During February 2017, Dr. Carol Coombes OBE diagnosed as a cancer patient with a ‘rare and aggressive’ tonsillar cancer. As soon as she found out that she was a cancer patient, she started trying to change her life style in order to rebuild her immune system without adopting the conventional medical methods like radio and chemotherapy.
She was hoping that she would succeed in this purpose, and with consistent monitoring and analysis from the NHS, be able to check on improvements. But Carol was astonished to know that the NHS, the core public healthcare provider in the UK, is not able to discuss any kind of treatments outside Oncology (The study and treatment of tumors), due to The Cancer act 1939.
This implies no data is being kept formally in the UK identifying with individuals utilizing alternatives and more traditional techniques, as Carol is doing. So according to NHS, no cancer treatment can be given to anyone without having gone through full clinical trials. No clinical trials can be considered without enough convincing proof to drive one. Also, no information is being gathered.
On the other hand, a lot of stories are appearing about using other conventional methods but with no evidence or rigor to the claims, meaning these methods can’t be used to help future treatments.
Carol Coombes, is the first Public figure in the UK to speak out about using more natural/ traditional methods, including cannabis oil to help manage her cancer.
She says there are a few big hurdles that have to be jumped for us to get there. cannabis oil, although it’s only one of the herbs being used in her massive effort towards wellness, is the most contentious part, on a number of levels. Using this as an e.g. Carol says ‘The real challenge with using cannabis oil for many of us isn’t that it might be illegal, dependent upon where you are and which you use. It’s not even that it’s difficult to source. Both of those challenges can be overcome in a relatively short time, as there’s a growing community in the UK. It’s not even of knowing which particular oil would suit your needs, as our cousins across the pond can lead us in that area, as well as more experience being developed in the UK’ Most people, it seems, in the Cannabis Community are keen to help. Too many, in fact, given that there are hundreds of ‘failsafe’ protocols, and ever-changing stories. We saw exactly the problem. No one can offer anything other than anecdotes because no evidence is captured. We were overwhelmed when we tried to make our way through it.
She stresses that there can’t be clinical trials for everything. This, she says, is a natural herb that’s showing clear benefits for lots of health issues, WITH NO LASTING negative impact to the people taking it, in countries that are much further forward in their knowledge. She has the questions for everyone:
1. Why can’t the test results, experience and evidence of people now be looked at, to see if there are emerging patterns or themes?
2. Healthy living to manage disease has a clear requirement of no processed foods, sugar, dairy etc yet everything given to cancer patients as part of the treatment has a frighteningly high percentage of sugar. If nutritionists around the world say no sugar for cancer, why do we do the opposite?
She’s discussed these questions with several leading researchers who said, quite simply, they’re prohibited from discussing anything outside of conventional treatment due to section 4 of The Cancer Act 1939. Others have said the biggest challenge is with knowing how to apply new methods, rather than of understanding them.
Taking an initiative, Carol’s set up The Facebook group ‘Banned Aid: Weed the World’ and invited anyone from general public with an interest to join the conversations. She’s resisted so far requests for a book or blog, feeling the market is so crowded with great ones, it’s hard to see how another could add benefit. She wants evidence. And she wants to be one of the people who help to provide it.
She’s discussing presenting a radio session called for now, ‘Come Die With Me’, while she factually has a voice. This will make noise, with guests about this and more of the biggest issues, and celebrate all the moods and humor of the last stages of life.
Join the conversation here on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1371468459639799/
or via twitter @crackingleaders #bannedaid
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