Stats aren’t all that!

There's actually a long tail on the end of that curve - and that's the people who survive longer!

I just received a very nice message from a cancer researcher in NYC about my post about statistics  I feel good to find another person in the medical field, who like my oncologist I see, believes statistics aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

This is another example of people or comments coming into my life exactly when I need them.  Last week, I went to see a top oncologist who is on the forefront of groundbreaking research. He told me about great new trials that sound promising and how there is more money being spent on breast cancer than any other cancer.  As he talked about the grim realities of metastatic breast cancer, however, I could see he was a strong believer of statistics. 

I know there is much more to the equation that goes beyond the medical model. After all, I’ve talked to people all over the country who are alive and well today after doctors told them otherwise.

Medical stats lump everyone together – people who lead a holistic lifestyle, are happy and have purpose in life and people who eat junk food , don’t exercise,and are stressed and depressed.

David Servan-Schrieber, MD, PhD,  in his book, Anti Cancer: A New of Life (Penguin Group, Copyright 2008), talks about the bell curve of statistics from which median survival rates are derived. I recommend you read the book to get the full story; it’s wonderful. When I read it, I highlighted this part and put a star by it because I think it’s so important:

Statistics we are shown on cancer survival don’t distinguish between people who are satisfied with passively accepting the medical verdict and those who mobilize their own natural defenses.   …  And within this “median” are those who live much longer. This is most likely because, along with the benefits of the conventional treatments they receive, they have somehow galvanized their natural defenses. They have found harmony in this simple quartet: detoxification of carcinogenic substances, an anticancer diet, adequate physical activity, and a search for emotional peace.

So as you can see, stats aren’t all that! There are ways you tip the odds in your favor, and we’ll keep discussing them on this blog. Thanks to everyone who have joined me in this journey. To read my other post about stats, go to http://www.tamiboehmer.com/category/statistics/.