A “Beginner’s Program” for Cancer Treatment
To begin, let me say that I am in no way suggesting that people who have been diagnosed with cancer should ignore medical doctors, and rely solely on this, or any other natural treatment method. What I am saying, however, is the following:
1) Even if you are inclined to rely on “mainstream” medicine, you should also consult a reputable alternative physician, in order to learn more of natural treatment methods. True, you may have to pay out of your own pocket when visiting alternative physicians, but if you have a life-threatening disease, isn’t it worth it? Note: When I refer to “alternative physicians”, this of course includes naturopaths of all sorts. However, if I were to choose an alternative physician, I would only choose a naturopath who is also an accredited “mainstream” physician. Why? Because despite all the criticism I am hurling at certain mainstream practices, I am fully aware that modern medicine has, in many respects, done wonders for human health and longevity. True, some of the methods they employ do more harm than good, and even lead to a premature death; chemo is probably the number one culprit in this respect, but there are others as well.
Yet in many other areas, mainstream treatments of course do help, and are preferable. Therefore, I would wish to have a doctor who knows both worlds: he or she would know what mainstream medicine recommends, but would also be an expert on non-invasive, natural techniques, and would have the experience to know when to employ each sort of treatment for the maximum benefit of the patient. Therefore, when searching for the right physician for yourself or a loved one, do not hesitate to ask the physician about his or her credentials in both areas.
2) If you do decide to accept treatments such as chemo- or radiation therapy, you should first try certain natural methods (as outlined later in this chapter), for at least a month or two. Then, get tested once again: if the cancer has regressed at least somewhat, you may well be on the right path: keep going with the natural treatment, and see if that isn’t really all you’ll need. If, however, after a couple of months of serious dedication to the natural plan, the cancer has worsened, then you can always consider invasive methods – but you should do so only after seeing proof that a method such as chemotherapy actually does contribute to five-year survival rates for the type of cancer that is afflicting you. (As we saw in an earlier chapter, it contributes nothing whatsoever to lengthening lives for at least nine types of cancer – even though many doctors recommend, and use it, for those very types: activity that is, in my view, bordering on the criminal.)
3) While you are doing your own research on cancer treatment, you will probablyrun across the opinion that vitamins and minerals should not be taken during chemo, since they might interfere with its effectiveness. Thus – and highly ironically, in my view – an oncologist, when asked, might say that the patient should stop taking vitamin supplements. I say that this is ironic, because (for example) vitamin C strengthens the immune system, and since the immune system is designed to fight off “invaders”, then by taking vitamin C, your immune system is fortified, which might lead to it doing all it can to render the poisonous chemo drugs ineffective.
But is it really the case that vitamins should not be taken during chemo? I quote from an article entitled: “Vitamin and Mineral Supplements during Cancer treatment”
“A 2007 review of studies from 1966 to 2007 found no evidence that antioxidant supplements interfered with chemotherapy, and some researchers believe that antioxidants may help to protect normal cells without interfering with the effectiveness of cancer therapy. This review included studies using glutathione, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, ellagic acid, selenium, and beta-carotene and concluded that antioxidants may improve tumor response to treatment and survival rates, in addition to aiding patients' tolerance to treatment. Another systematic review of 33 studies found evidence that using antioxidants with chemotherapy resulted in less toxicity, which in turn allowed people to complete full doses of therapy.”
There are two common views with respect to the use of vitamins during chemotherapy, and these views diverge all the more where mega-doses of vitamins are concerned:
a) The opinion that vitamins and minerals should not be taken during chemotherapy treatment.
b) The opinion that yes, they should be taken, since they minimize the negative effects of chemo, without hindering its effectiveness.
Note that this is not simply a question of “mainstream versus alternative physicians”: each of the above-mentioned views are held by many members of the mainstream medical community. (Of course, practically all alternative physicians not only recommend the use of vitamins − even in very high doses – but would more often than not suggest that chemo not be used at all.)
If you have cancer, have decided to resort to chemo, and wish to know whether or not you should also take vitamin and mineral supplements, please do not simply abandon the use of such supplements because your oncologist told you to do so. Instead, ask that oncologist whether he or she is a nutritional expert, and has been trained in the benefits of vitamin and mineral supplements. If the answer is “no” (which it most probably will be), then I suggest you change doctors fast! It is namely all-too-easy for doctors to say “Don’t do this or that”. Yet if they say such a thing, they had better be absolutely certain that their command makes sense. In our context, if a doctor tells a patient who has decided on chemo to stop taking vitamins and minerals, that physician may be robbing his patient of his last hope of strengthening his immune system, or at least of protecting it somewhat from the pernicious effects of chemo.
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I would now like to include the full text of a short eBook that I wrote for my father-in-law when he was diagnosed with cancer of the liver, and was considering beginning chemotherapy. At that point, he felt weak, but really didn’t look too bad at all, though the diagnosis had been given about six months earlier, and the cancer had doubtlessly developed much earlier than that. Unfortunately, he decided to resort to chemo: a mere three months of such “treatment”, and he looked like he was at death’s door. At that point, the doctor stopped chemo (which of course he most likely never should have administered in the first place). My father-in law, his immune system practically destroyed by the chemo, held on another four months before finally succumbing.
Naturally, I have often asked myself how long he would have lived had he not trusted chemotherapy; if instead, he had done everything possible to strengthen his immune system, beginning with the recommendations that I gave him in the eBook I wrote for him. Of course, there’s no way of knowing this. Nonetheless, since the chemo did not help, it could only (and very obviously did) hurt. Therefore, it is quite logical to assume that if he had not used chemo, and had instead strengthened his system by natural means, he almost certainly would have lived longer than he did – and possibly, may even have been cured.
If you have any doubts about anything you are about to read, do not hesitate to ask your doctor. However, make sure that that doctor is one trained in alternative as well as “standard” medicine. Why? Because I can tell you for a fact that many mainstream doctors will reject, without even seriously considering, suggestions such as taking larger doses of vitamins, and they will do so without having been thoroughly trained in nutrition. Therefore, you need the advice of a physician that is both “mainstream” and “alternative”, for such doctors do have extensive knowledge about nutrition, the efficacy of vitamins and minerals for certain conditions, etc.
I readily confess that my recommendations no doubt could have been better, had I had more time to research. As it was, my father-in-law was going to start chemo within a week or two, and I felt I should show him that there were other possibilities as quickly as I could.
Once again: before starting with such a plan, you should first make an appointment with a naturopathic physician, show him/her a printout of this plan, and ask if, in your specific case, it is fine as it is, or whether certain modifications should be made to suit your particular circumstances.
With that being said, here is the full text of the book I wrote for Nobuo-san, the kindly gentleman whom I was privileged to know as my father-in-law…