Can Breast Cancer be Prevented?

Sometimes it seems that every magazine, newspaper, radio show, and piece of mail has a headline declaring that every woman’s risk of developing breast cancer is increasing. There is a numbing feeling of inevitability in these pronouncements. More and more women think about breast cancer as a when rather than an if.

It’s true that there’s more breast cancer now than ever before, that between 1979 and 1986 the incidence of invasive breast cancer in the United States increased 29 percent among white women and 41 percent among black women, and incidence of all breast cancers doubled. It’s true that the percentage of women dying from breast cancer has remained virtually unchanged over the past 50 years, and that every 12 minutes throughout the last half of the 20th Century another woman died of breast cancer.

And it’s true that breast cancer is the disease that women fear more than any other, that breast cancer is the biggest killer of all women aged 35 to 54, and that of the 2.5 million women currently diagnosed with breast cancer, half will be dead within ten years.

These facts frighten me, and they also make me angry. My studies spanning 25 years and many disciplines have convinced me that the majority of breast cancers are causally related to the high levels of radiation and chemicals released into our air, water, soil, and food over the past 50 years. United States government researchers estimate that 80 percent of all cancers are environmentally linked.

What can be done? The answer isn’t as simple as a yearly mammogram. That may help detect breast cancer, but it won’t prevent it. To prevent breast cancer we need to take individual and collective action.

Effective action requires understanding the causes of breast cancer and what decreases breast cancer risk. But there are few conclusive answers to these queries, partly because most research focuses on eliminating breast cancer after - not before - it occurs. Science has validated so few risk factors for breast cancer that 70 percent of the women diagnosed with breast cancer have “no identifiable risk factors.”

Unfortunately, our sex, age, reproductive history, family history, exposure to radiation (such as fallout from above-ground atomic bomb tests), race, culture, and height are beyond our control. When we’re told these are the only risk factors, we can be left with feelings of hopelessness and panic.

But when we include risk factors that are considered “not well substantiated” - but which are clearly contributing to breast cancer incidence - including ingestion of and exposure to prescription hormones, hormone-mimicking organochlorines, prescription drugs, petrochemicals, and electromagnetic fields, as well as unwise lifestyle choices such as smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol immoderately, wearing a bra, or not exercising, then we can find many ways to lower breast cancer risk. No need to panic.

We can help prevent breast cancer on an individual basis by buying organically grown food, filtering our water, building powerful immunity, living wisely and vigorously, being in touch with our breasts, using natural remedies for menopausal problems, and by paying attention to our Wise Healer Within.

But there’s a limit to the control that any one woman has over her exposure to petrochemicals, radiation, and other environmental cancer-inciters. Limiting the production and discharge of substances that initiate and promote cancer is collective work. When our individual acts are combined with the acts of others, we can achieve the envisioned social change. For example, as I saw more and more evidence that chlorine residues from papermaking contribute to breast cancer, I began to ask for chlorine-free paper from my book printer. They went from amazement and puzzlement at my request to contracting with a new paper supplier who can provide them with elemental chlorine-free paper. (I’m not the only one asking, you see.)

Whether you think your risk of breast cancer is high, low, or average, there are things you can do, individually and with others, to help yourself stay free of breast cancer and to help stop the epidemic of breast cancer too. (What is your risk of breast cancer? See “Risk Assessment,” page 317, to educate your guess.)

Since 1950 the incidence of breast cancer in the U.S. has increased by 53 percent, according to Nancy Brinker, chair of President Clinton’s Special Commission on Breast Cancer.



Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material contained herein is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.


Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081

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The Journey Through Cancer and The Seven Levels of Healing®

As a medical oncologist, I have been honored to serve as physician, guide, and friend to thousands of individuals with cancer and their loved ones. Many heroic people have inspired and taught me a great deal about living courageously in the face of great challenges, and the unknown.

Through this process, I have come to understand the experience of cancer as a journey -- filled with ups and downs, periods of calm and tumult, and extraordinary opportunities for healing and transformation. I have also seen, again and again, what powerful roles the mind, heart, and spirit can play in impacting every individual's journey through cancer.

It is normal and common to feel overwhelmed by a cancer diagnosis, as anyone who has been through this experience can attest. Unfortunately, it is not yet normal or common for individuals and families to receive skillful, coherent, and comprehensive help in navigating the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of cancer. For many, this is a painful and tragically missed opportunity. But it doesn't have to be so.

Over many years of running an integrative cancer center, I was repeatedly asked: "Doctor, in addition to radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, what else can I do to help myself? What should I eat? What vitamins should I take? What alternative therapies should I use?" And, "How can I deal with the mental, emotional, and spiritual challenges I am encountering?"

In searching for meaningful and practical answers, I saw an important pattern. I recognized that all questions and concerns encountered by patients and their loved ones fall into one of seven distinct, but inter-related domains of inquiry and exploration. I call these The Seven Levels of Healing® and describe them in detail in The Journey Through Cancer: Healing and Transforming the Whole Person. They are a powerful guide for navigating all aspects of the cancer journey, including the mental, emotional, and spiritual -- as well as physical -- ones.

The Seven Levels are briefly summarized below, along with some practical suggestions for using them right away:

Level One: Education and Information. Understanding your medical care is important to achieving the best outcome. Feeling clear and confident about your care helps put your mind at ease and enhances your ability to enter the deeper dimensions of healing. Find an experienced oncologist whom you trust, and who answers your questions fully. Don't make hasty decisions. Make decisions based on knowledge and understanding, not on fear.

Level Two: Connection with Others. This is a powerful component of healing. Family members can only do so much. Seek additional support from friends, clergy, and self-help organizations. Join a support group. Talk with others who have navigated the journey though cancer and found positive solutions.

Level Three: The Body as Garden. Conventional treatments remain the foundation of leading-edge cancer care. However, taking an active role in caring for your body also includes good nutrition, exercise, massage, relaxation, and other complementary therapies. These can nourish and strengthen the body, soothe and calm the mind, and invigorate the heart and spirit.

Level Four: Emotional Healing. Cancer can be an emotional roller-coaster. Everyone involved can experience feelings of fear, anger, depression, and doubt -- as well as gratitude and love. Keep a journal to explore and release your innermost feelings. Work with a counselor or therapist. Don't neglect your emotional self.

Level Five: The Nature of Mind. Mental anxiety is often another part of cancer. The mind can work for or against you, depending on your focus. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, examine your thoughts and beliefs and see if they are serving you. When fear and doubt are replaced with clarity and understanding, anxiety often diminishes. Ask yourself, "What are the blessings in my life? What am I truly grateful for?"

Level Six: Life Assessment. It is very empowering to discover the deepest meaning and purpose of your life, especially in the face of cancer. Answering three important questions can help clarify your priorities and liberate enormous time, energy, and resources for healing:

What is the meaning and purpose of my life?
What are my most important goals for the coming year?
How do I want to be remembered by those whom I love?

Level Seven: The Nature of Spirit. There is no better time than now to fully honor and embrace your spiritual essence. It is the source not only of the love, joy, and fulfillment that we all seek, but physical healing as well. Explore this through meditation, reflection, prayer, time in nature, and sharing with loved ones. Remember that your body needs love and care, but your mind, heart, and spirit need and deserve these as well.

Copyright © 2006 Jeremy R. Geffen

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Boost The Immune System With Cats Claw

Because there are so many kinds of cat’s claw supplements, such as: cat’s claw leaves, cat’s claw bark, and cat’s claw twigs, cat’s claw is one of the most confusing nutritional supplements currently available in health food stores. Although all cat’s claw supplements claim to help the immune system, only the root of Uncaria tomentosa gives the true health benefits by possessing the healing power to treat and prevent diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers, degenerative diseases, and also providing anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-microbial benefits. However, only those Uncaria tomentosa roots that contain “good spirits,” seen by Ashaninka healers of the Ashaninka tribe contain healing properties. If these good spirits are mixed with any root that does not contain good spirits, the healing power is lost. With the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), scientists can now see the “good spirits” too. These good spirits are actually medicinal compounds called pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids (POAs).

POAs directly interact with white blood cells, which fight diseases we catch, such as colds and flu, along with diseases that start in our own cells, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. Some POAs also help white blood cells called macrophages, which engulf and digest foreign material, work faster by engulfing more bacteria and disease causing microbes. This medicinal compound also increases the production of interleukin, a chemical protein secreted by macrophages that alerts resting white blood cells and forces them into action and helps make other biochemicals that are helpful to the immune system. POAs also help increase the number of white blood cells that make antibodies that kill germs, or B cells. Most importantly, POAs increase the number of T cells, including: Helper T cells, Suppressor T cells, and Killer T cells, which destroy cancer cells. This increased number of T cells is also very important in a disease such as AIDS.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), there are 3000 plant extracts that can kill cancer cells, 70 percent of these plants being found only in the rain forest. The fertile environment provided by the rain forest, due to the constant rain from January to December and the 75-80 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, allows the plants grown to be amazingly rich in alkaloids and other medicinal compounds. When the Ashaninka harvest the plant, they work intelligently to keep it perpetually healthy. Individual plants are never completely harvested. Only one third of their roots are collected at any time and then no more root is harvested from that plant for the next ten years, allowing re-growth in the remaining root. Because the Ashaninka are a generous people, they see no benefit in hoarding the cat’s claw for themselves. As their homelands continue to be destroyed by deforestation, they want to make sure that the plant’s healing properties continue on.

Some cat’s claw roots have good spirits, POAs, while others tetracyclic oxindole alkaloids, TOAs, which do not help the immune system at all. Since Uncaria tomentosa plants look almost identical, it is hard to tell if they contain healing properties or non-helpful properties. Plants containing POAs one year may contain TOAs the following year because their alkaloid chemotypes change at will. After scientists discovered that they could “see” the presence of TOAs using the HPLC technology, they gained the ability to harvest cat’s claw root extracts with POAs consistently. Because buying products that contain TOAs will only benefit the cat’s claw distributor due to its cancelling effects on POAs, it is important to read the label of the cat’s claw root product you are considering buying.

In return for harvesting, the Ashaninka are directly paid by the distributors. This arrangement provides the Ashaninka with the ability to make their own decisions as to how to spend this income, allowing them to make improvements in the tribe’s water supply and in their living areas. This arrangement also protects the rainforest, which gives us its many nuts, fruits, oil producing, and medicinal plants. Because of all its products, the rain forest hold more economic value than if it was cut down and used for timber or grazing land for cattle. Cats claw can be purchased at any health food store make sure you check the label to ensure you are receiving the Uncaria tomentosa official Cats Claw.

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Medicinal Mushrooms Can Change your Life

Containing numerous compounds that work with the cells of the immune system, medicinal mushrooms have been studied for their amazing ability to activate the immune system’s cells. In order to get the most amounts of the immune boosting compounds found in medicinal mushrooms, they must be grown on substrates with high levels of nutrients, the most nutrient dense one coming from Purple Kculli Corn. Because it has been proven that brightly colored fruits and vegetables have more antioxidant power than paler fruits and vegetables, the deep purple color of the Peru grown Purple Kculli Corn make the vegetable extremely healthy. After being harvested, the Purple Kculli Corn is naturally processed into an antioxidant-rich extract. When medicinal mushrooms are grown on this extract, the mushrooms produced contain incredible amounts of immune-boosting compounds. Similarly, when Purple Kculli Corn is added to medicinal mushroom formulas the antioxidant power increases.

The medicinal mushrooms help boost the immune system by making white blood cells more deadly so that they are able to defend the body against bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens that enter the body. Arabinogalactins and arabinoxylans are powerful polysaccharides that are found in medicinal mushrooms. They stimulate the immune system and increase the activity of interleukins, interferons, and a tumor necrosis factor, which are all important components in a healthy immune system. When taking medicinal Mushrooms containing high amounts of these polysaccharides, the result is a dramatic reduction in diseases. Four polysaccharides found in medicinal mushrooms are serious cancer fighters, including: Agaricus blazei (Agaricus), which contains the greatest number of medicinal compounds and a powerful anti-tumor polysaccharide that all other medicinal mushrooms are lacking, Grifola frondosa (Maitake), the most researched of all medicinal mushrooms, Coriolus versicolor (Coriolus or Turkey Tail), which shows great promise as cancer immunotherapy agents in all cancer stages, and Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi), which has been used medicinally for centuries and has been researched extensively.

These four types of mushrooms not only have incredible amounts of immune boosting polysaccharides, but also have a much higher ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value than mushrooms grown on other substrates. The higher the power, the stronger the antioxidant is against free radicals, which are made by breathing oxygen and digesting food. However, the older we get, the more radicals we make. The more free radicals we make, the more destructive they can be to our membranes, cells, mitochondria, and DNA. If the production of free radicals is not stopped or slowed, it can lead to heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, dementia, and cancer. Because all brightly colored fruits and vegetables have very high ORAC values, they have greater antioxidant power, and a stronger resistance to free radicals.

Some mushroom supplements contain seven or more mushrooms. However, more is not always better. The makers of these supplements add modest amounts of many mushrooms, hoping to end up with a product that might have health benefits. The number and type of mushroom is not nearly as important as the substrate that the mushroom is grown on when achieving a supplement that offers great health benefits. To make sure the supplement contains natural and organic mushrooms grown on Purple Kculli Corn substrate, read the label. Make sure the medicinal mushroom formulas have a statement showing accreditation from a certifying agency and are grown without chemicals or pesticides. The growers must also be certified as organic mushroom producers and must keep a record of their production and handling practices. With a little help from Purple Kculli Corn, Agaricus, Maitake, Coriolus, and Reishi mushrooms can provide potent and powerful cancer preventing properties. These and other great nutritional supplements can be found at your local health food store.

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Surgery As A Rite of Passage

Every moment in life is precious. Every single one. Even the difficult ones. Even the one when your doctor says: "We have to operate". Never good news yet an important moment in our lives. I've been there - several times. A bout with cancer necessitated my having six surgeries in four years and then three years of chemotherapy. Admittedly, this was a rough road. However, this journey through the labyrinth of critical illness and multiple surgeries truly transformed my life. It turns out that it was a great blessing to me. It was precious time. Therefore, I'm proffering a reframing of this dreaded fate - surgery.

It's not a walk in the park, that's for sure. It's going to involve discomfort and probably pain, to say nothing of an abrupt interruption in life as usual. We're going to be weakened and not up to snuff. The anticipation of surgery is so daunting, that we almost always succumb to major resistance. There's fear - anger - sadness - "Why me?" - "Why now?" "What did I do to deserve this?"

We're aching for the answers to these questions. Nevertheless, once we've acknowledged all this upset, it behooves us to understand that resistance creates tension and a lot of suffering within the body/mind system. That's the last thing we need right now. There's a Zen teaching that says: "in this life pain is inevitable– suffering is optional". So if we choose to have this situation be as easeful as possible, we have to let go of the suffering -- to let go of the resistance and surrender to the process. As hard as it is to fathom it, this surgery experience is here for a reason. This is not an accident. And, believe me, it's not simply here to adjust something in our bodies. It's a very well disguised gift with the potential to take us on a journey to the very essence of ourselves -- a journey for which we will be eternally grateful.

It seems to me that by the time our immune systems are sufficiently compromised to require someone taking a knife to our bodies, the Universe has surely been shouting to get our attention for a long time. Our lives for many and varied reasons have gotten unbalanced and we need to regroup in a major way. I find it very interesting in these days of miracle drugs, that we can be extremely unwell but kept going by super pills or injections that mask our symptoms and allow us to continue our relentless pace. How ridiculous. Our magnificent body/mind system is giving us the message to lie down and rest deeply, and we keep truckin’. Sooner or later the condition becomes so acute we're brought to our knees. And here we are in the hospital in this silly little cotton dress anticipating surgery.

And this is where my new perspective comes into play. I'm suggesting that we consider surgery a rite of passage . Furthermore, I m advocating that it (and all crises) be acknowledged as such. In this light, what is commonly considered an onerous situation can be acknowledged as a catalyst for wondrous transformation.

A definition of rite of passage is: a ritual or ceremony signifying an event in a person's life indicative of a transition from one stage to another. As in rituals of old, there s an interesting parallel to the surgical event in that it plucks us out of our daily routine; takes us to a foreign space where we have very little control of our comings and goings; introduces us to strange substances that alter the way our bodies feel and our minds perceive; and, compels us to surrender our fate to the prevailing leadership.

I contend that instead of grinding through all that the surgical process entails, kicking and screaming until the big drugs take over, that we relax and surrender to this arduous ritual, trusting its mysterious, sacred purpose in our lives and opening up to the magnificent transition that can provide us with entry into a whole new way of being. Even if we think our lives are just fine, I assure you, our capacity for feeling fabulous is boundless. It's all about love.

Our bodies are truly magnificent. They are marvels. They are healing machines. They are constantly renewing themselves, though admittedly not so effectively when we've gotten too far out of balance. And all they want is to be appropriately cared for. They want delicious and nutritious food and drink. They want fresh air and exercise. They want rewarding work and delightful play. They want deeply satisfying rest and relaxation. And they want to be loved. Not just by our parents, friends, colleagues and significant others - they want to be loved by us!

I understand that when our bodies are hurting and giving us a lot of grief, we're not feeling all that loving toward them. But this downtime is the perfect opportunity to begin a life-long loving relationship with our body. It's time! It's imperative!

Even if you're having problems with your physical heart right now – acknowledge it – the constant, vital service it provides to your body throughout your entire life. How fantastic! Say "thank you" to your miraculous beating heart. Say "thank you" to your breathing – even if it may be hampered at this time – say "thank you" for this totally natural function within your body/mind system – relax and let it be as easeful as the tides in the ocean. Every organ in our bodies is unceasingly performing its specific function to sustain our well-being. It's time to say, "thank you" – "I love you" – "I'm so grateful for all you do". Yes. Smile. Breathe. Your body is feeling better already.

Right this moment decide that this surgery is your personal, sacred "Rite of Passage". Decide that this challenging passage is here to totally enhance your life, ultimately providing you with a glorious sense of wholeness and connection and vibrant aliveness. Decide that this "Rite of Passage" is going to deliver you to a path of such great caring and love and gratitude for yourself and others and all of life that you and your life will bloom beyond your wildest dreams. Feel the gratitude. Life – it's all about Love. Every moment is precious.

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Balance Estrogen Naturally with Diindolylmethane (DIM)

Have you ever noticed the difference between men and women’s ability to lose weight? A man can simply stop eating junk food and two weeks later will have lost ten pounds. On the other hand, after hours in a gym and weeks of calorie counting many women will have not lost a pound. The main reason for this huge difference is an imbalance of too much estrogen as compared to lower levels of progesterone, which is called estrogen dominance. This imbalance leads to weight gain and obesity, as well as cervical dysplasia, breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers. Up until now, women have been told that the only way to treat a hormone related health problem is to take additional hormones. However, the correct answer is finding a balance of hormones, which can be done by using diindolylmethane (DIM), a powerful nutrient that is found in broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables that have a direct effect on hormone balance. This does not mean that eating broccoli will eliminate estrogen dominance. When broccoli is chewed, plant enzymes are activated that release healthy compounds. However, many of these compounds are too unstable to constantly provide health benefits. In turn, these unstable compounds lead to the release of diindolylmethane, which is a very stable compound. Although broccoli is a very nutritious vegetable, we would have to eat at least two pounds of broccoli each and every day in order to get the adequate amounts of DIM. Thanks to ongoing research, the development of a stable pure DIM dietary supplement with special absorption enhancing formulas has been created. These DIM supplements can easily and efficiently restore hormonal balance and eliminate the symptoms of estrogen dominance.

The estrogen hormone tells cells in the body to grow. Throughout our lives, estrogen has important a vital functions such as orchestrating menstruation from the time we reach puberty through the time we reach menopause, keeping our bones strong, and maintaining low cholesterol levels. Estrogen is made in our ovaries and then sent through our bloodstream, where it comes in contact with every cell in our body. However, only certain cells with estrogen receptors will respond to its presence.

Estrogen dominance is characterized by an abundance of symptoms. Some of these symptoms include: mood swings, feeling anxious, painful periods, sore breasts, hot flashes, night sweats, foggy thinking, low libido, problematic PMS, and stubborn weight gain. It can begin by exposure to estrogen mimics (xenoestrogens), which are certain chemicals in the environment such as pesticides, plastics, soaps, emulsifiers, household cleaning products, and even car exhaust. These estrogen mimics look and act enough like natural estrogens that our body accepts them as estrogen. They latch on to estrogen receptors on cancer cells, and signal the cancer cell to grow and divide, making the cancer spread. They can also latch onto estrogen receptors on healthy cells and send false signals, or block the natural estrogen hormone from binding to its receptor, causing more estrogen to circulate in the bloodstream. Estrogen dominance can also be caused by a slow estrogen metabolism. If the rate of the metabolism that breaks down estrogen after they complete the activity on their target cells is too slow, an excess of unmetabolized estrogen is left circulating the body.

Researchers have also discovered that estrogen can be metabolized in two different pathways in the liver, which results in two different kinds of estrogen, “good” and “bad” estrogen. “Good” estrogen metabolites are released into the bloodstream there they cause many of the benefits estrogen provides, such as prevention of heart disease, and strong, healthy bones. “Bad” estrogen, in large quantities, can result in many health problems including autoimmune disorders, breast cancer, cervical dysplasia, clinical depression, fibroid tumors, infertility, magnesium deficiency, osteoporosis, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, and zinc deficiency.

When dealing with estrogen dominance, it is not a good idea to take more progesterone to even out hormonal balance. Taking more progesterone won’t necessarily restore hormonal balance. Rather, it might be metabolized into more estrogen, resulting in an even greater hormonal imbalance and greater estrogen dominance. Instead, one should take the DIM supplement, which improves hormonal balance and eliminated estrogen dominance by shifting the way that estrogen is metabolized in our body. This creates more “good” estrogen metabolites and less “bad” estrogen metabolites. Although it does not increase or decrease estrogen levels, it directs how the estrogen is metabolized.

Research has suggested that DIM may also help to prevent breast cancer. After studying a group of women for periods up to nineteen years, the women who developed breast cancer were noted to have a significantly lower ratio of “good” estrogen metabolites as compared to “bad” estrogen metabolites. In comparison, those who did not develop breast cancer had a high ratio of “good” estrogen metabolites to “bad” estrogen metabolites. Scientists have determined that DIM actually inhibits the growth of cancer cells. It enhances the activity of enzymes found in certain pathways of the liver, which are important for the healthy estrogen metabolism that reduces the risk of cancer development.

When buying a DIM supplement, it is suggested that you read the label of the DIM product you’re going to buy. Be certain that you are getting 120 mg of DIM complex, which is standardized to 30 mg DIM per dose. Because DIM is very hard to absorb, the products needs to be in a specialized complex that improves bioavailability. Although most women only need one dose of DIM per day, women suffering with a large amount of estrogen dominance symptoms may find greater relief by doubling the dose and taking DIM twice a day. Because some women may have a minor stomach ache after taking DIM, taking the supplement with food will eliminate the problem. Research of DIM’s safety has shown no harmful effects, even when the doses were at hundreds of times the amount provided in the supplements. A common side effect of DIM is a harmless changing of the color of your urine. Because these changes can occur when you eat a large amount of broccoli or asparagus also, drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day will solve the problem.

If you have estrogen dominance, adding more hormones will only put you at a greater risk for cancer. Instead, restore your hormonal balance by taking the powerful, all-natural DIM supplement. DIM can be found at your local Health Food Store or Internet Health Food Store.

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Words of Comfort When Words Fail You

Words of Comfort When Words Fail You

CancerCare Cards Harvest Blessings from Devastating Disease


If a friend is down with the flu or has a stay in the hospital, you stop by the card shop or the grocery and pick up a card that says “Thinking of you” or makes cute little jokes about doctors and hospital gowns that open in the back. But suppose your best girlfriend or your sister or your mother receives the news: Breast cancer. Mastectomy. Chemotherapy. Radiation. “Get well soon” suddenly seems woefully inadequate.

This was Marilyn Shoemaker’s experience. Having never had a mammogram at the age of 43, she discovered a lump in her breast getting ready for bed on a Friday night. After spending a tense weekend telling herself it was probably nothing, Marilyn went quickly the following week from mammogram to sonogram to lumpectomy to dual mastectomy and directly into a regimen of chemotherapy and radiation, because the cancer had already spread into her lymph system.

If Marilyn was herself reeling from her sudden plunge into the odyssey of the cancer patient, those around her were little better at responding to her pain and fear. What does one say, after all, to a woman who has just lost both breasts? Who has lost all of her hair to her cancer treatment? What do you say to someone who may, in fact, be dying? Many, in their discomfort, simply avoid contact at all, depriving the patient of comfort when it is needed most. Marilyn’s friends, family, and fellow church members reached out to her in love and concern, but often needed as much comfort as she did in their grief over her condition.

One special group of Marilyn’s friends, “The Birthday Girlfriends,” was able to offer solace without fear or hesitation. Over the next five years, through three remissions and three recurrences (Marilyn is currently receiving treatment for the fourth time), this beloved group of friends has consistently given her support and encouragement with personally written cards and notes. To this day, Marilyn receives several cards a week from these caring women.

Throughout her ordeal, Marilyn’s faith in God remained strong. “I knew that no matter what was happening to me, God was in control,” she says through misty eyes. “And I knew that He could make something good come from even this.”

"Something good" is CancerCare Cards, a line of greeting cards designed specifically for cancer patients. Intended to help friends and relatives of those with cancer to find words of support at a time when it is often most awkward and painful to do so, CancerCare Cards bring messages of comfort, hope and survival; they are celebrations of life and friendship.

“It’s only when it happens to you, and you start looking, that you realize there is really nothing out there like this,” Marilyn explains. “That’s when I got the inspiration to start designing cards for cancer patients—cards that I would like to have received! Cards like the Birthday Girlfriends made for me.”

CancerCare Cards got off to a moderately slow start, but caught on quickly. Marilyn has CancerCare Cards in card shops, hospital gift shops and book stores all over the United States.

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Vitamin E: Gamma Not Alpha Tocopherol Is Often Superior With Cancer and Alzheimer's

It is important to know that there are several types of Vitamin E. Vitamin E is actually a generic name for eight separate compounds. Some members of the vitamin E family are called tocopherols. These members include alpha tocopherol, beta tocopherol, gamma tocopherol, and delta tocopherol. Other members of the vitamin E family are called tocotrienols. These members include alpha, beta, gamma, and delta tocotrienol. Both groups all blended together in plants and animals, which is why the best form of vitamin E comes from your food.

The first research on vitamin E carried out by the Shute brothers early in the 19th century, showed that in rats, one part of vitamin E, alpha tocopherol, appeared more potent since it was necessary for successful pregnancy and production of offspring. For this reason, the Shutes named the vitamin “tocopherol,” from the Greek word meaning “to give birth.”

Nearly all of the clinical research on vitamin E has used alpha-tocopherol. The results have shown that alpha-tocopherol is useful as a heart-protective nutrient. Gamma-tocopherol has been shown to have a greater effect than alpha-tocopherol in inhibiting the formation of nitric-oxide-derived free radicals, which appears to be a factor in the origination and development of heart disease.

Researchers at the University of Uppsala, Sweden carried out a study to see whether measurements of blood vitamin E concentrations can contribute to differences between subjects with and without coronary heart disease. Sixty-nine male patients, below 60 years of age, with coronary heart disease were compared with 138 healthy male subjects of similar ages. They found a significantly lower gamma tocopherol concentration and a high ratio between alpha and gamma tocopherol in the coronary heart disease group compared with the healthy subjects thereby indicating a difference in antioxidative status between groups. (Journal of Internal Medicine. 1996 Feb;239(2):111-7).

Alpha tocopherol is not the most potent form of vitamin E. Too much of it can actually hinder the absorption of other types of vitamin E.

Recent studies indicate that gamma-tocopherol may be important to human health and that it possesses unique features that distinguish it from alpha-tocopherol.

While the type of vitamin E usually used in supplements is alpha-tocopherol, research published in the December 2004 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates another form of vitamin E, gamma-tocopherol, but not alpha-tocopherol, inhibits prostate cancer cells from multiplying, without affecting healthy prostate cells.

Rush University’s Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D., lead nutrition researcher for CHAP, the Chicago Health and Aging Project, found a 67% lower risk of Alzheimer’s in subjects with the highest intakes of vitamin E from food and concluded: “The results suggest that various tocopherol forms rather than alpha-tocopherol alone may be important in the vitamin E protective association with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Researchers at the University of California conducted a study using rats that concluded there was strong evidence that gamma-tocopherol, but not alpha-tocopherol, showed anti-inflammatory activities that may be important for human disease prevention and therapy. (FASEB J. 2003 May;17(8):816-22).

The importance of this study is that inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and hepatitis are among the leading causes of death and disability in the world. Chronic inflammation contributes to the development of degenerative diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders (nervous system degeneration).

Gamma-tocopherol concentrations in the blood have been reported to be significantly lower in coronary heart disease patients compared to healthy subjects, suggesting that the low gamma-tocopherol concentrations increased the risk of coronary heart disease.

Newly recognized properties of gamma-tocopherol provide a basis for its superior cancer preventive activity. A possible reason for the protective effects in the presence of high gamma-tocopherol concentrations is that gamma-tocopherol enhances the cellular uptake of alpha-tocopherol. Our data show that gamma-tocopherol accumulates in colon cancer cells at a twenty fold increase over alpha-tocopherol. Higher concentrations of tocopherols are being tested, but have resulted in cell death in three colon cancer cell lines. (BMC Cancer 2003, 3:25 (1 October 2003) http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/3/25. Open access.)

High doses of alpha-tocopherol deplete gamma-tocopherol

These distinguishing features of gamma-tocopherol and its metabolite suggest that gamma-tocopherol may contribute significantly to human health in ways not recognized previously. This possibility should be further evaluated, especially considering that high doses of alpha-tocopherol deplete plasma [blood] and tissue gamma-tocopherol, in contrast with supplementation with gamma-tocopherol, which increases both. (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2001 Dec;74(6):714-22).

Moreover, we found the presence of gamma-tocopherol dramatically influenced the cellular accumulation of alpha-tocopherol, i.e., gamma-tocopherol promoted the accumulation of alpha-tocopherol. The potential health related significance of gamma-tocopherol is being increasingly recognized. (Nutrition Journal 2002, 1:2).

While alpha-tocopherols are the most widely used, and have enormous health benefits, gamma, beta and delta tocopherols also offer important benefits. Supplementing with mixed tocopherols should derive the benefits of both alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol, without creating an imbalance in these two forms of vitamin E. Supplements containing this wide variety of vitamin E forms are usually referred to as “mixed tocopherol” or “mixed tocotrienol” supplements.

Remember to take your vitamin E with some sort of fat or oil for better absorption as it is a fat soluble vitamin.

According to [Maret] Traber and [Scott] Leonard, this indicates that people who are taking vitamin E supplements only with liquids on an empty stomach are accomplishing nothing and getting few if any benefits from the supplements. The vitamin clearly is absorbed better if it is part of, or closely associated with the digestion of a food that has some fat in it. (David Stauth, Oregon State University, The Linus Pauling Institute 15/1/2004).

Most vitamin E supplements contain synthetic alpha-tocopherol, but unlike some other vitamins, synthetic vitamin E is not identical to natural. Vitamin E supplements are labelled d-alpha for natural and dl-alpha for synthetic. If the label lists “dl-alpha-tocopherol”, it’s not the real thing.

This is most clearly shown by comparing natural with synthetic vitamin E. Both have identical antioxidant activities, yet the natural vitamin E has roughly twice the availability of synthetic vitamin E. (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1998 Apr;67(4):669-84).

Japanese researchers found that natural vitamin E at 100 mg per day was not different from that of 300 mg per day of synthetic vitamin E in seven normal, healthy women aged 21-37 years. (Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Mar;65(3):785-9).

You can get the best forms of vitamin E through your food. Fruits, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, oily fish (salmon, mackerel and sardines), eggs, natural organ meats and nuts are good sources of vitamin E. Most of these foods give you the entire vitamin E family.

References

Jiang Q, Wong J, Fyrst H, Saba JD, Ames BN. gamma-Tocopherol or combinations of vitamin E forms induce cell death in human prostate cancer cells by interrupting sphingolipid synthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Dec 21;101(51):17825-30.

Helzlsouer KJ, Huang HY, Alberg AJ, et al. Association between alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, selenium, and subsequent prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000;92(24):2018-2023.

MC, Evans DA, Tangney CC, Bienias JL, Wilson RS, Aggarwal NT, Scherr PA. Relation of the tocopherol forms to incident Alzheimer disease and to cognitive change. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Feb;81(2):508-14.

Jiang Q, Christen S, Shigenaga MK, Ames BN. gamma-tocopherol, the major form of vitamin E in the US diet, deserves more attention. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Dec;74(6):714-22. Review.

Gao R, Stone WL, Huang T, Papas AM, Qui M. The uptake of tocopherols by RAW 264.7 macrophages. Nutrition Journal 2002, 1:2 (15 October 2002).

Jiang Q, Ames BN. Gamma-tocopherol, but not alpha-tocopherol, decreases proinflammatory eicosanoids and inflammation damage in rats. FASEB J. 2003 May;17(8):816-22.

Campbell SE, Stone WL, Whaley SG, Qui M, Krishnan K. Gamma (?) tocopherol upregulates peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) gamma (?) expression in SW 480 human colon cancer cell lines. BMC Cancer 2003, 3:25 (1 October 2003). http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/3/25. © 2003 Campbell et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article’s original URL.

Ohrvall M, Sundlof G, Vessby B. Gamma, but not alpha, tocopherol levels in serum are reduced in coronary heart disease patients. J Intern Med. 1996 Feb;239(2):111-7.

David Stauth, Oregon State University, The Linus Pauling Institute, Study finds huge variability in vitamin E absorption, 15-Jan-2004.

Burton GW, Traber MG, Acuff RV, Walters DN, Kayden H, Hughes L, Ingold KU. Human plasma and tissue alpha-tocopherol concentrations in response to supplementation with deuterated natural and synthetic vitamin E. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Apr;67(4):669-84.

Kiyose C, Muramatsu R, Kameyama Y, Ueda T, Igarashi O. Biodiscrimination of alpha-tocopherol stereoisomers in humans after oral administration. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Mar;65(3):785-9.
PMID: 9062530.

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'Sounds of Silence' For Cancer Cure Deafening

The Major News Media missed reporting a breakthrough treatment for the prevention of cancer. Why? Is it because this breakthrough isn't a drug but a simple inexpensive multivitamin with folic acid that can prevent cancers up to 50%? If it were a pharmaceutical that achieved such astounding results it would be in all the news reports on television and newspapers. Is it because there is a bias against vitamins and nutrition which are non-drug treatments or because there is no benefit for Big Pharma?

The headline in the New York Times, LA Times, etc and the sound-bite on the CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX evening news should have read:

New Major Cancer Protective Treatment – A New Breakthrough ‘Drug’ That Prevents Cancers in Children -

Unfortunately it didn’t. I Googled this study from the February 21, 2007, medical journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and nada! The major news outlets in Canada carried it but not in the Good Ole’ USA unless you include the Redding News.

“This is almost too simple an idea for people to take seriously, but they should take it seriously,” said Dr. Gideon Koren, director of the Motherisk program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Globe and Mail.
Vitamin Prevention Worth A Pound Of Cancer Cure

Of course the real reason this 'breakthrough' information wasn't reported on in the MNM (Major News Media) was because it wasn't a Pharmaceutical (with major advertising dollars on the line for MNM) but a simple cheap once a day multivitamin with folic acid.

"Simply taking multivitamins and folic acid during pregnancy can help a mother reduce her baby's risk of developing the most common childhood cancers by almost 50 per cent, a new study from Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children says." Toronto Star

“The startling finding that a cheap supplement purchased at a drugstore can prevent cancer as well as a range of birth defects adds weight to the theory that micronutrients have lifelong health benefits for the developing fetus.” Globe and Mail.

Unfounded Bias Against Vitamin Supplements

Maybe the MNM didn’t pick up the story because of a bias against vitamins from so-called vitamin experts like Rory Collins, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Oxford University who was reported as saying. –

“It has been said that Americans have the richest urine in the world, because they consume a lot of expensive vitamins and then just pee them out…There is no good evidence that any vitamin supplements are effective. So if you are going to waste your money on these unproven vitamins, you may as well waste less money on the cheaper ones.” As reported in the newspaper – The Independent (London), Feb 9, 2004 by Catherine Nixey.

Or maybe - the New York Times article (April 29, 2003) conclusion that “multivitamins have not been shown to prevent any disease and that it is easy to reach high enough doses of certain vitamins and minerals to actually increase the risk of disease”

For if physicians and the news media can't be trusted to get even the basic checkable facts right about vitamins, why should any of their opinions be taken seriously? A cursory look at the scientific medical literature reveals the false propaganda from these two sources.

Medicine Acknowledges Vitamin Supplements- the 'Checkable Facts'

The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2002 reversed its historical anti-vitamin policy by acknowledging that “it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements”

In 1998 an Editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine was titled: "Eat Right and Take a Multivitamin."

Harvard Public Health – "Today, though, there's good evidence that taking a daily multivitamin makes sense for most adults…(and) may prevent heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and other chromic diseases."

A Summary of a few of the Positive Vitamin Studies

The Nurses' Health Study of over 87,000 women showed that the - "Long-term use of multivitamins may substantially reduce risk for colon cancer." Annals of Internal Medicine 1998.

A 19,000 patient study found Vitamin C lowered the "mortality (death-rate) from all-causes…" Lancet (2001)

A pooling of the data from several studies "concluded…that 1,000 IU of oral vitamin D per day is associated with a 50% reduction in colorectal cancer incidence." Recent Results in Cancer Research (2007)

If one was to read these studies one would conclude that supplements have a role to play in prevention of disease. Of course if one was to ignore these studies and or look for negative improperly done studies one could possibly show negative results by selective research to scaremonger, which is a common tactic of Big Pharma, MNM and the Medical Establishment.

Vitamins Cost Savings to the System
Taking a multivitamin for at least 11 years would save the system .1 billion as reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) State-of-the-Science Conference on Multivitamin/Mineral Supplements and Chronic Disease Prevention. May 15–17, 2006

So there’s the crux of the matter, savings of billions of dollars to the system which would normally be shared by the Medical Establishment, Big Pharma and the Major News Media. With a close to 50% prevention for some cancers, an inexpensive multivitamin doesn’t have enough profit to go around. Now you know why the ‘Sounds of Silence Were Deafening for the Cancer Cure.’

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Green Tea Extract And Other Nutritional Supplements To Combat Breast Cancer

Most likely, there is nothing more frightening for a woman than the discovery of a lump in her breast. Her mind is quickly flooded with cancer and all of its consequences. Most women have a friend, a sister, or a coworker who has been diagnosed with the disease and know how difficult dealing with it can be. Fortunately, 80% of all breast lumps are not cancer, as most are cysts or a benign clump of tissue. From puberty on, a woman’s breasts undergo many changes. Because of these continual changes, breast tissue requires adequate nutrition. Although everyone benefits from a healthy diet, there are additional nutrients which can specifically benefit women including B vitamins, calcium D-glucarate, broccoli extract, green tea extract, maitake mushrooms, and iodine.

Because scientists can learn a lot about diseases from simply observing it, they have learned that certain cultures have a very low incidence of breast cancer, among these being China and Japan. As compared to women in America, Canada, and parts of Europe, the Asian cultures have a much lower breast cancer rate and it seems likely that something in their diet could be protecting these women from the disease because as Asian women adopt a western diet their breast cancer rates climb. It has also been recognized that certain types of vegetables play a large role in the prevention of all types of disease, including cancer. Based on this, scientists have carried out many studies to determine what it is about these nutrients that can prevent breast cancer.

Deficiencies in vitamin B12 can result in a serious type of anemia, as well as nerve damage, and is now being researched to see if these deficiencies can also, in part, cause breast cancer. A scientific study proved that women who had the lowest levels of B12 in their blood had the highest rates of breast cancer. Another study discovered that when B12 was applied directly to cancer cells, it actually stopped cancer cells from growing. The researchers conducting this experiment believe that giving B12 to women with breast cancer as a part of a chemotherapy regime might help to keep cancer in check.

Similarly, low folic acid intake is linked to the development of all cancers because folic acid is crucial to the making and continual repair of DNA. A recent study discovered that high intakes of folic acid may actually reduce the risk of breast cancer, as women who eat lots of foods that contain folic acid have much lower rates of breast cancer. Although there is no clear-cut, single cause of breast cancer, many factors are required for the disease to appear, including estrogen. Studies have shown that women who have higher levels of estrogen tend to develop breast cancer more often. This means that women who got the periods before age eleven or entered menopause after the age of fifty-five have a higher risk of breast cancer. Another factor affecting breast cancer is the consumption of alcohol. Since alcohol raises estrogen levels, a woman who consumes even moderate amounts of alcohol increases her risk of breast cancer. However a recent study has shown that folic acid can overtake this link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer as those women who drink one alcoholic drink a day and have high levels of folic acid have the same rate of breast cancer as those women with high folic acid intakes who did not drink.

While women need estrogen to soften skin, thicken hair, and fill out hips and breasts, estrogen can also nourish breast tumors and help them to grow bigger, stronger, and more deadly. Thanks to good nutrition, American women get their periods early and go through menopause later in life. Today, women also have fewer pregnancies, with the average number of children being one or two. Each of these factors increases the time in which women’s bodies are exposed to estrogen, meaning increased opportunities for estrogen to cause trouble. We are also continuously exposed to cancer-causing chemicals and toxins, coming from contaminants in the food we eat and pollutants in the air we breathe. Although the body does have a system that eliminates some of the excess estrogen and toxic chemicals before they cause harm, an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase can interrupt the excretion process, allowing the hormone or toxin to continue to cause harm. Fortunately, scientists have discovered a natural substance found in foods, calcium d-glucarate, which can stop the activity of beta-glucuronidase. Calcium d-glucarate, which is found in fruits and vegetables, has been shown in experimental studies to significantly stop breast cancer growth. There are also many other trials currently underway studying its ability to decrease the breast cancer risk in women at high risk for the disease.

Iodine, which is the trace element in a hormone found in the thyroid gland and is involved in several metabolic functions, functions as a protection of breast tissue from cancerous cells. A study exposing breast cancer cells and breast tissue without any cancer to a type of seaweed containing high amounts of iodine concluded that the seaweed killed all of the cancerous cells and did not harm the normal breast cells. Researchers believe that it is because many Japanese women eat this kind of seaweed, containing great amounts of iodine, that they have very low rates of breast cancer.

For a great deal of time, cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, have been observed by scientists for their ability to reduce the risk of diseases including cancer. It appears that the phytochemical sulforaphane, found in broccoli, is one of the chemicals responsible for this beneficial ability. Sulforaphane increases certain enzymes in the body called phase 2 enzymes, which deactivate cancer-causing chemicals. When breast cancer cells were exposed to sulforaphane in a lab experiment, the compound inhibited the growth of the cancer cells up to eighty percent.

There is a good amount of research that has concluded that green tea extract beverage consumption is associated with a lower incidence of breast cancer. Researchers have long noted the low rates of breast cancer in Japan, where green tea extract is consumed at great amounts. The active compound found in green tea extract that is responsible for breast cancer inhibition is EGCG, which stops the cells from growing, causes them to lose their ability to replicate, and die.

For many years, maitake mushrooms have been linked to good health in all that eat them, partly because they contain an important compound called D-fraction. D-fraction not only stops the growth of cancerous tumors, but it also alerts and stimulates immune cells to fight the disease. Due to its success, maitake is now being used in clinical trials of women with breast cancer, improving many symptoms including reduction of the tumor.

There nutrients should not be used in place of traditional treatment for breast cancer, as none of these nutrients can cure breast cancer. However, they can be a part of plan of treatment. If you have breast cancer, talk to your healthcare practitioner about these nutrients and remember that nutritional supplements are supplements to your food, medication, and treatment, to enhance and prevent, not a replacement. Supplements such as green tea extract or calcium d glucarate can be found at your local health food store or online vitamin store.

Read more...

Fight Cancer With Broccoli Concentrates And Other Green Vegetables

Everyone can remember when their mothers said, “Eat your broccoli, it is good for you.” Research is showing that your mother did know best! In this article, we will discuss research on cruciferous vegetable extracts and how it can fight cancer.

Dr. Paul Talalay of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine showed that sulforaphane a phytonutrient found in broccoli can help fight cancer in laboratory mice. Other studies have shown that diets rich in broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and other greens can significantly reduce your risk of breast, bowel, and stomach cancer.

Dr. Paul Talalay discovered the once unknown reason why these vegetables can help prevent cancer. Dr. Talalay discovered that broccoli contained sulforaphane compounds, these compounds have been shown to cause cells to expel cancer causing toxins in laboratory animals. Dr. Talalay also discovered that when you isolate these sulforaphane compounds and feed them to mice, this compound accelerated the detoxification process in the animal’s cells.

Dr. Talalay’s published report showed how his research team isolated these broccoli sulforaphane’s and fed them to groups of mice in high doses. After several days the scientists found that the cells in the mice had triggered a chemical enzyme known to neutralize carcinogens within the cells. Dr. Talalay stated that research beyond this published paper will analyze the long term effects of this newly found chemical enzyme and predict that sulforaphane compounds will block tumor formation in the animals to be studied, hoping this will hold true with humans as well.

Dr. Talalay preformed earlier studies which have shown specific proteins in cells called phase I enzymes, can take chemicals and turn them into carcinogens or cancer causing agents. He also found another protein called phase II enzymes which could block the action and formation of carcinogens. Dr. Talalay found that broccoli sulforaphane compounds actually activated this phase II enzyme which helps to protect cells from carcinogens.

Further research needs to be conducted to determine how much broccoli will need to be consumed to effectively have an anti-cancer effect on the body. There is over 10 years of research done on cruciferous vegetables proving that cruciferous vegetables can reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases. A large database has been compiled from this research which brings together and confirms how cruciferous vegetables affect the body.

In sort, cruciferous vegetables can speed up the production of enzymes helping the body neutralize cancer agents. Studies also show that cruciferous vegetables can protect our DNA from being damaged and slow the aging process. Another study has also shown that in women cruciferous vegetables can help regulate metabolic processes and help eliminate bad estrogen all the while maintaining good estrogen which can reduce the risk of beast cancer.

Many of us know that eating our vegetables is an important part of maintaining a healthy life style, but when it comes down to it, at dinner time we always skip them. Fortunately, several manufactures offer mixed vegetable formulas that contain broccoli, spinach, carrots, and cabbage in an easy to swallow tablet you can take each day. If you find your self skipping the vegetables on your dinner plate, you can always stop in to your local or internet health food store and purchase a mixed vegetable formula to help maintain better health and prevent cancer.

Read more...

Fight Breast Cancer With Calcium D-glucarate And Other Nutritional Supplements

Most likely, there is nothing more frightening for a woman than the discovery of a lump in her breast. Her mind is quickly flooded with cancer and all of its consequences. Most women have a friend, a sister, or a coworker who has been diagnosed with the disease and know how difficult dealing with it can be. Fortunately, 80% of all breast lumps are not cancer, as most are cysts or a benign clump of tissue. From puberty on, a woman’s breasts undergo many changes. Because of these continual changes, breast tissue requires adequate nutrition. Although everyone benefits from a healthy diet, there are additional nutrients which can specifically benefit women including B vitamins, calcium D-glucarate, broccoli extract, green tea, maitake mushrooms, and iodine.

Because scientists can learn a lot about diseases from simply observing it, they have learned that certain cultures have a very low incidence of breast cancer, among these being China and Japan. As compared to women in America, Canada, and parts of Europe, the Asian cultures have a much lower breast cancer rate and it seems likely that something in their diet could be protecting these women from the disease. As Asian women adopt a western diet their breast cancer rates climb. It has also been recognized that certain types of vegetables play a large role in the prevention of all types of disease, including cancer. Based on this, scientists have carried out many studies to determine what it is about these nutrients that can prevent breast cancer.

Deficiencies in vitamin B12 can result in a serious type of anemia, as well as nerve damage, and is now being researched to see if these deficiencies can also, in part, cause breast cancer. A scientific study proved that women who had the lowest levels of B12 in their blood had the highest rates of breast cancer. Another study discovered that when B12 was applied directly to cancer cells, it actually stopped cancer cells from growing. The researchers conducting this experiment believe that giving B12 to women with breast cancer as a part of a chemotherapy regime might help to keep cancer in check.

Similarly, low folic acid intake is linked to the development of all cancers because folic acid is crucial to the making and continual repair of DNA. A recent study discovered that high intakes of folic cancer may actually reduce the risk of breast cancer, as women who eat lots of foods that contain folic acid have much lower rates of breast cancer. Although there is no clear-cut, single cause of breast cancer, many factors are required for the disease to appear, including estrogen. Studies have shown that women who have higher levels of estrogen tend to develop breast cancer more often. This means that women who got the periods before age eleven or entered menopause after the age of fifty-five have a higher risk of breast cancer. Another factor affecting breast cancer is the consumption of alcohol. Since alcohol raises estrogen levels, a woman who consumes even moderate amounts of alcohol increases her risk of breast cancer. However a recent study has shown that folic acid can overtake this link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer as those women who drink one alcoholic drink a day and have high levels of folic acid have the same rate of breast cancer as those women with high folic acid intakes who did not drink.

While women need estrogen to soften skin, thicken hair, and fill out hips and breasts, estrogen can also nourish breast tumors and help them to grow bigger, stronger, and more deadly. Thanks to good nutrition, American women get their periods early and go through menopause later in life. Today, women also have fewer pregnancies, with the average number of children being one or two. Each of these factors increases the time in which women’s bodies are exposed to estrogen, meaning increased opportunities for estrogen to cause trouble. We are also continuously exposed to cancer-causing chemicals and toxins, coming from contaminants in the food we eat and pollutants in the air we breathe. Although the body does have a system that eliminates some of the excess estrogen and toxic chemicals before they cause harm, an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase can interrupt the excretion process, allowing the hormone or toxin to continue to cause harm. Fortunately, scientists have discovered a natural substance found in foods, calcium d-glucarate (CDG), which can stop the activity of beta-glucuronidase. CDG, which is found in fruits and vegetables, has been shown in experimental studies to significantly slow breast cancer growth. There are also many other trials currently underway studying its ability to decrease the breast cancer risk in women at high risk for the disease.

Iodine, which is the trace element in a hormone found in the thyroid gland and is involved in several metabolic functions, functions as a protection of breast tissue from cancerous cells. A study exposing breast cancer cells and breast tissue without any cancer to a type of seaweed containing high amounts of iodine concluded that the seaweed killed all of the cancerous cells and did not harm the normal breast cells. Researchers believe that it is because many Japanese women eat this kind of seaweed, containing great amounts of iodine, that they have very low rates of breast cancer.

For a great deal of time, cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, have been observed by scientists for their ability to reduce the risk of diseases including cancer. It appears that the phytochemical sulforaphane, found in broccoli, is one of the chemicals responsible for this beneficial ability. Sulforaphane increases certain enzymes in the body called phase 2 enzymes, which deactivate cancer-causing chemicals. When breast cancer cells were exposed to sulforaphane in a lab experiment, the compound inhibited the growth of the cancer cells up to eighty percent.

There is a good amount of research that has concluded that green tea beverage consumption is associated with a lower incidence of breast cancer. Researchers have long noted the low rates of breast cancer in Japan, where green tea is consumed at great amounts. The active compound found in green tea that is responsible for breast cancer inhibition is EGCG, which stops the cells from growing, causes them to lose their ability to replicate, and die.

For many years, maitake mushrooms have been linked to good health in all that eat them, partly because they contain an important compound called D-fraction. D-fraction not only stops the growth of cancerous tumors, but it also alerts and stimulates immune cells to fight the disease. Due to its success, maitake is now being used in clinical trials of women with breast cancer, improving many symptoms including reduction of the tumor.

These nutrients should not be used in place of traditional treatment for breast cancer, as none of these nutrients can cure breast cancer. However, they can be a part of plan of treatment. If you have breast cancer, talk to your healthcare practitioner about these nutrients and remember that nutritional supplements are supplements to your food, medication, and treatment, to enhance and prevent, not a replacement. Supplements like B vitamins, calcium D-glucarate, broccoli extract, green tea, maitake mushrooms, and iodine can be found at your local or internet health food store.

Read more...

Fight Cancer With Broccoli Concentrates And Other Green Vegetables

Everyone can remember when their mothers said, “Eat your broccoli, it is good for you.” Research is showing that your mother did know best! In this article, we will discuss research on cruciferous vegetable extracts and how it can fight cancer.

Dr. Paul Talalay of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine showed that sulforaphane a phytonutrient found in broccoli can help fight cancer in laboratory mice. Other studies have shown that diets rich in broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and other greens can significantly reduce your risk of breast, bowel, and stomach cancer.

Dr. Paul Talalay discovered the once unknown reason why these vegetables can help prevent cancer. Dr. Talalay discovered that broccoli contained sulforaphane compounds, these compounds have been shown to cause cells to expel cancer causing toxins in laboratory animals. Dr. Talalay also discovered that when you isolate these sulforaphane compounds and feed them to mice, this compound accelerated the detoxification process in the animal’s cells.

Dr. Talalay’s published report showed how his research team isolated these broccoli sulforaphane’s and fed them to groups of mice in high doses. After several days the scientists found that the cells in the mice had triggered a chemical enzyme known to neutralize carcinogens within the cells. Dr. Talalay stated that research beyond this published paper will analyze the long term effects of this newly found chemical enzyme and predict that sulforaphane compounds will block tumor formation in the animals to be studied, hoping this will hold true with humans as well.

Dr. Talalay preformed earlier studies which have shown specific proteins in cells called phase I enzymes, can take chemicals and turn them into carcinogens or cancer causing agents. He also found another protein called phase II enzymes which could block the action and formation of carcinogens. Dr. Talalay found that broccoli sulforaphane compounds actually activated this phase II enzyme which helps to protect cells from carcinogens.

Further research needs to be conducted to determine how much broccoli will need to be consumed to effectively have an anti-cancer effect on the body. There is over 10 years of research done on cruciferous vegetables proving that cruciferous vegetables can reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases. A large database has been compiled from this research which brings together and confirms how cruciferous vegetables affect the body.

In sort, cruciferous vegetables can speed up the production of enzymes helping the body neutralize cancer agents. Studies also show that cruciferous vegetables can protect our DNA from being damaged and slow the aging process. Another study has also shown that in women cruciferous vegetables can help regulate metabolic processes and help eliminate bad estrogen all the while maintaining good estrogen which can reduce the risk of beast cancer.

Many of us know that eating our vegetables is an important part of maintaining a healthy life style, but when it comes down to it, at dinner time we always skip them. Fortunately, several manufactures offer mixed vegetable formulas that contain broccoli, spinach, carrots, and cabbage in an easy to swallow tablet you can take each day. If you find your self skipping the vegetables on your dinner plate, you can always stop in to your local or internet health food store and purchase a mixed vegetable formula to help maintain better health and prevent cancer.

Read more...

Green Tea: The Japanese Secret to Good Health

Cancer remains a number-one killer in countries around the world. Therefore, it should come as little surprise that medical researchers are exploring new avenues in an effort to find ways to attack cancer.

The investigation into alternative cancer therapies often begins by examining the cultures of specific nations in an effort to determine whether diet or other customs could help unlock the secret to curing this dreaded disease. Since green tea has been a staple of the Japanese diet for centuries, it�s not surprising that new attention is being paid to the tea�s therapeutic benefits.

In recent years, doctors and scientific researchers have been focusing new attention on the idea of drinking green tea in an effort to keep cancer at bay. It�s been thought that the beverage possesses certain natural properties which make it a likely cancer preventative.

Studying Green Tea In-Depth

In order to look at this issue in more depth, researchers Kazue Imai, Kenji Suga, and Kei Nakachi of the Saitama Cancer Center Research Institute in Saitama, Japan, decided to examine the effects of green tea drinking among the Japanese.

In an article entitled �Cancer-Preventive Effects of Drinking Green Tea Among a Japanese Population� in Preventative Medicine magazine, the research team explored the therapeutic benefits of green tea at length.

When the researchers began their investigation, there had been a number of studies indicating that the main ingredient of green tea, epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, was anti-carcinogenic. However, there was little evidence to suggest that EGCG could prevent cancer in human beings. While some human studies had been conducted, the results were far from conclusive.

The Japanese research team strongly believed that it was absolutely critical to conduct an in-depth study in an Asian nation, given the popularity of tea consumption in the Orient. Ultimately, the Japanese scientists found that those Japanese subjects who drank green tea were less likely to develop cancer. This was particularly true among women who consumed more than ten cups of green tea each day.

A Natural Cancer Prevention Tool

The rate of cancer was low among both men and women who consumed large amounts of green tea. In addition, a study of 384 cancer patients indicated that increased consumption of green tea was linked with a delay in the onset of cancer.

Again, this phenomenon was most prevalent among women who consumed more than ten cups of green tea each day. The average delay for the onset of cancer was four years�four years of enhanced quality of life for the subjects involved.

To a Western mind, drinking ten cups of green tea daily can seem mind-boggling�especially if one has difficulty consuming eight glasses of water each day. It should be noted that, on average, the subjects were probably consuming 150 ml of green tea per cup. That would amount to about 300 to 400 milligrams of EGCG�a healthy amount, by any standard.

More Powerful Than Once Thought

It has become clear that green tea is far more powerful in fighting cancer than researchers once thought. For instance, scientists recently discovered that green tea�s unique chemical makeup enables it to combat one of the key cancer-causing molecules linked to tobacco use. The ground-breaking evidence appeared in a journal published by the American Chemical Society.

In the study, researchers examined the effects of two components of green tea, EGCG and epigallocatechin, also known as EGC. These substances are close to the consistency of cancer-preventing substances in red wine, grapes, broccoli, and cabbage. The research team discovered that EGCG and EGC can inhibit a molecule that often �turns on� genes that can be harmful to the body, leading to the development of cancer.

However, it�s unclear whether the results in the science lab could be replicated in a person�s home, since the effectiveness of drinking green tea depends on how the beverage is used by the human body. In addition, there appear to be differences between varieties of green tea, so additional study is necessary to prove the beverage�s effectiveness in inhibiting potentially harmful molecular processes.

The Need for More Research

Based upon the evidence presented in the study conducted by Imai, Suga, and Nakachi, there can be little doubt that their research indicates that consuming green tea can lead to the prevention of cancer. However, additional research is definitely needed in order to determine which organs of the body could best benefit from green tea.

In other words, will drinking green tea fight stomach cancer? Breast cancer? Colon cancer? At this point, the answers to these questions remain unclear. Yet, it should be noted that laboratory tests show that green tea�s EGCG can zero in on organs in an effort to prevent cancer.

The initial research into cancer prevention using green tea is incredibly encouraging. To begin with, green tea is an ordinary part of many people�s diets, so drinking the beverage does not necessarily mean a radical lifestyle change. If people are already accustomed to consuming green tea, it stands to reason that they wouldn�t mind consuming more of it, if it would mean preventing the occurrence of cancer.

A Virtually Problem-Free Solution

Some approaches to preventing cancer may seem initially appealing, but can become decidedly less so because of the side effects involved. However, there are no toxic effects linked to green tea consumption, meaning that this cancer-fighting remedy is especially promising.

In addition, green tea appears to be a powerful cancer prevention tool. If the beverage�s therapeutic effects were limited, there wouldn�t be a great deal of interest in using it as a cancer preventative. However, the strong link between green tea consumption and cancer prevention indicated by the Japanese study means that there is good reason for people to consider adding green tea to their diets.

Effects Beyond the Orient

Some might conclude that green tea drinking only prevents cancer among Asian populations, but researchers in the field believe that would be a mistake. It�s entirely possible that, if Westerners also made green tea a significant part of their daily diet, they would also see the preventative effects.

With so many supermarkets and convenience stores in the West now stocking green tea, it may be just a matter of time before Westerners will also experience the beverage�s medicinal benefits.

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Can Caffeinated Beverages Reduce Your Breast Cancer Risk?

Women today are more concerned than ever about preventing breast cancer. There is much speculation about how our lifestyle and habits affect our chances of contracting this and other cancers. Well, there are many risk factors that can make you more prone to breast cancer, but there are also things you can do to prevent breast cancer.

First, it’s important to have a healthy diet. Avoiding processed foods and eating a diet that is low in saturated fats and high in fruits, vegetables and fish. These foods can keep your weight in check and protect your health by providing vitamins and fiber.

In addition to these foods being healthy and fiber rich, they also provide significant ant-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are extremely important to slowing down the aging process and preventing disease.

Each day as our body converts food to energy, it creates oxygen carrying molecules called free radicals. If free radicals are not eliminated from the body, they damage our cells and our DNA. This cell damage is partially responsible for a multitude of diseases, including cancer.

Anti-oxidants are important because they rid the body of free radicals. Since free radicals are created daily, they should be eliminated daily, too. But, because our diets have become so laden with processed food, many of us don’t consume enough anti-oxidants each day.

So, protecting our health means we have to make changes in our lifestyle. Watching what we eat and drink can put us in the best position to combat aging as it creeps up on us.

While you’re taking stock of what’s in your pantry, don’t forget to include looking at what you drink. You need a good dose of anti-oxidants each day, and many of us just don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables to get our daily requirement.

Well, it turns out that drinking tea and coffee can be a great way to increase your anti-oxidants and improve your health- particularly your resistance to breast cancer. There have been many studies that have reported the benefits of green tea, but one recent study suggested that there may be benefits to drinking black tea and coffee, too.

The study I’m referring to was conducted at the Gifu School of Medicine in Japan. The study was conducted on pre-menopausal women. This study looked at the hormone level of 50 Japanese women during different days of their menstrual cycle. They found that in women who consumed tea, coffee and even caffeinated cola had a higher level of the sex hormone binding globulin on critical days of their cycle than the women who did not consume these beverages.

Why Is This Important?

The level of binding globulin is important because low levels of this hormone in pre-menopausal women have been associated with a higher risk of developing breast cancer. So, it appears that drinking your daily intake of caffeine may help your body produce a higher level of binding globulin and help protect you from breast cancer.

Which of These Beverages Should I Drink?

In this particular study, researchers found no difference in the binding globulin level between those who drank coffee, tea or even cola. It seemed to be the consumption of caffeinated beverages of any kind that caused the level of binding globulin to rise.

However, many other studies have shown that in addition to having caffeine, green tea has many other health protecting qualities, as well. Remember how important we just said that anti-oxidants are to our diet?

Well, it just so happens that green tea has an extraordinary level of very potent anti-oxidants. Black tea and coffee have anti-oxidants, too; but nothing to compare to the level and potency you’ll find in green tea. (Cola, by the way, does not contain anti-oxidants.)

Though green and black tea both come from the camellia sinensis plant, green tea is healthier because of the way it’s processed. Black tea is fermented, which changes the structure of the anti-oxidants, making them less effective and potent. Green tea is not fermented (nor is white), so it retains anti-oxidants in their most natural and potent state.

And, for those of you who might be sensitive to caffeine; you’ll be happy to know that green tea has less caffeine than coffee or black tea. But, clearly it has enough caffeine to increase your level of binding globulin sufficiently. Remember, the study cited above showed no difference between green tea drinkers and other caffeinated beverage drinkers in terms of the level of binding globulin.

Making Changes You Can Continue

So, if you’re interested in reducing your breast cancer risk, you need to make some changes to your lifestyle to help protect your health. Watch your diet; be sure you’re getting the recommended amount of fresh fruits and vegetables each day.

You should also be sure to add some sort of caffeinated beverage to your diet, if you’re not already drinking some. And, to boost both your anti-oxidants and get your caffeine at the same time, make that beverage green tea.

Make lifestyle changes that you can commit to- otherwise you’ll be unlikely to keep up with them. It might not be realistic for you to say that you’re going to immediately increase your intake of vegetables from none each day to five servings. But, if you can consistently eat two servings each day, then you’ve still made an improvement. And, perhaps later you can work up to five servings.

Small changes over time are the best way to ensure that you’ll continue your new healthy habits. Reduce your number of processed foods and increase your intake of fruits, vegetables and green tea slowly over time. This way, you won’t feel overwhelmed and be tempted to quit.

Smoking can also increase your risk for cancer. We all know that smoking makes us likely candidates for lung cancer, but what many people don’t know is that smoking increases your overall risk for cancer. Smoke is toxic to your body, and can increase your risk of any cancer, including breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the US. This year, over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 40,000 will die from it.** It pays to understand how to protect your health and reduce your risk of contracting this disease.

**Statistics from American Cancer Society

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Could Green Tea Provide a Cure for Cancer?

Cancer is a complex, devastating illness which is responsible for the deaths of millions of people each year. For decades, scientists have been attempting to uncover some of the secrets of cancer in order to find a cure. While, so far, a cure has been out of reach, there appear to be some natural remedies which can prevent or slow cancer growth. One of those remedies is a beverage which is commonplace in many Asian households—tea.

The History of an Anti-Cancer Tool

Tea has been a dietary staple for 500,000 years. People in India and China appear to be among the first to have enjoyed this beloved beverage. But it’s one variety in particular—Camellia sinensis—which appears to have a number of health benefits associated with it. That variety is also known as green tea.

What Makes Green Tea Special

Green tea is unique in that it is produced from unfermented leaves and it contains a high concentration of polyphenols, which are chemicals that can serve as antioxidants. Antioxidants are essentially on a search-and-destroy mission against free radicals, compounds which compromise DNA and destroy cells. Free radicals are often to blame for the development of cancer as well as heart disease. The antioxidants immobilize free radicals and inhibit the damage often associated with them.

Medicinal Uses of Green Tea

For years, Asians have used green tea to promote a healthy lifestyle. It helps to promote good digestion, improve concentration, and promote the excretion of urine. In addition, a number of studies in human beings, animals, and in laboratories suggest that green tea can be effective in combating a number of ailments.

Green Tea’s Effect on Cancer of the Pancreas and Colon

In an article entitled, “Green Tea Consumption and the Risk of Pancreatic and Colorectal Cancers,” researchers B.T. Ji, W.H. Chow, A.W. Hsing, J.K. McLaughlin, Q. Dai, Y.T. Gao, W.J. Blot, and J.F. Fraumeni, Jr. examined the question of green tea’s effectiveness as an antidote to certain types of cancers.

The Columbia University researchers conceded that the effect of green tea on cancer risk is uncertain, although a number of animal studies seem to indicate a positive effect.

In order to test the hypothesis that drinking green tea can, in fact, lessen cancer risk, the researchers conducted an extensive study in Shanghai, China in order to see whether green tea consumption had any impact on cancers of the colon, rectum, and pancreas.

The research team found that the greater the consumption of green tea, the lesser the risk of cancer. As a result, it appears that green tea may, in fact, lower the incidence of both colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Yet, it should be noted that other similar studies have produced conflicting results. As a result, scientists recommend additional research before a definitive statement can be made about green tea as a colorectal cancer prevention tool.

As far as pancreatic cancer is concerned, another study showed that those individuals who consumed the most green tea were far less likely to develop the disease. It appears that the reduced risk is most pronounced in women, who cut their pancreatic cancer rate in half by drinking large amounts of green tea.

In contrast, male green tea drinkers were 37 percent less likely to develop the disease. However, it should be noted that it is impossible to tell from this particular study whether green tea was solely responsible for cutting pancreatic cancer risk.

Green Tea and Other Cancers

But what about other cancers? How effective has green tea been in preventing other forms of the disease? To begin with, cancer rates are often lower in Japan and other nations where green tea consumption is high. Animal studies also indicate that the polyphenols in green tea are effective antioxidants which kill cancerous cells, stopping them in their tracks.

A study of bladder cancer patients found that those who consumed green tea had a much better five-year survival rate than cancer patients who did not drink the beverage. In addition, animal studies appear to confirm that the chemicals in green tea stop the growth of breast cancer cells.

One study of nearly 500 women with breast cancer found that those who drank green tea did not see their cancer spread as much as those who did not consume green tea. Yet, those who were in the later stages of breast cancer who drank green tea saw little or no improvement in their condition.

Animal studies also indicate that green tea can prevent the growth of cancer cells in the esophagus. But studies in human beings have yielded mixed results. For instance, one study showed that green tea could help prevent esophageal cancer—especially in women, while another indicated that the tea could actually increase the incidence of such cancer.

Consequently, additional research is needed before scientists can determine conclusively whether green tea can act as a cancer preventative.

The effects of green tea on lung and prostate cancer remain unclear. However, the beverage does seem to prevent the onset of skin cancer. There is also some evidence to suggest that it can inhibit the growth of stomach cancer cells.

It appears that green tea may be effective in the fight against inflammatory bowel disease. This is significant because people who suffer from this disease are at a greater risk for colon cancer. Specifically, green tea appears to reduce the inflammation characteristic of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, two forms of inflammatory bowel disease.

Green Tea and Chemotherapy

There have been lab tests to indicate that green tea can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs such as doxorubicin and tamoxifen. But the positive effect has not yet been demonstrated in studies of human beings. In fact, green tea and green tea extracts are not recommended for prostate cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy.

The Final Word

Although scientific studies at this point are not altogether conclusive, there is strong evidence to suggest that green tea can be effective in preventing cancer. That may be particularly true for colorectal and pancreatic cancers. At this point, a number of doctors agree that, for most people, the health benefits of drinking green tea far outweigh the risks.

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Tea: A Natural Cancer Treatment?

One of the best remedies for cancer may be as close as your nearest tea cup. There is an increasing body of evidence to suggest that tea can help prevent the onset of cancer or, at the very least, slow the growth of tumors. This is incredibly encouraging news, given the fact that nearly two-thirds of the world’s population drinks tea each day.

Nearly 80 percent of the tea consumed is in the black variety; green tea accounts for most of the rest, although about two percent of the world’s residents drink oolong tea. Initial evidence indicates that both green tea and black tea may be helpful in the fight against cancer.

Black Tea and Green Tea as Cancer-Fighters

A study conducted at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology bears out the theory that green tea is more effective in combating cancer than other types of tea. The research team extensively studied both green tea and black tea in order to determine their respective cancer-fighting properties. The experiment showed that both types of tea could help stop the cancerous mutation of cells.

The Japanese Experience

It stands to reason that there should be quite a bit of study into tea’s anticarcinogenic effects on Japanese populations, since the Japanese consume a great deal of green tea. In their article, “Antimutagenic and Anticarcinogenic Activity of Tea Polyphenols,” researchers Y. Kuroda and Y. Hara of the National Institute of Genetics explore the ability of green tea to stop cell mutations and to fight cancer.

The Japanese research team noted that both green and black tea consist of chemicals known as polyphenols. These chemicals are abbreviated as EC, ECG, EGC, EGCG, and TFs. The researchers found that Japanese residents who routinely drank green tea were less likely to die of cancer. Women in particular who participated in Japanese tea ceremonies had a surprisingly low rate of death from malignancies.

According to the researchers, polyphenols’ ability to stop mutations has been shown in a number of animal tests. In addition, tea phenols appear to be effective in combating tumors in the digestive tract, the mammary glands, the lungs, and the skin.

Tea and Cancers of the Digestive Tract

Additional research has zeroed in on the effect of tea on cell mutations in the digestive system. One study, for instance, looked at the impact of green tea and black tea extracts on the gastrointestinal system. In this case, an in vitro gastrointestinal model was used which simulated the conditions found in a human digestive tract.

The study clearly showed the ability of both green tea and black tea to inhibit cell mutations. Interestingly enough, the mutation-fighting capabilities of the tea decreased when the tea was diluted with milk, whether the milk was whole milk, semi-skimmed milk, or skimmed milk. In fact, both whole milk and skimmed milk eliminated the antimutagenic activity of green tea by more than 90 percent. The effect of semi-skimmed milk was a much lower 60 percent.

It appears that the reduced antimutagenic effect was tied to a decrease in antioxidant capability. In other words, the more antioxidants are present, the greater the ability of tea to fight mutations. In addition, a decrease in the concentration of three chemicals in tea—catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin—led to a lessening of the mutation-fighting capacity of green tea and black tea.

Why Are Antioxidants So Important?

The antioxidants found in tea are critically important in tea’s ability to prevent cancer. This is because of the effect that antioxidants have on what’s known as free radicals, or molecules that have lost an electron. These free radicals are dangerous because they can harm the DNA of cells, giving rise to cancer. Antioxidants can latch onto free radicals before those free radicals cause problems.

More Encouraging News About Green Tea

Researchers say there’s evidence to suggest that green tea is an even better cancer blocker than was once thought. The chemicals in green tea appear to shut down a molecule which can be instrumental in the development of cancer. The molecule, which is referred to as an AH receptor, can lead to harmful gene activity. But researchers at Rochester University found that a pair of chemicals in green tea can stop disruptive AH activity.

The chemicals resemble those found in broccoli, cabbage, and grapes, which are considered to be foods that can also play a key role in the fight against cancer. The researchers say that green tea’s chemicals appear to work through different pathways in stopping cancer.

Initially, the chemicals were found to stop destructive activity by the AH receptor in mouse cells. Now, it appears that the same phenomenon takes place in human cells. Yet, it should be noted that some varieties of green tea may be more effective than others in this regard.

More Study Needed

Yet, additional study is needed to determine how tea can be best utilized to fight cancer. As researchers point out, the causes of cancer are highly complex and may be the result of an interplay between hereditary factors and diet. Only through additional scientific research can medical authorities begin to understand the true value of tea as a cancer preventative.

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Prostate Cancer and Nutritional Supplements

After many years of research, scientists have discovered that the foods a man chooses to eat, or not eat, can have a huge impact on the health of his prostate gland. Therefore, prostate cancer may be the most preventable type of cancer (following smoking-related lung cancers). There has recently been a large amount of research and investigation into prostate cancer. These studies examine the use of certain nutrients and their ability to prevent and actually treat prostate cancer. These nutrients include: calcium D-glucarate, selenium, broccoli, green tea, maitake, and lycopene.

The prostate is a gland in the man’s reproduction system which makes and stores seminal fluid to be used in semen. The prostate gland can be found wrapping around the upper part of the urethra. Although early prostate cancer does not often cause any symptoms, many symptoms of prostate cancer are also symptoms of other prostate problems, including infection or benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement due to age-related changes). If you or a man you know has any of the following symptoms, see a health care practitioner for evaluation: difficulty starting urination and holding back urine, inability to urinate, painful ejaculation, and/or blood in urine or semen. Age is the biggest factor associated with prostate cancer as most prostate cancers occur in men over the age of 65. If a man’s father or brother has the disease, his risk for developing prostate cancer becomes higher. African-Americans are at a higher risk, along with mechanics, farmers, sheet metal workers, and those exposed to cadmium.

Prostate cancer is ordinarily diagnosed through a digital rectal exam, in which a doctor inserts a gloved finger into the rectum and feels the prostate through the rectal wall, checking for hard or lumpy areas. Blood tests for prostate-specific antigens (PSA) are also used. This consists of a lab measuring the levels of prostate-specific antigens in a blood sample as the level may rise in men who have prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or an infection in the prostate. However, these tests will only determine if there is a problem with the man’s prostate gland. They can not determine if the problem is cancer. A biopsy is needed to reveal the presence of actual prostate cancer.

The prostate health nutrients, calcium D-glucarate, selenium, broccoli, green tea, maitake, Saw Palmetto, and lycopene, each can help to prevent and treat prostate cancer. Some of these help men’s bodies work more effectively some keep cancer cells from growing, and others actually kill prostate cancer cells.

Each day we are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals and toxins coming in part from contaminants in the food we eat and pollutants in the air we breathe. Natural toxins, which are produced in our bodies, can be produced through excess hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, and can cause cancer when they are no longer needed. Cancer-causing chemicals initiate cancer, but more importantly can cause existing cancers to grow bigger, stronger, and more deadly. Toxins are bound in the liver to a chemical called glucoronic acid. Research has discovered that an increase in glucuronidase activity in the body is linked with prostate cancer. Calcium D-glucarate assists our bodies in keeping harmful toxins and chemicals bound to glucuronic acid. It has also been shown to stop prostate cancer growth and help rid the body of toxic chemicals and excess hormones that could stimulate cancer formation.

Selenium is an essential trace mineral found in the soil. It exists in plant foods like oatmeal and meats that we eat. Selenium is a major antioxidant. It slows down aging, keeps our skin flexible, and helps prevent dandruff. Selenium also keeps our blood vessels healthy and protects us from heart disease. But, some of selenium’s most powerful effects are on the prostate gland. A recent study showed that selenium can cut the rate of prostate cancer by 63%. The results of this study were so impressive that it has led to many other studies of selenium and prostate cancer. In fact, researchers at the Arizona Cancer Center and the Arizona College of Public Health in Tucson are currently studying the effect of selenium on prostate cancer in four ongoing clinical trials.

For many years, scientists have observed that those who eat broccoli have been shown to have a lower risk of getting prostate cancer. The sulforaphane found in broccoli increases certain enzymes in the body which deactivate cancer-causing chemicals. Many lab experiments have showed that prostate cancer cells exposed to sulforaphane ceased to grow by up to 80 percent.

A potent plant substance found in green tea, EGCG, has been demonstrated to be a very effective killer of prostate cancer cells. EGCG can stop the growth of prostate cancer dead in its tracks. Red wine and cruciferous vegetables, which are known cancer killers, have the same chemical structure as EGCG.

Maitake mushrooms, also called dancing mushrooms, contain an important compound called D-fraction. A recent study at New York Medical College showed that maitake D-fraction destroyed 95% of human prostate cancer cells in lab experiments.

Saw Palmetto is normally consumed in pill or tincture form. The saw palmetto berry contains all the phytonutrients and active sterols that help control the size of your prostate. In men, testosterone is a natural occurring hormone that as a man age their testosterone converts to DHT. DHT is the cause of male pattern baldness and is the reason most men get enlarged prostate which leads to prostate cancer. Saw palmetto’s active constituents seek out the same receptor sites DHT sits on in tissue and can displace DHT. Slowing the growth of the prostate and or shrinking the prostate allowing better urine flow.

Lycopene is involved in some of the most exciting nutritional news in relation to prostate health. This carotenoid is mainly found in tomatoes. Men who eat lots of cooked tomatoes have very low rates of prostate cancer. Because promising preliminary reports show that lycopene can actually kill prostate cancer cells, there has been an explosion of lycopene and prostate cancer studies. In one of these studies, 32 prostate cancer patients ate a pasta meal covered with three-fourths cup of tomato sauce every day for three weeks. Results showed their PSA levels dropped two points. Even signs of DNA damage dropped sharply.

Although you can purchase each one of these nutrients and take them separately, all of these nutrients are available in prostate health formulas. Be sure the formula you buy contains calcium d-glucarate, saw palmetto, lycopene, selenium, broccoli standardized to contain a minimum of 125 mcg sulforaphane, green tea, and maitake mushroom extract because standardized ingredients provide consistently effective nutrients. Along with this, adopting a healthy diet including 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily and several servings of whole grain cereals and bread, reducing red meat consumption to 2-3 servings per week and adding tomato-based foods can help to protect men from prostate cancer. Those men who are 50 years and older should have a digital rectal exam and PSA test each year. Make sure to discuss with your health care professional to determine how frequently these tests should be done.

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