The king is “famous for not eating lunch” and is “choosy about what he eats.” He has been open about his support for complementary therapies in the past.
As the King undergoes treatment for an unspecified type of cancer, Sky News looks at the royal family's top medical team, what King Charles has championed in the past, and the differences between private and NHS care.
Who is on the King's medical team?
Sky News royal correspondent Laura Bundock said: “The King always travels with his personal doctor, Dr Michael Dixon (current Head of the Royal Medical Household).”
“Dr Dixon, like the King, is a supporter of complementary and alternative medicine,” she says.
Complementary medicine is a non-mainstream practice that is used in conjunction with conventional treatments, while alternative medicine is used in place of conventional treatments.
The Royal Infirmary is a 24-hour team of medical staff, led by Dr Dixon, who worked in the NHS for almost 50 years before King Charles appointed him to the role in 2022.
The Crown was criticized by academics and campaigners for hiring Dr Dixon, who said it was “inappropriate” given the doctor's public support for faith healing and herbalism.
It was the first time I saw Mr. King since his diagnosis.
The Sunday Times reported last year that Dr Dixon once brought Christian healers into his surgeries to treat chronically ill patients, prescribing African shrubs for shoulder pain and goat weed for impotence. Reported.
He also helped develop a health initiative launched last October by the Prince Foundation to promote bagpipe playing to improve certain lung conditions and breathing difficulties.
In response to the controversy, Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying: “Dr Dixon does not believe that homeopathy can treat cancer.
“His position is that complementary therapies can be used alongside conventional treatments, as long as they are safe, appropriate and evidence-based.”
The Guardian reports that although he is the head of a medical family, he is not believed to be the monarch's personal physician. Team details have not been made public.
London Clinic-based Dr Ranan Dasgupta was a senior surgeon at the Royal Infirmary, the Royal Sergeant at Arms, when he was treated for an enlarged prostate last month, according to the Press Association.
The Cambridge University graduate is a urological surgeon who specializes in specific treatments for enlarged prostates.
Complementary medicine support
The King's hiring of his long-time friend Dr Dixon may have been controversial, but he had already made clear his belief in complementary medicine and openly supported its use in the NHS. So it wasn't completely unexpected.
In 2004, Michael Bohm, Professor Emeritus of Surgery and Visiting Professor of Medical Humanities, wrote an open letter in the BMJ to the then Prince of Wales titled:With all due respect, Your Highness, you are wrong..
After becoming president of the British Medical Association in 1982, Professor Bohm accused the king of “promoting unproven cancer treatments.''
He said he was furious about writing the letter after seeing reports in the Observer and the Daily Express that the then crown prince had “recommended coffee enemas and carrot juice for cancer” and that he had “recommended coffee enemas and carrot juice for cancer”. I ask that you exercise your power with extreme caution when advising others.” For life-threatening illnesses, we must accept unproven treatments. ”
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The former prince then lobbied for complementary medicine in his infamous 'Black Spider' letter.
In a letter to then Health Secretary Alan Johnson in 2007, he called for protection for homeopathic hospitals, particularly Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital. It finally closed in 2009.
He writes: “As I said during the conference, the only reason I continue to work toward integrative medicine, despite years of waves of criticism from some in the medical and scientific establishment, is that Because we cannot tolerate people suffering needlessly.'' Complementary approaches can make a real difference. ”
His belief is that he Became a patron of the Faculty of Homeopathy (FoH) in 2019.
Edzard Ernst, professor emeritus at the University of Exeter who specializes in alternative and complementary medicine, said the appointment showed the then crown prince was a “promoter of quackery” and an “enemy of medical progress”. Stated.
Buckingham Palace has not released details of the king's treatment plan, nor has it been made clear what, if any, complementary therapies he may be receiving.
How does the king maintain his health?
The King famously skips lunch and is reportedly picky when it comes to food, Sky News' royal correspondent said. Laura Bundock.
“He's been a long-time sustainability and organic farming activist and talks about eating to reduce your carbon footprint,” she explains.
“He once explained how he would abstain from eating meat or fish two days a week and dairy products once a week.
“Very few people have probably shared a breakfast table with him, but it is said that he happily eats nuts and seeds in the morning. He also loves eggs and has bees, so… Honey is also a popular choice.”
NHS diagnosis and treatment waiting times
It is unclear whether King Charles will be treated on the NHS or privately.
NHS England has targets it aims to meet for both diagnosis and treatment waiting times. Its purpose is to:
• Diagnose or rule out cancer within 28 days of emergency GP referral
• Start treatment within 31 days after the patient's cancer is discovered and treatment is decided.
• Patients must wait no more than 62 days from the date the hospital receives an emergency referral for suspected cancer to start treatment.
Analysis: UK cancer statistics
Recognizing that it is unlikely to reach this deadline for all patients, the NHS introduced rate targets in April 2021.
However, these goals are often overlooked.
Latest NHS England statistics from November 2023 show that 71.9% of patients urgently referred with suspected cancer were diagnosed with cancer or had cancer ruled out within 28 days, but this is far from the target of 75%. It went below.
In November, 65.2% of patients in the UK waited more than 62 days after an emergency referral for suspected cancer to receive first treatment.
read more:
King Charles' cancer diagnosis: What we know so far
Full statement revealing the palace is receiving treatment for the king
This was up from 63.1% in October, but was well below the target of 85%.
According to these figures, 90.1% of people received treatment within 31 days after their cancer was discovered and a treatment decision was made, falling short of the target of 96%.
How is this different from private medicine?
If you are diagnosed with cancer, you can pay for private treatment, but the cost usually runs into the thousands of pounds.
This can be provided through private hospitals such as the London Clinic, where the King was treated for enlarged prostate, or through private services in NHS hospitals.
Cancer Research UK says patients often choose private treatment because they may be able to see a specialist sooner.
Other common reasons include:
• Possibility to choose your own specialist or hospital
• Opportunity to receive different types of treatments and treatments not available in free medical care
• I want to get a second opinion
You can pay for the treatment yourself, but if you have private health insurance, it may be covered.
Your patient specialist will outline the costs of your treatment from the beginning, but unexpected additional costs may arise, such as if your patient becomes unwell and requires other treatments.
If you move to private medicine, you are still entitled to free NHS care, but for non-emergency complications that arise with private treatment, patients will usually need to go through a private healthcare provider.
Does the Royal Family use private healthcare?
The fact that they receive regular treatment in private hospitals suggests that they are.
The Princess of Wales also visited the London clinic last month. He underwent abdominal surgery and is currently recuperating at home..
Royals also regularly use King Edward VII's private hospital in Marylebone, with Princess Anne, Princess Diana and most recently the Princess of Wales staying in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, which has a private maternity ward. I gave birth in
Of course, families have reasons to be more cautious about privacy than others.
They are also constant champions of the NHS.king charles and queen camilla Visit to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Last July, we celebrated our 75th anniversary.
