DCA Cancer Cure? Nope, just another Hoax. See Snopes.

[liveonearth]

This was passed on by a health-interested friend on facebook:
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/228583-Scientists-cure-cancer-but-no-one-takes-notice

My reply was along the lines of:

Interesting, but I wonder; why haven't I heard about this? The article says I can access the original science "here" but the hyperlink isn't there. And I wonder, can the same effect (as is claimed for dichloroacetate) be had by modulating metabolism by other means? They don't postulate a mechanism for the action on mitochondria. I remain skeptical. Show me the science.

A little research reveals that it is indeed a hoax.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/cancercure.asp
http://www.cancer.org/AboutUs/DrLensBlog/post/2010/05/14/More-On-Dichloroacetate-(DCA)-In-Cancer-Treatment.aspx

Comments

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

Virtually always may me a little stronger than I'd say, but basically we agree. I can think of a few medical examples of useful treatments being badmouthed or even banned due to the efforts of pharmacomedical business. I don't know as much about other fields.

Example: The amino acid tryptophan was banned in the US due to one bad batch, a very short time before the first SSRI was introduced.

Of course some so-called medical treatments DESERVE to be badmouthed but that's entirely another matter.

[ford-prefect42.livejournal.com]

:) With dorks like you and I, it's important to look at the specific phraseology. "Virtually always" != always, and "supremely sceptical" != "don't believe". After a heckofalot of conversations with "lay-people" I frequently fall into the same problem, of reading what is generally there, rather than what is specifically there.

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

My typing is getting worse, too.

[ford-prefect42.livejournal.com]

Hell, half the time, I let typos slide these days. Looking at modern text-speak, it's hard to be a speech conniseur.