Chemotherapy has been “standard of care” for many types of breast cancer for over 60 years. Chemotherapy uses toxic drugs that are usually also harmful to normal cells. The theory is that, since tumor cells are growing faster than normal, the drugs will kill cancer before severe harm is done to the patient.
A recent study published in Science Translational Medicine has found that, while chemo does reduce tumor size, it also triggers processes that can allow the cancer to spread to other organs and come back even stronger!
Researchers at Albert Einstein University advise closely monitoring patients on chemo and stopping the drug use immediately if any sign of spreading shows.
When we dealt with my wife, Karen’s, breast cancer in 2014, we found that the term “standard of care” seems to take the brain of many doctors out of gear. We had done our own research into the type of cancer Karen had and the vast majority indicated that the 6 weeks of radiation therapy that was considered “standard of care” at our local hospitals were not needed and increased chances of death from heart and lung damage.
The surgeon even acknowledged that he knew about the research but countered that the 6-week radiation was “standard of care”. He acted as if this was a magic phrase that was supposed to make us forget about the research!
We opted for a different approach involving a one-time, very focused radiation dose right at the tumor removal site. We also declined the suggested chemo. The oncologist admitted that the chemo “makes us feel like we’re doing something”. Karen has been cancer-free for over 3 years now. When she went for her one-year checkup, the technicians at the hospital were amazed at how well she had healed! I added some specific laser and homeopathic therapy to get that great healing.
The bottom line is that we need to be our own advocates when it comes to dangerous medical treatments. We need to to do our homework, check on related research and be ready to challenge the “standard of care” (maybe it’s just ” CYA”) dogma of entrenched medicine. For my patients, I’ll be glad to help guide you where to look for information. I also recommend checking on www.mercola.com for information on alternatives to medical procedures.
Dr. Hogg
Reference: (Source: Science Translational Medicine, 2017; 9: eaan0026; doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aan0026)
