Hey All!
Just a quick update over here. I will be working on the weekdays from 8 to 8 and on the weekends from 8 to 6 for the next couple of months. I have not left you, but I am not sure if I will have any new content for a while (though I will try). I like that people can come here and discuss many of these issues, so if anyone wants to write a guest post, I would be glad to have it! You can email it to me at violetrealitybased@gmail.com. It does not have to be some profound piece of journalism or anything; it just needs to be something to get the conversation going.
Thanks,
Violet
Friday, May 15, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Very Disturbing Gerson Clinic FAQ
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
The Sad Case of Samantha Beaven
Today in the news there was a story about a young mother of two who died of cervical cancer at the age of 29. That right there would have been a very sad thing indeed, but what makes this story doubly so tragic is that Samantha Beaven was lied to by a promoter of fantasy-based medicine and before her untimely death she wasted eight weeks and 60,000 GBP at a fantasy-based medicine "clinic" in Mexico, far from her native England. Samantha's case is incredibly heart-breaking. She had two young daughters to look after, and when she was pregnant with her second child, she noticed unusual symptoms like cramping and bleeding. Despite eight different doctor's visits over this, she was assured that it was normal and related to her pregnancy. Having been pregnant already once before, Samantha knew that something was not right, and she was diagnosed cervical cancer soon after she gave birth at 26 weeks. She underwent chemo and radiation, which seemed to work but the cancer was later found to have spread to her lungs. This case is most definitely a failure of reality-based medicine, or rather of the human beings who practice it. I never argue that conventional medicine is perfect, and it most certainly has its fair-share of failures. It is not clear how long Samantha was having these undiagnosed symptoms, but if they started during pregnancy, then she must have been having them for around six months or so. It is always so devastating to see something like cancer misdiagnosed for this long. For a disease like cervical cancer that is quite treatable if caught early, it is especially devastating. Could Samantha have been saved by conventional medicine if the first doctor had run some very simple tests? Would she had turned to quackery if she had not gotten the blow-off from so many medical professionals?
Though the details are not there, at some point Samantha decided to go to Mexico to undergo a cancer treatment called hyperthermia therapy. Hyperthermia, apparently can be used to help treat some cancers, but as of yet is largely an experimental therapy and results are mixed as to its efficacy. What we do know is that it not the cure for cancer. At any rate, it can potentially be very dangerous and so it should only be administered by a highly-trained doctor who knows what she is doing. This is one of those "therapies" which might have some potential, but which can quickly morph into quackery if used in a way (whole body) and on patients who can no longer receive any benefit from the treatment. To me, these are the most dangerous quack therapies out there. They appeal to people who are intelligent and educated because they actually do have some science to back them up. Unfortunately this does not translate to working a miracle on every person with cancer, no matter the type or stage. Though not mentioned in any article, this treatment was ostensibly not offered to Samantha by any of her doctors in the UK, likely because they knew it would bring her no benefit. To pay for it, Samantha sold her possessions and moved into a cheaper house. Her six-year-old daughter even sold her toys on Ebay. The family started a fundraiser so that it might raise the nearly 60,000 quid necessary to pay for the "treatment" in Mexico. In the end, it did not work and Samantha returned in much worse shape than before and died within days of an infection, one of the possible side effects of hyperthermia.
So what was the harm here? After all, so many people who promote fantasy-based medicine claim that if someone is already terminal, then there is no harm in trying an alternative. Well, let's see. Samantha left her two young children for eight weeks while she went halfway across the world to pursue a treatment which would not work. Since this treatment involves raising the temperature of the body, I am going to have to assume that the treatment itself was unpleasant. In those eight weeks she could have been home getting palliation. Her daughters could have formed a few more good memories with their mother. There could have been a few more moments of laughter, of reading stories before bed, of playing games, and going to the park. They will never have the option to do any of those things with their mother ever again. That was stolen from them by the people at the "clinic" in Mexico. And what about the money she raised? Well, in the grander scheme things money is not particularly important, but every mother I know with small children would take a lot of comfort in leaving them some money before she died. Could this 60,000 GBP have been put in a trust to help the girls through university when the time came? Well, now it is lining the pockets of some scammer in Mexico. He or she won't be giving it back or anything.
Samantha is a perfect example of someone at their most desperate and most vulnerable. Samantha did not just want to live; she needed to live. She had small children to raise who needed their mother. I have no doubt she was willing to do whatever it took to give herself a chance at life. Unfortunately she was terminally ill with cancer and there were not any treatments left for her. The family claims that it was not the cancer which claimed her life, but a lung infection, thus promoting the idea that this treatment would have worked for her. This sounds all too familiar to anyone who has followed what happens in these Mexican "cancer clinics". These places are not set up to treat disease. A lung infection will go untreated. If you're in Tijuana and you get really sick, then the staff might drive you across the border, drop you at a fast food restaurant, call 911 and bolt. Otherwise, you get put back on a plane home and your doctor there is left to clean up the mess the quack in Mexico made. If you develop a complication of any of these cancer "treatments" at a Mexican clinic, you will not get treatment for it. It's a sweet little scam for them. They get to claim that their "treatment" would have worked had you not gotten that nasty little infection, and the hospital in San Diego is left to pick up the pieces.
I want to make something very clear here: Samantha and her family are 100% the victims in this case. They were at their most vulnerable and most desperate, and at a time when they had lost all hope, someone came along and promised to be their savoir. If they had any skepticism or doubt, then the salesperson at the "clinic" would naturally have assured them that there was science to back this up and that it was only not used in countries like the US and the UK because of some conspiracy by big medicine to suppress "the cure" for cancer.
Though the details are not there, at some point Samantha decided to go to Mexico to undergo a cancer treatment called hyperthermia therapy. Hyperthermia, apparently can be used to help treat some cancers, but as of yet is largely an experimental therapy and results are mixed as to its efficacy. What we do know is that it not the cure for cancer. At any rate, it can potentially be very dangerous and so it should only be administered by a highly-trained doctor who knows what she is doing. This is one of those "therapies" which might have some potential, but which can quickly morph into quackery if used in a way (whole body) and on patients who can no longer receive any benefit from the treatment. To me, these are the most dangerous quack therapies out there. They appeal to people who are intelligent and educated because they actually do have some science to back them up. Unfortunately this does not translate to working a miracle on every person with cancer, no matter the type or stage. Though not mentioned in any article, this treatment was ostensibly not offered to Samantha by any of her doctors in the UK, likely because they knew it would bring her no benefit. To pay for it, Samantha sold her possessions and moved into a cheaper house. Her six-year-old daughter even sold her toys on Ebay. The family started a fundraiser so that it might raise the nearly 60,000 quid necessary to pay for the "treatment" in Mexico. In the end, it did not work and Samantha returned in much worse shape than before and died within days of an infection, one of the possible side effects of hyperthermia.
So what was the harm here? After all, so many people who promote fantasy-based medicine claim that if someone is already terminal, then there is no harm in trying an alternative. Well, let's see. Samantha left her two young children for eight weeks while she went halfway across the world to pursue a treatment which would not work. Since this treatment involves raising the temperature of the body, I am going to have to assume that the treatment itself was unpleasant. In those eight weeks she could have been home getting palliation. Her daughters could have formed a few more good memories with their mother. There could have been a few more moments of laughter, of reading stories before bed, of playing games, and going to the park. They will never have the option to do any of those things with their mother ever again. That was stolen from them by the people at the "clinic" in Mexico. And what about the money she raised? Well, in the grander scheme things money is not particularly important, but every mother I know with small children would take a lot of comfort in leaving them some money before she died. Could this 60,000 GBP have been put in a trust to help the girls through university when the time came? Well, now it is lining the pockets of some scammer in Mexico. He or she won't be giving it back or anything.
Samantha is a perfect example of someone at their most desperate and most vulnerable. Samantha did not just want to live; she needed to live. She had small children to raise who needed their mother. I have no doubt she was willing to do whatever it took to give herself a chance at life. Unfortunately she was terminally ill with cancer and there were not any treatments left for her. The family claims that it was not the cancer which claimed her life, but a lung infection, thus promoting the idea that this treatment would have worked for her. This sounds all too familiar to anyone who has followed what happens in these Mexican "cancer clinics". These places are not set up to treat disease. A lung infection will go untreated. If you're in Tijuana and you get really sick, then the staff might drive you across the border, drop you at a fast food restaurant, call 911 and bolt. Otherwise, you get put back on a plane home and your doctor there is left to clean up the mess the quack in Mexico made. If you develop a complication of any of these cancer "treatments" at a Mexican clinic, you will not get treatment for it. It's a sweet little scam for them. They get to claim that their "treatment" would have worked had you not gotten that nasty little infection, and the hospital in San Diego is left to pick up the pieces.
I want to make something very clear here: Samantha and her family are 100% the victims in this case. They were at their most vulnerable and most desperate, and at a time when they had lost all hope, someone came along and promised to be their savoir. If they had any skepticism or doubt, then the salesperson at the "clinic" would naturally have assured them that there was science to back this up and that it was only not used in countries like the US and the UK because of some conspiracy by big medicine to suppress "the cure" for cancer.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Candice-Marie Fox Claims She Went to Police
There is no crime in going to a Facebook page which was created for the sole purposes of engaging the public and posting comments. There has not been a single post there which was criminal in nature, and Candice-Marie Fox can ban people and delete comments if she does not like it (which she does). Despite what Candice-Marie Fox thinks, criticizing someone is not a crime. She has unilaterally chosen to make herself a public figure, and now she is getting a public critique. If she does not like it, then she can return to being a private figure. I get that she is very disappointed in how this has all gone down. I am sure that when she was fantasizing about all this, that she had a completely different picture in her head as to what the public's reaction was going to be. Well, this is the reality; there are a great many people out there right now who are sick of people like Candice spreading deadly misinformation to cancer patients and we are going to make our displeasure known. That is not a crime and it is insulting of her to insinuate such.
Oh, and Candice, why don't you post a copy of the police report? It seems only fair that everyone know which crime it is they are being investigated for. I am sure you will post it ASAP. After all, you are good, decent person full of love and light.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
A Young Woman with Cancer Responds to Belle's Recent Interview
An open letter to Belle Gibson.
Belle –
My name is Allie. I am 21, and I have endometrial cancer which is incredibly rare for somebody my age. I have only been diagnosed recently but have been suffering with crippling, debilitating pain and blood loss for months. I realise that there are other cancer patients and survivors who have suffered longer (or more) who might be more qualified to write this but I need to get a few things off my chest.
Before I was diagnosed, I bought your app. I followed you on Instagram. I believed in the positivity and wholeness that you promoted. I felt empathy for you, and while I could never quite bring myself to believe in curing a sickness with a specific diet I had respect for what you were doing. In some ways, I looked up to you – you were a strong woman overcoming odds and making a name for yourself while battling a terrible illness. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one - I was told by another sufferer that when you posted that your cancer had spread to your liver, uterus, spleen and brain they sat on their bed and cried for you. But at the same time, wondering how you managed to look so good so sick while she was a “bald, feverish, yellow mess”. Which takes us forward a few months, where your web of lies begins fall apart. (As were most people) I was shocked and somehow personally offended because I believed in you and supported you. The fact that you could so blatantly lie about something that has affected so many people is disgusting to me, but even worse is the fact that you capitalised on it. THAT is unforgivable.
That then leads me to your most recent interview. Was there even an apology in there, or was it just you playing the victim? I’m stuck on the fact that you first of all used your childhood as an excuse for your actions. Everybody reacts to things differently, but as somebody who lost their sister (to cancer) at a young age and their dad to a heart attack all before I reached high school I can tell you that it is absolutely not an excuse for your abhorrent actions. Again, in the next few paragraphs you play the victim – of course the public backlash has been horrible, what did you expect? It’s as though you have no grasp of what you’ve done. You still expect a level of respect? What exactly have you done to deserve that? I can’t bring myself to respect somebody that has created a community based on a lie, and made thousands of dollars from that same lie.
Not to mention the cancer patients that would have followed your lead thinking they themselves could cure their cancer. This is the worst part of it all – that these people believed in you, and there is a chance some of them turned away from traditional methods and instead followed your pseudo-science. In the time since I have been diagnosed, I have been bombarded with messages recommending certain diets to “cure” my cancer or that if I do two coffee enemas a day it will fix me. These are all messages that you helped to perpetuate with your Instagram, your lies and your entire social media existence. And the fact that you had the nerve to do that when you never had to sit in a doctor’s office and hear the words “you have cancer” is something beyond disgusting. You don’t know how scary it is to hear those words, or hear that you will become infertile at 21, or have to undergo chemotherapy.
The public hasn’t received a proper apology from you yet, and until they do I’m certain you won’t receive the respect you so think you deserve. To prey on vulnerable people who are desperate for hope, or a cure is the lowest of low and I’m actually astonished at the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any legal ramifications so far.
But really, all I feel in this situation is sadness. Sadness that you are so deluded, sadness that you can’t see how badly your actions have affected people all around the world and mainly sadness for those people that believed in you. I hope that one day you can begin to recognize how harmful your actions were (and continue to be) and that you accept accountability, own responsibility and offer the people you have affected a real apology – not one sandwiched between cries for more sympathy.
Regards,
Allie Garland
Belle –
My name is Allie. I am 21, and I have endometrial cancer which is incredibly rare for somebody my age. I have only been diagnosed recently but have been suffering with crippling, debilitating pain and blood loss for months. I realise that there are other cancer patients and survivors who have suffered longer (or more) who might be more qualified to write this but I need to get a few things off my chest.
Before I was diagnosed, I bought your app. I followed you on Instagram. I believed in the positivity and wholeness that you promoted. I felt empathy for you, and while I could never quite bring myself to believe in curing a sickness with a specific diet I had respect for what you were doing. In some ways, I looked up to you – you were a strong woman overcoming odds and making a name for yourself while battling a terrible illness. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one - I was told by another sufferer that when you posted that your cancer had spread to your liver, uterus, spleen and brain they sat on their bed and cried for you. But at the same time, wondering how you managed to look so good so sick while she was a “bald, feverish, yellow mess”. Which takes us forward a few months, where your web of lies begins fall apart. (As were most people) I was shocked and somehow personally offended because I believed in you and supported you. The fact that you could so blatantly lie about something that has affected so many people is disgusting to me, but even worse is the fact that you capitalised on it. THAT is unforgivable.
That then leads me to your most recent interview. Was there even an apology in there, or was it just you playing the victim? I’m stuck on the fact that you first of all used your childhood as an excuse for your actions. Everybody reacts to things differently, but as somebody who lost their sister (to cancer) at a young age and their dad to a heart attack all before I reached high school I can tell you that it is absolutely not an excuse for your abhorrent actions. Again, in the next few paragraphs you play the victim – of course the public backlash has been horrible, what did you expect? It’s as though you have no grasp of what you’ve done. You still expect a level of respect? What exactly have you done to deserve that? I can’t bring myself to respect somebody that has created a community based on a lie, and made thousands of dollars from that same lie.
Not to mention the cancer patients that would have followed your lead thinking they themselves could cure their cancer. This is the worst part of it all – that these people believed in you, and there is a chance some of them turned away from traditional methods and instead followed your pseudo-science. In the time since I have been diagnosed, I have been bombarded with messages recommending certain diets to “cure” my cancer or that if I do two coffee enemas a day it will fix me. These are all messages that you helped to perpetuate with your Instagram, your lies and your entire social media existence. And the fact that you had the nerve to do that when you never had to sit in a doctor’s office and hear the words “you have cancer” is something beyond disgusting. You don’t know how scary it is to hear those words, or hear that you will become infertile at 21, or have to undergo chemotherapy.
The public hasn’t received a proper apology from you yet, and until they do I’m certain you won’t receive the respect you so think you deserve. To prey on vulnerable people who are desperate for hope, or a cure is the lowest of low and I’m actually astonished at the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any legal ramifications so far.
But really, all I feel in this situation is sadness. Sadness that you are so deluded, sadness that you can’t see how badly your actions have affected people all around the world and mainly sadness for those people that believed in you. I hope that one day you can begin to recognize how harmful your actions were (and continue to be) and that you accept accountability, own responsibility and offer the people you have affected a real apology – not one sandwiched between cries for more sympathy.
Regards,
Allie Garland
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Does Jessica Tancred of The Today Show Fact Check?
Well, I simply must ask because she produced a segment about Candice-Marie Fox where she very baldly reported that Candice-Marie cured her terminal (given five years to live) cancer using pineapples. You can find the segment here. This is an incredibly serious thing to report on without confirming if it is indeed true. So, Jessica Tancred, what sort of proof did Candice-Marie Fox offer you to back up her story?
Friday, April 17, 2015
Social Media Lies and the Case of Britt McHenry
Okay, so Britt McHenry is a not a wellness blogger. If you're like me, then you have probably never even heard of her. In fact, the only reason I know about her is because she had an epic meltdown at a tow yard and the whole thing was caught on camera. She is a sports reporter for ESPN, and like all people with a career on television, she has a strong social media presence. She has a sweet blog where she implores women to place intelligence above looks. Indeed, she is so supportive of this notion that she bravely posts of photo of herself without (gasp!) make-up. She rails against sexism and opines that it is no wonder that there is still such an issue with gender equality when women are expected to sexually debase themselves in order to sell cheeseburgers. Her blog also has the usual stuff about loving yourself, living in the moment, and being positive. Why this Britt woman seems like such a great lady! What a wonderful way to use her fame to inspire other women to be better people. There are also some really lovely pictures of her smiling authentically and posing with people who seem delighted to be in her presence. She must be super! All young women should go to her for inspiration. I mean, she is just such a wonderful human being! It is obvious from the stuff she puts on her blog that she is!
Well, it turns out that in reality, and not in the fantasy that is social media, Britt McHenry does not feel that way at all. She is actually looksist, elitist, and mean. She is a nasty person who looks down on other people, especially fat women who work in blue-collar jobs. She cusses out strangers, and flips the bird when she gets upset. And it was all caught on camera.
At the tow yard, she blasts the woman working there for "having no education, no skill set," telling her that being at that place "makes her skin crawl" and reminding the woman that "I have a brain and you don't." The other woman cannot be seen, but ostensibly she does not have Hollywood veneers like Britt, who goes on to conclude that "maybe if [she] were missing some teeth" that they would hire her to work there. But that is not enough for her, she further goes on to tell the attendant, "I'm on television and you're in a f**king trailer, honey." Never fear though, for Britt has a final bit of advice for the woman so that she can come closer to being as fantastic as Britt. "Lose some weight, baby girl," she admonishes, before stomping off. On her final exit from the tow yard, she flips off the camera as she leaves.
Now I get it. Having your car towed sucks. It is a big hassle and you essentially feel held hostage by the tow company until you pay to get your car out. You probably missed appointments, and worst of all your transportation has been taken from you. Maybe you felt that you had parked legally and so you're feeling like the whole thing is a massive injustice on top of it all. Perhaps you get a little snippy with the people working there. Sure, we all lose our cool sometimes. But what Britt did went far beyond just "losing her cool." Would any of you talk to another person like this, no matter how stressful the situation? I doubt it. You might utter an uncalled for "goddamnit" or perhaps you might inform the person working there that you find the fine too high, or that you had a lot of stuff to do that day, but would you insult their appearance, their job and the conditions of their workplace? Only a person who goes about her life thinking that way would do that. Britt, it turns out, has a very negative and sad mind. Her outlook on life is actually snobbish and mean. Her "sweet" look is just a cover for a person who throws the word "f**k" at a perfect stranger and then fat-shames her so that she can regain the upper hand. She is quite simply, just not a very good person.
I use this case to illustrate the problem with social media and how is it easy for a person to manipulate their image. This is the biggest problem with the current social media wellness bloggers. Their image is created entirely through social media, and likely has very little connection to reality. At least Britt McHenry just asks athletes what it took to win the game; wellness bloggers tell people how to cure cancer.
Well, it turns out that in reality, and not in the fantasy that is social media, Britt McHenry does not feel that way at all. She is actually looksist, elitist, and mean. She is a nasty person who looks down on other people, especially fat women who work in blue-collar jobs. She cusses out strangers, and flips the bird when she gets upset. And it was all caught on camera.
At the tow yard, she blasts the woman working there for "having no education, no skill set," telling her that being at that place "makes her skin crawl" and reminding the woman that "I have a brain and you don't." The other woman cannot be seen, but ostensibly she does not have Hollywood veneers like Britt, who goes on to conclude that "maybe if [she] were missing some teeth" that they would hire her to work there. But that is not enough for her, she further goes on to tell the attendant, "I'm on television and you're in a f**king trailer, honey." Never fear though, for Britt has a final bit of advice for the woman so that she can come closer to being as fantastic as Britt. "Lose some weight, baby girl," she admonishes, before stomping off. On her final exit from the tow yard, she flips off the camera as she leaves.
Now I get it. Having your car towed sucks. It is a big hassle and you essentially feel held hostage by the tow company until you pay to get your car out. You probably missed appointments, and worst of all your transportation has been taken from you. Maybe you felt that you had parked legally and so you're feeling like the whole thing is a massive injustice on top of it all. Perhaps you get a little snippy with the people working there. Sure, we all lose our cool sometimes. But what Britt did went far beyond just "losing her cool." Would any of you talk to another person like this, no matter how stressful the situation? I doubt it. You might utter an uncalled for "goddamnit" or perhaps you might inform the person working there that you find the fine too high, or that you had a lot of stuff to do that day, but would you insult their appearance, their job and the conditions of their workplace? Only a person who goes about her life thinking that way would do that. Britt, it turns out, has a very negative and sad mind. Her outlook on life is actually snobbish and mean. Her "sweet" look is just a cover for a person who throws the word "f**k" at a perfect stranger and then fat-shames her so that she can regain the upper hand. She is quite simply, just not a very good person.
I use this case to illustrate the problem with social media and how is it easy for a person to manipulate their image. This is the biggest problem with the current social media wellness bloggers. Their image is created entirely through social media, and likely has very little connection to reality. At least Britt McHenry just asks athletes what it took to win the game; wellness bloggers tell people how to cure cancer.
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