Last week, Nevada state assemblywoman Michele Fiore raised a lot of eyebrows when she suggested that girls would be a lot safer on college campuses if they were allowed to carry concealed weapons. Well, the Las Vegas Republican may have gotten even more unhinged than that this past weekend, when she suggested that cancer isn’t really that bad at all. According to Fiore, it’s nothing more than a fungus.
Fiore, who represents the 4th district in northwestern Clark County, has a radio show that airs every Saturday morning on KDWN in Las Vegas. This past Saturday, she touted her new bill that would allow the use of more non-FDA-approved treatments for the terminally ill. One of those treatments would be a, shall we say, novel regimen to get rid of cancer. She said that since cancer is a fungus, you don’t need heavy-duty chemo to get rid of it. No, no–something much simpler. Let’s let her tell you, starting at around the 19-minute mark.
“If you have cancer, which I believe is a fungus, and we can put a pic line into your body and we’re flushing, let’s say, salt water, sodium cardonate through that line, and flushing out the fungus? These are some procedures that are not FDA-approved in America that are very inexpensive, cost-effective.”
According to veteran Nevada political reporter Jon Ralston, when Fiore said “sodium cardonate,” she likely meant sodium bicarbonate–better known as baking soda. This treatment has been promoted by several years by Tullio Simoncini, an Italian quack who claims that cancer is caused by the fungus Candida albicans–and even argues that cancer is a product of Candida overgrowth.
Simoncini has not been licensed as a doctor since 2003–apparently because of his zeal in pushing this “therapy.” In 2006, an Italian magistrate found him guilty of wrongful death and swindling–apparently after one of his patients died after following his regimen. In 2007, a Dutch breast cancer patient died after receiving injections of baking soda at Simoncini’s clinic. The American Cancer Society points out that there is no evidence that tumors contain fungi, or that baking soda works as a cancer treatment. Put another way, Fiore is pushing a treatment that can get you killed. What makes it even more frightening is that Fiore is the owner of a personal care agency. Oblivious, in denial, dangerous.
I did some digging on Fiore, and she is a real piece of work. She was about to become majority leader when the Republicans seized control of both houses of the legislature, but that got derailed when it was revealed she owed $1 million in back taxes. A few months earlier, she openly supported rogue rancher Cliven Bundy–and refused to say whether she recognized the authority of the federal government. In other words–she’s a blonde Sarah Palin.
Fiore could potentially have to answer for her wingnuttery. According to Daily Kos’ database of state legislative district election data, Fiore’s district is as swingy as it gets. In 2012, Mitt Romney won it by the thinnest of margins–only 387 votes. In that year’s Senate race, Dean Heller won it by just over six points. From where I’m sitting, Fiore is way, way, way too conservative for this district. It may be more reddish-purple than bluish-purple, but it’s not so red that Fiore can’t be held to account at the ballot box. Someone shouldn’t have to die from this “treatment” for her to have to answer for this stupid and dangerous suggestion. Las Vegas area Democrats, do us a favor and find someone who can send this embarrassment packing in 2016.
