Nutritional and Botanical Considerations in the Systemic Treatment of Cancer: 2010 Update

Dana Myatt, N.M.D. and Mark Ziemann, R.N.

Overview

Some types of cancer are consistently responsive to conventional medical treatment, especially those amenable to surgical intervention when diagnosed early. Cytotoxic therapy is helpful in selected instances. For most cancers, especially those advanced beyond Stage I or II, conventional treatments that evoke durable remissions are elusive and inconsistent. In many instances, cytotoxic and radiation therapies end a patient’s life sooner than the natural course of the disease would be expected to.

Alternative cancer therapies, while typically gentler and less inherently dangerous, have also proven inconsistent for evoking durable remissions. However, instances can be found where durable remissions and event apparent cure have been obtained by unconventional and alternative treatments used as stand-alone therapy. When used in conjunction with conventional treatments, alternative therapies can sometimes potentiate the positive effects of conventional therapy, mitigate the negative effects, or both.

The questions we will examine in this presentation include:

I.) Which alternative treatments are most effective as the sole treatment for malignancy and when should they be used?

II.) Which alternative treatments are most effective as adjuncts to conventional therapy?

III.) Which alternative treatments may be contraindicated for adjunct cancer therapy?

A careful review of the medical literature reveals that there are in fact specific modes of action to explain when and why alternative treatments are effective and when such treatments fail.

Cancer Cell Characteristics: Understanding the Enemy

Developing a cohesive and effective treatment strategy requires an understanding of the behavior and biology of cancer cells. Although various cancer types display unique behaviors, there are a number of characteristics common to all solid tissue malignancies:

1. Altered interactions with neighboring cells. Unlike normal cells whose division stops when neighboring cells are encountered, cancer cells continue to multiply with uncontrolled growth. This trait is known as lack of contact inhibition.

Normal cells require a solid substrate (basement membrane) upon which to grow. This is known as anchorage-dependent growth. Cancer cells are anchorage-independent, growing in circumstances where they are deprived of substrate.

2. Altered cellular metabolism. Cancer cells demonstrate a greatly increased rate of glucose transport. Anaerobic glycolysis is the predominant energy pathway of cancer cells, even in the presence of adequate oxygen. This may partly explain the large amount of metabolic acids produced by cancer cells.

Tumor cells have reduced growth requirements and will proliferate in culture media (less than 1% serum) that halt cell growth and division of normal cells.

3. Vascularization. Tumor cells secrete angiogenic growth factors which cause non-neoplastic blood vessels to grow from surrounding normal tissue. Research indicates that associated fibrin deposits many be necessary for angiogenesis. (1,2)

4. Invasion and metastasis. Multiple characteristics allow for local invasion and distant metastasis.

Cancer cells often secrete enzymes including collagenase, heparinase and stromolysin which are capable of degrading basement membrane and allowing invasion of tumor into adjacent tissues and general circulation.

Inflammation is caused by cellular substances, high acid cellular waste, and tumor pressure on adjacent normal tissue which produces histamine, leukotrienes and prostaglandins of the 2 series, increasing capillary permeability.

Anchorage independence (discussed above) allows cancer cells to travel through the blood stream without substrate. Normal cells do not have this ability. Once a clump of cancerous sells has made its way into general circulation, aggregates of platelets and/or fibrin encasement may serve as protection from the immune system.

Cancer cells have affinity for metastasis to certain and predictable locations not related to obvious blood flow patterns. Unidentified tissue chemotactic factors or lectin binding sites may account for this attraction. (3)

5. Escape from immune surveillance. Carcinogenic burden may simply overwhelm available immune surveillance, especially in the immunocompromised host.

Many cancer patients have apparently intact immune systems, however, and it is felt that cancer cells may secrete substances which circumvent the host’s immune response. Such immune-eluding substances include prostaglandins and other inflammatory substances. Fibrin and platelet aggregation may also serve to assist in protection from host immune response.

Tumor cells also appear to escape host immunity by down-regulation of Human Leukocytic Antigen (HLA) expression. HLA assists lymphocyte recognition of target cells.

Causes of Cancer

Understanding the causes of a particular cancer gives valuable clues to vulnerabilities and points of attack. Immune system dysfunction has long been considered a primary cause and point of treatment in alternative cancer treatment. However, there is significant evidence to suggest that immune dysfunction is only one of a number of causative factors and certainly NOT the most important one.

It appears that very few cancers have a single cause or “initiator.” Instead, most cancers may begin as a series of combination of events that lead to mutation. Tumor initiation begins when DNA in a cell or population of cells is damaged by exposure to exogenous or endogenous carcinogens. This alone is not sufficient to give rise to cancer. Damage at this point can be repaired. If DNA damage is not repaired or damaged cells eliminated, and if the microenvironment of the damaged calls are suitable to contribute to cell growth, then the process continues to the “promotion” phase. (48,49,50,51,52)

Known initiators of cancer include:

1. Genetic factors. A number of genetic factors may play a role in susceptibility to cancer, although study of this aspect of malignancy is a newly emerging field. (47) Such genetic factors include APC/MCC (45,46), RAS, DCC, p53 mutations and/or allelic losses, hyperexpression of c-MYC and RB genes. (10)

Mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene is the most frequently observed genetic lesion in human cancer; more than 50% of all human tumors examined to date have identifiable p53 gene point mutations or deletions. (4,5,6,7,14) While some p53 gene mutation is heritable, the majority of tumor suppressor gene mutation appears inducible, primarily by environmental factors. (8,9,11,12,13,15,16,17)

Although genetics undoubtedly play a role in susceptibility to cancer, it is estimated that less than 25% of all cancers are genetically related. (58)

2. 2.) Chronic viral infections. Chronic infections of Epstein-Barr(EBV) (18,19,20,21,32) ,Human Papilloma (HPV) (22,23,24,25), Hepatitis C (HCV) (26), Hepatitis B (HBV) (27), Cytomegalovirus (CMV) (28,29,30), human polyomaviruses JC(JCV) and BK (BKV) (31), and others predispose to cancer development.

3. 3.) Chronic inflammation.(32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,47)

4. 4.) Toxins, both endogenous and exogenous, can initiate cancer by causing ROS which in turn damage DNA. A number of exogenous and endogenous chemicals are considered carcinogenic, although the rate and degree of internal detoxification, especially phase II liver enzymes, are an important part of the initiation process. Few substances are carcinogenic per se without contribution from faulty or under-functioning internal detoxification systems. (53,54,55,56,57,58,59)

5. 5.) Ionizing radiation. X-rays and other sources of ionizing radiation are known to cause DNA mutations consistent with cancer initiation. (60)

Cancer Promoters

DNA damage alone is usually insufficient to initiate tumor development. If the DNA damage is repaired or the damaged cell is eliminated, the multi-step process of cancer development will be thwarted. If, however, mutagenic damage is not repaired and/or the damaged cell is not eliminated, and if the cellular environment is conducive to cell growth, then damaged cells can multiply. This stage is known as “progression” and it is a necessary step for the development of malignancy. Factors which promote malignant cell growth include:

1.) Nutritional deficiencies. Certain vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and phytonutrients act in a number of ways to thwart malignant cell promotion. The mechanisms of actions are many and varied but include ROS inactivation, upregulation of detoxification pathways, esp. phase II liver enzyme pathways, direct decrease or neutralization of carcinogenic compounds, and immune system enhancement. Deficiencies of any one of the nutrients involved in these protective processes can leave the organism vulnerable to the promotion phase of cancer development.(61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71)

2.) Extracellular milieu. Blood glucose, insulin, cortisol, and arachadonic-derived prostatglandins (especially PGE2) act as promoters. In hormone-responsive cancers, estrogens, testosterone, prolactin and sex hormone metabolites and mimickers can also promote cell growth. The metabolic state of the organism therefore plays a major role in the promotion of cancer. (72,73,74,75,76,77)

3.) Inflammation. In addition to being an initiator of cancer, inflammation also acts to promote cancer in several ways, primarily by altering the cell-to-cell communication and delaying local detoxification. (32,33,34,35,37,38,39,40)

Treatment Strategies

Treatment strategies involve interfering with cancer progression at any phase of development, but initiation and promotion stages present the greatest opportunity for intervention.

To prevent the DNA damage which occurs during initiation, steps can be taken to mitigate sources of mutation, as follows:

I.) Genetic factors. While this aspect of initiation might seem the hardest to compensate for, it must be remembered that genetic mutation represents only weakness, not a forgone conclusion that cancer will develop. Minimizing other predispositions to initiation, such as nutrient deficiencies and carcinogenic exposure, can be sufficient to overcome heritable weaknesses. Further, dietary fasting, calorie restriction (CR) or a ketogenic diet (KD) have been shown to suppress the p53 oncogene, rendering this most common genetic factor less relevant. (78)

II.) Chronic viral infections. As with genetic factors, the presence of a chronic viral infection does not, by itself, mean an initiating certainly. Immune-enhancing strategies, anti-viral therapies and avoidance of other known initiators may be sufficient to prevent virally-caused mutagenesis.

III.) Chronic inflammation. Now known as a risk factor for heart disease, rheumatic disease and cancer, even subtle levels of inflammation, as measured by an hs-CRP blood test, can elevate risk of initiation. Fortunately, such inflammatory conditions respond well to nutritional, botanical and dietary modification. CR and KD have both been shown to reduce inflammation. Bromelain, curcumin and other anti-cancer drugs are, perhaps not coincidentally, also potent anti-inflammatory substances.

IV.) Toxins and radiation. Minimization of exposure and optimal dietary antioxidants can help offset the effects of environmental toxins, whether chemicals or ionizing radiation. Avoidance of exposure is also an obvious but often-overlooked preventive measure.

The Most Potent Anti-Cancer Strategy Known

“Attack by stratagem: hence, to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting” —Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”

Nutritional and botanical factors can have profound positive effects in cancer treatment, either alone or as adjuncts to conventional treatment.

The single most potent anti-cancer strategy documented in the medical literature is to strike at the core of cancer’s metabolism: anaerobic glycolysis. Numerous animal and human studies have demonstrated that the glycolytic pathway of cancer cells can be confounded by the metabolic state of ketosis, often with profound apoptotic effects on cancer cells but without consequence to normal cells. In fact, the metabolic state of ketosis may curtail cancer growth by a number of different mechanisms:

I.) Greatly decreasing the glucose substrate required for cancer cell metabolism. Most tumors express abnormalities in the number and function of their mitochondria (80,81,88,89). Such abnormalities would prevent the bioenergetic utilization of ketone bodies, which require functional mitochondria for their oxidation.

II.) Decreasing insulin, a secondary growth factor for cancer cells.

III.) Decreasing inflammation (metabolic ketosis has anti-inflammatory effects). (85,86,87)

IV.) Decreasing ROS production. (82,83,84)

As one author pointed out, why would we believe that cells damaged by mutation are more resilient than normal cells? The answer is: they are not. Malignant cells are largely incapable of the metabolic flexibility displayed by normal cells, and therein lies their weakness and the potential for a gentle but highly effective point of attack.

Ketosis can be achieved by a high fat, moderate protein, low carbohydrate diet or by a calorie-restricted (CR) diet. Both methods of achieving ketosis have proven to decrease the production of ROS. Calorie restriction (CR) has a long history of experimentation in animals where it has also been seen to increase ROS antioxidant defense systems including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. (90)

In spite of improved availability of foods containing anti-carcinogenic phytonutrients and vitamins, many types of cancer have not declined as expected. This correlates to the overall calorie increase and overweight condition of our society, a condition which puts us in “constant feast” mode instead of the periodic fasting our ancestors previously experienced. (91) Many observers feel that our previous occasional fast, which would induce ketosis, was also beneficial for cancer control. It has also been hypothesized that some alternative cancer treatments, such as juice fasting or the use of Coley’s toxins, are effective primarily because they induce metabolic ketosis.

Additional Nutritional and Botanical Interventions

Although virtually any nutrient or herb can be considered in cancer treatment because of the multiple systems involved in same, only a relatively small handful of specific nutrients and botanicals have been well-studied and consistently proven to benefit the cancer patient. We will confine our discussion to those substances with a long history of use in human malignancy.

Nutritional Supplementation in the Treatment of Cancer

Supplements of proven utility in cancer treatment include:

I.) Vitamin C: long used for it’s dual function of immune up-regulation and direct toxicity to cancer cells, but doses sufficient to achieve the cytotoxic effect are unobtainable via the oral route. For this reason, IV vitamin C should be considered in cancer therapy. (92)

II.) Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): vitamin D deficiency is a known risk factor for cancer development.(93) D3 induces differentiation, inhibits angiogenesis (94, 95,96) and shows antitumor activity.(97,98,99) It may also up-regulate vitamin A receptors.(94) Vitamin D3 may serve to prevent metastatic bone disease in higher doses, perhaps because it is needed for normal calcification of bone matrix.

III.) Melatonin: a hormone produced by the pituitary gland which regulates sleep and circadian rhythms. Melatonin is a more potent antioxidant than glutathione or vitamin E (101). In vitro, it demonstrates anti-estrogen activity and immune stimulation. (100) Recent studies show that melatonin inhibits cell proliferation profoundly in vivo but only weakly in vitro. It is synergistic with IL-2 and increases the effectiveness of IL-2 treatment. (102)

IV.) CoQ10 (ubiquinone): this vitamin-like compound is involved in mitochondrial energy production. The heart is a high user of CoQ10 and many chemotherapeutic drugs deplete body stores of this nutrient. CoQ10 has been used successfully to reduce chemotherapy-induced cardio toxicity. In breast cancer patients, a dose of 90mg daily increases late stage survival dramatically. Three cases of complete remission have been documented at higher doses (300-400mg) per day. (103)

V.) Selenium: studies show that seleium interferes with the activity of p53 genes that promote the growth of cancer and induces apoptosis (104,105,106).

VI.) Tocotrienols: a member of the Vitamin E family, tocotrienols induce apoptosis and S-phase arrest (107,108) and inhibit proliferation. (109)

Botanical Considerations in Cancer Treatment

A HIGHLY SELECTIVE MATERIA MEDICA

Classified by action:

Natural Killer (NK) Cell Activation

Allium sativum

Astragalus

Echinacea spp.

Eleutherococcus senticosus

Panax ginseng

T-Cell Activation

Allium sativum

Astragalus

Echinacea spp.

Eleutherococcus

Anti-tumerogenic

Allium sativum

Berberine derivatives:

Hydrastis canadensis

Berberis aquifolia

B. vulgaris

Curcuma longa

Echinacea spp.

Stimulants of IgG & IgM Production

Panax ginseng

Anti-inflammatory

Ananas comosus

Curcuma longa

Fibrinolytic

Allium sativum

Ananas comosus

Macrophage Activation

Allium sativum

Aloe vera

Berberine derivatives:

Hydrastis canadensis

Berberis aquafolia

B. vulgaris

Coumarine derivatives:

Angelica sinensis-dong quai

Meliotus officinalis-sweet clover

Trifolium pratense- red clover

Echinacea spp.

Anti-metastatic

Ananas comosus

Larix spp.

modified citrus pectin (MCP)

Cytotoxic (IV administration)

Catharanthus roseus- periwinkle

vinblastin,vincristine,

vindesin,vinorelbine

Podophyllum peltatum-mayapple-podophyllotoxin

Taxus batacca- English yew- docetaxel

Taxotere®

Taxus brevifolia- Pacific yew- paclitaxel

Taxol®

Viscum album-mistletoe- Iscador®]

Materia Medica

Allium sativum (Liliaceae) – Garlic

As a food and a medicine, garlic comes closest to being a true panacea. Research has proved garlic’s immune-potentiating ability, including activation of NK and T-cells. (1,2,3,4.) Garlic is fibrinolytic, decreases platelet aggragation (5,6,7) and has been shown to have direct anti-tumor effects. 8,9,10. It is also a potent broad-spectrum antimicrobial, effective against alpha- and beta- Strep., E. coli., Klebsiella pneumonia, Mycobacterium, Salmonella, Staph. aureus, and Proteus spp. (17, 18, 19)

Aloe vera (Liliaceae) – Aloes

Acemannan, a water-soluable polysaccharide in Aloe vera, is a known immuno-stimulant (27,28) and anti-viral. (29) It’s mechanism of action is thought to be via stimulation of macrophage secretion of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), interleukon, and interferon.

Ananas comosus (Bromeliaceae) – Pineapple (bromelain)

Bromelain is a sulfur-containing proteolytic enzyme from the stem of the pineapple plant. Other constituents include a non-proteolytic plasminogen activator, a peroxidase, and several protease inhibitors. (22,23)

Bromelain possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity by selective inhibition of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. (16, 20) It also possesses fibrinolytic activity secondary to plasminogen activator (21) which may account for the antimetastatic properties seen in vivo. (24, 25, 26)

Astragalus membranaceus (Leguminosae) – Astragalus, Milk Vetch, Huang QI

Astragalus increases NK and T cell activity (11,12) in both normal and immunocompromised hosts.(13) It increases interferon production and is antibiotic against Shigella, Strep., Staph. and Diplococcus.(15)

Berberine derivatives:

Hydrastis Canadensis – (Ranunculaceae) – Goldenseal

Berberis aquafolia – (Berberidaceae) – Oregon Grape

Berberis vulgaris – (Berberidaceae) – Barberry

Berberine, an alkaloid derivative from various plants, has demonstrated significant antitumor effects with kill rates of 81% in vivo and 91% in vitro. This compares favorably to BCNU, a chemotherapeutic agent with a kill rate of 43% in vitro. (30)

Berberine sulfate also shows macrophage activation and cytostatic activity against tumor cells in vitro. (31) Berberine is well known for its broad spectrum antimicrobial activity (32,33,34) which is most effective in a neutral to alkaline medium. (35)

Courmarin derivatives:

Angelica sinensis – (Umbelliferaceae) – Dong quai

Metolium officinalis – Sweet clover

Trifolium pretense – (Leguminosae) – Red clover

Coumarin (1,2-benzopyrone) is a component of several medicinal plants that have been used historically in the treatment of cancer. Recent research has shown an immunomodulatory effect through activation of macrophages and monocytes. (39)

Curcuma longa – (Zingiberaceae) – Turmeric

Curcumin, a major component in turmeric, is a potent antioxidant and hepatoprotectant. It has been shown to inhibit cancer in all stages of development (initiation, promotion, and progression), (36) and provide symptom relief when used topically on external cancers. (37)

Anti-inflammatory effects are believed due to its ability stabilize lysosomal membranes and uncouple oxidative phosphorylation. At higher doses, curcumin stimulates endogenous corticoid release. (38)

Echinacea purpura, E. angustifolia (Compositae) – Purple coneflower

Echinacea is one of the most widely studied medicinal herbs, and its immune-potentiating effects are not in question.

Arabinogalactin, a purified polysaccharide from E. purpura, has been shown to activate macrophage cytotoxicity to tumor cells, increase interferon production, stimulate T-lymphocyte production and activity, enhance NK cell activity and increase levels of circulating neutrophils. (40, 41, 42,43)

Echinacea stimulates non-specific defense mechanisms including alternate complement pathway. (44) It is anti-tumerogenic in animal models. (45)

Eleutherococcus senticosis – (Araliaceae) – Siberian ginseng

Eleutherococcus has been shown to both elevate numbers and activate helper / inducer lymphocytes and NK cells. (46)

It has been revered in Russia as an adaptogen, and studies confirm that it normalizes numerous physical functions regardless of the direction of imbalance. (47)

Larix occidentalis, L. dahurica – (Pinaceae) – Larch

Larch is a deciduous conifer that contains an arabinogalactan similar to that in other “immune enhancing” herbs including Echinacea spp., Baptisia tinctora, and Curcuma longa.

Larch arabinogalactans have been shown to reduce the number of liver metastasis in multiple studies (48,49,50,51), perhaps by acting as a “reverse lectin” and blocking tumor binding sites. (52) A similar effect has been noted for Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP). (See below)

Panax ginseng – (Araliaceae) – Chinese or Korean ginseng

Ginsenosides, an active constituent in P. ginseng, have been shown to increase both the number and the activity of lymphocytes in healthy subjects. (53)

Large doses in lab animals (human equivalent of 500 -125,000 mg) for five days increased IgG and IgM formation by 50 and 100% respectively, and enhanced NK cell activity and interferon production. (54)

Ginseng has long been considered an adaptogenic herb, and recent research verifies that it increases resistance to physical and chemical stress. (55,56)

Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP)

Pectin, a high molecular-weight polysaccharide present in the cell wall of all plants, can be pH degraded to produce a modified (smaller) polysaccharide with anti-metastatic capabilities. (57) MCP appears to bind with galectins on cancer cell surfaces, inhibiting aggregation and adherence to normal cells (58) and offering anti-metastatic protection in animal models. (59,60,61)

In Summary

Much more is known about the management of cancer, including how to evoke durable remissions and even cure, than is generally used or discussed in conventional medicine. Perhaps this is because some of the most powerful and proven therapies do not require drugs or invasive intervention.

“Those who battle nature as their enemy will lose; those who use nature to battle their enemy will win.” —Mark Ziemann, R.N.

References:

1.) Kandil O.M., et al.: Garlic and the immune system in humans: its effect on natural killer cells. Fed Proc 46:441, 1987.

2.) Morioka, N., Morton, D.L., and Irie, R.F.: A protein fraction from aged garlic extract enhances cytotoxicity and proliferation of human lymphocytes mediated by interleukin-2 and conavalin. Proc Ann Meet Am Assoc Cancer 34:A3297, 1993.

3.) Lau, B.H., Yamasaki, T., and Gridley, D.S.: Garlic compounds modulate macrophage and T-lymphocyte function. Mol Biother 3:103-107, 1991.

4.) Hollstein M, Sidransky D, Vogelstein B, Harris CC. p53 mutations in human cancers. Science 1991;253:49-53.

5.) Law JC, Whiteside TL, Gollin SM, Weissfeld J, El-Ashmawy L, Srivastava S, Landreneau RJ, Johnson JT, Ferrell RE.: Variation of p53 mutational spectra between carcinoma of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Clin Cancer Res. 1995 Jul;1(7):763-8.

6.) Harris CC: 1995 Deichmann Lecture–p53 tumor suppressor gene: at the crossroads of molecular carcinogenesis, molecular epidemiology and cancer risk assessment. Toxicol Lett. 1995 Dec;82-83:1-7.

7.) Kohler MF, Marks JR, Wiseman RW, Jacobs IJ, Davidoff AM, Clarke-Pearson DL, Soper JT, Bast RC Jr, Berchuck A.: Spectrum of mutation and frequency of allelic deletion of the p53 gene in ovarian cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993 Sep 15;85(18):1513-9.

8.) Puisieux A, Lim S, Groopman J, Ozturk M.: Selective targeting of p53 gene mutational hotspots in human cancers by etiologically defined carcinogens. Cancer Res. 1991 Nov 15;51(22):6185-9.

9.) Lasky T, Silbergeld E.:P53 mutations associated with breast, colorectal, liver, lung, and ovarian cancers. Environ Health Perspect. 1996 Dec;104(12):1324-31.

10.) Karakosta A, Golias Ch, Charalabopoulos A, Peschos D, Batistatou A, Charalabopoulos K.: Genetic models of human cancer as a multistep process. Paradigm models of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and chronic myelogenous and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2005 Dec;24(4):505-14.

11.) Sakaguchi S, Yokokawa Y, Hou J, Zhang XL, Li XP, Li SS, Li XX, Zhu DC, Kamijima M, Yamanoshita O, Nakajima T.: Environmental exposure and p53 mutations in esophageal cancer patients in areas of low and high incidence of esophageal cancer in China. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2005 Dec;207(4):313-24.

12.) Van Vleet TR, Watterson TL, Klein PJ, Coulombe RA Jr.: Aflatoxin B1 alters the expression of p53 in cytochrome P450-expressing human lung cells.Toxicol Sci. 2006 Feb;89(2):399-407. Epub 2005 Nov 9.

13.) Hong HH, Dunnick J, Herbert R, Devereux TR, Kim Y, Sills RC.: Genetic alterations in K-ras and p53 cancer genes in lung neoplasms from Swiss (CD-1) male mice exposed transplacentally to AZT. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2006 Jan 4; [Epub ahead of print]

14.) Le Roux E, Gormally E, Hainaut P.: Somatic mutations in human cancer: applications in molecular epidemiology. Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique. 2005 Jun;53(3):257-66.

15.) Ohgaki H, Kleihues P.: Epidemiology and etiology of gliomas. Acta Neuropathol (Berl). 2005 Jan;109(1):93-108. Epub 2005 Feb 1.

16.) Schroeder JC, Conway K, Li Y, Mistry K, Bell DA, Taylor JA.: p53 mutations in bladder cancer: evidence for exogenous versus endogenous risk factors. Cancer Res. 2003 Nov 1;63(21):7530-8.

17.) Gao WM, Romkes M, Day RD, Siegfried JM, Luketich JD, Mady HH, Melhem MF, Keohavong P. Association of the DNA repair gene XPD Asp312Asn polymorphism with p53 gene mutations in tobacco-related non-small cell lung cancer. Carcinogenesis. 2003 Oct;24(10):1671-6. Epub 2003 Jul 4.

18.) Foster AE, Rooney CM.: Improving T cell therapy for cancer. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2006 Mar;6(3):215-29.

19.) Dutta N, Gupta A, Mazumder DN, Banerjee S. Down-regulation of locus-specific human lymphocyte antigen class I expression in Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer: implication for viral-induced immune evasion. Cancer. 2006 Apr 15;106(8):1685-93.

20.) Luo B, Wang Y, Wang XF, Gao Y, Huang BH, Zhao P.: Correlation of Epstein-Barr virus and its encoded proteins with Helicobacter pylori and expression of c-met and c-myc in gastric carcinoma. World J Gastroenterol. 2006 Mar 28;12(12):1842-8.

21.) Ng MH, Chan KH, Ng SP, Zong YS.: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes targeting EBV-carrying natural killer cell malignancies. Eur J Immunol. 2006 Mar;36(3):593-602.

22.)Doorbar J. Molecular biology of human papillomavirus infection and cervical cancer. Clin Sci (Lond). 2006 May;110(5):525-41.

23.)Castellsague X, Diaz M, de Sanjose S, Munoz N, Herrero R, Franceschi S, Peeling RW, Ashley R, Smith JS, Snijders PJ, Meijer CJ, Bosch FX; International Agency for Research on Cancer Multicenter Cervical Cancer Study Group: Worldwide human papillomavirus etiology of cervical adenocarcinoma and its cofactors: implications for screening and prevention. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Mar 1;98(5):303-15.

24.)Karagas MR, Nelson HH, Sehr P, Waterboer T, Stukel TA, Andrew A, Green AC, Bavinck JN, Perry A, Spencer S, Rees JR, Mott LA, Pawlita M. Human papillomavirus infection and incidence of squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas of the skin. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Mar 15;98(6):389-95.

25.)Zhao X, Rasmussen S, Perry J, Kiev J.The human papillomavirus as a possible cause of squamous cell carcinoma: a case study with a review of the medical literature. Am Surg. 2006 Jan;72(1):49-50.

26.) Yao F, Terrault N.: Hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma. Curr Treat Options Oncol. 2001 Dec;2(6):473-83.

27.) Wong ET, Chew YP, Lee LA, Lee CG.: Therapeutic strategies for hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma. Curr Drug Targets. 2002 Oct;3(5):369-78.

28.)Soderberg-Naucler C. Does cytomegalovirus play a causative role in the development of various inflammatory diseases and cancer? J Intern Med. 2006 Mar;259(3):219-46.

29.) Koch S, Solana R, Rosa OD, Pawelec G. Human cytomegalovirus infection and T cell immunosenescence: A mini review. Mech Ageing Dev. 2006 Feb 28; [Epub ahead of print]

30.)Pawelec G, Koch S, Gouttefangeas C, Wikby A. Immunorejuvenation in the elderly. Rejuvenation Res. 2006 Spring;9(1):111-6.

31.)Rollison DE, Engels EA, Halsey NA, Shah KV, Viscidi RP, Helzlsouer KJ.: Prediagnostic circulating antibodies to JC and BK human polyomaviruses and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 Mar;15(3):543-50.

32.) Khan G.: Epstein-Barr virus, cytokines, and inflammation: A cocktail for the pathogenesis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma? Exp Hematol. 2006 Apr;34(4):399-406.

33.)Dalgleish AG, O’Byrne K. Inflammation and cancer: the role of the immune response and angiogenesis. Cancer Treat Res. 2006;130:1-38.

34.)Schottelius AJ, Dinter H.: Cytokines, NF-kappaB, microenvironment, intestinal inflammation and cancer. Cancer Treat Res. 2006;130:67-87.

35.)Otani T, Iwasaki M, Sasazuki S, Inoue M, Tsugane S.: Plasma C-reactive protein and risk of colorectal cancer in a nested case-control study: Japan public health center-based prospective study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 Apr;15(4):690-5.

36.)Ernst P.: The role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1999 Mar;13 Suppl 1:13-8

37.)Dobrovolskaia MA, Kozlov SV.: Inflammation and cancer: when NF-kappaB amalgamates the perilous partnership.Curr Cancer Drug Targets. 2005 Aug;5(5):325-44.

38.) Naldini A, Carraro F.: Role of inflammatory mediators in angiogenesis. Curr Drug Targets Inflamm Allergy. 2005 Feb;4(1):3-8.

39.)Ohshima H, Tazawa H, Sylla BS, Sawa T.: Prevention of human cancer by modulation of chronic inflammatory processes. Mutat Res. 2005 Dec 11;591(1-2):110-22. Epub 2005 Aug 3.

40.)Coussens LM, Werb Z.: Inflammation and cancer. Nature. 2002 Dec 19-26;420(6917):860-7.

41.)Chung LW, Baseman A, Assikis V, Zhau HE.: Molecular insights into prostate cancer progression: the missing link of tumor microenvironment. J Urol. 2005 Jan;173(1):10-20.

42.)Wang X, Wang E, Kavanagh JJ, Freedman RS.: Ovarian cancer, the coagulation pathway, and inflammation. J Transl Med. 2005 Jun 21;3:25.

43.)Dempke W, Rie C, Grothey A, Schmoll HJ.: Cyclooxygenase-2: a novel target for cancer chemotherapy? J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2001 Jul;127(7):411-7.

44.)Jackson L, Evers BM.: Chronic inflammation and pathogenesis of GI and pancreatic cancers. Cancer Treat Res. 2006;130:39-65.

45.)Sanz-Ortega J, Sanz-Esponera J, Caldes T, Gomez de la Concha E, Sobel ME, Merino MJ. LOH at the APC/MCC gene (5Q21) in gastric cancer and preneoplastic lesions. Prognostic implications. Pathol Res Pract. 1996 Dec;192(12):1206-10.

46.)Fang DC, Jass JR, Wang DX, Zhou XD, Luo YH, Young J. Infrequent loss of heterozygosity of APC/MCC and DCC genes in gastric cancer showing DNA microsatellite instability. J Clin Pathol. 1999 Jul;52(7):504-8.

47.) de Visser K, Eichten A., Coussens L.,: Paradoxical roles of the immune system during cancer development. Nature Reviews Cancer 6, 24-37 (January 2006).

48.) Stephen D. Hursting, Thomas J. Slaga, Susan M. Fischer, John DiGiovanni, James M. Phang: Mechanism-Based Cancer Prevention Approaches: Targets, Examples, and the Use of Transgenic Mice. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 91, No. 3, 215-225, February 3, 1999.

49.) Slaga TJ. Mechanisms involved in two-stage carcinogenesis in mouse skin. In: Slaga TJ, editor. Mechanisms of tumor promotion. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 1984. p. 1-93.

50.) Sugimura T.: Multistep carcinogenesis: a 1992 perspective. Science. 1992 Oct 23;258(5082):603-7.

51.) Guengerich FP.: Metabolic activation of carcinogens. Pharmacol Ther. 1992;54(1):17-61.

52.) IB Weinstein: The origins of human cancer: molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis and their implications for cancer prevention and treatment–twenty-seventh G.H.A. Clowes memorial award lecture. Cancer Research, Vol 48, Issue 15 4135-4143.

53.)Rydlova H, Miksanova M, Ryslava H, Stiborova M.: Carcinogenic pollutants o-nitroanisole and o-anisidine are substrates and inducers of cytochromes P450.Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2005 Dec;149(2):441-7.

54.)Luersen L, Wellner T, Koch HM, Angerer J, Drexler H, Korinth G.: Penetration of beta-naphthylamine and o-toluidine through human skin in vitro. Arch Toxicol. 2006 Apr 5; [Epub ahead of print].

55.)Paustenbach DJ, Fehling K, Scott P, Harris M, Kerger BD.:Identifying soil cleanup criteria for dioxins in urban residential soils: how have 20 years of research and risk assessment experience affected the analysis? J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2006 Mar-Apr;9(2):87-145.

56.) Zahid M, Kohli E, Saeed M, Rogan E, Cavalieri E.: The greater reactivity of estradiol-3,4-quinone vs estradiol-2,3-quinone with DNA in the formation of depurinating adducts: implications for tumor-initiating activity. Chem Res Toxicol. 2006 Jan;19(1):164-72.

57.) Perchellet JP, Perchellet EM, Gali HU, Gao XM. Oxidant stress and multistage carcinogenesis. In: Mukhtar H, editor. Skin cancer: mechanisms and human relevance. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 1995. p. 145-80.

58.) Foundations of Wellness, U.C. Berkley Wellness Newsletter, April 2006.

59.)Bounias M.: Etiological factors and mechanism involved in relationships between pesticide exposure and cancer. J Environ Biol. 2003 Jan;24(1):1-8.

60.) JE Moulder: Power-frequency fields and cancer. Crit Rev Biomed Eng 26:1-116, 1998.

61.)Grubben MJ, van den Braak CC, Nagengast FM, Peters WH.: Low colonic glutathione detoxification capacity in patients at risk for colon cancer. Eur J Clin Invest. 2006 Mar;36(3):188-92.

62.)Davenport DM, Wargovich MJ.: Modulation of cytochrome P450 enzymes by organosulfur compounds from garlic. Food Chem Toxicol. 2005 Dec;43(12):1753-62.

63.)Yang P, Ebbert JO, Sun Z, Weinshilboum RM.: Role of the glutathione metabolic pathway in lung cancer treatment and prognosis: a review. J Clin Oncol. 2006 Apr 10;24(11):1761-9.

64.)Grandics P.: Cancer: a single disease with a multitude of manifestions? J Carcinog. 2003 Nov 18;2(1):9.

65.)Ahluwalia N.: Aging, nutrition and immune function. J Nutr Health Aging. 2004;8(1):2-6.

66.)Campbell SE, Stone WL, Lee S, Whaley S, Yang H, Qui M, Goforth P, Sherman D, McHaffie D, Krishnan K.: Comparative effects of RRR-alpha- and RRR-gamma-tocopherol on proliferation and apoptosis in human colon cancer cell lines. BMC Cancer. 2006 Jan 17;6:13.

67.)Chen C, Kong AN.: Dietary cancer-chemopreventive compounds: from signaling and gene expression to pharmacological effects. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2005 Jun;26(6):318-26.

68.) Mehta R, Laver GW, Stapley R, McMullen E.: Liver DNA adducts in methyl-deficient rats administered a single dose of aflatoxin B1. Carcinogenesis. 1992 Jul;13(7):1241-7.

69.) Ghoshal AK, Farber E.: Choline deficiency, lipotrope deficiency and the development of liver disease including liver cancer: a new perspective. Lab Invest. 1993 Mar;68(3):255-60.

70.)Tuohimaa P, Lyakhovich A, Aksenov N, Pennanen P, Syvala H, Lou YR, Ahonen M, Hasan T, Pasanen P, Blauer M, Manninen T, Miettinen S, Vilja P, Ylikomi T.: Vitamin D and prostate cancer. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2001 Jan-Mar;76(1-5):125-34.

71.)Ryan BM, Weir DG.: Relevance of folate metabolism in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. J Lab Clin Med. 2001 Sep;138(3):164-76.

72.)Rapp K, Schroeder J, Klenk J, Ulmer H, Concin H, Diem G, Oberaigner W, Weiland SK.Fasting blood glucose and cancer risk in a cohort of more than 140,000 adults in Austria. Diabetologia. 2006 Mar 24; [Epub ahead of print]

73.)Beck SA, Tisdale MJ. Effect of insulin on weight loss and tumour growth in acachexia model.Br J Cancer. 1989 May;59(5):677-81

74.) Fearon KC.: Nutritional pharmacology in the treatment of neoplastic disease. Baillieres Clin Gastroenterol. 1988 Oct;2(4):941-9.

75.) Bauer M, Hamm AC, Bonaus M, Jacob A, Jaekel J, Schorle H, Pankratz MJ, Katzenberger JD.: Starvation response in mouse liver shows strong correlation with life-span-prolonging processes. Physiol Genomics. 2004 Apr 13;17(2):230-44.

76.) Morita T, Tabata S, Mineshita M, Mizoue T, Moore MA, Kono S.: The metabolic syndrome is associated with increased risk of colorectal adenoma development: the Self-Defense Forces health study. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2005 Oct-Dec;6(4):485-9.

77.) Tabuchi M, Kitayama J, Nagawa H.: Hypertriglyceridemia is positively correlated with the development of colorectal tubular adenoma in Japanese men. World J Gastroenterol. 2006 Feb 28;12(8):1261-4.

78.) Berrigan D, Perkins SN, Haines DC, Hursting SD.: Adult-onset calorie restriction and fasting delay spontaneous tumorigenesis in p53-deficient mice. Carcinogenesis. 2002 May;23(5):817-22.

79.)Stopper H, Schinzel R, Sebekova K, Heidland A.: Genotoxicity of advanced glycation end products in mammalian cells. Cancer Lett. 2003 Feb 20;190(2):151-6.

80.) Meixensberger J, Herting B, Roggendorf W, Reichmann H: Metabolic patterns in malignant gliomas.J Neurooncol 1995, 24:153-161

81.) Pedersen PL: Tumor mitochondria and the bioenergetics of cancer cells. Prog Exp Tumor Res 1978, 22:190-274.

82.) Veech RL: The therapeutic implications of ketone bodies: the effects of ketone bodies in pathological conditions: ketosis, ketogenic diet, redox states, insulin resistance, and mitochondrial metabolism. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2004, 70:309-319.

83.) Veech RL: Metabolic control analysis of ketone and insulin action: Implications for phenotyping of disease and design of therapy.Lecture: The Dynamic and Energetic Basis of Health and Aging Monday, Nov 11 – Wednesday, Nov 13, 2002, The Cloister’s, NIH, Bethesda MD

84.) Masuda R, Monahan JW, Kashiwaya Y: D-beta-hydroxybutyrate is neuroprotective against hypoxia in serum-free hippocampal primary cultures. J Neurosci Res 2005, 80:501-509.

85.) Stewart JW, Koehler K, Jackson W, Hawley J, Wang W, Au A, Myers R, Birt DF: Prevention of mouse skin tumor promotion by dietary energy restriction requires an intact adrenal gland and glucocorticoid supplementation restores inhibition.Carcinogenesis 2005, 26:1077-1084

86.) Zhu Z, Jiang W, Thompson HJ: Mechanisms by which energy restriction inhibits rat mammary carcinogenesis: in vivo effects of corticosterone on cell cycle machinery in mammary carcinomas. Carcinogenesis 2003, 24:1225-1231.

87.) Patel NV, Finch CE: The glucocorticoid paradox of caloric restriction in slowing brain aging.Neurobiol Aging 2002, 23:707-717.

88.) Seyfried TN, Sanderson TM, El-Abbadi MM, McGowan R, Mukherjee P.: Role of glucose and ketone bodies in the metabolic control of experimental brain cancer.Br J Cancer. 2003 Oct 6;89(7):1375-82.

89.) Fearon KC.: Nutritional pharmacology in the treatment of neoplastic disease.Baillieres Clin Gastroenterol. 1988 Oct;2(4):941-9.

90.) Weindruch R, Walford RL, editors. The retardation of aging and disease by dietary restriction. Springfield (IL): C. Thomas; 1988. p. 1-291

91.) Wargovich MJ, Cunningham JE.:Diet, individual responsiveness and cancer prevention. J Nutr. 2003 Jul;133(7 Suppl):2400S-2403S.

92.)Padayatty SJ, Riordan HD, Hewitt SM, Katz A, Hoffer LJ, Levine M.: Intravenously administered vitamin C as cancer therapy: three cases.CMAJ. 2006 Mar 28;174(7):937-42.

93.)Holick MF.: Vitamin D: Its role in cancer prevention and treatment. Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 2006 Mar 10; [Epub ahead of print]

94.) Majewski S, Skopinska M, Marczak M, Szmurlo A, Bollag W, Jablonska S.: Vitamin D3 is a potent inhibitor of tumor cell-induced angiogenesis. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 1996 Apr;1(1):97-101.

95.) Majewski S, Szmurlo A, Marczak M, Jablonska S, Bollag W.: Synergistic effect of retinoids and interferon alpha on tumor-induced angiogenesis: anti-angiogenic effect on HPV-harboring tumor-cell lines.Int J Cancer. 1994 Apr 1;57(1):81-5.

96.) Majewski S, Szmurlo A, Marczak M, Jablonska S, Bollag W.: Inhibition of tumor cell-induced angiogenesis by retinoids, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and their combination.Cancer Lett. 1993 Nov 30;75(1):35-9.

97.) Wietrzyk J, Pelczynska M, Madej J, Dzimira S, Kusnierczyk H, Kutner A, Szelejewski W, Opolski A.: Toxicity and antineoplastic effect of (24R)-1,24-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (PRI-2191).Steroids. 2004 Sep;69(10):629-35.

98.) Vegesna V, O’Kelly J, Said J, Uskokovic M, Binderup L, Koeffle HP.: Ability of potent vitamin D3 analogs to inhibit growth of prostate cancer cells in vivo. Anticancer Res. 2003 Jan-Feb;23(1A):283-9.

99.) Schwartz GG, Eads D, Rao A, Cramer SD, Willingham MC, Chen TC, Jamieson DP, Wang L, Burnstein KL, Holick MF, Koumenis C.:Pancreatic cancer cells express 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1 alpha-hydroxylase and their proliferation is inhibited by the prohormone 25-hydroxyvitamin D3.Carcinogenesis. 2004 Jun;25(6):1015-26. Epub 2004 Jan 23.

100.) Reiter RJ, Melchiorri D, Sewerynek E, Poeggeler B, Barlow-Walden L, Chuang J, Ortiz GG, Acuna-Castroviejo D.: A review of the evidence supporting melatonin’s role as an antioxidant.J Pineal Res. 1995 Jan;18(1):1-11.

101.) Hill SM, Spriggs LL, Simon MA, Muraoka H, Blask DE.:The growth inhibitory action of melatonin on human breast cancer cells is linked to the estrogen response system. Cancer Lett. 1992 Jul 10;64(3):249-56.

102.) Lissoni P, Barni S, Cazzaniga M, Ardizzoia A, Rovelli F, Brivio F, Tancini G.: Efficacy of the concomitant administration of the pineal hormone melatonin in cancer immunotherapy with low-dose IL-2 in patients with advanced solid tumors who had progressed on IL-2 alone.Oncology. 1994 Jul-Aug;51(4):344-7.

103.) Boik, John: Cnacer and Natural Medicine, Oregon Medical Press, 1995,p.71.

104.) Drake EN.: Cancer chemoprevention: Selenium as a prooxidant, not an antioxidant. Med Hypotheses. 2006 Mar 28; [Epub ahead of print]

105.) Zhao R, Xiang N, Domann FE, Zhong W.: Expression of p53 enhances selenite-induced superoxide production and apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells.Cancer Res. 2006 Feb 15;66(4):2296-304.

106.) Sieber F, Daziano JP, Gunther WH, Krieg M, Miyagi K, Sampson RW, Ostrowski MD, Anderson GS, Tsujino I, Bula RJ.: ELEMENTAL SELENIUM GENERATED BY THE PHOTOBLEACHING OF SELENOMEROCYANINE PHOTOSENSITIZERS FORMS CONJUGATES WITH SERUM MACROMOLECULES THAT ARE TOXIC TO TUMOR CELLS.Phosphorus Sulfur Silicon Relat Elem. 2005;180(3-4):647-657.

107.) Wada S, Satomi Y, Murakoshi M, Noguchi N, Yoshikawa T, Nishino H.: Tumor suppressive effects of tocotrienol in vivo and in vitro.Cancer Lett. 2005 Nov 18;229(2):181-91. Epub 2005 Aug 10.

108.) Sylvester PW, Shah SJ, Samant GV.: Intracellular signaling mechanisms mediating the antiproliferative and poptotic effects of gamma-tocotrienol in neoplastic mammary epithelial cells.J Plant Physiol. 2005 Jul;162(7):803-10

109.) Shah SJ, Sylvester PW.: Gamma-tocotrienol inhibits neoplastic mammary epithelial cell proliferation by decreasing Akt and nuclear factor kappaB activity. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2005 Apr;230(4):235-41.

Materia Medica References:

1.) Kandil O.M., et al.: Garlic and the immune system in humans: its effect on natural killer cells. Fed Proc 46:441, 1987.

2.) Morioka, N., Morton, D.L., and Irie, R.F.: A protein fraction from aged garlic extract enhances cytotoxicity and proliferation of human lymphocytes mediated by interleukin-2 and conavalin. Proc Ann Meet Am Assoc Cancer 34:A3297, 1993.

3.) Lau, B.H., Yamasaki, T., and Gridley, D.S.: Garlic compounds modulate macrophage and T-lymphocyte function. Mol Biother 3:103-107, 1991. 4.) Kandil, O.M. et. al.: Garlic and the immune system in humans: Its effect on natural killer cells. Fed Proc 46:441, 1987.

5.) Legnani C., Frascaro M., Guazzaloca G., et al.: Effects of a dried garlic preparation on fibrinolysis and platelet aggragation in healthy subjects. Arzneim Forsch Drug Res 43:119-122, 1993.

6.) Kiesewetter H., et al.: effects of garlic coated tablets in peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Clin Investig 71:383-86, 1993.

7.) Orekhov, A.N., et al.: Direct anti-atherosclerotic related effects of garlic. Ann Med 27:63-65, 1995.

8.) Belman S.: Onion and garlic oils prohibit tumor promotion. Carcinogenesis 4(8):1063-5, 1983.

9.) Dausch JG., Nixon DW.: Garlic: a review of its relationship to malignant disease. Prev Med 19:346-61, 1990.

10.) Kroning, F.: Garlic as an inhibitor for spontaneous tumors in predisposed mice. Acta Unio Inter Contra Cancrum 20(3):855, 1964.

11.) Yang, Y.Z., et al.: Effect of Astragalus membranaceus on natural killer cell activity and induction with coxsacke B viral myocarditis. Chin Med J 103:304-7, 1990.

12.) Zhao,K.S., Manici, C., and Doria, G.: Enhancement of the immune response in mice by Astragalus membranaceus. Immunopharmacol 20:225-33, 1990.

13.) Chu, D.T., et al.: Immunotherapy with Chinese medicinal herbs, I: Immune restoration of local xenogenic graft-versus-host reaction in cancer patients by fractionated Astragalus membranaceus in vitro. J Clin Lab Immunol 25:119-123, 1988.

15.) Yunde, H., Guoling, M., Shuhua, W., et al.: Effect of radix Astragalus seuhedysari on the interferon system. Chin Med J 94:35-40, 1981.

16.) Taussig,S.: The mechanism of the physiological action of bromelain. Med Hypothesis 6:99-104, 1980.

17.) Sharma, V.D., et al.: Antibacterial properties of Allium sativum Linn.: In vivo and in vitro studies. Ind J Exp Biol 15:466-468, 1977.

18.) Cavallito, C.J., and Bailey, J.H.: Allicin, the antibacterial principal in Allium sativum, I: Isolation, physical properties, and antibacterial action. J Am Chem Soc 66:1950-51,1944.

19.) Elnima, E.I. et al.: The antimicrobial activity of garlic and onion extracts. Pharmazie 38:747-48, 1983.

20.) Taussig, S., Batkin, S.: Bromelain, the enzyme complex of pineapple (Ananas comosus) and its clinical application. An update. J Ethnopharm 22:191-203, 1988.

21.) Felton, G.E.: Fibrinolytic and antithrombotic action of bromelain may eliminate thrombosis in heart patients. Med Hypothesis, 6: 1123-33, 1980.

22.) Felton, G.E.: Does kinin released by pineapple stem bromelain stimulate production of prostaglandin E1-like compounds? Hawaii Med J 36:39-47, 1977.

23.) Taussig SJ.: The mechanism of the physiological action of bromelain. Med Hypothesis 6:99-104, 1980.

24.) Batkin, S., et al.: Modulation of pulmonary metastasis (Lewis lung carcinoma) by bromelain, an extract of the pineapple stam (Ananas comosus). Letter. Cancer Invest 6(2):241-242, 1988.

25.) Goldstein N., et al.: Bromelain as a skin cancer preventive in hairless mice. Hawaii Med J, 34:91-4, 1975.

26.) Gerard G., Therapeutique anti-cancreuse et bromelaines. Agressologie 3:261-274, 1972. (In French).

27.) Sheets, MA., Unger, BA., Giggleman GF Jr., Tizard, IR.: Studies of the effect of acemannan on retrovirus infections: Clinical stabilization of feline leukemia virus-infected cats. Mol Biother 3(1):41-45, 1991.

28.) Peng, SY., Norman J., Curtin G., et al.: Decreased mortality of Norman murine sarcoma in mice treated with the immunomodulator, acemannan. Mol Biother 3(2): 79-87, 1991.

29.) Kahlon, J.B., et al.: In vitro evaluation of the synergistic antiviral effects of acemannan in combination with azidothymidine and acyclovir. Mol Biother 3:214-23, 1991.

30.) Rong-xun Z., et al.: Laboratory studies of berberine used alone and in combination with 1,3bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosurea to treat malignant brain tumors. Chinese Med J 103(8):658-65, 1990.

31.) Kumazawa Y., et al.: Activation of peritoneal macrophages by berberine-type alkaloids in terms of induction of cytostatic activity. Int J Immunopharmacol 6(6):587-92, 1984.

32.) Hahn, F.E., Ciak, J.: Berberine. Antibiotics 3:577-88, 1976.

33.) Ghosh, A.K.: effect of berberine chloride on leishmania donovani. Ind J Med Res 78:407-16, 1983.

34.) Subbaiah, T.V., Amin, A.H.: Effect of berberine sulfate on E. histolytica. Nature 215:527-28, 1967.

35.) Amin, A.H., Subbaiah, T.V., and Abbasi, K.M.: Berberine sulfate: Antimicrobial activity, bioassay, and mode of action. Can J Microbiol 15:1067-76. 1969.

36.) Nagabhushan, M., Bhide, SV.: Curcumin as an inhibitor of cancer. J Am Col Nutr 11(2):192-8, 1992.

37.) Kuttan, R., Sudheeran PC., Josep CD.: Turmeric and curcumin as topical agents in cancer therapy. Tumori (Italy) 73:29-31, 1987.

38.) Srivastava R, Srimal, RC.: Modification of certain inflammation-induced biochemical changes by curcumin. Ind J Med Res 81:215-223, 1985.

40.) Luettig, B., et al.: Macrophage activation by the polysaccharide arabinogalactan isolated from plant cell cultures of Echinacea purpurea. J Natl Cancer Inst 81(9):669-75, 1989.

41.) Wagner, V.., Proksch, A., Zeitschrift Feur Agnewande Phytotherapie (German) 2(5):166-168, 171, 1981.

42.) Wagner, V., Proksch,A., Riess-Maurer,I., et al.: Immunostimulatin polysaccharides (heteroglycane) of higher plants: Preliminary communications. Arzneim Forsch 34:659-60, 1984.

43.) Mose, J.: Effect of echinacin on phagocytosis and natural killer cells. Med Welt 34:1463-67,1983.

44.) Vomel,V.: Influence of a non-specific immune stimulant on phagocytosis of erythrocytes and ink by the reticuloendothelial system of isolated perfused rat livers of different ages. Arzneim Forsch 34:691-95, 1984.

45.) Bauer, R., Jurcic, K., Puhlmann,J., Wagner, H.: Immunological in vivo and in vitro examinations of Echinacea extracts. Arzneim Forsch 38:276-281, 1988.

46.) Bohn,B., Nebe, C.T., Birr, C.: Flow-cytometric studies with Eleutherococcus senticosus extracts as an immunomodulatory agent. Arzneim-Forsch 37:1193-96, 1987.

47.) Pizzorno, J.E., Murray, M.T.: Eleutherococcus senticosus: A Textbook of Natural Medicine, Bastyr University Publications, Seattle, WA, 1995.

48.) Hagmar, B., Ryd, W., Skomedal, H.: Arabinogalactan blockade of experimental metastasis to liver by murine hepatoma. Invasion Metastasis 11(6):348-55, 1991.

49.) Uhlenbruck G., Beuth J., Roszkowski W., et al.: Prevention of experimental liver metastasis by arabinogalactan. Naturwissenschaften 73(10)626-7, Oct. 1986.

50.) Beuth J., Ko HL., Oette K., et al.: Inhibition of liver metastasis in mice by blocking hepatocyte lectins with arabinogalactan infusions and D-galactose. J cancer Res Clin Oncol 113(1): 51-5,1987.

51.) Beuth J., Ko HL., et al.: Inhibition of liver tumor cell colonization in two animal tumor models by lectin blocking with D-galactose or arabinogalacan. Clin Exp Metastasis 6(2):115-20, Mar-Apr 1988.

52.) D’Adamo, P.: Larch arabinogalactan. J Nat Med 6(1):33-36, 1996.

53.) Scaglione, F., et al.: Immunomodulatory effects of two extracts of Panax ginseng. Drugs Exp Clin Res 16:537-42, 1990.

54.) Jie, Y.H., Cammisuli,S., Baggiolini, M.: Immunomodulatory effects of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer in the mouse. Agents Actions 15: 386-91, 1984.

55.) Bahrke M.S., Morgan W.P.: Evaluation of the ergogenic properties of ginseng. Sports Med 18: 229-48, 1994.

56.) Brekhman I., Dardymov I.V.: Pharmacological investigation of glycosides from ginseng and eleutherococcus. Lloydia 32:46-51, 1969.

57.) Kidd, P.M.: A new approach to metastatic cancer prevention: modified citrus pectin (MCP), a unique pectin that blocks cell surface lectins. Alt Med Rev 1(1): 4-10, 1996.

58.) Sharon N., Lis H.: Lectins as cell recognition molecules. Science 246:227-34, 1989.

59.) Platt D., Raz A.: Modulation of the lung colonization of B16-F1 melanoma cells by citrus pectin. J Natl Cancer Inst 84:438-442, 1992.

60.) Pienta KJ., et al.: Inhibition of spontaneous metastasis in a rat prostate cancer model by oral administration of modified citrus pectin. J Natl Cancer Inst 87:348-53, 1995.

61.) Raz, A., Lotan R.: Endogenous galactoside-binding lectins: a new class of functional cell surface molecules related to metastasis. Cancer Metastasis Rev 6:433-52, 1987.

Dr. Myatt’s Cardiovascular Risk Checklist

A Medical White Paper Presented By Dr. Dana Myatt

February is “Heart Month.” Here’s Your Heart-Risk Checklist.

Shocking Facts about Heart Attacks

February is heart month, and in honor of your heart, I have prepared a special heart-risk assessment and report for you. First, some surprising statistics about heart disease. These “fast facts” will help you know why my heart-risk checklist is so potentially important.

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the US.1 2,200 people die every day from heart disease.

As many as 50% of all people who have a heart attack do not have ANY classic risk factors, although one study argues that this number is actually only 20%.  “Only” a 20% chance of having a heart attack with no known risk factors? I don’t know about you, but that still sounds like a big risk to me.

As many as fifty percent (50%) of all first heart attacks are last heart attacks if you get my drift. Half of all people who have a heart attack die from “sudden cardiac death.” No second chances. No “jump-starting” the heart with a defibrillator. No bypass surgery or stents. Just gone in a heartbeat.

People with NO conventional risk factors are more likely to die “sudden death” from a first heart attack.  Sudden cardiac death is the first and only sign of heart disease in this group.

You could be a non-smoker with a normal body weight, total cholesterol below 200, LDL below 100, HDL above 50. You don’t smoke, are not diabetic and have no family history of heart disease. Good for you. You doctor has just given you a clean bill of health and told you your heart is fine. And you could die of a heart attack as you leave the doctor’s office. Remember, twenty to fifty percent of all people who have a heart attack do not have ANY conventionally-tested heart risks.

Emerging Risk Factors: The “Other Risks” No One Is Telling You About

Routinely screened conventional risk factors include blood fats (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL), blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes.4 Additional testing might include a cardiac stress test (the “treadmill test”). Overweight/obesity, family history and activity levels should also be considered.

Unfortunately, 20-50% of people who have heart attacks are “normal” for all of these tests and markers. It’s the folks with “all normal” risk factors who have the greatest likelihood of having a fatal heart attack.

Conventional medicine acknowledges that there are a number of other risk factors for heart disease. These are called “emerging risk factors” because the information is still “emerging” or coming to light.

Unfortunately, tests for these “emerging risk factors” are not yet ordered by most conventional physicians nor are they typically covered by insurance. Many of them will be “standard of care” in conventional medicine some day in the future. Will “some day” be soon enough for you or me?

Good News About “Emerging Risk Factors”

The good news is many of the most important of these “other risks” can be tested at an affordable price. They are not obscure tests with thousand-dollar price tags.

The OTHER good news is that there are safe, natural, proven options for correcting abnormalities if and when they are found. After all, what good would it be to know about a risk factor if there was nothing you could do about it?

To receive your free copy of Dr. Myatt’s Cardiovascular Risk Factors Medical White Paper please enter your name and email address in the area to the right.

Your Medical White Paper will be sent to your email address as a safe and secure .pdf document attachment that can easily be opened by any computer using the free Adobe Reader program.

You will be able to save it to your computer and print it out as needed.

This registration protects us from unauthorized downloading of this important document and protects you from spammers and computer security risks.

Name: Email:

We respect your email privacy

Important: If you have previously downloaded this White Paper (if you are “Already Subscribed”) and you have lost or misplaced your copy please email NurseMark at DrMyattsWellnessClub.com for a replacement.

Please print this Medical White Paper, including the pages of references, so that you can show it to your doctor / cardiologist. When he / she tells you that 1) he has never heard of some of these tests, 2) you don’t need them, 3) he’s not going to order them for you, and 4) your insurance won’t pay for them anyway, please note that Dr. Myatt will make these tests available to you here at a very reasonable cost.

Dr. Myatt’s Cardiovascular Risk Checklist Lab Tests

From Dr. Myatt’s Medical White Paper on Cardiovascular Risk Factors:

“…As many as fifty percent of all first heart attacks are last heart attacks. Half of all people who have a heart attack die from “sudden cardiac death.” People with NO conventional risk factors are more likely to die “sudden death” from a first heart attack. Sudden cardiac death is the first and only sign of heart disease in this group…”

Dr. Myatt has been able to locate and provide a comprehensive Cardiac Risk Profile that includes both currently accepted Cardiac Risk Factors and the New Emerging Cardiac Risk Factors that she discusses in her Medical White Paper.

These “emerging Risk Factors” are the ones that your conventional doctor – even your conventional cardiologist – will not test for.

Sorry – Currently unavailable – please check back soon!

Castor Oil Packs

How to use this effective detoxifying treatment

Materials Needed

  • Wool flannel – un-dyed, un-treated, un-bleached
  • Cold pressed castor oil
  • Electric heating pad
  • Baking dish
  • Plastic sheet (or 2 plastic trash bags, large size)
  • Old bath towel

Instructions for Use

Place the wool flannel in a baking dish. (Use any suitable baking dish for a conventional oven; use a glass baking dish for the microwave oven). The cloth should be folded at least 3 thicknesses for use. Pour castor oil over the flannel, sufficient to saturate it through all thicknesses. Get the pack wet with castor oil but not dripping. Place the baking dish in the oven, microwave oven, or hot plate until it is quite warm. Be careful not to burn the pack or to get it so hot that it will burn you.

Spread the plastic sheet or bags on the bed, couch, or where ever you will be using the pack. Place the bath towel on top of the plastic. Plug in the heating pad.

After the pack is warm (again, be careful not to burn yourself!!), apply it to the indicated area. Put the heating pad on top of the pack and leave it in place for at least one hour, or as recommended.

You may want to put an additional piece of plastic over the top of the pack to prevent the oil from staining bed, couch, or chair. The reason for the use of the plastic is to protect fabrics.

When you are finished using the pack, put it back in the baking dish and leave it for next time. You DO NOT wash the pack between uses. If the pack begins to dry out, simply add more castor oil the next time you use it.

Also when you are finished, clean the skin with 2 teaspoons of baking soda added to a quart of water. The pack draws toxins out of the body and these can be reabsorbed or cause a skin rash if not removed by cleaning the skin.

It is best to do some relaxing or meditative exercise while you are using the pack. This is a good time to practice visualization exercises, listen to personal-growth audio or video tapes, or meditate. It is also fine to sleep with the pack in place, but be sure to remove the heating pad when sleeping to avoid burning the skin.

Children’s Health

Raise Healthier Children Naturally

Healthy, Happy Children - Naturally!Children aren’t just “little adults.” Because their bodies are in “fast growth mode,” they have different nutritional requirements than adults.

Because still-growing bodies soak up nutrients like sponges, diet and nutrient deficiencies will have a bigger and more noticeable impact on a child than on an adult. In other words, good nutrition is even more important in childhood and young adulthood that at any other time of life. The nutrition your child receives today will impact him or her for the rest of their life.

While conventional medicine is sometimes necessary to treat certain childhood illnesses, most problems can be better managed through natural means. Less negative side-effects and a true “correction” of underlying problems (instead of just a “band aid” approach) are among the reasons many parents choose natural alternatives over synthetic options.

Children can use many of the “adult” remedies, especially herbs. Here is a convenient equation for adjusting an herb or nutrient dose for a child based on body weight.

Child-Friendly Supplements Health Concerns
of Children
Children’s Vitamins
Greens Firse Berry / Red Alert
Similase Jr.

Whey Protein ADD/ADHD
Allergies
Asthma
Attention Deficit
Colds and Flu
Diarrhea
Diarrhea
Parasites

Coconut Oil (Organic, Virgin)

This Oil Should Be in Your Kitchen AND Your Medicine Cabinet

Coconut Oil - A Healthy Oil Of Many UsesCoconut oil is a saturated fat, which means it doesn’t go rancid when heated or when stored for long periods of time.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) turn into unhealthy “trans fats” when heated, so although you need EFA’s for good health, you should NOT cook with them! Even olive oil, a polyunsaturated fat (PUFA)  should NOT be used for cooking. (Olive oil is NOT an essential fat).

Coconut oil and other saturated fats are heat-stable. For frying and deep-frying, coconut oil is one of the very best oils to use.

In addition to being heat-stable and great for cooking, coconut oil has the following health advantages:

  • Coconut oil contains lauric acid and other a medium-chain triglycerides (MCT’s) with powerful antimicrobial effects against a wide range of bacteria, viruses, fungi / yeasts and protozoa. (1-7)
  • The MCT’s in coconut oil activate the immune system. (8,9)
  • Coconut oil’s MCT’s have proven anti-tumor effects. (10,11)
  • MCT’s in coconut oil aid weight loss three ways: by decreasing hunger, increasing fat-burning and increasing metabolism. (12-19)
  • Lowers cholesterol and improves blood fat levels. (20-22)

If you’ve heard bad things about saturated fats, you should know that it’s all nonsense – bogus B.S. promoted by the soy oil industry and Big Business. (Can you say “Proctor and Gamble”?) Read about the unjustified “bad press” that this miraculous oil has suffered here: Saturated Fat: Another Big, Fat Lie

We offer organic, virgin coconut oil, the finest quality available. Use coconut to cook, make pie crusts or anything that calls for “Crisco” (Crystallized Cottonseed Oil, a product not fit for human consumption).

Use Coconut Oil, two to four tablespoons per day as a food, substituted for whatever oils you currently cook with (except butter which is a true health food). Heck, you can even use coconut oil on your skin as a moisturizer, protectant and anti-microbial!

Coconut Oil (Organic, Virgin) 15 fl. ounces   $15.95

Please Note: Coconut oil is slippery stuff – and it may seep from it’s container during shipment. We have received reports of coconut oil seeping out of still-tightly-sealed jars! We double-bag this product and pack it carefully for shipping but we cannot be responsible for leakage during shipment – there will be no returns or refunds on this product.

References

1.) Antimicrobial activity of potassium hydroxide and lauric acid against microorganisms associated with poultry processing. J Food Prot. 2006 Jul;69(7):1611-5.
2.) In vitro activity of lauric acid or myristylamine in combination with six antimicrobial agents against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2006 Jan;27(1):51-7. Epub 2005 Nov 28.
3.) Susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens to C-C fatty acids.Lett Appl Microbiol. 2005;41(1):77-81.
4.) Effect of lauric acid and nisin-impregnated soy-based films on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on turkey bologna. Poult Sci. 2002 May;81(5):721-6.
5.) Inhibition of bacterial foodborne pathogens by the lactoperoxidase system in combination with monolaurin. Int J Food Microbiol. 2002 Feb 25;73(1):1-9.
6.) Fatty acids and derivatives as antimicrobial agents. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1972 Jul;2(1):23-8.
7.) Susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to bactericidal properties of medium-chain monoglycerides and free fatty acids. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1996 Feb;40(2):302-6.
8.) Saturated triglycerides and fatty acids activate neutrophils depending on carbon chain-length. Eur J Clin Invest. 2002 Apr;32(4):285-9.
9.) Immunonutrition–supplementary amino acids and fatty acids ameliorate immune deficiency in critically ill patients. Langenbecks Arch Surg. 2001 Aug;386(5):369-76.
10.) Antitumor effect of medium-chain triglyceride and its influence on the self-defense system of the body. Cancer Detect Prev. 1998;22(3):219-24.
11.) Effects of calcitriol, seocalcitol, and medium-chain triglyceride on a canine transitional cell carcinoma cell line. Anticancer Res. 2005 Jul-Aug;25(4):2689-96.
12.) Value of VLCD supplementation with medium chain triglycerides.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Sep;25(9):1393-400.
13.) The thermic effect is greater for structured medium- and long-chain triacylglycerols versus long-chain triacylglycerols in healthy young women. Metabolism. 2001 Jan;50(1):125-30.
14.) Greater rise in fat oxidation with medium-chain triglyceride consumption relative to long-chain triglyceride is associated with lower initial body weight and greater loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Dec;27(12):1565-71.
15.) Thermogenesis in humans during overfeeding with medium-chain triglycerides.Metabolism. 1989 Jul;38(7):641-8.
16.) Dietary medium-chain triacylglycerols suppress accumulation of body fat in a double-blind, controlled trial in healthy men and women.J Nutr. 2001 Nov;131(11):2853-9.
17.) Enhanced thermogenesis and diminished deposition of fat in response to overfeeding with diet containing medium chain triglyceride. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982 Apr;35(4):678-82.
18.) Medium-chain triglycerides increase energy expenditure and decrease adiposity in overweight men.Obes Res. 2003 Mar;11(3):395-402.
19.) Comparison of diet-induced thermogenesis of foods containing medium- versus long-chain triacylglycerols.J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2002 Dec;48(6):536-40.
20.) Effect of dietary medium- and long-chain triacylglycerols (MLCT) on accumulation of body fat in healthy humans. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(2):151-60.
21.) Beneficial effects of virgin coconut oil on lipid parameters and in vitro LDL oxidation. Clin Biochem. 2004 Sep;37(9):830-5.
22.) Effect of medium-chain triglycerides on the postprandial triglyceride concentration in healthy men. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2003 Jan;67(1):46-53.

The Bacon and Egg Cure for High Cholesterol

03/15/07

This Week In HealthBeat News:


This is a repeat of last week’s “urgent announcement.” It is SO important that I WANT TO BE SURE EVERYONE SAW IT. If you already took action, good for you and please go enjoy the other articles from this week’s HealthBeat. (And be sure to pass this information along to friends and family)……

More Proof-Positive That Big Pharma Doesn’t Give a Damn
About Your Health

by Dr. Dana Myatt

Breast cancer rates have not changed significantly in the last 50 years with one notable exception. The rates dropped an unbelievable 7% in just one year when the news about the connection between Premarin (Pregnant Mares Urine) hormone therapy and breast cancer finally broke. This was barely mentioned by the media, then it disappeared. I’m not sure if many people really caught the significance of this, so let’s review it in a nutshell.

In 2001, sales of Premarin and Prempro (conventional hormone replacement therapy for post-menopausal women) exceeded $2 billion. In 2002, the huge Women’s Health Initiative Study showed that both Prempro and Premarin significantly increased women’s risks of breast cancer, heart attacks and dementia. (This information was actually known 20 years ago, even before the Women’s Health Initiatit5ve Study, when I was just a medical student. But the news just “broke” to the general public in the last several years). As a result of the study’s findings about these increased health risks, use of Premarin and Prempro plummeted along with sales. Revenues from these poisons fell to less than $1 million per year ($880,000 to be exact) by 2004. That’s a drop of 99.96% in sales and profits if you need a little help with the math.

Benefits of Natural (Bio-identical) Hormone Replacement Therapy

Many women turned from these deadly Big Pharma hormones to natural, aka bio-identical, hormone replacement therapy which so far appears to be MUCH safer than the drug versions of hormones. The big difference is that natural hormone replacement therapy attempts to duplicate a woman’s hormones (replace the same approximate amounts the exact same hormones a woman has when younger), instead of giving un-natural amounts of only the strongest female horse-hormones, which is what the drug versions do. Here is what we know about the benefits of natural hormone replacement therapy (nHRT):

* Natural HRT has been used in the U.S. for almost 25 years without a single related death or complaint

* Unlike synthetic HRT drugs (typically made from horse urine), bio-identical hormones use the same four main sex hormones that the body makes, and in “physiologic” amounts (amounts similar to what the body makes)

* Unlike “one-size-fits-all” horse hormone prescriptions, natural HRT prescriptions are custom-tailored to individual patients

* Natural HRT still requires a doctor’s prescription and supervision

Because the nHRT duplicates the pattern of natural female hormones, they appear to be far safer than conventional HRT. In fact, there is evidence that nHRT may actually help prevent breast cancer instead of causing it. Many women have found relief from menopausal complaints over the past 25 years with this apparently far-safer form of hormone replacement therapy.

Big Pharma Doesn’t Give a Damn About Your Health

In October of 2005, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, manufacturers of Prempro and Premarin, filed a complaint with the FDA asking that the sale of ALL bio-identical hormones be banned. That’s right —Wyeth, makers of cancer-causing hormones, has petitioned the FDA to outlaw the natural HRT alternatives that are safer, more effective, and cheaper than their dangerous drugs. This should go a long way to preserving the less than one half of one-thousandth the dollars they used to make on these killers. Apparently, Wyeth cares more about protecting the now-miniscule market-share of their line of dismally failing drugs than they do for protecting women’s lives.

Wyeth’s drugs were causing at least 7% of the country’s breast cancers, yet now they want to take away access to the much safer hormone alternative. See how much our lives are worth to Big Pharma?

Why the FDA Sleeps with Big Pharma

Our lives aren’t worth any more to the FDA than they are to Big Pharma. After all, Big Medicine, Big Pharma and their Bed Partner the FDA are about Big Money, not altruistic endeavors. (I hope I’m not popping anyone’s candy-colored bubble here).

The FDA receives “drug user fees,” which totaled over 3 billion dollars in 2004 from pharmaceutical companies for the drugs they sell. The less drugs that Wyeth or any Big Pharma Company sells, the less money goes into the FDA coffers. Natural hormones, made by “compounding pharmacies,” are regulated by the states. The FDA does not receive any money from the sale of natural hormones. No wonder the FDA is just as eager as Wyeth to either outlaw natural hormones OR have compounding pharmacies fall under their (FDA) jurisdiction.

Because the FDA and Big Pharma are bedfellows, an FDA ruling on the matter would have gone in favor of Wyeth last year had it not been for a massive grassroots effort that appeared to put the matter to rest. Now enter the double-dealing “tag on” bill brought to you by our “Also don’t give a damn about the individual” politicians.

Crooked Politicians Aid and Abet The FDA and Big Pharma
(The Sneaky End-Run Around)

Another surprise to some of you, I know, but politicians actually aid and abet this Big Money Machine, not our individual health freedoms or our personal health concerns. Just several days ago, this “tag on” piece of legislation was introduced by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), aka “the usual suspects.” It should be noted that Senator Kennedy is # 4 on the list of the top 20 political recipients of Big Pharma money, reporting a total of $221,550 received from the Pharmaceutical Industry in 2006 alone.

“The Safe Drug Compounding Act of 2007,” deftly tacked on the back of a major FDA funding bill, will be voted on the end of this month and will surely pass (so much for our legislators “reigning in” the FDA). What this sneaky “tag” will do is drastically curtail compounding pharmacies and place them under FDA control instead of state control. Expect to kiss your natural (bio-identical) hormone replacement therapy and all other compounded prescriptions
good-bye.

Notice how this “tag” was placed at the last minute (so few people would have time to hear about it, much less respond), and how it was added to a bigger bill that is sure to pass? Evil, dirty, rotten nasty politics. This stinks, but it’s the “modus operandi” of Big Government and other Big Money interests. You and I don’t matter at all to these people except for the money we can put in their collective pockets, and our individual health and freedom be damned.


Take Action Now to Preserve Compounding Pharmacy
and Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy

Remember that I promised to let you know when it was time to take action on an impending health freedom matter? The time is NOW to protect compounding pharmacy and natural hormone replacement therapy.

What You Must Do Today to Protect Your/Our Health Freedom

Since almost no one except HealthBeat readers have even heard about this yet, the opportunity for a grassroots movement to stop this legislation is cutting close. Don’t wait until next week to act. Here is what you need to do if you want to help save compounding
pharmacy and health freedom in general and natural hormone replacement therapy in particular.

You need to write a letter to both your state Senators AND your state Representatives. This letter should be FAXED to their office, not mailed. A fax is far more potent than a phone call (if you can even get through) or an email. It is estimated that each individual fax carries the weight of 13,000 voters (because they figure about one in about 13,000 who care about a particular subject will ever actually contact a representative). Here is what you need to say, and it is short and sweet:

(Please modify this into your own words, but this is the gist of it):
_________________________

Dear Senator BlowHard:

I am vehemently opposed to the proposed “Safe Drug Compounding Act of 2007” and request that you vote “no” on this stealthy tag-on legislation. Leave compounding pharmacy where it belongs, under state jurisdiction. Further, I believe the dysfunctional FDA does
not need more control over drug regulation, they need less.

Please help protect what shred of my health freedom remains by voting “no” on this senseless legislation.

Your Voting Constituent,
Joe Doaks
___________________________

How to locate your representatives:

Locate your representatives by state

Locate your senators by state
_____________________________

Political Action Steps Summary:

1.) Fax your state’s senators and representatives ASAP. If you don’t have a fax machine, http://www.faxzero.com lets you send out 2 free faxes per day. (Hot tip on free faxing courtesy of Steven C.). A fax really is that much more important and worth your time than an email, and a typed or legibly hand-written letter carries a LOT of weight!

2.) Pass this note on to friends, family, anyone who gives a darn about health freedom. (You know, all those people you forward e-mail jokes to). If you have friends who aren’t on e-mail, snail-mail them this information. Encourage them to pass it along to as many people as they can.

Grassroots movements have saved the day on other health freedoms issues in the past decade. We must not underestimate the power of the general citizenry (that’s us!) to slay the dragons that jeopardize our freedom. Since the pen is mightier than the sword, please draw your weapon and let’s see if we can save the day for health freedom once again.

In Pursuit of Health and Freedom,
Dr. Myatt

 

Why Don’t You Bill Insurance?

by Mark Ziemann, R.N.

[Dr. Myatt’s Note: The following commentary is a continuation of Nurse Mark’s Poor, Poor Pitiful Me: Why Some People Will Never Get Well and Would Your Plumber Work This Cheap? from previous weeks’ HealthBeat News. If you haven’t read these articles, you might want to check them out first to see what has gotten my mild-mannered Nurse in such a tizzy. I do believe this is the final installment of Nurse Mark’s indignation! ;-)]

“Why Don’t You Just Bill My Insurance?” This plea usually comes from someone wanting to book an appointment, but who is haggling and chiseling at the cost. “But she is so expensive – I couldn’t possibly afford that much money…” These people almost invariably go elsewhere, usually to their “conventional” doc, who is only too happy to give them a 5 to 10 minute visit, a mandatory drug prescription as a “prize” for visiting, and send them happily on their way. These doctors usually have a bustling office staff devoted to scheduling patients in at ten-minute intervals, and an even busier back-office staff devoted to doing all the preliminary paperwork that goes to the insurance company to generate income for the doctor and his staff. Even with a back-office staff doing much of the prep work, the doctor will still spend several hours each day finishing up his or her part of the insurance paperwork. This really is a major business, and must be run as efficiently as possible if that doctor is to achieve the desired income.

Here is the history behind Dr. Myatt’s decision to “opt out” of the insurance business. As she tells it, it was one of those rare “ah hah” moments in life. Many years ago, while working for a major holistic medical clinic in Phoenix (one that accepted insurance, as most do),
Dr. Myatt came into the office an hour early one morning to plow through the mountain of insurance paperwork that her busy medical practice required. Anyone who does their own income taxes has some idea of what these forms look like, with one notable exception. Each insurance provider has a different form and requirement of what information is needed.

So there sat Dr. Myatt, scratching her head and grinding her way through a mountain of paperwork when in walked one of the clinic nurses, announcing that there was a work-in patient in the ER, here before regular clinic hours with severe breathing difficulty and chest pain. Doctor Myatt was the only physician available (of course she was — it was over an hour before the clinic usually opened)! As The Good Doctor shifted mental gears from paper-pusher to emergency room physician, she found herself for just a moment feeling resentful. After all, how could she get the insurance paperwork completed if she was interrupted with patients? Like a splash of cold water in the face, this thought was immediately replaced with the realization of what the paper-pushing had done to her. Too busy doing insurance paperwork to see a patient? She got up, saw the patient (who was in severe cardiac distress due to a non-functional mitral valve) and decided right then and there that she would never resent seeing a patient for want of more time to fill out insurance forms.
Dr. Myatt “opted out” of insurance and Medicare at that time (it is no longer possible for a physician to “opt out” of Medicare), and has never looked back or regretted her decision. She now spends all of her time on patient care, and her results speak for themselves.

Here at the Wellness Club, we work at a slower pace. We book each patient for a full hour, and visits often run longer. We focus entirely on the patient and on how to make them well, not on how to comply with sometimes-impossible insurance forms.

I recently had a patient (one of our “incurable” success stories) ask me “do you really make any money at this?” and I had to answer honestly. We cover the bills and expenses and we are comfortable, but we are not “rich” and aren’t likely to get rich any time soon unless we hit the lotto.

People measure success by many different markers. Some see success as a big, fancy home (we live in a comfortable but modest straw bale home where we have clean air, clean water, and plenty of outdoors to enjoy). Others measure success by the car they drive (we have an older model van and an older model Saturn wagon). We also have a — you guessed it, older model — RV that allows us to travel to see patients, lecture, and teach. Still other people believe that their success is measured in their 401K’s, retirement pensions and gold-plated medical (sickness) insurance plans. We have no plans to “retire” for as long as we can keep helping people find better health, our “health insurance” is our daily supplement and vitamin regimen (especially Maxi Multis!), clean air, clean water, good food, and modest exercise, and our “retirement plan” is to build a modest home that is completely self-sustainable (no electric company or propane delivery required) and raise our own food.

Dr. Myatt could undoubtedly make more money if we “took insurance.” This would require seeing far more patients for far less time each, and there would be no time for individual “case study,” but it would certainly bring a bigger income.

Would we be “more successful” if we “took” insurance? Not if you calculate success like we do, by the number of people that we have helped. We sleep well at night knowing we are giving our all to each and every patient, and we never find ourselves feeling annoyed that a patient is disturbing our paperwork time. Most importantly, many patients reaffirm our “success” when they thank us for helping them with “incurable” medical problems that conventional medicine has given up on.

Now that’s success in our book!

Cheers,
Nurse Mark

P.S. Here is the information from the “Insurance” page of our website for those who are interested.

How Our Office Handles Insurance

Q: Does Dr. Myatt Accept Medicare or Medicaid?

A: No. Dr. Myatt “opted out” of Medicare years ago. Without a UPN number (universal provider number required by Medicare), there is no way for Medicare to cover Dr. Myatt’s services. Further, Medicare rarely covers the type of progressive, alternative care that Dr. Myatt and other holistic physicians provide.

Q: Does Dr. Myatt accept insurance?

A: No. Services are due and payable on the day they are rendered.

Q: Will Dr. Myatt fill out insurance paperwork if I file a claim myself?

A: Yes. Dr. Myatt will gladly complete any necessary insurance paperwork including writing letters of medical necessity, as required by your insurance company for you to file a claim yourself. However, all time spent completing insurance paperwork or writing such letters is billed at Dr. Myatt’s usual hourly fee of $240. For example, if it takes Dr. Myatt one-half hour to complete insurance paperwork, the patient will be billed $120.

Q: Why does Dr. Myatt charge for filling out insurance paperwork? My other doctor does this for free.

A: Your other doctor spends 5-10 minutes with you and charges for a complete office visit. Dr. Myatt charges for the office visit (typically one hour, the entire time of which is devoted to your care), then spends an average of 2-12 hours in “case study” following your exam or phone consultation. This additional time spent on case study is not charged for but is included in your visit. Very few physicians spend so much time and attention on an individual patient.

Insurance paperwork is incredibly time-consuming. This is valuable time that Dr. Myatt prefers to spend studying the patient’s case in order to get the patient well, not shuffling papers.

When you consider the true amount of time Dr. Myatt spends on an individual case, you will see that her fees are a bargain. When you find yourself recovering from an “incurable” illness, you will further understand why Dr. Myatt’s case-study time is so valuable and why we charge for the non-wellness time spent on paperwork.

Cheers,
Nurse Mark

The Bacon and Egg Cure for High Cholesterol

Is your cholesterol still “too high”? (Above 230, but this depends on what your “good cholesterol,” or HDL levels, are, too).

We get calls and letters literally every day with questions about how to lower high cholesterol. The self-treatment stories we hear include “I only eat good carbohydrates,” or “I almost never eat eggs.” To which we reply, “well no wonder your cholesterol is high!”

You see, what you have probably heard about how to lower cholesterol is completely backwards. If it was correct, you’d see big result in as little as a month. If you’ve been on your cholesterol-avoidance diet for more than a month and haven’t seen dramatic improvements, then you have proof that you are on the wrong track. Clearly, it’s time to try a new approach. Cholesterol levels don’t take that long to change.

I had a telephone follow-up with new patient Kim this week. She’s thrilled because the migraine headaches she originally contacted me about are gone. Not reduced, but completely gone, no drugs needed. As a side-effect, she’s lost 30 pounds and her once-high cholesterol levels have dropped like a rock, back into the normal range for the first time in many years. Her secret? She’s following my advice and having either a Super Shake or bacon and eggs for breakfast, along with following the rest of The Myatt Diet. It wasn’t an easy “sell” to convince her to eat this way, but now she’s an absolute missionary for The Myatt Diet. (You’ll see her testimonial in an upcoming HealthBeat). She also tells me that she’s amazed how her food cravings have completely disappeared, so she’s not missing her former junk food, including “good carbs.”

If you’ve bought into the prevalent but misguided idea that avoiding cholesterol will lower your cholesterol, here’s a hot “biochemical tidbit.” When you lower dietary cholesterol, your liver simply makes more. (Cholesterol comprises 80% of the cell wall of every cell in your body, so it’s a very valuable commodity indeed). Fortunately, your liver knows how to make cholesterol even when you don’t eat it. When you stop eating eggs, your liver detects a “cholesterol famine” and cranks out more of this life-giving fat. Your attempts to outsmart Mother Nature will fail. (You can’t get up early enough to fool Mama Nature)!

Low Cholesterol diets rarely work to lower cholesterol. Eating only “good carbs” rarely works to lower cholesterol. “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” Stop struggling with your cholesterol levels and go have some bacon eggs for breakfast!  — Dr. Myatt

* Calling All Fellow Gardeners! *

Greenest Envy: Make Your Garden The Talk of The Neighborhood
Grow Bigger Flowers, Greener Lawns, Humongous Produce

I like to garden. It pleases me no end to see my front yard filled with bright splashes of color all season long and bring fresh cuttings indoors for a continual warm-weather treat. And really, can you call those tasteless red things from the grocery store a tomato after you’ve tasted home-grown? A juicy red beefsteak still warm from the vine atop fresh-picked lettuce puts me in salad bliss. Not only is home-grown produce far fresher and more convenient, it can be FAR healthier than store-bought produce grown with synthetic fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides, then sprayed with anti-fungal agents, spoilage retardants and Goddess only knows what else so they’ll “keep” longer on the grocery shelf. The toxic spate of chemicals in produce often offsets the value of “eating green” in the first place! For my money and health, homegrown is better whenever I can pull it off. The problem is, how do you fertilize and keep bugs at bay without those nasty chemicals? Much as I hate to use them, there’s no doubt that many of them are effective at what they do.

Fortunately, I’ve found a marvelous gardening secret: Gardens Alive!

Gardens Alive! offers non-toxic solutions for just about every garden problem you can name. Got pests? They have non-toxic solutions that are effective and affordable. Lawn problems? Their seeds and growth enhancers (again, all non-toxic) will give you the greenest lawn on the block with far less effort. Their fruit, vegetable and flower growth enhancers produce bigger, healthier yields without fail. Kill nasty garden pests without harm to yourself or your pets; have an enviably perfect lawn and harvest eye-popping produce with these not-to-be-missed garden solutions. No more nematodes, blossom end-rot or meager yields for me, no siree! Bye bye deer and birds sharing my harvest (it wouldn’t be so bad if they’d eat the whole leaf or fruit instead of pecking one hole in every leaf, huh?). I even get a jump-start on the season with their ingenious little seed starter kits.

I’ve never seen anything like the array of products offered at Gardens Alive! They even have solutions for helping keep your pets healthy. Best of all, these non-toxic solutions are not only more effective than their synthetic counterparts, they are also less expensive in almost every case.

If you do any gardening at all, you owe it to yourself to take a look at these incredible products. Imagine the pride you’ll feel harvesting state-fair quality produce and flowers, or enjoying a golf-course quality lawn that will be the envy of your entire neighborhood! Please be sure to take “before” and after” pictures of your efforts so we can show them off to other gardening readers.

Here are some of my top recommendations:

Gardens Alive! Organic Garden With Seed Got 4’x4′ of space? You can have a complete organic garden with 10 vegetables, easy and weed-free. This kit R-O-C-K-S! I’m setting one up on my deck this summer and I’ll have organic salads all season long.
Vegetables Alive! Fertilizer  Dramatically increase your yield of lettuce, peas, broccoli, cabbage, beans, cucumbers, melons and more.
Turf Alive! Brand Have a thick, green lawn the looks like a lush golf course without the toxic chemicals. Your neighbors will hate you.
Portabella Mushroom Kit Portabellas have a wonderful texture and flavor, plus they’re loaded with nutrients including vitamin B and potassium. They can be difficult to find at the supermarket (and they’re expensive), but with this kit you can grow your own and enjoy fresh mushrooms in 3-5 weeks.
No Fleas, Please! Stop fleas outdoors AND kill ’em indoors. Non-toxic, inexpensive, effective. Outdoor Flea Control and Indoor Flea Control

AND, Here’s a “starter special” for you:
$20 FREE off your first order at Gardens Alive for Wellness Club Members!

Happy Gardening!
— Dr. Myatt

Laughter is Good Medicine : Best Single’s Ad Ever

This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal.

SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I’m a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I’ll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Call (404) 875-XXXX and ask for Lucy, I’ll be waiting…. (Click here to see the punch line):

Cytokines

A Simplified Look At Messenger Molecules

(or… Don’t Shoot the Messenger!)

Let’s get something straight right up front: cytokynes are not a toxin or a disease or something bad to be stamped out. They are just messengers.

Cytokines are not the disease or infection or insult, they are the message that is created by white blood cells (lymphocytes and macrophages), epithelial cells (cells that line internal tissues) and by other cells in lesser degrees, in response to some insult like a bacteria, virus or other infection. They can cause inflammation and are also created in response to inflammation.

Cytokines are the way that cells in distress call other cells for help — like an S.O.S.

When our immune system is fighting pathogens, cytokines call immune cells such as T-cells and macrophages to travel to the site of the infection.

Measuring cytokines gives us an indication of what is going on that would cause our cells to be calling for help.

When we talk about lowering inflammatory cytokines what we really should be talking about is addressing the cause of the inflammation so that cytokine-producing cells no longer feel the need to send out “help me!” messages.

Cytokines work on a “negative feedback” system. When there is a stimulus (a reason for cells to need help), cytokines are produced. The greater the stimulus, the more cytokines are produced. If the stimulus becomes less (when the infection heals or the inflammation subsides), cytokine production decreases because less are needed. Like the gas pedal on your car, to go faster you press harder – if you remove your foot (removing the stimulus) the engine slows down and the car stops.

Occasionally the cytokine response can become unbalanced, entering a sort of positive feedback loop which can easily get out of control – imagine if your car’s gas pedal worked the other way, where you had to keep it pressed down to stop! This has been termed a “cytokine storm” and is a serious medical emergency that can result in organ damage and even death. It is one reason for the deaths of people with otherwise healthy immune systems in pandemics such as the Spanish Flu of 1918 or the more recent Bird Flu and Swine Flu outbreaks.

There are three broad categories of cytokines – they can be grouped according to what they do, though there is also a lot of redundancy and “cross training” going on with cytokines.

First, there are Cytokines involved in innate (as in “born with it”) immunity and inflammation. Most of these cytokines are made by macrophages (important for removing pathogens), mast cells (important to inflammation) and endothelial cells (the cells that line our blood vessels and lymphatic system).

Major players here include:

  • TNF (tumor necrosis factor) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) help to activate endothelial cells.
  • Chemokines serve to attract different kinds of leukocytes (infection-fighting white blood cells)
  • IL-12 and interferon-gamma (IFN-y) are more involved in chronic inflammation.

Then there are cytokines involved in adaptive (as in “acquired in response to an infection or vaccination”) immunity. Most of these cytokines are made by our T helper cells (T cells are a kind of lymphocyte that matures in our thymus gland – hence the ‘T‘).

There are 2 main kinds of T Helper cells:

  • Th1 cells: Type 1 helper T cells make pro-inflammatory cytokines like IFN-y, IL-2, and TNF. These cells are involved in cell-mediated immunity and the cytokines produced by them stimulate the breakdown of microbial pathogens. Several chronic inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis are considered Th1 dominant diseases.
  • Th2 cells: Type 2 helper T cells produce the cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-10, and IL-13. Th2 cells are involved in allergy responses. Cytokines like IL-4 stimulate antibodies directed at extracellular parasites and at viruses. IL-5 stimulates eosinophil (a kind of white blood cell) responses, also part of the immune response toward large extracellular parasites. Allergy is considered to be Th2 dominant condition.

While Th1 cells are generally thought to produce inflammatory cytokines and Th2 cells are thought to produce inflammation-mediating cytokines, as you can see here there is “crossover.”

  • IL-2 and IL-4 cytokines tell lymphocytes to proliferate and differentiate (that means to grow, mature, and take on a specialized function).
  • IFN-gamma and IL-5 cytokines send messages that activate other cells.

Then there are cytokines involved in hematopoiesis – a fancy word that means “building new blood cells” – either oxygen-carrying red blood cells or infection-fighting white blood cells. Cells that make these cytokines include endothelial cells, macrophages, and other cells in our immune system. An example of this are colony-stimulating factors like G-CSF (granulocyte-colony stimulating factor) which causes hematopoietic cells to grow.

These are just a few of the more broad classes of cytokines – there are hundreds of these chemical messengers, each with a unique purpose and job to do.

Some of the ones we hear about most often are:

  • TNFa or Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha. While the name sounds ominous, TNF is a vital player in our response to infection. Its primary role is the regulation of immune system cells. TNF is able to induce fever, cause cell death, cause cachexia, initiate inflammation and to inhibit tumor growth and viral replication in response to sepsis or infection.
  • Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is an cytokine that acts as both a pro-inflammatory cytokine and an anti-inflammatory myokine (produced from muscle cells). [could this get any more confusing?] While IL-6 serves to stimulate the inflammatory and auto-immune processes in many diseases it also is anti-inflammatory in that it moderates or mediates inflammation by inhibiting TNF-alpha and IL-1, and by activating other interleukins such as IL-10.
  • Interferon gamma (IFNγ or type II interferon) is a cytokine that is critical for both innate and adaptive immunity against viral and some bacterial and protozoal infections. IFNγ activates macrophages. If IFNγ becomes uncontrolled it can be associated with a number of auto-inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Its importance in the immune system comes from its ability to inhibit viruses directly, and most importantly from its stimulating and modulating effects on immunity. IFNγ is produced mainly by natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells.
  • Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine. IL-10 inhibits production of pro-inflammatory cytokines like as IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-3, TNFa and GM-CSF made by cells such as macrophages and T-cells. IL-10 is important for counteracting hyperactive immune responses that can occur with over-stimulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Importantly, we need to remember that many of the inflammatory cytokines are induced by oxidative stress – meaning that antioxidants play an important role in reducing the production of inflammatory cytokines.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen that form when cells metabolize oxygen. In normal amounts ROS have important roles in cellular health. In times of stress (exposure to pathogens, toxins, UV or heat, ionizing radiation, etc.), ROS levels may greatly increase which can damage cells. This is known as oxidative stress and ROS are sometimes called “free radicals.”

Also remember that cytokines themselves trigger the release of other cytokines leading to increased oxidative stress. This makes them important in chronic inflammation, as well as other immune responses such as fever.

So, when your doctor presents you with your lab results and says “you have some high cytokines – we need to get those down,” he really means that there are some stresses going on – infection, chronic inflammation, allergy, oxidative stress, toxicity – that are being shown to him by the cytokines that can be measured. These stresses — the cause of elevated cytokines — are what must be dealt with in order to “bring down” the high cytokines, not the other way around. “Bringing down” high cytokines will not correct the insult (infection, toxicity, inflammation, etc.) that is causing the problem in the first place.

Maxi Flavone is formulated to “bring down” high cytokines – but not in a way that a drug might – by simply shutting down important cytokine production. Cytokines are very much a balance, and they are all important – even the inflammatory ones – so shutting down one or several could lead to some serious problems as a delicate balance is upset. Instead, Maxi Flavone, with its flavonoids and antioxidants, addresses the ROS and inflammation that is causing the release of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-a.

Finding and correcting the reasons for inflammation such as environmental stresses (air pollution, mold, toxic exposure), subtle or sub-clinical infections (candida, chlamydia, amebiasis), personal stresses (job, sleep, relationships), physical stresses (allergies, food intolerances, hormone imbalances) and nutritional deficiencies or excesses is vital to correcting cytokine imbalances.

The truth is, though we talk a lot about cytokines, there are so many of them and their interactions are so complex that we really don’t have a good understanding of the many interactions and ways that they function. Trying to micro-manage cytokines with individual interventions is probably like throwing cups of water into the ocean to make the level rise.

What we DO know is that cytokines become imbalanced in response to identifiable “macro” insults or imbalances in the body: infections (subtle or obvious), stress (external and internal), toxins — anything that creates an alarm reaction in the body.

Instead of pretending that we understand cytokines and their myriad functions and interactions, a more productive path to health and fertility is to balance the body at the higher levels. The cytokines know how to balance themselves when everything “upstream” in the body is in balance and threats to physical health have been removed.

Support:

Th1 Stimulating Supplements:
Immune-boosting herbs such as echinacea, astragulus, licorice root, ashwaganda, panax ginseng, chlorella, grape seed extract, and common immune-boosting medicinal mushroom extracts, like maitake, reishi, and shitake, will stimulate Th1.

Th2 Stimulating Supplements:

Antioxidants like resveratrol, pycnogenol, curcumin from turmeric, genistein, quercetin, and green tea will stimulate Th2.

Vitamin D is increasingly being recognized for it’s importance in managing healthyTh1/Th2 balance and low vitamin D status is associated with an increased risk of Th1 mediated autoimmune diseases. It has been seen that Vitamin D deficient persons have elevated Th1 cell-associated responses and decreased Th2 cell-associated responses. The antiinflammatory effects of vitamin D are very similar to IL-10 – one o fthe most important antiinflammatory cytokines.

Fish Oil – (EPA / DHA) is highly antiinflammatory. EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) decreases TNF-a.
EPA and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) each decrease NK cell activity and this effect is synergistic when both EPA and DHA are used together.

References:

Seydel KB1, Li E, Swanson PE, Stanley SL Jr. Human intestinal epithelial cells produce proinflammatory cytokines in response to infection in a SCID mouse-human intestinal xenograft model of amebiasis. Infect Immun. 1997 May;65(5):1631-9

Mullins BJ1, Kicic A, Ling KM, Mead-Hunter R, Larcombe AN.
Biodiesel exhaust-induced cytotoxicity and proinflammatory mediator production in human airway epithelial cells.Environ Toxicol. 2014 Jul 5

Xiong H1, Wei L, Peng B. IL-17 stimulates the production of the inflammatory chemokines IL-6 and IL-8 in human dental pulp fibroblasts.
Int Endod J. 2014 Jul 5

Sundman E, Olofsson PS. Neural control of the immune system. Adv Physiol Educ. 2014 Jun;38(2):135-9

de Vries MA1, Klop B, Janssen HW, Njo TL, Westerman EM, Castro Cabezas M. Postprandial inflammation: targeting glucose and lipids.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2014;824:161-70

Ciortea R1, Mihu D, Mihu CM. Association between visceral fat, IL-8 and endometrial cancer. Anticancer Res. 2014 Jan;34(1):379-83

Ali Akoum, Christine Jolicoeur, Abdelaziz Kharfi, and Marie Aubé. Decreased Expression of the Decoy Interleukin-1 Receptor Type II in Human Endometriosis. Am J Pathol. Feb 2001; 158(2): 481–489

Margherita T. Cantorna, Sanhong Yu, and Danny Bruce. The paradoxical effects of vitamin D on Type 1 mediated immunity. Mol Aspects Med. Dec 2008; 29(6): 369–375.Published online May 4, 2008. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2008.04.004 PMCID: PMC2633636 NIHMSID: NIHMS82537

Matheu V1, Bäck O, Mondoc E, Issazadeh-Navikas S. Dual effects of vitamin D-induced alteration of TH1/TH2 cytokine expression: enhancing IgE production and decreasing airway eosinophilia in murine allergic airway disease.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003 Sep;112(3):585-92.

Margherita T Cantorna, Yan Zhu, Monica Froicu, and Anja Wittke. Vitamin D status, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and the immune system1,2,3,4. 2004 American Society for Clinical Nutrition

Mukaro VR, Costabile M, Murphy KJ, Hii CS, Howe PR, Ferrante A. Leukocyte numbers and function in subjects eating n-3 enriched foods: selective depression of natural killer cell levels. Arthritis Res Ther. 2008;10(3):R57. Epub 2008 May 14.

Ferrucci L, Cherubini A, Bandinelli S, Bartali B, Corsi A, Lauretani F, Martin A, Andres-Lacueva C, Senin U, Guralnik JM. Relationship of plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids to circulating inflammatory markers. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Feb;91(2):439-46. Epub 2005 Oct 18.

Sundrarjun T, Komindr S, Archararit N, Dahlan W, Puchaiwatananon O, Angthararak S, Udomsuppayakul U, Chuncharunee S. Effects of n-3 fatty acids on serum interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor p55 in active rheumatoid
arthritis. J Int Med Res. 2004 Sep-Oct;32(5):443-54.

Yamashita N, Sugiyama E, Hamazaki T, Yano S.Inhibition of natural killer cell activity by eicosapentaenoic acid in vivo and in vitro.Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1988 Jan 15;150(1):497-505.

Yamashita N, Yokoyama A, Hamazaki T, Yano S. Inhibition of natural killer cell activity of human lymphocytes by eicosapentaenoic acid. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1986 Aug 14;138(3):1058-67.

Yamashita N, Maruyama M, Yamazaki K, Hamazaki T, Yano S. Effect of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid on natural killer cell activity in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1991 Jun;59(3):335-45.

Thies F, Nebe-von-Caron G, Powell JR, Yaqoob P, Newsholme EA, Calder PC. Dietary supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid, but not with other long-chain n-3 or n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, decreases natural killer cell activity in healthy subjects aged >55 y. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Mar;73(3):539-48.

Bio Pro (Thymic Protein A)

Increase Stamina and Boost Immunity

Bio Pro Thymic Protein AThe thymus gland is a small lymphoid organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs. It is the “bootcamp” where young immune cells, the “T cells,” go to mature. The thymus gland also produces peptide hormones that keep these same T cells active once they leave the thymus and begin their function as immune cells in the body. Damage to the thymus glad results in lowered immunity. The thymus gland tends to shrink with age, which may contribute to the decrease of immune response seen in aging.

T cells are that part of the immune system that helps protect us from fungus, viruses and cancer. Their role in cancer prevention is especially important. Mature T cells do not function correctly unless programmed by thymic hormones.

Studies have shown that many cancer patients live longer (often double their expectancy) when thymic hormones are used as an adjunct to conventional treatment. Researchers surmise that this is due to the immune-protecting effects of thymus hormones which help offset the immune-suppressing effects of most chemotherapy and radiation.

Thymic Protein A is a highly purified mix of bovine thymus hormones that is useful for a variety of immunocompromised conditions including:

  • early stage AIDS
  • hepatitis
  • autoimmune conditions
  • cancer
  • allergies
  • chronic infections
  • candidiasis
  • asthma
  • anti-aging protocols

Because the thymus gland tends to shrink with age, and because this shrinkage is associated with decreased immunity, many longevity specialists recommend thymus hormone supplementation as part of an anti-aging program.

Recommended dose: 2-4mcg per day.

Each (one) packet contains: 4mcg thymic protein with intact hormones. 30 packets per box.

Click here to
Order This Concierge Product
Wellevate

This is a separate website and you will need to create a new account to order.

Black Cohosh Plus+

Menstrual and Menopausal Symptom Relief

Black Cohosh Plus+Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) has long been used in traditional medicine for relief of menstrual cramps and hot flashes. Western medical studies have confirmed Black cohosh’s estrogenic effects.

Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) has known estrogenic effects coupled with the ability to stabilize blood vessels. This “stabilization” is believed to be partly responsible for menopausal hot flash relief.

Chasteberry (Vitex angus-castus) helps normalize sex hormone levels by acting on the pituitary gland and hypothalamus.

Black Cohosh Plus+ is a special formula of these three herbs designed especially for women experiencing the symptoms of menopause or menstrual cramping.

Each (1) Capsule contains:

  • Black Cohosh extract (Cimicifuga racemosa) 40 mg, standardized to 2.5% [1 mg] triterpene glycosides,
  • Chasteberry fruit powder (Vitex agnus-castus) 100 mg,
  • Dong Quai root (angelica sinensis) 100 mg.

Suggested dose 1-2 Capsules, 2 times per day with meals. Begin with 2 caps per day. If significant improvement in symptoms is not seen in 3 weeks, increase dose to 4 caps per day. This formula is safe to take indefinitely for menopausal symptoms.

Blood Chemistry Panel

A Description of What Blood Tests Relate To

Blood Chemistry Panel

Test

Related to:

Glucose
Triglyceride Diabetes BUN
Creatinine
BUN/Creatinine Ratio
Potassium
Sodium
Chloride
Phosphorus Kidney Function
Hypertension
Renal Disease Alkaline Phosphatase
Calcium Bone Function GGT
SGOT
SGTP
Total Bilirubin
Total Protein Liver Function Albumin
Globulin
A/G Ratio Nutritional Status Cholesterol
Triglyceride
LDL Cholesterol
HDL Cholesterol
VLDL Cholesterol
Total Cholesterol : HDL Ratio
Percent HDL Cholesterol Coronary Risk
Cardiovascular
Disease Risk Serum Ferritin Iron Status hs-CRP Cardiovascular Disease Risk

If you have medical questions or concerns, contact your physician.

CBC – Complete Blood Count

WBC – White Blood Count Infection / Lowered Immune System RBC – Red Blood Count Anemia MCV – Mean Corpuscular Volume
MCH – Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin
MCHC – Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration
RDW – Random Distribution Width Red Blood Cell Index Platelet Count Coagulation (clotting) Neutrophils
Lymphocytes
Monocytes
Eosinophils
Basophils Infection

The CBC is a complex test and requires physician diagnosis for any specific conditions. If you have abnormal values, we recommend following up with your physician