Rev. George H. Malkmus, claims that diet can heal cancer. On a natural medicine page he wrote a testimonial claiming that a friend of his helped him become vegetarian; which in turn cured his colon cancer in one year. He exclaimed that the Bible tells us that God created us to be able to “self-heal”. Also he said it is imperative we eat raw vegetables because cooked food lacks nutrition, which increases risk to cancer.

*Sigh* I think it’s best we isolate each problematic statement Rev. Malkums stated and discuss them.

When I read “self-healing” I couldn’t help but think of Wolverine from Marvel.

Yes, the human body has properties to help it heal from injuries, an example are scabs. However to thoughtlessly say that the immune system has a “self-healing” property that combats cancer; reveals a lack of knowledge. Cancer is when body cells abnormally divide and spread throughout the body. This proves that the immune system cannot miraculously “heal” itself.

This idea that a high plant-based diet reduces the risk for cancer/cures cancer is based on prior research about the environment cancer favors.

They claim because cancer cells favor acidic environments, eating acidic foods raise the risk of getting cancer. However scientific research reported otherwise. It is true that diet can affect the pH level in your body; however the human body tries to maintain homeostasis (equilibrium). If the food you ate substantially changed the pH level of your body you can have serious health problems such as  acidosis (too much carbon in your blood, makes it too acidic) or alkalosis (high levels of bicarbonate which means your blood is basic). According to Dr. Yeung, there is no scientific evidence that shows changing your diet affects cancer.

Lastly, Dr. Gabe Mirkin says that cooking food does not take away the nutrients you need. Yes some vitamins may be lost, but as a whole cooked food is does not lack in nutrients.

I am a biased individual. I believe in holistic remedies if it actually helps the well being of a person. A better diet in general is a good idea. But I don’t believe it should be taken over actual science/medicine. I think these “natural remedies” can be very dangerous. According to the Washington Post people who seek holistic alternatives to real medicine run the risk of getting actually worse or even death.

What do you think?