What I Wish I Knew: A Cancer Podcast

What should you eat after a cancer diagnosis? Should you try the keto diet? Does cannabis change cancer? Can stress make cancer worse? 🎧 ABOUT Dr. Donald Abrams In this episode of What I Wish I Knew, we sit down with one of the country's leading integrative oncology experts, Dr. Donald Abrams, integrative oncologist at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and Professor Emeritus of M...

What I Wish I Knew: Get a second opinion after a cancer diagnosis and it can save your life. She was healthy. She was an athlete. She was in her 20s planning a wedding and starting medical school. And she had a tumor the size of a potato in her chest. In this episode, What she shares in this conversation is the kind of stuff that only comes from actually going through it. Not reading about it. Not...

What if a cancer diagnosis didn't have to take your future family away from you? In this episode of What I Wish I Knew, we have a deep conversation with Tracy, a cervical cancer survivor and founding board member of The Chick Mission. She now serves as Chief Communications Officer and shares her experience with fertility preservation, patient advocacy, and what it really means to keep your opt...

What I Wish I Knew: Detoxing Your Home During Cancer Treatment Your oncologist may never bring it up, but the chemicals in your home could be quietly working against your healing. This conversation breaks down how invisible exposures, from cleaning products and cookware to fabrics, EMFs, and receipts, can quietly add to your body's toxic load. About our guest: Sofia Ruan Gouchey is a leading t...

What I Wish I Knew: A Healing Cancer Podcast In this episode, we step into a deeply personal story of breast cancer, healing, and transformation. Dr. Dan Sullivan, a licensed naturopathic doctor, sits down with Micaela Palacios, a breast cancer survivor, transformational coach, and energy healer, as she opens up about being diagnosed during COVID-19. She shares how she navigated both conventional...

In this episode of *What I Wish I Knew*, we explore current research on how the gut microbiome may be associated with cancer treatment—particularly immunotherapy. Host McKenna is joined by Dr. Oriana Miltiadous to discuss what scientists are studying, how this research is conducted, and what questions remain. This conversation focuses on emerging areas of study, including fecal microbiota transpla...

EMDR, intrusive thoughts, and the cancer journey are at the center of this conversation with Dr. Christine Sells. In this episode of What I Wish I Knew, McKenna reflects on how EMDR became part of her lived experience after diagnosis and treatment-related triggers, while Dr. Sells explains what EMDR stands for, how different forms of bilateral stimulation are discussed, and why overwhelm can stay...

In this conversation, Alison Silberman shares why young adults feel so alone after diagnosis and how community can make that experience feel less isolating. As CEO of Stupid Cancer, she reflects on the unique challenges adolescents and young adults face, from delayed diagnosis and survivorship to caregiving, identity, and the need for spaces where people can be honest about what they’re going thro...

Doctor Dan and Doctor Winkler break down cancer treatment options and what “integrative cancer treatment” can look like in practice. They talk through how patients can explore a wider range of approaches, combine therapies thoughtfully, and stay empowered in the decisions they make. In this conversation, Doctor Winkler shares how he approaches screening and personalization, why tolerability and to...

Dr. Joe Dispenza meditations—and the science behind them—are at the center of this episode. Host McKenna shares how this work changed the trajectory of her diagnosis, then sits down with Hemal H. Patel, Ph. D. to explore what researchers are actually measuring in the body before and after these intensive experiences. His is a Professor of Anesthesiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Resea...

Cancer costs can lead to financial toxicity—and that can change care. In this episode of What I Wish I Knew: A Cancer Podcast , McKenna talks with Dr. Mateo Banegas about why cancer is so financially overwhelming and what patients and families can do early to reduce the burden. Dr. Banegas discusses how “financial toxicity” became a recognized part of oncology, and why it matters just as much as p...

Fertility specialist Sandy Chuan, MD explains how cancer treatment can affect fertility and what preservation options exist for women and men, including timelines, egg vs embryo freezing, sperm banking, and the real IVF “attrition” math. Educational only, not medical advice.

Radiation can be one of the scariest words you hear after a cancer diagnosis. In this episode of What I Wish I Knew, host and cancer survivor McKenna Avery shares what it felt like to finish 33 rounds of proton radiation, including the emotional “last day” moment, and the three things she wishes she knew sooner: that proton therapy can be an option, the power of visualization during treatment, and...

After a cancer diagnosis, fear of death can get loud fast. In this episode, McKenna Avery sits down with certified death doula Selena Jong to talk about what happens when mortality moves from a distant idea to a daily thought, and how honest conversation can make the weight feel more carryable. Together, they explore hospice and the dying process, the role of a death doula (emotional, spiritual, a...

Immunotherapy can feel like a black box when you’re living through cancer, caring for someone with cancer, or trying to understand today’s rapidly changing treatment landscape. In this episode of What I Wish I Knew, functional medicine doctor Dr. Dan speaks with immunobiology expert Dr. Susan Kaech (Salk Institute) about how the immune system works in cancer, how T cells recognize tumors, and how...

Cancer survivorship can change everything, including your sex life. In this episode of What I Wish I Knew, McKenna Avery sits down with a sexual medicine specialist to talk through the most common sexual health challenges after cancer treatment, from low libido and reduced sensation to vaginal dryness, painful sex, and orgasm changes. You’ll also hear what comprehensive, trauma-aware sexual health...