Bogus Breast Cancer Research (Why the Little Pink Ribbon Has Me Seeing Red)

[Rich66]

http://healthbeatnews.com/news/archives/637

[Jackie07]

A 'background check' of this 'Doctor' reminded me of a conversation 20 years ago between our library volunteer (a retired pathologist) and the receptionist of my then family doctor (who had been avoiding seeing me after he had failed to diagnose/take action to give me referral for my headaches caused by a huge, life-long brain tumor.)

Dr. Paulin Growsky chewed out the young lady: "Are you a doctor? Are you supposed to give medical advice?"


DANA MYATT, N.M.D.
Member: American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (eligible)
President: ECAFH Foundation, Inc. (Exploring Complementary Answers for Health)
Chief Medical Officer: The Wellness Club
Author: A Physicians Diary
Professor: Atlantic University
Graduate: National College of Naturopathic Medicine
Dr. Dana Myatt is no ordinary doctor. As a naturopathic family physician, her career has been a "first" in many respects.
Dr. Myatt is a graduate of The National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. As the first naturopathic physician on staff at the A.R.E. Clinic, she served as Director of Medical Residencies, supervising the training of doctors, nurses and medical students in holistic healing techniques. She was also the first naturopathic doctor at the Scottsdale Holistic Medical Group.

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I did the 'background check' because she did not mention anything about the genetic aspect of breast cancer and the breakthroughs being made in the treatment of breast cancer - especially Her2 breast cancer.

The 'Big Pharma' has a lot to do with the development of Herceptin - our miracle drug - and other new targeted medicine. The impact of donations by individuals is probably not measured by the dollar amount, but more by the number of participants and the 'movement'.

[Jackie07]

Did some checking on 'Atlantic University' where she's a 'faculty':

Atlantic University is an accredited graduate-level educational institution of higher learning in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university offers non-degree certificate programs and one formal graduate level program, the master of arts in transpersonal studies. This program at the Virginia university is interdisciplinary in nature. It focuses on holistic living, the nature of reality, the universe and humanity. Students are encouraged to apply the concepts in their own lives and to work toward integrating their mind, body and spirit. Designed for busy adults, the degree program at Atlantic University is mostly a distance-learning program. Students receive class materials online, and they are offered a mentor for the course. Email is the main mode of communication at the Virginia university. The master's program involves 37 semester-credit hours. Quick Facts: Atlantic University was originally established in 1930, but due to economic situations, the school was only open for two years. The Virginia university reopened in 1985 as a graduate school. The first class graduated in 1989. Philosopher and holistic healing pioneer, Edgar Cayce, was one of the founders of Atlantic University in 1930. Atlantic University is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council in Washington, DC. It is licensed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to confer the master degree in transpersonal studies through distance-learning. Atlantic University has 16 faculty members and most hold doctorate or terminal degrees in their field. For students who are not interested in obtaining a master's degree in transpersonal studies, Atlantic University offers the distance-learning non-credit program. Because classes taken in the non-credit program earn no academic credit, they are not transferable to the master's degree program.

"A little knowlege is dangerous knowlege." It's wonderful that more and more people are paying attention to the diagnosis and treatment of Breast Cancer. We just need to be very careful about what/who we are listening to.

[Rich66]

However one interprets the mortality stats, the issue of how many individual advocacy organizations and respective infrastructures there are does strike a chord with me. Somehow, the house keeps getting donation calls from cancer organizations I've never heard of. And I have enough experience with organizations in general to know that it's all too easy for them to end up up focusing on preserving their own existence as opposed to filling a unique need or synergizing with other organizations.
I guess in this case I found the message more compelling than the messenger.

[Jackie07]

Here's a website with various links to the topic. The data is a little bit old (early 2000's), but it gives us some idea about the non-profit organizations.

http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/FAQ/index.php?category=51

Marie, where are you? Tell us about your experience/expertise with the non-profit organization.