Bill Doyle: Treating cancer with electric fields

In summary: I'm still not convinced that the electrical fields are the magical key to unlocking cancer cells. Seems like there are other methods out there that have a more reasonable chance of working.In summary, Bill Doyle presents Tumor Treating Fields, a new approach to treating cancer using electric fields. Although the treatment is still in its infancy, it has one big benefit: quality of life. Doyle's company, Novocure, has made a device based on this principle that has undergone clinical testing and has been FDA approved for treating brain cancer. Various studies of the principle have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Despite all of this, I still don't see why the treatment works.
  • #36
Wow, I blew Quality Assurance (QA) on the last post, huh, two Rhody signatures. I see there has been a fair amount of interest, any preliminary thoughts or suggestions for avenues of research to drill down to based on his testing methods, etc... I can think of a few, but was hoping there were others with their own thoughts. I promise I won't screw up my signature in this post, lol.

Rhody...
 
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  • #37
Here are my thoughts.

1a Can viruses be seen by optical microscopy? Yes, by superesolution techniques.
1b. Did Rife see viruses by optical microscopy? Possibly, but probably not.

2. Are viruses and bacteria morphologically different forms of the same organism? No.

3a. Can viruses cause cancer? http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/viral_cancers/en/index.html.
3b. Did Rife demonstrate that viruses cause cancer? Possibly, but probably not.

4a. Can the appropriate application of electromagnetic fields kill cells? Probably.
4b. Did Rife demonstrate that EM fields kill cells? Plausibly.
4c. Can EM fields be applied to kill cancer cells and spare normal cells? Plausibly, we await the results of Doyle's further work.
 
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  • #38
It appears with the tapes discovered in 2000 and then incorporated into the videos that his organization succeeded.
I wanted to make a correction, the tapes were discovered in 1999 and then after cleaning up the audio, splicing, etc... portions of them were incorporated into the documentary that is presented here. I have some commentary that will require verification soon. Glad to see that there are no glaring misrepresentations or bad science reporting evident here.

Rhody...
 
  • #39
You knew I would be back to this, didn't you ? It is too important to ignore for too long, I spent considerable time with this please feel free to question and probe as you see fit, and I know you will, hehe...

I have done some digging into post #35 above. In particular the video #4 minutes 7:00 - 14:00. There are a few terms used so I will present background first.

To understand what Rife was thinking in his experiments you must first understand the size scales he was dealing with, virus's that Rife studied we very small, on the order of 20 - 300nm and have enormous structural diversity, a definition follows, wiki:
Virus particles (known as virions) consist of two or three parts: the genetic material made from either DNA or RNA, long molecules that carry genetic information; a protein coat that protects these genes; and in some cases an envelope of lipids that surrounds the protein coat when they are outside a cell. The shapes of viruses range from simple helical and icosahedral forms to more complex structures. The average virus is about one one-hundredth the size of the average bacterium. Most viruses are too small to be seen directly with a light microscope.

Viruses as a species have enormous diversity, than any other, and it is claimed that only a small percentage of the millions of species have been studied in detail. Again from the same wiki above:
An enormous variety of genomic structures can be seen among viral species; as a group, they contain more structural genomic diversity than plants, animals, archaea, or bacteria. There are millions of different types of viruses,[4] although only about 5,000 of them have been described in detail.[3] A virus has either DNA or RNA genes and is called a DNA virus or a RNA virus, respectively. The vast majority of viruses have RNA genomes. Plant viruses tend to have single-stranded RNA genomes and bacteriophages tend to have double-stranded DNA genomes.

Next, to understand Rife's thinking during his experiments you must wrap your mind around the concept of pleomorphism:
in microbiology, is the ability of some bacteria to alter their shape or size in response to environmental conditions. Pleiomorphism has been observed in some members of the Deinococcaceae family.[1] The modern definition of pleomorphism in the context of bacteriology is based on variation of size or shape of the cell, rather than a change of shape as previously believed.

In the first decades of the 20th century, the term "pleomorphism" was used to refer to the idea that bacteria changed shape dramatically or existed in a number of extreme morphological forms. This claim was controversial among microbiologists of the time, and split them into two schools: the monomorphists, who opposed the claim, and the pleomorphists (such as Antoine Béchamp, Günther Enderlein and Albert Calmette).[2]

Monomorphic theory, supported by Louis Pasteur, Rudolf Virchow, Ferdinand Cohn, and Robert Koch, emerged to become the dominant paradigm in modern medical science: it is now almost universally accepted that each bacterial cell is derived from a previously existing cell of practically the same size and shape. However it has recently been shown that certain bacteria are capable of dramatically changing shape, for example Helicobacter pylori exists as both a helix-shaped form (classified as a curved rod) and a coccoid form.

To Rife, viruses were the minute filterable forms of the much larger bacteria (see 6:55 in the video), pleomorphic bacterial transformational model. He believed this because his microscope allowed him to view bacteria with subcomponents only visible through his prism refracting microscope. No one else was able to do this at the time to confirm because they did not have access to it. To conventional biologists at the time, viruses and bacteria are NOT related. Today it is believed it is impossible to cultivate a cancer virus out of an artificial culture medium. Rife claimed this was false in 1932.

Now for Koch's Postulates, one of the tenants of the results of the experiments that Rife conducted:
  1. The microorganism must be found in abundance in all organisms suffering from the disease, but should not be found in healthy organisms.
  2. The microorganism must be isolated from a diseased organism and grown in pure culture.
  3. The cultured microorganism should cause disease when introduced into a healthy organism.
  4. The microorganism must be re-isolated from the inoculated, diseased experimental host and identified as being identical to the original specific causative agent.

Rife was able to produce his "BX Virus" out of a human breast cancer tumor, cultured it in Dr Kendall's special K Medium (made from pig intestine), then injected the tumor and K medium into healthy mice, producing the disease, and then recovered the same microorganism from the mice, satisfying Koch's postulate.

We are not quite done yet, watch carefully the video from 9:45 - 12:50. You must watch this carefully, there are two more transitional states (BX -> BY -> fungal) to consider.

Rife used Dr Gruner's asparagus medium, a hard based medium to grow a fungus (with 14 stages from diseased blood obtained from Kendal's K medium. When Gruner's fungus was cultured on Kendall's K Media, the BX virus emerged. Image taken from: The Forgotten Story of Royal Raymond Rife - Documentary Part 4 of 9

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1895/mediumii.jpg [Broken]

Rife's BX virus in Gruner's asparagus medium the BX virus changed into Gruner's fungus. Rife completed these transformational steps 104 times and was able to produce cancer in hundreds of healthy mice with the BX virus.

Rife then was able to take the BX virus culture it with Dr Gruner's asparagus medium and produce cryptomyces pleomorphia fungi, completing the cycle.

Image taken from: The Forgotten Story of Royal Raymond Rife - Documentary Part 4 of 9

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/612/medium1v.jpg [Broken]

Rife and Gruner believed that a microorganism is associated with cancer and it is by nature pleomorphc.

An personal observation, I think the father of radio frequency medicine for the treatment of cancer should be given a hard look, with the full weight of science thrown behind it, and the methods of Rife, Gruner and others who supported him be put through rigorous modern day experiments to verify or disprove Rife and others who supporting his work. I will breathe a great sigh of personal relief if and when that day does come, I believe it will eventually. There are many others I have corresponded with and read about over the years who believe it as well.

Rhody...

Supporting background and links:

Kendal's K Medium made from hog intestine:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC533442/pdf/jbacter00823-0003.pdf
unsuccessful attempts to reproduce Kendall's result 1932

CRYPTOMYCES PLEOMORPHA: A NEW ORGANISM ISOLATED FROM THE BLOOD OF A CASE OF METASTASIZED CARCINOMA OF THE BREAST *
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1560962/?page=1

http://www.rifedigital.com/rife-machine-24/
Success at reproducing a virus outside of a "live host"

One of the best quotes I have ever heard that sums up Rife's microscope: from link above.

"The light used with Dr. Rife's microscope is polarized, that is, it is passing through crystals that stop all rays except those vibrating in one particular plane. By means of a double reflecting prism built into the instrument, it is possible to turn this plane of vibration in any desired direction, controlling the illumination of the minute objects in the field very exactly."

Another quote:

"As I visualize the matter, your ingenious method of illumination with the intense monochromatic beam of light is of even greater importance than the enormously high magnification. . . ." Rosenow was right. The unique "color frequency" staining method was the great breakthrough. "

Rhody...
 
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  • #40
rhody said:
An personal observation, I think the father of radio frequency medicine for the treatment of cancer should be given a hard look, with the full weight of science thrown behind it, and the methods of Rife, Gruner and others who supported him be put through rigorous modern day experiments to verify or disprove Rife and others who supporting his work. I will breathe a great sigh of personal relief if and when that day does come, I believe it will eventually. There are many others I have corresponded with and read about over the years who believe it as well.
Rhody...


Rhody, Rife's claim were looked at by the scientific community at large--And found to be false. We have a much, much better understanding of cancer today then existed in Rife's times.

I also suspect that Rife's lab technique was probably quite shoddy and the different "fungi" and whatnot that magically appeared were contaminants--If they existed at all.

Rife was a conspiracy theorist, a crank and probably out to make an easy buck:

Rife's claims could not be independently replicated, [5] and were ultimately discredited by the medical profession in the 1950s. Rife blamed the scientific rejection of his claims on a conspiracy involving the American Medical Association (AMA), the Department of Public Health, and other elements of "organized medicine", which had "brainwashed" potential supporters of his devices.[6]

Interest in Rife's claims was revived in some alternative medical circles by the 1987 book "The Cancer Cure That Worked", which claimed that Rife had succeeded in curing cancer, but that his work was suppressed by a powerful conspiracy headed by the AMA.[7][5] After this book's publication, a variety of devices bearing Rife's name were marketed as cures for diverse diseases such as cancer and AIDS. An analysis by Electronics Australia found that a typical 'Rife device' consisted of a nine-volt battery, wiring, a switch, a timer and two short lengths of copper tubing, which delivered an "almost undetectable" current unlikely to penetrate the skin.[8] Several marketers of other 'Rife devices' have been convicted for health fraud, and in some cases cancer patients who used these devices as a replacement for medical therapy have died.[9] Rife devices are currently classified as a subset of radionics devices, which are generally viewed as pseudomedicine by mainstream experts.[5]

From the Wikipedia article on him.

The modern "Rife revival" is a product of the charlatans, frauds and snake-oil salesman that can be found predating upon people in tough situations--Hard medical problems. There is always an easy mark on the downtrodden and unfortunately all this "Rife" business is simply more of the same. Again from Wikipedia;

Interest in Rife was revived in the 1980s by author Barry Lynes, who wrote a book about Rife entitled "The Cancer Cure That Worked". The book claimed that Rife's 'beam ray' device could cure cancer, but that all mention of his discoveries was suppressed in the 1930s by a wide-ranging conspiracy headed by the American Medical Association. The American Cancer Society described Lynes' claims as implausible, noting that the book was written "in a style typical of conspiratorial theorists" and defied any independent verification.[5]

In response to this renewed interest, devices bearing Rife's name began to be produced and marketed in the 1980s. Such 'Rife devices' have figured prominently in a number of cases of health fraud in the U.S., typically centered around the uselessness of the devices and the grandiose claims with which they are marketed. In a 1996 case, the marketers of a 'Rife device' claiming to cure numerous diseases including cancer and AIDS were convicted of felony health fraud.[14] The sentencing judge described them as "target[ing] the most vulnerable people, including those suffering from terminal disease" and providing false hope.[15] In 2002 John Bryon Krueger, who operated the Royal Rife Research Society, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in a murder and also received a concurrent 30-month sentence for illegally selling Rife devices. In 2009 a U.S. court convicted James Folsom of 26 felony counts for sale of the Rife devices sold as 'NatureTronics', 'AstroPulse', 'BioSolutions', 'Energy Wellness', and 'Global Wellness'. [16]

Several deaths have resulted from the use of Rife machines in place of standard medical treatment. In one case, a U.S. court found that the marketer of a Rife device had violated the law and that, as a result of her actions, a cancer patient had ceased chemotherapy and died.[17] In Australia, the use of Rife machines has been blamed for the deaths of cancer patients who might have been cured with conventional therapy.[8]

In 1994, the American Cancer Society reported that Rife machines were being sold in a "pyramid-like, multilevel marketing scheme". A key component in the marketing of Rife devices has been the claim, initially put forward by Rife himself, that the devices were being suppressed by an establishment conspiracy against cancer "cures".[5] Although 'Rife devices' are not registered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and have been linked to deaths among cancer sufferers, the Seattle Times reported that over 300 people attended the 2006 Rife International Health Conference in Seattle, where dozens of unregistered devices were sold.[9]

You can find more about the quackery and dishonest marketing of "Rifisms" at Quackwatch. Some articles that maybe of interest to you;

Some Notes on the American Academy of Quantum Medicine (AAQM)
Rife Machine Operator Sued
 
<h2>1. How does electric fields treat cancer?</h2><p>Electric fields can be used to disrupt the division and growth of cancer cells by targeting specific molecules involved in their growth. This can slow down or stop the growth of the tumor, leading to a reduction in cancer progression.</p><h2>2. Is this treatment safe?</h2><p>Yes, electric field therapy has been found to be safe and well-tolerated by patients. It does not cause any significant side effects and can be used in combination with other cancer treatments.</p><h2>3. How effective is this treatment?</h2><p>The effectiveness of electric field therapy in treating cancer varies depending on the type and stage of cancer. It has been found to be most effective in treating certain types of brain tumors, with studies showing an increase in overall survival rates.</p><h2>4. What is the process of receiving this treatment?</h2><p>The process involves placing electrodes on the skin near the tumor site, which deliver low-intensity electric fields to the affected area. This can be done in a hospital or outpatient setting and typically requires several sessions over a period of weeks or months.</p><h2>5. Are there any ongoing research or developments in this field?</h2><p>Yes, there is ongoing research in the use of electric fields for cancer treatment, including exploring its effectiveness in treating other types of cancer and improving the delivery of electric fields to the tumor site. There are also ongoing clinical trials to further evaluate its safety and efficacy.</p>

1. How does electric fields treat cancer?

Electric fields can be used to disrupt the division and growth of cancer cells by targeting specific molecules involved in their growth. This can slow down or stop the growth of the tumor, leading to a reduction in cancer progression.

2. Is this treatment safe?

Yes, electric field therapy has been found to be safe and well-tolerated by patients. It does not cause any significant side effects and can be used in combination with other cancer treatments.

3. How effective is this treatment?

The effectiveness of electric field therapy in treating cancer varies depending on the type and stage of cancer. It has been found to be most effective in treating certain types of brain tumors, with studies showing an increase in overall survival rates.

4. What is the process of receiving this treatment?

The process involves placing electrodes on the skin near the tumor site, which deliver low-intensity electric fields to the affected area. This can be done in a hospital or outpatient setting and typically requires several sessions over a period of weeks or months.

5. Are there any ongoing research or developments in this field?

Yes, there is ongoing research in the use of electric fields for cancer treatment, including exploring its effectiveness in treating other types of cancer and improving the delivery of electric fields to the tumor site. There are also ongoing clinical trials to further evaluate its safety and efficacy.

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