What Does “Safer” Mean?

In defining Safer Cures, we all have different values and beliefs through which we understand the world. The word “safe” could mean an almost unlimited number of things. To simplify for our discussion, we’ve turned to the Internet for help. And we found this definition from a U.S. government website:

“Safe: Strictly, free from harm or risk. Exposure to a chemical usually has some risk associated with it, although the risk may be very small. However, many people use the word safe to mean something that has a very low risk or one that is acceptable to them.”

Source:  https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/glossary/

Wow. This definition is loaded with words that provoke more questions than provide clarity. Like the word “harm”…

First Do No Harm

Most of us believe that as a rite of passage, all new physicians take a solemn oath that guides their thinking, decision-making, actions, and patient relationships. It’s the infamous Hippocratic Oath, which is widely understood to include the promise “First, do no harm.”

As patients, our belief that physicians firmly abide by this oath provides us tremendous comfort and instantly creates a feeling of confidence that our trusted doctor will always help us, and never harm us.

Well, it’s time to bravely peak behind the curtain, so to speak, and take a good long look at reality…

Deep-dive: “First, do no harm”

Harvard Medical School’s Position

Stop for a moment. Consider that THE #1 TOP MEDICAL SCHOOL in the U.S., Harvard Medical School, now tells us quite clearly that not only is our belief about the Hippocratic Oath erroneous – they now say that there actually is NO SUCH OATH.

AND they say that considering the current standard medical practices and procedures, it’s NOT EVEN POSSIBLE for a doctor to ‘First, do no harm’.

Quoting directly from the Harvard Health Blog post, “First, do no harm”, published June 22, 2020:

“The bottom line:

“The fact is that when difficult, real-time decisions must be made, it’s hard to apply the “first, do no harm” dictum because estimates of risk and benefit are so uncertain and prone to error.”

The author, Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing, further points out in the blog post:

“…in reality, the principle of “first, do no harm” may be less helpful — and less practical — than you might think.”

And:

“Yes, the pledger commits to avoiding harm, but there’s nothing about making it a top priority.” 

The Truth

Actually, this admission by the public voice of the most prestigious medical school in America is, at the same time, both stunning and not at all surprising. (But still tremendously sad.)

The Truth is what many patients have learned the hard way: There is no Wizard of Oz.

At SaferCures, we believe it’s long overdue for more institutions and conventional western medical practitioners to admit this – to themselves, to their patients, to the general public, and especially to the media, both online and offline.

So, as sad as this reality is; we say, “Bravo, Harvard Medical School, for stepping out from behind the curtain, for speaking The Truth – in writing, publicly – for the world to see and finally grasp, so each one of us may not be unwittingly deceived.”

It’s Time to Advocate For Yourself

Perhaps now, as patients, we will begin to realize that it’s time to take back our own power, to understand that while many brilliant conventional physicians work very hard and sincerely want to help people, it has actually become the patient’s responsibility to be aware, to research, become informed, to seek additional opinions, to explore alternative health solutions, and to advocate for our own safety and best health outcomes.  

Patients must now take the lead in making health safety their own first priority, because no one is going to do that for you.

It is now YOUR job to keep YOUR OWN healthcare SAFE.

What Does “Cure” Mean?

After an extensive search online to answer this question, we believe it’s fair to say that no consistent definition, use, or understanding of the word “cure” is documented, taught, or communicated – between Care Providers & Patients, among Care Providers themselves, or in Care Provider education.

In this discussion, we begin to explore how the conventional western medical community, primarily in the U.S., has influenced our thinking about the possibility (or impossibility) of a “cure”.

We begin by searching for documented use of the word “cure” in conventional western medical literature, easily found online. After all, isn’t that where most of us now go to find answers?

Below are direct quotes from conventional medicine sources, including links for further reading online.

SPOILER ALERT:

We conclude that the key takeaway, for any patient with any illness, is this underlying wisdom:

“Whatever your doctor tells you, keep in mind that a prognosis is an educated guess. Your doctor cannot be certain how it will go for you.”

Source: U.S. National Institutes of Health https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/prognosis

Use of the Word “Cure” by the NIH

“National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, conducts scientific research into the causes, prevention and cure of diseases.”

Source: https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/glossary/

Difference Between Treatment and Cure

“The term ‘cure’ means that after medical treatment, the patient no longer has that particular condition anymore. The good news is that researchers are constantly coming up with advances in medicine. So it’s possible that a disease that can be treated but not cured today, may be cured in the future.”                                                                                                

Source: https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/curable.html

Dictionary of cancer terms – Definition of ‘cure’ – National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute

“To heal or restore health; a treatment to restore health.”

Source: Cancer.gov

Use of the Word “Cure” in Oncology

“This study surveyed a group of oncology specialists regarding the frequency and determinants of using the word cure.”

“Results: Of the 117 participants (65%) who provided responses, 81% were hesitant to tell a patient that they are cured, and 63% would never tell a patient that they are cured. Only 7% felt that greater than 75% of their patients are, or will be, cured. The participating clinicians reported that only 34% of patients ask if they are cured.”

Factors Influencing the Use of the Word ‘Cure’

“There may be substantial implications of not using the word cure. For cancer survivors, the uncertainty about being cured could be an ongoing source of worry. Being in remission, rather than cured, may emphasize the importance of surveillance for cancer recurrence and result in less focus on the other tasks of cancer survivorship care, including screening for late and long-term effects and second or secondary cancers, time and effort spent on secondary prevention, and treatment of comorbidities, all of which become more relevant with increasing age.

“Using the word cured for cancer survivors may have positive outcomes, including facilitating positive psychosocial adaptations and increased confidence. However, cancer survivors who are told that they are cured may discontinue or diminish their medical care.

“For clinicians, a determination that a patient is cured could justify their discharge from oncology follow-up and shift time and attention to newly diagnosed patients. For society, considering cancer a curable disease could promote cancer screening and early detection efforts.”

See full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3710180/

When Should Oncologists use the Words ‘Hope’ and ‘Cure’?

“Corn and colleagues (1) tested the hypothesis that oncologists are reluctant to use the terms hope and cure in journal articles. The authors analyzed 13,363 articles classified as primary research, editorials, or narrative essays published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (from 2000 to 2018) or JAMA Oncology (from 2015 to 2019) and counted the numbers and proportions of articles, and of sentences, that included the words hope or cure. Overall, the words hope and cure were used infrequently and mentioned less often in primary research articles than narrative essays. Use of both terms diminished over time despite increasing cancer survival rates. The investigators concluded that the time has come for oncologists to embrace the words hope and cure.”

“The American Society of Clinical Oncology defines cancer cure for an individual in its cancer survivorship booklet as “when a person’s cancer has not returned for at least 5 years after treatment” (4). Another definition of cancer cure is when the mortality rate of people diagnosed with a certain cancer returns to the level expected in the general population of the same sex and age (5).”

See full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7666826/

National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute

Understanding the Difference Between Cure and Remission

“Cure means that there are no traces of your cancer after treatment and the cancer will never come back.”

“Remission means that the signs and symptoms of your cancer are reduced. Remission can be partial or complete. In a complete remission, all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared.”

Source: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/prognosis

Safer Cures

So as you become empowered to explore, learn, question, and seek alternative options and choices for your healthcare, keep this in mind:

“…Your doctor cannot be certain how it will go for you.”

Source: National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health