Hello All,

Does anyone have information on this herbal medicine, Carctol

Thank you,

H

There are plenty of websites selling it.

It would seem that you are determined to find something out there that your hospital, doctors, etc. don't know about. I understand your sense of desperation, your need to find an answer to the question that none of your medical team has. I am all for trying ANYTHING that has some reasonable chance of success, an experimental drug in a clinical trial perhaps. But to continue to look at these herbal remedies, of which none have any proven efficacy, is not the answer. You will not find anyone on the OCF forum that is here and alive today because of one of them.

The web and the herbal drug business are both highly unregulated. The sites selling all these types of things can say anything they want, put up unsubstantiated claims, or testimonials from people who you will never be able to track down to verify, and more. And at the end of each page of fantastic claims, where they say the drug, diet, treatment, herb, whatever is going to turn everything around 180 degrees for you, they put a disclaimer which usually reads something like this found on the primary site selling what you are asking about this time.

"Precautions
Anything that tastes sour must be avoided. Read our FAQ here for more details.
Sufficient quantity of "Boiled and then cooled" water should be taken during the administration of CARCTOL. It is also advised that consumption of liquor, tobacco in any form and non-vegetarian food should be avoided.

Disclaimer - All information available here is for educational purposes only. None of these statements or products have been evaluated by FDA. We do not claim to cure, prevent or treat any disease.

I'm sure that drinking boiled water is REALLY important and scientific, let alone avoiding things that taste sour... If it were not so sad that people follow this nonsense, it would be funny. I wish there was something out there that worked. I do not believe that there is.

If you want the links to the site that sells this stuff, I will be happy to send them to you in a PM. Having said that, I also believe that at some point everyone comes to terms with the future, no matter how emotionally painful that future is. That does not mean that the journey to that point of acceptance is not filled with many battles fought.

Herson
i have already answered another post of yours about seeking another medical opinion.I have to reiterate what Brian has just said,and no matter how hard you may find it to accept ,you do need to listen to him.

Spend a little more of your time concentrating on coming to terms with your Mums prognosis,then spend the rest of it making sure you are there to support and love her through whatevevr time she has left.I do know how you feel,my husband was only 44 and no way was i ready to let him go,but in the end i had no choice.He laid down his wishes and as his wife all i could do was be with him every step of the way no matter how much it tore me apart.

You are doing all these things for you not for your Mum,now just stop and think about the quality of life SHE would like for her time left,and i bet she wouldn't choose it to be spent being dragged all over the country getting more tests and trying to swallow medication that is ultimately unproved.
If the best Cancer Centre in Canada has given its opinion,then you are just doing the "I'll keep on asking until someone says something i want to hear" thing.I understand,everyone here understands,but it doesn't change much really.


If i were you,i would PM Brenfran25 ask her opinion,and listen to what she says.She is living this thing as the patient,and her experience may help more than you think.

love liz

I have by no means stopped going through the medicial route, and its my first step - as its the only thing that makes sense. The herbal questions are only questions to research and findings that I have come across.

And I haven't take her anywhere as of yet. Yes we are looking at other cancer centers but of course until we hear anything positive thats something we will look at, if and when get there. (I thought a second opinion wasn't a bad idea?)

Most of my research, questions, searching, etc, come at a time when my mom is sleeping or napping. I don't think I am taking anything away from her. If anything im exhausting myself from looking, basically driving myself crazy.

Who am i doing this for? Everyone goes sooner or later...

Right now, my focus is on building my mom's strength, not really a cure or anything else. With her being really weak, there is no quality of life. For her to even lift her arm, its a mission.

So I don't mean to offend anyone on the board with posting questions, but they are just questions, things that peak my interest. I don't think there is any harm.

I will PM Brenfran25... ..and am sorry to hear about your Husband ..

if you want my personal personal opinion, the doctors say 6 months, who am i to question it, in my mind ive accepted it ..ive read everything, I understand what happens with cancer..., but there is this need,

You keep right on asking and looking. The more you learn the better equipped you will be to make decisions and give advice. All we're saying is that our combined knowledge on this site tells us that the standard Tx protocol is the only one with scientifically proven results and that is where the bulk of your time and energy should be concentrated. Seek as many opinions as you need but always keep your chosen medical team in the loop and is in agreement if you decide any alternative Tx is worth a try. I went to 5 different cancer docs before I "picked" my course of action and I had all sorts of friends and clients that told me of "better" ways to cure my cancer but thankfully I went the tried and tested path and that's JM2C's.

Thanks for the support,

Your right, just about everyone I know has an opinion on what to do.

Just a note, I am not sure where I read this, either on here on stuff "in the news" or cancer compass newsletter, but 2 guys passed away after just taking herbal supplements. They would not
nmention what they were, because of legal problems, but it made me think twice. Even some vitamins are not so good for you under certain circumstances.
Debbie