Traditional Naturopath

Check out this funny, but sadly, true, video about Vytorin. It will make you take a much more critical view of those nasty drug pushing ads!

Don’t be taken in by false claims… maintain a “critical eye” on these kind of advertisements!

A compound called “lupeol” has been found to dissolve cancers better than chemotherapy in the head and neck!

Lupeol Compound in Fruits Found to Destroy Cancer Tumors in the Head and Neck Faster Than Chemotherapy Drugs

“A chemical that naturally occurs in certain fruits such as grapes, mangoes and strawberries may be able to suppress the growth and spread of head and neck cancers, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Hong Kong and published in the journal Cancer Research. Researchers induced head and neck cancer in mice and then gave the mice doses of the chemical lupeol, a triterpene compound found in many fruits. The lupeol appeared to block the function of a protein called NFkB, which assists both healthy and malignant cells in the process of growth and repair. In addition, the growth and spread of the cancer appeared to be slowed. ‘From the animal models, not only did [lupeol] suppress the spread, the tumor got smaller. Compared to conventional drugs, lupeol reduced the size of the tumor far faster,’ researcher Terence Lee said. In addition, lupeol did not appear to cause the wasting often associated with chemotherapy. Such thinning is thought to be correlated with lower cancer survival rates. ‘Conventional drugs made the mice a lot thinner, but lupeol mice retained their bulk,’ Lee said. Cancers of the head and neck include nose, oral, salivary gland, throat, thyroid and voice box cancers. Such cancers are more common among those of Asian than European descent. Risk factors in these cancers include smoking, drinking excessive alcohol, chewing betel nut and a diet high in preserved foods such as salted fish. Because the cancers are hard to diagnose in early stages and head or neck surgery is particularly difficult, mortality tends to be high. According to researcher Anthony Yuen, the phytonutrient lupeol may eventually provide a useful treatment for not just head and neck cancers, but also cancers of the liver, prostate or breast — all of which are known to activate the NFkB protein. Lupeol is also present in saw palmetto, olive seed and certain vegetables.”

An Essential Fatty Acid has been shown to halt the progression of Alzheimer’s! The amazing beneficial properties of EFAs have been shown, once again, to be amazing!

DHA fatty acid helps halt Alzheimer’s progression

“A type of omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may help prevent the abnormal clumping of certain proteins that leads to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The research was conducted by scientists from the University of California at Irvine and from Martek Biosciences, a corporation that makes commercially available DHA products. Alzheimer’s is a common neurodegenerative disease that occurs when lesions form in the brain due to the clumping of beta-amyloid and tau proteins. Two to 3 percent of people aged 65 exhibit signs of the disease; by age 85, the percentage rises to 25 to 50 percent. The researchers studied mice genetically predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s by feeding them one of four different diets. The mice in one group were fed a diet similar to the typical US diet, low in omega-3 fats and high in omega-6s. A second group was fed a diet rich in omega-3s and supplemented with DHAs, while the other two groups were fed food rich in omega-3s and supplemented with both DHA and omega-6s. After 9 months, the brains of the mice who had been fed the DHA supplement had lower levels of beta-amyloid and tau proteins. The researchers believe that DHA may interfere with the accumulation of these proteins by lowering levels of an enzyme needed to produce them.”

Many years ago, Dr. Linus Pauling pioneered what he called “Orthomolecular” treatment via large doses (mega-doses) of Vitamin C for cancer with promising results… now, some research shows that this approach may have merit, and why.

A New Understanding of The Effect Of Vitamin C on Cancer Cells

“More than thirty years ago Linus Pauling and coworkers pioneered the therapeutic use of high doses of vitamin C (ascorbate) on terminal cancer patients, with promising results. Attempts by mainstream medicine to confirm Pauling’s results failed, largely because patients were given vitamin C orally, whereas Pauling’s group had gone the intravenous route. Intravenous administration achieves ascorbate concentrations that are orders of magnitude higher. Neglected by mainstream medicine, intravenous vitamin C cancer treatment continued as an alternative medical practice, although the establishment of the U.S. National Cancer Institute Best Case Series prompted a recent report of three well-documented case studies of successful vitamin C cancer therapy(1). There was another reason for the mainstream’s skepticism – the proposed mechanism of action of ascorbate appeared questionable. It was assumed that the antioxidant simply protected DNA from free radical damage, but this should protect the genetic material of healthy and cancerous tissues alike. The idea that ensuring DNA integrity should selectively favor healthy tissue over tumors seemed implausible. Indeed, this interpretation turned out to be wrong. A group at Johns Hopkins Medical School reported recently that antioxidants inhibited three tumorigenic models in vivo, but that ‘[inhibition of a human B lymphoma model was] unassociated with genomic instability but was linked to diminished hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) levels…'(2). What the researchers found was that the differential effect of ascorbate on healthy tissue and cancer cells had nothing to do with the protection of DNA. Instead, ascorbate influenced the HIF-promoted transcription of selected genes. It was the suppression of the transcription of these genes by ascorbate that affected tumors and healthy tissues differently.

What is hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)?

Hypoxia-inducible factor regulates the transcription of genes involved in angiogenesis, glucose uptake and metabolism, as well as other cellular functions. HIF is a protein that occurs in all mammalian cell types and that is activated when oxygen levels fall(3). Normal oxygen levels deactivate HIF by hydroxylating key proline and asparagine residues. These hydroxylation reactions are catalyzed by enzymes containing divalent iron at the active site, and require molecular oxygen. Ascorbate is needed to keep iron in the ferrous (divalent) state for these HIF-deactivating enzymes to function properly. HIF deactivation in turn prevents or slows gene transcription of proteins promoting angiogenesis and glucose metabolism(3) A growing tumor, unlike healthy tissue, needs new blood vessels (angiogenesis) to ensure a continuous supply of nutrients. And it had been known that HIF is often activated in solid tumors(3). Suppression of angiogenesis by deactivating hypoxia-inducible factor therefore selectively disadvantages tumor cells.”

Check out this herbal tonic for Adrenal health!

Herbal Tonic for Energy, Shingles, Herpes and More

“The adrenal glands often become ‘depleted’ as a result of the constant demands placed upon them. They are the ‘fight or flight’ glands that can become exhausted by too much stress. An individual with adrenal exhaustion will usually suffer from chronic fatigue, may complain of feeling anxiety-ridden, and will, more often than not, have a reduced resistance to allergies and infection. The adrenal glands secrete several important hormones that help maintain the balance of many body functions. Stress of any kind, fasting, temperature changes, allergies, infections, drugs, and exercise all stimulate the adrenals to release their hormones. When the adrenals release too few or too many hormones, the body responds differently to the everyday stresses of life. The adrenal cortex is involved in the production of such as cortisol, aldosterone, and androgens such as DHEA. My Adrena Tonic was formulated to support mild to moderate adrenal deficiency that can cause havoc on the immune-system and energy levels. This tonic also supports ‘Shingles, Herpes and Epstein Barr’ recovery along with Prostate Cancer Prevention.”

Go to the link above for the full “recipe” for the tonic.

We have talked about the importance of turmeric as an anti-inflammatory, but it has many other benefits as well!

Kitchen Medicine And Potent Anti-Inflammatory: Turmeric

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a semi-tropical rhizhome which has been popular in East Asian curried dishes and other forms of cuisine for many centuries. The plants look like small ginger roots. Most folks will buy Turmeric in powdered form, but if you get the fresh roots, peel away the outer skin and chop finely. Beware! This deeply pigmented kitchen medicine will stain cutting boards and clothing. It is actually the deep yellow-orange pigment, a bioflavonoid, which confers the health-promoting attributes of this marvelous root. Turmeric first came on the US national scene as a medicinal substance a few years ago when the popular prescription anti-inflammatory Vioxx was pulled from the market because of an ominous trend towards causing increased heart attacks… in fact, there have been some Italian studies which compared Vioxx and Turmeric head-to-head for anti-inflammatory power, and Turmeric performed just as well, with no side-effects.”

The article goes on to say that turmeric can be beneficial for the control of blood sugar (along with cinnamon and chromium.) Plus, check this out!

“Oncologists, in particular, have taken an interest in Turmeric because they discovered, about a decade ago, that primary tumors (which can usually be cured, surgically) are much more likely to spread (metastasize) into compromised, or inflamed, tissues. In other words, when a primary tumor exists, it will secrete microscopic cancer cells into the general circulation. If these cancer cells “seed” new tissue, then we have secondary growth of the cancer and the disease is now considered systemic. Treatment becomes much more complicated, and the prognosis for survival worsens. Oncologists are very interested in preventing metastatic disease, and therefore have taken to using anti-inflammatories in their patients, to reduce the chance of micro-metastases becoming established. Healthy tissue is more likely to perform competently. The immune surveillance mechanism (white blood cell identification and destruction of pathogens – be they viruses, bacteria, indigestible food, or cancerous cells) remains viable in healthy tissue, by definition. Some speculate that the reason east India has relatively low cancer rates, despite terrible pollution problems, is that the general population eats a lot of turmeric, regularly.”

So, consider turmeric! A healthy and beneficial natural spice!