I. Medical science is beginning to consider careful watching and monitoring of some cancers, rather than surgery. A. Evidence is growing that some cancers may be healed by individuals themselves.
B. Evidence that meditation, relaxation, and other alternative medicine is helpful in treating cancer.
C. Examples: prostate cancers and an abnormal Pap smears that have healed themselves.
II. The Power of the Individual to heal himself
B. Louise Hay, Sir William Osler, George Solomon
C. Women who confront breast cancer have better survival rates
D. Fighting spirit is important for treatment
A. Opposite results found--more patients on alternative treatments died
B. Critics of Bristol method--citing vegetarian diet
C. Pros and cons of alternative treatment, i.e. shark cartilage, change of diet.
D. Reasons for opposite results in Bristol
Cancer and other serious diseases are usually treated with surgery or powerful drugs, but some new studies suggest that people heal themselves and that monitoring often is all that is needed (Podolsky and Rubin 64). While no one is suggesting that sick people stay away from doctors' offices, evidence is growing that for a number of conditions, high-cost specialty care often makes no difference in the long run and may even hurt more than he