Dr Oz and Alternative Medicine site

One of the major surprises of this entire journey was the number of well-meaning friends who suggested alternative therapies that could have killed me at worst, or at best, made my treatment less effective.  I made sure I asked my medical team about any supplements, or ideas I had.

Thank you for posting this Black Cat.

My first comment is treatment of a normal weight woman with breast cancer is a very different animal from a 300 lb woman with diabetes and cardiac issues.  In the first case, you need to apply the best and most appropriate evidence-based therapy of standard medicine.  In the second case, you may need to use medicine too, but it is also obvious that lifestyle and diet changes are in order.

I am sure that Dr Oz has seen a large number of patients for whom diet and exercise was a large part of the cure.  And in fact, keeping a normal weight, exercising, and eating a reasonable diet are part of the prevention.

There is no such cause-and-effect link with breast cancer.  There can be a genetic predisposition, but that is a small minority of patients.  It would be lovely if there were, but there isn't.

Once you are down the best evidence-based treatment protocol for your particular diagnosis, I don't care what else you do as long as it doesn't reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.

However, those boring rules about diet and exercise, getting enough sleep etc. still apply.

But if suspending yourself by your right toe takes your mind off things and improves cognitive function, that is just fine.  This is where all the "alternative" therapies fit.  They can make treatment more bearable.  That is good as treatment is no fun at all.  I don't care whether this effect is real or imagined.  The objective is to make it through.

Once active treatment is finished, then it's back again to the boring basics.  Because we don't want to survive cancer only to have Type 2 Diabetes as our next fun event in life.

I agree that Dr Oz has no taste buds BTW.  I look at what he suggests eating.  BLECH!!!  I honestly don't think he understands the concept of getting pleasure from food.

I think that a lot of what he says is of value, because it has to do with basic stuff.  A lot of people need to be told to get moving and to clean up their act eating.  If these people get healthier because of his advice, that is a good thing.  So was doing a colonoscopy which revealed a pre-cancerous condition.

However, I start to have a major issue when alternative therapies are touted as a REPLACEMENT for  standard medical care.  Not good, because some people will opt for the easier "more natural" route instead of sucking it up and getting the treatment they need.

The sad thing is that Dr Oz could bring in some of these practitioners in a useful way.  That is, show how these therapies can complement standard medical practice.  But that would be BORING and it would lose audience ratings.

My own view is that we are not "too stuck" but have far too many dubious options.  This goes back to my own personal experience in dodging my well-meaning friends and researching all their suggestions.

It has been quite the education. - Claire

Hi Luan, I'm not sure where you get the "witch burning" impression - that sounds like a serious persecution complex to me.

Also, I'm not sure what you're trying to show by your references to pharmaceutical companies doing most of the research.  In fact, I started a thread recently about WHY it is that the "alternative" or supplement manufacturers aren't contributing more toward research.  It's an interesting question, if you're interested.... here's the link:  http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/79/topic/766926

The more I see/read/hear of Dr. Oz, the more he bothers me.  A few days ago, his program was about 5 "MIRACLE" foods that could cause cancer, and he was featuring a book or something entitled something like "Forks over Knives, Never Die of Cancer..." implying that if you just eat the right 5 foods or whatever, that you wouldn't get or die of cancer.  That's just plain WRONG.  It's so unbelievably irresponsible of him to be so sensationalistic about how easy it is to prevent/cure cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart issues, or whatever his cure du jour is.  

Take for example, this episode from his website.  Talk about BS nonsense.  It's one thing when amateurs or well-meaning family and friends are so misguided and uninformed about something as serious as cancer, but it's really bothersome to me when a popular and presumably credible medical doctor sells out like this.  He should have his medical license revoked and be sued for malpractice, IMHO.

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5 Wrong Turns That Can Lead to Cancer

Wrong Turn #1: You're Overdoing Vitamin E Supplements
Wrong Turn #2: You Don't Eat at the Same Time Every Day
Wrong Turn #3: You Don't Brush and Floss Regularly
Wrong Turn #4: You Don't Get Enough Sleep
Wrong Turn #5: You Eat Too Many Low-Fat Foods

LOL, the ignore feature isn't new at all, but it sure is useful for those who prefer not to be bothered with facts!

Marianna, don't you think you're engaging in the same behavior of which you accuse the newme? "You are rude, uneducated, and a bore."

Really? sometimes I feel as if I'm back in the high school cafeteria. Ladies, we have survived and are surviving CANCER. let's keep it in perspective, please.

Thenewme makes excellent points about Dr. Oz and his fearmongering. Shallow medical "education" of folks, no better than "feel your tatas!" crap in every women's magazine. Any decent oncologist or medical practicioner will note that science, medicine, and good health is more nuanced than bullets of ADVICE THEE MUST HEED NOW!!

j

kudos to you, marianna, for the kind words. and i've bubbled over plenty of times on another thread. i get it. this is such emotional stuff! my husband shakes his head over it, but folks "outside" this stuff just don't get it.

good feelings back at you.

On March 7th The NY Times published a story entitled "Diet Plan With Hormone has Fans and Skeptics.". I think the article's angle, much like Jane Brody's column about the risk of thyroid cancer, attempts to explain to readers a more balanced explanation of a very controversial treatment. In fact, since the treatment is so controversial, I wonder why Dr. Oz's bookers would have been interested in presenting the topic for discussion in the first place. Obviously, it is more about the ratings. And when it's ratings sweep months, heaven knows what they'll be discussing. As they say in the media...."Stay tuned!"

...just sitting here reading as fast as I can...this is better than reality tv....

Luan- DO NOT GO- I promise not sucker punch ya! Personally I love discussions rather than reading copious amounts of data pasted in here....and following a breakfast presentation, Dr. DeBakey himself told me to always question authority...that every single discovery he had ever made was best on investigation and trying things out....

if I had not questioned the answers I got my youngest son would be wallowing away in an institution as was advised by the literally the top pediatric neuro guy here in Houston. Proclaimed him hopeless...He later apologized saying he had been having a bad day and just wanted to help me avoid all the work and investigation that would go into raising my son....a BAD DAY?! I had been so devasted when he told me that all of my ideas for his help were not based on science...that there was nothing to be done for him...I had my theories based on what I had tried to that point and he said it was all voodoo and baseless...my devastation turned to anger which in turn in fueled my efforts...I am all for being open, if not, then we are lemmings off the cliff. Science is experimental to its very core. Some things are obviously ok, others, not so much. I don't think I will drink monkey pee anytime soon but if standing on my head and patting my belly makes me feel better, I will do so. Who knows? THank god for all of our inquisitive minds and for all the researchers struggling to find out what works...having way too much knowledge about the entire drug development process due to my career, I will say this...just because something is FDA approved does not mean much in the greater scheme of things. I have had the researchers themselves tellme on numerous occasions to NEVER take a drug that has been on the market less than five years unless it is a case of imminent life or death...toomany flaws and too few broad clinical trials...a phase III clinical trial (the one just before approval) can be composed of as few as 1500 people...and many do not adhere to the schedule skewing the results, not to mention the "other" clinical trials that are not FDA sanctioned to shake out the bugs so to speak- the people chosen are from a very narrow parameter, unlike those of us who will take the drugs. I am not pro or anti big pharma, just realistic. Even the NIH and CDC are having problems with integrity in regards to financial concerns. As for CROs and CMOs they are merely the places where drug research andproduction are outsourced to, theydo not develop or produce their own drugs, the companies are using them as they consolidate their own facilities thanks to the contraction of the industry as a whole. Every major pharma company is slashing their research budgets by at least 10% in the coming year...narrowing the focus of research on high dollar therapies...which fortunately for those touched by BC, includes cancer at the top of the list. Here is an interesting little factoid - the top selling therapeutic class globally in 2009 was for oncologic drugs...over $52 BILLION in sales....as businesses, they will go where the money is. Next up is immunological drugs. INterestingly enough, in the U.S. - antipsychotics grossed the most by prescription sales bringing in $15 billion (testament to the fact that this class is vastly over-prescribed)-

ahh, sorry for going on and on, all of this is fresh in my mind since I just had to prep for my talk  in Atlanta and it is what I do all day every day- no fun to go out to dinner with me:))) I will alternately bore you to tears or horrify you!

"As savvy as I once thought I was about my research and comprehension skills, I was rudely awaken after reading John Abrahamson, MD's book, Overdosed America. Devastating book about how medical research is conducted and is absorbed by professionals and patients. "

Why then would you put so much trust in the conventional opinions and research and consider Dr Oz so wrong in sharing his views?  Is it really that black and white for you?  Myself, I tend to be shades of grey. 

I am typing on an iPod touch and this stinks. Sorry

thenewme:  you're kidding me   "Hi Luan, I'm not sure where you get the "witch burning" impression - that sounds like a serious persecution complex to me"

and no you're not following reason at all, you should try to get a job as antagonizer and let me be in peace, I'm trying to enjoy my Sunday.

I think that this thread illustrates 2 things: first, that many truths can simultaneously exist (e.g., the fact that Big Medicine isn't always rational or patient-centered, sometimes driven by $$, but also, folks like Dr. Oz are sometimes fearmongering and speaking in soundbites, rather than in solid knowledge and/or protocols); secondly, that sometimes the problem is the social dynamic, rather than the issue discussed. At the end of the day, what we decide about Dr. Oz --in my opinion-- isn't as important as the building, or destroying, of the community we have here.

peace

janyce

Hi Elmcity and VoraciousReader,

Points taken.  Sometimes I really regret my unfortunate inability to express myself clearly.

Peace.

ok, i don't think thenewme is attacking anyone - and you express yourself perfectly well!

konokat, your description of the show is hilarious. i agree. "Serious illnesses can't be dealt with in 10 minute clips with cheamp demos."

oh, don't get me started on Dr. Phil! He disrespects all therapeutic professions; he is another one after the almighty dollar/rating/ego boost. His show was playing @ our cancer center during my mammo in february and I could hardly stand it!

Hi SusanK8,

I wonder if you'd share the sources for your information in your posts?   It's critical for us to have  accurate, credible, and verifiable information here, and it's always good to cite your sources. Thanks!