It is always easy to knock what we do not understand or are afraid of. I am not condoning what these companies were saying but I am also not able to read this article without getting frustrated. FTC warns consumers about bogus cancer cures by Randolph E. Schmid.
It would be nice of the article went into further detail about all of the companies, or the products in detail, but this, like many "news items" today they are just copy and paste affairs from press releases.
"Douglas Stearn of the FDA said his agency is concerned that people may forgo effective cancer treatments when choosing these products." Can you please describe to me what an effective cancer treatment is? Maybe the products claiming they "cure" cancer on the internet are not the right treatments, but as individuals do we not have the right to choose what type of treatment we use?
According to the FTC, Cancer is the second leading killer in the United States. Included in the top five is Noscomial infections from being in a hospital. This begs the question of how effective current established methods of treatment are working. While the FTC says to avoid treatments which describe the product as "Natural," it is important to remember that in eastern societies where high levels of Anti-Oxidants are found in their diets, Cancer is at a much lower rate. Anti-Oxidants are found naturally in many foods we eat such as fruit.
If we are to believe that the same treatments which help prevent Cancer are completely ineffective at treating it, what are we left with? This is the same hypocrisy that belittles natural remedies as not being effective because they cannot be trialed in a traditional clinical study. According to Naturopathic Medicine each patient should treated individually. Now the Federal Trade Commission (not the Food and Drug Administration) has used the argument that each case should be treated individually rather than by blanket treatment. You read that right, the same argument against Natural Medicine is being is being used to promote conventional means of treatment over Natural means.
" ‘We would urge folks to talk to their doctors,' said Stearn." And I whole heartedly agree. Whether your Doctor is a Naturopathic Doctor, an MD, or a DO, they are a more reliable source than the internet. And remember, you can always seek a second, third, or fourth opinion.