Calif. But Simpson's Web page does discuss the supposed health benefits, down to directions on how much of the compound cancer patients should drink a day and reports from patients. In no case did the cancer continue to grow. The problem, health experts point out, is that reports of people taking the alternative therapy and getting better aren't proof. They can't separate the traditional treatment they have received. And some cancers simply go into remission.
Federal law treats dietary supplements differently from drugs.
The supplements can make health claims, then include disclaimers, said Susan Hutchcroft, a spokeswoman for the FDA in the Seattle area. We don't know. He said the cells' oxygen levels could not be increased as much as claimed, and the notion that low-oxygen levels contribute to cancer has been discredited. Barrett is not a cancer specialist, but a retired psychiatrist. Eight thousand people have bought Simpson's mineral water in the past two years.