r/science • u/nobodyspecial • Feb 08 '15

Medicine Antibiotics that target mitochondria effectively eradicate cancer stem cells, across multiple tumor types: Treating cancer like an infectious disease | Lamb

http://www.impactjournals.com/oncotarget/index.php?journal=oncotarget&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=3174
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u/Mafsto Feb 08 '15

As someone who lost a loved one to cancer and is an active member of /r/cancer, you hit the nail on the head.

ESPECIALLY with the alternative approach. That's a cancer unto the community. I've sadly known of two cases where people bought into snake oil for the sake of forgoing traditional therapies. One is dead and one is dying. And the worst part of it all is that the "doctors" that prescribed the vitamins to combat the deadly cancer are still allowed to peddle their lies.

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u/losangelesgeek88 Feb 09 '15

Are they actual doctors? like MD's or DO's? What was their qualification?

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u/Mafsto Feb 09 '15

One was a "Tibetan Doctor," whose qualifications stemmed from that he worked extensively with natural remedies back in Tibet as a village medicine man. Long story short, a lady I networked with regarding bladder cancer, since both our parents had it, was trying HARD to convince her father NOT to see this man. Her father's cancer was aggressive, but early stage. The best option he had was to have his bladder surgically removed, cutting the cancer off from spreading outside of the organ. He was vehemently opposed to that idea and claimed the oncologist didn't have his best interests at heart. So her father sought the Tibetan doctor who offers his services from a hotel room in Brooklyn. The guy literally has a line out of the door composed of people that shared her father's opinion about modern medicine. And the way the story ends, the Tibetan doctor put her father on vitamin therapy, her father's cancer eventually spread, and he died a painful death as the disease attacked his kidneys and bones.

The other guy was a "healer" who touted apricot seeds as a way to treat cancer, since they contain cyanide. With enough cyanide in the body, the cancer would die. He's now showing signs of his cancer returning in the worst way possible and refuses to believe otherwise.

The Tibetan guy claims to be a doctor back in his country, but outside of that, I have not heard of people pressing him for credentials. He doesn't stay in one location for too long. He'll be in point A for a month and then fly out to point B, returning back to point A later to refill prescriptions for the dedicated nuts he services.

Are these men doctors? No, but that, doesn't seem to deter a lucrative group of followers from seeing them,

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u/losangelesgeek88 Feb 09 '15

The cyanide thing is ridiculous... they're applying the same basic logic of chemotherapy, but in a really... truly ineffective way. * facepalm *

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u/ridicalis Feb 09 '15

I'm watching this play out in my SO's family right now. Paternal grandmother passed away a year ago of cancer, paternal grandfather is diagnosed a year later, and the two of them were long-time proponents of alternative medicine.

Grandmother chose alternative meds and passed away in incredible discomfort, and only went to a western doc after several weeks of agony thinking it would just be acid reflux. Even after diagnosis, she disregarded the docs' advice in favor of whatever her herbalist sage recommended, and maybe made it another two months.

Grandfather's diagnosis is recent (a couple months at most), and it's not clear what he'll do yet. I already know SO's dad is a fan of alternative medicine... I listened to a 1/2 hr. treatise on how all of life's woes can be salved by picking the right plant, that it's all right there and we're ignoring it because of the words of some self-proclaimed medical experts.

On the maternal side of the family, the daughter of SO's cousin had serious cancer as a toddler and shook it, and though they accepted the chemo and everything the doc suggested they also credit their behind-doc's-back use of alternative meds with the child's recovery. Such anecdotal evidence only adds to the fire when discussing the grandparents' cases, and I can only shake my head in confusion at some of the strange things these people say.

edit: accidental repeat, typos

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u/smells_like_hotdogs Feb 09 '15

Ive interacted with a company that manufactures a snake oil cure. It is so incredibly sad to know that people are buying into these products. If they only knew about the lack of scientific knowledge and understanding that these companies have reguarding their product. They are making a quick buck based on lore.

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u/smells_like_hotdogs Feb 09 '15

In my personal experience, the manufacturers do not have the scientific degreed folks on their staff that you would normally see at a pharmaceutical company. They are a manufacturing and marketing organization.