Decoding Prostate Cancer — Urgent Insights

Cipherline - Open Edition - 02 December 2025

Introduction

I had the pleasure of hosting Keith Holden MD on Sessions From The Edge and during the session he led us along the pathway of managing Prostate Cancer from a Functional medicine approach.

Naturally, his perspective had a medical lens to it, but Keith is a rare Allopathic doctor, he has compassion, and there is a reason why.

The reason I invited him as a guest on SFE wasn’t for his professional expertise. No, Keith had something better to offer, the compassion and perspective that comes from a Titan managing their own condition.

Like me, Keith has prostate cancer, thankfully I didn’t have complications during my radical prostatectomy and so I have been in remission ever since, but not all cancers are caught in time and unfortunately for Keith, his metastasised into his lymph nodes and this session explores what it takes to work on beating a metastasised prostate cancer from first hand medical experience.

Imagine a doctor applying their zest for research, decades of clinical practise, and a desire for survival to prostate cancer from a functional health perspective. Well, that’s exactly what Keith has done and we are sharing his experience and knowledge with you to offer insight and a glimmer of hope for those trying to decode their own metastatic cancer.

Also accompanying this weeks content release is a Functional Health feature from the The Decoding Papers library. In this paper, Keith Holden MD has graciously lent his opens source wisdom to a comprehensive paper, with a plain english afterword by me, to translate his extensive treatise into a few key takeaway concepts.

Download the The Decoding Prostate Cancer paper here.

The Decoding Papers are an open-source wisdom library curated by Decode Your Diagnosis, designed to bring clarity to complexity in chronic health.

Each release features a leading-edge practitioner article, grounded in functional, integrative, or lifestyle medicine alongside a plain English commentary by best selling author Paul Cobbin. The Decoding Papers offer patients and carers a digestible companion to clinical insight. It’s not just about more information, it’s about empowering better conversations, deeper understanding, and stronger alignment between self, science, and support.

Decode

Let’s face it: prostate cancer is complex. But what if the way we view it, and treat it, needs to evolve?

That’s the message at the heart of Dr. Keith Holden’s in-depth review of prostate cancer through a functional medicine lens. While most people think of cancer treatment as a standard formula (surgery, radiation, maybe chemo), Holden invites us to zoom out and ask a more powerful question:

• What conditions in the body allow cancer to grow in the first place, and what can we do to change that internal environment?

That’s what functional medicine is all about. It shifts the focus from treating the tumour to healing the terrain and considering the body as a whole system.

Dr. Holden argues that cancer is often the result of long-term internal imbalances: chronic inflammation, poor immune regulation, toxic exposures, blood sugar instability, and hormone imbalances. When left unchecked, these forces create the ideal conditions for cancer cells to thrive.

In this paper, he outlines 10 key areas to investigate when dealing with prostate cancer, many of which are ignored by standard care. These include gut health, insulin resistance, low vitamin D, chronic stress, poor detoxification, and even the influence of stealth infections.

The takeaway?

• If we want to reverse cancer’s grip, we need to go deeper, not just wider, with our treatment.

  

Align

So how do you start shifting your internal terrain?

Dr. Holden’s functional framework offers a practical roadmap anyone with prostate disease (or any chronic condition) can learn from, even if you’re not seeing a functional medicine doctor yet.

Here are three alignment points from his model:

1. Stabilise your blood sugar.

High insulin levels and blood sugar spikes create inflammation and fuel tumour growth. A whole food, low glycaemic diet with time-restricted eating can help recalibrate your metabolism.

2. Support detoxification.

We are all exposed to toxins, but cancer patients often struggle to clear them. Cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cabbage), saunas, filtered water, and targeted supplements can support liver and cellular detox.

3. Calm chronic stress.

Stress hormones suppress immune function and raise inflammation. Simple practices like breathwork, heartfulness meditation, or daily grounding in nature can restore balance to the nervous system.

Other alignment tools discussed include optimising vitamin D, healing the gut lining, reducing toxin exposure, addressing stealth infections (like EBV or Lyme), and exploring anti-cancer natural compounds like curcumin, green tea extract (EGCG), and medicinal mushrooms.

But perhaps the biggest alignment shift?

• Stop seeing your diagnosis as an enemy, and start viewing it as a signal.

Thrive

Dr. Holden’s approach isn’t anti-medicine. It’s pro-you.

He’s not saying you should skip conventional treatment. Instead, he’s inviting you to reclaim agency in your own healing to build an internal environment that doesn’t just fight cancer, but makes it harder for cancer to take hold in the first place.

If you’re navigating prostate cancer right now (or walking alongside someone who is), this paper is a reminder that you are more than your PSA score.

You are a system, a story, and your healing potential is still unfolding.

Your next best step might not be more aggressive treatment. It might be a softer shift toward nourishment, curiosity, and connection with a care team that sees the whole of you.

This week, take a moment to reflect:

• Are there areas of my internal terrain I’ve been ignoring?

• What does my body need more of, or less of, right now?

• Am I working with my biology, or pushing against it?

We’ve included Dr. Holden’s full paper for those who want the technical deep dive, along with a shorter, plain-English summary that breaks the science down further. Both are worth keeping close, especially if you’re at a decision point in your care.

Want more?

The full paper is available to download as a PDF here.

Share this CipherLine with someone navigating a prostate diagnosis.

Subscribers to the ReadersKey tier will get bonus commentary from Paul on how this paper connects to his own prostate journey.

Fama’s Nudge

“You can’t control the diagnosis. But you can change the terrain.”

Let love lead your lens even when it comes to something as serious as cancer.

Content Disclaimer

The content provided in The Decoding Papers series, including the Decoding Prostate Cancer report and accompanying commentary, is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor does it replace professional medical consultation, care, or decision-making.

Please consult with your healthcare provider, physician, or a qualified medical professional before making any changes to your treatment plan, medications, or health routines. The views expressed in this material represent the professional insights of the contributing author(s) and are offered to support informed conversations between patients and their care teams.

Decode Your Diagnosis and its contributors do not assume liability for any outcomes resulting from the use or misuse of the information contained herein.