I thought this report from the Mayo Clinic was interesting in light of the recent brouhaha over Daniel Hauser. The Mayo Clinic found that an active ingredient in green tea does show beneficial results in the treatment of leukemia.

Daniel Hauser has Hodgkin lymphoma not leukemia, so I am not trying to make the point that natural remedies would necessarily work for him. Rather, he and his mother have been treated by the media, state, and some of the public as pretty much crazy for seeking alternative treatments. Yet there is new information all the time about the benefits of natural remedies.

I find the public reaction surprising, as a significant portion of the population has seen a loved one undergo the barbaric treatments that we call chemotherapy. By calling these treatments barbaric, I am not insulting medical professionals – many of whom, if they are honest enough, realize that most chemo is in the stone age compared to treatments for other diseases. Cancer treatments are often measured in terms of 5-year survival rates. Are the months of extreme discomfort and pain while undergoing chemo worth a few years of healthy living before everything has to be repeated? Obviously, only the patient can make this decision – not a judge, journalist, or even a doctor.

The Best of Kathryn Muratore