Month: September 2020

Cancer is ‘natural.’ The best treatments for it aren’t

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In the early years of my career as an oncologist, I’m learning that you really remember the patients you can’t save. Those with essentially curable cancers who refused the right treatment stand out the most.

One of those is a patient I’ll call Ruth. She was only 30 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, as I learned later from her medical history. It was localized to her left breast and contained within the relatively small tumor; there were no signs it had spread to other parts of her body. With the right treatment, Ruth had about a 75 percent chance of staying free of breast cancer for the rest of her life.

The “right treatment,” though, wasn’t going to be easy. Ruth would need to have surgery to remove the tumor followed by several months of chemotherapy, which would cause fatigue, nausea, and hair loss. Then it would be on to several weeks of radiation, which can cause fatigue, skin irritation, and scarring of the lungs. The path would be arduous, but it offered Ruth the best chance for a cure.

Instead, she chose an alternative medicine approach with a doctor in Mexico. I never learned exactly what it entailed, but it generally consisted of getting intravenous infusions of vitamins, including vitamin C, once a week. Drinking juices and other beverages with berry and plant extracts — all with supposed anti-cancer and healing properties — was also part of the treatment. Everything was “natural” and wholesome. After several months, she returned home to Chicago. Her breast felt fine and she thought the treatment had been successful.

A year later, Ruth found herself tiring easily. She had little appetite and was rapidly losing weight. She was also having trouble thinking and remembering things. She came to the emergency room when she lost strength and balance in her legs to the point that she couldn’t walk. An MRI showed that her breast cancer had spread to the lining of the brain and entire spinal cord. A spinal tap showed that the fluid that cushioned Ruth’s brain and spinal cord was filled with breast cancer cells.

I met Ruth when she was first admitted to the hospital. By then, she couldn’t articulate where in Mexico she had received her treatment, or what exactly it was, because her memory was fading and she was increasingly confused. She had no family and refused to call her friends for support.

I explained that her breast cancer had spread widely and that she had a few weeks or months to live. We could give her a high dose of a chemotherapy drug called methotrexate to try to improve her balance, leg strength, and mental clarity, but beyond keeping her comfortable there was little else we could do. This time, Ruth agreed to chemotherapy, though it was far too late. Despite the treatment, she became more confused and her weakness worsened. She lost the ability to speak or swallow any food or water. Four days later, Ruth slipped into a coma and died alone in a hospital room. She was only 31.

It is human nature to believe that anything that is “all natural” is intrinsically good. That line of thought can lead people astray. The truth is, cancer is all natural. While some are caused by smoking or chemical exposures, most of them are sporadic, meaning they aren’t caused by any lifestyle factor, food, or chemical exposure. Cholesterol, a major cause of heart attacks and strokes, is natural and even necessary — the body requires it to build cell membranes and the protective covering around nerves. HIV, Ebola, and Zika are all caused by naturally occurring viruses.

Ruth, with her belief in so-called natural healing, thought nothing of stepping onto an airplane weighing thousands of pounds and flying at 30,000 feet from Chicago to Mexico. What could be more unnatural?

Absolute and exclusive belief in natural alternative medicine to cure cancer has devastating consequences. A study out this month in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute looked at 281 patients with non-metastatic breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate cancers who chose to be treated exclusively with an alternative approach, and compared their survival with patients who received conventional cancer treatment. Overall, those in the alternative medicine group were 2.5 times more likely to die. Those with lung cancer were nearly 2.2 times more likely to die, and those with colorectal cancer were 4.5 times more likely. Women with breast cancer fared the worst — with a 5.7 times higher death rate among those who chose only alternative therapies. Several other studies have shown similar outcomes, especially for breast cancer.

People with cancer are easy targets for naturopathic scams because they can be desperate for hope and extensively research their treatment options. “Natural” treatments with few side effects appear irresistible when compared to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. But it is almost impossible for most people to know beforehand that these natural remedies won’t do anything for their cancer. If the cancer returns, they are more likely to blame the cancer rather than the ineffective natural remedies they received.

There’s no doubt that alternative medicine can play important roles in cancer care. Techniques such as acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and others can greatly improve cancer-related fatigue, pain, mental health, and quality of life when they are added to standard cancer therapy.

Some doctors reject alternative medicine completely, alienating patients like Ruth in the process. The unfortunate thing is that she didn’t have to choose between alternative and traditional medicine. They can be complementary approaches, not exclusive ones. She could have taken vitamin C tablets, drank berry extract beverages, and participated in yoga or meditation classes during chemotherapy or radiation therapy regimens.

Making a decision about treating cancer shouldn’t be based solely on a natural versus unnatural algorithm. We should focus on making choices that realistically have the best chance to help us. Sometimes, the “unnatural” option is the best one.

Suneel D. Kamath, M.D., is a hematology/oncology fellow at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

(See statnews.com)

Social Distancing During These Times is an Obligation From Allah; It Only Increases Our Love for One Another – Sh Fawzaan

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Social Distancing During These Times is an Obligation From Allah; It Only Increases Our Love for One Another
Please click on above link.
Ruling of Sh Fawzaan hafizahullaah, translated and presented by Moosaa Richardson

Referring to the true experts/specialists in every field (whether relating to matters of Deen or Dunya)

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[From Kitaab-ul-Eemaan of Saheeh Muslim]:

From Yahyaa ibn Ya’mar who said: The first person who spoke with (the Bid’ah of denying) Qadr in Basra was Ma’bad al-Juhanee, so I and Humaid ibn ‘AbdirRahmaan al-Humairee went for Hajj or for ‘Umrah – so we said – if we meet one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu’alihiwasallam then we should ask him about that which these people say regarding Qadr. So we were able to come upon ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab entering the masjid. So I and my companion stood on each side of him, one at his right hand side and the other at his left. So I thought that my companion wished me to speak, so I said: “O Aboo ‘Abdirrahmaan! A group of people has arisen amongst us who recite the Qur’aan, but who lack knowledge (and he described their condition), and they claim that there is no Qadr and that things just occur randomly.” He said: “Then when you meet them, then tell them that I am free of them and that they are free of me. By the One Whom ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar swears by – if one of them had the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold and he spent it, then Allaah would never accept it from him up until he believed in Qadr. Then he said:

[‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar then narrated the hadeeth of Jibreel, in which the ProphetsallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam said that belief in Qadr is from Eemaan].

________________________________________

Shaikh ‘Abdul-Muhsin al-’Abbaad said in explanation of this hadeeth (in his explanation of the second hadeeth of Nawawi’s 40):

And this clarifies for us that the Salaf of this Ummah they are the ones who should be referred back to, meaning that the Sahaabah, they were the ones who were to referred back to for the Taabi’oon, and that they would refer back to them regarding the affairs of the Religion. And that that which is obligatory in every time and place is to refer back to the people of knowledge, whenever difficult or problematic issues arise, then those who should be referred back to are the people of knowledge. It is not for every unreliable person to spread his untruths, or for every speaker to speak out, or for every person who talks to talk but rather the matter should only be returned to the people of knowledge.

Just as various issues relating to industry or trades or professions, then one should only refer back to those who are specialised in these fields. And one should not put oneself forward without knowledge. And no doubt, regarding the affairs of the Sharee’ah, it is even more the case that one should refer back in such issues to its people, and to those who have knowledge of it. So this was the state of the Salaf of this Ummah, that the Taabi’oon would refer back to the Sahaabah in trying to understand that which they found, or those issues which arose which appeared to contradict that which was known from the Book and the Sunnah, or that which was unclear, or any issue or doubt, then those referred to in such matters were the people of knowledge. And Allaah the Most High said:

فَاسْأَلُواْ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

So ask the People of Knowledge if you do not know [16:43]

And ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar, when he responded, first of all he responded regarding the status of those people (the Qadariyyah), and explained their condition, and that he was free of them and they were free of him, and that nothing will be accepted from them, and that they will not enter Jannah up until they believe in Qadr, the good and bad of it. Then he brought the evidence. And in this there is also clarification of what the Sahaabah may Allaah be pleased with them, were upon in terms of explaining the ruling upon a matter along with its evidence.

…

And this was the way of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them and may they be pleased with Him), when they mentioned the ruling (upon an issue) they would bring the evidence for it, even if they weren’t asked for it. And that is because bringing the evidence is the foundation upon which things are built. And that the questioner, when he hears the hadeeth of the Messenger sallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam, or he hears the evidence from the Book and the Sunnah, no doubt the people will then seek to worship (Allaah) through clinging to the Book and the Sunnah and through acting upon that which is in the Book and the Sunnah. So if the person who is asked responds to the questioner’s question, and then mentions the evidence after that, then this is from completeness in answering, and from completeness in showing ihsaan (goodness) and completeness in putting the questioner at ease in that the answer which he has been given is based upon a text from the Book of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic or the Sunnah of His MessengersallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam.

Sh Uthaymeen explains the hadeeth of `adwa (contagion) (Part 3) – comments

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In light of the previous two articles quoting from Sh Uthaymeen rahimahullaah, the following points should be clear:

  • The hadeeth “there is no ‘adwa (contagion)” doesn’t deny the existence or effect of contagious or infectious disease. Rather it refutes the concept that these diseases act separately from the permission and decree of Allaah.
  • Other hadith indicate that infectious disease is real. The Prophet sallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam clearly affirmed this and in fact advised people to take precautions from the spread of such disease (by fleeing from the leper and by keeping sick camels separate from healthy camels).
  • Such precautions are in keeping with what the modern medical profession advises with – by cleaning, disinfecting, isolating and quarantining the sick, using forms of protection such as face masks and gowns where needed etc. One can see that there is agreement between the Sunnah, the modern-day scholars (such as Sh Uthaymeen and Sh Fawzaan etc.) and the medical profession in these matters. In fact the scholars refer to the doctors in these issues and advise people with this.
  • This balanced approach has actually been implemented during the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic in Saudi Arabia where we have seen co-ordination and co-operation between the government, the scholars and the medical profession who have worked together to implement precautions against coronavirus. Although there have been many ill patients – filling up the wards and intensive care units in my own hospital in Jeddah for example, and in many other hospitals around the country, the epidemic has been controlled without hospitals being overwhelmed. This has led to a relatively low death rate when compared to other countries – walillaahilhamd.
  • Please beware of bizarre statements about these issues – like for example claims that infectious diseases don’t exist or that taking precautions such as wearing face masks is a type of ‘minor shirk’. No appropriately qualified doctors or scholars say such things. Also please be very cautious when scholars from centuries ago are quoted out of context.
  • Spreading medical misinformation is a serious matter. It may lead to innocent and medically vulnerable people becoming ill and dying. Nasa’Allaahal’aafiyah wasSalaamah.

Dr Adnaan Ali
MBBChir (medical doctor)

Sh Uthaymeen explains the hadeeth of `adwa (contagion) (Part 2)

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(In the excerpt below Sh Uthaymeen explains that contagion (i.e. infectious diseases) are real and that the Prophet sallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam affirmed this. He sallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam also said that one should take precautions against the spread of such diseases by isolating the sick from those who are healthy).

 

Sh Uthaymeen continued in his commentary:

With regard to the words “no contagion (‘adwa)”: contagion is something that happens, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Do not put a sick one with a healthy one” i.e., the owner of a sick camel should not bring it to the owner of a healthy camel, lest the contagion be transmitted.

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion.” Leprosy is a serious disease that is transmitted quickly and kills the one who catches it. It was even said that it is a plague. Hence the command to flee from the leper so that the disease will not be transmitted from him to you. This is an affirmation of the effect of contagion, but its effect is not inevitable in such a way that it affects people by itself. The command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to flee and not to bring sick camels to where healthy camels are comes under the heading of avoiding the means (that lead to sickness), not attributing the effect to the means themselves. The means do not affect anything themselves, but we should avoid the things that may be a cause of calamity, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“and do not throw yourselves into destruction”
[al-Baqarah 2:195]

We cannot say that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was denying the effect of contagion, because contagion is something that is proven to exist in real life and is mentioned in other ahaadeeth.

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said “there is no ‘adwa”, a man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, the camels may be healthy like deer, then a mangy camel comes and mixes with them and they all get the mange.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “And who infected the first one?” meaning that the disease came to the first one with no contagion, rather it came from Allaah. By the same token, if it was transmitted by contagion, then it was transmitted by the command of Allaah. A thing may have a known cause or it may not have a known cause. The mange of the first one does not have a known cause, apart from the fact that it happened by the will and decree of Allaah, and the mange that came after it does have a known cause. But if Allaah wills the camel will not become mangy. Hence sometimes a camel may get the mange but then it recovers and does not die. The same happens with the plague and cholera; they may enter a house and some may get sick and die, while others are not affected at all.

[Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, 2/80]

 

(Note that “mange” refers to a type of skin disease which affects animals).

Sh Uthaymeen explains the hadeeth of `adwa (contagion) (Part 1)

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(In the excerpt below Sh Uthaymeen explains that causes do not have an effect in and of themselves, but only do so by the permission and decree of Allah).

From Kitab-ut-Tawhid (Regarding the prohibition of believing in bad omens):

Abu Hurairah radiyAllaahu `anhu said that Allaah’s Messenger sallAllaahu’alaihiwasallam said:

There is no `adwa (contagion), nor tiyarah, nor haamah (types of bad omens related to birds), nor safar (reading bad omens into the month of Safar)

Reported by Bukhari and Muslim.

 

Sh Uthaymeen said in his commentary:

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) “There is no ‘adwa” are general in meaning, thus the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) states that there is no contagion (without the permission of Allaah).

‘Adwa (contagion) refers to the spread of a disease from a sick person to a healthy one. What happens in the case of physical diseases may also happen in the case of psychological diseases. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that a bad companion is the like one who operates the bellows: Either he will burn your clothes, or you will notice a bad smell from him.

The words “there is no ‘adwa” include both physical and psychological diseases, even though it is more apparent with regard to physical disease.

The words “no tiyarah (lit. superstitious belief in bird omens)” refers to feeling superstitious because of something that you see, hear or know.

With regard to the words “no haamah”, haamah is interpreted in two ways:

1 – That it is a bird similar to an owl, or an owl. The Arabs believed that if a person was killed, his bones became a haamah that could fly and shriek until he was avenged. Some of them believed that the haamah was the soul of the slain person.

2 – Some of the Arabs said that the haamah was a particular bird, which they regarded as a bad omen. If it landed on the house of one of them and made a sound, they said that it was predicting a death. They believed that this was a sign that that person would die soon. All of these are undoubtedly false beliefs.

The words “No Safar” refers to the month of Safar, which the Arabs used to regard as inauspicious, especially for marriage.

And it was said that it was a stomach disease that affected camels and was transmitted from one camel to another; based on this, mentioning it after ‘adwa (contagion) comes under the heading of mentioning something specific after something general.

It is more likely that what is meant by Safar here is the month, and that what is meant by saying “No Safar” is that it is not to be regarded as inauspicious, rather it is like any other time, during which good or bad things may be decreed.

This does not mean that these things do not happen, because they do happen. Rather it is a statement that they do not have any effect. The One Who causes things to happen is Allaah. If any of these things has a known effect then that is valid and real; if any of them is imagined to have an effect, then that is invalid and false. Thus the hadeeth demonstrates that if there is a valid effect, it cannot be attributed to that thing itself (rather the One Who causes it to happen is Allaah). If the effect is merely imagined, then this hadeeth is stating that it has no effect in the first place.

Reopening Primary Schools during the Pandemic

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From the New England Journal of Medicine (free access):

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2024920

Sh Fawzan and Germ Theory

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Q:

Some people use a type of incense called “al-Bakhur ul-Jawi” and they say that it kills germs and disinfects the house particularly when diseases are spreading, so is this permissible?

A:

One should ask the medical doctors about this – does this incense have the property of killing germs, as you said – cleaning the house – (if so then) there is no problem with this as it is from utilizing the means. We have been commanded to utilize the means which contain benefit. However, if this is just a claim which is not based on evidence and is not established, then this is not permissible.  

[54:54 onwards]
 

Comment:
 
Note that some very odd claims (that germs allegedly don’t exist or that they don’t cause disease etc.) are being spread on messaging apps and social media. No appropriately trained medical doctors whether Muslim or non-Muslim hold this position.

Looking at Sh Fawzan’s statement there are a number of points which can be made:

  • The Shaikh directs the questioner to ask the medical doctors about this matter (as they are appropriately qualified to discuss such issues).
  • He does not deny the existence of germs nor try to claim that they are irrelevant when it comes to the spread of disease.
  • He says that we should utilize means which bring about benefit (e.g. cleaning and sterilizing areas to prevent infection – if these means of cleaning are effective).
  • If someone claims that a certain means has benefit then the claim on its own is not enough, rather it should be established, based upon evidence.
  • If something has not been proven to work then one should not utilize this means.

Please note the approach of the Shaikh, indeed of the Shuyookh in general in the Muslim lands, and please beware of unqualified people making wild claims about medical matters without referring to Muslim doctors or to the scholars. Spreading medical misinformation is speaking without knowledge and causes harm and may even lead to people dying wal`iyaadhubillaah. May Allaah protect the lives and health of our Muslim brothers and sisters.


 
Dr Adnaan Ali
MBBChir (medical doctor)