Friday, April 27, 2007

After a cancer diagnosis: Crucial questions to consider about chemotherapy vs. naturopathic cancer treatments


It is widely known that an increasing number of consumers are turning to alternative medicine for treatment for diseases like cancer, depression, diabetes, heart disease and so on. What are generally not known are the circumstances under which many consumers make this switch from conventional to alternative medicine.The truth about that is rather surprising and, perhaps, even a bit frustrating because many consumers only switch to alternative medicine after conventional medicine has failed them. That's when many people begin investigating medicinal herbs, acupuncture, or chiropractic care. It is only after they have tried everything with conventional medicine -- drugs, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy -- that they finally realize they are not getting any healthier and need to do something different.

Read More: http://www.newstarget.com/021813.html

Monday, July 03, 2006

Pomegranate juice confirmed as miracle medicine for prostate cancer

(NewsTarget) A UCLA study of pomegranate juice suggests it can have a beneficial effect on prostate cancer in humans.

The study, funded by a pomegranate juice manufacturer, tested men's levels of prostate-specific antigens (PSAs), a chemical produced by prostate cancer cells, and measured how long it took the PSAs to double in each patient. The men who drank a glass of pomegranate juice daily showed a doubling time of 54 months on average, as opposed to the standard average of 15 months, meaning that pomegranate juice slowed the growth of prostate cancer tumors to less than one-third the typical rate.

The participants showed suppressed PSA levels despite the fact that they were only drinking pomegranate juice, and not supplementing the drink with costly prescription drugs or prohibitively expensive conventional cancer treatments.

Link to Article

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Diseases are too profitable to prevent cure....


There's something seriously wrong with our modern system of healthcare in the United States and in Western countries, but this article's not what you might think -- it's not about the obvious things that are wrong. This is about something much larger. Let's take a look from a large, top-down view. In fact, I'm going to challenge the assumption that we should have disease-oriented doctors at all. I think the whole diseased-focused model of health care we have today is part of the problem.

Let's take a look at it: The job of a doctor (a General Practitioner, or GP) is primarily to diagnose disease, treat symptoms and make referrals to other specialists for surgery, lab tests or other procedures. (Good doctors also help educate patients, but that's the exception, not the norm.) Patients don't go see a doctor unless there's something wrong with them. When they do see the doctor, the doctor's job is to patch them up, make the pain go away, make the swelling go down, stitch up the cut, prescribe drugs or whatever is immediately necessary.

Link to article...

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

RESEARCHERS MAKE VITAMIN E OFFSHOOT A POTENT CANCER KILLER

COLUMBUS , Ohio – Researchers here have learned how a derivative of vitamin E causes the death of cancer cells. The researchers then used that knowledge to make the agent an even more potent cancer killer.

Ching-Shih Chen

The compound, called vitamin E succinate, or alpha tocopheryl succinate, is taken by some people as a nutritional supplement, mainly for its antioxidant properties. In addition, it has a weak ability to kill cancer cells, and it has been tested as a cancer chemopreventive agent.

The substance kills cancer cells by causing them to undergo a natural process known as programmed cell death, or apoptosis. Until now, no one knew how the agent caused this to happen.

These findings answer that question and also indicate that the molecule's antitumor activity is separate from its antioxidant effect.

The study, led by researchers with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer CenterArthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James), is published in the April 28 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

“Our findings could lead to a potent chemopreventive agent that has both strong anticancer and antioxidant properties,” says principal investigator Ching-Shih Chen, professor of pharmacy and of internal medicine and a researcher with the OSUCCC-James.

Link to article...

Sunday, May 21, 2006

What is low-dose naltrexone and why is it important?

> Low-dose naltrexone holds great promise for the millions of people worldwide facing a possible death sentence from virtually incurable cancers and other diseases.

> In the developing world, LDN could provide the first low-cost, easy to administer, and side-effect-free therapy for HIV/AIDS.


Link to article

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Vitamin C shots may benefit cancer patients

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High-dose intravenously administered vitamin C apparently led to longer-than-expected survival in three patients with advanced cancer, doctors at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and colleagues in Canada report. Two of the three patients are still alive without evidence of disease.

In the three cases described in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, vitamin C was given intravenously at doses ranging from 15 to 65 grams to produce plasma concentrations that cannot be achieved by taking vitamin C by mouth.

Link to article

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

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.


Link to article