Give The American Cancer Society A Break? Nope. Don't Think So....

[Guest guest]

This is a Message Exchange from another board:

 

First Message:

 

" I've been following the discussion on the American Cancer Society

> closely because, for many years, I also felt that the ACS has not

done a darn thing to help cancer victims.

> However, as far as Prostate Cancer is concerned they have put their

> power and money behind us. They actively support the Man to Man

> program throughout the United States, supplying postage, speakers,

> publicity and lots of help.

> They also have a program of training people to help and work with

> the wives of men who have passed away from prostate cancer.

> Give the devil its due.

>

> If you want to scream at anyone, try the medical societies.

> Isn't it strange that in all these years, not one cure for any

cancer

> has been found?

> Why should the drug firm's find a cure?

> They would have to stop selling their products.

> Only one's man opinion.

 

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The Reply:

 

Hi, Les.

 

First of all, with regard to " screaming " at " medical societies, " the

ACS works hand-in-glove with the American Medical Societies and with

the Big Drug Companies. There IS NO DIVISION between the three. Also,

be careful of your facts. Mainstream Medicine has in fact been able

to cure several cancers, even though the people they cure may suffer

secondary cancers, heart problems and other serious illnesses BECAUSE

of the treatment they get. Hodgkin's disease is curable using

chemotherapy. One form of testicular cancer is considered curable

using mainstream methods, and apparently acute lymphocitic leukemia

may be curable. But in general, yes, Mainstream Medicine has failed

miserably in its efforts to make cancer a curable dis-ease.

 

BUT AGAIN, LES, AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN---THE WAY TO

CURE CANCER IS NOT NOT NOT TO KEEP RESEARCHING CURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE WAY TO CURE CANCER IS TO FIND OUT WHAT REALLY CAUSES IT AND TO

PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THAT IS WHERE THE ACS, THE AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY AND THE GOVERMENT

HAVE CONSISTENTLY DRAGGED THEIR HEALS AND COVERED UP THE EVIDENCE.

 

It almost sounds like you are saying to give the American Cancer

Society a break. Let's look at several things, and let's know that I

am not " screaming " at them, just pointing out some things to anyone

naive enough to think they are worthy of giving money to:

 

First, here is the ACS's Mission Statement, verbatim:

 

" Mission Statement:

 

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based

voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a

major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives from cancer

and diminishing suffering from cancer through Research, Education and

Service. "

 

Next, here are a couple of paragraphs taken from the Brigham Young

Dana Farber web page. I have CAPITALIZED the " good " parts:

 

" What is Cancer?

 

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by either the runaway

growth of cells or the failure of cells to die normally. Often,

cancer cells spread to distant parts of the body, where they can form

new tumors. Cancer can arise in any organ of the body AND STRIKES ONE

OF EVERY TWO AMERICAN MEN AND ONE OF EVERY THREE AMERICAN WOMEN AT

SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES.

 

EACH YEAR, NEARLY 1.4 MILLION NEW CASES OF CANCER ARE DIAGNOSED IN

THE UNITED STATES, A FIGURE THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE 900,000 CASES

OF SKIN CANCER DIAGNOSED ANNUALLY. CANCER IS THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE

OF DEATH (after heart disease)IN THE UNITED STATES, ACCOUNTING FOR

560,000 DEATHS EVERY YEAR. "

 

 

Finally, here is a brief history of the American Cancer Society,

again with significant portions in CAPITAL LETTERS. Please note that

the organization was called " The American Society For The Control Of

Cancer " when it first began. I suppose that as greed, avarice, hunger

for power and money set in, the name changed to just, the big, fat,

do-nothing name, " The American Cancer Society. " Here we go:

 

 

" he American Cancer Society was founded in 1913 as the American

Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC)THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

WAS FOUNDED IN 1913 AS THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE CONTROL OF CANCER

by fifteen prominent physicians and business leaders in New York

City. It was one of the most remarkable moments in the history of

public health.

 

In those early days, cancer was rarely mentioned in public. The

disease was steeped in a climate of fear and denial. CANCER CLAIMED

75,000 LIVES A YEAR IN THE U.S. ALONE. The Society's founders knew

they had to bring cancer out of the closet if progress was to be

made. The number of doctors, nurses, patients and family members who

had to be reached was overwhelming. Despite the enormity of their

task, the founders and their colleagues set about writing articles

for popular magazines and professional journals, publishing Campaign

Notes, a monthly bulletin of cancer information, and recruiting

physicians throughout the country to help educate the public.

 

In 1936 Marjorie G. Illig, an ASCC field representative and chair of

the General Federation of Women's Clubs Committee on Public Health,

made an extraordinary suggestion. She proposed creating a legion of

new volunteers whose sole purpose was to wage war on cancer. The

Women's Field Army, as this organization came to be called, was an

enormous success. Its recruits donned khaki uniforms, complete with

insignia of rank and achievement, and went out into the streets to

raise money and help educate the public. Clarence Little, the ASCC's

managing director at the time, wrote that " In 1935 there were fifteen

thousand people active in cancer control throughout the United

States. At the close of 1938, there were ten times that number. " More

than anything else, it was the Women's Field Army that moved the

Society to the forefront of voluntary health organizations.

 

IN 1945, THE ASCC WAS REORGANIZED AS THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. It

was the beginning of a new era for the organization and, in many

ways, for the country as a whole. World War II was over, the single

greatest threat to modern democracy had been defeated, and the nation

could at last focus its attention on the enemy at home. Many believed

it was time for another bold move. In 1946 Mary Lasker and her

colleagues met this challenge, helping to raise over $4 million

dollars for the Society--$1 million of which was used to establish

and fund the Society's research program. With the aid and assistance

of dedicated volunteers like Lasker and Elmer Bobst, the Society's

research program quickly began to bear fruit. In 1947 the American

Cancer Society also began its public education campaign about the

signs and symptoms of cancer. They were termed " Cancer's Danger

Signals " . The original 7 danger signals were:

 

1. Any sore that does not heal.

2. A lump or thickening in the breast or elsewhere.

3. Unusual bleeding or discharge.

4. Any change in wart or mole.

5. Persistent indigestion or difficult swallowing.

6. Persistent hoarseness or cough.

7. Any change in normal bowel habits.

 

Ten years later, the order was rearranged putting the " unusual

bleeding or discharge " in the first place. The signals were retitled

and reworded slightly through the years, until the wording was

changed in 1969 to the acronym CAUTION. The first letter of each

sentence was lined up to spell CAUTION.

 

Change in bowel or bladder habits.

Asore that does not heal.

Unusual bleeding or discharge.

Thickening or lump in the breast or elsewhere.

Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing.

Obvious change in wart or mole.

Nagging cough or hoarseness.

 

The warning signals remained as above until their use was

discontinued in the early 1980's.

 

AROUND THE SAME TIME THE CANCER SIGNALS CAMPAIGN BEGAN, DR. SIDNEY

FARBER, ONE OF THE SOCIETY'S FIRST RESEARCH GRANTEES, HAD ACHIEVED

THE FIRST TEMPORARY CANCER REMISSION USING THE DRUG AMINOPTERIN, THUS

BEGINNING THE MODERN DAY ERA OF CHEMOTHERAPY FOR CANCER TREATMENT.

OVER THE YEARS, SCIENTISTS SUPPORTED BY THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

HAVE ESTABLISHED THE LINK BETWEEN CANCER AND SMOKING, DEMONSTRATED

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PAP SMEAR, DEVELOPED CANCER FIGHTING DRUGS

AND BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE MODIFIERS SUCH AS INTERFERON, DRAMATICALLY

INCREASED THE CURE RATE FOR CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA, PROVED THE SAFETY AND

EFFECTIVENESS OF MAMMOGRAPHY, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE. All told, the

Society has committed nearly $2.2 billion to research, funding 30

Nobel Prize winners, often early in their careers before they had

received recognition and monetary support for their work. (For a

listing of accomplishments, refer to the American Cancer Society

Accomplishments 1946 - 1999.)

 

Another historical point of interest is the use of the sword as a

symbol for the American Cancer Society. The sword had its origin in a

nationwide poster contest in 1928 sponsored by the national society,

then called American Society for the Control of Cancer, and the local

division, the New York City Cancer Committee. George E. Durant of

Brooklyn won the contest, receiving a first prize of $500. He

explained that he selected the sword to express the crusading spirit

of the cancer control movement. The twin-serpent caduceus, forming

the hilt, emphasizes the medical and scientific nature of the

Society's program. Classically, twined serpents represent healing of

the sick and creativity of the healthy. Since 1928, the American

Cancer Society has used the sword as its symbol AS IT CONTINUES TO

CHAMPION THE CAUSES OF CANCER PREVENTION, ELIMINATING SUFFERING FROM

CANCER AND SAVING LIVES. "

 

Okay, now, back to the ACS Mission Statement:

 

" The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based

voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a

major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives from cancer

and diminishing suffering from cancer through Research, Education and

Service. "

 

The population of this country is now about 294,000,000, some three

times what it was in 1913 when the ACS began. Meanwhile the number of

people diagnosed with cancer each year has gone up TEN times since

then. Today, ONE out of every TWO men and TWO out of every THREE

women can expect to be diagnosed with cancer at some time in their

lives! Even given the better diagnostics of today, those statistics

since the ACS was begun in 1913 are astounding.

 

There is so much more I could say, but I do not have much time. All I

can say is, OPEN UP YOUR EYES TO WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON!

 

For instance, in the paragraphs above, please notice that a Dr.

Farber is mentioned prominently by the ACS as having to do with the

first chemotherapy drug to bring a remission. Note also that the

biggest and best-known bone marrow transplant hospital is

CALLED " Dana Farber " Hospital. Is there a connection? You bet there

is!

 

The ACS is dug in so deeply with Mainstream Medicine and with the Big

Drug Companies that they will NEVER accomplish their mission.

 

Here is the ACS Mission Statement one last time:

 

" The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based

voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a

major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives from cancer

and diminishing suffering from cancer through Research, Education and

Service. "

 

They have HARDLY eliminated cancer in the 91 YEARS they have been in

existence.

 

They have done almost NOTHING to prevent cancer. They have

masqueraded EARLY DETECTION as " prevention. " Why? Because NOBODY

MAKES ANY MONEY from prevention!

 

Given their attitude, their tactics and their politics, it is safe to

say that there have probably been more lives LOST by the ACS than

saved.

 

And diminishing SUFFERING? Suffering Succotash! By suppressing

gentle, non-toxic alternative treatments, and by suppressing what

will truly prevent cancer, the ACS is responsible for TREMENDOUSLY

MORE suffering than it has ever prevented. Mainstream treatment for

cancer is ALL ABOUT suffering!

 

To sum up---the ACS, which may have been started with good

intentions, is today INDISTINGUISHABLE from the two groups from which

it is INSEPARABLE---the American Medical Society and Big Drug

Companies. Anyone seriously interested in alternative medicine, in

effective treatment of cancer and in prevention of cancer will have

nothing to do with the organization. Certainly they will not give

them one penny in contributions.

 

Adios,

 

Elliot