[Matt]

Frauds, Quacks and "Cures They Don't Want You To Know About"

by Matt on Mon Jul 19, 2010 3:58 pm

Those of us living with an incurable disease, along with our loved ones, are vulnerable to people selling bogus cancer cures. While it is understandable that a person with cancer or a loved one would seek out any and all information regarding cancer, it is unfortunate that many of these people are taken in by unscrupulous practitioners. At the same time, there are many pre-clinical and clinical trials testing many substances available at your local health food store. Some things currently being studied are curcumin and resveratrol. How can we tell the difference?

1: The first step I would take when someone presents a product which may have anti-cancer effects is to see if it is currently being studied in clinical trials. Check out the government website on the status of any clinical trial.

2: The second step I would take is to find out if anyone associated with a reputable research center or university is studying such products. One good example is the case of curcumin. Professor Aggarwal of the MD Anderson Center is one of the leading advocates of curcumin. Both MD Anderson and Professor Aggarwal are reputable.

3: The third thing would be to discuss any product with your oncologist. Neglecting to do this may have a negative impact on your treatment. One example is green tea. While green tea extract may have anti-cancer effects it will negatively impact the effectiveness of Velcade on multiple myeloma. An oncologist is more likely to know of any such interactions.

[Hannao]

Re: Frauds, Quacks and "Cures They Don't Want You To Know About"

by Hannao on Mon Jul 19, 2010 4:40 pm

Matt, excellent suggestions. Thanks for the reference to the clinical trial database. I'm glad it covers the world, not just USA/Canada.