Category: Uncategorized

Why a brave mum said no to chemotherapy – Adelaide Now: Grace Gawler comments

My Institute has found it a challenge to get articles published about the dangers of exclusive use of alternative medicine in treating cancer; an alarming and growing trend in Australia! So when I saw the article “Why a brave mum said no to chemotherapy” in ‘Adelaide Now’ a mainstream newspaper – I was rather shocked. I have seen a lot of ovarian cancer during my career – I am yet to see anyone recover without conventional treatments and complementary approaches combined and I am amazed that anyone would recommend mothers to not have chemotherapy!  Today cancer medicine both here and overseas has many excellent treatments for ovarian cancers especially new anitibody treatments. I have supported many women who were smitten with alt/med then faced the hard yards of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I know many long term survivors.

As an educator in cancer medicine and a qualified naturopath working with cancer patients for almost 4 decades… and as one who on a daily basis sees the advantages of the synergy of complementary and conventional medicine versus the disadvantage of cancer patient’s alt med choices – I believe the article and associated blog (mumsnothavingchemo.com) to be highly misleading and a misuse of the author’s position as a journalist.

Get the facts right for others that follow

I believe in free speech – but free speech must act both ways with right of reply accepted for healthy debate. I became concerned when I wrote a polite and balanced comment below the above mentioned online article in the ‘comments box’. Within minutes of pressing the submit button however – the box had vanished. I then wrote to the editor of the Adelaide paper in a letter to the Editor. Silence! Continue reading “Why a brave mum said no to chemotherapy – Adelaide Now: Grace Gawler comments”

Beating the Silence Again Grace Gawler

In 2007 Katherine Kizilos wrote a feature article for the Age newspaper Melbourne. The article begins…” She survived her husband’s illness only to fall prey herself to disease but Katherine Kizilos finds that Grace Gawler used the experience to launch a new life.”Gawler is a name familiar to those who want

Photo : The Mebourne Age

to believe the human spirit conquers disease. Ian Gawler lost his leg to bone cancer but not his life and with wife Grace established in 1981 Australia’s first cancer support service, the Gawler Foundation. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE

My life has had a theme of  issues pertaining to silence – holding silence where appropriate, and breaking silence when essential!

My book Women of Silence (1994) was the first to open doors of communication surrounding breast cancer and emotional recovery – a little spoken of issue in those days; it formed the basis of breast cancer support groups in Australia.
Katherine Kizilos’ 2007 article  after more than 2 decades of silence was the first article to publicly raise the the issue of Ian Gawler’s remission from cancer being in some way associated with tuberculosis – a very important scientific connection to make in the interest of cancer patients. An opportunity to discuss this important topic resurfaced in 2010 when the (MJA) Medical Journal of Australia published my refute letter in response to an incorrect version of Ian’s recovery story that appeared in the MJA in December 2008, under the title “True Stories”. But then – more silence…. with most newspaper medical reporters refusing to comment, with one exception! Continue reading “Beating the Silence Again Grace Gawler”

Grace Gawler Writes About Beliefs, Cancer & the Power of Placebo in Survival Part 2

DIAGNOSIS, PROGNOSIS AND BEYOND ( adapted from Women of Silence – The Emotional Healing of Breast Cancer-Grace Gawler pub  1994, 2003. Click here to buy your copy – also available in e-Book.) Only available from the author.

It was noticeable in the early days of conducting support groups, that when people spoke of their lives and their cancers, other patients in the room would begin to nod knowingly as they identified how their own story aligned with those dealing with the same cancer.
We all have an ability to switch off our life force and lose our passion for living. There are many stories from indigenous cultures of people who consciously died because they believed the would. Perhaps such a message triggers a powerful belief that causes the soul to leave.  This ability has also been demonstrated in many indigenous cultures including the Australian aborigine, the Kikuyu of Kenya and the bushmen of the Kalahari. There have been many instances of this phenomenon. These cultures live very much in the here and now, so when imprisoned, they believe it is forever and they simply die. They lose their will to live or will to be because they see no end to their situation. Tribal indigenous Australians are  known for the phenomenon of “bone pointing” where healthy individuals die because their belief system supports the tribes medicine man who has a position of power and authority.

There are parallels between these experiences and the experiences of those diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Often, much depends on how the diagnosis and prognosis are delivered to the patient. At a vulnerable moment, information poorly delivered by a doctor and/or poorly received by the patient can cause the spirit to retreat and withdraw, eventually resulting in death. I have known many patients with six months to live who die almost to the day as if set by some invisible internal clock. When lack of hope and possibility are vocalised by a person of power, the patient is, at that moment, faced with a life and death decision. So powerful can it be, that all else, all survival messages, are filtered out of the patient’s awareness and the process of dying begins. Continue reading “Grace Gawler Writes About Beliefs, Cancer & the Power of Placebo in Survival Part 2”

Grace Gawler Writes About Beliefs, Cancer & the Power of Placebo in Survival Part 2

DIAGNOSIS, PROGNOSIS AND BEYOND ( adapted from Women of Silence – The Emotional Healing of Breast Cancer-Grace Gawler pub  1994, 2003. Click here to buy your copy – also available in e-Book.) Only available from the author.

It was noticeable in the early days of conducting support groups, that when people spoke of their lives and their cancers, other patients in the room would begin to nod knowingly as they identified how their own story aligned with those dealing with the same cancer.
We all have an ability to switch off our life force and lose our passion for living. There are many stories from indigenous cultures of people who consciously died because they believed the would. Perhaps such a message triggers a powerful belief that causes the soul to leave.  This ability has also been demonstrated in many indigenous cultures including the Australian aborigine, the Kikuyu of Kenya and the bushmen of the Kalahari. There have been many instances of this phenomenon. These cultures live very much in the here and now, so when imprisoned, they believe it is forever and they simply die. They lose their will to live or will to be because they see no end to their situation. Tribal indigenous Australians are  known for the phenomenon of “bone pointing” where healthy individuals die because their belief system supports the tribes medicine man who has a position of power and authority.

There are parallels between these experiences and the experiences of those diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Often, much depends on how the diagnosis and prognosis are delivered to the patient. At a vulnerable moment, information poorly delivered by a doctor and/or poorly received by the patient can cause the spirit to retreat and withdraw, eventually resulting in death. I have known many patients with six months to live who die almost to the day as if set by some invisible internal clock. When lack of hope and possibility are vocalised by a person of power, the patient is, at that moment, faced with a life and death decision. So powerful can it be, that all else, all survival messages, are filtered out of the patient’s awareness and the process of dying begins. Continue reading “Grace Gawler Writes About Beliefs, Cancer & the Power of Placebo in Survival Part 2”

Grace Gawler – GeM a solution for emotional distress in cancer patients

A key solution for cancer patients for effective stress reduction, gentle yet profound emotional release and for letting go of chronic tension with sustained benefits!

For the next week or so – this blog will focus on solutions for emotional and stress related issues for cancer patients based on my 35 years experience. Today I will discuss GeM ( Grace empowerment Method)

About GeM: GeM is ground-breaking method that incorporates body psycho-therapy, effective/invitational language, imagery & relaxation combined with ‘safe’ non-intentional touch. There has never been a safer, more helpful stress reduction method for cancer patients…

I conduct two-day highly experiential training intensives designed for all touch and hands-on therapists, massage & Reiki practitioners and naturopaths plus anyone who works in cancer support.

Although not a Reiki practitioner myself – I see the enormous value in touch for life!  I am patron of Reiki Australia

In 1979 I began my training with ATMS Founder Dorothy Hall after assisting then husband Ian Gawler through his cancer crisis. My ‘touch therapy’ made a huge contribution to his recovery. I graduated at distinction level in 1984, then added other science & anatomy/physiology studies to my skills plus overseas trainings with many experts in their different modalities of healing. I spent many years with Dr Ilana Rubenfeld – the USA’s doyenne of body psychotherapy (RSM) who endorses my unique approach to non cathartic stress release for cancer patients. Dr Rubenfeld named my Method – GeM.

What patients say: 
Testimonial – Gayle M NSW: Jan 2011 has this to say about GeM
“As a patient with advanced metastatic breast cancer, I first saw Grace in 2008 when I felt hopelsss and helpless about my poor prognosis. I experienced 2 sessions with Grace’s hands-on G.e.M approach. The sessions impacted me deeply – hard to explain… but I felt more centred, grounded and connected that I had ever felt in my entire life.
I could sense my body unwinding, muscles just melting and tension draining away.
I felt as if I was wider – taking up more space and it kept on…it sustained. I have had ups and downs in my cancer condition since, but it is now January 2011! I have no doubt that Grace’s GeM approach was the turning point for me to use my illness as a learning curve.  

 Picture 1 – Before GeM session.

 

Instead of a fear-based doomed experience. I walked out her door a different woman. Since Ihave had overseas holidays and I live well. Whatever happenedduring those sessions has seen me embrace empowerment and peace of mind that I never thought possible.”

Picture 2- After 1st GeM session

 

 Picture 3- below left. Same Client one month after 1 st GeM

Same client. No wig 1 month after GeM

Chronic Stress creates cascades of  bio-chemical pathways that alter body chemistry that subsequently relate to holding patterns that sculpt and create ’emotional’ anatomy within muscles structures. ‘Emotional’ anatomy is a study of the body’s habitual tension or flaccidity that creates our shape and defines areas where energy is either contained or exhausted – over-expressed or under-expressed.

 For cancer patients – life trauma(s) prior to diagnosis or trauma around surgery, effects of medical treatments, changes in body image and sexuality, stress, loss of independence, redundancy or work issues and unplanned for /uninvited change all take their toll not only on mind and emotions – but also in the body which can be likened. With a thorough understanding of these processes and learning to identify where a cancer patient might need help to effectively let go of stress held in muscles. GeM helps cancer patients to reconnect with their bodies in a re energising and powerful way. Patients always report a sense of groundedness and empowerment after a session as if they had just learned a martial art!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmut7UNEMjQ&w=425&h=349]

 

 

Please spread the word…

If you know someone who who like to value – add this unique method then please foward this blog URL
or if you know a groups who would like to organise a GeM  training interstate or overseas – then please have them contact me. I also offer one on one GeM sessions to patients.
see more on the training page at www.gracegawler.com/institute

Training with the Grace Gawler Institute for Integrated Cancer Solutions

Mini Masterclass Training Intensive – Saturday & Sunday April 2 & 3 2011 – 9.30 am – 6 pm both days – Gold Coast.email institute@gracegawler.com or call 07 5577 2997
FEE $550 for 2 days includes: Training, refreshments, morn/aft tea, lunch, workshop manual, materials, email mentoring/follow up, certificate of attendance.

  

Grace Gawler Institute – How emotions can affect the healing and recovery process in cancer

Part 3. The Importance of Emotions in Healing and Recovery

www.gracegawler.com/institute – Visit our jollyologist page

Continued from previous post.

Illness proved to be a great teacher for me although it was quite a shock  having been a supporter of so many for so long to find myself in a bubble of silence and isolation; made worse by living in the countryside. However, despite the situation – I considered myself lucky in that my background in supportive care and emotional therapies meant that I had ‘inner tools’ and knowledge just waiting to be accessed in my own crisis. I also knew I had the power of choice to move into victim or victor. The majority of my previous cancer patients had no such tool-kit of options – they had to start at the beginning – they had no dress rehearsals – no specific coping skills – cancer for them was a new and uninvited experience.

I now realise what a monumental quest it is to recover from a life challenging condition and how careful we as therapists must be when suggesting massive change whether it be dietary, social, emotional/psychological or physical. My professional training has had many highlights, but walking in the shoes of the patient has been my most profound and fertile learning field.  

 The Emotional connection: E-motions are energy in motion. That is… unless we repress them. When they are in movement and flowing we experience good psychological health and physical health. Albert Szent-Georgyi (1960) said “In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accompanied by moving energy”.

This moving energy is also reflected in our bodies and immune system. In the video of real live blood (below) watch how an active neutrophil (one of our white cells) actively seeks and destroys bacteria (the black dot). This is not passive  – but pro active movement. When movement stops so does life.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnlULOjUhSQ&w=425&h=349]

When we experience a shock of some kind emotions can move with amazing force and rapid expression and can have physical consequences as in my case – my uterus literally fell out with a force that was dramatic. For someone else, an experience can be so shocking that emotions can ‘freeze’ – the condition eventually recognized as PTSD and or many dissociative states.   If we learn to deny and repress our emotional expression the chronic damming up effect can result in us becoming powerless. As I wrote in my Women of Silence poem – “Too much held too often can take its toll.”  This can reflect in a sense of deep hopelessness feeling unable to affect change and feeling “stuck” – thus our health becomes compromised.

Unresolved emotional, spiritual and physical pain results in an unrelenting ill ease. Repressed emotions can also result in withdrawal from life’s activities and create a void of loneliness and isolation from community. Sometimes this can be so powerful like ‘Bone-Pointing’ it can take away our will to live – our will to ‘be’. As a background intervention – emotional healing can have dramatically freeing consequences – the freedom to live and the freedom to die.

Recently I was asked to visit a young woman in hospital she was struggling for her life – too tired to lived – too fearful to die. I will call her June.  June had 5 children – her youngest was 18 months. Her family of origin are amazingly supportive. Diagnosed with kidney cancer – she had a kidney removed 2 years ago, declined chemotherapy, followed the books and internet advice and spent a small fortune on natural therapies. June became pregnant and then had a horrific delivery and emergency caesarean.  She kept up with the natural way to cure her cancer until advanced secondary tumours were diagnosed in her abdomen and lungs.  She then travelled to an expensive overseas clinic for treatment, with some improvement but deteriorated again as soon as she arrived back in Brisbane. Admitted and discharged by several hospitals and deemed palliative – she found her way to an oncologist who was willing to treat her. Her weight had plummeted to less than 40 kgs. 

Now there was no choice but to try chemotherapy. Her life hung in the balance for many days as her lungs slowly filled with fluid. This beautiful young woman was suffering deeply from an ailment that no-one had addressed in her recovery plan because no one had asked her about her life or emotional state….Silence. No one had dared to go there and she deteriorated. As it turned out June was in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship and had been for the course of her marriage. Her spirit and hope for a future had shattered – she was stuck – sick and tired of the battle. She almost died late last week and needed fluid drained from her lungs. She decided she wanted to live but didn’t know what to do or how to go about it.

We had a heart to heart – soul to soul discussion – and she spoke of her life.  Together we worked out a plan of intention for how her future might change in other words…. was there a possibility for things to be different.  Although too ill to act or do anything now – she now has a ray of hope and a plan to see her children grow.

Importantly – there is no chemotherapy – no natural substance with miraculous healing powers than can cure or heal this malady which is most accurately termed soul sickness.

Since these extra interventions – her oncologist reports she has turned a corner & he believes she might make it! June has gained weight, looks brighter and is keen to engage in life once again for however long that might be.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote “Life is like a card game, it is not about being dealt a good hand but how you play a band hand well!”  Some issues in life do just appear out of left field and depending how much spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical credit that we have in that very ‘personal bank account’, we may look at the glass as being half full or half empty.  If that “bank account” is empty when trauma pays us a visit – and…If we are spiritually, emotionally, psychologically and physically bankrupt; then we will have little resources (“credit”) left to withstand the onslaught. In June’s case she was emotionally, psychologically, physically and spiritually bankrupt.

This often presents as difficulties with personal boundaries, feeling empty (a shell) and or a feeling of being numbed to life. This can be identified as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

We are often tested in life as to how well we can play that ‘bad hand’. Preferably when traumas or shocks occur we can act from the place of the fullness of our being rather than as a victim of life dwelling on the emptiness of our being. In the early stages of healing the effect of the trauma needs to be dealt with in order to move emotional energy, place some deposits in the “bank account” and reframe the experience of life.

Next post – recognising emotional trauma in cancer patients and what to do about it – how to put deposits into your ‘bank account’.

www.gracegawler.com/institute  Visit our jollyologist page

Grace Gawler Grace Gawler Institute – why alternative medicine is often not enough in cancer treatment.

Part one of Understanding Cancer:
A key function of the Grace Gawler Institute is education about cancer. Being a veteran – I have seen a lot during my 35 years of working with cancer patients. Most cancer patients I see in my practice have foregone conventional therapy for what appears to be the more logical solution of natural remedies. Some choose not to have surgery and go totally natural while others have their initial surgery and refuse further treatments or future diagnostic monitoring. Surely our bodies know what to do – the theory being that if we can just get our bodies nourished by a flood of good food, juices and doses of mega supplements – that it will fix the multitude of dietary and lifestyle sins we have committed in the immediate past and the damage passed on to us via genes and damaged DNA – add to that mix the environmental pollutants of the present. Believe me – it is not that simple!

I was raised believing that good food and a healthy lifestyle can prevent certain illnesses and I believe that is a possibility; however times have changed and so has the environment we live in. We are often exposed to hundreds – maybe even thousands of cancer causing substances as we innocently go about our daily lives – it is a cost of the conveniences that we love, the products we use and the 20th and 21st century lifestyles we’ve lived.

Unlike 35 years ago when I began working with cancer patients, many patients who contact me now seem to have had quite reasonable diets; they are disappointed because they had tried in earnest to cancer-proof their lives by becoming vegetarian, vegan, juicing daily, exercising at the gym going to yoga and practising meditation daily and positive thinking etc. They are surprised to learn that yogis, naturopaths, meditators & natural lifestyle folk can all succumb to cancer. There must be more to this cancer riddle than seems obvious. Continue reading “Grace Gawler Grace Gawler Institute – why alternative medicine is often not enough in cancer treatment.”

Grace Gawler – how the uncertainty principle influences patient’s choices in cancer treatments

Examining the ‘Uncertainty Principle’ and How it Negatively Influences Cancer Treatment Choices

 As a director of an integrated cancer solutions charity in Queensland, in my years working in the cancer industry, I remain shocked at the large numbers of cancer patients abandoning conventional treatment in favour of alternative therapies. Unfortunately I’ve also seen the terrible results of such choices ranging from emaciation, electrolyte depletion, metabolic exhaustion, insidious spread of cancer and associated pain increase and even death. Why?

More troubling is the number of ‘integrative’medicine GPs who are not; for the patient’s benefit; collaborating or communicating with mainstream doctors, oncologists or other therapists involved in the patients care. I’ve witnessed there to be little or no communication between treating doctors who should all be active members of the team devoted to a patient’s survival.  It’s also important that integrative medicine GPs  don’t abandon scientific training in favour of promoting excessive supplements – often via affiliations or network marketing initiatives or by promoting dubious diets like Gerson, vegan diets, coffee enemas, various electrical treatments and many other forms of therapy whose evidence is questionable.

Whether a combination of positive placebo and supplements, one very common issue is the plight of cancer patients who are surviving on will power and positive thinking…it appears that strategy has a use by date – they eventually hit a brick wall and deteriorate rapidly when there is a sudden downturn in their condition; often a condition that could have been avoided had they sought proper medical advice. It is a trap for the unwary patient because their general wellbeing may have increased temporarily; but what we see far too often are patients who are entranced by some therapists into denial of their symptoms. They have soldiered on and used up a lot of energy in their struggle for survival. The question begs – What is it in the psyche that encourages cancer patients to completely abandon conventional medicine and play Russian roulette with their lives?

Last week I heard a medical doctor say …”We give people antibiotics for an infection – they don’t have to believe in them in order to have them work- the just do!” He has a point!

At the time I had been thinking about a young man in his late teens, a friend of a friend whose mum implicitly believed in natural medicines, refusing medical advice – he had developed pnuemonia – Without treatment, he died within 4 days.
People believe that there is a certainty in natural medicines because they are natural…they can also believe the same of conventional medicine. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between…

An article in the Guardian newspaper (UK) – We Must Learn to Love Uncertainty and Failure made these points:-

  1. Uncertainty is a central component of what makes science successful.
  2. The idea of something being “scientifically proven” was practically an oxymoron
  3. The very foundation of science is to keep the door open to doubt.
  4. A ‘good scientist’ is never ‘certain’ – adopts different view if better evidence avails.

Perhaps I had discovered an answer to my questions!

  1. Alternative cancer treatments are promoted with compelling certainty and sophistication.
  2. Simultaneously alt/med amplifies the uncertainty of conventional medicines.
  3. Terminology – ‘slash, burn and poison’ – denigrates conventional treatment and sows fear.
  4. Many patients we see in our practice are terrified to stop taking their supplements. It is implied by some natural therapists that if patients stop using alt/med methods they will die or be toxic from their medical treatments—ironic that an industry that claims to promote wellbeing has an emphasis on fear – the negative placebo.
  5. Alt/med has successfully promoted the image of the greedy ‘big pharma’ but little is said about alt/med avarice, pseudo science and deception – illustrated below.

Last week we met a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy while simultaneously spending $1100.00 a week on ‘secret’ alternative treatment – but afraid to give it up because it ‘seemed to be working’ – he didn’t notice anything or feel any better – but was afraid to change what he was doing and had been doing for the past 2 years. I recommended an oncologist – He is now in hospital for emergency drainage of ascites ( fluid accumulation in the abdomen) – 10 litres of fluid has been removed. His naturaopath missed the warning signs. This patient is typical of many, who driven by the fear of their diagnosis, don’t want uncertainty and thus are easily lured by the certainty, the increasingly sophisticated ‘pseudo’ science and ‘aura’ of alternate therapies.

Conclusion:  There is an important role for complementary (CAM) therapies in cancer medicine, but the role of alt/med is questionable as is usage of the often touted term ‘evidence-based’ medicine. A recent Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) article disclosed significant errors in a high profile cancer patient recovery story that has influenced the course of alternative, complementary and lifestyle medicine in Australasia for 32 years. It has even influenced peak training bodies such as The Australasian Integrative Medicine Association (AIMA). In the light of the MJA disclosures, the question of what is evidence-based integrative medicine must be addressed in the public interest.

Happily excellent working models exist in Singapore and Hong Kong. These set the standard for excellence for integrative, or as I now like to call it, collaborative cancer medicine. The winner is the cancer patient.
References:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/15/uncertainty-failure-edge-question

National Cancer Centre, Singapore (NCCS).   Strong Team-Based, Evidence-based Practice  http://www.nccs.com.sg/medprof/04.htm

Grace Gawler MJA article – Cancer patients at risk from inaccurate clinical reporting in a high-profile alternative treatment story: comments and corrections – Sept 20 2010

http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/193_06_200910/letters_200910_fm-1.html

Dr Linda Calabresi – Australian Doctor article
http://insidewww.australiandoctor.com.au/news/58/0c06d258.asp

Ian Gawler response – Australian Doctor article
http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/50/0c06d750.asp

 

Grace Gawler – how the uncertainty principle influences patient's choices in cancer treatments

Examining the ‘Uncertainty Principle’ and How it Negatively Influences Cancer Treatment Choices

 As a director of an integrated cancer solutions charity in Queensland, in my years working in the cancer industry, I remain shocked at the large numbers of cancer patients abandoning conventional treatment in favour of alternative therapies. Unfortunately I’ve also seen the terrible results of such choices ranging from emaciation, electrolyte depletion, metabolic exhaustion, insidious spread of cancer and associated pain increase and even death. Why?

More troubling is the number of ‘integrative’medicine GPs who are not; for the patient’s benefit; collaborating or communicating with mainstream doctors, oncologists or other therapists involved in the patients care. I’ve witnessed there to be little or no communication between treating doctors who should all be active members of the team devoted to a patient’s survival.  It’s also important that integrative medicine GPs  don’t abandon scientific training in favour of promoting excessive supplements – often via affiliations or network marketing initiatives or by promoting dubious diets like Gerson, vegan diets, coffee enemas, various electrical treatments and many other forms of therapy whose evidence is questionable.

Whether a combination of positive placebo and supplements, one very common issue is the plight of cancer patients who are surviving on will power and positive thinking…it appears that strategy has a use by date – they eventually hit a brick wall and deteriorate rapidly when there is a sudden downturn in their condition; often a condition that could have been avoided had they sought proper medical advice. It is a trap for the unwary patient because their general wellbeing may have increased temporarily; but what we see far too often are patients who are entranced by some therapists into denial of their symptoms. They have soldiered on and used up a lot of energy in their struggle for survival. The question begs – What is it in the psyche that encourages cancer patients to completely abandon conventional medicine and play Russian roulette with their lives?

Last week I heard a medical doctor say …”We give people antibiotics for an infection – they don’t have to believe in them in order to have them work- the just do!” He has a point!

At the time I had been thinking about a young man in his late teens, a friend of a friend whose mum implicitly believed in natural medicines, refusing medical advice – he had developed pnuemonia – Without treatment, he died within 4 days.
People believe that there is a certainty in natural medicines because they are natural…they can also believe the same of conventional medicine. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between…

An article in the Guardian newspaper (UK) – We Must Learn to Love Uncertainty and Failure made these points:-

  1. Uncertainty is a central component of what makes science successful.
  2. The idea of something being “scientifically proven” was practically an oxymoron
  3. The very foundation of science is to keep the door open to doubt.
  4. A ‘good scientist’ is never ‘certain’ – adopts different view if better evidence avails.

Perhaps I had discovered an answer to my questions!

  1. Alternative cancer treatments are promoted with compelling certainty and sophistication.
  2. Simultaneously alt/med amplifies the uncertainty of conventional medicines.
  3. Terminology – ‘slash, burn and poison’ – denigrates conventional treatment and sows fear.
  4. Many patients we see in our practice are terrified to stop taking their supplements. It is implied by some natural therapists that if patients stop using alt/med methods they will die or be toxic from their medical treatments—ironic that an industry that claims to promote wellbeing has an emphasis on fear – the negative placebo.
  5. Alt/med has successfully promoted the image of the greedy ‘big pharma’ but little is said about alt/med avarice, pseudo science and deception – illustrated below.

Last week we met a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy while simultaneously spending $1100.00 a week on ‘secret’ alternative treatment – but afraid to give it up because it ‘seemed to be working’ – he didn’t notice anything or feel any better – but was afraid to change what he was doing and had been doing for the past 2 years. I recommended an oncologist – He is now in hospital for emergency drainage of ascites ( fluid accumulation in the abdomen) – 10 litres of fluid has been removed. His naturaopath missed the warning signs. This patient is typical of many, who driven by the fear of their diagnosis, don’t want uncertainty and thus are easily lured by the certainty, the increasingly sophisticated ‘pseudo’ science and ‘aura’ of alternate therapies.

Conclusion:  There is an important role for complementary (CAM) therapies in cancer medicine, but the role of alt/med is questionable as is usage of the often touted term ‘evidence-based’ medicine. A recent Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) article disclosed significant errors in a high profile cancer patient recovery story that has influenced the course of alternative, complementary and lifestyle medicine in Australasia for 32 years. It has even influenced peak training bodies such as The Australasian Integrative Medicine Association (AIMA). In the light of the MJA disclosures, the question of what is evidence-based integrative medicine must be addressed in the public interest.

Happily excellent working models exist in Singapore and Hong Kong. These set the standard for excellence for integrative, or as I now like to call it, collaborative cancer medicine. The winner is the cancer patient.
References:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/15/uncertainty-failure-edge-question

National Cancer Centre, Singapore (NCCS).   Strong Team-Based, Evidence-based Practice  http://www.nccs.com.sg/medprof/04.htm

Grace Gawler MJA article – Cancer patients at risk from inaccurate clinical reporting in a high-profile alternative treatment story: comments and corrections – Sept 20 2010

http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/193_06_200910/letters_200910_fm-1.html

Dr Linda Calabresi – Australian Doctor article
http://insidewww.australiandoctor.com.au/news/58/0c06d258.asp

Ian Gawler response – Australian Doctor article
http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/50/0c06d750.asp

 

Rebuilding Life-Hand in Hand Hong Kong Cancer Fund

Fantastic Advertisement: Some time ago I presented workshops for the Hong Kong Cancer Fund. I was very impressed by the work they were doing in helping to reframe the experience of cancer in an Asian culture as well as the trainings they promoted throughout hospitals in Hong Kong. Select the link below to play a short video.

http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/30063/Hong-Kong-Cancer-Fund-Integrated-Campaign-Rebuilding-Life—Hand-in-hand

 For a very long time, Cancer has been seen as a symbol for death. However, if we faced it positively, the chance of healing actually raises to 60%.The aim of Grey Hong Kong, therefore, was to promote Hong Kong Cancer Fund and its free professional advice and counselling service to help cancer patients face cancer in a whole new perspective – helping them restore hope. They created the following advertisement to reframe cancer’s meaning.

http://www.gracegawler.com

http://www.gracegawler.com/institute

 

 

 

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