Welcome to another edition of the Doctor’s Note where we talk about what’s on our minds when it comes to your health.
This week I invited Dan Bolton, Ph.D chemist, on my podcast to share the “rest of the story” about his battle with throat cancer. Dan has been cancer free for three years now. If you haven’t watched the Outside The Box interview he did with Ben Rogers (about a year and a half ago) you need to do that. His story is amazing and inspiring!
Dan and I have very similar philosophies on health and our healthcare system, which is why I wanted to sit and chat. As I learn and grow as a doctor, I’m evolving into more of an “open skeptic”. Note: I feel like most doctors are trained to be skeptics, but we also need to have an open mind. Being open to new ideas and new ways to prevent and treat disease is what makes for a good doctor.
The way Dan Bolton approached his cancer treatment is the way I approach my medical practice, a blend between traditional and alternative. My Note today will highlight the alternative cancer treatments he used (and continues to use) to fight his cancer. Note: This is not medical advice. The intention of this article (and all my other content) is simply to open your eyes to see what’s out there and available.
Here’s the backstory…
Cancer Diagnosis
In 2019 Dan Bolton was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma at the base of his tongue. He went through the traditional chemotherapy and radiation and then found some alternative treatments that he believes played a key role in his survival. Note: I’ll get into those alternative treatments a little later in this post, but I really want to highlight his response to getting such horrible news.
Cancer is scary. He felt that fear. People make you feel like a clock is ticking. At that moment, he decided to take a step back and gather his thoughts (which he encourages others to do in similar situations). Note: I believe the moment he took his healthcare into his own hands, is the moment he started thinking, “Are there other things I could be doing? Other treatments out there?” This makes me think how important the doctor-patient relationship is. It should be a partnership where mutual decisions are made. I can’t emphasize that enough. The key is FINDING A DOCTOR WHO WILL LISTEN TO YOU.
With cancer, there are often multiple ways to treat it. Take prostate and breast cancer for example. They both have multiple options, i.e., surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or maybe a combination of all of them. At the end of the day, it’s going to be you and your family’s decision. Note: If you ever go to an Oncologist that tells you there’s nothing we can do, GET A SECOND OPINION! A lot of medicine is OPINION. Remember, medicine changes every day!
In addition to traditional cancer treatments, there are alternative treatments that you probably have never heard of. The difficult part is knowing whether or not the alternative is quackery. Having cancer is scary, which makes you vulnerable to misguided treatments. Be your own “open skeptic”.
Cancer Prevention
When the subject of cancer prevention came up in our conversation, Dan was honest in saying, “You don’t really think about prevention until you have it (cancer).” This is true, but remember that most cancers are slow growing, which is why (we both agreed) keeping your body healthy and your immune system strong is SO IMPORTANT. When you really look at it, cancer is a breakdown of your immune system. If we can keep it healthy, the cancer cells (which I believe we all have in our bodies somewhere) can be eliminated. Here are a few ways to do that:
Stay lean
Don’t smoke
Eat less sugar
Keep up with your screenings
Live a healthy lifestyle (exercise, get good sleep, think about hormones, keep stress levels down)
Always have HOPE
Note: In my opinion, smoking and obesity are higher risk factors than family history of cancer.
It’s also important to know that there are alternative treatments. From my own research and from listening to Dan, if I were diagnosed with cancer (in addition to seeking traditional treatment) I would:
Get on a Keto Type Diet (eat really clean)
Get an IV Vitamin C regimen going
Start taking Fenbendazole and
Artemisinin
Note: A quick side note before we keep going. If you have a solid tumor, get it CUT OUT! If chemotherapy can be effective, TAKE IT! If radiation is a possibility for your cancer, CONSIDER IT! If your body cannot tolerate chemo or radiation, there are OTHER OPTIONS! There IS Hope.
Fenbendazole and Artemisinin
Fenbendazole and Artemisinin are two alternative treatments for cancer. Dan’s cancer story included both. He started taking Fenbendazole about halfway through his traditional treatment and found the tumor in his lymph nodes decreasing in size! When I asked him if he would do anything differently (in terms of his cancer treatment) he replied, “I would try these non-traditional treatments sooner!” Note: he still takes Fenbendazole, Monday through Friday, in the morning.
Artemisinin is derived from the sweet wormwood plant, Artemisia annua (you can actually grow yourself). It’s an herb that’s been used for many years. Artemisinin works for high iron. Note: Cancer loves two things: sugar and iron.
Fenbendazole is a legitimate human medicine. Note: Technically, it’s a dog dewormer. The human version is called Mebendazole. We use this for pinworms, even in kids. The problem is that it’s very expensive to buy, when you can get the veterinary product for pennies. There are subtle differences. Most of these differences are for patent reasons. It’s pretty much the same thing, but a fraction of the price.
Note: Currently, both of these medicines are being studied in cancer trials by pharmaceutical companies. I, personally, am a huge fan of IV Vitamin C.
Final Thoughts
Live a healthy lifestyle, suited for cancer prevention.
Do everything you can to find the cancer early. That is why screenings are SO important.
Be proactive when you know something is off in your body.
Don’t be afraid of alternative treatments. From a toxicity standpoint it’s very, very low. Not even in the same ballpark as chemo or radiation.
Take it from Dan Bolton, “There’s always HOPE.”
There’s always something you can do or try. Do your research. Understand the background of some of these alternative cancer treatments. Again, I’m not giving you specific advice on how to treat your cancer! Every case is individual and complex, but I have seen some amazing things happen.
I appreciate Dan Bolton’s willingness to talk about his battle with cancer. I know he has really helped a lot of cancer patients and seen some amazing recoveries. I hope you will listen to the podcast.
Till next week.
Note: If you are interested in learning more about alternative prevention and treatment of cancer, here are some links you may want to research. A reminder: In no way does this constitute medical advice. That’s between you and your doctor.
