top of page

Real Talk with
MOJO Health Founder,
Julie Stevens

MOJO Health Information Founder, Julie Stevens, has successfully healed from Stage 4 aggressive, inoperable, and chemotherapy resistant colon cancer by charting her own path, using data as her guide, building up her body to prevent side effects, addressing the root causes of why cancer was expressed, and advocating for herself.  

MOJO-Health-0035 (1).jpg

This may be contrary to what you hear, so I wanted to share why we built this to give you an advantage in healing: 

Why doesn't my doctor talk about this? 

That was my first question as well.... I just couldn't wrap my head around why my first oncologist told me I didn't need to shift my diet or daily habits when my genetic testing demonstrated my cancer was not due to genetic reasons (only 8% of cancer diagnoses) - but due to EPIGENETICS - or what I eat, drink, think, do, and surround myself with (92% of cancer diagnoses). 

​

First, I studied what doctors are taught in medical school and learned that in 1909 our approach to healthcare and educating doctors was shifted by the publication of the Flexner Report to focus on treating sick people and pharmaceutical science instead of general wellness. Medical specialties were created (such a orthopedist, oncologist, or cardiac surgeon) and most traditional healing approaches were labeled "quack" science.  After 1910, if a medical school taught "quack" science, they lost their external funding. And just like that, our approach to healthcare was changed.  

​

Then, I looked at what research the average doctor uses to help design a treatment plan.  Not surprisingly, most of what they have access to is FDA approved - which of course vegetables, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, and supplements don't require FDA approval.  That doesn't mean they aren't helpful in healing - it means they aren't being talked about at the latest medical convention, there aren't elaborate studies to prove their effectiveness on the cover of the newspaper, and no one is coming to their medical practice to promote herbs or vegetables.    

​

Unless your doctor is motivated to gather this information through their continuing education, it is unlikely this is their expertise. And for my state, a medical doctor is only required to do 20 continuing education credits per year.   If you would like to see how many hours your state requires, please click here. 


This means your doctor likely has very little required education on botanicals, nutraceuticals, diet, lifestyle, environment, and traditional healing approaches, unless they are an integrative or naturopathic oncologist.  Your oncologist's job is to reduce the cancer burden in your body - not to heal your childhood trauma (that is another specialist's job) which may be creating stress and causing dis-ease in your body.  

​

For me to heal all parts of my body, I used a team of 10 doctors and facilitated healers: 

  • MDs: Primary Care Physician, Oncologist, Gastroenterologist, Therapist, and Surgeon

  • Facilitated Healers: Herbalist, Reflexologist, Chiropractor, Massage Therapist, Acupuncturist

 

Please note, amazing doctors who respect all 6 toolboxes do exist.  Even more will invest energy in learning about other healing approaches if patients keep asking questions and sharing success. My Oncologist and team are open to the use of all healing approaches and work well with my facilitated healers!  I am grateful beyond measure for every single one of my doctors and facilitated healers and hope you can find a true team to help you heal.  

How did you create this list?  

Since the moment I was diagnosed, I have been looking for answers on why cancer was expressed in my body.  I had no family history or symptoms - so it was a complete shock. 

I have been studying experts in both conventional (western) and traditional (chiropractic, herbalism, reflexology, yoga, etc.) healing approaches and spoken to many survivors to hear their experiences in hopes to understand why my body grew cancer.  Spoiler alert: there is no exact answer - YET.  Many things can cause your body to malfunction and allow for errors to go uncorrected (that is what cancer is after all - an error that goes uncorrected and multiplies).  I compiled all of my learning into one single list with the help of several other experts to give you some ideas for how you can make your body less hospitable to cancer.  

 

For most of us, there is not one specific cause to cancer (this may not be true if you were exposed to agent orange, for example, which is known to be carcinogenic).  For example, I think my cancer was expressed due to my diet, lack of exercise, stress levels, emotional abuse, and the immune suppressing medicines I had been taking for over a decade. 

If you look deeper at the research, you will see this is well known and documented - jut not discussed.  For example, this article from cancer.gov attributes the increase in colorectal cancer in people under 50 to diet, obesity, gut bacteria, inflammation, too much sitting, chemicals in the environment, pollution, etc.  It is a shame I had to learn all of this after I had cancer.  I am hoping we can help educate and empower you to prevent cancer in the first place - or at least prevent a recurrence - by knowing what you can do to make your body less hospitable to cancer!  

We are building MOJO Health Information to answer these questions and more.  If we all work together, we can build the data set to prove how we can make cancer suck less.  

How do I find the research to back this up?  

MOJO Health Information will eventually have a platform to build the data set to identify what we can do to create a body that is inhospitable to cancer, but until then, there are many resources you can leverage on your journey to health and be your own champion.    

​

Some of my favorite resources are: 

​

  • Dr. Russell Jaffe is one of my favorite thought leaders- he is both MD and PhD and started his career as a senior member of the NIH.  See his podcast below for more insight, and I would highly recommend signing up for his alkaline living emails. 

​

​

  • I also would recommend using Duck Duck Go as a wonderful search engine for your medical needs.  I would search what research exists there as it is less likely to be "search engine optimized" and provide you a wider viewpoint to consider.  

​

​

and of course, you can book an appointment with the man who taught me how to save my life, Oscar Sierra, to dial in your approach based on your specific biomarkers and other data.  

How do I apply this?  

This is a big lifestyle change for any of us - because it is not natural with the standard American diet and lifestyle. As my friend Jennie says, "Cancer is not necessarily a death sentence, but it is a life sentence."

This may feel overwhelming to you... I get it.  My life is almost unrecognizable to how I lived before my diagnosis.  Don't fret.  I feel WAY better than I ever have before. Its an investment - but its worth it.   

I would suggest finding one thing at a time and focusing your energy on that until you master it.  For example, start the first week buying organic produce and eating 5 colors of fruits and vegetables per day, then the next week, focus on making sure you are allowing your body at least 8 hours of rest, then , consider trying yoga and see how you feel. Some things are unavoidable - like WIFI and Bluetooth, but the next week you can try to minimize your exposure. Little by little, this will result in big changes.

 

You didn't create a body that was hospitable to cancer overnight and it won't be healed overnight either.

There are many small changes that are easy to make - like starting your day with a list of things you are grateful for - and some other changes that are more expensive, harder, and/or time consuming to make.  Don't worry about where you start - just start with something that is achievable. 

 

In my opinion, there is no better investment than in your long term health and happiness.  

​

Cancer is our invitation to change.

We have built all of these resources to make cancer suck less - for free. 

But we need your support to continue.

MOJO Health Information is a non-profit organization.  All donations are tax deductible. 

Related Podcasts

bottom of page