spotlight on health Curious About Cancer Treatments? Talk To Your Doctor First (NAPSA)—If you or someone you love has cancer, chances are youre sorting through mountains of information and facing many \ D * fi 7. . a a7 j (i s! i 7 > a ‘ ‘ , be , decisions about various treatment | ‘ options. And you may be curious about supposed miraculous cancer-fighting products—pills, powders, herbs, and more—that you've either seen advertised or can be downright harmful. heard about from family and friends. Be skeptical: Lots of these are scams, and when your're battling cancer, the last thing you Ask your doctor before you try it—and buyit. It’s the best way to learn about the risks of a product need is a scam. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer pro- and howit might affect any current treatment. idea to talk to the doctor treating therapies are meant to replace con- tection agency, says it’s a good your cancer about any products you'd like to try. In many cases, the product can have serious repercussions: it won’t treat the cancer, and it could even harm you. Asking questions is the best way to satisfy your curiosity, and manage your treatmentwisely. Curious About a Product? On the other hand, alternative ventional cancer treatment. Reputable medical and cancer experts generally do not recommendalter- native products and practices because there’s no proof that they are effective treatments for cancer. Many can even be harmful. Remember that stopping or delaying conventional treatment may you can tell you about the risks have serious consequences. Are products claiming to treat or cure cancer the hot new thing, might affect your current treat- thing in between? Ask your doctor before you try it—or buy it. The doctor treating of a product, as well as how it ment or any medications you might be taking. old-fashioned snake oil, or some- come across references to comple- All cancers are different, and no one treatment works for every cancer or every body. Even two people with the same diag- are meant to enhance standard medical treatment like surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Your best to be skeptical of websites with ads for products that claim to treat cancer. In your research, you may mentary and alternative medicine. Complementary therapies treatment team can tell you whether there’s any proof that a complementary therapy may help reduce your discomfort or other symptoms. Source: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) essiac tea, or laetrile with claims that the products are both “natural” and effective. But “natural” doesn’t mean either safe or effective when it comes to using these treatments for cancer. In fact, a product that is labeled “natural” can be more than ineffective: it nosis may need different treatments. That’s one reason it’s Scammers take advantage of the feelings that can accompany a diagnosis of cancer. They promote unproven—and potentially dan- gerous—remedieslike black salve, Are the ads and websites that promote alternative or “natural” treatments and cures for cancer on the up-and-up? Bogus marketers often use trickery and vague languageto take advantage of people. For example, testimonials in ads can seem honest and heart-felt, but they can be completely fake: in fact, they may not disclose that actors or models have been paid to endorse the product. Even when testimonials come from people who have taken the product, personal stories aren’t reliable evidence of effectiveness. And lots of technical jargon may sound impressive, but by itself, doesn’t prove effective- ness. Big words from a medical dictionary are no substitute for the plain facts from yourdoctor. A money-back guarantee doesn’t prove that a product works, either. Even if the guarantee that you’re promised is legitimate, a moneyback guarantee definitely is not a reliable substitute for scientific evidence that a treatment is safe or effective. For more information from the federal government about cancer treatments in general, visit www.cancer.gov/Cancerinformation and http://nccam.nih.gov/health. For more information from the FTC about cancer treatment scams, visit www.ftc.gov/curious.
