Medication

The first information I received when I was first diagnosed with cancer are books by Dr Chris Teo. The books I read of which he authored are full of warnings about chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Although he tried to be objective, what came out of his books are warnings that the "cure is worse than the disease". He advocated more "gentle" therapies like change of diet and herbs which he concocted and sold at his centres.

I never doubted Dr Chris Teo sincerity in promoting an alternative path to cancer therapy. I first knew of Dr Teo when I read his books on orchids when I was a Horticultural undergraduate at UPM. And his books are the result of his selflessly helping cancer patients in the way he know how. He had sacrificied time and resources to set up his CACARE centres. His botanical knowledge has also helped in formulating his herbal therapy.

And of course it is up to the reader to judge and evaluate his records of real life experiences of patients. He is objective enought to present statistical record of the cancer patients whom he and his counsellors seen.

It was me who took the part of the negative effects of conventional therapies very seriously. I decided to eschew chemo and radio for the initial part of my cancer journey. I decided to go the path of herbal path and other alternative therapy like qigung and Chinese traditional medicine.

It was after I met with Dr Kana and Dr Selva of NCI in April 2005, that I decided to thread gingerly to radiotherapy to my C6 vertebra. Dr Kana gave me a kindly warning that I my option is the tumour eating away at my spine and paralysing me from the chest down, or take the chance that the radiotherapy will ease the pain and have minimal side effects.

I took the chance and so far it fine. Of course, I am under no illusion that radiotherapy is radioactive material released into my body and the effects may or may not be tolerable in the long run. The NCI doctors made this clear. I blogged about this here.

I do take Dr Teo's herbs and other supplements. Mostly supplements from direct selling companies which I have abandoned because I don't think they worked, or much cheaper alternatives can be bought elsewhere.

I have blogged about the attitude of some irresponsible direct selling personnels here. I prefer now to consult Dr Pang who is a qualified medical doctor with an interest in preventive medicine rather than to hear out some unqualified direct selling person who is more interested in filling his or her quota of the month!

My experience in chemotherapy is the opposite of most patients. I took the much more expensive IRESSA before trying out the initial "defense" lines of chemotherapy. Dr Kana said I should try the first and 2nd line of chemo defenses, when these become ineffective, I can then try out Iressa. But I refused to touch chemotherapy.

Then I had a major breathless episode at the end of May 2005. As I lay panting in NCI, Dr Selva decided on Iressa for me. It worked very well for me, in a few days time I am up and about and able to breath unassisted. So Iressa worked for me; 10% of non-small cell lung cancer patients.

But since the last 2 months, I guessed the cancer cells have mutated and Iressa don't seem to be effective no more; hence the last episode of breathlessness. So I am now on chemo which seems to be working well so far.

Prior to last May's breathless episode, I remembered I was also seeing Dr Yong my Chinese medicine physician and she kept on saying I am looking great although slowly the tumour is filling up my lungs. I had herbs from Dr Teo, and qigung and acupuncture from Dr Yong; I thought I had my bases covered.

But looking back, it is the "orthodox" and "conventional" therapies like radiotherapy and chemotherapy that made the difference. The alternative therapies may have helped, or gave a psychological boost but the moment the orthodox therapies entered my body, the healing effects were instantaneous. I can't deny their effects, while the alternative therapy results are dicey, and forget about claims from the direct selling supplements...for me at least.

Before I end this section. I must say some cancer patients who took his herbs responded well, and some of the direct selling supplements may have helped some patients. What I have written are my personal experience.

I would say do try things out. Both orthodox and alternatives. Some may work for you at that moment in time. I am no fundamentalist, if a therapy which worked for a certain period of time loses its effectiveness, I am ready for change.

Or the other way round, if the time has come for my body to receive a therapy which doesn't work the last time, I am also ready to give it another try. But watch out for scumbags who are just out to suck money from you!

But at the same time, do seek oncologists who will treat you like a thinking human being and emphatise with you, and not someone who treats you like a piece of meat to just be pumped with chemicals.

I have heard of oncos who get angry if their patients or caregivers asked more details or expressed doubts about their therapy ; leave immediately if this happens! I myself experienced an onco who sneered at my herbal therapy, and raised the price of Iressa when he knew I am seeing another oncologist.

But the bottomline for me, at this moment in time, it is the orthodox therapies like radiotherapy and chemotherapy have helped. 'Nuff said.