The American Cancer Society bears a major responsibility for losing the winnable war against cancer. The launching of the 1971 War Against Cancer provided the ACS with a well-exploited opportunity to pursue it own myopic and self-interested agenda. Its strategies remain based on two lies, that there has been dramatic progress in the treatment and cure of cancer, and that any increase in the incidence and mortality of cancer is due to aging of the population and smoking while denying any significant role for involuntary exposures to industrial carcinogens in air, water, consumer products and the workplace.Most of the funds raised by ACS go to pay overhead, salaries, fringe benefits, and travel expenses of its national executives in Atlanta. They also go to pay Chief Executive Officers, who earn six-figure salaries in several states, and the hundreds of other employees who work out of some 3,000 regional offices nationwide. The typical ACS affiliate, which helps raise the money for the national office, spends more than 52 percent of its budget on salaries, pensions, fringe benefits, and overhead for its own employees.
Salaries and overhead for most ACS affiliates also exceeded 50 percent, although most direct community services are handled by unpaid volunteers. DiLorenzo summed up his findings by emphasizing the hoarding of funds by the ACS.
Most contributors believe their donations are being used to fight cancer, not to accumulate financial reserves. More progress in the war against cancer would be made if they would divest some of their real estate holdings and use the proceeds as well as a portion of their cash reserves to provide more cancer services.
Aside from high salaries and overhead, most of what is left of the ACS budget goes to basic research and research into profitable, patented cancer drugs.
The current budget of the ACS is $380 million and its cash reserves approach one billion dollars. Yet its aggressive fund-raising campaign continues to plead poverty, and lament the lack of available money for cancer research, while ignoring efforts to prevent cancer by phasing out avoidable exposures to environmental and occupational carcinogens.
Meanwhile, the ACS is silent about its intricate relationships with the wealthy cancer drug industry and chemical industries.
While others apparently have decided to use this space as a soapbox, I instead would prefer to review the book. This is an excellent resource for those who are planning on, or even considering, using "alternative" methods to fight cancer. It gives the appropriate warnings when necessary and lets you know what the potential interactions might be--things that even your physician may not be aware of if he is not well-versed in the subject. It is a very helpful resource for both those new to the topic (seek additional assistance from trained professionals though) as well as those who have used "alternative" medicine for some time.
- Title: American Cancer Society's Complementary and Alternative Cancer Methods Handbook
- Editor: American Cancer Society
- Paperback: 278 pages
- Publisher: American Cancer Society (April 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0944235409
- ISBN-13: 978-0944235409
- Book Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches