In January of 2004, one month after my surgery, my wife Micah and I went to the cancer clinic for the first time.
It didn’t go so well.
I had already decided against chemotherapy after reading about the raw food diet in God’s Way To Ultimate Health.
To my dismay, my decision was not well received by my wife, family and friends. After many heartfelt and well-meaning “interventions”, I reluctantly agreed to go meet with an oncologist at the West Clinic to hear what he had to say.
He told me my chance of living at least 5 years with a Stage 3 Colon Cancer diagnosis was about 60%. Not good.
To me that was basically a coin toss. (I have since discovered that my odds of survival after chemo were much worse, as the statistics are skewed to make chemotherapy appear more effective than it really is)
I asked him what other options I had as far as alternative therapy.
He looked at me point-blank and said, “There are none. If you don’t do chemo you are insane.
And I’m not just saying this cause I need your business”.
I asked him about the raw food diet I’d been reading about, and he told me that he didn’t recommend it because it would “fight the chemo”.
My wife and I left the clinic terrified; we sat in her car in the parking lot and wept, held hands, and prayed asking God for clarity and to lead me in the direction He wanted me to go.
Over the next few days I thought about what he said about “not needing my business”.
What a weird statement. What does business have to do with it? That was the furthest thing from my mind during our visit, but it ended up being very telling. I realized that business has everything to do with it.
Let’s follow the money:
Treating cancer is this man’s occupation. It’s how he earns a living and provides for his family. Every cancer patient that walks in his office represents thousands of dollars of profit. He’s essentially a salesman selling his services with a very powerful sales pitch: “If you don’t do what I say, you’re going to die.”
We all know that fear is one of the best motivators there is, and this guy had me by the “you-know-whats.” Had I not already started to do research on my own, and already read other survivors testimonies; I probably would have done what most cancer patients do and schedule the chemo.
I wonder how many dollar signs he saw floating over my head that day…
According to the research of Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner of Freakonomics fame,”Oncologists are some of the highest paid doctors, their average income is increasing faster than any other specialist in the medical field, and more than half their income comes from selling and administering chemotherapy.”
Yes you read that right. Oncologists make a huge profit, as much as two-thirds of their income in some cases, from chemotherapy drugs.
Their business model is very different from other doctors because you can’t buy chemotherapy drugs at your local pharmacy.
Oncologists buy these drugs direct at wholesale prices, then they mark them up and bill the insurance companies. This legal profiting on drugs by doctors is unique to the cancer treatment world. They’re making money off the drugs that they insist you take to save your life. That’s a HUGE conflict of interest. They’re selling you the drugs, and charging you for the privilege of putting them in your body. No other doctor can do that.
Here’s another twist. Some chemotherapy drugs have a higher profit margin than others. If you were a doctor, wouldn’t you be tempted to recommend the drugs that put the most money in your pocket? I know I would.
Look we all have this image of doctors as these selfless creatures working tirelessly to save the lives of dying people; and some are. It’s not the doctors that are the problem; it’s the billion-dollar cancer treatment industry controlled by the pharmaceutical companies. Oncologists are trapped in this system.
If you have cancer, your doctor is not allowed to prescribe any treatment other than surgery, chemo, or radiation; or they can lose their license.
Unlike other countries, American doctors cannot prescribe changes to lifestyle, diet, or increased exercise to treat illness. They can only recommend them along with conventional FDA approved therapies like the ones listed above.
Before anyone accuses me of doctor bashing, I want you to know that I am so grateful for theses three MDs who helped save my life:
Gastrointerologist Dr. Orin Davidson found my tumor when other doctors didn’t think to look.
Surgeon Dr. Guy Voeller successfully removed my tumor, cancerous lymph nodes, and a section of my large intestine.
Oncologist Dr. Roy Page did my blood work, CT scans, and nutritional IV therapy in the years that followed.
Dr. Page is a man who retired for several years then came out of retirement to help more people. He frequently traveled to China to study developments in Eastern Medicine and therapies not approved in the U.S. Dr. Page didn’t give a flip about what anyone thought about him, he cared about results. Which is why he was willing to work with me in the administration of some of the alternative therapies I employed like Vitamin C IVs. Sadly he passed away a few years ago.
I hope this post has opened your eyes to the two problems not just with cancer treatment, but with our medical system as a whole: That doctors are limited in what they can prescribe to treat illness, and often times are motivated to make recommendations that are in their best interest financially, not yours.
If you want to learn more about the cancer treatment industry, I recommend Questioning Chemotherapy by Ralph Moss, or Chemotherapy Heals Cancer and the World is Flat by Lothar Hirneise.
Finally, I’m going to leave you with this quote. Never a truer word was spoken:
“I find medicine is the best of all trades, because whether you do any good or not, you still get your money.”
-Moliere “A Physician in Spite of Himself” 1664
Related Posts:
Why I Didn’t Do Chemo
How I Used The Raw Vegan Diet to Beat Cancer
Beat Cancer Kitchen: Deliciously Simple Plant-Based Anticancer Recipes Get it on Amazon here Beat Cancer Daily 365 Days of Inspiration, Encouragement, and Action Steps to Survive and Thrive Get it on Amazon hereI've interviewed over 70 people who've healed all types and stages of cancer. Check them out here. Or use the search bar to find survivors of specific cancer types.
I also created a coaching program for cancer patients, caregivers, and anyone who is serious about prevention called SQUARE ONE. It contains the step-by-step strategies used by myself and many others who have healed cancer with a holistic approach using nutrition and natural non-toxic therapies.
Watch SQUARE ONE Module 1 for free here
(((c)))
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This Post Has 7 Comments
Oh my. When I stumbled across this, I immediately called my dad. He is currently reading a book called, Cancer: Step Out of the Box, and he told me to recommend it to you. It backs everything you just said in this one post. I’ve been slowly becoming fascinated with this topic…I pray that it’s not a sign of things to come, but I am very interested in this topic.
Praise God that you are cancer free! What an amazing testimony and miracle! Thanks so much for all this info…I’d love to hear how you eat now that you’re cancer free, and how your kids eat. You can email me if you want.
Hi Jennifer
I’ve seen that book but haven’t read it…I had a pretty good idea what it was about ;)
I think it’s great that you’re into it. The healthier you are now, the fewer problems you’ll have down the road.
And yes God is so Good.
I’m working on some posts about my diet now, cause I get asked that a lot!
Stay tuned!
Chris
(p.s. I’m gonna delete your email from the post so spammers don’t getcha)
Thank you so much, Chris.
As a result of my own chemo regimen, I have dealt with and managed numerous side effects, even three years out. Today, I am much healthier and happier having committed to an ayurvedic diet– a plant based, as organic as I can get it, fresh food for every meal (which means I’m cooking a lot!) diet based on my own personal constitution, season and health challenges…
You are a courageous warrior and your faith and commitment are inspiring. I hope more people continue to consider the paths less traveled.
Ayurveda, incidentally, offers its own views about the epidemiology of cancer/s as well as various cures. As an Eastern system of medicine, it emphasizes the constitution and experience of the individual over the western method of statistical comparisons. Because of the nature of its history (having been squashed almost out of existence by the British rule in India) its lack of documented western research, folks are less apt to follow its paths as well.
We need to keep getting the word out about alternate routes that work with the body, not so much against it!
Stay healthy and committed. Keep writing!
Lynn
Hi Lynn thank you so much for your comment! I am a big believer in Ayurvedic Medicine and will probably post a blog
about it more in detail at some point. Feedback from folks like yourself is critical to what I’m doing because it adds credibility to what that I’m saying. And it’s more fuel for my fire. Thank you so much again.
Your posts are welcome anytime!!!
(((c)))
I had stage 3 colon cancer and my Oncologist said I had a 87% of it coming back in one year..thats when I started my education, but I did do chemo for about 7 or 8 treatments..that was in 07…The book that influenced my thinking more than anything was The Hidden Story Of Cancer…If anyone wants a copy of it in PDF will be glad to share…my email is
si******@ms*.com
also you will learn a lot at the authors site which is http://www.brianpeskin.com
When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
The most important steps you’ll need to take is to work on your diet plan. According to research on people all over the world who died from illnesses, a high percentage of it’s associated with the meals we eat. By operating around the root cause, you’d conquer a major obstacles that’s blocking your recovery and reduce your fats intake, eggs and red meats. Build up the body immune method by minimising the intake of food such as dairy goods, meat, coffee and maintain your body at optimum level. When your immune method is higher, you’ll have the ability to fight the cancer cells in our body.
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