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''The Monster with Many Heads -- Cancer'' by Patrick Bouic, PhD, Whole Foods Magazine May 2002
A diagnosis of cancer given to anyone always instills fear of a death sentence and unless we educate the public on the dangers of certain practices, prevention measures and exactly what is available to combat this disease entity, we are not serving our clients. There are many misconceptions in the general public about the outcomes of cancer and the oncologists have the reputation of being “party poopers” when talking to their patients about diagnosis and prognosis of many cancers. “Madam, the type of cancer you have, there is a 25% chance of total recovery”. The patient sitting across his desk does not hear 25% success but rather 75% chance of failure!
Let us examine the facts about cancer, the factors that allow renegade cells to develop in our bodies and what natural therapies are available to prevent cancer and what can be done should you already be living with cancer.
Genetics: the facts revealed!
Geneticists have shown that the inheritance of cancer syndromes is due to over 25 genes that are directly involved in tumourigenesis (development of tumours). These genes have functions as diverse as signal transduction within renegade cells, cell cycle control, cell to cell adhesion, control of the programmed cell death process (apoptosis), DNA repair and the maintenance of normal cell functions and genome stability.
Approximately 5 to 10% of breast cancer are hereditary and results from mutations (changes in the genetic code of the cell). However, such mutations appear in far less than 1% of the general population. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2000) reported that “inherited factors make a minor contribution to susceptibility to most types of neoplasms. This finding indicates that the environment has the principle role in causing sporadic cancer”. The message is clear: one may carry the genes but it does not necessarily mean that the person will develop the cancer. It can be prevented.
Is our weight to blame?
Obesity and lack of exercise contribute up to a third of cancers of the colon, breast, kidney and digestive tract (reported by the WHO). This is due to the fact that sedentary persons tend to have higher serum oestrogen and higher serum insulin levels: both hormones being associated with a higher risk of developing cancer. The association between hyperinsulinaemia and cancer is due to the fact that the raised insulin level leads to an increase in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a factor known to promote mammary carcinogenesis. Adipose tissue has also been shown to produce a carcinogenic peptide that induces the chemical reaction of oestrogen into its carcinogenic form 16-hydroxyoestrogen. The take home message: keep the weight under control by regular exercise and nutritional control, we have less risks of developing this fearsome condition.
Is cancer due to our toxic world that we live in?
There is no doubt that the toxic overload that we endure and submit our bodies to everyday is largely responsible for favoring the development of renegade cells and the eventual establishment of tumours. Pesticides having oestrogenic activity have been well characterized and described in the scientific literature. Many chemicals and carcinogens are ever present in our work environment: asbestos, diesel exhausts, formaldehyde are but a few such molecules that are common in our very own living spaces. Get rid of known toxins and chemicals that harm our loved ones.
Are the superbugs responsible?
We are now identifying more microorganisms that are associated with increased incidences of certain cancers. Helicobacter pylorii (associated with stomach cancer), Hepatitis viruses (liver cancer), Human Papilloma virus (cervix), Herpes virus (Lymphoma): the list gets longer everyday as we learn more of their pathogenesis.
Let’s blame our stress levels!
There has been more than 2 decades of experimental evidence proving that psychological stress ultimately leads to an immune suppressed state. It was only when scientists showed that the stress hormone, Cortisol, released by the adrenal gland was directly responsible for this immune compromised state that we came to appreciate the impact that our emotional and psychological states can have on the way our immune system protected us.
The success of cancer therapy depends largely on how the patient is presented with the facts and what “outcome statistics” are used when dealing with the oncologists. We all want to hear the good news: share in the burden of the diagnosis of your loved ones and let’s undertake the journey to recovery together. It lessens the stress having to deal with a frightening disease and decreases the stress levels. Let’s keep our immunity in top gear to succeed! The mind does strange things when we are stressed.
What has gone wrong?
If we are equipped with a superbly fine-tuned system called immunity, why then do we develop such abnormal cells and finally get given the diagnosis that frightens us so? Why are we more at risk now than ever before? Is our immune system failing us? The answer to these is a resounding “YES”! Over the years, despite the fact that new bugs are appearing and we are generating abnormal cells everyday, our immune system is programmed to deal with these enemies. However, we are not providing the cells of immunity the right nutrients so that they can function optimally. We are simply taking for granted that the specialised killing cells will do what they are programmed to do: recognise abnormal cells and destroy them without hesitation. We assume that the foods we ingest still feed our bodies and are full of the nutrients that are so desperately needed by our own armory.
Essential Nutrients for a Healthy Immunity:
Isoflavones (eg genistein) are potent anticancer agents in that they arrest abnormal cells at a certain check point in the cell cycle. They also have potent activity against enzymes utilised by cancer cells to perpetuate the uncontrolled cell cycle and induce a process called apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells in vitro. Curcumin, another natural plant product, has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of breast cancer cell growth. Both genistein and curcumin act in synergy by possibly binding to the receptor for oestrogen on cells that depend on this hormone for their continual growth.
Lignans (present in flaxseed, dried seaweed, corn bran, oat bran, garlic and lentils) are helpful in the elimination of hormones: they bind to hormones (oestrogen, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone) and facilitate their excretion from the body. In patients presenting with hormonal imbalances, the increased intakes of lignans via nutrition is a useful weapon to combat the cancer (if it already has taken hold) or in the prevention of such a condition.
The significance of folate in cancer is due to the fact that folate causes the methylation of DNA thereby silencing certain genes implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer (nutrient modulation of gene expression). Folate also detoxifies xenobiotic phenols and hormones. The deficiency in this vitamin has been scientifically shown to induce chromosome breaks and elevated levels of certain bases (uracil) in the DNA: both factors known to be associated with an increased incidence of genetic abnormalities in cancer cells.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) inhibit chemically-induced skin, stomach, mammary and colon tumours. This is due to the enhancement of cell death (apoptosis), reduction of tumour burden and the inhibition of metastases of tumours.
Fruits and vegetables are packed with natural cancer fighters: tomatoes are packed with lycopene, a new kid on the block shown to fight off prostate cancer. D-limonene, an anti-carcinogenic present in citrus fruits block the DNA damaging effects of toxins. Indoles present in broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, have been reported to dramatically reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Fruits and vegetables are also full of sterols and sterolins, the natural fats. Extensive work has been ongoing with amazing results: these fats have the ability to enhance the killing ability of the cells responsible for keeping cancer cells under raps by getting the immune cells themselves to secrete factors which have anti-cancer properties (interferons). A new nutritional supplement (ModucareTM) containing the correct ratio of these sterols/sterolins has been tested clinically in many diseases and has yielded promising results. Researchers at Buffalo University have shown that one of the components (sterols) has the ability to induce death of cancer cells and to prevent the spreading of cells to distant organs (metastases of primary tumours). An animal model of colon cancer has also proved that the feeding of diets rich in sterols/sterolins has the ability to prevent tumours and to decrease the numbers of existing tumours in the animals fed this enriched diet.
Beta glucans (arabinogalactans) are soluble glyconutrients extracted from a variety of mushrooms, including Reishi, Maitake, Cordyceps and Shitaki mushrooms. These molecules are potent activators of an immune cell also involved in killing, namely the Natural Killer cell (NK cell). The glucans also render the “eater” of the immune system, the macrophages rather “angry” by enhancing the secretion of many factors that ultimately lead to increased immune activity, something that is usually inhibited or suppressed in most cancer patients.
Many vitamins and minerals also have their role to play in the protection of the host against cancer. Zinc, selenium, Vitamin C, CoQ10 are but a few that have been shown to improve overall immunity, a feature that would favour immune surveillance and the eradication of renegade cells.
We can go on here listing the many nutrients that prevent cancer (or are important to include in our daily diets should we be harboring abnormal cancer cells). One thing that we have to remember is that most nutrients will not be absorbed if we are in a state of dysbiosis. The gut flora is vital in ensuring that we digest the foods we ingest and facilitate the absorption of the many natural “healers” in our everyday foods.
There are no magic bullets that one can deploy when faced with cancer. It is a holistic approach that one has to adopt before problems arise: it comes down to lifestyle and nutrition. If we could guarantee the quality of our nutrition, it would never be necessary to supplement. However, the world has changed; it is no longer one full of fresh, unpolluted air and lots of untreated fruits and vegetables. We are constantly on the run, stressing when we have to meet deadlines. We are our own worst enemy! Let us slow down in order to enjoy the love and wonders that abound around us. Let’s protect ourselves: detoxify, let us manage our stress, we need to feed our immune cells and we need to be loved. We take so much for granted. We have a wonderful immune system that is meant to protect our bodies: let’s look after it.
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