Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice, page 4

Dichloroacetic acid (or DCA) has been through the rounds before, that is, mainstream news has covered it to a certain extent. DCA, as the original posters article claims, is not something that can be used to “easily” treat anything…let alone cancer. Most current DCA is made from Trichloroacetic acid, which has been known to induce liver cancer in humans. People who use, or will potentially use DCA outside of a physicians care risk the possibility of actually causing more damage to their body than what proponents of DCA claim it helps. Some potential side effects that have been noticed previously are: nerve damage, increased awareness of pain, liver damage, etc.

Another thing to understand about DCA is that in its pure form it cannot be used to treat these conditions. Only specific salt molecules called Dichloroacetates that are released by DCA can be used effectively in the human body; specifically sodium and potassium. DCA is a by-product of the effect of water chlorination and is also considered an environmental hazard. Results with the drug in the treatment of cancer in lab rats did show some preliminary improvement, but the toxicity of the drug itself has many side effects that people don’t seem to take into consideration, and the doses given to the rats were far below the doses that would be needed to treat cancer in humans.

From the National Library of Medicine: NIH Document 1

On top of that see the following study where children with a condition known as Lactic Acidosis were subjected to different levels of DCA, and although reading through the study it appears that that the children had no adverse side effects, there was no noticeable difference in their condition either:

NIH Document 2

Now, there is also the issue of funding research into DCA. Pharmaceutical companies are not particularly interested because there is no way to patent it. However, and contrary to what many believe their has been adequate funding into the research of it’s potential uses as a Cancer medication…these primarily being by private donations, non-profit organizations, the NIH, and even the FDA but to name a few. Sales of DCA are also prohibited within the United States, and it is illegal for a resident of the United States to purchase it without special permission. It is also illegal to purchase it though any internet websites.

So, although there is the potential for use as an effective cancer medication, it is still in the early phases of being tested. One thing is for sure, use of Dichloroacetic acid in the human body need to be administered by a professional and any uncontrolled use of it may result in irreparable damage in humans. Destroying cancer cells or potential cancer cells in a controlled laboratory by means of test tubes or lab rats is a long shot away from being proved effective in humans. DCA sounds a bit more promising than most supposed “cures” out there, but it is also very far away from being called a “cure” for anything.