A WOMAN who turned her back on conventional treatments for cancer now wants to help fellow sufferers with her knowledge of complementary therapy.
Bee Wells, aged 60, of West Malvern, says the breast cancer she was diagnosed with is now in remission following a rigorous regime of holistic therapy.
When the cancer was found more than three years ago, Mrs Wells decided not to pursue conventional treatment, refusing a mastectomy against doctors' advice.
Instead, she worked with a Welsh herbalist, Dr Leslaw Bidzinski, who put her on a three-year treatment plan which called for a complete change of diet and lifestyle, together with a course of herbal teas and nutritional supplements.
The treatment was based mainly on a herbal preparation called Essiac, a tea made of four herbs - burdock root, sheep sorrel, slippery elm bark and rhubarb root.
An ultrasound scan taken some two years ago showed no sign of the disease and Mrs Wells, who has two grown-up children, said: "I'm in remission. As far as I know, I'm cancer free."
Now she wants to share the nutritional and herbal knowledge she has built up with other cancer sufferers and would like to hear from anyone who wants to talk to her about her holistic outlook.
"It's very important," said Mrs Wells. "All of us know someone, or will know someone, with cancer. It's a growing problem.
"People undergoing conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, often have problems with their immune systems.
"I want to help people with nutritional advice and also help with advice about preventative health. I'm also just someone they can talk to about problems associated with cancer treatments."
Mrs Wells says she hopes bridges will be built between complementary and conventional medicine in the future.
"I was the only one who did Dr Bidzinski's treatment without any other form of therapy and I wouldn't say that everyone should do the same as me," she said.
"I just want to give people the benefit of my experience. It's up to them to choose what's best for them."
Mrs Wells can be contacted on 01684 891253 or beewells693@hotmail.com.
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