Hi Folks, First I apologize for this Off Topic post, but my contacts on the West Coast are somewhat limited. I have a friend that is looking for anyone who knows about the Oasis of Hope Clinic in Tijuana. He's looking for someone who's had experience with them. He's rather desperate, his wife, a 10 year cancer survivor, has just been diagnosed as terminal. We are in Georgia and he is reluctant to expend slender resources on chasing wild fowl. Thanks for your patience and assistance. Best Regards, Beej
Andy Ivy came up with laetrile decades ago. AFAIK it has never been used in the US. I've known several people who went to Mexico so they could get it. None survived.
-- dadiOH ____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at
Just my opinion, but I believe that most of these "Treatment Centers" are scams that prey upon the vain hope of it's victims. They bleed your wallet dry with false promises of miraculous cures that "The FDA won't approve in the US". I wouldn't drink the water there, much less submit to medical treatment. There is a reason they do not operate within the US - the ones that exist in the states are bad enough.
Of course, there may be exceptions, but I wouldn't expect them to be located in Mexico... Canada, Germany, France, etc. perhaps...
I am sorry to hear of your friends and their troubles and wish I had better information to offer. I personally would be more inclined to do some research, internationally, for possible herbal remedies and treatments and such. Spend your days comfortable, at home among family and friends, rather than being ripped off by some swindler across the border - or for that matter, some swindler... uh... hospital in the US.
I wouldn't call it a hoax. At least not so far as Ivy was concerned. I knew his son but not him; however, he was a very bright individual - Nobel prize winner - and I'm sure he honestly viewed it as a viable treatment. Unfortunately, that hasn't proven to be the case.
I'm not entirely sure I would call the foreign alternative treatment clinics "hoaxes" either although I suspect their primary function is to enrich the owners. Still, if I were terminally ill from cancer, I might well try one. Hope springs eternal and at that point they couldn't hurt much.
-- dadiOH ____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at
The last time I check on treatment plans - 8 yrs ago - the average treatment and education costs were $7K + travel, food and motel (usually owned by the clinic).
You may be right, but I personally know a gent that was diagnosed with terminal cancer twenty years ago. The doctors told him to get his things in order because he had only a few months to go. Luckily he had the resources and the determination not to give up. He spent the better part of a year in Mexico and beat the cancer. He is still alive and well today!
I want to thank all those who have answered so far. I forwarding these messages to my friend with wishes that he keep his spirits up as much as he can as this (in my opinion) will help his wife's morale and keep her fighting. I did some google research as well but haven't been real helpful. C&E, do I understand that you have been to this Hospital/Treatment Center? The question is, was the treatment successful? This lady is a real fighter, and if any can lick it I know she can. Thanks again. Beej
Hi Greg, This is the kind of thing my friend is looking for. Was the fellow you know treated at Oasis of Hope? If you would like to respond off list, replace brainboing with mindspring. Thanks for your response. Regards, Beej
While I harbor a healthy suspicion of drug company claims in general, perhaps you might also consider the studies being performed at the Oregon Health & Science University, testing an experimental drug, which is now on the market as Gleevec. Its maker is Novartis.
Dr. Brian Druker, a Howard Hughes investigator at the university's Cancer Institute, who led the Gleevec study, sees this treatment as a pioneer effort in a new frontier of science. The treatment is based not on blasting cancer cells with harsh chemotherapy or radiation but instead on using a sort of molecular razor to cut them out...
Also, since you didn't state the exact cancer involved, this may or may not provide any useful information. But since the technology involved represents a new paradigm for cancer treatment, it is a matter of time until it is adapted for other patients/cancers. Brief PR release here:
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am not a DMS and the only thing I have a degree in is BS. But... Traditional chemotherapy involves hammering the body with toxins in an attempt to effect the mutant cells responsible for the cancer. Until this point, the cell walls of the cancer have been resistant to traditional drug targeting, thus resulting in the "poison everything" approach to cancer treatment - which is the reason many patients become more weakened from the treatment than the disease. And rarely is the cancer "cured". The mutant cells are still present in, and produced by, the body; lying in wait to re-awaken in the future.
This new drug's methodology has apparently been proven able to penetrate the cell walls of the mutant cancer cells, thus allowing more precise targeting by other combined drugs. Apparently, however, each individual's unique genetic predispositions to cancer and variance in the make up of these genetic flaws can require a tailoring of the drug to said individual and his/her genetic makeup and particular cancer. But with currently available technology combined with automated systems, it's only a matter of time until a doctor will be able to submit tissue/DNA samples and have a custom engineered drug delivered to your door - for a price.
Hi Greg G. Thanks for your replies to this thread. As you may have noticed from my previous posts, I am forwarding these on to my friend. I will be doing so until they peter out, so to speak. :-) I am really impressed with the response to this call for help. I am also very grateful for all the helpful replies. On behalf of my friend and his wife, thanks to all for your continued help and patience. Best Regards, Beej
These are the kinds of rare occurrences that the quacks count on. Something like the "miracles" some clergy espouse.
The diagnosis could have been wrong or spontaneous remission could have been responsible. Or even the placebo effect, the human mind is a very powerful, albeit uncontrolled, resource.
This will be of no help to your friend but might be helpful for the rest of us. An article in the UK guardian concerning US extended period study finds vitamin D to be a major deterrent to many types of cancer. The normal way we generate it is by absorbing UV rays through the skin. With the use of SPF suntan lotions and those areas with low sunlight [northern areas ] cancers has been more prevalent . To be beneficial the study recommended dose has been increased to 1000 international units [25 micrograms] per day.....
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