Tuesday 22 January 2013

The Cancer Cure Conspiracy Theory


As a former politics student, I learnt the art of debating. My politics class was quite small and we had a great time learning together. Our debates were a great show and I really wish we had recorded them.

As a former politics student I am not afraid of having opinions and voicing them. I do try to make sure I am educated on a subject before debating them and I do try to keep an open mind and listen to others opinions.

However, there is one subject that REALLY bugs me and I feel I should address it in this post today. I find it hugely irritating when people post their conspiracy theories regarding “natural” cancer treatments on the CRUK Facebook page. I was appalled to see a post about a brave young girl beating cancer turned into a “bash CRUK post”. I am aware that miracles happen. Sometimes a person with a very bleak diagnosis will miraculously recover. Maybe natural remedies do help beat cancer. But I do not like this constant bashing of people who do not use natural remedies to treat cancer. I do not like these people stating their opinions as facts. I do not like people trying to claim a cure for cancer is being hidden by governments to keep people sick and spending money. It’s hugely disrespectful to the millions of cancer sufferers AND the thousands of people dedicated to curing cancer.

Please note this blog is my opinion only and I do not wish to offend anyone with what I state. I am not regarding my opinion as fact and I do welcome any proof that I am in fact wrong.

THERE WILL NOT BE A SINGLE CURE FOR CANCER.

Cancer is an umbrella term. It is not one disease. There are more then TWO HUNDRED cancer types. All types are different and one single cure will not be possible.

My Uncle Pan, a respected academic and someone who lost a wife and son to cancer, has written a blog post about this subject. He is much more articulate then me and he is also much more educated on the subject so I urge you to read his post and see what you think.


Without sounding blunt, there is no such thing as a miracle cure. Anyone who claims to be able to cure cancer with a product is not being entirely honest. Yes that product may have potential benefits but until it has been research, trialled and tested vigorously, it will not be a cure.

I’m not knocking homeopathic treatment and I agree that it can compliment, and even lessen the side effects of, conventional treatment. But I would NEVER allow a loved one to not have conventional treatment and just try these untested treatments instead. My uncle scoured the whole planet looking for a treatment that could cure Georgie. The sad truth is that treatment did not exist. We tried lots of things and every angle was considered but the truth is there is no cure for cancer at the moment.

I volunteer my time for Cancer Research UK because I believe in them. I have been to the labs and witnessed the research first hand. They are doing an incredible job of providing research into cancer. Lots of charities are. There are some incredible scientists out there, dedicating their lives to finding ways of beating cancer. I do believe cures are on the horizon but I believe there will be many many different types, not one cure for everything. I also don’t believe Cancer Research UK are out to make money and deprive people of proper treatments. CRUK is not government funded. I am proud to call several employees my friends and I can guarantee you that everyone who works there is passionate about the people they help. They all want to see the end of cancer.

I actually think these people claiming to cure cancer naturally are slightly dangerous and I would urge anyone to seriously consider medical advice and common sense when being told about these treatments. Yes chemotherapy is horrid. Yes surgery is painful. But these are tried and tested treatments with years and years of experience and proven results. They don’t work for everyone but they have saved MILLIONS of lives.

I would like to say that I wish everyone well with their battles with cancer. If someone genuinely believes they were cured naturally then fair play to them and I hope they are right. But I do not think it is right to dress these treatments up as miracles and possibly cloud the judgement of a desperate cancer patient looking for something that will cure them. Medicine has made huge advances over time and more and more people are surviving cancer all the time. We are on the right track and it will be slow progress but we will get there one day!

There is no treatment being hidden from us. There is no miracle cure out there. There will be cures one day but we need to keep up the research, keep up the awareness and remain steadfast in our determination to see the day when cancer is a disease of the past.

xxx

3 comments:

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  2. A well thought out, considerate, intelligent and personable post. The work that you,plus many others, is invaluable. From someone who has lost many to cancer the continued drive and determination by CRUK is remarkable. Keep up the good work, our kids, their kids and generations beyond will owe you a life of happiness!

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