Pain–we all hate it, and try tons of medications to get rid of it. Chronic pain can be physically, mentally and emotionally debilitating for patients of any critical illness. Dr. Dan Twogood began practicing in 1982 at the International Sports Medicine Institute in West Los Angeles. While there he treated many of the athletes in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He opened his own practice in California in 1985, and it was there that he discovered the diet/pain connection. As he learned more about chronic pain, he wrote three books: How to Rid Your Body of Pain, MSG is Everywhere, and recently Chronic Pain Gone 90 Days.

James Littleton is a happily married father of nineteen. In Healed through Cancer, Jim shares his fascinating, self-reflective, and inspirational journey with cancer from diagnosis through numerous courses of chemotherapy and an eventual stem-cell transplant. Besides the obvious difficulties, he writes of the many forms of healing that arise out of cancer and other serious adversities. Jim has allowed us to add an interview with Courage to Dare from Africa for the first part of the show. Samira is a 28-year-old Nigerian girl, who was diagnosed four years ago. Now, Samira has metastatic brain cancer. This rare opportunity to interview Samira will allow her to tell her story.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. I attended an eye-opening cancer meeting recently. The speaker said, “Indoor tanning (beds) are to your skin what cigarettes are to your lungs, only the results are much faster!” Between 1995 and 2004, the number of people diagnosed with a dangerous type of skin cancer, melanoma, increased by more than 40%! Sadly, a lot of the victims are very young because of the use of tanning beds. Punit Dhillon is co-founder, President and CEO of OncoSec Medical Inc., a biotechnology company developing its advanced-stage Oncology Medical System (OMS) ElectroOncology therapies, an innovative approach to battling solid tumor cancers including all types of skin cancer—harnessing a scientific phenomenon known as electroporation.

Helayne Waldman, MS, EdD, is a holistic nutrition educator with a passion for helping those with breast cancer. She is also a columnist, private practitioner, and a consultant to breast cancer clinics in and around the San Francisco Bay area. “Millions of breast cancer survivors have two things in common: a renewed gratitude for their good health and a recharged commitment to taking care of their bodies. Helayne is co-author of The Whole-Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors: A nutritional approach to preventing recurrence. This is great information for any person, any cancer patient, and certainly any breast cancer patient. www.turning-the-tables.com

Recently, CURE magazine announced it’s finalists of the 2012 Extraordinary Healer Award for Oncology Nursing. This honor came about because a patient or caregiver nominated an oncology nurse that provided them or a loved one with healing and compassionate care during their cancer treatment. On Tuesday’s show, I will interview the finalists of this wonderful award! Please join me as we celebrate with Sheila Dropcho (the winner), Mary Heery and Angela Solano, and read some of the essays that were submitted in their honor. These ladies deserve a huge round of applause for the work they do!

Already a huge hit on W4CS.com, Five to Thrive Live! airs Monday-Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST with world-renowned Naturopathic Oncologist, Dr. Lise Alschuler, and Research Jounalist, Karolyn Gazella (cancer thrivers’ themselves). This show is not just for cancer patients and their families–it can help anyone achieve a healthier life through diet, movement, rejuvenation, spirit and dietary supplements to help reduce your risk of cancer, heal from a cancer diagnosis, and gain optimal wellness. My guest is Karolyn Gazella, co-host and co-author of Five to Thrive: Your Cutting-edge Cancer Prevention Plan and The Definitive Guide to Cancer.