There’s no official governmental definition for “natural;” but it’s understood that in dealing with cancer, the term applies to treatment not involving surgery or drugs, often referred to as “alternative treatment.” Whether it’s St. John’s wort taken in pill form, or vinegar drunk straight from the bottle, there are a number of “natural” ways out there purported to cure cancer (or reduce its risk of recurrence). Are any of these worth considering? In the end, it’s up to you.

The amount of information of all kinds on the Internet is stunning. 

And that includes the amount of misinformation. Or half-truths. Or wishful thinking laid atop preliminary research, which then yields “facts.” 

This third category is often where you’ll find “miracle” cures for cancer. Borne of desperation, perhaps as a loved one fights for life, many people are prone to believe that cornmeal, or Laetrile, or a special combination of herbs will succeed where traditional cancer treatments haven’t. 

And it’s not hard to discover information about these non-traditional cancer treatments online. Sometimes inspired by true caring, but often fueled by greed, you can find Web site after Web site offering cancer treatments – even cures – outside the mainstream.

If you’re considering trying one of these little-known treatments, especially those purporting to cure, stop and think: If there was a cure for cancer, don’t you think the vast community of cancer researchers would jump on it and make it accessible to the millions of people facing death from cancer?

Even if you’re more of a cynic, you might expect drug companies to ferret out any kernel of truth in a “cancer cure,” and turn it into a money-making proposition. 

So far, that hasn’t happened. Which leads me to believe no one has discovered a cure for cancer. 

If you or the survivor you care about has exhausted all proven treatments, and death is looking more and more certain, then it might make sense to consider other avenues. With nothing to lose, why not try something unproven?

But, as the National Cancer Institute’s Web site advises about products advertised as cancer cures: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

That said, there may be a natural way to beat breast cancer. But it’s fraught with uncertainty, and potential danger.

Several years ago, a Norwegian breast cancer study involving 129,000 women yielded some surprising results, to say the least. Bottom line, the study authors concluded that as many as 66% of both invasive and non-invasive breast cancers may be termed “pseudo-cancers:” cancers that, if left on their own, would grow, then shrink, then disappear over the course of several years.

Now, this isn’t some fly-by-night study from unknown researchers; it was undertaken by a group of Norwegian scientists working in conjunction with researchers at Dartmouth Medical School, one of the top cancer research facilities in the country.