| It is devastating for someone to be told that | | | | turned away. |
| medicine has run out of options and there is no more | | | | What is really sad is that this doctor is one who |
| treatment that can be offered. Some patients adapt | | | | believes he is open to research, open to alternatives |
| to what they consider the inevitable. However some | | | | and there to meet the needs of his patients. |
| people fight tooth and nail to have a longer period of | | | | To be fair, there is a huge amount of research out |
| time before they die. They want to explore every | | | | there. It is impossible for one person to stay up to |
| option. Is this realistic? Are there any cancer | | | | date in regards to every aspect of medicine. This is |
| remedies or natural cancer treatments that have | | | | even more difficult for the family physician or general |
| been shown to work? | | | | practitioner who must cover all disciplines. Most of |
| The official medical answer to that is, no, or medicine | | | | them make do with the guidelines given to them by |
| would be using them. However it has to be | | | | governments and drug companies. |
| acknowledged that there are some people who, | | | | There is also the huge impact of the pharmaceutical |
| despite their medical prognosis, do much better than | | | | companies who provide instant answers to dealing |
| expected, and most medical people have no idea | | | | with the patient in the consultation. If the patient can |
| why that is. Much research has been done but few | | | | leave the surgery with a prescription, in very many |
| doctors know of it and even fewer believe that it is | | | | cases, both practitioner and patient are happy. |
| their role to tell patients about it. | | | | A great many when faced with matters of severe |
| I was talking to a medical professor about the | | | | illness need to trust their doctor and just accept |
| research which showed that cancer patients who | | | | what they are told. |
| exercised did much better, on average than those | | | | However there are a group who remember the few |
| who didn't exercise and about other research which | | | | that do much better than expected and the cases of |
| showed that psychological stresses lead to reduced | | | | miracles they hear about in their religious tradition and |
| immune function. He knew the research existed, but | | | | on the TV. Many of these want to know, in detail, |
| did not believe it was his role to tell people how to | | | | everything possible which might improve their |
| live their lives and so was very vague about the | | | | outcomes. Sadly few medical professionals can tell |
| results. | | | | them. |
| When asked whether a woman with breast cancer | | | | But now with the internet and the huge amount of |
| would want to know that if she undertook three | | | | information online it is possible for people who need |
| hours of moderate exercise a week she might cut | | | | to know to find out what they can do to improve |
| the chance of future cancer problems in half, he just | | | | their chances of recovery. I do offer a word of |
| shrugged his shoulders. It was the same when asked | | | | warning. It is not likely that there is just one herb, or |
| if someone with high blood pressure might like to | | | | highland berry, or magical elixir which will make the |
| know that good social support helps regulate their | | | | difference in terminal disease. It is much more likely |
| cardiovascular system. He made some comment | | | | that your cancer remedy will be a mixture of a |
| about such research coming up in the year 3 medical | | | | healing diet, exercise, good self care, a useful |
| curriculum but there was no emphasis on it | | | | psychology, social support and a connection to nature |
| thereafter. It wasn't his role to go into the | | | | and place. |
| psychosocial mire of people's lives. | | | | The fact that some people do much better than |
| It was similar when we talked about diet. When | | | | expected indicates that there is a physiological |
| presented with evidence that some foods can | | | | process by which cancers can regress and |
| reduce the damage done by sunlight (hence a skin | | | | sometimes disappear altogether. So do keep hope |
| cancer preventive), other foods which reduced the | | | | alive and in the meantime explore what improves |
| chance of mutation damage, nutrients which helped | | | | your quality of life. As one of the survivors in my |
| the body attack the cancer cells, he drew himself up | | | | research said, "Quality, quality, make every second |
| to his full height and said, "I very much doubt it." He | | | | count. |