The previous post by Elin - talking about a raw food diet etc... And I'm a little confused - I get that it's irresponsible for a person to come onto this site and suggest raw food diets etc... Instead of conventional treatment - but I do believe there is room here for what she is saying - not that we should give up our treatments in lieu of chewing on a vegetable patch, but I too have read david schreiber's book - and it is very well researched.

I think it's a great during and post treatment tool. I very much believe a lot of what he had to say in terms of healthful eating and a lot of cancers being more prevalent in north American society because of our diets- white sugar and white flour being then primary culprits - along with the way we process meats, farm foods, and change the healthfulness of our foods by messing with the food chain... It is a well researched and well supported book. Would I give up conventional treatment for it? Nope - even the author said he's had cancer twice (brain tumors - same locale) and followed through with conventional treatments both times - however - he did also say that after his original diagnosis, he was told to go on his merry way and continue living his life as he was. He did this until the recurrence and decided there has to be a better way in terms of prevention and post treatment advice, so he started his research, and found that certain things based on scientific studies can help with preventing the recurrence of cancer. Or slow down the progression of the more aggressive cancers.

This man is a PHd, a scientist and makes a lot of sense. I truly believe a healthful diet can help - after all you are what you eat. I don't and never though of it as a replacement of conventional treatments but something that could help during and post treatment.

We may never know why Elin's husband is doing great today - could it be the few treatments he did have? Very possible - but whatever it is, it worked for him. So kudos to him for taking the road less travelled - definitely a scary decision. Maybe I'm a little more conventional in that I believe we can follow both lines treatment - I don't think diet alone should ever replace medical treatment - but it should very much be considered a part of it. I know we have nutritionists on hand to help us as part of our team but all they can do is point to the food guide and pretty much say follow this - or try this can for for your peg tube. Mine was able to tell me how much protein I needed which helped me calculate what I was taking in on a daily basis, but that was about it. I never really used my peg - because for some reason my hospital puts in a gj tube that runs directly onto the jejunum. What did this mean to me? I either had to take my nutrition by mouth or I had to use their formula - because apparently you can't put just anything into your jejunum. It would likely have been easier for if I could have used a peg, and used some of my own smoothies. But I guess i should be grateful that I couldn't tolerate the formulas since I never became reliant on the tube. and don't bother asking a dr about what you should eat - they don't know.

You hear the terms eat - gain weight - prepare your body for what is coming - with reference to radiation treatment. But I would like to suggest don't eat just anything that has maximum calories etc.. Make intelligent choices that may be high in calories but are nutritious. I know no one ever gained weight eating 75 cucumbers etc... But multigrain breads, nuts and legumes are also high in calories and good for you. I'm not saying give up your favorite strawberry shortcake and become a total veg head but simply having it as an occassional treat is better for your health in the long run.

She is also right about something else - our medical establishment is far too focused on drugs, and fixing the symptoms rather than preventing the issue to begin with - it's a linear form of thinking that in some ways is detrimental to the patient. Most hospitals say gain weight add lots of fats to your diet when cancer etc... How about truly teaching people What is healthful and what is not, what will support their treatment and help maintain a strong body - As opposed to what will merely supply them with enough calories to get through treatment.

Treatment ravages our bodies, just as the cancer does, there should be something we can do outside the medical establishment that helps off set this, and supports our bodies. And I do believe diet during treatments and especially after is very important to continuing to fight cancer.

Just my two cents.

I had a healthy discussion with DonB over DS' book so I am not going to go over those grounds again. Elin was adamant that those of us on OCF who stuck with conventional treatment were wrong and she did advocate stopping radiation and chemo in favor of diet and aikido. I'm glad Brian took a strong stance.
Many people eat healthy and get cancer.
Just my two cents
Charm

I don't disagree what she suggested was irresponsible, just saying that a few of her points were valid in that medicine has a habit of not treating a patient as a whole person. There should be a mix of things that come into play.

If we are going to start a thread on all the things that are not perfect about how conventional medicine, even away from cancer, is screwed up in the US, this forum will move away from what it was designed for. There are tons of forums/discussion boards on the web that love to talk about this stuff, let's leave that to them. No one is against COMPLIMENTARY OR ADJUNCTIVE actions by patients, when those actions are supported by evidence based information. Just because a person is an MD, or Phd. doesn't mean that they have clinical proof (which is reviewed by peers who agree that this is factual), or that it is a widely accepted idea. Even things that at a simple glance - like proper nutrition (there have to be hundreds of definitions of that term, not all valid) can be highly controversial. Some of what seems like a good idea such as supplementation with certain free radical scavengers for instance (available at any health food store) will diminish the effectiveness of treatments if they are used at the same time. So we locked the original thread because everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts. If this forum wanders off into that territory, we will drift away from our purpose of supporting patients with scientifically documentable evidence based help. So please, let's let this not become another unending thread on the boards that will contain more half truths than facts, quoted from sources that may or may not be reliable.

This weeks postings have contained valuable info on PEGs, treatments, side effects, emotional issues and more. THAT is what the forum is designed to do, and that alone. It is not a platform for everyones ideas on whether a particular herb, vitamin, eating regime or what ever was a great idea or not. It is also not a forum for ideas that MIGHT prevent people from getting cancer in the first place, which is more of a genetic issue than a diet one. This is a forum for people with oral cancers, their caregivers, and the doctors that are treating them. Period.