Conventional medicine's approach to cancer is to regard it as a foreign body which needs to be anhilated and removed from the body. Hence, the primary treatments are surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, this therapeutic approach has been largely unsuccessful for the vast majority of malignancies, and the so-called "war on cancer" has been almost a complete failure.

An alternative view of cancer is to see it as a total body disease right from the beginning, rather than only after the disease has spread throughout the body. Cancer is symptomatic of a failure of the body's defenses, including the immune system. It represents an imbalance in the body's ability to adapt to adverse external or internal conditions.

By intelligent choices, we can drastically reduce our risk of developing cancer, improve our chances of survival if we already have cancer, and prevent recurrence of cancer in remission. We need to eliminate as many negative factors in our environment and within ourselves as possible, while trying to maximize the factors that will enhance our defenses. We must examine and be willing to change our lifestyle, beliefs and environment.

Specific recommendations include: (1) dietary changes-what to avoid and what to include; (2) oral supplementation, including vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, enzymes, herbs, accessory food factors and others; (3) detoxification procedures; (4) injectable programs when necessary; (5) exercise programs; and (6) psychosocial support measures. In subsequent medical updates, I will discuss some specifics of such a program.

The best and most up-to-date book that I have seen on preventing and treating cancer is Dr. Patrick Quillin's Beating Cancer with Nutrition. An excellent full length video on this subject is What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Cancer, which is narrated by actor Eddie Albert.

Positive Step for Prevention, Improving Chances of Surviving Cancer and Preventing Recurrence
What can you do to prevent cancer, improve your chances of survival if you have cancer, or prevent recurrence if your cancer is in remission? You must improve the quality of air, water and food that you take into your body. Smoking contributes to lung cancer and other cancers. Avoid smoking and areas in which others are smoking. As much as possible avoid polluted air. Pollution within the home can be reduced with air purifiers.

Pure Water
Drink only pure water. Consider spring water, filtered water or distilled water. Lead from old pipes contaminates much of our drinking water, as does organic chemicals, which are not removed by many of our current public water purification systems. Chlorine, added to purify water, may actually increase cancer risk, especially when it combines with organic chemicals.

Fluoride, added to half of the nation's water supplies to fight tooth decay, contributes to cancer risk, according to a variety of studies, in spite of US Public Health Service protestations. Most water purifcation systems do not remove fluoride unless the system includes a reverse osmosis component. Remember that boiling water removes dissolved chlorine, but only concentrates fluoride. In my opinion, fluoride in all forms, including tooth paste, drops for babies, fluoride treatments by dentists and tablets should not be used. An excellent book on this subject is Fluoridation: The Aging Factor by John Yiamouyiannis, available from my office or possibly your local bookstore.