Some people will believe anything if it promises an easy fix. I’ve seen it time and again — the more desperate you are, the easier you are to fool. And when it comes to cancer, the desperation runs deep. That’s how quacks like her get away with selling snake oil. It’s not just annoying — it’s dangerous. Let’s talk about it.
From Where I Stand
Back in the 90s, we had fewer scams, but the gullibility was the same. I remember when “alternative” medicine was just a fringe thing. Now it’s an industry. People are still falling for the same old tricks — just with fancier packaging. The human desire for a magic bullet hasn’t changed. What has changed is how loud the scammers can shout.
Her followers think her death proves she was “authentic.” It’s the ultimate irony — she died of the disease she claimed to cure. But to her true believers, that’s proof she was fighting the good fight. Like flat earthers who keep “proving” the Earth is flat by measuring its curvature wrong, her followers will twist reality to fit their narrative. Facts don’t matter when you’ve already made up your mind.
- I’ve seen families turn to this nonsense when their kids are dying. My husband works with pediatric brain cancer patients. He’s had families ask if they should incorporate her ideas into their child’s treatment. It breaks my heart. These aren’t just abstract ideas — they’re real decisions that affect real lives. Back in the 90s, we didn’t have the internet amplifying this stuff, but the impulse was the same.
She had people zapping themselves with “cancer cures.” Your dad wasn’t alone. I’ve heard stories of people buying her gadgets — zappers, special diets, you name it. And yes, the Mennonite last name did its job. People trust authority figures, even when they’re selling pure nonsense. It’s like the old days when snake oil salesmen would dress up in fancy coats to look legitimate.
The parasitology mods are fighting a losing battle. I mod /r/Parasitology, and I see these “cleanser” scams everywhere. Garlic for parasites? Wormwood for everything? It’s exhausting. I’ve written so many long posts debunking this stuff that I finally made a 12-minute video. Now I just link to it. You get tired of typing the same explanations over and over.
Homeopathy is like taking a grain of salt… diluted in an ocean. It’s not just ineffective — it’s insultingly so. The idea that you can dilute something so much it’s not even there, and it still works, is beyond absurd. Yet people buy it. I remember when homeopathy was just a funny footnote in medical history. Now it’s a multi-billion dollar industry.
The irony is too rich: They think they have parasites, but they’re destroying their own guts. People who buy into these “parasite cleanse” scams are often the same ones who scream about gut health. They blast their systems with broad-spectrum dewormers without knowing which parasite they’re actually treating. It’s like the old days when people would take random herbs because “it can’t hurt.” Except now it can.
I broke up with a guy over that book. When your family member is dying of cancer, the last thing you need is someone pushing pseudoscience. Your experience isn’t unique. I had a similar situation. My great-aunt was in her 70s, ready to pass peacefully, and some well-meaning but misguided person gave her that book. It added stress to her final days that she didn’t need.
Chiropractors are the new-age snake oil salesmen. People get defensive about them, but the evidence is clear: manipulations offer temporary relief at best. It’s like the old days when people thought bloodletting could cure anything. The temporary feeling of relief convinces people it’s working, but it’s just endorphins. If it was actually effective, medical doctors would be doing it.
Michael Crichton died of cancer after rejecting science. He was a climate change denier, a second-hand smoke denier — basically anti-science across the board. And he died of laryngeal cancer at 66. It’s a tragic reminder that rejecting evidence-based medicine because of ego or ideology can have real consequences. He even testified before Congress as an “expert” on climate change. Harvard Medical School, summa cum laude — and still couldn’t accept scientific consensus.
These quacks make legitimate natural remedies look bad. There are actually some natural remedies that work — ginger for nausea, for example. But people like her lump everything together, making it all look like hokum. It’s like the old days when everything was either “medicine” or “folk remedy.” Now we have this messy middle ground where anything goes, and it’s confusing people.
The anti-vax movement and naturopathy are cut from the same cloth. Both reject scientific consensus, both play on fear and distrust, both offer simple answers to complex problems. It’s not a coincidence that the same people who buy into one often buy into the other. Back in the 90s, we called it “alternative health.” Now we call it “health freedom” — same nonsense, new branding.
Two women died because they trusted her “herbs and diet.” I know people who actually lost loved ones to this. One had a GoFundMe for coffee enemas in Mexico. Both turned to real medicine when it was too late. It’s not just about being wrong — it’s about causing real harm. These aren’t abstract ideas; they’re decisions that lead to dead children and grieving families.
Cancer isn’t complicated — it’s just hard. There’s no magic bullet, no easy fix. The people who sell you that fantasy are profiting from your suffering. They’ll be around as long as there are desperate people willing to believe. The rest of us just have to keep pointing out the truth, even when it’s unpopular. Because the alternative is worse.