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Summary
In episode 689 of the 40+ Fitness Podcast, coach Allan speaks with Sarah Cripps, author of Cancer Isn’t All About Chemo: Keeping Your Body Strong Whilst Trying to Treat and Prevent Disease. Cripps, a former project manager and mother of twins, wrote the book after her 17-month-old son Teddy was diagnosed with leukemia. Over nearly three years she compiled the science-backed research she wished someone had handed her the day of his diagnosis.
Cripps describes how she worked alongside Teddy’s medical team at a leading UK cancer hospital, hiring a naturopathic doctor and informing the oncology team of every method she used. She explains why nutrition, targeted supplements such as IP6 plus inositol, intermittent fasting, and standing her ground on care decisions became central to supporting her son’s strength through chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
She notes Teddy’s prognosis moved from roughly 13 percent to 97 percent, and stresses that while no cure can ever be guaranteed, patients and caregivers can be active participants rather than passengers. The book, she says, is for children, adults, and anyone managing chronic illness as they age.
Links
- Cancer Isn’t All About Chemo (official website)
- Teddy’s Tonic on Instagram
- Longevity Blueprint for Men Virtual Summit (John Tubbs)
- Get Cancer Isn’t All About Chemo on Amazon
Key Takeaways
- Nutrition underpins every biological process in the body, from the gut-brain axis to the repair of healthy cells; Cripps favors diversity (“eat the rainbow”), plants, and high-quality grass-fed meat rather than the beige, calorie-focused hospital foods.
- Oncologists are trained to understand chemotherapy and malignant cells, not nutrition, receiving only around twenty hours of nutrition instruction across their undergraduate study, and hospital dietitians are often focused on milk feeds and bare-minimum prescribing.
- The supplement IP6 plus inositol, a concentrated form of fiber researched by Professor Sam Sudadan at the University of Maryland starting roughly forty years ago, is backed by many PubMed/NIH studies; after starting it, Teddy’s mouth ulcer receded, he began eating again, kept most of his hair, and stayed active through treatment.
- She used intermittent fasting (aiming for about 16 hours) and refused milk feeds to give Teddy’s body rest days around chemotherapy for repair and regeneration, since many cancers are fed by glucose and fasting supports lower, steadier blood sugar.
- “We do not recommend” and “not allowed” mean very different things; doctors cannot call an untested drug-supplement combination safe, so caregivers must understand they are balancing risk rather than being forbidden.
- Cripps advocates for transparency and teamwork with the medical team, telling them what supplements you intend to take, hearing their feedback, and asking that relevant blood tests be added so risks like platelet reduction can be monitored.
- She urges people to research and verify through PubMed and NIH rather than blogs, quoting “following science blindly is not science, it’s religion,” and to make informed decisions from their own gut instinct after consulting people with authority.
- Her three wellness strategies: plan meals in a protected weekly slot (“failure to plan is planning to fail”), prioritize sleep as the most underrated free healing tool, and reduce mobile phone use, even using a timed lock box, to protect mental and physical health.
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 703 – Unraveling the relationship between addiction and cancer with Dr. Raphel Cuomo
Episode Notes
Podcast: 40+ Fitness
Episode: 689
Published: 2025-04-08
Host: Allan Misner (aka Coach Allan), author of The Wellness Roadmap
Guest(s): Sarah Cripps, a mother who did extensive research to help save her child, Cancer Isn’t All About Chemo: Keeping Your Body Strong Whilst Trying to Treat and Prevent Disease
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