Categories
- CAM TreatmentsWhat has been known as CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) is now better known as “Integrative Medicine”. The term, Integrative Medicine, according to the NCI, means “An approach to medical care that recognizes the benefit of combining conventional (standard) therapies (such as drugs and surgery) with complementary therapies that have been shown to be safe and effective.” The Moss Report articles on complementary, alternative or integrative medicine explore a wide range of subjects including hyperthermia, cryoablation, insulin potentiation, photodynamic therapies, and other treatments spanning generations of scientists and researchers.
- Alternative Cancer TreatmentsOne hundred years ago there were “secret” cancer treatments advertised in the back pages of magazines and newspapers. In our own day we have seen raging controversies over many popular treatments. But do they work? No one is better at evaluating these treatments than the man who blew the whistle on Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Laetrile coverup.
- AntioxidantsAntioxidants are naturally found in fruits and vegetables and are sold as concentrated food supplements. But do supplements actually conflict with radiation and chemotherapy? Oncologists say they do. Find the actual evidence here.
- Cancer Stem CellsLong suspected to exist, cancer stem cells were discovered in solid tumors about 20 years ago. Is this the long-sought root cause of cancer? Thousands of scientists now believe so. Then why haven’t you heard about this from your oncologist? We delve into the debate on CSCs, and explore which foods and food supplements are most effective in the lab at killing or blocking cancer stem cells.
- CryoablationSurgery is not the only way of getting rid of a tumor. Scientists have invented nonsurgical, non-radiation ways of eliminating tumors and boosting the immune system at the same time. This is cryoablation, which uses cold probes to kill cancer cells. Already FDA approved for prostate and breast cancer, and in use at some major medical centers, it is an almost blood-free way of destroying dangerous tumors.
- HomeopathyAn almost 200-year controversy has raged over the use of minute quantities of drugs to fight disease. Is it possible or logical that tiny doses could work without any side effects? Opinions differ, of course, but in line with evidence-based medicine, we base ourselves on the clinical record, not on someone’s specious arguments and faulty logic.
- HyperthermiaFever is part of nature’s response to illness, since it speeds up metabolism and healing. Hyperthermia is a man-made fever in a medically sophisticated form. What effect does heat have on cancer treatment? We follow ongoing efforts around the world to harness local, regional and systemic hyperthermia against cancer.
- ImmunotherapyHarnessing the immune system to fight cancer had its roots at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in the 1890s. No treatment has gotten more attention in recent years than “immune checkpoint inhibitor” therapy. But is this treatment right for you? See our award-winning video on “Immunotherapy: The Battle Within” and read our ongoing coverage of this and related topics.
- Injected TherapiesUntil recently, self-help meant taking foods, supplements, and other lifestyle modifications, while injectable meant prescription drugs from allopathic doctors. Now wellness centers are springing up, offering IV nutrients to patients and those seeking a return to optimal health. Is this safe and effective? We survey the field.
- Interactions & ConflictsOne of the biggest questions we confront is how to integrate conventional and complementary cancer treatments. The biggest sticking point is oncologists’ belief that foods, supplements and herbs conflict with anti-cancer drugs. We carefully examine the basis of such concerns. Although conflicts are possible, by and large there is little evidence that they actually do conflict. More frequently the data supports not just the harmlessness of supplements, but a beneficial effect.
- Metabolic TherapyPerhaps the greatest breakthrough of the 20th century was Otto Warburg’s discovery that cancer cells crave glucose and process it in a manner far different than normal cells. This has led to such diverse approaches as the ketogenic diet, time-restricted eating, intermittent fasting, etc. Is a high-fat diet necessary or safe for cancer patients? What is the evidence for and against it? Join the argument!
- Mind BodyDoes the mind control the body (or vice versa). This philosophical argument has a direct bearing on cancer patients. Can you use the mind or spirit to bring about remissions or even cures of cancer? How does this relate to “spontaneous regressions” of the disease, occurring without any apparent medical cause. What do we make of Hamer’s claim that every cancer is caused by a sudden emotional shock to the system?
- Nature of CAMUntil about 1995, the world of cancer was divided between “conventional” and “alternative medicine.” But after the formation of the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) at the NIH, things began to change. Now the use of the term “alternative” is ancient history. Instead, what we have is “complementary” and “integrative” healthcare. What has been lost, or gained, through this shift in perspective is the subtext of many of our articles. We were among the founders of the OAM, and have done podcasts with other founders of the field.
- Physical ActivityIn a consumer society, we are conditioned to take commodities (drugs, foods, supplements) to improve our health. But nothing is more important than our level of activity. This influences the body’s basal metabolic rate. What role does activity and especially exercise play in preventing cancer recurrences? (Hint: In one study, it was more powerful than any drug or radiation treatment.)
- Repurposed DrugsIt now costs over $1 billion to see a new drug through from inception to FDA approval. This fact is used to justify the astronomical cost of new treatments (one of which is priced at $475,000 per patient!) But what if an already-approved and out-of-patent medication could be repurposed to treat cancer. (Hint: A bottle of one such drug sells for $4.20… for 180 pills! Find out how to access these promising older drugs.)
- Targeted TherapyWidespread discontent with the scattershot approach of chemotherapy, combined with major advances in immunology, led to the development of targeted therapies.” This began in the 1980s and took off with the work of Judah Folkman after 2000. Since 2010 there have been 50,000 journal articles on the topic. Since then, a number of cancer drugs have been developed in recent years that specifically target genetic alterations. How effective are these therapies, and are they really less toxic than classical chemo? We explore the field, showing its strengths and weaknesses.
- Viral TherapyMicrobes and viruses can cause or promote the growth of many kinds of cancer, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer, or H. pylori bacteria and stomach cancer. But what if viruses could be used to fatally target cancer cells? Which ones are available now? And which clinics specialize in using poultry viruses against brain and other cancers?
- Sound, Light & ElectricityIonizing radiation is often effective but dangerous. Using “Hiroshima-level” radiation to destroy tumors is like using a jackhammer to drive in a thumbtack. Innovators are using less dangerous forms of “radiation” such as heat, light, ultrasound and electricity to destroy tumors without ravaging surrounding normal tissue. Learn more about it here.
- Nutrition & SupplementsHealth through Nutrition Nothing is more promising—and more controversial—than the use of nutrition, foods, and food supplements in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Various compounds found in nature have been repeatedly proven, through scientific studies, to have considerable value in the human body. Nothing revolutionized the study of disease more than the discovery of vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients. The discovery that there was a mysterious substance in lemons and limes (later called ascorbic acid, or vitamin C) that prevented and even cured a terrible disease, scurvy,