Guest guest Posted August 26, 2004 Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 Watch out for those dangerous vitamins, minerals and herbs!!!! But those chemical pills?.... why they are downright good for ya. From the...We can make the people believe anything dept. F. http://campaignfortruth.com/Eclub/240804/CTM%20-%20deadly%20hazards%20of%20cance\ r%20cure.htm The Deadly Hazards of Cancer-Cure by Sam Lister An investigation is being urged of online sites that offer treatments with no scientific backing. Thousands of cancer patients are risking their health by following the advice of alternative therapy websites that promote bogus cures, a leading expert in complimentary medicine said yesterday. Edzard Ernst, Britain's only professor of complementary medicine, who is based at the University of Exeter, called for Government guidance to steer patients away from treatments promoted on the internet that were not supported by a " shred of evidence " . He said that in some cases patients were hastening their own deaths by rejecting conventional treatment. In a study of 32 of the most popular alternative and complimentary therapy websites, which attract tens of thousands of visitors every day, researchers found dozens of so-called remedies that are promoted as curing or preventing cancer, including shark cartilage, coffee enemas, mistletoe and apricot extracts. But none of the treatments and approaches promoted online had been shown definitively to cure or prevent the disease, Prof Ernst said. He and Katja Schmidt, the co-author of the study report, found that in 3 per cent of cases the websites actively discouraged patients from using conventional cancer treatments, and 16 per cent did the same indirectly through information they provided. One British-based website was judged to be offering advice where definite harm was conceivable, while two American sites were also categorized as potentially harmful. Another six of the sites were considered to be of some conceivable harm to cancer patients. " This was, to us, quite an eye-opener and pretty scary stuff, " Professor Ernst said. " We found that between these 30-odd sites, 118 different cancer 'cures' were recommended, complementary treatment that claimed to be able to cure cancer. Not everything that is natural is risk-free. People should use their common sense and think twice about the motives of these websites. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You cannot believe ridiculous promises and claims. " He said that a further 59 preventive treatments were recommended, but again there was no evidence that any of them worked. Two prime examples were shark cartilage and laetrile, which is made from apricot stones. In the first case, the demand for ground up shark fins has brought two species of shark close to extinction, Professor Ernst said. Yet there was no evidence that it helped to cure patients. An estimated 40,000 complimentary therapists, registered and unregistered, are thought to be practising in the UK, and about a quarter of the British population is believed to use a complimentary treatment in any given year. In the US, the figure is 60 per cent and in Germany, as high as 75 per cent. " If you take patient populations, these figures can be very close to 100 per cent, " Professor Ernst said. A recent survey showed that one in five patients took herbal remedies without their GP's knowledge. Ten per cent of patients were found to be taking both warfarin, a prescription medication for thinning the blood, and a herbal therapy known to react dangerously with that drug. Professor Ernst said that many doctors were woefully ignorant about the potential risks of complementary treatments, especially with regard to their interaction with conventional medicines. He said pharmacists also need better training. The Professor, who has run the Complementary Medicine Peninsular Medical School for ten years, said that in that time a handful of complementary therapies had been shown scientifically to be beneficial. Examples include ginko biloba, which delayed the progression of senile dementia; hawthorn, which could help patients with congestive heart failure; garlic, which lowered cholesterol levels; feverfew, which helped to prevent migraine attacks; and peppermint, which reduced symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Last night, George Georgiou, a herbal therapist from St Albans, rejected Professor Ernst's claims. He said that his website, which has more than 40,000 visits a month, had never received any serious complaints from users. " Why are we not shouting about the side-effects of some conventional medications which can be huge killers? " he said. " Why would all these people be buying these products if they were not working? The fact is, we are living in a democracy, and people have the right to choose. " The Department of Health said that the regulation of complementary medicine and advice on good practice remained a continuing concern. Proposals for the statutory regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture practitioners were published in March, and results from consultations are still being assessed. Times (UK), 3rd August 2004 PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: Well, folks, here he is again, Edzard Ernst, Britain's only 'Professor of Complementary Medicine', who spends most of his days rubbishing complementary medicine on behalf of his string-pullers. The only way the drug industry can end the threat to its profits is by casting doubt and accusation against unpatented medicine, predictably resorting to a 'complementary medicine professor' who unbelievably declares that all alternative remedies are quackery, for by definition, if they worked, they would be used in orthodox medicine. But, you all know the script. Edzard Ernst is rightly declared a menace to public health, but he is getting the column inches. The UK Times, which published the above, would like to hear from everyone about this issue. What do you think about Edzard Ernst? Should medicine be left to the health professionals? Drop 'em a line. If you are not sure about the controversy surrounding medicine's failure to combat cancer with radiation and drugs (and many other diseases for that matter), pick up a book from our book-store and have a browse through the previous EClub articles we have published on the subject. Further Resources: Cancer: Why We're Still Dying to Know the Truth by Phillip Day Wake up to Health in the 21st Century by Steven Ransom Click here to purchase or review any of the above. Click here for telephone sales around the world. Click here if you wish to contact Credence for information on treatment options or resources. Previous Articles: CANCER: WHO CAN WE TRUST? Is the medical establishment 'winning the war on cancer?' How safe are alternative treatments compared to chemo and radiation? Can we trust the information about cancer we are given in the media? THE CANCER CHARITIES: Steven Ransom presents an in-depth look inside the cancer charities and big drug companies and unravels a littany of vested interests and manipulation of information. CHEMO(TOXICO)THERAPY: A candid view of this commonly prescribed treatment and the harsh fact of expert and subtle manipulation behind the oft-quoted 'success' statistics. CANCER: An excerpt from Phillip Day's ABC's of Disease. MAMMOGRAPHY - MORE PROBLEMS: The false positive rate of mammograms, those patients without cancer but with a positive finding on testing, turns out to be another problem. Only one biopsy in six was found to be positive for cancer when done on the basis of a positive mammogram or breast examination. THE NITRILOSIDES IN PLANTS AND ANIMALS: Ernst T Krebs Jr. discusses the active, anti-cancer role of the Vitamin B17 nitrilosides in the plant and animal kingdoms. DEATH BY MEDICINE: A group of researchers meticulously reviewed the statistical evidence and their findings are absolutely shocking. The result is a paper entitled " Death by Medicine " that presents compelling evidence that today's (medical) system frequently causes more harm than good. IS LAETRILE (B17) USELESS? A collection of documented case studies showing results of cancer treatment using B17 in response to recent claims in the media that it is useless. MORE PROBLEMS WITH CHEMO AND RADIOTHERAPY: An excerpt from B17 Metabolic Therapy detailing the common perceptions of cancer and conventional treatments vs the reality of the situation. CANCER THE NEW APPROACH: A look at some of the doctors who took a different view of the probable causes of cancer and their experiences using B17 metabolic therapy to treat their patients. BREAST CANCER DRUG THAT RAISES SURVIVAL RATES BY A THIRD: Once again a bright and rosy picture is painted and a new drug hailed a success. However, perhaps we should read the 'fine print' before opening the bubbly. THE REAL HEALTH SCARE: Recently the UK's Daily Telegraph published an Opinion entitled 'The Real Health Scare', wherein alternative approaches to disease were given the usual panning. Here, one CTM member certainly felt the newspaper had simply gone a pill too far. CANCER BOY'S PARENTS WIN 'AMPUTATION' FIGHT: A couple who lost custody of their young son to social services after insisting that his bone cancer was treated using alternative medicine last week won a lengthy legal battle to get him back. MEDICINE OR CHEMICAL WARFARE? Author Steve Ransom discusses the horrors of gas weapons used in the two world wars and the alarming parallels to modern chemotherapy. OUR HEREDITARY SUBMISSIVE ATTITUDE? A discussion into the mental state of the newly diagnosed cancer patient, the rush to conventional treatment, and the phenomenon of our unquestioning submission. THE MERCHANTS: In this excerpt from Great News on Cancer in the 21st Century, Steve Ransom unveils the ties between the pharmaceutical industry and governing bodies as well as the industry's stranglehold on medical academia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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