I am often called a quack for providing nutrients or herbal remedies that are not proven to scientific satisfaction. If that is the definition of a quack, then I am guilty as charged. But so is conventional medicine. The difference is my quack solutions are safe and effective! I wish I could say the same for conventional medicine.
Take mastectomy as a case in point. For generations, chopping off a breast with even the tiniest amount of cancer and dissecting out the whole armpit for lymph nodes has been the standard of care. Its barbaric! You have a very high risk of arm dysfunction and untreatable lymphedema (swelling in the lymph nodes).
In fact, a British study confirmed 37% of women had some loss of arm sensation at six months with a total axillary dissection. They also had higher rates of lymphedema.
Even though it is standard treatment, mastectomy and lymph node dissection have never been put to the test … until now.
Recently, a federally funded study showed that removal of just one to three key lymph nodes (called sentinel nodes) gives at least a 90% accurate diagnosis of breast cancer spread. In the study, 5,260 women were divided into two groups. One had sentinel node biopsy and the other had the full dissection. Only 14% who had the sentinel node approach had any loss of arm sensation or lymphedema. Better late than never, I guess, to stop barbarism.
Now there is even a better question that the pundits will likely never evaluate: Is it good to do any surgery at all?
Many years ago, a study found that chemotherapy (with agents added to make it more effective) was as effective as surgery plus chemotherapy. You see, just like men with prostate cancers, many breast cancers will never progress to kill a woman. Problem is, we just do not know which ones will or wont.
Additionally, it is my supposition that by the time a breast cancer is large enough to be detected by palpation, it has spread. And many cancers detectable by mammography, especially the type called DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) will never cause a problem.
Further, the latest cancer research confirms my previous reports to you. Removal of a primary tumor lesion often leads to more rapid growth of secondary tumors. Its like the primary tumor acts as a hedge against the secondary tumors. Its presence suppresses angiogenesis (blood vessel growth) in the secondaries. Take out the boss, and the auxiliaries are free to raise havoc.
Action to take: With this study, it is a no-brainer not to have all your nodes removed. And that pertains to any cancer surgery. If you do have reason for biopsy, absolutely refuse lymph node dissection. Neither Terri nor I would consider any type of lymph node biopsy. Our belief is that if it is in the nodes, the cats already out of the bag. The cancer has already spread, and taking out that one node is unlikely to make any difference in the long run.
Of course, your first action should be prevention. Stick to my dietary advice. Regarding nutritional supplements, please search previous editions of Second Opinion on my website. I also suggest you look for degenerative changes years ahead with thermography. It can see abnormal cell growth before it turns into cancer. This is far superior to mammography, which detects cancer AFTER it is already there.
Ref: Associated Press, December 9, 2004.