BEFORE BEGINNING, READ ME: The following sample below is an EXCERPT of evidence

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1 MYA S ESSAY: AN EXCERPT OF EXCELLENCE 3 BEFORE BEGINNING, READ ME: The following sample below is an EXCERPT of evidence taken from Mya s larger, 2,000-word essay. Her introduction is not included here, nor is the background information that leads us into her argument. Instead, below, I ve provided you with a portion of her argument as an example of what strong evidence looks like and how she manages to strengthen her analysis of the issue by also considering the strength of her sources. Following this evidence, I provide you with, again, an EXCERPT of her conclusion; it is not the entire, concluding paragraph! This excerpt is meant to show you how evidence should be used to ultimately draw conclusions of your own at the end of the paper. Use Mya s approach as a guide to strengthening the argument contained within your own essay J Good luck! Does Alternative Medicine have a viable role in the World of Oncology? (Since you don t have her introduction or background knowledge, you will need to know what CAM stands for: Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. Mya s paper is about whether or not alternative medicine can be effective in treating cancer patients.) AN EXCERPT OF HER EVIDENCE: There is certainly evidence suggesting that alternative methods to medicating cancer patients can have a positive impact. Oncologist Dr. Francisco Contreras, president and chairman of the Oasis of Hope Hospital in Tijuana Mexico a hospital where care is rooted primarily in alternative treatments he purports that, rather than a conventional approach to treating cancer patients, the use of alternative medicine will diminish side effects and help preserve the patient's healthy cells and immune system. He goes on to say that a heavier reliance on alternative medicine, rather than conventional chemotherapy in the field of oncology could be extremely promising, and better yet, the act of conventional and alternative medicine working together, in a synergistic fashion, might slow or reverse the spread of cancer while promoting the physical and psychological health of the whole person.

2 MYA S ESSAY: AN EXCERPT OF EXCELLENCE 3 Likewise, many patients from the Oasis of Hope contest that their experience with alternative medicine has made their journey with cancer much more successful (Cohen). Contreras reasons that this is because alternative treatments are said to reduce toxicity, pain, and encourage a positive reframing of the cancer experience. Despite all the strong support for alternative medicines, it must be considered that these points of view do contain bias, as the Oasis of Hope s mission is to use alternative medicine as a primary source of treatment, but because oncologists like Contreras appear to be open to the use of conventional medicines as well, it makes this evidence credible overall. In fact, one study spanning multiple European countries of over a 1,000 patients appears to support what Dr. Contreras contends. This study entirely independent from the Oasis of Hope was conducted to test the medical benefits CAM produced during the time of Its impact was deemed significant, as 65% of patients turned to alternative medicine because they believed these treatments would increase their body s ability to fight the disease, improve physical, and emotional well-being (Gorski). Again, it appears that the use of alternative medication does have potential benefit in the field of oncology. Meanwhile, the U.S. Library of Medicine challenges us to consider that although patient satisfaction may be important, relevant data that derives from cancer patients using alternative medicine is almost non-existent to date (Ventola), which forces us to reconsider its ability to yield genuine results. Along these lines, the American Society of Clinical Oncology offers one of the most prevalent criticisms leveled against CAM, and its popularity in oncology, which is that it lacks "peer-reviewed, scientifically conducted research" to support it (Lyman). In other words, many oncologists across the globe are skeptical of these treatments because alternative medicine is of-

3 MYA S ESSAY: AN EXCERPT OF EXCELLENCE 3 ten structured around a placebo effect rather than a proven, scientific evidence. Robert Wittes, M.D., director of the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis at the National Cancer Institute thoughtfully notes that just because a tradition is 3,000 years old does not make its health claims correct (Arnold). Dr. Wittes claims are supported by a study conducted in 2015 by the National Institutes of Health. This five-year study tracked the survival rates of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer but chose to decline conventional treatment. The overall survival rate was 43.2% for those who refused standard treatments and 81.9% for those who accepted the traditional chemotherapy. Similarly, the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most prestigious and oldest continuously published medical journals, suggests doubt in the role of CAM in helping patients. It found that recently, the amount of psychosocial distress increased while the quality of life decreased for those who relied on alternative medicine therapies, such as high-dose vitamins or relaxation therapies, after conventional treatment for early stage breast cancer ( Survival of Oncologist ). Each of these sources is extremely reputable, with experts in the field of medicine behind the studies, indicating that the case against alternative medicine s effectiveness in the field of oncology is particularly strong. A CONCLUSION DRAWN DURING THE CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH: In essence, when seeing the broadly spanning relevance of alternative medicine worldwide thus far, we can conclude that from a medical point of view, alternative treatments in the field of oncology are not necessarily beneficial in terms of curing the actual disease, nor successful in diminishing side effects, but may have potential if used alongside traditional medicine.

4 8 Works Cited Anie, Uzochukwu U., and Tonia C. Onyeka. "Ethical, Socioeconomic, and Cultural Considera tions in Gynecologic Cancer Care in Developing Countries." International Journal of Pal liative Care, 11 Oct. 13. Web. 04 Mar Arnold, Katherine. "JNCI Journal of the Nationall Cancer Institute." Alternative Medicines Gain in Popularity, Merit Closer Scrutiny. Oxford Journals, n.d. Web. 4 Mar "Cancer In Developing Countries." International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar Cohen, Cynthia, et al. Prayer As Therapy." Hastings Center Report. May/June 2000: SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Mar Contreras, Francisco. "Contreras Metabolic Integrative Therapy Research." Cancer Therapy Re search. Oasis of Hope, n.d. Web. 05 Feb Edzard, Ernst. "Ethical Problems Arising in Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine." Journal of Medical Ethics. British Medical Journals (BMJ), 3 June Web. 05 Mar Gorski, David. "Science Based Medicine." Science-Based Medicine. David Gorski, Mar Web. 05 Mar "Holistic Medicine: What It Is, Treatments, Philosophy, and More." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 05 Feb Lyman, Gary H. "Economics of Cancer Care." Journal of Oncology Practice. American Society of Clinical Oncology., 8 May Web. 8 Mar Neimark, Jill. "On the Front Lines of Alternative Medicine." Psychology Today. Jan./Feb. 1997: SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Mar

5 8 Sahim, Abu. Gynecologic oncologist MD. 23 Mar Interview. Seidman, Barry. "Medicine Wars." SIRS Issues Researcher, 3 Feb Web. Shahid, Shaouli et al. Understanding, Beliefs and Perspectives of Aboriginal People in Western Australia about Cancer and Its Impact on Access to Cancer Services." BMC Health Ser vices Research. BioMed Central, n.d. Web. 05 Mar Survey of Oncologist about Shortages of Cancer Drugs." The New England Journal of Medicine. Massachusetts Medical Society, 19 Dec Web. 5 Mar Ventola, C. L. "Current Issues Regarding Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in the United States." National Center for Biotechnology. U.S. National Library of Medi cine, Aug Web. 4 Feb Verhoef et al. "Declining Conventional Cancer Treatment and Using Complementary and Alter native Medicine: A Problem or a Challenge?" National Center for Biotechnology. Mul timed. Inc, n.d. Web. 4 Feb

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