When no treatment is the best treatment
It's the look I know all too well -- the look of panic I see in the eyes of nearly every newly diagnosed cancer patient.
The look that says "DO SOMETHING!"
But in many cases, the best "something" is actually nothing at all -- and that's especially true when it comes to prostate cancer. In fact, this disease is one case where less is often a whole lot more.
In one new study, researchers compared two common treatment-free approaches to prostate cancer: active surveillance and watchful waiting.
As the name suggests, "active" surveillance involves more work -- more tests, and more trips to the doctor.
But as the study shows, men don't get better outcomes from it.
In fact, they have roughly the same risk of death as men who take the more hands-off "watchful waiting" approach.
So far, that's a tie.
But it didn't remain that way -- because men who take the active surveillance approach are more than twice as likely to undergo treatment for prostate cancer as men who choose watchful waiting.
That's an important difference, because treatment can be even worse than the disease itself, leading to long-term and even lifelong battles with incontinence, impotence, and other side effects.
As a result, the new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds that "watchful waiting" leads to the best quality of life without actually increasing the risk of death.
And that means "less" really is "more" when it comes to this disease.
I know this runs counter to the "DO SOMETHING!" instinct that comes with a cancer diagnosis. But the fact is, prostate tumors grow very slowly -- so slowly they will never pose a threat to most men.
And if you want to make sure those tumors remain harmless and feel like you're doing "SOMETHING" to fight cancer, there are some natural supplements you can take that can slow the disease further -- including selenium.
In one recent study, this trace mineral was shown to slash the risk of potentially deadly stage III and IV prostate tumors by as much as 63 percent, and you can read more about that right here.
For more on the best nutritional approaches to beating cancer -- any cancer -- work closely with an experienced holistic physician. And if you're in Southern California, I can help.
Contact my clinic at 1-855-DOC-MARK for more information or to make an appointment.