Mexico - Oasis of Hope - Tethys41 et al

MaxRudy said:

Mexican Clinics
Thank you so much. I will look into both of these clinics. I have a long way to go before I get 1/2 as knowledgeable as you. I just finished by first round of chemo (the 6 cycle carbo/taxol). It was difficult for me probably mostly because i had such a radical surgery that left me very weak. I haven't even been well enough to do the post chemo scan. I've been reading alot and Mexico seems to have more tools and less invasive tools to deal with this horrible disease plus I've read some great sucess stories. Thanks for your info.

melanie

westhiker said:

Cost of treatments
What kind of costs are you looking at for this type of treatment?

Tethys41 said:

Treatments in Mexico
Westhiker,
I was on a three visit plan to Mexico. My plan was to go for two weeks, return home for a month, return to Mexico for a week, home for a month, and back to Mexico for a week. Due to various health issues I experienced along the way, I only made it to Mexico for the first two weeks. That cost $13,000. That covered everything including food and lodging. If I had completed my treatment there, the total would have been $24,000. But the cost depends on the amount and nature of treatments you receive. They will tell you before you decide to go, what treatment they recommend and what the cost will be. I could have received chemo down there which would have added to the cost. You can contact the Oasis of Hope and make arrangements for a doctor to review your files and have a free phone consult with him. You have nothing to lose. I didn't decide to go until about 6 weeks after my phone consult. If you call, you may want to request Dr. Cecena. He has less accent and is easier to understand on the phone.

I've been on these boards for years now and one thing that serves as a red flag for me is when someone opens a new account and on that very same day denounces anything integrative or alternative, especially when the original post is many years old.  I've learned the hard way that people get paid to push conventional medicine on these boards and personally rip apart anyone who advocates for options.  It's a sad statement that pharmaceutical companies feel they have to fear monger people into using their products, over and over again.  They must feel threatened by other approaches to cancer.  And what a twisted disservice they do to cancer patients.  I've kept my own data and patients who incorporate integrative therapies tend to have a better quality of life and, it seems, the sooner they get on board with supporting the health of their bodies, the better they do in the long term.  My experience at OOH was very positive and I saw other patients who benefitted from the treatment there.  They don't save everyone who goes there and if the patient isn't willing to make the lifestyle changes they recommend, the success of their treatments is limited.  Good luck with your trolling career, KJB1611.

Jude, I will send you a private message.

Double blind studies are the basis of conventional medicine.  A drug or treatment cannot be FDA approved without such studies.  Unfortunately, however, these studies are extremely expensive and the only groups able to conduct them are big drug companies or medical groups.  And a drug company will not commit to a study from which it is not likely to make a very large profit, because in all honsty, making a profit is why they are in business.  As a result, however, there are a number of options that are effective but which will never be subjected to a double blind study and will never, therefore be approved by the FDA.  I watched a women, who has become a very close friend, who was going into her 5th recurrance when I met her.  She had just finished her 4th session of chemo for her 4th recurrance, but it was only partially successful and her CA-125 was beginning to rise again.  She started a specific alternative, treatment, which has not been FDA approved, but which is standard of treatment in Europe, and her CA-125 came down.  She also changed her diet, added certain supplements, specific to her, and began exercising regualry.  She has been NED now for 5 years, the first time she has been NED for that long since her initial diagnosis.  So double blind studies definitely have their place, but they are not the final answer.  But if you choose to incorporate an alternative or integrative approach, you should follow the guidance of a professional trained in this art.

Meggiep,

I suggest you check out their website and arrange a consultation with a doctor there.  That is how you would get the most up to date info.

Good Luck to your sister. 

Tethys41 said:

I repeat

I've been on these boards for years now and one thing that serves as a red flag for me is when someone opens a new account and on that very same day denounces anything integrative or alternative, especially when the original post is many years old.  I've learned the hard way that people get paid to push conventional medicine on these boards and personally rip apart anyone who advocates for options.  It's a sad statement that pharmaceutical companies feel they have to fear monger people into using their products, over and over again.  They must feel threatened by other approaches to cancer.  And what a twisted disservice they do to cancer patients.  I've kept my own data and patients who incorporate integrative therapies tend to have a better quality of life and, it seems, the sooner they get on board with supporting the health of their bodies, the better they do in the long term.  My experience at OOH was very positive and I saw other patients who benefitted from the treatment there.  They don't save everyone who goes there and if the patient isn't willing to make the lifestyle changes they recommend, the success of their treatments is limited.  Good luck with your trolling career, KJB1611.

Hold on a second, there.

 "I've learned the hard way that people get paid to push conventional medicine on these boards and personally rip apart anyone who advocates for options."

When I was diagnosed with cancer and did my research, you know what I learned? The people around me who'd used conventional medicine survived their cancer.

No, I didn't seek the opinions of the people who'd used alternative medicine to treat their cancers. Because they'd died. That made it difficult to speak to them.

"It's a sad statement that pharmaceutical companies feel they have to fear monger people into using their products, over and over again."

And alternative medicine practicers don't use this? They don't constantly scare people with stories of toxins and the evils of a corrupt medical system?

"They must feel threatened by other approaches to cancer."

Or they feel threatened by dying of cancer.

"They don't save everyone who goes there and if the patient isn't willing to make the lifestyle changes they recommend, the success of their treatments is limited."

If you actually know stuff about cancer, you know that some patients are genetically-predisposed to certain types of cancer. Bowel cancer, for instance, is often the result of one of two faulty genes. You can drink kale juice and have coffee enemas until you turn green ... but that won't change the potential for cancer diagnosis.

And lastly?

"And a drug company will not commit to a study from which it is not likely to make a very large profit, because in all honsty, making a profit is why they are in business."

That's why these institutes in Mexico charge thousands and thousands of dollars? That's why the Gerson Institute wants $5000 from you so you can sit in their clinic and drink fruit juice for a month?

Making a profit is why these places are in business. It frightens me that people can't see that.

"As a result, however, there are a number of options that are effective but which will never be subjected to a double blind study and will never, therefore be approved by the FDA."

For sake of argument, let's say that, yes, fruit juice cures cancer. Grocery stores make millions of dollars selling fresh produce. Fruit juice companies make millions of dollars annually selling ... yes, you guessed it ... fruit juice. There is a sizeable profit in selling natural things that can't be patented (does the farmer who sells apples have the patent on apples? Or does he just sell apples and make money?), so why on Earth would drug companies *not* get in on that, if there was some protein or enzyme in pineapples or guavas or kiwifruits that cured cancer?

I imagine you won't answer those questions, and I imagine you'll accuse me of being a shill, but my cancer experience taught me to trust doctors, and be wary of people selling magic simple cures (that have little proof if they actually work) for complicated things.