I got an update email from Jon today, and he said "hi" to everyone, and to tell you he is doing well.

He is no longer on chemo, and is being treated with alternative therapies. He said that his CEA (a cancer antigen) has dropped from 10K to 1100 over the last several months, but recent information on his tumors sizes concerned him. He has developed a recent infection, and is very tired all the time now.

I wish I had better news, for we are all on Jon's side in this fight against cancer. Keep him in your prayers and thoughts...

I wish him all the best, and he is master of his own decisions, but my heart sinks when I hear of people opting out of orthodox medical care in favour of 'alternative therapy'. i know they have their place in a holistic approach to life, but the big C needs some tried and tested scientific muscle behind the treatment. Its his path to walk as he sees fit though.

I can't say that I disagree with you, but Jon knows his own mind about this, and after being there on a daily basis with my wife, I have my own reservations about "orthodox medical practice" for cancer. At least in the U.S., it seems to be "whatever the insurance will pay for", rather than programmed protocols... and I would be hard pressed to dive into chemo if I had to make the choice.

Rather than a "cure", the medical profession has learned to "delay death" from cancer, depending on your age and physical condition... but as for a cure with orthodox medical treatments... it's a stretch. They have "textbook" treatments, and an expected lifespan from each type of cancer and each regimen of treatment... hardly a cure in any sense I would call a "cure".

As you know, they've developed a lot of treatments that virtually eliminate recurrance of some types of cancer, but in general, they're simply putting you on a timetable. As someone once said in a movie, "we all die... but not everyone really lives..." Simply breathing and having a heartbeat isn't a life... and as people we want lives where we can do things, accomplish things, and interact with others... not simply survive for survival's sake.

One of my good friends at church died this past week, and he was 50 years old... and he had a good life. He left a wife and two sons, and the friendship of a lot of people... so he will be missed. All any of us leave behind are the memories of ourselves and our accomplishments.

I hope Jon beats this too... His ex-wife is helping treat him, and she is a TCM practitioner, and his progress with her help was almost immediate. He gained weight, and his numbers changed drastically to the positive side in his tests. I know that could be temporary, but as he put it to me... "I'm not dead and I should be"... "I'm not in pain, and I should be"...

All of us want him to get well.

Likewise, pass on our best wishes.

Best wishes to JBC! He's in a tough spot and makes hard decisions everyday. I don't know what I would be doing exactly if in the same spot.

I did read an excellent book called 'The Cure For All Cancers" by Dr. Hulda Clark. In it she discusses her 3 prong approach to curing cancer. That includes eliminating the cancer causing agents, attacking the tumors and strengthening the body.

What she has done with patients is identify what caused thier cancer. For some people it was as simple as household cleaners and chemicals. They were getting treatment for thier cancer while still being exposed to the same carcinogens. The physicians couldn't understand why they weren't getting better.

The book explains how people don't die from cancer, they die from the ravages of cancer on the body - heart failure, starvation, oxygen deprivation, etc. So nutrition therapy and other approaches to keeping the body strong is important.

Probably a good approach is to work the alrternative therapies in conjunction with the chemo, etc.

Dr Clarke has about 1 90% cure ratio and the only patients that died either got there too late or died from something else.

The book is a great read for those concerned about cancer in the future. A good understanding of cancer can help you avoid it.

And yes, your treatment is very dependent on the insurance company.

I usually don't think highly of quackwatch, but man, those are some bizzare claims by Hulda!

Anyway I don't know JBC, but I wish him the best, chronic illness is always a difficult thing and my hope is for a speedy recovery.

That's a nice hatchet job by quack watch.
I wonder if they get any money from tha AMA, drug companies or any others who would lose billions of dollars if cancer were really cured or better, prevented.

I read the book. It makes a lot of sense.

Maybe this is fodder for another thread. But I just looked at more pages of this quackwatch site. This guy is clearly a moron. I don't see how someone can deny that good nutrition plays a role in preventing and overcoming disease. But this "Dr". is doing just that.

I'll stick with the good sense of Hulda Clarke.

LS JBC

Hulda Clarke
A new obesity in a wave of mcScienists
unless by some chance she turns out to be right...
I'm just covering my ass there, I don't want to be called on of the people who think the earth cannot be round