Outer space and inner bone It never ceases to amaze me how the best treatments we've come up with over the years for cancer are, in many cases, worse than the disease itself. Don't get me wrong -- I realize chemotherapy and radiation have saved some lives, and I certainly don't discount that. But, let's fact it: The way they ravage the already fragile bodies of cancer patients is nothing short of barbaric. And the news keeps getting worse.
Recently, a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that even limited exposure to certain kinds of radiation can cause significant bone loss. This particular study was picked up by quite a few media outlets thanks to its larger-than-life nature: The researchers applied their results primarily to astronauts, stating that, while they're on space missions, astronauts are also exposed to various sources of radiation. And the investigators found that even the limited radiation exposure faced by astronauts in space can lead to a loss of up to 39 percent of the part of the bone known as the trabecular portion. (See the "What is..." section below for a definition of this type of bone.)
Granted, even 40-odd years since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, space travel is still a fascinating concept. And astronauts absolutely deserve to be kept safe as much as the rest of us. But I can't help thinking that most of the media missed the forest for the trees on this one.
While all the news sources made cute quips comparing mice (which were used in the study) to astronauts or played up the "cosmic forces at work" angle, what they really should have focused on was the fact that the types of rays astronauts are exposed to in such limited amounts while they're in space are the same types that cancer patients are exposed to every single time they go in for radiation therapy. And if astronauts experience almost 40 percent bone loss from their brief encounter with radiation, imagine what's going on inside the bones of cancer patients who undergo numerous sessions throughout the course of their treatment.
The silver lining in all this gloom I appear to be spreading today? There are options for treating cancer -- ones that won't destroy your bones (or the rest of your body). In fact, if you're battling cancer and you choose to look into alternative medicine, you'll find that there are dozens and dozens of different nutrients, herbs, and therapies to choose from, all of which are prescribed to meet your individual circumstances. How's that for a switch from the two cookie-cutter approaches mainstream medicine attempts to shove on every patient, no matter what kind of cancer he's battling?
Quite honestly, I couldn't even begin to get into the alternatives there are out there in the space I have available here. But I encourage you to search through the past articles Dr. Wright has written about cancer treatment (and prevention) in Nutrition & Healing. (Just visit www.wrightnewsletter.com and use the search function to bring up all the articles dealing with the specific condition you're interested in.) It's also a good idea to find a physician skilled and knowledgeable in natural medicine who can help you determine a natural course of treatment that will give you the best chance of beating this disease. For a list of such physicians in your area, contact the American College for Advancement in Medicine (800-532-3688; www.acam.org), The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (316-684-5500; www.aaem.com), or The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (866-538-2267; www.naturopathic.org).
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