Natural Therapies vs. Pharmaceutical Drugs: The Politics of Surviving Cancer

It is understandable that a medicinal drug having undergone double blind studies, several years of research, and millions of dollars spent on that research, should have a place of credibility. But what if the entire system was flawed to begin with, money and time wasted on treating a symptom rather than working to find a cure or better yet, prevention of the disease? Or what if the system was more than flawed but in many cases left the person in a less healthy state after having completed treatment using a pharmaceutical drug? With all of our knowledge about how the human body works, knowing its intolerance of unnatural elements, why are we, as medical patients, so accepting of the idea that we should be treating ourselves with synthetic drugs that are virtually poison to our body? To relieve one symptom we acquire two or three new symptoms, a new chronic condition we need to deal with and, of course, another prescription medication to fill each month.

Of course, those involved in the area of holistic medicine can never claim to cure, prevent, or treat a disease, even if that is the intended outcome and regardless of the numerous individuals finding themselves to be in a state of improved health. Only drug companies can make such claims. In fact, they own those words. Whether or not that right is deserved is irrelevant. It is worth nothing that most natural supplements have endured centuries of product testing.

Because of my interest in finding a holistic approach to addressing cancer, I recently came to distribute a product called Natural Cellular Defense which is a patented liquid detoxification product made from zeolite technology, marketed by the company of Waiora. Initially it was being researched as a cancer drug, however, because it is all natural, it was instead introduced to the market as a supplement. Studies show Natural Cellular Defense has the ability to remove heavy metals and harmful toxins in a safe and effective manner as well as activate the p21 tumor suppressor gene in cancerous cells. It also happens to be 100% non-toxic and is completely safe for all ages. This natural health product alone could conceivably help alleviate the toxins and waste accumulating in the average person, responsible for many chronic diseases. But no matter how many people are helped by taking this natural supplement, we make no claims. It is not a drug.

For years I have been frustrated by the radical and harmful techniques employed when treating tumors in cancer patients and would like to see non-toxic methods given greater attention and legitimacy. There is also far too much time and effort placed on detection rather than prevention of the disease. Prevention is the key, not detection. Detection means the disease has had a chance to manifest itself and take hold. At the very least we should not be poisoning a body with toxic drugs once a diagnosis has been made.

Here is the list of potential side effects of chemotherapy and you be the judge as to whether this sounds like a viable treatment option: Low hemoglobin, low white blood cells, low platelets, infection, need for blood transfusion, need for platelet transfusion, pain, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, skin injury, heart damage, lung damage, liver damage, kidney damage, loss of hearing, small stature, hormonal problems such as low growth hormone or low thyroid hormone, infertility, second cancer, intellectual decline, worsening of neurological symptoms, ineffectiveness, and death.

To understand better the hypocrisy of cancer treatment, consider the following: One of the largest and most prestigious cancer treatment centers in the world, The McGill Cancer Center in Canada, did a study of oncologists to determine how they would respond to a diagnosis of cancer. On the confidential questionnaire, 58 out of 64 doctors said that all chemotherapy programs were unacceptable to them and their family members. The overwhelming reason for this decision was that they believe the drugs are ineffective and have an unacceptable degree of toxicity. Do you imagine these same doctors are recommending chemotherapy treatment to shrink their patient's tumors? Yes, indeed they are, as they must if they wish to follow standard protocol. There are alternative, non-toxic treatments available to cancer patients, but you must work to find these natural treatments on your own.

Of course, you may find a natural treatment you would like to pursue only to discover the medical profession standing in the way of implementing your treatment plan. A few years ago, I came across a story which is truly heart breaking. It involves a two year old boy named Alexander who was diagnosed with the most common pediatric brain tumor, medulloblastoma. After substantial consideration and thoughtful research by the parents following Alexander's two brain surgeries, the parents chose for their son a non-toxic therapy, proven to be highly effective in treatment of brain cancer. However, the FDA denied the parents access to this treatment and the parents were informed by their oncologists that without their state of the art chemotherapy, the cancer would soon return. Alexander completed his third month of chemotherapy in December 1998 and died on January 31, 1999. He was just two and a half years old.

For you see, the state-of-the-art chemotherapy protocol recommended by the oncologists had already proven itself to be ineffective in pediatric brain tumors back four years earlier. The exact same chemotherapy drugs provided to Alexander in 1998 had been administered to children of the same age with the same brain tumor as Alexander with similar results. Of course, the parents were never informed about the failure of this therapy. You should note that when the parents hesitated to bring Alexander in for chemotherapy the oncologists were already preparing to take control by court order. The parents wanted to use a non-toxic treatment alternative, proven to be effective, and yet were forced to use an ineffectual, toxic treatment. I am afraid these parents may have been harmed twice over by the medical establishment for there is also the possibility that the brain tumor was caused by vaccinations containing Thimerosal, commonly used in vaccinations at that time and responsible for numerous cases of neurological disorders in children, such as autism, ADD/HD, and brain tumors.

You can learn more about Alexander's story by visiting http://www.ouralexander.org/index.htm.

Just how dangerous is chemotherapy?

The following excerpt can be found on the University of Iowa's website. Their protocol for dealing with "chemo spills" conjures images of a rather frightening scene of contamination because it is, in fact, a serious state of contamination. It reads as follows: Patients and caregivers shall be taught safe, proper, handling and disposal of waste generated during continuous infusions of chemotherapy.

The following procedures should be implemented immediately if a chemotherapy leak or spill should occur:

1. Put on a pair of disposable latex gloves.

2. If chemo has spilled on clothing, remove immediately and take a shower, scrubbing the exposed skin with soap and water. Watch for redness, blistering, or a burning sensation. Contact your nurse to report the spill. She will give you further instructions if necessary.

3. Remove any and all sharp objects, placing them into your sharps container or any can with a lid such as a coffee can.

4. Soak up the spill with an absorbent disposable material, such as paper towels.

5. Disinfect the spill area with soap and water or a household cleaner such as window cleaner, 409, alcohol, bleach, or liquid carpet cleaner.

6. Put the absorbent material and the gloves into a chemotherapy waste container or garbage bag and carefully mark it. It will be picked up later by the pharmacy personnel.

7. If a spill occurs on a patient's or caregiver's clothing or sheets, these articles should be washed separately from regular laundry in hot water.

8. If a spill occurs on unprotected furniture, the area should be scrubbed with soap and water and rinsed with clean water while wearing protective chemo safety gloves.

9. Patients and caregivers should be taught to use care when handling vomitus or excretions of the patient for 48 hours post treatment and to use good handwashing technique. Now imagine the "spill" they are referring to as chemicals that an individual with cancer will be taking into their body because that is indeed the case.

By no means do I wish to demonize the medical profession as a whole because there are many quality doctors as well as instances when prescription drugs may be necessary, however, I encourage caution when taking advice that will affect your health. It is important to consider the possibility that sometimes the medical establishment may be leading us down the wrong path. Natural therapies may not be able to claim to cure or treat disease but sometimes you need to just take a step back and perform your own due diligence, take a look at the results and come to your own conclusion.