How In The Heck Can You Say That About Burzynski? My God, There Aren’t Any Studies.

Hello, Matt… We simply have to stop meeting like this…

Nothing personal, but I sure wish you’d stop making me do more and more advertising for Burzynski.

For those who haven’t been reading all the Burzynski posts and comments, I’ve posted Matt’s response to a previous post at the end of this article. You should read it. I post it out of respect for his perspective, and as an illustration of the paradigm that we are all educated into. In fairness to him, I will tell you that I had incorporated a previous comment of his into the article he is now commenting on. I couldn’t help it.. he represents the mainstream paradigm so well, and I was in a particularly intolerant mood.

If he’s who I think he is, he appears to be a Post-Doc Fellow who is working on HIV virus research at a university in the western United States.

(Post-Doc is short for Postdoctoral, and it is supposed to translate to non-post-docs as I’m mucho smarto…. Fellow means he’s working almost for free and at the mercy of whomever is funding him for as long as it takes to get smart enough to work on his own. Anyway, that’s the way us Pharmacists translate it. You know how it is – They’re smart, we’re smarter…. typical occupational bias.)

A large percentage of his work appears to be funded in part by the NIH (National Institute of Health). I’ve read a couple of his papers. He and the team he works with are actually pretty sharp.

Anyway, I’ve thought about his posting for a few days, wanting to find a way to make this conversation educational for ‘our’ readers.

So, I will answer your questions, Matt, but I’m sure you and I are simply going to have agree to disagree.

First, though, I’d like to say that I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out why in the world a Post-Doc Fellow working on HIV research would have any interest in reading, studying and debating Dr Burzynski’s papers and therapeutic claims. I did not come up with an answer. The Post-Docs I know are way too busy to mess around with anything other than their research. I remain puzzled. Maybe it’s because of the NIH connection, or a personal tragedy during which a friend or family member got taken advantage of by a huckster claiming to have a cure for cancer. If you are who I think you are I suspect the NIH connection is the most likely motivator, or maybe you’re just a really astute and curious person. But it really doesn’t matter.

In your questions to me you repeatedly reference peer reviewed work, as if the world stops working if a gathering of equally indoctrinated individuals having the power to approve or disapprove a work is ordained by God. I understand the importance of good solid peer reviewed works. But, I don’t interpret the lack of it the same way you do.

You see, I’m probably about twice your age – and over this long life I’ve done a lot of things. One of them was to work as the personal product engineer and troubleshooter for the President of a semiconductor company that manufactured many state-of-the-art integrated circuits that were believed to be technically impossible. All the experts said they could not work. But, I assure you, they shipped to the world in great quantity. The applications included cardiac pacemakers, devices sent into space in satellites, devices used to track submarines, devices used in the phased array radars of state of the art warplanes, and numerous other appications.

I never ceased to be amused when the President of the company would quietly slip out of the conference room when the customers’ ‘experts’ would start explaining the technical reasons the parts wouldn’t work or couldn’t be relied upon to perform as specified. I asked him what was going on the first time I saw him do this. His reply still rings in my mind. He told me that they did not want to learn from him, only to lecture, and that his time was too valuable to waste it sitting in a room with a bunch of overpaid people who had advanced degrees and knew nothing about true discovery.

I would also tell you that I was best known for fixing problems others couldn’t fix, and implementing applications that others had failed to get to work repeatedly. The key to my success was very simple. I didn’t listen to the people who had failed when they told me why they had failed. I followed the evidence I gathered myself, and figured out why what I had observed had happened later – and I learned to quietly leave the room when the ‘experts’ and intellectual purists started explaining why things weren’t working. Hell, if they knew what they were talking about I wouldn’t have had a job.

This is the approach I have taken on this website. I am not interested in intellectual debates that consume time and achieve no forward motion. Cancer patients do not have time to screw around. The fact is that few are cured.  My objective is to provide them options that I believe have some reasonable probability of extending their lives.

As an engineer I knew that getting 95% of the products I was responsible for to work and ship to the customer was the minimum standard for keeping my job. Lower yields told the world I didn’t know what I was talking about.

Well, if you look at cancer patients as the products we’re supposed to be shipping the fact is that we can’t even claim a 5% long term success rate.

So, I tell you without reservation that we don’t know what the f…k we’re doing when it comes to conventional cancer treatments.

You asked me what the relevence of my reference to the article that showed that chemotherapy only added something like 1.4% to the long term survival of cancer patients. Well, it is – for all practical purposes – illegal to treat cancer using anything but chemotherapy and radiation in all 50 of the states that comprise the United States of America. I repeat, we don’t know what we’re doing.

Matt, I work in a hospital that treats many cancer patients. We only use conventional treatments, but I assure no costs are spared.. our patients get access to the most cutting edge treatment regimens that exist in America. But, unfortunately, no one gets well unless their cancers are discovered when they are small enough to be cut out.

I know you might not believe this. I really don’t care if you do or not. I am the one who watches them die every week, not you, and I don’t know any way to convey what I see happening every day to someone who resides in an academic environment.

You asked me what treatment alternatives patients might consider incorporating into their treatment plans to increase their survival rates. Are you blind? Take a look at the directory for this site. It’s a listing of multiple treatment options that have evidence that supports possible usefulness.

I do not guarantee they will work, and I do not encourage trying them without physician involvement and support. But I guarantee you that I  would try them if I had cancer. I strongly believe that for many cancers you have as good a chance with these alternatives as you do with conventional treatments.

So, it really comes down to this… I am busy trying to get info that I have critically evaluated to people who might be able to use it. I do not care why the information about these options has not been checked out and/or formal studies haven’t been performed, and I do not believe people should wait to die without trying something different just because no one has funded a clinical trial that meets the standards we normally expect from approved medications.

People will have to decide for themselves whether I know what I’m talking about or not. If they want to try other options I have provided the detail they and their physicians need. If not, that is their choice.

In the meantime, I’m going to quietly slip out of the room. I have work to do.

“I believe the exchange typifies the difference in perspective between those who are willing to critically analyze and search out data and those who support the mainstream approach.”

Steve, please tell me what I’m failing to analyze critically; what peer-reviewed paper I have failed to read? Aside from Burzynski’s 2006 Pediatric Drugs paper which, I will say again, uses questionable methods and a very small cohort, what evidence of efficacy has he presented? Where is this evidence?

Despite your claim to be “a very skeptical pharmacist”, you seem not to see that data is only as good as the method used to collect and analyze it: If you omit drug failures from a clinical trial, you will always get a positive result. If you use a small patient cohort, even the most impressive rate of improvement may not be statistically significant. If you don’t use a placebo group, you can’t say how many people would have improved without therapy. Method is the most important and persuasive argument for any claim.

“conventional therapies [do not work] if not augmented by non-traditional concepts”

Please provide a reference for this statement and what, exactly you mean by “non-traditional concepts”.

You say that “…the reviewers hid behind the fact that they didn’t like the way Dr Burzynski structured his trials and quantified his data.”

As I understand this, you would propose that the data collection and analysis method has nothing to do with what the outcome. Put another way, the data quality and means of subsequent analysis has no influence on the results of that analysis. Is that correct?

If so, that makes no sense. I know that, in my own work, I could show a false positive, negative or neutral result, depending on how ethically flexible I am in analyzing the data. And, if I am selective about the data I collect, well I could support or refute any hypothesis I want.

Regarding the Barton et al.: I’m not sure why that’s relevant. A lot of Burzynski supporters seem to use a common straw man argument: If you’re don’t support antineoplaston chemotherapy, you must support standard chemotherapy. I find this a bit troubling because I only wish to discuss antineoplastons and evidence of their efficacy. Straw man arguments assume a false pretense – that I must necessarily approve of B simply because I express my disapproval of A.

I’m going to go out on a limb here an say that a big reason you think that Burzynski’s antineoplastons work because you FEEL he is an ethical doctor, but that’s not evidence, that’s a feeling.

I’m willing to accept that you support Burzynski because you felt he gave you good care – I cannot argue with that, and no one should. Cancer is horrible and it ruins lives. Anyone who has gone through the illness and the treatment, win or to lose, is a hero in my book, and should be allowed to pursue whatever treatment they like. But saying that unproven drugs work is a different argument entirely. There just isn’t any evidence.

Posted in Just Crazy | 1 Comment »

A Reader’s Thoughts On Iodine Supplementation

A reader named Nancy posted her thoughts about my article on Iodine Supplementation.

I thought it was interesting info, so have reposted it here where it is easier to find.

Now, having said that… I would like to make the following points:

1. I take Armour Thyroid. It works well for me. I also take my iodine via 2% Lugol’s Solution, but recently sent Iodoral tablets to my dad and his wife. A fellow pharmacist gets his thyroid from Mexico in a form that combines T4 and T3 but is not derived from animal sources. He tells me he has to use about 40% to 50% bigger doses. I trust his statements without reservation.

2. Nancy is correct, many physicians do not agree with iodine supplementation. In fact, they are violently opposed to it. They are laboring under the burden of what they have been taught, and … they might be right. I do not think they are, or I wouldn’t write about it here. I would suggest they have not read the literature supporting the use of iodine supplementation, and – quite frankly – if the information isn’t supplied to them through one of the pharmaceutical companies information channels they will not listen anyway. But, there are links from my previous post that will take you to info you can provide to your physician (I gave mine a copy of Dr Starr’s book). So, you have no excuse for not working to win your physician over to your point of view.

3. My recommendation remains the same. You must talk to your physician and should never do anything without his or her agreement. They know your physical condition better than you do, and have been trained to keep you out of trouble. And, there are definately cases where iodine supplementation is not appropriate and can harm you. Nancy seems to infer that you should not follow this recommendation. She is wrong. You might have to change physicians, but I do not sanction going against your physician’s recommendations.

Anyway, I post her comment her for your information.

From ‘Nancy’:

Fantastic article!! Just a couple of comments — Dr Starr talks about using Armour thyroid, but it was reformulated a couple of years ago and no longer works like it used to, for me and many others. What I use now is NatureThroid, which works like Armour used to, along with 25 mg of Iodoral.

I too had been advising people to check with their doc re: iodine supplementation, until I got an email from an upset client saying his doctor became agitated at the mention of the topic and shouted that no one should ever ingest iodine in any form including dietary sources! Another wrote to me that his doctor became furious at being told the patient took Iodoral and got better, instead of following the doc’s instructions!

Many if not most mainstream docs are totally ignorant about iodine. Now I suggest that people read all the stuff you mentioned plus Brownstein (www.drbrownstein.com), to educate themselves, see how they feel, and proceed cautiously.

As regards choosing an iodine supplement, I like Dr Abraham’s suggestion: Ask the supplier to provide scientific studies on their product. As far as I know, only Iodoral and Lugol’s have that available.

Dr Tennant’s book, Healing is Voltage, is one of the most brilliant health books I’ve read. It gave me some new concepts and changed my approach. It’s not easy to blow my mind after 40 years of study, but he’s done it.

Thank you for your meticulous exposure of these ideas.

Posted in Not Filed Yet | No Comments »

A Physician Shares Her Thoughts About Dr Burzynski’s Work

Note: This post seems to be getting a lot of attention from those who want to debunk Dr Burzynski. that is fine, but it is my belief that you should read all of the posts about him before forming an opinion. so, I’m listing them below. Please read this one, as the information is needed to provide a balanced picture of the situation. But, also read the other posts to round out your perspective. 

A Burzynski Patient Tells About Her Experience…..

One Last Burzynski Post

I Visited Burzynski’s Clinic Last Week – And I Do NOT Believe He Is A Quack!

Regards,

Steve

Sigh… Dr Burzynski has become an ongoing topic despite my attempt to stop commenting on his work.

But, I feel an obligation to share with my readers information that might impact their cancer treatments.

So, I thought this Physician’s comments should be shared to provide balance.

I will tell you that I respect her input… she is talking the language Pharmacists are trained to listen to and evaluate.

I will also tell you that it would be easy to pick holes similar to the ones she points in a lot of Dr Burzynski’s data.

BUT, I also remember the one patient I observed and overheard when I was in Burzynski’s clinic – and I  believe that was the real deal.

So, I’m sharing this physician’s comments out of respect, but I still think I’d take a hard look at Burzynski’s treatments if money was plentiful and my prognosis was poor.

Dear Steve

I am a physician from the West Indies who has recently been researching Burzynski. I truly hope that your wife’s disease remains stable for a long, long time. Cherish and enjoy all your good days as indeed  we should all be doing.

Steve, you should not feel any guilt about the fact that you cannot afford Burzynski’s treatment.

The Burzynski’s clinic’s pitch uses the same time honored formulae of all snake oil dealers. More importantly Burzynski’s publications are all in weak journals, in addition the science is week. To follow is my critique of one of his articles on brain stem tumors entitled “Targeted therapy with Antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1 of High Grade, Recurrent and Progressive Brainstem Glioma”.

1. The paper is published in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies, the web site of which describes it as  a “peer-reviewed quarterly journal focused on the scientific understanding of alternative medicine and traditional medicine therapies, and their responsible integration with conventional health care.”. The editorial board of this journal includes Ralph Moss, PhD who has written about Burzynski in his book The Cancer Industry.

2. In the paper both adults and children are included in the same cohort. However it is well documented that the biology of brain stem tumors is very different between adults and children. As emphasized in a paper published last month in the respected journal Neuro-Oncology entitled “treatment of High Grade glioma in children and adolescents”, by Macdonald et al, 13 (10): 1049-1058, it is stated that “Efforts to develop effective therapies for HGGs in children may not be able to rely on progress made with adult high grade gliomas (HGGS). While the histology of HGGs between adults and children appear identical , the biology of the tumors may vary significantly.”

3. Burzynski also includes different types of brain stem tumors in his paper, although the majority are DIPG, exophytic, cervico-medullary and multifocal tumors are also included. The paper “A Clinico-Pathological Reappraisal of Brain Stem Tumor Classification” by Fisher et al from Johns Hopkins (Cancer, Oct, 2000, Vol 89 (7) ) elegantly explains the difference in prognosis between the various brain stem tumors.

4. If one teases out the children under 10 from Burzynski’s paper the overall survival from diagnosis is 11 months. No different from that obtained with radiation therapy.This is in opposition to the overall 5 year survival of 22% that is stated in the paper.

5. The point is that parents of unfortunate children with diffuse pontine glioma could look at this paper and come away with the conclusion that their child could have a 22% chance of survival with antineoplaston treatment.

6. This is intellectual fraud.

In conclusion, I remain unconvinced about the validity of Burzynski’s work.

Maria Bartholomew, MBBS, FRCP

Posted in Cancer Treatments and Prevention | 3 Comments »

A Burzynski Patient Tells About Her Experience…..

A comment from ‘Wanda’ on September 6th, 2011 -

I was also a patient at Burzynski Clinic in July this year. I have stage 1v colon or ovarian cancer. Their path lab said the results were inconclusive. Strange two people who were there at the same time I was had inconclusive results also. They were the only other patients I talked to about the results. I spent three weeks in Texas at my own expense of course. Spent 35,000 at Burzynski Clinic and 4,500 more a month for sodium phenylbutyrate. This is the drug they give you to fight your cancer. As far as I can tell this is the drug given to all the patients. As soon as you pay up of course. This is the only drug I recieved from Burzynski as his targeted therapy. As far as gene testing that’s still a mystery to me.I was put on sodium phenylbutrate [working up to 3,000 mg 4 times a day 2 hrs apart with food] and chemo before any testing was done. I could of had chemo here at home and save the trip, time and money. Two other oncologist had already given me that option. One of the chemo drugs I am taking is Zeloda $3,500 at Burzynski for a 2 week supply $1,400 from other pharmacy’s. Spent $400 to talk to their nutritionist got the same info I could have gotten for free on the internet. In short it is to keep the acid level down and the alkaline level up. Their aminocare is something they suggest to all patients also. A list of it’s ingredient are on the aminocare site, or you can buy it on the internet. As far as their success rates who knows when you are on both their methods and chemo which one shrunk the tumor?         Wishing both you and your wife well. GOD BLESS

My reply -

hello, wanda.

what you’re saying matches what i saw and experienced when we went down there. i am not saying nobody gets the antineoplastons. i think it is hard to reach the point where they put you in the trials. i do believe they work. i do believe he’s a genius.

but, when it comes to the money thing and their business practices… well, they’re a little sketchy. hell, they’re really sketchy. they collect your money fast, but stall like crazy when it comes to getting insurance overages back to you. at least, that’s been my experience so far.

guess they figure you’ll die before they have to pay you back…

very unfortunate considering the stature of Dr Burzynski.

steve

An update from ‘Wanda’ on October 19th, 2011 -

Thought I would update you on my progress. My first petscan July 12th showed activity at post op site, one to the left of it and two on the liver. Had my second petscan on Oct 12th. This is the summary of that scan. [Minimal residual activity at the dome of the liver, site of previous demonstrated abscess. This may simply represent a sequelae of the previously demonstrated abscess and not a liver metastasis. No other area of of abnormal activity is seen.]
I am hoping that spot is just scar tissue from the drainage tube used to drain the abscess in my liver. And that all the cancer is gone.
These are the treatments I have done since my diagnosis of cancer.
Surgery for blockage.
Sodium phenylbutyrate from Burzynski clinic. I took this less than 3 months as it caused my blood pressure to go dangerously high, and the price is prohibitively high for me. $4,500 a month for pills. I have good insurance but they won’t pay for this, or anyhing else from Burzynski.
I had two IV chemo treatments and three rounds of chemo pills. Will not do any more chemo treatments. They made me extremely ill, and caused other problems with my health. I was told before these treatments they would not cure me but possibly prolong my life. The only reason I consented to chemo was to possibly give me more time to find a treatment that would work. I would not do it again. I believe I would never have lived through the 13 sessions they suggested.
I did a lot of searching the net for natural cures. Almost all the sites stress a whole food or raw food diet. This go’s back to the acid alkaline diet they stressed at Burzynski. They danced all around the PH balance there without ever mentioning PH. In my search on PH balance I came across the phkillscancer site. A story on how Vernon Johnson killed his stage 1v cancer in days by raising his PH level using baking soda and molasses. I decided to give it a try. BE sure if you do this to monitor your PH level several times a day. I used only half the baking soda he did and got my PH up to 8.50 in a matter of days. I kept it there for 7 days. They say that if you can get your PH up to 8.00 and keep it there 5 days it will kill the cancer. I think the reason I only needed half as much baking soda is because I was already sticking closely to the alkaline diet, and the fact I only weighed 90 lb’s. A lot less than Mr.Johnson I am sure.
Of the three treatment I tried I think the Baking Soda, Molasses cure did it. I could feel my body getting stronger, had a lot more energy and had no desire to nap during the day. A nap everyday was a constant for me before this treatment.
For the info on this go to phkillscancer.com.
Another important thing is to think positive. I have to believe that the cancer is gone not just so small it wouldn’t show up on a scan.
Best wishes and good health to you, Wanda

My thoughts relative to ‘Wanda’s’ posts -

I think that if you can get into an antineoplaston trial and can afford the treatments Dr Burzynski is definately an option you should take a hard look at. If you can’t, then I think you can probably do as well getting treatments at a major cancer center.

As far as the high pH treatment, it might work. I don’t know enough about it. But, I  think – based on my readings of the work of Dr Emanuel Revici – that many patients won’t be able to tolerate the high pH. In fact, it might make their tumors worse.

You can read about Dr Revici by getting a copy of ‘The Doctor Who Cures Cancer’. I think you’ll find it an interesting read. You can buy it at Amazon.com. I have no affiliation with the author, and no financial incentive to recommend this book.

You can find a copy of Dr Revici’s text on this website.

Again… as always, I’m not a physician. Only a lowly pharmacist, and a crazy one at that. Talk to your physician before starting any new medication or supplement or stopping a medication regimen.

Steve

Posted in Cancer Treatments and Prevention | No Comments »

Flu Season Again – And The Never Ending Flu Shot Debate Continues

I do not disagree with the usefulness of influenza vaccination – especially in vulnerable populations and for healthcare providers.

I do disagree with getting ‘flu shots’. Strongly.

Flu shots provide very limited protection when viruses have changed slightly – and that’s basically what the influenza viruses do for a living.

They also give short term protection that blocks the formation of long term immunity to strains that might become much more dangerous with a very slight mutation that your immune system would accomodate if it had been exposed to and reacted to the entire virus.

So, I suggest getting FluMist – the nasal vaccine – instead of the shot.

If I can’t get a dose of FluMist I intend to get the flu instead of getting the shot.. That’s how strongly I feel about the future immunity issue.

And, as you listen to those endless public service announcements about the Flu Season and getting protected with a shot, I would like you to ask yourself if those who are paying for those advertisements really care about you, or making sure the vaccine manufacturers stay in business.

Anyway, that’s my two cents worth.

You can read more about my opinion at – Flu Shots – Set Up For Pandemic Death? Try FluMist™ Instead.

For those who are concerned about the toxicity of the various flu vaccines I’m going to provide a link to this web page. 

http://preventdisease.com/news/11/101111_Flu-Vaccine-Ingredients-As-Lethal-As-Ever-Dont-Risk-Your-Health.shtml

The only comment I will make, as I really haven’t had a chance to think about the data provided, is that how much of something is the important consideration. Some of the ingredients listed don’t cause me a lot of concern for adults. However, it is my opinion that there are some things that probably should never be given to people – especially children and pregnant women.

Remember, I’m a pharmacist – not a physician – and crazy as a loon. Talk it over with your Doc. Then make an informed decision. Pharmacists Pharmacist and Physicians Physician.

Take care.

Posted in Just Crazy | No Comments »

One Last Burzynski Post

Posted in Cancer Treatments and Prevention | 2 Comments »

I Visited Burzynski’s Clinic Last Week – And I Do NOT Believe He Is A Quack!

My wife and I drove a total of 36+ hours to and from Houston over a 3 day period the week after July 4th to have her case reviewed by the doctors at Dr. Burzynski’s clinic.

Additionally, I had to endure – as I’m sure you might have to if you decide to go there – the strident criticisms of family members who are convinced that Dr. Burzynski’s treatments are a scam. Their reasons for believing this to be the case? Their extensive and highly technical review of google search results for the topic ‘Burzynski Scam’, or something like that. I’m sure their intentions are good, but the only way I know of to find out whether something is credible or not is to go see it yourself.

Anyway, we did visit the clinic. We did pay the money you have to pay to see the docs. We did see the docs. We did NOT get to start treatments – but not because I am not convinced that Dr. Burzynski’s Antineoplaston therapies don’t work. I simply couldn’t afford it at the time. Although they’ll submit your expenses to the insurance company, they’re pretty much a pay as you go enterprise – and you will need a lot of cash to get through their protocol.

So, I’m sure you’re asking yourself… what did you see and what do you think about what you saw.

First… I want to go on record saying that I firmly believe that Dr. Burzynski’s treatments work for a significant number of the patients who get treated. I say this based on a gestalt of impressions formed while going through the process of seeing the docs, listening to people talk to each other in the waiting room and in the lobby, the discussion we had with Dr. Burzynski, and the results of my review of numerous journal articles and patents authored by Dr. Burzynski and members of his team.

And the story I overheard from a patient who has been being treated for around a year for extensively metastasized prostate cancer – and who has only one ‘small’ lesion left - is a hard thing to ignore. He was so excited, and definately a patient. He got weighed just before my wife did.

We met with Dr. Burzynski’s son (an extremely personable physician) and an oncologist (Dr Yi) whom I was quite impressed with. He knew my wife’s case in great detail. After we talked, they left and discussed the case with Dr Burzynski. Then they came back into the room to talk about options and opinions. During this discussion they asked to have previous biopsy samples sent to a university for genomic mapping. They also wanted to get a PET scan done and planned to start her on their oral medication to see if it worked for her. (Note: you can’t receive the IV formulations unless the FDA approves your entry into one of Dr. Burzynski’s Clinical Trials.)

OK, yes… money is a central theme going in and coming out of the session with the docs. The office is kind of a money collection machine. But, I’m pragmatic about that. They don’t let you see a doc or get tests at your neighborhood hospital either unless you can produce what are essentially guaranteed funds.

I left frustrated, discouraged and angry that the treatments are not mainstream and easily covered by insurance - but resolved to work on the problem of getting my wife antineoplaston therapy.

The facility was nice. The people were nice and appeared to be competent. The equipment that the blog that my son showed me had complained about was equivalent to the equipment that they use at the hospital I work at. Not fancy, but definately adequate and definately not obsolete.

And then there was Dr. Burzynski…. He has obviously seen a lot of cancer patients come through his doors. It seems to me that he has seen many pass away, and has seen many live. His ice blue eyes never looked away or hid from query. He had the demeanor of a man who believes in what he is doing and has logged significant successes. I believe he is the real deal.

Hope this helps. I’m going to keep trying to figure out a way to pay for his treatments.

Again, as always, you know I’m nuts. Do your research… What I have conveyed above is my story and my impressions. But, after I got home I sent his corporate office an e-mail offering to work for them in Houston (and I HATE humidity) if they needed a pharmacist and covered treatments for employee’s family members.

Posted in Cancer Treatments and Prevention | 14 Comments »

Donate

You can read a little bit about Dr Burzynski here - http://thatcrazypharmacist.com/?p=568

Posted in Just Crazy | No Comments »

Emanuel Revici’s Book – ‘Research in Physiopathology As Basis of Guided Chemotherapy – With Special Application To Cancer’

This book was written by Dr Revici to explain his theories and to show results of his cancer treatments. It’s difficult to find a copy, although there is an online copy available that you can read.

You can read the online version here:

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?seq=5&id=mdp.39015003770982&page=root&view=image&size=100&orient=0

Or, you can read and download the book by clicking the file links below. These files are pdfs of the book organized by chapter.

If I were you I’d definately save copies of these files so that you will always have access to them.

Dr Revici was quite controversial! Many people from a broad spectrum of backgrounds thought he was a genius. Influential elements of the mainstream medical community portrayed him as a quack and worked very hard to destroy him.

I present this info without comment beyond the fact that I’m trying to understand his work, and the pdf files were manually generated so that I could more easily access and read them.

Warning, it’s a very big book.

EmanuelReviciPart1, ERChapter1, ERChapter2, ERChapter3, ERChapter4, ERChapter5, ERChapter6, ERChapter7, ERChapter8, ERChapter9, ERChapter10, ERChapter11, ERChapter12, ERChapter13, ERChapter14, ERChapter15, ERChapter16, Notes1, Notes2, Notes3, Notes4, ReviciErrata

Again, I’m crazy. But I find Dr Revici’s story and theories quite compelling and interesting.

Posted in Cancer Treatments and Prevention, Just Crazy, Reference Materials | 1 Comment »

Is Acetaminophen Causing Our Autism Epidemic?

I read an interesting journal article some time ago, and I thought you might be interested in the theories it presents.

The article was titled ‘Did Acetaminophen Provoke The Autism Epidemic?’, and it was written by Peter Good. This article was published in Volume 14, November 4, 2009 of the Alternative Medicine Review, and you can read a copy of it at this web link. 

http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/14/4/364.pdf

I don’t know much about Peter Good, but the article appears to be a coherent presentation of data presented by other researchers in some interesting study reports, and it left me pondering the implications and asking myself ‘What if they’re right?’

I think you’ll think the same way after reading it.

To summarize the author’s points -

- The increase in autism that we’re seeing seems to correlate with the timing of the generation of the belief that aspirin causes Reye’s Syndrome and a dramatic increase in acetaminophen use in infants and children.

- It further seems that the occurence of autism has shifted to what would best match a model that has non-hereditary damage occuring after childbirth.

- It has been observed that acetaminophen interferes with the processing of several toxins, and that autistic children appear to have impaired abilities relatve to processing and eliminating these same toxins.

- The link of aspirin to Reye’s Syndrome may not be as strong as currently believed.

I don’t know what the truth is, but to be on the safe side I’m recommending something other than acetaminophen from now on when people ask what I’d use for an infant or child.

Remember, I’m crazy… and just a pharmacist. Check with your Docs and Primary Care Providers for their recommendations. I’m pretty sure they’re not in love with acetaminophen, either.

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