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Preventing & Fighting Cancer Naturally  

Evidence-based research to help and treat cancer naturally. All natural cancer prevention methods. Alternatives to chemotherapy; and more…



Introduction 

Retrieved from - mercola.com

Cancer to Be Redefined? NPR recently interviewed Dr. Otis Brawley, the chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, about the National Cancer Institute’s suggestion to change the definition of “cancer.” The reason for this is because mounting research shows that many harmless tumors are being over treated, thereby causing far more harm than good. - Retrieved from August 20, 2013, The Definition of “Cancer” May Be Narrowed to Prevent Overtreatment of Harmless Tumors – articles.mercola.com

Retrieved from - www.naturalnews.com

(NaturalNews) A significant number of people who have undergone treatment for cancer over the past several decades may not have ever actually had the disease, admits a new report commissioned by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI). Published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), this government study identifies both over diagnosis and misdiagnosis of cancer as two major causes of this growing epidemic, which together have led to the needless treatment of millions of otherwise healthy individuals with chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.

The report drops a few major bombshells on the way that many cancers are diagnosed. Breast cancer, for instance, is sometimes not breast cancer at all but rather a benign condition such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). However, untold millions of women with DCIS have been misdiagnosed as having breast cancer, and subsequently treated for a condition that likely never would have caused them any health problems. And similarly in men, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), a type of premalignant precursor to cancer, is commonly mistreated as if it was actual cancer.

"The practice of oncology in the United States is in need of a host of reforms and initiatives to mitigate the problem of over diagnosis and overtreatment of cancer, according to a working group sanctioned by the National Cancer Institute, “explains Medscape.com about the study. "Perhaps most dramatically, the group says that a number of premalignant conditions, including ductal carcinoma in situ and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, should no longer be called 'cancer.'"

Conventional cancer treatments once again shown to be a leading cause of cancer - These are shocking admissions, considering that NCI (National Cancer Institute) is a government-funded agency that tends to favor the conventional cancer diagnosis and treatment model, even when it is shown to be a failure. But even worse is the inference that untold millions of healthy people have been treated with poison and radiation for conditions they never even had, which likely caused many of them to develop real cancer and even die as a result.

As it turns out, the entire concept of "early diagnosis" itself is fundamentally flawed, since many of the methods used to diagnose fail to differentiate between benign and malignant cancer cells. This means that many people who are falsely diagnosed with cancer will end up developing cancer as a result of getting treatment for cancers they never had, a phenomenon that proves the absurdity of the entire model.

"[E]ven in the case of finding the tumor early enough to contain it through surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation, it is well-known that the minority subpopulation of cancer stem cells within these tumors will be enriched and therefore made more malignant through conventional treatment," explains Sayer Ji for GreenMedInfo.com.

"For instance, radiotherapy radiation wavelengths were only recently found by UCLA Jonnsson Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers to transform breast cancer cells into highly malignant cancer stem-cell like cells, with 30 times high malignancy post-treatment."

Cancer is really the body's attempt to survive, not an outside 'attack'

In Ji's view, the underlying issue is that the conventional cancer model erroneously views cancer as some kind of outside attack on the body that must be aggressively fought with rigorous treatment, rather than the survival mechanism that it actually is. When the body is perpetually deficient in nutrients, for instance, or when it becomes overburdened by radiation, carcinogens and other toxins from the environment and food, cancer can develop as a response to this harmful onslaught.

"Our entire world view of cancer needs to shift from an enemy that 'attacks' us and that we must wage war against, to something our body does, presumably to survive an increasingly inhospitable, nutrient-deprived, carcinogen- and radiation-saturated environment," adds Ji.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Whole Blueberry Powder Inhibits Metastasis of Triple Negative BreastCancer in a Xenograft Mouse Model Through Modulation of Inflammatory Cytokines. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises approximately 15% of breast cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis. Many patients with TNBC relapse quickly and commonly develop metastases. There are no individualized targeted adjuvant or induction treatments for TNBC, and the current treatments are highly toxic. Development of chemoprevention methods using natural products would be beneficial to patients at risk of TNBC.


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Alarming Statistics 

Retrieved from - mercola.com

According to Dr. Brawley, thoughts on cancer have started to change as a result of new information. For example, about 50-60 percent of prostate cancer cases would likely be better off being watched instead of treated. Ditto for thyroid and lung cancer, where 20-30 percent and about 10 percent respectively, should be watched rather than treated.

In the case of breast cancer, about one-third of women currently diagnosed with breast cancer have harmless tumors that pose no threat to their life. As described by New York Times writer Peggy Orenstein: 2

“[C]ancer in your breast doesn’t kill you; the disease becomes deadly when it metastasizes, spreading to other organs or the bones. Early detection is based on the theory, dating back to the late 19th century,

That the disease progresses consistently, beginning with a single rogue cell, growing sequentially and at some invariable point making a lethal leap. Curing it, then, was assumed to be a matter of finding and cutting out a tumor before that metastasis happens.

The thing is, there was no evidence that the size of a tumor necessarily predicted whether it had spread. According to Robert Aronowitz, a professor of history and sociology of science at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of 'Unnatural History: Breast Cancer and American Society,' Physicians endorsed the idea anyway, partly out of wishful thinking, desperate to “do something” to stop a scourge against which they felt helpless.”…

Last year, the New England Journal of Medicine3 published an analysis of the effects of breast cancer screening in the US over the past 30 years, which found that 1.3 million women were misdiagnosed and mistreated as a result of regular mammogram screenings over that timeframe…

Mammography May Harm 10 Times More Women Than It Helps - According to recent findings by the Nordic Cochrane Center,5 only ONE out of 2,000 women screened regularly for 10 years will actually benefit from screening due to early detection of breast cancer. Meanwhile, 10 healthy women (out of those 2,000 screened for a decade) will be misdiagnosed, turned into cancer patients, and will be treated unnecessarily. 

These women will have either a part of their breast or the whole breast removed, and will typically receive radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. This treatment (for a cancer that was non-existent) subsequently increases their risk of dying from complications from the therapy and/or from other diseases associated with radiation and chemo, such as heart disease and cancer. In all, routine mammography led to 30 percent over-diagnosis and overtreatment, which equates to an absolute risk increase of 0.5 percent. So, to recap, in order for mammographic breast screening to save ONE woman's life:

  • 2,000 women must be screened for 10 years

  • 200 women will get false positives, and

  • 10 will receive surgery and/or chemotherapy even though they do not actually have cancer

What these statistics overwhelmingly show us is that just because you were treated for cancer does not mean you’re a cancer survivor. If you really didn’t have cancer to begin with, then you’re really just a “cancer treatment survivor.” Yet all women treated for cancer who survive become part of the official “cancer survivor” statistic that is then used to justify the effectiveness of the current system of diagnosis and treatment!

Source - www.greenmedinfo.com

In short, much of oncology is based on research fraud. In a study published in Nature in March 2012, researchers tried to replicate the results of 53 basic preclinical cancer studies. Of those 53 studies, only six were replicable. In his new book, Bad Pharma, Dr. Goldacre sounds a warning bell on the fact that drug manufacturers are the ones who fund trials of their own products. One of the most widely recognized and true tests of scientific proof is when these studies showing positive results can be and are replicated by independent researchers—not researchers chosen or paid by the drug manufacturer providing the original finding. 

"Drugs are tested by the people who manufacture them in poorly designed trials, on hopelessly small numbers of weird, unrepresentative patients, and analyzed using techniques that are flawed by design, in such a way that they exaggerate the benefits of treatments," writes Goldacre in his book. "When trials throw up results that companies don't like, they are perfectly entitled to hide them from doctors and patients, so we only ever see a distorted picture of any drug's true effects."

www.fightchronicdisease.org ©  Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease All Rights Reserved.

Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world.  The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 84 million people will die of cancer between 2005 and 2015 without intervention.

Retrieved from - www.psr.org - © Copyright  All rights reserved. Physicians for Social Responsibility

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States; it accounts for 1 in 4 deaths in the US and claims more than 1,500 lives a day. There are over 100 different types of cancer and there are many different factors that affect the susceptibility to cancer such as family history, occupation, living conditions, and socioeconomic status.

Cancer is a broad term that refers to a range of complex diseases affecting various organs in the human body. Some of the most frequently diagnosed cancers include lung, breast, prostate, and brain cancer.

  • Lung cancer leads to the most number of deaths in both men and women, accounting for about 30% of all cancer deaths.
  • Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer; it is also the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, after skin cancers. In the US, breast cancer results in the highest mortality rates of any cancer in women between the ages of 20 and 59.
  • Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men, killing 40,000 each year.
  • Brain cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in children under the age of 20 and the third leading cause of death in young adults ages 20-39.

In addition to the pain and suffering caused by the disease, cancer places an enormous economic burden on our society. In 2010, cancer was estimated by the National Institutes of Health to cost $102.8 billion in medical costs, $20.9 billion in loss of productivity due to illness, and $140.1 billion in loss of productivity due to premature death, for a grand total of $263.8 billion.

Yet much of these costs could be avoided, because many cancers are preventable.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov - National Institutes of Health

Cancer Chemoprevention through Dietary Antioxidants: progress and promise. It is estimated that nearly one-third of all cancer deaths in the United States could be prevented through appropriate dietary modification. Various dietary antioxidants have shown considerable promise as effective agents for cancer prevention by reducing oxidative stress which has been implicated in the development of many diseases, including cancer. Therefore, for reducing the incidence of cancer, modifications in dietary habits, especially by increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, are increasingly advocated.

Accumulating research evidence suggests that many dietary factors may be used alone or in combination with traditional chemotherapeutic agents to prevent the occurrence of cancer, their metastatic spread, or even to treat cancer. The reduced cancer risk and lack of toxicity associated with high intake of fruits and vegetables suggest that specific concentrations of antioxidant agents from these dietary sources may produce cancer chemopreventive effects without causing significant levels of toxicity. Link to Cancer Chemoprevention through Dietary Antioxidants

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov - National Institutes of Health

RESULTS: The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA.

CONCLUSION: As the 5-year relative survival rate for cancer in Australia is now over 60%, it is clear that cytotoxic chemotherapy only makes a minor contribution to cancer survival. To justify the continued funding and availability of drugs used in cytotoxic chemotherapy, a rigorous evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and impact on quality of life is urgently required.

www.psr.org © Copyright  All rights reserved. Physicians for Social Responsibility

Environmental factors including tobacco smoke, nutrition, physical activity, and exposure to environmental carcinogens are estimated to be responsible for 75-80% of cancer diagnosis and death in the US. About 6% of cancer deaths per year -- 34,000 deaths annually -- are directly linked to occupational and environmental exposures to known, specific carcinogens. The potential of environmental carcinogens to interact with genetic and lifestyle factors, as well as each other, in the development of cancer, is not well-understood. Nor are chemicals in the environment exhaustively tested as to their carcinogenicity. Therefore the cancer burden caused by exposures to environmental carcinogens may be even larger.

www.ourjourneyofhope.com - The Pastoral Care Department at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Inc. © Rising Tide

No matter the variation in definition or application, research shows more and more cancer patients are looking to "spirituality" as a way of dealing with their diagnosis. And physicians are paying attention.

The National Institutes of Health has held conferences on the relationship between health and spirituality. More than 1,200 research studies have been completed to date with more than 70 medical schools now offering course material on spirituality. And, while it has warranted publication of more than 19,000 books, the definition of spirituality often remains in the realm of whoever is discussing it at the moment.

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What to Do at Diagnosis of Cancer 

Source www.canceraction.org

Knowledge is power. If you want to fight cancer and win, or, at the least, gain more time, however bad your condition, the best thing you can do is learn how to help yourself, in co-operation with your doctor. The strategies outlined here are complementary to mainstream cancer treatment, but essential if you wish to change your long-term prognosis. It is not sufficient treatment just to kill cancer cells.

To help prevent recurrence and slow cancer progress, it is necessary to radically change the underlying conditions which may have enabled the cancer to flourish initially.

Don’t be pessimistic if you are told you carry the genes for your particular cancer; "Everything is 100% genetic and 100% environmental." Cancer genes can be switched off in the right biochemical environment. (However, please note that very few U.K. physicians know very much about the strong scientific evidence for nutritional therapies in cancer and might prove discouraging.) If it is at all possible, for the first few months after your diagnosis, drop everything and concentrate on yourself, and your health. This will give your body a chance to rebuild the necessary resources that will improve your chances of a good recovery.

If you are going to a hospital for tests that you may suspect may lead to a diagnosis of cancer, we recommend:

  1. Do not go alone. Take a close friend or family member.

  2. Ask your friend or relative to bring a pen and pad, and be prepared to make notes at your consultation. In your state of shock and/or acute anxiety, you may not remember critical things the consultant says.

  3. Encourage your friend to ask questions on your behalf.

  4. Question everything you don't understand.

  5. If it is possible and/or you can afford it, ask for a second opinion at a different cancer centre, with a different oncologist. Approaches to cancer treatment can vary considerably. Occasionally, there is a false diagnosis.

  6. Ensure you are seen by a specialist in your particular cancer, at a cancer hospital or centre, not a general hospital.

  7. Do not rush thoughtlessly into treatment. You can usually take a week or two at the least, to consider treatment options, unless you have a surgical or other real emergency.

  8. Research as much as you can about your cancer, and new treatment for it, or ask a friend or relative to do so. Air all your questions, findings, options, with your doctor or specialist before coming to a final decision on what is right for you.

www.cancer.gov

Some people with cancer are afraid that their doctor won't understand or approve of the use of CAM (Complementary Alternative Medicine). But doctors know that people with cancer want to take an active part in their care. They want the best for their patients and often are willing to work with them.

Talk to your doctor to make sure that all aspects of your cancer care work together. This is important because things that seem safe, such as certain foods or pills, may interfere with your cancer treatment.

This resource covers useful information on the following:

cam.cancer.gov – Downloadable Publication

If you are a patient… this workbook is designed to help you talk with your health care provider(s) about your complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use during and after your cancer care. This workbook can be used in its entirety or as individual sheets to best meet your needs and interests.

If you are a health care provider… this workbook contains several documents which can be used to help your patients keep track of their medicines, CAM use, and complementary providers. It is intended to help you talk with your patients about their goals, beliefs, symptom management, and use of CAM therapies during and after cancer care.

www.todaysdietitian.com Copyright ©  Publisher of Today's Dietitian. All rights reserved.

Therapeutic Controversy — Is Supplementing Cancer Treatment With Antioxidants Helpful or Harmful? By Sharon Palmer, RD - Today’s Dietitian - Vol. 12 No. 4 P. 26

Enter Integrative Cancer Care: Whether or not you support supplemental antioxidant therapy during cancer treatment, it’s hard to find fault with a cancer plan that includes the power of nutrition. Just take a look at how the Block Center handles cancer care. The center, founded by Keith and Penny Block—Penny serves as executive director—about 30 years ago, integrates conventional medicine protocols with advanced complementary therapies that address the physical, nutritional, psychosocial, and spiritual aspects of healing and recovery. “The role of integrative therapy is to reduce toxicity so that more people can tolerate full therapy and increase survival rates,” says Block.

One of the leaders in nutritional therapy for cancer care, Block Nutrition Program’s aim is personalized nutrition for every person and lifestyle. An individual’s biochemical environment is assessed by evaluating markers of stress chemistry, inflammatory response, excessive growth signals, and immune disregulation. The emphasis is on a sound, specifically designed diet, enhanced by a carefully charted regimen of supplements and treatments meant to aid the body in ridding itself of disease, prevent further illness or recurrences, and sustain overall good health. RDs help incorporate the nutritional agenda into patients’ daily lives through recipes, cooking classes, seminars, and counseling. By Sharon Palmer, RD -Today’s Dietitian Vol. 12 No. 4 P. 2

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Evaluating and Making Decisions about Specific Therapies  

www.cancer.duke.edu - pdf Copyright - Duke University Medical Center and Cancer Center of Santa Barbara, November, 2000.

1) Gathering and evaluating information

The amount and quality of information available on various complementary and alternative therapies varies widely. As with any aspect of health care, it is wise to use multiple sources of information and to carefully consider the source of the information. The Information Sheets included in Section V include additional sources of information. This is a rapidly developing area so new sources of information are constantly becoming available, especially on the internet. 

Several questions worth asking:

What does this therapy involve? You will want to find out if the therapy is something that you can deal with, if it's available in your area or something that you’ll have to travel a distance for, how much time it will involve and how much it might interfere with other demands in your life.  

How is it thought to work? This may be an educated guess, based on observations or other things we know; or it may be a mechanism of action that’s been proven through research studies.

What has been proven about the benefits? It’s important to remember that ‘proof’ is in the eye of the beholder. Some people may consider their clinical observations and patient reports as adequate. Many of the complementary and alternative therapies have some research data to support their usage, but typically not to the degree that conventional therapies have been investigated. See barriers to research in complementary and alternative medicine for more on this subject.

What are the potential risks or harm? Similar to the issues surrounding proven benefits, limited data may be available on potential risks or harm.

Therapies which are non-invasive, as well as those which have been in use for a long time, are less likely to have unknown side effects. It’s important to consider not only the risks associated with the therapy by itself, but also any risks associated with combining it with other therapies. For example, as the use of herbal therapies increase, more herb-herb and herb-drug interactions are being seen.

How much does this therapy cost? Many complementary / alternative therapies are not covered by insurance. Cost, compared with potential benefit, is often an important consideration.

2) Barriers to research in complementary and alternative medicine

One of the frequent criticisms of complementary and alternative medicine is that it is not research based, that is, treatment recommendations are not based on the results of randomized clinical trials. While there is validity to the need for more research, there are several issues worth considering. First, to what standard is CAM being compared? What is the reality of research-based practice in conventional medicine? Secondly, are there areas where the randomized clinical trial may not be the most appropriate way of considering the effectiveness of a therapy? And, thirdly, what are the barriers to CAM research and how will those be overcome?

Limitations of research in conventional medical decision-making

It’s often assumed that, in conventional medicine, all treatment recommendations are based on research results. While this is a goal, in reality, conventional medicine is as much art as science, and as fraught with controversy as is complementary and alternative medicine. The U.S. Office of Technology Assessment issued a report in 1978 entitled 'Assessing the Efficacy and Safety of Medical Technology'.1

This report indicates that only 10 - 20% of medical procedures have been shown to be of benefit. Many common treatments had never been evaluated by clinical trials. In addition, up to 75% of studies published at that time had 'invalid or unsupportable conclusions as a result of statistical problems'. Few well-designed trials were found and the preponderance had positive results, indicating that studies with negative results are less likely to be published…

A second assumption is that the best way to treat a group of people is to treat each one exactly the same way. Much of complementary and alternative medicine approaches tailor the treatment to the individual, based both on pretreatment factors and response to treatment…

Evidence suggests that one in three cancer patients uses some form of complementary and alternative medicine and the majority do not tell their doctors.8 Disease response rates, side effects, and quality of life outcomes all have the potential to be influence by these non-disclosed therapies...

With all the controversies and uncertainties surrounding cancer treatment, it's important to consider how you can effectively deal with uncertainty.

Link to Understanding the Evidence

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You Have Options

Retrieved from - www.greenmedinfo.com

Written By: Dr. Mark Sircus, Oncologists Conceal Toxicity Issues and Bias - More than one in five women with early-stage breast cancer said they were given too much responsibility for treatment-related decisions—and those patients were more likely to end up regretting the choices they made, according to a U.S. study.[3] The findings, which appeared in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, don't mean that women should not be fully informed about their treatment options, researchers said, but rather that doctors may need to find new strategies to communicate with patients, especially the less educated.

"Some women may feel overwhelmed or burdened by treatment choices, particularly if they are not also given the tools to understand and weigh the benefits and harms of these choices," wrote research leader Jennifer Livaudais and colleagues. Her team from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York surveyed 368 women who had just had surgery for early-stage breast cancer at one of eight New York City hospitals, and again six months later. The majority said they typically had trouble understanding medical information and less than one-third knew the possible benefits of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, Livaudais and her colleagues found.

This book is about love in medicine but specifically it's about providing a loving cancer treatment for women's breasts as well as for other cancers involving sexual organs for men.

Oncologists are doing a poor job of informing American women with early-stage breast cancer about the disease or their options in terms of surgery. In a study published in the January 2012 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, researchers found that, "Breast cancer survivors had fairly major gaps in their knowledge about their surgical options, including about the implications for recurrence and survival," said study lead author Dr. Clara Lee, an associate professor of surgery and director of surgical research at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.

Among the 440 patients who responded to the survey, less than half (about 46%) knew that local recurrence risk is higher after breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) than after mastectomy, and only about 56% of women knew that survival rates are equivalent for both options.

Many women did not recall being asked for their preference. The fact that less than half (48.6%) of the patients recalled being asked their preference was particularly concerning to Dr. (Clara) Lee. "It would be one thing if we were talking about decisions for which there is clearly a superior treatment, such as treatment for an inflamed gallbladder. In this case, it's reasonable and actually better for the surgeon to make a recommendation. But here we're talking about a decision where there is no medically right answer, and it really depends on the patient's preference. In that situation, it makes sense to ask the patient what she prefers."

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Why Cancer Treatment Must Be Individualized

Source is-canceralliance.com - International Strategic Cancer Alliance

Curing malignant disease is not simple. Cancer cells are everything we would like healthy cells to be: They quickly adapt to toxic environments, they readily alter themselves to assure their continued survival, and they utilize biologic mechanisms to promote cellular immortality. All of these factors make cancer an extremely difficult disease to treat.

Chemotherapy drugs have a high rate of failure because they usually kill only specific types of cancer cells within a tumor. The remaining cancer cells are then free to mutate and become highly resistant to therapeutic approaches attempted later. Cancer chemotherapy could save more lives if the latest scientific findings were incorporated into clinical medicine.

What has long concerned the founders of the International Strategic Cancer Alliance is that respected cancer journals publish articles that identify safer and more effective treatment regimens, yet few oncologists incorporate these improved methods into their clinical practice.

Cancer patients often suffer through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments that do not integrate the latest synergistic or additive scientific findings. One purpose of the ISCA is to direct our clients to oncology groups that incorporate multimodal approaches in order to improve the probability of a successful outcome as well as the use of an integrative approach for the purpose of lowering the side effects of cancer treatments.

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Test to Determine if You Need Chemotherapy Treatment

www.mybreastcancertreatment.org - Reports,

Women with invasive breast cancer are often treated as if they’re the same. They aren’t. 

Only 4 of 100 women with early-stage invasive breast cancer benefit from chemotherapy1, and its toxic nature can result in severe side effects. 

Oncotype DX is the only test that can help you find out if chemotherapy is the best treatment for you—or if there is another option that might suit you better. 

Oncotype DX gives you personalized information about your individual breast cancer diagnosis. This can be used to help tailor treatment for your breast cancer. The test is intended to be used for patients with early-stage, node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) invasive breast cancer who will be treated with hormone therapy. Oncotype DX is the only test included in all major breast cancer guidelines for chemotherapy treatment decision making. It is widely covered by insurers in the United States, and has been used to guide treatment in more than 375,000 breast cancer patients around the world. 

Before committing to chemotherapy, it’s important to ask your doctor to perform the Oncotype DX test

For more information, watch the video and then download the following PDF resources to help you discuss the Oncotype DX test with your physician.

The Oncotype DX® test examines a patient's breast cancer tumor tissue at a molecular level, and gives information about the individual breast cancer diagnosis. This information can help tailor treatment for breast cancer. The Oncotype DX test is intended to be used for patients with early-stage (Stage I or II), node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+invasive breast cancer who will be treated with hormone therapy.

The Oncotype DX test determines how specific genes are expressed (that is, their level of activity) within a tumor sample. The measurement of these genes is calculated to yield an individualized result called a breast cancer Recurrence Score®. The Recurrence Score result correlates with the likelihood that a patient's breast cancer will return (distant recurrence) and also indicates whether he or she is likely to benefit from chemotherapy for breast cancer.

The Oncotype DX Breast Cancer test for DCIS patients is the first clinically validated genomic assay to provide an individualized prediction of the 10-year risk of local recurrence (DCIS or invasive carcinoma) to help guide treatment decision-making in women with ductal carcinoma in situ treated by local excision, with or without tamoxifen.

The Oncotype DX Assay for DCIS Patients:

  • Is the first and only clinically-validated genomic assay for patients with DCIS.

  • Predicts the risk of local recurrence (DCIS or invasive carcinoma) and predicts the risk of local invasive carcinoma.

  • Helps guide personalized treatment based on tumor biology as determined by theDCIS Score.

  • Offers additional information: the report includes quantitative ER and PR single gene expression values.

www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu - Researching,

Microdosing: It's the future of cancer care. And daybreak is fast approaching. UC Davis Health System is developing new methods of treating cancer to give every patient a better chance for a cure. In fact, researchers here are testing microdoses of cancer-fighting drugs to individualize treatment for patients diagnosed with bladder cancer.

Some cancer cells respond to chemotherapy, and some do not. But chemotherapy can also be very toxic and harmful to healthy organs and tissues. UC Davis researchers, in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, have discovered how to study a tumor's DNA at the molecular level.

This innovation allows physicians to test a tiny fraction—or microdose—of chemotherapy on a patient's tumor to predict whether their cancer will respond before full treatment is prescribed. Though in the early stages and not yet available to patients, this experimental treatment is showing promising results and could lead to clinical trials in the near future.

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Conventional Chemotherapy 

www.alive.com - Written by David Crowe

What You Should Know about Chemotherapy: In high dose chemotherapy, a woman’s bone marrow (the source of immune system white blood cells) is severely depleted, always requiring a marrow transplant for survival. However, recent studies showed no benefit from this technique.

Three Australian cancer researchers recently undertook a medical literature search of studies reporting a five-year survival rate in cancer patients that was solely attributable to chemotherapy treatment. They concluded that chemotherapy only makes a minor contribution to cancer survival; this treatment is responsible for just over 2 percent of cancer patients surviving for five years in both the US and Australia.

Prevention Trumps Treatment - The best way to avoid cancer therapy is to avoid cancer through prevention. True prevention includes drinking pure water and eating fresh, organic and raw foods. Since we are increasingly surrounded by polluted air, water, and soil, cancer prevention must include making our environment cleaner. Supporting an environmental group or lobbying your local politicians to take the health impacts of environmental degradation seriously are important steps.

Be skeptical of the cancer industry’s prevention-as-detection message. Both mammograms for breast cancer and PSA screening (and resultant biopsies) for prostate cancer are questionable: They raise the number of unnecessary interventions and, in the case of mammograms, may themselves contribute to cancer risk. Neither mammograms nor PSA tests (or digital rectal exams) have been categorically proven to reduce cancer mortality in a large population.

Choose Your Path: When cancer does strike, there are no easy decisions. You may decide to follow the mainstream route of radiation and chemotherapy, using nutrition and alternative treatments to mitigate the symptoms. Be skeptical of offers to participate in a clinical trial, particularly preliminary Phase I and II trials; they are not designed to test the full protocol of the drug. For every major claim made, request the scientific paper that supports it...read in its entirety... www.alive.com

Retrieved from - drsircus.com

The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA, according to a US government site.[9] As the 5-year relative survival rate for cancer in Australia is now over 60%, it is clear that cytotoxic chemotherapy only makes a minor contribution to cancer survival.

Chemotherapy, the massive poisoning of the already immune-suppressed human body is barbaric—even criminal malpractice—and the only reason one can glean from its use is the enormous profits made. The cost of the average chemotherapy regimen: $300,000 to $1,000,000. The end result is that chemo kills more patients than it “cures”.

Most of those deaths are the result of liver or heart failure. While chemo can shrink some tumors, the devastating cycotoxic nature of chemo “therapy” further destroys the patient’s already compromised and failing immune system causing an even quicker demise.

www.dailymail.co.uk - By CLAIRE BATES

Chemotherapy 'can make cancers more resistant to treatment and even encourage them to grow' - Chemotherapy drugs can make tumours grow, it has been claimed Scientists believe the effect is caused by the impact of chemotherapy drugs on healthy connective tissue cells called fibroblasts

In lab experiments they found the drugs caused DNA damage which made fibroblasts pump out 30 times more of a protein than normal. This protein encouraged prostate tumours to grow and spread into surrounding tissue, as well as to resist chemotherapy.

www.nydailynews.com -article-1.1129897

Shock study: Chemotherapy can backfire, make cancer worse by triggering tumor growth - Long considered the most effective cancer-fighting treatment, chemotherapy may actually make cancer worse, according to a shocking new study.

The extremely aggressive therapy, which kills both cancerous and healthy cells indiscriminately, can cause healthy cells to secrete a protein that sustains tumor growth and resistance to further treatment.

Researchers in the United States made the "completely unexpected" finding while seeking to explain why cancer cells are so resilient inside the human body when they are easy to kill in the lab.  AUGUST 6, 2012, 12:59 PM

Retrieved from - www.livescience.com

Nurses Exposed to Toxic Cancer Drugs, Study Finds

Nurses treating cancer patients risk being exposed to chemotherapy drugs and their toxic effects, according to a new study. The results show that nearly 17 percent of nurses working in centers where outpatient chemotherapy infusions are administered reported being exposed on their skin or eyes to the drugs.

Unintentional chemotherapy exposure can affect the nervous system, impair the reproductive system and bring an increased risk of developing blood cancers in the future, the researchers said. These exposures are as dangerous to a nurse's health as being accidently stuck with a needle, the researchers said.

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A Safer Chemotherapy 

Source - www.anoasisofhealing.com

IPT (Insulin Potentiation Therapy) also called, IPTLD (Insulin Potentiation Therapy Low Dose Chemotherapy: A kinder, gentler cancer chemotherapy treatment option with significantly less side effects.

FACT: More than 50% of people who receive conventional chemotherapy will die from the side effects of the chemotherapy, NOT from the cancer itself.

At An Oasis of Healing, we use this knowledge to target the cancer cells with cytotoxic (cell-killing) agents (chemotherapy drugs). By administering small amounts of insulin prior to the person eating that day, we are able to select the cancer cells from amongst all the other cells in the body because they are able to bind the insulin much more quickly, resulting in what is known as the “therapeutic window” (cancer cells are permeable while the other, normal cells are still hard and impermeable). There are a multitude of effects upon cells when insulin binds to them and one of these effects is that the cells become more permeable (creating openings) by stimulating an enzyme known as delta-9 desaturase. Once the cancer cells have been targeted by the insulin to open their doors, we then administer small amounts of the appropriate chemotherapeutic drugs, from 5% to 10% of the standard dose. Much of what we administer becomes absorbed into the cancer cells rather quickly and not into the normal cells because they are still relatively hard or impermeable. IPT, therefore, is able to take advantage of the powerful cytotoxic effects of standard chemotherapy without having to use high doses.

Because the dosing is low, side effects are minimized and the treatments can be given more frequently. This gives cancer cells less time to become resistant to the drugs and they can become eliminated in a much shorter time frame.  This is accomplished while sparing the other normal cells in the body from being equally exposed to these toxins; hence, there are very limited “side effects”.  One essential consequence is that the immune system is relatively spared from being damaged so that it can continue to defend the body from this cancer. This allows the immune system to protect the body from other cancers that may be “brewing” AND it can also continue to defend against any other possible intrusions, such as micro-organisms (which cause infection and extraneous), chemical poisons, EMFs, radiation and internally derived poisons from accumulated waste.

Source - is-canceralliance.com - International Strategic Cancer Alliance

The ISCA brings together oncologists and other experts who utilize findings from published scientific studies to provide additional treatments that have a logical basis to augment the effects of chemotherapy, reduce the potential for side effects, and block the many survival mechanisms that cancer cells use to escape destruction with conventional therapies.

Through the ISCA, and for the first time, individuals with cancer can now gain access to a team of dedicated professionals who will delve deep into the molecular aspects behind each individual’s disease and then, in a practical manner, use the fruits of published scientific literature for the benefit of the person with cancer.

What has long concerned the founders of the International Strategic Cancer Alliance is that respected cancer journals publish articles that identify safer and more effective treatment regimens, yet few oncologists incorporate these improved methods into their clinical practice.

Cancer patients often suffer through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments that do not integrate the latest synergistic or additive scientific findings. One purpose of the ISCA is to direct our clients to oncology groups that incorporate multimodal approaches in order to improve the probability of a successful outcome as well as the use of an integrative approach for the purpose of lowering the side effects of cancer treatments.

Integrated (or integrative) medicine is an approach that combines treatments from conventional medicine and Complementary/Alternative Medicine (CAM). However, an integrated approach is only used when there is sufficient scientific research which produces evidence that a better result may emerge on the side of healing and/or curing the individual. Complementary medicine is an approach used together with conventional medicine. For example the use of a natural supplement may be used to enhance or ameliorate (side effects) of a certain conventional treatment such as surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Alternative medicine is a method used instead of conventional medical treatment. For instance a person may decide to treat their ailment using diet, supplements, or other methods instead of a conventional method.

www.euro-med.us © Copyright  EuroMed, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The Politics of Treatment: Why is conventional chemotherapy still pushed by the vast majority of oncologists? In the book, Questioning Chemotherapy, Moss explained that traditional oncologists are in a very difficult position because they've been trained to give these drugs. And they've devoted many years to reaching a very high level of expertise in the knowledge of poisonous, deadly compounds. They want to help the cancer patient, yet the tools they've been given don't work, he said. From expert and author Cynthia Foster, MD:

"Cytotoxic chemotherapy kills cancer cells by way of a certain mechanism called "First Order Kinetics." This simply means that the drug does not kill a constant number of cells, but a constant proportion of cells. So, for example, a certain drug will kill 1/2 of all the cancer cells, then 1/2 of what is left, and then 1/2 of that, and so on. So, we can see that not every cancer cell necessarily is going to be killed. This fact is well known by oncologists.

"Now, how can cancer patients possibly fight even a few cancer cells when their immune systems have been disabled and this is yet another stress on the body, and they're bleeding because they have hardly any platelets left from the toxic effects of the chemotherapy? This is usually why, when chemotherapy is stopped, the cancer grows again and gets out of control."

The Immune System - The First Line of Defense: Because cancer is essentially a failure of the immune system, it makes no sense to administer a cancer cure that further damages the immune system. In Arizona, the doctors at the EuroMed Foundation kill cancer and bolster the immune system at the same time by blending conventional medicine with alternative medicine. We combine the best of both worlds for a better outcome through alternative cancer treatment.

We don't rely on chemo to do the entire job of killing cancer cells. We use a number of complementary therapies to diminish cancer. For example, Poly-MVA® is highly selective for malignant tissue. It influences oxygen, water, and electrical inputs to the malignancy. It behaves like a chemotherapeutic agent, but is not destructive. In June of 2008, Poly-MVA® became the first dietary supplement to be cleared by the FDA for use in a cancer study. It is likely this study will lead to the use of Poly-MVA® in conventional cancer treatments.

A Safer Chemotherapy: The treatment does not have to be worse than the disease. We use a low dose, targeted chemotherapy – about one-tenth the amount of standard chemotherapy. We make use of the body's own hormone, insulin, to carry cytotoxic drugs directly into the cancer cell. This is called IPT – Insulin Potentiation Therapy. Because it is so effective at delivering the drugs just to the cancer cells, there is little left over to cause a toxic reaction within healthy cells. In 60 years, there has never been a reported death from IPT.

Patients who undergo holistic cancer treatment with IPT and complementary therapies have far fewer side effects. In fact, you can read real patient stories to see what they have to say.

All of us have cancer cells in us. When the immune system is strong, it stays on top of the errant cells. When the immune system is weak, cancer grows. At the EuroMed Foundation, we know how to kill cancer without killing the immune system. Indeed, many of our patients finish treatment with a much stronger immune system than they had when they started.

Insulin Potentiation Chemotherapy (IPT), also known as low dose chemotherapy, is one of the safest and most innovative approaches to treating cancer. It is a kinder, gentler way to fight cancer effectively, including particularly aggressive cancers such as lung cancer and colon cancer, but is also effective on a wide variety of cancer types. This alternative treatment has almost none of the side effects such as nausea, radical hair loss, liver damage, and DNA distortion that we see routinely with standard chemotherapy. The key to IPT as a cancer cure is the body's own hormone – insulin.

www.immunerecovery.net Copyright (c)  Immune Recovery Foundation. All rights reserved.

… An interesting natural product indole-3-carbinol (IC3) has activity similar to tamoxifen without the side effects. There is evidence that it is active alone and should enhance the activity of tamoxifen.

We believe that Tamoxifen and IC3 therapy as breast cancer treatments should be used in conjunction with immune therapy and antiangiogenesis, rather than with other chemotherapy agents. They help the patient to avoid the added toxic reactions and secondly, to avoid immune suppression. We feel that this combination would be more active within the tamoxifen 2 year range...

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Treating Cancer with Complementary Cancer Therapies

www.ioicp.com - ©  International Organization of Integrative Cancer Physicians. All Rights Reserved. 

Cancer is a complex set of factors in our lives and bodies that combine to overpower the immune system and create a multi-faceted disease. The goal of complementary cancer therapies is to:

  • Provide more effective and targeted cancer treatments that leave surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.

  • Utilize other cancer-killing agents and thereby decrease dependency upon chemo drugs

  • Help the body detoxify

  • Provide nutrition to a depleted body

  • Nurture and strengthen the immune system

Scientists at the National Cancer Institute, for example, have found evidence that some plant-based compounds (phytochemicals) can inhibit or eliminate cancer stem cells which are increasingly viewed as the driving force behind relapse and chemotherapy resistance in prostate and other cancers. Many researchers now believe that the cancer stem cells often survive initial treatment and act like “evil seeds” that regrow new, more treatment-resistant progeny cells.[1]

It takes more than just chemotherapy to target cancer in all its facets. Here are some of the common complementary cancer therapies used in integrative oncology:

  • IPT: Insulin Potentiation Therapy aka Insulin Potentiation Targeted Low Dose Therapy (IPTLD)

  • Laser-assisted Immunotherapy

  • Poly-MVA®

  • High-dose Vitamin C: intravenous vitamin C treatments

  • UV Therapy

  • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

  • Epigenetics and Gene Therapy

  • Enzymatic Therapy

  • IV Chelation

  • Oncothermia and Hyperthermia

  • IPT / HT (In IPT/HT, natural homeopathic medications are used in place of chemotherapy drugs…)

  • Oxygenation, Ozonation, Ozone Therapy

Read in detail - Our Answers for Cancer

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Potential Causes of Cancer That Are Ignored 

Retrieved from - mercola.com

What Causes of Cancer Are Currently Ignored? So what are some of the root causes of cancer that the industry is failing to address? Well, for one, I believe it would behoove us if researchers spent less time and money searching for genetic factors and more on evaluating the carcinogenic impact of various lifestyle and environmental factors. Because while some cancers may be highly influenced by inherited genetic defects, the emerging science of epigenetics proves that your genetic code is not nearly as predeterministic as previously thought.

You actually have a tremendous amount of control over how your genetic traits are expressed. Your genes will express or suppress genetic data depending on the environment in which it finds itself, meaning the presence or absence of appropriate nutrients, toxins, and even your thoughts and feelings, which unleash hormones and other chemicals in your body. Dr. Susan Love, a breast cancer surgeon and president of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation commented on such research back in 2009, saying:10

“It’s exciting. What it means, if all this environmental stuff is right, is that we should be able to reverse cancer without having to kill cells. This could open up a whole new way of thinking about cancer that would be much less assaultive.”

Research into the health of our ancient ancestors11 also suggests that cancer is indeed a manmade disease. Increasingly, environmental and lifestyle factors are being pinpointed as the culprits, and it is my personal belief that our cancer problem is the result of too many people being regularly exposed to too many of these toxic factors, which include:

  • Pesticide and other synthetic chemical exposures

  • A predominance of sugars and grains which causes the body to burn sugar rather than fat as its primary fuel

  • Wireless technologies, dirty electricity, and medical diagnostic radiation exposure

  • Pharmaceutical drugs

  • Obesity, stress, and poor sleeping habits

  • Lack of sunshine exposure and use of sunscreens

Retrieved from - www.hwicancerresearch.org

What Causes Cancer? Currently, it is thought that cancer is caused by multiple factors. Many physicians agree that cancer has multiple interacting causes. This is contrary to the scientific view of identifying single precipitating factors—such as genes or infectious organisms. Practitioners of integrative medicine know there is no single cause for cancer, nor is there a single cure. Cancer is caused by a gradual toxic systemic exposure and weakening of body systems (i.e. immune system). However, there are contributing factors, which will be reviewed briefly and are listed below:

- Chronic Stress
- Diet and nutritional deficiencies
- Environmental toxins
- Excessive exposure to sunlight
- Food additives
- Free radicals
- Genetic predisposition
- Heavy metal toxicity (mercury, arsenic, lead, etc.)
- Hormonal dysfunction
- Immune-suppressive drugs
- Intestinal toxicity and digestive imbalance
- Oncogenes (genes responsible for initiating cancer)
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Polluted water
- Tobacco and smoking
- Viruses

ndnr.com - Copyright Naturopathic Doctor News & Review

… I believe the causes of cancer are complex and multifactorial, and when the body can no longer compromise, the checks and balances are no longer in place and chronic, degenerative diseases like cancer develop. When the immune system loses its effectiveness, it is a recipe for disaster 

Contributing Factors - One major contributing factor in the development of cancer seems to be an underlying inflammation. This leads to cellular damage, which affects the chromosomal DNA and cellular repair or replication. Examples of chronic inflammation that can lead to certain cancers include:

  • Liver inflammation from hepatitis B and C

  • Cervical inflammation from HPV

  • Inflammation from helicobacter pylori

  • Pancreatitis

  • Irritation of the lungs from smoking

  • Irritation of the mouth due to chewing tobacco

  • Inflammation from allergies, which may cause lymphomas, celiac disease, etc.

Chronic inflammation leads to oxidative stress which, in turn, leads to problems with the structural integrity of cellular replication. Substances such as advanced glycation end products (AGE) and free radicals affect our immune system, which sets the stage for cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases…

Other causes of cancer include various exposures to mutagenic toxins, pesticides, herbicides, industrial/environmental pollutants, parasites, heavy metals and even certain electromagnetic fields.

When our immune system is overwhelmed by this “toxic burden” along with other factors, such as those that are mentioned next, it affects our lives mentally, emotionally and physically. It is no wonder our major defense system gets compromised and can no longer protect us:

Diet: artificial colors and dyes, coffee, nitrates, nutrient-deficient foods

Environment: pollutants, exposure to extreme temperature changes, physical stress, radiation, electromagnetic fields

Psychological stress: emotional trauma, anxiety, excessive anger or fear

Lifestyles: drug/alcohol problems, type A personality, workaholism, insomnia, unhealthy choices in day-to-day living

To read in entirety…ndnr.com

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Environmental Toxins and Cancer

www.psr.org - © Copyright  All rights reserved. Physicians for Social Responsibility

In May of 2010, the President’s Cancer Panel reported to President Obama that “the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated.”

Exposure to environmental carcinogens (chemicals or substances that can lead to the development of cancer) can occur in the workplace and in the home, as well as through consumer products, medical treatments, and lifestyle choices. It has long been known that exposure to high levels of certain chemicals, such as those in some occupational settings, can cause cancer. There is now growing scientific evidence that exposure to lower levels of chemicals in the general environment is contributing to society’s cancer burden.

Environmental factors including tobacco smoke, nutrition, physical activity, and exposure to environmental carcinogens are estimated to be responsible for 75-80% of cancer diagnosis and death in the US. About 6% of cancer deaths per year -- 34,000 deaths annually -- are directly linked to occupational and environmental exposures to known, specific carcinogens. The potential of environmental carcinogens to interact with genetic and lifestyle factors, as well as each other, in the development of cancer, is not well-understood. Nor are chemicals in the environment exhaustively tested as to their carcinogenicity. Therefore the cancer burden caused by exposures to environmental carcinogens may be even larger.

Human biomonitoring studies show that many environmental contaminants, including known and potential carcinogens, are finding their way into people’s bodies. The sources of these contaminants are wide-ranging:

  • Pesticides: conventional pesticides used in agriculture, industry, home, and garden, as well as chlorine and other disinfectants, and wood preservatives.
  • Industrial chemicals, wastes, and waste byproducts from mining facilities, smelting operations, chemical manufacturing and processing plants, petrochemical plants, and medical and municipal waste facilities. Such facilities release billions of pounds of chemicals into the environment every year.
  • Chemicals in consumer products, including building materials, furniture, and food packaging materials, and cosmetics.
  • Pollution from coal-fired power plants, automobile exhaust, and other sources.

The following are examples of common environmental chemicals linked to cancer. Some are listed as known carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, or by the Environmental Protection Agency. Others are probable or possible carcinogens. Because something has been classified as a carcinogen does not mean that every instance of exposure to that substance will result in the development of cancer. By the same token, a listing of “probable” or “possible” carcinogenicity does not mean we have exhausted study on that substance. It means the substance is not yet sufficiently studied. Such substances may, with further study, turn out to be definitively carcinogenic.

There are hundreds of other substances definitively linked to cancer in people.

www.breastcancer.org "Used with permission from Breastcancer.org." 

BPA is a weak synthetic estrogen found in many rigid plastic products, food and formula can linings, dental sealants, and on the shiny side of paper cashier receipts (to stabilize the ink). Its estrogen-like activity makes it a hormone disruptor, like many other chemicals in plastics. Hormone disruptors can affect how estrogen and other hormones act in the body, by blocking them or mimicking them, which throws off the body's hormonal balance. Because estrogen can make hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer develop and grow, many women choose to limit their exposure to these chemicals that can act like estrogen.

Link to Environmental Toxins

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All-Natural Cancer Prevention Approaches 

Retrieved from - mercola.com

All-Natural Cancer Prevention Strategies: My recommendation to you is to not wait for the system to change, but to take matters into your own hands—now. It’s important to realize that cancer screening does NOT in any way equate to cancer prevention, and that while early detection is important, a number of popular screening methods have been shown to cause more harm than good—mammography in particular.

In the largest review of research into lifestyle and breast cancer, the American Institute of Cancer Research estimated that about 40 percent of US breast cancer cases could be prevented if people made wiser lifestyle choices.1213 I believe these estimates are far too low, and it is more likely that 75 percent to 90 percent of breast cancers could be avoided by strictly applying the recommendations below:

  • Improve your insulin receptor sensitivity. The best way to do this is by avoiding sugar and grains and making sure you are exercising, especially with Peak Fitness.

  • Address your food preparation. Eat at least one-third of your food raw. Avoid frying or charbroiling; boil, poach or steam your foods instead. Consider adding cancer-fighting whole foods, herbs, spices and supplements to your diet, such as broccolicurcumin and resveratrol. To learn more about how these anti-angiogenetic foods fight cancer, please see our previous article: "Dramatically Effective New Natural Way to Starve Cancer and Obesity."

  • Avoid carbohydrates and sugar. Reduce or eliminate processed foods, sugar/fructose and grain-based foods from your diet. This applies to whole unprocessed organic grains as well, as they tend to rapidly break down and drive up your insulin level. The evidence is quite clear that if you want to avoid cancer, or you currently have cancer, you absolutely MUST avoid all forms of sugar, especially fructose, which feeds cancer cells and promotes their growth.

  • Reduce protein and increase fat. Consider reducing your protein levels to one gram per kilogram of lean body weight. It would be unusual for most adults to need more than 100 grams of protein and most likely close to half of that amount. Replace excess protein with high-quality fats, such as organic eggs from pastured hens, high quality meats, avocados, and coconut oil.

  • Drink a half to whole quart of organic green vegetable juice daily. Please review my juicing instructions for more detailed information.

  • Avoid GMOs. Avoid genetically engineered foods as they are typically treated with herbicides such as Roundup (glyphosate), which are likely to be carcinogenic. A French research team that has extensively studied Roundup concluded it’s toxic to human cells, and likely carcinogenic to humans. Choose fresh, organic, preferably locally growth foods.

  • Avoid unfermented soy productsUnfermented soy is high in plant estrogens, or phytoestrogens, also known as isoflavones. In some studies, soy appears to work in concert with human estrogen to increase breast cell proliferation, which increases the chances for mutations and cancerous cells.

  • Normalize your omega-3 to omega-6 fats ratio. Normalize your ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats by taking a high-quality krill oil and reducing your intake of processed vegetable oils.

  • Optimize your gut flora. Optimizing your gut flora will reduce inflammation and strengthen your immune response. Researchers have found a microbe-dependent mechanism through which some cancers mount an inflammatory response that fuels their development and growth. They suggest that inhibiting inflammatory cytokines might slow cancer progression and improve the response to chemotherapy.

  • Adding naturally fermented food to your daily diet is an easy way to prevent cancer or speed recovery. You can always add a high-quality probiotic supplement as well, but naturally fermented foods are the best 
  • Exercise regularly. Exercise lowers insulin levels, which creates a low sugar environment that discourages the growth and spread of cancer cells. In a three-month study, exercise was found to alter immune cells into a more potent disease-fighting form in cancer survivors who had just completed chemotherapy.

  • Researchers and cancer organizations increasingly recommend making regular exercise a priority in order to reduce your risk of cancer, and help improve cancer outcomes. Research has also found evidence suggesting exercise can help trigger apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancer cells. Ideally, your exercise program should include balance, strength, flexibility, high intensity interval training (HIIT). For help getting started, refer to my Peak Fitness Program.
  • Optimize your vitamin D level. There is scientific evidence you can decrease your risk of cancer by more than half simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels with appropriate sun exposure. Your serum level should hold steady at 50-70 ng/ml, but if you are being treated for cancer, it should be closer to 80-90 ng/ml for optimal benefit.

  • If you take oral vitamin D and have cancer, it would be very prudent to monitor your vitamin D blood levels regularly, as well as supplementing your vitamin K2, as K2 deficiency is actually what produces the symptoms of vitamin D toxicity. To learn more, please see my previous article: "What You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium."

  • Get plenty of natural vitamin A. There is evidence that vitamin A also plays a role in helping prevent breast cancer.14 It's best to obtain it from vitamin A-rich foods, rather than a supplement. Your best sources are organic egg yolks,15 raw butter, raw whole milk, and beef or chicken liver.

  • Consider curcumin. This is the active ingredient in turmeric and in high concentrations can be very useful adjunct in the treatment of breast cancer. It shows immense therapeutic potential in preventing breast cancer metastasis.16 It's important to know that curcumin is generally not absorbed that well, so I've provided several absorption tips here.

  • Optimize your sleep. Make sure you are getting enough restorative sleep. Poor sleep can interfere with your melatonin production, which is associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance and weight gain, both of which contribute to cancer’s virility.

  • Limit your exposure to toxins. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, herbicides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and toxic cosmetics. Avoid BPA, phthalates and other xenoestrogens. These are estrogen-like compounds that have been linked to increased breast cancer risk.

  • Limit your exposure to radiation. Limit your exposure and protect yourself from radiation produced by cell phones, towers, base stations, and Wi-Fi stations, as well as minimizing your exposure from radiation-based medical scans, including dental x-rays, CT scans, and mammograms.

  • Avoid synthetic hormone replacement therapy. Breast cancer is an estrogen-related cancer, and according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer rates for women dropped in tandem with decreased use of hormone replacement therapy. (There are similar risks for younger women who use oral contraceptives. Birth control pills, which are also comprised of synthetic hormones, have been linked to cervical and breast cancers.)

  • Make sure you're not iodine deficient, as there's compelling evidence linking iodine deficiency with breast cancer. Dr. David Brownstein,17 author of the book Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It, is a proponent of iodine for breast cancer. It actually has potent anticancer properties and has been shown to cause cell death in breast and thyroid cancer cells.

  • For more information, I recommend reading Dr. Brownstein's book. I have been researching iodine for some time ever since I interviewed Dr. Brownstein as I do believe that the bulk of what he states is spot on. However, I am not convinced that his dosage recommendations are correct. I believe they are too high.

  • Stress Management. Stress from all causes is a major contributor to disease. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is driven by emotional factors. It is likely that stress and unresolved emotional issues may be more important than the physical ones, so make sure this is addressed. My favorite tool for resolving emotional challenges is Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)

www.breastcancerfund.org - "Reproduced with permission from the Breast Cancer Fund

Make Informed Healthcare Choices

Lower Your Exposure to Radiation - Although X-rays and CT scans can give critical information for diagnosing medical problems, there is no such thing as a safe dose of radiation. Discuss with your medical care team whether or not the tests are necessary and whether there may be alternative tests that don’t use radiation, such as an MRI or ultrasound. Check out Image Gently for a wallet card to track medical imaging procedures that use medical radiation.

These tips focus on health care choices you can make, but there are other environmental exposures to be aware of behind the scenes.

·   Chemicals and radiation in health care >

Avoid Synthetic Hormone Replacement Therapy - Hormone replacement therapy is associated with a significantly increased risk of post-menopausal breast cancer. You can mitigate some of the side effects of menopause with regular exercise, cutting out caffeine and alcohol, and eating a balanced diet. If you do decide to use HRT, try estrogen-only formulations and use it for as brief a time as possible.

Don't Flush Those Pills! - It’s an unfortunate fact that pharmaceutical residue ends up in our waterways and municipal water supplies. While it’s a complex problem that requires a multi-pronged solution, one simple thing you can do to help is take expired medications back to the pharmacy for proper disposal. If your pharmacy doesn’t have a take-back program, request that they create one.

Protect Yourself and Your Family

Know Your Plastics - Plastics are purely manmade, which means lots of chemicals. But some are safer than others. Avoid plastics that contain hormone-disrupting phthalates, especially polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which often has the recycling code 3. The other thing to look out for is toxic BPA, found in clear, shatterproof plastic and sometimes labeled with the recycling code 7.

What's behind the recycling codes on plastic? Learn which numbers are associated with breast cancer risk.

·   Science overview of plastics chemicals >

Keep Plastic Out of the Microwave - Even so-called "microwave safe" plastic can leach chemicals into your food when it gets hot, so choose glass or ceramic containers for re-heating food. Don't cover your food with plastic wrap when you heat it, either; use a ceramic plate or an unbleached paper towel or napkin.

Cook with Stainless Steel or Cast Iron Pans - Consider alternatives to aluminum pans and utensils, especially those that are older. Anodizing prevents the aluminum from leaching into food, so newer, anodized aluminum cookware is considerably safer. But your best bet is stainless steel or cast iron.

·   Metals linked to breast cancer risk

Avoid Non-stick Cooking Surfaces - Although there's no denying they make our life easier, non-stick pans contain toxic polyfluorinated chemicals that can be released at high temperatures. While we don't yet know exactly what the risks are, this is another good argument for switching to stainless steel or cast iron.

Avoid Bottled Water when Possible - Go for the tap (or the filtered tap). Single-use containers may contain phthalates, and the big commercial water jugs may contain toxic BPA. Use a real glass for drinking at home, and pick up a reusable stainless-steel water bottle for drinks on the go. (It's also better for the environment!)

Choose BPA-free Baby Bottles and Child Cups - With the increased awareness of the risks of BPA, it's easy to find baby bottles and sippy cups that are labeled BPA-free. However, some of these alternative plastics have not been adequately tested. Glass and stainless steel containers are your safest bet.

Toss Old, Soft Plastic Toys - Some soft plastic toys made before a ban that took effect in February 2009 contained harmful plastic softeners called phthalates. Since these items frequently end up in children's mouths you should toss older plastics items and say no to hand-me-downs.

Eat Better

Eat Your Veggies, but Kick the Can - We all know vegetables are great for us, but the lining in canned food can leach chemicals like BPA. Farmers' market-fresh vegetables are a better choice, but if you can't make it to the market or want something out of season, choose frozen over canned or look for brands that make BPA-free cans.

·   Find more tips for kicking the can.

·   Find out which canned food makers are trying to go BPA-free.

·   Download our 10 Canned Foods to Avoid wallet card.

Eat Smart with Organic Foods - Which chemicals are on your dinner plate? Learn what they are, where they come from and how they impact breast cancer risk.

·   Chemicals in food >

Organic produce is grown without harmful man-made pesticides and herbicides. Visit a farmers' market for locally grown organic fruits and vegetables, or ask your grocer to stock organic produce. For extra points, look for antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables high in vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene.

Eat Hormone-free Meat and Dairy - When we eat meat and dairy products, we're also eating the residue of what those animals ate, including pesticides, growth hormones and contaminants. Choose hormone-free beef or dairy to eliminate those traces of hormones that can enter our bodies and contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Catch Some Non-toxic Seafood - In addition to mercury, seafood can also be contaminated with high levels of PCBs and dioxins (which you should especially avoid when pregnant). Buy farmed fish that are lower on the food chain; for larger fish like salmon and sea bass, buy wild-raised. And limit consumption of fattier fish, like lake trout, or fish that are bottom dwellers, like wild catfish.

·  Learn which fish are your safest choices.

·  Find out about fish contamination levels in local bodies of water.

Cook Healthier Fish - When you do eat fish, careful preparation and cooking can reduce the amount of PCBsconsumed. Fillet fish to remove as much fat as possible. Frying may actually seal some of the toxic chemicals within the remaining fat, so bake it or broil it instead, which will cook off natural fats and cause the accumulated chemicals to drip out.

Grill with Care - Found in cigarette smoke and car exhaust, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are also found in the char of heavily grilled foods. So when grilling, use a slower roast method, go for medium instead of well-done, and scrape off any of the black stuff that results from overcooking.

Include Soy, but Don't Overdo It - Natural plant-based estrogens in soy may provide healthy benefits in low doses, but may be a risk factor for breast cancer in higher doses. So use it as part of your regular diet (tofu, anyone?) but stay away from concentrated or isolated forms of soy derivatives, including genistein pills.

Create a Healthy Home

Avoid Chlorine Bleach and Bleached Products - A big change you can make is to use non-chlorine alternatives to bleach for household cleaning and laundry. And since paper products are often bleached to make them whiter, choose toilet paper, tissue and office paper labeled "Processed Chlorine Free" (PCF). Look for unbleached coffee filters and organic, unbleached tampons as well.

Snuff the Toxic Flame Retardants - Chemical flame retardants (including PBDEs used in furniture and electronics) disrupt hormones—and don't actually prevent fires. As furniture degrades over time, flame retardant-treated foam sifts out as household dust. 

  • Wash your hands often. A recent study found lower levels of PBDEs among office workers who washed their hands more frequently.  

  • Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which can reduce PBDE levels in household dust and air.

  • Dust with a wet cloth, which captures dust particles instead of moving them around and into the air.

  • Replace old foam items in your home that are crumbling or have ripped covers.

  • Select new furniture made with naturally flame retardant materials, like wool. Rooms furnished with items made from old favorites like cotton, wool and hardwood reach the flashover point (the point when most items are heated to the point of combustion all at once) more slowly than new materials treated with flame retardants. 

  • Remove old carpet and padding with care, aiming to minimize dust and shredding.

  • Discourage children from putting electronics—think cell phones and TV remotes—in their mouths.

Go Easy on the Pesticides - Commercial pesticides are chemicals designed to poison ants, roaches and mice. They've also been linked to a variety of human diseases, as well, including breast cancer. They don't just disappear, either; they can hang around for years, allowing for multiple exposures. The best way to minimize insects is prevention, through careful and regular cleaning.

·        Learn more about safe and effective pest control.

Perfluorinated Compounds - These compounds, also known as PFCs, are used in non-stick cookware and stain-resistant fabrics, carpeting and furniture. They may keep food and stains from sticking, but they stick around in the environment and the body for a long time.

Make the switch to cast iron or anodized aluminum cookware when it’s time to replace your old pots and pans. Prioritize replacing the cookware used over high heat and pieces that are scratched. When it’s time for new carpet, skip the stain-resistant coating—consider carpet squares for high-traffic and kid-friendly areas (individual squares are replaceable, in case of stains).

Use Simple, Non-toxic Cleaning Products - With all the warning labels on cleaning products, it's no surprise they're full of toxic chemicals. Seek out non-toxic cleaning products or make your own. A little baking soda and vinegar go a long way toward everyday household cleaning.

Try simple do-it-yourself recipes:

  • Make a solution of half water and half vinegar for sparkling, streak-free windows.
  • Add a cup of vinegar to the laundry for brighter whites or to remove odors.
  • Mix together a small amount of baking soda and castile soap to create a gentle scrubbing cleanser for tubs and sinks.
  • Learn how to make other natural, effective cleaners.

 

Protect Yourself & the Environment

Stay Far, Far Away from Cigarettes - There are just so many health reasons to avoid smoking and breathing in second-hand smoke. Beyond the obvious reasons we all know, cigarette smoke has high levels of cadmium and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), another source of estrogenic pollutants linked to increased risk for breast cancer. 

Which other chemicals linked to breast cancer are found in waterways and air? Find out in our science section.

Protect Yourself from the Sun – and from Sunscreen - Don't trade one cancer risk for another. While too much exposure to direct sun can cause skin cancer, sunscreens often contain small amounts of chemicals that mimic estrogen as well. Stay out of the sun during peak hours, cover up, and when you do use sunblock, look for safer solutions.

·    Protect yourself with these 14 natural sunscreens.

·    Look up your sunscreen's safety rating on Skin Deep.

Find Safe Ways to Fight Germs - These days it seems like everything claims to be "antibacterial"—soaps, toothpaste, clothing, bedding, socks, band-aids, toys, cutting boards—you name it. Chances are, these products contain triclosan, an antimicrobial agent that is suspected of interfering with the hormone systems of humans and wildlife. There's no evidence that triclosan is more effective than soap and water, so trade in the toxics for some good, old-fashioned elbow grease 

Don't Stop off at the Dry Cleaners - Tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene or PERC for short, is a harmful chemical commonly used in dry cleaning. To avoid exposure, don't buy clothes that say "dry clean only." For the dry-clean-only clothes you already own, remember that they can oftentimes be hand-washed and air dried with little consequence. If you do use a dry cleaner, take off the plastic and air the clothes out, preferably outdoors.

Use Fewer Products with Simpler Ingredients - Some beauty products contain carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals that increase breast cancer risk. Ask yourself which products you can do without; the best way to avoid chemicals is to use fewer products. Each product you cut from your beauty ritual decreases the number and quantity of chemicals to which you're exposed.

Avoid "Fragrance" - What are all those chemicals on the ingredient label? Find out which ones are linked to breast cancer.

Although it's just one little word on the ingredient label, "fragrance" can contain dozens, even hundreds, of chemicals—including hormone-disrupting phthalatessynthetic musks, and ethylene oxide. Fragrance manufacturers claim the formulas are confidential business information. So, until we change the law so consumers have the right to know what’s in our products, it's best to avoid synthetic fragrance and opt for products that are fragrance-free or that contain natural fragrances like essential oils.

Use Truly Natural Cosmetics - Unfortunately, the beauty industry is virtually unregulated in the U.S., and many toxic chemicals like phthalates and parabens can be found in the most common of makeup, shampoos, lotions and other personal care products. Look for natural beauty products or make your own out of common household ingredients.

Beware of Empty Organic and Natural Claims - Read labels for specific information on a product's ingredients, rather than relying on claims like "organic" or "natural." A USDA-certified organic seal means 95% or more organic ingredients. But a claim of "made with organic ingredients" or "made with natural ingredients" still leaves plenty of room for harmful synthetics.

Read the Label to Avoid Synthetic Ingredients - Good: words that you've heard before, like aloe or lavender. Bad: words you can't even pronounce. Chemicals sound like chemicals. Avoid products with DMDM hydantoin and imidazolidinyl urea; parabens or any word ending in "-paraben"; "PEG" compounds and words ending in "-eth"; triclosan and triclocarban; triethanolamine (TEA); hydroquinone and oxybenzone. You also want to avoid synthetic fragrance, which can contain hundreds of chemicals, including toxic phthalates.

Follow Your Nose When Choosing a Nail Salon - If you go for a mani-pedi, select a nail salon that stocks only nail polishes free of the toxic trio (formaldehyde, toluene—which can be contaminated with benzene—and dibutyl phthalate). Also look for a nail salon that has good ventilation for the entire shop. Choosing a nail salon that engages in these safety practices can help protect your health and the health of the workers who are there every day.

Get the Information You Need to Choose Wisely - We all have our favorite makeup and toiletries. To find out whether your go-to products are safe or not, try Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetics safety database. This easy-to-use resource ranks the safety of specific brand names on a scale from one to ten. This is an easy way to find out which products you can use guilt-free and which ones may need replacing.

Don't Sweat Over Your Antiperspirant - A possible source of aluminum in breast tissue may be the use of underarm antiperspirants, so try to find an aluminum-free formula. Check for safer alternatives on Skin Deep, the cosmetics safety database, or try a home-made solution like diluted baking soda.

Avoid These Top Offenders - Individual brands aside, some products are just bad news. Things to avoid:

  • Anti-aging creams with lactic, glycolic, AHA and BHA acids

  • Hair dyes, especially dark permanent dyes

  • Liquid hand soaps with triclosan/triclocarban

  • Nail polish and removers with formaldehyde, DBP or toluene (which can be contaminated with benzene)

  • Skin lighteners with hydroquinone

  • Heavily scented products

  • Moisturizers, ointments and skin creams with petrolatum (which can be contaminated with PAHs)

  • Fungicides, shaving creams, hair gels and hair coloring containing nonylphenol

  • Hair spray, gel, mousse or shaving cream that contains isobutane, a propellant that can be contaminated with 1,3-butadiene

  • Sunscreens with UV filters that mimic estrogen

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Exercise for Cancer Prevention 

www.aicr.org - ©  American Institute for Cancer Research

Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day. As well as helping us avoid weight gain, activity itself can help to prevent cancer. Studies show that regular activity can help to keep hormone levels healthy, which is important because having high levels of some hormones can increase your cancer risk.

Physical activity may also strengthen our immune system, help keep our digestive system healthy and allow us to consume more food and more cancer-protective nutrients – without gaining weight.

If you’re not used to doing much activity, start by working toward 30 minutes of moderate activity each day – remember that anything is better than nothing. You can build up slowly until you reach your target. Shorter bouts of activity are just as beneficial. (It’s the total time that’s important.)

Research shows that to avoid weight gain, doing more activity is beneficial. For maximum health benefits, scientists recommend that we aim for 60 minutes or more of moderate activity every day, or 30 minutes or more of vigorous activity.

Moderate and Vigorous Activity - Moderate activity is anything that gets your heart beating a bit faster and makes you breathe more deeply – like brisk walking.

Vigorous activity means raising your heart rate so that you warm up, start to sweat and feel out of breath.

www.fhcrc.org - ©  Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Exercise is one of the most important actions you can take to help guard against many types of cancer. Up to one-third of cancer-related deaths are due to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, including two of the most common cancers in the United States, breast and colon cancer.

Many people exercise to prevent heart disease, but exercise can also play a key role in preventing cancer. Most cancers are caused by lifestyle factors—not genes.

More than two dozen studies have shown that women who exercise have a 30 percent to 40 percent lower risk of breast cancer than their sedentary peers. The female hormone estrogen seems to play a key role. Women with high estrogen levels in their blood have increased risk for breast cancer. Since exercise lowers blood estrogen, it helps lower a woman’s breast-cancer risk. Exercise also reduces other cancer-growth factors such as insulin.

Even older women need to be concerned about estrogen, because after menopause the hormone is produced by fat cells. Women who exercise have less fat and therefore produce less estrogen. With more than 150,000 new breast-cancer cases reported in the United States each year, preventing cancer through exercise is one of the best ways a woman can take charge of her health.

Exercise plays a dramatic role in preventing cancer of the colon and rectum. Nearly 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year, and nearly 50,000 die from the disease. Encouragingly, more than three dozen studies show exercisers reduce their risk of colon cancer by 20 percent or more compared to sedentary people, and the benefits are seen in both men and women, although the effect is greater in men. Changes in digestive acids and other substances also occur with exercise, and these changes are believed to provide some protection from colon cancer. Decreases in body fat, insulin and other growth factors also may contribute to exercisers’ lower colon-cancer risk. Current research is also uncovering new ways in which physical activity cuts cancer risk—from reducing chronic inflammation to improving DNA repair.

Link to Exercise as Medicine Therapy for additional information...

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Chlorine That Increases Cancer Risks

www.scientificamerican.com reports, 

Lausch adds that researchers have now linked chlorine in drinking water to higher incidences of bladder, rectal and breast cancers. Reportedly chlorine, once in water, interacts with organic compounds to create trihalomethanes (THMs)—which when ingested encourage the growth of free radicals that can destroy or damage vital cells in the body. “Because so much of the water we drink ends up in the bladder and/or rectum, ingestions of THMs in drinking water are particularly damaging to these organs,” says Lausch.

The link between chlorine and bladder and rectal cancers has long been known, but only recently have researchers found a link between common chlorine disinfectant and breast cancer, which affects one out of every eight American women. A recent study conducted in Hartford, Connecticut found that women with breast cancer have 50-60 percentigher levels of organochlorines (chlorine by-products) in their breast tissue than cancer-free women…

But don't think that buying bottled water is any solution. Much of the bottled water for sale in the U.S. comes from public municipal water sources that are often treated with, you guessed it, chlorine. A few cities have switched over to other means of disinfecting their water supplies. Las Vegas, for example, has followed the lead of many European and Canadian cities in switching over to harmless ozone instead of chlorine to disinfect its municipal water supply.

Of course, an easier way to get rid of chlorine from your tap water is by installing a carbon-based filter, which absorbs chlorine and other contaminants before they get into your glass or body. Tap-based filters from the likes of Paragon, Aquasana, Kenmore, Seagull and others remove most if not all of the chlorine in tap water, and are relatively inexpensive to boot.

www.breastcancer.org "Used with permission from Breastcancer.org." 

Exposure to Chemicals in Water: Research has shown that the water you drink -- whether it's from your home faucet or bottled water from a store -- may not always be as safe as it could be.

Cancer Hazards of Chlorine in Shower Water

Also See Chlorine Cancer Risks

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Understanding Cancer and the Immune System

www.cancerresearch.org - Copyright © Cancer Research Institute

We here at Cancer Research Institute recognize that further advancement in the field of cancer immunotherapy research depends on increased public understanding of the enormous power of the immune system and its connection to cancer.

To help build that critical understanding, we have prepared this guide, which answers a number of commonly asked questions about cancer, the immune system, and the latest trends in immunotherapy.

Learn more about how the immune system responds to cancer by downloading this free CRI guide today. www.cancerresearch.org - Immunotherapy Cancer-and-the-Immune-System-The-Vital-Connection.pdf

Source - www.naturalnews.com

Stay as chemically free as possible - When the body is chemicalized, the immune system is so busy dealing with the toxic chemical onslaught that it cannot do the jobs it was meant to do. One job of the immune system is to make sure the cancerous cells produced by the body every day are identified and eliminated before they can turn into a full blown cancer. The immune system perceives toxic chemicals as just what they are, foreign invaders that do not exist in nature. It responds by trying to oust these invaders from the body. While it is busy doing that, a few cancerous cells can slip by unnoticed and a cancer can begin.

We are living in a time of chemical assault like never before. Our food is full of chemicals, the air we breathe is polluted, and the water supply contains industrial waste and pharmaceutical residues. Our personal care and household products are a toxic chemical soup. Add to that the threat from electro magnetic fields (EMFS) such as produced by power lines, computers, cell phones and even electric alarm clocks, and the total environmental threat we deal with on a daily basis is mind boggling.

www.immunerecovery.net Copyright (c) 2012 Immune Recovery Foundation. All rights reserved.

Most cancer patients show similar patterns of virus and heavy metal burden. Primary among the viruses are Epstein-Barr (ebv), cytomegalavirus (cmv), herpes simplex (hsv-6), papilloma virus (hpv) and, more rarely, coxsackie-B (csv).  Conventional medicine often ignores or even fails to screen for these as causative agents, and cancer therapy only consists of treating the cancer, which is in reality a symptom of a chronic condition. Alternative medicine usually offers a more rational approach with chelation therapy to reduce heavy metal burden, but this is only a partial solution.  The virus burden remains, and if left untreated, will severely compromise the immune system.

Thus, integrative medicine also treats the virus. Combined anti-virus and heavy metal reduction are the prerequisites for immune restoration. This allows the immune system to begin an assault on the cancer. When this is combined with cancer therapy using conventional medicine and alternative medicine the potential for an effective cancer treatment increases

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Destroying Cancer Cells with Immunology

aiprx.cancerresearch.org - Copyright © Cancer Research Institute

Immunotherapy is a new class of cancer treatment that works to harness the innate powers of the immune system to fight cancer. Because of the immune system's unique properties, these therapies may hold greater potential than current treatment approaches to fight cancer more powerfully, to offer longer-term protection against the disease, to come with fewer side effects, and to benefit more patients with more cancer types.

Source - www.immunologyfoundation.org

In the last 25 years, immunology has answered one of the central questions about cancer – why cancer cells are not destroyed by the patient’s immune system. Based on the research of Dr. Lentz and others, we now know that cancer cells create inhibitors to shield themselves from attack, much the way military aircraft produce “chaff” to fend off defensive fire 

Using a technology akin to dialysis, Immunepheresis removes these inhibitors from the patient's bloodstream, eliciting a natural immune system response that in most cases leads to rapid tumor shrinkage. The method has been used in human clinical trials for over 15 years, and in several hundred patients, with consistent, encouraging data on efficacy and safety.

There are a number of reasons this therapy especially interests immunologists:

The apparent universality of its efficacy in cancers of varied types; this implies a common immunologic mechanism;

  1. The high rate of tumor necrosis (cancer cell death) that can be achieved without collateral harm to the patient;

  2. No ‘dose limiting’ toxicity, or long-term damage to the patient’s immune system, as experienced with chemotherapy.

  3. The relatively mild, short-term side effects, in dramatic contrast to what the patient endures with chemotherapy or radiation.

  4. The short initial term of therapy needed to confirm positive response;

  5. The response rate even in patients who have exhausted all other therapeutic options; and

  6. The expected lack of long-term complications such as the secondary cancers that are known to follow chemotherapy and radiation.

In theory, Immunepheresis in particular and immune therapies in general hold the potential to eliminate virtually every cancer cell in the body over time…

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What to Eat to Defeat Cancer

www.aicr.org©  American Institute for Cancer Research 

FOODS CAN FIGHT CANCER BOTH DIRECTLY ...

In laboratory studies, many individual minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals demonstrate anti-cancer effects. Yet evidence suggests it is the synergy of compounds working together in the overall diet that offers the strongest cancer protection.

… AND INDIRECTLY - According to AICR/WCRF’s second expert report and its updates, carrying excess body fat increases the risk of seven cancers. Vegetables and fruits are low in calories, which help us get to and stay a healthy weight. Whole grains and beans are rich in fiber and moderate in calories, which also help in weight management efforts.

Retrieved from - www.naturalnews.com

Make high quality food a priority - The quality of the food supply is very poor, being grown in depleted soil, transported long distances, stored, processed, and packaged. There is very little nutrition left in such food. Yet high quality nutrients are required by the body to keep it free of cancer. Food is a lot more than just calories. It is the bedrock of the body's defense, so only the highest quality, most nutrient packed food should be eaten. High quality food is not about what tastes the best, but what will make you feel the best.

It is up to us to be as proactive as we can when dealing with what life has offered if we hope to retain our health. Eating locally and organically grown and produced food is the best way to get maximum nutrition. Since everyone does not have access to this kind of food, the next best thing is to make a commitment to eat whole foods that retain their integrity and have not been processed. Whole foods are things like apples, celery, potatoes and chicken legs, items that have not been altered from their natural state.

Food prepared at home is best because restaurant food is low on nutrition and high on toxic chemicals. But stay away from packaged foods and other products of food technology. They are processed, low on nutrients, and usually chocked full of chemicals. They have been created to benefit the food company that manufactures them, not the person who has to eat them. A plant based diet that places primary emphasis on vegetables and fruits eaten raw offers the highest level of cancer  preventing compounds. A diet that places primary emphasis on processed carbohydrates like pancakes, bread, cake and snack foods offers the lowest level of cancer protection.

If avoiding cancer is the goal, eat the highest quality food that can be found and afforded. When times are though, think of an investment in high quality food as something that can never be taken from you, and will never lose its value. High quality food will enhance your looks and appeal to a much greater extent than a new outfit, hairdo or manicure. There is nothing that creates a radiant appearance like the glow of good 
health
.

A diet that frequently includes known cancer fighting food is of tremendous value in the quest to remain cancer free. The Budwig protocol is the only well documented food cure for cancer. It consists of flax oil mixed with cottage cheese. Other known potent cancer fighters are berries, apples eaten with their seeds, almonds, Brazil nuts, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, green leafy vegetables, beans and other legumes, garlic, tea, grapes, red wine, avocados, and tomatoes. Most culinary herbs have cancer fighting properties so use them whenever possible. Turmeric, ginger, rosemary, cumin, and cayenne are among the richest in cancer fighting compounds.

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Searchable Database for Foods to Defeat Cancer

www.Eattodefeat.org  ©  Eat to Beat Cancer™ by The Angiogenesis Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

Eat to Defeat Cancer™ is a global campaign to crush the cancer epidemic by getting people to eat foods that starve cancer. www.Eattodefeat.org is a resource hub and a recruitment platform for the community to inspire, influence, and monitor dietary behavior change.

Eat to Defeat Cancer™ is systematically studying the potency of foods and beverages containing cancer-starving activity in order to establish a new cancer-preventative diet. We're finding that the activity of foods depend on many factors – including the specific cultivated variety, the way the food is processed and cooked, even what foods are combined together. Using the same research systems and measures of activity used to test drugs, we are determining food types, varieties, combinations, and effect of cooking, processing, and storage on their potency against cancer.

We have researched dietary factors from fruits, vegetables, and herbs and spices and have identified and catalogued over 100 foods containing naturally occurring angiogenesis inhibitors. We then track these factors and their impact on people in epidemiological studies – in which large numbers of people are observed and followed for many years.  The cumulative evidence from scientific and epidemiological studies is integrated into what we call a “MetaOpinion™“.

FOOD AS MEDICINE: The Angiogenesis Revolution has been quietly taking shape. Backed by scientific studies, it is now poised to delivery on a potential answer to cancer through prevention. Our vision is that food will be the ultimate delivery vehicle for natural bioactive molecules that can cut off the blood supply to cancers at their earliest stages. Without a private blood supply, tumors remain small and harmless. Our goal is to encourage people to eat the foods and varieties with the most potent anti-cancer activity, prepare foods in ways that optimizes their effects, and sustain long-term healthy eating habits.

You can Eat to Beat Cancer: The Eat to Beat Cancer™ Initiative has catalyzed a movement to improve health through cancer-fighting foods. Based on the latest medical science, there are practical, healthy, and tasty food choices that can be made by you every day, at every meal, to incorporate cancer-fighting foods into your diet. 

Our research is showing that certain foods have properties that can starve the microscopic cancers that develop in our bodies all the time. These properties are based on the breakthrough approach of suppressing blood vessels that feed cancers, a process known as angiogenesis.

Many foods ingredients are known to have cancer-fighting properties. But all foods are not the same. Our work and the information provided for each food allow you to make better-informed decisions. Explore the foods here. Find practical tips. Try simple, convenient designer recipes specifically conceived for their cancer-fighting Angio food ingredients.

In order to change the way you eat food, you have to first change the way you think about food and cancer. Evidence for the impact of dietary factors on cancer is extensive. But there is inefficient collection, synthesis, and transfer of knowledge between researchers, doctors, and consumers.

As part of the Eat to Beat solution to this problem, our System ENABLE™ (Enabling Network for Access to Best Levels of Evidence) is democratizing this knowledge about cancer prevention using information technology, medical informatics, social media, a user-community, and a global network of expertsEvidence based on scientific studies will help make food a new part of the fight against cancer. 

Search their database of foods, evidence, recipes and information…www.eattobeat.org/food

Source - foodforbreastcancer.com

Food for Breast Cancer provides information on how various foods and other factors affect breast cancer risk, prevention and prognosis. The findings are drawn exclusively from scientific studies and updated as new research becomes available. Our goal is to provide breast cancer patients, survivors and those at high risk for breast cancer with information to help prevent and survive breast cancer.

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Specialized Diets for Cancer Therapy 

Retrieved from - www.livestrong.com

The Budwig diet, also called the flaxseed diet, is an alternative health treatment that uses a mix of two organic foods--flaxseed oil and cottage cheese--to treat all forms of cancer and other diseases and conditions such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, arthritis, asthma, acne, diabetes, high blood pressure and psoriasis. The Budwig Center, a facility in Spain, uses the Budwig diet as the base for all of the clinic’s alternative medical treatments.

If you have cancer, you may be tempted to try the Budwig diet, a naturopathic remedy that uses food combinations to treat and cure cancer. However, there are no clinical trials that support the claims that the Budwig diet can cure cancer, only anecdotal evidence from the experience of others who have tried the diet. Therefore, you should speak with your medical doctor about the benefits and risks of the Budwig diet before you incorporate it into your existing cancer treatment plan, as components of the diet may negatively interact with your prescription medications.

History: Dr. Johanna Budwig, a German chemist, pharmacologist, physicist and chief expert at Germany’s Federal Institute on Fats Research, discovered essential fatty acids in the 1950s, according to the American Cancer Society. Budwig found that the blood of healthy people had high levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids, and that the blood of terminally ill cancer patients had low levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Budwig then developed a diet that included high levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids to cure cancer and other degenerative diseases, reports the Budwig Center.

Methodology: The Budwig diet suggests that you combine one part of flaxseed oil to two parts cottage cheese and eat the freshly prepared mixture several times throughout the day. Then, you also follow a diet that includes raw fruits and vegetables, green tea, sauerkraut juice and vegetable juice. Your diet is accompanied by light exercise, daily exposure to sunlight, and water and coffee enemas.

Source - www.kushiinstitute.org

The Kushi Macrobiotic Approach:  Research has linked modern diet and lifestyle habits to virtually all the debilitating chronic degenerative diseases, as well as lesser health issues generally attributed to aging. Without knowing which dietary and lifestyle changes can bring the health transformation people are looking for, is it any wonder there is a “health crisis” in the world today?

This is exactly what macrobiotics addresses, and why so many people who have come to Kushi Institute with health problems attribute their full recovery to implementing what they learned about the power of healing foods and lifestyle changes in our programs.

Macrobiotics is a system that can be used to create extraordinary health, through using both traditional wisdom and modern knowledge to ascertain the underlying causes of an individual’s current health challenges, and make adjustments to their food and lifestyle choices that support health improvement. Not simply a “diet”, macrobiotic recognizes the profound effects food, environment, activities, and attitude all have on our body-mind-emotions.

Click here for a full PDF of all the Global Macrobiotic Dietary Guideline charts organized by region.

Source - tv.greenmedinfo.com

Woman Healed Her Terminal Cancer with Macrobiotic Diet (Video Channel 8 News):  View this TV newscast that was originally produced by Channel 8 in Cleveland Ohio. Janet was diagnosed with stage IV, so-called “incurable” cancer. After 6 months of following the macrobiotic regimen, her condition had improved markedly. After less than 2 years she was disease-free. A remarkable recovery testifying to the healing power of the macrobiotic cancer-prevention diet.

For further information on natural cancer therapies and research visit the GreenMedInfo.com Health Guide: Cancers, or learn about the collaborative book written by GreenMedInfo.com founder, Sayer Ji, and Dr. Ben Lerner and Dr. Charles Majors below…

 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A healthy diet model in European countries is the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is based on abundant and variable plant foods, high consumption of cereals, olive oil as the main (added) fat, low intake of (red) meat and moderate consumption of wine. The Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The biological mechanisms for cancer prevention associated with the Mediterranean diet have been related to the favourable effect of a balanced ratio of omega 6 and omega 3 essential fatty acids and high amounts of fibre, antioxidants and polyphenols found in fruit, vegetables, olive oil and wine. The Mediterranean diet also involves a 'Mediterranean way of drinking', that is, regular, moderate consumption of wine mainly with food. This pattern of drinking increases longevity, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and does not appreciably influence the overall risk of cancer. However, heavy alcohol drinking is associated with digestive, upper respiratory tract, liver and breast cancers; therefore, avoidance or restriction of alcohol consumption to two drinks/day in men and one drink/day in women is a global public health priority.

Retrieved from - articles.mercola.com

CBN News recently published an article on the ketogenic diet.2 Clearly, many people are realizing that what we have been doing in terms of fighting cancer is simply not working, and we cannot afford to continue in the same way. Prevention must be addressed if we ever want to turn the tide on the growing incidence of cancer across all age groups. But even more astounding, in terms of treatment, is that cancer may respond to diet alone.

How Does Ketogenic Diet Starve Cancer Cells? Dr. D’Agostino explains how the ketogenic diet can have such a dramatic (and rapid) effect on cancer. All of your body’s cells are fueled by glucose. This includes cancer cells. However, cancer cells have one built-in fatal flaw – they do not have the metabolic flexibility of your regular cells and cannot adapt to use ketone bodies for fuel as all your other cells can.

So, when you alter your diet and become what’s known as “fat-adapted,” your body starts using fat for fuel rather than carbs. When you switch out the carbs for healthy fats, you starve the cancer out, as you’re no longer supplying the necessary fuel – glucose – for their growth. As D’Agostino explains

"Your normal cells have the metabolic flexibility to adapt from using glucose to using ketone bodies. But cancer cells lack this metabolic flexibility. So we can exploit that.”

I’ve previously discussed ways to “starve” cancer, and eliminating sugar/fructose and grains (i.e. carbohydrates) is at the very top of the list. It’s the most basic step without which few other dietary strategies are likely to succeed. In order to be effective, you must first STOP doing that which is promoting cancer growth (or poor health in general), and then all the other preventive strategies have the chance to really have an impact...

A ketogenic diet calls for eliminating all but non-starchy vegetable carbohydrates, and replacing them with healthy fats and high-quality protein.

The premise is that since cancer cells need glucose to thrive, and carbohydrates turn into glucose in your body, then lowering the glucose level in your blood though carb and protein restriction literally starves the cancer cells into oblivion. Additionally, low protein intake tends to minimize the mTOR pathway that accelerates cell proliferation.

This type of diet, in which you restrict all but non-starchy vegetable carbs and replace them with low to moderate amounts of high-quality protein and high amounts of beneficial fat, is what I recommend for everyone, whether you have cancer or not. It’s a diet that will help optimize your weight and all chronic degenerative disease. Eating this way will help you convert from carb burning mode to fat burning…

Dr. Seyfried, however, is more cautious in his evaluation of mTOR and reducing protein for cancer prevention. In his view, the most important aspect of cancer prevention and treatment is the intermittent fasting, or overall calorie restriction, which includes eating less of everything, period. But while calories from carbohydrates should be virtually eliminated, calories from protein just need to be reduced, while most need to increase their intake of healthful fats to get a more ideal ratio of fat to protein. As far as the specific types of fats recommended, Dr. Seyfried uses medium-chain triglycerides, i.e. coconut oil, butter, macadamia nuts, and other types of saturated fats, which is what I’ve long recommended as well. “The saturated fats are converted to ketones much more readily than polyunsaturated fats,” he explains.

So, keep in mind that for cancer prevention and treatment, the actual calorie restriction is an important part of the equation…read in entirety

www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com Copyright 2011 Ketogenic-Diet-Resources.com 

It's been known since the early 1920s that most cancer cells have abnormal metabolisms, and thrive exclusively on blood sugar for energy. Normal cells can use either blood sugar or ketones bodies from fats for fuel.

Dr. Otto Warburg, one of the twentieth century's leading biochemists, discovered this about cancer and the hypothesis that cancer cells are only able to use glucose (blood sugar) for fuel is today called the Warburg Hypothesis.

The important thing to understand is that because of their broken metabolism, cancer cells are vulnerable to any diet which sharply lowers blood sugar. In contrast, healthy cells can burn either sugar or ketones for fuel.

Recent research and some new information on cancer cell metabolism and metabolic treatments has brought Dr. Warburg's hypothesis back into focus.

The main idea behind the use of a ketogenic diet to treat cancer is to deprive the cancer cells of the glucose and other fuels they need to survive, and provide support for the mitochondrial respiration processes in healthy tissues.

The huge advantage of this treatment protocol is that it is non-toxic to the rest of the body. When glucose or blood sugar is lowered via the diet, normal cells can switch to burning ketone bodies for fuel (ketone bodies are created in a process called ketosis) and survive quite nicely, while the cancer cells are starved of the glucose they need to grow.

Because there is so little information available about using a ketogenic diet for cancer treatments, I have written an eBook which explains in more detail how and why the ketogenic diet works for cancer treatment and gives details on how to implement the diet.

In addition, the use of a ketogenic diet in conjunction with standard treatments is currently being explored in several trials funded by the National Cancer Institute.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Conclusions: These pilot data suggest that a KD [ketogenic diet] is suitable for even advanced cancer patients. It has no severe side effects and might improve aspects of quality of life and blood parameters in some patients with advanced metastatic tumors.

Other Resources...

www.mnwelldir.org Copyright © 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000 International Wellness Directory, Updated and revised 08/29/13  

Topics Cover:

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Clinical Evidence for an Anti-Cancer Diet

www.nutritionj.com ©  BioMed Central Ltd, © 2004 Donaldson; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 

Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet - It has been estimated that 30–40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone. Obesity, nutrient sparse foods such as concentrated sugars and refined flour products that contribute to impaired glucose metabolism (which leads to diabetes), low fiber intake, consumption of red meat, and imbalance of omega 3 and omega 6 fats all contribute to excess cancer risk.

Intake of flax seed, especially its lignan fraction, and abundant portions of fruits and vegetables will lower cancer risk.

Allium and cruciferous vegetables are especially beneficial, with broccoli sprouts being the densest source of sulforophane.

Protective elements in a cancer prevention diet include selenium, folic acid, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, chlorophyll, and antioxidants such as the carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin). Ascorbic acid has limited benefits orally, but could be very beneficial intravenously. 

Supplementary use of oral digestive enzymes and probiotics also has merit as anticancer dietary measures.

When a diet is compiled according to the guidelines here it is likely that there would be at least a 60–70 percent decrease in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, and even a 40–50 percent decrease in lung cancer, along with similar reductions in cancers at other sites. Such a diet would be conducive to preventing cancer and would favor recovery from cancer as well.

What is the result when all of these things are put together? What if all of these factors reviewed here were taken into account and put into practice? This anticancer diet would have:

  • adequate, but not excessive calories,

  • 10 or more servings of vegetables a day, including cruciferous and allium vegetables; vegetable juice could meet part of this goal,

  • 4 or more servings of fruits a day,

  • high in fiber,

  • no refined sugar,

  • no refined flour,

  • low in total fat, but containing necessary essential fatty acids,

  • no red meat,

  • a balanced ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 fats and would include DHA,

  • flax seed as a source of phytoestrogens,

  • supplemented with ~200 μg/day selenium,

  • supplemented with 1,000 μg/day methylcobalamin (B-12),

  • very rich in folic acid (from dark green vegetables),

  • adequate sunshine to get vitamin D, or use 1,000 IU/day supplement,

  • very rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals from fruits and vegetables, including α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, vitamin C (from foods), vitamin E (from foods),

  • very rich in chlorophyll,

  • supplemented with beneficial probiotics,

  • supplemented with oral enzymes

As reviewed above, reductions of 60 percent in breast cancer rates have already been seen in human diet studies, and a 71 percent reduction in colon cancer for men without the known modifiable risk factors. These reductions are without taking into account many of the other factors considered in this review, such as markedly increased fruit and vegetable intake, balanced omega 3 and 6 fats, vitamin D, reduced sugar intake, probiotics, and enzymes – factors which all are likely to have an impact on cancer. Certainly cancer prevention would be possible, and cancer reversal in some cases is quite likely.

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Supplement Therapy Approaches

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov - US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health

Phytochemicals, which are non-nutritive chemicals found in plants and food, have emerged as modulators of key cellular signaling pathways exerting proven anticancer effects.

The challenge now is to develop personalized supplements comprised of specific phytochemicals for each clinical situation. This will be possible once a better understanding is gained of the molecular basis explaining the impact of phytochemicals on human health. The aim of the present literature review is to summarize current knowledge of the dietary phytochemicals with proven antitumor activity, with a special emphasis placed on their molecular targets. Also discussed are the limits of existing research strategies and the future directions of this field. © 2013 International Life Sciences Institute.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov - US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health

Natural health products that inhibit angiogenesis: a potential source for investigational new agents to treat cancer—Part 1

An integrative approach for managing a patient with cancer should target the multiple biochemical and physiologic pathways that support tumour development and minimize normal-tissue toxicity. Angiogenesis is a key process in the promotion of cancer. Many natural health products that inhibit angiogenesis also manifest other anticancer activities. The present article focuses on products that have a high degree of anti-angiogenic activity, but it also describes some of the many other actions of these agents that can inhibit tumour progression and reduce the risk of metastasis.

Natural health products target molecular pathways other than angiogenesis, including epidermal growth factor receptor, the HER2/neu gene, the cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme, the nuclear factor kappa-B transcription factor, the protein kinases, the Bcl-2 protein, and coagulation pathways. The herbs that are traditionally used for anticancer treatment and that are anti-angiogenic through multiple interdependent processes (including effects on gene expression, signal processing, and enzyme activities) include:

  • Artemisia annua (Chinese wormwood), 

  • Viscum album (European mistletoe), 

  • Curcuma longa (curcumin), 

  • Scutellaria baicalensis (Chinese skullcap),

  • Resveratrol and proanthocyanidin (grape seed extract), 

  • Magnolia officinalis (Chinese magnolia tree), 

  • Camellia sinensis (green tea), 

  • Ginkgo biloba, 

  • Quercetin,

  • Poria cocos, Zingiber officinalis (ginger),

  • Panax ginseng, 

  • Rabdosia rubescens hora (Rabdosia), and Chinese destagnation herbs.

Quality assurance of appropriate extracts is essential prior to embarking upon clinical trials. More data are required on dose–response, appropriate combinations, and potential toxicities. Given the multiple effects of these agents, their future use for cancer therapy probably lies in synergistic combinations. During active cancer therapy, they should generally be evaluated in combination with chemotherapy and radiation. In this role, they act as modifiers of biologic response or as adaptogens, potentially enhancing the efficacy of the conventional therapies.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Prostate cancer continues to be one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United States. Options exist to treat localized disease, including surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy, but clinical management of advanced prostate cancer is challenging.

In the past few decades, chemoprevention involving naturally-occurring compounds has emerged as a promising and cost-effective approach to reduce incidence and morbidity of prostate cancer by inhibiting the precancerous events before the occurrence of clinical disease. The present review focuses on summarizing the recent advances in studies of major dietary phytochemicals and their role in prostate cancer development.


ndnr.com - ©  Copyright Naturopathic Doctor News & Review. All Rights reserved.

Neil McKinney, BSc, ND

Mitochondria Rescue Possibly Heals Cancer?…studies in rats using the drug dichloroacetate (DCA) that blocking the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase that makes lactate from pyruvate wakes up the mitochondria in cancer cells – and the cells immediately go into their death and recycling program. This apoptosis program is innate in every human cell, and will turn off any cells found to have passed 50 doublings or having more than 50,000 to 60,000 errors or mutations in its DNA. The p53 gene runs this check on the DNA at the cell cycle checkpoint just before copying the cell. If enough cells enter apoptosis, the tumors disappear and the patient has hope for a cure.

The bad news is that DCA is very experimental, despite the January 2007 New Scientist article brazenly titled, “New Drug Cures Most Cancers.” The only cancer study is breast cancer in rats. The only human studies testing DCA for advanced diabetes showed tremendous toxicity problems. All of the patients either died or dropped out of the studies early. I have read many commentaries on DCA referring to it as a safe or relatively non-toxic drug. This is truly alarming, as it is more toxic than any chemo drug I have ever seen. Within a few weeks’ use, it takes the myelin off peripheral nerves, causing pain, numbness, tremor and staggering. It can cause central nervous system damage, including confusion, sedation, hallucinations and memory impairment. It also is very toxic to the liver and is known to cause cancer! It can trigger oxalate-based kidney stones and increase uric acid levels, risking gout.

After a brief flurry of self-prescribing DCA from American internet sites, the only Canadian source is now an MD in Toronto who is selling it – at quite a markup in price. Despite medications to control side effects, it is just not safe therapy, even though the tumor shrinkage we see is tantalizing.

Fortunately, a number of non-toxic natural medicines exist that inhibit this enzyme and are proven to wake up the mitochondria in cancer cells in humans. These agents are approved by Health Canada (the federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health) for over-the-counter sale for other purposes (see Table 1). Many have been shown to arrest human cancers in published studies.

The grouping of supplements in Table 1 is novel, although all are remedies I have used for many years in an oncology focused practice. It is a complete protocol, sufficient to get good responses in many cases of advanced cancer. Typically we have a scan or tumor-marker test to confirm a response within four to six weeks of starting this program. If the patient is stable, we continue. Often they are better than stable, with a partial or complete response in many cases.

Other agents that basic scientific research shows can support mitochondrial recovery include:

  • Curcumin (with bromelain or bioperine for absorption)

  • Selenomethionine

  • Magnesium malate

  • L-carnitine

  • Vitamin E

  • Superoxide dismutase (SOD)

  • Glutathione (GSH)

  • Taurine, cysteine and methionine

  • Methylated flavones such as hesperidin methyl chalcone

  • Resveratrol

  • Olives and olive oil

  • Coriolus versicolor extract

  • Paeonia lactiflora extract

  • Berberine

  • Ashwagandha

  • Capsaicin from red chili and habenero peppers

  • Iodine

  • Iron citrate

  • Zinc citrate

  • RNA extracts

I have no ethical compunction about prescribing a safe and rational new protocol to patients who are experiencing progression of their disease despite trials of all known effective agents. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Fortunately, results have been quite gratifying in some very advanced cases of breast and colon cancer that never responded to all the usual therapies. Even more exciting is the responses seen in cancers I have never had brilliant results within the past, including lung cancer and sarcomas.

These supplements have little interaction with many common oncology drugs, including warfarin and dexamethasone. I would not mix this program with cytotoxic chemo or radiation therapy, preferring other supports through those therapies and for about three weeks after the last dose.

There is no reason to limit care to these agents. They combine well with targeted vaccines, mistletoe injections, IV vitamin C and other aggressive therapies. As with any generic protocol for cancer, we also would want to integrate agents known to target the specific growth factors driving the particular cancer we are treating

Neil McKinney, BSc, ND has a practice focused on oncology in Victoria, B.C. He is a professor of naturopathic oncology at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, is a member of the Oncology Academy of Naturopathic Physicians, and author of Naturally There’s Hope, a handbook for the naturopathic care of cancer patients. Visit www.drneilmckinney.ca.

Source www.naturalnews.com

(NaturalNews) …Researchers from Saint Louis University have discovered a molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer, an often deadly and treatment resistant form of cancer that tends to strike younger women. Publishing in The Journal of Cell Biology, scientists identified vitamin D and some protease inhibitors as possible new therapies. Additionally, the study team discovered a set of three biomarkers that can help to identify patients who could benefit from the treatment.

… This important study is among the first to identify vitamin D as a key to prevention and even treatment in the most resistant cases of triple-negative breast cancer lines. Most women will want to ensure they maintain optimal vitamin D blood levels between 50 and 70 ng/mL (higher for those fighting the disease) for protection against this deadly form of breast cancer.

… The study team identified how vitamin D plays a role in turning off this pathway, providing a safe and effective strategy to fight these types of tumors.

Source www.naturalnews.com

…Iodine has been determined to actually alter breast cancer associated gene expressions. It turns off cancer promoting genes and turns on genes that promote cancer cell apoptosis or cellular destruction. (http://www.medsci.org/v05p0189)



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Cancer Chemoprevention through Dietary Antioxidants

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cancer Chemoprevention through Dietary Antioxidants: progress and promise. It is estimated that nearly one-third of all cancer deaths in the United States could be prevented through appropriate dietary modification. Various dietary antioxidants have shown considerable promise as effective agents for cancer prevention by reducing oxidative stress which has been implicated in the development of many diseases, including cancer. Therefore, for reducing the incidence of cancer, modifications in dietary habits, especially by increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, are increasingly advocated.

Accumulating research evidence suggests that many dietary factors may be used alone or in combination with traditional chemotherapeutic agents to prevent the occurrence of cancer, their metastatic spread, or even to treat cancer. The reduced cancer risk and lack of toxicity associated with high intake of fruits and vegetables suggest that specific concentrations of antioxidant agents from these dietary sources may produce cancer chemopreventive effects without causing significant levels of toxicity. This review presents an extensive analysis of the key findings from studies on the effects of dietary antioxidants against cancers of the skin, prostate, breast, lung, and liverm, such as:

  • tea polyphenols,

  • curcumin,

  • genistein,

  • resveratrol,

  • lycopene,

  • pomegranate,

  • lupeol


This research is also leading to the identification of novel cancer drug targets.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

3, 5, 4'-Trimethoxystilbene, a natural methoxylated analog of resveratrol, inhibits breast cancer cell invasiveness by down regulation.

The molecular basis of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) functions as a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer because EMT may endow breast tumor-initiating cells with stem-like characteristics and enable the dissemination of breast cancer cells. These occurrences ultimately lead to the blockage of EMT and the invasion of breast cancer cells.

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Integrative Therapy Approaches for Cancer Treatment 

 

www.alive.com ©  ALIVE PUBLISHING GROUP

Chemotherapy and Antioxidants: Regardless of the sobering facts about chemotherapy, there are still many people who are willing to accept the risks in the quest to kill cancer cells. Individuals well-versed in various forms of natural healing will likely want to use vitamins, minerals and herbs in combination with chemotherapy…

What is not well known is that most of these nutrients, when used in high doses, can interfere with the action of the chemotherapeutic drugs. Antioxidants not only protect healthy normal cells but also protect cancer cells from the killing effects of the chemotherapy. In other words, if one wants to use chemotherapy to kill off cancer cells, the concomitant use of antioxidants can defeat the purpose of the drug therapy. 

Using vitamins, minerals and other natural supplements as biological medicines is not necessarily a bad thing during conventional cancer treatments. If they are used well after the cancer-cell-killing effects of the chemotherapy have fully been exploited, they can help a great deal in preventing some of the more serious side effects like heart damage. It all depends on the timing of their use as well as on the type of chemotherapy used. If you want to use chemotherapy as well as a more natural approach, consulting a health care practitioner familiar with both conventional and biological medicine therapies is absolutely essential. About the Author - Dr Zoltan Rona is the author of several bestselling books and the publisher of HealthWise Digest, a new Canadian health newsletter. Read in its entirety...www.alive.com

Retrieved from - ndnr.com

Commonly Used Therapies - Everyone has various components they use and are comfortable with; these are some of my favorites.

  • Selenium

  • Calcium d-glucarate

  • Adrenal support nutrients

  • Liver support (Phase I and II nutrients)

  • Medicinal mushrooms

  • Coriolus versicolor

  • Astragalus, Silybum marianum, Rhodiola rosea, Hoxsey formula

  • CoQ 10

  • Melatonin

  • Probiotics

  • Medicinal foods, such as green drinks, goat’s minerals (an extract from goat’s whey), whey protein/rice protein

IV therapies include:

  • Vitamin C (up to 50g)

  • H2O2

  • Ozone autohemotherapy

  • Glutathione

  • Viscum album extract injections

ndnr.com ©  Copyright Naturopathic Doctor News & Review. All Rights reserved.

Naturopathic care can have a great impact at early stages of dysfunction. Teach the following breast self-care therapies:

  • Total body dry skin brushing to stimulate drainage of the lymphatic system

  • Organic castor oil packs applied from the breast to the pubic area using low heat for 30 minutes 3 to 4 times per week for 3 to 4 weeks initially and then twice per month (not during menses)

  • Lymphatic drainage cream or breast oils applied to breast tissue, including the axilla, up to the collar bone, and a few inches down the midriff area, to stimulate lymph drainage of tissues

  • Food intake avoidance of processed foods (organic when possible), limited dairy and caffeine, and consumption of cruciferous vegetables and 20 to 30 g of fiber per day

  • Fluid intake comprising half the body weight in fluid ounces of clean water each day

  • Use of supportive but unrestrictive bras

  • Exercise, including total body cardiovascular and stretch and strengthening (yoga, Pilates, walking with Nordic poles, and vibrational weight-bearing therapy machines)

Therapies administered or monitored by NDs include the following:

  • Manual breast massage and lymphatic drainage

  • Hydrotherapy in concert with each individual’s total body needs

  • Colon hydrotherapy to release the toxic load

  • Saunas and other detoxification programs

  • Balancing of endocrine function and optimal function of the emunctories (liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, uterus, etc) through individualized supplement programs using botanicals, homeopathy, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and so forth

Retrieved from - drsircus.com

The evidence that the various common types of cancer are largely avoidable diseases is not hard to find. We explore these nutritional factors:

·         Selenium is Basic to Cancer Treatment

·         Magnesium is Basic to Cancer Treatment

·         Vitamin D & the Sun

·         Bicarbonates & Super Nutrition

·         Iodine & Full Hydration and more…

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Anti-Cancer Foods in Clinical Studies 

Retrieved from - www.greenmedinfo.com

Over a quarter of a century ago, a study was performed on the seeds of the Soursop fruit, also known as graviola, which at that time demonstrated such amazing cancer-fighting potential, that those exposed to it within the conventional medical community looked upon it with complete incredulity.

Published in the Journal of Natural Products in 1996, Compound 1, one of five extracted from the seed of the graviola fruit, was found to be "selectively cytotoxic to colon adenocarcinoma cells (HT-29) in which it was 10,000 times the potency of adriamycin." [emphasis added]

Adriamycin is the trade name for the chemoagent doxorubucin and is known by the nickname "red devil," because of both its deep red color and terrible side effects, which include life-threatening, even fatal damage to the cardiovascular system. This abject lack of "selective cytotoxicity" -- the ability to kill only the cancer cells and not healthy ones  -- is what makes Adriamycin so dangerous. And yet, it has been a first line treatment for a wide range of cancers for almost half a century.

Since the 1996 study, little research on graviola was performed. There was a cell study in 1999 which showed it had anti-prostate cancer and breast cancer activity; another 2002 cell study showed that graviola exhibited anti-hepatoma (liver cancer) activity, but nothing as promising as the original 1996 study ever followed.  

Then, in 2011, the journal Nutrition and Cancer revealed highly promising research on graviola and breast cancer. Researchers found that graviola fruit extract (GFE) suppressed so-called oncogene (or cancer-causing gene) expression in the cell and animal models of breast cancer. The oncogene known as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is commonly over-expressed in breast cancer, and therefore an ideal target for therapy.  

The study authors concluded:

"These data showed that dietary GFE induced significant growth inhibition of MDA-MB-468 cells in vitro and in vivo through a mechanism involving the EGFR/ERK signaling pathway, suggesting that GFE may have a protective effect for women against EGFR-overexpressing BC [breast cancer]." [emphasis added]

Given these findings the time may be ripe for reconsideration of graviola in the prevention and/or treatment of cancers, such as colon and breast cancer

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

CONCLUSION: These findings indicated that crude fucoidan inhibited mouse breast cancer growth in vitro and in vivo. These data suggest that fucoidan may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for breast cancer.

www.cancercenter.com - Cancer Treatment Center of America

Fucoidan may help fight cancer but research is still early - Fucoidan is a natural food compound with a funny name that has shown promise in fighting cancer.

Found in many forms of brown seaweed, fucoidan is a type of complex carbohydrate called a polysaccrharide and is composed of various sugars, sugar acids and sulfur-containing groups. While seaweed has been a staple food in Asian countries for thousands of years, brown seaweed has only been the focus of research for the past decade. Fucoidan, in particular, has received the most attention.

"Many different structures of fucoidans have been identified and their varied biological actions are now an area of intense study as many of these molecules have shown promising therapeutic potential," said Cynthia Castillo, ND, MSAOM, Naturopathic Resident at CTCA in Philadelphia.

What has research shown? Research suggests fucoidan has several therapeutic properties. It contains antioxidants, which protect against cell damage, and is sold as a dietary supplement. Fucoidan kills viruses and combats inflammation. It also can stimulate and balance the immune system, guard against neurotoxicity and prevent blood clots.

Seaweeds traditionally have been used to treat high blood pressure, bacterial and viral infections, and inflammatory conditions.

More recently, fucoidan has been shown to have antitumor and anticarcinogenic effects. Fucoidan's therapeutic properties may come from its ability to act as natural killer cells and regulate substances involved in cell growth.

Research published in the March 2011 issue of Phytotherapy Research suggests that fucoidan stopped some lung cancer cells from proliferating and triggered the programmed death of cancer cells. A study published in the October 2011 issue of International Journal of Biological Macromolecules also found that fucoidan killed lung cancer cells. Additionally, it improved the activity of white blood cells, the natural killer cells.

What does the research mean for you? Keep in mind that studies involving fucoidan have been in vitro, which means in an artificial environment in a lab, or with animals. There have been no in depth human studies. Fucoidan may have a role in cancer treatment but warrants further study, said Daniel Kellman, ND, FABNO, Clinical Director of Naturopathic Medicine at CTCA near Atlanta.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Whole Blueberry Powder Inhibits Metastasis of Triple Negative BreastCancer in a Xenograft Mouse Model Through Modulation of Inflammatory Cytokines. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises approximately 15% of breast cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis. Many patients with TNBC relapse quickly and commonly develop metastases. There are no individualized targeted adjuvant or induction treatments for TNBC, and the current treatments are highly toxic. Development of chemoprevention methods using natural products would be beneficial to patients at risk of TNBC.

www.canceractive.com © Copyright CANCERactive. All Rights Reserved.

Eating blueberries may inhibit breast cancer tumour growth, according to a recent study by researchers at the City of Hope in Los Angeles and published in the October 2011 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

The study found that the oral intake of whole blueberry powder could reduce the growth and metastasis of a very aggressive form of breast cancer (triple-negative breast cancer), for which there are few effective drugs.

Tumour size reduced by 60-75 percent. In addition, molecular analysis revealed that blueberry consumption altered the expression of genes that are important to metastasis. The dose required of blueberries to achieve these results was equivalent to two cups of fresh blueberries per day.

Retrieved from - www.greenmedinfo.comDOWNLOAD PDF

An important new study reveals both the abject failure of conventional radiation treatment for cancer, and the very real possibility that blueberries contain a curative compound far more effective than anything modern cancer specialists have available to them to strike at the very root of cancer malignancy.

Published in the journal eCAM and titled, "BlueBerry Isolate, Pterostilbene, Functions as a Potential Anticancer Stem Cell Agent in Suppressing Irradiation-Mediated Enrichment of Hepatoma Stem Cells,"[1] researchers reported two major findings:

  1. Irradiation of liver cancer cells (hepatoma) with the same type of radiation used to treat cancer patients resulted in enriching the highly malignant cancer stem cell subpopulations, as well as cell properties associated with increased invasiveness and treatment resistance. [see figure 1 below]

  2. The addition of pterostilbene, a stilbenoid chemically related to resveratrol and found in blueberries and grapes, suppressed the adverse changes associated with irradiation.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Therapeutic potential of black cumin seeds: The lesson learned over many centuries clearly suggests that further sophisticated search for finding compounds from natural resources together with robust characterization and chemical synthesis will lead to the discovery of novel drugs that may have high therapeutic efficacy against all human diseases including cancer.

Black cumin seed (Nigella sativa) oil extracts have been used for many centuries for the treatment of many human illnesses, and more recently the active compound found in black seed oil, viz. thymoquinone (TQ) has been tested for its efficacy against several diseases including cancer. However, further research is needed in order to assess the full potential of TQ as a chemopreventive and/or therapeutic agent against cancers. Here, we have summarized what is known regarding the value of black seed oil and its active compound TQ, and how this knowledge will help us to advance further research in this field by creating awareness among scientists and health professionals in order to appreciate the medicinal value of TQ and beyond.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

CONCLUSION: Bromelain exerts antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in colorectal carcinoma cells and chemopreventive actions in colon carcinogenesis in vivo. Bromelain-containing foods and/or bromelain itself may represent good candidates for colorectal cancer chemoprevention.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Targeting cancer stem cells with sulforaphane, a dietary component from broccoli and broccoli sprouts. Many studies have supported the protective effects of broccoli and broccoli sprouts against cancer. The chemopreventive properties of sulforaphane, which is derived from the principal glucosinolate of broccoli and broccoli sprouts, have been extensively studied. Recent research into the effects of sulforaphane on cancer stem cells (CSCs) has drawn lots of interest. CSCs are suggested to be responsible for initiating and maintaining cancer, and to contribute to recurrence and drug resistance. A number of studies have indicated that sulforaphane may target CSCs in different types of cancer through modulation of NF-κB, SHH, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and Wnt/β-catenin pathways.

Combination therapy with sulforaphane and chemotherapy in preclinical settings has shown promising results. In this article, we focus on the effects of sulforaphane on CSCs and self-renewal pathways, as well as giving a brief review of recent human studies using broccoli sprout preparations.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nutrition, particularly intake of vegetables and certain plant components, has been reported to have a major role in cancer risk reduction…

This is evidenced by the ability of rosemary to suppress the development of tumors in several organs including the colon, breast, liver, stomach, as well as melanoma and leukemia cells. The results suggested that the different molecular targets modulated by rosemary and its active constituents are useful indicators of success in clinical cancer chemo-prevention trials.

Treatment Cautions

summaries.cochrane.org Copyright ©  - The Cochrane Collaboration

Laetrile is a word created from the first letters of laevorotatory and mandelonitrile and describes a semi-synthetic form of amygdalin. Amygdalin is a compound that can be isolated from the seeds of many fruits such as peaches, bitter almonds and apricots. Both laetrile and amygdalin have a common structural component, mandelonitrile that contains cyanide.

Probiotics in Cancer Treatment 

Retrieved from - cdrf.org

In general, cancer is caused by mutation or activation of abnormal genes that control cell growth and division. (A substance that causes a mistake in genes is known as a mutagen). Most of these abnormal cells do not result in cancer since normal cells usually out-compete abnormal ones. Also, the immune system recognizes and destroys most abnormal cells.

Many processes or exposures can increase the occurrence of abnormal cells. Precautions that minimize these exposures decrease the risk of cancer. Among the many potentially risky exposures are chemical exposures. Cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) can be ingested or generated by metabolic activity of microbes that live in the gastrointestinal tract.

It has been hypothesized that probiotic cultures might decrease the exposure to chemical carcinogens by (1) detoxifying ingested carcinogens, (2) altering the environment of the intestine and thereby decreasing populations or metabolic activities of bacteria that may generate carcinogenic compounds, (3) producing metabolic products (e.g., butyrate) which improve a cell’s ability to die when it should die (a process known as apoptosis or programmed cell death), (4) producing compounds that inhibit the growth of tumor cells, or (5) stimulating the immune system to better defend against cancer cell proliferation.

Research suggests that the consumption of probiotic cultures may decrease cancer risk. Researchers testing the effect of the consumption of fermented milks, probiotic bacteria, components of bacteria or extracts of bacteria have found:

  • A reduction of the activity of fecal enzymes (β-glucuronidase, azoreductase, nitroreductase, and 7-α-dehydrogenase) postulated to play a role in colon cancer in human and animal subjects.

  • Degradation of nitrosamines.

  • A weakening of mutagenic activity of substances tested in the laboratory.

  • Prevention of damage to DNA in certain colonic cells.

  • In vitro binding of mutagens by cell wall components of probiotic bacteria.

  • Enhancement of immune system functioning.

  • A reduction in the incidence of chemically induced tumors in rats.

Taken together, these results suggest that probiotic cultures may positively influence the gastrointestinal environment to decrease the risk of cancer. However, cancer reduction must be demonstrated in humans to confirm the significance of these observations.

The impact of consumption of milk fermented by Lactobacillus caseiShirota on recurrence of superficial bladder cancer was tested. The recurrence-free period for the Lactobacillus-consuming group was found to be almost twice as long as the control group. In another study, this same strain was found to decrease atypical recurrent polyps in subjects with previous history of colonic polyp (Ishikawa et al. 2005).

The European Union (EU)-sponsored Synbiotics and Cancer Prevention in Humans project tested a synbiotic (oligofructose plus L. rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12) in patients at risk for colonic polyps and looked at intermediate end points that can be used as biomarkers of colon cancer risk. This study found that the synbiotic decreased uncontrolled growth of intestinal cells. These results must still be considered preliminary, but are encouraging that impacting the colonic environment may improve cancer occurrence.

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Promising Clinical Trials for Cancer Treatment  

Retrieved from - www.bastyr.edu

Turkey tail researchers predict the mushroom will fight cancer cells and strengthen the body's wellness at the same time. That dual approach is typical of traditional Chinese medicine.

It's been brewed for thousands of years as a Chinese medicinal tea. Now Bastyr University researchers are closer to discovering whether the turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor) can help cancer patients boost their immune systems during chemotherapy…

To search for consistency and safety, the research team looked to a pharmaceutical-grade turkey tail product made in Japan, where turkey tail has been a widely used cancer treatment for more than 30 years. They found a solution in protein-bound polysaccharide K (PSK), a powdered turkey tail derivative produced in Japan using a hot-water extraction method.

Turkey tail, named for its colorful stripes, is the humble fungus at the center of a $5.4 million collaboration between Bastyr, the University of Washington and others, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The mushroom grows widely in forests around the world, but its health potential has never been fully measured in scientific trials 

"Our hope is that docetaxel plus the turkey tail extract can create a strong enough immune response to lead to significant tumor regression," says lead investigator Cynthia A. Wenner, PhD, a Bastyr research associate professor. "That's what happened in our previous mouse trial."

Turkey tail's traditional use means derivatives are probably not patentable, which has dissuaded pharmaceutical companies from funding clinical trials. It's a research dilemma that NIH seeks to address through its National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). NCCAM has helped fund research, such as the Bastyr/UW collaboration, that integrates traditional naturopathic medicine with modern empirical standards.

www.lef.org - Life Extension Foundation

Ursolic acid is a chemical found in plants that is known to have anti-cancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. The Life Extension Foundation has been funding a clinical trial on ten subjects to assess the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of varying doses of ursolic acid. Ursolic acid has been used in cosmetic and health products, and is non-toxic.29

DCA-GcMAF: …GcMAF restores the deficiency, which is a critical component in activating the macrophages, the immune system’s cancer scavengers. It is interesting that vitamin D has such a potent anti-tumor effect that cancer cells produce the enzyme (Nagalase) to prevent vitamin D from binding to cancer cells. GcMAF disables the ability of cancer cells to shield against vitamin D.

While DCA and GcMAF have very different mechanisms of action – DCA restores mitochondrial metabolism, while GcMAF activates tumoricidal macrophages — the combination may prove to be a potent anti-cancer weapon by fighting the war simultaneously on two fronts. We are carrying out an investigational study to address the combination of the two products.

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National Cancer Institute Clinical Trial Database

cam.cancer.gov

Cancer complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) clinical trials are added daily to NCI's PDQ® comprehensive cancer database. View CAM clinical trials by:

Cancer Type*
Symptoms or Side Effects of Cancer Treatment*
All Cancer CAM Clinical Trials
Featured CAM Clinical Trials

NCI’s database includes a comprehensive list of cancer clinical trials.. The list contains 8,000+ abstracts of clinical trial protocols that are accepting patients, including trials for cancer treatment, genetics, diagnosis, supportive and palliative care, screening, and prevention. Observational and epidemiologic studies are also included. In addition, the registry contains 19,000+ abstracts of clinical trial protocols that have been completed or are closed to patient accrual, dating back to the 1970s.

The list includes most clinical trials sponsored by NCI. It also contains many clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, medical centers, and other groups from around the world.

As a result of changes in US Federal law and NIH policies, NCI discontinued trial registration activities in 2010. However, NCI continues to provide access to cancer clinical trials information on the NCI Web site and to licensees of PDQ. Cancer clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov are downloaded and enhanced to facilitate search and retrieval by cancer patients, health professionals, and researchers.

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Essential Oils for Cancer Treatments

Source - airase.com - Association for the International Research of Aromatic Science and Education

View Airase 2014/03/08/ Cancer-studies

Reference - www.hindawi.com - Journals

Essential oils are complex mixtures of several components endowed with a wide range of biological activities, including antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, sedative, analgesic, and anesthetic properties. A growing body of scientific reports has recently focused on the potential of essential oils as anticancer treatment in the attempt to overcome the development of multidrug resistance and important side effects associated with the antitumor drugs currently used. In this review we discuss the literature on the effects of essential oils in  in vitroand in vivo models of cancer, focusing on the studies performed with the whole phytocomplex rather than single constituents.

Current therapeutic approaches to cancer are often associated with the development of multidrug resistance, important side effects, and high cost, underscoring the unmet need for more efficacious and less toxic interventions. The vegetal kingdom has always represented an attractive source for therapeutics and several examples do exist for natural products being included in current protocols to tackle the limits of chemotherapy. Accordingly, vincristine, vinblastine, colchicine, taxol, paclitaxel, and others are plant-derived anticancer drugs currently used in clinic [13].

Among phytochemicals, essential oils have been considered attractive for their wide variety of bioactivities. Anticancer potential of essential oils has been explored and several studies are now available in the literature. A MEDLINE survey on PubMed for “essential oil and cancer” (November 2014) retrieves 686 results with a remarkable surge in publications over the last 15 years (459 out of 686 studies), while a search for “essential oil and cytotoxicity” reports only 270 results, with 234 published in the last 10 years. These numbers suggest that the studies in this field have been initiated rather lately despite the fact that essential oils have been known since ancient times. The reported studies can be divided into in vivo and in vitro and are related to essential oils from a wide variety of plants or, mainly, their constituents. Read in entirety.

 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The body of evidence of essential oils being strongly anti-tumorial, with specific anti-cancer action is growing, too. A search of Pub Med (www.pubmed.gov) the National Institute of Health's online research database produces 391 results for the search 'essential oils cancer' and 444 results for 'essential oil tumor'.

MANY of the studies show a direct correlation in tumor and cancer cell line eradication with the use of essential oils. A great many have conclusions that indicate the studies results warrant further investigation of essential oils for the development of accepted therapies. Here's a review of some very promising results - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Natural essential oil constituents play an important role in cancer prevention and treatment.

Essential oil constituents from aromatic herbs and dietary plants include monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, oxygenated monoterpenes, oxygenated sesquiterpenes and phenolics among others. Various mechanisms such antioxidant, antimutagenic and antiproliferative, enhancement of immune function and surveillance, enzyme induction and enhancing detoxification, modulation of multidrug resistance and synergistic mechanism of volatile constituents are responsible for their chemopreventive properties.

This review covers the most recent literature to summarize structural categories and molecular anticancer mechanisms of constituents from aromatic herbs and dietary plants. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Farnesol is a non-cyclic sesquiterpene (isoprenoid) found in the essential oils of many plants. 

Tumors frequently develop resistance towards standard chemotherapies, and thus novel agents are urgently required that bypass the cross-resistance evoked by established anticancer drugs. We investigated whether classical mechanisms of drug resistance such as ATP-binding cassette transporters (P-glycoprotein/MDR1, MRP1, BCRP), the tumor suppressor gene TP53, and the oncogene EGFR play a role in the response of tumor cells to farnesol.

Remarkably, none of these genes conferred resistance to farnesol, indicating that this compound may be useful for the treatment of otherwise drug-resistant and refractory tumors expressing these mechanisms of resistance.

The fact that these genes are not associated with resistance to traditional anticancer drugs suggests farnesol may possess a novel mechanism of action, and consequently might bypass drug resistance to established chemotherapeutics.

Source www.budwigcenter.com

Based on VEGA test readings the right essential oils that are best suited to restore your health can be determined. Some of the most effective essential oils that have been found effective for degenerative diseases and tumor control: are Frankincense, Lavender, Myrrh, Orange, Peppermint, Rosemary, Lemongrass. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Limonene is a bioactive food component found in citrus peel oil that has shown chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activities in preclinical studies. We conducted an open-label pilot clinical study to determine the human breast tissue disposition of limonene and its associated bioactivity. We recruited 43 women with newly diagnosed operable breast cancer electing to undergo surgical excision to take 2 grams of limonene daily for two to six weeks before surgery. Blood and breast tissue were collected to determine drug/metabolite concentrations and limonene-induced changes in systemic and tissue biomarkers of breast cancer risk or carcinogenesis. Limonene was found to preferentially concentrate in the breast tissue, reaching high tissue concentration (mean = 41.3 μg/g tissue), whereas the major active circulating metabolite, perillic acid, did not concentrate in the breast tissue. Limonene intervention resulted in a 22% reduction in cyclin D1 expression (P = 0.002) in tumor tissue but minimal changes in tissue Ki67 and cleaved caspase-3 expression. No significant changes in serum leptin, adiponectin, TGF-β1, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were observed following limonene intervention. There was a small but statistically significant post intervention increase in insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels.

We conclude that limonene distributed extensively to human breast tissue and reduced breast tumor cyclin D1 expression that may lead to cell-cycle arrest and reduced cell proliferation. Furthermore, placebo-controlled clinical trials and translational research are warranted to establish limonene's role for breast cancer prevention or treatment.

www.oncologyreviews.org - Reports,

Although limited, observations from cell culture, animal, and epidemiological studies support the presence of anti-cancer properties in citrus peel and the primary bioactive food constituent, d-limonene. Early evidence from animal models suggests that when ingested, d-limonene exhibits a wide spectrum of biologic activity including chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive effects…

In some of these early models, an analog of d-limonene, perillyl alcohol, demonstrated a more potent effect than d-limonene itself. Yet, when perillyl alcohol advanced to clinical trials, several trials were ended early due to doselimiting toxicities. Alternatively, oral d-limonene administration in humans is well tolerated even at high doses supporting its investigation as a potential bioactive for cancer prevention.

Though the exact mechanisms of action of d-limonene are unclear, immune modulation and antiproliferative effects are commonly reported. Here, we review the pre-clinical evidence for d-limonene’s anticancer mechanisms, bioavailability, and safety, as well as the evidence for anti-cancer effects in humans, focusing on studies relevant to its use in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22171782

CONCLUSIONS: Similar to our previous observations in human bladder cancer cells, Boswellia sacra essential oil induces breast cancer cell-specific cytotoxicity. Suppression of cellular network formation and disruption of spheroid development of breast cancer cells by Boswellia sacra essential oil suggest that the essential oil may be effective for advanced breast cancer. 

Consistently, the essential oil represses signaling pathways and cell cycle regulators that have been proposed as therapeutic targets for breast cancer. Future pre-clinical and clinical studies are urgently needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Boswellia sacra essential oil as a therapeutic agent for treating breast cancer.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

BACKGROUND: Regardless of the availability of therapeutic options, the overall 5-year survival for patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer remains less than 5%. Gum resins from Boswellia species, also known as frankincense, have been used as a major ingredient in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to treat a variety of health-related conditions. Both frankincense chemical extracts and essential oil prepared from Boswellia species gum resins exhibit anti-neoplastic activity, and have been investigated as potential anti-cancer agents. 

CONCLUSION: All fractions of frankincense essential oil from Boswellia sacra are capable of suppressing viability and inducing apoptosis of a panel of human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Potency of essential oil-suppressed tumor cell viability may be associated with the greater abundance of high molecular weight compounds in Fractions III and IV. Although chemical component(s) responsible for tumor cell cytotoxicity remains undefined, crude essential oil prepared from hydrodistillation of Boswellia sacra gum resins might be a useful alternative therapeutic agent for treating patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

CONCLUSION: Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells and suppress cancer cell viability. Microarray and bioinformatics analysis proposed multiple pathways that can be activated by frankincense oil to induce bladder cancer cell death. Frankincense oil might represent an alternative intravesical agent for bladder cancer treatment.

www.sciencedaily.com - Reports,

Originating from Africa, India and the Middle East, frankincense oil has been found to have many medicinal benefits. Now, an enriched extract of the Somalian Frankincense herb Boswellia carteri has been shown to kill off bladder cancer cells. New research demonstrates that this herb has the potential for an alternative therapy for bladder cancer.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The antitumor activity of the essential oil of Abies balsamea (balsam fir oil) was evaluated against several solid tumor cell lines including MCF-7, PC-3, A-549, DLD-1, M4BEU and CT-26. Balsam fir oil was found to be active against all the solid tumor cell lines tested, with GI 50 values ranging between 0.76 and 1.7 mg/mL….

academicjournals.org - pdf ISSN 1996-0875 ©2011 Academic Journals

These findings suggested that extracts and compounds from myrrh could be useful for preventing and treating human gynecologic cancer disease.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Thymoquinone (TQ), the main active constituent of black seed essential oil, exhibits promising effects against inflammatory diseases and cancer. TQ, modulates signaling pathways that are key to cancer progression, and enhances the anticancer potential of clinical drugs while reducing their toxic side effects. Considering that TQ was isolated 50 years ago, this review focuses on TQ's chemical and pharmacological properties and the latest advances in TQ analog design and nanoformulation. We discuss our current state of knowledge of TQ's adjuvant potential and in vivo antitumor activity and highlight its ability to modulate the hallmarks of cancer.

jco.ascopubs.org - pdf Copyright © 2005 American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.

Essential oils such as tea tree and eucalyptus oils have recently gained acceptance as safe and effective antiseptics.3 Their potent bactericidal activity has already been proven in in vitro and clinical trials.4-8

We have previously reported that the elimination of tumor-related malodor is possible with an essential oil mixture, the application of which led to an improved quality of life for our cancer patients.9 We are now able to report that we have observed an additional beneficial effect of the topical  application of essential oils in patients with head and neck tumor–related ulcers: they promote ulcer healing and re-epithelization.

 

Therapeutic Treatment with Essential Oils

ashleyturner.org ©  Ashley Turner, International, LLC | All Rights Reserved

Immune System Stimulation - Enhancing immune system function, particularly in the early stages of cancer and before beginning more aggressive treatment, is part of effective cancer treatment. Essential oils can be used as part of a natural approach to immune system boosting for most types of cancer, though immune system stimulation is not effective for those with leukemia or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, so always consult with a doctor before use.

The 6 essential oils that have the most effect on various types of cancer (breast, skin, cervical, prostate, etc.) are: Sandalwood, Balsam Fir, Thyme, Hyssop, Tsuga and Orange. These oils can be taken orally in a gel capsule by combining approximately 7 drops of the oil with a carrier oil, and as dosage increases can be taken in up to 6 capsules per day. The body can develop a resistance to one essential oil over time, so it is important to alternate the oil you are using every 3-4 weeks.

Chemotherapy and Radiation Treatment - While chemotherapy and radiation are two very different types of treatment, they are often used simultaneously and can elicit similar side effects. Here are several natural ways essential oils can support the body during chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment:

  • Radiation can severely damage skin and vital organs, so use of gentle, antioxidant essential oils in combination with proper nutrition internally, can help minimize damage. Use Sandalwood, Hyssop, Peppermint or Frankincense and apply topically by diluting with a carrier oil and massaging on affected area 1-2 times each day.

  • Neuritis is another common side effect of radiation and can be treated with Melrose, Lavender or Nutmeg. Apply 2-4 drops mixed with a carrier oil directly to affected areas 3-5 times each day. These oils can also be used with a cold compress on affected location 2-3 times each day.

  • Chemotherapy breaks down good blood cells while destroying cancer cells. Cypress can help rebuild white blood cells and can be applied directly to skin, inhaled from the bottle or a diffuser or taken orally.

  • Stomach upset/nausea is a common side effect of both treatments and can be relieved by using Ginger, Peppermint or Nutmeg. Dilute 1-3 drops with a carrier oil and massage behind each ear and over navel. These oils may also be used with a warm compress over stomach as needed or inhaled directly from bottle.

Emotional Healing - Maintaining positivity and emotional health is one of the most challenging, but most important aspects of the treatment process – both for the patient and their support system. There are a number of essential oils that can be used to support emotional health and healing, so it may be wise to try a few different oils until you find which works best for you. Suggested blends to try are: Joy, Valor, Release, Gratitude and Peace & Calming. Suggested single oils are: Peppermint, Lavender, Bergamot, Rose or Orange.

Cautions for Essential Oil Application

Source - www.integrativehealthcare.org

While no respectful practice should suggest that their healing method supersedes a physician’s advice, pairing certain complementary health approaches with medical treatment can have tremendous positive benefits to the patient. As one of the more researched modalities, experts believe the ancient art of aromatherapy can be highly effective in helping manage the restlessness, anxiety and stress associated with conventional cancer treatment. However, as with anything of strong therapeutic value, there are some unique potential interactions between the use of essential oils and traditional cancer treatment…

Chemotherapy - Besides surgery, enduring either of the two prominent treatments for cancer – radiation or chemotherapy – is always a challenge. In fact, it is common for people receiving radiation and/or chemotherapy to have severe side effects and even long lasting health implications from these treatments.

These experts concluded that, because essential oils can compete with cell receptor sites utilized in chemotherapy, aromatherapy application should adhere to the following guidelines to ensure safety:

  • Essential oils can be applied in massage up to two days before a chemotherapy treatment.

  • Essential oils should be avoided for nine to ten days after chemotherapy administration.

  • During a chemotherapy regimen, keep the dose of essential oils low by using only two drops per ounce of carrier oil or lotion.

  • While inhalation to counteract nausea accompanying chemotherapy is acceptable, there are provisions for peppermint and ginger.

  • Peppermint can be inhaled unless the client has cardiac problems or is on the chemotherapy drug 5FU, since peppermint enhances its absorption fourfold.

  • Although ginger is another good essential oil choice for relieving nausea, it can reduce clotting time.

Radiation - ...Since one of the prominent concerns about radiation therapy is excessive burning and skin problems, applying anything to the skin should be carefully evaluated. As is the case with aromatherapy, topical application of phototoxic oils can be detrimental to those doing radiation therapy or those with skin cancer.

Stedman’s Medical Dictionary defines photosensitization as, “sensitization of the skin to light, usually due to the action of certain drugs, plants, or other substances.” Phototoxic oils cause light-related irritation or darkening of the skin when exposed to certain types of light. 

For a person about to be exposed to the intense rays of radiation therapy, it is important to avoid phototoxic oils so that you do not worsen skin sensitivity. The more commonly known phototoxic oils include:

  • Lemon

  • Bergamot

  • Angelica

  • Lime

  • Grapefruit

  • Orange

  • Mandarin

  • Tagete

  • Verbena

It may be possible to safely use citrus oils with a person undergoing radiation therapy. By choosing a steam-distilled oil, the phototoxic elements can be avoided. If unsure, check with the essential oil manufacturer about your chosen oil’s phototoxicity. In addition, certain essential oils can irritate or sensitize the skin regardless of light exposure. Commonly known sensitizing oils include:

  • Cinnamon bark

  • Fig leaf

  • Verbena

  • Caraway

  • Dill seed

  • Peppermint

  • Ylang ylang

In addition to considering the phototoxicity and sensitivity to the previously listed oils, a good rule of thumb to follow for those receiving radiation therapy is as follows:


Keep the concentration of essential oils low by using only two drops per ounce of carrier oil or lotion.

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The Gerson Therapy in the Treatment of Cancer 

gerson.org Copyright © · All Rights Reserved · Gerson Institute

The Gerson Therapy is a natural treatment that activates the body’s extraordinary ability to heal itself through an organic, vegetarian diet, raw juices, coffee enemas and natural supplements.

The Gerson Therapy was specifically developed as a treatment for cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases. Following the full Gerson Therapy is not necessary or advisable for someone who is simply seeking to enhance their overall health. The diet could be too limited for someone using it strictly for prevention. The Gerson diet is entirely organic and vegetarian. The diet is naturally high in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, micro-nutrients, and extremely low in sodium, fats, and proteins. 

How the Gerson Therapy Works: With its whole-body approach to healing, the Gerson Therapy naturally reactivates your body’s magnificent ability to heal itself – with no damaging side effects. This a powerful, natural treatment boosts the body’s own immune system to heal cancer, arthritis, heart disease, allergies, and many other degenerative diseases. Dr. Max Gerson developed the Gerson Therapy in the 1930s, initially as a treatment for his own debilitating migraines, and eventually as a treatment for degenerative diseases such as skin tuberculosis, diabetes and, most famously, cancer.

The coffee enemas are a must for anyone doing the Gerson Therapy. As the juices begin rebuilding the body and encouraging toxins to be released from the cells into the bloodstream, a great deal of stress is placed upon the liver. The liver alone, especially in cancer patients, cannot deal with a sudden influx of toxins into the bloodstream. The coffee enemas increase liver filtering, greatly aiding the liver’s ability to remove serum toxins.

Fresh pressed juice from raw foods provides the easiest and most effective way of providing high quality nutrition. By juicing, patients can take in the nutrients and enzymes from nearly 15 pounds of produce every day, in a manner that is easy to digest and absorb…

An abundance of nutrients from copious amounts of fresh, organic juices are consumed every day, providing your body with a super-dose of enzymes, minerals and nutrients. These substances then break down diseased tissue in the body, while coffee enemas aid in eliminating toxins from the liver.

Detoxification: Coffee enemas are the primary method of detoxification of the tissues and blood on the Gerson Therapy. Cancer patients on the Gerson Therapy may take up to 5 coffee enemas per day.

The Gerson Therapy was established as a major contribution to the medical field, through the publication of articles in peer reviewed medical literature http://cancer-research.net/GersonPubs.html. Gerson first published on the topic of cancer in 1945, almost forty years before the adoption of the current official U.S. National Cancer Institute program on diet, nutrition, and cancer.

nutritionfacts.org

Gerson-style Therapy vs. Chemotherapy - For decades, studies on Gerson therapy for cancer have questioned its safety and efficacy, but what does the latest head-to-head trial of a Gerson-style regime versus chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer show in terms of survival and quality of life?

For an introduction to Gerson Therapy, please check out the "prequel," yesterday’s NutritionFacts.org video-of-the-day Gerson Therapy for Cancer. How do you prevent pancreatic cancer in the first place? See Largest Study Ever. Dietary strategies associated with prolonged cancer survival can be found in Breast Cancer Survival and SoyBreast Cancer Survival and Lignan IntakeRaw Broccoli and Bladder Cancer Survival, and Slowing the Growth of Cancer.

For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Gerson Therapy for Cancer?

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Systemic Enzymes in the Treatment of Cancer

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Proteolytic enzyme therapy in evidence-based complementary oncology: fact or fiction?

Systemic enzyme therapy was recently subjected to experimental investigations and to rigorous clinical studies in cancer patients. The designs of the relevant clinical cohort studies followed the guidelines of Good Epidemiological Practice and represent level IIB in evidence-based medicine (EBM).

Scientifically sound experimental in vitro and in vivo investigations are far advanced and document promising immunological, anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, and antitumor/antimetastatic activities of proteolytic enzyme mixtures (containing trypsin, chymotrypsin, and papain) or bromelain.

EBM level II clinical studies, which are accepted by the European Union to show safety and efficacy of medical treatments, were performed to evaluate the benefit of complementary systemic enzyme therapy in cancer patients suffering from breast and colorectal cancers and plasmacytoma.

These studies demonstrated that systemic enzyme therapy significantly decreased tumor-induced and therapy-induced side effects and complaints such as nausea, gastrointestinal complaints, fatigue, weight loss, and restlessness and obviously stabilized the quality of life. For plasmacytoma patients, complementary systemic enzyme therapy was shown to increase the response rates, the duration of remissions, and the overall survival times. These promising data resulted in an "orphan drug status" designation for a systemic enzyme product, which should motivate further studies on this complementary treatment.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Our results indicate an increase in apoptosis-related cell death in breast cancer cells with increasing concentrations of bromelain. Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme extracted from the stems and the immature fruits of pineapple that was found to be antitumorigenic in different in vitro models. Bromelain has been reported to promote apoptosis, particularly in breast cancer cells…

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Bromelain is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes that is capable of hydrolyzing glycosidic linkages in glycoprotein. Glycoprotein's are ubiquitously distributed throughout the body and serve a variety of physiologic functions. Faulty glycosylation of proteins may lead to cancer. Antitumor properties of bromelain have been demonstrated in both, in vitro and in vivo studies, along with scanty anecdotal human studies. Various mechanistic pathways have been proposed to explain the anticancer properties of bromelain. However, proteolysis by bromelain has been suggested as a main pathway by some researchers. MUC1 is a glycoprotein that provides tumor cells with invasive, metastatic, and chemo-resistant properties. To date, there is no study that examines the effect of bromelain on MUC1. However, the viability of MUC1 expressing pancreatic and breast cancer cells are adversely affected by bromelain.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The medicinal qualities of pineapple are recognized in many traditions in South America, China and Southeast Asia. These qualities are attributed to bromelain, a 95%-mixture of proteases. Medicinal qualities of bromelain include anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, fibrinolytic and anti-cancer functions.

Existing evidence derived from clinical observations as well as from mouse- and cell-based models suggests that bromelain acts systemically, affecting multiple cellular and molecular targets. In recent years, studies have shown that bromelain has the capacity to modulate key pathways that support malignancy. It is now possible to suggest that the anti-cancer activity of bromelain consists in the direct impact on cancer cells and their micro-environment, as well as in the modulation of immune, inflammatory and haemostatic systems. This review will summarize existing data relevant to bromelain's anti-cancer activity and will suggest mechanisms which account for bromelain's effect, in the light of research involving non-cancer models. The review will also identify specific new research questions that will need to be addressed in order for a full assessment of bromelain-based anti-cancer therapy.

Retrieved from - articles.mercola.com  

The use of enzymes to treat cancer has its roots all the way back to 1911 with John Beard's The Enzyme Treatment of Cancer and Its Scientific Basis. Beard believed cancer was a result of diminished pancreatic enzymes, impairing your immune response. A study in 1999 suggests he may have been right on target.

Ten patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer were treated with large doses of oral pancreatic enzymes (along with detoxification and an organic diet), and their survival rates were 3 to 4 times higher than patients receiving conventional treatment. Proteolytic enzymes can be helpful in treating cancer because they help restore balance to your immune system.

Dr. Nick Gonzalez in New York City, NY has also done a lot of work on enzymes in cancer treatment and has written a book on the subject. Some of the ways proteolytic enzymes can be helpful in the fight against cancer are:

  • Boosting cytokines, particularly interferon and tumor necrosis factor, which are very important warriors in destroying cancer cells

  • Decreasing inflammation.

  • Dissolving fibrin: Cancer cells hide under a cloak of fibrin to escape detection. Once the cancer cells are “uncloaked,” they can be spotted and attacked by your immune system. It is also thought that fibrin makes cancer cells “stick together,” which increases the chance for metastases. German studies have shown that systemic enzymes increase the potency of macrophages and killer cells 12-fold…

For more about the difference between digestive enzymes and systemic enzymes, click here for a video interview with enzyme expert Nena Dockery

Source - www.wholebodymed.com

…Proteolytic enzymes work at various levels in the immune system and act as modulators, always trying to assist, and, in cases where the immune system is out of balance, (i.e., autoimmune problems), trying to help restore balance. This is why the enzymes are very helpful in preventing and treating cancer.

Cancer cells are always being produced, but they are usually destroyed. However, if the immune system has been compromised by toxins like pesticides, tobacco smoke, heavy metals etc., enough cancer cells may evade destruction to get a foothold in the body.

Systemic enzymes boost the immune system by increasing cytokines. Cytokines, particularly the two called interferon and tumor necrosis factor, are very important warriors in the fight against cancer.

Another way in which proteolytic enzymes help fight cancer is by dissolving fibrin. Cancer cells hide under fibrin so they can evade detection. Remember last month, I talked about how systemic enzymes decrease inflammation by destroying the fibrin, which prolongs the inflammatory state. Once the cancer cell is uncloaked it can be recognized and attacked by the immune system. Fibrin also makes the cancer cells more "sticky". The more "sticky" the cancer cells are, the greater the likelihood of metastases. Some types of cancer cells are attached to endothelial cells (cells lining the inside wall of a vessel). They do this by making use of adhesion molecules. Systemic enzymes hinder this process, thereby also helping to prevent metastases.

Indeed, German studies have confirmed the effectiveness of enzymes in preventing metastases. Other important weapons of the immune system are the macrophages and natural killer cells. These fight cancer. It has been shown that systemic enzymes increase the effectiveness of both the macrophages and the natural killer cells by 12 times.

If a person is having chemotherapy or radiation therapy, systemic enzymes will decrease side effects. This benefit has been confirmed by studies overseas.

Women who have palpable nodes or fibrocystic breasts can often experience the resolution of this problem by taking systemic enzymes.
A study done in Germany showed 85% of patients given systemic enzymes and vitamin E had significant improvement in only six weeks
.

 

Cons of Enzymatic Therapy

www.cancer.org - © American Cancer Society, Inc. All rights reserved.

Enzyme therapy involves taking enzyme supplements as an alternative form of cancer treatment. Enzymes are natural proteins that stimulate and accelerate many biological reactions in the body. Digestive enzymes, many of which are made in the pancreas, break down food and help with the absorption of nutrients into the blood. Metabolic enzymes build new cells and repair damaged ones in the blood, tissues, and organs...

What is the evidence? There have been no well-designed studies showing that enzyme supplements are effective in treating cancer. Experts question whether enzymes taken by mouth can reach tumors through the bloodstream, as the enzymes are broken down into amino acids before being absorbed in the intestine.

Studies of enzyme supplements to ease the side effects of cancer treatment have had mixed results. Two studies done in India reported that side effects of radiation therapy in cancer patients taking pancreatic enzyme supplements were less severe than in those taking a placebo. However, these studies were not blinded meaning patients and their doctors knew whether they were taking the actual enzymes. This means that the results might have been affected by the expectation of improvement, or placebo effect. A blinded German study in which patients did not know whether they were taking the enzymes or placebo pills did not find any benefit.

Several studies done mainly in Eastern Europe have looked at the possible effects of adding enzyme supplements to mainstream cancer treatment. They have generally found that supplements may improve quality of life and could possibly have other benefits. However, these studies are not considered scientifically strong. They looked back in time at patients who were already treated and were not randomized or blinded. A randomized study of the addition of enzyme therapy to standard chemotherapy for multiple myeloma patients is under way in the United States.

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Nonconventional Treatments

Reference - www.naturalstandard.com

Urine therapy refers to use of one's urine to maintain health, to prevent or cure sickness, to enhance beauty, or to promote meditation and spiritual enlightenment. Urine may be ingested, injected, or applied topically.

Urine therapy can be traced back as far as 5,000 years to early civilizations such as Aztecs, ancient Egyptians, ancient Chinese, and Native Americans. It is believed that the origin of this practice comes from certain religious rites among Hindus, where it is called amaroli in tantric religious traditions. Medically, urine is referred to as "plasma ultrafiltrate." Advocates of urotherapy claim that this treatment is effective for dry skin, cancer, and numerous other diseases and disorders.

Research has revealed components of urine such as urea, hormones, and enzymes. Many of these components have been commercially isolated and marketed. For example, urokinase (an enzyme that promotes the break-up of blood clots) is used in drug form and sold as a thrombolytic for unblocking coronary arteries. Furthermore, luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone are the active components in Pergonal, a drug used to stimulate fertility in women. Urea is used in several creams to promote healthy skin.

Current researchers are investigating urotherapy in the treatment of AIDS and cancer. To view the full monograph [clinical research findings and detailed studies] SUBSCRIPTION fee required…Click here for additional information.

www.sciencedirect.com - Reports,

Abstract: Cancer cells release various antigens, some of which appear in the urine. Oral autourotherapy is suggested as a new treatment modality for cancer patients. It will provide the intestinal lymphatic system with the many tumor antigens against which antibodies may be produced. These antibodies may be pierced through the blood stream and attack the tumor and its cells.

Bio-oxidative Therapy

Source - www.drkalidas.com

Ozone, Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy (HBOT), Ultraviolet blood irradiation (UVBI) and hydrogen peroxide are all oxidative therapies and are a unique form of therapy that both heals and detoxifies at the same time.

Breathing is an oxidative process as is converting sugar to energy in the body. The body also uses oxidation as the first line of defense against bacteria, virus, yeast and parasites. We know there can be no life if oxidation does not occur. 

Found at  - www.healingcancernaturally.com 

Most of us believe that such a therapy is nonexistent. However, there are two simple natural substances whose clinical use has been documented in medical literature since the 1920s and which have been proven effective in treating some of our most common serious diseases both here and abroad, including heart disease, cancer and AIDS. They are Hydrogen peroxide and Ozone, used in a therapeutic approach known collectively as bio-oxidative therapy.

Bio-oxidative therapies have been used clinically by European physicians for over a century and were first reported by Dr. T.H. Diver in the British medical publication The Lancet in 1920. Since that time, they have been studied in major medical research centers throughout the world, including Baylor University, The University of California (Los Angeles) and Harvard University in the United States, as well as in medical schools and laboratories in Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Cuba, Mexico and Brazil. Today, between fifty and one hundred scientific studies are published each month about the chemical and biological effects of ozone and hydrogen peroxide…

A Viable Alternative - It has been estimated that over ten million people (primarily in Germany, Russia and Cuba) have been given bio-oxidative therapies over the past seventy years to treat over fifty different diseases. They include heart and blood vessel diseases, diseases of the lungs, infectious diseases and immune-related disorders. In some cases, bio-oxidative therapies are administered alone, while in others they are used in addition to traditional medical procedures (such as surgery or chemotherapy) or as adjuncts to alternative health practices like megavitamin therapy, acupuncture or herbal medicine. Bio-oxidative therapies are an important part of holistic treatment for HIV-related problems as well.

Despite the fact that both ozone and hydrogen peroxide therapy have been proven in clinical trials (and in regular clinical practice) to be safe and effective, very few people have heard about bio-oxidative therapies in the United States and Canada, due in part to the fact that information about ozone and hydrogen peroxide is not taught in medical schools.

Another reason is that medical ozone or hydrogen peroxide are extremely inexpensive. Typically, bio-oxidative therapies, properly administered in a medical setting, costs up to 50% less than traditional therapies, especially for chronic and degenerative diseases. Self-administered treatments by patients themselves can cost far less. And according to Michael T.F. Carpendale, M.D., a pioneer ozone researcher and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of California School of Medicine, and the first researcher to report a conversion of an HIV+ patient to HIV- using ozone:

“If there is something which may be very effective but may undersell the average drug company, of course they are not going to be very pleased if it [the new treatment method] gets developed. And Ozone is evidently very inexpensively to produce, it is very potent and if it works half as well as the Germans claim it does, everyone should be using it.” Credit: Health News Naturally, Fall 1995, page 18 - article by Nathaniel Altman.

www.livestrong.com Copyright ©  Demand Media, Inc.

How is hydrogen peroxide thought to treat cancer? Food-grade hydrogen peroxide may help kill cancer cells, says R. Webster Kehr, a researcher for the Independent Cancer Research Foundation. Cancer cells are thought to spread when little oxygen is available, while increased exposure to oxygen causes the spread of cancer cells to slow, and sufficient oxygen can kill cancer cells. Researchers believe that cancer cells cannot break down the oxygen atoms in hydrogen peroxide, so those oxygen atoms can effectively kill cancer cells.

www.cancer.org - © American Cancer Society, Inc. All rights reserved.

Different varieties of oxygen therapy are promoted as alternative treatments for dozens of diseases, including certain types of cancer, asthma, emphysema, AIDS, arthritis, heart and vascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Some supporters claim that cancer cells thrive in low-oxygen environments. They believe adding oxygen to the body creates an oxygen-rich condition in which cancer cells cannot survive. Supporters of this type of treatment claim that it increases the efficiency of all cells in the body and increases energy, promotes the production of antioxidants, and enhances the immune system…

Available scientific evidence does not support claims that increasing oxygen levels in the body will harm or kill cancer cells. It is difficult to raise the oxygen level around the cancer cells in the middle of a tumor because the blood supply tends to be poor. But there are differences in the way cancer cells use oxygen that may allow new treatments to better target cancer cells…

Oxygen therapies as unproven alternatives are promoted as cures for cancer and other serious illnesses, and are offered at clinics in Mexico, the United States, and Europe. Available scientific evidence does not support claims that oxygen therapies can cure cancer in humans.

Link to Controversial Therapies for additional information:

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Mind-Body Connection in Cancer 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Breast cancer patients who learn to use more direct and confrontational coping strategies are less distressed than are those who use avoidance and denial (Holland and Rowland, 1990). Furthermore, a “fighting spirit” about the illness leads to a probability of longer survival (Green and Berlin, 1987; Greer et al., 1979; Watson et al., 1990). Research suggests that the belief that one has control over the cause of the disease leads to poor outcome, whereas belief in control over the course of the disease leads to better outcome (Watson et al., 1990). Psychosocial stress has been reported to lead to higher relapse rates in metastatic breast cancer (Ramirez et al., 1989). However, several studies report no significant effect of psychosocial variables on the course of carcinoma (Angell, 1985; Cassileth et al., 1985; Jamison et al., 1987).

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Spirituality in Cancer 

www.ourjourneyofhope.com - The Pastoral Care Department at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Inc. © Rising Tide

Researchers are finding a strong relationship between patients' reliance on religious beliefs and practices and the effectiveness of their coping with cancer. Faith can give a suffering person a framework for finding meaning and perspective through a source greater than self and can provide a sense of control over feelings of helplessness. The practice of faith also provides the natural social support of community. In a study of 100 older adults diagnosed with cancer, a consistent positive relationship was discovered between religious practice, spiritual well-being, hope, and low anxiety and depression.

Hope is particularly important for those suffering with cancer. Researchers have found a strong link between religious beliefs and hope. In a study of cancer patients at the University of Michigan Medical Center, 93 percent said that their faith had increased their capacity to be hopeful. Hope enables people to actively cope with difficult and uncontrollable life situations. Patients with a strong sense of hope report a high quality of life, and hopefulness is linked to better adjustment by radiation therapy patients being treated for cancer. Robust hope can give a patient strength and courage to face the stress of illness and treatment, while hopelessness brings passivity and resignation…

The Church is Integral to Healthcare - An increasing body of research shows that spirituality and religion can play a vital role in helping people cope with cancer - both mentally and physically. Prayer, for instance, can reduce stress and anxiety. Prayer promotes a more positive outlook, and strengthens a patient's sense of optimism and hope.

Studies conducted at institutions such as Harvard and Duke Universities have indicated that patients who have a strong spiritual sense and pray regularly can diminish the side effects of some treatment and disease.

www.drkelley.com Copyright ©1998 by William Donald Kelley, D.D.S.

THE TWO PHYSICIANS: The Almighty — Your Own Body

  • If your cancer has caused you to stop, think, pray, and know God better, it has been a blessing to you.

  • If your cancer has caused you to realize the importance and magnificence of this temple wherein your soul dwells, you have been doubly blessed.

  • If your cancer has caused you to look within and ask the Christ to dwell within you, you have been thrice blessed.

Often physical infirmities come to us for such a purpose. This was true in my own case. The still, small voice within spoke out to guide and teach this Child of God.

Not all who have cancer will overcome the condition. Many will not believe that such a simple treatment will work. Many will not have the opportunity to hear about and try the procedure. Many will come too late with a temple (body) too weak to respond. But, I pray with all of you my friends, that you will learn a beautiful lesson and learn it well. I did.

Each of God’s children is in an experience in their school (earth) each doing the very best he or she can. Jesus said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (7 Matthew 1); "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you" (15 John 12).

If your cancer has taught you spiritual truth, you have gained much. I pray with you and for you that at this point you have come to the realization that your spiritual decision to get well or not to get well is your own responsibility. If you decide to go home early, rejoice, for the Father prepares a place for you. Those of you who have loved ones, who have made this decision, rejoice with them and send them on their way into God’s care.

If you decide to stay in school a little longer, this is also good and it should now be easier. If you are to operate as a perfect being, in perfect health, then you must have a perfect attitude. You must become aware of the spiritual power within that is greater than you, the still, small voice within.

If you are of the many millions of people who have been told that you have cancer and that your days are numbered, then it is you who must be interested enough to seek out the truth of your condition. You have read many things in this treatise, which bring new thinking to a very old disease.

Since we are dealing with the metabolic approach to cancer, we must consider not only the physical, but also the mental and spiritual laws of God. We need help from those around us as well as the God power within to reverse our thinking, and attain that balance which creates a healthy physical being.

As stated in previous chapters, half measures will avail you nothing. You are at the point where you must ask God for guidance.

These are the steps, which are suggested as a method of spiritual recovery:

  1. Accept the fact that you are afflicted with a symptom (malignant cancer) and that recovery is possible.

  2. Establish a faith in a power greater than yourself and know that with His help you can regain health and harmony.

  3. Make the decision to turn your will and your life over to the care of God.

  4. Conduct a complete self-analysis to better understand your own emotions.

  5. Admit to God, to yourself, and to others the exact nature of what you find to be your shortcomings.

  6. Be willing to give up what you are doing wrong.

  7. Seek through prayer to improve your conscious contact with God. Pray only for knowledge of His will for you and the strength to carry that out.

Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of this action, practice these principles in your every thought.

Just as the body must be purged and cleansed, so must the emotions and spirit be purified. This is a comparatively simple task to accomplish, but do not lull yourself into believing that it is an easy task. Rigorous self-discipline and the ability to grasp and develop a manner of living with complete honesty in all of your actions and thought are necessary. You must become strong willed to be a winner in accomplishing that which you set out to do for yourself. You will look for all the good in everything and refuse to accept any negation.

Faith and Cancer

www.ourjourneyofhope.com - The Pastoral Care Department at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Inc. © Rising Tide

The following articles will provide you with more in-depth information, research and background on the relationship between faith and cancer.

 

Link to Divine Healing

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Prayer in Cancer Research

www.lifeguardministries.org

Research is extremely important in fighting cancer.  As a physician, I understand the significance of the miraculous healings claimed in the Bible.  Jesus is described as touching a leper and his leprosy is healed. 

He commands the crippled from birth to stand up and walk, and he stands up and walks. He commands a friend who has been dead for four days to walk out of his grave, and he does.  On the surface this seems more than a little interesting but yet, as a physician and scientist looking into the depths of what actually is happening at the molecular level, it is quite astounding.

For a blind man to see, the optic nerve must be restored.  The optic nerve is very complex and the transmission of disease or defective neural tissue to normal - instantaneously - without anesthesia seems beyond comprehension. Likewise a body that's been dead for 4 or 5 days is well beyond any kind of functional capacity.  All of the cells are destroyed, organic compounds denature, and bacteria grow over the putrefying body.  To return back to a normal, healthy state requires the conversion of abnormal tissue to normal tissue instantaneously.  As a scientist the amount of energy required to do this transformation is unimaginable and the intricacy and complexity of the mind that controls that energy is beyond comprehension.

It doesn’t have to be the Bible or science; it is the Bible and science.  God is a God of science, and quality research verifies the work of God on the earth, and specifically, in the fight against cancer. Find prayer support, cancer fighting seminar video, cancer research topics and more...

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Additional Resources

www.cancer.gov - National Cancer Institute

The Cancer Information Service (NCI's) Cancer Information Service (CIS) is a federally funded cancer education program that was established in 1975 as an essential part of NCI's mission and information efforts. Contact us to speak with a trained information specialist who can answer your cancer-related questions in English and Spanish. Call Toll-free: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) or Chat online: LiveHelp

We provide accurate, up-to-date, and reliable information on cancer that is easy to understand. Our trained information specialists provide personalized responses to a range of cancer questions, including:

  • cancer research and clinical trials

  • cancer prevention

  • risk factors

  • symptoms

  • early detection

  • diagnosis

  • treatment

  • living with cancer

  • quitting smoking

www.healingcancernaturally.com

Find a wealth of useful and interesting information on this site devoted to the extensive field of alternative non-intrusive healing modalities for cancer that have proven successful for people with this serious challenges.

www.worldhealth.net

Search for Anti-Aging information and Medical News in Cancer within the Longevity and Age Management section

 

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