SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 – CLEANSING FOODS

We do not think of foods as cleansing or detoxifying foods. Many of my patients do view foods as cleansing foods. Our bodies are meant to cleanse. Our bodies must cleanse especially with the toxic world we live in.

There are too many insults to the body in our world today . It is in the food we consume, the water we drink, and in the air we breathe. Genetics play a minor role in the development of disease and cancer. There are 4 pathways of eliminating toxins in our body. Through breath, defecating, urinating, and sweating. 

One organ that is overlooked is the liver - the detoxifying organ. It is good to feed the liver with alkalinizing foods as parsley, fennel, kale, and even cilantro. Please don't forget the insoluble fibers for your gut to sweep out those toxins.

Happy detoxifying!

Until tomorrow...

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 – GOTU KOLA

 When you hear the name Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) most think of its adptogenic properties. These are well studied and a topic for David Winston (author of Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief). The other individual is Donnie Yance. Donnie Yance talks of adaptogens and their relation to their use in cancer therapy. His book is called " Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism"   We do know that topical and oral administration of Gotu Kola  is for wound healing - both surgical and nonsurgical wounds, venous insufficiency as in varicose veins, and pedal edema. 

An oral compound of Centella called TTFCA is well tolerated and used. The trierpenoids in Centella are well studied. There have been in vitro studies on the acids found in Centella.

In Japan, one of the oleanolic acid compounds has been marketed and used for treating nonlymphatic leukemia. I do feel that many European countries and the Far East use more natural compounds than we do in the United States. Too many regulations here. 

Until tomorrow...

SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 – TERPENES

A topic not always discussed is the use of terpenes in disease. There have been studies and reports of terpenes having cancer preventive effects.

Monoterpenes (the simplest of the terpenes) are of low molecular weight and are the primary components of essential oils. The potential anticancer actions of monoterpenes include: induce apoptosis, induce differentiation, and inhibit tumor induced immunosuppression. One of these essential oils is limonene, the primary constituent of orange oil. It has been extensively studied at the University of Wisconsin. It has been shown to hinder the following cancers: stomach, lung, skin and liver cancers. This was done in rodent models.

The perfume industry has a better limonene called perillyl alcohol. It is more potent than limonene, inducing tumor regression 5-10 times more in breast cancer in rats.

I find from all my reading and research that there are many natural compounds used in cancer therapy.

Until tomorrow...

SEPTEMBER 4 2018 – SYNERGISM WITH VITAMIN C

I have been a proponent of Vitamin C as supportive treatment of cancer for many years. I utilize intravenous vitamin C in higher doses than normal. There were only two studies that do not support this and the patient population were less than 50 patients. I have seen vitamin C in higher doses have many beneficial properties.

There are high molecular weight substances as mushrooms extracts like PSK and even ligans from pine cones that can increase vitamin C oxidation and synergistically enhance the cytotoxic effects of vitamin C. This has been shown and studied in human leukemia and brain caner cells.

There also is a synergistic effect seen with Vitamin K. Vitamin K3 potentiates the cytotoxic effects of Vitamin C in vitro and requires a 1:100 ratio. This is not always possible. It can be done in intravenous form, but this is not always possible for many practitioners.

Until tomorrow...

SEPTEMBER 3, 2018 – ALTERATIVE HERBS

This class of herbs presents a strategy for the treatment of cancer. These herbs act through the lymphatics, blood, and eliminatory system. These herbs are also used to improve the absorption and assimilation of nutrients. I consider these herbs the blood purifiers or detoxifying herbs. I know these herbs improve the blood flow; I chose these herbs for their action and each patient varies from which to pick.

The herbs that I have used the most include Burdock Root, Dandelion, Oregon Grape, Sheep's sorrel. This list is most commonly used for leukemia. The berberine containing herbs (Coptis, Berberine vulgaris, and Barberry) have been used against several cancers as cytotoxic agents.

Until tomorrow...

SEPTEMBER 1-2, 2018 – PERIODONTAL DISEASE

Whether present in humans or animals, the cause needs to be identified. The main goal is to reduce inflammation and treat infection if there is any present. There are many herbs with the potential to treat periodontal disease which include the following:

1. anti microbial herbs
2. vulnerary herbs
3. anti inflammatory herbs

The traditional herbs that have been used include aloe, marshmallow, calendula, witch hazel, goldenseal, coptis, and even balm of gilead. There are randomized studies using calendula. There is even a study using EGCG from green tea having inhibitory effects of the activity and expression in matrix metalloproteinases that are involved in bone resorption in periodontal disease. The use of Centella asiatica has been investigated for periodontal healing after scaling and root planning in patients with periodontal disease. There are many choices.

Until tomorrow...

AUGUST 31, 2018 – CANCER and B VITAMINS

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death among men and women with about 234,000 new cases per year. We know the major risk factor is cigarette smoking as it accounts for 80% of the deaths. In the past, the association between B vitamin supplementation and lung cancer risk has not been clearly understood and controversial. There was a 2009 published study that demonstrated a 21% increased cancer incidence associated with the use of B12 and folate. The highest cancer demonstrated was lung cancer.

A recent study published by Traci Pantuso, ND – who is faculty member at Bastyr University Seattle – had different results. This meta analysis found that B vitamin supplementation was associated with a lower risk of melanoma, but not overall cancer incidence.

I found the study very interesting to read. The role of vitamin B supplementation in lung cancer is not fully understood. More studies need to be done. There are concerns with the higher vitamin doses used today beyond the RDA requirements.

Possibly we should only supplement those that are deficient.

Until tomorrow...

AUGUST 30, 2018 – NEUROPHENOLS

A recently published study (July 2018) in the Journals of Gerontology revealed that supplementation with polyphenols present in blueberry and grapes improved episodic memory in healthy adults. This product is called Neurophenols.

Neurophenols is a clinically researched blend of wild blueberries and grape extract. It is available from Atrium Innovation brands Pure Encapsulations, Douglas Labs and Garden of Life. The dose used in the study was 600 mg/day for a total of six months.

It was found that this supplementation were able to reverse memory alterations in healthy elderly individuals.

Until tomorrow...