Letter: Search for answers to the rising rate of cancer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: You write about the increase in cancer and how, despite hundreds of millions of pounds spent over many decades, the war is being lost. The reply of those responsible is, as always, to talk of jam tomorrow. Why should we believe that their promises for the future are any more likely to be realised than they have been in the past?
In Western society we hold our scientists in too much awe, and the power they wield can be corrupting. What is especially tragic is that there is a wide variety of promising alternative approaches to the usual surgery, radiotherapy and drugs-based treatments, waiting to be properly investigated.
Practitioners of nutritional, herbal and other therapies have neither the money nor the expertise to do this themselves. It needs a radical change of heart, as well as management, among those within the NHS, the research councils and other charities whose hands control the levers of power. Maybe it is also time for some patient activism, such as we have seen in the USA in the case of Aids.
Earl BALDWIN OF BEWDLEY
Chairman, Parliamentary Group for Alternative and Complementary Medicine
House of Lords
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments