The risk of cancer from being obese is similar to the risk of cancer from using tobacco, according to the American Cancer Society, and experts suggest that obesity may soon surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable deaths.
Being overweight or obese is associated with a higher risk of several types of cancer, including colon and breast cancer, and evidence suggests that being physically active can reduce cancer risks, especially for colon and breast cancer.
One-third of cancer deaths are related to diet and inactivity, and experts believe that about 186,000 lives could be saved each year if people made lifestyle changes.
To spur such changes, the society will launch the Great American Weigh In, similar to the Great American Smokeout, which began about three decades ago and encouraged people to quit smoking.
The Weigh In aims to establish a link between fat and cancer in the minds of the public, as a recent survey found that only one percent of participants knew that maintaining a healthy weight would also keep cancer risk down.
The program asks people to gauge whether they are overweight or obese by measuring their body mass index (BMI), a measurement of obesity involving height and weight.
Women will be a primary target for the society since they typically make decisions on what to feed the family and are also more likely than men to make lifestyle changes. The link between weight and breast cancer, which is the most feared disease among women, will also be a major motivator for women to maintain healthy weights, according to the society.
The Weigh In’s simplistic goal, measuring BMI, may trigger people to take other healthy steps. However, the program’s simple goal has been criticized by some who say a next step, such as a 30-minute walk each day, should be suggested. Other strategies include using law, as is the case with smoking (for example people cannot smoke inside many buildings). One suggestion for food would be to reduce prices of healthier food and raise taxes on higher fat ones.
Yahoo News February 17, 2003
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Better Habits Could Slash U.S. Cancer, Report Says
by Maggie Fox
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If people would quit smoking, eat more healthily and exercise, cancer deaths could be cut by nearly a third, a report issued on Monday said.
Lifestyle changes and better screening could prevent almost 100,000 new cancer cases and 60,000 cancer deaths each year, the report from the Institute of Medicine said.
It said the biggest cuts would come in lung cancer, the No. 1 cancer killer in the United States and many other countries, and colon cancer, the No. 3 killer.
"What's new here is the growing body of evidence confirming that interventions that get people to change their behaviors do work," Susan Curry of the University of Illinois at Chicago, who helped write the report, said in a statement.
The American Cancer Society says nearly 1.3 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer and 500,000 died from cancer in 2002. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease.
Curry noted it is very difficult to make the changes needed to lower cancer rates. The American Cancer Society and other groups focused on cancer prevention recommend a diet based on plant foods such as fruits and vegetables and whole grains, which many Americans are reluctant to adopt.
Colon cancer, for example, which kills 57,000 Americans a year, is linked to a diet rich in fat and red meat, as well as to smoking. Colonoscopies and other methods of cancer screening can catch colon cancer early, while it is still easy to cure.
Quitting smoking could prevent virtually all cases of lung cancer, which was a relatively uncommon disease before cigarettes became popular. Deaths among men from lung cancer have dropped markedly, although rates among women, who started smoking more in recent decades, are still rising.
"Although personal experience illustrates for most people the great difficulty of achieving sustained behavioral change, Americans have made substantial improvements in their health habits in the past few decades," the report said.
The institute, which advises the federal government on health issues such as vitamin intake and health insurance, recommends stricter enforcement of tobacco laws--especially sales on the Internet, where minors can easily obtain products.
Taxes on tobacco are "the single most effective method for reducing the demand for tobacco," the report said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson earlier this month rejected an HHS committee's recommendation to raise federal cigarette taxes by $2 a pack to discourage smoking and fund stop-smoking programs.
The report also recommended that insurers--including Medicare and Medicaid--pay for cancer prevention and detection services that have been shown to work, such as nicotine replacement therapy, breast cancer screening for women age 50 and older, cervical cancer screening for all sexually active women and colon cancer screening.
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
Fitness May Prevent Cancer Deaths
Results of a 25-year study found that men who were most in shape at the beginning of the study were less likely to die from cancer, while women who started the study overweight had a greater risk of dying from cancer.
The study, which included 2,585 women and 2,890 men, examined the relationship between fitness and obesity and the risk of dying from all types of cancer. Participants were followed from the 1970s to 1998.
A treadmill test was given at the beginning of the study to measure heart health and body mass index (BMI), a measure used to gauge obesity, was measured.
Among men, the fittest were about half as likely to die from cancer as the less fit men. Among women, fitness levels did not have a significant effect on cancer deaths, but a woman’s BMI at the start of the study did. Women with the highest BMIs were close to 50 percent more likely to die from cancer than women with lower BMIs.
It is thought that physical activity reduce cancer risk by influencing certain hormone and growth factor levels, decreasing body fat and possibly boosting the immune system.
Future studies may examine the relationship of fitness and obesity on certain types of cancers, such as breast cancer.
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
The study, which included 2,585 women and 2,890 men, examined the relationship between fitness and obesity and the risk of dying from all types of cancer. Participants were followed from the 1970s to 1998.
A treadmill test was given at the beginning of the study to measure heart health and body mass index (BMI), a measure used to gauge obesity, was measured.
Among men, the fittest were about half as likely to die from cancer as the less fit men. Among women, fitness levels did not have a significant effect on cancer deaths, but a woman’s BMI at the start of the study did. Women with the highest BMIs were close to 50 percent more likely to die from cancer than women with lower BMIs.
It is thought that physical activity reduce cancer risk by influencing certain hormone and growth factor levels, decreasing body fat and possibly boosting the immune system.
Future studies may examine the relationship of fitness and obesity on certain types of cancers, such as breast cancer.
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
Cancer Cookbook: Making It Nutritious & Delicious
© Patrick Quillin Ph.D., R.D.
(Excerpted from Beating Cancer with Nutrition: Clinically Proven and Easy-To-Follow Strategies to Dramatically Improve Your Quality and Quantity of Life)
"Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food."Hippocrates, father of modern medicine, circa 400 B.C.
Nutrition and health. It makes so much sense: "You are what you eat." Veterinarians know the irreplacable link between nutrient intake and health. Actually, most of our pets eat better than most Americans. Your dog or cat probably gets a balanced formula of protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Yet, most of us eat for taste, cost, and convenience. The most commonly eaten food in America is heavily refined and nutritionally bankrupt white flour.
Meanwhile, our livestock eat the more nutritious wheat germ and bran that we discard. When our crops are not doing well, we examine the soil for nutrients, fluid and pH content. Our gardens prosper when we water, fertilize, and add a little broad spectrum mineral supplement, such as Miracle Gro.
A sign posted near the junk food vending machines in a major city zoo warns: "Do not feed this food to the animals or they may get sick and die." Think about it. The food that might kill a 400 pound ape is okay for a 40 pound child who is biologically very similar? If our gardens, field crops, pets, exotic zoo creatures and every other form of life on earth are all heavily dependent on their diet for health, then what makes us think that humans have transcended this dependence?
FoodFood is a rich tapestry of various chemicals. For some advanced cancer patients, TPN is often the only route which can provide adequate nutrient intake. However, for other patients, food can be an integral part of their recovery.
Food contains anti-cancer agents that we are only beginning to understand. One third of all prescription drugs in America originated as plant products. It is food that provides macronutrients, like carbohydrate, fat and protein, that drive extremely influential hormones and prostaglandins in your body. It is food that establishes your pH balance and electrolyte "soup" that bathes every cell in your body. While supplements are valuable, they cannot replace the fundamental importance of a wholesome diet.
This chapter can make or break your cancer-fighting program. The food discussed in this chapter has been fine tuned over the years to be tasty, nutritious, inexpensive and easy to prepare. Our eating habits are all acquired. We base our current diet on what mother cooked when we were younger; what our society, ethnic and religious groups prefer; what is advertised in print and electronic media, and what is available in the local grocery store. People in the Phillipines or the Amazon are born with structurally identical taste buds to Americans, yet they eat entirely different foods.
It takes about 3 weeks to acquire new eating habits. Try this program for 3 weeks, at which time it will become easier to stay with and you may just find that the nutrient-depleted junk food of yesterday really doesn't satisfy your taste buds like the following whole foods outlined by Noreen Quillin.
True ConfessionsPatrick Quillin has not always eaten as he does now. I now talk the talk and walk the walk. But I was raised in middle America, with roast beef, potatoes and gravy every Sunday afternoon; Captain Crunch for breakfast and a soda pop if you were good. White bread and bologna were the standard fare at home.
My parents provided what they felt were lavish and well balanced meals to the best of their knowledge, as millions of other American families.As I began studying nutrition in college, my eating habits improved, but were still far from enviable. I remember one semester in college while taking 19 units, 3 labs and working part time, I had no spare time to cook or even eat, so I kept a large box of Twinkies in the back of my van to provide "sustenance" when needed. For many months those Twinkies baked in the hot southern California sun and were always as fresh as the day they were bought.
I began to question the shelf life of this food: "If bacteria is not interested in this food, then what makes me think that my body cells are interested in it!"
At that point in my life, my lovely and talented wife Noreen began exploring alternative cooking styles. While I was studying the lofty sciences of nutritional biochemistry, Noreen was busy making nutritious taste delicious. It was a true turning point in my life. I started eating properly, felt better, got fewer colds, and could sincerely lecture on the subject to others.
Noreen got books on everything that you can do with soybeans, crockpots, pressure cookers, whole grains and vegetarian lifestyles. She bravely and diligently tried everything. We sometimes would come home with bags of food from some ethnic grocery store that we later had to re-identify in order to try some recipe. Some of it was good. Some was edible. Some we had to throw out. But we learned. And for the past 3 years, Noreen has taught cooking classes to our cancer patients. And we have all learned. What you have in this chapter is a time-tested approach to making your anti-cancer diet practical and tasty. Bon appetit!
Synegistic Forces in FoodsAlthough 1000 mg. daily of vitamin C has been shown to reduce the risk for stomach cancer, a small glass of orange juice containing only 37 mg of vitamin C is twice as likely to lower the chances for stomach cancer. Something in oranges is even more chemo-protective than vitamin C.
Although most people only absorb 20-50% of their ingested calcium, the remaining calcium binds up potentially damaging fats in the intestines to provide protection against colon cancer.In 1963, a major "player" in the American drug business, Merck, tried to patent a single antibiotic substance that was originally isolated from yogurt. But this substance did not work alone. Since then, researchers have found no less than 7 natural antibiotics that all contribute to yogurt's unique ability to protect the body from infections.
There are many anti-cancer agents in plant food, including beta-carotene, chlorophyll, over 500 mixed carotenoids, over 600 various bioflavonoids, lutein, lycopenes and canthaxanthin. The point is: we can isolate and concentrate certain factors in foods for use as therapeutic supplements in cancer therapy, but we must always rely heavily on the mysterious and elegant symphony of ingredients found in wholesome food.
How do Foods Protect Us From Toxins and Cancer?
By spurring on the body to produce more toxin scavengers, like glutathione peroxidase from indoles in cabbage.
By bolstering the immune system. Once the external therapies of chemo, radiation and surgery have eliminated the visible tumor, then the real and final cancer battle is totally dependent on the immune factors. Many foods and individual nutrients are influential here.
By stimulating certain detoxifying enzyme systems, like the liver's cytochrome P450.1 Selenium, vitamin C and milk thistle help here.
By shutting down the oncogene in human cells, that acts like a traitor to participate in cancer growth. Soybeans, vitamin A and D help here.
By directly killing tumor cells. The bioflavonoid quercetin, vitamin C, B-12, K, and garlic help here.
By directly killing bacteria or viruses that may cause cancer.
By binding up substances, like bile acids, that can decay into a carcinogenic substance. Fiber is a champion here.
By caging carcinogenic heavy metals, in a process called chelation (say 'key-lay-shun'), and carrying these toxic minerals out of the body. Bioflavonoids, vitamin C and garlic help this way.
By attaching to fats, to stop the carcinogenic fat "rusting" process. Calcium, vitamin E and fiber use this method.
By providing the known essential and unknown important nutrients that the body needs to better defend itself against pollutants.2 A well-nourished body is better able to detoxify, neutralize and excrete the ubiquitous poisons of the 20th century.
Using Guidelines That are UniversalThere have been a number of diets developed for the cancer patient: Drs. Moerman3, Livingston4, Gerson5, and the macrobiotic6 diets to mention a few. Each of these visionaries was a physician who spent at least several decades ministering to cancer patients.
While there are some differences in these diets, there is also some common ground. Peculariarities about each program include:
Dr. Moerman recommends supplements of iron for cancer patients, yet other data shows that elemental iron may accelerate cancer growth. He allows the yolk of the egg, but not the white part.Macrobiotics allow liberal amounts of soy sauce and pickles, yet restrict intake of fruit and fish.
Dr. Gerson used to encourage raw pureed calf's liver, which can contain a number of dangerous bacteria.
Dr. Livingston prohibits any chicken intake, since a cancer-causing organism thrives in chicken.
The points just mentioned are the oddities about each program which lack a good explanation. Yet, we don't want to throw out the "baby with the bath water". Each of these programs embraces a common thread, which includes a number of explanable nutrition principles. They all provide a diet that:
uses only unprocessed foods, nothing in a package with a label
uses high amounts of fresh vegetables
employs a low fat diet
emphasizes the importance of regularity
uses little or no dairy products, with yogurt as the preferred dairy selection
stabilizes blood sugar levels with no sweets and never eat something sweet by itself
increases potassium and reduces sodium intake
SuperfoodsThough there are many nourishing foods, there are only a few superfoods that contain such a potent collection of protective factors that they deserve regular inclusion in most diets.
Yogurt. While dairy products are the world's most common allergenic food, for 1/2 to 2/3 of the population, yogurt can provide some dramatic immune stimulation. On the surface, yogurt appears to be nothing more than a fermented dairy product. Yet, modern scientists find that the active culture of bacteria in yogurt (Lactobacillus) can fortify the immune system. Yogurt is an impressive immune stimulant.7 In both humans and animals, yogurt in the diet tripled the internal production of interferon (a powerful weapon of the immune system against tumor cells) while also raising the level of natural killer cells. Yogurt has been shown to slow down the growth of tumor cells in the GI tract while improving the ability of the immune system to destroy active tumor cells.8 Yogurt can block the production of carcinogenic agents in the colon. When scientists looked at the diet of 1010 women with breast cancer and compared them to an equally matched group without breast cancer, they found an inverse dose-dependent relationship: the more yogurt consumed, the lower the risk for breast cancer.9In several European studies, yogurt in animal studies was able to reverse tumor progress. A 1962 study found that 59 percent of 258 mice implanted with sarcoma cells were cured through yogurt. A more recent American study found a 30 percent cure rate through yogurt.10 While it is doubtful that yogurt is going to cure advanced human cancer, it is likely that yogurt can better fortify the cancer patient's immune system.Garlic. This stinky little vegetable has been used for 5000 years in various healing formulas. Pasteur noted that garlic killed all of the bacteria in his petri dishes. More importantly, garlic has been found to stimulate natural protection against tumor cells. Tarig Abdullah, MD of Florida found that white blood cells from garlic-fed people were able to kill 139% more tumor cells than white cells from non-garlic eaters.11 Garlic and onions fed to lab animals helped to decrease the number of skin tumors.12 Researchers found that onions provided major protection against expected tumors from DMBA in test animals.13 Mice with a genetic weakness toward cancer were fed raw garlic with a lower-than-expected tumor incidence.14
The most common form of cancer worldwide is stomach cancer. Chinese researchers find that a high intake of garlic and onions cuts the risk for stomach cancer in half.15 Garlic provides the liver with a certain amount of protection against carcinogenic chemicals. Scientists find that garlic is deadly to invading pathogens or tumor cells, but is harmless to normal healthy body cells; thus offering the hope of the truly selective toxin against cancer that is being sought worldwide.
Carotenoids. Green plants create sugars by capturing the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis. The electrons that must be corralled in this process can be highly destructive. Hence, nature has evolved an impressive system of free radical protectors, including carotenoids and bioflavonoids, that act like the lead lining in a nuclear reactor to absorb dangerous unpaired electrons. Both of these substances have potential in stimulating the immune system while there is preliminary evidence that carotenoids may be directly toxic to tumor cells.Carotenoids are found in green and orange fruits and vegetables. Bioflavonoids are found in citrus, whole grains, honey, and other plant foods.Cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower were involved in the "ground floor" discovery that nutrition is linked to cancer. Lee Wattenberg, PhD of the University of Minnesota found in the 1970s that animals fed cruciferous vegetables had markedly lower cancer rates than matched controls. Since then, the active ingredient "indoles" have been isolated from cruciferous vegetables and found to be very protective against cancer. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University found that lab animals fed cruciferous vegetables and then exposed to the deadly carcinogen aflatoxin had a 90 percent reduction in their cancer rate.16Cruciferous vegetables are able to increase the body's production of glutathione peroxidase, which is one of the more important protective enzyme systems in the body.Mushrooms. Gourmet chefs have long prized various mushrooms for their subtle and exotic flavors. Now there is an abundance of scientific evidence showing that Rei-shi, Shiitake, and Maitake mushrooms are potent anti-cancer foods.17 Actually, Maitake literally means "dancing mushroom" since people would dance with joy when finding these delicate mushrooms on a country hillside. Oral extract of Maitake provided complete elimination of tumors in 40% of animals tested, while the remaining 60% of animals had a 90% elimination of tumors. Maitake contains a polysaccharide, called beta-glucan, which stimulates the immune system and even lowers blood pressure.Legumes. Seed foods (like soybeans) have a substance that can partially protect the seed from digestion, called protease inhibitors (PI). For many years, these substances were thought to be harmful. New evidence finds that PIs may squelch tumor growth.18 Researchers at the National Cancer Institute find a collection of substances in soybeans, including isoflavones and phytoestrogens, appear to have potent anti-cancer properties.19 Dr. Ann Kennedy has spent 20 years researching a compound in soybeans that:
prevents cancer in most animals exposed to a variety of carcinogens
retards cancer in some studies
lowers the toxic side effects of chemo and radiation therapy
reverts a cancer cell back to a normal healthy cell.20
Others. There are numerous foods that show an ability to slow tumor growth in some way. Apples, apricots, barley, citrus fruit, cranberries, fiber, figs, fish oil, fish, ginger, green tea, spinach, seaweed and other foods are among the reasons that I heavily favor the use of a mixed highly nutritious diet as the foundation for nutrition in cancer therapy
Food treats malnutrition. Food contains known essential nutrients that stimulate the immune system and provide valuable protection against carcinogens. Foods also contain poorly understood factors that may add measurably to the recovery of the cancer patient. Many foods have tremendous therapeutic value in helping the patient to internally fight cancer.
How to Use this SectionThis cookbook chapter was written with the cancer patient in mind and can also be helpful to people who want to eat properly but have little time to spend in the kitchen. Remember: the more wellness you have, the less illness you can have. One full week of menus is vegetarian style with no dairy products, but eggs are allowed. Another week's menu includes low fat poultry and fish. This will show you how to prepare meals that can be tasty and nutritious. The recipes are just a guide to show you the possibilities in creative cooking.
There is a section of tips to stimulate the appetite or lose weight rationally. Also included is the concept of bulk cooking, which is a great way to have a freezer full of ready-made meals at 1/4 the cost. "Fast food" at our house usually means microwaving some frozen beans, adding leftover bits of chicken or fish, and rolling this tasty collection into whole wheat tortillas with fresh salsa. The seasonings of Spike and Gayelords powdered vegetable broth may be purchased at your local heath food store.
Realize that there is no one perfect diet. Laying out a weekly menu of "nutritious" food is frought with peril, since another nutritionist could have their own valid criticisms of this program. Life is not perfect, nor are our eating habits. The most nourishing meal in the world is useless unless eaten. This chapter demonstrates healthy eating habits within the context of practical and tasty recipes. There are some noteworthy spartan cancer diets that only an extremely dedicated cancer patient can follow.
Given the choice between an unpalatable and labor-intensive eating program or returning to their old destructive eating habits, many cancer patients chose the later. Gleaning from dozens of good cookbooks and years of experience, the menus provided in this chapter make precious few compromises in nutritional quality while emphasizing taste, cost and practical preparation.
To Gain WeightDon't drink fluids or have soup or salad before the meal. It will fill you up on foods that are low in calorie density.
Eat on a large plate, thus avoiding food portions that appear overwhelming. Have small portions, knowing you can always have more.
People eat more when dining in groups than by themselves. Go to buffets. Eat with friends or other patients if possible. At our hospital, we were constantly battling the problem of patients not wanting to eat, no matter how appetizing the food looked and smelled. One Fourth of July, we set up a family picnic, with broiled chicken, baked beans, watermelon, corn on the cob and more. People who had not eaten well all week suddenly developed a ferocious appetite. We have been serving buffet family style meals ever since.
Distract your mind. Rent a good video and have your meal in front of the TV. Have you ever sat down with a bowl of popcorn and realized you had eaten the whole batch and didn't even realize it?
To Lose WeightEat 6 times a day. That doesn't mean 6 Big Macs. It means a light breakfast upon rising; a piece of fruit later in the midmorning; a salad and half a sandwich at lunch; and the other 1/2 of the sandwich at mid-afternoon. Even if you over-indulge at one meal, make sure you eat on schedule. This concept, called periodicity, trains the mind and body that food is constantly coming into the system and there is no need to overindulge or become exceedingly efficient at storing calories.
Have warm fluids, like tea or soup, about 20 minutes before mealtime.
Use a smaller plate. It gives the illusion that you're eating more.
Drink plenty of purified water. It's good for both weight loss, constipation and wrinkles.
Adjust your bathroom scale to the exact weight you want to be. As you lose weight, you can readjust it closer to the zero, but always see your weight as you want it to be. This way when you think about having that huge piece of cake, you will think to yourself, "A person of my weight won't eat that."
Exercise within your own ability. Make sure you enjoy it.
Eat more high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole-grain cereals.
Plan your meals and snacks instead of waiting until you are hungry.
Dining Tips For The Cancer PatientYou eat with your eyes first, so make sure that your plate looks appetizing. Have different colors. No matter how tasty the food might be, if it is all the same color (i.e. turkey, mash potatoes, and cauliflower), then you won't enjoy the meal as much.
Crock pot cooking is a great idea. It is a relatively inexpensive kitchen tool which cures the 5 o'clock dilemma of haphazard meal preparation. There are many advantages to making your dinner in the morning. You prepare the food early which means that the kitchen will be clean and the urge to order out at 5 pm has been eliminated. Also, the aromas of cooking food wafting throughout the house can help stimulate a sagging appetite.
Cook up more food than is needed. Freeze leftovers in baggies in individual servings. This way you will have a freezer full of ready-to-eat nutritious meals.
Pressure cooking is wonderful. Your cooking time for whole grains and beans will be cut by 75%.
Instead of soda pop, try diluted apple juice or ginger tea with 1/4 tsp of vitamin C per cup.
Ginger helps to relieve nausea. You can take tablets, or drink ginger tea cold or hot.
Acupressure wrist bands, available at your pharmacy or health food store, also help to relieve nausea.
Avoid frying foods. Make sure that you have foods like carrot sticks or baked whole wheat tortilla chips to satisfy that need for crunchy food.Eating OutIceberg lettuce is the most common salad bar offering, but is "junk food" relative to most other vegetables. Skip the iceberg lettuce and enjoy the healthier fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods from the salad bar. A good rule of thumb: the deeper the color of the vegetable, the more nourishing it is. Dark greens are better than pale greens, dark orange squash is better than pale squash, and so on. In nature, cauliflower is a dark green vegetable, until human intervention ties the leaves around the developing flower to deprive it of sunlight.
Many restaurants offer low-calorie or light meals with gourmet versions.
Instead of accepting that "fried" meal from a restaurant menu, most places will steam or broil your food.
Airlines can be very accommodating in having a special meal ready for you. Give them at least 1 week advance notice.
Ask for the salad dressing to be served on the side.
Have the rich sauces or gravies left out.
Avoid sauteed and deep-fried food.
Foods to Highlight in Your DietYogurtSproutsOnionsGarlicGingerCabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflowerCarrotsCoybeans, garbanzo beans and other legumesRice, barley and other whole grainsSea vegetables, a.k.a. seaweedDark green and dark orange fruits & vegetablesApples, berriesEggsFigsFishHoney
Beverages to HighlightPurified waterCafixRomaHerb teaVitamin C powder & honey in hot waterGinger teaHot natural apple juice with vitamin CFresh orange juicePostumChickoryJapanese Green teaRoasted rice or barley teaVinegar, honey & water
Dragon-Slayer Shake
I hate taking pills, even when I know the value of using supplements to improve my health. That's why I developed this "shake". While most of us are familiar with milkshakes, there are many variations on that theme which can provide nutrient-dense foods in a convenient format. I have found that many cancer patients would avoid taking their supplements of vitamins, minerals and botanicals because they didn't like swallowing pills. To solve that problem, I have developed this shake, which can incorporate many nutrients in powder form, thus eliminating taking pills at all, and the remaining pills are easier to swallow with the lubricating ability of this smooth shake.
Shakes can be a quick and easy breakfast. Depending on your calorie requirements, use this shake in addition to or instead of the breakfast suggestions listed later. My typical breakfast consists of this Dragon-Slayer shake, whole grain rolls, bagles, muffins or Pita bread, along with a large serving of fresh fruit in season.
Take up to half of your pills with the "Dragon-Slayer shake" and save the remaining pills for later in the day. Taking supplements in small divided dosages helps to maintain sustained levels of nutrients in the bloodstream.
Ingredients:4-8 ounces of dilute fruit juice, including apple, cranberry, orange, fresh squeezed, juice extracted, etc. I add twice the specified water to a can of frozen unsweetened concentrated apple juice from your grocery store.
10-15 grams of powdered protein from (listed in order of preference): whey, rice, soy, alfalfa, egg white, non-fat yogurt solids, spirulina. Do not use powdered proteins that are based upon non-fat milk solids. Too many people are allergic to this product. Your health food store should have a dozen different products to select from. ProMod is a name brand pure whey protein product.
1/2 tablespoon of Perfect 7. This is an excellent product to maintain regularity and encourage proper detoxification. It includes fiber, an herbal laxative, proper bacteria for colonizing the intestines and botanicals for detoxification. You may be surprised at the fecal matter eliminated in the first few weeks on this program.
One sliced ripe banana or less, depending on how thick you like your shakes. Banana adds texture via pectin to make this shake have true milk shake viscosity.
2-4 grams of buffered vitamin C powder from Emergen-C or Seraphim. Both products have an effervescent action that brings a "soda pop" like flavor to this drink, along with high doses of vitamin C that won't upset even the most delicate stomach.
1 tablespoon of OmegaSyn 1 fatty acids (a blend of EPA and GLA) from BioSyn (800-346-2703)
1/2 tablespoon of pure, cold pressed flaxseed oil (optional)
1/2 tablespoon of wheat germ oil (optional)
For those who need to slow down weight loss or gain weight, add 2 tablespoons of MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil
Directions:Use a large blender or a small hand held blender, like the ones originally developed to mix diet drinks. First add the oils (EPA, wheat germ and flax) to coat the bottom of the container for easy mixing and cleaning. Add the powdered ingredients and cut up fruit next. Blend until smooth, or about 15 seconds.
Bulk Cooking
YogurtScald (foaming but not yet at boiling) 8 cups of milk with one cup of added powdered milk.
Turn heat down and simmer for at least 5 minutes; the longer you simmer (up to 25 minutes) the thicker your yogurt will be.
While the milk is simmering, place 2 tablespoons of live cultured good-tasting yogurt in each of two quart-glass peanut butter jars and stir briefly with a plastic spoon until creamy.
After simmering milk, let the temperature drop to 49 degrees C. (112 F.). You don't want to kill the yogurt bacteria with milk that is too hot.
Add about a half cup of the warm milk to the yogurt starter in each of two jars and stir gently but thoroughly. Then add the rest of the milk to the glass jars.
Place the jars (uncovered) in a picnic thermos (the size that holds a six pack of beer). Close the thermos lid and leave for 6-10 hours. The longer it sits, the thicker it gets. Do not open container and peek while the fermentation is occurring.
This recipe allows you to cut the cost of yogurt from $14.00 per gallon to $2.10 per gallon (cost of milk).
Growing Your Own SproutsYou will need a glass jar (quart size or larger), a soft plastic screen for the top, and a rubber band to hold the screen in place. There are also commercial sprouting kits available in most health food stores. Place about one heaping tablespoon of seeds in your glass container with the screen doubled on the top. The seeds will expand about tenfold as they sprout, so allow enough room for their expansion. Fill the container half full of purified water and let stand overnight. Next morning drain and rinse the seeds. Let stand inverted over the sink for proper drainage. Rinse and drain twice each day for the next 6-7 days. Keep the jar in a dimly lit area.
Larger seeds, like peas, beans, and lentils take a shorter time to grow and should not be allowed to grow more than a half inch long, since they will develop a bitter flavor. Mung bean sprouts can get up to two inches in length without bitter flavor. Wheat, barley, oats, and other grass plants make terrific sprouts. Smaller seeds, like alfalfa, can grow to an inch in length without any bitter flavor. For some extra vitamin A, let the alfalfa sprouts sit in a sunny window for the last day before eating. The green color indicates the welcome addition of chlorophyll, folacin and beta-carotene.
In excess quantities, sprouts may blunt the immune system in humans. Do not eat more than two cups of sprouts daily.
Homemade Mayonnaise
1 egg1 tsp. prepared mustard1/2 tsp. salt3 tbs apple cider1 cup sunflower or canola oil
Put the egg, mustard, salt, and 1/2 cup of the oil in the container of an electric blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Continue blending or processing while adding the remaining oil very slowly in a steady stream into the center of the egg mixture. Use a small rubber spatula to scrape the mayonnaise into a jar. Store covered in the refrigerator. Yields about 2 cups.
Note: If the mayonnaise curdles, blend or process 1 egg in the container of a clean electric blender or food processor and gradually pour the curdled mayonnaise back in while blending or processing at high speed.
Spicy Beans
3 cups of pinto beans1 large onion cut up3-4 garlic cloves minced2-3 dry red peppers cut up fine1 tablespoon chili powder1 tsp cumin powder1/3 cup olive oilLite salt
Sort and wash beans in a colander. Soak the beans overnight in about 8 cups of water in a heavy saucepan. Drain, then fill with another 8 cups of clean water. Add rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer for 90-120 minutes or until beans are tender. Blend with an egg beater. Add a bit of salt to taste.
If you need the beans sooner:Rinse beans. Then fill pot with beans and 8 cups of water Allow to boil for 2 minutes. Let sit in a covered pot for 1 hour. Proceed to next step.
(For best results, use a pressure cooker)Place the soaked and rinsed beans in 5 cups of water in pot. Add ingredients. Bring lid weight to a gentle rocking motion, then pressure cook for 25 minutes. Let cool down. Beat with a mixer to desired consistency.
Barley
Rinse barley and cook for 35-45 minutes in a large volume of boiling water. Barley increases its bulk by four fold when cooked. Drain excess water. Store extra barley in baggies and place in freezer for later use. Season the barley with spices that go with the entree. Spike, Mrs. Dash and other herbal seasonings go with anything.
If using a pressure cooker, use twice the amount of barley measurement for the water. Bring to a rock, then immediately remove from stove burner. Follow rest of the directions.
Better Butter
Blend equal parts of olive oil and softened butter.
Whole Wheat Piecrust
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour1/2 teaspoon salt3 tablespoons oil1/4 cup water
Stir dry ingredients together. Mix in oil. Add enough of the water to make the dough form a ball. Roll flat between sheets of waxed paper and lift into pan. Make edge.
Roasted Brown Rice or Barley Tea
Dry roast uncooked grain over medium flame for 10 minutes or until a fragrant aroma develops. Stir and shake pan occasionally. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the grain to 1 1/2 quarts of purified water. Bring to a boil, simmer 10 to 15 minutes.
The following recipes are not carved in stone. If you do not like a certain spice or seasoning, leave it out. Also, some days you might feel like cooking more than others. These menus were based more on giving maximum variety with different foods than offering no-effort cooking. Feel free to mix the ideas to your pleasure.Also, it is a good idea to have leftovers to freeze in serving sizes so you can just pull out easy-to-serve dinners on days you want to relax.
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
(Excerpted from Beating Cancer with Nutrition: Clinically Proven and Easy-To-Follow Strategies to Dramatically Improve Your Quality and Quantity of Life)
"Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food."Hippocrates, father of modern medicine, circa 400 B.C.
Nutrition and health. It makes so much sense: "You are what you eat." Veterinarians know the irreplacable link between nutrient intake and health. Actually, most of our pets eat better than most Americans. Your dog or cat probably gets a balanced formula of protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Yet, most of us eat for taste, cost, and convenience. The most commonly eaten food in America is heavily refined and nutritionally bankrupt white flour.
Meanwhile, our livestock eat the more nutritious wheat germ and bran that we discard. When our crops are not doing well, we examine the soil for nutrients, fluid and pH content. Our gardens prosper when we water, fertilize, and add a little broad spectrum mineral supplement, such as Miracle Gro.
A sign posted near the junk food vending machines in a major city zoo warns: "Do not feed this food to the animals or they may get sick and die." Think about it. The food that might kill a 400 pound ape is okay for a 40 pound child who is biologically very similar? If our gardens, field crops, pets, exotic zoo creatures and every other form of life on earth are all heavily dependent on their diet for health, then what makes us think that humans have transcended this dependence?
FoodFood is a rich tapestry of various chemicals. For some advanced cancer patients, TPN is often the only route which can provide adequate nutrient intake. However, for other patients, food can be an integral part of their recovery.
Food contains anti-cancer agents that we are only beginning to understand. One third of all prescription drugs in America originated as plant products. It is food that provides macronutrients, like carbohydrate, fat and protein, that drive extremely influential hormones and prostaglandins in your body. It is food that establishes your pH balance and electrolyte "soup" that bathes every cell in your body. While supplements are valuable, they cannot replace the fundamental importance of a wholesome diet.
This chapter can make or break your cancer-fighting program. The food discussed in this chapter has been fine tuned over the years to be tasty, nutritious, inexpensive and easy to prepare. Our eating habits are all acquired. We base our current diet on what mother cooked when we were younger; what our society, ethnic and religious groups prefer; what is advertised in print and electronic media, and what is available in the local grocery store. People in the Phillipines or the Amazon are born with structurally identical taste buds to Americans, yet they eat entirely different foods.
It takes about 3 weeks to acquire new eating habits. Try this program for 3 weeks, at which time it will become easier to stay with and you may just find that the nutrient-depleted junk food of yesterday really doesn't satisfy your taste buds like the following whole foods outlined by Noreen Quillin.
True ConfessionsPatrick Quillin has not always eaten as he does now. I now talk the talk and walk the walk. But I was raised in middle America, with roast beef, potatoes and gravy every Sunday afternoon; Captain Crunch for breakfast and a soda pop if you were good. White bread and bologna were the standard fare at home.
My parents provided what they felt were lavish and well balanced meals to the best of their knowledge, as millions of other American families.As I began studying nutrition in college, my eating habits improved, but were still far from enviable. I remember one semester in college while taking 19 units, 3 labs and working part time, I had no spare time to cook or even eat, so I kept a large box of Twinkies in the back of my van to provide "sustenance" when needed. For many months those Twinkies baked in the hot southern California sun and were always as fresh as the day they were bought.
I began to question the shelf life of this food: "If bacteria is not interested in this food, then what makes me think that my body cells are interested in it!"
At that point in my life, my lovely and talented wife Noreen began exploring alternative cooking styles. While I was studying the lofty sciences of nutritional biochemistry, Noreen was busy making nutritious taste delicious. It was a true turning point in my life. I started eating properly, felt better, got fewer colds, and could sincerely lecture on the subject to others.
Noreen got books on everything that you can do with soybeans, crockpots, pressure cookers, whole grains and vegetarian lifestyles. She bravely and diligently tried everything. We sometimes would come home with bags of food from some ethnic grocery store that we later had to re-identify in order to try some recipe. Some of it was good. Some was edible. Some we had to throw out. But we learned. And for the past 3 years, Noreen has taught cooking classes to our cancer patients. And we have all learned. What you have in this chapter is a time-tested approach to making your anti-cancer diet practical and tasty. Bon appetit!
Synegistic Forces in FoodsAlthough 1000 mg. daily of vitamin C has been shown to reduce the risk for stomach cancer, a small glass of orange juice containing only 37 mg of vitamin C is twice as likely to lower the chances for stomach cancer. Something in oranges is even more chemo-protective than vitamin C.
Although most people only absorb 20-50% of their ingested calcium, the remaining calcium binds up potentially damaging fats in the intestines to provide protection against colon cancer.In 1963, a major "player" in the American drug business, Merck, tried to patent a single antibiotic substance that was originally isolated from yogurt. But this substance did not work alone. Since then, researchers have found no less than 7 natural antibiotics that all contribute to yogurt's unique ability to protect the body from infections.
There are many anti-cancer agents in plant food, including beta-carotene, chlorophyll, over 500 mixed carotenoids, over 600 various bioflavonoids, lutein, lycopenes and canthaxanthin. The point is: we can isolate and concentrate certain factors in foods for use as therapeutic supplements in cancer therapy, but we must always rely heavily on the mysterious and elegant symphony of ingredients found in wholesome food.
How do Foods Protect Us From Toxins and Cancer?
By spurring on the body to produce more toxin scavengers, like glutathione peroxidase from indoles in cabbage.
By bolstering the immune system. Once the external therapies of chemo, radiation and surgery have eliminated the visible tumor, then the real and final cancer battle is totally dependent on the immune factors. Many foods and individual nutrients are influential here.
By stimulating certain detoxifying enzyme systems, like the liver's cytochrome P450.1 Selenium, vitamin C and milk thistle help here.
By shutting down the oncogene in human cells, that acts like a traitor to participate in cancer growth. Soybeans, vitamin A and D help here.
By directly killing tumor cells. The bioflavonoid quercetin, vitamin C, B-12, K, and garlic help here.
By directly killing bacteria or viruses that may cause cancer.
By binding up substances, like bile acids, that can decay into a carcinogenic substance. Fiber is a champion here.
By caging carcinogenic heavy metals, in a process called chelation (say 'key-lay-shun'), and carrying these toxic minerals out of the body. Bioflavonoids, vitamin C and garlic help this way.
By attaching to fats, to stop the carcinogenic fat "rusting" process. Calcium, vitamin E and fiber use this method.
By providing the known essential and unknown important nutrients that the body needs to better defend itself against pollutants.2 A well-nourished body is better able to detoxify, neutralize and excrete the ubiquitous poisons of the 20th century.
Using Guidelines That are UniversalThere have been a number of diets developed for the cancer patient: Drs. Moerman3, Livingston4, Gerson5, and the macrobiotic6 diets to mention a few. Each of these visionaries was a physician who spent at least several decades ministering to cancer patients.
While there are some differences in these diets, there is also some common ground. Peculariarities about each program include:
Dr. Moerman recommends supplements of iron for cancer patients, yet other data shows that elemental iron may accelerate cancer growth. He allows the yolk of the egg, but not the white part.Macrobiotics allow liberal amounts of soy sauce and pickles, yet restrict intake of fruit and fish.
Dr. Gerson used to encourage raw pureed calf's liver, which can contain a number of dangerous bacteria.
Dr. Livingston prohibits any chicken intake, since a cancer-causing organism thrives in chicken.
The points just mentioned are the oddities about each program which lack a good explanation. Yet, we don't want to throw out the "baby with the bath water". Each of these programs embraces a common thread, which includes a number of explanable nutrition principles. They all provide a diet that:
uses only unprocessed foods, nothing in a package with a label
uses high amounts of fresh vegetables
employs a low fat diet
emphasizes the importance of regularity
uses little or no dairy products, with yogurt as the preferred dairy selection
stabilizes blood sugar levels with no sweets and never eat something sweet by itself
increases potassium and reduces sodium intake
SuperfoodsThough there are many nourishing foods, there are only a few superfoods that contain such a potent collection of protective factors that they deserve regular inclusion in most diets.
Yogurt. While dairy products are the world's most common allergenic food, for 1/2 to 2/3 of the population, yogurt can provide some dramatic immune stimulation. On the surface, yogurt appears to be nothing more than a fermented dairy product. Yet, modern scientists find that the active culture of bacteria in yogurt (Lactobacillus) can fortify the immune system. Yogurt is an impressive immune stimulant.7 In both humans and animals, yogurt in the diet tripled the internal production of interferon (a powerful weapon of the immune system against tumor cells) while also raising the level of natural killer cells. Yogurt has been shown to slow down the growth of tumor cells in the GI tract while improving the ability of the immune system to destroy active tumor cells.8 Yogurt can block the production of carcinogenic agents in the colon. When scientists looked at the diet of 1010 women with breast cancer and compared them to an equally matched group without breast cancer, they found an inverse dose-dependent relationship: the more yogurt consumed, the lower the risk for breast cancer.9In several European studies, yogurt in animal studies was able to reverse tumor progress. A 1962 study found that 59 percent of 258 mice implanted with sarcoma cells were cured through yogurt. A more recent American study found a 30 percent cure rate through yogurt.10 While it is doubtful that yogurt is going to cure advanced human cancer, it is likely that yogurt can better fortify the cancer patient's immune system.Garlic. This stinky little vegetable has been used for 5000 years in various healing formulas. Pasteur noted that garlic killed all of the bacteria in his petri dishes. More importantly, garlic has been found to stimulate natural protection against tumor cells. Tarig Abdullah, MD of Florida found that white blood cells from garlic-fed people were able to kill 139% more tumor cells than white cells from non-garlic eaters.11 Garlic and onions fed to lab animals helped to decrease the number of skin tumors.12 Researchers found that onions provided major protection against expected tumors from DMBA in test animals.13 Mice with a genetic weakness toward cancer were fed raw garlic with a lower-than-expected tumor incidence.14
The most common form of cancer worldwide is stomach cancer. Chinese researchers find that a high intake of garlic and onions cuts the risk for stomach cancer in half.15 Garlic provides the liver with a certain amount of protection against carcinogenic chemicals. Scientists find that garlic is deadly to invading pathogens or tumor cells, but is harmless to normal healthy body cells; thus offering the hope of the truly selective toxin against cancer that is being sought worldwide.
Carotenoids. Green plants create sugars by capturing the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis. The electrons that must be corralled in this process can be highly destructive. Hence, nature has evolved an impressive system of free radical protectors, including carotenoids and bioflavonoids, that act like the lead lining in a nuclear reactor to absorb dangerous unpaired electrons. Both of these substances have potential in stimulating the immune system while there is preliminary evidence that carotenoids may be directly toxic to tumor cells.Carotenoids are found in green and orange fruits and vegetables. Bioflavonoids are found in citrus, whole grains, honey, and other plant foods.Cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower were involved in the "ground floor" discovery that nutrition is linked to cancer. Lee Wattenberg, PhD of the University of Minnesota found in the 1970s that animals fed cruciferous vegetables had markedly lower cancer rates than matched controls. Since then, the active ingredient "indoles" have been isolated from cruciferous vegetables and found to be very protective against cancer. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University found that lab animals fed cruciferous vegetables and then exposed to the deadly carcinogen aflatoxin had a 90 percent reduction in their cancer rate.16Cruciferous vegetables are able to increase the body's production of glutathione peroxidase, which is one of the more important protective enzyme systems in the body.Mushrooms. Gourmet chefs have long prized various mushrooms for their subtle and exotic flavors. Now there is an abundance of scientific evidence showing that Rei-shi, Shiitake, and Maitake mushrooms are potent anti-cancer foods.17 Actually, Maitake literally means "dancing mushroom" since people would dance with joy when finding these delicate mushrooms on a country hillside. Oral extract of Maitake provided complete elimination of tumors in 40% of animals tested, while the remaining 60% of animals had a 90% elimination of tumors. Maitake contains a polysaccharide, called beta-glucan, which stimulates the immune system and even lowers blood pressure.Legumes. Seed foods (like soybeans) have a substance that can partially protect the seed from digestion, called protease inhibitors (PI). For many years, these substances were thought to be harmful. New evidence finds that PIs may squelch tumor growth.18 Researchers at the National Cancer Institute find a collection of substances in soybeans, including isoflavones and phytoestrogens, appear to have potent anti-cancer properties.19 Dr. Ann Kennedy has spent 20 years researching a compound in soybeans that:
prevents cancer in most animals exposed to a variety of carcinogens
retards cancer in some studies
lowers the toxic side effects of chemo and radiation therapy
reverts a cancer cell back to a normal healthy cell.20
Others. There are numerous foods that show an ability to slow tumor growth in some way. Apples, apricots, barley, citrus fruit, cranberries, fiber, figs, fish oil, fish, ginger, green tea, spinach, seaweed and other foods are among the reasons that I heavily favor the use of a mixed highly nutritious diet as the foundation for nutrition in cancer therapy
Food treats malnutrition. Food contains known essential nutrients that stimulate the immune system and provide valuable protection against carcinogens. Foods also contain poorly understood factors that may add measurably to the recovery of the cancer patient. Many foods have tremendous therapeutic value in helping the patient to internally fight cancer.
How to Use this SectionThis cookbook chapter was written with the cancer patient in mind and can also be helpful to people who want to eat properly but have little time to spend in the kitchen. Remember: the more wellness you have, the less illness you can have. One full week of menus is vegetarian style with no dairy products, but eggs are allowed. Another week's menu includes low fat poultry and fish. This will show you how to prepare meals that can be tasty and nutritious. The recipes are just a guide to show you the possibilities in creative cooking.
There is a section of tips to stimulate the appetite or lose weight rationally. Also included is the concept of bulk cooking, which is a great way to have a freezer full of ready-made meals at 1/4 the cost. "Fast food" at our house usually means microwaving some frozen beans, adding leftover bits of chicken or fish, and rolling this tasty collection into whole wheat tortillas with fresh salsa. The seasonings of Spike and Gayelords powdered vegetable broth may be purchased at your local heath food store.
Realize that there is no one perfect diet. Laying out a weekly menu of "nutritious" food is frought with peril, since another nutritionist could have their own valid criticisms of this program. Life is not perfect, nor are our eating habits. The most nourishing meal in the world is useless unless eaten. This chapter demonstrates healthy eating habits within the context of practical and tasty recipes. There are some noteworthy spartan cancer diets that only an extremely dedicated cancer patient can follow.
Given the choice between an unpalatable and labor-intensive eating program or returning to their old destructive eating habits, many cancer patients chose the later. Gleaning from dozens of good cookbooks and years of experience, the menus provided in this chapter make precious few compromises in nutritional quality while emphasizing taste, cost and practical preparation.
To Gain WeightDon't drink fluids or have soup or salad before the meal. It will fill you up on foods that are low in calorie density.
Eat on a large plate, thus avoiding food portions that appear overwhelming. Have small portions, knowing you can always have more.
People eat more when dining in groups than by themselves. Go to buffets. Eat with friends or other patients if possible. At our hospital, we were constantly battling the problem of patients not wanting to eat, no matter how appetizing the food looked and smelled. One Fourth of July, we set up a family picnic, with broiled chicken, baked beans, watermelon, corn on the cob and more. People who had not eaten well all week suddenly developed a ferocious appetite. We have been serving buffet family style meals ever since.
Distract your mind. Rent a good video and have your meal in front of the TV. Have you ever sat down with a bowl of popcorn and realized you had eaten the whole batch and didn't even realize it?
To Lose WeightEat 6 times a day. That doesn't mean 6 Big Macs. It means a light breakfast upon rising; a piece of fruit later in the midmorning; a salad and half a sandwich at lunch; and the other 1/2 of the sandwich at mid-afternoon. Even if you over-indulge at one meal, make sure you eat on schedule. This concept, called periodicity, trains the mind and body that food is constantly coming into the system and there is no need to overindulge or become exceedingly efficient at storing calories.
Have warm fluids, like tea or soup, about 20 minutes before mealtime.
Use a smaller plate. It gives the illusion that you're eating more.
Drink plenty of purified water. It's good for both weight loss, constipation and wrinkles.
Adjust your bathroom scale to the exact weight you want to be. As you lose weight, you can readjust it closer to the zero, but always see your weight as you want it to be. This way when you think about having that huge piece of cake, you will think to yourself, "A person of my weight won't eat that."
Exercise within your own ability. Make sure you enjoy it.
Eat more high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole-grain cereals.
Plan your meals and snacks instead of waiting until you are hungry.
Dining Tips For The Cancer PatientYou eat with your eyes first, so make sure that your plate looks appetizing. Have different colors. No matter how tasty the food might be, if it is all the same color (i.e. turkey, mash potatoes, and cauliflower), then you won't enjoy the meal as much.
Crock pot cooking is a great idea. It is a relatively inexpensive kitchen tool which cures the 5 o'clock dilemma of haphazard meal preparation. There are many advantages to making your dinner in the morning. You prepare the food early which means that the kitchen will be clean and the urge to order out at 5 pm has been eliminated. Also, the aromas of cooking food wafting throughout the house can help stimulate a sagging appetite.
Cook up more food than is needed. Freeze leftovers in baggies in individual servings. This way you will have a freezer full of ready-to-eat nutritious meals.
Pressure cooking is wonderful. Your cooking time for whole grains and beans will be cut by 75%.
Instead of soda pop, try diluted apple juice or ginger tea with 1/4 tsp of vitamin C per cup.
Ginger helps to relieve nausea. You can take tablets, or drink ginger tea cold or hot.
Acupressure wrist bands, available at your pharmacy or health food store, also help to relieve nausea.
Avoid frying foods. Make sure that you have foods like carrot sticks or baked whole wheat tortilla chips to satisfy that need for crunchy food.Eating OutIceberg lettuce is the most common salad bar offering, but is "junk food" relative to most other vegetables. Skip the iceberg lettuce and enjoy the healthier fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods from the salad bar. A good rule of thumb: the deeper the color of the vegetable, the more nourishing it is. Dark greens are better than pale greens, dark orange squash is better than pale squash, and so on. In nature, cauliflower is a dark green vegetable, until human intervention ties the leaves around the developing flower to deprive it of sunlight.
Many restaurants offer low-calorie or light meals with gourmet versions.
Instead of accepting that "fried" meal from a restaurant menu, most places will steam or broil your food.
Airlines can be very accommodating in having a special meal ready for you. Give them at least 1 week advance notice.
Ask for the salad dressing to be served on the side.
Have the rich sauces or gravies left out.
Avoid sauteed and deep-fried food.
Foods to Highlight in Your DietYogurtSproutsOnionsGarlicGingerCabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflowerCarrotsCoybeans, garbanzo beans and other legumesRice, barley and other whole grainsSea vegetables, a.k.a. seaweedDark green and dark orange fruits & vegetablesApples, berriesEggsFigsFishHoney
Beverages to HighlightPurified waterCafixRomaHerb teaVitamin C powder & honey in hot waterGinger teaHot natural apple juice with vitamin CFresh orange juicePostumChickoryJapanese Green teaRoasted rice or barley teaVinegar, honey & water
Dragon-Slayer Shake
I hate taking pills, even when I know the value of using supplements to improve my health. That's why I developed this "shake". While most of us are familiar with milkshakes, there are many variations on that theme which can provide nutrient-dense foods in a convenient format. I have found that many cancer patients would avoid taking their supplements of vitamins, minerals and botanicals because they didn't like swallowing pills. To solve that problem, I have developed this shake, which can incorporate many nutrients in powder form, thus eliminating taking pills at all, and the remaining pills are easier to swallow with the lubricating ability of this smooth shake.
Shakes can be a quick and easy breakfast. Depending on your calorie requirements, use this shake in addition to or instead of the breakfast suggestions listed later. My typical breakfast consists of this Dragon-Slayer shake, whole grain rolls, bagles, muffins or Pita bread, along with a large serving of fresh fruit in season.
Take up to half of your pills with the "Dragon-Slayer shake" and save the remaining pills for later in the day. Taking supplements in small divided dosages helps to maintain sustained levels of nutrients in the bloodstream.
Ingredients:4-8 ounces of dilute fruit juice, including apple, cranberry, orange, fresh squeezed, juice extracted, etc. I add twice the specified water to a can of frozen unsweetened concentrated apple juice from your grocery store.
10-15 grams of powdered protein from (listed in order of preference): whey, rice, soy, alfalfa, egg white, non-fat yogurt solids, spirulina. Do not use powdered proteins that are based upon non-fat milk solids. Too many people are allergic to this product. Your health food store should have a dozen different products to select from. ProMod is a name brand pure whey protein product.
1/2 tablespoon of Perfect 7. This is an excellent product to maintain regularity and encourage proper detoxification. It includes fiber, an herbal laxative, proper bacteria for colonizing the intestines and botanicals for detoxification. You may be surprised at the fecal matter eliminated in the first few weeks on this program.
One sliced ripe banana or less, depending on how thick you like your shakes. Banana adds texture via pectin to make this shake have true milk shake viscosity.
2-4 grams of buffered vitamin C powder from Emergen-C or Seraphim. Both products have an effervescent action that brings a "soda pop" like flavor to this drink, along with high doses of vitamin C that won't upset even the most delicate stomach.
1 tablespoon of OmegaSyn 1 fatty acids (a blend of EPA and GLA) from BioSyn (800-346-2703)
1/2 tablespoon of pure, cold pressed flaxseed oil (optional)
1/2 tablespoon of wheat germ oil (optional)
For those who need to slow down weight loss or gain weight, add 2 tablespoons of MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil
Directions:Use a large blender or a small hand held blender, like the ones originally developed to mix diet drinks. First add the oils (EPA, wheat germ and flax) to coat the bottom of the container for easy mixing and cleaning. Add the powdered ingredients and cut up fruit next. Blend until smooth, or about 15 seconds.
Bulk Cooking
YogurtScald (foaming but not yet at boiling) 8 cups of milk with one cup of added powdered milk.
Turn heat down and simmer for at least 5 minutes; the longer you simmer (up to 25 minutes) the thicker your yogurt will be.
While the milk is simmering, place 2 tablespoons of live cultured good-tasting yogurt in each of two quart-glass peanut butter jars and stir briefly with a plastic spoon until creamy.
After simmering milk, let the temperature drop to 49 degrees C. (112 F.). You don't want to kill the yogurt bacteria with milk that is too hot.
Add about a half cup of the warm milk to the yogurt starter in each of two jars and stir gently but thoroughly. Then add the rest of the milk to the glass jars.
Place the jars (uncovered) in a picnic thermos (the size that holds a six pack of beer). Close the thermos lid and leave for 6-10 hours. The longer it sits, the thicker it gets. Do not open container and peek while the fermentation is occurring.
This recipe allows you to cut the cost of yogurt from $14.00 per gallon to $2.10 per gallon (cost of milk).
Growing Your Own SproutsYou will need a glass jar (quart size or larger), a soft plastic screen for the top, and a rubber band to hold the screen in place. There are also commercial sprouting kits available in most health food stores. Place about one heaping tablespoon of seeds in your glass container with the screen doubled on the top. The seeds will expand about tenfold as they sprout, so allow enough room for their expansion. Fill the container half full of purified water and let stand overnight. Next morning drain and rinse the seeds. Let stand inverted over the sink for proper drainage. Rinse and drain twice each day for the next 6-7 days. Keep the jar in a dimly lit area.
Larger seeds, like peas, beans, and lentils take a shorter time to grow and should not be allowed to grow more than a half inch long, since they will develop a bitter flavor. Mung bean sprouts can get up to two inches in length without bitter flavor. Wheat, barley, oats, and other grass plants make terrific sprouts. Smaller seeds, like alfalfa, can grow to an inch in length without any bitter flavor. For some extra vitamin A, let the alfalfa sprouts sit in a sunny window for the last day before eating. The green color indicates the welcome addition of chlorophyll, folacin and beta-carotene.
In excess quantities, sprouts may blunt the immune system in humans. Do not eat more than two cups of sprouts daily.
Homemade Mayonnaise
1 egg1 tsp. prepared mustard1/2 tsp. salt3 tbs apple cider1 cup sunflower or canola oil
Put the egg, mustard, salt, and 1/2 cup of the oil in the container of an electric blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Continue blending or processing while adding the remaining oil very slowly in a steady stream into the center of the egg mixture. Use a small rubber spatula to scrape the mayonnaise into a jar. Store covered in the refrigerator. Yields about 2 cups.
Note: If the mayonnaise curdles, blend or process 1 egg in the container of a clean electric blender or food processor and gradually pour the curdled mayonnaise back in while blending or processing at high speed.
Spicy Beans
3 cups of pinto beans1 large onion cut up3-4 garlic cloves minced2-3 dry red peppers cut up fine1 tablespoon chili powder1 tsp cumin powder1/3 cup olive oilLite salt
Sort and wash beans in a colander. Soak the beans overnight in about 8 cups of water in a heavy saucepan. Drain, then fill with another 8 cups of clean water. Add rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer for 90-120 minutes or until beans are tender. Blend with an egg beater. Add a bit of salt to taste.
If you need the beans sooner:Rinse beans. Then fill pot with beans and 8 cups of water Allow to boil for 2 minutes. Let sit in a covered pot for 1 hour. Proceed to next step.
(For best results, use a pressure cooker)Place the soaked and rinsed beans in 5 cups of water in pot. Add ingredients. Bring lid weight to a gentle rocking motion, then pressure cook for 25 minutes. Let cool down. Beat with a mixer to desired consistency.
Barley
Rinse barley and cook for 35-45 minutes in a large volume of boiling water. Barley increases its bulk by four fold when cooked. Drain excess water. Store extra barley in baggies and place in freezer for later use. Season the barley with spices that go with the entree. Spike, Mrs. Dash and other herbal seasonings go with anything.
If using a pressure cooker, use twice the amount of barley measurement for the water. Bring to a rock, then immediately remove from stove burner. Follow rest of the directions.
Better Butter
Blend equal parts of olive oil and softened butter.
Whole Wheat Piecrust
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour1/2 teaspoon salt3 tablespoons oil1/4 cup water
Stir dry ingredients together. Mix in oil. Add enough of the water to make the dough form a ball. Roll flat between sheets of waxed paper and lift into pan. Make edge.
Roasted Brown Rice or Barley Tea
Dry roast uncooked grain over medium flame for 10 minutes or until a fragrant aroma develops. Stir and shake pan occasionally. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the grain to 1 1/2 quarts of purified water. Bring to a boil, simmer 10 to 15 minutes.
The following recipes are not carved in stone. If you do not like a certain spice or seasoning, leave it out. Also, some days you might feel like cooking more than others. These menus were based more on giving maximum variety with different foods than offering no-effort cooking. Feel free to mix the ideas to your pleasure.Also, it is a good idea to have leftovers to freeze in serving sizes so you can just pull out easy-to-serve dinners on days you want to relax.
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
Chemotherapy Quotes
"Two to 4% of cancers respond to chemotherapy….The bottom line is for a few kinds of cancer chemo is a life extending procedure---Hodgkin's disease, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), Testicular cancer, and Choriocarcinoma."---Ralph Moss, Ph.D. 1995 Author of Questioning Chemotherapy.
"NCI now actually anticipates further increases, and not decreases, in cancer mortality rates, from 171/100,000 in 1984 to 175/100,000 by the year 2000!"--Samuel Epstein.
"A study of over 10,000 patients shows clearly that chemo’s supposedly strong track record with Hodgkin’s disease (lymphoma) is actually a lie. Patients who underwent chemo were 14 times more likely to develop leukemia and 6 times more likely to develop cancers of the bones, joints, and soft tissues than those patients who did not undergo chemotherapy (NCI Journal 87:10)."—John Diamond
Children who are successfully treated for Hodgkin's disease are 18 times more likely later to develop secondary malignant tumours. Girls face a 35 per cent chance of developing breast cancer by the time they are 40---which is 75 times greater than the average. The risk of leukemia increased markedly four years after the ending of successful treatment, and reached a plateau after 14 years, but the risk of developing solid tumours remained high and approached 30 per cent at 30 years (New Eng J Med, March 21, 1996)
"Success of most chemotherapy is appalling…There is no scientific evidence for its ability to extend in any appreciable way the lives of patients suffering from the most common organic cancer…chemotherapy for malignancies too advanced for surgery which accounts for 80% of all cancers is a scientific wasteland."---Dr Ulrich Abel. 1990
The New England Journal of Medicine Reports— War on Cancer Is a Failure: Despite $30 billion spent on research and treatments since 1970, cancer remains "undefeated," with a death rate not lower but 6% higher in 1997 than 1970, stated John C. Bailar III, M.D., Ph.D., and Heather L. Gornik, M.H.S., both of the Department of Health Studies at the University of Chicago in Illinois. "The war against cancer is far from over," stated Dr. Bailar. "The effect of new treatments for cancer on mortality has been largely disappointing."
"My studies have proved conclusively that untreated cancer victims live up to four times longer than treated individuals. If one has cancer and opts to do nothing at all, he will live longer and feel better than if he undergoes radiation, chemotherapy or surgery, other than when used in immediate life-threatening situations."---Prof Jones. (1956 Transactions of the N.Y. Academy of Medical Sciences, vol 6. There is a fifty page article by Hardin Jones of National Cancer Institute of Bethesda, Maryland. He surveyed global cancer of all types and compared the untreated and the treated, to conclude that the untreated outlives the treated, both in terms of quality and in terms of quantity. Secondly he said, "Cancer does not cure". Third he said "There is a physiological mechanism which finishes off an individual".)
"With some cancers, notably liver, lung, pancreas, bone and advanced breast, our 5 year survival from traditional therapy alone is virtually the same as it was 30 years ago."---P Quillin, Ph.D.
"1.7% increase in terms of success rate a year, its nothing. By the time we get to the 24 century we might have effective treatments, Star Trek will be long gone by that time." Ralph Moss.
"….chemotherapy’s success record is dismal. It can achieve remissions in about 7% of all human cancers; for an additional 15% of cases, survival can be "prolonged" beyond the point at which death would be expected without treatment. This type of survival is not the same as a cure or even restored quality of life."—John Diamond, M.D.
"Keep in mind that the 5 year mark is still used as the official guideline for "cure" by mainstream oncologists. Statistically, the 5 year cure makes chemotherapy look good for certain kinds of cancer, but when you follow cancer patients beyond 5 years, the reality often shifts in a dramatic way."—Diamond.
Studies show that women taking tamoxifen after surviving breast cancer then have a high propensity to develop endometrial cancer. The NCI and Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, which makes the drug, aggressively lobbied State of California regulators to keep them from adding tamoxifen to their list of carcinogens. Zeneca is one of the sponsors of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"Most cancer patients in this country die of chemotherapy…Chemotherapy does not eliminate breast, colon or lung cancers. This fact has been documented for over a decade. Yet doctors still use chemotherapy for these tumours…Women with breast cancer are likely to die faster with chemo than without it."—Alan Levin, M.D.
According to the Cancer Statistics for 1995, published by the ACS in their small journal (2), the 5-year survival rate has improved from 50%-56% for whites and 39%-40% for blacks from 1974/1976 - 1983/1990. However, the data is taken from FIVE of the states with the lowest death rates AND the smallest populations! NONE of the 10 states with the highest death rates AND comprising 34% of the Total U.S. Cancer Deaths, were included in the data! Also, in prior years, the Composite (Ave.) 5-year survival rate for ALL Cancers Combined was computed and published. This Ave. 5-year survival crept upward to 50%, in the early nineties. It now stands around 51-52%, due primarily to the improvement of 11% survival for Colon and 13% increased survival for Prostate. It gets worse. The ACS boasts of "statistically significant" results when Uterine Ca survival drops from 89%/60%-85%/55% (W/B)?? Also, Pancreas Ca is 3-3 (W) and Laryngeal Ca survival drops from 59%-53% (B) while Cervical Ca drops from 63%-56% (B). Liver Ca improves from 4%-7%. I wonder how many Pancreatic and Hepatic Ca patients cheered these dramatic results? Ovarian Ca = 36%/40% - 42%/38% (W/B) and Breast Ca = 75%/63% - 82%/66% (W/B). In 16 years the Breast Ca rate improved 3-7%, while Uterine Ca decreased 4-5%. Aren't these marvelous results that the Cancer Establishment should boast about??---RD Hodgell, M.D.
"The five year cancer survival statistics of the American Cancer Society are very misleading. They now count things that are not cancer, and, because we are able to diagnose at an earlier stage of the disease, patients falsely appear to live longer. Our whole cancer research in the past 20 years has been a failure. More people over 30 are dying from cancer than ever before…More women with mild or benign diseases are being included in statistics and reported as being "cured".
When government officials point to survival figures and say they are winning the war against cancer they are using those survival rates improperly."---Dr J. Bailer, New England Journal of Medicine (Dr Bailer’s answer to questions put by Neal Barnard MD of the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine and published in PCRM Update, sept/oct 1990.
"I look upon cancer in the same way that I look upon heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, or even obesity, for that matter, in that by dramatically strengthening the body's immune system through diet, nutritional supplements, and exercise, the body can rid itself of the cancer, just as it does in other degenerative diseases. Consequently, I wouldn't have chemotherapy and radiation because I'm not interested in therapies that cripple the immune system, and, in my opinion, virtually ensure failure for the majority of cancer patients."---Dr Julian Whitaker, M.D.
"Finding a cure for cancer is absolutely contraindicated by the profits of the cancer industry’s chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery cash trough."—Dr Diamond, M.D.
"We have a multi-billion dollar industry that is killing people, right and left, just for financial gain. Their idea of research is to see whether two doses of this poison is better than three doses of that poison."—Glen Warner, M.D. oncologist.
John Robbins:
"Percentage of cancer patients whose lives are predictably saved by chemotherapy - 3%
Conclusive evidence (majority of cancers) that chemotherapy has any positive influcence on survival or quality of life - none.
Percentage of oncologists who said if they had cancer they would not participate in chemotherapy trials due to its "ineffectiveness and its unacceptable toxicity" - 75%
Percentage of people with cancer in the U.S. who receive chemotherapy - 75%.
Company that accounts for nearly half of the chemotherapy sales in the world - Bristol-Meyers Squibb.
Chairman of the board of Bristol-Meyers - Richard L. Gelb.
Mr. Gelb's other job: vice chairman, board of overseers, board of managers, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, World's largest private cancer treatment and research center.
Chairman, Memorial Sloan-Kettering's board of overseers, board of managers - John S. Reed.
Reed's other job - director, Philip Morris (tobacco company).
Director, Ivax, Inc., a prominent chemotherapy company - Samuel Broder.
Broder's other job (until 1995) - executive director, National Cancer Institute."from Reclaiming Our Health: Exploding the Medical Myth and Embracing the Source of True Healing by John Robbins.
"If you can shrink the tumour 50% or more for 28 days you have got the FDA's definition of an active drug. That is called a response rate, so you have a response..(but) when you look to see if there is any life prolongation from taking this treatment what you find is all kinds of hocus pocus and song and dance about the disease free survival, and this and that. In the end there is no proof that chemotherapy in the vast majority of cases actually extends life, and this is the GREAT LIE about chemotherapy, that somehow there is a correlation between shrinking a tumour and extending the life of the patient."---Ralph Moss
"The majority of publications equate the effect of chemotherapy with (tumour) response, irrespective of survival. Many oncologists take it for granted that response to therapy prolongs survival, an opinion which is based on a fallacy and which is not supported by clinical studies. To date there is no clear evidence that the treated patients, as a whole, benefit from chemotherapy as to their quality of life."---Abel.1990.
"For the majority of the cancers we examined, the actual improvements (in survival) have been small or have been overestimated by the published rates...It is difficult to find that there has been much progress...(For breast cancer), there is a slight improvement...(which) is considerably less than reported."---General Accounting Office
"As a chemist trained to interpret data, it is incromprehensible to me that physicians can ignore the clear evidence that chemotherapy does much, much more harm than good."---Alan Nixon, Ph.D., Past President, American Chemical Society.
"He said, "I'm giving cancer patients over here at this major cancer clinic drugs that are killing them, and I can't stop it because they say the protocol's what's important." And I say, "But the patient's not doing well." They say, "The protocol's what's important, not the patient." And he said, "You can't believe what goes on in the name of medicine and science in this country." --Gary Null
The Politics of Cancer---Epstein
That in spite of over $20 billion expenditures since the "War against Cancer" was launched by President Nixon in 1971, there has been little if any significant improvement in treatment and survival rates for most common cancers, in spite of contrary misleading hype by the cancer establishment---the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Cancer Society (ACS).
That the cancer establishment remains myopically fixated on damage control _diagnosis and treatment _ and basic genetic research, with, not always benign, indifference to cancer prevention. Meanwhile, the incidence of cancer, including nonsmoking cancers, has escalated to epidemic proportions with lifetime cancer risks now approaching 50%.
That the NCI has a long track record of budgetary shell games in efforts to mislead Congress and the public with its claim that it allocates substantial resources to cancer prevention. Over the last year, the NCI has made a series of widely divergent claims, ranging from $480 million to $1 billion, for its prevention budget while realistic estimates are well under $100 million.
That the NCI allocates less than 1% of its budget to research on occupational cancer _ the most avoidable of all cancers _ which accounts for well over 10% of all adult cancer deaths, besides being a major cause of childhood cancer.
That cancer establishment policies, particularly those of the ACS, are strongly influenced by pervasive conflicts of interest with the cancer drug and other industries. As admitted by former NCI director Samuel Broder, the NCI has become "what amounts to a governmental pharmaceutical company."
That the MD Anderson Comprehensive Cancer Center was sued in August, 1998 for making unsubstantiated claims that it cures "well over 50% of people with cancer."
That the NCI, with enthusiastic support from the ACS _ the tail that wags the NCI dog _ has effectively blocked funding for research and clinical trials on promising non-toxic alternative cancer drugs for decades, in favor of highly toxic and largely ineffective patented drugs developed by the multibillion dollar global cancer drug industry. Additionally, the cancer establishment has systematically harassed the proponents of non-toxic alternative cancer drugs.
That, as reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the ACS is "more interested in accumulating wealth than saving lives." Furthermore, it is the only known "charity" that makes contributions to political parties.
That the NCI and ACS have embarked on unethical trials with two hormonal drugs, tamoxifen and Evista, in ill-conceived attempts to prevent breast cancer in healthy women while suppressing evidence that these drugs are known to cause liver and ovarian cancer, respectively, and in spite of the short-term lethal complications of tamoxifen.
The establishment also proposes further chemoprevention trials this fall on tamoxifen, and also Evista, in spite of two published long-term European studies on the ineffectiveness of tamoxifen. This represents medical malpractice verging on the criminal.
That the ACS and NCI have failed to provide Congress and regulatory agencies with available scientific information on a wide range of unwitting exposures to avoidable carcinogens in air, water, the workplace, and consumer products _food, cosmetics and toiletries, and household products. As a result, corrective legislative and regulatory action have not been taken.
That the cancer establishment has also failed to provide the public, particularly African American and underprivileged ethnic groups with their disproportionately higher cancer incidence rates, with information on avoidable carcinogenic exposures, thus depriving them of their right-to-know and effectively preventing them from taking action to protect themselves _ a flagrant denial of environmental justice.
more info at:
"NCI now actually anticipates further increases, and not decreases, in cancer mortality rates, from 171/100,000 in 1984 to 175/100,000 by the year 2000!"--Samuel Epstein.
"A study of over 10,000 patients shows clearly that chemo’s supposedly strong track record with Hodgkin’s disease (lymphoma) is actually a lie. Patients who underwent chemo were 14 times more likely to develop leukemia and 6 times more likely to develop cancers of the bones, joints, and soft tissues than those patients who did not undergo chemotherapy (NCI Journal 87:10)."—John Diamond
Children who are successfully treated for Hodgkin's disease are 18 times more likely later to develop secondary malignant tumours. Girls face a 35 per cent chance of developing breast cancer by the time they are 40---which is 75 times greater than the average. The risk of leukemia increased markedly four years after the ending of successful treatment, and reached a plateau after 14 years, but the risk of developing solid tumours remained high and approached 30 per cent at 30 years (New Eng J Med, March 21, 1996)
"Success of most chemotherapy is appalling…There is no scientific evidence for its ability to extend in any appreciable way the lives of patients suffering from the most common organic cancer…chemotherapy for malignancies too advanced for surgery which accounts for 80% of all cancers is a scientific wasteland."---Dr Ulrich Abel. 1990
The New England Journal of Medicine Reports— War on Cancer Is a Failure: Despite $30 billion spent on research and treatments since 1970, cancer remains "undefeated," with a death rate not lower but 6% higher in 1997 than 1970, stated John C. Bailar III, M.D., Ph.D., and Heather L. Gornik, M.H.S., both of the Department of Health Studies at the University of Chicago in Illinois. "The war against cancer is far from over," stated Dr. Bailar. "The effect of new treatments for cancer on mortality has been largely disappointing."
"My studies have proved conclusively that untreated cancer victims live up to four times longer than treated individuals. If one has cancer and opts to do nothing at all, he will live longer and feel better than if he undergoes radiation, chemotherapy or surgery, other than when used in immediate life-threatening situations."---Prof Jones. (1956 Transactions of the N.Y. Academy of Medical Sciences, vol 6. There is a fifty page article by Hardin Jones of National Cancer Institute of Bethesda, Maryland. He surveyed global cancer of all types and compared the untreated and the treated, to conclude that the untreated outlives the treated, both in terms of quality and in terms of quantity. Secondly he said, "Cancer does not cure". Third he said "There is a physiological mechanism which finishes off an individual".)
"With some cancers, notably liver, lung, pancreas, bone and advanced breast, our 5 year survival from traditional therapy alone is virtually the same as it was 30 years ago."---P Quillin, Ph.D.
"1.7% increase in terms of success rate a year, its nothing. By the time we get to the 24 century we might have effective treatments, Star Trek will be long gone by that time." Ralph Moss.
"….chemotherapy’s success record is dismal. It can achieve remissions in about 7% of all human cancers; for an additional 15% of cases, survival can be "prolonged" beyond the point at which death would be expected without treatment. This type of survival is not the same as a cure or even restored quality of life."—John Diamond, M.D.
"Keep in mind that the 5 year mark is still used as the official guideline for "cure" by mainstream oncologists. Statistically, the 5 year cure makes chemotherapy look good for certain kinds of cancer, but when you follow cancer patients beyond 5 years, the reality often shifts in a dramatic way."—Diamond.
Studies show that women taking tamoxifen after surviving breast cancer then have a high propensity to develop endometrial cancer. The NCI and Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, which makes the drug, aggressively lobbied State of California regulators to keep them from adding tamoxifen to their list of carcinogens. Zeneca is one of the sponsors of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"Most cancer patients in this country die of chemotherapy…Chemotherapy does not eliminate breast, colon or lung cancers. This fact has been documented for over a decade. Yet doctors still use chemotherapy for these tumours…Women with breast cancer are likely to die faster with chemo than without it."—Alan Levin, M.D.
According to the Cancer Statistics for 1995, published by the ACS in their small journal (2), the 5-year survival rate has improved from 50%-56% for whites and 39%-40% for blacks from 1974/1976 - 1983/1990. However, the data is taken from FIVE of the states with the lowest death rates AND the smallest populations! NONE of the 10 states with the highest death rates AND comprising 34% of the Total U.S. Cancer Deaths, were included in the data! Also, in prior years, the Composite (Ave.) 5-year survival rate for ALL Cancers Combined was computed and published. This Ave. 5-year survival crept upward to 50%, in the early nineties. It now stands around 51-52%, due primarily to the improvement of 11% survival for Colon and 13% increased survival for Prostate. It gets worse. The ACS boasts of "statistically significant" results when Uterine Ca survival drops from 89%/60%-85%/55% (W/B)?? Also, Pancreas Ca is 3-3 (W) and Laryngeal Ca survival drops from 59%-53% (B) while Cervical Ca drops from 63%-56% (B). Liver Ca improves from 4%-7%. I wonder how many Pancreatic and Hepatic Ca patients cheered these dramatic results? Ovarian Ca = 36%/40% - 42%/38% (W/B) and Breast Ca = 75%/63% - 82%/66% (W/B). In 16 years the Breast Ca rate improved 3-7%, while Uterine Ca decreased 4-5%. Aren't these marvelous results that the Cancer Establishment should boast about??---RD Hodgell, M.D.
"The five year cancer survival statistics of the American Cancer Society are very misleading. They now count things that are not cancer, and, because we are able to diagnose at an earlier stage of the disease, patients falsely appear to live longer. Our whole cancer research in the past 20 years has been a failure. More people over 30 are dying from cancer than ever before…More women with mild or benign diseases are being included in statistics and reported as being "cured".
When government officials point to survival figures and say they are winning the war against cancer they are using those survival rates improperly."---Dr J. Bailer, New England Journal of Medicine (Dr Bailer’s answer to questions put by Neal Barnard MD of the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine and published in PCRM Update, sept/oct 1990.
"I look upon cancer in the same way that I look upon heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, or even obesity, for that matter, in that by dramatically strengthening the body's immune system through diet, nutritional supplements, and exercise, the body can rid itself of the cancer, just as it does in other degenerative diseases. Consequently, I wouldn't have chemotherapy and radiation because I'm not interested in therapies that cripple the immune system, and, in my opinion, virtually ensure failure for the majority of cancer patients."---Dr Julian Whitaker, M.D.
"Finding a cure for cancer is absolutely contraindicated by the profits of the cancer industry’s chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery cash trough."—Dr Diamond, M.D.
"We have a multi-billion dollar industry that is killing people, right and left, just for financial gain. Their idea of research is to see whether two doses of this poison is better than three doses of that poison."—Glen Warner, M.D. oncologist.
John Robbins:
"Percentage of cancer patients whose lives are predictably saved by chemotherapy - 3%
Conclusive evidence (majority of cancers) that chemotherapy has any positive influcence on survival or quality of life - none.
Percentage of oncologists who said if they had cancer they would not participate in chemotherapy trials due to its "ineffectiveness and its unacceptable toxicity" - 75%
Percentage of people with cancer in the U.S. who receive chemotherapy - 75%.
Company that accounts for nearly half of the chemotherapy sales in the world - Bristol-Meyers Squibb.
Chairman of the board of Bristol-Meyers - Richard L. Gelb.
Mr. Gelb's other job: vice chairman, board of overseers, board of managers, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, World's largest private cancer treatment and research center.
Chairman, Memorial Sloan-Kettering's board of overseers, board of managers - John S. Reed.
Reed's other job - director, Philip Morris (tobacco company).
Director, Ivax, Inc., a prominent chemotherapy company - Samuel Broder.
Broder's other job (until 1995) - executive director, National Cancer Institute."from Reclaiming Our Health: Exploding the Medical Myth and Embracing the Source of True Healing by John Robbins.
"If you can shrink the tumour 50% or more for 28 days you have got the FDA's definition of an active drug. That is called a response rate, so you have a response..(but) when you look to see if there is any life prolongation from taking this treatment what you find is all kinds of hocus pocus and song and dance about the disease free survival, and this and that. In the end there is no proof that chemotherapy in the vast majority of cases actually extends life, and this is the GREAT LIE about chemotherapy, that somehow there is a correlation between shrinking a tumour and extending the life of the patient."---Ralph Moss
"The majority of publications equate the effect of chemotherapy with (tumour) response, irrespective of survival. Many oncologists take it for granted that response to therapy prolongs survival, an opinion which is based on a fallacy and which is not supported by clinical studies. To date there is no clear evidence that the treated patients, as a whole, benefit from chemotherapy as to their quality of life."---Abel.1990.
"For the majority of the cancers we examined, the actual improvements (in survival) have been small or have been overestimated by the published rates...It is difficult to find that there has been much progress...(For breast cancer), there is a slight improvement...(which) is considerably less than reported."---General Accounting Office
"As a chemist trained to interpret data, it is incromprehensible to me that physicians can ignore the clear evidence that chemotherapy does much, much more harm than good."---Alan Nixon, Ph.D., Past President, American Chemical Society.
"He said, "I'm giving cancer patients over here at this major cancer clinic drugs that are killing them, and I can't stop it because they say the protocol's what's important." And I say, "But the patient's not doing well." They say, "The protocol's what's important, not the patient." And he said, "You can't believe what goes on in the name of medicine and science in this country." --Gary Null
The Politics of Cancer---Epstein
That in spite of over $20 billion expenditures since the "War against Cancer" was launched by President Nixon in 1971, there has been little if any significant improvement in treatment and survival rates for most common cancers, in spite of contrary misleading hype by the cancer establishment---the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Cancer Society (ACS).
That the cancer establishment remains myopically fixated on damage control _diagnosis and treatment _ and basic genetic research, with, not always benign, indifference to cancer prevention. Meanwhile, the incidence of cancer, including nonsmoking cancers, has escalated to epidemic proportions with lifetime cancer risks now approaching 50%.
That the NCI has a long track record of budgetary shell games in efforts to mislead Congress and the public with its claim that it allocates substantial resources to cancer prevention. Over the last year, the NCI has made a series of widely divergent claims, ranging from $480 million to $1 billion, for its prevention budget while realistic estimates are well under $100 million.
That the NCI allocates less than 1% of its budget to research on occupational cancer _ the most avoidable of all cancers _ which accounts for well over 10% of all adult cancer deaths, besides being a major cause of childhood cancer.
That cancer establishment policies, particularly those of the ACS, are strongly influenced by pervasive conflicts of interest with the cancer drug and other industries. As admitted by former NCI director Samuel Broder, the NCI has become "what amounts to a governmental pharmaceutical company."
That the MD Anderson Comprehensive Cancer Center was sued in August, 1998 for making unsubstantiated claims that it cures "well over 50% of people with cancer."
That the NCI, with enthusiastic support from the ACS _ the tail that wags the NCI dog _ has effectively blocked funding for research and clinical trials on promising non-toxic alternative cancer drugs for decades, in favor of highly toxic and largely ineffective patented drugs developed by the multibillion dollar global cancer drug industry. Additionally, the cancer establishment has systematically harassed the proponents of non-toxic alternative cancer drugs.
That, as reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the ACS is "more interested in accumulating wealth than saving lives." Furthermore, it is the only known "charity" that makes contributions to political parties.
That the NCI and ACS have embarked on unethical trials with two hormonal drugs, tamoxifen and Evista, in ill-conceived attempts to prevent breast cancer in healthy women while suppressing evidence that these drugs are known to cause liver and ovarian cancer, respectively, and in spite of the short-term lethal complications of tamoxifen.
The establishment also proposes further chemoprevention trials this fall on tamoxifen, and also Evista, in spite of two published long-term European studies on the ineffectiveness of tamoxifen. This represents medical malpractice verging on the criminal.
That the ACS and NCI have failed to provide Congress and regulatory agencies with available scientific information on a wide range of unwitting exposures to avoidable carcinogens in air, water, the workplace, and consumer products _food, cosmetics and toiletries, and household products. As a result, corrective legislative and regulatory action have not been taken.
That the cancer establishment has also failed to provide the public, particularly African American and underprivileged ethnic groups with their disproportionately higher cancer incidence rates, with information on avoidable carcinogenic exposures, thus depriving them of their right-to-know and effectively preventing them from taking action to protect themselves _ a flagrant denial of environmental justice.
more info at:
Facts You Need To Know About Cancer
One in three people will contract cancer, and one in four will die from the disease.
Within five years, cancer will surpass heart disease as the leading cause of death, according to the American Hospital Association.
In 1994, 1.2 million new cancer cases were added to the more than eight million people in the U.S. who have already been diagnosed with cancer.
Since 1950, the overall cancer incidence has increased by 44 percent; the incidence of breast cancer and male colon cancer by about 60 percent; testis, prostate and kidney by 100 percent; and other cancers, such as malignant melanoma, multiple myeloma and some lymphomas, by over 100 percent.
The estimated annual cost of cancer to the United States, excluding incalculable psychosocial costs, is $110 billion, approximately 2 percent of the GNP.
An estimated 80 million people have health insurance insufficient to cover the costs of a catastrophic illness such as cancer.
Annual production rates for synthetic, carcinogenic and other industrial chemicals exploded from 1 billion pounds in 1940 to more than 500 billion pounds annually during the 1980s.
Recent National Cancer Institute studies have linked: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and exposure to solvents, oils, and greases; elevated risks for multiple myelorna among men and women employed in the textile and plastic industries; lymphoma among laboratory workers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and lung cancer among workers who developed silicosis.
The rates of certain types of cancer among some industrial workers are up to 10 times higher than in the general population. Children of workers handling chemical carcinogens have sharply increase cancer rates. For example, the risks of childhood leukemia are increased two-to-five-fold if, during their mother's pregnancies, their fathers worked with spray paints, dyes or pigments.
Some 75 percent of all cancers develop in those over 55, but notable exceptions include childhood leukemia, testicular and brain cancers - which mainly strike young people and have been increasing at an alarming rate, particularly among peak age groups For example, there has been an approximate 300 percent increase in testicular cancer among those aged 25-34 since the 1950s.
During the 1990s, nearly 2 million women will have been diagnosed with breast cancer and 460,000 will have died. Between 1950 and 1989, the incidence of breast cancer increased by 53 percent.
There has been an approximate doubling in. lung cancer rates in recent decades among non- smokers. A wide range of occupational exposures and urban air pollution have been shown to cause lung cancer.
"Occupational studies have played a major role in identifying well-established environmental carcinogens, such as asbestos, benzene, arsenic, aromatic amines, coal tars, vinyl chloride, chromium, and wood dust." Measures of Progress Against Cancer - Cancer Prevention, Significant Accomplishments 1982-1992, The National Cancer Institute.
"It is well established that primary prevention is the most effective means of disease control. This is particularly true of cancer." Measures of Progress Against Cancer - Cancer Prevention.
"Lack of appreciation of the potential hazards of environmental and food source contaminants, and laws, policies, and regulations protecting and promoting tobacco use worsen the cancer problem and drive up health care costs." Cancer At a Crossroads: A Report to Congress for the Nation, National Cancer Advisory Board, September 1994.
"While individuals have a responsibility to change high-risk behavior, government and society have responsibilities to identify and prevent workplace and environmental hazards, restrict advertising of unsafe products, require accurate product labeling, and provide culturally targeted education about cancer risk and prevention." Cancer At a Crossroads
"The elimination or reduction of exposure to carcinogenic agents is a priority in the prevention of cancer. We are just beginning to understand the full range of health effects resulting from the exposure to occupational and environmental agents and factors." Cancer at a Crossroads
"We spend close to $100 billion a year on cancer treatment in this country. If we are going to get on top of this problem, we absolutely have to focus more on prevention." Dr Devra Lee Davis, senior adviser to the assistant secretary for health and human services. Washington Post, February 14.
"Everyone should know that the 'war on cancer' is largely a fraud." Linus Pauling, two-time Nobel laureate.
"No one should think that because the [Environmental Protection Agency] allows it, a pesticide is safe. No pesticide is safe. They're designed to kill living organisms. They should be treated with respect -including the warnings on the label." Jerome Blondell, EPA's pesticides office. USA Today, February 27,1995.
In the time it took you to read this fact sheet, another two Americans have died of cancer.
Cancer Prevention Coalitionc/o School of Public Health, University of Illinois Medical Center2121 West Taylor Street ,Chicago, IL 60612Tel: (312) 996-2297, Fax: (312) 996-1374
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
Within five years, cancer will surpass heart disease as the leading cause of death, according to the American Hospital Association.
In 1994, 1.2 million new cancer cases were added to the more than eight million people in the U.S. who have already been diagnosed with cancer.
Since 1950, the overall cancer incidence has increased by 44 percent; the incidence of breast cancer and male colon cancer by about 60 percent; testis, prostate and kidney by 100 percent; and other cancers, such as malignant melanoma, multiple myeloma and some lymphomas, by over 100 percent.
The estimated annual cost of cancer to the United States, excluding incalculable psychosocial costs, is $110 billion, approximately 2 percent of the GNP.
An estimated 80 million people have health insurance insufficient to cover the costs of a catastrophic illness such as cancer.
Annual production rates for synthetic, carcinogenic and other industrial chemicals exploded from 1 billion pounds in 1940 to more than 500 billion pounds annually during the 1980s.
Recent National Cancer Institute studies have linked: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and exposure to solvents, oils, and greases; elevated risks for multiple myelorna among men and women employed in the textile and plastic industries; lymphoma among laboratory workers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and lung cancer among workers who developed silicosis.
The rates of certain types of cancer among some industrial workers are up to 10 times higher than in the general population. Children of workers handling chemical carcinogens have sharply increase cancer rates. For example, the risks of childhood leukemia are increased two-to-five-fold if, during their mother's pregnancies, their fathers worked with spray paints, dyes or pigments.
Some 75 percent of all cancers develop in those over 55, but notable exceptions include childhood leukemia, testicular and brain cancers - which mainly strike young people and have been increasing at an alarming rate, particularly among peak age groups For example, there has been an approximate 300 percent increase in testicular cancer among those aged 25-34 since the 1950s.
During the 1990s, nearly 2 million women will have been diagnosed with breast cancer and 460,000 will have died. Between 1950 and 1989, the incidence of breast cancer increased by 53 percent.
There has been an approximate doubling in. lung cancer rates in recent decades among non- smokers. A wide range of occupational exposures and urban air pollution have been shown to cause lung cancer.
"Occupational studies have played a major role in identifying well-established environmental carcinogens, such as asbestos, benzene, arsenic, aromatic amines, coal tars, vinyl chloride, chromium, and wood dust." Measures of Progress Against Cancer - Cancer Prevention, Significant Accomplishments 1982-1992, The National Cancer Institute.
"It is well established that primary prevention is the most effective means of disease control. This is particularly true of cancer." Measures of Progress Against Cancer - Cancer Prevention.
"Lack of appreciation of the potential hazards of environmental and food source contaminants, and laws, policies, and regulations protecting and promoting tobacco use worsen the cancer problem and drive up health care costs." Cancer At a Crossroads: A Report to Congress for the Nation, National Cancer Advisory Board, September 1994.
"While individuals have a responsibility to change high-risk behavior, government and society have responsibilities to identify and prevent workplace and environmental hazards, restrict advertising of unsafe products, require accurate product labeling, and provide culturally targeted education about cancer risk and prevention." Cancer At a Crossroads
"The elimination or reduction of exposure to carcinogenic agents is a priority in the prevention of cancer. We are just beginning to understand the full range of health effects resulting from the exposure to occupational and environmental agents and factors." Cancer at a Crossroads
"We spend close to $100 billion a year on cancer treatment in this country. If we are going to get on top of this problem, we absolutely have to focus more on prevention." Dr Devra Lee Davis, senior adviser to the assistant secretary for health and human services. Washington Post, February 14.
"Everyone should know that the 'war on cancer' is largely a fraud." Linus Pauling, two-time Nobel laureate.
"No one should think that because the [Environmental Protection Agency] allows it, a pesticide is safe. No pesticide is safe. They're designed to kill living organisms. They should be treated with respect -including the warnings on the label." Jerome Blondell, EPA's pesticides office. USA Today, February 27,1995.
In the time it took you to read this fact sheet, another two Americans have died of cancer.
Cancer Prevention Coalitionc/o School of Public Health, University of Illinois Medical Center2121 West Taylor Street ,Chicago, IL 60612Tel: (312) 996-2297, Fax: (312) 996-1374
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
How Well Tested Are New Cancer Drugs?
by Maryann Napoli
With a certain amount of regularity a new cancer drug makes headlines, generating an enormous amount of hope as well as pressure to make the product swiftly available. In time, we usually learn that the drug’s benefit is much more modest than was originally portrayed in the media, and soon oncologists begin to prescribe the drug for other forms of cancer without waiting for clinical trials to prove its effectiveness.
Tumor Shrinkage
Contrary to popular belief, drug companies are not required to prove that their drugs prolong survival. Until the mid-1980s, all cancer drugs were approved solely on the basis of what researchers call the “tumor response.” In other words, a drug company needed only show that the drug caused a tumor to shrink, not necessarily to disappear.
Years ago, a change in the approval process was recommended by the FDA’s own Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee. The committee members, primarily cancer experts unaffiliated with any government agency, knew that tumor shrinkage often has little or no relation to survival. The committee proposed the novel idea that a drug company should be required to prove that a drug provided some benefit that was meaningful to the patient, such as increased survival or an improvement in symptoms. The committee argued further that the potential benefit of tumor shrinkage did not necessarily outweigh the substantial toxicity of cancer drugs.
This recommendation was made in the mid-1980s, but change at the FDA comes slowly, as a recent assessment of new drug approvals has demonstrated. From 1990 through 2001, the FDA approved 66 new cancer drugs. Prolonged survival was not proven for 48 drugs. And tumor response was the basis of approval for 35 drugs.
Variations in End Points
“The FDA has a certain amount of regulatory flexibility to make an assessment of the side effects versus the efficacy of new products,” said Richard Pazdur in a telephone interview. The director of oncology drug products at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Treatment, Pazdur had been asked why so few new drugs have been proved to prolong survival.
“The drug company must prove that its product provides a longer life, a better life, or a favorable effect on an established end point for a better life,” he explained. The FDA’s flexibility comes into play on the last item, “an established end point for a better life.” One example of an established end point, says Pazdur, is a complete response in leukemia: that is, the bone marrow is normal and the blood counts have normalized.
Even so, there is a hierarchy of established end points. “Survival is the gold standard of end points because it is the most meaningful to all people,” Pazdur said. There can be no misinterpretation when the end point concerns survival: the patient is either dead or alive. “Whereas the other end points, such as tumor response rate, are usually determined by X-rays or scans,” he continued. “There can be variations in the radiologists, the techniques of how the X-rays or scans are obtained, which can make it confusing and unreliable. Also, there is a subjective judgment in reading these X-rays and scans.”
Accelerated Approval
These cautions notwithstanding, the FDA still allows the use of tumor shrinkage as the sole end point in the approval of certain drugs. In 1992, the agency introduced an accelerated approval (AA) process. The idea behind AA is to get drugs quickly to advanced-cancer patients in whom all available options have failed. Consequently, tumor shrinkage was the sole basis of the AA for 10 of 11 new drugs. The rationale: Shrinking a lung tumor might, in the FDA’s view, be “reasonably likely” to alleviate breathing difficulties.
The testing for AA is minimal. The new drug is given to about 30 or so participants who have run out of options. In what is called a phase II trial, there is no comparison group: everyone in the study gets the new drug. Consequently, this type of trial is not likely to provide a true picture of the drug’s toxicity or efficacy. That’s why a drug given AA must continue to be studied to see if it provides any benefit in terms of increased survival or symptom improvement. “The drug companies usually do a large trial in which the new drug is compared to the standard drug,” said Pazdur. “This usually takes two to four years.” And what if the drug company does not comply? “We have a process for rapidly removing the drug from the market,” Pazdur replied.
Still, some not so well tested drugs are available for several years following an AA, and oncologists are free to prescribe them for cancers other than the type for which the products received approval. Or, more often, oncologists can add the new product to a multiple-drug regimen that in itself has never been studied. “Yes, this is called off-label use, which is fairly common in the practice of oncology in the U.S.,” Pazdur agreed. “But this involves the practice of medicine, and the FDA does not control the practice of medicine.” Unless their oncologists tell them, cancer patients do not know whether they are being given a drug off-label. “We would like patients to read the drug label to see the approved indications and contraindications,” advised Pazdur, who said that the information is freely available at the FDA’s web site.
For More Information
To read a drug label, go to www.fda.gov or to the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR), which is updated yearly and available at most local libraries and large bookstores. The label is daunting for its extensive length, tiny type and medical jargon. It is, however, the only source for results of the FDA-required tests. The section entitled “Indications” will identify the purpose(s) for which the drug has been proven beneficial. If you can’t find your type and stage of cancer listed under “Indications,” this signals off-label use.
Unfortunately, only the rare cancer patient well versed in clinical trials will be able to discern whether the label is identifying a drug that has gone through the less-rigorous AA process. For example, capecitabine was given AA (on the basis of tumor response) for advanced breast cancer in 1998. The 2002 Physicians’ Desk Reference describes capecitabine’s testing as a “phase II, single-arm trial,” which signals AA. Another clue can be found under “Indications,” where response rate is described as the basis for the drug’s use for metastasized breast cancer. However, the much watered-down patient version of the capecitabine label (which appears after the information aimed at professionals) does not include an explanation of these terms. The patient’s label makes no mention of the fact that the drug was approved through the accelerated process. Capecitabine is sold under the brand name Xeloda.
Go to the web site of the National Cancer Institute, and then click into the following succession of options: “treatment,” “chemotherapy,” and “newly approved cancer treatments.” You will find explanations of phase II trials, off-label drug use (complete with Q and A: “Can off-label drug use be harmful?”), and many other relevant terms. People without access to the Internet can call the National Cancer Institute toll-free at 800/4-CANCER to get this information mailed to them.
When recommending a new cancer drug to a patient, oncologists will often quote “response rate” without explaining what it means. Ask. This article has addressed how new drugs receive FDA approval. But once on the market, they are often studied eventually in large randomized, controlled trials as part of a multiple-drug regimen.
Ask for the evidence to support a proposed chemotherapy regimen. Here’s one way to phrase the question: “Can you give me a citation for the studies that show this drug or drug-combination will benefit people with my stage and type of cancer?”
The citation will allow you to do a Medline search (ask the librarian at your local public library) to locate the study and determine the exact nature of the benefit. Medline is a service available through the National Library of Medicine. It provides free access to the abstracts, or summaries, of the studies published in a large proportion of the world’s medical journals. Some public libraries will retrieve the entire article at no charge, but the article can also be purchased on-line.
Maryann Napoli is the associate director of the Center for Medical Consumers in New York City. This article is adapted with permission from HealthFacts, the organization’s monthly newsletter.
ore info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
With a certain amount of regularity a new cancer drug makes headlines, generating an enormous amount of hope as well as pressure to make the product swiftly available. In time, we usually learn that the drug’s benefit is much more modest than was originally portrayed in the media, and soon oncologists begin to prescribe the drug for other forms of cancer without waiting for clinical trials to prove its effectiveness.
Tumor Shrinkage
Contrary to popular belief, drug companies are not required to prove that their drugs prolong survival. Until the mid-1980s, all cancer drugs were approved solely on the basis of what researchers call the “tumor response.” In other words, a drug company needed only show that the drug caused a tumor to shrink, not necessarily to disappear.
Years ago, a change in the approval process was recommended by the FDA’s own Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee. The committee members, primarily cancer experts unaffiliated with any government agency, knew that tumor shrinkage often has little or no relation to survival. The committee proposed the novel idea that a drug company should be required to prove that a drug provided some benefit that was meaningful to the patient, such as increased survival or an improvement in symptoms. The committee argued further that the potential benefit of tumor shrinkage did not necessarily outweigh the substantial toxicity of cancer drugs.
This recommendation was made in the mid-1980s, but change at the FDA comes slowly, as a recent assessment of new drug approvals has demonstrated. From 1990 through 2001, the FDA approved 66 new cancer drugs. Prolonged survival was not proven for 48 drugs. And tumor response was the basis of approval for 35 drugs.
Variations in End Points
“The FDA has a certain amount of regulatory flexibility to make an assessment of the side effects versus the efficacy of new products,” said Richard Pazdur in a telephone interview. The director of oncology drug products at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Treatment, Pazdur had been asked why so few new drugs have been proved to prolong survival.
“The drug company must prove that its product provides a longer life, a better life, or a favorable effect on an established end point for a better life,” he explained. The FDA’s flexibility comes into play on the last item, “an established end point for a better life.” One example of an established end point, says Pazdur, is a complete response in leukemia: that is, the bone marrow is normal and the blood counts have normalized.
Even so, there is a hierarchy of established end points. “Survival is the gold standard of end points because it is the most meaningful to all people,” Pazdur said. There can be no misinterpretation when the end point concerns survival: the patient is either dead or alive. “Whereas the other end points, such as tumor response rate, are usually determined by X-rays or scans,” he continued. “There can be variations in the radiologists, the techniques of how the X-rays or scans are obtained, which can make it confusing and unreliable. Also, there is a subjective judgment in reading these X-rays and scans.”
Accelerated Approval
These cautions notwithstanding, the FDA still allows the use of tumor shrinkage as the sole end point in the approval of certain drugs. In 1992, the agency introduced an accelerated approval (AA) process. The idea behind AA is to get drugs quickly to advanced-cancer patients in whom all available options have failed. Consequently, tumor shrinkage was the sole basis of the AA for 10 of 11 new drugs. The rationale: Shrinking a lung tumor might, in the FDA’s view, be “reasonably likely” to alleviate breathing difficulties.
The testing for AA is minimal. The new drug is given to about 30 or so participants who have run out of options. In what is called a phase II trial, there is no comparison group: everyone in the study gets the new drug. Consequently, this type of trial is not likely to provide a true picture of the drug’s toxicity or efficacy. That’s why a drug given AA must continue to be studied to see if it provides any benefit in terms of increased survival or symptom improvement. “The drug companies usually do a large trial in which the new drug is compared to the standard drug,” said Pazdur. “This usually takes two to four years.” And what if the drug company does not comply? “We have a process for rapidly removing the drug from the market,” Pazdur replied.
Still, some not so well tested drugs are available for several years following an AA, and oncologists are free to prescribe them for cancers other than the type for which the products received approval. Or, more often, oncologists can add the new product to a multiple-drug regimen that in itself has never been studied. “Yes, this is called off-label use, which is fairly common in the practice of oncology in the U.S.,” Pazdur agreed. “But this involves the practice of medicine, and the FDA does not control the practice of medicine.” Unless their oncologists tell them, cancer patients do not know whether they are being given a drug off-label. “We would like patients to read the drug label to see the approved indications and contraindications,” advised Pazdur, who said that the information is freely available at the FDA’s web site.
For More Information
To read a drug label, go to www.fda.gov or to the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR), which is updated yearly and available at most local libraries and large bookstores. The label is daunting for its extensive length, tiny type and medical jargon. It is, however, the only source for results of the FDA-required tests. The section entitled “Indications” will identify the purpose(s) for which the drug has been proven beneficial. If you can’t find your type and stage of cancer listed under “Indications,” this signals off-label use.
Unfortunately, only the rare cancer patient well versed in clinical trials will be able to discern whether the label is identifying a drug that has gone through the less-rigorous AA process. For example, capecitabine was given AA (on the basis of tumor response) for advanced breast cancer in 1998. The 2002 Physicians’ Desk Reference describes capecitabine’s testing as a “phase II, single-arm trial,” which signals AA. Another clue can be found under “Indications,” where response rate is described as the basis for the drug’s use for metastasized breast cancer. However, the much watered-down patient version of the capecitabine label (which appears after the information aimed at professionals) does not include an explanation of these terms. The patient’s label makes no mention of the fact that the drug was approved through the accelerated process. Capecitabine is sold under the brand name Xeloda.
Go to the web site of the National Cancer Institute, and then click into the following succession of options: “treatment,” “chemotherapy,” and “newly approved cancer treatments.” You will find explanations of phase II trials, off-label drug use (complete with Q and A: “Can off-label drug use be harmful?”), and many other relevant terms. People without access to the Internet can call the National Cancer Institute toll-free at 800/4-CANCER to get this information mailed to them.
When recommending a new cancer drug to a patient, oncologists will often quote “response rate” without explaining what it means. Ask. This article has addressed how new drugs receive FDA approval. But once on the market, they are often studied eventually in large randomized, controlled trials as part of a multiple-drug regimen.
Ask for the evidence to support a proposed chemotherapy regimen. Here’s one way to phrase the question: “Can you give me a citation for the studies that show this drug or drug-combination will benefit people with my stage and type of cancer?”
The citation will allow you to do a Medline search (ask the librarian at your local public library) to locate the study and determine the exact nature of the benefit. Medline is a service available through the National Library of Medicine. It provides free access to the abstracts, or summaries, of the studies published in a large proportion of the world’s medical journals. Some public libraries will retrieve the entire article at no charge, but the article can also be purchased on-line.
Maryann Napoli is the associate director of the Center for Medical Consumers in New York City. This article is adapted with permission from HealthFacts, the organization’s monthly newsletter.
ore info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
The Truth About Cancer
The Truth About Cancer
The CDC just reported that only ½ to 1% of metastatic cancer patients live longer than 5 years. Another published article in Current Cancer Research stated that chemotherapy is now credited with remissions in only 7% of cancer cases. We can drastically increase these numbers. Global Healing Center has developed an individual or complementary approach, which is now available to you.
For many years, the focus on cancer treatment has centered on destroying the cancer cells. While reducing tumor burden can be of benefit, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery do not, in most instances, cure cancer. In order to cure cancer one must change the underlying causes of the disease.
Nutrition supplements and diet therapy help to change the underlying causes of cancer, and thus help the patient's "host defense mechanisms" better fight off the cancer cells. Comprehensive cancer treatment should always include an aggressive nutritional component as part of the overall therapy.
THE TRUTH ABOUT CANCER
Cancer- You have read about it - You hear about it -You see it on TV --- But there is one thing you are never told --- the TRUTH.
You are never told the truth about the incidence of cancer. It is growing by leaps and bounds. In 1960 1 out of 4 people had cancer. Today it is 1 out of 3. Soon it will be 1 out of 2. In just the last 30 years the incidence of cancer has gone up a shocking 40%. This year, well over 1,250,000 Americans will get cancer. And all of this while Americans are spending mega billions of dollars on cancer treatment and research.
You are never told the truth about cancer death. Death from cancer is on a rapid rise. It has now overtaken heart disease as America's # 1 killer. This year, over 650,000 Americans will die with cancer in spite of the best therapy that conventional medicine has to offer.
You are never told the truth about what causes cancer. usually it is caused by toxic chemicals, not only by tobacco, but primarily industrial chemicals, pollutants, & radioactive substances in our food, water, air, homes, & workplace. Recently, the FDA found significant traces of 60-80 pesticides in the average American food shopping basket. Incredibly, the government did nothing.
You are never told the truth about cancer prevention. We can lower our risk of cancer by eliminating carcinogens from our food, water, air, homes, and workplace. There is valid scientific evidence that we can now significantly lower the risk of cancer by purging the body of all toxins then go on a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
You are never told the truth about conventional cancer therapy. For decades, the cancer establishment has foolishly relied on the crude and primitive treatments of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy as their only weapons. These therapies are generally very dangerous, toxic, and inefficient, but highly profitable for the conventional medical field. Many knowledgeable doctors say that radiation & chemotherapy is murder.
They never tell you that Europe, China, and other countries are far ahead of the U.S. in the prevention and cure of cancer. Those therapies that are successful in other countries are not allowed in the U.S. So much for physicians trying to heal you and the FDA protecting you.
You are never told that radiation & chemotherapy is a brew of deadly poisons. Like surgery & radiation, the goal of chemotherapy is to purge the body of cancer by destroying cancer cells. Because the cancer cells divide more rapidly than normal cells, chemotherapeutic agents target rapidly dividing cells.
You are never told other cells, such as those in the hair follicles, intestinal lining, & bone marrow, are also seriously affected. It destroys the hair follicles and fast-growing epithelial cells lining the digestive tract. This is why chemotherapy usually results in hair loss & gastrointestinal illness. The truth is, we are not winning the war against cancer.
Over the last 38 years chemotherapy has been unsuccessful in most cases to treat Cancer. Chemotherapy is still not approved by the FDA and continues to be in field trials. There is only one way to successfully treat Cancer and degenerative diseases and that is through the use of a whole body approach. You cannot drug a body into health. You must nourish the body, mind and soul. Cancer is a systemic disorder, which means it is in the whole body. It simply manifests itself in a particular organ or site. This is typically one's genetically weak link. This is why you cannot cut an organ out. 96% of all cancer survivors of chemotherapy have a relapse after 5 years. Cancer is an anaerobic organism (without oxygen), which thrives in acidic, low oxygen, dark, moist environment.
Cancer feeds on glucose and secretes lactic acid as a by-product. The liver then converts this lactic acid back into glucose, so you end up with a viscous cycle of the cancer feeding itself. In order to stop Cancer growth you must change the body to an alkaline state, provide high levels of oxygen to the tissues and cut off the supply of glucose to the tumor-these are just a few of many techniques.
Related Sites:
Therapy offers
· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
Ayurvedic Products
· Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
The CDC just reported that only ½ to 1% of metastatic cancer patients live longer than 5 years. Another published article in Current Cancer Research stated that chemotherapy is now credited with remissions in only 7% of cancer cases. We can drastically increase these numbers. Global Healing Center has developed an individual or complementary approach, which is now available to you.
For many years, the focus on cancer treatment has centered on destroying the cancer cells. While reducing tumor burden can be of benefit, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery do not, in most instances, cure cancer. In order to cure cancer one must change the underlying causes of the disease.
Nutrition supplements and diet therapy help to change the underlying causes of cancer, and thus help the patient's "host defense mechanisms" better fight off the cancer cells. Comprehensive cancer treatment should always include an aggressive nutritional component as part of the overall therapy.
THE TRUTH ABOUT CANCER
Cancer- You have read about it - You hear about it -You see it on TV --- But there is one thing you are never told --- the TRUTH.
You are never told the truth about the incidence of cancer. It is growing by leaps and bounds. In 1960 1 out of 4 people had cancer. Today it is 1 out of 3. Soon it will be 1 out of 2. In just the last 30 years the incidence of cancer has gone up a shocking 40%. This year, well over 1,250,000 Americans will get cancer. And all of this while Americans are spending mega billions of dollars on cancer treatment and research.
You are never told the truth about cancer death. Death from cancer is on a rapid rise. It has now overtaken heart disease as America's # 1 killer. This year, over 650,000 Americans will die with cancer in spite of the best therapy that conventional medicine has to offer.
You are never told the truth about what causes cancer. usually it is caused by toxic chemicals, not only by tobacco, but primarily industrial chemicals, pollutants, & radioactive substances in our food, water, air, homes, & workplace. Recently, the FDA found significant traces of 60-80 pesticides in the average American food shopping basket. Incredibly, the government did nothing.
You are never told the truth about cancer prevention. We can lower our risk of cancer by eliminating carcinogens from our food, water, air, homes, and workplace. There is valid scientific evidence that we can now significantly lower the risk of cancer by purging the body of all toxins then go on a healthy diet and exercise regularly.
You are never told the truth about conventional cancer therapy. For decades, the cancer establishment has foolishly relied on the crude and primitive treatments of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy as their only weapons. These therapies are generally very dangerous, toxic, and inefficient, but highly profitable for the conventional medical field. Many knowledgeable doctors say that radiation & chemotherapy is murder.
They never tell you that Europe, China, and other countries are far ahead of the U.S. in the prevention and cure of cancer. Those therapies that are successful in other countries are not allowed in the U.S. So much for physicians trying to heal you and the FDA protecting you.
You are never told that radiation & chemotherapy is a brew of deadly poisons. Like surgery & radiation, the goal of chemotherapy is to purge the body of cancer by destroying cancer cells. Because the cancer cells divide more rapidly than normal cells, chemotherapeutic agents target rapidly dividing cells.
You are never told other cells, such as those in the hair follicles, intestinal lining, & bone marrow, are also seriously affected. It destroys the hair follicles and fast-growing epithelial cells lining the digestive tract. This is why chemotherapy usually results in hair loss & gastrointestinal illness. The truth is, we are not winning the war against cancer.
Over the last 38 years chemotherapy has been unsuccessful in most cases to treat Cancer. Chemotherapy is still not approved by the FDA and continues to be in field trials. There is only one way to successfully treat Cancer and degenerative diseases and that is through the use of a whole body approach. You cannot drug a body into health. You must nourish the body, mind and soul. Cancer is a systemic disorder, which means it is in the whole body. It simply manifests itself in a particular organ or site. This is typically one's genetically weak link. This is why you cannot cut an organ out. 96% of all cancer survivors of chemotherapy have a relapse after 5 years. Cancer is an anaerobic organism (without oxygen), which thrives in acidic, low oxygen, dark, moist environment.
Cancer feeds on glucose and secretes lactic acid as a by-product. The liver then converts this lactic acid back into glucose, so you end up with a viscous cycle of the cancer feeding itself. In order to stop Cancer growth you must change the body to an alkaline state, provide high levels of oxygen to the tissues and cut off the supply of glucose to the tumor-these are just a few of many techniques.
Related Sites:
Therapy offers
· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
Ayurvedic Products
· Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at:
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/skincancer.htm
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Win the Winter
By Dr.Savitha Suri
Long nights, short days, sparkling snow flakes and people dressed in warm clothes are the images evoked for the word winter. The winter season is marked as Hemanta ritu and Sisira ritu in ayurveda. Hemanta ritu starts from mid November and ends in mid January.
This falls in southern solstice which is called as visarga kala or dakshinayana in ayurveda. Sisira ritu starts from mid January and lasts till middle of march. Sisira ritu falls in Northern solstice which is called as Aadana kaala or uttaraayana.Winter causes health problems when adequate precautions and safety measures are not taken.
But winters can be enjoyed to full extent when we alter our diet and lifestyles a little as nature desires. As we are part of nature these changes help us to face the seasonal changes without much serious health problems.Beat the winter time BluesFew experience a condition called Winter Time Blues. This condition precipitates symptoms like increase in appetite, craving for sweets, chocolates or starchy foods, weight gain, mild depression, irritability and short temper. This condition is well marked in persons who live in places which experience long severe winter.
In winter the agni or body fire increases with the support of vata . Hence there will be a marked increase in appetite. The frequency of food consumption increases. We should keep a watch on the type of food we consume to satisfy our appetite during winter. Avoid consumption of junk foods, too much of sweets and oil food as these lead to weight gain.
Simple remedies for this condition are exposing our body to sunlight, exercising for 30 minutes and using bright light when you are indoorsPamper your skin during winterDuring winter skin can not replenish its moisture naturally due to less humidity in air. Low humidity due to indoor heating, hot showers and bath exaggerates this condition and skin is bound to become dry and irritated. Dry skin tends to crack and bleed. Cracked skin looses its ability to protect the body and increases the risk of infection.
The best ways to keep the skin soft, healthy and moisturized are
• Avoid long hot showers and bath.
• Quick three minutes bath is advisable.
• Use moisturizing body wash.
• Apply petroleum jelly on tough areas like knees, elbows and heels .
• Apply lip balm to prevent cracking.
• Twenty to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week can give your skin a healthy glow
• Ayurveda stresses on massaging body with oil during winterSpecial care for your face
Avoid washing your face repeatedly. This washes off natural oils from our skin and makes the skin dry, scaly and wrinkled. Use luke warm water instead of hot water to wash face. Apply moisturizer lotion if you feel dryness on skin. Apply sun screen lotion to exposed parts of body and face when you go out in sun.Preventing cold and cough in winter.
Consume well balanced good nutritious food, exercise thrice in a week and sleep well to keep up natural resistance. Avoid direct contact with those who have colds and wash your hands frequently.HypothermiaHypothermia is a drop in body temperature to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or less than this. This can be fatal if not detected promptly and treated properly. Any body can be the victim of hypothermia.
The elderly are at the highest risk as their bodies do not adjust to the changes in temperature quickly. This condition takes few days to few weeks to develop. A temperature of 60F to 65 F can trigger this condition. A drop in body temperature triggers fatal responses from body. The blood vessels near the body surface narrow to prevent heat loss. Muscles tighten to generate heat. Person affected by hypothermia will be having symptoms like shivering, drowsiness, slurred speech, week pulse, slow heart beat, slow and shallow breathing.
If the body temperature falls down below 86 F he may slip into coma.
Do not try to treat a person with hypothermia at home. Immediately shift him to hospital as soon as you notice the symptoms. Do not give alcoholic beverages and do not give him hot water bath.In ayurveda it is advised to drink hot water, wear warm clothes and to stay near fire place at indoors in winter to prevent this condition
FrostbiteThe exposed areas of body like face, feet, wrists and hands are affected by frost bite. The skin on the affected part becomes white, stiff and feels numb.Warm the affected parts gradually. Wrap the area with warm clothes or keep the affected hands under arm pits and seek the medical attention immediately. Do not rub the affected areas as it may damage the underlying tissues.Protect your tiny tots from cold.
Children are usually thrilled to go outside irrespective of weather conditions. To ensure that these tiny tots have a safe and fun winter, take some simple measures to keep them warm and unharmed both inside and outside. Ensure that they stay warm while waiting for school bus in low temperature conditions. Keep them as dry as possible in cold weather and make them to wear properly fitting warm clothes. Cover their head, face and neck as much as possible. Inadequate head protection lead to loss of almost half of body heat . Don’t allow them to overexert and sweat. Sweating cools the body which is hazardous in winter and it becomes difficult to warm up again. Keep them well hydrated as they may not drink sufficient water in winter due to less thirst.Other general precautions by Red Cross for winter.
Dress in layers so you can adjust to changing conditions. Avoid overdressing or overexertion that can lead to heat illness.Most of your body heat is lost through your head so wear a hat, preferably one that covers your ears.Mittens provide more warmth to your hands than gloves.Wear waterproof, insulated boots to help avoid hypothermia or frostbite by keeping your feet warm and dry and to maintain your footing in ice and snow.
Get out of wet clothes immediately and warm the core body temperature with a blanket or warm fluids like hot cider or soup. Avoid drinking caffeine or alcohol if you expect you or someone you are trying to help has hypothermia or frostbite.Recognize the symptoms of hypothermia that can be a serious medical condition: confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms.Recognize frostbite warning signs: gray, white or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, waxy feeling skin. Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms.
Daily routine for winter
1. Tickle your taste buds with sweet, sour and salt tastes.
2. Satisfy your appetite with hot soups, milk and balanced food.
3. Pamper your body with mild oil massage.
4. Always wear warm clothes.Home made natural scrub for winter.? Mix yellow gram (channa), green gram (moong) , fenu greek seeds (methi) in equal proportion. Get this mixture floured. Use this flour as scrub while taking bath instead of soap and body washes.? Mix few drops of coconut oil in little water. Rub this all over body at the end of bath or shower. Dab the body with towel. This helps to increase the moisture of skin naturally.
We wish you a healthy winter. Have a great winter
Dr.Savitha Suri has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1989. After getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1988 from University of Mysore, India, she started practising ayurveda . Her articles about ayurveda have been published in news papers and websites. She is a regular health columnist to a regional news paper.Dr.Savitha Suri lives in Mysore , Karnataka, India.
She gives consultations in Mysore and also in Bangalore, the silicon valley of India.
http://www.ayurhelp.com/
email doctor@ayurhelp.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr.Savitha_Suri
Related Sites:
Therapy offers
· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
Ayurvedic Products · Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at: www.dreddyclinic.com
Long nights, short days, sparkling snow flakes and people dressed in warm clothes are the images evoked for the word winter. The winter season is marked as Hemanta ritu and Sisira ritu in ayurveda. Hemanta ritu starts from mid November and ends in mid January.
This falls in southern solstice which is called as visarga kala or dakshinayana in ayurveda. Sisira ritu starts from mid January and lasts till middle of march. Sisira ritu falls in Northern solstice which is called as Aadana kaala or uttaraayana.Winter causes health problems when adequate precautions and safety measures are not taken.
But winters can be enjoyed to full extent when we alter our diet and lifestyles a little as nature desires. As we are part of nature these changes help us to face the seasonal changes without much serious health problems.Beat the winter time BluesFew experience a condition called Winter Time Blues. This condition precipitates symptoms like increase in appetite, craving for sweets, chocolates or starchy foods, weight gain, mild depression, irritability and short temper. This condition is well marked in persons who live in places which experience long severe winter.
In winter the agni or body fire increases with the support of vata . Hence there will be a marked increase in appetite. The frequency of food consumption increases. We should keep a watch on the type of food we consume to satisfy our appetite during winter. Avoid consumption of junk foods, too much of sweets and oil food as these lead to weight gain.
Simple remedies for this condition are exposing our body to sunlight, exercising for 30 minutes and using bright light when you are indoorsPamper your skin during winterDuring winter skin can not replenish its moisture naturally due to less humidity in air. Low humidity due to indoor heating, hot showers and bath exaggerates this condition and skin is bound to become dry and irritated. Dry skin tends to crack and bleed. Cracked skin looses its ability to protect the body and increases the risk of infection.
The best ways to keep the skin soft, healthy and moisturized are
• Avoid long hot showers and bath.
• Quick three minutes bath is advisable.
• Use moisturizing body wash.
• Apply petroleum jelly on tough areas like knees, elbows and heels .
• Apply lip balm to prevent cracking.
• Twenty to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week can give your skin a healthy glow
• Ayurveda stresses on massaging body with oil during winterSpecial care for your face
Avoid washing your face repeatedly. This washes off natural oils from our skin and makes the skin dry, scaly and wrinkled. Use luke warm water instead of hot water to wash face. Apply moisturizer lotion if you feel dryness on skin. Apply sun screen lotion to exposed parts of body and face when you go out in sun.Preventing cold and cough in winter.
Consume well balanced good nutritious food, exercise thrice in a week and sleep well to keep up natural resistance. Avoid direct contact with those who have colds and wash your hands frequently.HypothermiaHypothermia is a drop in body temperature to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or less than this. This can be fatal if not detected promptly and treated properly. Any body can be the victim of hypothermia.
The elderly are at the highest risk as their bodies do not adjust to the changes in temperature quickly. This condition takes few days to few weeks to develop. A temperature of 60F to 65 F can trigger this condition. A drop in body temperature triggers fatal responses from body. The blood vessels near the body surface narrow to prevent heat loss. Muscles tighten to generate heat. Person affected by hypothermia will be having symptoms like shivering, drowsiness, slurred speech, week pulse, slow heart beat, slow and shallow breathing.
If the body temperature falls down below 86 F he may slip into coma.
Do not try to treat a person with hypothermia at home. Immediately shift him to hospital as soon as you notice the symptoms. Do not give alcoholic beverages and do not give him hot water bath.In ayurveda it is advised to drink hot water, wear warm clothes and to stay near fire place at indoors in winter to prevent this condition
FrostbiteThe exposed areas of body like face, feet, wrists and hands are affected by frost bite. The skin on the affected part becomes white, stiff and feels numb.Warm the affected parts gradually. Wrap the area with warm clothes or keep the affected hands under arm pits and seek the medical attention immediately. Do not rub the affected areas as it may damage the underlying tissues.Protect your tiny tots from cold.
Children are usually thrilled to go outside irrespective of weather conditions. To ensure that these tiny tots have a safe and fun winter, take some simple measures to keep them warm and unharmed both inside and outside. Ensure that they stay warm while waiting for school bus in low temperature conditions. Keep them as dry as possible in cold weather and make them to wear properly fitting warm clothes. Cover their head, face and neck as much as possible. Inadequate head protection lead to loss of almost half of body heat . Don’t allow them to overexert and sweat. Sweating cools the body which is hazardous in winter and it becomes difficult to warm up again. Keep them well hydrated as they may not drink sufficient water in winter due to less thirst.Other general precautions by Red Cross for winter.
Dress in layers so you can adjust to changing conditions. Avoid overdressing or overexertion that can lead to heat illness.Most of your body heat is lost through your head so wear a hat, preferably one that covers your ears.Mittens provide more warmth to your hands than gloves.Wear waterproof, insulated boots to help avoid hypothermia or frostbite by keeping your feet warm and dry and to maintain your footing in ice and snow.
Get out of wet clothes immediately and warm the core body temperature with a blanket or warm fluids like hot cider or soup. Avoid drinking caffeine or alcohol if you expect you or someone you are trying to help has hypothermia or frostbite.Recognize the symptoms of hypothermia that can be a serious medical condition: confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms.Recognize frostbite warning signs: gray, white or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, waxy feeling skin. Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms.
Daily routine for winter
1. Tickle your taste buds with sweet, sour and salt tastes.
2. Satisfy your appetite with hot soups, milk and balanced food.
3. Pamper your body with mild oil massage.
4. Always wear warm clothes.Home made natural scrub for winter.? Mix yellow gram (channa), green gram (moong) , fenu greek seeds (methi) in equal proportion. Get this mixture floured. Use this flour as scrub while taking bath instead of soap and body washes.? Mix few drops of coconut oil in little water. Rub this all over body at the end of bath or shower. Dab the body with towel. This helps to increase the moisture of skin naturally.
We wish you a healthy winter. Have a great winter
Dr.Savitha Suri has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1989. After getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1988 from University of Mysore, India, she started practising ayurveda . Her articles about ayurveda have been published in news papers and websites. She is a regular health columnist to a regional news paper.Dr.Savitha Suri lives in Mysore , Karnataka, India.
She gives consultations in Mysore and also in Bangalore, the silicon valley of India.
http://www.ayurhelp.com/
email doctor@ayurhelp.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr.Savitha_Suri
Related Sites:
Therapy offers
· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
Ayurvedic Products · Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at: www.dreddyclinic.com
Ayurveda Regimen for Winter Depression.
By Dr.Savitha Suri
Long nights, short days, sweaters, warm clothes and chilly weather make many of us sick and depressed. This depression which surfaces especially in winter is a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and is often called as winter Time Blues or Winter depression.
The exact cause for this depression is as of yet unclear. But yet few scientists believe lack of exposure to sunlight as the reason for this disorder.
The symptoms of winter depression are tendency to over eat, craving for carbohydrates and sweets and weight gain.Had our ancestors observed this change in humans? The answer is yes. Have they recommended any remedies?
Yes, they have recommended simple and effective natural remedies to overcome Seasonal Affective Disorder. They have laid down explicit guidelines about diet and lifestyles which have to be followed according to seasons.
The winter season is marked as Hemanta ritu and Sisira ritu in ayurveda. Hemanta ritu starts from mid November and ends in mid January. This falls in southern solstice which is called as visarga kala or dakshinayana in ayurveda. Sisira ritu starts from mid January and lasts till middle of march. Sisira ritu falls in Northern solstice which is called as Aadana kaala or uttaraayana.The response of human body to this season is very well explained in ayurveda. People will have increased strength and their digestion capacity is increased .
This is marked by increased hunger. These symptoms are caused by increased body fire which is supported by vata. Vata inside body increases in winter because of cold and dryness which is prevalent in outer atmosphere.The winter time depression is noticed mostly in persons who have vata as major constituent in their prakriti or body constitution.
The cause for this type of change is longer nights of winter.Light therapy is recommended by doctors for winter time blues. Exposure to artificial light may cause headache , Irritability ,Eye strain , Inability to sleep and fatigue. Exposure to sunlight and if sunlight is not available sitting near fireplace is the remedy suggested in Ayurveda.Keeping the home well lit with lights help to reduce the intensity of depression.Moderate exercise like yoga is another remedy for winter depression.
Ayurveda recommends oil massage (abhyanga) to body and head (moordha taila.). Indulging in sexual act to keep the moods elevated and to keep the body warm is another strongly suggested ayurvedic remedy.Meeting friends who are kind and understanding boosts morale and brightens up the day. Spending time with friends on the beach helps to expose your body to sunlight and keeps your spirits high.Relaxing with meditation, massage , light music and laughter helps to great extent.
The following ayurvedic tips help to prevent and reduce the intensity of seasonal disorder of winter, the winter time blues.
1. Expose yourself to sunlight as much as you can. In absence of sun light sitting near fire place is very helpful.
2. Massage your body with vata balancing herbal oil (abhyanga). Never forget to apply oil on your head (moordha taila).
3. Then remove the oil by taking hot water bath. A mixture of flours of yellow gram (channa), green gram (moong) , fenu greek seeds (methi) in equal proportion is the best herbal scrub which can be used to remove the oil. This mixture prevents the washing of natural oil from skin.
4. Consume hot soups.
5. Use vata balancing foods like wheat, oil, corn, black gram and jaggery.
6. Tickle your taste buds with sweet, sour and salt tastes
7. Always use hot water for all daily routine activity.
8. Use thick blankets and sheets made of cotton, silk and wool.
9. Always wear foot wear.
10. Indulge in sexual act.
11. Spend your leisure time with friends and relatives whom you like.
Biography of Dr.SavithaSuriDr.SavithaSuri has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1989. After getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1988 from University of Mysore, India, she started practising ayurveda . Her articles about ayurveda have been published in news papers and websites. She is a regular health columnist to a regional news paper.Dr.SavithaSuri lives in Mysore , Karnataka, India.
She gives consultations in Mysore and also in Bangalore, the silicon valley of India.http://www.ayurhelp.com/
email doctor@ayurhelp.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr.Savitha_Suri
Related Sites:
Therapy offers
· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
Ayurvedic Products · Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at: www.dreddyclinic.com
Long nights, short days, sweaters, warm clothes and chilly weather make many of us sick and depressed. This depression which surfaces especially in winter is a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and is often called as winter Time Blues or Winter depression.
The exact cause for this depression is as of yet unclear. But yet few scientists believe lack of exposure to sunlight as the reason for this disorder.
The symptoms of winter depression are tendency to over eat, craving for carbohydrates and sweets and weight gain.Had our ancestors observed this change in humans? The answer is yes. Have they recommended any remedies?
Yes, they have recommended simple and effective natural remedies to overcome Seasonal Affective Disorder. They have laid down explicit guidelines about diet and lifestyles which have to be followed according to seasons.
The winter season is marked as Hemanta ritu and Sisira ritu in ayurveda. Hemanta ritu starts from mid November and ends in mid January. This falls in southern solstice which is called as visarga kala or dakshinayana in ayurveda. Sisira ritu starts from mid January and lasts till middle of march. Sisira ritu falls in Northern solstice which is called as Aadana kaala or uttaraayana.The response of human body to this season is very well explained in ayurveda. People will have increased strength and their digestion capacity is increased .
This is marked by increased hunger. These symptoms are caused by increased body fire which is supported by vata. Vata inside body increases in winter because of cold and dryness which is prevalent in outer atmosphere.The winter time depression is noticed mostly in persons who have vata as major constituent in their prakriti or body constitution.
The cause for this type of change is longer nights of winter.Light therapy is recommended by doctors for winter time blues. Exposure to artificial light may cause headache , Irritability ,Eye strain , Inability to sleep and fatigue. Exposure to sunlight and if sunlight is not available sitting near fireplace is the remedy suggested in Ayurveda.Keeping the home well lit with lights help to reduce the intensity of depression.Moderate exercise like yoga is another remedy for winter depression.
Ayurveda recommends oil massage (abhyanga) to body and head (moordha taila.). Indulging in sexual act to keep the moods elevated and to keep the body warm is another strongly suggested ayurvedic remedy.Meeting friends who are kind and understanding boosts morale and brightens up the day. Spending time with friends on the beach helps to expose your body to sunlight and keeps your spirits high.Relaxing with meditation, massage , light music and laughter helps to great extent.
The following ayurvedic tips help to prevent and reduce the intensity of seasonal disorder of winter, the winter time blues.
1. Expose yourself to sunlight as much as you can. In absence of sun light sitting near fire place is very helpful.
2. Massage your body with vata balancing herbal oil (abhyanga). Never forget to apply oil on your head (moordha taila).
3. Then remove the oil by taking hot water bath. A mixture of flours of yellow gram (channa), green gram (moong) , fenu greek seeds (methi) in equal proportion is the best herbal scrub which can be used to remove the oil. This mixture prevents the washing of natural oil from skin.
4. Consume hot soups.
5. Use vata balancing foods like wheat, oil, corn, black gram and jaggery.
6. Tickle your taste buds with sweet, sour and salt tastes
7. Always use hot water for all daily routine activity.
8. Use thick blankets and sheets made of cotton, silk and wool.
9. Always wear foot wear.
10. Indulge in sexual act.
11. Spend your leisure time with friends and relatives whom you like.
Biography of Dr.SavithaSuriDr.SavithaSuri has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 1989. After getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1988 from University of Mysore, India, she started practising ayurveda . Her articles about ayurveda have been published in news papers and websites. She is a regular health columnist to a regional news paper.Dr.SavithaSuri lives in Mysore , Karnataka, India.
She gives consultations in Mysore and also in Bangalore, the silicon valley of India.http://www.ayurhelp.com/
email doctor@ayurhelp.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr.Savitha_Suri
Related Sites:
Therapy offers
· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
Ayurvedic Products · Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at: www.dreddyclinic.com
Nutrition for Peak Recovery
By John Eliot, Ph.D.One of the factors that significantly influences recovery—how steep the slope of the curve, and therefore how much of an overshoot (image a hose pointing into the air and then adjusting the pressure of the water)—is the fuel the body has available to it. If the right volume and combination of nutrients are available, the body will sling back with tremendous force.
If not, both the benefit from training will be dampened, and lengthen the time it takes before training can be resumed will be lengthened.To take full advantage of nutrition’s impact on the overshoot, fuel has to be on hand when the body starts to recover.
And, using a little common sense, you can’t immediately get fuel to your muscles, organs, and brain by eating—unless you’re going to tote an IV bag around. Digestion just plain takes time.The most influential period in recovery happens in the first hour post-training. At that point, your muscles need glycogen and amino acids, your liver needs hepatic sugar, and you must have a host of co-factors such as insulin.
But take amino acids, for instance. Their source is protein and it takes about 3 hours to digest protein. If you wait until after training to provide these nutrients, your timing will be off by 200%. Certainly not peak performance!So what can you do? Pay strict attention to pre-training fuel intake. Here are four basic guidelines that are critical for all athletes follow:
(1) Eat a well balanced, healthy meal about 3 hours prior to conditioning. This includes a full serving of low-glycemic index carbohydrates such as fruits, legumes, whole grains, and non-fat milk, along with a full serving of high quality, lean protein (servings are dictated by weight, level of fitness, metabolism, gender, and type of sport).
(2) Drink plenty of water throughout the day. For many sports, this requirement is upward of 100 ounces every 24 hours!
(3) Take in a liquid form of carbohydrate (5-10% carbohydrate by solution) immediately before training commences. The company Twin Lab makes a good product for this, called Hydra Fuel.
(4) Down an exercise recovery drink right after finishing your conditioning (or as soon as your stomach will tolerate one). The best recovery drinks are scientifically designed to provide the right balance and forms of carbohydrates and protein. Check out Twin Lab’s OptiFuel 2.
JOHN F. ELIOT, PH.D., is an award winning professor of management, psychology, and human performance. He holds faculty appointments at Rice University and the SMU Cox School of Business Leadership Center. He is a co-founder of the Milestone Group, a consulting firm providing training to business executives, professional athletes, physicians, and corporations. Dr. Eliot’s clients have included: SAP, XEROX, Disney, Adidas, the United States Olympic Committee, the National Champion Rice Owl's baseball team, and the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Eliot’s cutting edge work has been featured on ABC, MSNBC, CBS, ESPN, Fox Sports, NPR, and highlighted in the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, Entrepreneur, LA Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times. Dr. Eliot serves on numerous advisory boards including the National Center for Human Performance and the Center for Performing Arts Medicine. His latest book is Overachievement:
The New Model for Exceptional Performance.
For more information, visit Dr. Eliot’s site at http://www.overachievement.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Eliot,_Ph.D.
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· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
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· Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at: www.dreddyclinic.com
If not, both the benefit from training will be dampened, and lengthen the time it takes before training can be resumed will be lengthened.To take full advantage of nutrition’s impact on the overshoot, fuel has to be on hand when the body starts to recover.
And, using a little common sense, you can’t immediately get fuel to your muscles, organs, and brain by eating—unless you’re going to tote an IV bag around. Digestion just plain takes time.The most influential period in recovery happens in the first hour post-training. At that point, your muscles need glycogen and amino acids, your liver needs hepatic sugar, and you must have a host of co-factors such as insulin.
But take amino acids, for instance. Their source is protein and it takes about 3 hours to digest protein. If you wait until after training to provide these nutrients, your timing will be off by 200%. Certainly not peak performance!So what can you do? Pay strict attention to pre-training fuel intake. Here are four basic guidelines that are critical for all athletes follow:
(1) Eat a well balanced, healthy meal about 3 hours prior to conditioning. This includes a full serving of low-glycemic index carbohydrates such as fruits, legumes, whole grains, and non-fat milk, along with a full serving of high quality, lean protein (servings are dictated by weight, level of fitness, metabolism, gender, and type of sport).
(2) Drink plenty of water throughout the day. For many sports, this requirement is upward of 100 ounces every 24 hours!
(3) Take in a liquid form of carbohydrate (5-10% carbohydrate by solution) immediately before training commences. The company Twin Lab makes a good product for this, called Hydra Fuel.
(4) Down an exercise recovery drink right after finishing your conditioning (or as soon as your stomach will tolerate one). The best recovery drinks are scientifically designed to provide the right balance and forms of carbohydrates and protein. Check out Twin Lab’s OptiFuel 2.
JOHN F. ELIOT, PH.D., is an award winning professor of management, psychology, and human performance. He holds faculty appointments at Rice University and the SMU Cox School of Business Leadership Center. He is a co-founder of the Milestone Group, a consulting firm providing training to business executives, professional athletes, physicians, and corporations. Dr. Eliot’s clients have included: SAP, XEROX, Disney, Adidas, the United States Olympic Committee, the National Champion Rice Owl's baseball team, and the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Eliot’s cutting edge work has been featured on ABC, MSNBC, CBS, ESPN, Fox Sports, NPR, and highlighted in the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, Entrepreneur, LA Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times. Dr. Eliot serves on numerous advisory boards including the National Center for Human Performance and the Center for Performing Arts Medicine. His latest book is Overachievement:
The New Model for Exceptional Performance.
For more information, visit Dr. Eliot’s site at http://www.overachievement.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Eliot,_Ph.D.
Related Sites:
Therapy offers
· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
Ayurvedic Products
· Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at: www.dreddyclinic.com
U.S. RDA vs. Optimal Health
By Don Ford, M.D.Recently attempts were made to make food labels easier to read. Everyone is familiar with the boxed information on our food packaging that provides information about the nutritional content of the food inside. It tells you the serving size, calories, and percent of the US RDA, which stands for the United States Recommended Daily Allowances, which this food product meets.
But many people wonder what are those “recommended daily allowances” based on?
The percentage of US R.D.A. is based upon a 200 pound, average sized man on a 2000-calorie diet. They are also based on the amount of vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients to provide “adequate” health for this man. According to an article published in Health World Online, entitled Nutrient Intake From Typical American Diets “the RDA are the most commonly accepted guidelines for establishing target levels of nutrient intake, however, the RDA are not intended to represent optimal levels of nutrient intake for the individual”.
Common sense would dictate that if a consumer is reading the food packaging for the nutritional content, that particular consumer is interested in optimal health as opposed to just “adequate health” that is represented on the food labels.Since the vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients to achieve optimal health isn’t represented, you could reach 100% of RDA every single day, and still be deficient in many of the essential nutrients that would provide personal optimal health.
Each individual’s body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes and excretes essential nutrients a little differently. Many things can alter an individual’s nutritional needs such as age, illness, pregnancy, dieting, exercise, stress, or certain prescription and over the counter medications.There is testing available from your doctor that can give you a personal, individualized analysis of the essential nutrient demands for your body.
You can learn more about this test from Spectracell at their website http://www.spectracell.com/http://www.essential-nutrients.net/
To learn more about supplements available to help prevent the vitamin, mineral and essential nutrient depletion caused by many of the prescription or over the counter drugs you take: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/store/PPF/Category_ID/11/products.asp
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Ford,_M.D.
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· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
Ayurvedic Products
· Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at: www.dreddyclinic.com
But many people wonder what are those “recommended daily allowances” based on?
The percentage of US R.D.A. is based upon a 200 pound, average sized man on a 2000-calorie diet. They are also based on the amount of vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients to provide “adequate” health for this man. According to an article published in Health World Online, entitled Nutrient Intake From Typical American Diets “the RDA are the most commonly accepted guidelines for establishing target levels of nutrient intake, however, the RDA are not intended to represent optimal levels of nutrient intake for the individual”.
Common sense would dictate that if a consumer is reading the food packaging for the nutritional content, that particular consumer is interested in optimal health as opposed to just “adequate health” that is represented on the food labels.Since the vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients to achieve optimal health isn’t represented, you could reach 100% of RDA every single day, and still be deficient in many of the essential nutrients that would provide personal optimal health.
Each individual’s body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes and excretes essential nutrients a little differently. Many things can alter an individual’s nutritional needs such as age, illness, pregnancy, dieting, exercise, stress, or certain prescription and over the counter medications.There is testing available from your doctor that can give you a personal, individualized analysis of the essential nutrient demands for your body.
You can learn more about this test from Spectracell at their website http://www.spectracell.com/http://www.essential-nutrients.net/
To learn more about supplements available to help prevent the vitamin, mineral and essential nutrient depletion caused by many of the prescription or over the counter drugs you take: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/store/PPF/Category_ID/11/products.asp
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Ford,_M.D.
Therapy offers
· Single-Day Therapies · Single-Day Rates · Medical Consultation · Therapy "Packages" · our full ayurvedic pricelist
Ayurvedic Products
· Kama Raja · Kama Rani · Yogic Slim · Rudraksha Healing · A2 Tier Affiliate program
more info at: www.dreddyclinic.com
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