It seems my last post on the anecdotal evidence of the efficacy of green tea, experienced by myself, has left some mistaken impressions in the minds of a few [at least one] of the commenters.
I never said I wasn't under the care of a doctor, nor have I claimed to be seeking alternative treatments, such as coffee enemas, blood oxygenation, or vitamin C infusions, in lieu of the currently recognized methods of treatment for cancer, despite how prehistoric they may appear on the surface.
I drink green tea, I'm a competitive cyclist riding my bike 600 to 800 miles a month [at least when the weather is nicer], I read a lot of medical journals etc, and I consult with my oncologist on the best course of action, which for me has been no action for the past 7 years, 8 months, 27 days and 20 hours.
Lets be clear though, the current accepted treatment for cancer, that is the infusion of deadly chemicals into the body (AKA chemotherapy) to destroy cancer cells, should no more be confused with good medical practice than blood letting was considered good medical practice up until the late 19th century.
But as archaic as chemotherapy may appear on the surface, it is all that is available, and there is evidence it works. But at what expense?
For sure, the likelihood of developing secondary cancers is increased. Then there are other [known] side effects. e.g. neuropathy, which can cause many quality of life issues. Future treatment options after relapse are also reduced, as are the scope of a patients ability to participate in more advance treatments which may become available in the future.
Understand, unlike hard tumor cancers, blood and lymphatic cancers are incurable. Except in some extreme cases, the best anyone can hope for is a series of remissions each one lasting a shorter time than the previous. So immediately jumping into treatment, based on some belief you have to treat cancer immediately, in the absence of symptoms and despite the growing evidence of the slow growing nature of many cancers [including some hard tumor cancers], is not always the best course of action.
Remember, there really is some truth to the statement
sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease.
One last point, and it isn't my intention to get political here, but you need to consider the state of the US health care system. It is a fee-for-service system. Doctors and health care providers don't get paid for not treating. Now while there are many high quality, ethical doctors, that isn't always the case, and unless you're an expert in the field of medicine, it is hard to differentiate.
On that note, I'll leave you with one last quote, which I learned at the very first lymphoma conference I attended shortly after being diagnosed with MCL.
Nobody cares more about you than you do!