Could you point me toward reliable info re: essential oils?

[Ms. Riding Hood]

I have a friend who strongly believes in them as healing agents and I'd like to be able to read up on them and get some factual info, history etc.  Thanks!

 

 

[Ms. Riding Hood]

bump?

[GSOchristie]

I'm interested, too :bigear: .  It seems like everyone I know has jumped on the oil bandwagon, so I want to know if/why it works.

[NASDAQ]

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/doterra-multilevel-marketing-of-essential-oils/

[alef]

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/doterra-multilevel-marketing-of-essential-oils/

Thanks for posting this. I've tried to explain to a few of my friends that if the oils are as potent in acting against infection and disease as claimed they must also have the same potential for adverse effects as other potent medicines from antibiotics to chemotherapy. Either they are mostly harmless with little benefit to offer, or they are powerful drugs to be treated with caution. You can't have it both ways.

[Mom in High Heels]

I've been using EO's for years to clear up stuffed noses.  I put Eucalyptus oil on a cotton ball and slip it inside a pillow case or under the sheet.  It really helps.  I have used Tea Tree oil for minor cuts, insect bites, athlete's foot (not me!) and minor skin outbreaks, Peppermint oil for nausea (works really well!), and I mix Lemongrass oil with water and spray down the outside areas of the doors and windows to keep buys away (they don't like lemongrass), but that's about it.  

[alef]

I've been using EO's for years to clear up stuffed noses.  I put Eucalyptus oil on a cotton ball and slip it inside a pillow case or under the sheet.  It really helps.  I have used Tea Tree oil for minor cuts, insect bites, athlete's foot (not me!) and minor skin outbreaks, Peppermint oil for nausea (works really well!), and I mix Lemongrass oil with water and spray down the outside areas of the doors and windows to keep buys away (they don't like lemongrass), but that's about it.  

These are all reasonable uses, similar to sucking on cough drops or soaking in Epsom salts. There is certainly a place for self care of minor issues using natural remedies. The problem is that many proponents of essential oils route them as cure-alls for a variety of serious illnesses that go well beyond what should reasonably be dealt with by a lay person at home using remedies without scientific validation. A rule of thumb might be: if the problem is one that is usually dealt with at home without need for prescription medication, go ahead and try essential oils. Otherwise, seek professional help. A friend of mine is now blind in one eye because she thought she could treat an ear infection at home with essential oils and the infection spread. I have other friends who swear essential oils have cured ear infections when antibiotics didn't, but a testimonial does not a scientifically valid treatment make.

[Ms. Riding Hood]

Thank you for the link.

 

I think the uses mentioned are what I would expect and "believe in", but my friend is way beyond that--like curing viruses or cancer.  I'm not wanting to reject oils outright (thus "rejecting" my friend) since I'm sure they have value in that more limited sense, but if there's strong information indicating a bigger benefit I'd like to know about it.  I'm like the poster above: if they were miracle drugs, I think we'd be seeing lots of miracles.  "Show me the money", you know?

 

Actually, I came here expecting to find some people who were real proponents of oils who might have some evidence to back it all up.  Anyone?  Anyone?

 

This makes me want to do a SO thread on some of the other healing things she believes in strongly....

[Slache]

my friend is way beyond that--like curing viruses or cancer. 

 

I can totally believe that essential oils could cure cancer. Cancer treatment is a multibillion dollar industry that can only thrive if there is no cure. Considering that money controls the media you wouldn't hear about it, just like you don't hear about the millions of people being cured with vitamin therapy.

[Ms. Riding Hood]

I can totally believe that essential oils can cure cancer. Cancer treatment is a multibillion dollar industry that can only thrive if there is no cure. Considering that money controls the media you wouldn't hear about it, just like you don't hear about the millions of people being cured with vitamin therapy.

 

Ok, this is totally something my friend would say.  But if this stuff is working, then wouldn't there be some statistical evidence in support of that?  Plus, cancer researchers are *interested in curing cancer*.  They don't work for "big pharma".  And even if "big pharma" funds their work, they are still humans beings who ultimately care about *finding a cure*, if for not for humanitarian reasons then for fame and fortune.    I find it hard to believe that a cure for cancer could exist and be universally suppressed, regardless of media/money.  Or am I totally naive?  Asking in all sincerity and without being snarky.  I really want to get this.  Maybe it goes back to a fundamental difference in how we view the world, and isn't quite so simple as "show me proof".  :confused1:

 

And what is vitamin therapy?  :svengo:

[Guest inoubliable]

nm 

 

Edited February 21, 2014 by Moderator
Kindly voice your strongly-held opinions without the personal attack

[Χά�ων]

nm 

 

Edited February 21, 2014 by Moderator
Knock it off.

[BrookValley.]

I'd like some evidence from a reliable source (key word: reliable) that vitamin therapy has cured "millions of people."

 

Full disclosure: I work in the vitamin industry. I think vitamin therapy curing things like cancer is utter bullsh*t. There is no evidence to back up these claims.

 

I think essential oils have plenty of minor uses, such as the ones Mom in High Heels talked about above. I don't see there's anything wrong with using essential oils as complimentary methods to traditional medical care (maybe I like to use peppermint and lavender to help with headaches and because the scent is soothing, but I'm still going to go to a neurologist if I am having an issue that warrants medical attention, get what I mean?). It's when people start hinging all their hope in a cure by some alternative modality of healing that I have a problem. There's no scientific evidence that suggests this is a good idea. In fact, it's stupid, and putting off medical care can be dangerous.

 

Suggesting that the cure for cancer is being hidden by a bunch of money-greedy people is beyond conspiracy theory.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Moderator
Edited to remove insult

[Slache]

Ok, this is totally something my friend would say.  But if this stuff is working, then wouldn't there be some statistical evidence in support of that?  Plus, cancer researchers are *interested in curing cancer*.  They don't work for "big pharma".  And even if "big pharma" funds their work, they are still humans beings who ultimately care about *finding a cure*, if for not for humanitarian reasons then for fame and fortune.    I find it hard to believe that a cure for cancer could exist and be universally suppressed, regardless of media/money.  Or am I totally naive?  Asking in all sincerity and without being snarky.  I really want to get this.  Maybe it goes back to a fundamental difference in how we view the world, and isn't quite so simple as "show me proof".  :confused1:

 

And what is vitamin therapy?  :svengo:

 

I have no opinion on essential oils, I just believe it's possible. I think the cure for everything can be found in nature. Statistical evidence? Definitely. Ask her about it. I agree about the cancer researchers but the problem is the big guy. Vitamin B17 is what I was referring to. The best place to go for that is Germany, but the treatment they administer is illegal in the states. The FDA claims it will kill you, but for many doctors abroad that's their first go to drug because of the high success rate.

 

 

Edited February 21, 2014 by Moderator

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I have no opinion on essential oils, I just believe it's possible. I think the cure for everything can be found in nature. Statistical evidence? Definitely. Ask her about it. I agree about the cancer researchers but the problem is the big guy. Vitamin B17 is what I was referring to. The best place to go for that is Germany, but the treatment they administer is illegal in the states. The FDA claims it will kill you, but for many doctors abroad that's their first go to drug because of the high success rate.

 

 

 

I don't think they can, I can just imagine it's possible.

 

 

I know of 4 people, 2 of which are my own relatives, that have been cured with vitamin therapy, one was diagnosed as terminal by an american doctor.

 

B17 is not a vitamin.  Calling it one displays a fundamental lack of understanding of the topic you are trying to discuss.

[Cricket]

I rub peppermint oil on my knee before I run and my knee doesn't hurt.  I use eucalyptus oil on our chests when we have colds.  Oils are helpful but they are hardly a panacea.  I prefer to try something more natural first then move to stronger medicines if needed.  

 

As far as killing cancer cells, sometimes I wonder what is meant by that.  I could probably kill cancer cells in a petri dish by dousing them in bleach but that's hardly a helpful cure when the cells are in someone's body, you know?

[Slache]

I'd like some evidence from a reliable source (key word: reliable) that vitamin therapy has cured "millions of people."

 

Full disclosure: I work in the vitamin industry. I think vitamin therapy curing things like cancer is utter bullsh*t. There is no evidence to back up these claims.

 

I don't have any, just people I know that have been cured. Sorry. I read an interesting book called World Without Cancer, but never cared to find out how accurate it was.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I don't have any, just people I know that have been cured. Sorry. I read an interesting book called World Without Cancer, but never cared to find out how accurate it was.

 

FYI, when you refer to "Vitamin B17", you are actually discussing laetrile, which has been studied in the U.S. and has been found to have no effect in treating/preventing cancer. (And get this, you can actually look up the study results.) Why has the FDA banned it?  Because it increases cyanide levels to a potentially dangerous level.

[Slache]

FYI, when you refer to "Vitamin B17", you are actually discussing laetrile, which has been studied in the U.S. and has been found to no effect in treating/preventing cancer. (And get this, you can actually look up the study results.) Why has the FDA banned it?  Because it increases cyanide levels to a potentially dangerous level.

 

I'm taking the personal experiences of people that I know that have actually been cured over someones writings. Even if they are dangerous levels, it's certainly better than the alternative.

[alef]

I can totally believe that essential oils can cure cancer. Cancer treatment is a multibillion dollar industry that can only thrive if there is no cure. Considering that money controls the media you wouldn't hear about it, just like you don't hear about the millions of people being cured with vitamin therapy.

Cancer is a very complex problem. To start with, there is not one disease called "cancer" but rather a large variety of diseases. The common factor is, I believe, a fault of one kind or another in the genetic mechanisms that regulate cell division and differentiation. Unregulated cell growth can overcome normal body functions and eventually lead to death. Part of the difficulty in treating cancer lies in the fact that the disease is part of the body itself, cancerous growths are made up of our own cells and are difficult to target and eliminate without harming normal non-cancerous cells. This is why our most effective cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy are also very hard on the rest of the body. And why the chances of finding a miracle cure with virtually no negative side effects are extremely small.

 

As for money--yes, cancer research and treatment consume large sums of money! The rigorous evaluation and testing requirements for new treatment methods demand a heavy investment of time and capital. Of course, the marketers of such products as DoTerra have of course no interest in financial gain, in fact they practically give their product away out of the goodness of their hearts :)

 

There is actually a lot of effort and money put into educating the public about cancer prevention strategies, including all those warnings about tobacco products and the advice to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. No cancer researcher is getting a kickback every time I eat a blueberry, but they spend time and money researching the best cancer prevention diets anyway...

[Mbelle]

I really have no beef in this argument,  However, I do have a friend in the UK who is a licensed essential oil therapist, but she can only do so much before she refers patients to Dr's who then prescribe essential oil or any other prescriptions.  I know she said they use essential oil in the hospitals.  I really only know those few things about it. But, it seems like a way to get more information.

[[email protected]]

Really, people. You ought to be able to disagree, and even disagree strongly, without resorting to insults, name calling, and personal attacks.

 

Behave.

 

Moderator

[alef]

I'm taking the personal experiences of people that I know that have actually been cured over someones writings. Even if they are dangerous levels, it's certainly better than the alternative.

A few testimonials do not a safe and effective treatment make, you need controlled scientific studies to determine that.

 

A cousin of mine bought into the testimonials. She did not want the mastectomy her Dr. was recommending to treat her breast cancer, so she chose alternative treatment at a clinic in Mexico instead. Her four young children now have no mother.

 

Of course, she isn't around to offer her negative testimonial to counter the glowing miracle cure testimonials...

[Mergath]

I read an interesting book called World Without Cancer, but never cared to find out how accurate it was.

 

:blink:  Er, you might want to, you know, do that.  Before you go around making claims about cancer cures.

[Slache]

Sigh. A few testimonials do not a safe and effective treatment make, you need controlled scientific studies to determine that.

 

A cousin of mine bought into the testimonials. She did not want the mastectomy her Dr. was recommending to treat her breast cancer, so she chose alternative treatment at a clinic in Mexico instead. Her four young children now have no mother.

 

Of course, she isn't around to offer her negative testimonial to counter the glowing miracle cure testimonials...

 

I wouldn't go get a treatment based on that. I just found it relevant for the sake of the OP. I would definitely research it further before I submitted to chemo though.

 

:blink:  Er, you might want to, you know, do that.  Before you go around making claims about cancer cures.

 

I'm not saying it cures cancer all of the time, but I do know it does work and that fact is not acknowledged by much of the medical establishment.

[unfrumpable.]

I'm taking the personal experiences of people that I know that have actually been cured over someones writings. Even if they are dangerous levels, it's certainly better than the alternative.

 

You know millions of people? I believe that was your claim earlier in this thread, that millions of people have been cured of cancer by vitamin B17 and essential oils.

[Slache]

You know millions of people? I believe that was your claim earlier in this thread, that millions of people have been cured of cancer by vitamin B17 and essential oils.

 

 

I know 4 people that have been cured with this method.

 

ETA: I already stated this but the posts I was replying to were edited, so mine were deleted.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I wouldn't go get a treatment based on that. I just found it relevant for the sake of the OP. I would definitely research it further before I submitted to chemo though.

 

 

I'm not saying it cures cancer all of the time, but I do know it does work and that fact is not acknowledged by much of the medical establishment.

 

Well, earlier you said "just like you don't hear about the millions of people being cured with vitamin therapy."

 

Unless you have actually reviewed the medical records of those you claim have been "cured" along with direct knowledge of their "treatments" with "B17", then no, you don't know for certain what has or has not worked.

[HRAAB]

I know two people that "were cured" with similar natural methods (my bil and a close family friend).  They both had from six months to a year where they believed they were cancer free.  They are both dead now - from cancer.  Would they be alive now had they chosen to pursue accepted cancer treatment methods?  I don't know.  Maybe.  I say maybe because I also know several people who have chosen to use medical treatment, and they are still alive.  Neither story proves much, though.  I hope the four people you know who 'have been cured' remain cancer free in the future.

[alef]

This article mentions some studies undertaken of the effectiveness of Laetrile. They didn't show much success.http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/pharmacologicalandbiologicaltreatment/laetrile

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

I can totally believe that essential oils can cure cancer. Cancer treatment is a multibillion dollar industry that can only thrive if there is no cure. Considering that money controls the media you wouldn't hear about it, just like you don't hear about the millions of people being cured with vitamin therapy.

 

 

LOL.  As a patient who's had Stage IV cancer for three years, I understand both the longing for a cure-all, and the ease with which conspiracy theories can be embraced.

 

However....

 

You're wrong on all counts.

[Mergath]

I know two people that "were cured" with similar natural methods (my bil and a close family friend).  They both had from six months to a year where they believed they were cancer free.  They are both dead now - from cancer.  Would they be alive now had they chosen to pursue accepted cancer treatment methods?  I don't know.  Maybe.  I say maybe because I also know several people who have chosen to use medical treatment, and they are still alive.  Neither story proves much, though.  I hope the four people you know who 'have been cured' remain cancer free in the future.

 

My uncle had a close friend who went to Mexico for "natural" cancer treatments.  He didn't make it either. :(

[Slache]

Well, earlier you said "just like you don't hear about the millions of people being cured with vitamin therapy."

 

Unless you have actually reviewed the medical records of those you claim have been "cured" along with direct knowledge of their "treatments" with "B17", then no, you don't know for certain what has or has not worked.

 

I agree I shouldn't have stated that millions of people have been cured without sources and I apologize, but every case that I've personally heard about B17 was a success, and between the fact that I've seen it stated by so many different sources and I know people who might not be here without the treatment, I just consider it fact. I don't go running up to cancer patients and tell them to get the treatment, but I do find it interesting.

 

What's the green thing in your profile picture?

 

I hope the four people you know who 'have been cured' remain cancer free in the future.

 

I'm sorry. One died of old age about 40 years after treatment, one died of cancer 10 years later after discontinuing the medication for fear of what western medicine said about it and the other two are here.

 

This article mentions some studies undertaken of the effectiveness of Laetrile. They didn't show much success.http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/pharmacologicalandbiologicaltreatment/laetrile

 

 Thanks!

[Slache]

LOL.  As a patient who's had Stage IV cancer for three years, I understand both the longing for a cure-all, and the ease with which conspiracy theories can be embraced.

 

However....

 

You're wrong on all counts.

 I should have said "could", not "can".

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I agree I shouldn't have stated that millions of people have been cured without sources and I apologize, but every case that I've personally heard about B17 was a success, and between the fact that I've seen it stated by so many different sources and I know people who might not be here without the treatment, I just consider it fact. I don't go running up to cancer patients and tell them to get the treatment, but I do find it interesting.

 

What's the green thing in your profile picture?

 

 

I'm sorry. One died of old age about 40 years after treatment, one died of cancer 10 years later after discontinuing the medication for fear of what western medicine said about it and the other two are here.

 

 

 Thanks!

 

Here is the thing - "B17" *has* been clinically tested. And more than once.  And it has been shown to be ineffective.

 

The green thing? It's not a tumor.

[alef]

My uncle had a close friend who went to Mexico for "natural" cancer treatments.  He didn't make it either. :(

I don't want to "like" this because it is sad, but I suspect all too common.

[Slache]

Here is the thing - "B17" *has* been clinically tested. And more than once.  And it has been shown to be ineffective.

 

The green thing? It's not a tumor.

 

You don't understand where I'm coming from. I don't trust the clinical trials. I know you think that's ignorant. That's fine.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

You don't understand where I'm coming from. I don't trust the clinical trials. I know you think that's ignorant. That's fine.

 

I understand where you are coming from - a position of based on pseudo-science, personal testimony, and a fear of what you are not able to understand.  And yes, all of that bundled together is coming from a place of ignorance.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

 I should have said "could", not "can".

 

True, if it's taken in the same vein as "not wearing a seat belt could allow you to be thrown from a burning car wreck, thus sparing your life."  Of course, I doubt that's a strategy many state troopers would report as having been effective in the cases they see, but if there is comfort in that little slice of wiggle room, then it can have a certain value, especially for the newly-diagnosed, or yet-to-be diagnosed.

 

 

 

You don't understand where I'm coming from. I don't trust the clinical trials. I know you think that's ignorant. That's fine.

 

There's quite a bit of mis-information floating around out there.  What part(s) of clinical trials seem troubling to you?

[Χά�ων]

I don't want to "like" this because it is sad, but I suspect all too common.

This

[Χά�ων]

You don't understand where I'm coming from. I don't trust the clinical trials. I know you think that's ignorant. That's fine.

:confused1:  Why?

[alef]

I know 4 people that have been cured with this method.

 

ETA: I already stated this but the posts I was replying to were edited, so mine were deleted.

One problem with your assertion is that you don't actually know that these four people were cured by "B17". More accurately, you know four people who took B17 and whose cancer went into remission. These people believe they were cured by B17. Unfortunately, correlation does not equal causation. Maybe their cancer was in remission before they started taking B17. Maybe another treatment they were undergoing simultaneously put the cancer into remission. Maybe they were saved by a lifestyle change. Maybe the placebo effect played a role. Maybe God intervened. And maybe they were cured by taking B17. There is just no way to determine the real effectiveness of a treatment based on individual experience. This is where clinical trials come in. If a clinical trial were to find that B17 were even 10% more effective than a placebo, that would be a significant finding. Are you aware of any such trials? Undocumented assertions, whether published in a book or not, are worthless. I can make any claim I want and publish it in a book, that doesn't make it true.

[MSNative]

My son is actually doing a science project on this very topic so just give him some time and you'll have all the science you could want. Kidding. But we will have a rocking trifold. He is focusing on just a few oils. We've found you can find much more reliable science if you search on individual oils or blends. I recommend you start with oregano, tea tree and thieves. There is actual science on those...some of it in my own home. :)

 

Based on this thread, I did a quick search on essential oils curing cancer and came up with some hits. This seems to be the study that many of them reference. I didn't find any other studies, just sites referring to this one study. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22171782

[Slache]

True, if it's taken in the same vein as "not wearing a seat belt could allow you to be thrown from a burning car wreck, thus sparing your life."  Of course, I doubt that's a strategy many state troopers would report as having been effective in the cases they see, but if there is comfort in that little slice of wiggle room, then it can have a certain value, especially for the newly-diagnosed, or yet-to-be diagnosed.

 

 

 

 

There's quite a bit of mis-information floating around out there.  What part(s) of clinical trials seem troubling to you?

 

I don't have an opinion on if essential oils work or not, I just wouldn't discredit the idea without looking into it.

 

 

Clinical trials are nasty and information can be, in my opinion, complete lies. My mother was involves in a trial on some medication for psoriasis. Over 100 of the people who were involved in the trial who showed no positive results were not included in the data because their results were "untrustworthy". This meant that the medication was a success and is now going to market. One woman had a seizure for the first time in her life, but since she dropped the trial it's not in the final documents. I don't know what this medication is called, but this was in the last few months. It almost seems as if they tried 1,500 people and picked the 1,000 they liked best. I know that sounds extreme, but that's what it seems like.

 

My second reason has to do with my own experience involving Ibuprofen. My husband came home from work about 4 years ago to find me unconscious with a fever. We couldn't figure out the cause. We knew it was the first time I had taken Ibuprofen, but that was clearly not the problem, as it is not listed on the side effects, and the doctors told me that couldn't have been it. A few months later I used it again, but while my husband was home. After landing myself in the hospital that night I decided to never use it again. There were complications with my C section a year ago and I wasn't allowed narcotics (I'm still unclear as to why). The doctor assured me that I couldn't react to Ibuprofen that way and that it was the only medicine I was allowed to take in the hospital. They gave me medication for a fever not too long after that. A few weeks later I called the pharmaceutical company (motrin?) and found out that while this was did occur during the trials it wasn't listed, and won't be, because it isn't believed to be caused by the drug.

 

:confused1:  Why?

 

Last 2 paragraphs on the first response.

 

One problem with your assertion is that you don't actually know that these four people were cured by "B17". More accurately, you know four people who took B17 and whose cancer went into remission. These people believe they were cured by B17. Unfortunately, correlation does not equal causation. Maybe their cancer was in remission before they started taking B17. Maybe another treatment they were undergoing simultaneously put the cancer into remission. Maybe they were saved by a lifestyle change. Maybe the placebo effect played a role. Maybe God intervened. And maybe they were cured by taking B17. There is just no way to determine the real effectiveness of a treatment based on individual experience. This is where clinical trials come in. If a clinical trial were to find that B17 were even 10% more effective than a placebo, that would be a significant finding. Are you aware of any such trials? Undocumented assertions, whether published in a book or not, are worthless. I can make any claim I want and publish it in a book, that doesn't make it true.

 

I agree with everything you said. I'm too tired to research this right now. I think it works. I don't trust clinical trials. I'm taking a nap. Have a good day. :)

[alef]

My son is actually doing a science project on this very topic so just give him some time and you'll have all the science you could want. Kidding. But we will have a rocking trifold. He is focusing on just a few oils. We've found you can find much more reliable science if you search on individual oils or blends. I recommend you start with oregano, tea tree and thieves. There is actual science on those...some of it in my own home. :)

 

Based on this thread, I did a quick search on essential oils curing cancer and came up with some hits. This seems to be the study that many of them reference. I didn't find any other studies, just sites referring to this one study. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22171782

Yes, this is science. A scientifically designed study with results reported in a peer reviewed journal. Note how the abstract ends  "Future pre-clinical and clinical studies are urgently needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Boswellia sacra essential oil as a therapeutic agent for treating breast cancer."

 

The authors of the study don't say "hey! We've found the cure for breast cancer! Forget about everything you doctor told you and just rub this essential oil on your body three times a day and the cancer will be gone!" Instead they say "hey, we've got a promising lead. We need to do a lot more research to find out how safe and effective it is". Standard medicine does not ignore the vast potential for medical remedies from natural sources. Many, many medical treatments originate in the natural world; plants, animals, bacteria and fungi are all rich resources of potentially beneficial compounds. They are also resources of potentially toxic compounds. Medical knowledge in its current state is far from perfect, there are many discoveries yet to be made and understanding to be gained. But these advances will be made through systematic study, not through the collection of personal testimonials and the discounting of scientific data.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I don't have an opinion on if essential oils work or not, I just wouldn't discredit the idea without looking into it.

 

 

Clinical trials are nasty and information can be, in my opinion, complete lies. My mother was involves in a trial on some medication for psoriasis. Over 100 of the people who were involved in the trial who showed no positive results were not included in the data because their results were "untrustworthy". This meant that the medication was a success and is now going to market. One woman had a seizure for the first time in her life, but since she dropped the trial it's not in the final documents. I don't know what this medication is called, but this was in the last few months. It almost seems as if they tried 1,500 people and picked the 1,000 they liked best. I know that sounds extreme, but that's what it seems like.

 

My second reason has to do with my own experience involving Ibuprofen. My husband came home from work about 4 years ago to find me unconscious with a fever. We couldn't figure out the cause. We knew it was the first time I had taken Ibuprofen, but that was clearly not the problem, as it is not listed on the side effects, and the doctors told me that couldn't have been it. A few months later I used it again, but while my husband was home. After landing myself in the hospital that night I decided to never use it again. There were complications with my C section a year ago and I wasn't allowed narcotics (I'm still unclear as to why). The doctor assured me that I couldn't react to Ibuprofen that way and that it was the only medicine I was allowed to take in the hospital. They gave me medication for a fever not too long after that. A few weeks later I called the pharmaceutical company (motrin?) and found out that while this was did occur during the trials it wasn't listed, and won't be, because it isn't believed to be caused by the drug.

 

Wait. You call a pharmaceutical company about a possible reaction, they say that it occurred in the trials but they didn't include it as a side effect...yet they tell a random person about it when they call?

And how did you get all of the inside info on the psoriasis drug trial?

[Slache]

Wait. You call a pharmaceutical company about a possible reaction, they say that it occurred in the trials but they didn't include it as a side effect...yet they tell a random person about it when they call?

And how did you get all of the inside info on the psoriasis drug trial?

 

It was several weeks of phone calls. I wanted a warning on the bottle but that would have taken a lawsuit and given my lack of medical documentation I would have lost.

 

My mom was in the trial and a bunch of the girls were hanging out together. Nobody knew who had the drug, who had the placebo, or anything liked that, they just knew who was omitted from the paperwork and why because they were informed individually. 

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

My son is actually doing a science project on this very topic so just give him some time and you'll have all the science you could want. Kidding. But we will have a rocking trifold. He is focusing on just a few oils. We've found you can find much more reliable science if you search on individual oils or blends. I recommend you start with oregano, tea tree and thieves. There is actual science on those...some of it in my own home. :)

 

Based on this thread, I did a quick search on essential oils curing cancer and came up with some hits. This seems to be the study that many of them reference. I didn't find any other studies, just sites referring to this one study. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22171782

 

 

It's a worthy science project, for sure.  I'd just be sure your DS know the differences laid out in the last paragraph of that study.  This was an in-vitro (test tube / petri dish thing) study recommending further in-vivo (in animals) studies.  

Only a dinky percentage of things that work in the dish go on to work in mice, and only a percentage of those work in primates and humans.  It's not a bash, but in fact could be a really great extension to his project, showing how long the research road can actually be, with lots of dead ends.  That kind of payback puts me in even greater awe of the researchers I know.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Clinical trials are nasty and information can be, in my opinion, complete lies. My mother was involves in a trial on some medication for psoriasis. Over 100 of the people who were involved in the trial who showed no positive results were not included in the data because their results were "untrustworthy". This meant that the medication was a success and is now going to market. One woman had a seizure for the first time in her life, but since she dropped the trial it's not in the final documents. I don't know what this medication is called, but this was in the last few months. It almost seems as if they tried 1,500 people and picked the 1,000 they liked best. I know that sounds extreme, but that's what it seems like.

 

My second reason has to do with my own experience involving Ibuprofen. My husband came home from work about 4 years ago to find me unconscious with a fever. We couldn't figure out the cause. We knew it was the first time I had taken Ibuprofen, but that was clearly not the problem, as it is not listed on the side effects, and the doctors told me that couldn't have been it. A few months later I used it again, but while my husband was home. After landing myself in the hospital that night I decided to never use it again. There were complications with my C section a year ago and I wasn't allowed narcotics (I'm still unclear as to why). The doctor assured me that I couldn't react to Ibuprofen that way and that it was the only medicine I was allowed to take in the hospital. They gave me medication for a fever not too long after that. A few weeks later I called the pharmaceutical company (motrin?) and found out that while this was did occur during the trials it wasn't listed, and won't be, because it isn't believed to be caused by the drug.

 

It would seem we have two distinct episodes here.

 

Your mom was on a trial -- what phase was it?  Phase I dose-escalating?  Phase II?  III?  The distinction is important.  With only 100 people, that sounds like a small Phase I, which would be many years before larger studies required for actual marketability.  Even the 1500 you cite sounds too small for a pre-release Phase III, multi-center trial.  Something is a bit off.

 

Clinical trials can be nasty.  Clinical trials can also prolong life and increase the quality of that life.  I know first hand.  I also agree that the FDA is maddeningly slow, esp compared to regulatory agencies in other parts of the world.  However, to dismiss the methodology wholesale is a bit like saying you got bad treatment for a broken arm once, so you won't seek medical attention for your broken leg because all medicine just can't be trusted.

 

As for the Motrin/Tylenol thing.  There are LOTS of side effects from LOTS of drugs that are very unique, and thus only published in the bowels of the clinical data.  I just had two from a drug I had a full year ago.  In trials, 1% of patients had the first reaction, and 0.2% had the second, all within several months of treatment, NOT 12 months out, one after another, as I experienced.  Am I angry at the company?  Uh, no.  I have a rare cancer and treatment I'm getting is waaaaay out on the bleeding edge of new science.  I'm an informed, proactive patient, working with the best clinical professions in the world for my particular bug.  That's all any one can shoot for, and sometimes it's enough.

[Mom-ninja.]

 I think the cure for everything can be found in nature.

 

I always smile when I hear someone say this. It's apparent that people forget just where medicine comes from: molds, plants, bacteria, etc. You know nature.

 

 

 

I'm not saying it cures cancer all of the time, but I do know it does work and that fact is not acknowledged by much of the medical establishment.

You know it works. How do you know it works? You don't trust clinical trials. So what evidence and proof gives you the information you need for you to know that something works? 

 

 

To counter the book you posted above, you might try this one