I think that we as a group are a little susceptible to this sort of stuff. Someone comes out with some alternative way of doing things, claims the government or a corporation is trying to shut them down, and we seem to immediately come to their defense.

Regards,
Cliff Merchant MD

I can appreciate what you're saying, Cliff, and the caveat to all of us who have biases in any direction is to look at the facts and evaluate them free of our prejudices and emotional inclinations. From what I have read about this situation, it appears to me that the FDA has behaved dishonorably.

There are two issues here -- the trustworthiness of big government/big business fascism, and the best way to heal. I take it that the video is one more piece of the everlasting stream of evidence that big government control, in collusion with the medical/industrial establishment, is a disaster. Do we really need to have that demonstrated again? Dictatorships, even when implemented with patronizing good intentions, create immense suffering and injustice. Let freedom ring!

However, the second issue is also important. How shall we understand healing? For the last century, medicine has developed a very impressive set of technologies for dealing with disorders that are a function of a more or less separable PART of the whole physiological/psychological person. However, we are running into increasing difficulties with those disorders that involve the person as a whole -- these emerge quite noticeably in the so-called degenerative disorders that absorb most of the modern health care costs. I take it that the great healers of cancer an other such disorders have generally not attempted to introduce another medical technique, but have attempted to create a systemic environment in which the body's natural restorative and self-healing capacities are liberated to do their own amazing work. Of course, this approach requires the responsible action of the client (I do not use the term patient, as it has come to be associated the irresponsibility of sick persons to participate in their own healing).

This is why, if I had cancer, I would probably not consider Burzynski's approach. It might work in certain circumstances. In the absence of more research, who really knows? But we all know that the body possesses remarkable mechanisms of self-healing. Moreover, diet -- especially a whole food plant based diet -- is key to promoting those capacities. So, after I have had my carrot juice, please pass the broccoli and brown rice, thanks.

jm