How shocked I was to read that he contracted acute leukemia as a result of the chemotherapy he had taken for lymphoma (which happens in 8% of cases)! That medication is accompanied by unpleasant side effects, is one thing; that the medication causes a virulent disease when being applied to cure a virulent disease, is outrageous. Similar to one of the side effects of antidepressants being suicidal thoughts. May Hashem spare us such cures and keep us well.
Many medical treatments and tests involve high risk of cancer. It is often a toss up of what needs to be done now as opposed to what could happen later.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time though, that we blame modern medicine for causing disease, we have to question whether or not our lifestyles put us at as much, if not more risk than that of medical procedures. For example, cured meats such as hot dogs, if served for supper once or twice a week, can put children at risk for leukemia. Barbecued meats, seared until well done at high temperatures, become carcinogenic. Deli products have been linked to pancreatic cancer, which does not have a high survival rate. Cigarette smoking raises the likelihood of a variety of cancers. Promiscuity also raises the risk of certain cancers. Farmers who are exposed to pesticides have higher rates of certain cancers. Women who work the night shift have a higher risk of breast cancer. People who are not careful about sunscreen and covering up when in the sun have a greater risk of skin cancers and melanomas. Tanning booths put them more at risk. Obesity is linked with greater risk of some cancers, as is a low fiber diet. Excessive use of alcoholic beverages raises the risk for certain cancers. Emotional stress can possibly play a role in the formation of cancer.
With lymphoma, there probably was not other effective treatment developed yet, except for that which increased the risk for leukemia. Obviously more medical research is needed. Unfortunately, the same amount of money is spent on unproven alternative treatments as is spent on valid medical research.
That something used to treat a disease, causes the very disease, seems very different to me than the examples you gave.
ReplyDeleteCancers can only be treated by substances toxic enough to kill them. At this point in history, those substances toxic enough to kill cancer cells also kill normal cells as well. It really is a catch 22, however, it is a matter of taking a risk on a later disease verses, allowing a known and current disease to run rampant in the body. Cancer treatments are based on odds. We accept certain odds in daily life such as the use of devices such as computers and cell phones that emit radiation. The odds of a current cancer overcoming a person if not treated are very high. I visited such a person last night and today, he is scheduled to be transferred to hospice.
ReplyDeleteChemotherapy and radiation is a gamble but the odds of surviving the current disease are low if the toxic treatment is not given.
I laugh at ads for alternative treatments that are billed as non-toxic. Cancerous tumors don't disappear by stimulating the immune system, while cancer cells in the early stages might disappear by stimulating the immune system. That is why there is current research for cancer vaccines. Most cancers can be in the body doing damage for a considerable period before showing symptoms. By the time that a cancer is diagnosed, those innocent, non-toxic, alternative cures have no chance at all of working. Visit quackwatch.com to see what kinds of hair brained alternatives that people try in order to avoid toxic modern medicine.
There is a reality out there of which I know of all too well; cancer is a dangerous, sneaky, hard to treat disease. It often requires dire measures to eradicate it from the body. Just leaving it alone will usually not result in as many happy birthdays as treating it, in most cases. Neither will treating it with unproven alternatives. It is a matter of playing the odds.
Are you not YET aware that the medical establishment in these united states comprise a ruthless mafia for over 100 years. Today doctors cannot "treat" cancer unles it's by surgery (cutting, mutilating), burning (radiation) or poisoning (chemotherapy) - all mostly useless modes of "treatment". There exist today real cures but will never be admitted for use in this country because the establishment will therefrom not make money.
ReplyDeleteThis - in a word - is what you must know before you glibly buy into anything medicine "teaches" you.
Rosie- you say, "Cancers can only be treated by substances toxic enough to kill them."
ReplyDeleteYour BODY can cure cancer if you give it a chance.
You can "laugh" at alternative therapies but that's because you know little about good alternative modes of therapy (or you belong to the "drug-pushing" culture and reap rewards therefrom).
Any person with a chronic degenerative disease cannot find CURES in "modern" medicine, because they want to replace Hashem that provided NATURAL CURES. Many of those, unfortunately, we know little of, but that ought to be the direction to take, rather than push patentable drugs that make the drug companies, and the people in government who are always bribed.
Here's something that should start to open your eyes if you still have so much faith in "modern" medicine:
http://hezbos.blogspot.com/2012/11/our-caring-government.html
Any "cure" usually results in someone making money. If a natural healer tries to cure something, he or she gets paid. Sometimes these healers charge large fees. I don't see that either group does it purely for compassion. There are less invasive methods coming out of Israel for treating cancer, for example, cryosurgery is now a less invasive way for dealing with localized breast cancer. Brachytherapy (radioactive seeds rather than whole breast radiation) is used with lumpectomy to clean up the margins in the tumor cavity without causing radiation induced side effects. Recently it was discovered (in America) that compressing breast tissue may halt tumor growth but that is not currently a reliable treatment. I knew of a woman who was in stage 4 who went to Europe for alternative treatments. They took plenty of her money and did not cure her. I honestly don't see saintly behavior on either side. I once saw an ad, years ago, in a Jewish magazine that was selling a soap that was claimed to have no carcinogenic ingredients. It sold for $100 a gallon.
ReplyDeleteSome cancers that are treated might never have caused harm while some treatments are deadly. There is no question that there are doctors out there who dupe people into harmful and expensive treatments. There is also the reality that some cancers are not curable no matter what approach is used. There are also those approaches that while they don't cure the cancer, they prolong life.
We must educate people about proper nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and environmental safety. There is also an element of genetics in regard to some cancers. New research is always coming out and it pays for anyone who is diagnosed with cancer to look into clinical trials and learn all they can about the newest theories and treatments.
In the vanguard, I would not have been able to sleep at night if I would have left the cancer in my body and tried "natural cures". I wanted to do at least something that I knew had a track record. I have also read of nutrition as a cure and various herbs and such but I hope that you never need to experiment on yourself.