…and this is a 
I have just read the most awesomely insane but calmly stated collection of dangerous medical advice ever. Andreas Moritz claims cancer is not a disease — it's a healthy response to stress. Guess what causes cancer? Guilt, low self-esteem, and insufficient spirituality.
Cancer has always been an extremely rare illness, except in industrialized nations during the past 40-50 years. Human genes have not significantly changed for thousands of years. Why would they change so drastically now, and suddenly decide to kill scores of people? The answer to this question is amazingly simple: Damaged or faulty genes do not kill anyone. Cancer does not kill a person afflicted with it! What kills a cancer patient is not the tumor, but the numerous reasons behind cell mutation and tumor growth. These root causes should be the focus of every cancer treatment, yet most oncologists typically ignore them. Constant conflicts, guilt and shame, for example, can easily paralyze the body's most basic functions, and lead to the growth of a cancerous tumor.
After having seen thousands of cancer patients over a period of three decades, I began to recognize a certain pattern of thinking, believing and feeling that was common to most of them. To be more specific, I have yet to meet a cancer patient who does not feel burdened by some poor self-image, unresolved conflict and worries, or past emotional trauma that still lingers in his/her subconscious. Cancer, the physical disease, cannot occur unless there is a strong undercurrent of emotional uneasiness and deep-seated frustration.
It goes on and on like that — it's a whole chapter of a book that I presume must go on even longer with this quackery. The whole thing is this illogical mish-mash of unsupported claims and ridiculous conclusions. Cancer has been known for ages; it wasn't that rare. Animals get cancer, and I doubt that it is caused by "emotional uneasiness". We see more cancers now than we did a thousand years ago because today you are less likely to be slaughtered by the pox, poor sanitation, or a spear in the belly, and are more likely to live a longer life. We know many of the genetic causes of cancer: somatic mutations that knock out portions of the apoptotic pathways (cells are always on the knife edge of spontaneously killing themselves if errors occur in replication, for instance, and removing the hair trigger can allow more errors to accumulate) will increase the cell's predisposition to become cancerous. Those mutations are not induced by subconscious worries.
The entire premise behind this guy's schtick is false. Anyone who thinks an essential question to ask yourself if diagnosed is "What is the spiritual growth lesson behind cancer?" is a quack who's out to take advantage of you and the worries that having cancers will naturally cause.
Another clue is to look at his qualifications.
Andreas Moritz is a medical intuitive; a practitioner of Ayurveda, iridology, shiatsu, and vibrational medicine; a writer; and an artist.
Dear sweet jebus, if that guy asked me to blow my nose I wouldn't trust his medical advice. What the hell is a "medical intuitive"? Someone who doesn't have a scrap of knowledge or evidence, but diagnoses and prescribes on the basis of his feelings? That's the impression I get from the collection of lies he has written.
Comments
Posted by: co | May 23, 2009 11:11 AM
It looks to me as though the reviews on Amazon need to get Pharyngulated.
Posted by: Charles
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May 23, 2009 11:12 AM
Medical Intuitive...that's a good one!
Posted by: cousinavi | May 23, 2009 11:14 AM
A medical intuitive. Sounds like a cell whisperer.
"There, there...good ribosome. Easy RNA...eaaasy big fella."
/contented genes
Posted by: Jose | May 23, 2009 11:16 AM
I just went to see my dental intuitive. It turns out my cavities were actually caused by brushing, or rather the emotional trauma that drives me to brush.
Posted by: Steve L | May 23, 2009 11:18 AM
Please save me from giving in to my curiosity and reading it for myself -- How does such a person explain controlled experiments on lab animals in which cancer and wasting are studied?
Posted by: Mozglubov | May 23, 2009 11:19 AM
Where the hell did you find this guy? The whole problem with people like him is that there is a certain "mind-body connection" (a phrase I hate... of course the brain is connected to the rest of your body... it is your bloody control system!) in that things like the placebo effect and extensive stress can and do have specific physiological effects. Unfortunately, that grain of actual truth provides a safe haven for this kind of medical quack to retreat to when faced with someone knowledgeable (kind of like how creationist arguments tend to shrink drastically in scope when faced with someone who is actually knowledgeable about evolution, geology, and science as a whole, but then rebound to previous levels of stupid generality once they are back to an ignorant audience).
Posted by: raven | May 23, 2009 11:22 AM
Sort of true. Cancer was less common in previous times. The incidence of cancer goes up with the third or fourth power of age. The average lifespan in the USA has increased 30 years in a century. In earlier times, people just died young and didn't have the life span to come down with cancer. Blame modern medicine and those evil MDs and scientists.
Posted by: PZ Myers
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May 23, 2009 11:22 AM
Easy -- he's a "medical intuitive". He doesn't know about them!
Posted by: Orac
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May 23, 2009 11:23 AM
Old news, dude. :-)
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/02/the_wisdom_of_cancer_cells.php
Posted by: Mozglubov | May 23, 2009 11:24 AM
@cousinavi
Well done, sir. I chuckled.
Posted by: Orac
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May 23, 2009 11:28 AM
Actually, I forgot to mention. Moritz's stuff very much resembles the quackery known as the German New Medicine:
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2006/10/your_friday_dose_of_woo_the_iron_rule.php
And its newer French version, Biologie Totale:
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/10/biologie_totale_the_quackery_of_german_n.php
Posted by: SC, OM | May 23, 2009 11:28 AM
Few things make me angrier than this sort of demonstrably-false lie. Even when I was a kid, before I had lost people to cancer, it set me off like little else. It's appalling.
And it makes me fear that "having seen" thousands of cancer patients means "having contributed to the suffering and premature deaths" of thousands of cancer patients.
Posted by: Corry | May 23, 2009 11:28 AM
So I guess I've been wasting my time reading about p52, Myc, Ras, etc. Is this guy related to Gene Ray?
Posted by: Gindy | May 23, 2009 11:28 AM
Medical Intuitive aka quack.
Posted by: Dust
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May 23, 2009 11:29 AM
Hooray for science based medicine! It's put me back together many a time.
I worked with a woman who died of breast cancer. She was treated by good science based doctors, and being present to her afflictions and sufferings was traumatic for me.
Reading shit like this is insulting to her memory-the memory of happy, well adjusted individual struck down.
Cancer is still with us not because there are a bunch of depressed, non-spiritual people running around, but because it's a complex form of diseases that is difficult to diagnos and treat--but thanks to real science, real research and real doctoring, lives are extended and saved.
Posted by: CJ | May 23, 2009 11:30 AM
"I have yet to meet a
cancer patientperson who does not feel burdened by some poor self-image, unresolved conflict and worries, or past emotional trauma that still lingers in his/her subconscious."I mean, duh.
Posted by: Corry | May 23, 2009 11:30 AM
Typo. p53, not p52. Doh!
Posted by: Gindy | May 23, 2009 11:31 AM
Medical Intuitive aka quack.
Posted by: wheatdogg
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May 23, 2009 11:33 AM
Cancer diagnosis meets The Secret, by way of What the Bleep Do We Know ...?
Or ... It's your damn fault you have cancer! So, get over it, and quit whining!
Excellent bedside manners. New Agers are so compassionate.
Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM
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May 23, 2009 11:34 AM
Sigh, *facepalm* *headdesk*
Posted by: Raiko | May 23, 2009 11:38 AM
Okay, I have to admit that as sad and dangerous as quacks like this guy are, this part did crack me up (and then I stopped reading):
So, he gives a perfect example to be suspecting genetics behind the prevalence of cancer (it doesn't strike due to obvious exterior reasons like location or lifestyle) and in the next paragraph he claims that such suspicion is "void of any logic". Also, he can't know many - no make that ANY - good genetic researchers. I don't think anyone who is too stupid to grasp how cancer is genetic can't possibly be one.
Posted by: Silver Fox | May 23, 2009 11:39 AM
I like the part about practicing "vibrational medecine". Some of these guys just hit you with a vibrator; but others are able to conjure up full-scale earthquakes. The vibrators usually don't work on cancer except to spread the cells around; but if a building caves in on you, that's a sure cure not only for cancer but for whatever else ails you.
Posted by: shamar
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May 23, 2009 11:40 AM
Ha ha ha ha ha, good one, lol :-)
Posted by: JD | May 23, 2009 11:41 AM
Wait, I thought Lupron cures cancer...
Posted by: RamblinDude
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May 23, 2009 11:47 AM
Adreas Moritz is a medical intuitive; a practitioner of Ayurveda, iridology, shiatsu, and vibrational medicine; a writer; and an artist.
That's New Age double-speak for "He gets his information from the astral plane."
He has an excess of spirituality, a kind of cancer of the mind.
Posted by: shamar
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May 23, 2009 11:51 AM
No no no, it's blackstrap molases, castor oil, and ozonated water....oh, and lots of colodial silver and lavendar essential oil.
You know, cuz...the doctors and scientists all know that your body can heal itself if you take a large ammount of herbs that we can all grow in our back yard.....the scientists just hide this fact so that they can sell you poisons....cuz...it's just all a conspiracy, so everyone will buy poisons and die....cuz the new world order is trying to kill you with evil medicine..and...and...and...
Posted by: Dr Rachie | May 23, 2009 11:52 AM
One of the contestants on "The One, the Search for Australia's Most Gifted Psychics" was a medical intuitive. She would pass her hands over people and diagnose illness. Of course it was always non-specific diagnoses, such as you suffer from cramps, you have back pain, you suffer from stress headaches. And she would always start from the head and move down the body, picking out diseases as she went. Amazing! And complete nonsense of course.
Posted by: Debbie | May 23, 2009 11:58 AM
Gee, wish I had known that cancer could have been prevented so easily. Maybe both of my parents wouldn't have died from it. Oh, that's right - cancer doesn't kill.
And people actually believe this idiot?
Posted by: AM | May 23, 2009 11:59 AM
"I have yet to meet a cancer patient who does not feel burdened by some poor self-image, unresolved conflict and worries, or past emotional trauma that still lingers in his/her subconscious."
I wonder if you bring a group without cancer, how many of them will have such issues?..pretty much the same as cancer patients. Most people want to reconcile with friends, almost everyone thinks they can do better in life. We all ought to die of cancer if it were that simple.
Posted by: GrandTheftIgloo
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May 23, 2009 12:00 PM
Yes, my son was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 3 weeks because he felt "burdened by some poor self-image, unresolved conflict and worries, or past emotional trauma that still lingers in his/her subconscious"
**headdesk**
Posted by: Krystalline Apostate | May 23, 2009 12:03 PM
Yes, from even before they knew what it was. Ridiculous. & WTH is 'vibrational medicine'? Do they apply the herbs & ointments w/a dildo, or something? Another ride on the Woo-Choo train.Posted by: RamblinDude
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May 23, 2009 12:05 PM
Oh, yes. His book will sell well among the New Age crowd. From what I can see, it’s the distilled essence of just about everything they believe.
Posted by: dbuddah | May 23, 2009 12:15 PM
I've never wished cancer on anyone, but...
Posted by: Orac
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May 23, 2009 12:16 PM
Actually, Lupron is sometimes used to treat hormone-responsive cancers, like prostate cancer and breast cancer. It's not exactly a cure, because generally it's used to treat advanced or metastatic disease (breast cancer it is only uncommonly used). Drugs like Lupron are first line drugs to treat newly metastatic prostate cancer.
Posted by: Xplodyncow | May 23, 2009 12:19 PM
When I Googled the term "medical intuitive," I got a smorgasbord of hilarity. Did you know you can have your energy field scanned and your problem diagnosed over the phone? (Not for free, of course.) And hey, one guy can even cure your cancer or diabetes or whatever popular affliction you have. He even says so on his website!
Posted by: John M. | May 23, 2009 12:21 PM
Despite all this hyperbole decrying a nonsensical, bogus approach to some very nasty diseases, collectively identified as "cancer", we should be careful to not overlook the importance of a positive, personal attitude by cancer patients to their condition. I have done just that - twice - although it's clear that without real, state-of-the-art, medical intervention I'd be pushing up the daisies instead of writing this.
Anyone in any doubt about the importance of high morale should look at homeopathic cures. Silly persons who believe in the efficacy of taking small amounts of exceedingly pure water as a medicine for what ails them, actually recover better if they 'believe' this 'medicine' remembers being in contact with some substance or other, before it was all diluted into oblivion. I consider this placebo effect can be turned on at will by the individual - just tell yourself no frigging piece of dodgy DNA code is going to jerk your chain.
Oh, yeah - plenty of sex and rock'n'roll, along with your drugs, helps too.
Posted by: Robster, FCD | May 23, 2009 12:31 PM
Damn. Orac beat me to pointing out Hamer. Interesting how its _always_ the patients fault with these bastards.
Posted by: Astraea | May 23, 2009 12:33 PM
NPR has been dangerously supporting these irresponsible ideas in their recent "Science of spirituality" series. One segment included a woman with HIV who believed her spirituality kept her from getting sick without taking any medication, and some doctor they found to support this idea.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104351710
Posted by: SC, OM | May 23, 2009 12:39 PM
Um...pardon?
(BTW, on a completely different topic, the one bright side: the error-message screen is surprisingly elegant. And polite.)
Posted by: D'oh! | May 23, 2009 12:41 PM
The comments under the ratings for the article are pretty funny. Only one appears to be asking for evidence. Most of the rest are correcting the author on some point of woo. I particularly like one taking the author to task for not recognizing that cancer is a fungus.
Posted by: FlameDuck | May 23, 2009 12:43 PM
Like Patrick Swayze?Posted by: Orac
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May 23, 2009 12:45 PM
Oh, that would be Dr. Simoncini's woo:
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/08/a_fungus_among_us_in_oncology.php
Posted by: Trev | May 23, 2009 12:50 PM
My medical intuition tells me he's a complete wanker.
Posted by: tmaxPA | May 23, 2009 12:52 PM
Key phrase:
Correction:
"I have yet to meet a [human being] who does not feel burdened by some poor self-image, unresolved conflict and worries, or past emotional trauma that still lingers in his/her subconscious."
Now that's taken care of, we can safely ignore everything this man has to say. As far as I can tell, "medical intuitive" means the same as "dangerous shyster".
Posted by: ThirtyFiveUp | May 23, 2009 1:00 PM
A few years ago, cancer was a taboo word. Euphemisms were "the big C", "long lingering illness", etc. I am old enough to have gone to funerals where someone would whisper, "I heard that he died of cancer". There would be a certain, he must have done a big sin, look on the face of the gossip. This was a widely held belief, sin causes disease and too many still believe this.
Now, everyone I know announces it for the world to share and demands that everyone else go in for tests.
Posted by: Robyn | May 23, 2009 1:01 PM
"Why would they change so drastically now, and suddenly decide to kill scores of people?"
He somehow fails to mention most of our ancestors weren't dunking their bodies in carcinogenic soaps, shampoos, lotions, mouthwashes, makeup, foods, etc, etc. Neither are the communities where we see far lower cancer rates but similar life spans.
Course, there is certainly something to the whole, motivated, happy people heal better thing, but I think we can chalk that up to science rather than religious/spiritual mojo.
Posted by: NewEnglandBob
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May 23, 2009 1:02 PM
Andreas Moritz DFW
DFW = Doctor of FuckWadery.
Posted by: savannah | May 23, 2009 1:04 PM
a practioner of small long haired dogs?
Posted by: stillwaggon | May 23, 2009 1:05 PM
So far there's only one critical review on Amazon --- mine. Can I get some sensible company over there? All the other commenters so far are woo-sters.
Posted by: Robyn | May 23, 2009 1:15 PM
"Why would they change so drastically now, and suddenly decide to kill scores of people?"
He somehow fails to mention most of our ancestors weren't dunking their bodies in carcinogenic soaps, shampoos, lotions, mouthwashes, makeup, foods, etc, etc. Neither are the communities where we see far lower cancer rates but similar life spans.
Course, there is certainly something to the whole, motivated, happy people heal better thing, but I think we can chalk that up to science rather than religious/spiritual mojo.
Posted by: Dave C | May 23, 2009 1:22 PM
Hey buddy, if your p53 wasn't working right, you'd feel guilty too!
Posted by: Sonja | May 23, 2009 1:22 PM
What's interesting is that making this argument is a way for Moritz to identify those cancer victims who DO have low self-esteem, and who are therefore more likely to buy the spiritual snake oil he is selling.
My sister is a nurse works in pediatric bone-marrow -- with children and babies who have cancer. How were these babies born with constant conflicts, guilt and shame?
Posted by: faux mulder | May 23, 2009 1:28 PM
for the low, low price of $99.99 the intuitive institute will set you on your chosen (by us) intuitive career path.
for a limited time only, you can not study from the comfort and privacy of your own home for such professions as:
intuitive journalism
intuitive auto-mechanics
intuitive engineering
intuitive medical professional
intuitive computer programming
intuitive accounting
intuitive law
or even post-graduate intuitive intuitionist!
your diploma is waiting for you as soon as your cheque clears.
hurry! get yours today.
Posted by: co | May 23, 2009 1:31 PM
Just the fact that the author---as a "customer"---reviews his own book and gives it 5 stars is enough for me to encourage a backlash. The additional woo that the book peddles is icing on my bilious cake.
Posted by: Sniper | May 23, 2009 1:36 PM
People like this are pure fucking evil dressed up in yoga pants. I hope every one of them gets cancer.
Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM
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May 23, 2009 1:38 PM
Adreas Moritz is...a practitioner of Ayurveda, iridology
Posted by: gmm | May 23, 2009 1:40 PM
I hate these people. the end.
Posted by: Walton | May 23, 2009 1:44 PM
This stuff about "medical intuitives" reminds me of the following Discworld quote:
Replace "ethnic historian" with "alternative healer" and it encapsulates this case beautifully.
Posted by: Knockgoats | May 23, 2009 1:44 PM
He somehow fails to mention most of our ancestors weren't dunking their bodies in carcinogenic soaps, shampoos, lotions, mouthwashes, makeup, foods, etc, etc. Neither are the communities where we see far lower cancer rates but similar life spans. - Robyn
Which communities are those? By far the primary environmental factor in cancer is of course smoking. Sunburn and asbestos cause significant numbers of cases. There is reasonable evidence that a varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables reduces the risk, and some evidence that some foods increase it slightly, but nowhere near enough, AFAIK, to produce "far lower cancer rates". As for mouthwashes, soaps and makeup, pfft.
Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM
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May 23, 2009 1:45 PM
Adreas Moritz is ... a practitioner of ... shiatsu, and vibrational medicine
Posted by: Joe
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May 23, 2009 1:45 PM
Gha! Do you know why cancer is killing more and more people? Because they are not dying from other diseases! Holy shit.
Also, the "alternative cancer treatment" quacks are some of the lowest forms humanity has ever created.
Posted by: Pierce R. Butler | May 23, 2009 1:52 PM
Cancer has always been an extremely rare illness, except in industrialized nations during the past 40-50 years. ... guilt and shame... can easily paralyze the body's most basic functions, and lead to the growth of a cancerous tumor.
50 years ago, hmmm. Aha! There was no guilt and shame before the Cuban Revolution! Curse you, Fidel Castro!
Posted by: progressive homeschooler | May 23, 2009 2:08 PM
Sounds a lot like the woo spouted by Louise Hay. Her basic premise is whatever is making you sick is a dis-ease (really, she calls it dis-ease). You gave it to yourself by hating yourself. You can cure yourself by loving yourself. Okaaayyy.
Posted by: natural cynic
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May 23, 2009 2:09 PM
@5
How does such a person explain controlled experiments on lab animals in which cancer and wasting are studied?
Easy, they're under the stress of being lab animals. They just know that they're in a cancer experiment and start worrying about their fate. And just as some people are more susceptible to stress, some lab animals are too. And the fact that they have mutant alleles just shows that those alleles are the ones that make them more susceptible.
@21 quoting Moritz
Besides, any good genetic researcher would tell you that such a belief is void of any logic and outright unscientific (as explained in the book).
Any good [the rare, perspicacious ones] genetic researcher will agree with Moritz. Bad genetic researchers are a dime-a-dozen.
Posted by: breadmaker | May 23, 2009 2:29 PM
i'm disappointed.
i was expecting the 4 spiritual laws, the sinner's prayer, or something else to be the climax of this story.
maybe all those cancer-ed individuals need to drink more coffee... i recommend 2 12cup pots per day
Posted by: Bjørn Østman | May 23, 2009 2:50 PM
I suppose Andreas Moritz would argue that cancer in animals is then proof positive that they have feelings of guilt and shame?
Posted by: Porky Pine | May 23, 2009 3:14 PM
My mother would like a word with him. Well, she would if she were alive.
Posted by: Eamon Knight | May 23, 2009 3:54 PM
I've lost three feline friends to cancer. I wonder what they were feeling guilty and traumatized over -- scratching the furniture? Barfing on the carpet?
(Yes, I've also lost a few human ones, too. But the animal examples demonstrate the absurdity of the claim in no uncertain terms).
Posted by: The Tim Channel
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May 23, 2009 4:17 PM
Hemp oil
http://www.phoenixtears.ca/
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/chrychek
It may or may not work for everyone, but the side effects won't kill you.
Enjoy.
Posted by: AnswersInGenitals | May 23, 2009 4:24 PM
There is a high tech company here in Silicon Valley called "Intuitive Surgical, Inc." They actually make robotic surgical systems (their site can be found at http://www.intuitivesurgical.com/index.aspx. Whenever I drive past their offices I always have to laugh. If I ever need surgery, I hope my surgeon will be using training and experience, not intuition.
Posted by: karen | May 23, 2009 4:24 PM
Those cunning and dastardly genes! They just want us to think it was a sudden decision, while they had actually been planning in secret for eons! Satan's tools, I say.
Um, they were born Jewish? Or one of the two most guilt-ridden religions after that, Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism.
Posted by: Dr. P | May 23, 2009 5:11 PM
......So, to paraphrase...if you contract cancer, it's your fault.....Dick.If there was anyone to wish a big tumor on....Posted by: Sastra
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May 23, 2009 5:31 PM
Hey, this guy looked for himself, and discovered a revealing pattern:
Everyone he came across who had cancer, was depressed. They were pretty sad. And apparently upset about something, with a tendency to worry and brood, especially about their health. Each one.
The correlation is too uncanny to be simple coincidence. Being depressed must make you have cancer.
Posted by: vertigowst | May 23, 2009 5:33 PM
"However, I doubt that cancer researchers will embrace the truths stated in this book because they don't want the grant money to stop flowing".
Thanks P.Z. !!
(Praise MegaPharma)
Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM
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May 23, 2009 5:49 PM
The next time I get cancer I'm going to use this guy's cure so I can die like my grandfather. He died peacefully in his sleep, not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car.
Posted by: E.V. | May 23, 2009 5:55 PM
One more way to scare people into relying on religion because all sickness is caused by man's lack of spirituality, unaligned chakras and/or sinfulness. I hope this medical intuitive gets ass cancer( but gets cured by modern medicine).
Posted by: Krisko
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May 23, 2009 6:02 PM
Great, now my guilt has caused my cancer, but I also feel guilty from having my guilt cause my cancer... will I get a second kind of cancer now?
Posted by: ckitching
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May 23, 2009 6:09 PM
I don't know that he's 100% wrong. Probably at least 99.9% wrong, though. The immune system is also responsible for destroying defective cells, and that can be somewhat affected by stress and emotional state.
Of course, that means the only thing this guy is promoting is the placebo effect.
The real question is, is this guy a fraud, who is knowingly selling nonsense to make money, or a quack, who honestly believes in what he's selling?
Posted by: Dr. P | May 23, 2009 6:27 PM
@78
,,,Absolutely...and I certainly think most reasonable people would agree with your statement; but the tool clearly states that it is a direct causative factor; he's taken a population of people with an excellent reason to be depressed and have doubts as to their body integrity and essentially blamed their lousy attitude. What a schmuck.Posted by: DaveH | May 23, 2009 6:32 PM
@Sastra #73
That IS a strange coincidence. But I think you may have missed one common factor in all these depressed people; they had just met Medical Intuitive Andreas Moritz.
Posted by: Libbie | May 23, 2009 6:39 PM
WHAT....
Wow, what a loon. Cancer certainly has been around for a very long time. There is quite a lot of evidence that it was not an uncommon means of death in ancient Egypt. It's only when we industrialized that we started to live long enough that more people gained the opportunity to get it.
Crazy-town right from the start.
Posted by: Walton | May 23, 2009 6:43 PM
Great. So, on Mr Moritz's view, I should be struck down with cancer any day now.
Posted by: Ouranosaurus | May 23, 2009 6:52 PM
Holy crap, I am in no mood for this garbage today. I just got back from a 12-hour Relay for Life for the Canadian Cancer Society. We raised $310,000 for actual research, prevention education and patient support. And despite all the better treatments and stop smoking campaigns in the world, someone's father, mother, brother, sister, daughter or son is going to die needlessly in the next decade because they read this book.
Cancer is caused by stress and poor self image? Why didn't my father develop cancer when he was unemployed, broke, and trying to feed and clothe a family with two toddlers? Why did he get a brain tumour when he was working, looking forward to retirement and with his kids about to graduate high school?
Up north here we have a little crime called "reckless endangerment causing death." You can get life in prison for that one. I'd love to see the prosecutor brave enough to go after this guy for killing people. It's not just fraud, it's manslaughter.
Everyone who's slamming this guy, I hope you take some time this year (I know a lot of you do this already) and find a good cancer charity that supports scientific research. Give them ten or twenty bucks. It'll help me control my urge to hunt this guy down and smack him in the knees with a lead pipe.
Posted by: Null_Hypothesis | May 23, 2009 7:06 PM
Why does India have very low rates of prostate and other cancers? Is it because of their spirituality? Who knows, maybe, but it probably has more to do with their diet. The curcumin in turmeric has strong anti-cancer effects, and its bioavailability is increased dramatically when ingested along with piperine (black pepper). Every day I have a juice of organic grape juice, chlorella, pomegranate, cranberry, turmeric, pepper, and any other 100% fruit juice I can find.
Cancer has been around for a long time and there are many different types, brought on by many different causes. Blanket statements aren't very useful. Cancer rates are going up because 1) we now diagnose more ailments as cancer, 2) our environment is full of nasty carcinogens, 3) most people's diet is shit.
Posted by: Dale | May 23, 2009 7:09 PM
You can comment on his book at Amazon...
http://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Not-Disease-Survival-Mechanism/dp/097679442X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243119964&sr=8-1
If you were wondering what he thinks of his own book, he's been kind enough to review it, and - surprise! - he gave it 5/5!
Posted by: Sastra
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May 23, 2009 7:29 PM
ckitching #78 wrote:
It could be the first, but my guess is that Moritz is sincere. Not only is our general propensity for self-delusion very strong, but don't underestimate the power of communal reinforcement. The alternative medicine woo communities are usually very, very supportive of each other. They have their own versions of sacred 'scriptures,' their own 'medical experts,' their own traditions and histories, their own cheer-leading sessions, their own favorite narratives and success stories.
Because they think that the scientific/medical establishment is in a conspiracy and out to get them -- and because they see themselves as being on higher levels of spiritual awareness than the average person -- they're also pretty well insulated from the outside world (at least when it comes to woo.) "Negative thinking" is literally dangerous, sending out bad vibrations which harm the body. Therefore, it's not just your own thoughts you have to watch out for. People who make you doubt and question yourself, or who criticize or mock alt med, are dangerous. Steer clear of them, and surround yourself only with "positive energy" (that is, surround yourself only with people who will constantly validate your beliefs.) If anyone in the group starts to become skeptical and can't be brought back into the light, kick them out -- for everyone's protection.
With that kind of constant reinforcement from everyone around you, it's not hard to come to believe in virtually any kind of b.s. you might be spouting.
Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | May 23, 2009 8:04 PM
Just for the record: bone cancer is preserved in the fossils of some Cretaceous dinosaurs. Cancer is as old as multicellularity in animals – and in plants, too.
Posted by: Null_Hypothesis | May 23, 2009 8:06 PM
Cancer is life. Life gone too far. Kind of like how we are behaving as a species.
Posted by: MadScientist | May 23, 2009 8:07 PM
I hope Andreas Moritz gets a lot of healthy response to stress; that should make him the healthiest moron on the planet.
Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM
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May 23, 2009 8:10 PM
No Null, how you are behaving with your lack of intelligence. God is not needed for anything. The sooner you understand that the smarter you are. Which means you are dunce.
Posted by: SC, OM | May 23, 2009 8:16 PM
Wow. Makes sense, but I didn't know that.
Posted by: Steve | May 23, 2009 8:34 PM
One word for what kills a lot of cancer patients. Cachexia. Their self-esteem is just fine, but the TUMOR is literally eating them alive.
Iridology is the modern equivalent of phrenology, unless you have a few VERY rare diseases.
Posted by: Vivian | May 23, 2009 8:48 PM
Cancer is a healthy response to stress??? Yeah, tell that to my dead father!
Posted by: Rorschach | May 23, 2009 8:59 PM
Less masturbation,less beer,less Mackers.
Seriously though,citation needed for that statement.
I cant figure out these medical quacks,are they liars,like the creationists,or are they just stupid?
Posted by: Chris Noble | May 23, 2009 9:15 PM
He is also on the list of HIV Denialists.
Andreas Moritz. Ayurvedic Medical Practitioner, Nutritionist, Author of many books including Simple Steps to Total Health, The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation, Cancer Is Not A Disease, Heart Disease No More, Heal Yourself with Sunlight and Ending The AIDS Myth.
Posted by: Dax | May 23, 2009 9:29 PM
My wife and I practice vibrational medicine faithfully.
Don't know if it heals anything but damm it sure feels
Good
Posted by: M31 | May 23, 2009 9:53 PM
#84: 3) most people's diet is shit.
well technically, everyone's diet is shit, at least after 6-12 hours
Posted by: Null_Hypothesis | May 23, 2009 10:03 PM
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78
You'll have to look up the cancer rates of Indians for yourself, I don't have time right now.
Posted by: Daren S. A. George | May 23, 2009 10:38 PM
"Adreas Moritz is a medical intuitive; a practitioner of Ayurveda, iridology, shiatsu, and vibrational medicine; a writer; and an artist."
He left the word "con" out of the last part of his description.
Posted by: Victor
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May 23, 2009 10:54 PM
Once your medical community is sufficient enough to spot cancer, suddenly it exists (and must not have before). Funny how that works.
Posted by: SocraticGadfly | May 23, 2009 11:03 PM
Guy sounds like a good first-day guest for Jenny McCarthy.
Posted by: T. Bruce McNeely | May 23, 2009 11:09 PM
Null sez: You'll have to look up the cancer rates of Indians for yourself, I don't have time right now.
It took me about 5 minutes to Google "prostate cancer in India", which pulled up a number of apparently reliable citations supporting your point. How hard is that? I should add that, even though India does have a good medical system, I would imagine that part of that lower incidence is due to the large poor population simply not having access to medical care. However, it's true that prostate cancer is linked to diet - I seem to recall that tomatoes and tomato sauces are protective against prostatic carcinoma.
Posted by: raven | May 24, 2009 12:05 AM
Andreas Moritz, the HIV/AIDS denialist. I seem to remember running into him on a website. IIRC, he is also a Germ Theory of Disease denialist. Just doesn't believe that microbes and viruses cause diseases. I guess if you are going to be a crackpot, might as well go all the way.
I wonder what he thinks causes bubonic plague, malaria, and rabies? On second thought, who cares?
Posted by: Michael Hawkins | May 24, 2009 12:42 AM
It's amazing how dumb Moritz is. He has no idea about what he's saying.
And he's a bad writer.
Posted by: Null_Hypothesis | May 24, 2009 1:40 AM
I had to walk out the door.
Posted by: Equisetum | May 24, 2009 1:41 AM
According to his website diabetes is also not a disease.
Perhaps Leilani Neumann can call this guy to testify at her appeal. Maybe then we can lock him up for perjury.
Posted by: Krystalline Apostate | May 24, 2009 1:50 AM
Rorschach @ 94:
Really, I thought that more of that first one actually lessened your chances of getting prostate cancer.
Posted by: Ed White | May 24, 2009 2:25 AM
I've run into these Natural News guys on other websites. They seem to have some very strange ideas about things, such as ozone being good for you, and drinking 'food grade' hydrogen peroxide as being a good idea. Any idea on their background?
Posted by: John Phillips, FCD
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May 24, 2009 4:16 AM
John M and others;
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/5780.php
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=84723
They also agree with some recent research from the UK saying basically the same. I.e. a positive attitude, at best, only affects how you feel and go about your life, not unimportant of course, but has no effect on the outcome of the cancer itself. Sorry don't have a link at hand for the UK research.
Posted by: Tassie Devil | May 24, 2009 4:25 AM
Null is, well, null, as ever.
People from the indian subcontinent have much higher rates of heart disease, and it's not just diet related.
Could it be possible that, in the same way they have a genetic propensity for heart disease, they have a genetic basis for reduced rates of some cancers?
*sigh*
Posted by: Rorschach | May 24, 2009 4:45 AM
@ 107:
That seems only to be true for masturbation after the age of 40,some studies have linked frequent masturbation in your 20s and 30s with an increased incidence.
Its probably like with everything else,dosis facit venenum.
Posted by: RobertDW | May 24, 2009 5:13 AM
Hmmm - it appears that the data about India having a low cancer rate is, well, out-dated. These days, it appears that India actually has one of the highest cancer rates in the world. True, the type of cancers are different, but the overall incidence of cancer in India is extremely high.
Posted by: Cath the Canberra Cook | May 24, 2009 6:08 AM
Lacking a prostate, I've felt jealous ever since I saw that study on how masturbation prevents prostate cancer. But now that I have discovered vibrational medicine, my worries are over.
Posted by: Rorschach
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May 24, 2009 6:16 AM
CCC @ 113,
and T BMN @ 102
Be exact with your words people,no particular diet,not tomatoes,or broccoli,nor wanking or dancing around a tree naked under a full moon,prevents cancer.
Some numbers suggest they reduce the incidence.
Sorry,pet peeve of mine.
Posted by: afreudtolove | May 24, 2009 7:17 AM
Please, I've never met anyone "who does not feel burdened by some poor self-image, unresolved conflict and worries, or past emotional trauma that still lingers in his/her subconscious."
Same kind of thing fortune tellers use to get your attention.
Posted by: T. Bruce McNeely | May 24, 2009 9:23 AM
Rorschach sez: That seems only to be true for masturbation after the age of 40,some studies have linked frequent masturbation in your 20s and 30s with an increased incidence.
There's got to be some compensation for getting old...
Posted by: Rorschach
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May 24, 2009 9:27 AM
TBMN @ 116,
LOL ! I was thinking the same haha.....
Posted by: Lyr
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May 24, 2009 9:34 AM
Paleontologists have found dinosaur bones with tumors in them. Does this mean those dinosaurs had poor self esteem or insufficient spirituality?
This sounds like a job for the Discovery Institute! :)
Posted by: bezoar | May 24, 2009 9:36 AM
Cancer is just a figment of my imagination. I tell that to the empty place where my cancerous prostate used to reside.
Posted by: Null_Hypothesis | May 24, 2009 11:35 AM
I think your link pretty much spelled it out. As I said, India has some of the lowest rates of prostate and related cancers, especially colon cancer. This is probably related to their curry. Your article pointed out the high rates of lung, mouth, stomach, and gall bladder cancers. This is apparently related to their tobacco habits. This would tend to contradict your assertion that there is a genetic link.
Regarding heart disease, I would assume this to be related to their general inactivity and propensity to eat deep fried food, along with their healthy dahl.
Posted by: Holbach
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May 24, 2009 11:49 AM
This rutabaga brain is most definitely also a religion intuitive. No, I cannot begin to describe this condition, but it can most certainly lead to all kinds of kooky intuitives. Better ask him. He'll be sure to set you straight, straight to an intuitive diagnosis, and so on, and so on.
Posted by: gaypaganunitarianagnostic | May 24, 2009 2:44 PM
Longer life is no doubt the main cause of greater cancer incidence, but industrial pollution is a factor also. Check out the incidence of cancer in the chemical - petroleum industrial towns in SE Texas.
Posted by: Krystalline Apostate | May 24, 2009 2:46 PM
@ 111:
Luckily @ 50 yo, I've no need for little blue pills, so massage it is!
Wonder if I can find a lady who does shiatsu for that sorta thing...?
Posted by: astrounit | May 24, 2009 6:26 PM
So, evidently, the good "medical intuitive; practitioner of Ayurveda, iridology, shiatsu, and vibrational medicine; writer; and artist" (whew, if he's got that much really going for him, truly, one would think he was brilliant enough to get a degree) thinks that Tasmanian Devils who are beset with face cancer must be because they are "burdened by some poor self-image, unresolved conflict and worries, or past emotional trauma that still lingers in his/her subconscious"...along with "constant conflicts, guilt and shame"...who exhibit "a certain pattern of thinking, believing and feeling that was common to most of them"...
I never realized Tasmanian devils were such sensitive and psychologically vulnerable creatures.
BULLSHIT.
I know LOUSY artists who know better - authentic medical science - than that shameless schmuck does.
This puts a whole new face on the term, "quackery": you don't even have to pretend to be a "doctor" anymore to practice such bullshit.
WHY?
Because there is an entire culture utterly devoted to this kind of SCHMARN. "Vibrational medicine" my ass.
PZ, you sure know how to pick out the juicy bits from out thar, don't you?
Man.
Posted by: Cowcakes | May 24, 2009 9:30 PM
I found this quote in the article of interest.
"Why do almost all cancers disappear by themselves, without medical intervention?"
It's called death and decomposition. After this its quite often very hard to find any trace of active cancer.
Fair dinkum how on earth are people like this let out of the asylum?
Posted by: Some Guy | May 24, 2009 10:17 PM
Many years ago, a customer of mine who is an oncologist told me that the chief reason we see so many cancers these days is that we live long enough to get cancer. When people routinely died before 40, there wasn't nearly as much of it about.
Posted by: Captain C | May 24, 2009 11:32 PM
The more I read this, the more I sense a slightly different version of the sort of cognitive dissonance that has creationists cherry-picking and quote-mining (and outright lying about, or at least outright being catastrophically wrong about) various scientific sources while simultaneously dismissing any and all science (including the scientific method as a solid way of ascertaining what's going on) that contradicts their religious-fed picture of the universe.
Posted by: Lullabee | May 25, 2009 1:15 PM
WTF?! Babies get cancer. I don't think babies have self-image problems or anything. They're babies.
Posted by: JBlilie | May 26, 2009 12:54 PM
Ayurevda is religious nonsense (go to the witch-doctor!) and even the Hindus in India realize this. As soon as they can afford it and are educated enough, they leave Ayurveda in droves for the medically proven procedures of "western" medicine.
Posted by: Susan | July 16, 2009 8:05 AM
Here's what I think of Andreas Moritz:
There's a dangerous quack on the Internet,
His E-book is just like a big fish net,
If you've read his book,
Most probably you'll get on his hook!
This dangerous quack calls himself Medical Intuitive,
His bogus medical advice sounds rather creative,
His medical facts are mostly based on his beliefs,
If you think his beliefs can make you feel relieved,
You are very wrong,
His medical advice may sound so strong,
But if you drink it what he says,
You had better beware,
Cause his medical facts may turn out to be lies!
Posted by: Marno | August 27, 2009 8:14 AM
Contrary to what you are telling on this blog, I have found out that much of what he is telling in his books is correct and based on an intense knowledge of all aspects of the body, body mind medicine. I.m.o. in 10 years most people will say the same things as he wrote in his books.
Most doctors I had could only say, it is genetic (means they don't know) or give me another useless medicine.
I had no idea what they gave. I know now that they only worked to remove symptoms and not the cause.
Now I have found out that the cause of almost all symptoms I had was identical. Never one doctor told me that.
I did an engineer study many years ago but did change work after it. People still see me as engineer. People who did self study these years know much more than I have learned 20 years ago.
Same for a doctor. The world is moving so quick that no MD study is a guarantee for knowledge. The knowledge of the person self is the only guarantee. Andrea Moritz is a passionate in what he is doing and certainly hasn't less knowledge then a qualified MD has.
Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM
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August 27, 2009 8:18 AM
Yaawwwnnnn, another boring idjit thinking he knows more than everyone else, with no proof to back up his inane assertions. A dime a dozen around here. Meaningless drivel.
Posted by: Stanton | August 27, 2009 8:35 AM
The only people worse than someone who thinks that cancer is a healthy response to stress and feeling bad, in gross contrast to contrary evidence demonstrating that cancer is an unhealthy response to various mutagenic stimuli such as radiation, or toxic chemicals, are those who scorn others for not putting their unconditional trust in the mercies of the aforementioned quacks.
Posted by: Marno | August 27, 2009 5:02 PM
Nerd of Redhead,
I respect your opinion but calling other people idiot is not a good base to have a discussion.
Same thing for the starter of this blog discussion.
I sometimes thought that a person doesn't know anything about a subject but often I was the person who had a restricted view on that what is.
Posted by: phantomreader42 | August 27, 2009 5:14 PM
So, Marno, do you actually have the slightest speck of evidence to support your outrageous assertions?
If so, get off your ass and present it.
If not, you're either an idiot (making stupid claims without knowing what the hell you're talking about) or a liar (knowingly spreading falsehoods). In fact, I suspect you're a little of both.
Put up or shut up. If you don't want to be called an idiot, quit saying idiotic things. If you want people to believe you, show some damn evidence.
Posted by: marno | August 28, 2009 8:03 AM
Dear Phantomreader,
Please accept that I don't go on discussing with a person who call other people idiot or tell them to shut up, or tell them to get off their ass or menace them to say things.
I wish you all the best in your life.
You're so full of anger.
Posted by: aratina cage
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August 28, 2009 8:07 AM
And you're so full of marbles.Posted by: John Morales | August 28, 2009 8:09 AM
marno, your cowardly excuse @136 is noted; it seems apparent you have no substance to bolster your bluster.
Posted by: Smoggy Batzrubble OM4Jesus | August 28, 2009 8:14 AM
Dear Brother Marno,
Please, please do not leave us! With your beliefs and colorful turn of phrase you have the capacity to supply hours of happiness and hilarity. Pharyngula needs you, and in the dungeon you will make many friends.
Yours in hope of lasting laugh-lines,
Smoggy
Posted by: Colodrillo | August 28, 2009 8:16 AM
Marno, you are a damn coward
Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM
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August 28, 2009 8:22 AM
Marno, who said we wish to discuss this issue with you. If you read the thread, you know where we come from. Evidence. Either present some or STFU. Welcome to science. You woomeisters don't have evidence, and you consider we rationalists/scientists are mean to you if we expect evidence. We have heard your drivel before. You have nothing to add.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | August 28, 2009 8:24 AM
And you are qualified how?
You are qualified how?
What?
Tell that to the people in the loony bin, somewhere, it sounds like, you might be headed.
Which means exactly nothing as far as his accuracy.
Yeah but his knowledge and understanding of it is completely fucked.