» Cancer

Garlic-not only an immune booster

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:30:21 +0000

Garlic, recognized for its healing powers in ancient times,
is now being rediscovered by medical scientists, who have
new evidence of its efficacy against cancer and heart
disease.
“Medical texts from China, India, Egypt, Greece and Italy
mention medical applications of garlic, Cultures that
developed independently came to the same general
conclusions, namely, that garlic could be administered to
provide strength and to increase work capacity. Hippocrates,
considered the Father of Medicine, used garlic as an
essential component of one of his therapies.
New research on the health benefits of garlic, as published
in The Journal of Nutrition special issue, include the
following:

– Selenium — a compound found in garlic — may be
instrumental to garlic’s anti-cancer properties. (“Cancer
Chemoprevention by Garlic and Garlic-Containing Sulfur and
Selenium Compounds,” by Drs. K. El-Bayoumy and R. Sinha,
Penn. State; Dr. J. Pinto, Cornell-Burke Medical Research
Institute; and Dr. R. Rivlin, Weill Cornell Medical College)
– Garlic may slow the progression of coronary artery
calcification in patients on statin therapy. (“Aged Garlic
Extract Retards Progression of Coronary Artery Disease,” by
Dr. M. Budoff, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center)

– In addition to its cholesterol-lowering potential,
blood-pressure-lowering effects, and antioxidant properties,
garlic may help moderate levels of homocysteine, an amino
acid that is a marker for coronary artery disease.
(“Homocysteine-Lowering Action Is Another Potential
Cardiovascular Protective Factor of Aged Garlic Extract,” by
Drs. Y. Yeh and S. Yeh, Penn. State)

– Garlic may inhibit platelet aggregation — a major
contributing factor to cardiovascular disease — by
suppressing calcium mobilization. (“Aged Garlic Extract May
Inhibit Aggregation in Human Platelets by Suppressing
Calcium Mobilization,” by Drs. G. Allison, G. Lowe, and K.
Rahman, Liverpool John Moores University, U.K.)

– Garlic may reduce pre-cancerous gastric lesions.
(“Factorial Trial Including Garlic Supplements Assesses
Effect in Reducing Precancerous Gastric Lesions,” by Dr. M.
Gail, National Cancer Institute, and Dr. W. You, Beijing
Institute of Cancer Research)

– Garlic may suppress progression of precancerous lesions
of the large bowel. (“Aged Garlic Extract Has Potential
Suppressive Effect on Colorectal Adenomas in Humans,” by
Drs. S. Tanaka, Hiroshima University, Japan; K. Haruma,
Kawasaki Medical School, Japan; M. Yoshihara, Hiroshima
University, Japan; G. Kajiyama, Onomichi General Hospital,
Japan; K. Kira, Wakunaga Pharmaceutical, Japan; H. Amagase,
Wakunaga of America; and K. Chayama, Hiroshima University,
Japan)

How the Cancer Process Can Become Life-Threatening

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:25:46 +0000

Many, if not most, cancer deaths come as a result of
infection by bacteria, viruses, and fungi- microbes that
normally would be destroyed by the immune system. In the
case of cancer, the immune system becomes severely
suppressed, partly because of the systemic weakening brought
on by the cancer process and partly because of the negative,
toxic effects of conventional cancer treatment – essentially
chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation.
A tumour can directly interfere with the functioning of a
vital organ, such as the lungs, liver, pancreas, brain, or
kidneys, in effect, strangulating it. When a cancerous mass
becomes too large, it steals nourishment from the organ,
secreting toxins into it, or causing some form of physical
obstruction that effectively shuts the organ down.
Severe malnutrition or emaciation, which is a condition of
cellular starvation called cachexia (pronounced cah-
CHECK-see-yah) may affect up to 90% of all advanced cancer
patients and account for 50% of all cancer deaths. The
cancer process effectively starves cancer patients, using up
their energy reserves. These effects primarily result from
the body’s shifting to an inefficient use of fuel sources,
as well as the person’s loss of appetite.
Protein-calorie malnutrition is not uncommon among
hospitalized patients in general, and can lead to overall
weakness, apathy, increases in mortality and surgical
failure, a reduction in immunity, and poor responsiveness to
treatment. Some cancer patients die from hemorrhage
(uncontrolled blood loss from a failure of the blood to
clot), which is a frequent cause of death in leukemia, but
can also occur when a tumour grows into a large blood
vessel. Cancer can impair the blood’s ability to form clots
and internal bleeding can occur readily and persistently.
Cancer can also cause excessive clotting and the formation
of thrombi (plural of thrombus, which is a blood clot
attached to the interior wall of a vein or artery), cutting
off the blood supply to a vital organ.

Can diet influence the risk of getting breast cancer?

admin — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:55:25 +0000

More and more studies showing now that the type of foods we

eat can genetically modify our bodies and the risk of all

major diseases.

For years, researchers have studied the role of diet

in breast cancer. By comparing different countries,

researchers found strong links between high fat diets and

breast cancer risk. The disease is rare where the diets are

very low in fat and where rice and other plant products are

dietary staples. For example, before 1950, the rice-based

Japanese diet drew less than 10 percent of its calories from

fat. Breast cancer was exceedingly rare. But over the years,

as Western influences have altered Japanese eating habits,

breast cancer rates have climbed dramatically.

These international studies are just one line of

evidence, however. Case-control studies are another research

tool in which researchers compare diets of cancer patients (

“case”) with those of healthy women of similar age and

background ( “ control”). Such studies have also shown a

links between fatty diets and higher risk of breast cancer,

and even on cancer patient’s chances for survival. One

study tracking Canadian breast cancer patients for ten years

found that for 5 percent increase in saturated fat in diets,

the risk of dying of breast cancer shot up by 50 percent.

How does fat do its dirty work? Fat increase the

amount of estrogen in the blood. In turn, this hormone

stimulates breast cells in such a way that cancer is more

likely to occur and is more aggressive. Fatty foods also

leads to obesity which itself is linked to higher estrogen

levels in the blood. Increased estrogen levels are also

linked with early menarche ( onset of first period), also a

breast cancer risk factor.

Despite such evidence, doubts about the fat

connection have persisted, fueled mainly by the results of a

large study of nurses run by Harvard University in which

researchers found no association between fatty diets and

breast cancer rates.

Why the conflicting results? Unlike the

populations examined in international studies, the nurse

were a fairly homogeneous group, all eating fairly high-fats

diets. No group in the study was following anything similar

to a traditional Asian diet or other low -fat diet.

As important as it is to get fat off your plate,

it’s just as important to pile on the vegetables and other

healthful plants foods. Their fiber helps cut breast cancer

risk by naturally decreasing estrogen levels. Plants foods

are also rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and other

vitamins which protect cells against damage. Unlike animal

products, most plants foods have little fat and do not store

up large amounts of pesticide residue.

A brisk morning walk- or any other regular exercise-

also helps cut breast cancer risk.

Of course, the good fats ( omega 3 and 6), known as

essential fatty acids are vital to one’s health. Their

paramount importance comes from the facts that they

constitute the membranes of every cell in the body,

therefore the ones allowing nutrients into the cells(to be

processed) and toxins out of the cells ( to the eliminated).

The major organ helping fats metabolism is the liver,

therefore ensuring that the liver always works well one can

reduce breast cancer risks.