Cancer Patients Flight Brings Attention to Complementary Care
PHILLIPS: Well, the crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis will have to spend at least one more day in orbit. NASA took a pass on both landing opportunities today in Florida. The reason: a salt water system that is still drenching the state. NASA now hopes to bring the shuttle and its seven crew members home tomorrow, either in Florida or the back-up landing site in California. The shuttle is wrapping up a successful mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. The crew there pretty happy about what they've done. Rain, rain, rain and just more rain. It won't let up in Florida. Not good for a great holiday weekend. Right, Reynolds Wolf?</s>PHILLIPS: Your running report. Thank you, Reynolds.</s>REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You bet.</s>PHILLIPS: Well, with no sightings of a Minnesota mom and her sick son, the boy's dad has taken to the airwaves, pleading with them to come home. Colleen and Danny Hauser fled their home Monday to avoid court- ordered chemo for the cancer-stricken boy. The family wants to treat the cancer with a natural regimen that includes vitamins. Anthony Hauser reminded his wife they, quote, "can't do what's best for Danny with both of you on the run." Alternative medicine has come a long way. We're talking about a multibillion dollar industry here. But there's a big difference between taking a daily supplement to boost your energy and taking it in lieu of chemo. Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, looks at cancer patients' options.</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to cases of Daniel Hauser, what really is the issue here is that you have traditional medicine and in this case chemotherapy which is very effective, about 95 percent effective for someone in his age group. So I think even alternative medicine doctors would say, "Look, you have a very good option here, an option most likely to work, traditional medicine, even they would probably recommend it." I think it is important to distinguish here between alternative medicine, versus complementary or integrative medicine. Complementary or integrative medicine, as you might imagine, embraces traditional medicine but says there are -- there are other options here to try and mitigate, maybe, some of the side effects of traditional medicine. Going through this type of therapy is tough. I mean, you're likely to have mouth sores within a week, nausea and vomiting and lose his hair. It's not easy therapy. But there are all sorts of trials being done now on complementary medicine. There's even a center at the NIH which looks at controlled trials of some of these complementary and integrative therapies, versus some of the more traditional therapies. Some of the ones that caught our eye: giving chemotherapy timed to one's circadian rhythms, so as to mitigate some of the side effects. Using shark cartilage, possibly as a therapy for lung cancer. Using mistletoe for solid organ tumors. So there are some things that are being studied out here. If you're someone who is in the situation where you want to try something other than the traditional therapy, or you want to try something in addition to traditional therapy, there are some questions you should always ask, no matter what you're possibly considering. The risks versus the benefits. I think no matter what it is, that's always a good question to ask. Might it interfere with other conventional therapies that I'm receiving? There are all things -- all sorts of things that can interfere. For example, grapefruit juice can interfere with lots of medications and their absorption. And finally, of course, what are the side effects? I imagine this young boy is scared. I imagine it's very difficult for him right now to weigh all of his options. A lot of people following this story. We're certainly going to bring you the updates. Back to you.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta. And an Illinois meat packer is recalling nearly 96,000 pounds of ground beef products because of a possible E. coli contamination. That move after three people in Cleveland, Ohio, got sick. The company, Valley Meats, is linked to the illnesses. Related cases were reported in Pennsylvania and Illinois. The recall includes 3S, Grillmaster and J&B; brand products. Valley Meats is headquartered in Coal Valley, Illinois. They are disturbing words to hear, especially from the mouths of children.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear gun shots through my door. Bang, bang.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wonder every day if I'm going to get shot.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear bullets telling me to run as fast as I can.</s>PHILLIPS: Kids living under the constant threat of crime putting their fears, their hopes, and their very lives on paper. It's a hard lesson, but it' an inspiring story.