American Cancer Society: One Big Scam

Have you ever seen the movie or play Little Shop of Horrors? Do you remember the plant Audrey II? This is the blood-thirsty plant that was never satisfied, constantly screaming "feed me!" This, my friend, is exactly what the American Cancer Society is like. The various groups that spearhead the particular types of cancer are all in cahoots. They scare us with the real threat that cancer is, constantly begging us for more and more money with very little innovation or results. Every group is guilty. Why would they want cancer to become a distant memory like small pox or polio? If that happened, they would all be out of business. Frankly, the perpetuation of the disease and increased fear of the public is EXACTLY what they need to kick up their fundraising activities.

Don't believe me? Read on.

Dr. David Chan, MD, Oncologist is quoted in a recent blog from The Slate, "I'll be the first to admit that despite all the billions put into cancer research, the end results of preventing cancer and treating advanced cancer have been disappointing...the treatments aren't giving us bang for the buck. Spending $100,000 to $200,000 a year to extend life for an additional three to six months may be very important to those individuals with cancer, but are a very poor return on investment for society."

The blog goes on to quote Dr. Margaret Cuomo's book A World Without Cancer where she gives amounts of money that have been raised in the fight against cancer. The result has been very minimal. Still one in four deaths in the US are due to cancer.

Dr. Cuomo says on her write-up regarding her book--"This year, about 1.6 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and more than 1,500 people will die per day. We’ve been asked to accept the disappointing strategy to 'manage cancer as a chronic disease.' We’ve allowed pharmaceutical companies to position cancer drugs that extend life by just weeks and may cost $100,000 for a single course of treatment as breakthroughs. Where is the bold leadership that will transform our system from treatment to prevention? Have we forgotten the mission of the National Cancer Act of 1971 to 'conquer cancer?'"

The Human Factor. There is nothing more frightening than being told, "You have cancer." We're programmed to go to any means necessary to keep ourselves alive. The "costs" are often more that we could have ever imagined. From physical pain, discomfort, stiffness, numbness and memory loss, to the draining of our financial resources. I've seen friends battle this horrible disease, going bankrupt in the process. It's completely heartbreaking.

Ask Dr. Cuomo or any other oncologist, and they'll say that prevention is the best defense we have against cancer. Once cancer gets into your bloodstream, there's no limit to where it can eventually show up.

We know in our minds that smoking is probably not the best for us, yet millions of Americans still do it. Lung cancer, which is the top killer in the cancer spectrum, would dramatically decline if people would stop smoking.

Obesity is another precursor to one-third of the types of cancer. So why then, are we still an overweight nation?

Screening for breast, prostate, and other types of cancer have become old hat for most of us. But most doctors know there's money to be made on that end as well. Ask any woman who has had her first mammogram if she had to go back for a follow-up mammogram. I'll bet a large majority said yes. There's a combination of factors that go into this follow-up procedure. First, doctors are afraid of malpractice and want to double check anything that looks unusual. Second, the fear of breast cancer drives women to get an extra screening if necessary. My insurance paid in full for the first mammogram. The second cost me over $600!! The doctor found nothing, thankfully.

Prevention is not a cure. Don't smoke, eat healthy, and the likelihood you won't get cancer is very great. But lots of non-smoking, slender people get cancer all the time. So what then?

Cancer is caused by both external (chemicals, radiation, and viruses) and internal (hormones, immune conditions, and inherited mutations) factors. Causal factors may act together or in sequence to initiate or promote carcinogenesis.

Vaccines are a weapon that have enabled our population to overcome some pretty serious ailments. When's the last time you heard of anyone suffering from small pox or polio? We all have vaccines to thank for that!

What if I told you there was a cancer vaccine that would prevent and even treat other types of cancer? What if I also told you it's in clinical trials right now? It's not an urban legend, it's a reality!

An Israeli company called Vaxil BioTheraputics is currently conducting clinical trials on a form of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. "If the substance works as hoped — and it looks like all arrows are pointing that way — its platform technology VaxHit could be applied to 90 percent of all known cancers, including prostate and breast cancer, solid and non-solid tumors." According to the United With Israel blog, these vaccines work more like drugs than a traditional vaccine would.

"Vaxil’s lead product, ImMucin, activates the immune system by “training” T-cells –– the immune cells that protect the body by searching out and destroying cells that display a specific molecule (or marker) called MUC1. MUC1 is typically found only on cancer cells and not on healthy cells. The T-cells don’t attack any cells without MUC1, meaning there are no side effects unlike traditional cancer treatments. More than 90% of different cancers have MUC1 on their cells, which indicates the potential for this vaccine."

Surgery will still be needed to remove cancerous tissue, but this drug will allow patients to fight off the remaining cancer with a simple injection that is given every couple of months. No more chemo or radiation is necessary. These methods, to me are archaic as well as insane because they target healthy and cancerous cells with a vengence, leaving patients weak and vulnerable.

If you're shaking your head like I was when I first heard this news, take a step back and look at the money trail. We like to think charitable organizations like those fighting cancer are altruistic, but the bottom line is that they are a business with a payroll to keep. It is in their best interest to scare people into believing the threat is greater than it really is because people are more inclined to give. It is not in the best interest of the American Cancer Society or Susan G. Komen or the others to ever find a cure for cancer. Don't let their non-profit status fool you, they are all still a business with as much greed toward their bottom line as any other regular business.

The fear drives us to give. Let's take that power away.

From when I first wrote this blog, some changes have happened. First, Israel is fighting for it's very existence yet again. The pharmaceutical corporation, Vaxil, located in Israel, has probably put this cancer research on hold while safety is a concern.

Secondly, I've seen a rise is negative blogs regarding this cancer vaccine news. Shouldn't others be overjoyed? Finally, someone is close enough to a cure to be in clinical trials!! But no, there is too much money at stake. Do a Google search and you'll find lots of nay-sayers. I even found a message board on CNN's iReport that pulled a blog regarding this vaccine. Still not convinced about the conspiracy? Why is a drug that was developed in the 1950s still the main cancer-fighting drug and why is it soooo expensive?!

Here are a few of the more well-known American cancer fundraising groups. While I didn't research as to how much each group brings in each year, it has to be in the billions! What makes me the most furious is when they guilt my children into begging their parents for money. Show me some results!!!

• Warriors in Pink (Ford)
• Stand Up (celebrity sponsored)
• Relay for Life
• Susan Komen (gives money to non-cancer causes)