Cancer Decisions - Free Newsletter

HELPING CANCER PATIENTS THROUGH THE MAZE

We are dedicated to bringing our readers the latest and most interesting news and developments in the field of cancer.

The Moss Reports is a comprehensive series of detailed individual reports on more than 200 different kinds of cancer. Each of these reports analyzes standard treatment approaches, both conventional and alternative, and offers the cancer patient a clear-eyed, truthful assessment of the available options. If you would like to purchase a Moss Report for yourself or for someone you love, you can do so securely from our Web site, www.cancerdecisions.com, or by calling 1-800-980-1234 (814-238-3367 from outside the US).

Also downloadable from our website are the following reports in our Current Topics series on important cancer-related subjects:

Mammography, Biopsy and the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Herceptin or Deceptin? (An evaluation of the use of Herceptin in breast cancer)
Avastin: Your Money Or Your Life. (A clear-eyed look at the 'targeted' drug Avastin)
Do Antioxidants and Chemotherapy Conflict?
The Politics of Hope: Andrew von Eschenbach and the Decline of the National Cancer Institute
The Mexican Cancer Clinics in the Era of Evidence-Based Medicine

I also offer phone consultations to clients who have bought a Moss Report. A phone consultation can be enormously helpful in drawing up a treatment strategy and getting one's options clearly prioritized. As one recent phone consultation client put it:

"Dr. Moss was such a pleasure to speak with. It was as if I was talking with an old friend. I always felt that I had his full attention as he patiently addressed each of my concerns and questions - something we don't often get from the experts. There is a vast sea of cancer information out there, oftentimes confusing and conflicting, which makes it hard for the lay person such as myself to process. Dr. Moss sifted and separated the information, making it so much easier for me to understand what my true needs might be. He validated many of my healthcare decisions, without advocating or pushing me in any particular direction. The word that comes to mind is "honor." I felt deeply honored by Dr. Moss. Cancer is not a linear path. I never know from day-to-day how I will feel or what new issues (oftentimes frightening) will be in front of me. The fact that I can email Dr. Moss at any time should new questions arise is deeply appreciated." — L.V.

To schedule an appointment for a phone consultation, please call 1-800-980-1234 (814-238-3367 from outside the US), or send an email to Jacquie@cancerdecisions.com.

We look forward to helping you.

AUDIO NEWSLETTER

To hear the audio version of the newsletter, please click or go to:
http://www.cancerdecisions.com/audio/CD022507.mp3

THIS WEEK AT THE MOSS REPORTS

I want to use my newsletter this week to bring you up to date on several new developments here at the Moss Reports.

NEW SCIENTIST

This week, New Scientist magazine has published another Opinion piece by me. This one concerns Gardasil, the anti-cervical cancer vaccine that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

New Scientist is among the most important science news magazines in the world. It is published in London, but also has US and Australian print editions. Now in its 50th year, it has 170,000 subscribers. Almost every week the magazine publishes one Opinion article on a topic of interest to scientists around the world. I am proud to say that this is the fourth Opinion piece by me that New Scientist has published in the past year.

You can read a preview of the article by clicking or going to:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg19325925.500-
health-checks-for-women-not-shots.html

(Access to the complete article requires a subscription to the magazine. You can currently get 4 issues of New Scientist plus instant access to all online content for only $4.95.)

GARDASIL

I am extremely concerned that the governor of the State of Texas has signed an executive order mandating vaccination with Gardasil for 11- and 12-year old girls entering the Texas public school system this September. Several other states are being pressured to follow suit. The long-term effectiveness and health consequences of this vaccine are as yet unknown. So, my question is, is it really wise to rush through legislation - without public debate - that mandates the mass vaccination of pre-teenagers, and for a disease for which we already have simple and highly effective screening tests and treatments?

Many readers have written asking that I address the subject of Gardasil and cervical cancer. I am in the final stages of putting together a full-length report on this subject for my Current Topics series, and will be announcing its release shortly, perhaps as soon as next week.

GABE PRESSMAN'S HEALTH BLOG

I was interviewed last week by Gabe Pressman for his health blog at WNBC.com. His topic was R. J. Reynolds' new cigarette "Camel No. 9." Pressman asks: "Are Women Targets, Or Victims, In New Tobacco Campaign?" He cites me as a "researcher and scholar who has been reporting on the war on cancer for three decades," and quotes me as follows:

"Camel's new marketing gimmick is outrageous. It will prey on young women. Indeed it will undo much of the progress that's been made in inducing young women to stop smoking. If this advertising campaign is allowed to proceed unchecked, it could cause thousands of needless deaths in the years to come."

You can access Gabe Pressman's interview at the WNBC Web site by clicking or going to:
http://www.wnbc.com/politics/11052675/detail.html

I will shortly be running a full newsletter on the deliberate marketing of cigarettes to women.

WE'RE PODCASTING!

Readers may have noticed that we are branching out more and more into both audio and video broadcasting over the Internet. Three weeks ago I started offering audio versions of this newsletter. Our video archives were reported on last week and many of you have written to say how much you have enjoyed accessing this historical footage. We are also working on an audio archive that I am sure you will enjoy just as much.

Starting this week, readers can access the audio versions of these newsletters as podcasts. Some of you are probably already know how to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to have our newsletter delivered directly to your computer, or even to your mp3 device, every week. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, or even the term, let me tell you what I know about this new development.

The word podcasting is itself relatively new. It is a portmanteau word made up of "iPod" and "broadcasting," although you do not technically need an iPod to take advantage of it - any device that plays digitized audio files will do. The podcaster - in this case, me - sends a digitized audio or video file to a company that broadcasts such files. We chose iTunes, which is an online store run by Apple Computer. The company indexes these and then arranges for them to be sent to your computer when and if you sign up for this service.

If you have a Macintosh, as I do, you go to a program designated iTunes. If you use a PC you will need to download iTunes. To download a free copy of iTunes for Windows please click or go to:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

You then go to the section labeled the "iTunes Store." After a moment for accessing the iTunes store you are taken to a page that offers all sorts of music, movies, TV shows, etc. What interests you at this point – if you don't let yourself get distracted by all the goodies – is a little box in the upper right hand corner entitled "search iTunes store."

If you enter the words "cancer" and "decisions," you will come up with a little logo with my picture on it and the logo for Cancer Decisions. In two places on that page you will be offered the chance to subscribe. If you do so, your computer will download the current issue as well as future issues.

You may be new to podcasting, but if you intend to listen to these newsletters, I have a favor to ask. Please subscribe to the podcast of the Cancer Decisions newsletter. The more of you who do so, the higher will be our ratings. This will bring our newsletter closer to the top when people just enter the word "cancer" into the iTunes search engine.

As you may know, if you enter the words "alternative," "cancer," and "treatments" into the Yahoo search engine, our Web site, cancerdecisions.com, comes up first in the world (out of 17.4 million sites). We are hoping to eventually reach the same sort of prominence in the world of iTunes and podcasting. You can certainly help us reach that goal.

Our thanks to all our loyal readers and listeners.

--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

The news and other items in this newsletter are intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this newsletter is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.