Cancer Research Articles

A War is against Your Immune System

2009-10-05T01:06:00.000-07:00

Is it a stretch to speculate that the coming swine flu vaccinations will be the actual trigger for the mother of all flu pandemics? Could we have a chain reaction that would be falsely attributed as part of the swine flu pandemic, justifying more forced vaccinations? Using live attenuated viruses from infected monkey and other mammalian organs, in addition to other toxic vaccine ingredients, presents this disturbing possibility.

Many of us are recognizing the dangers of vaccination adjuvants, or additives to preserve and enhance the purported efficacy of a vaccine. They are usually thimerosal (mercury) and squalene, both of which often cause serious damage to those vaccinated. Live viruses in vaccinesalready have created scenarios where those given the vaccines became carriers of mutating viruses, which became more virulent and infected others. Collateral damage?

The Basic Fallacy of Vaccinations

It has been statistically proven that the declines in different diseases occurred significantly earlier than the vaccines developed for them. In other words, the viral strains died out while possibly many who were exposed developed a natural immunity. But the vaccination manufacturers took credit so they would be supported to produce more vaccines for big bucks. It's a very profitable business for Big Pharma.

A retired vaccine scientist turned whistle blower disclosed interesting information during an interview by investigative reporter Jon Rappaport in the year 2002: "They [vaccinations] involve the human immune system in a process that tends to compromise immunity. They can actually cause the disease they are supposed to prevent. They can cause other diseases than the ones they are supposed to prevent.

"That [immunity] is the bad premise. It doesn't work that way. A vaccine is supposed to 'create' antibodies which, indirectly, offer protection against disease. However, the immune system is much larger and more involved than antibodies and their related killer cells." You can read this entire interview yourself by linking to it from the sources section below this article.

The Immune System Briefly

The whistle blower, using the pseudonym of Dr. Mark Randall to protect his pension and keep from being harassed, went on to describe the immune system as being virtually the whole body and one's general emotional and mental attitude. What he and other vaccination critics point out is by injecting the vaccine directly into the blood stream, an important part of the physical body immune system is bypassed completely.

The first line of defense are the physical barriers which include the skin, mucosal membranes of the sinus area, throat and bronchial tubes and lungs, tears, ciliary elevator, (cilials are microscopic filaments that extend from mucosal linings and cells to brush and irrigate pathogens out) and urine. Chemical barriers include sebum sweat (oily secretion), stomach acid and lysozymes (the stuff that makes tears salty).

So, by injecting directly into the blood stream, this first line of defense is bypassed. It isn't able to function as a defender against the pathogens contained in the vaccine. In this case, we are dealing with live viruses in the vaccine. Attenuated means they have been processed to replicate more slowly. The adjuvants of mercury and/or squalene go right past that first line of defense as well. This, especially the squalene, often creates what is known as a cytokine storm.

A cytokine storm is when the injected pathogens and adjuvants, especially squalene, create an over reaction in the immune system. The abundance of antibodies then overwhelms healthy tissue with massive inflammation, beyond what would be a normal immune response. This can create a long term debilitating disease or even death. In other words, you get cooked in your own juices! Step right up; roll up your sleeve! This is good for you.

More On Attenuated Viruses

The live viruses are obtained from infected (intentionally) organs of mammals, mostly monkeys. They are cultured in various mediums in order to minimize their virulence while remaining alive. Then they may be placed among other viruses from other sources, sometimes even human fetuses.

The dangers of attenuated viruses are noted in the scientific community, but minimized. A rarely disclosed or discussed downside of attenuated viruses is virus shedding. This has been documented to occur for at least a few weeks after a vaccination. What happens is the vaccinated person sheds some of the viruses in stool, phlegm, or saliva for those few weeks, maybe longer.

Kissing a vaccinated person or being near one who is sneezing and coughing could be more hazardous than dealing with someone who has the swine flu! So those good citizens who get vaccinated could turn out to be more like suicide bombers, spreading viruses while dying slow deaths themselves!

Another risk of attenuated viruses is that at any time they can mutate and become virulent in the inoculated person's body. This makes viral shedding look even worse! This, the vaccine scientists know, but consider not really dangerous enough for concerns. Are they getting vaccinated? Get your toxic cocktail injection here!

What the medical establishment doesn't know, or pretends not to know, is that the vaccination victim has what could be a low level viral infection for the rest of his life, which the immune system is forced to defend 24/7. This compromises an immune system and opens the gate for other pathogens to invade and create a fully manifested disease, even causing cancer.

Yet another known negative aspect of attenuated viruses is that they should not be administered to anyone with an already compromised immune system or with any form of autoimmune disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, for example. People who are sickly are obviously pegged to a compromised immune system. You could include obese people in that last group. Many are probably type II diabetics.

So - will arthritic, sickly, and obese people be allowed to say no to a forced vaccination? No! As a matter of fact, with all the pollutants in the air and water, all the pesticides and insecticides in food, and all the toxic additives in most peoples' diets, it is easy to assume most people have compromised immune systems!

Even those of us who do all we can to boost our immune systems with nutritious organic foods and supplements and exercise can't avoid a toxin over most of us, chemtrails. Those nifty trails from high flying aircraft you see lingering in the sky, disbursing laterally and drifting toward the ground, are full of toxins that attack the nasal, bronchial mucosal areas, and lungs. Right, our immune system's first line of defense.

Many heavily chemtrailed areas report lung and bronchial problems after a spraying. During the last decade and a half, as chemtrailing proliferated, acute and chronic lung disorders have risen greatly. One could say to epidemicproportions! Epidemiological studies actually show this, and MD's have openly registered concern, though very few connect the dots to chemtrails. After all, they don't exist you know. More on chemtrails here:

Harry Hoxsey: Guilty of Curing Cancer with Herbs

2009-10-05T01:05:00.002-07:00

Of all the episodes of alternative cancer treatment suppression by the medical establishment, none is more dramatic and long lasting than Harry Hoxsey's. Harry's constant conflicts covered almost 50 years of the 20th Century. Hoxsey was flamboyant and put himself into the public eye and ear energetically and often.

The medical establishment, cancer industries, and cooperating government agencies responded viciously. His USA operations were closed down in 1960, but his legacy continues as the Bio-Medical Center in Tiajuana, Mexico. His clinic was the first alternative cancer clinic to flee into a less politically medical hostile environment. Others have since followed.

The Hoxsey Treatment

There are two herbal formulas used in the Hoxsey treatment. One is external, and it consists of a red paste made with bloodroot, the active anti tumor ingredient, mixed with zinc chloride and antimony sulfide. This paste is applied directly onto skin cancer tumors.

An almost identical version of the Hoxsey external paste has a history of successful applications on skin cancers as far back as 1850 in England, by a Dr. Fell, who evidently got the bloodroot ingredient from Lake Superior Native Americans by way of European doctors traveling in America. In 1949 and again in the 1960's, there were other American doctors who used the same paste successfully in the States.

The internal tonic consists of Red Clover blossom, Licorice root, Buckthorn bark, Burdock root, Stillingia root, Poke root, Barberry root, Oregon Grape root, Cascara Sagrada bark, Prickly Ash bark, Wild Indigo root and Sea Kelp. The Sea Kelp may have been added more recently to the original formula. A supplement of potassium iodide, was included along with the tonic.

Richard Walters wrote in his Options: The Alternative Cancer Therapy Book, "According to eminent botanist James Duke, Ph.D., of the United States Department of Agriculture, all of the Hoxsey herbs have known anticancer properties . . . Furthermore, Duke noted, the Hoxsey herbs have long been used by Native American healers to treat cancer, and traveling European doctors picked up the knowledge and took it home with them to treat patients."

A diet is included that excludes pork, bleached white flour products, alcohol, sugar, sodas, and excess salt. In the clinic, patients eat together and mingle freely among themselves. The atmosphere is cordial and friendly, the type of positive attitude that encourages healing, sometimes in and of itself.

Communication among staff and patients is open. Humor and positive attitudes are encouraged. When Hoxsey was in charge, he would personally greet and encourage patients to instill a positive attitude. So a good diet and the right energy for healing is part of the treatment, in addition to the herbal remedies.

There was, and still is a one time fee, which enables patients to return as often as needed and receive the tonics. In 2005 at the Mexico Bio-Medical Center, renamed by Hoxsey's request, it was around $3500 to $5000. Compare that to chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, doctor bills, and hospital stays for the average cancer patient! Of course, during the decades before inflation, the one time Hoxsey fee was much less.

Hoxsey himself never turned anyone down for lack of funds. He had become successful as an oil man in Texas. He didn't need the money. Yet claims that Hoxsey was a con man out to exploit people anxious for a cure was a chronic AMA tactic. One of Hoxsey's cured patients commented that her allopathic doctor had warned, "He's gonna just take all your money!" She replied, "But that's impossible. You already have!"

Journalist James Burke observed Hoxsey take people who had traveled to his clinic in Dallas and personally handle all their travel and living expenses while charging nothing if they were broke. Burke was originally sent by Esquire magazine in 1939 to expose Harry Hoxsey as a quack and a fraud.

After witnessing so many patients recover, the manner in which they were treated, and the generosity Hoxsey displayed for cancer victims low on cash, Burke submitted an article titled "The Quack Who Cures Cancer" to Esquire Magazine. It didn't get printed. After the WW II, James Burke volunteered his journalistic services to Hoxsey as a press agent.

All the medical institutional queries into Hoxsey's treatments were and still are negative and dismissive. And these reports are the ones that get published and circulated among the medical journals and press releases to the mass media.

What doesn't get circulated in journals or mass media, however, is that several independent doctors, free of association or institutional restraints, conducted their own investigations and concluded that the Hoxsey therapy was more effective at curing cancer than the "conventional methods," and without side effects. Additionally, there are many Hoxsey cured patient testimonials.

The Hoxsey History

Harry Hoxsey was not a medical practitioner. But he was the young son of a rural Illinois veterinarian who used an herbal tonic and salve on animals, mostly horses, then secretly on humans with cancer. He found the formulas very successful. Though young Harry never got past the 8th grade, he assisted his father and understood the family formula his dad used and how to use and apply it to others.

This was all during the time that herbal medicine and homeopathy were even more popular and widely used than allopathy. A cynical joke around that time was with eclectic medicine (today's alternative medicine) you died of the disease; with allopathic medicine, you died of the cure! The formula had been in the family since the mid nineteenth century. But there is evidence that the herbs have other sources that date back longer.

As Hoxsey's father lay dying in bed, he told his son to use the family name for the formula, and to ensure its integrity. He also told Harry not to use the family formula primarily for monetary gain, but to allow its use for as many cancer victims as possible. In 1922, Harry Hoxsey started his first clinic in Taylorville, Illinois. He was hounded and arrested often for practicing medicine without a license.

He went to Chicago around 1924 to meet with the head of the AMA and editor of the AMA Medical Journal, Dr. Morris Fishbein, to prove the efficacy of his treatment. He was given access to a Chicago policeman, Sgt. Thomas Manix, whose cancer prognosis was terminal. Using both the ointment and tonic, the policeman was completely cured. This is a documented medical fact. Manix lived another 10 years.

Fishbein and associates were impressed, and they offered to buy the formulas from Hoxsey. But Hoxsey disagreed with the terms. There was no guarantee that everyone would be able to have access to the formula, and Hoxsey would be completely out of the loop with no control. Hoxsey refused to hand over the formulas. That was the beginning of their war, as the medical establishment began their campaign to destroy Hoxsey. The AMA claimed no such offer was ever made.

But a similar offer was disclosed to have been made in 1951 to Doctor Andrew C. Ivy, who had done research on curing cancer with a drug developed by a Dr. Durovic called Krebiozen. Dr. Ivy was not of the same personality mold as Hoxsey, who was intelligent but uneducated, and a bit crude yet very outgoing.

Instead, Dr. Ivy was a highly regarded quiet medical researcher who headed the Illinois University School of Medicine and was also the university's vice president. He and Dr. Durovic refused to sell the rights to a couple of business men, one of whom was a friend of the AMA Treasurer, J.J. Moore. For that refusal, Dr. Ivy was dismissed from his chair at the university medical school.

Krebiozen itself was smeared and no one really ever followed up on Dr. Ivy's promising research.
The point is that even though Hoxsey's crude sales persona was used to easily portray him as a con artist, the real issue was over power and control to obtain workable cancer cures for monetary gain, or perhaps to hide them away in order to maintain the status quo, also for monetary gain.

In 1936, Hoxsey established the largest independent clinic in the country in Dallas, Texas. There he was confronted with yet another enemy, the Assistant District Attorney, Al Templeton. Hoxsey was arrested 100 times in two years. Each time he bailed himself out with the large amount of cash he carried just for those occasions. But charges were always dropped as no one would testify against Hoxsey. Too many patients were happy with the treatment.

Al Templeton continued harassing Hoxsey until his brother, Mike Templeton, whose cancer was considered incurable by conventional allopathy, sneaked to the clinic to receive Hoxsey's treatments. He was cured. Al properly credited his brother's cure to Hoxsey's treatment, and he had a change of heart. The Assistant DA then became Hoxsey's lawyer, and soon he was elected as a district judge. Now Hoxsey had friends in high places, locally.

But his biggest problems came on a national level, since he had the large clinic in Dallas and several other smaller ones in different states. In 1949, Morris Fishbein wrote a hit piece on Hoxsey that was featured in the Hearst papers' Sunday Magazine, available to 20 million readers. The title was "Blood Money," and it was full of the character assassination bile that Fishbein had spewed endlessly in JAMA (Journal of American Medical Association) over the previous years.

Prior to this, Hoxsey relied on appealing to the public by radio, film, and with public demonstrations. He had also written a book, You Don't Have to Die. He was a bit crass, and his manner and direct sales approach made him an easy target of ridicule from official authority types. But he was widely accepted by the general public, and he had some supporters in government and in the medical profession as well.

But this time Hoxsey attacked directly and named names. He sued the Hearst Newspaper empire and Morris Fishbein and the AMA Journal for slander and libel, and surprisingly, he won! The award was only $2.00 (two dollars). Supposedly, the judge declared there was no monetary damage, since Hoxsey had successfully used the AMA persecution to promote his treatments and products. But the ruling was that Hearst and Fishbein were guilty of libel and slander. Hoxsey had paraded over 50 cured cancer patients into the courtroom, along with testimony from other supporters.

More important than the award was Fishbein's embarrassment. The trail revealed that Fishbein had flunked anatomy in college, and he had never practiced medicine! Fishbein also admitted that the external salve Hoxsey used was actually effective. This after years of propagandizing the salve as worthless and dangerous. So despite the measly two dollar award, it was a stunning victory for Hoxsey. And it got even better.

The Supreme Court upheld the decision, ruling that the AMA had used restrictive trade techniques. The ensuing publicity aroused a public outcry against the AMA in the early 1950's. The AMA was considered by many as nothing better than a trade union that would not tolerate competition. Seems like the more things change the more they remain the same!

Even Congress upheld that viewpoint in 1953, when the Fitzgerald report determined that the Hoxsey treatment and twelve other alternative treatments, including the aforementioned Krebiozen, were actively conspired against by organized medicine. Morris Fishbein was forced to resign from his long tenure as head of the AMA. But these victories were not enough for Hoxsey.

He stubbornly lobbied for congressional hearings on the efficacy of his treatments, and insisted that the medical authorities investigate and do their own research. Even after a panel of physicians with more of a nutritional and herbal focus asserted the validity of Hoxsey's treatment, a panel of surgeons and radiologists dismissed their verdict. The reason the AMA gave for declining further investigation was they didn't want to raise false hopes and give the public any false hope or hint of the treatment's credibility. Interesting logic!

So as usual, whenever Hoxsey raised the stakes on the medical establishment, a backlash was sure to come. This time, the AMA got another alphabet soup to do their bidding, the FDA. The FDA pursued a long campaign of harassing not only Hoxsey, but also his patients. Finally, the FDA closed and padlocked all 17 of Hoxsey's clinics on the same day in 1960. Hoxsey was beaten and retreated.

Patrick Swayze dead at 57 after chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer

2009-10-05T01:05:00.001-07:00

Beloved actor Patrick Swayze died yesterday evening after a 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Having put his faith in conventional chemotherapy, he largely dismissed ideas that nutrition, superfoods or "alternative medicine" might save him, instead betting his life on the chemotherapy approach which seeks to poison the body into a state of remission instead of nourishing it into a state of health.

These are not condemnations of this remarkable man; they are simply descriptive explanations of the path he chose and the results he experienced. Patrick Swayze was a talented, dedicated actor and dancer, and his work brought joy to the lives of millions. He will be deeply missed, and in his death, he joins many other celebrities who have been recently killed by pharmaceuticals or chemotherapy.

Peter Jennings died following chemotherapy for lung cancer. Heath Ledger died following an accidental overdose of prescription medications (http://www.naturalnews.com/022602.html). Michael Jackson was killed by a doctor-administered injection of lethal painkillers. Famed newscaster Tim Russert most likely died from the fatal side effects of cholesterol medications (http://www.naturalnews.com/023434_T...). Former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow died after receiving chemotherapy for colon cancer (http://www.naturalnews.com/023626_c...), and Bernie Macwas most likely killed by pharmaceutical side effects (http://www.naturalnews.com/023817_B...).

The list of celebrities killed by western medicine is seemingly endless. And now, sadly, Patrick Swayze joins that ever-growing list of famous, endearing people who paid the ultimate price for their misplaced faith in slash-and-burn medicine and "conventional" chemotherapy treatments.

Western medicine offers no hope, no solutions

Of course, the cancer industry takes no responsibility for his death. Drug companies and cancer docs never accept responsibility for the way their poisonous treatments harm (and often kill) many fine people.

Had Patrick Swayze's pancreatic cancer gone away, doctors would have hailed chemotherapy as the genius treatment that saved Swayze's life. But chemotherapy has never healed anyone of cancer. Not once in the history of medicine. And when people die after being poisoned by chemotherapy, the oncologists and conventional medical doctors just shrug and say ridiculous things like, "The cancer was too far along" or "He didn't fight it hard enough."

No one fought cancer more diligently and optimistically than Patrick Swayze. Even after being diagnosed with an admittedly scary disease -- pancreatic cancer -- he remained upbeat and enthusiastic about beating the condition. He put more faith in conventional medicine and chemotherapy than perhaps anyone, and yet that medicine failed him just the same. No one can fault Swayze himself for a lack of optimism.

"I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it," Swayze said in a highly-publicized interview with ABC's Barbara Walters. No one apparently told Swayze the cancer industry isn't looking for a cure. They're looking for more business from more patients, and a genuine "cure" for cancer is flatly incompatible with the industry's business interests.

Could he have been saved?

Could Patrick Swayze have saved his own life with natural medicine? Absolutely. Without question. Even late-stage pancreatic cancer can be reversed (yes, reversed) with full-on naturopathic treatments involving Chinese herbal medicine, deep body detoxification that includes sweat saunas and colon cleansing, radical changes in diet from "dead" foods to "live" foods, a healthy dose of vitamin D and the daily consumption of raw anti-cancer living juices made from fresh, organic produce like cabbage, broccoli and garlic.

Chemo Does Not Cure: Often It Inflicts Damage and Spreads Cancer

2009-10-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

(NaturalNews) For years now, many of us who advocate natural health and natural approaches to beating cancer have warned against the dangers and the ineffectiveness of chemotherapy. The following report presented at the 27th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium illustrates how chemo actually spreads cancer cells, as well as points out how little we are being told about the dangers of chemo:

"German investigators from Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, have shown that taxol (the "gold standard of chemo") causes a massive release of cells into circulation.

"Such a release of cancer cells would result in extensive metastasis months or even years later, long after the chemo would be suspected as the cause of the spread of the cancer. This little known horror of conventional cancer treatment needs to be spread far and wide, but it is not even listed in the side effects of taxol."

As has oft been stated, chemo does not cure cancer - it merely attempts to eliminate the tumors and cancer cells that are symptoms of the underlying causes of cancer, and does so with little success and great risks. In some instances it may appear to eliminate tumors and cancer cell masses, though most often it merely destroys some of the cancer cells. In the process, it often inflicts a very high price.

Besides spreading cancer cells, chemo inflicts serious and perhaps irreversible damage to the immune system, the body's natural first line of defense against cancer and other illness - thus paving the way for the remaining cancer cells or future cancers to overwhelm a body that is even less able to beat the cancer that got past the immune system in the first place.

Chemo also frequently results in serious and even fatal damage, and major organs are also damaged, particularly the liver - which as cancer pioneer Max Gerson observed is always impaired to begin in those who get cancer. The heart is also frequently seriously damaged.

The end result is that chemo kills more patients than it "cures". Most of those deaths are the result of liver or heart failure. Statistically, it has been estimated that the five year success rate from chemo is only about 3% (meaning only about 3% more patients who opted for chemo survived at least five years than did those who opted to not undergo chemo). But even that meager statistic is misleading in two key ways:

First of all, though survival rates are slightly higher for the first couple of years compared to those who opted out of chemo, after the third year the survival rate for those who opted out is greater than those who were treated with chemo and the gap widens significantly every year after that.

Secondly, and perhaps most important of all, the survival rates compare all of those who either undergo chemotherapy or decide against it. That includes the very large number of people who do little or nothing to address their cancer naturally and merely forego chemo. If chemo survival rates were compared with those of people who not only opted out of chemo, but also chose a non-invasive natural protocol to eliminate the toxins and other causes of cancer, to boost their immune systems and to attack the cancer naturally without inflicting damage to the rest of the body, there would surely be no comparison.

You can bet that it is a comparison the cancer industry never wants to make.

Lessons Learned - Four Years Cancer Free

2009-08-19T09:51:00.001-07:00

My colleague Agi asked me recently, "so what have you learned from cancer?"

I replied, "I always thought it was about stress - cancer was a lesson on how to avoid stress."

But it's become more than that. Cancer has taught me many things. Some I always know and act on. Others I need a kick up the butt to remember!

Here's my top five lessons learned, courtesy of cancer:

1. The only person who can say 'no' is you. Even though your colleagues may see you overloading yourself with responsibilities, jobs, and obligations, AND they know you've been through cancer, only YOU can say 'no'. Don't wait for somebody else to take responsibility for your life - not even your adoring husband can do that - you've got do it for yourself. So stand up firm, believe in the primacy of your own life, and say 'no' to what does not support you in thriving.

2. What's the point in worrying? Actually, that's my husband Rob's motto. He's the happiest man in the world (you can tell as he hums in the shower every morning). It's a great lesson and I really needed it when going through cancer. You can live in worry, or you can live in positive expectation. Either way the future is unknown, so might as well feel good about what's coming instead of dreading it.

3. The small things really matter. Saying thank you, a warm hug, paying for someone else's coffee, knowing the squeejee guy's name who waits for you on the corner to wash your car windows, jonquils that bloom on your birthday, friends who love you enough to call you even when you haven't called them in six months, notes from appreciative readers that make your day, your husband who makes dinner every night. (ok, that's really a big one, but it still counts!) These little moments make up the quality of your life each day - seek them out. Give them out!

4. The big things really matter. Did you forget to celebrate? Milestones can whip past you faster than a grasshopper strapped to an airplane. It's easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life and leadership - make sure you stop and appreciate your achievements. Rewards are a good thing too. Shopping at Ondina's is an excellent reward - I can feel my wallet burning a hole in my pocket right now with her more than 50% off sale happening...

Don't fancy a trip out? Snoozing on the couch with a favourite book, mooching around in your jammies after a sleep-in, and taking a weekend off to simply 'be' are also excellent rewards.

5. From time to time you will get caught up in old patterns. Be ok with that. Don't beat yourself up. Ships, airplanes, and YOU are often off-course as they make their way to their destination. So if you find yourself fretting about the 'old stuff' - like how big your butt is, or whether the people at your new job will like you, or bedroom cupboards that need fixing, or the fact that the '&$@#' printer won't print - it's ok. This too shall pass. Get over it, or pay someone to fix it for you - butt included.

Lastly, life is a creative experience, like pottery - some experiences are gorgeous; others are like lumps of pooh that have been dumped on the spinning wheel. Just clean up, have a laugh, and go again.

Life is too short to get wound up, drink bad wine, and eat cheap chocolate.

To your delicious life!

Don't Worry About Cancer - Most Cancers Are Survivable

2009-08-19T09:50:00.002-07:00

Far too many people get far too worried about getting cancer, and this adds unnecessary and unhelpful stress, real stress, and stress that could actually cause health problems, perhaps not cancer, but such negative biofeedback is not good for anybody.

We have a mass media psychological crisis going on these days in America when it comes to cancer; there are far too many Big Pharma advertisements on TV, and far too many ads from cancer research nonprofits, attempting to scare people into donating. Yes, I know that bad news travels fast, and therefore, this is why they are using this method, unfortunately, it is scaring people into ill-health.

Yes, maybe medical insurance companies or even ObamaCare might also benefit from all this, but it's not right what we are doing to our citizenry on this issue. Indeed, cancer is a horrible disease, and depending on the type of cancer far too serious to even wish to talk about it, and yes, we should have a national dialogue and 15 Billion Dollars in cancer research spent in the next 5-years to wipe it out.

Still, citizens must realize that most cancers are now treatable or curable and the survival rates are astounding compared to 50 years ago. The reality is people should not worry about getting cancer as much as they do, and scaring them into this line of thinking is not helping anybody. Stop worrying about things, and start eating right, and working out more and you should be fine; and yes, get checked out as recommended, but for god's sake don't worry about it, it will eat you up inside and cause you stress.

Out Thinking Cancer - Natural Alternatives to Fight Cancer

2009-08-19T09:50:00.001-07:00

We all know the common medical treatments for cancer, radiation, chemo, surgery. This leads to hair loss, weakness and destruction of good body tissue and cells. What about natural alternatives to fight cancer? Consider the things that nature provided for us. Read more to find out a few of these things.

When you hear the word Cancer the first thing you think is death, defeat, let's use this thought process and turn the tables on this deadly disease.

Out-Thinking Cancer

You ask, how can you out think such a deadly disease? Did you ever ask why are so many people afflicted with cancer? You will discover many reasons stress, nutrition, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, toxins in the air and water, acidic diets, smoking, drugs, etc. Even the human body as resilient as it is can't resist a breakdown under these conditions, but nature has given us natural help and the brain to understand how to use it.

Natural Alternatives

In most cases cancer crept up on you over time. I've know people who had blood in their urine for more than a year and died, is this out thinking cancer or avoiding thinking about it? Of course there are some cases where cancer kills within months without warning, but in the majority of cases there are always some signs, this is the time to react. You need to do three things:

React
Learn/Understand
Look At Natural Alternatives

Doing nothing will kill you, understanding what you have will help you and searching for what nature has to offer might save you. Instead of letting the word cancer paralyze you into a spiral of fear and hopelessness, turn the tables, out-think cancer by knowing the enemy, know the things you might have done over time to allow it into your body and find out what it doesn't like, concentrate on this and you may not only out think cancer, but you can even beat it.

Learn more about cancer and natural treatments.

Home Herbal Help For Cancer

2009-08-19T09:49:00.002-07:00

We all wish to avoid contracting cancer, a condition of chaotic rather than normal patterns and growth of our body cells. We know that there are many factors found to contribute to this condition and are fully recognized. Many of these are to be found in our modern lifestyle in the abundant use of synthetic chemicals we employ but which provide irritants if not direct carcinogenic causes of the disease.

In spite of the billions of dollar spent in researching the disease that is so often to prove a fatal one, there is no known drug that is guaranteed to cure, particularly if nothing is done to address the well known underlying causes. At the present time it is obvious that medical research has chosen the long route with no improvement as the cancer statistics of populations in western countries continues to rise.

We as individuals must do everything possible to avoid the negatives and to increase our own personal, positive habits that will build natural good health and vitality that provides our real defence against cancer, and all other diseases. So what can we do through our nutrition, the major single cause of cancer? Our diet remains a controllable factor, dependent upon the policy we choose to effect in our own home. We must also resist the negative commercial food advertising that tries to convince us that they are offering us the cheapest, the tastiest, and the best!

The following information may prove helpful for you in motivating your own health programme, and possibly introducing you to some foods that will be therapeutic if you are already suffering cancer and wish to find a more natural alternative to the one that is failing us in the general medical treatment system.

Acerola (Malpighia glabra) is proving invaluable in the treatment of many diseases, including cancer. The berries are extremely high in vitamin C, with each fruit providing about 80 times more than fresh orange juice and therefore considered the most superior known source of this essential vitamin.

Alfalfa, Lucerne (Medicago sativa) a fodder plant with high nutrient content with all known vitamins, 8 digestive enzymes and calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. It can be taken as a tea made from leaves or the sprouted seeds can be enjoyed fresh in savouries. It is considered to have great nutritional as well as healing properties and to give new vigour to body cells. Cancer patients benefit by including this plant in their regular diet.

Aloe vera (Aloe vera) juice is used both internally for cancer of the gastro-intestinal tract and is a proven application when externally used for healing skin cancer. The gel is a liquid tonic in treating problems of the gastro intestinal system such as irritable bowel syndrome. It is also particularly soothing for those suffering from bowel cancer.

Apricot Kernel (Prunus armeniaca)The kernels of the apricot fruit contain oil, albumen, sugar, mucus and cyanogenetic heteroside. A cottage cure for cancer consists of eating 2-3 kernels per day. It is possible that seeds of other plants of the Prunus genus and also apple and pear seeds have the same curative properties. The problem lies in getting a minimum dose that will not prove toxic. Its use is therefore restricted in most countries without a long traditional use.

Astragalus Root (Astragalus membranaceus) helps strengthen the immune system and generates anti-cancer cells in the body. It is known as an adaptogen. It enhances cell metabolism, delaying cell ageing, boosts protein synthesis in the liver, stimulates immune system, restores adrenal cortex function and improves metabolism. It is regularly prescribed to correct the complex condition of many cancers.

Beetroot Juice (Beta vulgaris) proven in Germany to cure 'incurable' cancer patients is used by Dr. Siegmund Schmidt, to reduce effects of radiation therapy. The effective remedy employs the beet after its preparation that excludes the section immediately below the juncture of the leaves.

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea italica) Eating fresh organically grown broccoli you will find that it is so tender that it melts in the mouth and makes you look forward to the next mouthful with no need for encouragement - even children love it. It is one of the main vegetables recommended fro those who wish to avoid bowel cancer.

Cabbage, raw (Brassica oleracea capitata) the juice provides a strong tonic for those suffering any serious condition of the digestive system including stomach cancer. In the latter case, the freshly juiced cabbage must be first diluted with water so not to irritate the stomach lining. Best to take a teaspoon of Slippery Elm powder 5 minutes beforehand as described under "S".

Carrots (Daucus carota) raw carrots and carrot juice some claim this alone as a cure for cancer.It is only by juicing the carrots that we can expect results as it is not possible to eat the number of root required to provide what is needed. It is a delicious drink and should be taken once a day.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) external and internal for cancer relieves pain of stomach and intestinal cancer - soothes and heals tissues. Home grown comfrey leaves are tender enough to cut up in salads or to juice through with carrots or other material. The thicker outer leaves are tasty when dipped in light batter and shallow fried. Comfrey extract is available from herbalists either from the root source, or the leaves.

Couchgrass (Agropyron repens) for prostatic hypertrophy Agropyron together with Hydrangea is given for prostate enlargement. The medicinal extract is available through herbalists and after proper identification in your home garden, a tea may be made at home. This is sometimes as effective as other well known specific herbs for the complaint. Prostate conditions can remain benign if we maintain our good general state of health and refrain from hasty decisions to undergo surgery.

Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) To protect cells from any abnormal or cancerous changes, be sure to eat cranberries regularly. Not only are they rich, as are all the berry fruits, in antioxidants, but have a unique property that helps to prevent mutations in DNA and therefore inhibiting growth of tumors. This property is called ellagic acid, that to quote Gary D Stoner, Ph.D, director of the cancer chemo-prevention program at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in Columbus, "....Ellagic acid has what we call anti-initiating activity. It inhibits the genetic damage that starts the cancer process."

Echinacea, Purple Coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) contains inulin and is diaphoretic, alterative in action, an antitoxin medicine. The herbal extract is readily available in the popular treatment for flu and septic infections and blood poisoning but is prescribed also in the treatment of cancer. Homoeopaths treat many diseases with homoeopathic doses of echinacea. Internally it reduces pain and improves ability to resist infection or disease.

Garlic (Allium sativum) and raw onions one of the best preventative medicines. Garlic for carcinoma and a strong preventive against cancer. In Japan fresh garlic has shown a successful degree of immunity. Garlic is an old traditional remedy for the lungs, now shown to be invaluable in the treatment of lung conditions such as cancer.

Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) is believed to be a powerful preventive and also to cure cancer. If any acute condition of the digestive system precludes eating the fresh root as a regular part of the diet, a delightful tea can be made from sliced pieces of the root and with honey added.

Grape (Vitis vinifera) Fresh juice is a fine tonic to treat or to avoid cancer. A grape cure - eating only grapes for some days - is claimed by some to be effective but the juice and fasting is best. The seeds should also be chewed on occasion and the cold pressed grape seed oil used unheated in the diet.

Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) is high in antioxidants and inhibits some cancers due to the presence of polyphenols. It is becoming very popular as an alternative to ordinary tea.

Liquorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is one of the most important herbs for prevention of cancer and for its treatment also . It is considered by the Chinese of value along with ginseng and other herbs. It offers a defence and strengthens one's immunity. A simple way to take it is to select and enjoy a good quality confection, if your local herbalist cannot supply the pure extract.

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is known to have high vitamin B and potassium content and an inhibiting substance in which tumour cells cannot survive and proliferate . It helps in reducing free radicals and histamine.

Pawpaw (Carica papaya)The latex of the green fruit is used for treatment of skin cancers in Ghana. Trials involving the leaves for internal use in cancer as well as for external application to tumours are promising and have been employed for several decades in North Queensland for this purpose.

Petty Spurge,Cancer Weed (Euphorbia peplus) is used commonly in Australia as an external treatment for skin cancer.

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)This common pasture plant is a valuable blood tonic for stamina, tone and prescribed in arthritis, coronary thrombosis and now laboratory tests show its affect in inhibiting tumours. This confirms its traditional use in Chinese medicine. The tea made from the flowers is recommended as a daily drink for those with breast cancer. It is being researched by western medicine for its potential in the treatment of cancers in general.

Shepherd's Purse, Shovelweed (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is a common garden weed. A safe tonic for breast cancer, or as a preventative, is to include a few leaves in salads regularly. Be sure to identify the plant before use.

Slippery Elm Powder (Ulmus fulva, U. rubra) This is an anti inflammatory, soothing remedy used for cancer of the digestive tract. It is marketed as a fine powder a teaspoonful of which is to be mixed with warm to hot water into a thin soup-like paste and swallowed shortly before mealtimes. Its common name tends to put people off the remedy but the taste is acceptable and should be persevered with. It takes its place not only as a traditional invalid food, but has saved many people from the pain of stomach ulceration and gastro-intestinal inflammations and disorders. Many can testify to its marvellous, almost magical soothing properties.

Tomato, Love Apple (Lycopersicon esculentum) has earned its place as a valued tonic food to help prevent cancer. Tomatoes contain nitrosamine blockers . Nitrosamine is capable of inducing cancer. It is therefore becoming better known that tomatoes in abundance are advisable in our diet.

Tumeric (Curcuma longa syn C. domestica) The root is a valued food medicine and considered a powerful in the prevention of cancer. Its value as a high antioxidant is considered by some to be equal or greater than vitamin E for this purpose. Tumeric is considered invaluable in all Asian food and medicine.

Violet leaves (Viola odorata) are traditionally included in cancer cures. Leaves and sometimes flowers are made into a tisane and used for external bathing of skin cancers and other conditions and also taken as internal tonic. It is an ancient remedy for pain as well as to cure tumours. A few leaves in salads taken regularly in the diet provides a deterrent to cancer. It is an ingredient in the famous Hoxey tonic that claimed great success in the U.S

Vitamin C is of vital importance. It is essential to increase it in the diet in order to prevent cancer. It is not the synthetic vitamin pill that is referred to but the natural vitamin found in hundreds of fresh, cultivated fruits and foods and of course organically grown produce in mind as the finest quality. Some of the highest content are found in acerola berries.

Wheatgrass Juice (Triticum sp.) a little each day is claimed as a home cure for cancer and in some countries the juice is commercially available. Otherwise the seed has to be cultivated at home and harvested for juicing when the plants are about six inches (15cm) high.

It is imperative when seeking to employ self help methods, to properly ascertain the correctness of species of a plant not in your common use.. Seek the advice of a herbalist or professional botanist before using plants that are not familiar.

Enjoy eating the fresh foods that are loaded with vitamins and health promoting elements. Be encouraged on your way as you will be following a natural and simple path towards better health through common sense, self discipline and a future free of the fear of disease and invasive treatment methods.

Sally Wilson, professional herbalist and naturopath has wide experience in herbal remedies and is renowned for research in a range of specializations. Most dominant is the application of medicinal healing herbs. Another interest has been to identify garden plants that cause infant and animal poisoning. In addition to the range of well known pasture poisons that affect stock, there are common plants that are toxic to our pets, as detailed in her book Some Plants are Poisonous published by Reed Books, Australia 1997.
Traditional herbalism is based on its principle is to retain the whole plant chemistry as nature has created it. It is this essential that makes herbal remedies unique and so safe to use.
Herbs and foods are natural medicines.

Lycopene in Fighting Cancer - Is There a Connection?

2009-08-19T09:49:00.001-07:00

It can be difficult for the average person to find information about lycopene in fighting cancer or preventing it. Some information is suppressed, because doctors do not want their patients to have unrealistic hopes or fore go conventional treatments in favor of alternative ones.

This article is meant only to help inform people about what a big role a healthy diet and good nutrition play in preventing some types of cancer. While some forms of the disease are most surely due to genetics or exposure to environmental toxins like cigarette smoke, researchers have shown again and again, that the incidence of certain types is 50-80% higher among people with poor nutrient intake.

In 2009, Brazilian researchers reported that the risk of cervical cancer was nearly 50% lower in women with a high intake of dark green and deep yellow vegetables and fruits. Results from studies completed in Seoul, Korea during the same year were similar.

Research from Israel concluded that "consumption of most carotenoids" is strongly associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, but that cigarette smoking reversed the protective effect. When researchers look at the benefit of lycopene in fighting cancer, they typically look at other carotenoids, too.

Carotenoids are a group of nutrients that include the common beta-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A, lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene. They often look at the benefit of vitamin E and C, at the same time. Decades ago, the Linus Pauling Institute suggested that vitamin C could be used to cure cancers. Some studies have supported that suggestion. Others have not.

While it may be possible to wipe out the disease, it will likely take a combination of nutrients, rather than a single one, because there are multiple causes of the disease. In other words, instead of looking at a single nutrient like lycopene in fighting cancer, researchers should probably begin looking at a combination of nutrients that address three main issues.

One of those issues is free radical damage. Carotenoids and other antioxidants address that issue.

Another is inflammation.

Acute inflammation caused by illness or injury is a necessary function of the immune system. Chronic or systematic inflammation is a cause of cellular aging and plays a role in many types of cancers. Dietary factors cause that type of inflammation. Other dietary factors can prevent it.

Researchers believe that including more natural anti-inflammatories in the diet will reduce the risk of many age-related diseases. When they have looked at lycopene in fighting cancer of the lungs, they have also been intrigued by its anti-inflammatory activity. It is not a potent anti-inflammatory. Turmeric, resveratrol, carnosine and omega-3 fish oil have more potent anti-inflammatory activity.

Another factor contributing to cellular aging and DNA damage that has been shown to contribute to age-related diseases and even wrinkles is Glycation. The only nutrient that has been proven to help prevent Glycation is l-carnosine.

You might not hear much about Glycation or inflammation, but they are just as damaging as free radicals.

Now that you know a little more about lycopene in fighting cancer, you might want to learn more about other beneficial nutrients. They might be the cures we've been looking for.

Never Bring Fear to a Cancer Fight!

2009-08-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

"You have cancer." Millions of people hear these dreaded words each year. A huge wave of fear often follows. There are many forms of this life-threatening disease. Cancer can be a death sentence. I certainly understand what it's like. I have been there.

However, instead of thinking about writing your will, have the will, to live. Have the will, to fight! Don't allow fear to paralyze you. Fear can actually do more harm than the cancer itself. Replace your fear, with faith!

In October of 1997, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The tumor was near my heart and lungs. At the time, I was 27 years old. My family was stunned and heartbroken. They were also scared. Tears and prayers were virtually endless. I remained calm. Many could not understand why.

Was I going to die? Reality is, we are all going to die. One day. You don't have to be ill. One can be healthy and young, and still die. There are many people who die, every day, who don't have cancer, or a life-threatening illness. Death can be around the corner for any of us. Life is precious. No one knows when they are going to die. Life isn't in the hands of man, it's in the hands of our Maker. God. I knew that God was my life support. God made this body, therefore, I knew that He could fix it. He could heal me, or allow me, to continue to live.

I underwent six months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation treatments. I lost all of my hair, but I never lost my faith in God. Nor did I ever lose hope. Faith does wonders. It is what brought me through one of the biggest storms of my life. Without faith in God, I would have fallen apart. I would have been living, as if I were going to die. Instead, I lived, like I was going to live. Yes, I had cancer, but it did not have me.

Become your own advocate! The doctor that you choose is very important. Choose a doctor who gives hope. Not one who stamps out hope. Choose a doctor who treats you, the human being, first and foremost. The disease needs no hope or encouragement. The person does. If you treat the person, you will automatically treat the disease. You cannot separate the two. The results are often better as well.

Don't allow anyone to tell you how to grieve. However, never harm yourself. If you lack faith, ask God. If you are scared, tell God. Talk to Him. Honesty is always best.

Surround yourself with positive people. Do not allow negative people to be around you, including doctors. Don't let negative thoughts enter your mind either.

Look up! Always look in the direction where you want to go. If you look down, you will be down. Depressed. Scared. Hopeless.

The unknown can hinder us. Hold on to what you know, activate that. God knows our outcome. All things are in His hands. Not ours. Not the doctor's. Only His. Knowing that, can make a huge difference, when we face any storm in life. And there are many.

Jacqueline Kennedy had the same form of cancer. She died within five months after being diagnosed. Money can buy you the best doctors, but it can't buy you good health. Nor can it buy you life. Life, is God-given. Life is a gift from God; we should never take life for granted.

It's 12 years later. I thank God for sparing my life.

Never bring fear to a cancer fight, bring faith! You will find that you have increased your chances for survival.

Michelle Cole is an author and motivational speaker.

She is the author of, "Lilla Belle the First Stages" and "F.A.T. CHANCE."

Dr Rashid Buttar Treats Many Conditions Including Cancer

2009-08-19T09:47:00.002-07:00

Dr Rashid Buttar has a constant battle with the North Carolina Medical Board over his clinic and its work. He believes they are trying to keep the court cases running in the hopes of diminishing his money to a state where he cannot afford to run the clinic any longer. There are many doctors who support his work and do what's best for their patients and let them choose the best course of action for them about treatment. But it's the institution of modern medicine that is opposed to his practices.

That aside, Dr Buttar pushes on to help as many patients as he can, and with a great deal of success. He's had some great recoveries from cancer and his DVD: Cancer-The Untold Truth is one in a series of discs called "Know Your Options". His philosophies on healing certainly includes prevention is better than cure. But as most people never think about illness until it happens to them, he advocates that dealing with 7 toxicity problems in our bodies, allows the body to function as it should and heal itself.

He maintains that according to conventional medical literature, most cancer is cause by some type of toxicity causing the immune system damage and yet Chemo, Radiation, and surgery do not take care of the immune system. Also, surprisingly, Dr Buttar says many cancer patients actually die from malnutrition, but nothing is really addressed as far as keeping the correct nutrients up to the body during treatments.

He does extensive work with Autistic children, and is having a dramatic effect on their quality of life and that of their families. Other conditions he treats on a regular basis are:

* Hepatitis
* Auto Immune Conditions (myasthenia gravis, MS, etc)
* Cancer
* Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue
* Stroke
* Heart Disease
* Peripheral Vascular Disease
* Hypertension
* Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders
* Alzheimer's Disease
* Diabetes
* Degenerative Joint Disease

Quite an extensive list. The world is certainly a better place for people like Dr Buttar. He not only gives hope but he gives quality of life, that is a gift that just can't be beaten.

The Mental Psychological Aspect of Surviving Cancer

2009-08-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

When many people find out that they are suffering from cancer, they regard it as a death sentence. Whilst depression is understandable, giving up should not be an option. Because the more positive and upbeat you are then the more likely you are to survive cancer. One of the first things that you have to do is reconcile your hopes and dreams with your subconscious.

Work out what it is that you want from your treatment and whether it is realistic to achieve whatever you want, then use your medical team to assist in those goals. There is never a single way to approach anything in life and this is as true for curing cancer as anything else. There are many paths that you can take, it may meander there or climb a mountain metaphorically. What is important to remember is the fact that it is your goal and your path, now is not the time to fulfill someone else dream.

You need to create a plan and take specific steps and actions to get you from where you are now to where you ultimately want to be. It is important to focus on the how rather than the outer goal. For instance you may decide that you want to be a five year cancer survivor, but the important thing is how you are going to achieve that objective. If necessary make room in your life for new objectives, get rid of any extra baggage, now is the time to focus on yourself. That does not mean push your family away or ignore them, but it does mean saying no to things that you do not want to do. Women find saying no especially difficult, but somehow you have to find a way and reconcile your self conscious desires and your actions.

From a psychological point of view that reconciliation is important. When we deny ourselves what we really want to do, we create tension between out conscious desires and our subconscious desires. Your mind power and your subconscious mind work together and they fashion your reality. Let's use a parallel to help you visualize how this works. Your subconscious mind is the part of your mind that you are not aware of your thoughts, but if you ignore it, it can create tensions in our lives known as Freudian slips. Which means the subconscious has a way of telling us what we really want? On a conscious level we may want to be kind and understanding, but we can be petty and mean.

Our subconscious is rather like a fertile soil any seed at all can take root. These seeds are your habitual thoughts and the things that you believe in and eventually they will grow to produce a crop. So if you plant weeds then you will get weeds in abundance and if you plant fruit tress then you will get masses of fruit. Our conscious mind that deals with all our conscious thoughts is the cultivator; it can grow anything in the subconscious.

Our conscious mind can impart a sense of failure or a mindset that we cannot fail at anything. It will not allow ourselves to be distracted in whatever our subconscious wants. Our subconscious can not hold success and failure at the same time, because our subconscious cannot be ambivalent, it wants one thing and one thing only. It is our conscious mind that is ambivalent. Make sure that your conscious and unconscious mind both want the same things, there is no room for doubt.

When many people find out that they are suffering from cancer they regard it as a death sentence. Whilst depression is understandable giving up should not be an option, because the more positive and upbeat you are then the more likely you are to survive cancer. One of the first things that you have to do is reconcile your hopes and dreams with your subconscious.

Work out what it is that you want form your treatment and whether it is realistic to achieve whatever you want, then use your medical team to assist in those goals. There is never a single way to approach anything in life and this is as true fro curing cancer as anything else. There are many paths that you can take it may meander there or climb a mountain metaphorically. What is important to remember is the fact that it is your goal and your path, now is not the time to fulfill someone else dream.

You need to create a plan and take specific steps and actions to get you from where you are now to where you ultimately want to be. It is important to focus on the how rather than the outer gaol. For instance you may decide that you want to be a five year cancer survivor, but the important thing is how you are going to achieve that objective. If necessary make room in your life for new objectives, get rid of any extra baggage now is the time to focus on you. That does not mean push your family away or ignore them, but it does mean saying no to things that you do not want to do. Women find saying no especially difficult, but somehow you have to find a way and reconcile your self conscious desires and your actions.

Our conscious mind can impart a sense of failure or a mindset that we cannot fail at anything. It will not allow ourselves to be distracted in whatever out subconscious wants. Our subconscious can not hold success and failure at the same time, because our subconscious cannot be ambivalent, it wants one thing and one thing only. It is our conscious mind that is ambivalent. Make sure that your conscious and unconscious mind both want the same things, there is no room for doubt.

Enjoying Your Health? A Personal Journey Through Cancer's Lair

2009-08-19T09:46:00.002-07:00

What are you doing to maintain your health so that you and your family can enjoy life for years to come?

My family has been plagued with cancer for as long as I can remember, and the prospect that I may very well come down with a type of cancer is very real. I was born in 1967, and so I remember just so much up until the mid-70s, but within ten years, my three aunts and my mother were stricken with and succumbed to breast cancer.

My mother was the last of the sisters to go in 1979. I was eleven years old at the time. In 1981, my twenty year-old brother discovered lumps where our lymph nodes live, and was diagnosed with a rare form of lymph node cancer. He died less than a year later. I was fifteen years old at the time.

At the same time, my father was diagnosed with cancer, but he was able to defeat it the first time around. In 1997, he was diagnosed for the third time with a type cancer, this time being a type of liver cancer. He died just a couple months after diagnosis. I was thirty years old at the time.

I am now 42, and I am sad to say that two more of my family members were diagnosed with cancer. A cousin of mine with breast cancer and my oldest brother with a rare type of brain cancer stage 4. This is not easy news to hear, and the older we get, the more clearly we realize that health can be very fleeting.

My brother is taking the bull by the horns now, and he has radically changed his diet. His immune system has been compromised, and he is working diligently to build it back up so it can fight for him. What are some of the things he is doing?

* raw food diet. That means nothing cooked over 120°.
* very limited red meat.
* juiced carrots with apple
* garlic
* no processed sugars and limited natural sugars
* the Best vitamins and supplements

Because of the uniqueness of Chad's situation, his diet is very extreme, but what can we do to improve our health and boost our immune systems? The last item I listed is vitamins and supplements. My wife and I have used them for years now, and they make a difference. Supplements are crucial to helping our bodies maintain that strong immune system along life's way.

Do yourself a favor and enjoy your health for as long as you have it by supplementing your diet with the best vitamins and supplements, and by eating right and exercise.

Who Am I? I Just Want to Be Me - Why Can't I?

2009-08-19T09:46:00.001-07:00

Everyone around me expects me to be just like a normal person - that is, one without cancer. But I'm NOT. I never will be that person again. These are the feelings of one with cancer of any kind.

I always have to be positive for everyone. I know that in some fashion, my lymphoma will probably appear again, probably sooner than later, but no one wants to hear me say that. It is not negative thinking, just being realistic. This patient has suffered with the disease and now suffers the rejection of her friends and family.

A new lump is reason to panic. She stopped looking and feeling but one of her doctors had to go looking and found lumps in her neck and armpit and now she is trying not to worry. Thus the PET scan and all that follows. She has a PET scan scheduled for next week, a ton of lab tests and then the appointment with the oncologist. Horrible anxiety appears every time this has to be done. Again, the outside world is missing and not understanding. This is the most important time for the family and friends to step up and be as supportive as ever. This is a frightening time for the patient and the not knowing is terrible. She really needs love and understanding at this time.

She's tired of not being able to express the fear and anxiety to people around her. They don't want to hear it, it's too frightening for them. She does NEED to say it though. She is fragile emotionally, feeling unable at times to cope with normal life (even small things like no phone calls get to her). She doesn't NEED the stress of anything right now. She needs support and understanding, take over her responsibilities, go out to lunch, anything - just be there. It's enough dealing with the cancer. Her patience with trivia and annoying people has worn thin. People don't seem to understand that she is struggling every day to remain upbeat and get on with her life knowing she has cancer inside ...and to learn to live with this disease is an ongoing struggle.

As she is through with treatment for now, and is starting to look more "normal" again, people want her to be "OK" all the time - and she"s NOT. It's has changed her and her life forever, she will never be the same person again.

This is so important for the friends and family to understand and acknowledge. She needs all of the support and love that is there for her. Now and forrever because there will be down days, bad days, scary days and she needs YOU! Please remember this story next time you have a close family member or friend with cancer or any other life threatening disease

Kathy Nordquist has Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She has been in remission for three years and now fears that the cancer may be returning.

She is an eBay power seller, an internet marketer and cat lover. She stays active with the internet and all of the projects that seem to keep coming up.

The Facts About Cancer

2009-08-19T09:45:00.002-07:00

Cancer has been a plague on humanity for a long time. Can you even imagine the impact this would have on our world if the suffering of so many people could be put to an end? Because we don't fully understand exactly what causes cancer it means that we can only take certain precautions to avoid it.

First off it is a good idea to understand exactly what cancer is and try to ascertain whether it is hereditary or something you can acquire. This is what happens with a population of cells that increase in size by replication, similar to the amoeba.

The difference between a cancerous tumor an a benign one is that malignant tumors continue to grow whereas benign ones limit their growth an many of us live comfortably with them during out lives without even knowing. While it is not generally a young person's disease, it can occur at any age. While smoking, chemicals and radiation for instance, can be the cancer trigger, it is the poison from these or other sources that transform body cells and create genetic abnormalities which grow and multiply.

For some people the problem lies not with any form of external poison although faults with their parents DNA or genetic makeup can result in a person being born with the diseased cells. Complex relationships between carcinogens and a person's genetic makeup may explain why only some develop it after exposure to a known carcinogen.

Long term research has given a better picture of what cancer is and the study of cancer is one of the top ten diseases being researched throughout the world. We are always learning more about diseases and how they affect our bodies and minds. After all we all want to know more about why we contract cancer and how to avoid it.

Your regular diet could be putting you at long term risk from all kinds of diseases. People are generally eating too much of the wrong things such as an excess salt intake, too much saturated fat and certain dairy produce.

Cancer does not have any prejudice when it comes to invading a person's body as it can strike anywhere. Some people can have cancer for several years before they have any symptoms. Nature has provided us a way to combat cancer and it comes from the apricot seed, therefore a patent can't be implemented since the apricot seed is not a pharmaceutical and there is no money to be made. On the business side, cancer is huge money maker and the love of that is truly the root of deception, amongst other things. Chemo is basically poison and there are natural alternatives available that are being and will continue to be kept under wraps.

For the sake of your loved ones make changes in your diet where there needs to be changes. Include vitamin B17 which is a cancer killer in spite of the "quackery" label that has been placed on it. There is a way to live cancer free.

Joni Bell has many years of extensive study in the area of natural cancer prevention and treatment. He has numerous success stories of people being diagnosed living cancer free with use of alternative methods.

How to Build Your Immune System to Fight Cancer

2009-08-19T09:45:00.001-07:00

For years, many research and studies have been trying to establish the link between proper nutrition, and the prevention of cancer. Most experts believe that the human body is composed of numerous cancer cells however cancer won't develop unless triggered. As a matter of fact, experts have stated that cancer cells are expected to appear in the body at least 6 to 10 times within a person's lifetime.

The inevitable side-effects of chemotherapy

Over the past few years, new medical breakthroughs have emerged claiming to be the effective treatment for cancer. Unfortunately, some of the common methods of treatment inflict detrimental side effects to the body. Numerous researches have shown that chemotherapy - one of the most common form of cancer treatment - can greatly weaken the immune system. Chemotherapy drugs are too strong that it can destroy even the good bacteria living inside the body. Additionally, it can result to immune system stress due to the strong dosage of medications being introduced in the body. People who have weakened immune system are highly susceptible to acquiring a number of immune system infections.

The importance of a healthy diet

Many medical experts suggest that the best way to fight cancer is to prevent it from occurring. It is easier said than done but the truth is there are a lot of factors that affects its development. But recent studies have concluded that a healthy diet will be our body's best ammunition to prevent the progression of cancer cells. In fact, majority of the available foods in the market especially those that are canned and preserved, contain cancer-causing ingredients. Therefore, diet indeed can play an important role in impeding the development of cancer and lessening immune system stress.

Basically, the idea is to strengthen our immune system support in order to impede the acquisition of viruses, bacteria as well as other medical ailments. By far, consuming a wholesome, natural diet is the cheapest way to fight cancer. Most experts agree that plant-based foods contain essential nutrients that curbs and combat cancer-causing substances. Therefore, a drastic change to one's diet will definitely be our best defense not only to cancer-causing agents but to other disease-forming bacteria and immune system infection as well.

Focusing on building up your immune system

They say that the immune system plays a crucial role in a person's overall well-being. It practically acts as the body's defense against diseasing-causing bacteria. That being said, a strong immune system support could also help in averting the invasion of cancer-causing agents. This could be done through the consumption of healthy plant-based foods. There are numerous ways on how you can sustain the body's primary defense. One of the best and most effective is through the intake of wholesome foods. This is your best shot in reducing your risk for developing cancer.

Here are some simple ways that you can follow when building up your immune system to effectively win the fight against cancer:

Stay away from all kinds of unhealthy foods. Remember that cancer cells feed on foods that are rich in sugar, fats, and preservatives thus as much as possible take them away from your diet.
Eat plenty of vegetable from the cruciferous family. Vegetables classified under the cabbage family such as kale, cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts have shown promising cancer-fighting properties. Recent scientific studies have revealed that it can help ward off prostate and colon cancers.
Get enough Vitamin D in your diet. According to a report from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), a study suggested that there is a strong link between Vitamin D and the inhibition of breast cancer. The study revealed that an increased dose of Vitamin D can significantly hamper the development of breast cancer by almost 50%.
Practice good eating habits and always include cancer-fighting foods in your diet. Leading a healthy lifestyle is your key to prevent having a poor immune system and to inhibit the formation of abnormal cells. Experts have insinuated that majority of our diet should include plenty of vegetable, beans, whole grains and fruits.

Indeed, immune foods can influence the development of abnormal cell growth in the body. Many studies have already proved the significance of pursuing a healthy diet. By understanding how does the immune system works, you will realize that it can greatly help in shielding the body from cancer-causing agents. If you are really serious in boosting your immune system to avert the progression of cancer cells, then start by feeding your body with wholesome, natural plant-based foods.

A Layman's Guide to Cancer - Part 1

2009-08-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

Cancer - An introduction

What is cancer?

Cancer is a term used to describe a group of diseases which result from uncontrolled and abnormal growth of cells in the body. The reason for this uncontrolled and abnormal growth is due to damages to the DNA, present in every cell in the body, also called mutations. For this reason cancer can be said to be a genetic disease.

How cancer occurs

In a normal human being cells grow, divide and die in an orderly fashion with new cells replacing old and damaged cells. The death of aged and damaged cells is controlled by a genetic program called Apoptosis (progrmammed cell death). DNA, which is present in every cell and controls all it's activity, is responsible for the control of this orderly process.

Sometimes this orderly process goes wrong,due to damage to the DNA. Cells have mechanisms to repair damaged DNA and most of the times the damages are repaired and if the repair mechanisms fail to repair the damaged DNA the cell undergoes Apoptosis. In cancer the damaged DNA is not repaired and the cells don't die but continue to survive and proliferate leading to a mass of cells called tumors. Most of the cancers form tumors,but sometimes,like in leukemia, which is cancer of the blood cells, there is no tumor and the cancer cells circulate in the blood stream and spread to various organs in the body. Not all tumors are cancers. Tumors which are not cancerous are called Benign tumors. Cancerous tumors are called malignant tumors.

As mentioned above damage to the DNA leads to tumor formation. The changes in DNA which cause the cell to become cancerous are called mutations. These mutations can be inherited(from one or both the parents) or acquired. The presence of inherited mutations doesn't mean that the person is going to be affected by cancer. But the chances of the person developing a cancer are increased. Many individuals with inherited DNA changes don't develop cancer. A single mutation is usually not sufficient to cause cancer as multiple mutations are usually required for the cells to become cancerous. Mutations can also be acquired in one's lifetime by exposure to radiation, carcinogens like cigarette smoke, asbestos, tobacco etc and faulty DNA repair

Cancer in Women - Saving Your Fertility After Cancer Treatments

2009-08-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

Saving your fertility after cancer treatment depends on several factors for women. The kind of cancer, type and length of treatment received, drug dosage, surgeries performed, and a woman's age all play a role in how quickly you can recover your fertility, or if the effects of the cancer treatment will leave you permanently infertile. It's important to talk to your Kansas City fertility doctors both before and after cancer treatment to learn what your options are for starting a family.

For most women, your menstrual periods will either stop or become irregular during treatment. After finishing your cancer treatment, it may take 6 months to a year before your period returns. Both chemotherapy and radiation can also damage the eggs. It is thought that most damaged eggs are expelled from the body within 6 months, but because of the chance of recurring cancer, many doctors recommend waiting 2 years before attempting to get pregnant. It is possible that your body may recover and ovulation will resume on its own, allowing you to get pregnant naturally. However, women over age 30 and those receiving chemotherapy or radiation to the pelvis are at risk for sudden, early menopause even if menstruation resumes.

Permanent infertility from cancer treatments can be caused by hysterectomy, total body irradiation, or premature ovarian failure (menopause before the age of 40). If the ovaries are both surgically removed, or are damaged by chemotherapy or high doses of radiation, premature ovarian failure occurs.

Sometimes it is not possible to take measures before cancer treatment to preserve your fertility. Aggressive cancers may require that you start treatment immediately, not allowing you the time needed for egg stimulation and collection. Your fertility doctors in Kansas City may advise against egg collection if you have certain types of cancer, such as hormone dependent breast cancer. If you are unable to take steps to preserve your fertility before starting cancer treatments, there are still options available, such as:

Donor Eggs- Eggs may be donated anonymously, or the donor may be known to the recipients. All egg donors should be screened to be sure they are medically and psychologically healthy. Kansas City fertility doctors have donor programs available through their clinics.
Embryo Donation- Couples that have previously participated in assisted reproductive technology may have unused frozen embryos that they are willing to donate to other couples.
Surrogacy- An option for women that cannot carry a pregnancy due to loss of the uterus or to high risk. There are two types of surrogates. A gestational carrier is a woman who carries a pregnancy for the genetic parents. (The intended parents supply the egg and sperm.) A traditional surrogate contributes her egg, is artificially inseminated with the father's semen, and carries the pregnancy. Genetically, she is the mother of the infant.
Adoption- Some couples choose to forgo infertility treatments and decide to adopt instead.

Gene Therapy for Cancer

2009-08-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

What is Gene therapy?

The source of many human illnesses is found in our genetic structure. What has been previously considered inaccessible for the human: the genetic material from which we are all made of – is now at the forefront of medicine.

Gene therapy refers to ways of utilizing genes to treat illnesses by changing human hereditary material. Gene therapy is the insertion of normal or genetically altered genes into cells to replace the defective genes which causing cancer spread and tumor growth.

Cancer = Malfunction of our Genes (DNA)
Cancer is a term for a group of diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.

Cancer begins in our cells, the body’s basic unit of life. Normally, cells grow and divide as part of the normal process of cell regeneration which keep our body healthy. When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.

However, sometimes this normal process goes wrong. The genetic material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. When the DNA of a cell is damaged, cells do not die when they should, and more cells are forming when the body does not need them. These extra cells may develop into a mass of tissue called a tumor.

While some tumors are benign and can be removed from the body without further spreading, other tumors, called malignant tumors, are cancerous; they can invade healthy tissues and spread to other parts of the body (Metastasis).

Nearly all cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells. These abnormalities may be due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents. Other cancer-promoting genetic abnormalities may be randomly acquired through errors in DNA replication, or are inherited, and thus present in all cells from birth.

P53 Gene - the “Genome guardian.”
The last two decades of research in genetics and molecular biology have given us an unprecedented knowledge on the inner workings of cells and the role of the genetic information that is encoded in them. Genes, the biological units which hold that information, hold a key role in the understanding of how diseases are formed, as well as the key to new medical solutions.
Tumor Suppressor Genes are special genes which are in charge on slowing down cell division, the repair of DNA mistakes and the elimination of old or damaged cells. When tumor suppressor genes don’t function properly, an uncontrollable cell growth may occur, which may lead to cancer. Among about 30 tumor suppressor genes that have been identified, the most potent member of these group and the most studied one is a gene called p53 gene. p53 gene act to kill cancer cells, suppress cancer cell growth and prevent cells from becoming cancerous. After more than two decades of study, the p53 gene is widely regarded as the “genome guardian.”
It has been estimated that at least half of all human malignancies are related to a mutation of the p53 gene. It is the core principle of Gene therapy for cancer to repair the malfunctioning of this natural genetic guardian.

“Gendicine”
“Gendicine” is a drug composed mainly of human normal p53 tumor suppressor gene and modified adenovirus serotype 5, which acts as a vector delivering the therapeutic p53 gene into target cells.
The p53 gene is involved in multiple cellular processes, including control of cell division, DNA repair, cell differentiation, genome integrity, apoptosis, and inhibition of blood vessel growth, or anti-angiogenesis. It brings forth its anti-tumor activities by one or more of the following ways:

1. Causing cancerous cells to self-destruct:
The p53 gene triggers apoptotic (programmed cell death) pathways in tumor cells by a *transcription-dependent mechanism in the cell nucleus, in the cell mitochondria and in the Golgi apparatus (a system involved in intercellular transport).

2. Triggering the activity of the Natural Killer Cells (NK) to fight the cancerous cells:
The p53 gene can trigger immune-response factors that will alert the natural killer cells to identify the cancerous cells and act to destroy them.

3. Preventing and inhibiting normal processes of DNA repairs and anti-apoptosis functions inside cancerous cells, which interfere with the development of tumors.

4. Preventing and inhibiting the tumor’s defense and propagation mechanisms:
The p53 gene has the ability to:
(1) Decrease the tumor’s resistance to radiation and chemotherapy drugs.
(2) Blocking blood supply to tumor’s tissue.
(3) Suppressing tumor cell adhesion, infiltration and metastasis.

5. Blocking the communication signals in tumor cells: by interfering inter-cellular communication within cancerous cells the p53 gene cut off cell cycle and prevent its growth.

6. Hindering the tumor cells nutrition uptake:
The p53 gene has the ability to limit glucose uptake, and the production of ATP in tumor cells

Re-evaluation of mammary stem cell biology based on in vivo transplantation

2009-08-17T09:28:00.001-07:00

Over nearly half a century, transplantation methods have been employed to regenerate the mammary gland in vivo. Recent highly cited reports claim to have demonstrated the regeneration of an entire functional mammary gland from a single mammary epithelial cell. Nevertheless, re-examination of the literature on the transplantation biology of mammary gland regeneration reveals that a complex, combinatorial interaction between variously differentiated mammary epithelial cells and the mammary fat pad stroma is indispensable to this process. In the present article, these issues are reviewed and discussed to provide a greater understanding of the complexity of these multiplex interactions.

Early history

The experiments that demonstrate the presence of stem cells in the mammary gland are based on the pioneering studies of DeOme and his students, Les Faulkin and Charles Daniel. The approach they used was serial transplantation of normal mammary gland into the cleared mammary fat pad of syngeneic mice [1,2]. The cleared fat pad transplantation technique allowed the transplantation and growth of normal mammary cells into their normal anatomical site and under the influence of a normal physiological environment. Using this method, they demonstrated that the normal mammary gland contains cells that will grow and fill the fat pad with a normal ductal mammary tree and will respond to hormones with a normal differentiation program [3]. The progeny of the transplanted cells could be serially transplanted into the appropriate recipients multiple times; however, unlike preneoplastic cells or neoplastic cells, the normal cells always senesced after multiple serial transplants, generally five to eight transplant generations [4]. This was interpreted as indicating that the proliferative activity was a finite property of the stem cells. This finite lifespan was a fundamental difference between normal and preneoplastic/neoplastic mammary cells.

Subsequent studies demonstrated that stem cells were located along the entire mammary tree and were represented in the different developmental states of the mammary gland. These stages included primary and tertiary ducts from 6-week and 16-week virgin gland, uniparous and multiparous regressed glands, and 15-day pregnant and 10-day lactating glands [5]. Host age and reproductive history had little influence on the frequency of stem cells as measured by the percentage of successful takes and a lifespan assay [5,6]. Mammary cells from 26-month-old virgin mice had the same transplant potential as cells taken from 3-week-old mice. Both cell populations senesced after five transplant generations. Similarly, continuous hormone stimulation did not induce additional loss of ductal growth potential. These studies suggested that the mammary stem cell is a relatively quiescent cell that is only activated under conditions of gland repopulation (that is, fetal growth stage, pubertal growth phase). Under other conditions, such as pregnancy, it is probable that ductal and alveolar progenitor cells form the bulk of the increased mammary epithelial cell population [7].

These early studies demonstrated that the lifespan was intricately linked to proliferation activity. For example, the lifespan was correlated with the interval of serial transplantation. Transplanting at 12-month intervals instead of at 3-month intervals therefore prolonged the ultimate lifespan of normal cells [8,9]. Similarly, transplanting from the periphery of the ductal outgrowth (that is, such cells would have undergone more cell divisions) resulted in earlier senescence than transplanting cells from the center (that is, the original transplant site) of the outgrowth. In summary, these early studies suggested the presence of a mammary cell that could repopulate the mammary gland and could undergo a normal and complete morphogenic program (that is, a stem cell). Such cells were spaced throughout the mammary tree, were quiescent and had a finite lifespan.

A commonly stated assumption that normal mammary stem cells are an ideal target for oncogenic transformation because they, like cancer cells, share a long lifespan (that is, replicative potential) is not supported by the transplantation results. At least for the mammary gland, the evidence to date suggests that mammary stem cells have a finite lifespan. Although untested, another possibility for the appearance of growth senescence might be due to failure of the micro-environment (niche) to provide the signals appropriate for stem cell self-renewal. This deficiency would, by necessity, involve the epithelial cell population surrounding the stem cell proper since transplantation always occurs into young mammary fat pad stroma. A corollary to this possibility would be that signals emanating from the transformed progeny surrounding the self-renewing premalignant/tumorigenic cell rather than a property intrinsic to the premalignant/tumorigenic cell are responsible for the infinite replicative lifetime of an immortalized mammary population.

Sugar and fat – that's where it's at: metabolic changes in tumors

2009-08-17T09:27:00.002-07:00

Tumor cells exhibit an altered metabolism, characterized by increased glucose uptake and elevated glycolysis, which was first recognized by Otto Warburg 70 years ago. Warburg originally hypothesized that these metabolic changes reflected damage to mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Although hypoxia and hypoxia inducible factor can induce transcriptional changes that stimulate glucose transport and glycolysis, it is clear that these changes can occur in cultured tumor or transformed cells cultured under normoxic conditions, and thus there must be genetic alterations independent of hypoxia that can stimulate aerobic glycolysis. In recent years it has become clear that loss of p53 and activation of Akt can induce all or part of the metabolic changes reflected in the Warburg effect. Likewise, changes in expression of lactate dehydrogenase and other glycolytic control enzymes can contribute to increased or altered glycolysis. It is also clear that changes in lipid biosynthesis occur in tumor cells to support increased membrane biosynthesis and perhaps the altered energy needs of the cells. Changes in fatty acid synthase, Spot 14, Akt, and DecR1 (2,4-dienoylcoenzyme A reductase) may underlie altered lipid metabolism in tumor cells and contribute to the ability of tumor cells to proliferate or metastasize. Although these advances provide new therapeutic targets that merit exploration, there remain critical questions to be explored at the mechanistic level; this work may yield insights into tumor cell biology and identify additional therapeutic targets.

Introduction

For more than 70 years it has been appreciated that cancer cells exhibit an altered metabolism that is characterized by elevated uptake of glucose and an increased glycolytic rate; this observation was first reported by Otto Warburg [1], comparing liver cancer cells with normal liver cells. The observation that cancer cells generated the majority of their ATP by glycolysis, even when grown in the presence of oxygen, caused Warburg to hypothesize that the metabolic shift toward glycolysis observed in cancer cells reflected damage to mitochondrial respiration, which resulted in aerobic glycolysis. In normal cells the presence of oxygen inhibits glycolysis, as first recognized by Pasteur (the Pasteur effect) [2]. Furthermore, Warburg hypothesized that this metabolic change was the origin of cancer, as reflected in the title of his report published in 1956 [3]. It is now clear that the majority of tumor cells in vivo, and transformed cells in vitro, exhibit elevated levels of glucose transport and elevated rates of glycolysis that result in an increase in the production of lactate; this phenomenon is known as the Warburg effect.

Glycolysis is a topic covered in virtually every biochemistry course because of its central role in biology and is summarized in Figure 1. During glycolysis, glucose is metabolized to form two molecules of pyruvate with a net gain of two molecules of ATP from one molecule of glucose. Under normal conditions, pyruvate is converted into acetylcoenzyme A to provide starting material for the citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, which yields about 34 more molecules of ATP from the molecule of glucose. Despite inefficient use of glucose, tumor cells often convert pyruvate to lactate, which is secreted from the cell, but this change in metabolism is prominent and would appear to result from rather strong selective pressure. Tumor hypoxia (lack of oxygen) will also cause a shift to glycolytic metabolism, because respiration cannot occur without oxygen. Tumor hypoxia and activation of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) is undoubtedly an important pathway that contributes to tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, increased glycolysis and tumor cell survival. Additionally, HIF can be activated under normoxia by loss of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor (which normally acts to keep levels of HIF activity low under normoxic conditions) or activation of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling [4]. HIF-1 inhibits mitochondrial biogenesis and cellular respiration in von Hippel-Lindau deficient renal cell carcinoma by repression of c-Myc activity [4]. HIF activation not only stimulates glycolysis but also actively attenuates mitochondrial respiration, making HIF a key regulator of cancer cell

Tissue factor, angiogenesis and tumour progression

2009-08-17T09:27:00.001-07:00

Tissue factor, the primary initiator of the coagulation cascade, maintains vascular integrity in response to injury. It is now recognised that, in addition to the role as a procoagulant activator, tissue factor participates in many tumour-related processes that contribute to malignant disease progression. The present review details the recent evidence supporting a role for tissue factor in tumour haemostasis, angiogenesis, metastasis and malignant cell survival. Furthermore, future research directions are discussed that may enhance our understanding of the role and regulation of this protein, which could ultimately lead to the innovative design and development of new anticancer therapies.

Introduction

Angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels from the existing vasculature, and haemostasis, the coagulation cascade leading to clot formation, are among the most consistent host responses associated with cancer. Tissue factor (TF) normally safeguards the vascular integrity of tissues by initiating the coagulation cascade following vessel injury. Hypercoagulability is exhibited by most cancer patients and contributes to the pathogenesis of tumour growth and metastasis by promoting angiogenesis. Haemostasis and angiogenesis are therefore interrelated processes with important implications for cancer therapy.

TF, similar to a number of haemostatic proteins, participates in many tumour-related processes, including tumour angiogenesis, metastasis, hypercoagulability and tumour cell survival; processes that all contribute to malignant disease progression. The molecular mechanisms responsible for the actions of TF are only just beginning to be elucidated, but it is thought that they occur by the action of intracellular signalling, resulting in gene transcription and subsequent protein synthesis.

Tissue factor

TF – also known as coagulation factor III, thromboplastin, or CD142 – is a 47 kDa transmembrane glycoprotein first cloned independently by four different groups in 1987 [1-4]. The human TF gene spans 12.4 kbp, has six exons and is located on chromosome 1, p21–p22. The TF protein consists of a 219-amino-acid extracellular domain, a 23-amino-acid transmembrane segment and a 21-amino-acid cytoplasmic tail that does not bear significant homology with other proteins [5]. In silico studies have resulted in TF being classified as a member of the class II cytokine/haematopoietic growth factor family [6]. The extracellular domain of TF contains factor VII/activated factor VII (FVIIa) binding sites, but the transmembrane domain plays a crucial role in anchoring the TF–FVIIa complex to the cell surface in addition to complete expression of the procoagulant activity [7].

TF gene expression is complex and is regulated by a number of transcription factors that may be sensitive to hypoxia or anoxia, including activator protein (AP-1), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), Sp-1 and early growth response gene-1 (Egr-1) [8,9]. In addition, heparanase and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 both participate in the regulation of TF gene expression (via activation of the p38 signalling pathway) [10,11].

Although TF expression can be transiently upregulated in monocytes or macrophages and endothelial cells (ECs) by growth factors and cytokines, vascular ECs and intravascular cells do not express TF in normal physiological situations. Constitutive TF expression is restricted to subendothelial cells (such as pericytes, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts) that only interact with blood when vascular integrity is compromised [12]. However, it is clear that during tumourigenesis, this strict regulation of TF expression is lost. Upregulation of TF protein by tumour cells and associated stromal cells has been well documented in breast cancer and other malignant tumours [13-17]. TF is now known to exist in several locations: in association with cells (intracellular or surface location) and within the circulation, either associated with microparticles [18] or in a free, soluble form [19,20]. TF-expressing microparticles are membrane vesicles derived from haematopoietic cells (for example, monocytes and platelets) that play a putative role in haemostasis activation in cancer patients [21,22].

Cryptic TF refers to the part of the cellular TF pool that is noncoagulant but retains functional cell signalling. Cryptic TF contains unpaired cysteine thiols and activation involves the formation of the disulphide bond Cys186–Cys209 [23]. Extracellular protein disulphide isomerase has been proposed to target this disulphide bond, inactivating the procoagulant activity of TF [24] while enhancing TF coagulant activity on microparticles shed from cells [25]. Protein disulphide isomerase has therefore been suggested to facilitate a dynamic and reversible switch (conformational change) between two distinct functional TF species: one that initiates coagulation, and an encrypted form that does not – this theory, however, is currently controversial [26].

In normal physiological conditions, initiation of the extrinsic coagulation pathway occurs when TF is exposed to the bloodstream, either following damage to the vascular system integrity or upon activation of monocytes or ECs. FVIIa then binds to TF on the cell surface. Sequential downstream activation of haemostatic protease complexes leads to the generation of thrombin, with subsequent platelet activation and the formation of a fibrin clot that restores vessel integrity (Figure 1) (reviewed in [27]). There is now increasing evidence that, in addition to initiating haemostasis, binding of FVIIa to TF directly cleaves protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 and results in phosphorylation of the TF cytoplasmic domain. This subsequently inhibits the negative regulatory control of PAR-2-mediated signalling, thereby promoting angiogenesis (Figure 2) [28-30].

Dysregulated expression of Fau and MELK is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer

2009-08-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

Abstract (provisional)

Introduction

Programmed cell death through apoptosis plays an essential role in the hormone-regulated physiological turnover of mammary tissue. Failure of this active gene-dependent process is central both to the development of breast cancer and to the appearance of the therapy-resistant cancer cells that produce clinical relapse. Functional expression cloning in two independent laboratories has identified Finkel-Biskis-Reilly murine sarcoma virus (FBR-MuSV)-associated ubiquitously expressed gene (Fau) as a novel apoptosis-regulator and candidate tumour suppressor. Fau modifies apoptosis-controller Bcl-G, which is also a key target for candidate oncoprotein maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK).

Methods

We have used RNA interference to down regulate Fau and Bcl-G expression, both simultaneously and independently, in breast cancer cells in vitro to determine the importance of their roles in apoptosis. Expression of Fau, Bcl-G and MELK was measured by quantitative RT-PCR in breast cancer tissue and in matched breast epithelial tissue from the same patients. Expression data of these genes obtained using microarrays from a separate group of patients was related to patient survival in Kaplan-Meier analyses.

Results

siRNA-mediated down-regulation of either Fau or Bcl-G expression inhibited apoptosis and the inhibition produced by combining the two siRNAs was consistent with control of Bcl-G by Fau. Fau expression is significantly reduced in breast cancer tissue and this reduction is associated with poor patient survival, as predicted for a candidate breast cancer tumour suppressor. In addition, MELK expression is increased in breast cancer tissue and this increase is also associated with poor patient survival, as predicted for a candidate oncogene. Bcl-G expression is reduced in breast cancer tissue but decreased Bcl-G expression showed no correlation with survival, indicating that the most important factors controlling Bcl-G activity are post-translational modification (by Fau and MELK) rather than rate of transcription of Bcl-G itself.

Conclusions

The combination of in vitro functional studies with the analysis of gene expression in clinical breast cancer samples indicates that three functionally inter-connected genes, Fau, Bcl-G and MELK, are crucially important in breast cancer and identify them as attractive targets for improvements in breast cancer risk prediction, prognosis and therapy.

Detection and characterization of circulating tumor cells in blood of primary breast cancer patients by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reactio

2009-08-17T09:24:00.003-07:00

Abstract (provisional)

Introduction

The role of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in blood of primary breast cancer patients is still under investigation. We evaluated (1) the incidence of CTC in blood, (2) the correlation between CTC and disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in the bone marrow (BM) and (3) we characterized CTC for the expression of HER2, the estrogen receptor (ER) and the progesterone receptor (PR).

Methods

Blood of 431 patients with primary breast cancer were analyzed for EpCAM, MUC1 and HER2 transcripts with the AdnaTest BreastCancer (AdnaGen AG, Germany). Expression of the ER and PR receptor was assessed in an additional reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). BM aspirates from 414 patients were analyzed for DTC by immunocytochemistry using the pan-cytokeratin (CK) antibody A45-B/B3.

Results

DTC were found in 107/414 patients (24%), CTC were detected in 58/431 (13%) patients. DTC were associated with PR status of the primary tumor (P=0.04) and CTC significantly correlated with nodal status (P=0.04), ER (P=0.05), and PR (P=0.01). DTC in the BM weakly correlated with CTC (P=0.05) in blood. Interestingly, the spread of CTC was mostly found in triple-negative tumors (P=0.01) and CTC in general were mostly found to be triple-negative regardless of the ER, PR and HER2 status of the primary tumor.

Conclusions

(1) Due to the weak concordance between CTC and DTC the clinical relevance may be different. (2) The biology of the primary tumor seems to direct the spread of CTC. (3) Since the expression profile between CTC and the primary tumor differs, the consequence for the selection of adjuvant treatment has to be evaluated.

MicroRNA expression profiling of male breast cancer

2009-08-17T09:24:00.001-07:00

Abstract (provisional)

Introduction

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that control gene expression by targeting mRNAs and triggering either translation repression or RNA degradation. Their aberrant expression may be involved in human diseases, including cancer. To test the hypothesis that there is a specific miRNA expression signature which characterizes male breast cancers, we performed miRNA microarray analysis in a series of male breast cancers and compared them to cases of male gynecomastia and female breast cancers.

Methods

Paraffin-blocks were obtained at the Department of Pathology of Thomas Jefferson University from 28 male patients including 23 breast cancers and 5 cases of male gynecomastia, and 10 female ductal breast carcinomas. RNA harvested was hybridized to miRNA microarrays (~1100 miRNA probes, including 326 human and 249 mouse miRNA genes, spotted in duplicates). To further support the microarray data, an immunohistochemical analysis for two specific miRNA gene targets (HOXD10 and VEGF) was performed in a small series of male breast carcinoma and gynecomastia samples.

Results

We identified a male breast cancer miRNA signature composed by a large portion of under-expressed miRNAs. In particular, 17 miRNAs with increased expression and 26 with decreased expression were identified in male breast cancer compare to gynecomastia. Among these miRNAs some had well characterized cancer development association and some showed a de-regulation in cancer specimens similar to the one previously observed in the published signatures of female breast cancer. Comparing male to female breast cancers miRNA expression signatures, 17 significantly deregulated miRNAs were observed (4 over-expressed and 13 under-expressed in male breast cancers). The HOXD10 and VEGF genes immunohistochemical expression significantly follows the corresponding miRNA deregulation.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that specific miRNAs may be directly involved in male breast cancer development and that they may represent a novel diagnostic tool in the characterization of specific cancer gene targets.

The cytotoxicity of gamma-secretase inhibitor I to breast cancer cells is mediated by proteasome inhibition, not by gamma-secretase inhibition

2009-08-17T09:23:00.002-07:00

Abstract (provisional)

Introduction

Notch is a family of transmembrane protein receptors whose activation requires proteolytic cleavage by gamma-secretase. Since aberrant Notch signaling can induce mammary carcinomas in transgenic mice and high expression levels of Notch receptors and ligands correlate with overall poor clinical outcomes, inhibiting gamma-secretase with small molecules may be a promising approach for breast cancer treatment. Consistent with this hypothesis, two recent papers reported that gamma-secretase inhibitor I (GSI I), Z-LLNle-CHO, is toxic to breast cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we compared the activity and cytotoxicity of Z-LLNle-CHO to that of two highly specific GSIs, DAPT and L-685,458 and three structurally unrelated proteasome inhibitors, MG132, lactacystin, and Bortezomib in order to study the mechanism underlying the cytotoxicity of Z-LLNle-CHO in breast cancer cells.

Methods

Three estrogen receptor (ER) positive cell lines, MCF-7, BT474, and T47D, and three ER negative cell lines, SKBR3, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-468 were used in this study. Both SKBR3 and BT474 cells also overexpress HER2/neu. Cytotoxicity was measured by using an MTS cell viability/proliferation assay. Inhibition of gamma-secretase activity was measured by both immunoblotting and immunofluorescent microscopy in order to detect active Notch1 intracellular domain. Proteasome inhibition was determined by using a cell-based proteasome activity assay kit, by immunoblotting to detect accumulation of polyubiquitylated protein, and by immunofluorescent microscopy to detect redistribution of cellular ubiquitin.

Results

We found that blocking gamma-secretase activity by DAPT and L-685,458 had no effect on the survival and proliferation of a panel of six breast cancer cell lines while Z-LLNle-CHO could cause cell death even at concentrations that inhibited gamma-secretase activity less efficiently. Furthermore, we observed that Z-LLNle-CHO could inhibit proteasome activity and the relative cellular sensitivity of these six breast cancer cell lines to Z-LLNle-CHO was the same as observed for three proteasome inhibitors. Finally, we found that the cell killing effect of Z-LLNle-CHO could be reversed by a chemical that restored the proteasome activity.

Conclusions

We conclude that the cytotoxicity of Z-LLNle-CHO in breast cancer cells is mediated by proteasome inhibition, not by gamma-secretase inhibition.

Is there more to Wnt signalling in breast cancer than stabilisation of β-catenin?

2009-08-17T09:23:00.001-07:00

Abstract

Increased Wnt signalling has been implicated in the aetiology of many different human cancers, including breast cancers. In most cases, Wnt signalling is thought to drive tumourigenesis through the stabilisation of cytosolic β-catenin and the subsequent changes in the expression of T-cell factor (TCF)-dependent genes. However, this is not necessarily the only mechanism, as Wnt proteins can signal through a number of different intracellular signalling pathways. The ongoing work from Nancy Hynes' laboratory continues to highlight this latter possibility.

Editorial

In their most recent article in Breast Cancer Research, Matsuda and colleagues [1] showed that expression of the secreted Wnt antagonist secreted Frizzled-related protein (sFRP)1 reduced the ability of the breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 to form tumours in an orthotopic xenograft model. Using micro-array analysis, they demonstrated that sFRP1 downregulated Cyclin D1 expression, whilst CDKN1A, which encodes the cell cycle regulator p21, was upregulated, leading to an inhibition of proliferation. In addition, they indicate that β1-integrin and the extracellular matrix proteins fibronectin and laminin are downregulated, which will also reduce proliferation as attachment to the extracellular matrix is required to maintain the proliferative potential of epithelial cells. Furthermore, they showed Wnt signalling promoted cell migration and that sFRP1 inhibited Wnt1-induced motility in a scratch-assay. In vivo, this anti-migratory effect may contribute to the reduced ability of sFRP1-expressing MDA-MB-231 cells to form lung metastases when injected into the host bloodstream.

This recent paper builds upon previous work from the Hynes group addressing the role of Wnt signalling in breast cancer. They have shown that Wnt signalling in the HC11 immortalised mammary epithelial cell line induced an ErbB1/Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-dependent activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling [2]. Consistently with this, the inhibition of autocrine Wnt signalling in a panel of breast cancer cell lines led to a reduction in ERK activity and a corresponding inhibition of proliferation [3]. Interestingly, their work has suggested that the activation of ErbB1/EGFR signalling was through a β-catenin-independent mechanism.

Wnt1 was the first oncogene to be described in the mammary gland [4] and its potency was reiterated by the ability of Wnt1 to transform primary human mammary epithelial cells alone, unlike the classical oncogenes encoding Ras and SV40 large T antigen, which must act in combination [5]. The aberrant activation of Wnt signalling in many cancers, especially colorectal cancer, can be attributed to elevated levels of cytosolic and nuclear β-catenin leading to changes in the expression of TCF-dependent genes. This occurs through mutations in components of the β-catenin destruction complex or mutations in β-catenin itself that prevent it from being targeted for proteosomal degradation [6]. However, in breast cancer, such mutations are rare, despite the clear nuclear accumulation of β-catenin in breast cancer cells [7]. Instead, Wnt activation seems to occur at the level of the Wnt ligand-receptor interaction, through the upregulation of ligands and receptors and the downregulation of secreted inhibitors [3,8,9]. This raises the possibility that other Wnt pathways, in addition to β-catenin signalling, are active in breast cancer.

Several distinct events can occur following Wnt-Frizzled receptor binding, in addition to β-catenin stabilisation. Although not fully characterised, these have been loosely grouped into the 'non-canonical' pathways, which include the Wnt/Planar cell polarity (PCP) and the Wnt/protein kinase C (PKC) pathways [10]. In their most recent paper, Matsuda and colleagues make the link between Wnt signalling and regulation of cell motility [1]. Many studies have shown a link between Wnts and cell motility mediated by PCP signalling [10]. This pathway requires Frizzled, but not Low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP)5/6, and links ligand-binding to the Rho family of small GTPases. Indeed, Matsuda and colleagues suggest that the migratory effect of Wnts can be blocked using a Rho kinase inhibitor [1]. Furthermore, Wnt/PKC signalling, which is also dependent upon Frizzled and Dishevelled but not β-catenin, is clearly linked to the metastatic potential of invasive melanoma [11], although a role for this pathway in breast cancer has not yet been reported. In light of this, it is very interesting that the phenotypes of mammary tumours that arise from over-expressing either Wnt proteins or stabilised forms of β-catenin are different [12]. Although this difference could be due to the secreted Wnt proteins signalling to neighbouring tissues in a paracrine fashion, it could also represent the effects of simultaneous activation of both β-catenin-dependent and -independent pathways.

Given the ability of Wnt signalling to directly affect cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation and migration, as well as its ability to activate signalling through other oncogenic pathways such as ErbB1/EGFR [2,3], Notch [5,13] and Hedgehog [12], it is no surprise then that therapeutically targeting Wnt activity is so attractive. A recent publication has identified several small molecule inhibitors of Wnt signalling [14], one class of which affects production of Wnt ligands. Breast cancer, in which excessive Wnt signalling appears to be driven by ligand rather than mutations in the β-catenin destruction complex, could be particularly responsive to treatment with such inhibitors, as well as with secreted inhibitors such as sFRPs, whose efficacy was illustrated in this study [1]. The advantage of inhibition at the level of the ligand would be to inhibit all β-catenin-dependent and -independent effects of Wnt signalling, including the PCP and PKC pathways.

The possibility that both β-catenin-dependent and -independent Wnt signalling contribute to tumourigenesis in breast cancer opens many new directions to study, and may provide valuable therapeutic insights.

Abbreviations

EGFR: epidermal growth factor receptor; ERK: extracellular signal-regulated kinase; LRP: Low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein; PCP: Planar cell polarity; PKC: protein kinase C; sFRP: secreted frizzled-related protein; TCF: T-cell factor.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Breast cancer-associated metastasis is significantly increased in a model of autoimmune arthriti

2009-08-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Abstract (provisional)

Introduction

Sites of chronic inflammation are often associated with the establishment and growth of various malignancies including breast cancer. A common inflammatory condition in humans is autoimmune arthritis (AA) that causes inflammation and deformity of the joints. Other systemic effects associated with arthritis include increased cellular infiltration and inflammation of the lungs. Several studies have reported statistically significant risk ratios between AA and breast cancer. Despite this knowledge, available for a decade, it has never been questioned if the site of chronic inflammation linked to AA creates a milieu that attracts tumor cells to home and grow in the inflamed bones and lungs which are frequent sites of breast cancer metastasis.

Methods

To determine if chronic inflammation induced by autoimmune arthritis contributes to increased breast cancer-associated metastasis, we generated mammary gland tumors in SKG mice that were genetically prone to develop AA. Two breast cancer cell lines, one highly metastatic (4T1) and the other non-metastatic (TUBO) were used to generate the tumors in the mammary fat pad. Lung and bone metastasis and the associated inflammatory milieu were evaluated in the arthritic versus the non-arthritic mice.

Results

We report a three-fold increase in lung metastasis and a significant increase in the incidence of bone metastasis in the pro-arthritic and arthritic mice compared to non-arthritic control mice. We also report that the metastatic breast cancer cells augment the severity of arthritis resulting in a vicious cycle that increases both bone destruction and metastasis. Enhanced neutrophilic and granulocytic infiltration in lungs and bone of the pro-arthritic and arthritic mice and subsequent increase in circulating levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), interleukin-17 (IL-17), interleukin-6 (IL-6), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) may contribute to the increased metastasis. Treatment with anti-IL17 + celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug completely abrogated the development of metastasis and significantly reduced the primary tumor burden.

Conclusions

The data clearly has important clinical implications for patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, especially with regards to the prognosis and treatment options.

Does Caffeine Increase Your Risk Of Colo-rectal Cancer?

2009-08-16T05:56:00.003-07:00

Colon and rectal cancer is the third most common cancer for both men and women in the US. This year, nearly 150,000 people will be diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer and over 50,000 people will die from the disease. Some strides have been made in prevention, and fewer cases are being diagnosed each year.

In the past few years, colorectal cancer screening has been responsible for reducing the number of incidences and deaths from this disease. Colo-rectal screening allows doctors to find small polyps in the colon and rectum and remove them. Left in the colon, these polyps often turn into cancer. Colo-rectal screening also helps doctors find cancer in earlier stages, when treatments are more likely to be successful. In addition, colo-rectal cancer treatments have improved, reducing the mortality rate from this form of cancer.

But, as with any serious illness, we are also consistently looking for ways to prevent colo-rectal cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the most important steps you can take to prevent colo-rectal cancer are:

Get tested – In most cases, it is recommended that you get your first colo-rectal screening at age 50. However, if you have a family history of the disease, it may be recommended that you begin at an earlier age.

Eat right and exercise – The American Cancer society recommends eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and limiting your intake of high fat foods. Some studies also suggest that folic acid and calcium supplements can lower your risk. In addition to eating properly, it’s also important to get regular exercise. Thirty minutes of exercise a day 5 days a week can help lower your risk of many diseases, including colo-rectal cancer. Being overweight is a risk factor for colo-rectal cancer, so be sure that you maintain a normal weight.

Stop smoking – Smokers have a 30-40% greater likelihood of developing colo-rectal cancer than non-smokers. Most people know that smoking increases their risk of lung cancer, but many are unaware at how significantly smoking increases your colo-rectal cancer risks.

Are other lifestyle habits increasing my risk?

There have been questions about other habits and whether or not they can increase your risk of colo-rectal cancer. One of the most commonly questioned habits is drinking caffeine.

One study, reported by the UK Tea Council, attempted to answer this question. The study observed men and women beginning in the early 1980s, and continuing on until 1998. The study observed dietary habits, other factors, among them caffeine consumption through drinking coffee or tea. Throughout the course of the study, just over 1400 cases of colo-rectal cancer were observed.

The study noted no increase in the incidence of colo-rectal cancer in those people who drank tea or coffee over those who did not consume these caffeinated beverages. So, researchers concluded that drinking tea and coffee with caffeine is perfectly safe and does not increase your colo-rectal cancer risk.

However, one additional finding in the study is particularly interesting. While the study did not find that drinking caffeinated beverages increased your colo-rectal cancer risk, it did find that drinking decaffeinated coffee seemed to actually lower your risk of rectal cancer over those people who never drank decaffeinated coffee.

This finding is surprising, as little research has been performed on any health benefits associated with decaffeinated beverages. Why the decaffeinated coffee offered protection is unclear, as is whether this protection extends to other decaffeinated beverages, such as tea.

As with most research conclusions, more studies and conclusions are needed before we fully understand the ramifications of drinking coffee and tea, whether caffeinated or not. As years go on, we’ll have better direction on how to use such beverages to protect our health and reduce our risks. In the meantime, it appears that drinking your favorite caffeinated beverages is safe.

This is good news for coffee and tea drinkers, whose beverage consumption mostly consists of these two drinks.

And, there’s reason to believe that there might be health benefits associated with these beverages. Both coffee and tea are good sources of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are important because they neutralize the free radicals created by our bodies during the digestion process. Left unchecked, these free radicals cause disease and aging. But, with the proper dose of daily anti-oxidants, we can prevent the damage that free radicals can do.

If you’re interested in increasing your anti-oxidant intake, start by ensuring that your diet is loaded with fruits and vegetables. Some of the best fruit and vegetable sources are blueberries, artichokes, asparagus, tomatoes, strawberries and pomegranates.

But, the easiest way to get your daily anti-oxidants might just be to drink one of the world’s most popular beverages. That’s right, tea; particularly green tea, offers some of the best anti-oxidant protection you’ll ever find. Green tea’s most important anti-oxidant is EGCG, which has been linked with preventing, and even treating many forms of disease.

Green tea has been linked to preventing cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. It is also thought to naturally regulate blood sugar and help in weight management. It’s likely the world’s most perfect beverage – low in caffeine and rich in protection.

Preventing cancer is something all of us are concerned with. Even if you have a higher than average risk of developing colo-rectal cancer, it seems you’re safe drinking your coffee and tea. However, your best bet for beverages just might be decaffeinated coffee and green tea to prevent this and other forms of disease.

The Truth About Breast Cancer

2009-08-16T05:56:00.001-07:00

Breast cancer happens when cells in the breast or a tumor, grow out of control and damages nearby tissue. In women, the most common and fatal type of cancer is breast cancer.

Detection

There are often no symptoms in the early stages. Women should be aware of the screening recommendations and follow them. There are varieties of symptoms that may appear as the tumor grows such as:

The breast changing in size or shape
Breast skin becomes pitted or ridged
Thickening or lump in the underarm or breast
Discharge from nipple or the nipple turns inward
Skin on the breast becomes red or scales

If you have any of these symptoms, have yourself examined by a medical professional. This does not mean you have cancer but you defiantly want to have this checked.

Before the age of twenty, is very rare to get it and not often diagnosed in women less than twenty-five years old. The chances of contacting climbs steadily after 25 and peaks around menopause age in women. It increases less after menopause but as they age, the risk to older women gradually increases.

Risk Factors

Nobody really knows what causes this cancer. Some of the elements that are thought to increase the risk are:

Gender: There are more cases of women than men

Weight: Overweight women are at higher risk

Age: From 25 to menopause, the chances increases.

Children: If a woman has not had a child, or had a child after 30

Family History: Women that have a family member that have or had it are at risk.

Male Breast Cancer

Yes, it really does happen. It is certainly not as common as in women but approximately one to 1.5% happens to men. Older men most often diagnosed with it and are between sixty and seventy years old. If a man has had previous exposure to radiation, such as for cancer treatment, their risk increases. Approximately 20% of men with a mother, sister or other close female relatives with breast cancer are certainly at higher risk. Some of the symptoms in men includes swelling or a breast lump, retracted nipple or discharge and scaling or redness of the breast skin or nipple.

Statistics

The statistics are frightening. Each and ever year, over 182,000 women and 16,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer. Over 400 men and 43,300 women will die from this terrible disease. During their lifetime, one woman out of eight has or will get breast cancer. Most people have family or friends that have or had breast cancer. Always give them your support and encouragement.

Exercise And Breast Cancer

2009-08-16T05:55:00.001-07:00

Taking every opportunity to distribute my marketing material for my new book, I stopped by a children’s clothing store one Sunday afternoon. Upon leaving the parking lot, my six year old son caught a glimpse of "those ribbons with two lines". In my half-engaged attention, I acknowledged his observation that there were "more than three" on this one particular car. From his persistence to gain my feedback, I began to focus on our conversation. I informed him that I was not exactly clear of what he meant by the description of this two-lined ribbon. "You know…the red one…the boob problem…and the…". Ground zero! I realized that he was speaking of the Awareness Ribbons that so emphatically adorn various vehicles these days. I started to chuckle at his innocence in remembering my recent 15-minute explanation of breast cancer as "the boob problem". After we enjoyed the moment, I struck a more serious note to remember that the disease is far from funny and can leave heartache and devastation in its vicious path. In fact, according to Dr. Susan Love, breast cancer affects 110 women every day.

My first encounter as a Personal Trainer with a recovering breast cancer client came quite a few years ago and meeting her was quite an experience. If you have ever met a breast cancer victor you will notice that their eyes reflect a beautiful understanding of life. My encounter with my client came while I worked at a swim and racquet club. Even the way she approached me was filled with grace. Wanting to strengthen her body after the illness, she inquired about a weight training routine. She had a beaming, yet subtle smile with each simple question that she asked of me. To look at her would never disclose of her recent pain. Her hair was a typical short style of a middle-aged woman and her legs still presented the years of tennis that kept her fit. I was honored to take the position as her trainer and we worked together on a program toward rebuilding her body for not only the purpose of strength and endurance, but to attain a touch of inner peace as well.

Recovery from breast cancer is not so different a program than simply exercising to avoid such a catastrophic event in a woman’s life. If you have followed fitness for any amount of time, visited your doctor or taken a class in school, the informative path to righteous living is well paved with getting the blood flowing and the heart pounding. In turn, you increase your chances of avoiding disease (heart-related, cancer, diabetes). Likewise, if you have successfully battled the disease and yearn for a method of attack against it recurring or simply want to lessen the unpleasant after affects, the all-knowing finger will be pointing in the same direction…the local gym. Even as early as the 1980’s, research was proving that aerobic exercise improved fatigue levels and nausea in post cancer patients. Fast forward to present and the benefits have multiplied over the years. Subsequent studies indicate that weight training, aerobic exercise, and fitness emphasizing mind and body (i.e., yoga) all have a substantial impact of up to 25-50% improvement on pain, fatigue, overall optimism, the general fitness level of the individual and how much a person can improve their quality of daily life, complete with energy-draining tasks.

It is clear that exercise plays a tremendous role in helping breast cancer survivors feel better. So what are the details of program design? First and foremost, you want to stay clear of stress on the surgical or stitched area. Next, and just as important, begin with the usual 10-15 minute warm-up, no matter if you are doing weight training sets, a cardio routine or a number of yoga poses. It is after this warm-up that variety begins. For resistance/weight training exercises, you will want to start the initial phase of your program with a lowered weight volume but with up to double the repetitions. Elastic tubing and bands are also a good start for the first phase. Though you may not be directly working the muscle tissue in your surgical area, many muscles work together in stabilizing another muscle’s contraction. The lesser weight will insure that your wound is not overexerted to soon. The standard 2-3 sets are appropriate with 15-20 repetitions.

Another area of exercise is that of cardiovascular training. Cardio machines such as the treadmill or elliptical machines are acceptable and can be used for 3-4 days per week. In your initial phase of a recovery fitness routine, you may want to follow an interval program where you begin the session with a higher-intensity minute followed by a low-intensity minute totaling up to thirty minutes. As your condition improves, you can reduce your low intensity minute to 30 seconds and eventually eliminate it all together.

Finally, mind and body exercises such as yoga go a step further in fitness. Not only are you strengthening your body, you are also tapping into inner peace with each slow and controlled breath. Ideal for achieving relaxation, this type of training can be utilized for as little as 5-15 minute a day and still present positive results.

While breast cancer awareness has reached far heights as that of former president, Bill Clinton, who signed the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000, it does not stop the fact that the disease continues to take more and more lives. While a cure is currently elusive, preventative measures are not. Engaging in a fitness program that includes healthy eating, routine exercise and positive mental development is a safe bet of increasing longevity.

Breast Cancer

2009-08-16T05:54:00.002-07:00

Epidemiology

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the second most common (after lung cancer) cause of death in this group. However, to some extent, it concerns men as well.Different countries in the world have varying incidence of breast cancer. The West Europe countries and the USA have the highest incidence rates, adequately 35-60/100 000 and 65/100 000, whereas the Far East countries have the lowest rate (i.e. in Japan it is five times lower than in the USA).

Risk factors

Risk factors point to increased risk, that is at higher probability of falling ill among specimens of a given population. The most important risk factors include:

1. Woman's age

Incidence of breast cancer increases with age.

2. Ethnic/geographical factors

These factors, although they have been taken into consideration for years, are extremely difficult to interpret. High breast cancer incidence occurs in the USA and in West Europe, low - in Asian, Far East and African countries. Breast cancer is usually developed in Caucasian women living in a quite cold climate in the highly developed countries. It is dependent upon the influence of the following factors: race, climate, nutrition style, types of the undergone diseases, lifestyle and culture style, family planning, age of the first pregnancy, number of children, breastfeeding's popularity, etc. Black and yellow women become ill more rarely.

3. Family factors

The more affected relatives and the closer degree of kinship to them, the bigger probability of suffering from cancer. The risk increases, if these tumours occurred in one’s mother and sister under the age of 35 . Genetically determined breast cancer, which amounts to 10% of all the breast tumours, most often being the result of BRCA1, BRCA2, p53 and ATM genes mutation. Breast cancer can also occur in the course of some inheritably associated syndromes, among others in Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Lynch II syndrome, Cowden's disease, Peutz-Jaeghers syndrome, ataxia-teleangiectasia, Klinefelter syndrome

4. Age of first menstruation and menopause

Appearance of first menses before the age of 12 significantly increases (by about 40%) the risk of breast cancer. Natural menopause appearing after age 55 increases risk of breast cancer twofold. Thus, the most important factor is the total number of years of ovulation activity.

5. Age of first pregnancy and delivery

Women who give birth to their first child in the age of between 20 and 30 have a lower risk of breast cancer. Nulliparous women are more exposed to breast cancer, by almost 50%.

6. Breastfeeding

Women with much lower risk of falling ill protected from breast cancer development by breastfeeding. Even relatively short time of breastfeeding gives some protection

7. Ionising radiation

High doses of X radiation (applied during routine "X-rays") can cause breast cancer. It is worth to stress that the contemporary mammography apparati expose a woman to a minimal dose of radiation.

8. Alcohol and diet

Excessive alcohol consumption for a long period of time increases the risk of breast cancer development, because the liver damage impairs estrogen metabolism (high estrogen concentration increases the risk of falling ill). It is suspected that one of the factors, which increases the breast cancer risk, is food with high content of saturated fat

9. Obesity

Obesity increases the risk of breast cancer development, as it is more difficult to find breast changes in obese people . moreover, fat cells produce estrogens

10. Exogenous hormones (hormone contraceptives)

It is believed that oral contraceptives (which include mainly estrogens), even if they are connected with breast cancer, act as a factor facilitating and accelerating the development of the disease, which has already appeared, rather than a factor causing genetic mutations and evoking disease. It is also believed that pills that are made only of progesterone and so called „minipills" don't increase the breast cancer risk. The pills may increase the risk in genetically loaded women or women using oral contraceptives for at least 8 years until first pregnancy. It is believed that preparations which include progesterone alone, don't affect the risk for breast cancer appearance. However, preparations that include progesterone and estrogens may influence the tumour appearance. The risk is growing for women taking hormone medications longer than 8 years.

Treatment

Breast cancer is treated locally or generally, although some patients may undergo both types of treatment. Local treatment consists in surgical removal or destruction of the lesion. General treatment (chemotherapy, hormone therapy) aims at inhibiting the tumour process or decreasing the size of tumour before operation and it is also applied in significant disease progression instead of surgery. Surgical treatment is the most common way to treat breast cancer. Patients in I0 and II0 clinical progression are qualified for the surgical treatment . The most often performed surgery is the modified breast amputation by Patey's way (excision of the breast gland together with the axillary lymph nodes, without removing the breast muscles). Some patients are qualified for breast conserving treatment.

Such possibility exists in the following cases:
TisN0M0
T1N0M0
T1N1M0
T2N0-1M0 (tumour not bigger than 3cm in a mammographic measurement)
Possibility of removing the tumour with a margin of healthy tissue
Satisying cosmetic effect foreseen
Patient's consent to breast conserving treatment
The lack of contraindications
The absolute contraindications include:
Multicentric cancer
Cancer relapse after the previous breast conserving treatment
Previous undergoing of breast irradiation
No possibility of getting the margin of healthy tissue
The relative contraindications include:
Pregnancy
Foreseen unsatisfying cosmetic effect
Connective tissue disease (collagenosis)
Breast Conserving Treatment (BCT) includes replacing tumour within healthy tissues and regional axillary lymph nodes. The following ways of breast tumour removal are distinguished:
Tylectomy
Removing the tumour with a margin of at least 2cm. If the margin from the muscles' side is smaller than cm, the tumour must be removed together with fascia,
Wide excision, lumpectomy
Removing the tumour together with the bulk unchanged tissues margin of 1 cm. This margin can be smaller from the muscles side, but then fascia has to be removed.
Excisional biopsy, tumourectomy
Removing the tumour without margin, but with the intention of removing all the bulk suspected tissues. After BCT surgery, all patients are exposed to supplementing radiotherapy. Breast gland is irradiated with a total dose of 50 Gy, 2 Gy per fraction (25 fractions during 5 weeks). Additionally, the site of tumour removal is afterloaded with 192 Ir with the 10 Gy dose.
Radiotherapy - uses high energy radiation to destroy the cancer cells and to prevent them from further growth and fissions. There are two kinds of radiotherapy: exterior (source of radiation is located outside the human body) and interior (special containers with the radiation material are placed in the tumour site). Another kind of radiotherapy is brachytherapy which involves placing thin tubes in breast. The radiation is directed through these tubes straight to the tumour cells. Nowadays brachytherapy is applied after breast conserving treatment. It happens that radiotherapy is applied before surgery to decrease the size of tumour and/or to facilitate the tumour removal.

Chemotherapy involves the application of medicines that are aimed at tumour destruction. In breast cancer chemotherapy is usually composed of a few types of medicines, which are administered either directly to vein or in the form of pills. Regardless of the way of administering, the medicines get inside blood and flow with it through the whole body, which also results in negative effects for this therapy (nausea, vomiting, hair falling out, neutropenia, menstruation disorder, earlier menopause).

Breast Cancer - Estrogen Dominance And The Imbalance Of Hormones

2009-08-16T05:54:00.001-07:00

Estrogen Dominance is a term coined by the late John R. Lee, M.D., author of a number of books on the topic of women’s hormones. The theory of Estrogen Dominance describes a condition where a woman can have deficient, normal or excessive estrogen but has little or no progesterone to balance its effects in the body. Even a woman with low estrogen levels can have estrogen dominance symptoms if she doesn't have any progesterone. Basically estrogen dominance reflects hormones that have gone out of balance. Out of balance hormones can affect women from 14 to 94.

How do we become estrogen dominant? Our food chain is laced with toxic pesticides, herbicides and growth hormones – a sea of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body. If we are overweight, our body’s store of excess fat can be converted into estrogen. Insulin resistance also leads to estrogen dominance. Then there is estrogen found in ERT, HRT and Birth Control Pills.

Estrogen dominance also occurs in men. As men age, estrogen gradually rises, while saliva levels of progesterone and testosterone gradually fall. We often find men of fifty having higher saliva estrogen levels than women of fifty! A sign of estrogen dominance in men is the tendency for some to develop breasts.

An imbalance of hormones in our bodies results in hormone-related health problems such as PMS, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, infertility, post-partum depression, weight gain, increased blood clotting, thyroid dysfunction, even breast and uterine cancer in women and in men breast cancer, prostate problems and prostate cancer.

Estrogen Dominance can be detected by taking a saliva test. This simple test can accurately reveal hormone levels. Men can also take this simple at-home test to determine if their hormones are out of balance.

A saliva test evaluation will either move a man or woman to take action to bring balance to their own hormones or cause them to sit back and reflect on their good hormone health. Those over 50 can take an annual saliva test to keep track of their hormone levels.

Men and women who experience hormone imbalance feel unwell – bringing balance to their hormones is often a key to their wellness. There are safe natural alternatives available to drug therapies. Women and men must become more informed about their own hormone health.

This Article Is Copywright 2006 Jackie L. Harvey & Saliva Testing com

Colorectal Cancer Part 5: Review Of Medical Literature: Not All Patients Benefit From Chemotherapy

2009-08-16T05:53:00.003-07:00

After surgery, microscopic cancer cells are still left behind in the body. As an "insurance policy" patients are told by their oncologists to undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy (or both). The idea is to kill whatever cancer cells are left behind. But how effective is this? How valid is the assumption that chemotherapy can just do that?

I invite you to read the following research papers and give them some serious thought. Form your own opinion as to what you would want to do in the event that you suffer from early stage (Stage 2) colorectal cancer.

Scholefield J.H. in an article: "Challenges in colorectal cancer." (Book review. New England J of Medicine. September 2000. Vol: 343:893.) wrote:

"Colorectal cancer presents some of the most challenging problems for basic scientists, clinical investigators and practitioners. Surgery remains the centre of attention."

Question: All these years, why is the treatment of colorectal "most challenging?" Has the treatment protocol for colorectal cancer not been worked out yet?

Moertel, C. G. (in Chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. New England J. of Medicine. April 1994. Vol: 330: 1136-1142) wrote:

"Radiation therapy plays only a palliative role. In the past, chemotherapy resulted in only infrequent and usually transient shrinkage of the tumour. Its use is scarcely justified in view of the discomforts and costs of the treatment. However, now there have been some advances."

Question: The author is a renowned oncologist from the famous Mayo Clinic. It is most amazing to note that "in the past chemotherapy resulted only in temporary tumour shrinkage." Even shrinkage is infrequently achieved. But then, we were made to believe that chemotherapy was necessary. Was it a mistake then? Was undergoing chemotherapy in the past unjustifiable? What about the present? Is it going to be another mistake down the road? The author is implying that perhaps now, it is okay -- we are seeing some advances? Chemotherapy, even today is not a pleasant experience while some patients said they suffered badly. Besides, it still cost a lot of money. Has the present situation change?

Buyse M & Piedbois P. (in: Should Duke’s B patients receive adjuvant therapy? A statistical perspective. Semin. Oncol. 2001.(Suppl. 1): 20-24) wrote:

"The benefit of adjuvant therapy, e.g., 5-FU + leucovorin, is a matter of debate for patients with Duke’s B colon cancer. Five separate trials failed to show a significant benefit of adjuvant 5-FU + leucovorin compared with surgery alone."

Benson, A. B., et al. (in: American Society of Clinical Oncology recommendations on adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer. J. of Clinical Oncology, August 2004. Vol: 22: 3408-3419) wrote:

"Direct evidence from randomized controlled trials does not support the routine use of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with stage II colon cancer. Therefore the routine use of adjuvant chemotherapy for medically fit patients with stage II colon cancer is not recommended."

Figueredo A. et al. (in: Adjuvant therapy for stage II colon cancer: A systematic review from the Cancer Care Ontario Program in Evidence-based Gastrointestinal Cancer Disease Site Group. J. of Clinical Oncology, August 2004. Vol: 16: 3395-3407) wrote:

"The benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy are small and not necessarily associated with improved overall survival. Patients should be made aware of these results."

With the above research results would cancer patients take a pause and think seriously enough before they "follow" what their oncologists may want them to do?

Radiation Therapy For Breast Cancer- Coping With Skin Reactions

2009-08-16T05:53:00.001-07:00

Radiation therapy is a simple, painless, and generally well-tolerated tool for treating and even curing breast cancer. One of the most common side effects of radiation therapy to the breast (after a lumpectomy) or to the chest wall (after a mastectomy) is skin irritation. The reaction and its extent differ for every woman. Because radiation therapy is often such an important part of breast cancer treatment, it is important to know how to mitigate its side effects in order to gain the greatest benefit from the therapy.

Coping with Skin Irritation

Radiation-induced skin reactions are more likely to occur in people who received chemotherapy shortly before or during radiation therapy and in women who have a prominent fold under the crease of the breast. In fact, this area and the underarm are the most common areas of the breast to sustain a skin reaction. Most skin reactions resolve within a few weeks of completing radiation therapy.

Skin reactions are almost inevitable for women receiving radiation to the chest wall after a mastectomy. As a result, many radiation oncology facilities give such women a one-week prophylactic break halfway through the course of treatment, to reduce the severity of skin reactions.

The severity of a skin reaction varies from person to person. It can become more noticeable as the course of treatment progresses. Faint pinkness of the skin, brisk redness, sun burnt sensation, dryness, itching, peeling, darkening like a suntan, blistering, and moist oozing can occur.

When the reaction is severe, such as a brisk redness that evolves into blistering and moist weeping of the skin, women receive a treatment break, usually lasting a week or two. This rest is usually sufficient to alleviate the worst symptoms. When necessary, doctors can prescribe therapeutic creams. Radiation can be resumed once the reaction resolves.

Treating the Reaction

During radiation therapy, women can avoid chafing the irradiated skin by going braless or by wearing a cotton sports bra without an underwire that fits well below the crease of the breast or the irradiated skin of the chest wall. Women who can go braless altogether, should. If that is not a comfortable solution, women should wear a bra as infrequently as possible to reduce the likelihood and/or the degree of a skin reaction. Also, aerating the irradiated skin helps minimize skin reactions.

Over-the-counter moisturizing creams without alcohol and fragrance can reduce the extent of a skin reaction. Often, radiation oncology teams prescribe these creams at the beginning of radiation therapy.

Women should also try to be kind to the irradiated skin, which can be easily inflamed. Radiation oncologists suggest:

Do not rub, scrub, or scratch the skin in the treatment area; instead, pat the skin dry and massage physician-prescribed anti-itch creams or ointments onto the affected area.
Avoid sun exposure to the irradiated skin. When going outdoors, wear protective opaque clothing such as a cotton tee shirt.
Steer clear of tight-fitting blouses and bras over the area unless instructed otherwise.
Use only lukewarm water and mild soap recommended by the radiation oncology team on the treated area.
Avoid using ice packs or heating pads on the treated skin.
Steer clear of commercial deodorants and skin care products not endorsed by the treatment team.
Do not shave the underarm on the treated side with a non-electric razor.
Avoid skin care products for at least two hours before radiation treatment.

Although a number of people who undergo radiation therapy do experience skin reactions, most get past this temporary side effect. By working with their radiation oncology teams, people pass the metaphorical finish line of the course of radiation therapy, usually victoriously. Most importantly, they derive substantial benefits from radiation therapy and move on to leading productive, cancer-free lives.

Colon-Liver Cancer: Medically Written-off Patient Lived Longer After Chemotherapy And Herbs

2009-08-16T05:52:00.001-07:00

Sometime in June 1992: Ben was diagnosed with colon cancer. He underwent an operation to remove the cancerous portion of his colon. With the threats of cancer put aside, Ben’s life was back to normal. He obtained a job in a factory. For three years, he worked very hard. Life was both a physical and mental stress.

In July 1995, Ben lost his appetite and then had severe pains in his abdomen. A CT scan showed the cancer had spread to his liver. His earlier operation did not cure his cancer. He had to undergo chemotherapy.

Ben wrote about his experience below.

My Death Sentence

"I was informed by the doctor of the very bad news -- CANCER of the liver at an advanced stage. There would be no medicine for me. I was advised to prepare my will as soon as possible. I was stunned for a moment. My wife, Cindy and I broke down. I thought, "I am going to die". Confused and sad I felt helpless. I refused to eat and talk. When relatives and friends came to see me, I broke down. What about my daughter in Australia? She was preparing for her final year examination. Should I inform her? I could not decide. I simply cried and cried."

Chemotherapy

"After my first chemotherapy that evening, I thought I was dying. I suffered nausea, weakness, loss of appetite and was in a confused stage. Just imagine, five more chemotherapy sessions to go."

"After my second chemotherapy, I reluctantly went for the third. A young doctor assigned to me did his job in about 20 minutes. It nearly killed me. Normally, it takes about three hours. I felt tightness around my chest and that night I felt as if my chest was going to burst. Psychologically I was badly affected. When I thought of my fourth chemotherapy, fear and depression affected me. I suffered loss of appetite, restlessness and there was the phobia of going to the hospital. What is going to happen this time? My doctor assured me he will get another doctor with more experience to do the job. Still feeling frightened, I managed to finish the whole six courses of chemotherapy sessions. Praise God! He helped me to be positive."

Herbs

20 July 1995: "I started taking the rodent tuber extract at night. My appetite improved the next day. I managed to finish a big bowl of porridge. After four days, the intake of the rodent tuber was increased to twice daily. My appetite continued to improve. Bowel movements were regular. A herbal Mixture A was introduced to me to be taken together with the rodent tuber extract. Physically I felt a bit stronger."

25 August 1995: "I took Mixture B (liver powder) together with Mixture A and the rodent tuber extract. The appetite improved tremendously. I was stronger physically after a few days. There was great improvement for the next few weeks. My appetite was good. I was able to sleep and my bowel movements were regular."

Path to Recovery

27 September 1995: "An ultrasound showed that the necrotic cells are dying off. The doctor encouraged me to continue taking the rodent tuber extract and the Mixtures A and B. I am still taking them. I lost a little bit of hair. I experienced PAIN many times, in the hospital and at home. The pain came without any warning. Each time I was in pain, I could not walk, sit or sleep. Pain killers were of little help. The doctor told me to try to bear the pain. Too many pain killers would affect the kidneys. Sometimes the pain was unbearable. I nearly gave up a few times. The doctor told me he had done his best and encouraged me to keep on praying to God to heal me."

March 1996: "I am glad that I can participate in the CA Care Group and shared my experiences with those who were present. I know their sufferings very well. I encouraged them to think positively and not give up."

My health

"My hair had grown more bushy, black and shiny. Even the gray ones have disappeared! The veins in my arm, once hardened and dead as a result of chemotherapy, are now becoming alive again. The skin pigmentation caused by the chemotherapy has now disappeared. I have nice, clean skin! Praise and thank the Lord!"

Ben had lived! He outlived his doctor’s doom prediction. His daughter returned home after graduation. He celebrated Christmas 1995 and continued living a strong and healthy life. For Ben, the fight against cancer was not over as yet. He had to continue to eat rightly and lead a happy, stress-free life.

In the early morning of 29 October 1996, Ben passed away. The doctors gave Ben two months to live after his liver diagnosis. But Ben got to live a happy life for a year, three months and eighteen days. It is not the length of time that mattered. What is more important is the quality of life Ben had. Ben lived a full happy life. He did not take life for granted. He anticipated and made preparations for his departure. He enjoyed whatever time he had with Cindy, having daily picnics and enjoying Penang’s natural spots under those shady trees. Ben even designed his own grave! He taught Cindy how to manage the chores of daily life without him like paying utility bills, taking care of the car, etc. When he departed, it was neither a sudden good-bye nor a slow painful death. Perhaps on this point alone, we take consolation that many people who were on the herbs died without much pain and their death came easily and peacefully.

Extracted from the author's book: Cancer Yet They Live!

Uterus Cancer Survivor: The Tumor keeps Getting Smaller

2009-08-16T05:50:00.001-07:00

I come from a poor family and I need to work daily in order to survive. One day, I felt severe pain to the extent that I couldn`t even sit down. Aside from the pain, there were also a lot of discharge (bowel movement). I then decided to go to the hospital for a medical checkup.

The result of the checkup concluded that there was a 10cm tumor in the uterus and it was on its terminal stage. The doctor said surgery was unavoidable, but the recovery rate is minimal. Finally, I decided to go through surgery.

"...one of my friend was able to try it and the result was satisfying"

Later, some of my friends heard about Tian Xian Liquid from the news and the results have been confirmed by clinical tests in hospitals throughout the country. One of my friends was able to try it and the result was satisfying.

I began taking Tian Xian Liquid in March 1993 and in about 2 weeks, the bleeding stopped. A month later, the pain was reduced and I can sit down.

"...showed that the tumor was reduced to 6 cm diameter."

A checkup conducted in March 1997 showed that the tumor was reduced to 6cm diameter.

Now (as of press time), it is down to 3cm diameter. It is progressively getting smaller over time. My condition is back to normal and I can go back to work. (Editor`s Note: No recent news about Ms. Chen`s status on her cancer)

"...I can go back to work."

Rectal Cancer

2009-08-16T05:49:00.002-07:00

Both bloody stool and the spread of cancer cells stopped.

Disease: Rectal Cancer

Three years ago, I suffered from bloody stool 3 to 4 times a day and it continued for 10 days. The doctor told me that I had rectal cancer. Although the doctor told me to have surgery, I didn’t do it but used my own treatment. I don’t like operations. I started taking Tian Xian Liquid two months after my diagnosis.

My disease has significantly improved after a few months of taking Tian Xian Liquid. The bloody stool was drastically reduced – virtually no trace of blood was left. Before taking the liquid, I had a poor appetite. It is now much improved. When I had an X-ray check-up at the hospital three months after taking Tian Xian Liquid, no tumor could be found. The doctor said, "The tumor is still there, but it is not diffusing."

People said I looked better. I am very satisfied and grateful to Tian Xian Liquid.

paancreatic cancer

2009-08-16T05:49:00.001-07:00

Living with any serious disease can be difficult and challenging. I know how each one of you who has a serious ailment feels...I have also fellt that way...more than two years ago.

After reading the MRI result in July of 2001, my husband and I went from one doctor to another to find out the best way to extend my life, to be cured of my cancer. Three, four, five... seven... I can no longer co count how many oncologists we've been to... all specialist in paancreatic cancer, a kind of cancer in which the patient has little chance of getting cured. This is the most aggressive form of cancer. Too little time is given to you to think... if you are still able to think straight ggiven your serious condition.

When I had the courage to ask the doctor how long I will live if I would not undergo operation, his response stunned me...6 months only, one yyear at the most.

When I heard those words...I felt the world standing still. Everythhing the doctor was saying was incomprehensible. I felt like a prisoner handed a death sentence. During those moments I felt numbness all over my body. What I could only feel at that time were tears running down my cheeks.

Like any other person with serious ailment, I wanted a speedy cure. At that time, the fastest solution...and the only solution we know of is surgery...nothing else. I braced myself for a 12-24 hour opeeration...my gallbladder will be removed, part of my liver, stomach annd duodenum will be taken away. But if during surgery it is discovered that the tumor which was then 2 inches round was too intimate or too close to the pancreas, they will not remove it, and instead terminate the surgery by closing the incision. Of course, the other parts of my body will have already been destroyed.

I consented to surgery even if it would be very difficult on my part rather than waiting defenseless... because at that time...again...it was the only solution we knew...until...the ishe issue of blood came up. You have not asked me, but I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and as such we adhere strictly to a Bible-based standard to avoid the use of blood, including the blood transfusion.

My doctors would be indignant each time my refusal to accept blood transfusion would be brought up...threat...pressure...intimidatmidation...These, they resorted to, just so I would agree to a surgery usiing blood.

Every consultation would just result in depression, since it was impossible for me to be operated on without the use of blood...and I would neever compromise the firm foundation of the Bible teaching to abstain from blood...even if this would man losing my life.This is the main reason why I was not operated on...thanks to beingg a Jehovah's Witnesss...and my strict compliance with Bible sstandard of abstaining from blood...otherwise, I would have gone underr the knife...must have been through chemotherapy, or cobalt...o€¦or would not have been here before you alive beacuase I would have been 6 feet under the ground.

So, what would we do? My husband and I started researching...we reaad numerous books...until we discovered a different kind of treatment,, which is called 'Alternative Treatment'. We tried this approach...we learned that to treat a disease, the whole body is involveed. In my case, it is not enough to focus on my diseased pancreas but to include my whole body as well. We learned holistic treatment...a form off treatment that includes the whole body not just he affected part.

Each night we read a different book. We stayed late just to learn more about alternative treatment. Each research confirmed our conviction that surgery was not the only solution...in fact, it was not even required. Wee only has to change our lifestyle, what we have been used to. Alternative treatment is not easy, one has to be patient...self-discipline is impoortant...you just have to believe in what you are doing.

In my case, we started from nothing, zero knowledge with respect to alternative treatment. Added to this was the fact that we were running against time, very short...just six months. Each moment must not be wasted every move must be precise...each decision, crucial. Each wrongg move meant one big step backward...only to start all over again.

One very difficult aspect of having cancer is having many 'well-meaning' people around you, who just want to be sympathetic and offer any help or suggestion the best way they know. Each one of them has an opinion to give, a little pressure here and there for
you to try this or that or just plain counsel on what to do given my situation. Of course, you get confused...but I have learned not to be carried away by pressure. Thhe most important thing to consider the moment you know that you have cancer is to stay focused and not to be swayed by mere talk.

While we were researching, making the first move seemed difficult. Especially since we were not sure if we were doing the right thing. We rested our hope on what we learned from our readings. We were not sure if things would be easy for us, nor were we convinced that it was the right track towards recovery.

I admit, many times I lost confidence in what my husband and I were doing. Many nights in bed, the thought of not seeing the dawn of a new day gripped me. Once I had the painful attacks, I had this desire to undergo operation...but again thinking about the blood issue, this firmed up my deciision to go ahead with the alternative treatment.

I took so many food supplements...a variety of them...whateveever it is that I read, I would buy...whoever would give me, I would acccept. But I realized that it was not enough. Until one evening...I hadd a severe attack. I felt as if there was a fresh deep wound stomach being gnawed by a rat. I woke up my husband and told him that perhaps it was already my end. I was hoping that we could find a treatment for me, hopefully herbal medicine. We prayed fervently to Jehovah God to help us find a medicine that would directly address my ailment.

The following day, a Chinese sister in faith, visited me and made an appointed with a cancer researcher who introduced the medicine TIAN XIAN or commonly called CHINA NO. 1. I had heard of a fellow Jehovah's Witness who was then into this kind of medication. When we arrived at the Green & Gold International Exports Office in Dapitan cor. Banaue, we were welcomed by a kind and very knowledgeable specialist in alternative treatment, Mr. Manuel Kiok. He showed us the China 1 packet and explained to us its effect to the body of a cancer patient like me.

For the first time after I was diagnosed with cancer, my heart was overflowing with joy. Now, I have hope. Through Mr. Kiok, China 1 will help extend my life, much better than the 6 months to one year lease on life if I would not undergo surgery.On the first weeks of taking China 1, combined with China number 6 capsules, I remember emitting black wastes from my body. At the start it seemed that my disease was counteracting the medicine. There was some kind of wrestling going on inside my body every time I took China 1. I knew then that the medicine was proving to be effective. So I continued the medicine hoping that one day I would be pronounced fully cured.

Six months has passed, I am still alive. Still weak, still uncertain and the only test I was doing to measure the degree of malignancy of my cancer is thru HCG-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. The test is based on a theory proposed by Dr. Howard Beard and other researchers who contend that cancer is related to a misplaced trophoblast cell that become malignant in a manner similar to pregnancy in that they both secrete HCG. As a consequence, a measure of the amount of HCG found in the urine is also a measure of the degree of malignancy. The higher the number, the greater the severity of the cancer.

PLEURISY

2009-08-16T05:48:00.002-07:00

"…In half a year’s time, I looked better and regained my appetite. The doctor discharged me from the hospital. Even though the ovary tumor didn’t change much, there was a reduction in the thoracic cavity and the ascites virtually did not exist anymore.’’ - Sato Hireko

To prevent a relapse, it is necessary to keep taking the medicine.

Disease: Carcinomatous Pleurisy

Two years ago, I was diagnosed with carcinomatous pleurisy caused by metastasis of oophorpma. The rehabilitation plan was to have chemotherapy and take out the oophorpma.

However, the outcome was disappointing. There was no sign of recovery at all. By that time, I had lost my appetite and looked pale. During my X-ray check-up, it was found that hydrops existed on two flanks of the thoracic cavity, a tumor of the ovary and ascites at the CT position of the abdomen. These were dangerous signs.

Under this situation, a friend of mine told me that she heard of a case where a cancer was cured due to a certain Chinese medicine. Her friend had middle-stage oophorpma that was cured by Tian Xian Liquid. I bought some to try as soon as possible.

As a result, in six months, I regained my health, my appetite and energy. I was discharged from the hospital. Even though there wasn’t much change on the ovary tumor, there was a reduction of thoracic cavity and the ascites virtually did not exist anymore.

Sato Hireko, 36 years old, female, Japan, housewife

Nasal Cancer Survivor : I`m Still Alive Even Though the Survival Rate is Only 15%

2009-08-16T05:48:00.001-07:00

`You suffer from nasopharyngeal passages cancer,` my doctor said. It was so sudden and I was shocked. I went to the hospital for a cold and it turned out to be a cancer.
I pay great attention to health. I never drink or smoke. How could I suffer from naspharygneal passages cancer? Why did it come so fiercely? It was terminal, even surgery could not help.

"...even surgery could not help"

It had already spread to the brain and surgery can`t help either. I suffered from severe headaches due to the transfer of cancer cells.

Not long after that I developed a hearing problem. The doctor said radiation therapy would be the most effective method but the survival rate was only 15%.

"...doctor said radiation
would be the most
method but the
survival rate was only 15%."

I did not have any other choice, The side effects of radiation therapy were exceptionally difficult (vomiting, oral cavity inflammation, sore throat). Even drinking could have killed me. I cannot forget the feeling of being mute. Then I learned about Tian Xian Liquid from the news and tried it.

I was released from the hospital after the first stage of the radiotherapy. I take 6 bottles of Tian Xian Liquid (1 bottle = 10 cc) a day.

After only 2 weeks, I could go shopping, read newspapers, and watch TV. My skin that was darkened by the radiation regained its original complexion, and further examinations showed that all cancer cells had disappeared.

"...that all the cancer cells has dissapeared."

MULTIPLE MYELOMA

2009-08-16T05:47:00.003-07:00

Professor & Head: Department of Psychology of Education
University of the North
P B X1106
SOVENGA 0727
Northern Province
SOUTH AFRICA

6 August 1997

FOR THE ATTENTION OF DICK WU – GENERAL MANAGER

Dear Sir

Thank you for your faxed response dated 15/7/97. In my fax I had requested confirmation on the dosage (New Tian Xian China No. 1) for prevention. Mandy Theng confirmed that I need only take 10cc a day at 09h00. Last week I received a booklet, sent by my brother, titled "One Hundred Questions to China No. 1 Tian Xian Liquid". I quote from this booklet, question no.43 page 07:

"Is it necessary to take China No.1 Tian Xian Liquid for a whole life?

Generally the dose applications are divided into 3 stages:
In the case of combined application with surgery and chemotherapy, please insist on the dosage for 3 to 6 months (with suspension of about 5 days between each month) until confirmation of hospital examination that the tumour shall have diminished or disappeared.
During the two years that follow, please change to one month’s dosage per quarter, that is, by having the dose for one month while on suspension for two months. Owing to the high relapse rate of as much as 60% within 5 years of the cancer disease, dosage should be taken for one month in March and September during the three subsequent years." Please can you clear my confusion regarding the above matter.

I would also like to thank you for the letter attached in which you requested a letter from my doctor regarding my medical condition. Please find attached the doctor’s letter along with my photograph. I appreciate the symbol of goodwill you are extending to me by offering me a carton of China No.1 Tian Xian Liquid, free of charge.

I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 1993 by Dr. Coccia-Portugal. It was under control until my relapse in April 1995. At that point I was given 3-6 months to live.

In September 1995 my brother and family came from Hyderabad (India) to visit me. They too felt totally helpless after hearing the prognosis. On their return back home, they read about China No.1 Tian Xian Liquid in one of the newspapers.

With the aid of an acquaintance in Hong Kong, Mr. Thomas Chiu, I began importing the medicine in October 1995. Mr. Thomas Chiu purchased the medicine directly and then posted to me. Mr. Chiu later left Hong Kong and then I began importing the medicine directly from your company. My condition improved since then. Blood results had shown normality for the past one-year. It was in May this year that the bone marrow test was performed and no malignancy was found.

Thank you very much for the wonderful work you have done in discovering this medicine. I hope that more people will be made aware of this medicine. I have shared this with many people. I believe that one such person, Dr. Rao (Brahmavar, South Karnataka, India) has also started using this medicine after hearing my testimony. I pray that God will continue to bless all the people involved with your mission and that He will also bless those using this medicine.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any further assistance in promoting your medicine. It is preferable that communication be directed to my home address/tel/fax (top right side).

Thanking you.

Yours faithfully

(SIGNED)
VARGHESE IEPEN CHERIAN (PROF)

22 July 1997 CP1852

ATTENTION: DICK WU
General Manager

Dear Sir

MEDICAL REPORT: CHINA NO. 1.
PROF. V.I. CHERIAN: 41-02-24
DIAGNOSIS: MULTIPLE MYELOMA

Prof. Cherian was diagnosed as having Multiple Myeloma IgG in 1993. He was treated since May 1993 with Alkeran and Prednisone.

In June 1995 his condition had deteriorated and chemotherapy was changed to high dose Dexamethasone, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, Aredia, and Interferon.

In September 1995 there was some improvement of pain but due to toxicity, Adriamycin was replaced by BCNU.

Ever since he was receiving the same chemotherapy until March 1997. He is clinically very well and at the moment he receives only Aredia and Interferon.

The IgG immunoglobulin normalized since January 1997.

Yours Sincerely

Lymph Cancer Survivor: I Believe in Chinese Medicine

2009-08-16T05:47:00.001-07:00

I have had stomach problems for about 6 months and I knew that it wasn`t good. I thought it was a liver problem.

My friend thought it was the gall bladder. I even felt severe pain in the kidney and my back sometimes. I went to the hospital for detailed examination.

The result showed a chronic gall bladder inflammation and a 2.5 x 2 cm ulcer in the liver. A CT scan indicated that it was blood vessel cancer.

The doctor decided to remove the tumor before confirming whether it was benign or malignant. The surgery on April 12th confirmed the presence of lymph cancer.

"...confirmed the presence of Lymph cancer."

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed and their side effects took away my appetite and half of my hair. I was so depressed. I would try anything to survive.

"...I tried it without thingking."

Then my boss told me about Tian Xian Liquid and I tried it without thinking. I was able to learn of its effect from books and magazines.

Though the doctors said that Chinese medicine could not help, I believed otherwise. After taking Tian Xian Liquid, my appetite and my hair returned. Although the wound sometimes causes pain, I don`t need to worry about cancer now.

"...I don`t need to worry about cancer now."

Lung Cancer Survivor: Forever Grateful to Tian Xian Liquid

2009-08-16T05:46:00.003-07:00

I began coughing severely in November 1997 and I thought it was just a flu. I went to the hospital and they prescribed some cough medicine. But still, coughing did not stop.

Ms. Watanabe and her daughter

After two weeks, I had an X-ray examination and it showed the accumulation of liquid in my lung. It was the cause of my cough. They were able to drain 4.5 liters of the liquid.

The severe cough recurred in April 1998, and water accumulation in my lung was confirmed. After draining the water in the left lung, I thought I could go home. But water began to accumulate in the right lung as well. I had another operation and they injected medicine to my lungs to prevent further water accumulation.

"...I already felt that my life was in jeopardy."

However, my body rejected the medication and I suffered a high fever and had difficulty breathing. I already felt that my life was in jeopardy. The treatment for the right lung was suspended and the cough still wouldn`t go away. Then, I lost my appetite. The cough grew worse after I went home.

It was even difficult for me to climb the stairs. I suffered greatly from the severe coughing during the three weeks at home. Then I went back to the hospital again.

The final test results on July 15 confirmed lung cancer. The sever cough made it difficult for me to speak, breathe, and walk, so I was bedridden. Fortunately, the patient beside me told me about Tian Xian Liquid.

I began taking 4 bottles a day (1 bottle = 10cc). In just three days, the severe cough was slightly relieved. I even had enough strength to walk to the toilet.

On September 13, I was relying on Tian Xian Liquid to improve my health so I could attend my daughter`s upcoming wedding. Starting September 23, the doctors placed me on the anti cancer drip treatment. Many people did warned me about the severe side effects of the treatment.

My dream came true, the doctor allowed me to leave the hospital on October 15 and I was able to attend my daughter`s wedding.

A follow-up X-ray examination showed that the lung cancer had disappeared, and there was no more water accumulation.

"...I will always thank China No.1 Tian Xian Liquid."

With Tian Xian Liquid, I shall never surrender to Liver Cancer

2009-08-16T05:46:00.001-07:00

My liver cancer was discovered during a check up at the Central Hospital in November 1992. I was confined in the National Cancer Center in December, and their examination showed that I also have stomach cancer.

The doctor told me that surgery would be very difficult because the cancer was in two separate location and I was too old for that.

"...only a few months to a year to lived."

Even if I insisted on having surgery, I would only have a few months to a year to live. However, I did not feel uncomfortable at the time and was not depressed. I could not stand the diarrhea brought by the medications.

After talking with the doctor, I stopped all medications. I started looking for alternative medicines or prescriptions that may cure my disease.

After learning of Tian Xian Liquid from my daughter, I bought some through my friend. It has been 6 years now and I`ve never stopped using it. The monthly examinations, including checkups on liver, kidney, white blood cells, and hemoglobin are all normal.

"...even doctors were surprised."

Now, there is no need to worry about the stomach cancer and the pain. My friend teases me and calls me "superman". Even the doctor was surprised.

I still recall the doctor saying that I only had a few months to live and, to date, there has been nothing abnormal today.

"...with Tian Xian Liquid, I shall never surrender to cancer."

I will never forget the grace that Tian Xian Liquid brought. I don`t know how long I will live but with Tian Xian Liquid, I will never surrender to cancer.

For the sake of my family, I Never Surrendered to Intestine Cancer

2009-08-16T05:45:00.001-07:00

My condition was getting worse for I lost weight and couldn`t drive. An examination at the Los Angeles Public Hospital showed that I might have cancer. They arranged for me to have a CT scan at a cancer specialist hospital and their diagnosis confirmed that it was intestinal cancer.

"...it was a terminal cancer and
sugery was immediately necessary"

Man is a strange animal; I felt severe abdominal pain on the day when the diagnosis came out. It was a terminal cancer and surgery was immediately necessary.

My Chinese mother-in-law know that Tian Xian Liquid was a famous anti cancer Chinese medicine and she sent me some. The surgery took place on April 5, 1998.

Chemotherapy immediately followed the surgery and I began to take Tian Xian Liquid at the same time. Although the surgery had removed most part of the affected tissues, cancer cells remained in the lymph gland, which made recurrence very likely. The doctor told me about all the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy and I was very lucky not to suffer any of them.

"...there has been no recurrence"

I continued to use Tian Xian Liquid after the surgery and the cancer cells that remained in my body were removed and to date, there has been no recurrence. I lost of weight during my ordeal. In the first six months after the surgery my weight went from 50kg to 70kg and I felt more energetic than before.

"...To prevent the recurrence of cancer
I take Tian Xian Liquid everyday"

I have four children and I need to continue working for the next five or ten years before I`m able to retire. To prevent the recurrence of cancer, I take Tian Xian Liquid everyday.

Esophagus Cancer : A Miracle Recovery

2009-08-16T05:44:00.000-07:00

This is Yogesh from the United States of America. I would like to tell you of my father`s experience with cancer.

My father was diagnosed with esophagus cancer in October 1998. Esophagus carries food from your mouth to the stomach. Initially, my father planned to have an operation to remove the malignant part of his esophagus.

Dr. A.C. (a doctor in India) performed surgery on the 23rd of November. He found out that cancer has spread to the lungs as well as to the ribs. He was unable to remove the cancer because it was an advanced case of esophagus cancer.

"...the doctor has given my
father 6-7 months to live."

When I talked to the doctor, he has given my father only six to seven months to live. I tried to look for ways to help my father. During a search in the internet, I was able to view the web site of Tian Xian Liquid. My hope was refurnished.

My father is currently taking Tian Xian Liquid since the first week of Dec 98. And after 4 courses, he underwent a barium swallow test to know the status of the tumor. It was awesome, the tumor had been reduced by 70%.

"...tumor had been reduced
by 70 %."

The doctors was simply astonished by looking at the reports.

*Please note: My father did not had any chemo or radiation therapy. He simply took these Tian Xian medicines and fresh juices of Tomato and carrots. Doesn`t that sound surprising?

COLON CANCER

2009-08-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Mobile Colon Cancer that was Inoperable, was Improved.

It was in 1986 that cancer cells were found in my rectum. I had an operation immediately to remove the tumor. Even though I resumed my normal work load six months later, I later found out that the cancer had spread into the lymph corpuscles of the aorta where the operation could not be done.

I felt hopeless. I thought that I was going to die without having a grandchild. My sons were 21 and 16 years old. If I die, I have to entrust them to my husband, who was a civil servant.

At the time, I learned from the press that Mr. Wang had developed Tian Xian pills available to the general public. I started taking them merely as a desperate act before my death. In just one year, the cancer cells almost completely disappeared.

I was so delighted I was speechless. When Tian Xian Liquid became available, I started taking it regularly for five years.

I have stopped taking Tian Xian Liquid two years ago. No cancer was found in my regular half-yearly check-up. We tend to rely with utmost trust on Chinese medicines, which we are used to taking since childhood.

I believe that my recovery was due to taking Tian Xian pills and Tian Xian Liquid consistently.

Yang Yan, 53 years old, female, section chief, Labour Bureau, Tong Hua City, Jilin Province

Doctor: "Other Breast Cancer Patients at your age and condition usually die in 2 months..."

2009-08-16T05:28:00.000-07:00

It was in May when a 5cm tumor in my left breast was found. Surgery was performed and I started with chemotherapy treatment.

Starting June, I started to take Tian Xian Liquid. I immediately felt that the side effects of the chemotherapy eased. In addition, I regained my appetite and the number of white blood cells dramatically decreased.

"..doctors and nurses were
amazed by my improvement "

The doctors and nurses were amazed by my improvement as they didn`t know I was taking Tian Xian Liquid.

Other cancer patients at your age and condition usually die in 2 months. I hope you are prepared, just in case..." the doctor said. The words that he said, instead of pulling me down, encouraged me to fight harder. I should have thanked him for that.

I think the most important factor of my recovery was Tian Xian Liquid. After using it for two years, the cancer did not spread.

"..most important factor of
my recovery was
Tian Xian liquid"

Now, I`m back to my house chores. And occasionally I go out with my family, and I`m happy that I could go shopping again.

Cancer Research

2009-08-09T00:40:00.000-07:00

Cancer Research Articles

The experts speak on mammograms and breast cancer:

2009-08-09T00:38:00.001-07:00

Regular mammography of younger women increases their cancer risks. Analysis of controlled trials over the last decade has shown consistent increases in breast cancer mortality within a few years of commencing screening. This confirms evidence of the high sensitivity of the premenopausal breast, and on cumulative carcinogenic effects of radiation.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 539

In his book, "Preventing Breast Cancer," Dr. Gofinan says that breast cancer is the leading cause of death among American women between the ages of forty-four and fifty-five. Because breast tissue is highly radiation-sensitive, mammograms can cause cancer. The danger can be heightened by a woman's genetic makeup, preexisting benign breast disease, artificial menopause, obesity, and hormonal imbalance.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 23

"The risk of radiation-induced breast cancer has long been a concern to mammographers and has driven the efforts to minimize radiation dose per examination," the panel explained. "Radiation can cause breast cancer in women, and the risk is proportional to dose. The younger the woman at the time of exposure, the greater her lifetime risk for breast cancer.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 122

Furthermore, there is clear evidence that the breast, particularly in premenopausal women, is highly sensitive to radiation, with estimates of increased risk of breast cancer of up to 1% for every rad (radiation absorbed dose) unit of X-ray exposure. This projects up to a 20% increased cancer risk for a woman who, in the 1970s, received 10 annual mammograms of an average two rads each. In spite of this, up to 40% of women over 40 have had mammograms since the mid-1960s, some annually and some with exposures of 5 to 10 rads in a single screening from older, high-dose equipment.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 537

No less questionable—or controversial—has been the use of X rays to detect breast cancer: mammography. The American Cancer Society initially promoted the procedure as a safe and simple way to detect breast tumors early and thus allow women to undergo mastectomies before their cancers had metastasized.
The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 23

The American Cancer Society, together with the American College of Radiologists, has insisted on pursuing largescale mammography screening programs for breast cancer, including its use in younger women, even though the NCI and other experts are now agreed that these are likely to cause more cancers than could possibly be detected.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 291

A number of "cancer societies" argued, saying the tests — which cost between $50-200 each - - are a necessity for all women over 40, despite the fact that radiation from yearly mammograms during ages 40-49 has been estimated to cause one additional breast cancer death per 10,000 women.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 21

Mammograms Add to Cancer Risk—mammography exposes the breast to damaging ionizing radiation. John W. Gofman, M.D., Ph.D., an authority on the health effects of ionizing radiation, spent 30 years studying the effects of low-dose radiation on humans. He estimates that 75% of breast cancer could be prevented by avoiding or minimizing exposure to the ionizing radiation from mammography, X rays, and other medical sources. Other research has shown that, since mammographic screening was introduced in 1983, the incidence of a form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which represents 12% of all breast cancer cases, has increased by 328%, and 200% of this increase is due to the use of mammography.69 In addition to exposing a woman to harmful radiation, the mammography procedure may help spread an existing mass of cancer cells. During a mammogram, considerable pressure must be placed on the woman's breast, as the breast is squeezed between two flat plastic surfaces. According to some health practitioners, this compression could cause existing cancer cells to metastasize from the breast tissue.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 588

In fact the benefits of annual screening to women age 40 to 50, who are now being aggressively recruited, are at best controversial. In this age group, one in four cancers is missed at each mammography. Over a decade of pre-menopausal screening, as many as three in 10 women will be mistakenly diagnosed with breast cancer. Moreover, international studies have shown that routine premenopausal mammography is associated with increased breast cancer death rates at older ages. Factors involved include: the high sensitivity of the premenopausal breast to the cumulative carcinogenic effects of mammographic X-radiation; the still higher sensitivity to radiation of women who carry the A-T gene; and the danger that forceful and often painful compression of the breast during mammography may rupture small blood vessels and encourage distant spread of undetected cancers.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 540

Since a mammogram is basically an x-ray (radiation) of the breast, I do not recommend mammograms to my patients for two reasons: 1) Few radiologists are able to read mammogams correctly, therefore limiting their effectiveness. Even the man who developed this technique stated on national television that only about six radiologists in the United States could read them correctly. 2) In addition, each time the breasts are exposed to an x-ray, the risk of breast cancer increases by 2 percent.
The Hope of Living Cancer Free by Francisco Contreras MD, page 104

Mammography itself is radiation: an X-ray picture of the breast to detect a potential tumor. Each woman must weigh for herself the risks and benefits of mammography. As with most carcinogens, there is a latency period or delay between the time of irradiation and the occurrence of breast cancer. This delay can vary up to decades for different people. Response to radiation is especially dramatic in children. Women who received X-rays of the breast area as children have shown increased rates of breast cancer as adults. The first increase is reflected in women younger than thirty-five, who have early onset breast cancer. But for this exposed group, flourishing breast cancer rates continue for another forty years or longer.
Eat To Beat Cancer by J Robert Hatherill, page 132

The use of women as guinea pigs is familiar. There is revealing consistency between the tamoxifen trial and the 1970s trial by the NCI and American Cancer Society involving high-dose mammography of some 300,000 women. Not only is there little evidence of effectiveness of mammography in premeno-pausal women, despite NCI's assurances no warnings were given of the known high risks of breast cancer from the excessive X-ray doses then used. There has been no investigation of the incidence of breast cancer in these high-risk women. Of related concern is the NCI's continuing insistence on premeno-pausal mammography, in spite of contrary warnings by the American College of Physicians and the Canadian Breast Cancer Task Force and in spite of persisting questions about hazards even at current low-dose exposures. These problems are compounded by the NCI's failure to explore safe alternatives, especially transillumination with infrared light scanning.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 544

High Rate of False Positives—mammography's high rate of false-positive test results wastes money and creates unnecessary emotional trauma. A Swedish study of 60,000 women, aged 40-64, who were screened for breast cancer revealed that of the 726 actually referred to oncologists for treatment, 70% were found to be cancer free. According to The Lancet, of the 5% of mammograms that suggest further testing, up to 93% are false positives. The Lancet report further noted that because the great majority of positive screenings are false positives, these inaccurate results lead to many unnecessary biopsies and other invasive surgical procedures. In fact, 70% to 80% of all positive mammograms do not, on biopsy, show any presence of cancer.71 According to some estimates, 90% of these "callbacks" result from unclear readings due to dense overlying breast tissue.72
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 588

"Radiation-related breast cancers occur at least 10 years after exposure," continued the panel. "Radiation from yearly mammograms during ages 40-49 has been estimated to cause one additional breast cancer death per 10,000 women."
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 122

New Screening Technologies

2009-08-09T00:37:00.002-07:00

While screening is an important step in fighting breast cancer, many researchers are looking for alternatives to mammography. Burton Goldberg totes the safety and accuracy of new thermography technologies. Able to detect cancers at a minute physical stage of development, thermography does not use x-rays, nor is there any compression of the breast. Also important, new thermography technologies do not lose effectiveness with dense breast tissue, decreasing the chances of false-negative results.

Some doctors are now offering digital mammograms. Digital mammography is a mammography system in which x-ray film is replaced by solid-state detectors that convert x-rays into electric signals. Though radiation is still used, digital mammography requires a much smaller dose. The electrical signals are used to produce images that can be electronically manipulated; a physician can zoom in, magnify and optimize different parts of breast tissue without having to take an additional image.

Navigating the Statistics

2009-08-09T00:37:00.001-07:00

While the number of deaths caused by breast cancer has decreased, the incidence of breast cancer is still rising. Since 1940, the incidence of breast cancer has risen by one to two percent every year. Between 1973 and 1991, the incidence of breast cancer in females over 65 rose nearly 40 percent in the United States.

Some researchers attribute this increase to better detection technologies; i.e., as the number of women screened for breast cancer rises, so does the number of reported cases. Other analysts say the correlation between mammographic screening and increases in breast cancer is much more ominous, suggesting radiation exposure is responsible for the growing number of cases. While the matter is still being debated, Professor Sandra Steingraber offers ways to navigate these statistics. According to Steingraber, the rise in breast cancer predates the introduction of mammograms as a common diagnostic tool. In addition, the groups of women in whom breast cancer incidence is ascending most swiftly – blacks and the elderly – are also least likely to get regular mammograms.

The majority of health experts agree that the risk of breast cancer for women under 35 is not high enough to warrant the risk of radiation exposure. Similarly, the risk of breast cancer to women over 55 justifies the risk of mammograms. The statistics about mammography and women between the ages of 40 and 55 are the most contentious. A 1992 Canadian National Breast Cancer Study showed that mammography had no positive effect on mortality for women between the ages of 40 and 50. In fact, the study seemed to suggest that women in that age group are more likely to die of breast cancer when screened regularly.

Burton Goldberg, in his book, Alternative Medicine, recommends that women under 50 avoid screening mammograms, although the American Cancer Society encourages mammograms every two years for women ages 40 to 49. Trying to settle this debate, a 1997 consensus panel appointed by the NIH ruled that there was no evidence that mammograms for this age group save lives; they may even do more harm than good. The panel advises women to weigh the risks with their doctors and decide for themselves.

Radiation Risks

2009-08-09T00:36:00.002-07:00

Many critics of mammography cite the hazardous health effects of radiation. In 1976, the controversy over radiation and mammography reached a saturation point. At that time mammographic technology delivered five to 10 rads (radiation-absorbed doses) per screening, as compared to 1 rad in current screening methods. In women between the ages of 35 and 50, each rad of exposure increased the risk of breast cancer by one percent, according to Dr. Frank Rauscher, then-director of the NCI.

According to Russell L. Blaylock, MD, one estimate is that annual radiological breast exams increase the risk of breast cancer by two percent a year. So over 10 years the risk will have increased 20 percent. In the 1960s and 70s, women, even those who received 10 screenings a year, were never told the risk they faced from exposure. In the midst of the 1976 radiation debate, Kodak, a major manufacturer of mammography film, took out full-page ads in scientific journals entitled About breast cancer and X-rays: A hopeful message from industry on a sober topic.

Despite better technology and decreased doses of radiation, scientists still claim mammography is a substantial risk. Dr. John W. Gofman, an authority on the health effects of ionizing radiation, estimates that 75 percent of breast cancer could be prevented by avoiding or minimizing exposure to the ionizing radiation. This includes mammography, x-rays and other medical and dental sources.

Since mammographic screening was introduced, the incidence of a form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has increased by 328 percent. Two hundred percent of this increase is allegedly due to mammography. In addition to harmful radiation, mammography may also help spread existing cancer cells due to the considerable pressure placed on the woman's breast during the procedure. According to some health practitioners, this compression could cause existing cancer cells to metastasize from the breast tissue.

Cancer research has also found a gene, called oncogene AC, that is extremely sensitive to even small doses of radiation. A significant percentage of women in the United States have this gene, which could increase their risk of mammography-induced cancer. They estimate that 10,000 A-T carriers will die of breast cancer this year due to mammography.

The risk of radiation is apparently higher among younger women. The NCI released evidence that, among women under 35, mammography could cause 75 cases of breast cancer for every 15 it identifies. Another Canadian study found a 52 percent increase in breast cancer mortality in young women given annual mammograms. Dr. Samuel Epstein also claims that pregnant women exposed to radiation could endanger their fetus. He advises against mammography during pregnancy because "the future risks of leukemia to your unborn child, not to mention birth defects, are just not worth it." Similarly, studies reveal that children exposed to radiation are more likely to develop breast cancer as adults.

Effectiveness of Mammography

2009-08-09T00:36:00.001-07:00

Is mammography an effective tool for detecting tumors? Some critics say no. In a Swedish study of 60,000 women, 70 percent of the mammographically detected tumors weren't tumors at all. These "false positives" aren't just financial and emotional strains, they may also lead to many unnecessary and invasive biopsies. In fact, 70 to 80 percent of all positive mammograms do not, upon biopsy, show any presence of cancer.

At the same time, mammograms also have a high rate of missed tumors, or "false negatives." Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, in his book, The Politics Of Cancer, claims that in women ages 40 to 49, one in four instances of cancer is missed at each mammography. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) puts the false negative rate even higher at 40 percent among women ages 40-49. National Institutes of Health spokespeople also admit that mammograms miss 10 percent of malignant tumors in women over 50. Researchers have found that breast tissue is denser among younger women, making it difficult to detect tumors. For this reason, false negatives are twice as likely to occur in premenopausal mammograms.

Mammograms cause breast cancer

2009-08-09T00:35:00.000-07:00

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among American women between the ages of 44 and 55. Dr. Gofinan, in his book, Preventing Breast Cancer, cites this startling statistic along with an in-depth look at mammographic screening, an early-detection practice that agencies like the American Cancer Society recommend to women of all age groups. According to most health experts, catching a tumor in its early stages increases a woman's chances of survival by at least 17 percent.

The most common method for early detection is mammography. A mammogram is an X-ray picture of your breast that can reveal tumor growths otherwise undetectable in a physical exam. Like all x-rays, mammograms use doses of ionizing radiation to create this image. Radiologists then analyze the image for any abnormal growths. Despite continuous improvements and innovations, mammography has garnered a sizable opposition in the medical community because of an error rate that is still high and the amount of harmful radiation used in the procedure.

Chemical companies had prominent British cancer researcher on their payroll

2009-08-09T00:34:00.000-07:00

(NaturalNews) Sir Richard Doll, a renowned British epidemiologist who discovered the link between smoking and lung cancer, was a paid consultant for Monsanto and other chemical manufacturers for more than two decades while researching chemical causes of cancer, The Guardian reports.

Documents from Doll's Wellcome Foundation library archive reveal that he'd signed a contract with Monsanto -- then a chemical company but now a leader in GM crops -- in 1979 agreeing to a daily consultancy fee. When the contract was extended in the mid-1980s, Doll's consulting fee was $1,500 per day.

During the time the late Doll was acting as a consultant for Monsanto, he wrote to an Australian commission that was conducting an investigation to determine possible links between Monsanto-manufactured Agent Orange -- a toxic herbicide used during the Vietnam War to defoliate forests -- claiming there was no evidence that the chemical caused cancer.

The Guardian also revealed that the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA), Dow Chemicals and ICI -- a major chemical company -- paid Doll 15,000 pounds to review the possible cancer-causing properties of vinyl chloride, used to make plastics. Doll's review found the chemical was not linked to most cancers, except for liver cancer. The World Health Organization disagreed with Doll's findings, though the CMA used his review to defend its use of the chemical for more than a decade.

Doll's colleagues said he had always been open about his financial ties to the chemical industry, and that all his consulting fees were donated to the postgraduate institute he founded at Oxford, Green College.

"Richard Doll's lifelong service to public health has saved millions of lives," said Professor John Toy, medical director of Cancer Research UK. "His pioneering work demonstrated the link between smoking and lung cancer and paved the way towards current efforts to reduce tobacco's death toll. In the days he was publishing, it was not automatic for potential conflicts of interest to be declared in scientific papers."

However, Professor Lennart Hardell of University Hospital, Orebro in Sweden said he believes some of Doll's work caused the role of chemicals in cancer to be underestimated.

"It's okay for any scientist to be a consultant to anybody, but then this should be reported in the papers that you publish," he said.

Analysis: Virtually Zero Alternative Cancer Research Occurring

2009-08-09T00:33:00.000-07:00

(NaturalNews) In an article included in the latest edition of Cancer Monthly's free newsletter CancerWire, researchers analyzed statistics obtained through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in order to gain a clearer perspective on what type of cancer research is being undertaken in the country.

Cancer Monthly is an organization dedicated to providing unbiased evaluation of conventional and alternative cancer treatments. It was founded by volunteers whose lives have been affected by the disease and is currently managed by Michael Horwin, MA, JD.

The authors found that of the 7,080 clinical trials for cancer currently ongoing, over 3,000 are focused on chemotherapy -- a treatment that already has over 50 years of research to its credit with relatively little practical return on investment. Of the remaining trials, over 2,000 were focused on more advanced biological treatments such as anti-angiogenesis drugs, which work to cut off the blood supply to tumors.

In all, only 123 of the trials deal with any type of alternative or complementary treatment. "These 123 represent only 1.7% of the total and included trials of various foods, herbs and modalities such as: soy, ginger, Valerian, Curcumin, acupuncture, Reiki, meditation, garlic, Green tea, and Tai Chi," the authors state. An optimist might find comfort in the fact that the number at least reached the triple digits, but closer analysis reveals an even less tolerable situation.

"The overwhelming majority of these trials examined questions that did not focus on whether these approaches alone improved survivability from cancer," the authors report. What this means is that the treatments were actually being evaluated not as treatments, but as adjunctive therapies to improve the rate and intensity of symptoms among those patients already undergoing conventional therapy.

It turns out that 24 of these 123 trials actually focused on a combination of natural compounds and the drug sodium phenylbutyrate, and are only classified as alternative-complementary because the treatment is not currently taught in medical school or widely used. Ninety-six others fell into the above category, evaluating the ability of natural treatments to ease the devastating side effects brought about by chemotherapy and other conventional treatments. For those who haven't done the math yet, you might want to sit down for this.

Of the 7,080 clinical trials for cancer currently underway in the U.S., only three (3) focus on natural alternative methods of treating the disease. That is less than 1/1000th the number of chemotherapy trials alone and translates to a measly 0.04% of total trials. Meanwhile, countries with less dogmatic research guidelines such as Japan are surging into the future with cutting-edge treatments based on derivatives of medicinal mushrooms and other natural substances.

Alternative treatments are commonly described by purveyors of orthodox medicine as those which have not yet been evaluated and proven effective through vigorous scientific evaluation. Looking at the actual statistics, though, it may be more accurate to describe alternative treatments as those which orthodox medicine refuses to research. In light of this evidence the question seems to ask itself; are we really working toward a cure for cancer?

Millions of Dollars Wasted on Useless Cancer Research, Dozens of Studies Invalidated

2009-08-09T00:32:00.002-07:00

(NaturalNews) Millions of dollars in research money have been wasted on scientifically useless experiments, according to a report by the BBC. At the heart of the problem is the failure of many scientists to make sure that they are performing laboratory tests on the correct cell lines. For approximately £180 ($370) per sample, scientists can verify their cell lines -- but this practice is still far from universal.

Recently, researcher Chris Tselepis and colleagues discovered that a cell line known as TE7 was not, in fact, the variety of cancer that it had been widely assumed to be. The cell line had been used in major tests for 20 years before the discovery.

"I'm sure there's many other laboratories U.K. and worldwide-based that essentially base lots of their conclusions on one cell line and in that case, this mistaken identity has a massive impact on conclusions that people draw from such studies," Tselepis said.

Geoff Pilkington of the University of Portsmouth discovered that the supposedly human brain tumor cells his team was studying had been contaminated by rodent cells, and were scientifically worthless.

"Whole programs of research had to be redone using verified human brain tumor cells," he said. "It's hugely expensive and it's incredibly frustrating."

The impact of using the wrong cell line extends far beyond the invalidated studies. Studies on the wrong cell line can still be published in reputable scientific journals, and then become part of the accepted body of scientific knowledge. This leads to later studies and medical knowledge being based on false premises.

For this reason, many researchers are encouraging publications, foundations and governments to withhold publication or grants except for researchers who have verified their cell lines.

Some foundations, such as Cancer Research U.K., already enforce such regulations for their grants. But others, such as the Medical Research Council, the largest source of public medical research funding in the United Kingdom, have refused to do so.

"Cancer research is all but useless anyway," added consumer health advocate Mike Adams, "because we already have the cures for cancer. Genuine cancer cures are already found in vitamin D, exercise and anti-cancer foods and herbs. But orthodox medicine refuses to acknowledge those cures, thereby denying tens of millions of cancer patients the answers they desperate need to reverse their cancer and live healthy lives."

Adams also added, "Funded by dishonest, criminally-operated drug companies, the cancer industry is a commercially-driven empire that actually promotes the continuation of cancer and the discrediting of known cancer cures. In my book, that makes it a criminal empire, and that empire is lead by the American Cancer Society, an organization that I consider to be an operation run much like the mobs of the 1920's."

Cancer Prevention Research Journal Launched by American Association for Cancer Research

2009-08-09T00:32:00.001-07:00

(NaturalNews) The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has announced the launch of the world's first peer-reviewed scientific journal dedicated solely to the topic of cancer prevention. Cancer Prevention Research is already accepting submissions for online publication starting in March, with regular monthly print issues to begin circulating in June.

The AACR is both the oldest and largest cancer research organization in the world. In addition to the new Cancer Prevention Research, the association also publishes five other peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The association also publishes CR, a magazine where cancer patients, survivors, and their physicians, families and friends can share information on cancer research and advocacy.

In addition to disseminating research through its journal, the AACR also hosts an annual conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research. At the most recent conference in Philadelphia, researchers prevented groundbreaking studies into the cancer-preventive effects of green tea, berry and olive leaf extracts.

With the new journal, the AACR hopes to unify many different kinds of cancer prevention research into one publication.

"In the past, scientists and interested readers have had to parse cancer prevention articles from many other journals, unable to find the full range of prevention research and opinion in one resource," said Scott M. Lippman, editor in chief of the new journal. "The richness and scope of our field now parallel those of mainstream oncology and require this new, centralized home for the wide-ranging literature that supports prevention discovery."

The journal will publish articles in four main categories. Oncogenesis studies will examine the development of cancer on a cellular level; intervention studies will examine both natural and pharmaceutical methods of preventing the development of cancer; while risk assessment and early detection articles will report on research to help in identifying at-risk populations for targeted cancer prevention.

New Study Shows Natural Treatment Effective for Advanced Prostate Cancer

2009-08-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

(NaturalNews) Could a natural substance effectively treat advanced prostate cancer? And could clinical trials of that potential cure be thwarted because drug companies know they can't make money out of a treatment that can't be patented? The answer to both those questions is "yes".

A study just published in the December issue of the European medical journal Anticancer Research demonstrates for the first time a naturally-occurring substance used as a cough suppressant for over fifty years may be useful in treating advanced prostate cancer. Researchers from the Prostate Cancer Research and Educational Foundation, the MedInsight Research Institute, and the University of California in San Diego found that noscapine, a non-addictive derivative of opium, reduced tumor growth in mice by 60%. What's more, it halted the spread of tumors by 65% and caused no harmful side effects.

Although noscapine is only approved for use in many countries as a cough suppressant, physicians can and do sometimes prescribe it for other uses -- this is a common practice known as "off-label" prescription. Increasingly, in fact, noscapine has been tried off-label to treat several forms of cancer. Dr. Israel Barken, founder and medical director of the Prostate Cancer Research and Educational Foundation in San Diego, used noscapine to successfully treat several prostate cancer patients before he retired from clinical practice. He was so encouraged by the results that his prostate cancer foundation funded the study reported in Anticancer Research .

Moshe Rogosnitzky, director of research at MedInsight Research Institute in San Diego and one of the study's co-investigators, explained in a statement to the media that noscapine appears to have several advantages as a treatment for prostate cancer. "Noscapine is effective without the unpleasant side effects associated with other common prostate cancer treatments. Because noscapine has been used as a cough-suppressant for nearly half a century, it already has an extensive safety record. This pre-clinical study shows that the dose used to effectively treat prostate cancer in the animal model was also safe," he stated.

Spurred on by the results of the new study, Dr. Barken is urging academic institutions to advance this successful laboratory research with a clinical trial in men with advanced prostate cancer. Moreover, in an effort to greatly reduce the cost of this type of human trial while also reducing the time needed to complete the study, Dr. Barken has invented a web-based patient tracking system. The system would allow physicians in other countries to easily enroll patients in the research project.

So why isn't a human trial under way right now for this promising possible cancer cure? One word: money. Because noscapine is a natural plant-derived substance, Big Pharma can't patent it. In their statement to the press, the researchers explained how that fact has limited clinical trials of the potential cancer therapy. Drug companies obviously have no reason to pour out the funds needed to underwrite expensive clinical trials for a substance they can't own outright and sell for large profits.

That's bad news for men with prostate cancer -- the most common cancer among men in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that 186,320 men will be diagnosed with the disease in 2008, one man in six will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, and 28,660 will die from it. Although slow-growing in most men, prostate cancer is considered advanced when it spreads beyond the prostate gland and, at that point, there's no known cure. Currently, treatments such as hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, are used to slow the progression of advanced prostate cancer. Side effects from these conventional treatments can include exhaustion, impotence, incontinence, lack of appetite, easily broken bones, anemia, hair loss, nausea and diarrhea. According to the laboratory study reported in Anticancer Research , however, no toxic side effects at all were noted with noscapine.

Cancer Studies Published in Respected Journals Biased By Medical Industry Money

2009-08-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

(NaturalNews) So what if cancer researchers have close financial ties to Big Pharma? Scientists have to disclose their associations with drug companies when they publish research in respected journals and they'd never let a little thing like financial ties influence how they interpret outcomes or run a study. Right?

Not exactly. In fact, a new analysis by University of Michigan (U-M) Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers just published in the online version of the journal CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, found that a very large number of clinical cancer studies published in well-known medical journals have financial connections to pharmaceutical companies. Most importantly, the study flat out concludes that conflicts of interest may cause some researchers to report results that are biased to be favorable to Big Pharma companies.

"Given the frequency we observed for conflicts of interest and the fact that conflicts were associated with study outcomes, I would suggest that merely disclosing conflicts is probably not enough. It's becoming increasingly clear that we need to look more at how we can disentangle cancer research from industry ties," study author Reshma Jagsi, M.D., D.Phil., assistant professor of radiation oncology at the U-M Medical School, said in a media statement.

Entanglements and alliances between clinical researchers and companies that make medical devices and medications have become increasingly complicated, especially in the face of more and more scientists competing for fewer and fewer federal research funds. Out of necessity, scientists have turned to financial support from Big Pharma. But apparently there could be strings – and lures – attached.

For example, many researchers get additional consulting fees and also end up owning a part of a drug company themselves, through stock purchases and/or by holding salaried positions within medical industries. In other words, they profit from sales if the very products and drugs they test do well.

You don't have to be a business insider to figure out this type of conflict of interest should raise concerns and suspicions that research tied closely to industry might be biased and not designed to produce the most accurate test of medical therapies. That's why most medical journals now require investigators to disclose all potential conflicts of interest in the studies and reviews they submit for publication.

But is voluntary disclosure enough? And does that somehow make a conflict of interest less likely?

Nearly one-third of cancer studies had financial conflicts of interest

To document how frequently conflict of interests in clinical cancer research might occur, Dr. Jagsi and colleagues reviewed cancer studies that were published in 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Lancet, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Lancet Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research and CANCER.

Out of the 1,534 cancer studies identified, nearly a third, 29 percent, had conflicts of interest that were, in fact, fairly obvious from a review of the published studies authors' declarations and authorship lists (which included medical industry funding, consulting fees to the researchers, co-authorship by industry employees, etc.). Some 17 percent had direct industry funding. The conflicts of interest found most often, according to the current CANCER study, were in articles with primary authors from medical oncology departments (45 percent), who were based in North America (33 percent), and those with male first and senior authors (37 percent).

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the CANCER study was the fact randomized clinical trials that supposedly assessed patient survival were found to be more likely to report a survival advantage associated with a medical intervention (such as a prescription drug, diagnostic tests or new technologies) when a conflict of interest was present. This could have very serious consequences for patients because trials reported in prestigious journals are the basis by which various treatment modalities, including prescription drugs, get approved for use by clinicians.

Bottom line: studies steered to report a survival advantage where there might not really be one are unfairly and perhaps dangerously shaping the way oncologists treat cancer patients.

In addition, the findings also show medical industry-funded studies were more likely to focus on ways to treat than studies without industry funding (62 percent vs. 36 percent). They were far less likely than studies not hooked to medical industry funding to concentrate on epidemiology, prevention, risk factors, screening or diagnostic methods.

"In light of these findings, we as a society may wish to rethink how we want our research efforts to be funded and directed. It has been very hard to secure research funding, especially in recent years, so it's been only natural for researchers to turn to industry. If we wish to minimize the potential for bias, we need to increase other sources of support. Medical research is ultimately a common endeavor that benefits all of society, so it seems only appropriate that we should be funding it through general revenues rather than expecting the market to provide," Dr. Jagsi said in a statement to the media.

Source: "Frequency, nature, effects, and correlates of conflicts of interest in published clinical cancer research." Reshma Jagsi, Nathan Sheets, Aleksandra Jankovic, Amy R. Motomura, Sudha Amarnath, and Peter A. Ubel. CANCER; Published Online: May 11, 2009 (DOI 10.1002/cncr.24306) Print Issue Date: June 15, 2009.