For 45 years, Philadelphia holistic coach, naturalist and herbalist El Ha Gahn has been teaching people to "love the Earth and love themselves as an extension of the Earth." Gahn takes his healing journey very seriously. He traveled across the Earth studying herbalism with Native Americans, Nigerians and Jamaicans. Through many years of self-study, he learned about organic farming in New Jersey.

His drive to help people came after suffering from chronic tonsillitis. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, tonsillitis is an inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils, or the glands in the back of the throat that are visible through the mouth. " I couldn't swallow for three weeks at a time," says Gahn. After conventional treatments, which involve antibiotics, Gahn decided to try a holistic approach. He explains that it would take two weeks to heal using conventional methods, but using holistic methods, it only took one hour to heal.

Knowing that cancer threats are everywhere—in the food, water and air—in April, Gahn collaborated with The Haven, a yoga studio near St. Joseph's University, to develop a weekly workshop, Living Without Cancer., that focuses on holistic methods, as well as conventional methods, to prevent and treat cancer. Some of the topics Gahn covers include demystifying the cancer conspiracy, getting it in remission and lowering risk factors. The workshop is not just for people coping with personal cancer issues, but also those with friends or family members coping with these issues.

"Cancer is the end result of a series of conditions," explains Gahn. Many of these conditions include a poor diet that leads to malnourishment; certain lifestyle habits like smoking; an internal acidic environment; an unclean colon; poorly oxygenated blood; and even emotions like deep-seeded anger, he explains. "People take care of their cars better than their bodies," says Gahn.

When it comes to nutrition, Gahn focuses on superfoods that are high antioxidants. He also advises people to avoid sugar, which is a primary feeding agent for cancer. Gahn stresses the importance of hydration. “The average American is dehydrated, due to diet and simply not drinking enough water,” he explains. “People may think that any type of liquid is equal to water, but it is not, because lots of drinks that people consume contain sugar and chemicals.”

Gahn also teaches basic yoga techniques to make a person internally strong and to provide more oxygen to the blood. "More oxygen in the blood helps fight more disease," says Gahn. He also teaches people to manage their emotions. Certain emotions like anger, fear, insecurity, worry, and hate can put a person in a consciousness of cancer,” he explains. “These emotions attract cancer to them. There also is a relationship between emotions and food.”

Gahn explains that certain foods that people consume will make them have certain emotions, and certain emotions make people gravitate toward specific types of food like sugar. Also, having an, “’I don't care’ attitude is an excellent attitude to make a person high risk for cancer," warns Gahn.

The Haven is located at 5702 Wynnefield Ave., in Philadelphia. For more information, call 856-287-7070.