been reading infomation on my mum's cancer and noticed the Alkaline diet which apparently cancer doesnt like .. just wondered if anyone knew much about it !!
Surely healthy eating cant hurt!!
FormerMember
Since my daughter (24) was diagnosed with bowel cancer and liver mets back in April, I'm always on the lookout for things that might help get rid of the cancer. But every time something crops up I try to sort out the facts from hope.
So if you, or any other contributor, can help point me in the direction of some results from independent, statistically sound, peer-reviewed, double-blind, repeatable trials for Alkaline diets then I'd love to hear them, please.
I ask this because there are usually lots of anecdotes for these things, and what are not clear are things like:
1) whether the claims are actually true - some people just like the publicity, or have something to sell;
2) whether the person getting better did so because of the claimed "cure" or whether some other factor made them better (i.e. coincidence); or
3) whether the person would have got better quicker without the claimed "cure" (e.g. the cumulative effects of chemo might be delayed by the claimed "cure").
My understanding is that in order to do its job properly, the stomach has to be very acidic anyway. Food hardly changes the acidity - even tablets for upset tummies only work for a short while, That's why the packets advise you not to take too many, nor to take them for too long - if you did then you could get detrimental side effects. Yes it might be true that cancer cells cannot live in an alkaline environment, but then NO CELLS CAN! So please don't confuse this diet with "healthy eating" - it isn't.
I really hope that someone will come on here and show that I'm wrong. But I'd want to see evidence of the type described above - not just anecdotes, please.
There was a man who came on this site who was very knowledgable but also self opinionated and he finished up getting banned. I remember some time ago he posted about acid versus alkali. He can be contacted on www.mymalignantmelanoma.com/seantyblog.html
and if you either look at his website or email him I am sure he will forward the article on alkali enhancing diets. One of the problems is there is a lot of unfounded claims that sometimes can actually harm. By all means explore every option available but please make sure that firstly the path you take is properly researched and verified and secondly that it will not actually interfere with your treatment.
Yes, the chap Drew refers to was always ready to counter claims of alternative remedies for cancer treatment. Indeed, his old posts are still live - so search for Seanty. Sean (Seanty) was a great contributor and I think it's a shame he's not here to share his obvious intellect with users. Many did find his approach to others difficult to manage however. As regards alternative approaches to cancer treatment I guess there are three schools of thought.
There are those who are convinced that their cancer can be treated by alternative means. The likes of Caron Keating (Blue Peter) come to mind who explored in depth the alternatives to conventional therapy. Then there are those who put their faith 101% in established medical approaches and discount all other approaches. Finally, there are those who take the conventional option but are constantly doing their best to look at other factors which might influence their outcome. I fall into the latter camp.
So, as Drew says, so long as what you do does not interfere with your conventional treatment then it's a case of suck it and see. We've only got one shot at this life game so I'm personally quite keen to stick around a bit longer. Outside of the UK they do supplement conventional treatment with holistic approaches in mainstream medicine. Good luck with whatever you decide.
