My Malignant Melanoma

Professor Lieb is clearly a very important man, so it has taken him a while to comment on my post from back in May on his previous unsolicited correspondence. He doesn't seem very friendly:

It astonishes me that my humanitarian mission is greeted with verbal abuse, slander, character assassination, and ad hominem slurs. Your comments corrupt the innovation, and the BMA’s medical code. You are to retract your comments, including “pet theory,” apologize to me and the Yale medical school, and refer your followers to the article I sent you. Notify me of your compliance

I think he's hoping for the response "Yes, Master", but here's what I wrote back:

So now you have retired, you are nowhere near as important as you used to be in academia. Welcome to the real world.

I'm not a Doctor, so I couldn't care less about the BMA's code of ethics. Professor or not, you are a psychiatrist, not an oncologist, and I suggest you get your head out of your arse.

The paper you have attached is a speculative in vitro study.  I can show you an equally convincing study for acetaminophen, vitamin C or many other substances.  The other papers you directed me to were also less than definitive. If someone showed you evidence of the type and strength you are showing me for some medical issue other than this one, wouldn't you be sceptical?

I didn't ask you to write to me, and I have held back on the ridicule which your previous communications deserve. Neither have I slandered you, as far as I am aware. What error of fact is there in what i have written? I do understand that you mean well, but this looks like the hobby-horse of a bored old man to me, and indeed to several other people in the scientific community who you have spammed with your half-baked ideas in the past. No-one is taking you seriously. You are being indulged as the old fool you seem to be.

I am a cancer patient. Your recent communications seem to be more about attempting to bully me into accepting an illogical argument from authority than any humanitarian effort. 

I suggest you get another hobby. This one doesn't seem to be making you happy.

Kind Regards
Seán

Labels: antidepressant, Cancer, cure, Julian Lieb M.D

More "cancer-curing" quacky nonsense on What Now: guyabano, camel's milk, honey and olive oil.

Guyabano is also known (amongst other things) as cherimoya, guanabana, soursop, custard apple, brazilian paw paw, graviola, guansavana, cachiman epineux and triamazon. The multitude of names can make it hard to find reliable information, but here's what Cancer Research UK have to say about it. To summarise, there is no evidence that it cures cancer, but there is evidence of brain damage.

Camels' milk has no evidence at all to support any cancer-curing claims. Of course it is just milk, so side-effects are minimal. The lactoferrin which its supporters claim is the active ingredient is present in cow's milk as well. Someone needs to show it works before we have to start speculating about a mechanism of action, however.

Camel milk doesn't taste too good though and isn't readily available in the UK of course, though many of the articles about camel's milk have the flavour of camel milk marketing board press releases. At least the poster wasn't promoting camel urine, which also promoted in the Middle East as a cancer cure with no more scientific backing than the milk.

Honey has not been shown to cure cancer, boost the immune system, or help cancer patients in any other way, though that hasn't prevented some scumbags from promoting one particular brand to cancer patients at £45 a jar.

There is no evidence that I am aware of that olive oil has any effect on cancer once you have it.

And of course as ever all of these things are sold based on a supposed anecdote from a person who to the best of our knowledge consists of no more than a few typed words on a computer screen.

There is no evidence that they exist at all, ever had cancer, or were told the things they claim.

They do however admit that they have had repeated conventional treatments, ("radiotherapy to chemetharipy and stemcell transplant and even now as i am writing to you i am having a velcade")but still somehow believe that it was positive mental attitude and camel's milk wot done it.

In evaluating a testimonial like this there are three main questions:

1. Was cancer definitely present, as shown by reliable tests, when treatment was commenced?

2. Did it go away? (or clearly respond otherwise, as judged by the same tests)

3. Was the advocated treatment the only one used ? (within 2-3 months of the apparent cancer response)

Anything which does not verifiably meet these three tests isn't even an anecdote

Labels: brazilian paw paw, camel milk, Cancer, cherimoya, cure, custard apple, graviola, guanabana, Guyabano, honey, soursop, triamazon