DR. ALLAN R. HANDYSIDES AND DR. PETER N. LANDLESS
My mother has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her mother died with
it, as did her sister. She is so frightened; she will not listen to us, and
has started drinking vegetable and fruit juices and water like they're going
out of style. She reads the Adventist Review, and might just listen to your
advice.
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Cancer of any kind is very frightening. It is hard for those
of us not given the diagnosis even to imagine the fears and anxieties such a
condition evokes. Often, reactions of denial, anger, and shame overwhelm the
patient. Some withdraw, which makes it even more difficult to support them.
Others try to avoid the clinical paraphernalia of treatment, finding it an overwhelming
threat and an unbearable statement of the gravity of the situation.
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Hope is so very sustaining in this situation. Yet dry, unemotional,
and at times austere clinicians often destroy such hope. No wonder people are
attracted to passionate, warm, and positive people at this time.
In cancer, nature has gone wrong, and what might have helped
in prevention does not work as cure. This is readily understood if we use the
analogy of driving safely as a means to reduce the risk of an accident. We all
understand, though, that driving safely will not fix the ruptured spleen or
broken bones sustained in an accident. So, while we promote good nutrition,
lots of fruit juices, and good hydration as supporting of health, they are not
the cure for cancer.
Perhaps we contribute to this mentality when we say "prevention
is the cure." This statement means that the cure for lung cancer as a public
health problem is to stop smoking. But such a public health solution is not
a solution to the individual with a cancer.
We strongly recommend that your mother see an oncologist, who
will follow the tested, proven, and supportable approaches to her cancer. These
may range from a simple lumpectomy through more extensive excision to chemotherapy and, of course,
radiation as indicated.
When millions of women have been painstakingly studied over
many years, why throw such research out the window in favor of what is anecdotal,
can be dangerous, and at times little more than wishful thinking? We personally
have witnessed many tragic outcomes of such fear and denial. Caught early, the
results of regular therapy for breast cancer give fantastic outcomes for many.
I am a 63-year-old man. My energy seems to be failing, I am sometimes a little
foggy in my thinking, and my sex drive is down. I read about testosterone injections
as hormone replacement for men. Would you comment?
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Aging is not a pleasant prospect. One of us is losing our hair,
and the other is getting stiff with arthritis. We know aging is not attractive,
but testosterone?
Actually, many men think it is the elixir of youth. In fact,
over a four-year period since 1999, an increase of 170 percent in the number
of prescriptions written for testosterone has been reported. People whose pituitary
was not functioning, or whose gonads did not produce testosterone were originally
the only men receiving replacement testosterone. Then some women were given
small doses to improve sex drive, bone mass, and to combat loss of muscle mass
in their postmenopausal years. Testosterone has crept into the armamentarium
of those promoting antiaging strategies, but it is not without significant potential
dangers. |
For women, deepening of the voice, growth of hair, and enlargement
of the clitoris are often problems enough to keep them from abusing testosterone,
but men would not worry about such side effects.
A normal testosterone level in a male falls between 250 and
1,000 nanograms per 100 milliliters of blood. By age 80 these youthful levels
will be reduced by more than half in many males, but some continue with the
same levels. Doctors don't know what level is actually low.
The question is, Can testosterone be given without risk to older
men such as yourself? The answer is: we don't know for sure. But there are reasons
to be cautious.
Only smaller, short-term studies are available, and from experience
with hormone replacement in women we know how difficult it can be to get the
facts. Concerns center on potential effects of testosterone on risks of prostate
cancer, cholesterol levels, and resultant heart and blood vessel damage. Concerns
that the good cholesterol, or HDL, will be lowered are being studied. Increased
numbers of red blood cells are also a potential risk, which would make for more
viscous blood and increased risk of stroke and other clots.
Before taking any testosterone, you should have blood testing
to show that your levels are low--especially the "free" fraction,
which is the part that is biologically active.
In a situation in which testosterone levels are extremely low,
a case can be made for augmenting the level. Be assured, though, testosterone
is not the elixir of youth. Youth doesn't mess with injections, topical gels,
and patches. A weekly injection, or perhaps every two weeks, could make a difference
for some, but our warning is: beware.
Can you tell me what chelation therapy is? I hear it can get rid of toxins.
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These days, what don't we hear? Folks are pushing daily
enemas, urine therapy, magnets, concoctions of plant extracts, electric therapies.
Treatments are as prolific as the imagination is florid.
Chelation is a process whereby one substance binds another.
Charcoal adsorbs--or binds--some poisons, and is used in treating some poisoning
as part of poisoning management. That doesn't mean it is a cure-all. EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic
acid) has been found to bind heavy metals. It is useful, though not without
dangers, in treating mercury poisoning, lead poisoning, etc. |
Because some metallic components exist in atheromatous plaque,
someone thought chelation might help people with atheroma or coronary heart
disease.
It's one thing to propose a mechanism, but an entirely different
thing to prove or disprove a hypothesis. In the case of chelation, though, studies
have shown quite conclusively that there is no benefit for coronary heart disease,
and it is no better than a placebo.
There are situations, such as Wilson's disease, which is a copper-storage
disease, in which chelation is life-saving. But chelation therapy for toxins
in general is just fuzzy thinking. The result is most effective in extracting
precious metals from your wallet, in many cases.
Unless your doctor has diagnosed a specific problem, and can show you that chelation
is a specific treatment, we caution you about undergoing chelation therapy.
The problem is, people can set up fancy-sounding associations and foundations,
and our response is bound to call forth lots of letters telling us we are "wet
behind the ears." The fact is, when stripped of all the hyperbole, there
is scant evidence to support all the claims. The American Heart Association
and the Mayo Clinic actively discourage chelation therapy for heart disease.
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Allan R. Handysides, M.B., Ch.B., F.R.C.P. (c), is director of the General
Conference Health Ministries Department; Peter N. Landless, M.B., B.Ch., M.Med.,
F.C.P.(SA), F.A.C.C., is ICPA executive director and associate director of Health
Ministries.
Send your questions to: Ask the Doctors, Adventist Review, 12501
Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20905. Or you may send your questions
via e-mail to shieldsb@gc.adventist.org. While this column is provided as a
service to our readers, Drs. Landless and Handysides unfortunately cannot enter
into personal and private communication with our readers. We recommend that
you consult with your personal physician on all matters of your health.
