Skepticism, Science & Pseudoscience

progressoid

(50,757 posts) Fri Aug 28, 2015, 09:37 AM Aug 2015

Young cancer patients are ignoring medical advice and choosing ‘diet-based’ treatment approach

In an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday, Melbourne doctor Ian Haines wrote that cancer patients need to be warned there’s no proof they can be cured by diet.

But vulnerable and desperate patients continue to opt for them, often not seeking medical help until their potentially curable disease has spread and become incurable.

Patients are researching their diseases online and find themselves being “constantly beckoned, assailed and seduced” by celebrities and personalities with glowing testimonials about new dietary “breakthroughs” that will cure their cancer, wrote Dr Haines.

He cites an example of a woman who claimed to have cured herself of thyroid cancer by eating pineapples.

...

Dr Haines says he is frustrated with people who believe oncologists only support drug-based treatments because they are in bed with the pharmaceutical industry.

“You’ve got all these conspiracy theories that think we’re in cahoots with the drug companies and that’s why we advocate medicine. Some people just get inundated with these conspiracy theories and they’re hard to negate,” he said.

“It’s frustrating, but at the end of the day my job is to help people make an informed choice.”

3 replies

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Highlight:

Young cancer patients are ignoring medical advice and choosing ‘diet-based’ treatment approach (Original Post) progressoid Aug 2015 OP

Of course.... AlbertCat Aug 2015 #1

Some people are terrified of chemo and I can't say I blame them Warpy Aug 2015 #2

One of my college friends almost chose this route. Thor_MN Sep 2015 #3

AlbertCat

(17,505 posts)

1. Of course....

Reply to progressoid (Original post)

Fri Aug 28, 2015, 09:47 AM

Aug 2015

...... eating pineapples is much more pleasant than chemo... and many medicines.

That's why I believe people are so eager to poo poo their doctor and medicine..... because it's not fun and comes with sickness and fear.

But if you understand that curing things can be unpleasant for a while.... but effective in the end...

Hell, you're own immune system make healing unpleasant for a time with fevers and swelling and redness and so forth.... but in the long run it works.

Warpy

(113,131 posts)

2. Some people are terrified of chemo and I can't say I blame them

Reply to progressoid (Original post)

Fri Aug 28, 2015, 02:14 PM

Aug 2015

It would help if more oncologists were more realistic when they talked to their patients about the chances for a cure. Some cancers have dismal outcomes and palliative treatment is superior, allowing patients to live longer and more comfortable lives than aggressive treatment would afford them.

Other cancers are very curable in the early stages.

Unfortunately, there will always be adults who delay treatment until the cancer itself is making them extremely ill and the chance of a cure is nil.

Thor_MN

(11,843 posts)

3. One of my college friends almost chose this route.

Reply to progressoid (Original post)

Tue Sep 1, 2015, 11:02 PM

Sep 2015

She fortunately reconsidered, or I think I would have attended her funeral two years ago.

Granted, I don't like the stories I hear of oncologists operating their own drug formulation company and marking up prices to ridiculous levels, but I'll take science over woo any day. One can always do the diet thing on top of rational therapy.

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