Cancer (prostate)

2012 was a big year for news in the world of prostate cancer and the screening process for that cancer. And I posted four separate blogs about the disease during the year. They are listed in chronological order in the list below. In May of 2012, this is an excerpt from a New York Times article (See second link below).

In a controversial finding that will affect at least 44 million American men, a government task force published its final recommendations against regular prostate cancer screening, concluding that the harms of the simple blood test far outweigh any potential benefit.

The recommendations, from the United States Preventive Services Task Force, offer the most detailed breakdown to date of the potential risks and benefits of the prostate specific antigen blood test, commonly known as the P.S.A. test. Most important, the task force found that, at best, one man in every 1,000 given the P.S.A. test may avoid death as a result of the screening, while another man for every 3,000 tested will die prematurely as a result of complications from prostate cancer treatment and dozens more will be seriously harmed.

The good news. At least the “system” is now realizing that large scale screening is not getting the job done when it comes to the prevention of cancer. In fact, as the article reports, the PSA test may cause more harm than good. This latest news could actually help to open the door to more emphasis by the media on “real” prevention—the kind that focuses on the causes, not the symptoms.

The bad news. The “system” still refuses to tell us all about the leading cause of cancer according to Dr. T. Colin Campbell of Cornell. Quite simply, it is our toxic Western diet. And our “system” NEVER fully explains to the public—exactly what we should be eating to give ourselves the best possible chance of avoiding ALL chronic diseases, including cancer.

If you or someone you love wants to learn more about this disease before having the PSA test or scheduling surgery, I recommend that you include the following nine articles in your research. In these well-reseached blogs, there is a wealth of information which may prompt some ideas that may help you plan your strategy.

I have provided a total of nine blogs below. The first four deal primarily with prostate cancer—the last five mention prostate cancer but deal primarily with cancer in general. Also, you may want to take a look at the Cancer (in general) page.

1. Early detection of prostate & breast cancer…with short McDougall video (2-11-12)
2. PSA testing; latest news may open door to “real” prevention. (5-26-12)
3. Patient regrets prostate cancer treatment (7-29-12)
4. Prostate cancer victim issues a challenge… (12-5-12)
5. Drugs for preventing cancer — now everyone can be a customer! (6-6-11)
6. The “war on cancer” turns 41; now a major industry…(7-16-12)
7. Searching for the cure—now has a life of its own. (5-18-12)
8. Screening for cancer…a very big business (2-21-11)
9. Riding the cancer train to fame and fortune (10-6-12)

One-on-one MD Help. Sadly, 95% of our medical doctors are not aware of the power of plant-based nutrition to prevent or reverse many chronic diseases, including some cancers. Further, oncologists can only recommend the treatment regimens for which they have been trained.

If you would like a second opinion (about cancer) from a medical doctor who truly “gets it” about food, you may wish to visit our MD Help page and schedule a telephone consultation with one of the MDs listed there.

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Please forward this page to anyone you know who may be interested in learning more about the causes and prevention of prostate cancer. Click here to view the list of other “diseases” that will posted soon.

Handy 4-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com

• The movie that’s changing the lives of millions: Forks Over Knives DVD 
• Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
• An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
• Dr. McDougall’s new book, The Starch Solution, with lots of great recipes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey. It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com

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