The War on Cancer

Because of my strong beliefs in the benefits of alternative medicine and my huge distrust in pretty much all things allopathic, I feel it's my duty to shed some more light on the allopathic vs alternative discussion.

Since no real information is available on companion animal cancer statistics, I will draw from human practice.

Since the war on cancer was initiated by President Richard Nixon in the 70's over $60 billion has been spent on research. However, we are being misled as to the success of the war. The age-adjusted mortality rates to to cancer were 189.6 per 100,000 people in 1970 and rose to 200.9 per 100,000 by 1994. And actually, sad to say, most cancer patients succumb to the side effects of treatment rather than the disease.

There is not room here to go into the "politics" of cancer and the drug industry it enriches. Many books have documented this subject. If you know only a couple of facts, however, you will know enough.

According to the International Agency for Research in Cancer 80-90 per cent of human cancer is determined environmentally and thus theoretically avoidable. Despite the general recognition that 85 per cent of all cancers is caused by environmental influences, less than 10 per cent of the (U.S.) National Cancer Institute budget is given to environmental causes. And despite the recognition that the majority of environmental causes are linked to nutrition, less than 1 per cent of the National Cancer Institute budget is devoted to nutrition studies. And even that small amount had to be forced on the Institute by a special amendment of the National Cancer Act in 1974.

And this is not just about cancer. An estimated 40,000 people now die in hospitals each year due to drug-resistant infections. Yet natural antibiotic molecules found in garlic, olive leaf extract, and oil of oregano do not induce antibiotic resistance.

Penicillin introduced in 1929 -- first resistance found in 1940
Streptomycin 1944 -- resistance 1947
Vancomycin 1956 -- resistance 1987
Allicin (garlic) 1858 -- resistance, never observed

What's just astounding to me, is that the number one reason patients shy away from alternative medicine is the possibility of side effects (American Demographics magazine report). About 65% of adults polled said they are wary of adverse effects from alternative therapies. Fifty-one percent said they are deterred by a lack of scientific proof. Yet of the over $100 billion of prescription drugs American's take annually, it is estimated to generate $177 billion in side effects.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine's annual budget is almost $100 million. The budget for the National Institutes of Health is just over $20 billion annually. So alternative therapies represent just one half of one percent of NIH's research. So it's not likely that alternative medicine will deliver scientifically proven therapies. For comparison, a pharma company may spend hundreds of millions of dollars to bring just one new drug to market.

It would seem to me that the reason that an Omega 3 supplement is now available by prescription is because studies have shown that the Japanese now live the most disease free years of life and they have the highest per capita consumption of fish. The Greeks as well, for their healthy living centred around Omega 3 fish oils and the Eskimos are virtually free of many chronic diseases, which is ascribed to the consumption of fish.

This may be surprising, but Omega 3 oils are also associated with lower rates of asthma, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, sudden-death heart attack, Parkinson's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and blood vessel disease.

What is the most astounding thing about the recent announcement of the prescription Omega 3, is that there are more than 4,500 studies now confirming the health benefits of Omega 3. Yet prescription drugs are released for consumer use with far less studies confirming their benefits.

And while advocates of alternative medicine hold their beliefs as close as religion, it is astounding to me that conventional medicine has repeat customers. With Iatrogenic illness (that is medical doctor induced) is estimated at 230,000 to 284,000 cases per year, certainly a grim statistic, making it the third leading cause of death in the US .

People may not be aware that nutritional medicine is the overlooked health care discipline that is most likely to deliver long life and good health. A 1999 study showed that two bananas a day, a rich source of potassium, can control blood pressure as well as ACE-inhibitor drugs. It was nutrition and hygiene that rid us of dysentery, cholera, scurvy, beri beri, pellagra and rickets. There is sufficient evidence that nutritional supplements could substitute for many prescription drugs.

I'll illustrate a few examples:

Tylenol, Celebrex or Vioxx (pain reliever and anti-inflammatory) -- natural alternative = fish oil & ginger
Flu vaccine -- alternative = vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium & zinc
Prevacid (heartburn) -- alternative = Quercitin & vitamin C
Zoloft (anti-depressant) -- alternative = folic acid, SAMe & St. John's wort

Dr. Bruce Ames, of the University of California at Berkeley , reveals that a deficiency of any nutrients, B vitamins, or minerals or shortages of vitamins C & E, mimics the same damage to DNA in living cells as observed from exposure to harmful radiation. Yet the majority of North America does not consume the recommended five to 10 servings of fresh vegetables and fruit daily.

Not surprising, of the 823 million visits to office-based doctors in the year 2000, multivitamins were only mentioned 1% of the time. We certainly have a long way to go.