Recurrence

Recurrence

Going back to the beginning we were told that a grade 3 Astrocytoma brain tumor was going to be a very tough one to deal with, and on May 6, 2012 a routine follow up MRI found new tumor activity in several places in the front of his brain and also in a particularly dangerous spot in the back of his brain. So he restarted Temodar chemotherapy and after a month another MRI was done. The scan showed that the activity had gotten worse so the Temodar was discontinued.

Duke University Medical Center, Durham North Carolina

David did his research and decided that Duke University had an exceptional reputation for specializing with brain tumors. We met with their neuro oncologist in September 2012 and they advised a new chemotherapy regimen of 12 cycles of Avastin, Carboplatin, and CPT-11. They said that they thought David “had a 50/50 chance”. I didn’t know for sure what that meant and don’t want to know specifically because although I know they were trying to impress us with how serious the situation was, I will keep my focus on any options that I consider to be able to provide a cure. The medical people say there is no cure. One thing I know for sure is that if you don’t look for what you want, you probably won’t find it. So, I choose to believe that there is a cure even if it means merely controlling the cancer until we find something that will provide the cure.

New Chemotherapy Regimen Results

Our oncologist told us that most people that are ever able to respond favorably to this combination of chemotherapy drugs show a significant response after a couple months. David had never used any of these drugs which they considered a positive thing. So we didn’t know what to expect. His symptoms had increased significantly by the time he could start on these drugs. He had a very positive response during the first administration of the drugs, but that really didn’t mean anything for the long term, but at least he got significant relief immediately.

Good News!

So, he has been receiving this new chemotherapy drug regimen for the last several months. He has had MRI’s every other month after starting this new regimen. The first 2 MRI’s showed a small amount of improvement but didn’t give us the indication these drugs would be a significant help. Our neuro oncologist told us that the third MRI would be critical in letting us know if we were on the right track. Praise the Lord Jesus when the third MRI was done it showed significant reduction in the rear tumor, and all the activity in the front of his brain was no longer showing up on the MRI. We have just returned from having the 4^th MRI done and it again showed significant improvement. The mid line of his brain is returning to its correct alignment due to the reduction in swelling. Our oncologist is amazed at how well David feels and how well he is tolerating these drugs. We don’t know what the future holds, but David is very encouraged as are we, his parents. I’ll provide another update after his next MRI in 2 months.

When We Think of Giving Up

So if you or a loved one have brain cancer with a dismal prognosis and are wondering what the future holds, I pray that something in our experience will give you hope and help you to pursue the possible healing methods that may be the answer for your needs. Above all I’m trusting that the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to lead us through these difficult times and in many cases lead us to a cure if we are willing to let Him teach us how to follow Him, learn His ways, and become sensitive to the leading of His Holy Spirit. We must not give up while He is still working on our behalf. Here’s a quote I found from Winston Churchill:

“Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”   ― Winston Churchill

I perceive cancer to be a particularly evil method that the forces of darkness use to hurt us, ruin lives, and ruin families. In the Bible in the first letter to the church in the city of  Corinth the apostle Paul says in chapter 10 verse 13 Revised Standard Version (RSV):

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

I pray for you and for us that we’ll trust God to provide that “way of escape”, whatever it is, from this terrible disease.

October 8, 2013  Update

Regular MRI done in early August 2013

 The neuro oncologist thought there was a possibility that there was new activity in the front of the brain and therefore ordered the next MRI to be done a month earlier than normal which meant it would be done just one month later. However, the radiologist's report from this August MRI said no disease progression, stable. There seemed to be a possible contradiction.

 Early MRI done in early September 2013

 The September MRI showed no tumor activity so the neuro oncologist said to continue with the chemotherapy regimen my son had been on for the last 12 months. This seemed to confirm the radiologist's report from the August MRI which was very good news!

November 15, 2013 Update

MRI done November 5^th indicates no tumor activity anywhere except the possibility of  one new area in the center of his brain. I’m wondering if this could possibility be a false positive reading. The radiologist report did not indicate there was new activity in that area, but the neuro oncologist showed us a one millimeter area that appeared to be new enhancement. The neuro oncologist recommended stopping the CPT-11 and Carboplatin and substituting CCNU in their place. So now he’ll continue Avastin every 2 weeks and take CCNU orally once every 6 weeks. He’ll take the CCNU a total of four times if his bone marrow permits. He took CPT-11, Carboplatin, and Avastin by infusion for 14 months.

Could You Be a Brain Cancer Survivor?

 The Dreaded News You Don’t Want to Ever Get

I am the father of a brain cancer survivor. Unknown to my son, my wife, and me our experience with brain cancer was to start in late 2008 when our 27 year old son said he was having headaches thinking it was a sinus condition. By December 2008 his headaches were so severe that he couldn’t get out of bed. He had just started his university teaching career and thankfully was able to complete his first semester of teaching even with much concern about his health. By mid December 2008 the headaches were so severe that when he telephoned us from Philadelphia we advised him to go immediately to an emergency room. He lived close enough to the hospital that he chose to walk there. Can you imagine your child or yourself walking to the emergency room at night in a major city down town with a large brain tumor?

Good News and Bad News

The BAD news is that our son was eventually to have 3 brain cancer removal surgeries, 6 weeks of radiation, and a year of chemotherapy with the prognosis of surviving one and one half years. The GOOD news is that he is back to excellent health, has had clean MRI’s since his last surgery, and is now 3 years past the date his tumor was found. If you’d like to find out what we did that we think has prevented the return of more cancer, please read on.

The Hospital Emergency Room

So to continue our story, the hospital emergency room CT scan showed a large left frontal lobe tumor. He called my wife and me at our home in Georgia to tell us they had just diagnosed a large brain tumor. Since our son had always had remarkably good health, my wife and I were shocked. It was so unexpected. Then feelings of fear and panic started to grip us because we needed to figure out what we could do to help him but knew nothing about brain cancer. I was 57 years old and had never experienced the depth of fear and panic that sprang up in me at that time. I couldn’t believe that one of my children was diagnosed with such a dreaded disease. My imagination ran wild.

The First of Many MRI Scans

He returned home several days later at the end of December 2008, and we were able to get an MRI done on New Years Eve 2008. We met with a neurosurgeon the next day. He showed us the MRI on his computer and told us our son would need surgery causing us more worry about his future quality of life.

Could Nutrition Alone Cure Him and Kill the Tumor?

Because I had attended a talk 6 months earlier by a man who operated a health institute that specialized in nutrition and raw foods I knew that some people were healed by nutrition only, which I presented to my son. So we were able  to take him there immediately for their 3 week program. He did very well there, and they were very happy with his health except for the tumor. Their oncologist told us he thought our son should have surgery immediately. So we returned home and started to do research urgently. We hoped that the nutrition would kill the tumor. By February 2009 we knew we needed to visit neurosurgeons.

Brain Surgery

His first surgery was on 2/27/2009. He was in surgery for about 6 hours. The wait was very stressful for us. The surgeon had prepared us so that we knew that not everyone wakes up after brain surgery - EVER.  When it was over the surgeon told us surgery went very well and that they were sending the tumor to have it identified. They wanted to be careful to get it right. It took over 2 weeks to get the results. That was a difficult 2 weeks. It was determined to be a grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma and was “very large and measured 7 by 8 centimeters”. This type of tumor sends out “fingers” which make it impossible for a surgeon to know how much of the cancer he was unable to remove. Before surgery the surgeon was concerned that the tumor was too close to the speech center and that he might not be able to remove all the cancerous tissue he’d like to get. This tumor type also makes it difficult for the radiation oncologists to know if they have irradiated the brain in the necessary areas to the necessary degree to reach and kill any cancer cells left by surgery. To add additional worry we were told by one of his doctors that this type of tumor usually returns and would contain some grade 4 cancer cells and be called a glioblastoma which would be the type of tumor U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy was found to have several months earlier. That would be the worst case scenario and actually the one to be expected.

Could Radiation and Chemotherapy Be Avoided?

We still wanted to avoid radiation and chemotherapy so some time passed as our son tried to use really good nutrition, but the tumor returned, so a second surgery was done in August 2009. We continued our research and found a doctor who used a protocol that was somewhat successful for brain tumors so we followed it for several months. It was very expensive and it failed. So, our son decided he would complete the remainder of the “standard of care” which was radiation and chemotherapy. Apparently to be eligible for most Food and Drug Administration trials a person must have failed at least 2 of the 3 parts of the standard of care. Our son felt that if he completed all of the standard of care treatments, he would be most eligible for any FDA trial that he might need if everything else failed. We met with a radiation oncologist in January of 2010 to begin radiation and a MRI was done. The tumor had returned again so he was advised to see his surgeon before beginning radiation because most doctors want as much tumor removed before beginning radiation to achieve the best possible outcome. His 3^rd surgery was done in March 2010. His 30 radiation treatments began in that month and ended in May. His year of chemotherapy (5 days of each month) began in April 2010. He did better than we expected with all his treatments and had very little pain and nausea compared to what we thought he might have.

Finally, HOPE and PolyMVA

Flash back to August 2009 5 ½ months after the original brain cancer diagnosis. I happened to find the PolyMVA survivor’s website, www.polymvasurvivors.com. Before then I had not found any reason to hope for my son’s long term survival. There I contacted the person who had the longest survival from a high grade brain tumor. In all my searching Mark was the only one that I could contact that had a really long term survival from a high grade brain tumor. That gave me some hope finally that our son might have a future. Mark told me that he had been using PolyMVA continuously for the last 12 years following his brain surgery, radiation, and (in his case very little) chemotherapy.

Cancer SURVIVORS and the Cancer Control Society

I didn’t know anything about PolyMVA, but Mark’s main and very urgent advice was that I should attend a meeting that was to take place in 2 weeks over Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles. The group that puts on that meeting every year is called the Cancer Control Society, and they’ve been helping people for about 52 years. Mark, the long term brain tumor survivor, told me in no uncertain terms that if there was any possible way, I must attend that meeting. I went and found there to be many legitimate reasons to believe that my son might survive his disease. It was a 3 day meeting and the majority of the speakers were M.D.’s each speaking for 30 minutes. There were a few authors, researchers, and naturopathic type doctors who spoke but the majority were M.D.’s, and several of them were from overseas and the Mexican cancer clinics. These professionals had been dealing with cancers for many years in many different ways(conventional and integrative), and I felt they had had much better success than the chances of survival my son had been given. My son took all that into account so in the spring of the next year shortly after his chemotherapy began, he started taking PolyMVA.  PolyMVA is a nutritional supplement which is the end result of many attempts to find the best combination of ingredients designed  to improve one's immune system, target cancer cells, and strengthen healthy cells. At the annual Cancer Control Society meetings there is an hour for cancer survivors to speak and tell their stories. Several of the cancer survivors that spoke had used PolyMVA during their course of treatment. They were surviving from cancer! I was stunned.

My Fear and Panic Begin to Subside – No More Cancer?

Our son completed his chemotherapy in April 2011. He is now (as of December 2011) in his 18^th month of using PolyMVA and in the process of tapering down to a very minimal, permanent amount. He has had clean MRI’s showing no tumor since his last surgery in March 2010.  Since March 2010 he has had 3 month MRI’s, then 4 month MRI’s, and his next MRI is scheduled 6 months from the last one. His surgeon apparently now feels confident that the MRI’s can be spaced out at greater intervals. The fear and panic I described earlier has begun to subside, thankfully!

Current Status: How Is My Brain Cancer Victim Doing Now?

Our son has returned to Pennsylvania to “restart” his life after living with us for 2 years. God has been so good to him. He was able to get his teaching job back and even an additional teaching position at another of the Philadelphia universities. He appears to be happier and more motivated than he has ever been about a career and his future. He seems to have more energy than we ever remember, and he no longer seems to “sweat the small stuff” as much as he used to. He has regained all the muscle mass he had lost during the 2 years of his conventional medical treatments and more. He really looks better than he did before his diagnosis. He even regained all his hair lost from the radiation. When he returned to Johns Hopkins University Hospital for an MRI some time after the radiation was over, his surgical team was a little upset because they thought he still hadn’t followed their advice to have radiation. They were amazed that even after full radiation treatments, all his hair had returned! Considering all that he has had to live through, we are amazed at how his life has been affected by this terrible disease. He was given 1 ½ years to live. I am updating this in December 2011. If you measure from December 2008, the date of his original diagnosis, he has outlived his prognosis by quite a bit, and his signs of good health are on a trend line of constant improvement without any indication of further tumor growth. Thank you God for his recovery so far. He has no significant physical impairments or neurological deficits caused by the cancer! However, he wanted me to make it clear that he thinks he has an occasional aura related to 2 mild seizures he had between his surgeries and also feels like he has some minor short term memory loss that he didn't notice until after radiation treatments. Most importantly, I must give credit to God, our Savior and Healer, because at every critical point along the way there is no other explanation for our wonderful outcome except that God led us to information and people that allowed us to make the right decisions. We certainly didn’t know what to do!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Are you or a friend or loved one dealing with cancer? Do you know someone who is controlling or has beaten their cancer? Please post your story or questions so that others who find or follow this blog can benefit from your knowledge or experience. You can post your message or questions by clicking the word "comments" at bottom.

February 20, 2012 UPDATE

Today we got the fantastic news that the MRI done today showed no recurrence! That makes 2 years of clean MRI's! Praise the Lord Jesus Christ for His tender loving care!

PolyMVA websites
 

http://www.polymvasurvivors.com

http://www.polymva4patients.com

http://www.polymva.com/

Coconut Oil

Who would have ever thought that a food as simple as the coconut could provide such extremely beneficial health results?  Why do I say this?  Well, you’ll find out if you’ll read the book by Dr Mary T. Newport, M.D. The title of the book is “Alzheimer’s Disease, what if there was a cure?” Her reason for writing the book is to provide information to help people with Alzheimer’s Disease, but in this blog I’ll emphasize her thinking regarding an application of her knowledge to brain cancer.

Backup Fuel Source

You’re probably asking why I’m including information about coconut oil in my cancer blog.  Here’s the reason.  Dr Newport has done a tremendous amount of research about the effects of coconut oil on the human body.  The central theme of her book is that when we consume coconut oil our body knows what to do with it in very special ways.  One of the things it does with part of it is to create a substance called ketones.  She explains that it has been known for many, many years that ketones are, in a sense, a backup energy supply to the cells in our bodies. For young healthy people ketones may not be as important as for older people.  The reason is that as people age the cells in their bodies become progressively less able to use the normal fuel system.  She contends that in the brain, disease can begin and develop when, neurons, other brain cells, and possibly the synapses which connect brain cells, die or slip into a nonfunctional condition due to the lack of fuel. 

Coconut Oil for Brain Cancer?!

If this occurs the body can then use its backup fuel system if that type of fuel is present and available in the body.  Ketones can enter the cells in our body and provide the fuel the cells need to survive and function.  Cancer as well as other neurodegenerative diseases could be and have been shown to be helped by the use of this backup fuel system.  Unfortunately those of us who have had to deal with cancer either in their own body or afflicting a loved one and those of us who have studied some of the differences between cancer cells and healthy cells know that cancer cells survive on glucose for fuel.  What we didn’t know, unless we had studied biochemistry, is that cancer cells can only survive on glucose.  However, healthy cells can survive on either glucose or ketones. So, here’s an amazing thought! It’s even been studied already! What if a diet existed that partially starved cancer cells of their glucose but fed healthy cells with ketones. If that happened, the cancer cells would suffer the lack of fuel, but the healthy cells wouldn’t. In fact research has been done to prove that this can happen; moreover there is a case of a woman referenced in the book who had an aggressive stage 4 brain tumor called a glioblastoma who agreed to be part of this type of treatment. Within 3 months her tumor was no longer able to be found on MRI and PET scans. ( http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/7/1/33 ) Knowing this, wouldn’t it make sense to try this approach if your life depends on it, especially if you’ve tried standard of care treatments and anything else that makes sense? Who knows, it might take considerably longer than 3 months to make sure your tumor is gone for the foreseeable future or permanently, but this may be a small price to pay compared to the alternatives some people face. Or, it may buy you time to consider other alternative treatments. Due to the lack of enough data considered sufficient to prove this is a well accepted method to treat brain cancer, this may have to be considered a last resort for some people but AT LEAST IT’S A RESORT!

Other Neurodegenerative Diseases

For those unconcerned about cancer, ketones may be of great importance to those suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, Huntington’s, MS, bipolar, epilepsy, seizures, or other neurodegenerative diseases. In fact ketones have helped reverse to some degree or stabilize the condition of many people suffering from these diseases. With these brain related diseases ketones can feed living but damaged or dormant brain cells that are contributing to these diseases. In fact ketones may be able to rehabilitate damaged or dormant cells and synapses thus providing an improvement or stabilization in health. One caution here is that if a disease is advanced, additional nutrients may be necessary to allow the cells to use the ketones and repair damage.

Is Cholesterol a Consideration?

Dr Newport cautions that people with liver disease should probably not consume coconut oil until safe to do so. She also discusses the importance of cholesterol in the overall functioning of our bodies including our brain. She deals with the subject of many doctors’ concern for consuming an oil that they think may increase one’s cholesterol. To summarize her opinion and understanding, this is not even a potential problem for many people and in fact coconut oil may improve one’s cholesterol situation. Of course only a doctor can determine what effect coconut oil would have on actual cholesterol readings. She cautions that for those using statins to control cholesterol the statins may reduce cholesterol in the brain thus preventing it from carrying on its necessary functions and also prevent the creation of ketones.

What Could This All Mean for You?

So here’s the bottom line. If you have a neurodegenerative disease that is known to be killing your brain, what do you have to lose by seriously considering the use of coconut oil in your diet? You do need to make sure the coconut oil you buy is virgin, organic, and cold expressed in order for it to have the possible desired health benefits.

Here are some important websites:

Dr Newport’s website:

www.coconutketones

Dr Newport’s blog:

www.Coconutketones.blogspot.com

Dr Newport’s article

www.Tampabay.com/news/aging/article879333.ece

Other helpful websites:

www.coconutresearchcenter.com

www.charliefoundation.org

www.matthewsfriends.org

My Opinion?

I’ve read many books over the last 3 + years as I’ve tried to learn as much as I can to be able to help my son if he ever needs help again regarding his past brain cancer or others who find themselves in a fight for their lives. This is one of the best written, practical, and informative books I have read in many years. I am so happy to be able to tell others about it and have it in my own library of books addressing so many health issues especially for my own future reference and for the health of my family.

The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The above information is intended for educational purposes only. This information is not intended to be used to diagnose, prescribe, or replace proper medical care. The information described herein is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, mitigate, or prevent any disease. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified licensed medical professional.

Exercise Effects on Quality of Life of Cancer Patients

by David Haas, with permission

In the past, a cancer diagnosis came with talk about treatment options and, depending on the type and stage, a more or less strident urging from the doctor to take it easy. Now, it is more likely you will be asked about current exercise programs and assessed for physical fitness. Doctors have learned from the growing mountain of evidence and recommendations from cancer research organizations that physically fit patients can expect better response to treatments and those facing terminal cancers have a longer life expectancy.

Though the going has been slow in getting cancer clinics to retain fitness experts on staff and insurance companies to fund the use of personal trainers, it is only a matter of time. Even for those in poor shape at diagnosis, exercise has been shown to offer the widest range of benefits for any alternative treatment. The evidence is available to push exercise into the mainstream of treatment strategies.

Quality of Life Matters

As ambiguous medical phrases go, quality of life ranks high in the oncologist's office, and it has been made more so by evidence of the benefits of exercise. Doctors have always wrestled with the distinction between life expectancy and quality of life, primarily due to the thinking that to have one meant sacrificing the other. Studies on the benefits of exercise have shown that increasing the quality of life can actually extend life expectancy.

It boils down to symptoms. There is much variation in types of cancer and stage at diagnosis, but many symptoms are common for cancer patients at some point during treatment. Depression, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and nausea all contribute to lower quality of life. Doctors have relied on medications to treat these in the past, but exercise has been shown to reduce occurrence. In this case at least, more is better. Those who are physically fit at the time of diagnosis showed significant reduction of these symptoms, and a better quality of life is known to be a predictor of life expectancy.

Effects of Exercise

The primary effect of exercise is to prompt the more efficient use of energy resources in the body. This is the case for aerobic and anaerobic forms. The muscles begin storing more blood glucose as glycogen in preparation for the next workout, and lean muscle is created after further workouts to allow the body to store even more glycogen. This reordering of energy reserves changes body composition and helps to reduce fatigue, while increasing food cravings.

The experts recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for cancer patients able to participate in a regular program. Special circumstances and patients with mesothelioma or other terminal cancers should consult with a cancer-certified fitness expert.

David Hass’ blog is at http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/david/

PolyMVA, You Are Amazing!

Another Amazing PolyMVA Survival Story!

January 9, 2012

Our 60 year old friend who has had an inoperable brain stem tumor has reported his latest MRI shows the tumor hasn't grown for a month! He started on PolyMVA almost exactly 2 1/2 months ago! Sure, that could be just luck, but here’s the rest of the story. We met him at the Burzynski Clinic in Houston in October 2009 and he started on Burzynski's antineoplastans at that time and continued that treatment plan for 2 years, and thankfully it controlled the tumor. During some of the brief times he chose to interrupt the antineoplastan treatment the tumor grew rapidly. However, health issues began to develop. He decided to discontinue the antineoplastan treatment and searched for other possible ways to treat the tumor. Among other things he is doing nutritionally, he chose to start taking PolyMVA. We look forward to hearing about his continued improvement.

February 6, 2012 Update
MRI done January 30, 2012 showed no new tumor growth. This is the second MRI showing no growth since starting PolyMVA.

PolyMVA websites
 

http://www.polymvasurvivors.com

http://www.polymva4patients.com

http://www.polymva.com/

Pomegranate Juice – Maybe an Ancient Miracle Fruit

Important note: Though the juice is generally without any side effects, speak with your doctor before consuming pomegranate juice if you have cancer or other health conditions. The juice may not suit your situation and may interact with certain medications.

Why is Pomegranate Juice Getting So Much Hype?

There are a lot of reasons, but the reason I got interested is that a good friend used it to eliminate the 50% blockage of his carotid arteries.  He drank 2 ounces daily for one year. That didn’t sound like too much of a sacrifice!!! Here are some other reasons.

Cancer Apoptosis

Dr Leo Galland, M.D. says, “Research is looking at the ways pomegranate juice and extracts of pomegranates may be able to help fight cancer. The anticancer effects of pomegranate juice are related to its potential ability to induce cancer cells to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis. Laboratory research studies suggest that pomegranate juice may help induce apoptosis of human breast, prostate and colon cancer cells by activating genes and enzymes that regulate apoptosis. See his article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leo-galland-md/pomegranate-juice-health-benefits_b_946853.html

Lung Cancer, Skin Cancer

“Researchers are adding to the list of cancer types for which pomegranates seem to halt growth. A recent study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison using a mouse model shows that consuming pomegranates could potentially help reduce the growth and spread of lung cancer cells or even prevent lung cancer from developing.” “We have earlier shown that pomegranate fruit contains very powerful skin and prostate cancer-fighting agents.”

Prostate Cancer - preventing metastasis to the bone?

There is an article in the December 12, 2010 ScienceDaily which states,” "Because the genes and proteins involved in the movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in the movement of other types of cancer cells, the same modified components of the juice could have a much broader impact in cancer treatment." We show that pomegranate juice markedly inhibits the function of this protein, and thus this juice has the potential of preventing metastasis of the prostate cancer cells to the bone," Martins-Green said.” The source of this information is from researchers at the University of California, Riverside.

Cancer Fighter

Recent scientific research is demonstrating that pomegranate may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of various types of cancer such as breast cancer, skin cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer.  Research using both mouse mammary organ culture and human breast cancer cells in vitro has demonstrated anticancer effects of pomegranate extracts. Another study demonstrated significant antitumor activity of pomegranate-derived materials against human prostate cancer.  Yet another study shows the extracts of pomegranate can promote differentiation--the ability of cancer cells to revert to their normal counterparts. Pomegranate also contains the anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins (flavonoids), which are substances that have been shown in animal and test tube experiments to reduce tumor angiogenesis. 

The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The above information is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended to be used to diagnose, prescribe, or replace proper medical care. The information described herein is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, mitigate, or prevent any disease. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified licensed medical professional.

Could Iodine Kill Cancer Cells?

Iodine

At the Cancer Control Society meetings I have attended the last couple of years iodine deficiency was discussed by doctors. In his book entitled “Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It”, 4^th Edition, the author, David Brownstein M.D. provides some very interesting information and facts about how he has used iodine and associated nutrients in his medical practice to treat many of the health conditions listed at the end of this blog post.

Why Are So Many People Deficient in Iodine?

Bromide/bromine, fluoride, and chloride/chlorine bind to the iodine receptor sites preventing our cells from receiving iodine.  Bromine is used in bakery products. Refined salt is also not a good source of iodine.  Healthy sources of salt are available. Iodine is found in every cell in the body and is needed in the production of all of the other hormones our bodies produce. Even if adequate amounts of iodine are consumed, the human body has to have a functional delivery system to be able to deliver the iodine to the necessary areas of the body. This delivery system can be another problem area which he discusses and explains certain treatments he has used to solve problems in this area.

Where in the Body Is Iodine Needed?

Iodine can be used in treating a wide range of health conditions.  Iodine is concentrated in the glandular system.  The thyroid gland has the highest concentration of iodine but other areas of the body that have high concentrations of iodine or iodide include the prostate, salivary glands, the cerebral spinal fluid, the brain, the gastric mucosa, the breasts, ovaries, the skin, kidneys, spleen, liver, blood,  intestines, and eyes. For example, bromine mentioned above can bind to iodine receptors in the breast, is a known carcinogen to the breast, and it interferes with iodine utilization in the thyroid gland.

Apoptosis

Iodine has been shown to induce apoptosis in breast and thyroid cancer cells. Apoptosis means that cancer cells do not continue to divide out of control but instead are caused to go through the normal cell life cycle then die as other normal healthy cells would do. Iodine has also been shown to be extremely effective in treating and preventing fibrocystic breast disease. The subject of apoptosis is a very interesting area of discussion in his book.

Japan

Average mainland Japanese people consume more than 100 times the amount of iodine than is included in the U.S. recommended daily allowance. Most Americans probably don’t consume even the recommended daily allowance; therefore most Americans are grossly deficient in this aspect of their nutrition. The author states that he feels it is impossible to have a balanced hormonal system without adequate iodine consumption. Sufficient amounts of iodine have been shown to remove toxic levels of certain chemicals from the human body such as mercury and other heavy metals as well as the chemicals mentioned at the beginning of this article.

Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland which is dependent upon iodine acts as the body’s major metabolic regulator. If the thyroid gland is not operating properly, a long list of health conditions can result. Many people who have been treated for iodine deficiency have reported correction of rapid heartbeat, slow heartbeat, brain fog, low energy and many other conditions. The author believes that the areas of the body where iodine is concentrated seem to be some of the areas where there is currently the highest frequency of cancer occurrence. Because there are many other nutrients that the body requires in order to utilize iodine it is necessary to consider his advice about the many other areas of nutrition he discusses. The author feels that there are a number of very serious health conditions in children both born and unborn caused by inadequate iodine. He even states that he has seen many psychiatric issues resolved when iodine deficiency is corrected.

Here are some conditions that can be symptoms of improper thyroid function:

Depression

High cholesterol

Essential hypertension

Fatigue

Inability to concentrate

Infertility

Menstrual Irregularities

Nervousness

Poor memory

Slower heartbeat

Weight gain

ADHD

Atherosclerosis

Fibrocystic breasts

Goiter

Hemorrhoids

Headaches

Hypertension

Infections

Liver diseases

Ovarian disease

Prostate disorders

Thyroid disorders

Vaginal Infections

In conclusion, it appears that iodine considerations could provide very promising solutions to certain cancers as well as many other troubling and serious health issues. He recommends that people should consult a licensed practicing physician to determine if their body is receiving and using properly an adequate supply of iodine.

Dr Brownstein’s website is www.drbrownstein.com. He is the Medical Director of the Center for Holistic Medicine in West Bloomfield, Michigan. He has also authored the following books:

Overcoming Thyroid Disorders

Drugs That Don’t Work And Natural Therapies That Do

The Miracle Of Natural Hormones

Salt Your Way To Health

Overcoming Arthritis

The Guide To Healthy Eating

The Guide To A Gluten Free Diet

The book summarized above was published by Medical Alternatives Press, 4173 Field Brook, West Bloomfield, Michigan 48323, telephone number 888–647–5616.

http://iodine4health.com/research/blaylock_2007_iodine_deficiency.mp3

http://iodine4health.com/basic/iodinegroup.htm

The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The above information is intended for educational purposes only. This information is not intended to be used to diagnose, prescribe, or replace proper medical care. The information described herein is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, mitigate, or prevent any disease. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified, licensed medical professional.