Frequently Asked Questions
This site was
set up to help patients find information about reliable
complementary and alternative medical modalities. Here are
a few guidelines that may help you in deciding where to
start with your quest.
Where do I start?
This depends on
where you are coming from! Each individual comes to this
search on how to deal with cancer with his or her own
preconceptions. Generally if you are the type who wants to
inform him or herself about the different treatment
options, whether orthodox modern medicine or CAM, you
should purchase a well-researched report from one of the
sites listed on the
Information
Services page.
If you are the type who wants others to guide you in a
controlled clinical setting, you might try the clinics
listed on the
Integrated
Clinics page
(although I should point out that there are many more
listed in the professional reports produced by
researchers listed on the
Information
Services page) or find
a local CAM practitioner you would like to work with.
There
are so many choices! How do I decide which CAM therapy to
use?
This again
depends on where you are coming from! If you are working
with an integrated CAM clinic they will advise you from
their own experience what they have found to work best.
If you are researching on your own, your decisions may be
based on what you are able to do given your circumstances
(complicated diets may not be an option for someone with no
support, supplements may be difficult to obtain from
abroad, therapies may only be available if you travel
abroad, etc.) Look at Ralph Moss's list of CAM
therapies as to what
seems to have clinical data supporting its use to help
you in making a decision. Often a synergistic approach,
in which you use a number of CAM therapies that you are
convinced about will work best. As I said on the home
page of this website: "an important part of the healing
process is that the patient be comfortable, and even
enthusiastic, about the therapeutic modalities they have
chosen."
Have
any of these CAM therapies cured cancer?
The short answer
is: Yes.
The longer answer is: that is the wrong question. In
homeopathy we say "There are no incurable diseases, only
incurable patients." There are so many factors in the
curing and healing of a patient that are particular to that
patient and not to the disease. And part of that has to
with the understanding of the difference between
healing and curing.
Then, we must understand that modern orthodox medicine
proceeds from a particular paradigm of thinking in which
its diagnostic and treatment procedures need measurable
outcomes. The much vaunted 'successes' in the war against
cancer are often pyrrhic victories as is clearly argued in
the article "Losing the War Against
Cancer." Some cancers
are treated "successfully" in modern orthodox medicine
but many have seen no changes in survival rates for the
past 30 years. The aim of this kind of treatment is to
cure the disease symptoms (tumor size) but not
necessarily the patient (strengthening immunity, for
example).
CAM modalities may have a more successful track record in
curing and healing some patients, and not others because
these modalities tend to look at the person and not the
disease symptoms only, which makes the process more complex
but also more meaningful for the patient.
Again, informing yourself as much as possible is the key to
choosing the right kind of therapy, or alternatively,
putting yourself in the hands of a person or clinic with a
proven track record of effective treatments.
Can you recommend anyone in Egypt who is experienced in
treating cancer?
Although there
are an increasing number of CAM practitioners in Egypt not
many have extensive experience in treating cancer patients.
There is a great need for an integrated cancer care center.
However, that does not mean that you cannot benefit from
treatment by a qualified CAM practitioner. The key word is
"qualified". Make sure that anyone you go to has the
requisite professional qualifications for that CAM modality
(for example, the Egyptian Society of Homeopathy
maintains a list of qualified homeopathic
practitioners vetted to
standards set in the European Union, while other
disciplines have their own qualification standards).
How
can I contact other individuals who have used alternative
treatment methods for cancer successfully?
Many individuals
have been treated successfully with CAM modalities but
unless they are rich and famous, or persistent, and have
published a book, the only way to contact them is through
some of the general cancer websites listed. However, if you
know of anyone or yourself have been cured using a CAM
modality and are willing to speak about your experience,
contact me and we can start a contact list.