Frequently Asked Questions
This site was set up to help patients find information about reliable complementary and alternative medical modalities. Here are a few guidelines that may help you in deciding where to start with your quest.
Where do I start?
This depends on where you are coming from! Each individual comes to this search on how to deal with cancer with his or her own preconceptions. Generally if you are the type who wants to inform him or herself about the different treatment options, whether orthodox modern medicine or CAM, you should purchase a well-researched report from one of the sites listed on the Information Services page.
If you are the type who wants others to guide you in a controlled clinical setting, you might try the clinics listed on the Integrated Clinics page (although I should point out that there are many more listed in the professional reports produced by researchers listed on the Information Services page) or find a local CAM practitioner you would like to work with.
There are so many choices! How do I decide which CAM therapy to use?
This again depends on where you are coming from! If you are working with an integrated CAM clinic they will advise you from their own experience what they have found to work best.
If you are researching on your own, your decisions may be based on what you are able to do given your circumstances (complicated diets may not be an option for someone with no support, supplements may be difficult to obtain from abroad, therapies may only be available if you travel abroad, etc.) Look at Ralph Moss's list of CAM therapies as to what seems to have clinical data supporting its use to help you in making a decision. Often a synergistic approach, in which you use a number of CAM therapies that you are convinced about will work best. As I said on the home page of this website: "an important part of the healing process is that the patient be comfortable, and even enthusiastic, about the therapeutic modalities they have chosen."
Have any of these CAM therapies cured cancer?
The short answer is: Yes.
The longer answer is: that is the wrong question. In homeopathy we say "There are no incurable diseases, only incurable patients." There are so many factors in the curing and healing of a patient that are particular to that patient and not to the disease. And part of that has to with the understanding of the difference between healing and curing.
Then, we must understand that modern orthodox medicine proceeds from a particular paradigm of thinking in which its diagnostic and treatment procedures need measurable outcomes. The much vaunted 'successes' in the war against cancer are often pyrrhic victories as is clearly argued in the article "Losing the War Against Cancer." Some cancers are treated "successfully" in modern orthodox medicine but many have seen no changes in survival rates for the past 30 years. The aim of this kind of treatment is to cure the disease symptoms (tumor size) but not necessarily the patient (strengthening immunity, for example).
CAM modalities may have a more successful track record in curing and healing some patients, and not others because these modalities tend to look at the person and not the disease symptoms only, which makes the process more complex but also more meaningful for the patient.
Again, informing yourself as much as possible is the key to choosing the right kind of therapy, or alternatively, putting yourself in the hands of a person or clinic with a proven track record of effective treatments.
Can you recommend anyone in Egypt who is experienced in treating cancer?
Although there are an increasing number of CAM practitioners in Egypt not many have extensive experience in treating cancer patients. There is a great need for an integrated cancer care center.
However, that does not mean that you cannot benefit from treatment by a qualified CAM practitioner. The key word is "qualified". Make sure that anyone you go to has the requisite professional qualifications for that CAM modality (for example, the Egyptian Society of Homeopathy maintains a list of qualified homeopathic practitioners vetted to standards set in the European Union, while other disciplines have their own qualification standards).
How can I contact other individuals who have used alternative treatment methods for cancer successfully?
Many individuals have been treated successfully with CAM modalities but unless they are rich and famous, or persistent, and have published a book, the only way to contact them is through some of the general cancer websites listed. However, if you know of anyone or yourself have been cured using a CAM modality and are willing to speak about your experience, contact me and we can start a contact list.