of men and women will
be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime.
These stats and more this is why I'm doing an
entire episode on cancer, and I plan to have more
episodes on the topic. Almost everybody knows somebody who's been
impacted by this disease. This week, I'm bringing on a
good friend of mine named Torri. She's going to share

(00:59):
her experien parents with being diagnosed with cancer at age
twenty five. Then I'm bringing on Simone Jasandi, who's an
author and an expert in the field of natural health
and holistic cancer therapies. She'll share lots of interesting things
about health and wellness, but more than that, what we
can be doing to eliminate the possibility of environmental cancers
in our own lives. So buckle up, friends, here we go.

(01:25):
You know, the funny thing about me doing this podcast
is I have enlisted pretty much all of my friends
to come on just about every episode, and this week
is no different. I'm bringing on one of my friends
from college, Tory. Tory, how are you feeling right now?

Speaker 4 (01:39):
I'm feeling better. I'm for getting suttled, ready to go.
I'm excited to talk to you. Thanks for having me on.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Yeah, we did just puang hui whatever that word is
your entire apartment to get this to look and You're.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Like, I don't know what I'm doing.

Speaker 4 (01:53):
Definitely on a podcast where I canna know. This is
my first time. How to make sure the vibe was right?
Yesthetic it is?

Speaker 3 (02:00):
We are learning again.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
I am been listening on my friends because the whole
purpose of this podcast is to share stories of everyday people,
and this is one of them that is inspiring and
also difficult in a lot of ways.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
So I have brought Tory on to share her story.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
As she kind of went into adulthood, Tory got diagnosed
with cancer. So Toy, I'm gonna let you take this
away and kind of share your cancer story and then
we'll kind of get into more other things.

Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yeah, that sounds great. No, Like, first of all, it's
really humbling to be here, and I'm honored to be asked.
I have kind of always thought that my journey was
just a little under the radar, which is how I
liked it. I want to just get through it, power on,
move on to the next thing. It was really kind
of in a transition period for me too. So I
was diagnosed when I was twenty five.

Speaker 5 (02:51):
Gonnis.

Speaker 4 (02:51):
Now you're gonna tell me on the the stats here,
but I took a couple extra laps in college, We'll
just say that. So I was still kind of in
that phase than moving into finding a career, and at
that point, like had planned on doing you know, like education,
other things that had to be rerouted because you know,
cancer obviously takes a toll on your body physically, and

(03:13):
of course it's it's been time consuming.

Speaker 5 (03:15):
It's almost like its own job itself.

Speaker 4 (03:18):
But No, I was diagnosed with non patchin lymphoma, and yeah,
it was it was a wild ride.

Speaker 5 (03:24):
It was really shocking.

Speaker 4 (03:25):
At that time, I was still living in Manhattan, and
looking back now you can kind of like you start
to see more like symptoms and you're like, okay, was
that part of this. I do think I was sick
for a few months before actually getting the diagnosis.

Speaker 5 (03:39):
Lymphoma is a blood cancer.

Speaker 4 (03:40):
And I'm not gonna lie, I'm not gonna I don't
know a ton about honestly, the health facts about everything.
So it's really more of like a lifestyle journey for
me and how it changed me in that aspect. But yeah,
I mean, that's that's kind of where it started.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
And looking back on a part that was really hard
for you and your life and something that you never
saw coming.

Speaker 3 (03:58):
So how did you find out that this happened?

Speaker 2 (04:01):
Like what were the signs that led you to be like, Okay,
I think I need to go see a doctor.

Speaker 3 (04:05):
What happened?

Speaker 5 (04:07):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (04:07):
So at that point, like I said, I was going
to school for education and I had taken on a
full time role and I just recognized I was diagnosed
in June, and that whole entire semester, I was exhausted
and I'm normally a really upbeat person.

Speaker 5 (04:23):
And to be fair, at that time too, I was
managing two jobs.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
I was working at a bar, I was working at
Tanners in Manhattan, and I was closing that down, and
that's like really late nights and then getting up to
go to a school, which is you know, early mornings.
And I just felt myself just like dragging constantly and
looked at like things like my diet and drinking water
and of course like activity, and you know, I could
have done better in all those areas. So I think
I kept telling myself, this is a me problem. It

(04:48):
wasn't in general, but I ended up really getting sick
in March, dealing with just like physical pain, not really
being able to like heal fully.

Speaker 5 (04:59):
I had a pretty bad cough, which I chalked.

Speaker 4 (05:03):
It up to having you know what, I think at
that point, I was seeing like struck throat or something
like that, and my lymph notes were just completely swollen.
And at one point, you know, my roommate and best
friend was asking me, like what is going on here?
And that's just kind of what led to me realizing like, okay,
I should probably go get this checked out. Not to
mention kind of the ball drop here, my my logical

(05:25):
mom died from So she died from non hotchkins, and
I actually had hopkins. I think I misspoke earlier, But
there is two different blood cancers. Again, I'm not the
one to go on web md and figure out everything
about my cancer. It really wasn't my style. I just
did what the doctors told me. But my mom did
pass from cancer in nineteen ninety nine, so same blood cancer,

(05:47):
but kind of different styles.

Speaker 5 (05:48):
Not Hopkins is a lot less curable even even to date.

Speaker 4 (05:52):
Really, my cancer is one of the most curable cancers,
and actually the age range that I got it is
the most common, so it was just really interesting kind
of to learn those And they also say it is
more of an environmental disease versus you know what you like,
hereditary or genetic. A lot of studies are now showing
that it does have hereditary tendencies. A lot of doctors

(06:12):
believe it is just fully hereditary, and it runs.

Speaker 5 (06:15):
On my side of the family.

Speaker 4 (06:16):
Unfortunately, my grandpa, biological grandpa, also was diagnosed while I
was going through treatment with non Hodgkins, and it makes
sense because they were farmers, so I.

Speaker 5 (06:24):
Think a lot of it's done from that.

Speaker 4 (06:26):
But long winded answer to your question, but yeah, that's
kind of how it all started and kind of where
it came from, and having that family history is kind
of also what tempted me to go see a doctor.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
So when you got the diagnosis and they're like, you
have this, I'm going to go kind of two different
things here, But because you did just talk about your
biological mom and grandpa, what was going through your head?
Were you like, oh, my gosh, I know this happened
with them, and then you found out about your grandpa, Like,
what were those experiences like when you know it's part
of your family.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
What was your kind of first feelings as this started
to happen.

Speaker 4 (07:00):
I have, unfortunately, and I will say unfortunately, blocked a
lot of that part of my life. And it wasn't
just cancer, so a lot of that with with it.
The initial feeling, I mean, it was fair for sure,
and I just remember the most fearful thing was not
being able to carry on life and like really start
my life at that point, I really haven't been in love.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
And yeah, and I don't want you to cry unless
you feel comfortable.

Speaker 5 (07:28):
Honestly said I was going to be totally fine.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
So I also know that this was such an incredibly
difficult time in your life, and emotions are normal for
that and what you're experiencing even talking about it again,
this is the reason I wanted to talk about this topic,
not because it's easy, not because I want to put
anybody through those emotions, but because.

Speaker 3 (07:50):
It happens so often.

Speaker 2 (07:52):
Everybody knows somebody that has been diagnosed or died from cancer,
and it's horrible. There's one enemy I think we all have.
It's cancer. So you showing those emotions is very real
and very normal and very genuine. So please know that
I have also personally cried on this podcast many times,

(08:13):
so you're clear. But that also just shows how raw
and how hard that was for you, especially at that
age in your life. So going from finding out the diagnosis,
how long were you going through cancer for and chemo
and treatment and everything.

Speaker 4 (08:30):
While my cancer is like extremely cariable, I think in
the eighty percent range, there is that other percent where
you can relapse, and that did happen to me, and
there was about a year lapse in there. Truth be told,
I don't ever think I was fully in remission. You know,
a lot of my family and my doctors kind of
feel the same way. It was a very very minimal

(08:51):
spot in my chest and what they call it, you're
like your thomis and a lot of women like have
it from just growing up and having like extra brush
rest issue. So it was this little piece that wasn't
necessarily worth a full biopsy because the last time they
they would have to biopsy that area, you have to
like deflate a lung and it's just a lot more invasive,

(09:13):
and so at that point, I mean, we had all
decided that it wasn't worth it. If it grew in
like certain amounts, you know, we would address that then.
So technically I was like in remission for a year,
but I was diagnosed in like two of the nineteen
and I was completely cancer free by February of twenty
twenty two. So long duration there, but some oft times

(09:35):
for sure. But yeah, that's kind of what that looks like.

Speaker 2 (09:37):
You know what everybody talks about going through chemo, who've
gone through it, and it's just this very emotionally and
physically tasking on your body. What was the chemo process
like for you, Like, can you speak to some of that,
because I think first person experience is a lot different
than me seeing it and talking about it.

Speaker 5 (09:54):
Honestly, we're gonna feel like you were there through some
of it.

Speaker 4 (09:57):
I Mean you always were checking in on me, so
and that that's what got me through everything, is my friends.
I mean, that support system was like no other. And
I hope we get to get into that a little
bit later because it seriously changed my life. But as
far as like the treatment goes, I was very, very
lucky the first time around. Physically I felt fine. I

(10:19):
was still fairly active. Yeah, I would say like a
couple of days after the infusion where you actually go
to the doctor's office, you sit in that chair, and
you get those medications injected into you. A couple of
days after that, that's when it would set it about
twenty four to forty eight hours. And I've always struggled
with like acid reflux and sensitive stomach issues, so that's

(10:41):
what I was most nervous about going into treatment, like
how sick.

Speaker 5 (10:44):
It would make me.

Speaker 4 (10:45):
But I really really was physically lucky. The worst part
of that was losing my hair, and I know, yeah,
that's probably really a part you know about and I
feel so silly when I get so upset about that,
But that still to this day is like just was
the most frustrating thing. I just you know, it just
it made my confidence go down, and looking back at

(11:07):
so silly to like feel that way, but it's something
that to me, I always grew up with it being
kind of one of my best features, something that was
like complimented. And like I said, I hadn't been in
love at that point, so I was just like, oh
my god. You know, it was like the end of
the world. But overall, you know, that was six months
of treatment, starting in like July or August, I think
after I'd found out in June of twenty nineteen, so
I finished up that winter, and it was right before COVID,

(11:30):
so that was its own transition in itself being immunocompromised.

Speaker 5 (11:34):
As you can imagine, I had moved.

Speaker 4 (11:35):
Back with my parents when I found out when I
was diagnosed in Manhattan. Living in Manhattan still having my
dub been through this, KU was like kind of the
best place to go. So it was time to pick
up my bags, move home, and just take my time
to get healthy. And then, like I said, it was
about a year until we did another biopsy of that
chess peace finally and started that treatment, and that that

(11:56):
was a whole different situation. I ended up undergoing a
stem cell transplant WOW, otherwise known as like a bone
marrow transplant. I did an autologous which it was my
own cells, so it's not like I was, you know,
donated cells or anything like that. But I mean, that
is an amazing gesture if you have the opportunity to
do it.

Speaker 5 (12:13):
I mean, it can really really help.

Speaker 4 (12:15):
It gave my mom several more years, so it's still
just the whole process is really really really interesting to
learn about.

Speaker 5 (12:21):
But that was tough.

Speaker 4 (12:23):
It was a really intense chemo seven days straight hours
at a time. That was the most physically sick I
felt in after a sentense of transplant. You're basically down
to zero and blinking on the word but like all
of your levels, like you're tassium, all these things, like
it's basically at zero, so you have to self isolate

(12:43):
for ninety days. You do have a caretaker, so I
was at home. My mom was really helping me take care.

Speaker 5 (12:48):
At that point.

Speaker 4 (12:49):
I moved in and even was sharing a bathroom with
my sister, and we weren't able to do that during
this time, so she had to go use a different restroom.
Just because of how important it is to like not
get sick and get those Germans. If you do get
a fever over like one hundred and one degrees you're
admitted to the hospital. So that happened to me twice.
And during that COVID year was very very lonesome. Yeah,

(13:11):
but yeah, that was the most physically ill. I felt
just a lot on my body, went weeks without eating.
Was the smallest I ever have been. Yeah, it was tough.

Speaker 5 (13:21):
So I got a little bit of both worlds, if
you will.

Speaker 3 (13:23):
Yeah, you got to levent variations of that.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
And I do remember I remember seeing you after you
had gone in this isolation period or talking to I
can't remember which one it was, because again, it was
COVID times and that feels like a black hole in itself.
I do remember really specifically talking to you after this year,
like I'm so happy that this is over. You were like,
I can't imagine having gone through one of the hardest

(13:46):
things that you had just gone through, and then you
had to be isolated on top of it. Now, I'm
really glad that you had your mom to be this
person and caregiver for you in that situation, and I
imagine that that was probably so helpful to have such
a close piece of your life that was the one
that you could at least interact with that time period

(14:07):
for both of you, guys, What was that like in
that isolation period? What were things that you were trying
to do? What was happening in those ninety days.

Speaker 4 (14:15):
Being told you have cancer and uprooting your life in Manhattan,
working at a bar, in a school and just doing
my thing, and immediately having to go back and like
do this real adult like live shit, Sorry.

Speaker 3 (14:28):
You can cuss. It's okay.

Speaker 2 (14:31):
You deserve every cuss word that you would like to say,
so just say heaven no.

Speaker 4 (14:34):
So it was tough at times. You know, I was angry.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
I was.

Speaker 4 (14:38):
I was in an angry spot, and I was therefore
after I mean, it wasn't like you know, boom, I'm
done with my one hundred ninety days whatever, and you
know all as well. While I physically felt pretty good,
there was still a lot of physically taxing things. I mean,
after you essentially like lay in a bed for ninety days.
And I think that's it was more of like a

(15:00):
people I can think really relate to it. Because of
the COVID timing, we were all forced kind of be
close together. You probably fought, you know with the people
that you're the closest with and so it was it
was tough on a relationship. It was also in a
sense like you know, I went through like some shame
and embarrassment. I mean when you're you know, that's sick,
Like there's a lot of things you just can't control.
Like I would just I felt sick often and gets uncomfortable,

(15:22):
but she would have to help me basically like do
my laundry. I could, you know, really couldn't make it
up and down the stairs without just like being like exhausted.
And that just takes a toll on a relationship. But
we I couldn't have done it without her. I mean
she drove me to every doctor's appointment. I had to
go daily during those times, and I just I really

(15:42):
can't imagine it being anybody else next to me and
helping me through that because she's just so caring and
so nurturing, and yeah, if you've had the chance to
meet her, like it's just the truth.

Speaker 5 (15:52):
So I'm very very fortunate to have had that.

Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, you also had mentioned at one point you were
talking about the support system that you had not just
with her, but also friends and family and people checking
in on you. People feel like maybe when they message
people especially as they're going through these things, You're like, Oh,
I feel really bad. I don't want to make them
talk about it, or I don't want to reach out
to them.

Speaker 3 (16:11):
I don't want to bother them.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
But I feel like from the other side, that's a
very helpful thing to do.

Speaker 3 (16:19):
Am I wrong or right in that.

Speaker 5 (16:20):
One hundred percent right?

Speaker 4 (16:21):
I mean it was truly looking back, I mean just
being able to be that open with And I consider
myself like a really just friendly person, Like I have
a really like large, close knit group of friends and
I never really felt I don't know, out of place
like going to them. I felt more comfortable going to
my friends, really honestly than my family at some points.

(16:44):
And I think it's because I almost felt like a
burden to my family and that's not the vibe they
were giving at all. But I don't even know how
to put it into words. The support I had barely
started a job that you know, one of our best friends, Diane,
had actually set me up with, and it was really
something I've excited about because I had already gone through
the cancer thing. I thought I was kind of done
with it, and I start this job and then three

(17:05):
months into it, you know, I find out I'm sick
again and I'm like, oh my gosh, like what am
I going to do? And at this point, I'm like,
I know, I have to take three months off because
I have to self isolate. And the support that I received,
even from strangers, it was just life changing. Like I said,
I'm just at a loss for words still to this

(17:25):
day because it. I mean, they did so much for
me after knowing me for three months. My boss set
up a go fund me for me. It literally saved
my life. I would probably still be in a lot
of medical debt. I mean, it is never ending. And
when you do transplants like this, I mean I have
to still continue to go get stands, and I mean
those things are aren't cheap as a person with a career,
let alone a person who just quit their bartending job.

Speaker 5 (17:47):
And moved to Kansas City and you know, went through
all that.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
So yeah, and I think that support system matters. I
cannot imagine somebody going through something like that and their
whole life changing and they don't have the support to
do so.

Speaker 3 (18:00):
And I love that you had that. I love that
it was a.

Speaker 2 (18:05):
Good experience, as the situation wasn't. I'm happy that that
was the case for you. And I do imagine that
the medical debt that's taken on with a serious illness
is also the emotional toll that that takes on you.
As that's happening, you're like sitting here, You're like, Okay,
I have to fight for my life. I also have
to survive, so I need to figure out my career.

(18:25):
And oh also I have to pay all of these bills.
That's not anything one human being should ever have to
go through. Life is already hard, and then you throw
that into the mix. I couldn't personally imagine. And that's
why your story is so important, and sharing and talking
about these things is important because you only see people
going through things and you feel for them and you

(18:45):
hurt for them.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
But to know what actually all goes into that and
that time.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
And my heart just like it was always hurting for
you while that was all happening, but it could never
have hurt enough.

Speaker 3 (18:58):
I don't know if that makes any sense.

Speaker 4 (19:00):
No, one hundred percent. I even remember I got to
come visit. I've visited here in Nashville an off time.
I think I was wearing a wig at that point,
but you were.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
You had your wigs.

Speaker 5 (19:10):
I have lots of whig friends and they're still around.

Speaker 3 (19:13):
To say, do you still have them? Like there's some
more hanging out.

Speaker 4 (19:16):
Yeah, I saved them, So I mean, I think I
got rid of like one, but I ended up getting
all the colored wigs and it was, you know, a
fun time. But no, I mean, to echo what you said,
there's so many like amazing relationships that came out of it.
So that's why you know earlier I say like, unfortunately
I blocked a lot of like I don't have a

(19:37):
ton of memories from that time, but because I do
think it was just subconsciously blocked out. But the relationships
that came out of it, I have.

Speaker 2 (19:45):
To remember, like you were, you were trying to survive, right,
you were literally your body was trying to survive a
really hard thing. So blocking out I don't feel like
that's not unnormal, you know what I mean. I feel
like that's pretty normal for what you were experiencing.

Speaker 4 (20:00):
I think I chalk it up because truly, I mean,
if you've heard the term pregnancy brain, like chemo brain.

Speaker 5 (20:04):
Is also a thing, and it is. I mean, it
is so true. I still feel like it has its
lasting effects today.

Speaker 4 (20:11):
But going back to the financial aspect of it too,
I mean that really was a huge toll because at
that time too, I was I was turning twenty six,
I was getting kicked off my parents' insurance, and there
was like a lot at stake there, And so that
go fundy when I say it, like really really saved
my life, like it truly did.

Speaker 5 (20:29):
And I'm just so fortunate and grateful.

Speaker 4 (20:31):
For like people who go out of their way to
do things to support people like that, and I really
always try to pay it back or pay it forward.
And even on top of that, like, you know, a
topic I love to shed light on is I was
approached before my first time doing treatment saying, you know,
it might be a good idea for you to consider,
like saving your eggs, and I didn't.

Speaker 5 (20:50):
I didn't consider it at that time.

Speaker 4 (20:51):
I didn't go through with the process at that time
because I really weigh out the risks and that goes
into the money. And although I'm being told by a
medical profession that this is something I should consider, it
is not considered medically necessary and it was not covered
by insurance. Having cancer, I was fortunate enough to be
given the medication for free that is just a cancer thing.

(21:12):
So I can only imagine women who are like going
through autoimmune diseases and things like that, who don't even
get a single discount on any of that process.

Speaker 5 (21:19):
And it is not.

Speaker 4 (21:20):
Cheap, you know, And that I ended up going through
it the second time because the severity of the treatment
was so much more And I'm still paying that for
my eggs to be frozen, and I'm so grateful I
did that process. It was really really enlightening and just
empowering as a woman, and I'm grateful to have those
eggs to fall back on being I just turned thirty

(21:41):
this year, and I don't know what that fate looks
like for me based on what I've been through health wise.
So that is something that was like also not only
like mentally exhausting to think through at that time when
you're not in a relationship, you haven't really experienced your
first love, you're not even sure if you want to
have kids. But that was just, you know, it's just
like another thing that I think people don't realize until

(22:04):
you're really in it, how much more there.

Speaker 3 (22:06):
Is as just like a human being who's not experiencing it.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
That's a tough conversation, A tough call to make and
to spend money in that direction of like, do I
finally make this decision? And as you're going through things,
you're like, oh wait, I also have to think about
my future five years from now.

Speaker 3 (22:21):
I'm not even sure what's happening right now.

Speaker 2 (22:24):
I commend you also, Tori, because you are such a
beautiful soul. You always have been before all of this
and after all of this, but also through all of this,
like you stayed who you were. You did not let
the things that were happening to you truly make you
hard and hate the world than you could have. You
could have chosen that, and I don't think anybody would

(22:44):
have blamed you, but you chose not to. And I
think that's a testament to who you are as a
human being and your family and your friends and the
people you surround yourself with.

Speaker 3 (22:54):
But also I just hope you know that at.

Speaker 4 (22:57):
The end of the day, thank you, I mean not recognition,
And it really means a lot, because, like I said
in the beginning, I feel like my journey went a
little under the radar. Not again, like I had so
much support and so many people reaching out to me,
but for me. I just wanted to get it done
and get it over with. So to just to even

(23:17):
be asked to do this and like find myself making
some sort of like an impact or my journey made
an impact, you know, makes it worth it.

Speaker 5 (23:25):
So hearing that is I mean, it is really like fulfilling.

Speaker 3 (23:29):
So thank you, of course you are.

Speaker 2 (23:34):
And I don't say that just to tell you because
you're my friend, Like I genuinely mean that.

Speaker 3 (23:37):
I think you're You've always been a great person.

Speaker 2 (23:39):
But for anybody to go through something, especially the things
that you were going through and still choose hope, enjoy
and love and positivity and now you have found potentially
the love of your life, I think it's just really cool.
And I think it's a testament to how strong we
are when we don't even know it.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
And that was you. You had the strength all along.

Speaker 2 (24:01):
It just the world was testing you on a lot
of different fronts and you had to keep choosing it
over and over and over again.

Speaker 4 (24:08):
Yeah, it's weird, like thinking about it all and time,
I haven't sat down and really like talked about it
like this.

Speaker 5 (24:15):
Yeah, I don't know ever.

Speaker 3 (24:17):
Probably no, you again, you're like, okay, that part of
my life is over. We're going to move forward.

Speaker 2 (24:21):
But I'm like, hey, Tori, you want to you want
to talk about a really hard time.

Speaker 3 (24:25):
I'm so sorry, but I love you and you deserve
to talk about it.

Speaker 4 (24:27):
With that being said, so there's a quote that I
found pretty early on in my journey, and I so
a lot of how I tried to pass the time
was I love like calligraphy, I love coloring. I don't know,
I'm just kind of into that that sort of stuff.
So I really took that on, you know. Unfortunately, I
will say a long term side effect I've gotten from
treatment is I have a really really bad tremor and

(24:48):
I'm left handed, and it's it's it's when your muscles
are like activated. And I haven't been able to really
write or like do as much coloring. And I wasn't
able to when I was really deep in the medicine then.
But I brought this book out. I don't know if
you guys and see it, but I wrote like some
quotes in here, like one of my favorites that I
just recently shared with a friend of mine. She just
recently got married this year, and her fiance essentially like

(25:09):
suffered a stroke and simultaneously has found out that there
is like heart conditions involved in things like this, and
it's been really tough to like see her go through this.

Speaker 5 (25:17):
And we've been you know, chatting, and she messaged me back.

Speaker 4 (25:20):
I don't have to come off like conceded or anything,
but she messaged me back and she was like that
message you sent me was like one of the best
I've received, Like, thank you so much. And I can't
remember exactly what I said. It's just like, you know,
keep your head down, like get through things and lean
on your.

Speaker 5 (25:33):
People and that kind of thing.

Speaker 4 (25:34):
But I'll read the quote and it's it's one day
you will tell your story of how you overcame what
you're going through right now, and it will become a
part of someone else's survival.

Speaker 1 (25:43):
Guy.

Speaker 4 (25:44):
And I just love that because it stuck to me
back then because I was sitting next to folks who
had been going through treatment for months or I mean
a couple even years, and you know, I met really
great people out of that experience and what they were
able to share with me like helped me get through
that process.

Speaker 5 (26:01):
So I can only.

Speaker 4 (26:02):
Hope that, like going forward, when people are going through
these tough times that like the words and advice that
I can offer, can it can help in just like
some little way because I was given like so much
help and love and kindness and that's just like one
thing that took away from me. And it's becoming really
relevant in the last like several weeks with telling her that,

(26:24):
and now I'm being asked to, like, you know, talk
to you, and it just it just like comes full circle.

Speaker 3 (26:29):
I guess you are.

Speaker 2 (26:31):
You are making a difference and sharing your story will
help people. It's also going to help people who are
part of somebody else's journey, right, And then like I
heard this and this may be what you're feeling.

Speaker 3 (26:42):
Maybe this episode will help you.

Speaker 2 (26:44):
What is the book that you just read that out
of just so people you can hold it up.

Speaker 5 (26:47):
Well, it's it's just like a journal.

Speaker 3 (26:49):
Oh my gosh, you have like a whole journal.

Speaker 4 (26:51):
Yeah, so you can see it had its moments. But
I this is more for my first journey. It's kind
of cool to I have a couple examples, but I
did pictures of every friend that came and visited me.

Speaker 5 (27:03):
Well that was before I cut my hair.

Speaker 2 (27:05):
But do you feel like that helped you, Like really
go through your emotions or something more for you after
the fact.

Speaker 4 (27:12):
I think I'm a.

Speaker 5 (27:12):
Little bit of both. I like I said, I kind
of like doing that like stuff.

Speaker 4 (27:16):
And well, what really started it is my friend that
I had worked with at the school actually, who had
witnessed how exhausted I was, and all of my coworkers
were like, okay, like this is like crazy, like it
makes sense. She ended up sending me every single treatment,
I would get like a little card in the mail,
and they had just had like different inspiring quotes and stuff,

(27:36):
and that's what really urged me to start. So they're
like on most of these pages and I have so
many of them, and I kind of just coincided the
quotes with like a picture from that day, maybe the
conversation that me and my friend had while I was
getting treatment. I don't know that's what really kind of
jump started it. But I just thought it was so cute,
like getting these little cards just I.

Speaker 5 (27:55):
Don't know that just my vibe, I guess.

Speaker 3 (27:57):
But no, I think that's got me through it.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
Yeah, I was gonna say, like, I think that's something
so easy that people are able to do for others
that are going through this like, this is why we
talk about these things. I would have never known cards
like that one existed to this you know capacity, and
too that it would be helpful to somebody. So again, like,
you are sharing a story that's impactful, that matters, and

(28:21):
it's your story and it's a story of survival and
hope and you've done wonders with it.

Speaker 3 (28:27):
So I hope you continue to feel that way. Thank you.

Speaker 4 (28:31):
I was like looking up to see if the brand
name was on there, but it's not. It's okay, so.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
It's probably on Etsy somewhere.

Speaker 5 (28:44):
It's nice, like reminiscing on those kinds of things.

Speaker 4 (28:46):
I even, like made really good friends with my nurse
Carlene and we still talk to this day.

Speaker 5 (28:51):
She's amazing. And I was.

Speaker 4 (28:54):
Very ready to move out of my parents' house after treatment,
as you can imagine, and I would get, you know,
I would take every chance I could get to tell
Carlen that, And so I was super excited to tell
Carleen when I got my lease for my first apartment
to live in on my own, and I was like,
there's this cute patio and I can't wait.

Speaker 5 (29:13):
To get it done.

Speaker 4 (29:14):
And she called me one day out of the blue
right before Christmas and was like, are you are you home?
I'm like, oh my gosh, yes, you know, I'm like
starting to clean everything. She said, no, no, no, you can
just come downstairs. And I go down stairs and her
and her husband had backed up their pickup truck and
he had built me a beautiful bench with a side

(29:35):
table that's on my on my deck, you know, right now.

Speaker 5 (29:39):
And it was literally one of the most.

Speaker 4 (29:41):
Thoughtful gifts I've ever received in my entire life. And
it's just those are the things that I carry with
me now, and those are the things, Like I said,
so many good relationships came out of it.

Speaker 5 (29:51):
But I like to share that story too, So thanks
for letting me.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
Yeah, because nurses and doctors they do incredible work, and
you know, especially nurses don't get the credit that they deserve.
And I love that you got to have that relationship
and have one that is still meaningful today and again.

Speaker 3 (30:07):
A great reminder of your strength.

Speaker 2 (30:09):
I mean I would look at that bench and see
every time like, okay I did that, like there was
a reason that this happened so amazing. I do want
to end on good no, if you will, but if
there's something you could tell anybody, whether it's somebody going
through cancer, somebody who's supporting somebody going through cancer, what
is something that you like wish everybody would know or

(30:29):
they would.

Speaker 5 (30:30):
Hear just having an understanding that in the end.

Speaker 4 (30:36):
That's tough to say because not everyone like makes it
through it. But I just feel like being present and
being able to like fully listen and just kind of
accept for where people are at in the process is
the most important. And I think what my friends and

(30:56):
family did so well with is not you know, like
it's gonna be okay. Because I did have a very
cureable cancer. I had a light at the end of
the tunnel that I was really sure I was going
to get to. And I think just recognizing that while yes,
i'll you know, be there, I'm still here right now.

(31:18):
So I think just you know, giving grace and where
people are at in that process is probably the most important.

Speaker 5 (31:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
No, that's a really good one, And I think that's
a good thing for people to remember, because I think
it's quick to tell people be like, you're gonna be fine,
It's gonna be okay. We naturally want to do that
because of course, you don't want to be like, oh,
you're not gonna be okay, But it is also kind
of like a band aid versus just being like, hey,
I'm here for you whatever you need. I think that's
something somebody would rather hear more than you're gonna be okay.

Speaker 4 (31:48):
Yeah, And I hate like I'm never one to you know,
because I get in situations I'm like, what, I don't
know what to say to make this better.

Speaker 5 (31:55):
I don't.

Speaker 4 (31:56):
Sometimes you get lucky and you do say the right thing,
and sometimes it's just not what they're looking to hear.
But I mean, just yeah, being like your genuine self,
like you said, you know, I'm here.

Speaker 5 (32:07):
I'm here to listen to you. Like, It's just it
goes a long way.

Speaker 3 (32:12):
Well, Tory, thank you for sharing your story.

Speaker 2 (32:14):
Thank you for opening up about something that is very
difficult and a very hard time of your life.

Speaker 3 (32:19):
But I do think it matters. I think your story
is important to hear, So thank you for sharing it.

Speaker 5 (32:24):
Thank you, Morgan.

Speaker 4 (32:25):
I really appreciate you letting me on. This is so exciting.

Speaker 3 (32:36):
I'm joined right now by Simone Jisandi.

Speaker 2 (32:39):
She's a published author and focus is on the education
of holistic cancer therapies and disease reversal and just natural health.
And I'm so excited to welcome you on Simone. How
are you Morgan? Thank you so much for having me on.
I'm fantastic and I really can't wait for our conversation.

Speaker 3 (32:57):
Yeah, this is going to.

Speaker 2 (32:58):
Be really exciting that you know, I've in the last
several years of my life have really been focused on
natural health and holistic approaches. I think once we know better,
we do better in all facets of our life. And
I think a lot of people are learning about this,
and a big focus is going to be talking about
holistic cancer therapies. But I want to start this with
tell me how and why you got into this line

(33:20):
of work.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
Well, when it comes to holistic health overall, I myself
had my own I would call it medical event and
health scare back in twenty eleven I had a stroke.
But my journey goes back much further. I got into
health overall. So back in two thousand and seven, I

(33:43):
wanted to teach people how to eat right. I was
doing fitness shows. I really knew how to get the
body composition down. And then of course the stroke came,
which was in twenty eleven, and Shortly thereafter, my father
actually was diagnosed with his first cat he had two.
Luckily he's doing amazing and thriving. So it kind of

(34:07):
took me on this journey and I had to expand
on everything that I had learned from the initial journey
that I started with nutrition. I wanted to see what
more is there out there in the realm of health
that we could help others or ourselves to actually thrive,

(34:27):
not just be healthy, but actually thrive. So that's been
the in a nutshell, that's been the journey.

Speaker 3 (34:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:34):
And so tell me when you say you found some
different ways to kind of help ourselves and help others,
especially when it comes to our diet, what are some
of those things that you found.

Speaker 1 (34:44):
So when it comes to nutrition, I mean, the epicenter
of health is really our gut. And I know that
a lot of people out there speak of gut health,
and it's actually so true. And if you look even
in the way that we are actually when we are
in utero, so during our developm, it's actually the digestive
system that is first to develop.

Speaker 3 (35:04):
So the digestive.

Speaker 1 (35:05):
System, and as we know, there are many neurotransmitters that
are actually made in the gut. So even our mental
health depends so much on our digestive system and therefore
what we put in the body, which are the raw
elements and the raw materials that the body uses to
put together tissues and organs and even organ systems and

(35:27):
neurotransmitters and enzymes and hormones. That all comes from food,
and that all comes from the nutrients that we put
in the body. So it's so so important. When we
are deficient and the nutrients necessary, then we suffer. And
without those nutrients there can be no health. And this
has been proven time and time again. So there's a

(35:49):
lot of scientific backup to these claims, and a lot
of the doctors in the holistic health space, and actually
in large part even in the allopathic doctors do recognize
that we do have to eat in line with the
end results that we want for our health, especially in
the space of diabetes. Everybody knows that you know, what

(36:09):
we put in our mouth, especially when it comes to
our blood sugar levels, in large part determines whether that
disease type two diabetes is going to come or not,
and very easily reversible if we actually change the diet.
So the diet is one of the foundational things to health,
especially because while we eat every day, so what we

(36:30):
put in our body will show up in the body
and on the body. So absolutely nutrition is that important.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
So and when you look at nutrition, obviously, I never
I've never believed in this one size you know, fits
all for different people. But I am curious when it
comes to diet and nutrition, is there proven specific things
that we should all be consuming or is it really
based on genetics and the things that are in your

(36:58):
body that you have to kind of cater your nutrition
style too.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
I think in large part there are very large overarching
factors that do apply to us all. So we do
all have to have certain components and certain nutrients in
the body. We definitely need minerals, so we need a micronutrients.
We also need a macronutrients, So a large part everybody
needs those components as part of their diet. But then

(37:25):
when we kind of drill down further, we have to
optimize for what we are looking to optimize for. So
for a pregnant woman, she has to optimize, she has
to eat to optimize for the pregnancy and for the
development of the baby. If you're looking to do a
fitness competition, or if you want to do anything in
the health in the sports arena, you want to make
sure you optimize for that. So you want to eat

(37:47):
in line with what you want the end result to be,
your desired outcome. If you want to reverse disease, then
you have to optimize for that. If you want to
eliminate cancer, you have to eat to optimize for that.
And it's very much intertwined with the lifestyle as well.
As we know, sleep plays an important and absolutely huge

(38:09):
role as well as connecting to nature, having access to
fresh air, having access to sunlight. The body converts that
to vitamin D, which is in fact actually a hormone,
So all of these factors actually play together so overarchingly, Yes,
we do have many rules that apply to us all,

(38:29):
but then when we drill down further, we have to
optimize for our desired outcome wherever we are on our journey.

Speaker 2 (38:36):
So let's start with the overarching What are those kind
of things that we all need and we should all be,
you know, because if somebody's listening to this and they
want to start and they want to do better, what
are these first steps, especially when it comes to the
diet that they can start adding, they should start changing.

Speaker 1 (38:55):
Absolutely, you need access to the macronutrients which are facts.
So clean fats. We're not talking about trans fats, none
of the stuff that comes from the deep fried stuff
that we see in fast food restaurants, but definitely clean
fats that we get from things like avocados and nuts.
We also need clean proteins, so if you are a
meat eater, absolutely make sure that it's organic and as

(39:17):
clean as possible from fish as well as of course carbohydrates.
And that's actually very tricky because a lot of people
believe that you have to consume bread and you have
to consume pastas and cereals, and in fact, a lot
of the carbohydrates that we get actually come from vegetables,
and a lot of the vegetables provide us not only

(39:39):
with the carbohydrate content, but also with the fiber that
we need so that we can actually be able to
go to the bathroom and not have any of those
digestive issues that play a role as well as even
fiber is very important for diabetes, very very important to
be able to keep the blood sugar leveled. So those
are the overarching ones. Now, So those are the macronutrients.

(40:01):
Now the micronutrients so micro meaning the smaller ones would
be the vitamins and minerals. A lot of people are
very deficient and a lot of the minerals that we
need typically found in water when the water comes from
a good, clean source. Magnesium is one of the most
important nutrients that we have in almost everybody's deficient, so

(40:22):
that's something that absolutely needs to be supplemented. There are
other ones. Zinc is a very important one of course
for those that are low, and iron then that's an
important one. Selenium I think is highly overlooked and would
be great for as an anti cancer nutrient. So those
are the things, and of course hydration I don't want

(40:43):
to forget one of the most important one. It's so
so important that we're properly hydrated. We don't have to
look at it only as consuming water because we have
to be hydrated at cellular level. And oftentimes you see
that a lot of people drink water and then they
just go to the washroom and pier right out. It's
important when we drink it for our body to actually

(41:03):
absorb it and for it to get into the cells.
So when that's the case, then the body retains it,
It actually takes it and puts it to good use.
But a lot of times you see that people become endemic,
so they actually have that water retention swelling kind of look,
and they don't absorb it into the tissues or they
just pee it out. So that's important. You have to

(41:26):
have all the systems work optimally and running on all
cylinders for us to actually experience true health.

Speaker 2 (41:32):
Oh wow, this is so much good information, and I
just feel like you just gave us a wealth of
knowledge in somewhere to really start, even just a basis
when you say that we really need to make sure
water on a cellular level is getting us.

Speaker 1 (41:44):
How can we make sure that's happening. So a lot
of hydration actually is much better received when we take
it in through our food, so fruits, for example, especially
juicy ones, so things like of course oranges or grapes, watermelons, apples.
That hydration that's in the actual fruit comes into the
cells when it comes in with the nutrients, and in fact,

(42:08):
it has such great ratios of all those micronutrients that
I was talking about earlier, So it has a lot
of the vitamins and a lot of the minerals, so
you're actually really feeding the cells because they do need
access to all those nutrients not only to be able
to carry out their own functions, but also to be
able to maintain their own health. So think of us,

(42:29):
we have to be healthy to be able to go
and do our jobs. If we're sick, we have to
stay home and rest. So the cells actually operate in
the same way. They have to be able to be
healthy for themselves, and then they have to be healthy
be able to carry out their functions their jobs that
they are obviously there to do. So, for example, when
we need to have very healthy lungs so that we

(42:50):
can actually be able to get access to the oxygen
to be able to breathe, when those cells are actually
not healthy. So a lot of people who let's say
smoke and do damage to their to their cells and
their lungs, actually those cells start to die and then
we lose function of that tissue. So it's important for
us to give all the tissues what they need. So

(43:10):
when it comes to hydration, it's so well received when
it comes not just through regular water, especially because water
is more solvent than anything else, so it's important to
get it from fruits and vegetables, so things like celery.
Celery is a high water content. It has actually a
lot of minerals. The most important salt is found in

(43:31):
celery and in cucumbers.

Speaker 2 (43:34):
Okay, this is so interesting because you know, I wish
these are things that they really taught us in school
so we could understand these fruits and vegetables and how
they're helping us. And the way that you have just
described in such a very basic but also important way
is so cool and I so appreciate that because I

(43:55):
wish somebody would have broke that down for me when
I was sixteen years old and really shaping my you
know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (44:02):
Yeah, it's important that we have these kind of because
these are for life, right, It's for the way that
we experience life. We want to be able to enjoy health,
to be able to enjoy other aspects of life, and foundationally,
health is the number one thing that we can have
because even if we get access to riches, if we're
in a hospital bed fighting for our life, how we're
going to be how are we going to be able

(44:23):
to enjoy let's say riches in the sense of monetary riches.
Millions of dollars. Would you be able to travel if
you have to be in a hospital bed fighting for
your life?

Speaker 3 (44:30):
Of course not so.

Speaker 1 (44:32):
Foundationally, yes, it's important, and it's important to start early,
especially during developmental stages. So as children, when our tissues
and our organs and our systems develop, it's so important
that we set those stages and we set the habits
at that point because those are the things that we're
going to do throughout life, and it is then that

(44:53):
we are going to be able to enjoy the health
that we foundationally build on as time passes. So yeah,
it would be so wonderful if we could get these
things early on in childhood and taught in school.

Speaker 2 (45:09):
Now, I do want to you know, I have one
of my friends on in this episode. Her name's Tori,
and she had a blood cancer. And there's kind of
two aspects I want to talk to you about with this.
But when you talk about things that cancer patients, when
you're helping them holistically.

Speaker 3 (45:26):
What are the ways that you're doing.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
Now you mentioned diet, and we can kind of break
that down a little bit, but is there other ways too?

Speaker 3 (45:31):
So that's kind of the overarching.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
Absolutely, so the way that I approach it, and this
is the way that I approached it, even with my father,
is a nutritional detoxification. So what that means is we
want to give the body an opportunity to detoxify, so
we want to be able to get rid as much
of us much of the toxic low that we accumulate
through life, and that's from lifestyle of course, as well

(45:54):
as poor dietary habits. A lot of times, and much
like what you just said, we don't know that some
of the things that we consume are actually detrimental to health.
And we take for granted that our body is able
to actually sustain so many offenses over time, and we
never know when that time comes to an end and

(46:15):
we get that diagnosis. So nutritional detoxification means that you
take in certain foods that allows your body to cleanse
and to detoxify, but also be taking in nutrients to
be able to support the tissue so that they have
access to some of the fuel and what they need
to be able to continue to function and.

Speaker 3 (46:34):
Fight for you.

Speaker 1 (46:35):
So that's the number one thing, And of course detoxification
also kind of bleeds into the lifestyle aspect because we
don't want to take in extra toxins, and I'm talking
about from even let's say, cleaning products that we use
in our house. Because what we do is we inhale
the vapors from some of the cleaning products. We get
it on our skin and we absorb it into the body.

(46:57):
It also disrupts a lot of our hormones and it
as it takes a lot for the body to try
to mitigate that while it's also trying to address the cancer.
So foundationally, through the diet, I do a lot of
nutritional detoxification, but again I also sort of weave that
in with lifestyle, and I also speaking of the diet aspect,

(47:20):
I believe that it's important to give the body and
especially the digestive system a break from constantly sifting through
the nutrients that we take in and being able to
sort of get them to the proper tissues. So oftentimes
what I do, and of course it's very different depending
on I try to meet the patient where they're at,

(47:42):
what stage they are, whether it's a first cancer, secondary cancer.
A lot of fasting. So I'm actually going to have
a conversation with doctor bald Longos, who is coming out
of I believe a university in California, and he's just
released a second book, and I know that he did
a lot of research on the idea of fasting, so

(48:05):
he's the one who actually developed a fasting mimicking diet
so that you can give your digestive system what it
needs a break to be able to sort of get
itself at that level of health so that it can
actually fight the cancer, be able to allocate the necessary
thing where they need to be so that we can

(48:27):
fight the cancer. And of course the immune system does
a lot of that work, but it works in concert
with other tissues and other systems, right, so that we
can actually give the body as much of a fighting
chance to be able to come on the other side healthy.
And ideally you would be able to approach it only
from a holistic perspective, but I've worked with a lot

(48:49):
of people and even my dad actually went and sought
help in the allopathic community, so he did a lot
of therapies in the traditional way, so chemo therapy and radiation,
and then we want to be able to also give
the body a fighting chance because a lot of those
traditional therapies actually kill indiscriminately, so they kill the cancer cells,

(49:12):
but they also kill the healthy cells, so we want
to make sure that we keep those in as strong
a state as possible, and that's why nutrition is so important.
You want to give them those nutrients that helps them
become stronger and be able to continue fighting through the
cancer journey.

Speaker 2 (49:27):
Wow, it's so it's so cool just how much our
body takes on for us.

Speaker 1 (49:33):
Oh yes, and it.

Speaker 2 (49:35):
Fights for us as well, but you know, we're just
we're putting it through the ringer all the time, and
I don't know that we truly appreciate all that it
does for us, you know, day to day life.

Speaker 3 (49:47):
Especially as I hear you talking about that, and it's.

Speaker 2 (49:49):
Anyone I imagine who has fought cancer or been with
someone fighting cancer. You just you want to take that
pain away. And it sounds like one of those things
you can do to really help, and that is help
them with their diet in a way that you know
you're giving them. Everybody always wants to send food when
somebody goes through something, so maybe we send food that

(50:10):
is very nutritionally helpful for them, and you know that
would also be a good benefit.

Speaker 3 (50:15):
So I just love.

Speaker 2 (50:17):
That you're sharing all this and the science behind all
of it. So you had also mentioned environmental, which it's
so big right now. Everybody's very much paying attention to
what they're consuming, what's around them, But environmentally, in just
a average household, what are the things we should be
paying attention to that could be causing cancer or diseases

(50:41):
and us that we just may not even realize.

Speaker 1 (50:44):
Oh my goodness. Absolutely, So we have to make sure
first of all, and I know that there's a lot
of people out there talking about mold toxicity, so we
want to make sure that our environment, our living environment,
is obviously clean. So that's one thing. Candles, actually scented
candles or any of the scented products that people like,

(51:04):
those plugins and things of that nature, we just inhale
all that toxicity and our body has to mitigate all
of that. So if you have an active cancer, whether
irrespective of what organ it's in or where it's located,
the body is obviously sending all the immune cells to
be able to bite this. And then imagine if now

(51:26):
the body also has to mitigate the damage that this
is doing to you. And oftentimes what happens with cancer
patients is that they approach So let's talk about let's
say those people that do the traditional therapies like my
father did, Like I was telling you so, chemotherapy, radiation,
or even surgery, but in the meantime, their lifestyle remains

(51:47):
the same. So they look at it as this particular
therapy is going to get rid of the cancer, but
they do the very things that has actually brought the
cancer to begin with. So it's so so important even
if you do go down the path of doing traditional therapies,
that you really take into account and do an inventory

(52:08):
of what was I doing to get me here. It
was such a great wake up call, and now I
have such an amazing opportunity to be able to take
a look and be able to make the changes that
are going to give me such an amazing fighting chance
to be able to overcome this. So absolutely, the lifestyle
in the homes, as I mentioned earlier, the cleaning supply,

(52:30):
So a lot of people use a lot of cleaning
things that are actually so detrimental to health and very toxic.
So the candles or anything scented for that matter, as
well as personal products. So the things that we use
that we put on our skin, So the skin is
actually what holds things from going inside the body. It's
our protective mechanism. It's the largest organ. However, we have

(52:53):
to look at what do we put on it that
we give it. It's a doorway to the internal environment,
and that if the cancers on the inside do we
want to bring in extra toxicity that the body now
has to also mitigate in addition to the poor air
quality that we inhale every day, which we don't have
much control over, as well as some of the things

(53:14):
that we have in the household and a lot of
off gasing things from let's say, furniture or carpets, things
of that nature. Even in cars, so even in our
personal vehicles. When you buy a new car, that new
car smell.

Speaker 3 (53:28):
Is so toxic. Also, the clothes that we wear, a lot.

Speaker 1 (53:32):
Of them are actually like those ones that are supposed
to withstand fire, are actually coated with something that is
so toxic. So things like that, and of course, even
in an environment that you go to, is important not
to sort of expose yourself to the things. You have
to take ownership of your health and not put yourself

(53:52):
in environments that are actually going to be detrimental to you.

Speaker 3 (53:56):
Now I know I.

Speaker 2 (53:57):
Can hear all of those things, and as someone who
has been actively really trying to focus on the products
that I'm buying, the things that I'm bringing into my home,
even changing pots and pans.

Speaker 3 (54:08):
And only using glass and stainless steel.

Speaker 2 (54:11):
It's overwhelming because when you look at all of it
and you see the financial aspect of it, there's just
so many steps that happen with this that can be
very overwhelming. So when we're looking at products like let's
focus on cleaning products and personal products and things of
that nature, when you're seeing things like uncented and they're organic,

(54:36):
is that the kind of words you're looking for or
is there something else we should be paying attention to.

Speaker 4 (54:41):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (54:42):
And for example, so for reproductive cancers, especially for US women,
bleached tampons, and I've posted a whole bunch of stuff
on socials about how detrimental some of these products are
for women. So tampons that are made with bleached cotton,

(55:02):
the chemicals that they use to bleach are at and
so the vaginal area, which is a mucosa as well
as the cervix of course, are highly highly absorbent. So
anything you insert in that area is actually going to
be absorbed and it enters into your bloodstream very quickly.
So it's so important that you do look for exactly

(55:24):
what you said organic and you have to I know,
it's a lot of work. Of course, you have to
trust the source, you have to trust the company, you
have to trust the brand. So do your homework, especially
if you have, let's say, a history of abnormal cells,
or if you have a history of cervical cancer or
varian cancer, uterine cancer in your family, so that is

(55:46):
a weak spot for you. Absolutely do your research to
see what am I using for myself and what can
I do to make sure that I reduce the risk
of that happening to me, especially in the world we
have out there today. And the same applies to what
you said about plastics and eating out of only glass

(56:07):
and metal and even the cookware that we use.

Speaker 3 (56:11):
Do your research.

Speaker 1 (56:12):
And make sure that you see that they are actually sustainable,
that they are a company and a brand that is
really invested in providing not only value, not only quality,
but they do actually value health and they do want
to give people things that are going to be healthy,
and that goes across the board, even for cleaning products.
I'm a big fan of things that are made with

(56:33):
essential oils like cleaning supplies, or you could just go
down to the basics. Good old fashioned white vinegar does
a great job of cleaning and it's not toxic.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
Yeah, So is there any brands, because I imagine that
your house, you've really done a lot of research and stuff.

Speaker 3 (56:50):
Is there any brands.

Speaker 2 (56:51):
You really love that are like your favorites and you
kind of really trust.

Speaker 1 (56:56):
To be honest, what I try to do is I
actually try to make my own So I love Thieves
and that's a brand that comes from Young Living, So
that's an essential oils thing. But I do mix a
lot of my stuff, and even for my personal care stuff,
I make my own toothpaste. I only use coconut oil

(57:17):
for my skin when I come out of the shower.
I kind of make oils and I mix them for
my face. And think of it like this, If what
you're gonna put into your body is going to or
what you're gonna put on the skin ends up inside
the body, you want to be able to even eat
that stuff. So, for example, what I put on my
face is a lot of black seed oil, and that's

(57:39):
actually also something that I take for maintenance of health
and as a preventative, So I put that on my
skin and I don't ever feel the need to go
and spend exorbitant amounts of money on these brands that
are you know, they put a lot of their stuff
in plastic. I have glass jars that I use for myself.
I make my own cleaning products. So, like I said,

(58:00):
a lot of white vinegar, a lot of lemon if
you want to keep bugs away, I use a lot
of things essential oils like peppermints. They also don't like cinnamon,
so a lot of these natural things. And of course
health is an investment. I recognize the price point because
a lot of people tend to go and buy something
because you know it's very cost effective. But if you're

(58:23):
going to be saving monetarily but paying with your health,
you have to really stop and wonder whether it's actually
worth that exchange of keeping the money but giving your health.
And oftentimes a lot of people, especially after you've lost
your health, people would be willing to spend anything to
be able to capture it again. So it's important that

(58:44):
you work from it from a preventive point. So invest
in those little things, sometimes with time. You have to
invest with time and sometimes with money, but you get
to keep the most important, the most valuable, the most
important thing that we have, and that's our health.

Speaker 3 (59:00):
Giving us so much good information.

Speaker 2 (59:01):
I just feel like you are this wealth of knowledge
that I'm just going to carry with me everywhere.

Speaker 3 (59:07):
And be like, Okay, what do I do next? This
is so.

Speaker 2 (59:09):
Important because it is it is your point like health
is so important, It is most important.

Speaker 3 (59:15):
One of the most.

Speaker 2 (59:16):
Important things we will ever spend money on or focus
on is our health because we can't have anything else
without it. So what you're doing is amazing, So thank
you for all of that. I do want to also
recognize you being a published author. Is there a lot
of the things that we talked about, is that in
this book that people can read and they can find Yes.

Speaker 1 (59:35):
I did talk about my approaches and how I changed
my lifestyle, what some of the things that I did
a lot of mindset. I did a lot of meditation.
I had to kind of come to terms with some
of the things that I was carrying, like grudges and
things like that. You really have to be at peace.
I do strongly believe that there are many there's it.

(59:56):
I think disease and illnesses are very multi layered a
lot of times they have to do, let's say, in
large part with the diet that we consume. But that's
also tied to our self worth because oftentimes we don't
believe that we are worth to invest money in let's say,
good quality food. Therefore, a lot of the stuff that's
very psycho spiritual and very emotional has a big, a

(01:00:20):
huge role to play in health as well as in lifestyle.
So if we skimp on some of the things that
are so important, then you know, it kind of shows
up in how our health shows up. So yes, in
the book, I talk about mindset, I talk about the
diet that I had to change. I talk about the lifestyle.
So how I went and I kind of had to

(01:00:42):
take a closer look to what I was doing. I
was a type a personality, very driven in the gym.
I was counting every calorie. I had to kind of
scale that back and be able to just say, am
I at peace or do I have to constantly chase
something that's always ahead of me out there instead of
being a piece inside. So I was constantly sort of

(01:01:04):
very outwards focused rather than inwards focused. So yes, I
do talk about that in the book.

Speaker 2 (01:01:10):
Oh I love that, And can you tell everybody what
it's called where they can find it.

Speaker 3 (01:01:13):
I want to make sure. Yes, of course.

Speaker 1 (01:01:16):
So the book is very aptly named Against Medical Advice,
and that's actually it's a line that was said by
one of the medical people when I was in the
hospital right after the stroke. So it's basically a journey
of how I took ownership of my health against medical advice,

(01:01:38):
and I was empowered to really study to see what
can I do, And to be honest, I actually only
studied what I could do for myself at that time.
And then I kind of recognized because the studies we
get to see, just like I said earlier on that
there are overarching rules and principles that apply to everybody.
And yes, so the book is called Against Medical Advice,

(01:01:59):
and it's available on our platforms, and of course you
could find it on Amazon, Barnes, and Noble, depending on
where you are in the world, but it's definitely in
all marketplaces in Amazon.

Speaker 3 (01:02:09):
Oh amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:02:10):
I'm glad when you share that, because I'm going to
be buying it. I need to thank you. I mean,
I'm already on the journey, but I need to continue
on the journey and sometimes you just need a little help.
I do want to ask you two kind of hot
topic questions. They can be quick answers or however you
want to go about it, but the first one being
we always see all kinds of studies. There's the studies
of drink a glass of wine it's good for your health,

(01:02:33):
or don't drink alcohol that's bad for your health, or
this much or drink this kind. There's everything out there.
What's the situation with alcohol? So alcohol, and of course,
as you remember back in the day, and of course
my father, his primary cancer was lung cancer. So back
in the day, way back in the day, doctors used

(01:02:54):
to say that you should smoke. And of course then
we kind of came to see that that was not
really such great advice. And I know that in the
evolution of health, and of course, the more studies we
do and the more we're able to actually even look
at the figures that we see show up in large populations.
So now it's actually and doctor Daniel Amman, who is

(01:03:18):
one of the most important figures in mental health, and
he's the one that does a lot of the brain scans.

Speaker 3 (01:03:24):
He speaks at.

Speaker 1 (01:03:25):
Large So no alcohol is actually safe, and it's tied
not only to obesity, but a lot of cancers, a
lot of mental health issues, a lot of degenerative neurodegenerative diseases.
So I would not recommend, especially like when you look
at it from what the nutritionist in me will look
at it and say, what is what are some of

(01:03:45):
the nutrients that show up in alcohol? And there isn't
that much, especially like when it comes to cancer, it's
a lot of sugar, zero nutrients. And if you were
to look at the nitty gritty, especially now, there are
a lot of additives, especially red wines are highly colored,
there's sul fights, there's tandents. There's just so much that

(01:04:09):
is of no value to the body that the body
would actually have to mitigate. It really beats up deliver,
it really beats up the brain, and you're not taking
in anything that the body can actually say, ooh that's
really gonna help me, like absolutely in no way, shape
or form. So I always look at it through that
lens if it's not going to be of help. And

(01:04:32):
of course in the health arena, we all say like
you either feed health or you feed disease. So everything
that you put into the body is going to feed
one of those, So which one does alcohol feed?

Speaker 2 (01:04:44):
Yeah, Unfortunately, you know, it's always hind The hindsight is
always twenty twenty when you're looking back, like, oh, you
know now, I see that. Now I feel bad, But
you know, we're thirty years down the road and this
is where we are. So the other question I had
for you was, everybody kind of has different diets. I
myself am a vegetarian that's just been I'm a huge

(01:05:06):
lover of animals. That just kind of happened when I
was eight years old and I stuck with it.

Speaker 3 (01:05:10):
It's amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
So that's mine. I know I have friends that are vegan,
I have friends that are keto. You know the gamut
of diets. Is there any diets that we really shouldn't
be doing? Or is like we have so many diet trends,
like how do we know what is actually beneficial to
us versus not? And should we just all be focused

(01:05:32):
on eating healthy for our bodies more than anything.

Speaker 1 (01:05:35):
Absolutely, So that's super important what you just said, eat
for what your body actually likes. And if you are attuned,
your body is always giving you feedback. So if you
see that you constantly. So let's say you start doing
the cardinivoor diet and you constantly constipated, Well, that's your
body telling you, hey, what you're doing is actually I'm

(01:05:56):
not liking it. It doesn't feel good for me. And
of course, yes, we go through trends when it comes
to diets. A lot of people do really well on keto. Luckily,
keto is actually and in large part that's because it
doesn't increase like it keeps the blood sugar low and
a lot of the diseases that we see are out
there are as a result of the high sugar content

(01:06:19):
and food. And there's sugar in everything, which is why
it's important that we eat the food that Mother Nature made.
So if you're going to be eating meat, eat meat
not alongside patty to let's say, buns and mixing it
with a lot of other things like relish and ketchup,
both of which have a lot of sugar to begin with.

(01:06:41):
Sugar should never go with meat. So you have to
optimize for what feels really good for you. So the
Keto diet you could actually do without eating any kind
of meat. You could actually because it's high fat. Right,
So if you do a lot of let's say, avocados
and nuts and seeds. You can get really good healthy
fats from many different sources, and you can also do

(01:07:02):
protein from many different sources. But I'm not a big
fan of fad diets as an overarching thing. I'm a
big believer that the body needs ninety nutrients and you
have to get those nutrients in. If you're going to
be doing a specific diet and that diet's going to
give you those nutrients, sure your body's going to be happy.

(01:07:25):
All of your organs and all of your systems are
going to get what they need to be able to function,
to be able to continue being healthy. So if that
works for you, fantastic. But by and large, diets typically
are trends because they cannot be sustained for long periods
of time, and a lot of people will see that

(01:07:46):
some of the diets that they go on will show
in their let's say blood test results. You see that
you're deficient in certain things which are so important, Like
a lot of people are deficient in B twelve. That's
actually so important, you have no energy. A lot of
people become deficient in other nutrients, and then you start
to see it show up as illnesses, sickness, disease, an

(01:08:09):
ability to perform in the gym or to be able
to get by, or you don't have any energy. So
optimize for what actually works for your body rather than
try to adopt a diet in the name of I'm
going to be skinny, I'm going to look good. It's
never and I've gone down that path. I remember one
of before one of the shows that I did, one

(01:08:31):
of the fitness shows, I looked amazing, fantastic, and a
lot of people were asking me, are you doing a show?
Because I did look good, but I did not feel good.
I was not happy. My hormones were all over the place,
I wasn't menstruating, so it was like I was a mess,
but I looked good. So which is never a faint

(01:08:51):
place to never ever, ever, ever, never ever give up
your health in the name of looks.

Speaker 2 (01:08:57):
Ever. Wow, Well, Simone, I could sit here and ask
you a million questions because I'm so fascinated just by
you and everything that you've done and our health because
it's again just something that we lack a lot of
education and resources on and I wish that wasn't the case.

Speaker 3 (01:09:13):
So thank you for your work.

Speaker 2 (01:09:15):
Thank you for being part of the solution and working
all of that, and you know, everybody go check out
her book and Simone, just thank you again for being here.

Speaker 3 (01:09:23):
I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (01:09:24):
Morgan, thank you so much for the opportunity, and absolutely
I'm so happy to be able to share the knowledge
that I have, especially when it comes to one of
the most important things that we have, which is our health.
So thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:09:37):
I want to thank all of you guys for being
here for this episode.

Speaker 3 (01:09:39):
I often have a lot of these.

Speaker 2 (01:09:40):
Conversations and can feel the impact that I hope they're
bringing to others when they hear them, and this was.

Speaker 3 (01:09:46):
Really one of those episodes specifically for me.

Speaker 2 (01:09:49):
If you can do me a favor if you liked
this episode, listen to all the others, of course, but
also subscribe to the podcast feed wherever you're listening and
rate this five stars. You can also follow the Instagram
page at take this personally and share with your friends,
because the more people that hear this stuff, I think,
the better off we all are. It's the very important
saying that I keep saying and multiple episodes recently, Once

(01:10:11):
we know better, we do better.