Cancer Responds to Love and Natural Medicine

UPDATE: 14 July 2010 - The secrets of laughter
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UPDATE: 17 April: Laughter is the best medicine
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UPDATE: Easter Sunday
Recovery with nutrition and supplements -
D. Mail 11.4.09 "PARENTS FIND A CURE FOR THE BOY DOCTORS HAD GIVEN UP ON"
Reuben Grainger-Mead was born with a blood disorder that attacked his immune system, leaving him weak & barely able to talk. His growth was stunted & his heart was beating 3 x faster than normal. Now thanks to a nutritional consultant the 8-year-old is at last leading a normal childhood. He no longer needs a monthly blood transfusion to raise his red blood cells count & is able to play out with friends.

His father Peter Mead said he would have needed "constant care throughout his whole life & much time in hospital. The last resort would have been a bone marrow transplant."

His parents found nutritional consultant Diana Wright who said Reuben lacked vital amino acids & proteins in his body. She put him on a course of dietary supplements mixed with his food & drink. The astonishing success has prompted doctors to plan a study to see if similar therapy will work on others.

The research, which hinges on learning how to make blood cells grow normally, could yield fresh insights into cancer, in which cells grow uncontrollably. Researcher Dr. Josu de la Fuente, a haematologist at Imperial College London, said "We may learn lessons from this which help in the fight against cancer." The family from Gomersal, West Yorkshire, have raised £70,000 to help fund a research programme at Imperial College London.
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Originally posted FEB 09

"THIS BOY HAD 11 TUMOURS & WAS SENT HOME TO DIE.
NOW HIS GRANDPARENTS BELIEVE THEY'VE SAVED HIM WITH ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE."
by Daniel Martin.

In 2006 Connah Broom developed neuroblastoma with 11 very aggressive advanced cancer tumours over his body & it appeared hopeless. In 2007 doctors told his family there was nothing more they could do & sent him home to die.

His grandparents began treating him with alternative therapies & remarkably he survived. Latest scans on Connah, now aged 7, show that 10 of his 11 tumours are shrinking, have no blood flow & may be dead. His grandparents are convinced their treatments, including a strict organic diet, filtering his drinking water to remove toxins & a daily sauna are helping him beat his disease.

They took him to visit a Mexican alternative cancer clinic. Connah has sound & light therapy called Sono Photo-Dynamic Therapy. It involves him swallowing a capsule of algae. He is then placed under light of a certain wavelength which 'activates' the oxidant in the algae which can kill the cancer.

Mrs. Broom said "We're not under any illusions & we know that all this could change at any time."

Connah's GP Dr. Eamon Jessop said that Connah's cancer could suddenly flare up but that "the excellent care given to Connah by his grandparents can only have helped him."
D. Mail 6.2.09

and a reader's comment -
Cancer - Turn It On or Turn It Off

by Raymond Francis

America has one of the highest cancer rates in the world, and cancer is the most dreaded disease in our society. Once rare, affecting less than one in a thousand, by 1900 cancer affected 30 in a thousand. Today almost 500 in a thousand will develop cancer in their lifetimes. The situation has become so bad that almost all Americans over the age of 50 have cancer! For example, it is known that after age 50, 40 percent of men have prostate cancer and 40 percent of women have breast cancer, and these are just two cancers. Cancer is also increasing among children and, after accidents, it is their biggest killer. We need to teach people how to prevent and reverse this tragic disease

Unfortunately, modern medicine is of no help. Since 1971, when President Nixon declared “war” on cancer, we have thrown 200 billion dollars at cancer research. What has this money bought us? More cancer! The public has yet to grasp the colossal gap between how much money the cancer industry is spending, and the paltry results it is achieving. Research is only part of the billion dollar-a-day cancer industry whose treatments with drugs, surgery and radiation are not only ineffective but dangerous. These conventional treatments do nothing to address what caused the cancer, and they suppress the immune system. Suppressed immunity allows cancer to grow and metastasize—modern medicine’s treatment of cancer promotes cancer!

Fortunately, we can protect ourselves. If you are over age 50, you are probably past preventing cancer, you already have it! Now you need to keep it under control. Don’t turn the cancer on, and if you already have active cancer, turn it off. Can this be done? Sure it can, and it is done every day by people who take charge of their health.

Last September, businessman Paul Orberson told his story on the Beyond Health radio show. Mr. Orberson had been diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer. Given only months to live, he read my book Never Be Sick Again—and put his cancer into remission. Fifteen years ago, my brother was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and given months to live. He, too, put his cancer into remission and is living a high-quality life. Medical school professor and author Dr. Lorraine Day reversed her highly-advanced breast cancer. There are countless such stories.

To prevent and reverse cancer, it helps to understand something about what causes and promotes cancer. The cancer process occurs in three stages: initiation, promotion and metastasis.

Initiation
Cancer begins with damaged genes. Initiation occurs when the DNA in a normal cell is damaged. If the DNA is not repaired before the cell divides to form a new cell, it results in a permanent genetic alteration in those new cells. DNA can be damaged by a variety of means, including viruses, chronic infections, foreign bodies, nutrient deficiency, radiation and toxic chemicals. Numerous natural and manmade chemicals have been identified as carcinogenic. Upon exposure, these chemicals can, in a matter of minutes, cause potentially permanent damage to DNA. Such chemicals include many common household chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, food additives, fluoride and metals such as mercury and lead. We live in a sea of carcinogens and must learn how to avoid them. Radiation is carcinogenic; it damages DNA. This is why mammograms cause breast cancer, and why medical X-rays play a major role in our cancer epidemic.

Due to our exposure to carcinogenic chemicals and X-rays, most of our older population and many of our younger people have completed this initiation, and they have clusters of cancer cells throughout their bodies. This stage of cancer is not believed to be reversible. Given the right conditions, these cells will grow and then metastasize.

Preventing Initiation
DNA is being damaged and cancer is being initiated on a grand scale. Our best defense is to support DNA repair with good nutrition while avoiding carcinogenic chemicals and radiation. We have been irresponsibly exposed to radiation by our doctors and dentists. Decline routine X-rays. Allow only those that are absolutely necessary, and there are very few of those. We have been exposed to DNA-damaging viruses through vaccinations. Avoid vaccinations. Vaccine-induced, DNA-damaging viruses are showing up in a variety of cancers including lymph, lung, brain and bone. Avoid foods that have been heated to high temperatures, such as barbecued meat, as this causes formation of powerful carcinogens. Any food that has been blackened is dangerous, including toast. Avoid peanuts and corn products as these are often high in aflatoxins, which are potent carcinogens. Fluoride can inhibit DNA-repair enzymes. Avoid fluoridated water, toothpaste and processed foods.

Defects in DNA repair will increase the risk of developing cancer after being exposed to X-rays and chemicals. Certain nutrients are known to support the DNA repair process. These include vitamins B3, B6, B12, and folate, zinc and L-carnitine. Most Americans are deficient in one or more of these nutrients. According to the USDA, 73 percent of Americans are deficient in zinc, and 40 percent are deficient in B12. To optimize DNA repair, eat a diet rich in fresh, organic vegetables and fruits, and take high-quality nutritional supplements. Everyone should, at the very least, be on a superior vitamin/mineral formula.

Promotion
The next step in the cancer process is promotion. This is when a small cluster of initiated cancer cells grows larger. These cells will not grow unless a precise group of conditions are met, allowing their growth-control mechanisms to be overridden.

Certain foods are known to promote tumor growth and spread. Sugar, excess omega-6 oils and excess animal protein all promote cancer. Cancer cells differ from normal cells in that they are totally dependent on sugar to produce energy. So raising the sugar content of the blood feeds cancer cells and helps them grow. In addition, increased blood insulin is a powerful promoter of tumor growth and spread.

Oils high in omega-6s such as corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, soybean and canola oils are known to support cancer progression. Never eat these oils, or any of the thousands of products made with them, including baked goods and salad dressings.

Perhaps the most significant factor of all is animal protein and most especially dairy protein. Animal protein, beyond what can be used for growth and daily repairs, promotes cancer, and the average American eats ten times too much. Excess animal protein is able to turn cancer on in experimental animals 100 percent of the time! A high-protein diet increases estrogen, and excess estrogen is known to promote a number of cancers. Protein also acidifies the body and cancer thrives in an acid environment. Animal protein also contains large amounts of the amino acid methionine. Excess methionine is known to be a cancer promoter.

Preventing and Reversing Promotion
Cancer promotion can be reversed. By eliminating cancer promoters and maximizing cancer inhibitors, it is possible to turn cancer off! We know fresh fruits and vegetables are cancer inhibitors—eat lots of them. We know that sugar, omega-6 oils and animal protein promote cancer—avoid them. Omega-6 oils not only promote cancer, they also suppress the immune system. Eat plenty of omega-3 oils to offset this effect; supplement with flax and fish oils. Turn cancer off by avoiding animal protein; this means avoiding meat, eggs, dairy and fish except in very small quantities. Avoid fruit juices; they contain too much easily-absorbable sugar. Cancer is highly iron dependent. Avoid iron-rich foods such as red meat. Avoiding fluoride is also important as fluoride can increase tumor growth by 25 percent.

Fat soluble toxins bioaccumulate in the body. Their synergistic effect can be a powerful cancer promoter. The average person is accumulating hundreds of such chemicals, including pesticides, styrene, PCBs, dioxins, phthalates and fire retardants. The only reliable way to get rid of them is with regular saunas, which have become as necessary as regular exercise.

Chronic stress substantially increases free radical formation and also severely depresses the immune system. Both promote cancer. Using stress-reducing techniques such as meditation are important.

Metastasis
The final stage of cancer is when it invades neighboring or distant tissues. Once again, a precise set of conditions must be met to allow this to happen. This stage of cancer causes death, but it too is reversible.

Preventing Metastasis
When cancer cells enter the blood stream and get transported to other locations, they become very vulnerable to attack by the immune system. Strong immunity is critical to prevention. Cancer cells require special enzymes to invade other tissues. Studies have found that inhibiting these enzymes stops the spread of the cancer. Plant flavonols found in fruits and vegetables, such as quercitin and luteolin, are known to interfere with these enzymes.

Nutrition
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is probably the single most important thing you can do to prevent or reverse cancer. Evidence is overwhelming that common vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals interfere with the cancer process at every level. Many chemicals found in plant foods are capable of turning cancer cells back into normal cells. Certain flavonoids found in vegetables have been found to suppress and even to kill cancer cells. In fact, food and nutritional supplements have a far more powerful effect on cancer than chemotherapy.

Since almost all Americans are deficient in vitamins and minerals, supplements are necessary. Here is a list of the nutrients known to inhibit cancer: vitamins A, all the Bs, C, D, E, beta carotene, choline, selenium, acetyl L-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, zinc, magnesium, flavonoids and omega-3 oils.

Nutrition improves immunity. Immune cells have a higher metabolic rate, and therefore, need more nutrients. Water soluble nutrients such as B vitamins and vitamin C are not stored well in the body and need constant replacement. When this does not happen, immunity is quickly affected. Whenever the immune system responds to a threat, billions of immune cells are needed quickly. These cells will be limited by the amount of nutrients available for their construction. Any vitamin or mineral deficiency will quickly be felt, impairing immunity.

The bad news is that cancer is an out-of-control epidemic. The good news is that cancer is a complex disease requiring the successful completion of many steps to make it happen—this provides us with multiple opportunities for its prevention and reversal. The most powerful preventive and healing tools are fresh fruits and vegetables plus high quality supplements.

Raymond Francis is an M.I.T.-trained scientist, a registered nutrition consultant, author of Never Be Sick Again and Never Be Fat Again, host of the Beyond Health Show, President of the Northern California Chapter of Cancer Victors, Chairman of the The Project to End Disease and an internationally recognized leader in the field of optimal health maintenance.

Reprinted with permission from:Beyond Health News
800.250.3063
www.beyondhealth.com - mail@beyondhealth.com Copyright 2006, Beyond Health

Olive Oil Builds Bones

UPDATE: 17 August - Oil Gets Low Grade

...many of the imported oils failed to meet international and U.S. standards for EVOO. Worse, sensory panelists found that some oils tasted rancid, fusty and musty. Apparently, they had oxydized–or deteriorated, like the above-mentioned 1989 Taurus–and were adulterated with cheaper oil and/or made from poor quality or overripe olives. California-produced oils did better; only 10 percent failed the tests. Some of the best-known brands didn’t qualify as EV: Bertolli, Pompeian, Colovita, Carapelli, Newman’s Own, Mezzetta and Mazola. Even Rachael Ray’s EVOO underperformed. McEvoy Ranch and Caliornia Olive Ranch were the top scorers, but turning in a not too shabby performance was Kirkland Organic, which comes to you courtesy of humble Costco. READ more

Is it true that the less expensive olive oils on the market are inferior to the expensive ones?

Unfortunately, the best quality olive oils are also usually the most expensive. The best quality oil is an extra virgin olive oil made from organically grown olives.
Extra virgin olive oil is made from the first pressing of the olives, contains the lowest level of acidity (the marketplace standard for labeling is less than 1%), the best taste, and the highest level of antioxidant phytonutrients. The next best after extra virgin would be virgin olive oil. While it is also made from the first pressing of the olives, it has less antioxidants, more acidity (up to 2% is allowed), and a taste that is not as rich as extra virgin olive oil.
You'll notice that "pure" olive oil and "light" olive oils are less expensive, but in this case you get what you pay for. These olives oils are by no means as beneficial (let alone flavorful) as extra virgin olive oil.
"Pure" olive oil is actually refined oil that is created through chemical processing. One method of refining olive oil involves the use of a strong sodium hydroxide solution to "wash" the oil; other methods involve steam distillation of the oil. All refinement methods expose the oil to heats of at least 140-160˚F (60-71˚C).
"Light" olive oils are only light in terms of their taste and color; they are not lower in calories or fat. To a certain extent, the richer and deeper shades of color in an olive oil correspond to the concentration of polyphenol phytonutrients in the oil. These polyphenols may be the most heart-supportive nutrients that olives have to offer. Once they are processed out, the oil may become classified as "light," but light and other refined olive oils are nutritionally inferior to extra virgin and virgin olive oils because of this more extensive processing.
The other consideration would be whether or not to buy organic olive oil. There's no question about organic olive oil being your best choice. Although the nutrient richness of the organic oil may not be vastly greater than the nutrient richness of non-organic oil, the presence of toxic residues is likely to be very different. You're very likely to get fewer toxins in the certified organic oil-especially pesticides and fungicides. from WHFOODS.

Olive Oil and Health

UPDATE: 10 May DHA “appears to be a vital constituent of marrow” and enhances bone mineral content

UPDATE:20 April, 2010 MORE HEALTH BENEFITS FROM OLIVE OIL
More on Fats

How olive oil helps 'switch off' genes which lead to conditions including heart disease and arthritis
By Jenny Hope, 20th April 2010

Olive oil's health-giving benefits stem from its ability to help 'switch off ' genes that inflame conditions ranging from heart disease to arthritis, claim researchers.

Their discovery shows how the much-praised Mediterranean diet can suppress chronic disorders.

Spanish researchers identified almost 100 genes whose inflammatory activity is dampened by consumption of olive oil, in particular extra virgin olive oil.
Spanish researchers have found a whole new use for olive oil, in particular extra virgin olive oil

Spanish researchers have found a whole new use for olive oil, in particular extra virgin olive oil

Greeks are the biggest consumers of olive oil in the world - eating 20 times more than Britons - while Italians eat ten times as much.

Eating healthy mono-unsaturated fats such as olive oil is known to lower the risk of heart disease.

In Britain, which has one of the highest heart attack rates in the world, much higher levels of animal or saturated fats are eaten.

In the study, 20 patients with metabolic syndrome, which puts them at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, were asked to eat breakfast foods covered in two types of olive oil.

One was extra virgin olive oil high in phenol compounds - natural antioxidants - while the other type of oil had low levels of phenols.

The volunteers had to avoid drugs, vitamins and other supplements for six weeks before the study started.

Dr Francisco Perez- Jimenez, from the University of Cordoba, said: 'We identified 98 differentially expressed genes when comparing the intake of phenol-rich olive oil with low-phenol olive oil.

'Several of the repressed genes are known to be involved in pro-inflammatory processes, suggesting the diet can switch the activity of immune system cells.'

Olive oil contains omega-6 fats, a form of 'healthy' polyunsaturates known to block the body's response to inflammation in chronic conditions such as heart disease and arthritis.

But the latest study, whose findings are published today in the science journal BMC Genomics, provides a gene-related explanation for some of the anti-inflammatory effect.

Dietitians say a Mediterranean diet also appears to improve vascular function - the flexibility of cells lining the walls of blood vessels, particularly in the heart and circulatory system.

Eating meat increases the risk of bladder cancer, according to research by scientists at the University of Texas.

Xifeng Wu, the 12-year study's lead author, said: 'People who eat a lot of red meat, particularly well-done red meat, seem to have a higher likelihood of bladder cancer.'

More than 10,000 Britons are diagnosed with bladder cancer every year.

OLIVE OIL BEAUTY BENEFITS - "Truly one of the world's best beauty secrets. It is a natural, hypoallergenic, inexpensive way to moisturize skin. It also provides valuable antioxidants, like Vitamins A and E that can help repair and renew skin that has been damaged from the sun, air pollution, and cigarette smoke. The antioxidants in olive oil help to stimulate health skin cell growth and return skin to a firmer, smoother, and healthier state. Olive oil can be applied to your face and body and helps to keep skin well-moisturized. You can use it as either a night cream or daily moisturizer. Just be sure to apply it to damp skin. Olive oil can also be used as an eye makeup remover, just add a drop or two to a cotton pad it gently removes eye makeup without irritating the delicate skin around the eye area. Over time, it can even help to smooth our under eye wrinkles."

ORIGINALLY POSTED 22 Feb, 09
Olive oil has women bone-preserving properties
by S. C.

A study from the Harokopio University of Athens (Greece) determines that adherence to a dietary pattern close to the Mediterranean diet, with high consumption of fish and olive oil and low red meat intake, has a significant impact in women skeletal health.

Results suggest that this eating pattern could have bone-preserving properties throughout adult life.

Diet is one of the modifiable factors for the development and maintenance of bone mass. The nutrients of most obvious relevance to bone health are calcium and phosphorus because they compose roughly 80% to 90% of the mineral content of bone; protein, other minerals and vitamins are also essential in bone preservation.

Traditional analysis has focused on the relation between a specific nutrient (e.g. calcium) and bone health. But, researchers of the Harokopio University of Athens, Greece, carried out a study in two hundred twenty adult Greek women, which is valuable for the understanding of the effect of meals, consisting of several food items, in skeletal mass.

Scientists examined whether adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, rich in plant foods and olive oil, low in meat and dairy products, and with moderate intake of alcohol, or other dietary patterns, have any significant impact on bone mass maintenance in adult Greek women. They determined that adherence to a dietary pattern with some of the features of the Mediterranean diet, i.e., rich in fish and olive oil and low in red meat and products, is positively associated with the indices of bone mass.

Teatro Naturalle, by S. C. 22 February 2009 TN 1 Year 1

Vitamin A and Arsenic Effectively Treat Leukemia, Also Vitamin C

UPDATE: 27 March 2010 - In 1974 the US Cancer Institute presented scientific papers on the findings that Vitamin A was effective  in preventing cancer as well as preventing cellular proliferation.  Additionally, later in 1974 other scientific papers reported that vitamin A is definitively an anti-cancer supplement offering cellular protection and offers protection from malignant growth.  The scientist found that vitamin A reversed the cellular damage caused by the carcinogen and it helps your body's defense mechanism to destroy cancer cells.  This is definitely a substance that offers protection against and reversal of cancers according to the findings.

One must ask exactly what is behind the major effort against using nutritional supplements in the prevention and treatment of cancer today.

UPDATE: 31 March: Vitamin C for Leukemia

Get your copy of CHI's Vitamin C Healthy Handout with your tax deductible donation to learn how to do high dose vitamin C therapy at home.
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ORIGINALLY POSTED 17 FEB 09
This is a very interesting report because it offers an option that is less toxic than standard chemotherapy. It also shows that vitamins are effective and helpful in cancer care.

Leukemia patients treated with arsenic, vitamin A
"The treatment was effective ... and worked better than either drug given alone."
Mon Feb 16, 2009
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Doctors appear to have safely and successfully treated patients with cancer of the blood and bone marrow with a combination of arsenic and vitamin A, according to long-term study in China.

In an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the doctors said they prescribed the regimen to 85 patients and monitored them for an average of 70 months.

Of these, 80 patients went into complete remission and the researchers did not find any associated long-term problems in their heart or lungs and there was no development of secondary cancers.

"Two years after their treatment, the patients had arsenic blood and urine levels well below safety limits, and only slightly higher than controls," they wrote.

"The treatment was effective ... and worked better than either drug given alone."

The authors recommended that the treatment be given to patients with blood and bone marrow cancer, or acute promyelocytic Leukemia.

While vitamin A is regarded by some experts as a viable treatment, this is the first time that its use has been monitored for such an extended period of time.

Since the 18th century, arsenic compounds have been used as medicines to treat certain ailments. The US Food and Drug Administration approved it for the treatment of people with blood and bone marrow cancer in 2000.

(Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Yummy Pie oh my, its perfectly pi

UPDATE: 28 June, 2011

A new trend seems to have come along form the mathematically minded, Tau.

The music of Tau

'Tau day' marked by opponents of maths constant pi

Tau Day revellers suggest a constant called tau should take its place: twice as large as pi, or about 6.28 - hence the 28 June celebration.  Read complete article

ORIGINAL POST 2009

I am one of those probably odd people who likes math. I really loved geometry, so I'm willing to celebrate!

and see this too

Pie and pi: Happy 3/14, also known as pi day

By John Matson in 60-Second Science Blog

Hot on the heels of square root day, a loosely conceived mathematical celebration that fell on March 3 (3/3/09), comes today's pi day. The present "holiday" celebrates the yearly agreement between the calendar (3/14) and the first three digits of pi (3.14...), the ratio of circumference to diameter for a circle. (Europeans, we're terribly sorry: your preference for day/month notation precludes the celebration of pi day, as there is no 31/4—April has just 30 days.)

A follower of SciAm on Twitter, firesignth, clued us in to pi day and its culmination, pi second, which arrives at 1:59:26 today. At that moment, one numerical representation of the date and time, 3.1415926, aligns with pi out to seven decimal places.

Whereas square root day enthusiasts were encouraged to eat radishes and other roots cut into squares (or, three-dimensionally speaking, cubes, as one astute commenter pointed out), pi day enthusiasts should indulge in pie, of course, which brings the double benefit of being both a homophone of the word pi and a circle. (Just how closely your pie's circumference/diameter ratio comes to pi depends on the precision of your baking.)

While celebrations such as square root day and pi day may seem contrived, one could argue that any way to generate excitement around math is a good thing. In a survey of 11- to 13-year-olds spearheaded by the Raytheon Company, 84 percent of children reported a preference for cleaning their rooms, eating their vegetables or going to the dentist when the alternative was doing math homework. And just this week, in a lecture at Columbia University, 1979 physics Nobelist Sheldon Glashow lamented the mathematical illiteracy of American youth. "If you have not taught a course in physics for poets"—as Glashow has—"you cannot believe the level of mathematical incompetence of the average college graduate," he said.

But if general mathematical cheerleading or feting the famous ratio isn't enough to get you in a celebratory mood, feel free to observe Talk Like a Physicist day instead, an amalgamation of pi day and Albert Einstein's birthday—the great physicist was born 130 years ago today.

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=happy-314-also-known-as-pi-day-2009-03-14

Vitamins for Alzheimer's

July 2011







Ranks now in the TOP10 out of 3.9 M

Access the May 2007 issue of herbalYODA Says! that focuses on vitamin B12 with a donation to help us continue this work.

Elder Health

Updated from May 09
2004 Article,  Don't Overlook There ALZ Remiders, Related NHN article  This post ranks 1 of 1.23 Million about vitamins for Alzheimer's

Food and Life

for information on how to use B3 therapeutically, contact us for our fact sheet

UPDATE: 4 May, 2009

No wonder vitamin E works, it is antioxidant and carries O2 across the cell wall membrane as well as offering a myriad of other remarkable healing attributes.

Another FAT soluble vitamin to the rescue!

Use the search window to learn more about vitamin E on Natural Health News

Vitamin E may slow Alzheimer's disease By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – An analysis of "real-world" clinical data indicates that vitamin E, and drugs that reduce generalized inflammation, may slow the decline of mental and physical abilities in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) over the long term.

"Our results are consistent for a potential benefit of vitamin E on slowing functional decline and a smaller possible benefit of anti-inflammatory medications on slowing cognitive decline in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease," Dr. Alireza Atri told Reuters Health.

Atri, at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the VA Bedford Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, led the National Institutes of Health-sponsored research. The findings, reported at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in Chicago, stem from data on 540 patients treated at the MGH Memory Disorders Unit.

All of the patients were receiving standard-of-care treatment with a drug intended to help patients with Alzheimer's. As part of their clinical care, 208 patients also took vitamin E but no anti-inflammatory, 49 took an anti-inflammatory but no vitamin E, 177 took both vitamin E and an anti-inflammatory, and 106 took neither.

While the daily dose of vitamin E ranged from 200 to 2000 units, the majority of patients were given high doses that ranged from 800 units daily to 1000 units twice daily.

Each patient's performance on cognitive tests and their ability to carry out daily functions such as dressing and personal care were assessed every 6 months. After an average of 3 years, "there was a modest slowing of decline in function in those patients taking vitamin E," study investigator Michael R. Flaherty noted in a telephone interview with Reuters Health.

Flaherty, a second-year student at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine, presented the findings at the meeting. He added that the treatment benefit from vitamin E was "small to medium" but increased with time.

Taking an anti-inflammatory medication was associated with "very consistent but generally only small effects on slowing long-term decline in cognitive functioning," Atri told Reuters Health.

However, in patients who took both vitamin E and anti-inflammatory medications, there appeared to be an additive effect in terms of slowing overall decline.

Given that past studies have produced equivocal results, the investigators conclude that further studies are needed to assess the long-term balance of risks versus benefits for people with Alzheimer's disease from taking vitamin E and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Copyright © 2009 Reuters Limited.

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UPDATE: 23 MARCH, 2009

Niacin Protects against Alzheimer's Disease and Age-related Cognitive Decline

Niacin (vitamin B3) is already known to lower cholesterol. Now, research published in the August 2004 issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry indicates regular consumption of niacin-rich foods also provides protection against Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline.

Researchers from the Chicago Health and Aging Project interviewed 3,718 Chicago residents aged 65 or older about their diet, then tested their cognitive abilities over the following six years.

Those getting the most niacin from foods (22 mg per day) were 70% less likely to have developed Alzheimer's disease than those consuming the least (about 13 mg daily), and their rate of age-related cognitive decline was significantly less. In addition to eating the niacin-rich foods, another way to boost your body's niacin levels is to eat more foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan. Your body can convert tryptophan to niacin, with a little help from other B vitamins, iron and vitamin C. Foods high in tryptophan include shrimp, crimini mushrooms, yellowfin tuna, halibut, chicken breast, scallops, salmon, turkey and tofu. As you can see, several foods rich in tryptophan provide two ways to increase niacin levels as they are also rich in the B vitamin.(August 23, 2004)

UPDATE: 12 March, 2009

Another supplement to help Alzheimer's: "One of the newer drugs developed in Europe apparently 'works' by protecting brain cells from damage by over-production of glutamate, one of the well known actions of lithium.

Other research findings strongly suggest that lithium may protect against Alzheimer's disease and slow the progression of the disease. Lithium inhibits beta-amaloid secretion and protects against damage caused by beta-amyloid protein after it has formed.

Over-activation of tau protein in the brain also contributes to neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer's disease, as does the formation of neurofibrilary tangles. Lithium inhibits both of these.

People with Alzheimer's have excess aluminum accumulation in brain cells. Lithium can help protect against aluminum accumulation through chelation and easier removal from the body."

See also a related B3 article I posted in November - xref: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

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While we are on this thread of natural help for dis-ease isn't it timely that I just received this article about how "High Doses of Vitamins Fight Alzheimer's Disease".

And now I am sharing it with you, for your education, and then you can ask your doctor why they aren't recommending them.

Vitamin B3 is also used successfully for schizophrenia, rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis, reducing plaque of arteriosclerosis and cholesterol reduction. It has an excellent anti-inflammatory action.

(OMNS, December 9, 2008) The news media recently reported that "huge doses of an ordinary vitamin appeared to eliminate memory problems in mice with the rodent equivalent of Alzheimer's disease." They then quickly added that "scientists aren't ready to recommend that people try the vitamin on their own outside of normal doses." (1)

In other words, extra-large amounts of a vitamin are helpful, so don't you take them!

That does not even pass the straight-faced test. So what's the story?

Researchers at the University of California at Irvine gave the human dose equivalent of 2,000 to 3,000 mg of vitamin B3 to mice with Alzheimer's. (2) It worked. Kim Green, one of the researchers, is quoted as saying, "Cognitively, they were cured. They performed as if they'd never developed the disease."

for information on how to use B3 therapeutically, contact us for our fact sheet

Specifically, the study employed large amounts of nicotinamide, the vitamin B3 widely found in foods such as meat, poultry, fish, nuts and seeds. Nicotinamide is also the form of niacin found, in far greater quantity, in dietary supplements. It is more commonly known as niacinamide. It is inexpensive and its safety is long established. The most common side effect of niacinamide in very high doses is nausea. This can be eliminated by taking less, by using regular niacin instead, which may cause a warm flush, or choosing inositol hexaniacinate, which does not. They are all vitamin B3.
HealthDay Reporter mentioned how cheap the vitamin is; the study authors "bought a year's supply for $30" and noted that it "appears to be safe." Even so, one author said that "I wouldn't advocate people rush out and eat grams of this stuff each day." (1)
The BBC quoted Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the UK Alzheimer's Research Trust, who said, "Until the human research was completed, people should not start taking the supplement. . . . people should be wary about changing their diet or taking supplements. In high doses vitamin B3 can be toxic." (3)
The Irish Times reiterated it: "People have been cautioned about rushing out to buy high dose vitamin B3 supplements in an attempt to prevent memory loss . . . The warnings came today one day on from the announcement . . .Vitamins in high doses can be toxic." (4)
Their choice of words is quaint but hardly accurate. There is no wild "rush;" half of the population already takes food supplements. And as for "toxic," niacin isn't. Canadian psychiatrist Abram Hoffer, M.D., asserts that it is actually remarkably safe. "There have been no deaths from niacin supplements," Dr. Hoffer says. "The LD 50 (the dosage that would kill half of those taking it) for dogs is 5,000-6,000 milligrams per kilogram body weight. That is equivalent to almost a pound of niacin per day for a human. No human takes 375,000 milligrams of niacin a day. They would be nauseous long before reaching a harmful dose." Dr. Hoffer conducted the first double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of niacin. He adds, "Niacin is not liver toxic. Niacin therapy increases liver function tests. But this elevation means that the liver is active. It does not indicate an underlying liver pathology."
The medical literature repeatedly confirms niacin's safety. Indeed, for over 50 years, nutritional (orthomolecular) physicians have used vitamin B3 in doses as high as tens of thousands of milligrams per day. Cardiologists frequently give patients thousands of milligrams of niacin daily to lower cholesterol. Niacin is preferred because its safety margin is so very large. The American Association of Poison Control Centers' Toxic Exposure Surveillance System annual reports indicates there is not even one death per year due to niacin in any of its forms. (5)
One the other hand, there are 140,000 deaths annually attributable to properly prescribed prescription drugs. (6) And this figure is just for one year, and just for the USA. Furthermore, when overdoses, incorrect prescription, and adverse drug interactions are figured in, total drug fatalities number over a quarter of a million dead. Each year.
The BBC's curious mention that we should even be "wary about changing our diets" is especially odd. More and more scientists think our much-in-need-of-improvement diets are what contribute more than anything to developing Alzheimer's. "There appears to be a statistically significant link between a low dietary intake of niacin and a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A study of the niacin intake of 6158 Chicago residents 65 years of age or older established that the lower the daily intake of niacin, the greater the risk of becoming an Alzheimer's disease patient." The group with the highest daily intake of niacin had a 70 percent decrease in incidence of this disease compared to the lowest group. "The most compelling evidence to date is that early memory loss can be reversed by the ascorbate (vitamin C) minerals. Greater Alzheimer's disease risk also has been linked to low dietary intake of vitamin E and of fish." (7)
Nutrient deficiency of long standing may create a nutrient dependency. A nutrient dependency is an exaggerated need for the missing nutrient, a need not met by dietary intakes or even by low-dose supplementation. Robert P. Heaney, M.D., uses the term "long latency deficiency diseases" to describe illnesses that fit this description. He writes: "Inadequate intakes of many nutrients are now recognized as contributing to several of the major chronic diseases that affect the populations of the industrialized nations. Often taking many years to manifest themselves, these disease outcomes should be thought of as long-latency deficiency diseases. . . Because the intakes required to prevent many of the long-latency disorders are higher than those required to prevent the respective index diseases, recommendations based solely on preventing the index diseases are no longer biologically defensible." (8) Where pathology already exists, unusually large quantities of vitamins may be needed to repair damaged tissue. Thirty-five years ago, in another paper, Hoffer wrote: "The borderline between vitamin deficiency and vitamin-dependency conditions is merely a quantitative one when one considers prevention and cure." (9)
As there is no recognized cure for Alzheimer's, prevention is vital. In their article, the Irish Times does admit that "Healthy mice fed the vitamins also outperformed mice on a normal diet" and quoted study co-author Frank LaFerla saying that "This suggests that not only is it good for Alzheimer's disease, but if normal people take it, some aspects of their memory might improve." (4) And study author Green added, "If we combine this with other things already out there, we'd probably see a large effect."
The US Alzheimer's Association's Dr. Ralph Nixon has said that previous research has suggested that vitamins such as vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin B12 may help people lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. At their website (although you have to search for it), the Alzheimer's Association says, "Vitamins may be helpful. There is some indication that vitamins, such as vitamin E, or vitamins E and C together, vitamin B12 and folate may be important in lowering your risk of developing Alzheimer's. . . One large federally funded study (10) showed that vitamin E slightly delayed loss of ability to carry out daily activities and placement in residential care."
But overall, at their website http://www.alz.org/index.asp the Alzheimer's Association has strikingly little to say about vitamins, and they hasten to tell people that "No one should use vitamin E to treat Alzheimer's disease except under the supervision of a physician." ( http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10428.asp ) "They write as if these safe vitamins are dangerous drugs, not be used without a doctor's consent," comments Dr. Hoffer. "I have been using them for decades."
Niacin and nerves go together. Orthomolecular physicians have found niacin and other nutrients to be an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, psychotic behavior, and schizophrenia. New research confirms that niacinamide (the same form of B3 used in the Alzheimer's research) "profoundly prevents the degeneration of demyelinated axons and improves the behavioral deficits" in animals with an illness very similar to multiple sclerosis. (11)
A measure of journalistic caution is understandable, especially with ever-new promises for pharmaceutical products. Drugs routinely used to treat Alzheimer's Disease have had a disappointing, even dismal success rate. So when nutrition may be the better answer, foot-dragging is inexplicable, even inexcusable. Nutrients are vastly safer than drugs. Unjustified, needlessly negative opinionating is out of place. Over 5 million Americans now have Alzheimer's disease, and the number is estimated to reach 14 million by 2050. Potentially, 9 million people would benefit later from niacin now.
"Man is a food-dependent creature," wrote University of Alabama professor of medicine Emanuel Cheraskin, M.D.. "If you don't feed him, he will die. If you feed him improperly, part of him will die."
When that part is the brain, it is dangerous to delay the use of optimum nutrition.

References:

(1) Vitamin Holds Promise for Alzheimer's Disease. Randy Dotinga, HealthDay Reporter, Nov 5, 2008.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/05/AR2008110502796.html and also http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/vitaminholdspromiseforalzheimersdisease.html

(2) Green KN, Steffan JS, Martinez-Coria H, Sun X, Schreiber SS, Thompson LM, LaFerla FM. Nicotinamide restores cognition in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice via a mechanism involving sirtuin inhibition and selective reduction of Thr231-phosphotau. J Neurosci. 2008 Nov 5;28(45):11500-10.

(3) BBC, 5 Nov 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7710365.stm

(4) Donnellan E. Caution urged over using vitamin B3 to treat Alzheimer's. Wed, Nov 05, 2008. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1105/breaking91.htm

(5) Annual Reports of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poisoning and Exposure Database (formerly known as the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System). AAPCC, 3201 New Mexico Avenue, Ste. 330, Washington, DC 20016. Download any report from1983-2006 at http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/NPDS/AnnualReports/tabid/125/Default.aspx free of charge. The "Vitamin" category is usually near the end of the report.

(6) Classen DC, Pestotnik SL, Evans RS, Lloyd JF, Burke JP. Adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. Excess length of stay, extra costs, and attributable mortality. JAMA. 1997 Jan 22-29;277(4):301-6.

(7) 21. Hoffer A and Foster HD. Feel Better, Live Longer With Vitamin B-3: Nutrient Deficiency and Dependency. CCNM Press, 2007. ISBN-10: 1897025246; ISBN-13: 978-1897025246. Also: Foster HD. What Really Causes Alzheimer's Disease. Trafford, 2004. ISBN 1-4120-4921-0.

(8) Heaney RP: Long-latency deficiency disease: insights from calcium and vitamin D. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; Nov; 78(5):912-9.

(9) Hoffer A. Mechanism of action of nicotinic acid and nicotinamide in the treatment of schizophrenia. In: Hawkins D and Pauling L: Orthomolecular Psychiatry: Treatment of Schizophrenia. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. 1973; p. 202-262.

(10) Sano M, Ernesto C, Thomas RG et al. A controlled trial of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study. N Engl J Med. 1997 Apr 24;336(17):1216-22

(11) Kaneko S, Wang J, Kaneko M, Yiu G, Hurrell JM, Chitnis T, Khoury SJ, He Z. Protecting axonal degeneration by increasing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models. J Neurosci. 2006 Sep 20;26(38):9794-804. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed See also: Vitamins fight multiple sclerosis. Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, October 4, 2006.

For More Information:

A complete copy of Dr. Harold D. Foster's What Really Causes Alzheimer's Disease is available in PDF format, free of charge: http://www.hdfoster.com/Foster_Alzheimers.pdf

To access a free archive of peer-reviewed medical journal papers on the safety and efficacy of vitamin therapy: http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/

Review of nutritional approaches to Alzheimer's Disease: http://www.doctoryourself.com/alzheimer.html

Additional Reading:

Klenner FR. Response of peripheral and central nerve pathology to mega-doses of the vitamin B-complex and other metabolites. Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1973. http://www.tldp.com/issue/11_00/klenner.htm

Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, Tangney CC, Bennett DA, Aggarwal N, Wilson RS, and Scherr PA. Dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients and the risk of incident Alzheimer's disease in a biracial community study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002. 287(24), 3230-3237.

Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias PA, Scherr A, Tangney CC, Hebert LE, Bennett DA, Wilson RS, and Aggarwal N. Dietary Niacin and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer's Disease and of Cognitive Decline. J Neurology, Psychiatry 2004; 75: 1093-1099.

Bobkova NV. The impact of mineral ascorbates on memory loss. Paper presented at the III World Congress on Vitamin C, 2001, Committee for World Health, Victoria, BC, Canada.

Galeev A, Kazakova A, Zherebker E, Dana E, and Dana R. Mineral ascorbates improve memory and cognitive functions in older individuals with pre-Alzheimer's symptoms. Copy of paper given to authors by R. Dana and E. Dana, Committee for World Health, 20331 Lake Forest Drive, Suite C-15, Lake Forest, California 92630, USA.

Bobkova NV, Nesterova IV, Dana E, Nesterov VI, Aleksandrova IIu, Medvinskaia NI, and Samokhia AN (2003). Morpho-functional changes of neurons in temporal cortex in comparison with spatial memory in bulbectomized mice after treatment with minerals and ascorbates. Morfologiia, 123(3), 27-31. [In Russian]

Engelhart MJ, Geerlings MI, Ruitenberg A, van Swieten JC, Hofman A, and Witteman JC (2002). Dietary intake of antioxidants and risk of Alzheimer's disease: Food for thought. Journal of the American Medical Association, 287(24), 3223-3229.

Grant WB. Dietary links to Alzheimer's disease: 1999 update. Journal of Alzheimer's disease, 1999, 1(4,5), 197-201.

Barberger-Gateau P, Letenneur L, Deschamps V, Pérès K, Jean-François Dartigues JF, and Renaud S (2002). Fish, meat, and risk of dementia: Cohort study. British Medical Journal, 325, 932-933.

Vogiatzoglou A, Refsum H, Johnston C, Smith SM, Bradley KM, de Jager C, Budge MM, Smith AD. Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly. Neurology. 2008 Sep 9;71(11):826-32.

September 2010 Good News for B Vitamins and Your Brain

Vitamin D may help prevent Alzheimer's

SENDAI, Japan, July 12 (UPI) -- Low levels of vitamin D may be involved in age-related decline in memory and cognition as well as Alzheimer's disease, researchers in Japan say.
Tetsuya Terasaki of Tohoku University in Japan found vitamin D injections improved the removal of amyloid beta -- the build-up of the peptide amyloid beta in the brain is linked to Alzheimer's disease -- from the brain of mice.
"Vitamin D appears [to] increase transport of amyloid beta across the blood brain barrier by regulating protein expression, via the vitamin D receptor and also by regulating cell signaling," Terasaki says.
These findings, published in the journal Fluids and Barriers of the CNS, lead the way toward new therapeutic targets in the search for prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

© 2011 United Press International, Inc 

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/07/12/Vitamin-D-may-help-prevent-Alzheimers/UPI-96871310443412/#ixzz1Rv4pC2TT

Learn more about antioxidants

UPDATE: 11/12/09
Pomegranate’s Protection Potential Grows
The anti-prostate cancer effects of pomegranate and its extracts may be related to stopping an enzyme in the liver that processes environmental carcinogens, according to a new study.

Pomegranate, a rich source of antioxidants, has been linked to improved heart health, but a growing body of evidence indicates the fruit also protects against prostate cancer. Studies have also reported a role for pomegranate in joint health by slowing cartilage loss in arthritis.

It is the antioxidants and ellagitannin compounds like punicalagins and punicalins, which account for about half of the fruit’s antioxidant ability, that are reportedly behind the proposed health benefits.

The new study, led by Daneel Farreira from the University of Mississippi, deepens our understanding of how the constituents of the fruit may boost prostate health.

"Our results indicate a previously unexplored pathway through which pomegranate juice constituents may contribute to prostate cancer chemoprevention," they wrote.

Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Ferreira and his co-workers reported that pomegranate’s ellagitannin compounds may inhibit the activity of cytochrome P450 1B1, an enzyme known to be highly expressed in various human cancers, but not in normal tissues, an established target in the prevention of prostate cancer.

"Our study has asserted a previously unknown mechanism of action of pomegranate juice constituents, which could potentially contribute to prostate cancer chemoprevention," they wrote. "We proved that systemically available metabolites of pomegranate juice are effective inhibitors of CYP1B1 enzyme activity/expression and could lower the incidence of prostate cancer initiation and sustenance."

The researchers performed an in vitro experiment to test the ability of pomegranate ellagitannins and its microbial metabolites to inhibit CYP1B1.

They found that the microbial metabolite urolithin A showed the greatest activity for inhibiting CYP1B1, with a 2-fold selectivity over another enzyme CYP1A1, which actually has anti-cancer activity. Inhibition of CYP1A1 is therefore not desirable.

"It is also well-known that prostate cancer typically possesses long latency periods and develops in older men; therefore, cancer chemoprevention by dietary supplement-based intervention is a desirable form of chemotherapy," wrote the researchers. "Pomegranate juice consumption, thus, may be of considerable advantage in prostate cancer chemoprevention, not only in patients with a genetic predisposition toward prostate cancer but also in patients undergoing cancer therapy."

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
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Contributed by friends: Phytonutrients: the Biochemistry of how the Healthiest Foods Prevent Cancer
There are many nutraceuticals that have both cancer preventive and cancer suppressive properties. You will not hear about them if you do not go out of your way to review the scientific literature, or have access to those that do so. Pharmaceutical companies are sitting on many natural substances that they know can treat any number of diseases, but you will not hear about them unless they can tweak the molecules enough to get a patent and still retain some of the healing properties. Their job is not to let you in on what they know. Their job is to make money. Mr. Fox reviews some of these readily available natural compounds and extracts. The list is actually quiet long, but his review will give you a place to start
Stephen Fox and KP Stoller, MD President, International Hyperbaric Medical Assoc Medical Director, Hyperbaric Medical Center of New Mexico

Currently, the terms "phytonutrient" and "phytochemical" are being used interchangeably to describe those plant compounds which are thought to have health-protecting qualities. The antioxidant, immune boosting and other health promoting properties of active compounds in plants are being investigated.

However, in common usage, they have a more limited definition. They are usually used to refer to compounds found in plants that are not required for normal functioning of the body but that nonetheless have a beneficial effect on health or an active role in the amelioration of disease. Thus, they differ from what are traditionally termed nutrients in that they are not a necessity for normal metabolism, and their absence will not result in a deficiency disease. What is beyond dispute is that phytonutrients have many and various beneficial health effects. For example, they may promote the function of the immune system, act directly against bacteria and viruses, reduce inflammation, and may also be associated with the treatment and/or prevention of cancer (the focus of this article), cardiovascular disease and any other malady affecting the health or well-being of an individual.

Allyl Sulfides are found in garlic, onions, and shallots. They suppress growth of tumor cells and bring about apoptosis, or natural cell death (cancer cells find ways to stop this process); allyl sulfides also promote excretion of cancer causing chemicals. They lessen stomach and colon cancer, and help to treat colds, blood circulation, inflammations, arteriosclerosis and diabetes.

Quercetin is a flavonoid found in medicinal plants which works to prevent inflammations and inhibits the release of histamines. In a recent study in the British Journal of Cancer, quercetin and ultrasound were used to treat skin and prostate cancers, with a 90% death of the cancer cells within 48 hours, and no visible deaths of the normal cells! This phytonutrient is used to treat cancer, prostatitis, heart disease, cataracts, and respiratory diseases like bronchitis and asthma. It is found in capers, apples, tea, onions, grapes, citrus, broccoli, leafy green vegetables, cherries, turmeric, and cranberries.

Limonene is a hydrocarbon, taking its name from lemons, and is found in lemons and in noni. It helps the liver clear carcinogens from the body and promotes cell differentiation.

Lutein (from Latin “Lutea” meaning yellow) is one of 600 known carotenoids. Found in leafies like spinach and kale, it is used as an antioxidant. It is also found in mango and winter squash. Early studies have shown high intakes reduced risk of breast, colon, endometrial (uterine) and prostate cancers. It is found in concentrated areas of the macula, the small area of the retina responsible for central vision.

Catechin is found primarily in green tea and is an anti-oxidant that helps keep tumors from taking hold and growing (herbalYODA's note: organic cocoa also is good but we advise limiting green tea bacuse of its effect on the pancreas). According to Norman Hollenberg, Professor at Harvard Medical School, epicatechin, a metabolic form of catechin, can reduce the risk of all four of these major human health problems: stroke, heart failure, cancer, and diabetes. His studies were based on the Kuna people in Panama who drink up to 40 cups of cocoa a week, with only 10% being struck by the big four diseases!

Chlorophyll is the prime biochemical for all respiration and life in the plant world. It is strikingly similar in form to hemoglobin, differing primarily in that chlorophyll has magnesium in the center and hemoglobin has iron. This would explain partly why wheat grass juice is so instantly beneficial for those with “tired blood” and anemia. It is found in spirulina, chlorella, barley grass, and in leafy greens. It is a potent detoxification agent and protects genes against the biochemical damage that leads to cancer cell development.

Sulphoraphane is the phytonutrient that activates enzymes that detoxify carcinogens; it interferes with cancer cell growth and promotes cancer cell death. It is found in broccoli, and especially in broccoli sprouts.

Lycopene is best known for providing protection against prostate cancer, and may also help defend the physiochemistry of humans against lunch and stomach cancer malignancies. It is found in tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava, papaya, and in rosehips. It is the most powerful quencher of singlet oxygen, 100 times more so than Vitamin E. It is helpful for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and male infertility. Recently the United States Food and Drug Administration concluded that tomatoes reduce no risk for lung, colorectal, breast, or cervical cancer, and only limited evidence for reduced risk of prostate, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers, all derived from 145 studies after a coalition of tomato growers and tomato product producers asked to list anti cancer benefits in nutritional labels on their products. We rarely agree with the FDA, so keep eating lots of tomatoes for their carcinogenic properties, which the FDA may or may not ever get around to formally endorsing….

Ellagic acid appears to defend cells lining the digestive tract against carcinogenic substances, and has prevented colon and esophageal cancer in animals. It is found in pomegranates, grapes, raspberries, and strawberries. Apparently, it also may help the liver to break down and remove cancer causing substances from the blood. One study in Clinical Nutrition in 2004 showed clearing of plaque in the carotid artery after three years of pomegranate juice as a supplement. Italian researchers have also found ellagic acid reducing the side effects of chemotherapy in advanced prostate cancer treatment in men, and the Hollings Cancer Institute at the University of South Carolina conducted a double blind study on 500 cervical cancer patients that showed ellagic acid caused G-arrest within 48 hours and apoptosis within 72 hours, for breast, pancreas, esophageal, skin, colon, and prostate cancers. Researchers speculate that this results when ellagic acid forms adduct (from Latin, “drawn toward”) with DNA, thus masking binding sites to be occupied by the carcinogens.

Resveratrol causes apoptosis or cancer cell death. Resveratrol is a phytoalexin and is sold as a nutritional supplement. A number of beneficial health effects, such as anti-cancer, antiviral, neuroprotective, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and life-prolonging effects have been reported, although these studies used animal subjects. Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes and as a constituent of red wine. David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School and cofounder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals has found that resveratrol increases the activity of a protein called SIRT1. Resveratrol significantly increases the lifespan of yeast and mice. Resveratrol is produced by several plants, apparently due to its antifungal properties. It is found in widely varying amounts in grapes (primarily the skins), raspberries, mulberries, in peanuts, berries of Vaccinium species, including blueberries, bilberries, and cranberries. In grapes, resveratrol is found primarily in the skin and seeds. This is particularly true for Muscatine grapes, whose skin and seeds have about 100 times the concentration as the pulp. Resveratrol interferes with all three stages of carcinogenesis - initiation, promotion and progression.

Experiments in cell cultures of varied types and isolated subcellular systems in vitro imply many mechanisms in the pharmacological activity of resveratrol, and it was reported effective against neuronal cell dysfunction and cell death and in theory could help against diseases such as Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Again, has not yet been tested in humans for any disease. Research at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Ohio State University indicates that resveratrol has direct inhibitory action on cardiac fibroblasts and may inhibit the progression of cardiac fibrosis. In some lineages of cancer cell culture, resveratrol has been shown to induce apoptosis, which means it kills cells and may kill cancer cells. Resveratrol is under extensive investigation as a cancer chemopreventive agent. The Chemoprevention Database reports six studies showing that small doses of dietary resveratrol can reduce colon carcinogenesis in rats and mice. This biochemical has also shown great promise in longevity studies and in improving athletic performance of all kinds.

Anthocyanins are antioxidants that protect DNA against cancer causing damage and promote apoptosis, as well as the ability to keep cancer cells from spreading. It is found in berries, grapes, black currants, acai, mangosteen, and goji. They also act as “sunscreens” protecting cells by absorbing blue green light, thereby protecting tissues from photoinhibition or high light stress. Some researchers maintain that the red coloration of leaves may camouflage leaves from herbivores. These properties continue even after consumption by other organisms. In December 2004 a study at Michigan State University noted that anthocyanin could boost insulin production by up to 50%, and a 2007 study at the University of Pittsburgh showed that it killed human cancer cells while not affecting healthy cells, even with leukemia and lymphoma, within 18 hours. The biochemical mechanism is that the anthocyanins caused the normal cells to release peroxides which killed the cancer cells. Dr. Xiao Ming Yin, Associate professor of pathology at University of Pittsburg School of Medicine stated that “the hope is that black raspberries and other botanicals might provide doctors with less toxic alternatives to drug and radiation therapies.”

Please note that we are able to supply you with high quality, and mostly organic antioxidant products as mentioned in this article. NHN readers receive a discount and we offer international shipping to readers outside the US

Gardasil death and danger update

October 4: JAB 'AS DEADLY AS THE CANCER'

How safe are vaccines?

UPDATE: 1 October
PR pundits rushed to publicize a claim that anyone who has severe adverse effects from this (or any) vaccine suffered from underlying bacterial infection. It's the common ploy to attack the vaccine victim. One has to ask these folks how they can support such an idea in healthy people who sadly opt for the jabs.

Media Issues Propaganda To Boost HPV Vaccine Sales And Renewed Confidence Following Children's Deaths

UPDATE: September 2009
NHS (UKs FDA) in UK suspends all Gardasil shots following death
Cancer jab alert after girl dies
Health chiefs have launched a "full and urgent" investigation into the death of a 14-year-old girl after she was given a cervical cancer vaccine at school.
Full story
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Original Post Date, March 2009
PLEASE NOTE: HPV is more often than not a self-limiting infection. If your immune system is in good shape you do not need to worry about HPV.

Also there are very effective natural treatments to resolve HPV infection. Should you wish more information please contact us.

This new report is an important public health concern. If this does not outrage you then I am asking where is your conscience?

CDC Takes Closer Look at Gardasil and Paralysis

Jenny

Other Gardasil articles -

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/01/uk-report-on-more-gardasil-danger.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/01/are-you-in-dark-about-adverse-effects.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/this-puzzles-me.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/boys-now-targeted-by-big-pharmas.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/07/gardasil-reports-not-good-death-toll.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/07/hpv-vaccine-adverse-events-worrisome.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/07/gardasil-reactions-grab-cnns-attention.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/propaganda-tv.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/women-take-heed-gardasil-is-broadening.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/unwarranted-and-unwise-mandatory-hpv.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/merck-now-targeting-men-with-gardasil.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/natural-perspective-on-gardasil.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/another-gardasil-gaffe.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/02/spain-serious-about-gardasil-risks.html

Fibromyalgia and Naltrexone?

Heroin Addiction Drug May Relieve Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

Here is some information about Naltrexone you may find helpful.

It can cause liver problems when given in large doses. Stop using this medication and tell your doctor immediately if symptoms of liver problems develop (e.g., persistent nausea, abdominal/stomach pain, yellowing eyes/skin, pale stools, dark urine).

This medication should not be used in patients who already have liver or kidney problems.

You should carry identification to alert medical personnel to the fact that you are taking REVIA. A REVIA medication card may be obtained from your physician and can be used for this purpose. Carrying the identification card should help to ensure that you can obtain adequate treatment in an emergency. If you require medical treatment, be sure to tell the treating physician that you are receiving REVIA therapy.

The risk of depression and suicide is known to be increased, as is lethargy and a slightly higher risk of some cancers.

http://www.rxlist.com/revia-drug.htm

Once again I am amazed at the focus on drugs for FMS rather than effective therapy for recovery from this illness. Revia is not the first drug used with FMS that has dire consequences of depression and suicide as well as many other health related side effects.

I am pleased to learn that my formulas, Heart Leaf Remedy 6:4 and ADVENTURX, have proven helpful to so many with fibromyalgia.

Our complete program has helped many to recover.

Adminstration failed to act to protect public health

US environment agency to deem CO2 a health risk
9 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Environmental Protection Agency was set to shift course and deem carbon dioxide a health risk on Friday, sources said, in a turnabout important to global warming-related regulation.

Five out of nine Supreme Court justices ruled in April 2007 that carbon dioxide was a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.

They ordered the EPA to decide if the greenhouse gas endangered public health and welfare and said that if a so-called endangerment finding was made, the agency must draft rules to reduce vehicle emissions of carbon dioxide.

In December 2007, the EPA sent a draft finding to the Bush White House, presenting evidence that CO2 did endanger public welfare.

But the administration of president George W. Bush failed to acknowledge the report and spent the remainder of its tenure resisting the Supreme Court decision.

A Concern for All

I understand and believe in natural care. I have concerns too from time to time because of the many natural products now flooding the market that might not be as good as in years gone by.

Commercialism has its negative side, and along with that there is the worry that Big Pharma wants just too much control over natural products. That's a money issue, not a concern for health benefits.

What bothered me today is a UPI article on the synthetization of one element from the herb Club Moss.

Briefly, Club Moss has been used for many years as an effective diuretic that eases many conditions associated with suppressed urine, including the flushing of stones and gravel from the kidneys and gallbladder, accumulation of fluids in the tissues that produce swelling (edema), bladder irritation, cystitis, gout and rheumatoid arthritis. It is used in certain cases for Alzheimer's.

What Big Pharma fails yet to understand is that plants come as a whole. Singling out one elements may be beneficial is the lab or the short term, but this isn't the way things should be.

In its whole state, Club Moss has a number of Beneficial Uses:

Club Moss is a diuretic that has been used to treat chronic urinary complaints, such as mumps, dropsy (or edema, the accumulation of fluids in tissues that produces swelling), irritability of the bladder and cystitis.

Further supporting its diuretic applications, Club Moss helps to treat many ailments that are characterized by the suppression of urine, such as renal colic, stones and calculi in the kidneys and bladder (by helping to increase urine flow and flush debris through the system). This action also helps to relieve gout, hardening of the testes and rheumatoid arthritis.

Club Moss is said to be helpful in "women's complaints" and is thought to help treat irregular menstruation.

Used externally, Club Moss may be used as a dusting powder to relieve various skin diseases, such as eczema, itchy or irritated areas and erysipelas, and it can also be used to absorb fluids from injured tissues and as a powder to prevent chafing in infants. Moreover, it can be dusted on wounds to stop bleeding or inhaled to stop bleeding noses.

Club Moss is considered a stomachic that strengthens the function of the stomach, and as such, it has been used to aid digestion and ease gastritis. It is also thought to be an antispasmodic and nervine that helps to calm spasms, diarrhea, dysentery and hydrophobia.

The concern really is, "it's the whole herb that does the job".

Homeopathy Eases Cancer Therapy

NASHVILLE, April 16 (UPI) -- U.S. chemists say they have developed an efficient technique to produce the synthesized herbal alkaloid Serratezomine from the club moss Lycopodium serratum.

Vanderbilt University researchers said the moss -- a creeping, flowerless plant used in homeopathic medicine -- contains potent alkaloids. But the plant makes many of the compounds in extremely low amounts, hindering efforts to test their therapeutic value.

The scientists said their technique to synthesize Serratezomine is important because the alkaloid might have anti-cancer properties and could combat memory loss. The scientists said it took six years to develop the process because they had to invent entirely new chemical methods to complete the synthesis. But they said their success should make it easier to synthesize alkaloids and other natural compounds with therapeutic potential.

"This was a challenging problem," said Professor Jeffrey Johnston, who led the research. 'It takes years to develop a new chemical reaction and then apply it to the natural product target. So, once we start, we don't stop."

The study that included Aroop Chandra; Julie Pigza, Jeong-Seok Han and Daniel Mutnickwas was reported in the March 18 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Be Aware of SOY Risks

UPDATE: 28 April, 2010 - GMO SOY RISKS IDENTIFIED

UPDATE: 14 April, 2009
I have about 46 posts related to SOY on Natural Health News.
Here is something today to consider as well:goitrogens, soybean agglutinin (SBA), and phytates found in soy products?

"Goitrogens" is a term that is seldom used in peer-reviewed research studies, but in past years it was used to refer to substances that could interfere with thyroid metabolism, production of thyroid hormones, and could potentially cause the thyroid to increase in size (a condition called goiter). No large-scale human research studies have been conducted that examine the thyroid-related effects of long-term consumption of whole, natural soy foods consumed in ordinary amounts. Studies in this area have mostly focused on rats fed dietary supplements containing soy components like isolate soy protein or soy isoflavones.

In the human studies that we have reviewed, only one repeated finding has given us cause for concern when it comes to adult consumption of whole soy foods and thyroid-related effects. That concern involves individuals who regularly consume soy foods while at the same time following a diet that is deficient in iodine. That combination of iodine deficiency and regular consumption of soy foods may increase risk of thyroid problems above and beyond the risk posed by iodine deficiency alone. (Iodine is a mineral that is essential for production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland.) If you are an individual who is at risk of iodine deficiency, I definitely recommend that you consult with your licensed healthcare provider before making the decision to include soy foods in your Healthiest Way of Eating.

Soybean agglutinin (SBA) is a protein- and carbohydrate-containing molecule (called a glycoprotein) that also falls into the category of substances called lectins. In legumes (including soybeans), lectins might play a key role in allowing certain soil bacteria to work together with the roots of the soybean plant. There are hundreds of lectins found in legumes, and even though researchers aren't yet certain about their function, it is likely that most of these molecules play important roles in cell-to-cell communications occurring within the plants.

How SBA affects human health is a more complicated question that has yet to be clearly answered in research studies. Adverse reactions to food lectins are well documented in scientific research and sometimes referred to under the heading of "food intolerance." For this reason, we'd place soybeans higher up on the list of foods potentially able to cause adverse reactions. But it's also important to note that the research on SBA is clearly mixed in terms of benefits and risks, and that large-scale human research on whole soy foods is still non-existent in this area. SBA and other soy lectins appear to have inflammatory effects under certain circumstances and anti-inflammatory effects under others. They also appear to have different effects on different types of cancer cells when studied in extract form in laboratory settings. From my perspective, no strong conclusions can be reached at this point with respect to SBA and soy lectins, except to reinforce awareness of soy food in general as potentially more likely to cause adverse reactions in susceptible individuals.

Soy also contains phytate (also called phytic acid) that can sometimes decrease mineral absorption, including absorption of the minerals calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Each of these minerals has a role to play in our health. Traditional methods of soybean fermentation appear to lower the activity of phytates found in soy. With cooking alone, there is more debate about the changes in phytate level. I have not seen any research that would support avoidance of whole soy foods for the sake of optimizing calcium, magnesium, iron, or zinc status. But I have seen research suggesting that highly processed soy foods-like commercially produced soy milks-may best be fortified with minerals like calcium in order to assure healthy mineral absorption. All of the precautions listed above are important considerations when deciding the role of soy foods in your Healthiest Way of Eating.

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Originally posted 3/2/08Scientists Cite Adverse Effects on Cardiovascular, Thyroid and Immune Systems

WASHINGTON, DC: February 19, 2008. Internationally acclaimed heart expert Kilmer McCully, MD, father of the homocysteine theory of heart disease, joined other scientists and consumer advocates in asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to drop the heart disease health claim for soy protein in documents filed February 19.

The Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit nutrition education organization based in Washington, DC, submitted a petition to the agency in response to FDA's request for comments as the agency considers rescinding the heart health claim that has been used by manufacturers to market soy as “heart healthy” since October 1999. McCully was one of several researchers who prepared the document.

“We have filed this petition because there was never a sound basis for a soy health claim and the heavy marketing of soy as a 'miracle food' has put American men, women and children at risk.” says Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food and lead author of the 65-page petition filed this morning at the FDA offices in Rockville, Maryland. “The heart health claim gave soy a “healthy” image and quickly boosted sales from under one billion per year to more than $4 billion per year.”

The petition was filed by Sally Fallon, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation. In addition to Dr Kilmer S. McCully, winner of the 1998 Linus Pauling Award, author of more than 70 papers in peer reviewed journals and author of two popular books The Homocysteine Revolution and The Heart Revolution, signers included Mary G. Enig, PhD, a world renowned biochemist and nutritionist who exposed the dangers of trans fats in the late 1970s; and Galen D. Knight, PhD, a biochemist who has extensively researched the role of vitalethine in humoral immunity and cancer prevention.
The petition notes that the FDA is mandated by law to retract the soy/heart disease health claim for the following reasons:

o Soy protein isolate and other highly processed modern soy protein products are not safe and have no long history of use in the food supply

o The evidence on soy protein and heart disease is contradictory and inconsistent, and no “standard of scientific agreement” has been met.

o Studies published since 1999 undermine the credibility of -- and conclusions drawn -- from key studies evaluated by the FDA when it approved the health claim in 1999.

o Recent studies show that soy can contribute to or cause heart disease, including endothelial damage (especially in women), heart arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy, an increasingly prevalent condition that affects 1 in 500 Americans.

o The mechanism by which soy might lower cholesterol could cause endocrine disruption, diminished humoral immunity and cancer development.

The ten thousand-member Weston A. Price Foundation has been a leader in alerting the public to the health dangers of soy oil and soy protein. “Thousands of studies link soy protein to digestive distress, thyroid damage, reproductive problems, infertility, ADD/ADHD, dementia, even heart disease and cancer,” says Dr. Daniel. “Populations at special risk are infants on soy formula, vegetarians who consume soy protein as meat and dairy substitutes and adults self-medicating with soy foods because of their belief that soy can prevent heart disease and other health problems.”

In 2005, the Weston A. Price Foundation protested a soy-prevents cancer health claim filed by the Solae Company with the FDA. Solae subsequently withdrew their petition in the face of massive evidence that soy can cause, contribute to and accelerate the growth of cancer, particularly breast cancer.

The FDA announced that will review the evidence on soy protein and heart disease because of mounting doubts and concerns by scientists and government agencies about soy protein. In January 2006, the American Heart Association in its journal Circulation advised health practitioners that soy has little effect on cholesterol and is unlikely to prevent heart disease. In August 2005, the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published a 245-page report stating that nearly all the research carried out on soy is “inconclusive,” that soy products appear to exert “a small benefit on LDL cholesterol and triglycerides” but that those effects are of “small clinical effect in individuals.”

Three foreign governments have issued warnings about soy. In 2005, the Israeli Health Ministry warned its citizens that babies should not receive soy formula, that children age 18 and under should consume soy foods or soy milk no more than once per day to a maximum of three times per week and that adults should exercise caution because of adverse effects on fertility and increased breast cancer risk.

In 2006, the French Food Agency (AFSSA) announced tough new regulations that will require manufacturers to improve the safety of soy infant formula and to put warning labels on packages of soy foods and soy milk.

In 2007, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment warned that babies should not be given soy infant formula “without clear, concrete medical reasons” and that adults should be wary of excess soy food and soy supplement consumption because they offer no proven health benefits and may pose health risks.

“Clearly soy is not the solution for people at risk for heart disease,” says Dr. Daniel. “In fact, possible benefits are far outweighed by proven risks to the thyroid, reproductive and immune systems. The time has come for the Food and Drug Administration to protect the public and withdraw the spurious 1999 heart disease health claim for soy protein.”

CONTACTS
Sally Fallon, President
The Weston A. Price Foundation
202-363-4394
safallon@aol.com

Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN
505-266-3252
wholenutritionist@earthlink.net

Kathleen M. Campbell, Campbell Public Relations, LLC
877-540-6022
kcampbell@thecompletesolution.com

Kaayla T. DANIEL, PhD, CCN, is THE WHOLE NUTRITIONIST®. She earned her PhD in Nutritional Sciences and Anti-Aging Therapies from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, is board certified as a clinical nutritionist (CCN) by the International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists in Dallas and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Weston A. Price Foundation. As a clinical nutritionist, she specializes in digestive disorders, women’s reproductive health issues, infertility, and recovery from vegetarian and soy¬based diets.

Dr. Daniel is the author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food (New Trends, 2005), which has been endorsed by leading health professionals, including Kilmer S. McCully MD, Doris J. Rapp MD, Jonathan V. Wright, MD, Russell Blaylock, MD, Larrian Gillespie, MD, Debra Lynn Dadd and Larry Dossey, MD, who called it “science writing at its best.”

Sally FALLON, MA, is President and Treasurer of the Weston A. Price Foundation and author of the best-selling Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats with Mary G. Enig, PhD. Fallon is a leading advocate for traditional diets and nutrient-dense foods. An articulate communicator, Fallon has extensive radio and television experience.

Sally Fallon (safallon@aol.com)
The Weston A. Price Foundation
PMB 106-380 4200 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20016
Phone : 202-363-4394