Tumeric Study

I understand your position Gary, but I don't entirely agree with it.  I have properly followed the guidelines required by WN.  I shared information from a reputable researcher at MD Anderson, a facility in the US.  He has been getting coverage about his findings since 2003.  Its not been hidden.  It has just not been widely known.  Most of the data is presented in Medical Journals which I am not a member of, so can't get the full papers. I'm not "proving" or "endorsing" anything.  I shared information, experience, and enough data for anyone to do further research for themselves.  I wouldn't be concerned about other people not being bright enough to read my blog for exactly what it is... this is interesting, research is being done, others are having success, here is some information on it for you to look at to see for yourself.  It is nothing more.  

Your response with contrary data is also an important part of the dialog Gary.  I thank you for those.  I have never underestimated the very intelligent folks here at WN, and I don't think you meant it that way.  But if I took you literally, I would be prohibited from giving this experience because it was not "universally" proven to be true.  ???

The treatment my husband is getting right now, at a world respected facility, a hospital, covered by our healthcare, is VERY CONTROVERSIAL!  Myeloma patients are in a HUGE debate about stem cell transplants in general and most definitely oncologists are in HUGE disagreement with Little Rock's protocol of Tandem SCT!  If I shied away from controversy, my husband would be getting, in my opinion, substandard treatment for his disease.  Is our way the BEST way?  For us.  Is it the ONLY way, god no.  Are there other paths to a result, you bet.  Is it proven, NOPE.  Is it disproven, NOPE.  So what would I do with no answer to either of those questions?

So I'm not afraid of controversy but there were problems on WN to share information of a alternative/complementary nature by people who are not medicos, and so WN put up guidelines (rightly so) and I have met them.  

Lori

I am in NO WAY trying to stifle, suppress, or in any way stop your blogs. Please keep them coming. Nor am I suggesting that you have in anyway done anything against the guidelines.

I started to read the blog with excitement. I had hoped that there was going to be something more substantive here. I was focusing on the Tumeric observations (I haven't yet given thought to the stem-cell stuff) so, let's please focus on that.

My reading is that you have shared anecdotes. Nothing wrong with that, as long as it's recognised for what it is.

However, as I have read the above entries, your blog reads:

1) your husband is in remission and he underwent some treatments that might: a) have improved the situation, b) had no affect on the situation, c) delayed the improvements to the situation - who knows?

2) someone, who is about to go on national radio, wants to talk to you about your experiences, and promote their anecdotes.

There's no controversy here. You have simply shared your opinion. I had a migraine the other day. Ten minutes after eating a lemon sorbet, it went. In my opinion that wasn't worth a blog. I make no claims for the lemon sorbet. Perhaps I'm wrong.  

If I'm missing a trick, then please let me know. If either you or your radio friend has something more substantial to share, then I'd love to hear it.

Best wishes,

Gary

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"One step at a time"

I am so with you Lori on the turmeric.  When I was having treatment back in 05 I drank a litre a day of a smoothie consisting of fruit and veg ie seaweed,  curly kale, raspberries, turmeric, chillies, garlic, broccoli, tomatoes, papaya, carrots,  blueberries and  I checked with my team beforehanad that this was ok - I drank it for 4 months.  I loaded it with turmeric as I had heard good reports about turmeric.  I am grateful to my MDT at the Royal Marsden, but I felt I needed to investigate and take some control myself.  I have maintained a good healthy diet since then, mainly because I enjoy it so much and I feel so much healthier and fitter by doing so.  I have always found your attitude and information on here to be very helpful.  I think its always worth investigating diet and sometimes theres no hard evidence that something works or doesn't work.  I myself was totally comfortable telling my team what I was doing and,  if they disagreed I would have listened and taken notice.  Keep up the good work Lori and contine to share all your information with us please.

Contempt prior to investigation is a sure way to everlasting ignorance.

Really pleased you enjoyed your smoothies, and I've got nothing against any of those fruits / vegetables - I eat them all the time.

But there's nothing I'm aware of to show they helped your cancer situation any more than would smoothies containing (for example) blackberries, celery, pineapple, radishes, bananas, cabbage, coriander, etc. (although I'd give coriander a miss, I hate the stuff!)

If there's nothing to say that a certain fruit or veg will harm you then, of course, the MDT won't try to stop you from taking it. I.e. it's "ok" because it won't do harm. If you "felt better" from drinking these smoothies, then who would argue against you taking them? Not me!

But that's not the same as saying it helps people to beat a cancer. If that WERE the case then your MDT would be giving it to all of their patients.

Or am I missing a trick?

BTW. I have no contempt for any of the above. I'm simply asking to see some post-investigation evidence. Or, to put it another way, I'm looking for facts not anecdotes. I would be ignorant if I confused the two.

Gary

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"One step at a time"

Gary, I'm confused.  I didn't say 1) or 2).  

Christian Wilde is working on arranging a show with Dr. Aggarwal, not with me.  Not to talk about anecdotes, but to talk about his patients and his research.

I think the findings about Tumeric are exciting and I think the anecdotal information of other MM patients on their own blogs, with their labs and discussions with their doctors is quite exciting as well.  MM is a still considered a terminal disease, although that is changing and very fluid.  But there is no standard treatment of care.  It appears like a bit of a crap shoot for many.  If any MM patient held to nothing but "hard scientific" findings, they would not be able to accept any treatment and live beyond 3-5 years.  There is a lot of fighting going on, in America anyway, on the different approaches to treating Myeloma and nobody has been able to "prove" or "disprove" the different treatment options because we have had 5 new drugs approved in 5 years!  Some of which the UK is still fighting to be able to use.  It comes down to your own sense of what you want to do and WHO, yes WHO, you want to put your faith in.  Not very scientific.  

I think if you dig a little deeper into the actual document you will see his results.  Admittedly its a power point presentation and so we lack the oral presentation that goes with it, but I believe one of the pages lists control group's results.

Take care,

Lori

Deirdre was talking about tumeric not her smoothies.  Evidently she found similar information on its use and value.