The Danger of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Mel - are you taking Zometa or Xgeva? Please email him the the following meta-analysis - I'm curious to hear his response:

/www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)61647-5/fulltext



I haven't updated this for 4 years, but here's the evidence on metformin I looked at back then:

advancedpcatalk.freeforums.net/thread/172/drug-repurposing-advanced-pc-metformin

Since then, I added the following to my files:
/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5053259/
/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4904224/
/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26215782
/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4300536/
/www.ejcancer.com/article/S0959-8049(15)00124-0/fulltext
/www.europeanurology.com/article/S0302-2838(13)01482-6/fulltext
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0116327
/academic.oup.com/jamia/article/22/1/179/833449
/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25403419
cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/23/10/1974.long
cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/23/10/2111.long

As you can see, many of the studies were done on men with diabetes who have a lower risk of dying from PC anyway. Also, the data are equivocal. My personal feeling is that, like low-dose statins, it is relatively harmless, so if your doctor thinks it's OK, there is not much harm. There is an RCT with results expected early next year.

I cringe a bit when someone comes into a cancer support group with some thick book, suddenly convinced that this diet plan or whatever is Very Important. They go on and on about it, and how carrot juice is the secret cure for cancer that's being suppressed by Big Pharma.

Given the supportive intent of such groups, I will typically say something like, "That's interesting, and you may enjoy doing some of that. At the same time, please pursue standard treatments per your doctors.". One person with a different cancer put off a surgical option for about 9 months while pursuing some kind of natural remedy / curative commune experience. When she finally had the surgery the cancer had progressed significantly and the surgery was only partially effective. The initial tumor was about the size of a lipstick, and by the time she had surgery it was softball sized and invasive of surrounding tissues.

Just supporting other's comments, don't put off the standard treatments while pursuing alternative medicine.

I lead a boring life. Don't drink or smoke. Never had a venereal disease. I exercise 4 days a week. My height is proportional to my weight. Eat very little red meat (twice a year at most). Mostly wild fish, salads and lots of veggies w/ some fruit. For me falling off the wagon is eating a graham cracker covered with peanut butter. I'm apologetically sanitized.

The only vice I harbor is being a voracious consumer of artificially sweetened sodas, particularly diet cola. I literally drink gallons of the junk every month. Over a 3.5 month period I collected five 33 gallon garbage bags of 2 liter plastic bottles. The recycler paid me $20. I'm one of his best customers. He treats me like a prince. Once my doctor told me my habit was unhealthy and to give it up. But the bad boy in me ignored his sound clinical advice. For once in my life I felt refreshingly daring and defiant. Gawd, the freedom was orgasmic.

Then my world came crashing down with the news of a recent large Yale University clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute that reported patients with stage III colon cancer who said they drank one or more 12-oz servings of an artificially sweetened beverage each day had a 46% reduction in the risk for death or recurrence when compared to similar patients who did not consume these drinks. Could diet soda actually become a health food? I felt so foolish. The joke was on me.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199244

Several months ago I had my very first colonoscopy. The gastroenterologist told me that I was clean as a whistle and not to report back for another 10 years. Not even one stupid polyp. Now I'll always wonder. Was it clean living or the diet soda?

Granted, the Yale trial needs more followup. In fact, it concluded that "further studies are needed to confirm these findings". Experts have suggested that the outcome may be a result of the 'substitution effect' of replacing sugary sodas with artificially sweetened ones. The soda beverage industry should sponsor a definitive RCT. The nutty world of science.

Nowithstanding the final verdict you'd have to pry my cold, dead hands off my artificially sweetened beverage.

Life used to be so simple. Alternative medicine be darned.

Mods you give me a lot of slack...its a appreciated...my afternoons...are loosy goosy...too much exercise...followed by just two Hi octane IPA's...I get going with the words...Heck my mornings are better...but I am rushed more then...maybe I get flashbacks and old resentments...paranoia...Heck IDK...