North American Cancer Salves

Safety of the Method

My first question when hearing about this method concerned its safety. The MD with whom I first discussed this matter assured me that escharotic use has never resulted in any deaths and that it involves virtually no risks. Lay practitioners made the same statements, and the historic sources I reviewed offered the same assurances as to safety. In short, the method is regarded as safe. For me, this much concurrence on such an important matter was powerful since we know that there are risks inherent in all the conventional treatments.

With surgery, there is risk of missing some of the tumor, of disseminating the malignancy, and of blood loss—not to mention mutilation, loss of body parts and function, difficult recovery, and sometimes slow healing. Salve use is bloodless and somewhat more specific in that there is less loss of healthy tissue. I am quick to point out that while some products are more selective in action than others, many are, in fact, indiscriminately destructive.

With irradiation, there is burning and usually permanent loss of elasticity of the tissue in the treatment area. Worst of all, there is the danger that the radioactivity will cause a secondary cancer unrelated to the primary malignancy. With chemotherapy, the side effects so exceed any possible benefit that, except for a rare instance here and there, the arguments in favor of this treatment are feeble at best.

With botanical salves, there are few dangers comparable to those of conventional treatments. There is no blood loss, no loss of body parts, no severing of nerves, and no toxicity. However, with most of the products, there is a heat reaction and increased circulation to the treatment site. Irritation of the tumor by such products can aggravate the tendency of the malignancy to grow.

In the opinion of at least one expert from the 19th century, unskillful use of the bloodroot salves may promote metastasis, the spreading of the cancer via the lymphatic system or bloodstream to remote parts of the body. These are malignancies that are of the same type as the primary cancer but that occur in different tissues than the primary cancer. For example, breast cancer may metastasize to the liver, but it is a cell from the breast, deformed breast tissue, that seeds itself in the liver where it grows as it did in the breast.

To minimize these risks, I developed a "quieter" treatment, one that does not cause inflammation. To produce the required reaction, I rely on the ability of the salve to penetrate. This is a gradual and almost painless process. It requires perseverance but no heroics. It is suitable for those whose tumors are not growing fast as well as for those people who do not tolerate pain well. It also requires great dedication to the process and daily attention.

Stimulation of the Tumor

There is another theory to consider, that of diathesis. This view is based on an assumption about a biological tendency towards cancer that, if uncorrected, allows the cancer to continue growing. According to this theory, growth of any remaining cancerous cells will be accelerated if a part of the lesion is removed and another left in place.

This idea is similar to that understood by gardeners. If one prunes a tree, growth of the remaining tree is stimulated. To the best of my knowledge, these concepts are unproved. They do, however, appear to merit investigation.

Though the danger of metastasis is the only known risk factor attending escharotic use, it is such a significant issue that it cannot be taken lightly. It is precisely because of this risk that I personally hesitate to give this treatment my own 100% endorsement. There are other arguments that more or less neutralize the caution I feel is appropriate. Mainly, these involve claims that either the detoxifying or immune enhancing properties of the herbs are so great as to mitigate against the formation of a distant lesion.

In my opinion, these premises are interesting but lacking proof. Metastasis is a virtually invisible process. A lesion may be undetected for years. When it is finally noted, its history can merely be deduced on the basis of reasonable assumptions, none of which can really be proven.

The risk of metastasis is inherent in the nature of cancer itself. To the extent that there is blood circulation to the tumor, a malignant cell that has broken off may be carried to another part of the body at any time, this regardless of the treatments undertaken. Thus, the fact that one has successfully removed a tumor in no way precludes the possibility that before the removal, some cells had already migrated from the primary site. At this time, there is no scientific way to determine whether or not a patient is suffering from metastasis—at least until the tiny cell has replicated and the mass has grown significantly.

A few doctors have expressed concern that escharotic treatments leave patients at risk for infection. The two cases of infection that have been reported to me involved failure to keep the treatment site sufficiently clean. Depending on the stage of the process, the treatment site may require thorough cleansing every two to 24 hours. Failure to maintain proper hygiene is, of course, a risk; but it is a manageable risk if appropriate measures are taken. Lastly, one or two patients have reported some blood loss. Though one patient referred to the blood loss as a hemorrhage, it was not, in fact, described as such to me at the time it occurred. At that time, she telephoned (late at night from out of state) and described the loss of a few teaspoons of blood. I contacted an MD who is familiar with this treatment and asked for advice. The MD said, the blood loss did not sound serious but the patient should go to ER if the bleeding continued. The patient did not go to ER, but she later maintained that she had hemorrhaged. This would appear to have been a serious exaggeration.

I believe the treatment is about as safe as any, but the fact that I believe this does mean it is appropriate for everyone. It is simply not dangerous unless people misuse the treatment and in so doing waste precious time that could have been spent more wisely.

 

The book contains over 100 recipes for cancer salves, pastes, poultices, liniments, internal tonics, and teas as well as detailed instructions for use of the products.

$

 

Comparisons with Surgery

Table of Contents of the Introductory Section

Why I Started this Site My First Exposure to Cancer Salves
What are Cancer Salves Historic Escharotic Salves Secrecy around use of the Salves
Types of Cancer Salves Zinc Chloride Bloodroot
Responses Cure Rate Safety Comparisons with Surgery
Pros and Cons Treatment Supervision Using Salves Goldenseal

Photographs: Eschar Forming and Healed Site