Apparently this country is just dominated by evil doctors who can't wait to tell their patients that hey, they are gonna die, so please leave our offices now and try not to spread the stench of your impending death to our other patients (you know, the ones we care about.)
Commercials for Cancer Treatment Centers of America aren't about promoting alternative cancer treatments- they are about bashing standard health care practices. In each of these commercials, we see people who ought to be filled with gratitude and relief that they are cancer-free but are instead too busy carrying grudges against the doctors who dared be straight with them about their odds for recovery:
"My doctor told me I had two months to live. I was devastated. Well, thank goodness I found Cancer Treatment Centers of America. That was three years ago, and I'm cancer free."
"My doctor told me that further treatments would do no good, and that I should get my affairs in order. That was five years ago. Thank you, Cancer Treatment Centers of America."
"My doctor told me that the Spectre of Death was sitting on my shoulder, and to begone and darken his door nevermore. Cancer Treatment Centers of America took me in and saved my life."
Ok, I made that last one up. But you get the idea. I find it really hard to believe that these people are so pissed off at their doctors- you'd think they would be too busy enjoying their new lease on life to film spots slamming the medical professionals who gave them an honest diagnosis which turned out to be wrong. Apparently, what the doctors were SUPPOSED to do was tell their patients that "hey, modern medicine has run out of alternatives for you. I can't help you further. However, there's this place that specializes in Tomotherepy, Immunotherepy and several other 'strategies' that they claim will holistically rid you of the demon that is eating away at your insides."
("Tomotherepy" and "Immunotherepy" are actual "therepies" promoted in Cancer Treatment Centers of America, BTW. Tomotherepy involves radiation- big advance, huh?- while Immunotherepy suggests the healing power of mushrooms. Ok..... )
(Here's a link to an article posted by Quackwatch concerning CTCA's false claims of patient recovery rates http://www.quackwatch.org/02ConsumerProtection/FTCActions/ctca.html)
Well, doctors don't do that. They don't specialize in giving people false hope by directing them to holistic healers, medicine men, or shamen. That's because they went to MEDICAL SCHOOL and are SCIENTISTS, not yogis. I know this sounds narrow-minded to some people, but I don't believe that anyone has ever been holistically cured of cancer. People have, however, been falsely diagnosed with the disease. And that's whats happened if in fact people have gone to Cancer Treatment Centers of America and found themselves Cancer Free after several months of the "treatment" and then found themselves free of the disease.
But I digress- my principal reason for posting was to slap down the ungrateful idiots who are so happy to be cancer-free that they feel the need to sneer at the actual doctors who tried to be honest with them, and praise the snake-oil salesmen who "cured" their cancer. Geesh, just be happy your doctor was wrong. Don't urge us to dump overboard centuries of medical advancemets because he was. I'll still take x-rays, cat-scans and blood tests over green tea and pyramids any day of the week, thanks anyway.
Glad to see someone else grunts at these commercials!
ReplyDeleteAs a practicing physician these commercials make me absolutely insane. I've had two patients blow thousands on these friggin' vampires, only to very predictably die anyway of their advanced malignancies. The husband of one of these victims of industrial-scale quackery came to me later in tears, bitterly regreting the precious time his wife wasted on futile treatment rather than spending it with her young kids.
ReplyDeleteIf there is a God, the people running this vampire corporation will burn in hell.
can you email me?
Deletemarkabdelmalek@gmail.com
As a practicing physician, these commercials just make me insane. These corporate vampires suck in terrified and desperate patients, bleed them of their life savings, and point to the small-print disclaimers when they die. Two of my patients were suckered by these quacks, and after blowing tens of thousands died anyway about when I expected. The husband of one of them came to me later in tears, bitterly regreting the weeks his wife wasted at an out of town hospital receiving their 'innovative therapy' when she might have spent the time with their young children.
ReplyDeleteIf there is a God, the vultures running this industrial-scale quack operation will burn in hell.
My grandmother, (a Wagoner, OK resident) was a 40 year long smoker. After surviving throat cancer 7 years prior, she was diagnosed with lung cancer in Dec 2002. The first thing my mother did was call the Cancer Treatment Center in Tulsa to see if they would take my grandmother. They refused. She even had a social worker double check for her, but again, they said no. Mind you, at the early stage of this cancer find, there was still hope for her...the treatments just needed to be aggressive. In April 2003, after receiving treatments at the Muskogee Hospital, her doctor had bad news: there was evidence cancer cells had spred to her brain. Tumors bleeding on her brain were what ultimately killed her in Nov. 2003.
ReplyDeleteIt makes absolutely NO sense that the CTC in Tulsa could take a woman who was told she had no hope and would die from her (incurable)cancer in less than 2 months, but couldn't take a woman who only had Stage One lung cancer (curable), had survived cancer before, and was somehow able to maintain life for almost a full year after her diagnosis on "western treatments".
Thank you for this post. I've wondered for years why my grandmother had been turned away. Now it makes sense: My grandmother actually HAD cancer, and these "success stories" were probably misdiagnosed and then swindled.
These commercials drive me crazy. After working in the healthfield for more than thirty-five years, I have yet to hear any physician, much less a hematologist/oncologist, tell a patient "you have cancer-take a hike" or "Why are you laughing? You're going to die". Not all physicians are warm and fuzzy, but they just don't immediately turn into unfeeling jerks when their patients are confirmed to have cancer.
ReplyDeleteI do, however, have experience in caring for patients that have been ripped off by so-called special cancer treatments and that was not pretty. These places trash standard medicine while praying on the natural fears of cancer patients and their families.
I have no problem with anyone who feels that these facilities are their best option, but I only havr contempt for blatantly biased commercials.
^^ What they said!! I found this post by searching about the Cancer Treatment Center of America commercials, because I wanted to see if they annoyed anyone else as much as they annoyed me. The one with the guy claiming his "big burly doctor" turned around and said to him, "What are you smiling about?! You've got six months to live!" And then he says "I was expecting some hope, but the doctor just said to me 'I haven't even HEARD of anyone surviving this condition.'"
ReplyDeletePLEASE. He expects us to believe that's how the conversation went? According to his rendition, that means the doctor came in and gruffly told him he had pancreatic cancer, the guy apparently smiled in response (k...), at which point the doctor yelled at him for smiling and told him he has no right to be happy because he's going to die and there's no way he'll survive this condition. I'm sorry, not all doctors excel in the "people skills" department, but NO ONE would be that unfeeling to someone who had just found out they were dying.
If Western Doctors offered anything but slice and dice cures, there wouldn't be a Cancer Centers Commercial.
ReplyDeleteIt would be laughable how scared American Docs are when confronted with anything they haven't studied - like alternative medicine -- but their fears and pseudo-omniscience kill thousands of patients every year.
The real quacks are those oh-so 'traditional' docs who lack the balls to try anything not bought and paid for by a sponsor of the AMA.
Seems to me that 'traditional' doctors moved to outlaw hand-washing between the morgue and the birthing rooms when microbes were first discovered.
Yet many 'traditional' M.D.s feel utterly competent to diagnose mental or behavioral disorders -- while lacking any training whatsoever.
The AMA - a happy band of defensive, ignorant hypocrites. - who get to bury their mistakes.
I agree with you. Traditional docs benefit by having sick patients; especially oncologists. The drugs that they use to "fight" cancer are carcinogenic, themselves. That's why you see so many "survivors" getting a second and third and even fourth type of cancer (if they live long enough). The CURE for cancer has been found. It is 3-bromopyruvate, and it could have been found over eighty years ago, by any decent biology teacher who knew of Warburg's hypothesis. Unfortunately, 3-bromopyruvate, as a cure for cancer, will never reach the public. Right now, the molecule is being manipulated so that some pharma can make money off of the patent for the "new" drug. If they really wanted to cure people of cancer, they could use 3-bromopyruvate, as is, for less than twenty cents a day, per patient.
DeleteIf you have cancer, do some research on 3-bromopyruvate. This is ONE of the cures for cancer. We should have found it over 80 years ago when Otto Warburg published his Nobel Prize winning research on cancer cells. Any decent biologist could have figured it out. If you know the difference between oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis, in terms of the production of ATP (and biologists know this), you could have figured this out over 80 years ago. Now, they finally "found" it, and what are they doing with it? Well, because 3-bromopyruvate only costs twenty cents a day per patient, they (Johns Hopkins) are wasting your time, your tax dollars, and so many lives, trying to find a way to change a little something on the molecule so that they can file for a new patent and call it a "new" drug, and make it profitable. 3-bromopyruvate, you see, is an old molecule--it's out of patent. And if they spend a few million testing it in animals, and then in humans, well, they still can't get a patent on it, and every other competitor can produce it, and not have to pay all that money for the research, and well, they just can't make their investment back AND that nice slice of profit that comes with it, you see?
DeleteYOU pay for that. YOU pay for it with your money, and your lives, and the lives of those you love. And suffering. A lot of suffering.
How do I know all of this? Am I some sort of conspiracy theorist? Nope, I'm involved in research. I know how this system works.
I HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WITH THESE COMERCIALS AS WELL, I AM NOT A DOCTOR BUT I HAVE BEEN A PATIENT AND HAVE NEVER (IN 45 YEARS) HAD OR HEARD OF A DOCTOR BEING AS COLD-HEARTED AS THESE COMERCIALS HAVE BEING DISPLAYING!! WHY DON'T YOU JUST WORK WITH THE OTHER DOCTORS' FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF THE PATIENTS? AND STOP THOSE SICK FALSE ADVERTISEMENTS YOU ARE CALLING COMERICALS!!!
ReplyDeleteI just have to say WORD to this blog and all the comments. I don't believe any one of the people on the ads are real patients. They're actors paid to read a script, I'm sure of it. Makes me furious!
ReplyDeleteI am a retired Orthopedic Surgeon. I find the ads referred to here to be disgusting. I have
ReplyDeleteemailed my complaint to the center but got no response. They need to be held accountable for
false claims but there are probably no legal grounds for this.
Several years ago, a local chiropractor used
patients in TV ads. Some were my patients and
several returned to me and agreed to testify
against the chiropractor. After I notified the
chiropractor thusly, the ads ceased.
Everett G. Veach,M.D.
Anniston, AL
OMGGGG!! I love you for this post!!!!
ReplyDeleteSTOP THE COMMERCIALS or solicitations for the dying to come to cancer treatment centers of America. You prey on the dying ENOUGH ALREADY. THE SAME SAD STORIES and sure we all have one. You profit off misery and sickness. We know you are making a huge profit because the stupid commercials are 2 minutes long. Extremely poor taste and nothing but ambulance chasing. We switch stations the second one comes on and we know them all by heart now after seeing them hundreds of times. Cheap money grubbing commercials without a hint of truth.
ReplyDeleteGO DR. VEACH!!! I hope the woman in the commercial who whiningly states that her doctor told her she had cancer and walked out of the room is an actor. I am so tired of her whining that I just want her to die already. I know...that's awful, but geez, enough already!
ReplyDeleteSo funny that these commercials annoyed me enough to see if they affected others the same way! LOL! Being a logical person, my first thoughts were "SCAM"! Sadly, there will be many people vulnerable to such advertising, just as there are people who are vulnerable to money offers that arrive via email. Advertisements will make sure that we constantly want or need for something that is unattainable.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing one of the commercials, i immediatley did a google serach for CTCA and false hope. There are so many different sites that include many comments from many family members that have seen their loved one suffer from false hope and extra money spent and extra time spent far away from family and friends. Modern medicine may not be perfect but these vultures prey upon that fact and should be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteThey tell you they give you hope, they give you this, they give you that. The truth is they give you nothing. It costs and it costs plenty, if your insurance doesn't not work with them or if you have no insurance you must post $100,000 up front for a start just to talk to them. They should be up front about this, not give out false hope. It's all the same, if you have money you have help.
ReplyDeleteRusty
That's ridiculous. I think you should prove it.
DeleteMy mother in law was told the exact same thing about the $100,000.00 deposit up front. She had blue cross blue shield insurance, but only a basic plan. That was in 2008. She sadly passed away about 8 months later.
DeleteHer doctor was a kind, caring man who tried to treat her cancer and her depression. She had no real will to live. My father in law insisted she wasn't depressed and as a result refused to give her the medication for depression. They refused to comply with treatment. She sat in a darkened room for 2 years both of them refused to believe the doctor was anything other than incompetent and unfeeling. He told her that if she fought she should get a few good years.
CTC of America offered no hope either, but my father in law holds them up as the holy grail that would have healed her, if only her selish greedy family had put up the $100,000.00.
I'm not a doctor nor am I a lawyer, but I have a pretty fair idea as to why fire4yahweh's grandmother would be turned away: she was treatable.
ReplyDeleteIf you take in a treatable patient, they won't be getting normal oncology treatment but, instead, your specialized treatment. They might get better, they might die or... they might live with cancer for a long time. That last bit is their worry, IMHO.
Taking in a terminal patient means they'll die or they'll get better (because... remission happens, even to the 'untreatable'). The dead don't talk and the survivors who experience remission are thankful and happy to be a living testimony. Patients who linger don't fit that model...
And yeah, I also came here to see who else was as angry about those as I was.
Doctors don't think that way. You have a lot of anger in you. I hope you are able to get rid of it.
Deletejp g: You are obviously a shill for CTCA, attempting to cast some shadow of doubt when people trust their gut instincts to know you don't plaster the airwaves with ads and offer a reasonable value for your treatment. End of life treatment accounts for 75% of lifetime medical expenses. And CTCA wants every dime of that 75% that they can scare or swindle their patients out of. Leave this site, you liar!
DeleteGood one!! Thanks for sharing an interesting read. But it is true that people are attracted by commercials and they believe them.
ReplyDeletecancer treatment center
I could say several things here but choose only to say until you have experienced cancer and really looked at your options you shouldn't be so quick to judge CTCA or any other for that matter. I was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in December 2010. I initially went to what I thought was the best I could find being in a serious situation. After this institution preforming their routine scans and exams, I was labeled as a number and oncologist told me "this is the ONLY treatment available for pancreatic cancer...." and went on to tell me what they thought it was. Their prognosis was a 30% chance for remission. I thought if I could find a 50%, that is better than 30%. I went to CTCA and they treated me as a person rather than a number, they had several plans in place in case the first plan didn't knock the cancer back which was a less aggressive chemo than what the other place said was my only option. Since that time the less agressive chemo has worked with minimal side affects. Would the more aggressive worked? Maybe, but I have been able to be more active with my children and everyday activities. Will I be able to beat this cancer inside my body and extend my life? Who knows but God. I do believe coming to CTCA was the right decision for me. But for you, it just may not be. I do hope if this hideous disease invades your body you will consider all of your options including Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Thank you for reading this
ReplyDeleteDesperation drives people to do things that defy logic. You confuse correlation with causation. I wish you all the best, but still believe that CTCA are Rip-off Artists on par with Passages of Malibu-boo.
DeleteThank you for sharing this informative post. Great job. cancer center of tulsa
ReplyDeleteSouth Florida Radiation Oncology has locations in Belle Glade, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Port St. Lucie, Stuart and Wellington—so you never have to travel far for the most extensive radiation oncology and advanced cancer treatment options in Florida.
ReplyDeleteCancer Care
Massage, the most common alternative therapy to be found in hospitals, is useful for pain control, stress relief, reducing muscle tension, increasing blood flow, and increasing the range of motion after injury or during convalescence. Besides, it just feels good. cancer treatment centers are using massage as one of them.
ReplyDeleteAt what cost for the patients and their families. You can get a massage anywhere. Why should these desperate people pay $100,000 for one at CTCA?
DeleteI never thought of the stories as being bitter until I found this website.
ReplyDeleteI was actually looking to see if I could find an email address because there is a commercial where a "Boyd" had stage four melanoma and then discovered he had a brain tumor. The doctor (maybe an actor, anything is possible) describes this probe that is like a "GPS for the brain" and the "doctor" says something to the effect of, "The probe is like a GPS for the brain and we can find where the lesion is at." The grammar, or lack there of, kills me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed the horrid grammar. I'm sorry, but I feel when a person says a sentence like the one the actor said or the pathetic,"Where are you at?" I have to thoughts: I question how intelligent the person is and I wonder what the heck is going on in our schools. My grammar may not always be 100% correct, and I have no problem admitting it, but I don't put a preposition at the end of a sentence unless it's necessary. Thank you for letting me get that off my chest!
OMG! I can't believe anybody else noticed this! That sentence ("............find where the lesion is at" makes my hair itch every time I hear it!!! I was just telling someone about it, and I googled "cancer commercial doctor grammar" on the off chance that I could find the exact wording. Poof! I found you!!!!!
DeleteInteresting that "Boyd" is no longer in the commercials? Terry Sanders replaced him in the commercial. And yet I can not find anything online about this "Terry Sanders". Does he even exist?
DeleteI saw the commercial where the supposed doctor says " what are you smiling about you're gonna die" well I called the ctc and gave the poor woman an earful . I told her that no doctor would ever say such a thing and that ctc are bullshit ! Most satisfying call I ever made.
ReplyDeleteI saw the commercial where the supposed doctor says " what are you smiling about you're gonna die" well I called the ctc and gave the poor woman an earful . I told her that no doctor would ever say such a thing and that ctc are bullshit ! Most satisfying call I ever made.
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