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www.healingcancernaturally.com by Healing Cancer Naturally © 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008 |
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Welcome to page twelve of Healing Cancer Naturally’s “Why Choose Alternative Cancer Treatment?” pages. This series assembles a powerful sequence of incisive, outspoken (and often shocking) statements by cancer specialists, researchers and thinkers on subjects surrounding conventional and alternative cancer treatment. Numerous articles by medical researchers, personal advice & reports by former or current cancer patients, essays on avoidable suffering, the question why even very ill and suffering people - in spite of mainstream therapy failing to help them - may ridicule, reject, and attack medical alternatives in cancer treatment, and an introduction to the superior painless alternative to mammograms for women desirous of having their breasts screened, thermography, complete the picture...
Cancer Research Based Upon Animal Models of Human DiseaseGenerally speaking, we come across the casual mention of “laboratory studies” showing a beneficial or deleterious effect of some substance or other every
day. Studies of this nature have become an integral part of Western industrialised society. Animal experimentation - both in cancer research and other areas, such as toxicity testing of drugs and other chemicals - is
reputed to save and protect lives and benefit both humans and animals. Many say so, particularly those whose livelihood directly depends on this type of research. Click
here for the complete list of Healing Cancer Naturally articles on Cancer Research, Toxicity Testing & Animal Experimentation: an Unholy Union? A Look at Cancer Researchby Neal D. Barnard, M.D., Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine A trend away from animal testing methods is beginning, which will help not only the animals but people, too, particularly in the area of cancer research. In order to determine whether or not chemicals may cause cancer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still uses animal tests. Obviously, these tests are not very kind to the animals involved, who are kept in cages for years, fed doses of chemicals, and subjected to frequent examinations. These tests are cruel to people, as well, because they take so long to complete that they actually guarantee continued human exposures to dangerous carcinogens for years. Let’s say, for example, that you suspect a chemical in use near your home causes cancer. The EPA begins animal tests, yet years will go by before you hear anything about it. And the EPA will not have the chemical removed until the tests are finished. Why? Because to do so might injure the businesses that produce or use the chemical in question. Now, if the EPA were to use non animal tests, such as the Ames test (which uses salmonella bacteria to identify carcinogens), the chemical could be indicted within a week. Moreover, since the short-term, non animal tests are relatively inexpensive (approximately one percent of the cost of animal tests), it is possible to complete far more tests than is possible using animal subjects. Not only are non-animal methods cutting a new path in the testing of cancer-causing chemicals, they are also revolutionizing the search for cancer cures. For years, scientists have used massive numbers of mice, about a million per year, to screen potential anti-cancer drugs. Mice with leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells, are given various substances to see if there is any effect on the cancerous cells. If so, the substance may find its way into human trials. But this system has a phenomenally low yield. Investigators at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) became concerned that the reason for the general failure of the system is that mice and humans have very different kinds of cancer—and very different ways of reacting to it physiologically. A new method uses cultures of human cancer cells. These cells are obtained from biopsies or surgeries. In an automated method developed by Robert Shoemaker and Michael Boyd of the NCI, colon cancer cells, breast cancer cells, and many other cell types can be kept alive in test tubes. Substances are applied to these cells, and the results are checked and entered into a computer. Using this method, tens of thousands of potential anti-cancer drugs can be screened. Ironically, this high-tech approach relies on consultations with tribal healers from Latin America to identify plant extracts and other medicines to be tested. Just as shifting away from animal tests helps in the technology of cancel research, shifting animal products out of our diet helps in cancer prevention. A vegetarian male lives an average of six years longer than his carnivorous counterpart. The great reduction in cancer risk enjoyed by vegetarians deserves part of the credit for this. Because the vegetarian menu is likely to be lower in fat than a meat diet, cancers of the colon, breast, and prostate are less likely. In addition, since fiber is found only in plants, vegetarian diets are likely to be higher in this potent cancer-fighter. Finally, beta-carotene and other vitamins have shown efficacy in cancer prevention in dozens of studies. The source of beta-carotene is dark green and yellow vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, and carrots. It is essential that the “War on Cancer” shift toward prevention and to new non-animal research methods. The old ones simply have not done the job. The
death rate from cancer has not declined at all. It is, in fact, slowly increasing. It is clear that the needs of medicine will force a shift away from animal testing and encourage the booming vegetarian trend. This does not mean, however, that the battle for animal protection has been won. Far from it. Too many researchers stay entrenched in the old ways of doing things. They need as much pressure as ever to begin genuine phase-outs of animal experimentation and testing. It’s essential to remember, and to let organizations and government agencies know, that new methods can streamline cancer research, while a reliance on outdated methods hurts people as well as animals.
What is PCRM? Doctors and laypersons working together for compassionate and effective medical practice, research, and health promotion. Prevention PCRM promotes preventive medicine through innovative programs: Research Advocacy We encourage higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research: Organization Founded in 1985, PCRM is a nonprofit organization supported by physicians and laypersons who receive Good Medicine each quarter. PCRM programs combine the efforts of medical experts and grassroots individuals. Leadership PCRM president Neal D. Barnard, M.D., is a popular speaker and the author of Turn Off the Fat Genes; Foods That Fight Pain; Eat Right, Live Longer; Food for Life; and other books on preventive medicine. PCRM’s advisory board includes 11 health care professionals from a broad range of specialties. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. Cornell University 5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016, Phone: 202-686-2210, pcrm at pcrm.org
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