Become CEO of Your Health: Navigate Cancer Treatment & Healthcare System
Featuring: Jeff Holtmeier, Brad Power
In short
Jeff Holtmeier, a tech executive diagnosed with colon and pancreatic cancer, shares how he navigated the U.S. healthcare system by questioning standard treatment recommendations, seeking multiple opinions, and combining conventional care with integrative approaches such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and energy healing. He also explains specific financial incentives built into oncology practices — including chemotherapy's role as a major revenue source — that patients should understand when evaluating treatment recommendations. The resource is for anyone facing a cancer diagnosis who wants practical tools to ask better questions and take a more active role in their care.
- •Before agreeing to a recommended procedure, ask your medical team what diagnostic tests were done to confirm it is necessary — Jeff's surgeon recommended major surgery before ordering basic imaging.
- •Seek at least one additional opinion from a different provider, including an integrative or naturopathic practitioner, before committing to a treatment plan.
- •Be aware that chemotherapy accounts for roughly 65% of revenue in typical oncology practices; understanding this can help you ask more informed questions about why a specific treatment is being recommended.
- •Lifestyle factors — diet, stress management, and mind-body practices like mindfulness — are worth discussing with your care team as part of a whole-person approach to treatment.
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Brad Power September 25, 2025 “Take ownership. Personal agency. Be responsible. Push back on people. Ask questions. The guy in the white coat doesn't have all the answers. It's imperative that we take our own personal agency for our own bodies. ” – Jeff Holtmeier “It's time to critically think about how medicine is practiced and how groupthink and outdated protocols can shape treatment decisions.
Even if you don't agree with every choice that I made in my journey, I encourage you to challenge the assumptions and encourage you to think for yourself. ” – Jeff Holtmeier “This webinar isn't about rejecting allopathic medicine. It's about integrating knowledge, asking smarter questions, and reclaiming the authority we too often hand away.
Because here's the truth: no one, not even the most credentialed expert, knows your body, your values or your intuition better than you. You're not a passenger, you're the pilot. You're not a diagnosis, you're the decision-maker, and you're not just someone hoping for healing.
Meeting Summary
Cancer patients and caregivers face a healthcare system entrenched in "sick care" and biased with mis-incentives due to the slow evolution of medical education and a persistent resistance to whole-person healing. It can be equally difficult to navigate the healthcare system and the medical decisions one needs to make. S. healthcare system while trying to embrace holistic and natural practices.
Confronted with his cancer diagnosis, he turned to his deep belief in his body’s innate capacity to heal and chose to question the conventional path of surgery and chemotherapy. Instead, he embraced a more integrative, personalized approach, one that weaves together allopathic, naturopathic, and alternative therapies, guided by informed self-advocacy and intuition.
His story serves as both a thoughtful critique of the current system and a call to action for a truly patient-centered model that honors individuality, embraces complementary practices, and redefines what it means to heal. S. health system that you should know about?
•Relative Value Units : Hospitals tie physician pay to procedure volume and complexity, creating an incentive to recommend bigger, riskier surgeries.
•Chemotherapy Profitability : Chemotherapy drugs account for 65% of revenue in typical oncology practices, creating an incentive to choose chemotherapy treatments.
•Margins: Price markups for cancer therapies range from 120% to 630% above hospital acquisition costs, creating an incentive to treat sick cancer patients.
•Pharmaceutical companies influence : Treatment decisions are made by doctors, so pharmaceutical companies influence doctors’ drug prescribing behaviors through financial relationships. How should you navigate the healthcare system, advocate for yourself, and be more engaged in your care?
•View healthcare as a collaborative process where you are the CEO of your health; take an active role in your healthcare decisions; do not passively accept the first recommended treatment; recognize that doctors don't have all the answers and be willing to challenge standard protocols; do not be afraid to say "no" to recommended treatments if they don't feel right
•Become informed; conduct your own thorough research using reputable sources; research alternative approaches
•Ask questions about recommended treatments
•Seek multiple opinions from different medical professionals
•Understand the potential financial motivations behind care recommendations
•Consider consulting integrative, complementary, alternative, or holistic healthcare providers who may offer more comprehensive perspectives
•Maintain a proactive mindset about personal health and healing
•Consider lifestyle factors like diet, stress management, and mental well-being What are some complementary and alternative therapies that you should consider integrating into your cancer treatment plan?
•Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine
•Energy healing techniques
•Mindfulness meditation and stress reduction practices
•Radio frequency therapy
•Photobiomodulation therapy
•Dietary changes and intermittent fasting
•Supplements targeted to support immune function How should you explore complementary and alternative treatment options?
•Seek multiple perspectives: consult integrative health practitioners and discuss options with your medical team
•Research scientific studies on complementary therapies
•Consider comprehensive testing to understand potential root causes How can you learn more about advocating for yourself and becoming more engaged in your healthcare decisions?
•Read the book Blind Spots by Dr. Marty Makary, which exposes systematic dysfunctions in the U.S. healthcare system
•Reach out to Jeff Holtmeier at jeff.holtmeier@gmail.com to obtain the link to his book on his cancer journey
•Watch videos or read summaries of conversations with other patients who have advocated for themselves and participated actively in their cancer testing and treatment decisions
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•“A Hackathon (Molecular Tumor Board) for Advanced Prostate Cancer Patient and Cancer Researcher Dr. Elliot Davis”
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•“A Cancer Hacker Solves His Own Needs and Helps Others Access the Best, New, Personalized Tests and Treatments” The information and opinions expressed on this website or platform, or during discussions and presentations (both verbal and written) are not intended as health care recommendations or medical advice by Cancer Patient Lab, its principals, presenters, participants, or representatives for any medical treatment, product, or course of action. You should always consult a doctor about your specific situation before pursuing any health care program, treatment, product or other course of action that might affect your health. For the video recording of this conversation, please see here. Meeting Notes KEYWORDS Cancer patient, CEO of health, personal agency, medical treatment, chemotherapy, energy healing, mind-body connection, alternative therapies, medical system, patient advocacy, second opinions, holistic health, mental resilience, healthcare economics, patient empowerment. SPEAKERS Jeff Holtmeier (76%), Brad Power (12%), Mark Stoner (6%), Roger Royse (6%), Raj Aji (1%) CHAT CONTRIBUTORS Rick Davis, Raj Aji, Hilary, Roger Royse, Alexander Lalov, Yanin Naiyachit SUMMARY Jeff Holtmeier, a tech executive diagnosed with colon and pancreatic cancer, shared his journey of becoming the CEO of his own health. He emphasized the importance of questioning medical advice and exploring alternative treatments. Jeff highlighted the outdated protocols in cancer treatment, citing chemotherapy's origins in mustard gas, and its 1992 study basis. He discussed the financial incentives in the medical system, noting chemotherapy's 65% revenue share in oncology practices. Jeff's approach included acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and energy healing, leading to a spontaneous remission. He advocates for personal responsibility in healthcare and the integration of mind-body practices. OUTLINE Introductions
•Jeff Holtmeier is a tech executive turned CEO of his own health, who discussed his journey with colon and pancreatic cancer.
•Critically thinking about medicine and personal agency is very important.
•Jeff was a picture of health until his routine screening revealed cancer.
•He decided to take control and become the CEO of his own health, focusing on leadership and self-leadership.
•A business metaphor to illustrate this approach to health is comparing it to seeking multiple opinions in business decisions. Challenging Medical Norms and Personal Health Journey
•Protocols in medicine are outdated and it is important to challenge assumptions.
•There are shocking facts about chemotherapy, including its origins in mustard gas and the outdated studies used to justify common chemotherapy regimens.
•Energy healing and the mind-body connection in healing are beneficial, according to studies from MD Anderson Cancer Center.
•Lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and stress management are important in overall health. Medical Journey and Decision-Making
•Jeff’s medical journey started with a routine colonoscopy that revealed polyps and early- stage cancer cells along with a growth on the pancreas.
•A top pancreatic surgeon recommended the Whipple procedure without basic diagnostics, such as EUS
•Jeff decided to seek multiple second opinions and alternative treatments
•The financial incentives in the medical system can influence treatment recommendations.
•Jeff explored alternative treatments, including acupuncture, Chinese herbs, radio frequency and energy healing.
•Mental resilience and the role of the mind in healing are important.
•You need to take personal responsibility in healthcare and seek multiple perspectives.
•There are limitations in the conventional medical system, and there is a need for a shift in medical education.
•The body has an innate ability to heal itself.
•You should take ownership of your health and become an active partner in your healing journey. Final Thoughts
•Personal agency and taking ownership of your health are critically important.
•You should ask questions and seek multiple perspectives in your medical journey.
•The mind is powerful, and the body has the ability to heal itself.
•Hopefully his story will inspire you to take an active role in your health.
Full transcript
Brad Power This is the Cancer Patient Lab. We're honored today to have Jeff Holtmeier with us. Jeff is going to talk about becoming the CEO of his care. He's a tech executive by background. He's learned a lot, and he wants to share it with us today. His initial diagnosis was colon and pancreatic cancer. We have some pancreatic cancer folks here today who may have some commiseration or thoughts or questions for him.
This is for information purposes only. This is not medical advice. We try to arm our patients with information they can take to their medical team. We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3), and we depend on the kindness of people making donations to provide services like this webinar. org , where there's a Donate button.
Jeff Holtmeier
Whether you're here because of a personal diagnosis, a loved one's journey, or simply a gut feeling that there must be more to healing than prescriptions and procedures, I think you'll find this time valuable. It's a strong contribution to the broader conversation about medicine, healing and personal agency. My name is Jeff Holtmeier, and like many of you, I never thought I'd be here either.
Almost my entire life, I was a picture of health, no prescriptions ever, no chronic issues, actively playing sports five days a week. ” In that moment, maybe I was expected to become a passive patient, but instead, I became something very different. I took control and became the CEO of my own health, and that's what today is about, not fear, not blame, but leadership and self-leadership. Since I'm an entrepreneur, I'll use a business metaphor.
If my accountant delivers me a solution to a problem that I'm not pleased with, I'll get multiple opinions from other CPA firms. If my lawyer recommends an approach that doesn't make sense to me, I'll do the same and seek other views. However, when it comes to the health of the only body we'll have while living on Earth, why are most people submissive to those in white coats?
You'll hear things today that may surprise you, like the fact that chemotherapy has its roots in mustard gas. Yeah, the same chemical weapon banned in war or that. The most recent study used to justify a common chemo regimen that I was offered was from 1992 – more than 30 years ago, and then in some of our most respected cancer centers, the standard treatment hasn't been updated in decades.
You also learn that energy healing, long dismissed as fringe or “Woo Woo” is now being studied at places like MD Anderson Cancer Center, showing measurable effects on cancer cell death. Healing is not just a physical process, but a powerful mind body loop.
Our mental state directly shapes immune function, hormonal balance and even tissue repair, stress and negative emotions suppress recovery, while practices like deep rest, breath work, positive expectation and quality sleep activate the body's repair systems, reducing inflammation and accelerating healing. In essence, the mindset and daily habits aren't secondary to treatment. They're central drivers to the healing process itself.
Science is finally catching up to what some traditions have known for thousands of years: the body is energy, and energy can heal. It's about integrating knowledge, asking smarter questions, and reclaiming the authority we too often handed away. You're not a passenger, you're the pilot. You can become a CEO of your own health. I'm about 5’10”, around 200 pounds, with 89% skeletal muscle and about 18% body fat, according to my watch.
I play full court basketball three days a week, where I'm always the oldest by at least a generation. I also play competitive league tennis twice weekly in a social round once a week. I've always been an entrepreneur, and currently serve as executive chairman and principal of a software development company with no plans to slow down anytime soon. Health and wellness have always been priorities for me. I haven't eaten fast food since 1984.
I avoid processed foods and focus instead on a predominantly Chinese-influenced diet, thanks to my wife. I enjoy red wine periodically. Other than in rare cases, when I need an antibiotic, I've never taken prescription drugs. Intermittent Fasting is part of my routine, six days a week, with one full 24 hour a day fast weekly.
I'm fortunate to live a low stress life, along with a loving and supportive wife, two great sons, and three young grandkids. I'm socially outgoing and rarely get sick. I've even skipped flu shots my entire adult life without issue. My personality is fundamentally positive, open minded and outgoing, and I cultivate a profound sense of gratitude for life.
This mindset is coupled with a powerful conviction that the mind possesses the ability to influence outcomes and attain any aspiration.
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