A Few Meanderings on Prostate Cancer (Pt11)
A Readers Questions My Cancer Fighting Philosophy:
A reader has asked how I can possibly go against the advice of the white coat brigade, the medical professionals. Well, my previous articles and comments pretty well cover my overall thoughts on that but perhaps I can bring it into a more personal focus and relate to experiences over the years.
Opting for the holistic approach, using only alternative medicine and where I was to be in almost total control of my health, was not, in itself, a hard decision to make as will become clear later.
Without wishing to sound smug, I have spent a lifetime, both here and overseas, professionally managing life and death; risk management and security issues, both perceived and real, in relation to either my own safety or that of others, invariably both. I would contend therefore that I have an innate ability to approach such matters in a logical, practical and rational manner, without being unnecessarily fearful of outcomes.
With that sort of personal background together with the availability and research benefits of the world-wide-web, it is not too hard, just a bit laborious perhaps, to discover and evaluate the anecdotal experiences of other prostate cancer victims as well as studies and articles on both conventional and alternative medicine.
And then again, I have my own historical medical experiences to call upon. My very first experience with the alternative health industry was way back in the early 1990’s when, having having had discs in my neck surgically fused, and refusing to have other discs similarly treated, I had become totally inhibited physically and in constant pain daily, requiring regular doses of pain-killer throughout the day and much of the night. By coincidence, a good friend of mine made contact after many years absence and we met for lunch.
During lunch, he quickly deduced that I had health problems. A Naturopath and Iridologist, he persuaded me to allow him to conduct an Iridology test. What he told me about my general health together with being able to identifying missing organs totally amazed me. That lead into further discussion about my neck issues and he suggested that as I quite obviously couldn’t allow my current, very painful, situation to continue, he would be happy to help me. That he did. Within six months I had made remarkable improvement, had much less pain and less frequently and was decidedly more active, both physically and mentally.
I had progressed therefor, from a situation where my medical specialists had proposed the progressive fusing of each of my cervical discs in my neck, over a period of years, with all that that entails, to one where I was reasonably active and with minimal pain. I have continued with the treatment over the years, with even greater improvement.
Another time, I was having urinary track problems but which took my doctor and specialist some 18 months to find a large cancerous tumour sitting at the rear of my right kidney. Only my determination and persistence got me to that point. Both kidney and tumour were removed.
I later found that the tablets prescribed for me over several years by my doctor to treat my neck problem was clinically proven to cause kidney cancer if taken over a long period.
Five years later in 2000, I had precautionary scans after a severe bout of bronchitis and these showed nodules in my right lung and liver. My then family doctor told me that I should go home and put my personal affairs in order as I had a maximum of 12 months to live. He said I had secondary cancer in my right lung and liver.
During follow up investigations, a thoracic surgeon suggested immediate surgery to remove all, or part, of my right lung. This was regardless of the fact that the supposed metastasis was in my liver also. When I questioned him on the logic of operating on one without the other, he simply replied that he didn’t do livers! No, and he wasn’t going to ‘do’ me neither. I walked out.
As it turned out, there was no metastasis, just probable haemangioma in both areas. A positive aspect of this experience was the professional approach of my oncologist, who urged caution from the very beginning as he wasn’t convinced that it was cancer. I followed his advice. He was right.
Incidentally, my lung biopsy was unproductive and in the process the radiologist managed to puncture my lung, giving me a pneumonthorax and a quick trip to hospital for another op.
I think most reasonable people would agree that these experiences alone would suffice to cause one to view conventional medicine, and certainly major surgery, with some circumspect.
28 Nov 06
As an adjunct to the above, recent research reported in the Australian media, states that 20% of all surgical operations carried out here have to be redone or will cause infections or other problems necessitating a longer hospital stay and additional treatment.
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