nervous about undergoing Chemo.
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I am about to undergo Chemotherapy for Cancer. I
have been researching other, alternative treatments for cancer after reading that the conventional treatments have a low percentage 5 year survival rate (average about 2 to 5%).
Why is chemotherapy recommended when it has such a poor record of long term success in treating cancer? There seems to be very little data on 10 year survival rates.
I am quite often hearing the question, "Why aren't some of these Alternative Medicine treatments of serious illness subjected to thorough and expensive clinical trials to test their efficacy?"
I had often wondered about this but then I realized that if the treatment
didn't involve an expensive machine or a patentatable substance, then there would be no return on any investment covering the immense cost of such a trial.
For example, if Sodium Bicarbonate was found to effectively treat a serious disease, this substance could be bought anywhere for a few dollars. No return on that investment. This situation would tend to ensure that every treatment of serious disease would always be very expensive regardless whether it was the best one. (with minimum
side effects etc.). Most of the standard cancer treatments involve awfull
side effects and many of the alternative ones are low in side effects.
I am very concerned that I will rush into a treatment that promises little and has awful side effects.
0 likes, 5 replies
catspelle1 gary96843
Posted
difficult question/choice. I'm assuming you have agreed to undergo chemo because your consultant has recommended it? The success of chemo does depend on the type of cancer and the stage of cancer so you need to be advised by your specialist. Only then can you make an informed decision. Alternative therapies rarely 'cure' cancer but do help sometimes with side effects. Sometimes it's possible to combine the two but again you need to discuss with your consultant. You have to do what is right for you based on your circumstances. It's not all about cost.
Best wishes X
gary96843 catspelle1
Posted
Conventional treatments don't claim to be cures because they don't attempt to treat the underlying cause of why a person got cancer in the first place. Chemo and radiation are themselves carcinogenic and also can come with long term damage to other tissues in the body.
Secondly, I think that the high cost of conventional treatment is relevant to me because I look at the bigger picture. In Australia our Medicare system is currently in cost blowout due to the rise in lifestyle related diseases such as Heart disease, Diabetes and cancer, etc. Our government is considering increasing our tax burden in order to cover these increases. There are many people who are already struggling to meet the cost of living and any further financial burden may push them over the edge. On principle, I feel that I don't have any confidence in a treatment regime that promises little while impoverishing the medical system on which we depend.
catspelle1 gary96843
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julie51848 gary96843
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viv70689 gary96843
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