The world lost a true visionary yesterday with the passing of Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple. I remember back in the late 80′s when I was a young computer programmer/designer fresh out of grad school using the (Apple) MacIntosh computer for the very first time.
The MacIntosh user interface was so intuitive and such a leap ahead of the predominant Microsoft DOS operating system (remember? type commands at the green screen prompt) that I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
This new and emerging user interface in the 1980s that is taken for granted today rocketed the task of computer design light years ahead and allowed the development of computer systems to at last be something users could be involved in and easily understand.
There is no doubt that Steve Jobs’ passing at 56 years old was premature. He had much more to contribute to the world and I for one feel the world has been cheated now that he is gone.
Pictures of him in his final days showed a frail, shockingly thin frame consistent with a person who had undergone chemotherapy treatments for cancer.
While every single detail of Mr. Jobs’ cancer treatments over the years are not publicly known, one can’t help but wonder if his chemotherapy and radiation treatments contributed to his demise.
Just a few weeks ago, Kara Kennedy, daughter of the late Senator Edward Kennedy died at age 51 from a heart attack. Her brother, Patrick Kennedy said that her many years of chemotherapy to treat lung cancer took a severe toll on her health and weakened her physically to the point where “her heart just gave out.”
Is Conventional Treatment for Cancer Worse Than the Disease?
It seems that chemotherapy/radiation treatments causing death rather than preserving life are becoming more common.
Radiation in particular ups the risk of heart problems in women undergoing conventional treatment for breast cancer. The May 2000 issue of The Lancet reported that women who had undergone radiation for breast cancer increased their odds of dying from other causes, usually heart related, by 21% compared with women who had not undergone radiation with the 20 year survival rate for breast cancer improving by only 1%.
Does that seem worth it to you? It sure doesn’t to me.
Chemotherapy is another conventional treatment for cancer that seems to hasten people’s death. The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death in the UK reported that its review of 600 cancer patients who died within 30 days of treatment revealed that over one quarter had in fact been killed by the chemo and not cancer.
The extreme toxicity of chemo treatments is what causes the rapid demise, usually infections such as the very serious neutropenic sepsis.
In the case of Mr. Jobs, this appears to be what happened. According to reports from multiple sources, he had received chemotherapy treatments in recent months at the Stanford Cancer Center in Palo Alto California and his devastating physical deterioration from these treatments almost certainly contributed to his quick passing.
Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation to Treat Cancer?
If you received a cancer diagnosis, would you ever agree to chemotherapy or radiation treatments or would you explore nontoxic alternative therapies?
I, for one, would not consider conventional cancer treatment as such an approach to disease seems more than a little misguided. How can use of toxic chemicals and/or radiation possibly be beneficial when both of these treatments actually have been shown to cause cancer in the long run?
It seems that a more holistic approach to cancer would be wiser than the slash and burn approach of conventional cancer treatments.
In his article A Holistic Approach To Cancer, Dr. Tom Cowan MD writes:
“… the job of the doctor is to distinguish between the therapy and the illness. What I mean by that is if you get a splinter in your finger, and then your body makes pus to get the splinter out, is the pus the therapy or the disease? We know that pus indicates infection and the presence of microorganisms, and we learned in medical school that doctors should kill the pus. But I don’t think it is that far of a stretch to see that if you have a splinter in your finger, the pus is the therapy for the splinter. If you don’t take the splinter out, the pus will do it for you. If you mistakenly think that the pus is the disease and you destroy the pus, the splinter will stay and your body will attempt this process again. If you destroy the pus again, your body might repeat this process three or four more times. Then you have a chronic infection as the body keeps trying to remove the splinter. Eventually it will either succeed, or it will encapsulate the splinter, which is a tumor, a new growth. It is not a cancerous tumor but a benign cystic tumor of the splinter. The understanding that the pus is the therapy allows you to predict what is going to happen in the future.
Now think of this example. Joe Bloke is a smoker. In other words, he puts a bunch of splinters in his lungs every day. Twice a year Joe gets cough, fever, mucus—all to get the splinters out of his lungs. I prefer to say “cough, fever, mucus” rather than “bronchitis” because the word “bronchitis” separates you from the reality of the situation. His body is producing an inflammatory response—it is making a mucus-pus-fever response to cleanse his lungs of splinters. If Joe goes to a doctor who makes the mistake of thinking that the response is the problem, he will give drugs to stop the bronchitis—which is actually the medicine. So Joe will be left with the splinters. That scenario will happen twice a year for thirty years and then Joe has a big bag of splinters in his lungs, and we call that lung cancer.”
Holistic approaches to cancer help resolve whatever caused the cancer in the first place. Conventional chemo/radiation treat only the “pus” of the cancer as described by Dr. Cowan.
Stopping cancer symptoms by “killing” the cancer cells with chemo or radiation is not in any way a cure as Mr. Jobs tragically discovered in his long running quest to regain his health.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com
Source: Doctors Rely on Chemo Too Much
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{ 282 comments… read them below or add one }
Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer? — The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/W1oP6WTK
Saw on Facebook link about an Italian doctor who treats cancer with a very high success rate and he uses a sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) solution thru a port directly into the tumor. Anyone interested should look for it on YouTube. It is a 3 part series and very interesting.
You’re basing information about an extremely dangerous “treatment” off sources you found on facebook. Next time do more research before you end up with innocent deaths on your hand.
http://www.cancertreatmentwatch.org/reports/simoncini.shtml
there is also a Canadian scientist who has successfully decreased the size of tumors with baking soda. and he, as far as i know, did not believe cancer to be a fungus. we should remember that no 2 bodies are the same. why do we treat everyone medically as such? each body will respond differently to each treatment. also, look into Germanic New Medicine. Dr. Hamer believes he has found the true Cause of caner. Trauma. Also, for more info on successful treatment of cancer, HIV, AIDS, ect. look into Dr. Hulda Clark. – please take nothing I say as scripture – look into it all and always question everything.
I would never use chemo etc. ever. There are so many natural ways to heal from cancer over growth that are getting to be known now.
Medical doctors have no cure for it and never address diet or alternative answers to cancer.
The drug companys and FDA rule the roost.
You die if you do not educate yourself.
Start with stopping eating all processed foods now.
It’s a travesty how our country is run.
Money always wins-much to the disadvantage of keeping us healthy.
Cheep food = bad food.
Food corps run the FDA. ETC.ETC.ETC.
GRRrrrrrr
I know this is an old post, but as a lung cancer survivor, I feel I must comment. A non-smoker, I was diagnosed at 43 with small cell which is the type of cancer that usually occurs in people who have been heavy smokers for 30+ years. I chose to do chemo & radiation ALONG with nutritional support, energy work and I had armies of people praying for me. I did not lose much weight and only had to take a couple of days off from work after each round of Chemo. I will say that losing my hair pretty much sucked, but I now have a different perspective about “bad hair days”. C&R took out most of the tumor, but I did have to have surgery – my entire right lung was removed in 2007. Pathology revealed that I had a non-small cell tumor underneath the small cell tumor. SC typically responds very well to C&R, while non-SC does not. The reason I am still here is 2 fold. First and foremost was EARLY DETECTION. My cancer had not spread at all. Second, as a non-smoker, I had sufficient lung function that I could have 1 lung removed. I am quite healthy and enjoy normal activity, which includes daily walks.
I am all for living a healthy, traditional lifestyle, but please don’t paint all cancer treatments with the same black brush. I would not be here if it wasn’t for chemo & radiation.
hey everybody! cmon! dont’ you know Sarah is crazy? she likes getting people worked up. then sit back and watch the fireworks. she’s a demon!
I know that this is an old post but I wanted to put my two cents in. Cancer is a very complicated and terrible disease. Depending on the diagnosis, the effectiveness of the recommended treatment and also on things like my age and my kids age at the time of diagnosis will greatly determine whether or not I go through the conventional treatment. Not because I think alternative medicine will “cure” me, but because I know that cancer has no cure- alternative or conventional. There was a fantastic article written by Ken Murray. (link below). If the outlook is too bad, then I will forgo all treatment. I will die as a medical doctor will die:
http://zocalopublicsquare.org/thepublicsquare/2012/07/23/doctors-really-do-die-differently/read/nexus/
Cancer is not an immune deficiency, a fungus or an oxidative cellular problem as some people are suggesting. Cancer is a general term for what happens when your cells DNA gets mutated in such a way that causes cells to not only divide uncontrollably, but to spread and harm the person by blocking vital functions of organs. Your immune system is built to recognize foreign cells and particles (viruses) as dangerous- Cancer is not foreign- in fact, it has the same proteins, lipids makeup as your noncancerous cells. Your immune system doesn’t recognize the cancerous cells as dangerous. As the cancer progresses, it will pick up more mutations which will alter its physical characteristics; however, even if your immune system recognizes it at this point, its already too late.
The similarities between the cancerous cells and your noncancerous cells is also the problem with any drugs given to people. Drugs against bacteria are tailored specifically for their protein walls, their ribosomes, their DNA replication machinery. The drugs hardly effect you because your cells have different protein, lipid content, etc. How are scientists to design drugs that recognize cancerous cells without harming the persons noncancerous cells? Hint: they can’t. The most effective drugs against cancer don’t necessarily target cancer, but rather rapidly dividing cells. Is chemotherapy and radiation poison? Hell yeah. If you didn’t have cancer, I would strongly suggest you stay away from both.
Lastly, the biggest problem that I had with this post is that it implies that cancer is avoidable and curable. If you get a cancer diagnosis, it will kill you eventually. (unless you’re hit by a bus, car, elephant, etc.) Whether its eight months down the road, a few years down the road. Conventional treatment may or may not extend your time here on earth depending on your starting health, the progress of the cancer, and mutational makeup of the cancer. Chemotherapy has a risk of killing the patients, but cancer will 100% kill you in the end.
Cancer, if you live long enough, is inevitable. If this WAPF diet really is so fantastic and something else doesn’t kill you, you will get cancer. The mutation rate of DNA is too high and the number of times that your cells divide will give you cancer. You can increase your odds of getting cancer by smoking, sunbathing and contracting HPV, but even if you do everything right, and lived in a clean room your whole life, you will still get cancer-its a symptom of age. Also, it turns out, we will all die. We’re not immortal. Stop pretending you are.
wrong link (although, that was also good, this is the first article):
http://zocalopublicsquare.org/thepublicsquare/2011/11/30/how-doctors-die/read/nexus/
Poor guy!
great question!
I read somewhere that chemo is only effecrive on 3 specific types of cancer. My husband and I have talked about this a lot, and we have seen many people suffer through traditional treatment, only to still die. Until we are personally faced with it for sure, we won’t say 100%…..but most likely, we will refuse traditional treatments and find altenative, body strengthening options.
My husband and I feel the same way as Lisa and we have seen loved ones (our dads included) suffer from chemo and radiation. We believe the treatment usually is the killer. We would rather have our last days to be quality days. I had skin cancer that needed treatment and was asked radiation or MUHS (surgery). No radiation! My husband wouldn’t have the cancer removed and I think I would.
I am afraid my body wouldn’t even be helped with traditional/alternative treatments as Lyme has damaged it so much. I haven’t done very well in making strides toward the WAP diet, my fatigue holds me back in EVERYTHING! I do have a kefir smoothie everyday and have kombucha here and there. I really want to do better, but like I said, the fatigue. How do you do something to give you better health when you don’t have the health to do it?
Just to clarify in regards to having cancers removed and not know whether I would or not. I did have the basal cell carcinoma removed and have had squamous cell carcinomas removed, but they were just skin (surface) cancers.
Look into Black Salve for skin cancers. Also Bloodroot.
I have had both of those removed, too. The basal cell kept coming back, so the MOHS surgery (not MUHS) was done.
Don’t be discouraged. Remember every positive change you make is a step in the right direction! You are better off than you would be without the healthy whole food probiotics that you are getting into yourself. Good for you for trying!
I do know thatJ obs initially attemptedto treat his cancer dietarily/nutritionally, but was strongly urged by Apple’s board to take surgery/chemo. But anyway, for us, like the OP, I can’t say for sure, but my intent if I did havecancer would beto refuse pharmaceuticals.
I think it’s not a decision that can made outside of the situation. I will say this though, I think regardless of the treatments chosen people shouldn’t jump in right after diagnosis, especially when harsh methods like chemo are decided upon. Horrible news weakens the immune response, I wouldn’t want to pump chemicals and the like into my system in that state. Frankly I’d want to wait a week or two, meditate, do yoga etc. and then start treatment. But I’m not a doc, what do I know? =)
i believe chemo and radiation are only necessary as a last resort. they often make people sicker than the cancer itself.
Let thy food by thy medicine.
Fo me and my little ones , I would only consider it as a last resort not first… we would pursue prayer and natural alternatives
i wouldn’t have either personally,i think they do more harm than any small ‘good’ they are supposed to…
Wow…maybe a bit disrespectful considering he just died YESTERDAY.
I agree to a certain extent; however, I had a friend who recently tied of cancer and I couldn’t help but wonder if the treatment added to his early death. I felt horrible for having the thought, but I can see where Sarah is coming from, and I think our treatments should be questioned.
What’s wrong with having a conversation about it.? She praised him in several ways. I don’t get what the problem is, in using this as a catalyst for conversation about a very serious subject. I really don’t think the guy would mind, given what I’ve read about him.
My Mom is living her last days on earth after battling brain cancer and I do NOT think the chemo or radiation was benefical. She was constantly ill nor did her quality of life improve. I think she was pressured into conventional treatment but who am I to question her decisions.
Blessings to you and your family as you go through this difficult time.
answer from me .. NO my dad refused them after cancer surgery and lived 30 more years
That’s a tough one. At my age, 62, I’ve seen it all with family and friends. After what I’ve seen, I’d say it’s a personal choice and depends on your age and what type of cancer. Lost a dear friend at age 58 to cancer that began as a stage 2 lump in her breast and she ended up dying after 4 1/2 years of surgeries, radiation, chemo and every alternative thing you could think of, and did I throw in going to shamans and faith healers? Bottom line here, we think she didn’t treat it aggressively in the beginning. Another friend, about the same age, but with stage four colon cancer that had spread to her lung and liver, hit it quickly and with everything mentioned above. She is alive today after 8 years and her doctors consider her a miracle. Bottom line, she hit it hard and with everything. Soooo, I’d say, yes, I would do the traditional treatments we have now and a whole lot of alternative, at least in my 60′s. Into my later years, maybe not, but it’s a personal call for an individual and family and I am so sorry for anyone who has to go through cancer.
I agree with you Mikki, it depends on your age and what type of cancer. I am a mother of eight children and I am 42 years old. If it were me who was diagnosed, that’s one thing. But my son who was 8 years old when he was diagnosed with leukemia just finished receiving three and a half years of treatment. We have watched many children go through many things, ….. all cancers are different. During his treatment, I did everything I could to educate myself on traditional foods and different eating theories so that I could support his body as best as I could. He is now cancer free and we are working every day to feed him and his siblings a nourishing diet of whole foods. (That’s what got me to this site.) *We are a success story, for now, we get that. But we also know that regardless of what treatment plan you choose, God is in control. We just have to do what we feel is best individually.
Sarah, thank you for giving us information. I think it’s our personal responsibility to learn all we can so that we can make educated decisions in order to be good stewards of the one body we have been given.
How so? The article acknowledges his achievements and his contributions to the world. What is so terrible about discussing this subject now (soon after his death)? There are plenty of people today who are suffering from cancer and more importantly from cancer treatments who could read this article and reconsider their choices. I lost a very very dear person in my life who died from cancer treatment too. The decision of whether or not to use conventional treatment is a real quandary and one that grapples a lot of families. So I understand and appreciate the struggle and yet, I believe that people should be made aware of their choices for treatment, not be badgered into chemo and radiation out of fear. Fear (which is what all oncologists I know employ while talking to potential patients) should not be the basis of these decisions, reason and rationality should be.
I agree – No one here so far has disrespected him personally in any way that I can tell. He was a public figure. We, as humans, have an interest in his well-being, and that of our own. Life, death, and health are subjects of interest to all. I believe he, and anyone for that matter, would be glad that in the wake of their passing, a discussion was had that aired fears, taught, comforted and expressed ideas. He was a man of idea and invention after all. We are all just people, learning from other people. It’s a worthy discussion.
I think you would have to be in the situation, and it also depends on the kind of cancer you have, your mental/emotional state and support system. If it is a child do you have a choice for treatment??
Adult or child – doesn’t matter. The choices are either go to a traditional M.D. in a traditional hospital (where they will do chemotherapy), or to do research into eating raw foods. I’ve looked into this to come to my own conclusion of what I would do if I had cancer. Even without cancer, I’m eating much better and know my body is better for it.
No, i already lost my mom to chemo… (not cancer)
ive seen people using alternative treatments last a longer and happier life…
I’ve read many times that doctors would not put their own relatives thru chemo or radiation treatments…so why do they recommend it to patients??? I’ve seen too many people who don’t last too long after these treatments…
I like some of his achievements and contributions.. but I must say he was also a deadbeat dad, whose child was on welfare, he cheated his early partners out of money .. and a host of other really bizare character flaws.. he entertained us yes.. was he a role model.. a Nobel laurette was he really important to humanity ??? NO . I am sad he is gone… but people are treating him like he cured cancer or something. Meanwhile we have real people who really helped humanity die recently and they barely get noticed.. very sad where our priorities are.
Not relevant, or helpful.
Do you actually know what you are talking about??
I have had this discussion with my mother. The practice seems so barbaric, to ravage the entire body like that. However, there isn’t really an aggressive alternative, is there? Though I think they have found a way to localize the radiation treatments to just the cancer sites, but I’d have to look up where I read that to make sure I read it correctly.
Yes, it is called Proton Beam radiation–my father in law had it done for prostate cancer. The benefit is that the radiation only hits the specific (very specific) area it is programmed to hit, but spares the surrounding tissue. Also, because it is directed at a far smaller area, they are able to use a much stronger radiation. It is now used for a variety of types of cancers, including certain brain tumors. It is interesting technology, but I surely think that even if a person opts for conventional treatment, they really need to complement it with natural, immune system supporting natural treatments as well. Unfortunately, sometimes (as is the case with a friend’s sister in law) a Dr. will refuse to treat a patient who is using ANY alternative therapy in conjunction with the conventional treatment! How tragic–just when a person’s body needs every boost it can get too.
This is so offensive. What kind of person would to try to capitalize on the death of an amazing visionary to drive page views and promote their own dubious agenda? What a negative light this casts on the WAPF.
She is not the only one making light of chemotherapy/radiation after his passing. This is VERY serious, people need to know the scams in the cancer industry, maybe it is a bit too soon, but I agree that the word needs to get out, and it is very timely for people to read about his death and wonder why he died so young.
It’s a discussion. That is all.
Agreed. I think that his passing makes the article even more timely. Seeing a prominent figure pass away from cancer brings it to the forefront of people’s minds…wondering what we would do personally if we were diagnosed. I think it’s good that Sarah is giving people alternatives to consider. We are all responsible for making our own decisions about our health, and how can we make the best possible decision if we don’t view the issue from all sides?
Kelli\’s last post: I’m Not a Dirty Hippie: Acne Edition, Part 2
Prove to me that the “cancer industry” runs scams. Not based on speculation. Not based on what you know in your “heart”. Prove it.
Prove that chemotherapy has killed more bad (sick) cells than good (healthy) cells. The traditional medical industry makes $$$$$ from chemotherapy. They can’t make money off recommending eating healthy food. This is why all “natural cures” are forbidden and suppressed. I’ve always wondered why many doctors said they wouldn’t go through chemotherapy for themselves or their family if they had cancer. Doesn’t make sense to me.
What billion should I use to prove it. Private industry (drug and processed food companies like Bayer and Tyson)can spend billions to pay members of the FDA to vote in there favor. These same companies can then pull out a few billion more to prove how alternative treatments are not going to work. Use your head, if alternative treatment does work what would happen to the the drug and food industry? So tell me Sr. how should we prove it? Can I borrow some cash because I’ve got to tell you that my civil engineering salary just ain’t going to cut it.
Foods and drinks are the cause of pretty much any ailment westerners face today. I’ve cured all my pain (arthritis, disc herniations) with antioxidants and omega 3). DOCTORS only recommended pain meds and surgery. I cured my daughters bed wetting through eliminating caffeine. Doctors could not solve this problem. They suspected diabetes. Thank God I researched the issue myself or she could be on medication for the rest of her life. My girlfriend was diagnosed with bipolar when her anger was due to
to caffeine exposure. she stopped taking caffeine and her mood was stable. This is because stimulants pick you up and drop you down. Pretty obvious to me why didn’t her doc think of this. I had prostatis that was caused by a loss of vitamins and minerals in the semen, along with over use of the prostate muscle. Doctors could not figure out the cause. I went through horrible tests and took numerous antibiotics that fixed nothing. Finally the doctor said the pain must be in my head lol. I was referred to pain management. That’s western medicine. Just to be fair its not the doctors its the schools there trained in. these schools use books written by pharmaceutical companies. This is why private industry should not control healthcare. There in it for profit.
Great question!
I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday. You’d think someone like him, with unlimited resources, would seek out a more holistic treatment, since cost is no object. But, I guess with his technological background, I would imagine that he viewed modern medicine the same way – advanced and the ‘best’. He might have died anyways, regardless of which type of treatment he chose, but maybe not – at the very least, he would’ve suffered less at the end.
The effects of chemo and radiation are just horrible. And they use percentages to scare people into choosing them, even when surgery has rid them of their cancer. I have an aunt who had breast cancer and they got it out 100% with the surgery. Then they wanted her to do chemo and radiation – they used all these stats and % to show how chemo and radiation will ‘improve’ her chances of it not recurring. But they don’t tell you the % of people who get cancer or other diseases from the chemo/radiation. It’s irresponsible – they scare people into toxic treatments, without giving them all the facts. At least let people know what they’re getting into when they chose chemo and radiation, so they are fully aware of what they’re choosing.
I agree. Surgery to remove the cancer if possible seems logical. Chemo/radiation afterwards when they obviously got it all seems pointless and even foolish given the dangers of these treatments and how horribly they make you suffer.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
No doctor can guarantee that they have removed 100% of the cancer with surgery. I know that’s what we all hear in the movies but it’s not reality. They use microscopes to see if there is any cancer left in the margins of the tissue that’s been surgically removed, but the microscopes are only so powerful. The “100%” is based on what they can see under the microscope. There may in fact still be cancer cells in the tissue they are looking at but it’s not detectable. In fact, since some cancers are very slow growing, there may in fact be cancer cells all throughout the persons body but it’s not detectable with scans. I believe that a lot of illnesses can be helped with natural remedies and alternative therapies. Yet when I was faced with a cancer diagnosis and a newly adopted baby, as the sole parent, I could not in good conscience refuse the standard medical treatment. I did it all – surgeries, including mastectomies and oopherectomy, chemo, radiation, and hormone therapy. I also radically changed my diet and made other lifestyle changes. Sadly, we know so little about cancer despite all the research and research dollars. My strategy – cover all your bases. It’s easy to say no to western medical treatments when you don’t actually have cancer. I also know that people really do suffer from chemo and radiation. A coworker lost his 3 year old daughter to infection after chemo for a “highly curable luekemia”. Yet another coworker’s soon is thriving at 11 years old after undergoing the very same tretments at age 1-3 years. So we really don’t know and can’t predict who will be helped or hurt by the treatments. Its not so black and white.
no chemo for me
The Weston A. Price Foundation recommends a lumpectomy only with no chemo/radiation if a woman has breast cancer. I can’t seem to find the article which states this though otherwise I would post the link.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
I think it’s very easy to second-guess cancer treatment when you have not walked in the patient’s shoes. None of us can definitively say what we would or would not choose unless and until we have the cancer diagnosis. I believe all treatment protocols should be investigated and the most appropriate one chosen for the patient given the type of cancer, degree of spread, overall health of the patient, and cure rate. Nutritional support is key as well, and alternative treatments should also be considered.
I say all of this as a cancer survivor. I had a stage one squamous cell carcinoma removed from my tongue this past March. Luckily, the entire tumor was removed and I require no further treatment. However, had I required additional treatment, I would have carefully considered all options rather than summarily dismissing any of them.
Thank you.
Amen!
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Going onto a raw vegan diet–does more (juice fasting & smoothies) for getting rid of cancers, than chemo ever will. Sad to say. But the reason we talk so much chemo–is cause so many companies can make money off of it. They can’t make money off of juice fasting, unless they sell juicers. So no chemo for me either. I’m keeping cancer at bay with smoothies & juices in addition to fresh fruits & veggies!
Not true. I just read a bio on Steve Jobs and here’s a quote directly from the article:
“Jobs was also a pescetarian who didn’t consume most animal products, and didn’t eat meat other than fish. A strong believer in Eastern medicine, he sought to treat his own cancer through alternative approaches and specialized diets before reluctantly seeking his first surgery for a cancerous tumor in 2004.”
So, no animal foods means mostly veggies and fruits as his basic food source, right? Um-hmm.
And I don’t agree with your idea of juicing either. In my experience juicing instead of just eating the whole fruit just creates a sugary version of the real thing.
The other information from the bio shows he was sort of a crook on top of everything else.
=8-0
Here’s the link to the article where I read the above information:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/8-things-didn-t-know-life-steve-jobs-172130955.html
The thing is, juicing and green smoothies actually has helped cure people from cancer. I think Weston Price Foundation interviewed someone that cured themselves with vitamin d and use of animal products. I think there needs to be a broader discussion regarding the issue instead of being distracted by what works. It seems to me every individual is different. I don’t think going raw is meant to be a permanent thing but if it cures your cancer what’s wrong with that? We don’t know what kind of diet he had exactly. I mean oreos are vegan, sugar is vegan, processed soy is vegetarian, etc. We need more help in determining which natural cures work best for certain types of people.
I read the bio too. But the shareholders were pushing for chemotherapy as this is what is known en masse to do when one has cancer. When you’re one of the world’s top leaders in business, you are going to have pressure to “do something about it” when you have cancer, and the company/shareholders know they need to keep business and profits running. Imagine his position. That’s more pressure than any of us could imagine. I would have hated to have been in Steve’s shoes dealing with the pressure from all of this. By the way – may he rest in peace.
I have looked into juicing, raw foods, etc. Still researching it.
No, animal protein doesn’t mean mostly veggies and fruits. One can eat all kinds of things like rice, nuts, breads, beans, etc. Which isn’t good if that’s most of what one eats. I has to be balanced.
Just curious, in your juicing experience, how does juicing create “a sugary version of the real thing” (unless you add sugar)?
Not health-related, but by “sort of a crook” if you mean “#3. Fibbed to his Apple co-founder about a job at Atari” – well Wozniak wouldn’t have got anything if it wasn’t for Steve’s idea in the first place. Steve gave Wozniak that money for his help.
And good luck to you. Raw vegan may feel superior and clean but it lack some of the most important stuff the body needs, especially when fighting cancer. I have seen healthy people’s health deteriorate on a raw vegan diet.
When my husband was a teenager, his dad diet of pancreatic cancer, the same one that Steve Jobs (though Steve did have a rare type one). His dad did not begin treating it fast enough, to the dismay of his wife who kept telling him to go see a doctor when he started feeling bad and was not sure what was wrong.
I think it all depends on the disease and what stage…But my hope for the future is for Integrative Medicine – where conventional and alternative therapies come together to
treat illnesses.
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To make it 8 years with pancreatic cancer is rare. What ever he did worked… As long as he and his family were happy with his quality if life
We wouldn’t use conventional treatments either, for cancer or much of anything else, for the reasons Dr. Cowan explains. I love his quote there, I think it is the perfect way to explain why we believe what we do about healing the body. Whenever we are faced with any health crisis, we approach it to look for the underlying cause and help the body to heal itself. Toxic chemicals are not the answer to true healing.
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama\’s last post: Recipe Collection: Soaked Pita Bread
I heard in the news he was vegetarian!
Wow Sara. Sorry you’re taking a beating from some people on this. I appreciate you standing strong on your beliefs about this, even while showing a great visionary the respect he deserves. Signed, A Mac-user all the way!
I agree!
Agreed. Typing on my Mac right now.
These kinds of posts are so heartbreaking and can really cause harm!
If you’ve never been faced with a cancer diagnosis, you DO NOT know what you would do. If you’ve never heard those words… “You’ve got cancer.”, you cannot know what goes into a treatment decision.
To adamantly state “I would never…” indicates someone who is not considering there are options other than their opinion.
I AM a cancer survivor. Cancer is a horrible disease. It attacks all sorts of people, those who use natural remedies and eat whole, nourishing foods, those who don’t and those who land in-between.
Not all doctors are evil, cold-blooded monsters. Some are caring, giving people (with their own families) who desperately want to help the sick.
Not all medical interventions are evil and should be shunned. Each day, more and more options become available and more and more they can be used in an integrated health approach that does not decimate the body. More and more practitioners are opening up their minds and efforts to including natural and nutritional interventions alongside (or in some cases instead of) the older choices.
My friend, a lovely, wonderful woman, did not choose chemo or radiation, but only natural, holistic cures, including juicing and herbal, natural treatments. She died a painful and drawn-out, wasting-away death. When it came, her death was actually a relief to her and her family because she was out of torment. We cannot blame her frail body and her eventual death on chemo or radiation. It was not even used. The disease itself ate away at her body in spite of doing everything right with natural and nutritional interventions.
My cancer story is different. My cancer was different, my choices were different. I was hit suddenly and critically with an acute form of cancer and if not for emergency life-saving medical interventions, INCLUDING chemotherapy, I would be dead now. In fact, I came close 5 times during the first 5 weeks of treatment, but continuing on was the right choice. Did chemo save my life? No, but it was one tool that God used.
I am now 7 years in remission after 18 months of chemotherapy. Do I recommend it for everyone? No. But everyone’s situation is different and they must consider all their options and what is available to them. Even in my own cancer, there were major advances while I was still undergoing treatment! And I was able to incorporate nutritional, herbal and natural remedies to support my body while undergoing chemo treatment.
Posts like this are critical of others choices and options and are ill-informed because they do not take into account the myriad of circumstances, twists, turns and individual concerns that go into making such a life-altering decision.
Each person is different. Each cancer is different, even if it’s the same diagnosis as someone else, it’s in YOUR body which is unique and has unique needs and can not be addressed by a general statement such as “I would never…”
I hope and pray you never get the chance to make that decision for yourself or help your loved one make that decision, but if you do, I hope you will take into account, prayer, faith, and mercy and consider ALL the options, good and bad, and weigh the risks before closing the door on something that may save a life and teaching others to do the same.
.
How is it possible that writing a post about THINKING for oneself causes harm? Are we to blindly accept chemo/radiation without considering the long term risks to other parts of the body or even premature death from such a decision?
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
You imply by your critical words that those who CHOSE chemo and or radiation did not think for themselves. What gives you the right Sarah? You weren’t there in my hospital room when I heard those words. You are next to a mom or dad who is told their child has cancer. What gives you the right to criticize what you do not know?
This is what causes harm, someone who has no knowledge of the individual, the situation, the diagnoses and the available options, out here telling others what to do.
If it were you, or your kids, you have the right – for yourselves. However to chastise someone else and wrongly assume that they “blindly accept [ed] chemo/radiation without considering the long term risks to other parts of the body or even premature death…” is offensive and irresponsible and brings your other teachings into question.
You have completely misconstrued what I’ve written.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
Then I guess I did, too, because that’s exactly how I read it. In my interpretation, it seems you wrote from a decidedly inflammatory viewpoint, and per usual are unwilling to accept that your readers felt it. I’m not saying I disagree with you, nor am I saying I buy your thoughts hook/line/sinker; I’m just saying that an ounce of humility might benefit you, especially when you’ve both never been in the position about which you write AND you’ve clearly upset a reader who has.
Yes, they have, Sarah.
Again, it is JUST A DISCUSSION. Stop reading the post and go somewhere else for your entertainment. Life is about choices, that’s all that is being talked about here. You are feeling overly criticized in a discussion about a topic that was NOT INTENDED TO TARGET YOU PERSONALLY.
You made the decision you made about your care, if you feel good about it that should be enough for you.
I have been wondering this exact same thing as I lost a dear friend too “chemo” this summer. Alot of people do not realize what options are out there, so I for 1 think this message is important toget out. My dad survived pancreatic cancer with just the surgery to remove the tumor. 3 1/2 yrs later he is still cancer free. Keep spreading the news. Often people don’t like their ways challenged but making them aware of options just might save them!
Just because someone says they wouldn’t choose chemo or radiation, and think of it as poison doesn’t mean they are critising those who choose to use it.
Sarah was very considerate and not at all “telling others what to do.” She used words as “It seems that…” and “I, for one, would not consider…” She should not be blamed if a reader is using high strung emotion to criticize her post. Granted it’s an emotional topic, but to consider her manipulative or ill-willed to bring up this topic or to assume that her readers can’t logically consider her viewpoint?…Shame on us. This blog post isn’t titled, “What you absolutely must do in every situation where cancer arises…” but the hypothetical, “Would you ever use Chemo/radiation?…” She is not assuming that people who choose chemo don’t consider their options, but since it is the standard treatment, why not ask about it and mull over its validity (while not invalidating it altogether).
Thanks for sharing, Sarah. It makes me want to explore what options are out there if I ever get cancer.
I don’t see how this is post is so offensive to people. If you were part of Steve Job’s family, I’d understand, but this is just a timely blog post considering the dangers of chemo while his passing is on our minds.
Exactly what I thought. Now is the time to think about this type of stuff when we are grieving about the loss of such a visionary such as Steve Jobs. Thinking about whether to accept conventional cancer treatments for the first time when a cancer diagnosis is staring you in the face is not the best time to make such decisions.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
Steve Jobs’ family is not the only one to have lost someone to cancer. This is a very painful topic for a lot of people.
Fwiw, I believe would carefully use medical treatments if I had cancer. I avoid doctors on issues of health, but I think it’s unwise to dismiss them when you’re dealing with actual illness.
Kira\’s last post: The name "Sophia" means "wisdom." She’s still growing into it.
Right, but my point is Sarah isn’t showing up to your loved one’s funeral raising these questions. And she’s not pointing fingers either. She was very respectful of Jobs and speaks from the passion of minimizing the pain and death that may possibly be unnecessary (speaking of the damage conventional treatments may cause). From the distance of the internet, she is helping us consider what alternative options there are. She is not dismissing conventional medicine, she’s asking, is this all we’ve got?
The average treatment costs $350,000+. I think my father would have lived many more years if he had done nothing. Instead his last years were painful and miserable. I HATE the cut, poison and nuclear blast treatment.
I can’t even imagine the circumstances that would drive me to chemo, but perhaps there is one. Radiation, exquisitely well targeted? Possibly, but not likely. In Steve Jobs case, the really clincher for him, I believe, was that he was on immuno-suppressive meds following his liver replacement a few years back. That gave his cancer the green light, with no obstacles. From all I’ve heard, he was a truly nice guy. Rare in business.
Thank you, Sarah. I’m on your wavelength, it seems. This is a topic near and dear to us, lately. I am 56, my husband is 61 and we can say, unequivocally, we would never do chemo for cancer. Ever. At best, it has a 2-3% “success” rate while devastating your body’s ability to “create more pus.” We believe the body heals itself when allowed, but only when living a healthful lifestyle, eating good foods. You are what you eat.
We believe cancer is a fungus and quite possibly the result of a vitamin deficiency (movie World Without Cancer). Oddly, the USDA outlawed bitter almond trees which is where you get B17. Around the same time, the FDA outlawed selling vitamin B17 in any form. B17 is recently available again as are raw bitter almonds and I’m not quite sure of the reasons for this. I believe the USDA’s move to have all almonds pasteurized was a move to destroy the beneficial properties of almonds, bitter almonds in particular.
I find it VERY interesting to review the recent cancer society debacle where one of the societies (can’t remember which one) decided to recommend that a very early discovery of breast cancer cells may not need extreme conventional treatment, that the body will heal itself. We all have cancer cells all the time and, when those cells live in a healthful environment, the bad cells routinely commit suicide.
Well, big pharma went crazy and made the society (who gets big pharma funding) retract!
Hal’s father was a 13 year survivor of lung cancer after having a lung removed! He died, prematurely we believe, from leukemia. Where did he get leukemia? From all the xrays they did afterwards during “checkups” to see if he had any more cancer in the other lung!
The only thing we would consider doing is surgery to remove a large tumor and there is a slim chance we might use very pointed laser radiation. But those are big ifs and we are reading all we can.
In the past 3 years, Hal lost his mother to brain cancer (she was on every old lady drug you can think of, ate only industrialized food), his baby sister to breast cancer (took every conventional treatment available including double mastectomy, would not hear of alternative medicine) and his older sister to lung cancer (found late, died almost immediately, did all the conventional stuff during her last months). If Hal lives past age 69, he will be the longest lived person in his family’s known history. We are working on it! I’m not done with him, yet, lol!!!
One more thing, then I’ll shut up: I recently watched House of Numbers on Netflix about HIV. Very very interesting. Even the scientist who “discovered” the virus says the body will heal itself, that everyone carries it and, when left to our own devices, our bodies kill it. The documentary points out that most “AIDS” patients die of the treatment. Having lived in Key West for 30 years, I’ve lost countless friends to the treatment. Color me unhappy about that!
Thanks again, Sarah. Great post! I’m off to read Mr. Cowan’s article now.
Sally_Oh\’s last post: It’s Official
Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer? http://t.co/gkNDwjYG Not us, no way, no how.
That’s all well and good for an adult to choose an alternative treatment but it is impossible for a mother to choose one for her child. Two mothers I know are dealing with cancer with their children and they had/have *no choice* but to undergo chemo et al. They were immediately assigned social workers and if they did not bow to the chemo, their children would have been removed from their homes to undergo it via a foster family. No option there!
Keri Mae\’s last post: A Season of Quiet
Are you serious? This is outrageous!! I am speechless…
Amy Love @ Real Food Whole Health\’s last post: Fresh Bites Friday September 30, 2011
Yes, I am serious and yes, it is outrageous. If you bristle at the state knowing better than you what is good for your child, please sign the petition at http://parentalrights.org/
Keri Mae\’s last post: A Season of Quiet
It’s the same with vaccinations. As much as people like to think we have a choice about getting them ourselves or giving them to our children, really, we do not. If you adopt from a foreign country, for instance, entrance can only be gained after all in the family are innoculated. Same when American’s travel outside the USA. And those school nurses? Most of them will drive you up a wall until you vaccinate. We think we have choices but in reality the gov’t has the upper hand. Ultimately, it would seem, we have no choices in much of anything and that includes the foods we eat and the right to grow them, the animals we keep and how we treat them for disease and and how we feed them (grass or grain), and we simply have no power at all about the economic devastation encompassing our nation. It’s getting scary.
Never in a million years would I consider chemo or radiation. My approach would vary slightly depending upon the type of cancer (tumor or blood/systemic) but I would treat it nutritionally and naturally.
Amy Love @ Real Food Whole Health\’s last post: Fresh Bites Friday September 30, 2011
Where did I JUST encounter the phrase “the tumor is not the cancer” and treatment won’t change until the medical profession realises that? It might have been this [temporarily free!] documentary: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/02/food-matters-the-movie.aspx?e_cid=20111002_SNL_Art_1 (caution: raw vegan bias. Otherwise good).
The growth of a tumor is a sign of failure in the body’s healing process. With so many cells in our bodies, mutations happen every minute but apoptosis keeps them under control. Cancer is when apoptosis fails, immune response fails, inflammation prevents the body from maintaining itself… Cutting out the tumor is invasive, damaging (just when the body is already overwhelmed), and misses the point to boot!
Having recently lost my father-in-law to pancreatic cancer I know how the panic of the diagnosis can impact treatment choices. Perhaps this changed definition of cancer would pierce that fog and lead to different care choices. I don’t know though, since I’m not in that position, thankfully.
Lauren\’s last post: Autumn Muffins (grain- and dairy-free)
But, folks! If we didn’t use conventional chemo, etc. treatments, how would the Big Pharmaceutical companies make their billions? (kidding!) “The power that created the body can also heal the body.”
That is so true. Just last night we were having the discussion about how even if Big Pharma could make drugs that cured us, why would they? It would put them out of business. They make their money by indirectly keeping us sick. And that’s not conspiracy theory, my friends, they don’t even make an attempt to hide it. We are all just too busy and distracted by our own daily drive for survival in this country to have the energy enough to care and see the truth. Even with cancer treatment, they make huge money by prescribing standard treatments like radiation and chemo. Not to mention how the hospitals have to sell the treatments to pay off expensive equipment and specially trained technicians. It’s a business, plain and simple.
Having said all that, I want to believe that I would choose a non-invasive path to treating my cancer, but in the face of family pressure, and my own fear, I just don’t know how I would feel.
It is very tragic to lose this man at such a young age. I am a physician, and as someone who is able to think outside the box of traditional medicine, I am able to see how much our traditional scope of medicine is formed by companies who just want to make money. There are so many life-saving alternatives that are unknown to the general public, because they actually work, and hence, don’t require ongoing treatment that keep you continuously needing more drugs of all sorts to combat the effects of the others.
What many don’t understand is that we all have ‘cancer’. It’s merely a cell whose growth exceeds the ability for our body’s natural immune processes to overcome it. There are many ways to boost our immune system’s capabilities to control the abnormal cells, or other non-toxic ways of turning off genes that halt the growth of these abnormal cells.
If anyone is interested, they can just do some research into things like the Gerson method, antineoplastons, laetrile, etc. There’s a nice film regarding some of these treatments called “Cut Poison Burn”.
Thank you for commenting Ami. The world desperately needs more physicians like you.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
While your definition of cancer isn’t incorrect, Mr/Mrs “Physician”, yours is an extremely boiled down, irrelevant, and incorrect version of carcinogenesis. Thank goodness that you’re able to think outside the box and recommend treatments for this disorder that you understand so well.
Sarah,
My father passed away five years ago. He was diagnosed with lung cancer (which had metastasized by the time of detection). He agreed to undergo the standard chemo/radiation procedures because we just didn’t know any different! Sadly, he passed away just four short months after diagnosis, shortly after starting radiation treatments. I truly believe that it was the radiation that killed him so quickly, not the cancer!! (He’d obviously had cancer for quite some time!)
I will never forget what he said to me after we first heard the “C” word. He said, “The bad thing about cancer is you don’t know anything about it and always think it’ll never happen to you or anyone you know. Then when it does, you KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT and by then it’s too late!”
When the radiation burned his throat so badly that he could not even eat, I started reading all I could about natural alternatives/cures for cancer. Sadly, it was too little, too late!! Unfortunately, DAD WAS RIGHT!!! By this time his body was too frail to withstand anything else and we watched him slip away. It was heartbreaking to watch!
Dad also told us that we’d be stronger for having gone through this. Of course we just wanted Dad to be healthy again, we didn’t want to be “stronger”!! But I must say, my mom, sister and I have certainly become stronger and more knowledgable since Dad’s passing! We pay more attention to our diet now and what we are fueling our bodies with! We no longer eat over-processed foods, but instead fuel ourselves with organic, whole foods like our ancestors did! We are determined that if we can help it, cancer will never again hit our family! And if it does (cuz only God knows the future!), we will KNOW more about diseases (malfunctioning cells!) and what the alternative treatments are instead of blindly following the recommendations of standard doctors who will never find a “cure” as long as their paychecks depend on people being sick.
BTW–I did not find your post disrespectful, just a timely discussion of the facts! More people need to KNOW,,,,,,before it’s too late! Thanks for constantly spreading the knowledge!
Blessings,
Misti
Misti, your post breaks my heart. I’m sorry you had to watch your dad go through that. As painful as it was to lose my dad, at least he just dropped dead and we didn’t have to watch him suffer through something like that. How he would have hated that. I’ll bet your dad would be so pleased to know that his suffering was not in vain, that your family has taken note and made real, positive changes as a result of what happened. Blessings to you…
I read that Steve Jobs wss a vegan/fruitarian sp? and I would think that was a big detriment to his health /well being. it is so sad . no I would never have chemo or radiation. my older brother just died earlier this Summer at 46 . he had Hodgkins lymphoma when he was 12 and massive amounts of chemo/radiation he looked like a waling skeleton/ they also removed his spleen. He did smoke and drink which I know wasnt good but I honestly believe his immune system was so compromised from that early blow to his immune system/
Not all splinters exit naturally. I had one in my hand (it was deep) for close to a year. My skin kept healing over the site and it would pus. Well my mom took me to the doctor and they finally decided to investigate with an incision and after poking around (instrument in my hand) it came out. I’m sure surgery is probably best, but people dying of cancer without treatment have a painful road ahead. In some patients (one elderly person I knew was dying from it) it eats through bones and can actually surface through to the exterior of the body. Either way it’s sad.
You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble by making a charcoal drawing pack. I had some splinters from a wicker basket in my leg for a month or more (although at the time I didn’t even know they were there) and I woke up one morning with a leg looking like a football. Mixed up some charcoal, ground nuts (for the oil, and I think we used walnuts but I can’t remember for sure) and water. Placed it on a gauze pad and put it on the reddest area on my leg. Within six hours the splinters were where my Mother could get at them with a tweezers. The hardest part of the whole thing is that the gauze has to be kept wet in order for the charcoal to keep drawing. As I said, the nut oil helps it stay wet longer but still the whole thing has to stay pretty wet. It worked, that’s all I know. Pretty dern fast, too. I’ve since learned this same treatment also works for boils and cysts to help draw and clear infectious stuff. Best thing to do to avoid boils and such though is aloe (internally).
A big concern I have is our right to choose the therapy we want. I’ve been reading about health freedom and how our ability to make informed choices is being stripped away. For example, Dr. Mercola has done a series of posts on cancer and the freedom, or lack thereof, in selecting the approaches that make the most sense to us. (See his articles The Great Cancer Hoax I and II, etc.) Another good resource is the National Health Freedom Coalition (http://www.nationalhealthfreedom.org). There’s a parallel between the efforts to deny our choice of food and our choice of medical treatment. The mega corporations have merged to the degree that the parent companies of chemicals, pharmaceuticals and foods are one and the same. And the revolving door between these and govt agencies that set and enforce policy, combined with a system that forces doctors to present only the mainstream “standard of care” lest they lose their license, is extremely worrisome.
Also the passing of Steve however sad did occur during Cancer Awareness month. I think focusing on prevention and talking about cancer in general is important since many people still believe “It can’t happen to them”. Thank you for your article I think different treatments should be discussed.
My husband and I watched this documentary:
Have you heard of Dr. Burzynski? I hadn’t, but his clinic is where I would go if I had the opportunity. Neither of us want chemo or radiation…
I saw that. But there are conditions for eligibility to go there. I think you have to have that specific type of cancer, as well as already having done chemo with no success. I think that’s sad…
I would avoid chemo and radiation at all costs.
I wonder if most of medical treatments are about generating revenue.
Isn’t cancer an immune system failure? Isn’t cancer something that everyone of us gets every day, but in most cases is attacked by our immune systems?
Ciao, Pavil
Exactly. We are all cancer survivors every single day.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
That’s incredibly inflammatory to the people who have truly battled cancer, and you both know it.
Yes Katie, I’m sure Sarah and Pavil both woke up this morning just ITCHING to get their fingers on the keyboard and offend some cancer-survivors.
We are all cancer survivors every single day?
Fuck. You.
I wish the answer to cancer was as easy as saying it’s an immune ailment. I’ve heard numerous theories and I think, to some extent, they’re probably all close to the mark, but not totally correct for each type of cancer. I’ve heard cancer is a lack of oxygenation, or a yeast overgrowth problem, or an over-acidic/over alkaline body, or it’s not enough NK cells (natural killer cells). You name it, I’ve heard it.
The biggest problem I can see with alternative care is there are too many options (really). Who would know where to start? Laetrile (B17) is found to work in some cases, even after being thoroughly debunked in the 1970′s. Medical Cannabis Oil is now the talk of the internet and I’m sure it, too, has merit for some cancers.
The problem with cancer is one size doesn’t fit all, which is how the medical industry LOVES to view dis-eases. “You have cancer? Well, we’ve got chemo, radiation and failing that, we’ve got surgery”. Uh-huh.
It’s a problem to choose your avenue, for sure.
If someone becomes ill, it is fair to inquire as to what may have happened and could that illness have been prevented. I doubt that any illness is truly random. Getting hit by a drunk driver is random. Becoming ill, not so much.
We Westerners are sick, malnourished people. We know far more about filling our bellies and tantalizing our taste buds than we know about nutrition. For most of us, nutrition is an afterthought that requires too much effort. When we see a fat person we assume that he eats too much. We never stop to consider that that person may actually be fundamentally malnourished. If it wasn’t for grocery stores, most of us would starve. Yet ironically, grocery stores are a sorry choice for accumulating nutrition.
As to cures, I would much rather see a protocol that enabled my body to overcome an illness than one that tried to fight the illness in spite of my body.
Ciao, Pavil
Well said, Pavil!
My son(2.5) has never had fast food ever, we follow a WAPF diet, have our own cows and chickens and grow as much of our own produce as we can. He is still being breastfed as WHO code recommends. He was in an accident and through that the doctors found a softball size tumor on his liver. He is now going through chemo.
It’s not as black and white as ppl think it is.
Megan @ Purple Dancing Dahlias\’s last post: ~ Jumbled Posts ~
I know this was long ago, but I’m so sorry that you’re going through this Megan. You’re right, it’s not as black and white as we think. Praying for your son! (For real)
Yes Pavil, such an important point “protocol that enabled my body to overcome an illness versus one that tried to fight the illness in spite of my body.”
But everything in how the medical community functions is is “fighting” and “waring” against some disease or condition. It is quite perceptive to see (and the clue of how we should proceed) that the normal design of the body is in overcoming illness via various processes within the body that lead to rebalancing and greater health versus leaving one imbalanced, tramatized, impaired and with permanent damage, which only leads to greater loss of health.
A great place to start is http://www.cancertutor.com
Absolutely true, Pavil..
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: Eating the Whole Wild Fish
I think as far as the liver goes….I’d avoid a transplant also. If they can grow new teeth from a persons DNA then they can also grow them a liver. Besides….your liver regenerates up to 75% I’ve read.
While I doubt I’d ever use chemo, if I were in that situation, I’d study all the info very carefully before I made a final decision, as anyone should.
My aquaintance of chemo is from volunteer work on an oncology ward. Patients would be hospitalized for a week of intensive chemo, home 2 weeks – repeating this about 5 times. I never saw lab results, but I did see people who looked strong and healthy turn into thin, weak, and sick-looking people. All this would be worth it if it gave them years of life afterwards, but after volunteering there for about 2 years, I realized NOT ONE lived to see those years. I never said a word to anyone (it wasn’t my place) but I felt like telling them to literally run for their lives.
Ruth @ Ruth’s Real Food\’s last post: Thoughts on Eating No Sugar, Sweets, or Sugar Substitutes
A very telling and astute observation Ruth. Most people in your position would not have noticed what you noticed. They would have been so emotionally bought into what they were doing for a living that it would have blinded them to the truth.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
I’m a breast cancer survivor and I did do the chemo. Did I do more harm than good??? I don’t know. All I know is that I was 38 years old and had just had my third baby. My children were 5, 3 and 3 months when I had my mastectomy. The thought of leaving my children was almost more than I could bear. My cancer had not spread to my nodes, so that’s great. I was told I had a 75% survival with just the mastectomy and a 98% with the chemo. I was never sick, but I did lose my hair and one of the drugs gave me terrible large bone and muscle pain. Of course, that was six years ago and I didn’t now then what I know now. If it came back…..God forbid….I don’t know what sort of treatment I would pursue. My kids are now 11, 9 and 6. So far so good….I’ve been cancer-free for six years. Yea me!! I simply refuse to leave my babies before they are raised.
My husband had cancer at the age of 31. Chemo eradicated it in less than 6 months and now he is healthier than he has been in years. I think saying never to chemo is a mistake. I would say, study your options. It was our only option against a rapidly growing tumor, which shrunk after the first treatment.
On the flip side of the coin my husband’s Great-Grandmother recently died from lung cancer, and chemo did her more harm than good. I think you have to consider age and overall health before making a decision one way or the other.
Glad you are still here for your children.
Since none of us knows any details about Steve Jobs’ personal medical history, it’s pointless to speculate about what made him sick or sicker. I did learn on the news last night as they were talking about his life that he tried many alternative therapies (before he had his liver transplant) and they simply were not healing him. His family begged him to consider conventional treatment. Perhaps when faced with our own mortality we just want to live a few more months or years. Do not judge anyone for their choices, especially when you don’t know the details of those choices or of their condition.
Nikki\’s last post: I love me some coconut oil.
Speaking of choices…
I think it’s the erosion of our ability, our right, to even make those choices that is the most worrisome development in recent years (see my post above).
Exactly. Each person and situation are unique. We cannot and should not make a blanket generalization about the situation, especially if we, ourselves, are not in the same position.
i’ve watched too many people die from the chemo and not the cancer, so my choice would NOT be chemo. jmho
Wow, this one really hit me in a painful spot!! I lost my dad to prostate cancer 12 years ago, and I am STILL learning from what we went through with him. He went ahead and did what the Dr. ordered, but my mom talked him into some alternative meds/therapies; this helped so much that the doctor at M.D. Anderson was amazed that his x-ray showed the disintegration of his cancer from a one month grape/and grape juice fast! NO TRACE! Well, they appreciated what they saw, but then his PSA was still high, so they decided to give him another round of CASADEX, just to make sure. BAD DECISION… he began to sicken and we watched him die not too long after that, and now we know that the PSA is not a true reflector of the situation and sometimes it is totally IGNORED! I have finally come to accept that God is in charge, and every person does have to choose for themselves. (I have worked in healthcare for 28 years, so I didn’t come to this totally ignorant of what is being offered as options.) NO ONE offers alternative first in traditional medicine. Period. So, we MUST be our own advocates and we can’t make an educated decision unless we are ALLOWED to THINK for ourselves. I get fighting mad when I see some of my patients not even being told about the true side effects of their “medicines” and then we have to try to “fix” what those drugs have done. (You can’t say that out loud; it is not acceptable.) I have tried very subtilly to just tell them to do their own research and you know what they tell me?? Well, my doctor told me otherwise.. Now, THAT is the issue! Thank you Sarah, for just getting the dialogue going. I fully believe that millions of people are dying for lack of knowledge. (that quote is in the Bible) I am so sad about Mr. Jobs, because I agree that he probably died too soon and maybe he was never offered another option? I don’t know; I only know my experience and that I have seen daily for 28 years. God bless. Oh, I want to tell Ami the physician that I can’t tell her how much I appreciate just knowing that there ARE some doctors out there who CAN think outside the box!!! HURRAY! God bless you especially as you will have to battle the Big Pharma and hospital administration. Stick to your beliefs! At the end of the day, you will be so glad you did! (:
I still can’t figure out why I’m getting these newsletters a day later than everyone else. It doesn’t make sense. I have signed up for the RSS feed, but it’s the same thing. Already there are over 65 comments here and I just this minute received and opened the thing. Would anyone know if this is an ISP issue? A Yahoo! issue (since I use Yahoo! email)? Arrgh.
As to Steve Jobs, he was a visionary. If he started out using nutrition and holistic methods and he let someone talk him out of that method, he wasn’t a visionary in anything except electronics. Michael Douglas is going to go this same way in a few short months, I predict. Patrick Swazey and a few others already have. You’d think Jobs would have been able to see the writing on the wall, but many do not when blinded with bogus science. Go to the TED video web site and look up Ben Goldacre’s 13 minute video on Bad Science. It’s an eye-opener and if it were on YouTube it would have been taken down already. For sure.
Hi D., it has to do with your email provider. Some deliver the newsletters more quickly than others.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
Thanks, Sarah. I was afraid this was the case. In truth, they’re probably mostly the same. I used to have gmail but dropped that because sometimes I didn’t get things for DAYS. Only one I haven’t tried is hotmail – mostly because I can’t stand that name! It always reminds me of my parents talking about someone being hot to trot – it was not a good thing, which I knew instinctively even as a 7-8 y/o! It’s a dumb reason, I know, but there it is.
Guess I’ll just have to be a day late and a dollar short.
After witnessing the ravaging effects of chemo and radiation on my grandfather and others, I will NEVER do it. The survival rates are so dismal that they hesitate to publish them.
There are other options that are very effective including the Rife light and dietary changes to kill the cancer and dissolve the tumors. I personally know several people who have done it to the amazement of their MD’s when the PET scans come back clean.
Jason@JLHealth\’s last post: Raw Food Diets – Do’s and Don’ts
I was 40. Kidds were 3 and 6. Same scenario (only mine had spread to 5 nodes). I was not willing to risk it with food as my medicine. The success rate with chemo and radiationfor breast cancer are too good…. Despite the chances of long term side effects. I did my research and certainly don’t feel misguided by my decision. Untill your facing death with babies and a husband at home counting on you to be a survivor….i challenge you to withhold judgment of those of us who had to make a very difficult decision .
“i challenge you to withhold judgment of those of us who had to make a very difficult decision .”
Yes, you hit it right. When you are faced with this decision for yourself, your loved ones, your children, it IS an agonizingly difficult decision and not one that someone else can speak against, since they are not in your shoes.
I’m all for people providing FACTS about what available options there are out there so someone making this decision can have as much info as possible, but posts that go past that end up harming, not helping.
Speaking as someone who has fought brain cancer first hand (with her husband) ..let me say this.. IT DEPENDS. It is really, really easy to say you would never do something, until you have a team of medical experts around you pushing chemo or death? He choose not to have any form of medical treatment in the way of chemo/radiation. My husband was given three months (at most) and has been alive going on eight years now perfectly healthy. We believe that in God and have a very strong faith in this area. We eat a very healthy diet but my husband is truly a walking miracle the medical community claims. We have offers to have studies done on him, be in medical journals ect. but we know and understand truly who is keeping him alive. I have seen people who if they could have gone at the chemo full on at first it would have saved their life. The option my husband was given for chemo would have only prolonged his life a few months they claimed. It wasn’t worth it to us and we opted to go by faith. It has taken everything we have had to stand up to the medical community about NOT DOING conventional medical treatment. Plus, my husband was a minor when he first began and there were legal problems that my-laws ran into. My husband’s family got turned into social services, it was ugly and horrible… so on top of fighting cancer, if your a minor you have to fight the system- not something most parents can afford or do emotionally. I think it is easier to say no when they claim your terminal. You know that its only God who will keep you here and it frees you from doing anything you can to save yourself. You just accept it and rejoice everyday that your still here.
Oh on a side note: When we went into the hospital last year (first time in seven years) because my husband’s shut (drains the fluid from his brain) had randomly stopped working. They asked what kind of treatment we had done, if any, in the last few years. We told them what the doctors had pushed at us years ago, what we had refused, and they looked horrified! They told us that if we had done what they had told us to do, literally, it would have fired his brain. They just didn’t know that at the time because not enough research had been done that this was a side effect. They told us the only reason that my husband was still here was because we hadn’t gone though with the treatment they suggested. I guess no matter what a doctor thinks, he is still a man and you have to do what you feel peace about doing!
definitely NOt judging you mikkie, it’s a personal decision for sure <3
My thoughts and prayer are with the Jobs family and the Apple community.
Having found the holistic approach to living while undergoing chemo I think often about what I would do if I had a recurrence of cancer. Knowing that 2 1/2 years later my life is a daily struggle with the side effects of chemo, steroids, and even the IV dies used for imaging, I know I’d do it differently if I had it to do all over again. Hinesite being what it is I may have had the treatment but I would have been more diligent with holistic therapies at the same time as well.
Now after a tonsilectomy, hysterectomy, and mastectomy I have learned that God gave us all these parts for a reason and insted of arbitrarily removing them maybe life should be spent making them healthy enough to fight off desease. I assure you I’ll think twice before I consider an “ectomy” of any kind again!
My son was diagnosed with a paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma, he underwent 6 months of chemotherapy after surgery to remove the tumour and and one of his testicles. I struggled with the decision, the treatment was brutal. Our health routine is otherwise totally holistic but let me tell you that when an oncologist looks and you and tells you that your otherwise healthy child has a malignant tumour, you do whatever it takes to give that child the future he deserves. Do you know how fast cancer can grow and spread through your whole body?
Sarah, I love your blog, I am dedicated to WAPF but I do agree that it is a little brutal for someone who has never had to make that decision about chemotherapy to have such a public opinion, it hurts those of us who have truly had to struggle with the decision. You just can’t know until you get there.
I am happy to say that my son is a very happy and healthy 5 year old at just over one year off-treatment. He grows and thrives and embraces life as fully, if not more, than other children his age.
With love and understanding,
NIcole
With all due respect to your difficult situation, how do you know what decisions I’ve had to make personally? That is a bit presumptuous, don’t you think?
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
Wow, your complete lack of compassion and humility toward a mother in this situation is appalling. And we can likely guess that you haven’t had to make this decision, because knowing your style of writing and your blogging history, you would have posted that you’d cured cancer with butter oil and grass fed ghee, or something of the like.
I have definitely learned somethings from your site, and I appreciate the alternate points of view you’ve helped me obtain. However, I cannot keep reading your site. It has started turning my stomach. My time is too valuable to continue to keep coming here.
And go ahead and flame me, as I know you will anyone who dares question your “wise ways.” Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll end up in your weekly “make fun of my readers” post.
There are many things I haven’t blogged about and will never blog about. Don’t presume to know me when you don’t.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
Anyone who stands up for something will create enemies. And I’m sure Sarah will persevere through this because with this post she is helping others see that their fate doesn’t lie in chemo/radiation (if someone gets better in spite of those treatments- IT WAS NOT drugs or radiation that cured them!), it is apparent she will lose readers, but because of her courage to speak about this, she will gain some as well.
Wow, what a nasty tone in your reply. You could have made the same point in a nicer way.
WAY too soon!!! Step off your soapbox for just a few days and let people grieve. Nice class!
Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer? — The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/QUuvjYTP
I am a massage therapist and Reiki Master and I believe that the human body has an enormous capacity to heal itself if we allow it. Nourishing all aspects of ourselves–physical, mental, emotional, spiritual–keeps us healthy, happy and whole. I am a firm supporter of alternative therapies, however, I also keep in mind that allopathic medicine does have it’s place. There are times and situations where it would be the better choice.
Steve Jobs was a brilliant man who touched hundreds of thousands of lives through the company and products he created. He will surely be missed. Even in his passing, he is still touching people. If he hadn’t died as he did, would we even be having this discussion and sharing of thoughts? Would we even be thinking about how we would respond to a similar situation? Would we be having the conversations with our loved ones about our wishes should we become ill and have to rely on their care?
We can only speculate as to if he made the right choices and if there might have been alternatives that would have been better. Only Steve can tell us if he made the right choices and if he was happy with them. Sadly, he isn’t here to tell us.
Hi, great article of awareness (thank you so much)…I never thought much about cancer treatment until I saw a documentary on hulu.com called “The Gerson Miracle” with my sister. After that she bought me and herself the book for further investigation. I continue to be enlightened by this book I learned a lot of beneficial knowledgeable info from it. what I have taken from it is a guideline to healthy eating and if I should ever become ill with cancer or other illnesses I will Not use chemo or radiation as an option towards a cure, but do my best to administer the full Gerson Therapy treatment which does not include that. Note:Gerson therapy does not treat all cancers, but has cured many.
For now, I read the book often to reiterate as a guideline for myself the concepts and importance of eating organic foods, no meat (still working on this one), increasing potassium and lessening salts and drinking carrot/apple juice daily and staying away from harmful chemicals etc. It’s been about a year now since I started using the concepts of the
Gerson therapy and I’ve noticed greatly an improvement on my quality of life even though I considered myself on an all natural chemical free path before.
Thanks for posting this.
sabina@Slip Stitches & More\’s last post: How to Make Inkjet Printed Coasters *VIDEO TUTORIAL*
Meat does not cause cancer!
who are you talking to matt??
I have had two friends in their 30s die this year from chemotherapy. One had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, the other a form of leukemia. Both died not from their diseases, but from their treatment. I have to wonder if they would have survived longer with no treatment. Not only did the treatment kill them, they spent their last days feeling weak and sick. I don’t think I would ever consider chemotherapy or radiation for myself.
I find it interesting how some folks are so quick to slam me as never having walked in their shoes when they don’t even know what my shoes are. Just because I blog doesn’t mean you know me personally.
I have lost dear loved ones to cancer, and this post certainly supports the things I was thinking immediately after their deaths. I watched them go through many painful years of chemo/radiation to attempt to treat their illness. They were told they were in remission, only to have the cancer come back more viscious. AND THEN, even after they’d been given a timeframe of only a few weeks to live, the doctors STILL pumped cancer drugs into their bodies. Now, I truly believe that God is the author of life, and thet He alone appoints the day of death, and no matter what course we take in life- we must die. I really think though, that they would have not been so sick in their last days, had they not been dealing with side effects of those drugs at the same time.
Personally- I’d rather use alternative methods of healing the cancer, and have less sickness in my last days.
I think I would explore all of my options including diet, Essiac tea, defintely meditation, and check out anybody on hayhouseradio.com who could offer some suggestions! Chemo seems counterintuitive when you are vulnerable. My sister-in-law underwent chemo twice and more than ten years later is the picture of health I think. But, I am not sure if it is for me. I work for the nhs and see some benefits of conventional meds but as a spiriitual healer I see so many benefits of healing the spirit.
The timing of this post is almost overwhelming to me.
Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I meet with my surgeon this afternoon. I have had two weeks to consider all my “I would never” statements. I agree with the comment that pointed out that until you hear those words, you don’t know. I have four children, aged 10 and younger. I want this cancer out of me NOW! It is not about me but about being here for my children.
I drink green smoothies, I supplement with “living” herbs, I use essential oils as my cleaners, I use plant based laundry soap, the only oil in my pantry is coconut oil, I treat colds and infections with holistic approaches, I buy organic and/or local produce, we eat very little meat and free range when we do, my eggs come from a neighboring farm, we drink raw milk.
While I admit that I follow more of the 70/30 rule (strict adherence 70% of the time – but won’t turn down a dinner from a friend that I know is not the same strict guidelines) I am farther down the “let they food be thy medicine” road than many.
And I still have cancer.
I worked as a nurse for seven years before becoming a mom. I worked on a terminal unit for two of those years and I still remember a patient that went completely holistic for her cancer and ended up dying a painful, SMELLY, drawn out death, literally suffocating to death.
Yet a dear friends father used holistic methods and is the picture of health nearly 10 years later.
I could find similar positive and negative outcomes of those that used conventional medicine.
I still don’t know what I am going to do. But I have not ruled out the surgery and radiation that has been suggested – because, again, I want this cancer gone now. I am scared to death to try holistic and have it not work (because I am already doing so many of those things) only to have the cancer spread and even lose the option of having conventional medicine work.
While I may not know what treatment I will have, what I do know is that my days are known and that a loving God will not take me before my time. He is ultimately in charge and my choice of treatments will not alter His plan for me. And should this be my time (which I don’t believe it is) then I will gladly go, knowing it’s a better place than where we all are now.
Katherine D.\’s last post: Serving Up {Muffins}: Pear Pecan Muffins
My prayers are with you.
-Pavil
Likewise. Katherine, let your faith be your guide. I’ll pray that God tells you the right path to choose for treatment.
Kathrine, please read this and give it to your doctors:
http://www.pinnacle-press.com/HiddenStoryofCancer/oncology.pdf
It is an excerpt of the book The Hidden Story of Cancer by Brian Peskin, which he put online to provide those who are already affected by cancer with important scientific information, their doctors are unlikely to have. Time is very important!
As I already posted before: the prime cause of cancer is a lack of oxygen in your cells. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) (omega-6 and omega-3) are responsible for cell oxygenation. To maintain maximum oxygen tranfer to the cells you have to take sufficient parent omega-6 and parent omega-3 essential polyunsaturated oils daily.
Optimum blend is at least 1:1 omega-6 : omega-3 to 2,5:1 omega 6 : omega-3 (do not use fish oil for omega-3! – it would be harmful to you, especially during cancer treatment, it does not contain parent omega-3, just derivates!).
Coconut oil is not an essential oil, you require essential oils like flax seed oil and sunflower oil.
Get enough of the minerals copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium and zinc, in a bioavailable form (truly chelated!). These minerals influence and maximize the respiratory (co)enzymes for maximum oxygen transfer to occur.
Eat sufficient organic animal based protein, eat a minimum of 8 oz. a day for a 150 lb. person.
Minimize your intake of carbohydrates! All carbs = sugars => it feeds the cancer cells!
Consider the original Canadian Essiac from Rene Caisse as a herbal detoxifier. I read in several books that Essiac helps especially with breast cancer since it kind of concentrates the tumor to a small site so it is much more easy to operate/cut it out.
Take the parent EFAs along with your doctor’s recommendations. If you will be receiving radiation treatment, take the parent EFAs at least 2 week prior and 2 weeks after treatment! By this you will minimize the risk of having the radiation create lots more cancerous cells in the future!
This is no theory but scientific fact! It is the newest and best science, you and your doctors will be able to make your treatment much more effective.
You are a mother of 4 so your babies have deprived you of those essential fatty acids during the pregnancies. The babies needed them essentially for their development and they took it from the only source they had, their mother’s body. I think this could be the main reason why cancer hit you. Probably along with some hidden trans fatty acids we are exposed to everywhere if we do not cook and eat at home. And the various negative effects of carbs and missing minerals in today’s foods.
Consider not to drink smoothies again, they are concentrated carbohydrates!
Please consult with your doctor for assistance in implementing these guidelines in conjunction with your medical treatment. And read/let others read for you, since you are not in the condition for a book right now: The Hidden Story of Cancer by Brian Peskin.
What I have written here is a very short summary – but please trust me in that, time is very important for you!
http://www.facebook.com/notes/brian-peskin-bsee-mit/fish-oil-reduces-effectiveness-of-chemotherapy/10150375208821189
“Professor Peskin’s note: IF anyone is considering/taking chemo…..BEWARE…..
ScienceDaily (Sep. 12, 2011) – Researchers at University Medical Center
Utrecht, the Netherlands, have discovered a substance that has an adverse
effect on nearly all types of chemotherapy — making cancer cells
insensitive to the treatment. Chemotherapy often loses effectiveness over
time. It is often unclear how or why this happens.
It now appears that chemotherapy is made ineffective by two types of fatty
acid that are made by stem cells in the blood. Under the influence of
cisplatin chemotherapy, the stem cells secrete these fatty acids that induce
resistance to a broad spectrum of chemotherapies. These substances are
referred to by researchers as ‘PIFAs’ which stands for platinum-induced
fatty acids. Cisplatin is a type of chemotherapy that is widely used for the
treatment of cancer, including cancer of the lungs and ovaries.
Tumors under the skin
The researchers studied the effect of PIFA’s in mice and human cells. The mice studied had tumors under the skin. Under normal conditions, the tumors
would decrease in size following the administration of chemotherapy. In the
study, after administering the fatty acids to the mice, the tumors were
found to be insensitive to chemotherapy. The fatty acids were isolated from
the medium in which chemotherapy exposed stem cells were grown. But also
stem cells in the blood of patients produce the fatty acids that desensitize
tumors to chemotherapy.
The fatty acids are also found in commercially-produced fish oil supplements
containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well as in some algae
extracts. In the experiments conducted in mice, the tumors became
insensitive to chemotherapy after administration of normal amounts of fish
oil. Natural products that include fish oil are frequently used by cancer
patients in addition to their regular treatment.
“Don’t use these products”
Professor Emile Voest, a medical oncologist at UMC Utrecht, supervised the
research. “Where resistance to chemotherapy is concerned, we usually believe
that changes in the cancer cells themselves have occurred. Now we show that
the body itself secretes protective substances into the blood that are
powerful enough to block the effect of chemotherapy. These substances can be
found in some types of fish oil. Whilst waiting for the results of further
research, we currently recommend that these products should not be used
whilst people are undergoing chemotherapy.”
Researchers at the University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, describe these findings, that will appear online on September 12, in the
journal Cancer Cell.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University Medical Center Utrecht, via
EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Journal Reference:
Jeanine M.L. Roodhart, Laura G.M. Daenen, Edwin C.A. Stigter, Henk-Jan
Prins, Johan Gerrits, Julia M. Houthuijzen, Marije G. Gerritsen, Henk S.
Schipper, Marieke J.G. Backer, Miranda van Amersfoort, Joost S.P. Vermaat,
Petra Moerer, Kenji Ishihara, Eric Kalkhoven, Jos H. Beijnen, Patrick W.B.
Derksen, Rene H. Medema, Anton C. Martens, Arjan B. Brenkman, Emile E.
Voest. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induce Resistance to Chemotherapy through the
Release of Platinum-Induced Fatty Acids. Cancer Cell, 2011; 20 (3): 370 DOI:
10.1016/j.ccr.2011.08.010
I truly believe you can cure cancer without chemotherapy and radiation. The problem is that changing your diet, taking gross tasting herbs, and all the other things you need to do are hard. That, and people will probably tell you that you are stupid and ask why you are letting yourself die. It is difficult when everyone around you thinks you should go the chemo/radiation route. My mother did this and my sisters were very mad about it. They told me she was just going to let herself die. She did die in the end, because people weren’t willing to support her so she struggled to change her diet. I KNOW she could have lived had she been able to stick to what she knew she should do.
Laura\’s last post: one week later
Cancer treatment is by far one of the most personal care decisions we have to make if we face it in our lives. What’s upsetting is the news that chemo is truly only effective on 3 types of cancer, but that there are treatments out there that are winning the fight with cancer and they have been around a very long time. But the docs and whoever else controls these things, have decided not to make them mainstream. One is glucose chemotherapy, where by the idea that cancer thrives off sugar they deliver a much smaller dose of chemo mixed with glucose and it goes directly to the cancer and not the rest of your body. Another man is curing cancer with baking soda on the actual cancer, if he can get to it. If you read Suzanne Somers books she details her journey but also the fact that there is so much more out there you just have to fight for it. The bare facts are that there is a much better way to eat (Thank you Sarah-Healthy home economist), a much better way to treat our bodies, and truly a much better way to treat our world and eachother. It’s all a cycle that we have to be aware of so that we can make better choices for ourselves and our family members so that cancer and other diseases aren’t an issue because we know what we’re putting in our bodies.
When I returned to my inbox just now it was to find an ad for a book called Bah to Cancer. This is not a recommendation—since I haven’t read it. But there is lots of stuff out there if you look. Brandon Bays wrote a great book—if I have the name right.
Amy\’s last post: Waffle Irons Aren’t Just for Christmas
It is clear that the conventional treatment did not work for one of the wealthiest and most powerful men on earth, who surely had the best doctors and treatments.
I would never accept poison(chemo) or radiation. Almost everyone I know who has had those treatments has eventually died, with horrible suffering over a long period of time. This includes several who were pronounced “cured”, because they survived five years after the first diagnosis. The cancer came back later and they died horribly.
The healthy peoples studied by Dr Price did not have cancer. I trust in eating a good, traditional WAPF style diet, avoiding toxins, refusing to fear any illness, and maintaining a calm loving thankful state of mind to the extent I can.
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: Eating the Whole Wild Fish
Beautifully said Stanley. Thanks for this comment.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
I agree with Nicole, as a mom who is sitting in a Children’s hospital right this minute with my almost 3 year old son, diagnose with hepatoblastoma liver cancer, I don’t really think you can say what you would do until you are in the position of making these kinds of decision for you or your kids. My son surgery was successful, removing a softball size tumor from his liver and further treatment with chemotherapy was not a choice I was able to decline.
I was one to always say that I would NEVER do chemo but without someone to treat him (and I contacted several doctors that treat cancer with alternative treatments, all who said they did not work with children) what am I suppose to do? Losing my son to the state was not an option I was willing to take, if he has to go through chemo then I am going to be there to advocate for him.
Let me say that I am not happy about having the right to chose my child’s treatment options taken away from me. I contacted the Burzynski Clinic and they told me chemo was still my best option. What most ppl don’t understand with children is that you have no right to say no. Only after conventional treatment options have been unsuccessful are you allowed to try alternative treatment.
We have worked very closely with the integrative medicine team utilizing essential oils, foods, massage, and healing touch. Most importantly, we have hundreds of ppl praying with/for us on a daily basis. He is still nursing which helps support his immune system. I research each and every drug they give him. Our oncologist is perplexed at the fact that he has been through a whole round of chemo and has not lost any of his hair nor has he suffered any major side effects. We are kick’n some chemo tail.
I understand that what you are trying to do is get ppl to be informed and think for themselves, but you can not truly understand until you are in a position to make decisions that could mean life or death for your child or yourself and I pray that you never have to make those decisions.
Megan @ Purple Dancing Dahlias\’s last post: ~ Jumbled Posts ~
Thanks, Megan. I am floored by Sarah’s response to my post. I thought I would never allow chemo on my child. I know that he would have been taken from us if we had refused, people just can’t fathom the use of alternative treatments for cancer on kids. There really is no choice. I breastfed my son (tandem with his newborn sister) through his treament and thank god he was still nursing at almost 4 when he was diagnosed. We also used the power of intention as a form of treatment, we had anyone and everyone we could praying for, thinking of and sending cancer cell killing intentions his way.
Sarah, I never meant to suggest that you haven’t had to make hard decisions in your life but being told my an oncologist that your child has cancer is a very unique situation, the feeling of which I do not think can be duplicated. I only know this because I have experienced it and I think that other parents of children with cancer know exactly what I mean.
Nicole
I DO know what you mean, Nicole, having walked in your shoes, and we followed the same path. My son is still in treatment and is doing very well. I wish I had known at the beginning what I know now about Real food as medicine, but unfortunately I am having to learn as I go. Had I the knowledge then, I still doubt I would have had the courage to take my son’s life into my own hands – not when he lay in the hospital with a white blood cell count of over 800,000, with blood so thick he could have a stroke at any moment…..
Today I have a lot less trust in doctors and in conventional medicine, but as a parent looking at a 90% cure rate with chemotherapy, I don’t regret our decision. If I met someone who made the opposite choice, I’d support them (and pick their brain if they were up for it)! I am definitely worried about long-term effects and I hope that the diet and lifestyle we’ve adopted now will help prevent any of those effects. The way I see it….every day is a gift for my child who was, literally, on death’s door – and so I am both horrified by and extremely grateful for the treatment my son has received – It doesn’t make sense to me, either.
Sarah, I truly hope that you have never had this personal of an experience with any life-threatening illness or allergy – and you are right, we don’t know, we can only hope your shoes had never gone there. If they have….I am sorry . But just in case you haven’t, if I may explain….a devastating diagnoses for you or your child changes you – cuts and hurts so deeply that even perceived attitudes of indifference or judgement can send you spinning. We all deal with pain, fear and outrage – but cancer leaves you raw. That’s only my experience, and I think that we all appreciate it when our experiences are honored. I honor your experience, shared or private, and I honor Nicole’s and your other reader’s. I think that’s all anyone is asking for.
matt, i’m 99,9% sure that everyone that posted (or hosted) has either directly or indirectly been forever changed by cancer. we are all entitled to kindly and with respect voice our opinions. there is no need to hurl accusations and insults. we are adults.
I do not see anything at all in what Sarah wrote as being disrespectful to Steve Jobs. I also don’t see anything dangerous with asking the question Would You Ever Use Chemo Or Radiation For Cancer? Since when is a question dangerous?
NOT questioning what is done to your body is where the danger lies.
I honestly don’t think that I would, but I can’t say for certain. I really do believe that they are more harmful than I would be willing to risk, but I would have to very carefully research and evaluate my specific situation and the alternatives, as well as statistics. Having never had to face that choice myself, my best guess would be that I would opt for natural alternatives.
No, we would not use chemo or radiation for cancer treatment in our home.
Getting the information out while people are paying attention is the goal here, not disrespect of a person’s life. I couldnt’ have even guessed who Steve Jobs was before yesterday. But my first guess when I saw that he had died in his mid fifties was cancer treatment. People, even those who are very successful will not escape the brainwashing going on in this country without taking time to question it.
I have to disagree with everyone saying wait until you have a diagnosis to say what you would do. You don’t have time to research once you have a diagnosis. Get your facts strait about the pharma promoting medical system. Then focus on nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle and about the alternative cancer treatments that are available.
I admire your courage to share the truth. We are of the same mind, but I often lack the courage you globally display through your website. Thank you.
I wonder how pervasive it is that you cannot refuse the standard treatment for your child, as Megan describes. I alluded to it in my post above, and maybe it bears repeating that a huge concern is our diminishing right to choose the therapy we want. I’ve been reading about health freedom and how our ability to make informed choices is being stripped away. For example, Dr. Mercola has done a series of posts on cancer and the freedom, or lack thereof, in selecting the approaches that make the most sense to us. (See his articles The Great Cancer Hoax I and II, etc.) Another good resource is the National Health Freedom Coalition (http://www.nationalhealthfreedom.org). There’s a parallel between the efforts to deny our choice of food and our choice of medical treatment. The mega corporations have merged to the degree that the parent companies of chemicals, pharmaceuticals and foods are one and the same. And the revolving door between these and govt agencies that set and enforce policy, combined with a system that forces doctors to present only the mainstream “standard of care” lest they lose their license, is extremely worrisome. Adding the threat of having a child taken away (as discussed by Mercola, NHFC and others) is deplorable. We’d better start demanding our right to make choices and to have access to information and alternatives that are increasingly being suppressed.
I don’t have to know you to know that IF the family of Jobs were to see this, they would be offended. It would probably add to their grief! Don’t capitalize on other peoples misfortune. With this post and your latter classless response, I will no longer follow your blog. Sure that will disappoint you…
I am still trying to figure out how this is “capitalizing” on his death. If he’d been hit by a drunk driver, would it be taboo to talk about the dangers of drinking and driving? I just don’t get it.
No. I would not choose chemo. I would try everything else first. Nutrition can reverse cancer most timess. Have you heard of http://www.burzynskimovie.com/. Well worth checking out!!
I have been in holistic health care for 23 years. I have always said “Of course, no one actually knows until they are in the moment, but I don’t think I would ever choose conventional cancer treatments.” ~~Well, on 7/29 an abnormal mammogram was confirmed by biopsy 8/9 & on9/20 I had a mastectomy. Yesterday I got a call that the Tumor Board (yes) that reviews all surgical cases, found a questionable margin. I was told to come in immediately. So, being “in it” I found myself open to standard protocol, if that would give me the best chance. Not because I am afraid of dying, but because I love life. ~~I nursed my fiance through chemo & radiation unto death in ’07, from a much more advanced & invasive cancer than mine, so I know first hand what it “really” is.~~At this point, the recommendation is for pretty aggressive radiation, no chemo (yay!!). I am massively beefing up on my already large nutrient profile (food & supplements) & am expecting to make it through this. ~~No one knows until they are there…
Thanks for sharing this – I posted a comment earlier and shared that I am going through the same thing. My Tumor Board meeting was this morning. It sounds like you and I share the love of the natural, but life comes at us and we have to take the best choice for full recovery. Good luck. I am already looking forward to what natural approaches I can take after radiation to heal my body. Good luck to you.
Katherine D.\’s last post: Serving Up {Soup}: Thai Coconut Ginger Broth
What do you do when the natural treatments don’t work? I just got the call that my mom was wheeled into surgery a few minutes ago. She has a very aggressive breast cancer and even though she did the natural treatments (vit. C, laetrile, etc.) and thought they had done the job, the cancer seems to not even have been slowed down. She felt like she didn’t have another option than chemo and mastectomy, because it had spread very quickly to both skin and lymph nodes, and we just pray it hasn’t gone anywhere else.
This is just a crying shame, because she finally changed to WAPF eating just before her first diagnosis. That’s after a lifetime of eating junk and really not realizing how damaging it was.
I know that if I had cancer I would honestly rather die than go through what she is experiencing. No chemo for me.
I have only been eating well for 7 years, so I’m worried that it’s not going to be enough to keep cancer away from me.
Very discouraged today …
Would like to hear of alternative resources you would consider.
http://www.burzynskiclinic.com/ I watched a documentary on this doctor. It was very interesting. He does have alternative treatments for cancer that have worked. He is also a published researcher. The medical community wants to squelch him because a “cure” for cancer is not profitable for Big Pahrma. He’s here in the Houston area.
I don’t know what I would do but I do know my mom went through both about 19 years ago for breast and ovarian cancer and she is still with me today. They did take a toll on her body at the time but I am thankful that they worked for her.
I have Cancer, CLL chronic leukemia to be exact. In my case, chemo does nothing long term, just knocks it out so it comes back stronger. I have let my husband know that I will never do that sort of treatment.
HOWEVER I have had loved ones and friends that DID do both treatments. They asked my advice, I gave it, I was ignored. I never tell someone what to do, just offer another way to heal. I don’t know for sure, but I am guessing that pressure from dr and family and pure fear is what drives most folks into these ‘therapies’.
You can lead a horse to the truth but you can’t make him believe it.
deb
@Matt Heather Gilbert actually, that last comment wasn’t in response to your comment. I respectfully disagree that this post is in any way offensive to the Jobs’ family. If you think otherwise, of course that is your prerogative.
I get so much from Sarah’s posts and love that she is blazing the way and encouraging discussion. She is a trailblazer. She is getting us to think ouside the box. She is offering her point of view to us all because she wants to see change in the world and believes that if enough of us change the world will change. I am really greateful for your work and this blog Sarah.
Responding to some here who are raising objection to this post, I think the question is legitimate and the timing is fine. I also feel a bit of a holier-than-thou vibe from this post, which, honestly, I feel from time to time with the posts on this blog.
Whether Steve died yesterday or not, I think subject could possibly have been dealt with in a more tactful way…especially knowing that there are bound to be people reading who have chosen to go chemo/radio and who may be real Steve Jobs fans.
So in that case I think we are also allowed to say, well I’m a bit offended by your approach, Sarah. I don’t think it’s fair to judge her for bringing this up today; after all, we can just not read it. Also, Sarah is not asking us, “how am I doing” though she may want to know that, or she may not.
It looks to me from her responses here that she doesn’t want to hear it. OK, we learn something about her, and take what she has to offer with great gratitude. If someone is being provocative we have to decide whether we are going to let ourselves be provoked or not.
Chemo sucks, and if it works, which it does for many, it was worth it, and if it doesn’t, it’s a terrible disappointment and the loss of quality of life. Chemo is about probabilities, not absolutes, and we don’t know which side we’re on til it’s over. I know more saved by conventional treatment than lost to, or despite, it.
This post was honestly not intended to be provocative only to ask what others would do and share what I would do. I was simply commenting on the sad news of Steve Jobs’ passing and writing about some of the things that crossed my mind in reading those reports. I am shocked at the judgmental response of some of the comments and how a few folks are seemingly missing the point entirely of what I intended to get across.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
Sarah, most of us are grateful for this post, and the truth you are bringing out. There are some wonderful comments above that are far more meaningful than the judgmental ones. What you are doing here is good.
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: Eating the Whole Wild Fish
Thanks Stanley. It’s days like this that I truly wonder why I bother blogging.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
Please don’t be discouraged. Along with a lot of other things that happen in peoples lives, healthcare can be so divisive. Those that disagree with you and cannot find a happy medium will drop away, and those of us more able to moderate our emotions on the topic will stay, waiting to hear what you think next week! You just can’t make everyone happy all the time, and I, for one, hope that it doesn’t cause you to stop blogging. There are so many other bloggers out there who are all sunshine and rainbows, and perhaps a lot of your followers who thought they wanted to discuss alternative health really just want to be somewhere like that instead. Unsubscribing is really just a click away!
Thanks Ann. Sunshine and rainbows this blog is NOT. I would be so bored with authoring that type of blog I would have quit long ago. We tackle the hard issues here and are not afraid to ask and discuss the difficult questions.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Densely Populated Florida County Rejects Water Fluoridation
Interesting post. I didn’t know about about natural treatments for cancer until recently. I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries about the topic and thinking about it. I have a cousin who died from pancreatic cancer. Knowing what I do now about treatment options I don’t think I would get chemotherapy for cancer. I know there are plenty of people who would say that would be a bad choice, but after looking into alternatives it seems to be that those alternatives are the best option. Here is a link to the Burzynski movie
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/burzynski-the-movie-cancer-is-serious-business/
I also watched The Beautiful Truth about the work of Max Gerson.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/beautiful-truth/
Heather\’s last post: Natural Remedies for Bronchitis
I was diagnosed 5 1/2 years ago with leukemia and lymphoma, stage 3. My dr. called and said he wasn’t sure when he saw the diagnosis because this just doesn’t happen to someone my age (45 at the time). This form of cancer is for old people, and I was definitely not old…at 46, I had 4 children, 20, 17, 8, and 4. My husband and I cried, then took a deep breath and got on the internet. We also purchased a great book called “Cancer: Step Outside the Box.”
I don’t begrudge (or judge) anyone for deciding differently than I did. We’re all free to choose our path, and yes, cancer is scary…terribly scary. If you’ve never had a panic or anxiety attack before, a cancer diagnosis will provide that opportunity as well. Waking in the middle of the night wondering who will raise your children, who will love your husband…wow. Just writing this makes my stomach tighten all over again. It’s a Truth: if you haven’t faced this, you can’t know what you’ll do. On the flip side of that…thinking about it BEFORE a diagnosis is like teaching our teens what to do when they’re faced with an offer of alcohol or drugs…if you decide now how you’ll react when you’re faced with it, you’ll be much more likely to choose according to your deeply held beliefs.
The path we chose did not include conventional treatment. I told my doctor we would try our way first, and then we’d consider his way, but also made no promises. He didn’t like it, but agreed to keep me as a patient. We made drastic changes to our diet…yes, all of us. What affects one, affects us all. We found a source for raw milk, clean meat, etc. I went on a combination of antioxidant supplements and cod liver oil (gobs of it!), found a chiropractor who understood the battle, educated myself and my family, and prayed like crazy (realizing I wasn’t immortal was also quite a blow! lol). I also had Dr. Nicholas Gonzales on the back burner in case Plan A didn’t work. After 6 months of “Cancer Boot Camp”, I was re-staged to stage 1 (where I remain today). There was the longest silence in the room when my oncologist told us this…and not a dry eye. His exact words were, “I’ve never seen or heard of anyone with this cancer re-staged without treatment.” The majority of the people who treat cancer conventionally are good, honest people who have dedicated their lives to helping people, but they can only see one paradigm of treatment. Because I don’t choose their path/products does NOT make them my enemy. I found I needed these people for diagnosis purposes, and relied on them for interpreting tests. They’re my neighbors, my allies, and as long as we have a good working relationship, I’ll stay.
So will I ever have radiation/chemo? I don’t believe so. Several mentioned the “end” for people they’ve known who chose not to have conventional treatments as being pretty gruesome. I’d have to counter that by saying the end WITH treatment can be just as gruesome. Death is just that: death. It’s uncomfortable for others to watch, painful at times, and yes, even smelly. I’ve lost loved ones to a variety of dis-ease. Not one of them had last days without difficulty, but all of them had last days with peace. When I get to the end, whether it’s tomorrow or in 30 years, I do want to be comfortable, and there are drugs to help with that. I just try not to make decisions based in fear or regret. At the same time, these are MY decisions. You don’t have to choose the same ones…just ones that are in keeping with your values.
Thank you so much for sharing your inspiring story!!
My sister-in-law was diagnosed with colon cancer. She tried alternative treatments aggressively for quite a while but the tumor grew quickly and began to spread until it advanced to stage 3c. She finally gave in and opted for chemotherapy. It was hard to go through but the chemo along with surgery completely eliminated the cancer and she is now cancer free several years later. I don’t believe western medicine is the devil here.
After watching my dad die from cancer, and seeing how the radiation of his major tumors just seemed to make him WORSE, I would have to say it is NOT worth it. I keep thinking of the Star Treck movie where Bones says that radiation and chemo are “BARBARIC!”
If, God forbid, any of our family gets cancer, we will not use drugs, chemo/radiation, or surgery, if at all possible. We will try the Gerson Therapy, as it is an organic, dietary, cleansing way to rid the body of cancer cells. Yes, it is a vegan diet, but you don’t stay on it forever. I would much rather eat like a vegan for a few months or even over a year if I have to than destroy my body’s systems with drugs and radiation.
Lindsey\’s last post: Stung
It is so sad to read about all those people affected by cancer here on this blog.
Here is my private advice:
1. Everyone diagnosed with cancer should immediately stop eating ANY kind of carbohydrates! Carbohydrates (= sugars) are the only fuel to cancer! Stop feeding your cancer! You can stop the growth by not feeding it!
2. The prime cause of cancer is lack of oxygen in the cell (“Old” but still the best science from Dr. Otto Warburg from the 1930s). What is responsible for cell’s oxygenation? => essential fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6; those two fatty acids you have to take to bring oxygen back to your cancerous cells and stop other cells from becoming defective too! Best and cheapest way in my opinion: take biological high quality flax seed oil + the same amount of biological high quality sunflower oil.
3. For the (finest!) science behind this very very short and private advice: please read “The Hidden Story of Cancer” by Brian Peskin! It is the best book I have ever ever read in my life!
4. I would also recommend Canadian ESSIAC to all cancer patients, please get informed about it, read the books that have been written about nurse Rene Caisse and her natural treatment of cancer, they are available via Amazon/used books . Please make sure, that you buy the REAL ESSIAC from Resperin and no useless hoax that is offered in the internet! Essiac would be my first choice as a cancer treatment!
5. Taking essential fatty acids as recommended makes regular cancer treatments MUCH MUCH more effective and if taken regularly prior to radiation it saves your (still) healthy cells from being affected by it! This is no story but pure and best and newest science!
Bring oxygen into your cells! But do NEVER take fish oil as a source of Omega-3! Fish oil products do NOT contain essential fatty acids – they may be labled “omega-3″ but they just contain derivatives of omega-3! Fish oils affect cancer treatment negatively! Do not take fish oil, especially if you are undergoing cancer treatment of any kind!
As far as the internet states, Steve Jobs was a vegetarian for almost 30 years, he obviously never got enough proteins and essential fatty acids from his diet..
It’s not just the medicine. I believe all these diseases we have today are manmade from the crap food we eat to the air we breathe. It’s so sad what people go through in dealing with cancer.
Records of (modern) diseases such as Parkinsons, Huntington’s, and Schizophrenia date back before the Ancient Greeks. This is evident in medical texts portraying individuals with very specific characteristics specific to these disorders Tumors (cancers) have been dated back to times just after the ancient Greeks, when it became custom to open up the human body for surgery or autopsies.
While “crap food” and the “air we breathe” may not help these conditions, they are certainly manmade. Even Aristotle viewed neurological afflictions as “naturally occuring diseases of the brain”, rather than something supernatural or manmade.
Thanks for this post, Sarah. From the emotional responses you’ve obviously hit a nerve. Takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there and I applaud you. What I sense from some of the comments is that the idea of cancer automatically brings up a reaction of FEAR. The medical community and even natural health community exploits that fear in us – especially when it involves our children – and push us into making decisions that do not have good scientific reasoning. When faced with a life-threatening health crisis, it is absolutely vital that we stay calm and centered. My assumption is: mother nature is kind. The universe wants us to be well. What do our bodies need to get well?
Cancer is mostly a disease of the modern world with its numerous environmental toxins, nutrient deficiencies, stress, sugar consumption, and conditions caused by all the former (such as inflammation) that lead to development of cancer.
It seems ridiculous to cover up the symptoms of cancer with toxic treatments when in reality their caused by toxins to begin with. I would definitely try the Gerson therapy. Chemo only aims to get rid of the tumor not treat the root cause of the cancer. And in many cases it ends up coming back after using chemo.
Its awful how parents are forced by Big Pharma and medical establishment to subject their kids to chemo. Truly a violation of health freedom.
Kelli\’s last post: Low-Carb vs. High-Carb Diets and Gluten Sensitivity
You know what I like most about this post? All the comments both pro and con .. it can serve as a kind of sounding board for those who are trying to figure out what to do and what treatments to seek if confronted with such a life changing diagnosis as cancer.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
That is a good attitude, Sarah. Thank you for starting the discussion.
It saddens me that in the name of “health” that there is so much misinformation regarding chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This group seems exceptionally uninformed. There is a trend to go against modern medicine in favor of “natural” treatments. How sad. Cancer has been proven 100% to kill people. Pancreatic cancer is an especially lethal form of cancer. Mr. Jobs had a very, very low chance of survival despite using any natural, homeopathic or chemotherapy/radiation therapy. It is a cancer that kills.
Oncology is one of the more facinating medical sciences because of the continual learning based on research and trials (approved by the FDA). Data is (and has been) continually collected to design better trials and outcomes to help cure cancers and prolong a quality life. Unless you work in medicine I cannot even describe the amount of research and therapeutic trials in a way that a layperson could comprehend.
Each cancer is completely unique and individual. You cannot make a judgement of whether or not to receive chemo/radiation based on anybody else’s experience other than your own. Because something worked for Uncle Bob, but didn’t on Grandma Jo should have NO impact on your own choice. Treatment protocols are designed to stop the progression of disease. Regardless of the tumor type–breast cancer, lung cancer, etc., each individuals chemical makeup is different. Depending on the tumor itself and the chemical makeup, and the way your own body fuels it, sometimes there is eradication, sometimes the disease process is stopped, and sometimes it is only slowed. Everyone’s physiology is unique as to how it will respond.
Physicians are not forcing chemotherapy. They can and do offer success rates based on years and years of data but they cannot predict with exact science what will work. Every patient has the right to make their own choice based on their own personal needs and feelings. When the disease has progressed to the point that no therapeutic protocol can improve the quality of life the decision is made again to continue or quit receiving therapy. It is a personal decision.
Regarding holistic approaches to cancer each person has to weigh the same risks and benefits, but holistic methods do not have years and years of data to back them up. Some will cause more dammage than the tumor, and others are simply ineffective. If you are diagnosed with a lethal form of breast cancer, one that is invasive and progressive with metastases, taking shark cartilage, for example, will not cure this cancer. You will die, and probably sooner than you would if the tumor growth is stalled by a chemotherapeutic agent, but that is your choice to make.
Everyone needs to make their own choice and do research. And in this case, the internet is NOT the best source for accurate information. Quite the opposite.
Would I use chemo or radiation. Most likely. I can personally weigh the risks and benefits and make and informed decision. Regarding my children, I would not withhold any treatment that is recommended because of my own theories (I am not a physician). I would proceed with any treatment the physicians recommended for my children.
The web url for this doctor is http://www.curenaturalicancro.com
Another great web site is http://www.topicalinfo.org At this web site is discussed ways to heal skin cancer but this is a great web site for understanding how cancer works in any kind of cancer, skin or not. This guy is not a doctor but he explains it so well and with such great understanding that now I can understand cancer better and understand why some natural treatments may work for some people and not others. Please anyone who is interested in alternative cancer treatments should see these two web sites and start with these protocols before trying the (in my opinion) deadly chemo/radiation/surgery. I am slowly curing my skin cancer using these protocols and it is working! These ideas can be applied to other cancers as well.
In answer to the above question, I would never ever submit to any chemo/radiation or surgery for cancer. I have seen what it has done to my loved ones all around me and all of them are DEAD! My mother not only died but she died a horrendous painful and torturous death from all three: chemo, radiation, surgery(CRS). CRS doesn’t work and will never work because they destroy the immune system which is what your body needs in the first place to fight the cancer. Ty Bollinger (google his name) said that he had a friend who was a doctor who did autopsies on thousands of so-called cancer victims. In not one did he find where they died of the cancer. They all died from the treatment of cancer – chemo and/or radiation. Remember that radiation treatment is not much different then going inside Fukushima for 10 minutes. It is the same kind of radiation. And it is given at lethal doses. Chemo is a mustard gas, the same used in NAZI gas chambers. Is it any wonder that people die horrible deaths from this nonsense. Please people don’t remain ignorant, it could cost you your life. Do the research and get educated.
Thank you Natalee, for sharing what you know.. Only the truth will set us free.
Stanley Fishman\’s last post: Where’s the (Grassfed) Beef in the “Healthy Eating Plate”?
Thanks so much for posting this, Sarah! Being new to the “traditional” ways of doing things, I have been wondering what your opinion of this would be. As a health care worker, I’ve seen countless people suffer through ‘treatment’, always thinking “there has to be a better way”.
I would avoid chemo if at all possible. And if I felt there was no way around it, I would only take half of the recommended dose. For example, if the drs recommeded 6 treatments, I would agree to 3. And it would definitely depend on what kind of cancer I have.
I do not think this post was offensive in any way. We all learn from each other’s experiences, good and bad. What Steve Jobs chose to do or not do as it relates to treatment is not the point. The question is what are YOU going to do? If you’re not in that situation, it’s hard to tell, but you think about these things in advance for same reason you have wills, life insurance policies, fire escape plans, and 401(K)s.
Thank you, Sarah!
Yes Sarah, it is disconcerting to see how judgmental some of the comments are…sorta reminds me of something I heard about atheism..”There are no real atheists; just because one person’s total knowledge does NOT include God, that in NO WAY can refute another person’s KNOWLEDGE of God!” I had to think a long time on that.. seems like the same thing here..some seem to think if it isn’t in their knowledge/understanding, then it isn’t true. That reminds me of another great statement…”Your failure to be informed, does not make me a whacko!” Wish I could remember who said it! We live in an ignorant culture, no disrespect intended. It is ongoing in our society to keep us from knowing the TRUTH. If you don’t believe that, TEST IT! Thanks Sarah, keep em thinking!!!!! BTW, another great book, “Cancer, Step outside the Box.” Ty Bollinger. Excellent information for anyone trying to figure out what is out there about cancer. (:
According to the info online the quote is by John Loeffler. I had never heard it. Thanks!
Oh, in response to Judy..Can you imagine the horror of being forced to poison your own child with chemo, like the family in the documentary, “Cut, Poison, Burn. Everyone has their own, obviously strong opinion, on what they would or wouldn’t do if faced with cancer..But, if that person is a minor, YOU DON’T HAVE A CHOICE! Watch, “First Do No Harm” with Meryl Streep. This is an old movie, but a TRUE story! If not for a few people who were willing to put their neck out, that child would not have made it! Now, THAT is NOT OKAY! THE PARENTS should make the decision! You don’t have to be around very long to see that EVERYONE makes mistakes and medicine is no exception! Ultimately, that child belongs to the parents, not the STATE or Federal Govt! ( I know there are some BAD parents, but you can’t take away everyone’s rights in order to stop the bad ones!) That is insane! Thank you Sarah, for being a voice of reason. We need MORE! (:
This may seem like an odd question in an era where the assumption is that a cancer diagnosis automatically means… http://t.co/Ug7XGtVT
I don’t have cancer and neither do my children or husband. I doubt I would get chemo. My husband probably would and my kids definitely would because niether my husband or I would have a choice.
Doesn’t sugar feed cancer?
Yes, sugar does feed cancer cells.
Dr. Otto Warburg: “All normal cells meet their energy needs by the respiration of oxygen, whereas cancer cells meet their energy needs in great part by fermentation.” “.. cancer cells can actually grow in the body almost with only the energy of fermentation.”
And the fuel of fermentation ist SUGAR.
Do not forget: all carbohydrates = sugar!
I just discovered this site…! My husband was diagnosed w/stage 4 tonsil cancer. Had radiation & chemo. Then still had 4 nodes with cancer. He just had those plus 13 more neck nodes removed. At this time he is still on a feeding tube because he can’t eat yet. We have faith in the Drs & treatments. He’s tired but ok. Hoping he can start eating soon. He has an ulcer on his tonsil & will see the Dr next week to see if it is healing since the last Dr visit.
If anyone has any ideas how he can get back to eating, I’m all ears!
Slippery Elm powder can be added to a quart of water and drank throughout the day and I read that it is so nutritious that people like your husband can live off of it alone. I do know if he can drink, but maybe you could build him back up by putting it into his feeding tube? American Health and Herbs has a bunch of info on herbs and their healing benefits. Don’t be discouraged, put your trust in God. He is the One who knows best and He loves you and your husband more than anyone else. Look to Him for answers and strength. He will never forsake those who seek Him with a whole heart. God bless you and yours.
I want to see other procedures tested not just the ones that make people rich. I don’t know what I would do if I had cancer but I doubt I’d do chemo or radiation unless there was a very good chance it’d put me in remission.
What causes cancer? How does one prevent it? Does sugar feed cancer?
Hi Sarah! Thanks for all the great thought provoking info. I enjoy reading it so much. This is a suject that I am especially interested in. Have you ever read the book Cancer: Step Outside the Box by Ty Bollinger. Excellent book! It undercovers so much false thinking we have today about treating cancer and reveals how we got here and the force behind it in the first section and the second section covers successful natural treatments. In it he recommends advanced thermography scans to safely replace mammograms. He believes mammograms cause cancer. Have you addressed this issue? May I hear your thoughts please? I am currently being harassed by my medical doctor with calls and emails and verbal confrontations about this. I am not firm enough to intelligently represent myself and I need some more education on the subject before I trod into the deep waters of going against the system. Thanks for your time!
My mom (mentioned above) had thermograms for 2 years to keep track of things while using natural treatments for breast cancer. The tumors that started growing never ever showed up on the thermograms, so she thought she was fine and that the natural treatments had worked. Now the cancer is in a lot of lymph nodes and in her skin, and those cancerous parts were removed today, along with both breasts.
Beware the lying thermogram!
Wow! I thought thermograms were more reliable, at least that’s what I have read. And I just told my mom not to have a mammogram because of the risks. Hum.
Hi y’all:
I was diagnosed with a large meningioma (benign) brain tumor on 9-11-02, 6x4x3cm. Although it is “benign”, there is only so much room up there so the treatments are very similar to cancer treatments. I was not offered chemotherapy, just radiation. I had 24 hours of surgery to debulk as much of the tumor as possible, followed immediately by 30 targeted radiation treatments to the tumor. I took Decadron (equal to Prednisone X10) for 16 months after all of this. I deal with some issues now that make things a bit more challenging. I can blame the radiation and/or all the steroids, but the fact is, I’m alive today and am very grateful. I don’t know what would have happened without the radiation. I was told that the tumor would have had a far greater chance of growing back as only 70% of it was removed in the surgeries. I would not have had whole brain radiation, but because this was targeted I was much more comfortable with the probability that healthy cells would not be damaged as much as with whole brain radiation.
In my opinion asking questions that are thought provoking is a good thing. Every situation is different, that’s for sure. I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s different perspectives. My heart goes out to those who have had first hand experience with cancer.
Bunch of info about Nutrition and Cancer: http://heal-thyself.ning.com/profiles/blogs/cancer-and-nutrition
And specifically about probiotics and cancer: http://heal-thyself.ning.com/profiles/blogs/probiotics-and-cancer
[Actual medical research linked to PubMed studies.]
“This encyclopedic reference currently contains over 90 compounds and substances with cancer fighting properties that most people don’t know about, and the scholarly studies behind them. With this vast array of mostly natural substances you can apply these complimentary alternative treatments to boost your odds of beating cancer, and you can definitely increase your odds of never getting cancer”.
Additionally, evidence-based medical research from GreenMedInfo.com, ‘Toxic Effects of Chemotherapy’:
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/chemotherapy
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/anti-therapeutic-action/chemotherapy
2,509 medical research studies from the US Medical Library regarding natural substances and their therapeutic benefit to cancer.
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/disease/cancers-all
The ‘Dark Side’ of cancer research fund raising: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/featured-october-article
Knowledge is Power. Inform yourself.
Pat Robinson
“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”
~ Buddha
Pat Robinson\’s last post: 1. High Blood Pressure?
1028 evidence-based medical research studies from the US Medical Library regarding the apoptotic benefit (programmed cell death) of 334 natural substances:
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/pharmacological-action/apoptotic
Pat
Pat Robinson\’s last post: 1. High Blood Pressure?
@ Tina: in brief, hyperacidity. In the modern world, with compromised air, water & food for the last 3+ decades, I don’t know that tbere can be a black & white answer to that, however, eating local & clean, living as chemical-free as possible & doing periodic cleanses is a good start. Yes.
No, I would not do conventional cancer treatment. It’s easy for someone to say that “you can’t possibly know what you would do, but I just don’t think that’s true. There are lots of convictions that have been tested of mine throughout my life, and I have always stuck with my original decision. Here’s the thing, though. Cancer can’t be treated with just B17, or random supplements. The whole diet, lifestyle has to change. One supplement is not going to get rid of cancer, and those who think that it will, are just as delusional as those that think
I’ve seen many people die from conventional cancer treatments, and I have no desire to end up in their position. A young friend was discovered to have a brain tumor; she had just gotten married. She was given emergency surgery, which had the unfortunate side effect of rendering her a vegetable. Now she is alive, but just barely, and her family had to change their lives to take care of her 24/7. Was that better than death after a few months or years? Not sure about that…you would have to ask her husband and family. She probably was not given any choice but the surgery. My father in law died before he was 50 while being treated for cancer that had moved from his leg to his hip to his lungs. At our wedding he could barely stay for the whole thing because of the chemo, and he died before our first anniversary. He’s only one of many declines that I’ve witnessed after conventional cancer treatment. I’ve never known anyone in real life who didn’t use chemo/radiation to treat cancer.
I genuinely enjoy reading your blog, but may I respectfully say that the timing of this particular post might be in bad taste. I will, of course, continue reading your blog every day because I appreciate your insight, and certainly you are entitled to your opinion, but this article simply comes across as opinionated and judgmental, rather than compassionate and caring.
I am curious how stating one’s opinion on a particular subject can be considered judgmental? I criticized or passed judgment on no one personally with this article. Just asked a question based on a current newsworthy item and answered the question with what I would have done personally. Perhaps you did not read it closely enough but only scanned it and derived a conclusion that was not intended if the full text was read.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
I did read the post carefully, twice. Sarah, I mean this in the kindest possible way. Sometimes it’s not WHAT you say, but how you say it. You may be right about this issue of chemo, but to be right AND winsome is a worthy goal.
I never claimed to be a perfect communicator. Only someone who cares enough to try and get the word out about some important issues worth consideration.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Densely Populated Florida County Rejects Water Fluoridation
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/05/steve-jobs-dies-his-unorthodox-treatment-for-neuroendocrine-cancer.html
According to this article Steve Jobs tried 9 months of diet therapy when first diagnosd instead of the recommended surgery. When tests showed that the tumor grew over those 9 months, he then opted for the surgery. His first surgery was extensive involving other organs suggeting that they cancer had spread beyond the pancreas. The article goes on to say that HE NEVER HAD CHEMO OR RADIATION. He then had the liver transplant, when the cancer spread to his liver.
No two cancers are the same. You simply cannot make generalizations when it comes to cancer. It is too complex a disease. And stating that you would not pursue chemo or radiation when you don’t actually have a diagnosis and don’t actually know what you are facing is not helpful to those who are or will in the future face a cancer diagnosis.
Other sources say otherwise with Fortune magazine reporting that Jobs took a secret trip to Switzerland for radiotherapy.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
For people in the Northwest, I have found the Health and Wellness Institute in Mountlake Terrace, WA to be kind, compassionate, and wonderfully alternative. I highly recommend their care for all holistic needs, from everyday issues to cancer.
http://www.ehealthandhealing.com/
Thank you Debbie, we need to know about clinics like that. There are so few of them.
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No. I would probably go on a food grade hydrogen peroxide treatment plan
Nice post, Sarah! It is posts like these that will ultimately wake people up to witness just how weak the conventional medical system truly is at curing and preventing disease and cancer. They should stick to what they do best, emergency care. The real doctor will remain where it has always been, in our refrigerators and pantries: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” Hippocrates.
Hi Sarah,
I wouldn’t worry about these negative comments because at the end of the day, the truth is the truth. I know a very close friend of mine who died within three months from chemo and radiation treatments. The truth hurts, but it will also set many people free. Continue spreading the truth, Sarah, because the truth will ultimately save many people’s lives.
Thanks Erica. It’s encouraging comments from readers like you that keep me blogging and help me overcome the discouragement from the naysayers! I really appreciate it.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Would You Ever Use Chemo or Radiation for Cancer?
I think whether or not you would accept treatment should NOT depend on whether you are in a cancerous situation or not. It is like when you are going to give birth and you have predetermined that you are not going to get the epidural. When I was in labor it was a “no-brainer” that I would not have an epidural. Not once did I think about having an epidural because I already made up my mind that I would approach birth naturally. It was a non-issue. Also, I surrounded myself with people who had the same in mind for me….because those were my wishes. When it comes to cancer, I KNOW without a doubt, that I will not have chemo or radiation. Period.
You most definitely have to be in it yourself to answer this. I have eaten as healthy as possible, did ferments, etc., for years and by the time they diagnosed Non-hodgkin lymphoma I had lost 2/3 of my blood to a tumor ,and do believe them when they say I was within two months of death. I could do NOTHING for myself…not even get a glass of water! I opted for chemo/radiation because insurance covered it and my healthy lifestyle had not prevented this condition. Still, I would liked to have hit it with more alternative medicine but did not have the financial means to do so. Many times it is a matter of what is possible with insurance and what is not. I will not be surprised at complications down the road; but for the here-and-now, I am glad to be here, back to a healthy lifestyle which includes walking four miles up and down hills to do errands, my ferments and such things.
I think the tone of this post is the cause of the controversy here. And it isn’t the first time I have felt a holier-than-thou vibe coming off the screen. The yogurt post (silly woman in the store buying a cart full of store yogurt). The marathon post (silly people who think that running is healthy). And now this, the silly people who think chemo and radiation are the only way. You didn’t say silly, but the implication is clear. Sarah, you may disagree with conventional wisdom, and that’s your prerogative. I actually agree with you most of the time. But consider your delivery. Lots of real food bloggers post on these same topics, yet come across as encouraging, not condemning.
It’s impossible to write something where the tone makes everyone happy unless its a noncontroversial recipe post or something like that. If I tone it down, the post will be viewed as wishy washy by some. Note how many comments here indicate that the tone was fine and respectful. You just happen to disagree.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Densely Populated Florida County Rejects Water Fluoridation
Hi Katie,
I didn’t find this post condemning at all, and this is coming from a person whose close friend had went through chemo and died within three months from it. There is nothing encouraging about doing chemo and radiation treatments. This post merely lays out the truth about what really happens after chemo. The truth hurts, but the truth will ultimately set you free.
“Steve Jobs had a much more benign version of pancreatic cancer–islet cell carcinoma, which is in the carcinoid types. The liver transplant was a bad call. He’d still be with us if he hadn’t done that. Impossible to control any cancer with the immune suppression required for an organ transplant. Don’t know what those doctors were thinking, except perhaps$$….”
Dwight McKee MD
oncologist, internist, hematologist, nutritionist and author of “Herb, Nutrient and Drug Interactions”
and about cookie cutter/1 size fits all chemo and radiation, Dwight states…
“The problem with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for cancer is when they are used as the ONLY therapies, and when they are used without any personalization. Debulking tumor (getting all tumor that can be seen on scans) is very beneficial, and takes a huge load off the immune system–if it can be done with appropriate nutritional and botanical support, and if the therapy is truly targeting the tumor–too often therapies are applied that don’t work, because they are based on the statistics of clinical trials, rather than on study of the individual’s tumor. Oncology research is actively pursuing the holy grail of personalizing treatment, but what people get in the oncology office is still usually an empirically chosen regimen, because it worked in a significant percentage of people with that tumor type. Its not about treating “lung cancer” with “lung cancer drugs”, or breast cancer with “breast cancer drugs”–its about studying the gene and protein expression of the tumors, when possible, getting live tumor cells from the patient by surgical biopsy and culturing them with many different chemotherapy and targeted agents, and choosing those that are most active in killing the cells. This approach has been sidelined by a complex mix of medical politics and medical economics, but it is light years ahead of using drugs based on the old clinical trial system that groups cancers together by the organ in which they started. See http://www.weisenthal.org ”
Thank you Steve Jobs. Rest in peace.
Been so busy I am just catching up on your posts but I must say this is one of your finest, touching on a controversial subject and having the guts to tell it like it is! Nothing wrong with your communication. “Cut, poison and burn” is the allopathic treatment of choice because it cures cancer? No, because it lines their pockets and well.
Surprisingly, the “cure” for cancer is already known–it’s called the immune system however, you can’t patent it.
In answer to the question, “Would you ever use chemo. . . ?” HELL NO.
I read that Jobs refused conventional cancer treatmens and opted for a ‘special diet’ instead.
Jess\’s last post: Green building design, urban homesteading, sewing and food!
That was earlier in his treatment. Later he did chemo and radiation. Chemo was tried only this year.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Giveaway Winner! Seeds of Change Organic Chocolate
I have been struggling with the very same question after seeing my BF deteriorate undergoing chemo for the past two years. It has been very difficult for me to watch him buy into the chemo solution and then take tons of medicines on top of it to combat its side effects.
This has made me become very WAPF-oriented, knowing that it’s contrary to popular science, medications, and health warnings. I compare my diet to my grandmother’s who lived to be a healthy 93 without all the low-fat, low calorie processed foods. She did have a heart attack or two, which concerns me, but my overall attitude is that I’d rather have a heart attack (from the rich foods?) than cancer.
Julie\’s last post: Giveaway Winner! Seeds of Change Organic Chocolate
According to this article, they say Steve Jobs never used chemo or radiation (and he did try quite a few natural treatments over the years). They theorize that the liver transplant (followed by the anti-rejection meds) was the real problem. By having the immune system suppressed, the body couldn’t keep the cancer at bay.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/09/dr-nicholas-gonzalez-on-steve-jobs.aspx?e_cid=20111009_SNL_Art_1
no, i’m totally against chemo and radiation my father died at 47. the doctors kept on him telling him, this will save YOUR LIFE! he had just two treatments and wanted no more after that. after his treatments he went for a follow up and they found another tumor on his brain. now i know that brain cancer is a lot diff. but i really do believe, he would have been w us a lot longer, if the doctors would’ve just let him decide for himself. but they couldn’t and wouldn’t stop and because of them we lost him. so if anyone out there is sturggling w this please do what is best for you and ur family
i believe that is your choice and to my understanding doctors just will not let it rest when it comes to chemo and radiation!!!! stand up for yourself and SAY NO
Yes Angela! That is so true! I too lost my daddy at a young age. It hurts.. God bless you and your family.
I would and I have. Turns out my cancer, tho, was a result of my not taking care of issues in the first place. Had I started out taking care of my auto-immune disease maybe I would not have developed it in the first place. I think it is an easy question to answer until you are 38 with young kids and faced with this diagnosis. Hindsight, the radiation I received increases my chances of developing Lymphoma and that scares me. I would have liked a doctor to give me information about trying a more natural method first (maybe for 3 months) to see if that made progress. My treatments were scheduled before I ever knew the diagnosis. The whole process goes so fast you don’t have time to really think about much.
Lisa\’s last post: Gluten Free Bread Machine Recipe for White Bread
LIsa, that is what happened to my Dad.. it just moved so fast, he didn’t have time to really decide, altho he did try some alternative, but no one in medicine was willing to wait and see if it is working. They move FAST and that is NOT always because they are trying to get the cancer. You can believe what you want. I KNOW. I hope that you can find enough information to make a good decision and that you have a doctor who is willing to think outside the box, if necessary. No judgment here; it IS a personal decision. God bless.
If I had children, I’d choose what had the highest survival rate whether it be chemo or something else. Since we have no young children I would not take chemo or radiation. My brother passed away from cancer last year and didn’t want any type of treatment but it upset his college age daughter so much, he went ahead with chemo & radiation. It gave him an extra 18 months to be a father so he felt it had been worthwhile. It also gave the daughter time to come to terms with the fact that he would pass away.
hi Sarah,
I saw this link on LinkedIn today. I think Steve did use alternative therapies…
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/10/alternative-medicine-killed-steve-jobs.html
marina\’s last post: Anti-inflammatory Turmeric-Honey Spread
Sarah,
On Friday I got the call that I have melanoma. I meet with the surgeon tomorrow. I remembered this post, and have spent the last couple of hours reading the comments and following people’s links. I have four little ones – age 7, 5, 3, and 9 weeks. I do not yet know what I will decide, or how advanced it is. Thanks for providing the forum for the discussion.
I would do anything to stay alive so I can raise my two little boys. I don’t like the idea if using chemicals to get better, and I avoid them as much as possible. I would look at the bigger picture and if chemotherapy had a higher success rate than I would likely incorporate it with other, alternative treatments. It isnt something I like the idea of but would be willing to do what it takes to stay alive. On the other hand, if I would only be using it too add months to my life (not cure it) than no, I wouldn’t do it. At that point it’s all about quality of life and I would just enjoy the time I had left with my sweet boys and husband.
Steve Jobs went for the holistic, alternative, non invasive route on his cancer for a long period before finally deciding to go medical.
So, frankly, we don’t know if the eventual use of chemo/radiation was beneficial or detrimental for him. The earlier history before he went to medical intervention must be accounted for.
We don’t know. I don’t know. You don’t know either. I think it is worth exploring alternatives, but to make a case based on Jobs is not really productive.
Goats and Greens\’s last post: A Side Suitable for Holiday Fare, Headlining Turnips and Squash
Cannabis cures cancer, ok once you’ve stopped laughing you need to watch “Run from the Cure” by Rick Simpson.
Cannabis isnt a dangerous drug, the Parmaceuticals are!! These legal drugs now kill nearly 38,000 Americans every single year!! There hasnt been a single death attibuted to Cannabis in the thousands of years we have been using it (aside ones that involve the law and some fast moving lead).
PEACE AND LOVE
After having watched my youngest brother and sister go through chemotherapy for childhood leukemia and then working in pediatric cancer research for several years, I have seen the long term effects of the chemo and radiation.
I have to say that if someone in my family were to be given a cancer diagnosis we would have to carefully weigh all options, but would be more inclined to search out a alternative to the conventional “treatments”.
What a fascinating topic. I was first introduced to the concept of alternative treatments for cancer in the documentary Food Matters.
It is shameful to think that excellent therapies and healing treatments are being ignored or squashed by the scientific community because of money.
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What if your 1 and a half year old was diagnosed with Leukemia with a white blood cell count of over 800,0000 – with blood so thick he could be moments away from a stroke. What would you do? Would you take him home and try your hand
Oh goodness….I didn’t mean to post the prior comment – I erased it and wrote my experience and opinion down, which thanks to a faulty mouse is now gone. I give up. Jeesh! I wish I would have had the info I have today while I was pregnant with my son, so I could have (probably) prevented his cancer. I wish I would have known about Real food as medicine at the time of his diagnosis. So for that reason, I am grateful for this kind of post/information. Still, at that moment – we didn’t have time to go home and try anything else to see if it worked. My son wouldn’t have had the option to try other things and save chemotherapy as the last resort. Not in the condition he was in. So I don’t regret our decision to use chemotherapy – every day is a gift with our son – all I can do now is use what I know to strengthen him, detox his poor little system and prevent any future side effects or re-occurrences.
I have never met her, but I am so proud of this girl! Make sure you read all 5 parts.
My Cancer Adventure part 5
http://nurturing-naturally.com/2012/02/14/my-cancer-adventure-part-5/
You want to know what has an even higher rate of death than using chemo and radiation? Cancer. That and idiot parents who deny treatment because of misguided ideals which end up with the death of a little one. Working in the Hematology/Ocology unit of a Children’s Hospital alongside the amazing doctors who work for years with each patient in creating treatment plans to be able to meet the needs of each individual patient opens your eyes to how NOT EASY it is to heal cancer. You want to know why chemo and radiation can be good? Because they are first used in amounts that do not cause cancer. Secondly, because the body is an amazing creation that tries to self heal. Cancer becomes ingrained in the body and in order to kill it, you have to almost kill the body as well. But the body rejuvenates and the cancer hopefully does not. It is an art and a science to try to kill the cancer without causing permanent harm. Advances are being made all the time and we will someday be able to move past chemo and radiation but it sure isn’t going to be by downing baking soda or smoking weed. Listen to your oncologists, and be skeptical of anyone who just takes their lifestyle feelings and tries to make it work for every situation. You just have no idea what you are talking about on this one. Stick to homemade toothpaste tricks.
I watched my mother be treated like a tumor. They were aggressively trying to kill the disease and ended up killing her. I watched surgery after surgery, treatment after treatment. Not one doctor was honest with us about her condition, and having never seen anyone die so slowly and painfully before we had false hope fed to us until the very end. I am happy that you believe these treatments work, but in my experience they do not. There was one point during her battle with cancer that she denied chemo and started eating healthy and taking herbal supplements. According to a PET scan she had, the tumors were shrinking. She was overjoyed as were we! But then she lost her financial aid and her medival insurance dropped her because of her diagnosis and she was left with what the hospital was willing to give her…morphine and comfort. I saw the strongest woman I knew, whittle away down to 80 lbs after she started chemo. I watched her throw up every 5 minutes and not be able to use her legs anymore. I cannot even explain the heartache my family has suffered at the hand of chemo and experimental medicine. They need to learn to kill the disease and NOT the person. There is a doctor in Indiana who has been jailed for his research and proven methods to cure cancer. You should look him up- His name is Cal Streeter. He cured his wife and daughter-in-law and I would consider that no small feat.
‘Holistic approaches to cancer help resolve whatever caused the cancer in the first place. Conventional chemo/radiation treat only the “pus” of the cancer as described by Dr. Cowan.’
What an ignorant article. Sorry. Unless you are in the medical field or have a truly thorough understanding of genetics/cancer/subject matter you are writing about, then do not make bold statements such as the one above.
As an oncology nurse practitioner, while holistic approaches are welcomed cautiously as an adjunct to treatment, they cannot ‘resolve’ the cancer. The words ‘cure’ are rarely used in oncology because there really is no cure for most cancers. But you try telling someone who suffers from testicular cancer to use holistic medication (there is a 90% cure rate for testicular cancer with surgery and chemo) or else a child with leukemia (high cure rate as well).
We offer people who have incurable cancers the option of chemotherapy and radiation because it can prolong their life, and many people would like to do so to see their children grow up. However some of the side effects are just awful, I agree. But most patients I talk to before they die or stop treatment say that they would not do it differently. But this is a personal choice that EVERYONE makes.
And lastly, Steve Jobs had PANCREATIC CANCER, no holistic medicine would ever save him. It was a neuroendocrine tumor, and I believe his type was a functioning secreting tumor which causes a lot of symptoms in a person.
I could go on but I will stop now…
My husband chose to have radiation (“to shrink the growth”), then surgery, and died anyway of colon cancer, which had spread to his liver. We vehemently opposed him having chemo and were very much pressured by his oncologist, as well as some family members (he died 5 months after having surgery). The radiation really did a number on him. Unfortunately, I did research a little too late and discovered that generally, doctors recommend 3 things: surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Research showed that all three things make the cancer either come back or cause cancer elsewhere. Research also indicated that given enough time, the cancer does come back. Of all the people you know who had cancer and had surgery, radiation or chemo, what’s the longest someone has lived, assuming that they are still living?
Sarah,
I’m not sure about skipping radiation or chemotherapy is either a panacea for getting cured or a direct relation to dying sooner– given that the patient has good nutrition and does not fall victim to medical errors. There are so many causal links to life/death. There was an interesting article in the New York Times, not long ago, that spoke about the large number of radiation machines that are incorrectly calibrated and the large percentage of human error dialing in the actual radiation dosages. However, I’m not sure if these two factors equate to a blanket statement about radiation hastening death from cancer. I would urge folks to do research through the Mayo Clinic or M.D. Anderson and not to rush off to Mexico for a “Steve McQueen”-type treatment. Yes, the human body and spirit are amazing; but, blanket statements by a home economist (no rudeness intended) may lead folks walking away from chemotherapy and radiation treatments that may help stave off death. Most health professionals and family around Steve Jobs, that witnessed his battle with cancer first hand, unquestionably felt that his foolhardy diet and limit of calories hastened his death considerably (much was written about it). Naomi Judd penned a book about optimism and battling cancer and it has been well reviewed (as an aside). I love your articles, website and videos on nutrition; but, I believe that oncologists are better educated to inform cancer patients. Nutrition is paramount with living; but, it is not a single answer to battling cancer alone. The only tip that I might humbly offer was from a friend whose daughter battled stage IV skin cancer for twelve miraculous years and that was to check the internet weekly by searching Google for their specific type of cancer and “new treatments/drug trials” and then by contacting the folks running the treatments and trials directly. A doctor is many things, but what he is not is a person devoted to staying abreast on new treatments/drug trials. It simply requires too much time. A patient or their family must be their own advocate and it begins with Google and their vigilant searches of the World and cutting edge drug trials & treatments. You would be surprised at how many of the decision makers that are the gate keepers to the treatments/trials can be accessed through a simple phone call. Yes, there may be only a 10% chance of survival; but, as my friend’s Mom always said: “There’s no reason that my daughter can’t be part of that 10% is there?” !
p.s. Radiation and chemotherapy offer a “remission”. The important thing to remember about remissions is that the first remission will be the longest. After that, each successive remission will be shorter in length. Most folks are not aware of this. Specialists hope for a long first remission because they are aware of the diminishing returns thereafter. Succeeding remissions never outlast the initial remission time.
I can tell you that when you’re called into the doctor’s back office to privately be told that your child has a brain tumor, that refusing conventional treatment is just not that easy…
(And then there is also the fact that they will take you to court for state custody of your minor child if you refuse conventional treatment…)
Breast cancer runs heavily in my family. I have long said that I would have surgery, but refuse the rest of the toxic conventional treatments, if it happens ot me… and yet, here I find myself with a son going through conventional treatments for an aggressive form of brain cancer. None of it is easy when you or your child actually receive a cancer diagnosis…
ali @ an ordinary mom\’s last post: Saturday Snapshots
This is my first visit to this site. I was really enjoying it until I read this thread. So much ugliness around such a painful subject if you’ve been down that road. I have.
I know I can’t say for sure what I would do unless I were in that situation. My husband died of cancer at the age of 46. He was terminal upon diagnosis 20 months earlier, despite having been ridiculously healthy and fit until just a few months before we learned what was causing his weight loss and abdominal pain.
The original prognosis was dead in 3 months – the normal progression for what he had (unknown primary poorly differentiated, multiple liver metastases). Chemo, the only option, did not save him. But it gave him an extra 17 months of very precious life and we both treasured every minute of it. Much of it was very, very good.
Yes, chemo can be horrible though he tolerated it with amazing fortitude and grace. Could alternative treatments have worked in time? I will never know, but I could find no documented cases of recovery or increased survival for people with similar diagnoses using alternative therapies. Believe me, I looked and looked. What treatment to follow is a highly personal decision and we made the best one we could in a terrible situation.
My heart goes out to those of you who have been down the same road. And a word directly to those medical/oncology professionals who have commented: my husband’s doctors and nurses were simply outstanding. They were dedicated to sustaining his life and I will always appreciate their efforts as I appreciate yours.
‘Alive and Well’ by Dr. Binzel – one doctor’s fight against the FDA This is one doctor’s sincere account of the extent that the FDA went to, in order to dicredit him. As you may guess, his treatment for cancer was not through drugs. Rather it was a return to a holistic way of eating, and through consuming vitamin B17 (laetrile). In the book he cites case after case of people who returned to good health after changing their eating habits.
I have read some, but not all of this thread. What I have read suggests that we all bring mixed responses to this ever-widening topic. But let me say this. People who have read widely on cancer treatment would know too, of the work of Linus Pauling who advocated large doses of intravenous vitamin C to combat cancer. It was so much cheaper than chemotherapy, and, I understand, it worked and is working, today.
Like many on this site, I too have witnessed the horrors of chemo, and there is no one person who could convince me, that taking a person’s body to the brink of death, is a way to cure cancer.
Someone mentioned nutrition. I believe that this is where cancer has its origins. It doesn’t take a Rhodes’ scholar to work out that additives in food are hardly health giving.
As a teacher I ask my students if they’d be happy to eat a cake that had been left out for a week (covered of course!). Shock horror, they wouldn’t! And yet, when I point out to them that many foods that they do eat languish on shelves for months and months, they see that as different. Advertisers do an ace job on children through advertising!
A grandparent at school had colon cancer and was offerred chemotherapy which he refused. He changed his diet, his lifestyle, he exercised, and he cut out all processed foods. Within six months he was pronounced cancer free. I don’t suggest that this would always work, but surely sound nutrition should be our bedfellow!
Hi Sarah, my life is dedicated to cancer research – i work in alternative healing with heavy emphasis on alkaline diet, oxygenation, mental/emotional state prior to diagnosis, Far Infrared, and THC/CBD’s (hemp oil) that are proven to kill cancer. First, it was not too soon to discuss this subject and whoever thinks otherwise needs a mental check up. Cancer can be diagnosed on any given day and does not politely consider announcing its arrival or discussion, and the cancer numbers are climbing dramatically and consistently. Chemo and radiation may well be the choice of many in shock and fear, but many will die due to the side effects, whilst few actually survive intact. The better question to ask, is what caused the cancer in the first place and address that source! It’s common sense! Poisoning the cancer cells and cutting them out does NOT destroy or prevent the source from continuing to manifest the cancer.
This post made me think about what a HUGE divide exists between SCIENCE–bonafide hypothesis-driven/proven science–[cancer research, oncology] and snake oil salesmen. It’s akin to saying: “I’ve dedicated my life to building model airplanes and now, everyone, load your loved ones onto this 747 and I’m going to fly you to Europe”. Think about it! Most Cancer survival rates have increased each successive year based on Science-based treatments. If you are worried about Cancer rates, look to sources in the environment and chemicals in your diet. Don’t look to mood rings for diagnosing and don’t look to a snake oil for the cure!
There are quite a few specific natural methods of fighting cancer. I only know about a few of them people have tried and it worked for them. Some of these methods can be found at this blog:
http://cheapcancertreatments.blogspot.com/2012/11/cheap-alternatives-to-chemotherapy.html
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Thank you Dr. Henderson
I wonder how many will die because of this irresponsible article. Chemotherapy saves lives!!!
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