Critics of so-called "alternative" medicine frequently raise the possibility that patients who avoid mainstream, scientifically-based medicine in favor of various other modalities may miss getting potentially life-saving therapies. And yes, this does happen. Let's look at one small example.
The British Medical Journal (February 28, 2004, p. 485) cites a report that actress and comedienne Sylvia Millecam died of untreated breast cancer in the Netherlands in 2001. After the initial discovery by her general practitioner of a lump in one breast, she received an inconclusive diagnosis from a radiology referral. According to the BMJ's report, rather than consulting a surgeon for a more definitive diagnosis, Ms. Millecam chose exclusively alternative practitioners of various types. In fact, she chose twenty-eight of them.
These practitioners included a faith healer (who told her she didn't have cancer), a psychic healer, and a "cell-specific cancer treatment" at a Swiss clinic. Unfortunately, none of these ministrations were successful, and the patient succumbed to her disease about two years after the initial diagnosis.
As a result of this case, which apparently had been widely discussed in the Netherlands, the responsible governmental authority is considering toughening laws to "ensure greater supervision of alternative practitioners, and that all such practitioners have to be registered." In addition, the government hopes to limit medical diagnoses to trained doctors.
While one can never guarantee that a particular course will cure a disease like breast cancer (or any other, actually), failing even to consider mainstream medical treatment certainly diminishes the possibility of success. Case histories such as this should be widely disseminated so that consumers have a realistic picture of the possible consequences of their choices.
Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., is Director of Nutrition at the American Council on Science and Health.
