# Why didn't my oncologist tell me about alternative cancer treatments? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894 "2009-05-10T00:43:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brooklynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@brooklynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brooklynn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/1 "2009-05-10T00:43:18Z")
I’m a 27 year old male dealing with cancer since I’m 21. After diligently listening to my doctors; I’ve had three surgeries, lost 2 organs, been radiated with 207 millicuries of radioactive iodine, and had liters (literally) of toxic drugs pumped into me – only to see it return and spread to other parts of my body. A few months ago, after watching my uncle die from the same treatments for the same cancer, I left all my doctors, spent a few weeks reading about alternative treatments and put my cancer in 100% remission (blood markers and CT scans) in 9 weeks – all with simple things I bought online and at a local Whole Foods. How is it possible that all my doctors could have not known / kept these simple methods, and essentially prolonged my suffering for so many years – aren’t they supposed to be looking out for my cure / success? Even after I went back to get tested (negative, which they were very surprised at) - as soon as I mentioned what I’d been doing, they got angry! This is serious, people’s lives are at stake, if so many people worldwide see success with an alternative treatment, shouldn’t it at least be discussed or mentioned? ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/2 "2009-05-10T00:48:08Z")
Because your success (which is probably only temporary) is a complete coincidence. You cannot put cancer into remission with things you buy at Whole Foods. Your doctor didn’t tell you about them because they don’t work – and your anecdotal experience does not mean they do work, even if you feel like they did. ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/3 "2009-05-10T00:53:36Z")
> [@meenie7](#): > > Because your success (which is probably only temporary) is a complete coincidence. You cannot put cancer into remission with things you buy at Whole Foods. Your doctor didn’t tell you about them because they don’t work – and your anecdotal experience does not mean they do work, even if you feel like they did. WAG Also, the treatments your doctors gave you may have delayed responses: perhaps they need a few weeks to really work. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/4 "2009-05-10T01:04:21Z")
Nutrients and herbs etc. aren’t going to unwind or stall the progression of an active cancer. There are natural substances like taxol which can help to treat cancer but they have to be precisely delivered in high concentrations and are quite toxic if not controlled. Likewise eating certain foods can reduce your risk of getting various cancers, but once cancer begins and is progressing eating various foods isn’t going to stop it. There is case after case of various cancers spontaneously going into remission. Humans are pattern and causality interpreting machines and you are quite naturally tying X to Y, and thinking the docs are scamming you, but all you are doing is fooling yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/5 "2009-05-10T01:40:26Z")
OP, please don’t start ignoring medical advice from trained oncologists. These are honest, serious-minded people. They aren’t trying to scam you - and if they’re angry with you, it’s only because they fear you’re going to do something foolish (like refusing medical advice) which puts your life at risk. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/6 "2009-05-10T01:50:29Z")
> [@brooklynn](#): > > Even after I went back to get tested (negative, which they were very surprised at) - as soon as I mentioned what I’d been doing, they got angry! > > This is serious, people’s lives are at stake, if so many people worldwide see success with an alternative treatment, shouldn’t it at least be discussed or mentioned? Think of how much money you spent (or your insurance company spent) on expensive procedures like chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, etc. How much of that money did your doctor receive? Now, think about what you spent at Whole Foods – how much of _that_ did your oncologist receive? It’s all about profit. And as long as our medical system remains in the domain of private industry, it will continue to be this way. ---
**Author:** ![Weston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8797f3/32.png) [@Weston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weston)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/7 "2009-05-10T02:10:45Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > Think of how much money you spent (or your insurance company spent) on expensive procedures like chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, etc. How much of that money did your doctor receive? Now, think about what you spent at Whole Foods – how much of **that** did your oncologist receive? Are you saying that doctors reject alternative treatments because they can’t make any money off them? That’s a serious charge, requiring serious evidence. Do you have any? OP, I’m English and I don’t know how the American health care system works. However, I _can_ tell you that in England everyone has the right to tax-funded medical care and that English doctors don’t make a penny from any treatment they prescribe. An English doctor would _still_ prescribe you the same sort of treatments you seem to have received from your doctors. Considering there isn’t any money in it for them, why would they do this if a few groceries from Whole Foods could do the job even better? The simple answer is because the alternative treatments _haven’t_ got a proven record of success while the conventional treatments _have_. As **meenie7** wrote, you can’t treat such a serious condition as yours with Whole Foods products. I’m glad you seem to be on the road to recovery, but please don’t ignore tried and tested medical advice in favour of “alternative” therapies with no demonstrable track record of success. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/8 "2009-05-10T02:14:02Z")
> [@Weston](#): > > Are you saying that doctors reject alternative treatments because they can’t make any money off them? That’s a serious charge, requiring serious evidence. Do you have any? Plus it’s just plain wrong - doctors do recommend things like healthy eating, balanced diets, adding or cutting foods, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/9 "2009-05-10T02:27:19Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > Think of how much money you spent (or your insurance company spent) on expensive procedures like chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, etc. How much of that money did your doctor receive? Now, think about what you spent at Whole Foods – how much of _that_ did your oncologist receive? > > It’s all about profit. And as long as our medical system remains in the domain of private industry, it will continue to be this way. If extract of newt dung or whatever actually worked, surely the evil cabal running the world’s drug companies would seize a monopoly and charge thousands of dollars for their new, miracle cure. Why bother with spending all those millions on research? It’s all about profit, after all. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/10 "2009-05-10T02:36:59Z")
> [@brooklynn](#): > > if so many people worldwide see success with an alternative treatment, shouldn’t it at least be discussed or mentioned? IF. As soon as you prove the premise we can go on to discuss the rest. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/11 "2009-05-10T02:45:14Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > It’s all about profit. And as long as our medical system remains in the domain of private industry, it will continue to be this way. Yet medical systems run by governments _also_ recommend the same drugs and treatments as US oncologists. This despite the fact that it is in the government’s interest to keep costs down. If there were a cure from simple, cheap, easily obtained materials, wouldn’t governmental health plans (which are chronically short of money) be pushing those, too? ---
**Author:** ![2ply](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/b2d939/32.png) [@2ply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ply)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/12 "2009-05-10T02:53:50Z")
The answer is the OP is lying. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/13 "2009-05-10T03:06:05Z")
> [@2ply](#): > > The answer is the OP is lying. More likely, misinformed, drawing incorrect conclusions . ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/14 "2009-05-10T03:16:10Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > More likely, misinformed, drawing incorrect conclusions . Possibly, but the OP’s tale is so close to a classic “Ask me how I beat cancer using this stuff I bought online” come on, I can see why his BS Alarm is clanging. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/15 "2009-05-10T04:10:58Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > Think of how much money you spent (or your insurance company spent) on expensive procedures like chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, etc. How much of that money did your doctor receive? Now, think about what you spent at Whole Foods – how much of _that_ did your oncologist receive? > > It’s all about profit. And as long as our medical system remains in the domain of private industry, it will continue to be this way. KGS, [I have some words for you.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11124884#post11124884) ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/16 "2009-05-10T04:17:10Z")
Brooklynn, no one here can make any sort of realistic call here unless you can exactly reply with what alternative measures you took, and detailed dosage. That’s the only way an informed response could progress; otherwise, it’s heresay, and not conducive to recommendation of treatment. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/17 "2009-05-10T04:18:04Z")
> [@2ply](#): > > The answer is the OP is lying. This. I don’t believe a word of it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/18 "2009-05-10T04:18:26Z")
Not only do most of those “alternative treatments” not work, but some of them are probably downright poisonous. Which ones? Nobody knows, because nobody’s required to test them for safety, much less effectiveness. The difference between your doctors and those folks at Whole Foods is that your doctors know what they’re doing, and will tell you exactly what the risks are if you ask. ---
**Author:** ![2ply](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/b2d939/32.png) [@2ply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ply)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/19 "2009-05-10T04:18:45Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > More likely, misinformed, drawing incorrect conclusions . This is brooklynn’s only post. I’m going to go further and say this is not a real person, but some spam from an alternative health seller or something of the sort. It doesn’t blatantly appear as spam because there are no links, but it feels like spam to me meant to advertise alternative medicine in general. This OP doesn’t look real. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894/20 "2009-05-10T05:07:39Z")
Yeah, but we, as purveyors of Truth for Humans, must also respond to attacks from our electronic enemies. They do not need the luxury of sleep, so we must depend on both those of us who are awake and Australians. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-my-oncologist-tell-me-about-alternative-cancer-treatments/495894.md?page=2)