@Curves: Me as well in a way. My good friend had Multiple Myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer that is treatable but not curable. Sadly, he chose to go out on his own terms just over two weeks ago. I hope this invention proves to be helpful to others. #diyrftherapy
While I admire his work and dedication to something greater, I must say he would have been wiser to stay on conventional treatment and develop the machine at the same time.
Keep in mind, someone 20 years ago was the "hero" that worked out today's treatments for leukemia and other cancers. Look at Lance Armstrong if you need proof that conventional medicine can save and improve lives before you sign up for some unproven treatment with radio waves or start drinking your own urine. #diyrftherapy
"he would have been wiser to stay on conventional treatment and develop the machine at the same time. "
no way, think of the motivation! one tends to complete quicker that which he needs. i mean, you don't hurry to fix a car if you have another, working car. #diyrftherapy
Sometimes, being a lay person helps you think outside the box. Hopefully his idea can be developed into something that works and is useful in cancer treatment. #diyrftherapy
I watched this story and it is sad in the way that most cancer stories are sad. It also is a bit alarming because it is part of a larger trend. The news is treating crazy people as though they aren't nuts. Why was Kanzius nuts?
One, he didn't have any scientific knowledge. He seemed to think that cancer cells would die from exposure to radio waves. Almost every organic chemist knows exactly how radio waves interact with organic matter. It is part of how NMR works. When a cell turns cancerous, there is nothing that would change how it interacts with radio waves, much less a change that would lead to cell killing.
Two, even though he was uneducated about science, he disregarded the advice of his doctor and took himself off chemo, a decision that assuredly hastened his demise.
Ignoring experts and "trusting your gut" has been on the rise since G W Bush and it needs to stop. Giving airtime to "alternative medicine" gives credence to a variety of rip-off artists and causes measurable harm. #diyrftherapy
I watched this story and it is sad in the way that most cancer stories are sad. It also is a bit alarming because it is part of a larger trend. The news is treating crazy people as though they aren't nuts. Why was Kanzius nuts?
One, he didn't have any scientific knowledge. He seemed to think that cancer cells would die from exposure to radio waves. Almost every organic chemist knows exactly how radio waves interact with organic matter. It is part of how NMR works. When a cell turns cancerous, there is nothing that would change how it interacts with radio waves, much less a change that would lead to cell killing.
Two, even though he was uneducated about science, he disregarded the advice of his doctor and took himself off chemo, a decision that assuredly hastened his demise.
Ignoring experts and "trusting your gut" has been on the rise since G W Bush and it needs to stop. Giving airtime to "alternative medicine" gives credence to a variety of rip-off artists and causes measurable harm. #diyrftherapy
@NewbiusMaximus: I need to watch again to be sure, but I think the doctor was researching gold nanoparticles in conjunction with radio waves. The treatment Kanzius used was just radio waves. He'd just go sit in the machine, but he didn't have access to the particles so it was only half a therapy.
I would never judge what someone does when they are desperate and the news was compassionate in their coverage but it should have been more clear in the video that there was no scientific basis for this. The way organic matter and radio waves interact is fully understood, there will be no therapy without those nanoparticles. #diyrftherapy
@Mesothelioma: No disrespect, I'm just pointing out that he didn't know science. It is a fine line between commending someone's bravery (he was brave and had heart) and reporting on a discovery honestly. That piece could have given people hope that a cure might come from some garage and frankly that's not going to happen. What will happen is that people will be inspired to treat themselves and they'll die early, just like this guy. #diyrftherapy
@The Lab: For a man who didn't know the science, he came up with the theory that is being tested and with positive results as stated by the doctor at the end. If the clinical trials occur and are successful, this treatment would truly come from a man in his garage. So yes, it can happen.
As for John doing the treatment on himself without the gold nano-particles, he knew the doctor wouldn't help and hoped that his theory of the cancer cells possibly having unknown intrinsic properties was true. If he knew more about the science of the disease, he probably would have still done it to see. He took it upon himself to forgo chemo treatment and he didn't advertise that everyone should do the same.
I wish he could have lived to see the clinical human trials but even with chemo, that may have not happened. The best thing is that his wife and the doctor are continuing the research.
I'll be drinking a Shiner for John and for his determination and sacrifice. #diyrftherapy
A couple things didn't ring true in this report so I looked them up.
First, I thought it was odd that they got so excited about in vitro petri dish results. Turns out this is works in rats which is a much bigger deal.
Second, the idea isn't nearly as novel as they make it out to be. Research is already being done on gold nanoparticles that are heated with infrared light. The novel idea here is to use radio waves. They never made it clear what Kanzius invented and what was already known.
Third, it made it sound like this was coming soon. They said 2 maybe 3 years till clinical trials. They should have mentioned clinical trials take on average 8 years.
Fourth, they made Kanzius seem a bit crazy. They showed him sitting in the machine, hoping that some intrinsic property of cancer cells would interact with the RF and kill the cells. In fact, he knew better than that. His words from an interview with Popular Science:
"People always ask me if I ever treat myself," says Kanzius, who is still fighting leukemia. "No. I wrote the patents—I know it won’t work without that targeting particle. If it did, I’d be sitting in front of that thing every day."
Turns out Kanzius, contrary to what I said below, isn't nuts. 60 Minutes just made him out to be. Science journalism isn't great in general but this is pretty bad. I got most of this info from a paper he wrote in Surgery over a year ago. #diyrftherapy
excellent! innate intelligence and creativity can do so much more under the right circumstances than learned or practiced intelligence.
Ignorance or even disregard of certain rules can lead one down paths that others may never ever find.
This idea in a way seems so obvious that it's startling that no one else ever thought of it.
What a legacy this man has created for himself. What a pioneer... #diyrftherapy
@Spartanical: Oh no. I'm mocking you. Definitely you. This man's "revolutionary" idea was basically drawn up by cancer researchers years ago. It's not his idea, and to be honest it failed because he had no medical training.
He's not a pioneer. he built a fabulous radio broadcasting machine, sure. But if anything, he's proof that detailed training and rigorous learning are necessary in ANY field of endeavour. #diyrftherapy
Oh wow I don't want to spoil the ending. But I really think if they could get a way to inject the cells with nano particles it would work perfectly. Just the bad cells though. #diyrftherapy
@clR3vv: There are two ways to do that. One, attach antibodies specific for an antigen overexpressed on the cancer membrane. Second, nanoparticles naturally accumulate at sites of blood vessel lesions and cancer has blood vessels with lesions. #diyrftherapy
One of the bad parts about cancer treatment is they treat all the cells, hoping to kill the cancerous ones and hope that some of the healthy ones live, so this is a great step in sorting the two. Way to go!
@Curves: There was a great story about a guy who came up with a process of bonding gold nanoparticles to a certain protein and then injecting them. The protein bonds to cancer cells in the body and then you irradiate them with low power microwaves. Just like the aluminum foil in the microwave, the microwaves cause the gold to heat up and cook the cancer cells without causing any damage to the surrounding tissue.
Its a cool story, no medical training but makes you wonder. I bet cancer researchers already knew this or had this idea. Think about all the cancer funding... its a huge business but there is no money in a procedure based cure. If its a pill, then book it! What if the cure was as simple as this story points out but hasn't been tried because there's no money in it? I don't know if thats true but as a scary thought.
@Ridley: I have heard before, and pray its not true, that there are effective, but inexpensive cures, and since cancer research is a giant industry, no one wants a cure since they would be out of a job. I surely do hope that just gossip, but, in this world, it has more than just a ring of truth to it.
@Ridley: Very doubtful. Cancer isn't something you treat once and then you never have it again. It can recur multiple times (and if you have unfortunate genetics, it very likely to). And the longer people live, the higher probability they will develop a cancer, so its a growing market. Dead people don't usually pay you more money, but living ones you treated successfully before will when they need you again.
There's some really promising anti-viral drugs like Peregrine, that may work on cancer cells too. They affect cells expressing certain marker proteins that apparently are unique to cancerous and virally infected cells:
@Curves: The company that patents and releases a cure for cancer will make 10's of billions of dollars easily. Cancer will never go away because its a natural breakdown of cellular system, so the profit incentive is to be that company that has the cure. Any academic researcher would be set for life if they discovered it (guaranteed tenure, probably unlimited future research budget, guaranteed Nobel prize, likely endorsement deals by private pharm. companies). No one has a good incentive not to release any discoveries.
@Accelerata: Knowing there is a positive financial and career incentive as well as the whole "good of mankind" aspect, I feel better. I hope if anyone ever has to decide between the two incentives, (good of mankind vs $$) that they go for the good of mankind.
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
11/17/09
10/21/09
10/22/09
10/22/09
Truly the loss is for those of us who are left behind. #diyrftherapy
10/21/09
Keep in mind, someone 20 years ago was the "hero" that worked out today's treatments for leukemia and other cancers. Look at Lance Armstrong if you need proof that conventional medicine can save and improve lives before you sign up for some unproven treatment with radio waves or start drinking your own urine. #diyrftherapy
10/21/09
"he would have been wiser to stay on conventional treatment and develop the machine at the same time. "
no way, think of the motivation! one tends to complete quicker that which he needs. i mean, you don't hurry to fix a car if you have another, working car. #diyrftherapy
10/21/09
10/21/09
10/21/09
Yep. You know what they call "alternative medicine" that works? They call it MEDICINE. #diyrftherapy
10/20/09
One, he didn't have any scientific knowledge. He seemed to think that cancer cells would die from exposure to radio waves. Almost every organic chemist knows exactly how radio waves interact with organic matter. It is part of how NMR works. When a cell turns cancerous, there is nothing that would change how it interacts with radio waves, much less a change that would lead to cell killing.
Two, even though he was uneducated about science, he disregarded the advice of his doctor and took himself off chemo, a decision that assuredly hastened his demise.
Ignoring experts and "trusting your gut" has been on the rise since G W Bush and it needs to stop. Giving airtime to "alternative medicine" gives credence to a variety of rip-off artists and causes measurable harm. #diyrftherapy
10/20/09
One, he didn't have any scientific knowledge. He seemed to think that cancer cells would die from exposure to radio waves. Almost every organic chemist knows exactly how radio waves interact with organic matter. It is part of how NMR works. When a cell turns cancerous, there is nothing that would change how it interacts with radio waves, much less a change that would lead to cell killing.
Two, even though he was uneducated about science, he disregarded the advice of his doctor and took himself off chemo, a decision that assuredly hastened his demise.
Ignoring experts and "trusting your gut" has been on the rise since G W Bush and it needs to stop. Giving airtime to "alternative medicine" gives credence to a variety of rip-off artists and causes measurable harm. #diyrftherapy
10/20/09
Assuming you paid attention to the video, injection of gold nanoparticles into cells, and then zapping them with radio waves *does* kill them.
The fact that research is still continuing on the guy's idea is testament, and makes him different from mere "nutcases". #diyrftherapy
10/21/09
10/21/09
I would never judge what someone does when they are desperate and the news was compassionate in their coverage but it should have been more clear in the video that there was no scientific basis for this. The way organic matter and radio waves interact is fully understood, there will be no therapy without those nanoparticles. #diyrftherapy
10/21/09
10/21/09
As for John doing the treatment on himself without the gold nano-particles, he knew the doctor wouldn't help and hoped that his theory of the cancer cells possibly having unknown intrinsic properties was true. If he knew more about the science of the disease, he probably would have still done it to see. He took it upon himself to forgo chemo treatment and he didn't advertise that everyone should do the same.
I wish he could have lived to see the clinical human trials but even with chemo, that may have not happened. The best thing is that his wife and the doctor are continuing the research.
I'll be drinking a Shiner for John and for his determination and sacrifice. #diyrftherapy
10/21/09
First, I thought it was odd that they got so excited about in vitro petri dish results. Turns out this is works in rats which is a much bigger deal.
Second, the idea isn't nearly as novel as they make it out to be. Research is already being done on gold nanoparticles that are heated with infrared light. The novel idea here is to use radio waves. They never made it clear what Kanzius invented and what was already known.
Third, it made it sound like this was coming soon. They said 2 maybe 3 years till clinical trials. They should have mentioned clinical trials take on average 8 years.
Fourth, they made Kanzius seem a bit crazy. They showed him sitting in the machine, hoping that some intrinsic property of cancer cells would interact with the RF and kill the cells. In fact, he knew better than that. His words from an interview with Popular Science:
"People always ask me if I ever treat myself," says Kanzius, who is still fighting leukemia. "No. I wrote the patents—I know it won’t work without that targeting particle. If it did, I’d be sitting in front of that thing every day."
Turns out Kanzius, contrary to what I said below, isn't nuts. 60 Minutes just made him out to be. Science journalism isn't great in general but this is pretty bad. I got most of this info from a paper he wrote in Surgery over a year ago. #diyrftherapy
10/20/09
Ignorance or even disregard of certain rules can lead one down paths that others may never ever find.
This idea in a way seems so obvious that it's startling that no one else ever thought of it.
What a legacy this man has created for himself. What a pioneer... #diyrftherapy
10/20/09
This is basically the same kind of procedure a lot of cancer researchers are working on all the time. #diyrftherapy
10/21/09
10/21/09
He's not a pioneer. he built a fabulous radio broadcasting machine, sure. But if anything, he's proof that detailed training and rigorous learning are necessary in ANY field of endeavour. #diyrftherapy
10/20/09
10/20/09
10/20/09
10/09/09
(RIPJT)
10/09/09
10/09/09
Its a cool story, no medical training but makes you wonder. I bet cancer researchers already knew this or had this idea. Think about all the cancer funding... its a huge business but there is no money in a procedure based cure. If its a pill, then book it! What if the cure was as simple as this story points out but hasn't been tried because there's no money in it? I don't know if thats true but as a scary thought.
10/09/09
10/09/09
There's some really promising anti-viral drugs like Peregrine, that may work on cancer cells too. They affect cells expressing certain marker proteins that apparently are unique to cancerous and virally infected cells:
[www.newscientist.com]
10/09/09
10/09/09
Thanks :)