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Cancer Victors News
July 30, 2009
Breast Cancer Discovery: Vitamin A Derivative Normalizes Cel
NaturalNews) What if a substance was found that normalizes out-of-control cell growth? The result could be a way to treat and prevent cancer. And a new study offers hope that discovery may have already been made. Scientists from the University of Chicago have just published groundbreaking research in the journal Cell which concludes a powerful compound exists that can restore a healthy balance to cell processes. It's not a new chemotherapy agent or drug but one derived from nature -- retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A.
According to the American Cancer Society, estrogen fuels the growth of two out of three breast cancers. The female hormone can spur on cancer by altering the expression of certain genes, resulting in breast cells that become malignant and proliferate. The University of Chicago study found that retinoic acid can also alter these same estrogen-sensitive genes. But instead of causing cells to grow without restraint, a hallmark of cancer, retinoic acid restored normal balance to the cells and inhibited their growth.
"This work reveals important insights on the interplay between vitamin A and estrogen action," said Myles Brown, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in a statement to the media. "These insights will hopefully lead to new approaches for the prevention and treatment of the most common form of breast cancer."
Retinoic acid has already demonstrated cancer fighting effects in previous studies and it is currently used to treat a rare form of leukemia. In addition, earlier research has associated retinoic acid with the halting of breast cancer cell proliferation.
For the new study, Kevin White, PhD, professor of human genetics and director of the Institute for Genomics and System Biology at the University of Chicago, and colleagues focused on documenting cell receptors for the vitamin A derivative. They used a process dubbed ChIP-chip analysis that combines chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), which locates where the retinoic acid receptors are bound to the genome, with micro-array gene-chip analysis, which measures the expression levels of specific genes.
This merging of techniques allowed the scientists to map out the complete genetic effects of retinoic acid and its receptors in a cell line provided by patients who had estrogen-fueled breast cancers. The results showed that 39 percent of the genomic regions bound by the estrogen receptor known as alpha overlapped with the estrogen receptors bound by retinoic acid.
What's more, they discovered that estrogen and retinoic acids receptors often competed to activate or repress many of the same genes. For example, estrogen increased expression of the same 139 genes that retinoic repressed and retinoic acid activated 185 genes that estrogen repressed. For approximately140 genes, estrogen and retinoic acid had the same effect.
So what does all this mean? As the scientists explained in their press statement, they now have evidence that estrogen and retinoic acid carry on a kind of "cross talk". So, although they can have opposite effects, certain estrogen and retinoic acid receptors on cells activate each other and normalize each other. That provides what the researchers call "an additional level of control for achieving a balanced regulation of expression."
Vitamin A - the secret nutritional weapon against cancer?
The study also uncovered another way retinoic acid could help fight breast cancer. Some of the genes that are expressed in malignant breast tumors don't have estrogen receptors so anti-estrogen drugs can't be used as therapies. That makes so-called double or triple negative breast cancers extremely difficult to treat and, subsequently, they carry poor prognoses. However, in the new study, the researchers found these forms of cancerous cells did respond positively to the vitamin A derivative.
The new study may have produced a new way to help predict long-term survival for breast cancer patients, too. When the researchers compared the effects of retinoic acid on tissues from 295 breast cancer patients with the results from the scientists' initial study using a typical breast cancer cell line, they discovered that the more strongly a tumor responded to retinoic acid, the greater the chances of long-term survival and a lack of relapse.
"Understanding all the components of this process could be used against breast cancer in three ways," said Dr. White, in the media statement. "It suggests new ways to think about preventing the disease in those at high risk. It offers molecular tools that could provide a more precise diagnosis and predict outcomes. It could also be used to enhance current therapies, making existing drugs, such as tamoxifen, that selectively block estrogen's effects even more powerful, or even to develop new anti-cancer drugs."
As reported earlier in Natural News (http://www.naturalnews.com/025495_c...), researchers are also studying vitamin D to see what role it may play in fighting breast cancer. It appears to help protect against breast cancer by keeping normal cell growth in check.
For more information:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/c...
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/...
Posted 7/30/2009 2:12:00 PM
July 30, 2009
Use the Healing Properties of Helichrysum Essential Oil
NaturalNews) Using essential oils to cleanse and heal the body, mind and soul is not a new concept. In fact using different fragrances to alter your state of mind has been used within religious ceremonies for centuries. But today Aromatherapy has become so popular that anything that has a scent is labeled as an aromatherapy product. Many of these so called essential oils are not the real thing, which leads many people to look at aromatherapy very negatively. But the truth is that using real essential oils in many different forms of aromatherapy can be a very effective healing and relaxation tool. Helichrysum essential oil is known as the "everlasting" or "immortal" essential oil. Unlike most essential oils it can be stored and left in the cupboard for a very long time. Helichrysum essential oil is found mainly in France and Italy. Its rarity makes it one of the most expensive essential oils to buy, but it is also known as one of the best as it has a long list of healing properties.
In ancient times Helichrysum was used along with Frankincense, Myrrh, Spikenard, and Rose to help open the heart and mind to the infinite possibilities of the spiritual life. But now Helichrysum is known to help all sorts of medical ailments from ridding the body of scar tissue and stretch marks to relieving the pain of arthritis and regulating blood pressure.
A study conducted at the University of Nigeria found that the active ingredients in Helichrysum that help lower blood pressure are called curcumene and caryophyllene. They also found significant evidence that rubbing the oil over scars does significantly reduce their appearance, even if the scars have been there for some time.
But it is the oil's anti spasmodic, anti coagulant and anti allergenic properties that have excited most of the medical profession. Due to the rising number of people suffering from heart attacks and heart disease there is now a lot of research going in to natural substances that show anticoagulant (Blood Thinning) properties. Everything from mosquito saliva to ginger and turmeric have been tested, but none of them seem to be able to match the powers of Helichrysum essential oil. The oil has also been found to be a powerful anti allergenic. Not only does it help reduce the superficial signs of allergies such as skin rashes and stomach aches, but it has also been found to protect the liver, spleen and lungs, which is where the first signs of an allergic reaction may occur.
http://www.organicfacts.net/health-...
www.aromathyme.com/helichrysum-esse...
http://aromatherapy.suite101.com/ar...
Posted 7/30/2009 2:09:00 PM
July 22, 2009
Important News For CancerVictors Members!!!
Posted 7/22/2009 11:32:00 AM
July 2, 2009
Research Helps Breast Cancer Patients Arm Themselves before
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(NaturalNews) After a diagnosis of breast cancer, most women want to know where they fit into the statistics being quoted to them as reasons for submitting to the traditional toxic treatments being advocated by their oncologists. Scientists in China are helping to further this understanding through research revealing a statistical breakdown of which forms of breast cancer are the most deadly, and which may not be so dangerous. Any woman being pressured to accept chemotherapy, radiation, and follow-drugs can use these statistics to empower herself and more accurately assess where she stands.
In the study, the clinical-pathological characteristics of triple negative breast cancer were investigated.. This type of cancer is diagnosed when cells in the breast lack all three receptors: estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2).
Although these receptors can help fuel breast cancer growth in some cases, they are also indicative of less threatening cancers. Cells that are able to express these factors more closely resemble normal cells, while cells that cannot express the factors have lost resemblance to normal cells. When cancerous cells more closely resemble normal cells, they are more easily returned to a state of normalcy. The lack of receptors makes triple negative breast cancer one of the most deadly forms of cancer.
The researchers investigated the clinical-pathological profiles of 690 female breast cancer patients. 127 of these women were negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors and also negative for HER-2. They were therefore triple negative.
The research showed that the expression rate of a protein called p53 in the triple negative breast cancer patients was 71.42%, significantly higher than that of the non-triple negative breast cancer patient's rate of 42.56%. This p53 specific protein is produced by a gene that functions to suppress the growth of tumors, and is the most commonly mutated gene known in human cancer. Like other tumor-suppressor genes, p53 normally controls cell growth. If p53 is physically lost or is not functioning, cells may be permitted to divide without restraint. Women with high levels of p53 in their cells are at higher risk for cancer recurrence than women with low levels of p53. The buildup of p53 within a cancer cell is a sign that p53 is not working properly to suppress tumor growth.
The expression rate of epidermal growth factor receptor of the triple negative breast cancer patients was 59.74%, significantly higher than that of the non-triple negative breast cancer patients (22.06%).
The local lymph node metastasis rate of the triple negative breast cancer patients was 22.22%, significantly higher than that of the non-triple negative breast cancer patients (2.70%).
The 5 year and 10 year overall survival rates of the triple negative breast cancer patients were 79.76% and 63.15% respectively. These were both significantly lower than those of the non-triple negative breast cancer patients (88.59% and 83.28% respectively).
The 5 year and 10 year disease free rates of the triple negative breast cancer patients were 77.94% and 62.87% respectively, both significantly lower than those of the non-triple negative breast cancer patients (83.82% and 82.53% respectively). (Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi, February)
Some breast cancers are highly threatening and some are not
What is normally termed breast cancer is really many different forms of cancer, all of which originate in the breast. Yet traditional disease establishment treatments tend to be generally the same for all women. There is little interest in viewing breast cancer patients or their types of cancer individually. Traditional treatments use a factory approach in which almost everyone is given the standard regimen of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and follow up drugs without regard to age, health status, diet, lifestyle, habits, psychology, or type of breast cancer.
These treatments are life altering events from which women never fully recover. Once a woman allows these treatments to begin, she has effectively given away her chance to ever achieve vibrant health again. During these treatments the organs and systems of her body will be compromised to the point of no return. Chemotherapy, the most toxic and deadly of all the treatments, is passed out to almost everyone because that's where the money is. Most oncologists earn the bulk of their large incomes from the sale of chemotherapy drugs administered in their offices.
During the initial visit to the oncologist, a woman is deluged with a stream of statistics she has no hope of grasping at a time when she is tense, frightened and intimidated. Yet the decision to begin chemotherapy or radiation is demanded immediately, under the threat that every minute counts. However, research has shown that it is not the immediacy of treatment or the size of the tumor that dictates outcome nearly as much as the type of cancer a woman has.
When a woman with breast cancer asks her surgeon or oncologist how long she has had the tumor in her body, she will most likely be told that no tumors were seen on her last mammogram but now the mammogram shows a tumor. The implication of such information is that the tumor is growing so fast that treatment must be begun immediately. But the reality is that breast cancers can take up to 20 years to grow to a size where they are detectable. Just because a woman had no evidence of a tumor on her last mammogram and now she has evidence of one does not mean the tumor is growing rapidly. It only means that the tumor has at last reached a size where it can be detected, a process that may have taken 20 years. Many breast cancers grow extremely slowly. There is no reason why a decision to submit to surgery, to be injected with poison, or to be radiated must be made without time to think it over and become better informed.
Take time to understand your disease before you make any decisions
Simply hearing that you have a diagnosis of breast cancer is not enough information on which to make any kind of life altering decision. If you have submitted to a biopsy your oncologist will have a copy of the lab report. It is your right to have a copy of that report, so ask for it. Take it home and study it. All terminology needed to understand the jargon can easily be found online. Remember that no one has the vested interest in your health and life that you do.
Women diagnosed with breast cancers that have not become invasive, known as ductal carcinoma in situ need to be aware that these cancers are not spreading to other parts of their body because the body's own mechanisms are keeping them in check. These cancers may completely disappear in time without any interventions whatsoever. Even cancers that are invasive may disappear without intervention. The rates of breast cancer in women were much lower until the invention of mammography which can detect them earlier. Did women magically increase their cancer rate at exactly the same time mammography was invented? This is highly unlikely. So what happened to all the breast cancers women were having all along? The only logical conclusion is that they were handled by the body's own defense systems.
Less threatening forms of cancer may more likely be dealt with effectively by the body's own defense systems. This means that the more a woman knows about the nature of her breast cancer, the better she is able to make an informed choice about the treatment or lack of treatment she is willing to undergo.
Understand your Nottingham Score
When studying your lab report you will probably find a Nottingham Score listed that reflects your test results on three different scales assessing how your invasive breast cancer cells look under a microscope. Each of the three components is assigned a sub-score of 1, 2, or 3. The sub-scores are added to arrive at the Nottingham Score. The lowest Nottingham Score is 3 (1 plus 1 plus 1), and the highest is 9 (3 plus 3 plus 3). The lower the score, the less deadly is the cancer. Consistent with the research findings discussed above, tumors with estrogen and progesterone receptors as well as those expressing HER-2 receptors tend to have lower scores, meaning they are less threatening. Most breast tumors fall into this category. Triple negative breast cancers tend to yield higher scores, meaning they are more threatening.
Probably the most important of the three Nottingham components is the one that reveals the number of cells in mitosis. As you probably remember from high school, mitosis refers to cell division. By knowing what percentage of cells in your biopsy was in mitosis, you will have a measure of the rate of growth of your cancer. In some cancers, especially those in women who have been using bioidentical progesterone cream, there are virtually no cells in mitosis. The cancer is just sitting there minding its own business and posing very little threat. Samples that reflect higher rates of mitosis mean the cancers are growing more quickly.
Understand the nature of statistics
Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of statistics knows that they can be made to say whatever the person using them wants them to say. Statistics are derived from samples, and because each person is very different from another in diet, age, general health, fitness level and so on, cancer statistics are merely estimates. Samples can be manipulated in many different ways to fit specific purposes.
For example, let's say a woman is told that because cancer cells were found in her lymph nodes, chemotherapy will improve her odds of living for another 5 years by 15%. What she is not told is what comprised the sample pool. Did this pool consist of all women who had any kind of positive cells found in their lymph nodes? If so, the sample pool consisted of women ranging from those who had a few cells squeezed out of their tumors by the excessive pressure of mammography during the diagnostic process, to women who had well established metastases throughout their lymph systems. Among other things a woman is not told is whether the pool contained all women with breast cancer or only those with receptor positive cancers. She is not being told the cell division rate of women in the pool. There is no information given in this statistic that is useful to an individual trying to make a determination about her life.
The statistical babble going on by oncologists is really not informative at all. It is actually just a sales pitch and an attempt to frighten and confuse at a time when you are most vulnerable. The cancer industry counts on the fact that people do not understand the nature of statistics and are confused and frightened by them. Oncologists know this and have been taught to use statistics to intimidate. If your oncologist seriously wanted to inform you of what was really going on, he would tell you that no matter how low or high your Nottingham Score, and no matter how many of your cells were in mitosis, he is going to do his best to convince you to submit to chemotherapy, radiation, and years of follow-drugs because that is how he makes his living.
Whether your cancer is the non-invasive in situ type, strongly or weakly expressing estrogen, progesterone or HER-2 receptors, or not expressing any receptors at all, he is going to try to convince you to submit to his treatments because that is the standard of care in America.
Many women who have had chemotherapy and radiation do not die of cancer. They die of the effects of these treatments. However, women who die from cancer treatments are not used in the statistical pools related to cancer deaths. For example, a woman who dies from liver or kidney damage following chemotherapy is counted as a liver or kidney related death, not a cancer death.
Take time to understand that cancer can be completely cured by building up the body, but not by tearing it down
Have the courage to tell your oncologist that you will not be rushed into making decisions about your health and your life. Tell your oncologist you will give him a call later if you decide to accept his treatments. Walk away from his office with your lab report in your hand and begin to learn about and understand your particular cancer and breast cancer in general. Once you have achieved knowledge and understanding, your fear will fall away.
Never before has there been such a wealth of information at your fingertips as there is now. Take the time and use this gift to learn about the treatments your oncologist is recommending. Realize that there are many other treatments available that will allow you to fully recover from your cancer with your organs and systems intact.
Take time to learn about the healing power of your own body. Realize that there is no other more potent healer on earth. Take time to understand that if you give your body and mind the support they need to achieve complete healing, vibrant health can again be yours.
Posted 7/2/2009 3:52:00 PM
July 2, 2009
Obesity as Dangerous to Health as Lifetime of Smoking
NaturalNews) Severe obesity shortens a person's expected lifespan by 10 years, comparable to the effect of a lifetime spent smoking, according to a study conducted by researchers from Oxford University's Clinical Trial Service Unit and published in the journal The Lancet.
"This is the latest and most convincing demonstration of the close relationship between being overweight and poor heart health, and confirms that smoking is harmful regardless of your weight," said Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation.
Researchers compared lifestyle and mortality data for nearly one million people worldwide, and found that every increase in body mass index (BMI) over 25 significantly decreased life expectancy.
BMI is a commonly used measure of obesity, calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters. A range of 20-25 is considered normal, 25-30 is considered overweight, 30-40 is considered obese, and 40-50 is considered severely obese.
In the current study, moderate obesity reduced life expectancy by an average of three years, while severe obesity reduced it by 10.
"Excess weight shortens human lifespan," concluded lead researcher Gary Whitlock.
Health experts warn that it is easier to avoid gaining extra weight than it is to lose it later on.
"Being obese not only shortens life, it also leads to chronic ill-health -- diabetes, high blood pressure, gallstones, back and joint troubles," said Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the U.K. Faculty of Public Health. "My advice is don't let it creep up on you. Cut down the fat in your food and use every opportunity to be more physical."
The researchers estimated that excess weight is responsible for up to one in 16 cancer deaths and one in four deaths from heart attack or stroke among middle-aged residents of the United Kingdom. Approximately 2 percent of U.K. residents are categorized as severely obese.
Posted 7/2/2009 3:47:00 PM
July 2, 2009
The Michael Jackson Diet That Could Have Saved Him from Deat
(NaturalNews) There's no question that Michael Jackson was killed by western medicine. Autopsies reveal a devastating pattern of drug injections, bone mineral loss (he suffered rib fractures when administered CPR) and hair loss. When he died, his stomach contained not food, but half-digested pharmaceuticals (http://www.s2smagazine.com/node/1206).
As stated in a previous NaturalNews article (http://www.naturalnews.com/026517_M...), I believe Michael Jackson was chemically abused by his handlers in some sort of twisted, pharmaceutically-powered profit motive. But what, if anything, could Jackson have done differently with his health to have avoided this tragic death while pursuing many more decades of healthy songwriting and public performance?
For starters, let's state the obvious: Performing in public is excruciatingly stressful, especially if done on a regular basis. Dancing and singing on stage takes its toll on anyone, and for it to be pursued, it must be accompanied by a serious commitment to a healthy diet.
Here's the diet Michael Jackson could have pursued to keep himself alive and vibrant while continuing to share his musical gifts with the world.
The Michael Jackson diet that could have been
• 90% plants, 10% meats (if desired)
A healthy diet must be based on plants to begin with. I don't know if Michael Jackson was a vegetarian, but he would have done well to pursue a primarily plant-based diet. If he wished to eat meats, adding a small amount of omega-3 rich fish to his diet could have been helpful. At least half of his plant intake should have consisted of raw, living plants (sprouts, for example).
• Fresh raw superfood smoothie every day
To keep up with his performance schedule, Jackson would have needed at least one major infusion each day of high-density nutrients in the form of a superfood smoothie. There are many recipes he could have followed, and here are some elements he could have included in the recipes: Raw avocados, raw cacao powder, high-end superfood powders (like Pure Synergy, Boku Superfood or LivingFuel), organic celery, raw cruciferous vegetables, fresh wheatgrass juice and much more.
• For sustained energy during the day (coupled with healthy sleep at night), Jackson could have consumed bee pollen, cordyceps (and other medicinal mushrooms like Chaga), rhodiola and even raw buckwheat granola with homemade, raw almond milk.
• To increase his bone density and greatly improve his emotional state, Jackson could have pursued a daily dose of sunlight exposure, even in the privacy of a courtyard in his own mansion. The sunlight would have radically improved his bone health while helping eliminate the need for all the dangerous psychiatric medications he had been taking.
• Instead of taking pharmaceuticals to manage his sleep cycles, Jackson could have used sunlight exposure combined with natural dietary supplements to get him on the right track: Chamomile, melatonin or even Kava Kava (once his liver function had improved).
• Jackson should have adamantly refused to consume any sodas or caffeine (due to their bone-wasting effects), and he no doubt needed to greatly increase the alkalinity of his diet through the consumption of greens, spring water and fresh vegetable juices ("Juice Feasting").
Posted 7/2/2009 1:48:00 PM