Science is about debate, hypothesis, research, evidence and results; If a hypothesis doesn't yield the desired results, the good scientist moves on and explores another avenue of thinking. For 16 years CANCERactive has studied the science with an open mind and applied it for the benefit of people touched by cancer. CANCERactive has consistently been ahead of the curve.
Integrative medicine
When my daughter Catherine, 22, developed a glioblastoma in 2002 we were told she had, at most, 5-6 months to live. St Thomas’ Hospital London had never had anyone live more than 18 months. As a father I desperately wanted to help my daughter to beat the odds and survive; I was helped by an Oxford University Biochemistry degree. Biochemists are the people who understand the science of cancer and conduct research that enables oncologists to increase the survival times of their patients. Catherine herself had a chemistry degree, which was a little help in that she could read scientific articles.
Our aim was to find anything that could enhance the prescribed course of treatment – things that could make it work better, or for longer and/or increase my daughter’s personal odds of survival.
We had completely open minds. But we needed to see hard evidence. Importantly, nothing was excluded. For example, we looked at orthodox treatments being used at the time in the USA and elsewhere; we looked at foods and supplements that might help, at exercise programmes, and at immunotherapy, an emerging new orthodox treatment.
And we found so much good scientific evidence that could, and did, help. The oncologist actually said this to us. There were doctors at St Thomas’ Hospital who wanted me to write it all down so it could help others. Indeed, when we formed CANCERactive, it was simply to help others in the same predicament – to bring them accurate information based on research – on hard science – that they could apply immediately to enhance their existing treatment programme.
It is now called Integrative Medicine. In the USA, doctors can now take degrees in the subject.
CANCERactive is NOT 'alternative', NOT 'natural only'!
Let me look at this another way – let me tell you what CANCERactive is not.
- We are NOT a Charity that talks the anecdote – we don't put individual's stories on posters on the London Underground - we really like research. We like a volume of evidence.
- We are NOT a Charity that believes people should only use alternative or natural therapies – we are realists. We tell people what science shows can help their orthodox programme perform better – we are Integrative. We want to use the best of the best. Indeed it is now called Complementary and Integrative Medicine.
- We are NOT a UK Charity that believes Britain is somehow above other countries in its oncology abilities – we have open minds, we accumulate knowledge, we learn from the research and the results of others; be they in Melbourne or Maryland.
CANCERactive - 10 years ahead of its time
Back in 2005, we went to see the Chief Executive of MacMillan Cancer Support, who applauded what we were doing - but then criticised us for being '10 years ahead of your time! You just lay out all this information in your magazine so people can pick and choose".
Let's look at just some of the ways CANCERactive has helped people by being 10 years ahead of our time (actually we think it's 12-15):-
- In 2005 and 2006 we drew up 'Guidelines' from research on how people could increase their personal odds of cancer survival, using diet, exercise, weight control, and quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption - Ironically, this week, 13 years later, a report commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Support and a Royal College of Medicine has concluded we were totally correct.
- Back in 2002 I was asked one Friday to help Geoffrey Boycott, one of our most famous English cricketers, build a Personal Programme to fight his head and neck cancer. The next day, before a radio interview, I was approached by Galina Dean ('terminal' and given just 3 months, grade 4, stage 4, ovarian cancer) who'd been told to go home and write her will - Using just the basic information that was clear from the research evidence CANCERactive provided at that time, the personal programmes built for those two people finds them both alive and well today. Since then, thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people around the world have benefited from CANCERactive.
- In 2007, we told people about the benefits and lowered risks of Proton Beam Therapy, after its introduction in 2005 by MD Anderson; we were highly criticised and dubbed 'quacks' - Proton Beam Therapy is finally arriving in Britain (even though there are now more than 30 centres in the USA alone).
- In 2008, we told people about ablation and cryoablation (and HIFU) – now widely used in the USA, yet barely in the UK.
- In 2007, we warned people that grapefruit and grapefruit juice could ruin the performance of certain drugs – we provided a list; we also provided a list of drugs whose performance was damaged by eating eggs and salami! - patients in the UK are rarely warned even today, yet the information is provided on the drug web pages.
- In 2006 and onwards, we told people that there were quality research studies showing most women with breast cancer didn’t need the drugs offered immediately after diagnosis – recent research in the USA confirms 70% of women derive little if any benefit from the drugs; a recent UK study says the figure is 46%.
- In 2005, we provided multiple research studies from the USA that people with low vitamin D developed more cancers; that 80% of patients on diagnosis had vitamin D plasma levels below 20 ng/ml (considered extremely low), and that people who maintained low vitamin D when they had cancer, survived least; we also provided research evidence that by increasing plasma vitamin D levels, people with cancer would survive longer - at the end of 2018, some Hospitals in the UK started providing injections of vitamin D; some Hospitals started suggesting healthy levels should be 80 ng/ml.
- In 2004, based on research evidence, we argued that most men over 60 diagnosed with prostate cancer should enter a program of ‘watch and wait’ - Cancer Research brought this in almost 6 years later.
- In 2006, we provided the research evidence that the performance of Tamoxifen could be enhanced by melatonin and vitamin E, but damaged by EMFs and curcumin - still today women are told at the Royal Marsden that Tamoxifen will make just 1% to 5% of difference to survival. No advice is given on how to improve that poor figure.
- In 2008, we provided research evidence that Hyperbaric Oxygen made both chemotherapy and radiotherapy more effective, a fact first shown in 1974 and 1976 with UK research on radiotherapy - this was confirmed in a meta-analysis of 90 research studies by Norwegian Scientists in 2012 - Australia and the USA have been building independent centers for use with cancer.
- In 2005, we provided research evidence that Hyperthermia could improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy – a fact now confirmed by Sloane Kettering and also by the National Cancer Institute.
- In 2005, we started reviewing immunotherapy treatments, such as virotherapy, dendritic cell therapy and immunotherapies like interleukin and interferon. We were dubbed quacks - immunotherapy has now been dubbed the 'Fourth Leg of Orthodox Medicine' at Sloan Kettering in New York; virotherapy treatments are already extending survival times with GBM.
The fact was that because we have open minds, we saw that there was good science, good evidence-based medicine in existence on our planet. Science that could be applied today to increase the personal odds of survival of a patient - and that's exactly what the new Macmillan study says - there is a moment after diagnosis when people need help building a plan. And you can only provide that if you have an open mind, know your science and know how to apply it.
This is science.
Science that can be applied today to deliver better results.
Science that increases the personal odds of survival for someone touched by cancer.
This is CANCERactive
CANCERactive – the appliance of science