Analysis: Virtually Zero Alternative Cancer Research Occurring
by Adam Miller

(NaturalNews) In an article included in the latest edition of Cancer
Monthly's free newsletter CancerWire, researchers analyzed statistics
obtained through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in order to gain
a clearer perspective on what type of cancer research is being
undertaken in the country.

Cancer Monthly is an organization dedicated to providing unbiased
evaluation of conventional and alternative cancer treatments. It was
founded by volunteers whose lives have been affected by the disease
and is currently managed by Michael Horwin, MA, JD.

The authors found that of the 7,080 clinical trials for cancer
currently ongoing, over 3,000 are focused on chemotherapy -- a
treatment that already has over 50 years of research to its credit
with relatively little practical return on investment. Of the
remaining trials, over 2,000 were focused on more advanced biological
treatments such as anti-angiogenesis drugs, which work to cut off the
blood supply to tumors.

In all, only 123 of the trials deal with any type of alternative or
complementary treatment. "These 123 represent only 1.7% of the total
and included trials of various foods, herbs and modalities such as:
soy, ginger, Valerian, Curcumin, acupuncture, Reiki, meditation,
garlic, Green tea, and Tai Chi," the authors state. An optimist might
find comfort in the fact that the number at least reached the triple
digits, but closer analysis reveals an even less tolerable situation.

"The overwhelming majority of these trials examined questions that did
not focus on whether these approaches alone improved survivability
from cancer," the authors report. What this means is that the
treatments were actually being evaluated not as treatments, but as
adjunctive therapies to improve the rate and intensity of symptoms
among those patients already undergoing conventional therapy.

It turns out that 24 of these 123 trials actually focused on a
combination of natural compounds and the drug sodium phenylbutyrate,
and are only classified as alternative-complementary because the
treatment is not currently taught in medical school or widely used.
Ninety-six others fell into the above category, evaluating the ability
of natural treatments to ease the devastating side effects brought
about by chemotherapy and other conventional treatments. For those who
haven't done the math yet, you might want to sit down for this.

Of the 7,080 clinical trials for cancer currently underway in the
U.S., only three (3) focus on natural alternative methods of treating
the disease. That is less than 1/1000th the number of chemotherapy
trials alone and translates to a measly 0.04% of total trials.
Meanwhile, countries like Japan are surging into the future with
cutting-edge treatments based on derivatives of medicinal mushrooms
and other natural substances.

Alternative treatments are commonly described by purveyors of orthodox
medicine as those which have not yet been evaluated and proven
effective through vigorous scientific evaluation. Looking at the
actual statistics, though, it may be more accurate to describe
alternative treatments as those which orthodox medicine refuses to
research. In light of this evidence the question seems to ask itself;
are we really working toward a cure for cancer?

About the author
Adam Miller is a student of life who has dedicated literally thousands
of hours of personal research on top of formal institutional training
in Dietetics to learn the secrets of achieving vibrant health and
extended lifespan. His passion and dedication is in bringing the best
ideas for self-empowerment through nutrition and nutraceuticals as
well as alternative therapies, technology, and information to the
public through various means.