Alternative Cancer Treatment or Snake Oil Scam?

Have you ever done a search on the internet for black salve because someone told you it was a good treatment for skin cancer? You probably ran across some very scary stuff-pictures of people with horrible holes in their faces and scarring. The sites claim that there is no way to prove that the salve helped remove cancer lesions, and it is all a quack.

Let me share our family's experience with black salve. In 1998 my husband had four basal cell carcinomas removed. Three lesions were excised and one was scraped. Two years later the scraped lesion began to develop the same appearance it had before it was scraped. A friend of ours recommended black salve. She was an RN so we listened to her story.

Over five years before she had been diagnosed with melanoma on her cheek. The doctors told her that the only way to save her life would be to remove the lower left half of her face. The thought of such a deformity sent her searching for alternatives. She discovered black salve.

The naturopath who treated her counseled her wisely. He told her to apply the salve to the affected area and to remove it completely in 24 hours. If the pain became too intense, she was to remove the salve sooner. She was then to keep the area covered so that the leathery scab would not separate prematurely. This could cause deep pitted scars. The scab was only to be removed when the entire margin, which would look like the center of a pimple, turned liquid. She was then to keep the area covered with ointment and a bandage until the skin built itself up from the bottom layer up. The secret was to prevent a hard scab from forming. She followed his instructions carefully, and it was hard to even tell where the tumor had been.

We didn't have medical insurance, so we thought why not try it? She applied the salve to the nickel-sized lesion on my husband's cheek. We waited to see what would happen. The pain was intense, and he didn't make it to 24 hours. His cheek turned red and puffy. It looked and felt like a boil. It took a week for the margin to liquefy. The whole area itched. An 1/8-inch thick disk fell off. We kept the area covered with salve and within another two weeks the scar had shrunk down to the size of a dime. It was actually smaller and wasn't as deep as it had been before treatment.

This same area on his face has continued to be a problem. The cancer always returns to the same area. He also has two patches that recur on his shoulders. We have learned to apply the black salve for only as long as it takes for my husband to feel a reaction starting. Then we wash it off and keep the area covered. After the scab/tumor falls off keep a salve on the area to prevent a hard scab forming. The crater that the tumor leaves will fill in and the scarring will be minimal. Let a hard scab form, and the scar will be the shape the scab/tumor came off in.

If you have health insurance, go to the dermatologist! But if you don't, black salve may be the poor-man's life extending option. Is it a long-term solution? I don't know. Are there risks if it isn't used properly? Definitely! Listen to your body's warning signs if you choose to use it. Pain is a warning, so listen to it.

Can I reduce my risk of getting cancer?

The new breast cancer project is a noble idea. Instead of focusing on cancer after it happens, scientists are finally starting to wonder if there might be something we can do to prevent it. Naturopaths have been trying for the last century to get us to focus on causes instead of afterthought.

Maybe the China Study has had something to do with this shift in focus. T. Colin Campbell conducted a major nutritional study in China that conclusively links diet and lifestyle with risk for cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The China Study is a fascinating read.

It seems that the less fiber we eat and the more animal protein we enjoy, the higher our risk for the three major diseases that plague this country-cancer, vascular disease, and diabetes (Heart disease and stroke are both vascular diseases). The more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes we eat the lower our risk for these diseases.

Now that scientists can unravel our genes, they have discovered some fascinating stuff. Diet and lifestyle can actually turn genes on or off. They call this our genome, and it is something we actually have some power over. Our P-53 gene is a primary anti-cancer gene present in every cell. It is in charge of checking for damaged genes in the cell and repairing them. If we don't supply it with the right nutrients, adequate oxygenation, and hydration, it eventually turns off. When that happens cancer takes off. Cancer is made of damaged cells that don't have anything to turn them off.

So start including more plant based foods in your diet, drink two quarts of water everyday, and get moving. Also learn to relax. It's easier to prevent cancer than it is to cure it.

Do you live with the reality of cancer?

It's a daily reality, always at the back of my mind. I don't get anxious about it, but I know it's there. I may not get to grow old with my husband. He was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma 10 years ago. Numerous skin lesions have been stripped away since then.

He made 50 years. I ask myself, will he make 60? What will my life be without him if he doesn't? Is it my job to keep him well? Should I do more to make him take care of himself? It really comes down to an ancient question. "Am I my brother's keeper?" Just how far does my responsibility go?

I have come to the realization that I can only do so much. He has to own his responsibility to maintain his health. I am there to help him, but I can't force him into something he doesn't want.

Like a lot of men he works himself to exhaustion "supporting" me but is too lazy most of the time to prepare a bowl of his favorite morning treat, hot oatmeal with raisins. Once in a while he surprises me! Of course his excuse is that I'm the cook. Reality is that I love cooking. He doesn't.

Reality is that I love doing other things, too. So this morning, he's eating a healthy bowl of whole-grain Kashi cereal while I write a blog. I made his lunch yesterday, so I know he will eat well at work.

I live with cancer in the background every day, but reality is I refuse to stress out over it until I have to. I plan on enjoying my day. I hope you do, too.