Researching the options . . .

Back in 1992 during the occasion of the inaugural tumor, the internet was hardly more than just a gleam in Al Gore’s eye. I remember actually having a phone discussion with a representative at the National Cancer Institute requesting that a copy of the “Physician’s Data Query” for liposarcomas be sent to me. By fax. Morse code would have taken too long.

Sixteen years later, the internet has become an astonishingly powerful tool for the gathering of information. Google has indexed about 40 billion web pages and a new search engine claims to have indexed three times that number. Everything under the sun is included, of course. And lots of stuff above the sun, behind the sun, and inside the sun. From sources ranging from medical professionals to well-intentioned amateurs.

I recently came across a site with 34 pages dedicated to cancer treatments for Stage IV patients. I was intrigued until I came across the following statement:

“Almost all breast cancer cases involve root canals as a causal factor. Thus, if a breast cancer patient does not have their root canal teeth removed by a biological dentist or holistic dentist, their cancer will almost certainly return.”

Huh? I know almost nothing about breast cancer but I’m guessing that it predates modern dentistry. And that it strikes women that have not had root canals. All it takes is one declaration that doesn’t ring true and it’s amazing how quickly the reading pace accelerates.

Yes, the internet allows for a level of research like never before. But the process takes a great deal of patience and attention as you wade through the forest. It's important to avoid stepping in the doom and gloom of the medical community while simultaneously taking care not to trip over the tin foil hat nonsense that so pervasively litters the landscape.

The approach to the mountain continues, and I choose my steps carefully . . .