Yes to Life offers support to people with cancer who want to take a proactive role in their treatment. Yes to Life helps open up choices, and supports people in finding a way forward that is right for them.

We feel that the mental state of a person with cancer is a foundational aspect of any treatment programme. It is vital that anyone feeling they are a 'victim of cancer' begin to take control of their situation as early as possible, that they make informed decisions about treatments and that they take ownership of whatever path they choose.

Healthcare is personal. We feel it is unethical to try to impose treatment choices on anyone - it simply is not our business, whatever we might choose for ourselves. Our job is to help people to decide what they want to do by providing information and referring them to qualified experts, and then to support them in their chosen path. Everyone should be able to make their own treatment choices; indeed, in the UK, choice in healthcare is a priority within government policy.

Personal autonomy goes hand in hand with a forward looking, optimistic, hopeful relationship to life. This helps to improve quality of life and has a direct positive effect on the immune system. Crucially, this frame of mind will help a person to make the best decisions for their own healthcare.

We believe that integrative medicine is the future of cancer care, an approach that is exemplified by some of the best clinics in Germany, Israel, the USA and elsewhere. Orthodox approaches such as chemotherapy are combined with what are now termed 'lifestyle interventions' in the USA - nutritional, physical, psychological and other approaches - to great effect.

Of equal importance to killing cancer cells is giving attention to the lifestyle that may well have contributed to the breakdown of the immune system and the initiation of cancer. Integrative medicine excels in strategies for regaining full health and remaining disease free after treatment. It also has much to offer in combatting the side effects and the potential organ damage associated with orthodox treatments. Natural immune boosters can speed recovery from chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and supportive strategies can sometimes enhance the effectiveness of these treatments.

It is increasingly  difficult to obtain balanced information to assist in finding and making choices for an integrative programme. Yes to Life exists to provide support at whatever point it is needed - from diagnosis right through to the end of treatment and beyond.


Information                                           Choice                                                Support

Yes to Life Aims To:

• Help people with cancer in the UK build their owm personalised integrative treatment programme.
• Provide a point of contact for support.
• Provide information on integrative medicine, practitioners and suppliers.
• Promote an integrative approach to cancer care.
  
  

• Running a Help Centre providing information and supporting people in obtaining professional advice and integrative treatments
• Developing a comprehensive 'one stop' web service to provide high quality information.
• Building awareness of the potential for integrative medicine in cancer care through public events.