Alternative Cancer Treatment Folklore

[Guest guest]

This was to have been included in the list of

causes of failures in alternative cancer

treatments, but as I wanted to add an additional

comment I am posting it separately.

Alternative Cancer Treatment Folklore. A lay

literature search of alternative cancer

treatments includes a plethora of stories of

those who experienced fantastic results doing

treatments that most would consider

outlandish. These include those who consume

extremely large amounts of aspartame, stevia,

flax seed oil, rosemary, selenium, and any number

of herbs, and vitamin or mineral supplements –

often in toxic amounts. These stories are

usually unverifiable, and even if they were, they

may have been used by only a single

individual. To try these things on oneself can

be seen as desperate and foolhardy.

Nonetheless, it is easy to understand the

attractiveness for the worried patient. So, if

attempted, there are ways to minimize risks.

* Decide in advance how much time one is

willing to give to such a therapy – three weeks? Two months?

* Determine in advance how results will be

assessed. It is very important that one gets a

coherent picture using a variety of objective and subjective measures.

* Never use unrelated extreme regimens

concurrently. If the treatment does have some

merit we rarely know the true mechanism(s) of

action. Using additional extreme stressors

concurrently is likely to nullify any advantage.

* Use the time of the trial to work on follow up Plan B and Plan C.

* Before trying an extreme regimen ask

around the alternative cancer forums to find

others who have experience with such a

regimen. Don’t lose sight of the fact that

others who have tried the treatment might no

longer be around to answer questions.