Cancer
Index of Diseases / Health Conditions ... Medicinal Foods, Herbs, Spices & Household Items
The below provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner ... Please refer to: Medical & Legal Disclaimer.
Top Pick Cancer Books, DVDs & Cancer Support Items
Relevant Resources
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Unforeseen symptoms of some cancers
Maria Suarez-Almazor, MD, PhD, a rheumatologist at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston points out that there are well-known and common paraneoplastic syndromes that may lead a doctor to test for cancer, such as:
- Lung cancer is commonly associated with a problem called hypertrophic osteoarthropathy, which as cancer progresses can involve pain in many joints and is marked by clubbing of the fingers, with fingertips growing round and bulbous.
- An early symptom of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children is joint pain -- particularly in a knee, along with anemia. Arthritis can also be observed in acute myeloid leukemia in adults.
- Muscle weakness along with a specific type of rash around the eyes is a sign of a condition called dermatomyositis, which can be associated with a variety of cancers including lung, ovarian, stomach, colorectal and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
She points out that people who have joint or other pain or rashes of unknown origin should see their doctor. Chances are the problem will be something else entirely or you'll get a clean bill of health and whatever it is will resolve naturally. In any case, it is best to be safe.
- Avoid Toxins
/ Also important for not aggrevating cancers
Eliminate known carcinogens from your environment; these include herbicides, insecticides, second-hand smoke, radiation exposure. Avoid toxic overload and keep your home and body as toxin-free as possible. Use only natural, non-toxic cleaning, bath and beauty products.
Please refer to: Breast Cancer's Environmental Legacy How Every Day Toxins Threaten Women's Health By Dr. Garrett Wdowin - also see below.
- Did you know? Soy may actually raise a woman's cancer risk, warns cancer survivor and nutritionist Diana Dyer, RD. Plus, soy-rich foods can even block the effects of the cancer drug tamoxifen!
- Exercise: The Moffitt Cancer Center recommends at least 30 minutes of vigorous or 60 minutes of moderate exercise every day. "Vigorous" is defined as running or working out in the gym. Moderate would be briskly walking or working in the garden.
- Avoid Processed Meats: Studies show that just one sausage a day can significantly raise your risk of bowel cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease, according to an analysis by the World Cancer Research Fund. Eating 1.8 ounces of processed meat daily - about one sausage or three pieces of bacon - raises the likelihood of the cancer by a fifth. Processed meats may also trigger cancer in the prostate, lung, stomach and esophagus.
Processed meats include bacon, ham, pastrami, salami and hot dogs. Sausages and hamburgers can also fall into the category if they have been preserved with salt or chemical additives. The analysis also found that red meat raises the risk of bowel cancer, but to a lesser extent. Processing raises levels of cancer-causing chemicals called N-nitroso compounds, making bacon, sausages and other processed meats more deadly. The World Cancer Research Fund recommends people avoid eating all processed meats. According to estimates, if everyone cut down on red and processed meat, one in 10 cases of bowel cancer could be prevented. (Ref.: Daily Mail March 31, 2008 World Cancer Research Fund: Food Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective November 2007)
- Avoid breast carcinogenic substances:
- Cadmium, a highly persistent heavy metal, has been categorized as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Primary exposure sources include food and tobacco smoke. Cadmium mimics the in vivo effects of estrogen in the uterus and mammary. Exposure to cadmium may be a direct risk factor for developing breast cancer in a woman and her unborn baby;
- DES (diethylstilbestrol is a synthetic form of estrogen. It has been used between the early 1940s and 1971. Pregnant Women took DES to prevent certain complications. Research found that they are at a slightly higher risk for breast cancer, although this does not appear to be the case for their daughters who were exposed to DES before birth. However, more studies are needed
- Alcohol: Some studies suggest a slightly higher risk of breast cancer among women who drink alcohol;
- Organochlorines are synthetic chemicals containing chlorine and carbon. Many of them are xenoestrogens or estrogens mimics. They include many chemicals present in pesticides, plastics, PCBs, pulp and paper manufacturing, sewage treatment and solvents. These chemicals can enhance human breast cancer cell proliferation, and promote transformation and
invasiveness of human breast cancer cells.
- Obesity / Inactivity:
- The Danger of Red Meat / Processed Meats:
Antibiotics & Hormones: Animals destined for food production are exposed to antibiotics, grown hormones and steroids that will end up in the meat that we eat. The long-term effects on us are largely unknown but the inherent danger is undisputed.
Preservatives: Also, manufacturers add color-fixer chemicals, such as Sodium Nitrate, to preserve meats and also to keep the red color of the meat -- without this, the meat would turn grey, which would obviously keep consumers from buying it.
The USDA tried to ban the chemical Sodium Nitrate in the 1970s, but was unsuccessful due to lobbyists. Researchers actually use Sodium Nitrate to induce cancer in lab animals so that they can research cancer. So, together with the meat, we are actually eating substances known to cause "cancer."
Corn Syrup: Processed meats commonly contain high-fructose corn syrup (linked to liver disease, obesity and other health problems).
Pesticides: Animals (chicken, pork, cows, etc.) raised for the meat market using traditional methods are generally provided a feed that is grown with the help of pesticides.
***Summary & Recommendations: Whatever toxins the food animals eat may end up in you. Therefore, the options are to either change over to a vegetarian diet, or, alternatively, to buy organic meats from animals that have been raised without the use of growth factors, antibiotics and steroids - commonly referred to as "free-range." These animals should be fed on natural, pesticide-free grass without the use of chemicals. This recommendation also applies to eggs. For the sake of your family's health and for humanitarian reasons that dictate that all animals are entitled to humane treatment, it's best to buy organic / free-range.
- Transfats (avoid hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats)
Smoking / Second-hand Smoke.
Passive smoke increases risk of breast cancer as much as 60 percent.
- Birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy:
Long-term use may contribute to breast cancer.
- Don't deplete your melatonin levels!
Melatonin arrests and deters breast cancer in many ways. Staying up past 10 pm, alcohol and electromagnetic fields from all electric appliances cause melatonin levels to drop.
- Avoid Stress!!!!
Fat cells manufacture estrogen, notably after menopause. That's why obesity is thought to be responsible for 20 to 30 percent of all post-menopausal breast cancers. Just 30 minutes of aerobic activity three to four times a week can lower your risk of breast cancer by 30 to 50 percent.
Bladder Cancer:
A new study, the results of which were published in a recent issue of the medical journal Cancer Research, revealed that a concentrated extract from broccoli sprouts may reduce the development of bladder cancer by over 50 percent. This study adds to an already staggering amount of research that there is a significant protective effect among cruciferous vegetables (i.e., kale, cabbage, collard greens, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and others) when it comes to bladder cancer. The high levels of glucosinates in cruciferous vegetables give them their many health-boosting properties. Once these chemicals are metabolized by the body, they become effective anti-carcinogens called isothicyanates. You can find these powerful sprouts in specialty grocery stores like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.
According to CDC (Center for Disease Control) most adult women already have the cancer-linked HPV virus. By age 50, at least 4 out of 5 women will have caught it without even knowing it. The highly publicized vaccine is of little value to those women who already have the virus.
Bone Cancer Caused by Fluoride
In 2005, a study conducted at the Harvard School of Dental Health found that fluoride in tap water directly contributes to causing bone cancer in young boys. "New American research suggests that boys exposed to fluoride between the ages of five and 10 will suffer an increased rate of osteosarcoma - bone cancer - between the ages of 10 and 19," according to a London Observer article about the study.
Based on the findings of the study, the respected Environmental Working Group lobbied to have fluoride in tap water be added to the US government's classified list of substances known or anticipated to cause cancer in humans.
Cancer rates in the U.S. have skyrocketed with one in three people now contracting the disease at some stage in their life.
The link to bone cancer has also been discovered by other scientists, but a controversy ensued after it emerged that Harvard Professor Chester Douglass, who downplayed the connection in his final report, was in fact editor-in-chief of The Colgate Oral Health Report, a quarterly newsletter funded by Colgate-Palmolive Co., which makes fluoridated toothpaste.
Colon Cancer / Colorectal Cancer:
According to the National Cancer Institute symptoms might be:
- Change in bowel habits: Diarrhea or constipation.
- Gas pains, cramps or feeling full or bloated.
- Feeling very tired all the time
- Losing weight for no reason
- Nausea or vomiting
Apples & Apple Juice: Research has demonstrated that both apple pectin and polyphenol-rich apple juice components actually enhance biological mechanisms that produce anticarcinogenic compounds during the fermentation process. The research, published in the April 2008 issue of Nutrition, notes, “apples are a major source of natural fiber and of low molecular weight plan polyphenols in the Western diet.” The researchers conclude, “Pectin-rich apple products can thus be expected to exert anticarginogenic effects in the colon.”
Using human fecal matter as the test substance, German researchers Dr. Dieter Schrenk, M.D. and his colleagues hypothesized that the compound butyrate could be increased in the presence of apple pectin and apple juice extracts. The research notes, “Butyrate not only serves as a major nutrient for the colon epithelia but is also thought to play an important role in the protective effect of natural fiber against colorectal cancer.” The laboratory tests performed by Schrenk found that by the increased production of butyrate via the addition of apple components, histone deacetlyases (HDAC) were inhibited. With slowed production of HDAC, there would be significantly less growth of precancerous and tumor cells.
Pancreatic Cancer:
Rochester researchers showed for the first time that a natural antioxidant found in grape skins and red wine can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell's core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function. The study is published in the March edition of the journal, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. The study also showed that when the pancreatic cancer cells were doubly assaulted — pre-treated with the antioxidant, resveratrol, and irradiated — the combination induced a type of cell death called apoptosis, an important goal of cancer therapy. The benefits of red wine must be weighed against the known hazards of alcohol consumption. Alcohol can worsen high blood pressure and diabetes. Heavy use of alcohol can cause cirrhosis of the liver, is linked to several forms of cancer. It can also lead to alcoholism. Heavy consumption negates any heart-healthy benefits. In a large Danish study, those who had 22–35 drinks a week had the same death rate as those who didn’t drink at all. People who had more than 35 drinks a week had the highest death rate of all.
- A better choice would be to drink as much red or purple grape juice as desired.
Aromatherapy Helps Heal Cancer Patients
Potential Hydrogen Peroxide Cancer Treatment:
- Supporter:
- Hydrogen Peroxide Cancer Treatment from Cancer Tutor
- Against:
- The American Cancer Society states that "there is no scientific evidence that hydrogen peroxide is a safe, effective or useful cancer treatment", and advises cancer patients to "remain in the care of qualified doctors who use proven methods of treatment and approved clinical trials of promising new treatments."
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