Also from Dr. Philip Binzel’s last chapter of Alive and Well: One Doctor’s Experience with Nutrition in the Treatment of Cancer Patients (1994) :
Nutritional therapy treats the defense mechanism, not the tumor. I do not want anyone reading this book to think, “If I get cancer, I’ll go on a nutritional program, and my tumor will magically disappear.” No, it won’t. I am sure that there are still some of you who are concerned about “What are you going to do about the tumor?” There are only three times when I am concerned about the tumor:
1. If the tumor, because of its size or position, is interfering with some vital function, you have to deal with the tumor by whatever means are best available.
2. If the tumor, because of its size or position, is causing pain, you have to deal with the tumor by whatever means are available.
3. If the presence of the tumor presents a psychological problem for the patient, have it removed.
In general, if the tumor is easily accessible and if the patient wishes to do so, I like to have the tumor removed. Not all doctors doing nutritional therapy agree with that. I feel that by removing the tumor the body has one less thing with which to cope. If the tumor is remote, not causing any problem and the patient agrees, I leave the tumor alone. Again, I stress the fact that the tumor is merely a symptom, not a cause. If you take care of the body, the body will take care of the tumor. That doesn’t mean that the tumor will go away, but it is unlikely to cause a problem.
I am not opposed to the use of radiation. I am not opposed to the of chemotherapy. There are times when a small amount of radiation for a short period of time can relieve pain and/or be life-saving to a patient. There are times when a small amount of chemotherapy for a short period of time can do the same. It is not the use of these that I so vehemently oppose, it is their abuse. The theory used in this country is that, if a little does some good, a whole lot more will do a whole lot better. Patients are getting radiation and chemotherapy who
do not need it. Those who do need it are often getting far more than they need, thereby doing them much more harm than good.
The ultimate question is, “Does nutritional therapy work?” That depends on how you define “work.” If you are tumor oriented and are looking for something to make the tumor magically disappear, no, it doesn’t. If you are looking for something that will prevent the disease from spreading and save the life of the patient, yes, it does. I have not said anything about the cost of nutritional therapy. I have no way of knowing what other doctors charge for their services. I do know the cost to the patient for their vitamins, enzymes, and Laetrile. I do know that for my patients their total cost for one year, including my services, is about one-half the cost of one radiation treatment and about one-third the cost of one chemotherapy treatment.
nancy's niche 