Shark Cartilage: What's the Deal?

[Sean Nash]

In a quest to get everyone enrolled and on board with our class network... today we will have a "mini-debate." The class has been divided into two groups. These two groups were given different sets of information regarding the efficacy of shark cartilage as a diet supplement, particularly as a cancer preventative.

After our face-to-face mini-debate on the issue today, return to the network space below and enter your reflection on today's lesson. What did you think about the learning strategies we used? What did you learn? What was difficult? Is difficult sometimes a good thing? How do you feel about this particular content issue? From the readings, discussions and debates today in class... do you feel shark cartilage is an effective and useful preventative or treatment for cancer or other human ailments?

[Shandis Cruz]

I believe that today's lesson was very important for beginning a collegiate level course because we were given a topic in a short period of time and had to learn and stand for it, not to mention being able to debate over something we knew very little about. It also helped us realize how unreliable sources can be. There is tons of "crap facts" floating all over the internet, this was a perfect example into why we should go with the "more reliable" resource and not going with what just sounds better...although it was pretty tempting.

As far as this activities difficulty goes I say it was pretty challenging, especially for me! I am for sure not someone that can easily decide on anything, I tend to question to no end and I want legit facts from both sides of the argument. So when I wasn't really given the pro's on the subject I found it pretty difficult to stick to the side that was going against it, although the information that we were given was very convincing. I thought it was really hard to deny the fact that several of our readings said that patients not consuming the shark product lived 1.2 months longer than those that did. To me that was a pretty legit fact that it wasn't working to cure the disease. But I still continued to question the pro's...could they really be true?

However when I further researched the topic, I was able to conclude that the opposing groups claim wasn't entirely off. But their given research failed to mention the fact that the results that showed a decrease in blood vessel growth has only been confirmed and tested on animals. And the only research that has been done on humans didn't show any sign of clearing or lessening the cancer. The American Cancer Society stated that, "Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer, may have serious health consequences." I don't know about anyone else but I can say that something that is currently used as a diet pill would not be something I would be using as a possible cancer treatment. As far as using it for anything else goes I think I would have to pass at the moment, or until more tests are conducted, on humans, that show a significant reduction in a specific ailment.

W

[Ally S]

Great post!
I question a lot, too. And I can never rely on just one resource. I wouldn't be using the cartilage, either. There are just too many bad things that can happen, and I wouldn't want to put my life on the line for it.

[Sean Nash]

Way to get this started, Shandis.

Your self-admitted skeptical nature... and your willingness to question will make your experience in this class all the more valuable. I'm glad you appreciated the ability to take a fairly significant (and previously unknown) topic and learn it on your own... with a small bit of structure added to coach you along. It is my experience that you all now own that experience as opposed to me giving it to you via a set of bullet-pointed "notes" before diving in and getting to the heart of the matter. Presenting facts ahead of the reason for the facts seem silly, right? By laying out the task first, you and your classmates then had a reason to dig for the facts... on your own. ...as you did quite nicely.

Thanks also for pointing out the unfortunate fact that results gained from testing on our beloved mammalian friends don't always transfer up the chain to humans- a bummer at times.

I too, agree that using this as a replacement for a more traditional approach to cancer treatment seems terribly unwise given the information at hand. How would you feel about using this as a supplement during traditional treatment... as a "just in case it works" approach?

[Shandis Cruz]

As far as using it along with doing tradtional treatment...I don't think I would. While I was reading I came across the fact that it wasn't proven to whether or not the shark cartilage would interact with other medication, meaning that it is quite possible for anything to happen. Also adding the fact that the human testing is anything but promising at the moment I'm going to have to say no, I'm sure if you ask a number of doctors about mixing medications, especially cancer medication/treatment, being a series of pretty strong drugs, that mixing those with something else wouldn't be such a hot idea.

[Marcy Withrow]

Shandis- This lesson was a BIG challenge. Reading all those pages in little time was rough. Our article was convincing, which made it easy to agree with. The pro's are definantly questionable. It seems like shark cartilage isn't the way to go for a cancer patient. I say if the research doesn't show it, then research it again or don't rely on it. In this case the shark cartilages are something that cannot be trusted. Besides it's a dietary supplement, how would that help cancer completely?

[Shandis Cruz]

As I even further read into the topic using one of the awesome data basis that we were given I found a source that agreed with my claim that we shouldn't use it.

In this article Ostrander discusses just how much people can be convinced when it come to this product. It was said that one of this products most marketable element was based off of sharks not getting cancer, when if fact that isn't true. The article also brought up the fact that with advances in internet and tv that the world is pretty much a marketing playground. Really anything can be put out there within reason. With these marketing "tools" people began to buy into the idea making the product seem somewhat legit, when in reality the actual basis of their info wasn't that fantastic. Although if possibly further researched it could show to hold some benefit I would say that I would hold off until that point. Therefore this article furthered my decision to stay away from shark cartilage.

[Sean Nash]

As I thought... our links to places embedded through the portal of our online databases... are dead.
We'll have to cite differently.

[Benton Library Media Center]

I figured out the issue and made a screencast for you all . . . check it out here: How to Link to Articles in Online Databases.

Enjoy! :)

[Ally S]

I really enjoyed our first lesson in the class. I liked that we got to team up and use slightly valuable information. And the debate was really fun. But it had a good, small lesson in it: don't trust just any resource, because not all are reliable. I also liked that we had the opportunity to work with people we don't normally work with.

When I did my research, I came across a website that gave you reliable information on how to use the shark cartilage, side effects, precautions, interactions, and what to do in case of an overdose. I say it's a reliable resource because it's a website written by doctors.

Our team was focused on promoting the shark cartilage. But when I started listening to the other team's argument, I found that side more convincing. In my opinion, it's better to go with Murphy's Law: if anything bad can happen, it will happen. The good things that we found in our information were mainly focused on joint health. There were other things that the information talked about, but the details were very minor.


Here's a really great pic! :)

[Sean Nash]

I'll take "slightly valuable" to mean that you thought it was relevant... and thus worth the time spent worrying about it. Eh? ;)

I agree. An "exercise" just for the sake of exercise doesn't do much for me either. However, I will work myself to near death for a cause that seems real and at least moderately important. So you've uncovered a major educational belief of mine. Fight for relevance. If you cannot make a lesson relevant in at least some way... think really hard about why that lesson even exists. You can be happy with the forward view from here on that our time together will be as relevant as what was modeled for you on day one. It is a pledge I do not take lightly.

I am very glad you spent some time considering the credibility of your source. However, I'm not all that familiar with WebMD. Do you know who the doctors giving the advice are? Can we find their credentials? Have you read all of the fine print... all of the disclaimers on the site? I'm not saying it isn't a credible source. But I would suggest that -as far as credibility goes- little is pure black or white. I would suggest that credibility exists in a continuum of shades of gray. Does that makes sense? We feel better about a choice or decision when we find several sources that are really, really... deep gray?

ps- Something about this post.... leaves me with an odd hunger for french fries.

[Ally S]

Um..

I agree. And I'll get right on those..credentials. :)

Deep gray rules. Indeed.

I agree on the french fries comment! Too bad those are bones of a shark. :( I know, it's disappointing for me, too.

[Shandis Cruz]

For one I'm going to start off by saying thats gross....(french frie comment. hah!) But speaking of bones of a shark, throughout this activity I couldn't help but think about the fact if this really worked. What I mean by that is if it did work, would we just begin slaughtering sharks for their cartilage? Think about it? Sure it would be a major break through but we would also be ocean crazed in the sence that our oceans would become a poaching ground for this stuff. Don't get me wrong I'm all for finding cures for awful diseases but doesn't it make sence to also protect our animal life as well? I also took it into consideration that sure we could start breeding sharks and what-not, but we would still contiuiously be killing animals. But then I started to think, would it be like raising cows or chickens?...Now don't get me wrong I'm not a member of PETA or a vegetarian haha!, but in all of the reading it wasn't something that I ever found an answer for....what do you guys think? :)