Fourhits. If you are going to quote studies on the boards, post the name of the study, the journal that it was published in, i.e. a peer reviewed journal, and the author and date. I disagree with much of what you have posted, but will withhold responding in detail until I have the opportunity to evaluate the actual articles. Without references no one reading your post can make a judgment as to the value of your opinion which you so strongly state. I will say at this point that I disagree with your premise that vitamins, and cartinoid food by-products sold as supplements were the causative factor in your developing cancer. There are plenty of published articles and current clinical trials going on right now that show the chemo protective benefits of many of the things you mention including beta-carotene. Arteriolosclerosis that you mention you have had to deal with (and me too) is highly linked to long-term diet, degree of aerobic exercise engaged in, and smoking, and less to supplements and smoking. You have not revealed much about your diet during your lifetime, or exercise habits, both the major contributors to arterial disease, which along with tobacco have a significantly greater and well documented causative impact than any over the counter supplement or vitamin taken for only a few years.

I do find it interesting that you say that in 2000 you had a noticeable tissue issue in your mouth, and it wasn't until sometime in 2003 when you had a actual sore appear. My first question to you is why did you not explore in 2000 (by seeing a doctor for an evaluation) what was clearly an unusual, not normal, and now obviously precancerous condition? Rather you let it go for 3 years, and continued to smoke during that period. Given the thousands of articles that have been published about tobacco, precancerous lesions, and finally the resulting cancer, I am curious why now you would prefer to put the blame on beta-carotene and a vitamin regime, which is only a co-factor in a few cancers, in a few studies, when the other indicators such as the continued use of tobacco which leads to tobacco carcinogenesis are more obvious and likely. Your progressive etiology follows to the letter, a typical tobacco related cancer. The issue of causes vs. cofactors is becoming well understood. All the things that you mention are co factors and not themselves actual causes. In almost all cases the application of Achem