The National Cancer Institute was established August 6, 1937 by Congress when it passed the National Cancer Institute Act. It was later made part of the National Institute of Health by the Public Health Service Act of July 1, 1944.  Its powers were later broadened in 1971 when Richard Nixon declared “war on cancer” (“in order more effectively to carry out the national effort against cancer”) by signing the National Cancer Act. It is now one of eleven divisions of Health and Human Services.  The funding for NCI for 2012 was roughly 5.2 billion dollars.

In 2008, Senators Biden and Obama issued a plan to double the funding for cancer research in five years that focused on the NIH and NCI.  The US Senate on March 26, 2009 issued the 21^st Century Cancer Access to Life-Saving Early detection, Research and Treatment (Alert) Act.  (Wow, sounds really impressive).  The “stimulus package of 2009” included 10 billion dollars for the NIH for funding cancer research.  Thinking of his mother’s battle with ovarian cancer, President Barack Obama stated: “Now is the time to commit ourselves to waging a war against cancer as aggressive as the war cancer wages against us.”  Then in September 2009 Obama announced an additional 1 billion dollar package for genetic causes of cancer and targeted research.

So let’s look at the report card for the government’s funding of the war on cancer.  Deaths rates for cancer since 1970:

• 1970 – 162.8 deaths per 100,000 in population
• 1990 – 203.2
• 1997 – 210.0
• 2010 – 184.5

I am sure that the NCI has done a lot of good in the forty-two years since 1970 in things like drug development and genome mapping.  However, if you just look at the effect the government spending has had on death rates for cancer, then our efforts have been a miserable failure.  What is the solution?  Eliminate the National Cancer Institute.  With all of government funding for cancer in the HHS and its eleven divisions, the NCI has become a useless blight.

Does NCI hear the footsteps of the grim reaper?  Consider the paper they published in their own journal in April this year and read about the fear of supplements:  “Dietary Supplements and Cancer Prevention: Potential Benefits Against Proven Harms” – Martinez, et. Al. April 25, 2012.

Abstract

Nutritional supplementation is now a multibillion dollar industry, and about half of all US adults take supplements. Supplement use is fueled in part by the belief that nutritional supplements can ward off chronic disease, including cancer, although several expert committees and organizations have concluded that there is little to no scientific evidence that supplements reduce cancer risk. To the contrary, there is now evidence that high doses of some supplements increase cancer risk. Despite this evidence, marketing claims by the supplement industry continue to imply anticancer benefits. Insufficient government regulation of the marketing of dietary supplement products may continue to result in unsound advice to consumers. Both the scientific community and government regulators need to provide clear guidance to the public about the use of dietary supplements to lower cancer risk.

If you think about the cancer death rate at 162.8 in 1970 when the population smoked like a 19^th century steel mill it makes one wonder. It seems to have increased to a peak in 1997 at 210.4.  It was in the late 90’s that the researchers for vitamin D got really active in promoting vitamin D for cancer prevention and cure.  Since that time the death rate has reduced to 184.5 in 2010.  It was in the 60’s when the promotion of sun fear and the dangers of the sun causing skin cancer really started being promoted.  I believe this was responsible for the increase in cancer to its peak in 1997.  Could the impact of our connection with the sun and the change in vitamin D production in the body be solely responsible for the change in cancer rates?

Based on the fear of supplements by the NCI as it fights for its life, I believe the answer is yes.  The above article was bad enough, but to send out its shills to promote the misinformation is outrageous.  Consider this article in EmaxHealth by Timothy Boyer – “Dr. Oz Vitamin D Dose Advice Supported by Vitamin D Megadoze Warnings”    Look at the fear promotion from this extract as Mr. Boyer promotes some significant miss-truths: A past National Cancer Institute study reported no cancer protection from Vitamin D and the possibility of an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in people with the very highest Vitamin D levels. Megadoses of and above 10,000 IUs a day are also known to cause kidney damage.  And by the way, vitamin D will make your hair turn grey and hairs grow on your nose.

The sound of your footsteps is scaring the crap out of NCI.  Do not become collateral damage in this war on cancer.  Keep your 25(OH)D above 60 ng/ml and watch the NCI squirm.  – Pandemic Survivor