Steve Jobs disclosure won't quiet health worries

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs broke with his usual code of secrecy Monday to explain his health problems, but the disclosure that a hormone imbalance was causing his noticeable weight loss will probably do little to tamp down concerns.

Medical experts said a hormone imbalance in a pancreatic cancer survivor raises red flags about a possible recurrence. Jobs said in 2004 that he had undergone surgery to treat a rare form of the deadly disease.

Although Jobs is known as one of the nation's most intensely private corporate leaders, he issued an open letter Monday in which he tried to assure Apple investors and customers that he was healthy enough to lead the pioneering technology company he co-founded.

The 53-year-old CEO said his doctors discovered his condition had been "robbing" his body of proteins needed for good nutrition. He is undergoing treatment, which he described as simple and straightforward.

He did not mention cancer in his letter.

"I've said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this," Jobs wrote.

Several medical experts, who had no access to Jobs' health records, said problems other than cancer could have caused a hormone imbalance. For example, the surgery to remove his tumor could have left Jobs with a pancreas too small to produce the necessary enzymes.

Yet hormone imbalances are common in people who have an active neuroendocrine tumor, not in people who have been cured of the cancer, said Dr. Selwyn M. Vickers, chairman of the surgery department at the University of Minnesota.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment. The board said it would give Jobs its "complete and unwavering support" while he recovered.

Read the full story here.

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski and Jessica Guynn

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[paul Lee]

God Bless Him!!!!!

My prayers & thoughts with Steve & his family

[Ian Braham]

Dear Mr. Jobs,

My first computer was an Apple IIE and I am pleased to say that I still have it and hope that I will be buried or burned with it.

I was so proud when I bough my IIE! I couldn't wait to get home to set-it-up. I can still remember the store layout in the mall where I bought it, the car I had at the time, loading it on the back seat and even what the salesman looked like and finally turning it on.

I spent hours every day with my IIE, checking it out - checking what it could do and what I could make it do. Woz's genius of giving me a platform that I could build happiness on was more than I could ask for and learning 6502 assembler was more than important, and I did - including bank switching.

My beautiful low profile IIE with vents on the sides and a green monochrome monitor was happy magic! It caused me to commit and make my living programming and supporting computer networks.

Thank you Mr. Jobs for bringing this marvel into my life and introducing me to so many good people, and cheers to Woz for his genius.

Sincerely,
Ian Braham.

[ritzua]

Steve,
have you tried Acai berries

[Dr. Bombay]

Glucagonoma That's my guess. Since you don't get much information out of Jobs or his "doktors", I have to put this together in my mind. I assume that the Pancreatic CA ended up affecting the Alpha cells of the pancreas. Apparently he had been fasting as well for some time so this diagnosis while rare fits the kind of information released to the public.

It is important to realize that Mr. Jobs, has created this circumstance by his rather egocentric management style. We would not be discussing this matter if Stockholders of Apple actually believed in an Apple minus Steve Jobs. This is Job's own doing. As a public figure and CEO of this company, Jobs has an obligation to disclose material issues that may affect shareholders. His health is one of those issues.

[planetMitch]

come on, won't anyone give the man a break???? His announcement calmed my 'worries'

[Thomas FInley]

Dr. Bombay,

You are 100% correct.

[gargantuan]

Tapeworm?

To me, it looks like he shaved and got more gray hair. What's the big deal?

[SylvesterCologne]

Imagine the number of new black turtlenecks he had to buy

[west]

Steve will be just fine. He knows EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques. EFT heals when all else fails. One man healed himself of Kidney Cancer in 4 hours using EFT. AND Most of us are going to be surprised to find out that there is an oncologist in Rome Italy, Dr. Tullio Simoncini, destroying cancer tumors with sodium bicarbonate.[i] Sodium bicarbonate is safe, extremely inexpensive and unstoppably effective when it comes to cancer tissues. Read the rest here:
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index.php?qid=20070706191738AA9C3OU
Enjoy your healing, Peace. West

[jemma]

oh shh HES FINE REALLY

at least thats what your mum tells me

[Andril]

Unfortunately, it looks like Steve Jobs may be leaving Apple again. Remember the early 90's without him Apple was at a stand still and Bill Gates was raping the company. I am praying that Steve Jobs makes it through. Where is Woz?

[Chuck]

What is the hormonal balance and how do I get some? I could stand to loose about 70 pounds.

[Aen]

Hey west. The doctor who claimed that he cure cancer with sodium bicarbonate is also the same doctor that says cancer is a fungus and sodium bicarbonate solution washes it away. You sure you are not believing in crap?

Anyway I'm a fan of Steve and Apple. I own a MacBook and 2 MacBook Pros, worked in an Apple factory building Bondi Blue iMacs and the Cube when I was a teen and I absolutely hope Steve will be healthy and fit for at least another two decades. I can't wait to see what kind of product he can come up with in 10 years!

[ApplePie]

I like most people here really hope Steve gets well. I really care about him because I know he really cares about me. I just hope he doesn't go to those Western medical professional types, he really needs to stick to the holistic approach, and he definitely needs to adhere to his vegan diet. Everyone knows that western medicine and meat are what cause pancreatic cancer.

God bless you Steve Jobs, God bless your fortune 500 company and God bless your shareholders. And if you could do me a huge favor, please stop Bill Gates from sending money to Africa to prevent AIDS and malaria. It's so obvious that he's an evil man.

[Geoffrey Miller]

I suppose that a paper that's failing has to grasp at ANY opportunity to get eyeballs. Even when it comes to rumor mongering - after the fact. This story is old, tired and done, as far as Wall Street is concerned. Now if the LA Times would have the good graces to just die off instead of whimpering in the corner and peeing on itself.

[Graham]

These are two horrible photos for comparison. Jobs on the left has a more neutral expression, and facial hair, and the light is from the front. On the right Jobs has shaved, his expression is elongating his face, and the light is from the right. As any man will tell you, beards do significantly enhance the perception of how large your face is. As anyone with a mirror can prove, smiling even slightly stretches your cheek flesh and makes it thinner and less round. And anyone familiar with lighting will tell you that lighting is interfering with our ability to judge in this photo. Overall, a very poor choice of photos.

[Photo Sharing]

Get well soon!!

[Nuno Horta]

Media all around the world, I too have a GREAT interest in the MAN, not only the company and the products, and all the magnificent IMAGE and style of desgin of Apple, but...

LEAVE THE MAN ALONE!

[mo]

smoke a joint steve!

[hdrkid]

Why is it that in the second photo he looks like he has terminal cancer? I wish I could see a photo of the late great Steve Jobs in Sept, 2009. Then again he might not make it that far. The curious case of Steve Jobs who aged ten years in one.

[the real god]

"God Bless Him!!!!! My prayers & thoughts with Steve & his family"

...just so you know, praying to a made-up nonsensical being won't actually make a difference in any way, except to waylay your fears about mortality.

this is a sensationalistic crock.
fist off, the 2nd picture is in very poor lighting conditions.
he is shaved in the second picuture. which once again, he looks better with a beard.

[Caspar Field]

Wait... I see the difference... The guy on the left has a beard! And the one on the right is Gandhi's evil twin!

[Link'sApprentice]

I love this man. This is just too bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwlWJl4vdok&feature=channel_page

This is dedicated to him!