My mom sent me a letter to the editor from their local newspaper the other day, a letter in which the claim was made that government was suppressing a known, proven cure for all cancer, ground apricot pits, also known as laetrile.
This writer lumped the FDA, drug makers and all doctors into a conspiracy to overcharge and undertreat people by making the sale of laetrile illegal. Mom is a little sensitive to the issue of doctors and cancer right now as my dad has been fighting bladder cancer for the past year.
I decided to do a little research and see what the world says about apricot pits. I found one rather extensive article that gave an in depth history of the development and use of laetrile. It was a bit lengthy and in the end didn’t have much good to say about the use of pits, but certainly one side of the story. I think it is worth noting that this article follows the history of this treatment back to the early 1800’s.
The other side of the story, the one offered by the writer of the letter my mom read, seems a bit more like a pitch to sell a book and apricot seeds. While they do claim to offer scientific facts, in my research I didn’t find any that led to any reliable source. I take that back. They did quote the Bible in several places and I do consider the Bible to be a reliable source. Having said that, I suspect that God frowns just a bit on the use of his word to sell books and apricot seeds.
My nephew may have hit the nail on the head. He said that apricot seeds will absolutely cure cancer…..if they get stuck in your throat. Then the cause of death isn’t cancer.
Bottom line. From a life insurance standpoint, underwriters will likely not buy into laetrile as a cure for cancer. That may not set well with proponents, but the fact remains that it simply doesn’t have the documented track record it takes to receive favorable underwriting.
“That may not set well with proponents, but the fact remains that it simply doesn’t have the documented track record it takes to receive favorable underwriting.”
And never will as long as the big Chemical and Pharmaceutical multi nationals can’t control and overcharge for whatever is used.
Although there are many studies which prove the effectiveness of botanical remedies such as St. Johns Wart, Fennel and Chamomile, if they can’t control it and make big money with it, no company will ever spend a dime trying to prove that it works.
As long as we keep throwing Billions of dollars into the research portion of any problem, there will be no incentive to find a cure (no money in it). Take for example AIDS if they were to find a cure next week and even if they would charge $10,000 a cure, it would mean that the people making the pills used now would loose tens of thousands of dollars the very first year and that billions of dollars slated for research would no longer be heading their way.
No one is really looking for the cure. What they are looking for is any way to keep everyone alive (at a cost) which they will set.
There is no room in today’s society for cheep and everyday remedies, no room for the cures which your ancestors used and certainly no use for any cure which they can’t 100% control.
So the thing to remember is that no one is looking for a documented track record that it takes to receive favorable underwriting and if someone did accidentally fine some, it would be suppressed for economic reasons or as we are endlessly told, “for our own good”.
The thing to remember here is that fruit seeds cost very little and can be bought at any grocery store, it is the heart of the stones that is needed to be eaten not the complete pit and if it makes even one life more tolerable or dieing easier for just one person it is worth the time and effort to at lease try, when even the medical and chemical industry has given up.
Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (Ret’d).
Corporal Young, Thank you for your comments. I understand the economics of medicine, but the truth is that apricot seeds had plenty of time to secure their place as a proven cure well before the FDA was created. The longer history doesn’t hold up. Laetrile is still available for those who want to try it.
My point exactly Mr. Hinerman,
There never has been an economic incentive to prove or disprove that something which is readily available to almost everyone and very little outside monies to push any research.
There is however a very large financial incentive to show that chemical products are better and further to discredits anything which might get in the way of corporate income.
Years ago here in Canada the large grocery chain stores were at a loss as to how to maintain fresh chicken on the shelves. No one farmer could keep any chain in chicken. Along came the Chicken Marketing Board which was willing to guarantee supply but on the condition that these stores would buy from no one else. Today because of this we here in Canada have chicken all year round but we no longer can get good stewing hens, larger chickens, capons and for that matter nothing much older then 6-8 weeks in the way of chicken.
Does that mean that the larger chickens are not as good as the chicken that is available? The larger chickens had ample time to prove that they had more taste then what is now available.
I do not believe that I even mentioned the FDA, nor was I trying to blame them for the situation because I believe that the problem lies in the Government itself. Too many of the players in Government have large holdings in petrol, chemical, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing, to want any product readily available to everyone at little or no costs to be proven as an effective cure for anything let alone one of the largest money makers like cancer.
Now I’m not saying that this stuff works or not, what I am saying is that no one will ever even try to find out but if someone was to try any they would be shut down, bought out or discredited.
Even the suggestion of testing or research in this field is enough to get you labeled as a quack and black listed.
Cpl. Kenneth H. Young CD (Ret’d).