Dara O’Briain is wrong

For those of you who don’t know who Dara O’Briain is, he’s an Irish comic who appears a great deal on UK television. He’s a very funny and very likeable and very clever man. However, he has taken to including his heavily simplified version of ‘What is medicine?’ into his stage act and I am sure he is very influential in a derisive pub logic sort of way. And it is because celebrity-status provides a powerful platform in support of whatever opinion the celebrity in question wishes to put forward that we have to counter these arguments point by point. So here is why he is wrong.

His simplified version goes pretty much like this: “Medicine is better than herbs because it is just the stuff in herbs and plants that works that is extracted and purified.” Let us analyse this sentence so that we understand exactly why it is wrong.(note 1)

1. First of all, and this is probably the biggest error. Medicine is not ‘the stuff in plants that works’. The stuff in plants that works is natural. Medicines are man made. The inventors of this man made molecule may very well start with a natural molecule – but you can’t patent nature. So the molecule is tweaked in some way, not to make it more effective, but so as to be able to own it by patenting it. Once it is owned in this way it can be sold for big bucks. So the question is: does this matter? And of course it does. Life has evolved for billions of years alongside other life. The environment around us is what we have evolved to be adapted to, which is another way of saying to be healthy in. We have not evolved to get benefit from artificially tweaked molecules. Bio-chemical receptors in the body are so highly specific that even mirror image molecules cannot replace each other. So, on this level, medicines are not ‘the stuff in plants that works’ and so cannot be superior to herbs.(note 2)

2. ‘the stuff in plants that works’ is supposed to conjure up an image of a single molecule in a herb that is effective in some way surrounded by many different molecules that are just packaging. The molecule that ‘works’ is referred to as the active ingredient. So, this is a perception – not a description – of the facts. It is a theory. The theory can be described in this way: that because a herb works it contains an active ingredient. But why do we prefer this way of looking at the problem to other perceptions that might be equally or even more valid: for example, that the herb contains multiple molecules in interesting patterns and it is this community of molecules that is effective?

Scientists by and large are uncomfortable with complex narratives such as this one because their methodology is reductionist. Reductionism is a very powerful tool but it cannot deal with complex facts – and there is very powerful evidence that it is the complex relationship of molecules within a plant that makes it effective for healing and not the fact that it contains a single active ingredient.

3. Which brings me to the issue of ‘purification’. The idea of purification contains an ambiguity. On the one hand it means the isolation of a molecule so that it exists by itself without any other molecules being present. But it also means ‘to be made perfect’ in a moral sense. So when we hear the word purified we process both meanings at the same time so that we see the isolated molecule as being ‘good’. We also think of it as being ‘clean’ – unsullied by all that horrible dirty nature stuff.

But is it? Is an isolated molecule better than the natural molecule existing within its natural setting surrounded by other molecules in interesting arrangements? We know that cannabis is a powerful healing agent and that one of its effects can be to reduce nausea and pain. THC is ‘the active ingredient’ and one artificially created isomer of THC is called Drobinol. This is sold under the name Marinol.

Now, here’s the thing: there has never been a documented human fatality from overdosing on natural THC or cannabis in its natural form, but Marinol and other derivatives can be primary causes of death.(note 3)

Another example that is closer to home is the purified extract of the tobacco leaf otherwise known as nicotine. Purified nicotine is an extremely powerful poison and it does not take very much liquid nicotine dropped on to the skin to kill a person. But as we know tobacco leaves take a lot longer to kill a person – and it may not even be the nicotine that does the killing. (note 4)

So, if you think that a ‘purified’ extract that has been tweaked and can cause death is superior to a natural untweaked molecule existing within a context of other molecules that does not cause death then I have to question your sanity.

Over to You Mr O’Briain.

(c) Jonathan Chamberlain 2013

Notes:

1. Exact quote: “Oh, herbal medicine’s been around for thousands of years!” Indeed it has, and then we tested it all, and the stuff that worked became ‘medicine’. And the rest of it is just a nice bowl of soup and some potpourri, so knock yourselves out.” http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/557094-i-m-sorry-herbal-medicine-oh-herbal-medicine-s-been-around-for

2. http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/Natural_vs_Synthetic_Vitamin_E.shtml

3. http://www.oregon.gov/Pharmacy/Imports/Marijuana/Public/DeathsFromMarijuanaV17FDAdrugs.pdf

4. “Historically, nicotine has not been regarded as a carcinogen and the IARC has not evaluated nicotine in its standalone form or assigned it to an official carcinogen group. While no epidemiological evidence supports that nicotine alone acts as a carcinogen in the formation of human cancer, research over the last decade has identified nicotine’s carcinogenic potential in animal models and cell culture”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine

Vaccination dangers

So much has been written for and against vaccines and their dangers – but this seems to be an excellent summary of the true facts:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/04/measles-vaccine-kills-infants.aspx?e_cid=20120904_DNL_artNew_1

My Cancer journey – by Jonathan Chamberlain

If you are looking for information to inform your cancer decisions then browse this site – there’s a lot here – and read my cancer books – see http://www.fightingcancer.com for details

My Cancer Journey by Jonathan Chamberlain

My wife was diagnosed with cancer early in 1993. By the time she got to the operating table the cancer had spread beyond the uterus. Radiation and chemotherapy seemed at first to have shrunk the tumour to nothing but it came back with a vengeance. This time there was no stopping it and at midday on Easter Sunday 1994, she died.

This short description says nothing of the emotional impacts on us and our relationship as we reacted in very different ways to the situation. When Bern died I was left stunned at how rapid and painful the course of the disease had been. By now I had done sufficient reading to know that while this might have been my first bout with cancer, it certainly wasn’t going to be the last. It was clear that I had at least a fifty per cent chance myself. What was I going to do if that happened? All I knew was that I would be a fool to stop my cancer education at that point. What Bern had done had clearly not worked and it had been excruciatingly painful and physically very damaging.

So I kept on reading and reading and then there came a point where I felt I had some angle on the problem. And when you have some wisdom or knowledge, you want to share it. So I sat down and wrote a book. That first version was called Fighting Cancer: A Survival Guide. And I set up a website at www.fightingcancer.com so that I could collate people’s experiences, and my thoughts. It was an attempt at a blog before blogs came into being. This was about 1997. It was also at this site that I made the book available, free of charge, when that first edition went out of print.

Time passed and after a few years I decided to revisit the book and realised that it was organisationally a complete mess. It was also out of date. So I spent a year re-writing it and republished it as Cancer: The Complete Recovery Guide. The next year I was asked to write a slim book for a small publishing company and the result was Cancer Recovery Guide: 15 Alternative and Complementary Strategies for Restoring Health. And then of course more information came my way so I set up a new blog site at www.cancerfighter.wordpress.com.

It is now over 15 years since I started on this journey. What have I learnt?

The first thing I have learnt  is that there is no single cure for cancer that will work for you, me and everybody else. There are no 100% cures. I have also learnt that there are good arguments for many courses of action – conventional and alternative. One can mix and match. And thirdly, we are all different in the way we react to and think about cancer. What you may decide to do may seem like madness to me – and vice versa – but one thing we need to recognise is this: the person who has the cancer is the one who has to make the decision because he or she is the one who has to live with the consequences. They are responsible to themselves and to their families only – and everyone else needs to respect that decision.

Recently, I received an email from someone who had read my first cancer book. At that time her mother was in her eighties when she was diagnosed. Reading the book with her mother they came to the conclusion that she would do nothing. Her body was too frail to cope with any serious intervention and she was too old to change her habits. So she did nothing and continued to live and she was still alive in her 90s. The writer thanked me for helping her to understand that doing nothing was an option.

Over the years I have discovered that there are good and bad arguments about the value of conventional and alternative therapies. Everyone needs to make their own decision on the matter. But it has always seemed to me that the wisest course of action was to inform myself about the widest range of options. Only then would I be in a position to answer that crucial question: What will I do when I get cancer?

© Jonathan Chamberlain 2011

Note: The Cancer Survivor’s Bible (2012) is now available – see www.fightingcancer.com

“You book has become as important to me as my dead mother’s letters.”

Why can’t we see the truth?

Cancer? Browse this site. The info here supports and extends the info in my two cancer books – see www.fightingcancer.com for details

What can’t we see the truth?

If you go to the link below you will see an interesting attempt to illustrate how it is that when you and I see something we process it differtently. But even this illustration doesn’t go far enough. The raw data of the world is supoposed to be an objective given – but almost always it is a mediated truth – mediated by television, newspapers, books etc. Otherwise it explains why it is so difficult for us to see the truth.

http://www.postkiwi.com/images/2004/5/ladder_of_inference.jpg

The argument for Homeopathy

You will find a lot of cancer-related information on this site so please browse. This supplements the info and critical overview of cancer that you will find in my two cancer books – see www.fightingcancer.com

The argument for Homeopathy

Homeopathy is often seen as the easy target when it comes to vilifying homepathy (homoeopathy in UK English). It appears to depend on solutions so diluted that the likelihood that even one molecule of the original substance is present in the solution is extremely remote. And yet trial after trial appears to show that there is an effect. Each time this happens the results are criticised – because ” it simply cannot work” (for the reason given above).

However a number of important French researchers believe that homepathic remedies contain energetic signatures of the substances – and some of these supporters of homepathy are serious scientists with Nobel prizes to their name.

For an interesting discussion of the current situation you will find the article at this link interesting

www.naturalnews.com/031210_Luc_Montagnier_Homeopathy.html

French alternative therapies for various conditions

If you have cancer then there is a lot of info you should read on this site and in my two cancer books – see www.fightingcancer.com for details

French alternative therapies for various conditions

‘Francoise’ posted this info on a yahoo chat group. Thanks Francoise:

Hello,
I am French and I am not a therapist, but I have inquired on Internet, about all sorts of methods. I know several methods from all over the world, therefore I got the idea to tell all other the world about the best French methods I have found! I have tried some, and I have asked questions and compared. I can each time tell I have been personally satisfied or some close friends were.

Those methods were all created in France, and their creators are still alive, most of these discoveries are from the last 20 years.

1) Cure for asthma, allergies, eczema, psoriasis… I just saw about the Buteyko method here. A Spanish center practices it, + proposes this French method that can cure asthma from another complementary point of view. Did you know it? It is called the Gesret method.

http://www.asthma-reality.com/phorum/list.php?2

This is the forum, there are also explanation in an extended website.
This treatment is not osteopathy, but it is done by hand on all the body and especially on the ribs, and modifies the sympathetic system.

There is a free treatment (end 2010) proposed in England (London) by a French practitioner who wants to promote it abroad. It is also known in several countries. I personally know several people who were cured. Usually the treatment is 3-4 times, less for children. It takes more time for psoriasis.

The method helps for a posture change, and an autonomous nervous system change. It can also be helped by the next method I present.

2) Myotherapy:

http://www.myotherapie.org/zones/gb/page-12.html
(English pages)
This was created by the French Doctor Jan Polak, and has some point in common with the Jones techniques, though it is different in many points. I have experimented it myself. It is mild but has a surprising strong effect in relaxing contracted muscles. This is tremendous on years old pains.
Instead of streching some muscles that are called posture muscles, he has discovered that it was more efficient to shorten them in a passive way. When you strech muscles (that you can do on dynamics muscles), postural muscles contract again (as a natural reflex that protects us during shocks), and the therapy must go on and on… because this reflex keeps itself going on.

With this technique, simple movements of the neck or ankles (the 2 sides of our body) leads to a passive shortening of specific muscles. Then the therapist puts the body back to its normal posture, soooo slowly that the nerves in the muscles will keep the information of relaxing, and this stops the myospam that had been there for so long. It is mostly used on chronic cases, even strong headaches, and many sorts of foot or back problems, with surprising success. It is also very powerful after twisted ankles or after a broken leg (recovery), and after surgery (sore neck). A session can be long, and you need on average 3-4 on chronic cases. After a session, you feel very relaxed, I would say “zen”, so it is also emotionally pleasant.

3) Niromathé method:
http://www.niromathe.com/en/index.php
(English pages)
This was also created by a doctor, but who has long been an osteopath, along with another osteopath. They are called Raymond Branly and Thierry Vandorme. They created their method after comparing the similarities between some famous bone-settlers.
I have experienced it myself as well, it is soft, incredibly short (treated efficiently in 15 mn), and you receive the treatment standing! I did not suffer any acute case where it seems so wonderful, and mostly I have heard the enthusiasm of the therapist about it (and he said some colleagues felt the same). Among all the tools that many good therapists try to learn year after year, this technique seemed to have become their favorite when they know it. It got me rid of nerve pains in my arms/hands in 1 session.
The practitioner seems to be playing the guitar on the strings of your ligaments and muscles. It does not hurt. You are always treated at the limits of the position that hurts, so that the body indicates its needs.
I know it is also used on horses, and it is less tiring than other techniques, as you do not have to carry any horse leg.

I have had many problems because of horse riding, and I have gathered a lot of informations, that I was looking for myself. I can give more informations to all those who want to know more. I know you can visit the websites, but it is always appreciated to have direct information, so do not hesitate. We know some foreign techniques in France, and I might help that our best techniques will be of some use else where. I also know that therapists always look for better and complementary techniques to learn!

Hope I have been of some help…
Frans

Curative powers of oregano oil

Cancer? Get the facts. www.fightingcancer.com

Curative powers of oregano oil

The Essential Oil of Oregano is extracted through steam distillation of
fresh leaves of Oregano, bearing the scientific name Oreganum Vulgare. Its
chief components are Carvacrol, Thymol, Cymene, Caryophyllene, Pinene,
Bisabolene, Linalool, Borneol, Geranyl Acetate, Linalyl Acetate and Terpinene. It
is important to verify that the oil is derived from the proper potent
oregano plant, and that the carvacrol concentration is at least 70%.
Skin Disorders
Adult acne, psoriasis and eczema are often candida related and may require
topical treatment with oil of oregano. Mix 2-3 drops of oregano oil into 1
teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil or unrefined coconut oil and apply it to
sensitive skin. Do not apply oil of oregano full strength to broken skin
or rashes.
For fungal infections on your skin and nails, dilute I teaspoon oregano oil
in 2 teaspoons olive oil and apply with a cotton swab to the affected area
up to three times a day, she says.
Teeth and Gums
When you have a toothache, rub oregano oil around the infected tooth. Use
the diluted mixture. It will kill infection and reduce pain. For diseased
gums rub the oregano oil over the gums, and take it several times a day.
Mix one drop of oregano oil with about 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
or unrefined coconut oil and hold it under your tongue until the saliva
gathers. You can also take a sip of water. Then swish it around in your mouth
for 2 minutes, and swallow. Do this 3 or more times a day.
Place a drop of diluted oregano oil on your toothbrush when brushing. You
will find that plaque does not build up on your teeth, and the health of
your gums will improve dramatically.
Natural decongesant for colds, flu , sinus & allergies: For lung and
respiratory problems, inhale the vapors directly from the bottle as often as
necessary. Also take it internally by mixing 1-2 drops into 1 teaspoon of
extra virgin olive oil or unrefined coconut oil, at least 4 times a day. You
can also put a drop or two on a tissue and put it by your pillow at night,
so you will breath it in.
Anti-Allergy Properties

Every potential allergy sufferer needs to know that wild oregano is
capable of halting your next allergy attack in its tracks. It is effective,
reliable, and safe. Over-the-counter drugs have side effects, and they are not
your only option. Try a natural approach first. Don’t be a victim of
allergies any more. Wild oregano overpowers them every time.

Take one drop twice per day working your way to one drop four times per
day. Mix one drop with one teaspoon of olive oil to or coconut oil. Take for
a period of 15 days and then stop for 15 days. Then repeat the process.
Oil of Oregano Effectively Treats:

· acne · allergies · arthritis · asthma · athlete’s foot · constipation ·
croup · dandruff · diarrhea · digestive disturbances · insect bites ·
bronchitis · canker sores · colds · flu · earaches · fatigue · gum disease ·
parasites · headaches · menstrual irregularities · psoriasis · toenail
problems · seborrhea · ringworm · rosacea · sinusitis · muscle pain · varicose
veins · warts
What are the Side Effects of Oil of Oregano?
* Oregano oil may reduce the body’s ability to absorb iron.
Therefore, it is recommended that any regular use be combined with regular
consumption of iron supplements. For this reason, women are advised not to take Oil
of Oregano during their pregnancy.
* Pregnant women should also avoid oil of oregano since it can
stimulate blood flow in the uterus, which can weaken the lining that surrounds
the fetus in the womb.
* People that have allergies to thyme, basil, mint, or sage may be
sensitive to Oil of Oregano as well, since they are in the same family of
plants.
* If you are taking a blood thinner medication, it is recommended
that you exercise caution, simply because oregano has a naturally occurring
blood-thinning property which could be substituted for the traditional
recommendation of an aspirin a day. Blood thinner medication and oil of oregano
together can lower your blood pressure dangerously. Please consult a
health care provider before beginning this treatment.

Note: The Cancer Survivor’s Bible (2012 edition) is now available – see www.fightingcancer.com

“This book tells me everything. Why didn’t my doctors tell me this?”

Andrew Wakefield tells his side of the story

Cancer: The Complete Recovery Guide

Cancer Recovery Guide: 15 Alternative and Complementary Strategies for Restoring Health

For details go to www.fightingcancer.com

“This book tells me everything. Why didn’t my doctor tell me this?” – Rev. Bill Newbern

Andrew Wakefield tells his story

Andrew Wakefield is famous as the doctor who has been victimised by the medical authorities because he promoted the idea that children became autistic as a result of bowel disease brought on by the MMR vaccination. He has not told his story till now but here Dr Mercola has provided a video interview with Dr Wakefield. Fascinating.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/10/wakefield-interview.aspx

Killing superbugs

Cancer: The Complete Recovery Guide

Cancer Recovery Guide: 15 Alternative and Complementary Strategies for Restoring Health

For details go to www.fightingcancer.com

“This book tells me everything. Why didn’t my doctor tell me this?” – Rev. Bill Newbern

Killing Superbugs

Don’t take antibiotics now and in the long term you should be safe from MRSA. Here’s the full story:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091231/ap_on_re_us/when_drugs_stop_working_norway_s_answer

The Mango Retreat Program

http://www.fightingcancer.com news:

Here is an email I got from Vincent Gammill, head of

The Center for the Study of Natural Oncology

Del Mar, California

858-523-9144

Dear Jonathan

I have attached the  agenda of the first few days of our one-week program in Del Mar, CA.   My seminars do change on a regular basis.  The last couple of days are devoted to the specific cancers of the attendees.  All participants start on a program almost immediately.  They go home with a two-month supply of meds that are unobtainable for 99+% of the population.

Vincent

The Mango Retreat Program

Sunday Afternoon

Orientation: Tour, bedroom assignments, introductions

Salutation: Assuming Responsibility for One’s Health

Clarifying Goals

Monday Seminars

Consultation with Filiberto Munoz, MD at the San Diego Clinic in Tijuana

(Fast for blood tests and bring driver’s license or passport – transportation provided)

Clarifying Detoxification Goals and Resetting Cell Signaling

Hyperoleation Detoxification Technique

The Royal Clyster

Why Most Conventional and Alternative Therapies Fail

A Strategy for Making Rational Choices Quickly

Reading Between the Lines:

Part One: Scientific Literature

Part Two: Marketing literature

Part Three: Health Newsletters, the Net Infosources,

Treatment Biases: Personal and Allostatic

Tuesday Seminars

Cultures with Extremely Low Rates of Cancer:

Shared Independent Variables

Nutritional Devolution and the Diatheses of Affluence

Cancer Diets: Selection and Individuation

Wednesday Seminars

Sensitizers and Synergists for Various Conventional and Alternative Treatments

Therapeutic Misadventures, Counterintuitive Therapies, and Conflicts in Intention

Prevention and Reversal of Drug Resistance

Innovative Russians: The Methods of Zalmanov, Khatchatrian, Britov, Golyuk, Arendt,

Schevchenko

Naturopathic Strategies: Distortive, Corrective, Resolutive

Thomsonian Botanic Medicine

Physiological Therapies vs.Medicinal Therapies

The Cyprus Treatment (Cephalopod Extracts and Seco-Iridoids)

“Germanic New Medicine” – Its Strengths, Weaknesses, Healing Crises

Electromagnetic Fields and Currents in Diagnosis and Treatment

Autonomic Dysfunction and Cholinergic Strategies

The Zinc Treatment

Tallberg and Revici Strategies

Ferric Cation Therapy

The Kochi Method

Thermogenesis Therapies and Hyperthermia

Prostaglandins (Harnessing or Hobbling)

Von Ardenne Oxygen Multistep Therapy

Peroxides, Endoperoxides, and Ozonides

Forgotten and Recovered Medical Science:

Chaotropic Salts

Koch’s Lost Writings

Bishop Berkeley’s Catechols

Massey’s Iontophoresis therapy

Tannates, Polyols, Hydroxylated Stilbenes and Chalcones,

Methylglyoxal and the Diones

ATP Uncoupling Systems

Rhamnosides and Other Glycosides

Insulin Potentiation and Other Targeting Strategies

Chronotherapy (Diurnal Cycle Dependent Dosaging)

Rapid Hematopoiesis

Enzyme therapies vs. Matrix Metaloproteinase Inhibition (MMPI) therapy

Angiogenesis Inhibitor Combinations: If/When to use

Differentiation Agents: If/When To Use

PARP (Poly ADP Ribose Polymerase) Inhibitors

Zeolites and Redox Catalysts

Biologically Active Chromophores

The Inherent Defenses – Rethinking Cachexia, Anemia, Fevers, Nausea, and Nightsweats

Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma, and Immune Dysfunction

Reversing Immune Anergy (lassitude) by Stimulating Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity

Conjugate Vaccines, Adjuvants and Hyperimmunization

Directing Immune Function (Th1 and Th2)

Intralesional Ablatants

Antineoplastons and Histone Deacetylase Inhibition

Salmonella, Newcastle, Pertussis vs. Cancer

Assessing Progress – Objective and Subjective Measures