A New Strategy for the War on Cancer - 4
A preview of my new book, A New Strategy for the War on Cancer (continued).
In the battle against cancer, unconventional warfare, in the form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been around for decades–some options for centuries. CAM cancer care involves natural, non-toxic therapies such as nutrition, dietary supplements, meditation, spiritual encounter, acupuncture, massage, hyperthermia, and physical exercise, just to name a few. What degree of authenticity CAM enjoys comes primarily from low-level research and anecdotal evidence. There has been relatively little major scientific research into its plethora of options. It is like a small renegade military unit reporting decisive wins in a few battles using unsophisticated weapons, but the generals won’t acknowledge its successes because they weren’t measured and reported in the proper and traditional way. So, the war continues in a stalemate although there is some effort at the highest levels to change the strategy.
Integrative oncology is the practice of CAM in cancer treatment. The strategy of integrative oncology is like a silo within the vast medical community. That is, most of the activity is contained within the confines of the CAM and integrative medicine arena. The strategy has generated a lot of energy, activity, and substance up and down the hierarchy of CAM evangelists, but has yet to convert the medical science mainstream. A new strategy must take the momentum beyond the faithful believers and into the protracted fields of universal medicine. The seed stored in the silos must be sown across the fields before we can expect a crop that will really impact traditional medicine. A New Strategy for the War on Cancer advocates a cancer treatment strategy that spreads the benefits of CAM to the entire field of conventional cancer treatment.