It makes sense to distrust the American for-profit healthcare system where treatments that might work don’t get funded if they can’t be patented and monetized. Cancer is also a huge cash cow.

At the same time, taking unproven treatments is a risk. My father had stage 3 cancer and tried alternative treatments while getting periodic PET scans. When nothing decreased the tumor size, he finally got chemo and radiation. He’s still kicking almost 20 years later, but the radiation caused a lot of issues. He’s lucky it didn’t metastasize.

[–] TAG@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I hate the conspiracy theory that big pharma could cure cancer but they are covering it up because cancer treatment is such a profitable business. This makes no sense if you remember that big phara is a bunch of companies each of which is trying to maximize its own profits. The first company that can cure a cancer will make so much money, the Ozempic racket will look like chump change.

Not every company out there makes cancer treatment, so why don't the companies outside the cancer racket cure cancer?

Well, only companies that specialize in cancer treatments could find a cure. If that is the case, why would a company want to be a small part of the cancer treatment market when they can have a monopoly on the cancer curing market?

Well, only the company that has the market leading treatment for a cancer can cure it. If that was the case, they would still want to cure it and sell the same amount of money as 10 years of treatment. Insurance would still cover it because it is saving them money in the long term and is, technically, better for the patient. It would immediately make the pharmaceutical company an obscene amount of money. Sure, once they cure all the existing cases, their revenue will fall off, but by that point, upper management will have cashed out.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

taking unproven treatments is a risk

When talking about cancer, if anyone suggests a pyramid or breathing sunshine or just taking naturopath drops, those anyones should be thrown in jail for attempted murder, as far as I am concerned

It's always the floaty hippie dippie assholes that do this and they always get a pass because "oh well, it's alternative medicine!"

It's snake oil salesmen leaving trails of dead bodies behind them. Fuck everything about these horrible narcissists

[–] ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

I agree. But for many the proven treatments also are a huge risk financially. Very possibly leaving them without savings, home, and retirement funds. But hey, at least they're alive and have to slave away for today's meal.

I get why people choose other options than the fucked up for profit healthcare system in the US.