Cancer Kills, But Does It Have To?

bottle of pharmaceutical pills on top of money Cancer kills, but does it have to? The name cancer encompasses a large variety of similar diseases. Cancer is a genetic disease that affects the way cells are formed and divided. In all forms of cancer a cell in the body begins to divide uncontrollably causing many problems to the surrounding tissues. The Global Burden of Disease estimates that 9.56 million people died prematurely as a result of cancer in 2017. Every sixth death in the world is due to cancer.⁽³⁾ Conspiracy theories are a natural way for humans to try and make sense of the unknown all around them.⁽¹⁾ Modern medical conspiracies are suggesting cancer doesn't have to kill, but rather someone or something is letting it. Nearly half of American adults believe the federal government, big pharmaceutical companies ,or both, are involved in at least one conspiracy to cover up vital health information including a cure for cancer.⁽¹⁾ Due to the profitability of cancer and its treatments, the lack of funding for natural cures, and the deaths of people who know too much, it is apparent that the government along with big pharmaceutical companies are withholding a cure for cancer.⁽³⁾

apricot seeds Opposing views claim that because of the number of people involved in cancer research, it would be impossible to keep the final steps that lead to a cure undiscovered. Also, it does not make sense that a pharmaceutical company would spend millions of dollars on research on a drug they have no intention of marketing.⁽²⁾ Last, it would be impossible to get past all the regulatory hurdles to perform human research without revealing the goal of the research. The cancer conspiracy would contest that the government is so concerned about big pharmaceutical companies raking in millions of dollars that they would hide any discovery that would suggest a cure. For example, Laetrile is a natural vitamin B-17, that was widely sold and used as a cure for cancer. It was banned by the FDA in 1963 — "suppressed", some would prefer to say.⁽³⁾ Why would the FDA ban a drug that had been proven to not only stop the spread of cancer but improve general health? The answer is money and greed. The FDA's board members at the time were all heavily invested in chemotherapy and tobacco. These people make money by investing in cancer-causing tobacco. The tobacco industry makes billions of dollars from selling a major cancer causing product. The government is also involved by receiving additional billions from taxes on tobacco products.⁽³⁾ There is evidence that initial research performed by tobacco companies was suppressed so indeed these companies have certainly acted unethically and immorally. They then provide chemotherapy, a treatment that can have harsh side effects and can be ineffective or even useless with some cancers and is extremely expensive.

The success of a natural cure for cancer would significantly lower the use of chemotherapy, which would result in the loss of money. Chemotherapy can be specialized and individualized per patient per case, multiplying money making opportunities for the pharmaceutical companies. While Chemo is proven to be extremely effective for blood based and testicular cancers, the amount of people who are diagnosed too late for chemo to work and the amount of people who the treatment causes more harm than good surpass the number of successes.⁽³⁾ Some individuals, companies, and the government organizations involved in the industry are suppressing vital information about cancer treatments to keep their industry thriving. Private commercial funding only targets treatments that are profitable. Typically, this is patentable drugs and excludes most alternatives. Natural cures for cancer are not supported by the government or the FDA. There are no advertisements on these methods, doctors do not promote these methods and the general public does not have knowledge of such natural products. Those with opposing views claim that the federal government gives enough attention to natural cures by spending roughly $120 million a year to fund research through the NIH (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health).⁽³⁾ They are also proud to say that Yale, Duke, And Johns Hopkins, the nation's leading hospitals, promote some alternative therapies like acupuncture, spiritual and energy healing, and homeopathy.

marijuana plant leaves Despite this, it cannot be denied that natural cures are not as popular or accepted as treatments like chemotherapy, nearly 70% of cancer cases are prescribed chemotherapy at a cost of thousands of dollars per visit rather that something cheaper and natural.⁽³⁾ It is a scientific fact that all cancers spread the same way, by the use of collagen-digesting enzymes collagenases and metalloproteinases. The therapeutic use of the natural amino acid lysine can block these enzymes and inhibit the spread of cancer cells.⁽⁴⁾ All types of cancer studied thus far have responded to this approach. The only reason this breakthrough in medicine has not been further investigated and used in the treatment of cancer patients worldwide is the fact that these substances are cheaper or not patentable and therefore have low-profit margins. Another natural compound that has been researched and discussed publicly is marijuana. Scores of alternative medicine researchers and doctors insist research has proven THC can kill cancer. Early human trials show no effect in curing or preventing the disease however restrictions set forth by the government prevent additional research as a cancer cure.⁽³⁾

Another aspect of the theory is the idea that the government and or pharmaceutical companies are "quieting" (killing) people who may know about the cure or treatment for cancer. These pharmaceutical companies are so obsessed with money that they are rustling to silencing these maverick cancer researchers. They are so scared that upon the approval of these new cheaper cures their expensive and unsuccessful treatments will become obsolete, therefore leaving them bankrupt.

mortar and pestle, stethoscope, and a jar of multi-vitamins Rumors began circulating in June 2015 that a number of holistic doctors and researchers had been murdered by the pharmaceutical industry. The number of murders varies between fifty to eighty. This alleged murder spree is seen as a declaration of war against holistic medicine and those who practice and endorse it. Conspiracy theorists believe there is a real connection between their deaths and their cutting-edge cancer research. Some of the reported deaths include Jeffrey Bradstreet, a cancer researcher, who was testing a cures for autism and cancer when he was murdered and shot in the chest. Two Canadian cancer researchers were mysteriously murdered in late 2015. British cancer researcher Alan Clarke and Seattle cancer researcher, Cheryl Deboer was also mysteriously killed in 2015.⁽³⁾ The only thing these people have in common is their research and the fact that their research was considered a clear success in the area of cancer treatment. Although these numbers may sound trivial, because approximately 821 people die each year per 100,000. Despite this, it is no simple coincidence that so many of the doctors killed were cancer treatment researchers who knew too much. While conspiracy theories are ultimately a way for people to rationalize and find comfort in the unknown, we can not ignore the truth they hold. The suppression of vital health information, including alternative cancer treatments, by Big Pharma and the Food and Drug Administration is essentially killing almost 10 million people each year, and that is unacceptable. The question we all need to answer for ourselves is not if cancer kills– but does it have too?