Ive always been leery looking up health information symptoms eg.. online however I still am guilty of it. I was advised to go o. Rick Simpson oil by a friend for my cancer. I told my oncologist and he kind of laughed. I have done the follow, the xeloda with radiation, round of SBRT when my cancer spread. It was like playing whack a mole. I am off treatment now. What I wish oncologists would understand as a whole amd talk to their patients about is LARS. I have colorectal cancer and when they surgically removed the tumor, they also took 80% of my rectum. The only one who gave me the slightest warning about what to expect after ileistomy reversal was my surgeon. He said things would be off for a year. I was running to the restroom. 30 times a day. I joined a group on Facebook with folks experiencing the same thing. No medical advice but a place to go knowing you're not alone.. It's been 3 years and I wear a depends everyday for protection. My oncologist still claimd he doesn't know about it. Can we spread the word so we are all on the same page? There are 100s in my group? Thanks for the share.
I read this with interest. I believe you meant it honestly. But there are ways to read this that are not good.
I’m stage 4. I was told by doctor after doctor that I am incurable and would need to be on chemotherapy for the rest of my life. Not mentioned was how short that life would be with toxins being pumped into me every other week
But when death is at the door you go looking for alternatives. I agree there is snake oil out there. But there is also unacknowledged truth. I always tracked the science. I occasionally asked my oncologist his opinion. But the responses I got led me to seek counsel elsewhere where I found oncologists open to other treatments that they also believed had good evidence behind them.
I’m lucky. I could afford these treatments. Most cannot.
Today I’m off chemo 6 months with no evidence of disease. I can’t help but wonder how the oncologists that offered me FOLFOX for life interpret this situation. I’ll be asking in 2 days but expect the same refusal to acknowledge except to say I am doing well.
Dr. Flora, beautifully written piece. I thought you covered every important point a patient should consider when trying to vet someone who's giving them potential cancer advice.
I know I contacted you with a personal message, semi-jokingly praising you for providing care without medications intended for farm animals or to cure river blindness, but the reality is, that is what you must face. Again, I am satisfied with your expert response that is at once as ethical as it is knowledgable. In my mind that is what any patient hopes for at perhaps the single most vulnerable time in their lives. I too had friends & others - mostly loving & motivated in their own way - who suggested one thing or another they had heard about or read about, & I politely thanked each, but insisted I had “the best cancer care anywhere,” as the slogan goes. Some were accepting, some were very annoyed, yet 15-years later, I remain cancer free by the Grace of God & a truly phenomenal team of individuals who remain in my heart. The point is, despite the sheer helplessness of it all, surrendering to the best, to the most ethical, to those who listen, to those who truly feel they have the expertise to take you to the other side is priceless, and the need to scour the internet & listen to outsiders rapidly diminishes. My 2 cents…
Hi Dr. Flora - This is a really important perspective, and I thank you for posting it. When I was diagnosed in June 2022 with Stage IIIC colorectal cancer, I didn't know anything about this specific stage, the prognosis, or preferred treatment. I needed solid information to discuss with my doctors, and I began researching trusted medical and scientific sites such as the National Library of Medicine in the USA. I also needed to know what doctors knew, and I found a very helpful medical textbook written for the continuing education of doctors. It's titled "Colorectal Cancer" and has been one of my main sources of reliable information. As I said in my memoir about surviving colorectal cancer, patients should avoid wasting time wandering around the Internet. Or, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, don't believe everything you read on the Internet. Here's the link to the "Colorectal Cancer" textbook: https://www.amazon.com/Colorectal-Cancer-NetCE-ebook/dp/B09XGS4T23/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VQ6XB88UOUSS&keywords=colorectal+cancer&qid=1699916663&s=books&sprefix=colorectal+cancer,stripbooks-intl-ship,152&sr=1-2
As always, Daniel, you are the voice of reason combined with compassion and hope. There is a gap in the market for physicians like you which, I suspect, is why people turn to other sources to get their information. Our understanding of cancer and ability to care for people with cancer is coming on in leaps and bounds, and both conventional and complementary therapies are getting more targeted and more effective. Here in the UK there are still a majority of doctors and oncologists adamant that nothing but medicine can help. Sadly this makes the vulnerable (who instinctively feel that there must be more than that) easy prey. Your work is a ray of hope and a model that I hope we can follow. Events like IPM Congress recently held in London Westminster, attended by doctors, oncologists and complementary health practitioners, suggest it might be possible. This a helpful article in signposting patients what questions to ask. Thank you.
What about the information out there that was said to be true but was really misinformation?Like you know, the whole Covid six foot thing, ig you get the vaccine you can't give it to anyone else and the whole masking thing that no one ever redacted?
Patients deserve truth and when that become "incorrect" and no one retracts it or even admits, out loud, that they were wrong, that's when people start to wonder THEIR motivation.
Yes, I know, YOU don't make money (you've said) off the chemo drugs you sell but your specialty does (which alot of people don't know) and I don't see anyone beating the door down to stop the conflict of interest.
But absence of evidence does NOT mean something does not work. It just means it has not yet been fully evaluated.
I think Oncologists should keep an open mind to alternative options/theories before dismissing them. Some have merit and may become part of a traditional approach to Cancer in the coming years.
Denigrating those who in time of need cast a wide net is not necessarily helpful.
Often combination approaches with an open mind can yield good results.
Absolutely. That’s the model. I think also addressing socioeconomic barriers and education in schools would help. Yep, at least start with the low hanging fruit like you said (we offer healthy choices at hospital, but patients never order them.)
I agree. We should always stay open to new ideas, especially when they’re grounded in good science. The best way forward is through rigorous, transparent research. We do have systems in place to test promising theories safely and ethically, outside of industry influence.
But the real issue is the growing narrative that doctors are hiding cures or suppressing the truth. That kind of mistrust is corrosive and harmful. It turns hope into suspicion and undermines the very people trying to help.
On my end in primary care, my patients do NOT feel that specialists are hiding cures or suppressing truth. They more think Docs are too dependent on Big Pharma (who they distrust). My patients tell me they just wish their specialists would say, "I don't know", or "I have not seen nor heard that before, but I will look into it", especially when it comes to things outside of the Traditional, of which many docs have not yet explored.
I can see that. And my personal experience is that there are some docs that practice that way, but not the majority (at least at my center). Although the amount of things I see on social media I wonder if it much more prevalent. Everyone I talk to absolutely favors preventative med. Our entire board of directors read Attia’s Outlive to try to incorporate more of it into our practice model.
The problem is many of our patients are so far along the chronic disease spectrum it’s only medicine that can get them to safety (insulin in someone with A1c of 13). I’m not sure patients understand that..
Good to hear your docs are following other docs slightly outside the mainstream.
I don’t think Attia though is non-traditional.
As for Diabetes-adult onset, treating an A1C or a glucose, are both just markers of a metabolic process that is out of balance, usually from chronic excess of either dietary carbs or even seed oils. It is the insulin resistance that is the root cause of diabetes so using big Pharma meds to lower a number while not fixing/improving the metabolic process just does not work well in the long run.
Root causes are where healthcare needs to go.
Look for and find them and teach patients how NOT to need our services if they do so successfully.
That’s what our patients really want. They want to be well. They want to be healthy. They don’t want to visit us in our offices. But when they do they want to know WHY they developed a condition just as much as how can we help them CURE it, not just MANAGE it with lifelong meds.
Not to be a contrarian, but how have you had success in a patient of low socioeconomic status, chronic stress, lack of access to healthy foods, and poverty get an A1c of 13 down by talking about seed oils? That’s a good portion of our Kentucky patients.
Educate them so they can try to make better choices.
Butter is not expensive.
Low carb diets can be eggs, bacon and ground beef/chicken/turkey. All of the above improve insulin resistance if they eat protein and fat instead of “excess” carbs.
Look into SMHP, the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners. They have great info, presentations and even courses on Metabolic health for Diabetes as well as Cancer.
The Warburg effect is prominent in many Cancers so I question why in many hospitals Cancer patients are given Pancakes, waffles and syrup.
My practice is different than yours.
I have a solo primary care practice, membership based that works on combining the best of traditional and functional wellness to educate patients to reverse or prevent many chronic diseases.
If the growth of my practice and others like it means anything, than traditional healthcare should start looking as the cost savings could be very high.
Ive always been leery looking up health information symptoms eg.. online however I still am guilty of it. I was advised to go o. Rick Simpson oil by a friend for my cancer. I told my oncologist and he kind of laughed. I have done the follow, the xeloda with radiation, round of SBRT when my cancer spread. It was like playing whack a mole. I am off treatment now. What I wish oncologists would understand as a whole amd talk to their patients about is LARS. I have colorectal cancer and when they surgically removed the tumor, they also took 80% of my rectum. The only one who gave me the slightest warning about what to expect after ileistomy reversal was my surgeon. He said things would be off for a year. I was running to the restroom. 30 times a day. I joined a group on Facebook with folks experiencing the same thing. No medical advice but a place to go knowing you're not alone.. It's been 3 years and I wear a depends everyday for protection. My oncologist still claimd he doesn't know about it. Can we spread the word so we are all on the same page? There are 100s in my group? Thanks for the share.
I read this with interest. I believe you meant it honestly. But there are ways to read this that are not good.
I’m stage 4. I was told by doctor after doctor that I am incurable and would need to be on chemotherapy for the rest of my life. Not mentioned was how short that life would be with toxins being pumped into me every other week
But when death is at the door you go looking for alternatives. I agree there is snake oil out there. But there is also unacknowledged truth. I always tracked the science. I occasionally asked my oncologist his opinion. But the responses I got led me to seek counsel elsewhere where I found oncologists open to other treatments that they also believed had good evidence behind them.
I’m lucky. I could afford these treatments. Most cannot.
Today I’m off chemo 6 months with no evidence of disease. I can’t help but wonder how the oncologists that offered me FOLFOX for life interpret this situation. I’ll be asking in 2 days but expect the same refusal to acknowledge except to say I am doing well.
Dr. Flora, beautifully written piece. I thought you covered every important point a patient should consider when trying to vet someone who's giving them potential cancer advice.
I know I contacted you with a personal message, semi-jokingly praising you for providing care without medications intended for farm animals or to cure river blindness, but the reality is, that is what you must face. Again, I am satisfied with your expert response that is at once as ethical as it is knowledgable. In my mind that is what any patient hopes for at perhaps the single most vulnerable time in their lives. I too had friends & others - mostly loving & motivated in their own way - who suggested one thing or another they had heard about or read about, & I politely thanked each, but insisted I had “the best cancer care anywhere,” as the slogan goes. Some were accepting, some were very annoyed, yet 15-years later, I remain cancer free by the Grace of God & a truly phenomenal team of individuals who remain in my heart. The point is, despite the sheer helplessness of it all, surrendering to the best, to the most ethical, to those who listen, to those who truly feel they have the expertise to take you to the other side is priceless, and the need to scour the internet & listen to outsiders rapidly diminishes. My 2 cents…
Thanks, Dr S. for the supportive words and sharing your experience.
Hi Dr. Flora - This is a really important perspective, and I thank you for posting it. When I was diagnosed in June 2022 with Stage IIIC colorectal cancer, I didn't know anything about this specific stage, the prognosis, or preferred treatment. I needed solid information to discuss with my doctors, and I began researching trusted medical and scientific sites such as the National Library of Medicine in the USA. I also needed to know what doctors knew, and I found a very helpful medical textbook written for the continuing education of doctors. It's titled "Colorectal Cancer" and has been one of my main sources of reliable information. As I said in my memoir about surviving colorectal cancer, patients should avoid wasting time wandering around the Internet. Or, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, don't believe everything you read on the Internet. Here's the link to the "Colorectal Cancer" textbook: https://www.amazon.com/Colorectal-Cancer-NetCE-ebook/dp/B09XGS4T23/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VQ6XB88UOUSS&keywords=colorectal+cancer&qid=1699916663&s=books&sprefix=colorectal+cancer,stripbooks-intl-ship,152&sr=1-2
Thanks for sharing Mikel — input from patients like yourself is critical.
As always, Daniel, you are the voice of reason combined with compassion and hope. There is a gap in the market for physicians like you which, I suspect, is why people turn to other sources to get their information. Our understanding of cancer and ability to care for people with cancer is coming on in leaps and bounds, and both conventional and complementary therapies are getting more targeted and more effective. Here in the UK there are still a majority of doctors and oncologists adamant that nothing but medicine can help. Sadly this makes the vulnerable (who instinctively feel that there must be more than that) easy prey. Your work is a ray of hope and a model that I hope we can follow. Events like IPM Congress recently held in London Westminster, attended by doctors, oncologists and complementary health practitioners, suggest it might be possible. This a helpful article in signposting patients what questions to ask. Thank you.
Thank you, Dawn
What about the information out there that was said to be true but was really misinformation?Like you know, the whole Covid six foot thing, ig you get the vaccine you can't give it to anyone else and the whole masking thing that no one ever redacted?
Patients deserve truth and when that become "incorrect" and no one retracts it or even admits, out loud, that they were wrong, that's when people start to wonder THEIR motivation.
Yes, I know, YOU don't make money (you've said) off the chemo drugs you sell but your specialty does (which alot of people don't know) and I don't see anyone beating the door down to stop the conflict of interest.
Dr
U r correct.
But absence of evidence does NOT mean something does not work. It just means it has not yet been fully evaluated.
I think Oncologists should keep an open mind to alternative options/theories before dismissing them. Some have merit and may become part of a traditional approach to Cancer in the coming years.
Denigrating those who in time of need cast a wide net is not necessarily helpful.
Often combination approaches with an open mind can yield good results.
Absolutely. That’s the model. I think also addressing socioeconomic barriers and education in schools would help. Yep, at least start with the low hanging fruit like you said (we offer healthy choices at hospital, but patients never order them.)
I agree. We should always stay open to new ideas, especially when they’re grounded in good science. The best way forward is through rigorous, transparent research. We do have systems in place to test promising theories safely and ethically, outside of industry influence.
But the real issue is the growing narrative that doctors are hiding cures or suppressing the truth. That kind of mistrust is corrosive and harmful. It turns hope into suspicion and undermines the very people trying to help.
thanks for the reply.
On my end in primary care, my patients do NOT feel that specialists are hiding cures or suppressing truth. They more think Docs are too dependent on Big Pharma (who they distrust). My patients tell me they just wish their specialists would say, "I don't know", or "I have not seen nor heard that before, but I will look into it", especially when it comes to things outside of the Traditional, of which many docs have not yet explored.
We probably agree on 99% but have different paths to get there and different populations.
Nice chatting.
I can see that. And my personal experience is that there are some docs that practice that way, but not the majority (at least at my center). Although the amount of things I see on social media I wonder if it much more prevalent. Everyone I talk to absolutely favors preventative med. Our entire board of directors read Attia’s Outlive to try to incorporate more of it into our practice model.
The problem is many of our patients are so far along the chronic disease spectrum it’s only medicine that can get them to safety (insulin in someone with A1c of 13). I’m not sure patients understand that..
Good to hear your docs are following other docs slightly outside the mainstream.
I don’t think Attia though is non-traditional.
As for Diabetes-adult onset, treating an A1C or a glucose, are both just markers of a metabolic process that is out of balance, usually from chronic excess of either dietary carbs or even seed oils. It is the insulin resistance that is the root cause of diabetes so using big Pharma meds to lower a number while not fixing/improving the metabolic process just does not work well in the long run.
Root causes are where healthcare needs to go.
Look for and find them and teach patients how NOT to need our services if they do so successfully.
That’s what our patients really want. They want to be well. They want to be healthy. They don’t want to visit us in our offices. But when they do they want to know WHY they developed a condition just as much as how can we help them CURE it, not just MANAGE it with lifelong meds.
Sorry, that was longer than I wanted.
Thanks for the conversation.
Not to be a contrarian, but how have you had success in a patient of low socioeconomic status, chronic stress, lack of access to healthy foods, and poverty get an A1c of 13 down by talking about seed oils? That’s a good portion of our Kentucky patients.
U r not a contrarian. That is a good question.
Educate them so they can try to make better choices.
Butter is not expensive.
Low carb diets can be eggs, bacon and ground beef/chicken/turkey. All of the above improve insulin resistance if they eat protein and fat instead of “excess” carbs.
Look into SMHP, the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners. They have great info, presentations and even courses on Metabolic health for Diabetes as well as Cancer.
The Warburg effect is prominent in many Cancers so I question why in many hospitals Cancer patients are given Pancakes, waffles and syrup.
My practice is different than yours.
I have a solo primary care practice, membership based that works on combining the best of traditional and functional wellness to educate patients to reverse or prevent many chronic diseases.
If the growth of my practice and others like it means anything, than traditional healthcare should start looking as the cost savings could be very high.