Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Americans. It claims more than 550,000 lives in the United States each year. 1.4 million people are diagnosed with it annually in our country alone. Many of these patients must then endure radiation, chemotherapy, and an entire cocktail of drugs each day which makes them feel incapable of doing much of the activities they are used to performing on a daily basis. It has plagued humanity since ancient times. We find evidence of it from the moment humans invented forms of writing. Fossilized tumors can be found in Egyptian tombs. It has been studied by scientists since the time of the Ancient Greeks when it first got its name. Doctors began performing autopsies on deceased cancer patients during the Renaissance to better understand the way tumors spread and what their causes might be. Operations have been performed to remove tumors for the past 300 years, and Oncology became its own specialized science in the 19th century. Yet we still don't have a cure?
How is it that we can send a man to the moon, use voice commands on telephones to call anyone in the world, have our cars give us directions, and blow out birthday candles on our iPad but we can't solve this basic problem? We have to be doing something wrong. With all the money we donate to research each year we should have a more clear cut solution by now. Right?!
There is an old story in my family about a wise man named Adeline. Members of my family first met him in post-WWII Paris. My great aunt's youngest son Jean had died of cancer during the war, partly because there was no way to get him the medication needed to stop the cancer, and also because the medical technology we have now simply did not exist yet. The poor boy was 13 and died in tremendous pain. To this day it remains a very soft spot with our older family members. Tears come to their eyes when they speak his name. Each boy born after him has the name Jean as either a first or middle name. Part of what infuriated my family the most was that after they met Adeline and heard his theories, they felt that his death could have been easily prevented.
Adeline maintained that with a diet of only green raw foods and continual cleansing of the body, the cancer would stop spreading. While at first this sounded like hocus pocus he soon began treating members of my family who had cancer. My young uncle, my great uncles and aunts. They were all plagued at some point with a malignant growth and Adeline was able to stop it in its tracks. He convinced all of the men to stop smoking long before it became understood that smoking was a leading cause of cancer. After years of research Adeline went to the greater scientific community to present his theories and research. At first they would not accept it because he was not an Oncologist. Then once his theories drew more attention he began getting death threats. When he asked one of the heads of research at a cancer institute in France why they didn't want him to help cure people he said, "Do you know how many people would lose their jobs if it were that simple? We can't make it that simple!" Adeline was disgusted with the scientific community and unfortunately, after his death, his son was too afraid to continue his father's research.
Whether Adeline was right or wrong, it does raise the question...
Is there only one way to treat cancer?
Before I tackle this question I should fully explain the general treatments performed on patients today to cure cancer.
Currently, if a malignant growth is found the doctors will first see if it is possible to remove it by surgery alone. If this is not possible or the cancer has spread more than was originally thought the patient is forced to begin radiation treatment and chemotherapy. The National Cancer Institute lists the side affects of radiation therapy as fatigue, skin changes, mouth problems, swelling, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, trouble swallowing, and urinary issues. Chemotherapy also includes all of these side effects plus everything from hair and weight loss to taste changes and hearing loss. The complete side effects of chemo can be found at www.chemocare.com/managing . Chemotherapy is effective because it prevents cancer cells from producing.
The good part of chemo is it kills the bad cells.
The bad part of chemo is it also kills the good cells.
For in essence, it is made of poison.
I know it sounds like I am completely against radiation and chemotherapy, but I am not. I simply do not think it should be the only option for patients. A dear family member of mine currently has stage four cancer and the nurse handed him a piece of paper with two options on it. The first was chemo. The second was the Gerson Method. "The cancer doesn't kill our patients the chemo does," he told them. "They come in here looking uncomfortable and worried, but once the chemo sets in they come out of here looking like death."
And honestly, this is not something I have a hard time believing. My favorite professor died from side effects from her chemo after she had supposedly gotten better. A close friend passed away not from the cancer but from the pneumonia she caught during treatment because the chemo had weakened her immune system to such a degree that she could no longer defend herself against airborn diseases.
There are plenty of conspiracy theorists out there who will tell you that the reason chemo remains the number one treatment is because it rakes in the most money. I have no doubt that this is in some ways true. However, I don't believe that most doctors have that greedy idea in mind. I truly believe most oncologists want the best for their patients and as far as they know, chemo is that person's best chance at life. This is why when someone comes up to them and says "I know I have stage four lymphoma but I wanna try this the natural way," they flip out.
All I am saying is perhaps cancer patients should be given more options. It is in fact their choice and not the doctor's. I am not saying however that we should all do the Jim Henson and "see what happens."
If you are a cancer patient or know someone who is I am not telling you what treatment to get. What I am telling you to do is DO YOUR RESEARCH! Do not let yourself be pushed around by your doctor. Perhaps try to find an oncologist who is more open minded and has a good success rate. Do not forget that you are in charge of your body and what you put in it, not your insurance company.
Below are some helpful links.
As usual I hope this helps and I hoped you learned something new.
XO,
MIMI <3
http://optimal-health.org/ - this website may seem like nothing much but this center performs miracles <3>
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