I’ve found some time today to squeeze in some exciting news. Well, it’s not news exactly as it was announced in the media in March. Still, for those who may have missed it then, I thought I’d write about it here. Doctors in Singapore have developed a new treatment for prostate cancer which does not require radiation therapy or invasive surgery. This treatment uses, believe it or not, ultrasound waves! These waves converge on the tumor without affecting the surrounding tissue. What this means is that side effects of existing prostate cancer treatments, like impotence and incontinence, are eliminated.

Ultrasonic waves are used to heat the tumor to between 65 degrees C and 85 degrees C. effectively killing it. It works best for early-stage prostate cancers and is not useful for those with large or multiple tumors, as it targets only the tumors and not the surrounding cells. If large areas or many areas are targeted, there will still be side-effects.

The ultrasonic treatment is carried out in a magnetic resonance imaging chamber, so patients with devices like pacemakers or metallic heart valves, or who are claustrophobic, are also not suitable for this treatment. The treatment takes three hours so those who cannot keep still or who cannot undergo anaesthesia are also excluded.

Said Professor Christopher Cheng, the project lead who also heads the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) urology department: “The machine will correct for minor movements but, because the waves need to hit a specific point in the body, the patient cannot move around too much during the three hours.”

Called magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound, this form of treatment may have other uses, such as to treat brain and breast cancer and to shrink uterine fibroids.

This ultrasound treatment for prostate cancer, developed by the SGH together with the National Cancer Centre, is the first of its kind worldwide. The second clinical trial began in February and will involve 40 patients with early-stage prostate cancer to be selected over the next two years. If results are good, the procedure may be available in hospitals within three years. If not, a Phase 3 trial may be required.

Almost a month ago, my lungs were congested again. I had been researching the health benefits of raw garlic, which includes:

• Traditional cough and cold remedy
• Helps in the treatment of tuberculosis
• Relieves sore throat and toothache
• Powerful antioxidant (garlic contains high levels of selenium and Vitamin C)
• Boosts immune system to fight infection
• Helps lower bad cholesterol levels (LDL)
• Helps to lower blood pressure
• Remedy for arteriosclerosis
• Good for the heart
• Anticoagulant properties
• Helps relieve rheumatism pain
• Reduces cancer risk and also aids in treatment

Garlic is known to have antibiotic, antifungal and antibacterial properties, so it has been used for centuries to treat many health problems. To cut to the chase, I decided to eat a whole bulb of garlic daily more than three weeks ago. That’s  anything from 12-16 cloves of raw garlic each day. I ate half a bulb twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening, with food and lots of water to prevent any burning sensation in my stomach as the garlic went down. To my surprise, my congested lungs cleared up in less than 36 hours.

As a bonus, I realised that I was no longer suffering from fatigue, a malady which had been plaguing me for more than a fortnight, forcing me to take naps almost every day. I haven’t felt tired or sleepy ever since I started eating raw garlic daily.

So I’ve been burping something terrible every day, and passing more gas than I’ve ever had in my whole life but, having seen how garlic has improved my health and well-being so far, I’m going to keep eating a whole bulb of raw garlic daily just to see what else garlic may remedy in my body. I’ll keep you posted.

An oncologist I previously had once told me that chemotherapy and radiation doesn’t kill cancer. At most, they help to shrink the tumors and manage the disease. Removing the cancer cells from the body, in other words surgery, gave a better chance of ridding the body of cancer. Even then, there were no guarantees.

So what do you do when allopathic cancer treatment has failed you and the cancer continues to progress? There is a saying that if you continue to do exactly the same thing every time, you will get exactly the same results. Nothing will change.

There are those who believe that a cancer cure can only be found if you get to the bottom of what caused the cancer in the first place. If you don’t, the cancer will just keep recurring, even if you do the whole gamut of conventional cancer treatment. This is where complementary, alternative and holistic therapy comes in. It’s a different, even radical, way of dealing with cancer. Some ideas may seem flaky but when traditional cancer therapy isn’t working for you, thinking out of the box may actually save your life. Keep an open mind, because there’s a great deal that even the best cancer researchers in the world don’t know.

For the past few months, I’ve been looking into alternative cancer approaches like the alkaline diet and lifestyle and the fungal theory. In the next few posts, I’ll share my findings.

When you think about it, those who have someone to love them and care for them are truly blessed, even though they may not seem to have much by way of material things. I don’t know how I could have survived the darkest hours of cancer had my dear husband not been there for me every step of the way. He’s the reason I live today.

My wish for the new year is that my hubby will be blessed from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. May every desire of his heart be granted to him, and may joy overflow in him. When the person you love is blessed, you will enjoy the spillover too.

May you all have more than enough love to carry you through 2011!

When I visit the largest cancer center here, I can’t help but notice that most patients are Chinese, Malay, European or some other group, but I rarely ever see any Indians. Now, people the world over like to go on about how the traditional Japanese or Oriental diet seems to protect against cancer, but increasing numbers of Oriental Asians are getting cancer. This trend seems to go hand in hand with the adoption of a Westernised diet and lifestyle.

Cancer rates have risen dramatically in all Asian countries which have adopted a Westernised diet and lifestyle. Traditionally, Asians rarely ate meat and life was hard, so there was plenty of daily physical activity eg. manual work, walking everywhere. Regular exercise was a part of life. Now modern Asians eat chemical-tainted meat and other foods – including convenience / refined / processed foods – in EVERY meal, and we drive or are driven everywhere. We hardly even take the stairs, as we have elevators, escalators and travellators everywhere. Our air and environment is contaminated with chemicals.

Interestingly, Indians in my country have a very low incidence of cancer. Indians, on the whole, still prefer their traditional diet, which is characterised by lentils, beans, vegetables, lots of spices and -gasp! – lots of dairy products. They love milk, cheese, yoghurt, ghee (clarified butter) etc. in their savory dishes as well as their desserts, and their desserts use plenty of sugar. Non-vegetarian Indians like to eat unhealthy meats like mutton. Unlike Oriental Asians, their diet does not include any soy foods or seaweed, which are generally viewed as anti-cancer foods.

While Indians here may have low cancer rates, they tend to suffer from diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Like many other modern Asians, they have also become sedentary and more Westernised in their lifestyle. Nevertheless, there are elements in the traditional Indian diet which protect against cancer. I suspect it is the heavy consumption of legumes, lentils, beans, vegetables (including tomatoes, onions and cruciferous veggies like cauliflower), spices, and fermented dairy like yoghurt. Many of the foods listed here are known to be anti-estrogenic, aromatase inhibitors or, at worst, phytoestrogens.

Unfortunately, with urbanization, modern Indians are eating more meat and more foods tainted with chemicals, more convenience foods, more processed foods and more refined foods. They are eating more unnatural or fake foods, just like the Westerners, and they are exposed to more harmful chemicals in their environment, personal care products and household cleaning products. And they are nowhere near as physically active as their forefathers were. So cancer, along with other diseases, is on the rise amongst modern Indians.

The rising cancer statistics worldwide cannot simply be blamed on single factors like meat or dairy consumption, although commercially-farmed meats and dairy foods are certainly unhealthy. Dairy foods and even meat need not be harmful as along as they are not pumped full of hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals. Think about the Eskimos and the Mongolians. They had little access to plant food, if at all, so they had to rely on animal food – including dairy in the case of the Mongolians – for survival. The food they ate was clean and free from chemical contaminants. Everything was natural, unrefined and unprocessed.  Bear in mind that their traditional way of life was also very labor-intensive (EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE!) and had virtually no exposure to chemicals. Cancer was virtually unknown in their traditional societies.

Obviously, the answer to being cancer-free lies in more than just diet, but that’s a good place to start. For me, I try to eat as naturally as possible. My diet is rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and legumes and I avoid refined and processed foods. Animal protein is mostly fish. I seldom eat meat. I do eat small quantities of dairy foods occasionally, and I do admit to sometimes having cookies or cakes. If I use sweeteners, I prefer it natural, like raw honey or maple syrup. The trick is to cut DOWN as far as possible, if you have difficulty cutting out certain foods completely. If I could afford it, I would eat organic all the way. I do what I can.

As for harmful chemicals in my personal care products and household care products, I’ve replaced whatever I can with products which are free from known carcinogens and other harmful ingredients. I get most of my products from Neways International as they have one of the widest ranges I’ve ever seen.

Oh, and I walk twice a day or more.

To keep cancer at bay, we need to get back to our roots and eat and live as naturally and cleanly as possible. Make a decision today to take a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, I have been spending a lot of time shopping for fresh produce and preparing anti-estrogenic meals in the kitchen. When you can’t have any convenience meals or eat out, this is very time-consuming. When you can’t have any meat and other foods are disallowed, you have to be creative. But I’m determined to give this change to my diet my best shot, as it makes sense to avoid harmful hidden estrogens like xenoestrogens from hormones and other chemicals found in commercially-farmed, non-organic food, as well as personal and household products and the environment. Feeding my body with foods which will promote healthy and safe estrogen levels, including natural aromatase inhibitors, can only be good for me.

The bad estrogen hides in fat cells, so I’m glad to report that I lost 2kg in the first two weeks of starting this anti-estrogenic diet. That’s encouraging. I’m sooo looking forward to losing more weight, and keeping it off.

A couple of weeks ago, after researching the health benefits of having a more alkaline body – such as being more resistant to cancer -  I bought an alkaline water system, to turn acidic water into alkaline water. I also started introducing more alkaline foods into my family’s diet. You can begin to get more alkaline by doing simple things like putting lemon slices in your water pitcher, as citrus fruits like lemon and lime are very alkaline. I also squeeze either lemon or lime juice into my morning fresh juice mix everyday.

If your goal is natural healing and natural wellness, start with the first step in the right direction, such as following a more anti-cancer diet. Then take another step. Eventually, you’ll get there. Just keep doing your research, and don’t give up!

When the project finally ended over a week ago, I eagerly looked forward to sleeping normally again. Quality, uninterrupted sleep at night, in a dark room without distracting light or sound, encourages the body to naturally produce melatonin, a powerful antioxidant. This period of blissful sleep, which follows the body’s natural circadian clock rhythm, is the best time for the body to rest, repair and rejuvenate. When we deprive ourselves of this natural sleep pattern, our immune systems become depressed and we are more likely to fall ill and age faster.

To my aggravation, I found myself having difficulty returning to sleeping at night. Despite being utterly exhausted, sleep eluded me. I tossed and turned every night. Nothing would get me to fall asleep. I was a total wreck during the day, and just couldn’t get anything done. I’ve completely neglected this blog for weeks now, and even simple tasks like walking my dog have been very trying.

Then two nights ago I slept almost uninterrupted for almost nine hours, at night, when it was peaceful and dark. I did it again last night. So I’m finally able to write this blog post, at long last. And I’m back to enjoying my walks with Ginger.

In May 2009, Professor Paolo Sassone-Corsi and his team from the University of California, Irvine, reported that women working the night shift are four times more vulnerable to breast cancer because of a disruption in their internal physiology – or circadian clocks. Disrupting these clocks can also lead to other kinds of illnesses. We need to listen to our internal clocks!

Sleep – it’s one of the most powerful secrets behind natural healing and wellness. Make it your priority to get sufficient quality sleep every night.

This feline is such a character. He likes to knead his paws on my tummy (ouch!) and he loves to get under the covers with me. When I take out the ironing board, he leaps on it before I can start ironing because, for some reason, he thinks it’s a place for massage and I’m his personal masseuse. So I have to massage him before he’ll get off, leaving fine kitty fur all over the board.

Billy also enjoys ambushing Ginger, my sweet-natured doggy who found him when he was barely a month old. You should see him lying in wait, flicking his tail and wriggling his posterior as he gets ready to pounce on poor unsuspecting Ginger. Ginger puts up with Billy. She thinks that he’s always trying to steal her food, which is really hilarious as she’s 10 times bigger than Billy is, and her kibble is more than Billy can manage. She probably thinks that way because she’s stolen Billy’s food many times. Those two furballs are a riot and they provide me with endless hours of amusement, companionship and love.

Keeping a pet is good for your health. Their therapeutic powers range from helping to keep the blood pressure in check (unless they poop on the carpet, of course), providing comfort during depression and improving physical fitness levels. Pets, even cranky ones like Billy, are natural mood enhancers. They always look up to you – except maybe for cats who can be snotty – and make you feel good.

Generally, spending time with your pets will reduce your levels of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress. Serotonin levels (a chemical associated with well-being) rise. Too much stress is harmful while rest is healing. It’s elementary.

Having a dog who needs to be walked twice a day forces you to get some exercise, a good thing for urban-living sedentary types. If your pooch is anything like Ginger, who has a mind of her own and is constantly in a tug-of-war with me, you’ll also benefit from weight bearing activity which strengthens your muscles and bones. Walking your dog is a healthy and inexpensive way of preventing osteoporosis.

For some great true stories about cats and dogs who helped their guardians through breast cancer treatment, check out:

The true story of kitty-cat Luke and her guardian Karen who had Stage III triple negative breast cancer
AND
The true story of Great Dane Kenya and her guardian “lifegoeson” who had Stage IV breast cancer

If you don’t have a pet, why not adopt one from the animal shelter? You’ll be saving more than just the animal’s life – you could be saving YOURS as well.

Scutellaria Barbata or the Baikal Skullcap is known by many synonyms, such as apigenin, baicalin, ban-ji-ryun (Korean), banjiryun (Korean), ban-zhi-lian (Chinese), barbatin A, barbatin B, barbatin C, benzyaldehyde, berberine, carthamidin, flavonoidglycoside, flavonoids, Herba Scutellariae Barbatae, hexahydrofarnesylacetone, isocarthamidin, Lamiaceae (family), luteolin, menthol, neo-clerodane diterpenoids, PC-SPES, pheophorbide A, resveratrol, SBJ, scutebarbatine B, scutellarein, Scutelleria baicalensis, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, Scutellaria bardata, Scutellaria barbata D. Don, Scutellaria rivularis Wall., scutellarin, wogonin.

The National Cancer Institute thesaurus describes Scutellaria Barbata D. Don (Lamiaceae) as having potential antineoplastic activity. Containing the antioxidant flavone scutellarin, herba Scutellaria barbata has been shown to induce apoptosis of ovarian and breast tumor cells in vitro.

A research article from the Sept. 17, 2004, issue of the journal Life Science concluded that Scutellaria Barbata significantly inhibited growth of a human lung cancer cell line. A study in the August 2009 issue of the European Journal of Cancer Prevention found that an extract of Scutellaria Barbata induced apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in a mouse liver cancer cell line. Many more studies support these findings.

In vitro studies have shown that Scutellaria Barbata exerts anticancer effects via caspase-dependent apoptosis (1,2,3), and by downregulating Bcl-2 protein that is expressed by tumor cells (4). Scutellaria Barbata also increased macrophage function in a murine carcinoma cell line that resulted in inhibition of tumor growth (5). It was shown to affect the metabolism of mutagenic compounds such as benzopyrene, thereby reducing their ability to bind DNA (6).

According to a study published in the January 2009 issue of Planta Medica which researched 13 different Scutellaria species, Scutellaria contains a combination of plant chemicals that together can significantly slow the growth of several different cancers. “On the basis of our preliminary results, we expect maximum benefit from Scutellaria…in combination with standard therapy such as surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy,” says Prahlad Parajuli, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Wayne State University and Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan.

Past studies have shown that Scutellaria has potent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties, which come primarily from natural plant chemicals (phytochemicals) called flavonoids. Most of the research conducted on Scutellaria so far has focused on the roots of the herb, which are rich in the flavonoid wogonin. However, the leaves and stems are also thought to be high in cancer-fighting phytochemicals, according to study co-author Nirmal Joshee, PhD, assistant professor of Plant Science at Fort Valley State University in Georgia.

After analyzing leaf, stem, and root extracts from 13 different Scutellaria species, the researchers found that each extract contained different combinations of six flavonoids: apigenin, baicalein, baicalin, chrysin, scutellarein, and wogonin. Most extracts contained three or four different flavonoids. Two extracts contained all six flavonoids.

Human breast, prostate, and brain cancer cells, as well as non-cancerous cells, were then treated with the Scutellaria extracts. Nine of the extracts significantly halted the spread of cancer cells. The higher the dose and longer the duration of treatment, the more effectively the extracts killed cancer cells. Four extracts—all from the Scutellaria leaf—were particularly effective at triggering the death (apoptosis) of brain cancer cells.

The researchers also looked at how the flavonoids in Scutellaria—both individually and in combination—affected cancer cells. A combination of four flavonoids, each at a low dose, blocked the growth of brain cancer cells by almost 50 percent. However, when those same flavonoids were given individually at the same dose, they had no effect on the cancer, which suggests that each one possesses a different anti-cancer mechanism and the effects are amplified when the different flavonoids work together.

Certain flavonoids in Scutellaria also appeared to target specific types of cancer. For example, baicalein significantly slowed the growth of brain cancer cells. This may be because individual flavonoids affect mechanisms that are unique to each cancer, said the authors in their report “In vitro antitumor mechanisms of various Scutellaria extracts and constituent flavonoids” in Planta Medica. 2009;75:41-48.

A drug based on the extract of Scutellaria barbata is also being developed to destroy the blood vessels supplying tumours. Professor Alan McGown and colleagues at the University of Salford have so far tested the drug in the laboratory on human cancer cells from tumors such as breast and lung cancers. In an anti-angiogenic approach, the drug works by attacking the tumor’s blood vessels, starving the cancer to death by blocking its supply of oxygen and nutrients. Co-researcher Dr Sylvie Ducki said: “If you target the vessels you are stopping the ‘food’ getting to the tumour and the tumour from spreading.” The drug is selective – targeting only tumour vessels and leaving blood vessels supplying healthy tissues alone. This is unlike conventional treatments which usually target tumour cells but also the normal cells, causing a lot of side effects.

A company called Bionovo has developed and is working to patent an extract of Scutellaria Barbata which it calls BZL101. The company’s researchers believe the herb’s main agent has the ability to specifically identify and target malignant cells, leaving normal cells intact and healthy. The oral anti-cancer drug BZL101 works by eliciting a cancer cell’s innate mechanism of self-suicide, or apoptosis. The drug selectively releases Apoptosis Inducing Factor-1 (AIF1) from a cancer cell’s mitochondrial membrane. AIF then moves to the cell’s nucleus, disintegrating the DNA structure, and fragmenting and killing the cancer cell. Bionovo’s scientists say that although AIF exists in all cells, this protein-translocation process can be elicited exclusively in cancer cells while avoiding normal cells.

Researchers from the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and The Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, recently reported that BZL101 disrupts proliferation of human breast and prostate cancer cells through distinct mechanisms dependent on the cancer cell phenotype.

After completing a phase I study on BZL101, researchers at The University of California at San Francisco and the Komen/UT Southwestern Breast Cancer Research Program at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
presented encouraging data at the 28th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Some 16 patients has been evaluated in the clinical trial, receiving 350 ml (12 grams dry solubles) per day of the Scutellaria Barbata extract in tea form. Details of their findings are given in their report “Herba Scutellaria Barbatae for Metastatic Breast Cancer”.

Clinical trials are tedious affairs and it takes a long time to get a drug to market. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to enjoy the benefits of Scutellaria Barbata the old-fashioned way, brewed together with another ancient Chinese anti-cancer herb Oldenlandia Diffusa. This cancer-fighting combo makes a delicious, slightly bitter, smoky-flavored herbal tea, which I like to sweeten with another traditional Chinese herbal remedy, Lo Han Kuo, a dried fruit favored for its immune-system boosting properties. All these ingredients are easily available from any traditional Chinese medicine shop in Chinatown. Just ask for “Ban Zhi Lian” (Scutellaria Barbata), “Bai Hua She She Cao” (Oldenlandia Diffusa) and “Lo Han Kuo” (Momordica Grosvenor).

Incidentally, the fact that at least two known natural aromatase inhibitors – apigenin and chrysin – are flavonoids commonly found in the Scutellaria family of herbs, should make this herb even more appealing to people with hormone-sensitive cancers, such as estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. I just had my second cup of this cancer-fighting herbal tea for the day and I must say it’s a delicious way to take my medicine. Cheers to herbs!

References:
(1) Kim DI, et al. Regulation of IGF-I production and proliferation of human leiomyomal smooth muscle cells by Scutellaria barbata D. Don in vitro: isolation of flavonoids of apigenin and luteolin as acting compounds. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2005; 205(3):213-224.
(2) Yin X, et al. Anticancer activity and mechanism of Scutellaria barbata extract on human lung cancer cell line A549. Life Sci 2004; 75(18):2233-2244.
(3) Powell CB, et al. Aqueous extract of herba Scutellaria barbatae, a chinese herb used for ovarian cancer, induces apoptosis of ovarian cancer cell lines. Gynecol Oncol 2003; 91(2):332-340.
(4) Kim KW, Jin UH, Kim DI, et al. Antiproliferative effect of Scutellaria barbata D. Don. on cultured human uterine leiomyoma cells by down-regulation of the expression of Bcl-2 protein. Phytother Res. 2008 May;22(5):583-90.
(5) Wong BY, et al. Oldenlandia diffusa and Scutellaria barbata augment macrophage oxidative burst and inhibit tumor growth. Cancer Biother Radiopharm 1996; 11(1):51-56.
(6) Wong BY, Lau BH, Teel RW. Chinese medicinal herbs modulate mutagenesis, DNA binding and metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol and benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide. Cancer Lett 1992; 62(2):123-131.

The Environmental Working Group’s senior analyst Sonya Lunder said BPA’s use on printed receipts could help explain why the chemical can be detected in the urine of an estimated 93 percent of Americans, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

“When you’re carrying around a receipt in your wallet for months …. you could be shedding BPA into your home, into your environment,” she said. “If you throw a receipt into a bag and it’s lying against an apple … you could be getting all kinds of exposure and not realise it.”

The American Chemistry Council which represents the chemical industry admits that bisphemol A can transfer from paper receipts to the skin, but maintains that the level of absorption is low.

Previously used as a fungicide, Bisphenol A or BPA is a popular color developer in thermal paper and in carbonless copy paper. It is also widely used to manufacture many plastics and plastic additives. Epoxy resins containing bisphenol A are used as coatings on the inside of almost all food and beverage cans, including bottle caps. Even water supply lines are coated with this chemical.

Bisphenol A is a key component in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic, a clear and nearly shatter-proof plastic used to make a variety of common products including baby and water bottles, sports equipment, medical and dental devices, dental fillings and sealants, eyeglass lenses, CDs and DVDs, and household electronics.

BPA is an endocrine disrupter, mimicking hormones like estrogen. In fact, it was developed in the 1930s as a synthetic form of estrogen. Research indicates that low doses can interfere with the endocrine system and cause a range of health issues, such as reproductive problems and cancer. Lawmakers have moved to ban bisphenol A from food and beverage containers made for infants and children.

To think I used to try to recycle paper receipts by writing my shopping list on the back of them! Horrors! From now on, I’m throwing those things away immediately.