Businesswoman takes raw approach to recovery

[Guest guest]

Businesswoman takes raw approach to recoveryhttp://www.living-foods.com/news/rawapproach.html

Provo - Shelley Abegg turned to a raw food diet after beingdiagnosed with cancer. At right is a biophotonic scanner that sheuses to measure the levels of a person's antioxidant defense. She isrunning the test on a reporter. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

The day Shelley Abegg was diagnosed with breast cancer two yearsago, she started planning her funeral.The first priority for the single mother from Provo was makingarrangements for her then 9-year-old son, Taylor.

" I was shell shocked, " Abegg, 47, said. " It was an emotional rollercoaster. I had to stop planning my funeral and crying, and come upwith a plan. " That plan would eventually turn her life upside down.

Frightened by the harsh side effects of chemotherapy, Abegg decidedto go against her doctor's recommendations to undergo the drugregimen after her lumpectomy. " Chemotherapy obliterates your immune system, " she said. " It's like

playing Russian roulette. " After much prayer and research, Abegg traveled to the Optimum HealthInstitute in San Diego to detoxify her body. During her three-weekretreat, she discovered the importance of eating only raw foods to

cleanse and nourish the body. The institute stresses a raw-fooddiet -- which has since become popular with Hollywood celebritiessuch as Demi Moore -- nutrition education, spiritual reawakening andpositive mental exercises.

When Abegg returned, she simplified her hectic life, working less ather mortgage business in favor of spending more time on herself andwith Taylor. She focused on nutrition, prayer and a positive

attitude.But she faced much criticism. " Here I was this capable, successful businesswoman and everyone wasquestioning my decision not to undergo chemo, " she said. " Severalpeople asked me if I was doing the right thing. "

Despite the speculation, Abegg pushed on in her quest to healherself. She sought out everything she could get her hands on aboutraw food diets. But at the time, that lifestyle wasn't as trendy asit is today, so Abegg had few resources -- mostly books and Internet

sites -- at her fingertips.A food aficionado, Abegg experimented with different fruits,vegetables, seeds, nuts and grains, and made wheat grass juice astaple of her diet.As the raw-food diet gained more attention, Abegg met fellow raw

fooders and they exchanged recipes and held potluck luncheons. " We are not hippies or whackos, " Abegg said. " We're normal, everydaypeople who believe you are what you eat. " After a year on strictly raw foods, Abegg said she feels more

energetic than ever and is mistaken for being much younger than sheis. " People look at me and think I'm in my late 20s or 30s, " said theformer Miss Utah runner-up.After two normal mammograms, Abegg said she no longer worries that

the cancer will return, because her body has been cleansed and isnow getting the nutrients it needs.She plans to get a mammogram once a year, although some doctorsrecommend breast cancer patients get mammograms every six months for

two years following the diagnosis.Although going raw takes immense dedication and is challenging,Abegg said the hassle is well worth it. " I was addicted to cooked food, " she said. " I was eating so much

because the food wasn't nourishing me. The food was dead. Now I eatand can go six to eight hours. What's really exciting is the changein my moods. I feel so vivacious. " -- Diana Gonzalez

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying - the longer a problem is carried, the heavier it gets. Don't take things too seriously - live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

-Unknown