ALTERNATIVE CANCER TREATMENTS: CAUSES OF FAILURE

[Guest guest]

Good food for thought. Posted at cancercure group

(cancercure) . . .

 

Posted by: " VGammill " vgammill

Tue Mar 16, 2010 9:45 am (PDT)

 

ALTERNATIVE CANCER TREATMENTS:

CAUSES OF FAILURE (updated 3/16/10)

(Compiled from Gammill's CSNO seminars)

 

The central purpose of the Center for the

Study of Natural Oncology, a California

not-for-profit corporation, is to help cancer patients find the most

effective, yet non-toxic, cancer therapies that are available within

their resources and then assist in obtaining and commencing therapies.

We have no standardized

protocols, nor do we sell any product or

service. We have extensive informational

resources and we help clarify all issues pertaining to therapeutic

choices.

 

There is a wide range of effectiveness in

the hundreds of alternative strategies and

thousands of supplements. The purpose of this discussion is not to

advocate nor denigrate any treatment. Instead, this is a survey of the

very human factors that can undermine even the best alternative cancer

treatments. Many of these

reflections will equally apply to conventional cancer therapies.

 

1. Money Management. There are usually many paths to success in cancer

treatment. The smartest choices are rarely the most expensive choices.

Don't overspend. Often a number of strategies must be tried before the

right one is

found. Set aside funds to allow for

this. Likewise, don't underspend. Most people try to accrue assets for a

rainy day. A cancer diagnosis is that rainy day. Raise funds for cancer

treatment as quickly as possible in case they are truly needed, but no

cancer has ever been cured by simply throwing money at it.

 

2. Silly Syllogisms. Examples: Cancer

loves sugar. Carrots contain sugar. Therefore, don't eat carrots.

Another example: Cancer requires iron. Beets contain iron. Therefore,

don't eat beets.

 

What is wrong with this logic?

 

First, it ignores contrary clinical

evidence. Second, simple syllogisms are not useful tools when analyzing

complex systems containing homeostatic cybernetic loops.

 

3. Profit. Granting treatment decisions to

those who have motives that cater more to their own welfare rather than

your welfare. The whole medical treatment paradigm is predicated on the

quest for profit.

 

4. Unuseful Clinicians . Granting treatment decisions to those whose

skills are inadequate for the task. Keep in mind that 50% of all

physicians graduated in the bottom half of their class. Overlay that

with the inexperienced, the rigidly indoctrinated old guard, and those

that

are too fearful to try any therapy that didn't come through, what they

consider, proper channels.

 

5. Biases. Examples would be patient biases (e.g., all natural, no

needles, mustn't hurt), physician biases (e.g., casual dismissal of

anything a patient finds on the internet), cultural biases (e.g.,

nothing derived from pork, must be alkaline).

 

Biases are like opinions: they might be correct and useful, but there is

scant evidentiary foundation and that is why it

is a bias. Your job is to identify biases and then consciously decide

whether to retain them or chuck them.

 

6. Scientistic Marketing. There are tens of thousands of medicines,

supplements, herbs, and therapies that are available to cancer patients.

Their promoters bathe them in glory. You are rarely informed of their

limitations. Most will have skewed science, a fanciful history, cheerful

testimonials, and weasel-worded assurances to support sales.

" Scientistic " is not " Scientific. " Real science doesn't describe cancer

cells as " exploding " nor tumors as " melting away. "

 

7. Ideological Purity. A true believer of

any simplistic theory will reflexively close the door to any treatment

or theory deigned heretical. Examples of theories that often ignore the

larger picture would be trophoblastic theory, candida origin, stealth

viruses, pleomorphic bacteria, mycoplasma, liver parasites, acid pH,

oncogenes, emotional trauma,

hypoxic tissues, local inflammation, nutritional distortions,

frankenfoods, and environmental pollution. The human mind is greatly

discomforted by no explanation and is annoyed by complex explanations,

but plenary explanations can be quite satisfying.

 

8. Too Simple Fixes. All too often patients drop their critical guard

when it comes to the acceptance of suggestions from well-meaning and

genuinely sincere friends. It is easy to think that the suggestions may

be innocuous, but

occasionally these can undermine more considered therapies. If a simple

fixes such as baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, homeopathy, or zeolite

cured cancer then it would soon become a historical disease.

For a lucky few a fervent belief in a simple fix may greatly reduce

cortisol levels thus allowing the body to heal naturally.

 

9. Impatience. What is essentially an

immature indulgence has become the norm in our modern time-is-money rat

race of a culture. It leads to a loss of making subtle observations, a

lack of finesse in steering the course of a

treatment, and then a manic flitting from therapy to therapy.

 

10. Unrelenting Stress. Some stress is

good. It keeps us on our toes and even helps us grow brain cells, but

non-stop stress is a merciless killer. One must routinely self examine

to determine if fruitless stress is taking too dominant of a role in

one's life.

 

11. Mixed Psychological Intention. Everyone consciously wants to get

well, but there are often influential naysayers doing a little back-seat

driving from the netherconscious regions of the mind. It should be

suspected in patients who find fault with every proposed treatment no

matter how benign, and in those

patients who consistently forget to take their meds.

 

12. Fighting Nature. Every med that produces a seemingly desirable

effect also affects many other pathways and quietly contributes to the

lessening of effectiveness of nature's default

healing pathways. Parsimony in prescribing has faded from the healer's

lexicon.

 

13. Conflicts in Mechanisms of Action. This is far more common than one

might think. An example would be the use of stroma-digesting enzymes

along with matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors. It is very common that

effective cancer medications often become far less

effective when combined, thus the importance of clinical trials.

 

14. Secondary Benefits. This is most

uncomfortable for most cancer patients to think about. It is human

nature to enjoy or even expect the sympathy, attention, and even

pampering that is often bestowed on cancer patients. For many this is

hard to give up. It is attractive enough that there are cases of people

who have feigned cancer just for the attention, the donations, and the

opportunity to turn their friends into a coterie of servants.

 

15. Inexperience With Cancer. Few cancer patients realize how quickly

their condition can become acute. Inexperience with cancer has patients

making treatment decisions too quickly or too slowly. Either way it

lessens the chance of a favorable outcome. As soon as you know the

stage and grade you should determine how much time you have to make

smart treatment decisions.

 

16. Emotional Distracters. Go ahead and

squander energy on blame, bitterness, fear, revenge, guilt, etc., and

see how long you last. The same goes for argumentativeness in personal

relationships.

 

17. Quality of Life. Poor QOL is a killer. Give serious consideration to

QOL

consequences of treatment options. A pyrrhic victory is no victory.

 

18. Rationalization of Bad

Habits. Self-discipline is a common trait of winners. Some patients have

little

self-discipline. The job of the practitioner is to find a protocol that

is doable for the

patient. Most cancer patients will lie about their weaknesses, so the

cautious practitioner works around this reality. Say, for example: " I

have cancer diets that can include sugar. I prefer those that exclude

it. What is your preference? " This invites candor.

 

Among the worst patients are those who pride themselves on their

discipline. Example: " You just tell me what to do, Doc, and I'll follow

it to a T. I am the world's best patient. " Do you see what just

happened? The patient just abdicated all personal responsibility and

made you the fall guy in case his expectations are not met. This is why

the effective practitioner always, always, sets up the relationship as a

partnership.

 

19. Over Reliance on a Therapy. If a therapy is not working it is not

working. The prestige of the institution or the physician, the past

financial investment, the desire not to offend or disappoint the doc are

all invalid reasons to continue with a therapy that is not working.

 

20. Therapy Fixation. Too often a person

becomes overly focused on obtaining a single therapy. Once a person

called me and desperately asked, " Where can I get Laetrile? Only

Laetrile can save my mother! " People who think this way

will overlook other therapies that might work much better.

 

21. The " Cure " Word. Few words are better at clouding judgment in a

desperate cancer patient. Few words are more effective at separating a

person from his money. Few words are more certain to disappoint. It is

human nature to be seduced by treatments that claim to

cure. One must always examine the evidence with a critical eye.

 

22. Driving Blind. It is well known that

ionizing radiation is mutagenic. It is amazing though how often we at

the cancer retreat center hear program participants tell us that they

have

no idea if their treatments are working as they fear diagnostic x-rays,

PET-CTs, etc. They do not stop to consider that the evidence of the harm

is statistical. That is, there is evidence that there is a demonstrable

statistical risk of getting cancer years from now. For so many of

these patients I can only say: if they can only be so lucky. These

diagnostic tools can be a major factor in selecting treatments or in

discontinuing treatments. There are often other ways to get much of the

same information and you can inquire about this, but don't automatically

rule out conventional assessment tools.

 

23. Burning Bridges. All too often a patient will say things to a

physician that will make him/her back away. Sometimes a patient may want

this, but it is usually a mistake. Negative or cautionary comments might

find their way into the

patient's chart and this will put other

physicians on guard. There are times when you need a physician to do you

a favor such as a blood test or a prescription. It is good to nurture

your relationships with any and all healthcare providers.

 

24. Proprietary formulations. The euphemism " proprietary " in this

context means the purveyor is more interested in protecting profits than

in helping patients. Proprietary on the label also means that purchasers

implicitly accept faith-based medicine. Their faith is in the integrity

of the marketeers and the skills of

formulators who operate in secrecy.

 

25. Heaven Bound. For those of a strong

religious faith, the existence of an afterlife is just as real as our

familiar physical

world. Sometimes that faith can help shepherd a patient through rough

patches, but at other times it does quite the opposite. When each

passing day brings only increasing misery and decreasing

financial resources, throwing in the towel can be quite attractive.

" Transition " offers eternal peace, a homecoming with family and friends

who are gone, communion with angels and saints, and the presence of the

Almighty. Most religious

faiths have equivalent life-after-death

teachings. It is very difficult to help such a patient because of their

tendency to rationalize away their obligations.

 

26. Treatment Consensus. " Alternative " cancer treatment is a catch-all

phrase for everything that is unconventional. Proponents of the many

therapies are often very opinionated and there

can be strong disagreements among

practitioners. If a cancer patient has a number of holistic/alternative

advisors, it can be very disconcerting that there are few core

agreements. They will disagree over muscle testing, homeopathy,

marijuana, meridians, diet, and if prescription meds should be allowed.

Any

patient who waits for agreement among his therapists will eventually

watch the clock wind down. Keep in mind that the practitioner MUST

advise something different from other practitioners so he won't be seen

as a totally unnecessary co-signer.

 

27. Testimonials. You can be sure that the purveyor carefully selects

any testimonials used in advertising. The deceased, of course, are

unavailable to tell their side of the story. Testimonials can be useful

if YOU are the one who tracks down several patient-consumers. You can

ask the one question that never seems to get asked, " What else were you

using? "

 

28. Lower Wattage Patients and Advisors. At least once a year I hear

some version of, " My holistic practitioner muscle tested me and said

that you can cure me! " It has always been our goal to put major

healthcare decisions in the hands of those who would benefit or be

harmed by

those decisions, that is, the patient. But how do we help those whose

critical thinking skills are so low that they are probably unteachable?

I am open to suggestions.

 

29. Anthropomorphizing Cancer. Cancer is not an intelligent foe. It is

all too easy to see the struggle against cancer in metaphorical terms

that ascribe intelligence its behavior. The exchange of moves in ridding

the body of cancer

is usually characterized in the adversarial

language of the military, of sports, of chess, or of outsmarting a

clever rogue.

 

This is a lazy, but picturesque way of thinking. " The tumor has not yet

metastasized, but I think it is dodging

our bullets so we have to head it off at the pass. Lets just remove the

other breast while you are still under anesthesia. " To a great extent

productive thinking and successful communication must rely on metaphors,

so pick metaphors that bump up against the reality, e.g., " Your case is

very similar to several cases we had last year… "

 

Rather than envisioning cancer as having human attributes ( " Biopsies

just make cancers mad and then they really go on a rampage! " ) we are far

better served if we think of a tumor as a recapitulation of evolution.

It would be a very accelerated evolution because of its aneuploidy,

its genetic instability. Many/most cancer

cells within a tumor are reproductive

failures. Their effeteness make them easy targets for our immune system,

and their

pathological variances offer us attractive

targets for therapy. Those transformed cells that we can't so dispatch

will, through brute mitotic fervor within a hostile milieu, blindly and

mindless self-select their own path to impunity. This is possible

because of the massive numbers of cancer cells involved and the

fast speeded up mitosis. It is called survival of the fittest.

 

30. Egregious

Misdiagnosis/Mischaracterization. Most

alternative treatments are based on conventional diagnosis. If the

follow-up alternative treatment provider is a one-trick pony, for

example, " Alkalinize everyone! " then misdiagnosis doesn't really

matter.Both diagnostics and pathology are difficult sciences and it

behooves the cancer patient to always inquire exactly how the diagnosis

was

arrived at. Get copies of all pathology reports for later scrutiny. If a

treatment that should work, doesn't, then it would be a good time to

further confirmation of type, grade, and stage. Misdiagnosis and

erroneous assessment of progress are very, very common.

 

31. Abstractomancy. One of the most useful tools to track scientific

research is the perusal of Medline abstracts, but after you read tens of

thousands of abstracts you see a sameness about them: The science is

usually reductionistic to

the point of irrelevance, findings commonly conflict with those in other

abstracts, researchers never look outside their own indoctrinations, and

they kowtow to those who issue grants.

 

It is against this backdrop that patients,

practitioners, and marketers search for a novel idea that they just know

will give them a winning combination. Their incautious enthusiasm

quickly yields creative and superficially plausible

ideas. Coalesce a few puzzle pieces and you have a new potential cure

that would have patients become guinea pigs. It doesn't seem to matter

that this is a crazy quilt that gives equal weight to cell cultures and

to different animal

models. None of this hinders many practitioners from exercising their

dime-a-dozen theories on naïve patients, and then charge them for the

privilege.

 

I have listed many weaknesses in overall strategy that can undermine

one's chances to recover. There are many more that I will lay out in the

future, but this is a start. If anyone has any amendations or additions

that I can utilize, I will send you a free T-shirt that says, " I'm

smarter than Vincent ! "

 

(Excerpted from the Monday afternoon

seminar. As the Center for the Study of Natural Oncology, Inc. owns my

seminars, all rights are reserved.)