Tue, 20 Jun 2006
Old Story
It's an old, old story. Conventional medicine looks the other way, ignores evidence that alternative treatments work. The first case is a doctor at the NIH who thinks intravenous Vitamin C may work better the chemotherapy to combat cancer. Needless to say, it's also far cheaper and is completely non-toxic. But he can't find anyone to study the issue.
Interest is not growing, however, among mainstream oncologists, judging from conferences, publications, and interviews with some of them. The National Cancer Institute, with a $5 billion budget, is not sponsoring studies of intravenous C. Neither is the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The American Cancer Society and the American Association of Clinical Oncologists warn patients against high-dose C, as do leading cancer centers such as the University of Pennsylvania's and Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York.
At the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., oncologist Edward Creagan said the idea that intravenous, but not oral, levels are toxic to cancer is "an intriguing concept."
"However, my own belief is that the vitamin C story is really ancient history," he said. "It would be very difficult for patients and clinicians to mount a lot of enthusiasm for another vitamin C study."
The second case is an Australian study showing that Omega 3 is more effective than Ritalin in treating hyperactivity. But don't hold your breath waiting for American doctors to change their prescribing habits.
The Australian researchers looked at the effect of fish oil capsules on a group seven to 12-year-olds with ADHD. Some were given the capsules, while others took a placebo or dummy capsule. Within three months, the behaviour of those on the fish oils had dramatically improved and, by seven months, many of the children were less restless and doing better at school. The most striking improvement was in concentration or attention, which improved by a third. When those taking the dummy capsules switched to the fish oils, they also saw their behaviour improve.
