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http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...harmquack.html
How Quackery Harms Cancer Patients William T. Jarvis, Ph.D. There is an old saying: "The highwayman demands 'your money OR your life,' but quacks demand 'your money AND your life!'" This statement is particularly true when it comes to dubious cancer treatment. The harm done by quackery may be categorized as economic, direct, indirect, psychological and societal. Direct Harm Dubious therapies can cause death, serious injury, unnecessary suffering, and disfigurement. Ruth Conrad, an Idaho woman, had a horrible experience as a result of consulting one of the state's many unlicensed naturopaths. While seeking treatment for a sore shoulder, she also complained of a bump on her nose. The naturopath stated that it was cancer and gave her a black herbal salve to apply directly. Within a few days, her face became very painful and she developed red streaks that ran down her cheeks. Her worried phone call to the naturopath brought the explanation that the presence of the lines was a good sign because they "resemble a crab, and cancer is a crab." He also advised her to apply more of the black salve. Within a week, a large part of her face, including her nose, sloughed off. It took three years and 17 plastic surgical operations to reconstruct her face. Indirect Harm Some of the worst quackery-related tragedies result from delay or failure to act. An example of a needless death involved an Oregon man who treated his basal cell carcinoma of the mouth with a mail-order remedy for 15 years. What makes this case especially tragic is that since this type of cancer almost never metastasizes, he had many years in which to correct his folly. Although badly disfigured by the growing tumor, he continued self-treatment. "Natural" treatments that can delay proper care are often advocated by well-meaning friends and relatives who are culturally conditioned to believe in their value. This thinking is deeply rooted in many cultures and is as old as written records themselves. Pasteur's discovery was made more than a century ago. But even today, many people perceive cancer as a modern-day "leprosy" and consider it "a curse by God." The notion of a cancer-prone personality -- capable of self-healing with psychological gymnastics that include visualization, laughter and excessive optimism -- is unproven and may represent nothing more than elaboration of the old folklore. The frequency of needless or premature death due to quackery is difficult to ascertain. A survey of 166 California oncologists done for the National Council Against Health Fraud in 1980 found 12 probable needless deaths and 14 other adversely affected patients. Psychological Harm In addition to the unjustified guilt referred to above, cancer patients and their loved ones can be psychologically harmed in several other ways. Misplaced trust. A case I investigated from Oregon provides insight into the thinking and actions of "true believers." A health food store owner discovered a lump in her breast. After diagnosing it as cancer, she boasted to her health food friends that she was "going to prove once and for all that diet cure works!" Unfortunately, although at least 80% of self-discovered breast lumps are benign, hers was cancerous. Her first attempt at self-treatment was to apply the methods in the book The Grape Cure. the tumor from growing. Next, she turned to a popular herbalist in her community who treated her with herbal remedies for about six months without avail. She then went to Mexico for laetrile. The most shocking part of the story is that she went to her grave still believing that she had done the right thing. |
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