I saw this in our local paper and laughed out loud while simultaneously feeling a twinge inside. I just asked my gynecological oncologist a few questions about what I thought was a scary ‘next phase’ of treatment for my Cancer. And after having missed by ‘big” next step appointment because of an emergency, she has not called, emailed or rescheduled my appointment. She had her NP respond to approximately 15 questions I had posed via email, since she missed my appointment, and her response was:
It does not matter why your lymph nodes are swollen.
If the goal is a cure then you need to have the proposed radiation treatment plan.
And perhaps you should get a second opinion, which might help you in your discussion with the (her) hospital radiation oncologist teammate.
Saturday 3/14/2015 Pearls Before Swine Comic Strip
1600+ Americans die every day of Cancer. At the turn of the 20th Century 1 in 200 Americans developed Cancer… today (2015) 1 out of 3 Americans will have Cancer during their lifetime.
I have been blessed to have been amazingly healthy all my life. I was days short of turning 62-years-old, had never been in a hospital for anything related to myself and had probably only ever been to see a doctor 20 times in my entire life when I was diagnosed with Uterine Cancer. And although my father, who had been just as healthy all his life as I’ve been until he was stricken with Colon Cancer at age 62… and died at age 63, it never really occurred to me that I would ever have Cancer. After our dad died, the doctor told us that chances were very high that one of us 3 kids would develop Colon Cancer and it was something we should watch out for and be tested for. My brother died at age 21 so my sister and I jokingly said more than once, “Well, since Rick is no longer with us, let us hope that it would have been him that was destined to come down with the Cancer.”
After closing our business as a result of the tough economy, my husband and I had moved in with his 80 plus year old parents to get back on our feet and to help take care of them. His father was in late stage Alzheimer’s and his then 82-year-old mother was overwhelmed, suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, had failing hearing, and as I call them, suffered from senior related conditions and ailments. And after inheriting a substantial amount of money from their parents and a couple aunts, they made a number of unwise purchases and unguaranteed loans and then got scammed by a Jamaican ring that prays on the elderly and uninformed. Before anyone realized it, they not only bankrupted themselves but scavenged their grandchildren’s college funds as well as opened a reverse mortgage that they overdrew once the housing bubble burst, so their house was essentially gone too! I have been an unpaid caregiver for over two years in a stressful environment, and still am, and my architect husband an unpaid handyman and part-time caregiver while applying for and trying countless part-time and commission jobs that went nowhere and sometimes cost us money. Then he got a lead and went to truck driving school which gave us medical coverage after 3-months.
I had known for several months that something was wrong; I was sick. But even though insurance companies can no longer deny you coverage due to pre-existing conditions, they can charge you high premiums because of them. So I waited to go to the doctor until I knew we had coverage and could go without having costly pre-existing conditions. As it was we had had 12k family co-pay.
On October 1st, a week before my 62nd birthday, I was diagnosed with stage 3 inoperable (because of the location of the tumor and the outlying ribbons from the tumor) Uterine Cancer. And from the looks in their eyes and little innuendoes, I could see that nobody other than my husband and our new GP thought I was going beat the disease.
At some point you start feeling alone unless you make contact with other Cancer patients or Cancer survivors because nobody understands what the disease or the treatments are like unless they have gone through it. And even with a support group of family, friends and Cancer survivors, get used to feeling both lonely and alone. For me it was probably worse because my husband got a job where he was gone weeks, sometimes nearly two months without coming home for usually 4 or 5 days. He gave up being home for any of the major holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and even his birthday in order to be there for my chemo treatments. At first that seemed like a fair trade but after the first couple of treatments, the company stopped making the effort to get him home.
Natural Society: Recently, the results of a study claiming that most Cancers are caused by “bad luck” have been floating around in the mainstream media. This sounds like we should all just give up and accept our likely fates of cancer, chemo, and death, right? However, there is a mountain of evidence showing that cancer is in fact preventable, partly because tumor development is a bit too complex to be bad luck.
Most Cancers are “Beyond Your Control’ Due to Mutations
For many years, the “Mutational Theory” has been the dominant explanation for cancer’s origin. The story goes like this: accumulated mutation in all the right places lead to the affected cell going “crazy,” and instead of destroying itself after this damage, it grows out of control until vital processes are obstructed. Then, the heroic oncologists attempt to wage war against this monster with one or more of the standard trio of chemo, radiation, and surgery…with often disappointing results.
One 2004 study of thousands of patients found that chemo is less than 10% effective at saving lives, contributing only 2.1-2.3% of the 5 year survival rate. This was deemed to be the upper limit of effectiveness.
More recently, it was reported that out of 54 cancer drugs released since 2004, three quarters of them did not extend life. Unfortunately, chemotherapy is often forced on young people who refuse it, such as in a recent case involving a Connecticut teenager, meaning it could be considered as a tool or form of oppression. Therefore, it’s wonderful that in actuality, cancer is not the result of chance or luck, as well as being unlikely; and the theories behind the development of cancer drugs are most likely incorrect.
What is the nature of a tumor? Tumors express organized behaviors including building their own blood supply; silencing some genes and activating others; secreting corrosive enzymes; altering their metabolism for low oxygen and high sugar, acidic environments; as well as removing surface proteins to escape the immune system.
A new theory, however, states that cancer is actually a highly efficient, pre-programmed stress response. According to the author’s research, cancer is an evolutionary throwback from a genetic “tool kit” over a billion years old that is normally buried dormant deep within the genome, called Metazoa 1.0.
Cells with the genetics of Metazoa 1.0 would have favored traits that enable them to survive a much harsher environment with features such as extremely low oxygen. The trait of incessant proliferation was the default state of these primitive cells, when simply not dying was the first priority of individual cells.
There was no tissue specialization that organisms could use to protect themselves, so genes providing extreme resilience against assault and creating a highly “selfish” form of behavior was necessary. While the mutation theory is partially true, genetic damage is responsible for unmasking a primitive set of genes instead of being solely responsible for tumor development.
Additionally, an analysis of gene expression patterns has indicated that when the level of oxygen decreases, the rate of glycolysis (a pathway of cellular energy production that does not require oxygen) increases, and this leads to a vicious cycle of accelerated tumor growth and further reductions in oxygen. The production of new blood vessels to ensure a supply of glucose only gives temporary breaks from this cycle.
The current understanding of this is that glycolysis is not only faster at generating energy when glucose is abundant, but also that glycolysis provides some of the raw materials needed for rapid cell proliferation. A key driver of this process was found to be reduced energy efficiency caused by factors such as hypoxia, which triggers a dramatically increased glucose uptake and a switch to glycolysis. This can also allow the tumor to select “positive” mutations such as those that upregulate Cancer promoting genes and silence or delete suppressor genes, no random mutations required.
When seven cancer types were tested, expression of genes turned on only during replication increased as oxygen levels dropped. Therefore, cancer is not a time bomb or a result of bad luck, but instead caused by an ancient survival response to a toxic environment, unnatural diet and compromised immunity.
So what can we do to prevent Cancer, besides reducing excessive dietary sugar?
2. A review from 2012 found that sun exposure may also lower the risk of Cancers such as breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer, because of vitamin D synthesis (getting burnt will remove the benefits), and prolonged or excessive sun exposure can cause skin Cancer.
3. A study of almost 24,000 participants showed that those taking antioxidant supplements from the beginning had a 48% reduced risk of cancer. This can mean that increased antioxidant intake from food or supplements can reduce cancer incidence, as many other studies show that certain foods high in antioxidants and other nutrients have the ability to protect against Cancer.
4. Quit smoking. Cigarette smoking, which depletes antioxidants, is responsible for a third of all Cancer deaths in many countries.
5. Reduce or eliminate, if possible, the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Statins, the contraceptive pill and many others are associated with a higher risk of Cancer.
6. Interestingly, cannabis smoking is associated with a 45% reduced risk of bladder cancer and a 47-62% reduced rate of head and neck cancer, regardless of whether or not they had been infected with HPV. And using hemp oils increases the survival success rate of treatments like chemo and radiation by 25%.
Despite what the mainstream media tries to make people believe, Cancer is indeed preventable and not caused by “bad luck.” This is good news, because not only are Cancer and its conventional treatments very debilitating and distressing, but they hinder control over one’s life – which is a natural psychological need, as described by self-determination theory.
So what can you do if you are diagnosed with Cancer?
After you are diagnosed:
Take control of your destiny.
Do your homework.
Question the treatments the doctors suggest.
Look for alternatives.
Add natural cures and aids to the traditional western medical treatments even if you decide to go that route.
Have a back-up plan.
Keep up your attitude.
Cut your stress.
Pray.
Be positive.
Stay out of the doldrums and away from pity parties as much as possible.
Surround yourself with things that make you happy… pets, photos, music, etc.
Limit your exposure and dealings (as much as you can) to negative people and situations.
Make plans for the future.
Because my husband was gone regularly through my entire treatment time, and my father-in-law was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s at home and died during the first four months of my treatment, I had no choice but to rely on myself for my attitude, research and to be prepared for any and all side affects from the treatments.
I think I did a pretty good job through the chemo process and with each check-up my oncologist was shocked at my progress.
I never questioned that I would beat my Cancer
I prayed and talked to God daily, throughout the day, in a positive manner; thanking Him for curing me and making me completely Cancer free.
I moved 600 photos that made me happy onto my phone and kept adding to it.
Our four furkids, a Chihuahua and three Chiweenies, never left my side.
I visualized my tumor and the outlying ribbons shrinking and being gone daily.
I only ever allowed myself one 10-minute pity party.
I drank a teaspoon of baking soda in water every morning, sometimes twice a day.
I ingested 4 squirts of food grade hydrogen peroxide daily.
I used the oxygen machine provided by hospice for my father-in-law every evening for 5 to 10 minutes and inhaled the pure oxygen.
I got a vitamin B Complex shot weekly.
I took vitamins, iron, probiotics, krill oil and phytoplankton daily.
I researched every option from hemp oils and immunotherapy to alternative health centers like Sanoviv.
I added things like raw sauerkraut fermented with whey, extra protein and more organic veggies, fruit and meat to my diet.
Experimental treatment uses immune system to fight cancer - Immunotherpy finally coming to US. Clinical trials coming in 2015 through Avaxis for metastatic Cancers.
Scanning electron micrograph of a human T lymphocyte (also called a T cell) from the immune system of a healthy donor. Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
The immune system’s natural capacity to detect and destroy abnormal cells may prevent the development of many cancers. However, some cancers are able to avoid detection and destruction by the immune system. They may produce signals that reduce the immune system’s ability to detect and kill tumor cells, or they may have changes that make it harder for the immune system to recognize and target them.
Immunotherapies are treatments that restore or enhance the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. In just the past few years, the rapidly advancing field of cancer immunology has produced several new methods of treating cancer that increase the strength of immune responses against tumors. These therapies either stimulate the activities of specific components of the immune system or counteract signals produced by cancer cells that suppress immune responses.
The journal Science designated "immunotherapy of cancer" as its Breakthrough of the Year in 2013 to recognize the progress made in this area. These advances are the result of long-term basic scientific research on the immune system.
Additional research is underway to:
increase our understanding of what enables immunotherapy to work in some patients but not in others who have the same cancer
expand the use of immunotherapy to more types of cancer
better understand how to use immunotherapies in combination with targeted therapies and other standard treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy
Immune Checkpoint Modulators
One immunotherapy approach is to block the activity of certain proteins that limit the strength of immune responses. These proteins normally keep immune responses in check to prevent overly strong responses that might damage normal cells as well as abnormal cells. In cancer cells, these "checkpoint" proteins may be abnormal and may help tumors to evade the immune response.
Blocking one of these checkpoint proteins could lift the brakes on the immune system, enabling it to destroy cancer cells. The first immune checkpoint modulator to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is called ipilimumab (Yervoy). This immunotherapy drug, a monoclonal antibody, blocks the activity of a checkpoint protein called CTLA4 and has been approved to treat advanced melanoma.
Immune Cell Therapy
An experimental form of immunotherapy is adoptive cell transfer (ACT). In one form of ACT, cytotoxic T cells that have invaded a patient’s tumor, called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), are harvested. The cells with the greatest antitumor activity are selected, and large populations of these cells are grown in the laboratory and activated with cytokines. The cells are then infused back into the patient.
The idea is that TILs already have the ability to target tumor cells but may not be present in sufficient amounts to exert an antitumor effect. If the activity of the TILs is being suppressed by the tumor cells, it may be possible to overcome that suppression by exposing the tumor to massive amounts of activated TILs.
In another form of ACT, often referred to as CAR therapy, a patient’s T cells are collected from their blood and genetically modified to express hybrid proteins called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) before they are expanded and infused into the patient. The CAR allows the cells to attach to specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells, which activates the T cells to attack those cells.
Cancer Treatment Vaccines
The use of cancer treatment (or therapeutic) vaccines is another approach to immunotherapy. These vaccines are usually made from a patient’s own tumor cells or from substances taken from tumor cells. They are designed to treat cancers that have already developed by strengthening the body’s natural defenses against the cancer. Treatment vaccines may act in any of several ways:
to delay or stop the growth of cancer cells
to cause tumor shrinkage
to prevent cancer from coming back
to eliminate cancer cells that have not been killed by other forms of treatment
Developing effective cancer treatment vaccines requires a detailed understanding of how immune system cells and cancer cells interact. To be effective, cancer treatment vaccines must stimulate specific immune responses against the correct target. The immune responses must also be powerful enough to overcome the barriers that cancer cells use to protect themselves from attack by B cells and killer T cells.
Recent advances in understanding how cancer cells escape recognition and attack by the immune system are now giving researchers the knowledge required to design cancer treatment vaccines that can accomplish both goals.
In 2010, the FDA approved the first cancer treatment vaccine, sipuleucel-T (Provenge), for use in some men with metastatic prostate cancer.
Immune-Modifying Agents
Yet another type of immunotherapy uses immune-modifying agents, such as cytokines, antibodies, and growth factors, to enhance the body’s immune response against cancer. Cytokines are signaling proteins that are produced by white blood cells, and they help regulate immune responses. Two types of cytokines are used to treat patients with cancer: interferons and interleukins.
Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg, Chief of Surgery at the National Cancer Institute, developed the first effective immunotherapies and gene therapies for patients with advanced cancer.
Immune-modifying agents may work through different mechanisms. A type of interferon, for example, enhances a patient’s immune response to cancer cells by activating certain white blood cells, such as natural killer cells and dendritic cells. Recent advances in understanding how cytokines stimulate immune cells could enable the development of more effective immunotherapies and combinations of these agents.
Research at NCI
Immunotherapy research at NCI is done across the institute and spans the continuum from basic science discoveries to clinical research applications.
The Center of Excellence in Immunology (CEI) brings together researchers from across NCI and other NIH institutes to foster the discovery, development, and delivery of immunotherapy approaches to prevent and treat cancer and cancer-associated viral diseases.
The news was dumbfounding. She used to have a policy that covered the drug that kept her alive. Now she's on her own.
WSJ: When my mother was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer in 2005, when she was 49, it came as a lightning shock. Her mother, at 76, had yet to go gray, and her mother's mother, at 95, was still playing bingo in her nursing home. My mother had always been, despite her diminutive frame, a titanic and irrepressible force of vitality and love. She had given birth to me and my nine younger siblings, and juggled kids, home and my father's medical practice with humor and grace for three decades. She swam three times a week in the early mornings, ate healthily and never smoked.
And now, cancer? Anyone who's been there knows that a cancer diagnosis is terrifying. A lot goes through your mind and heart: the deep pang of possible loss (what would my father and all of us do without her?), and the anguish and anger at what feels like injustice (after decades of mothering and managing dad's practice, she was just then going back to school).
We, as a family, were scared and angry, but from the beginning we knew we would do all we could to fight this disease. We became involved with fundraising for research, through the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation in Boston; we blogged; we did triathlons (my mother's idea) and cherished our time together as never before.
Carcinoid, a form of neuroendocrine cancer, is a terminal disease but generally responds well to treatment by Sandostatin, a drug that slows tumor growth and reduces (but does not eliminate) the symptoms of fatigue, nausea and gastrointestinal dysfunction. My mother received a painful shot twice a month and often couldn't sit comfortably for days afterward.
Getty Images
As with most cancers, one thing led to another. There have been several more surgeries, metastases, bone deterioration, a terrible bout of thyroiditis (an inflammation of the thyroid gland), and much more. But my mother has kept fighting, determined to make the most of life, no matter what it brings. She has an indomitable will and is by far the toughest person I've ever met. But she wouldn't still be here without that semimonthly Sandostatin shot that slows the onslaught of her disease.
And then in November, along with millions of other Americans, she lost her health insurance. She'd had a Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan for nearly 20 years. It was expensive, but given that it covered her very expensive treatment, it was a terrific plan. It gave her access to any specialist or surgeon, and to the Sandostatin and other medications that were keeping her alive.
And then, because our lawmakers and president thought they could do better, she had nothing. Her old plan, now considered illegal under the new health law, had been canceled.
Because the exchange website in her state (Virginia) was not working, she went directly to insurers' websites and telephoned them, one by one, over dozens of hours. As a medical-office manager, she had decades of experience navigating the enormous problems of even our pre-ObamaCare system. But nothing could have prepared her for the bureaucratic morass she now had to traverse.
The repeated and prolonged phone waits were Sisyphean, the competence and customer service abysmal. When finally she found a plan that looked like it would cover her Sandostatin and other cancer treatments, she called the insurer, Humana, HUM -2.81% to confirm that it would do so. The enrollment agent said that after she met her deductible, all treatments and medications—including those for her cancer—would be covered at 100%. Because, however, the enrollment agents did not—unbelievable though this may seem—have access to the "coverage formularies" for the plans they were selling, they said the only way to find out in detail what was in the plan was to buy the plan. (Does that remind you of anyone?)
With no other options, she bought the plan and was approved on Nov. 22. Because by January the plan was still not showing up on her online Humana account, however, she repeatedly called to confirm that it was active. The agents told her not to worry, she was definitely covered.
Then on Feb. 12, just before going into (yet another) surgery, she was informed by Humana that it would not, in fact, cover her Sandostatin, or other cancer-related medications. The cost of the Sandostatin alone, since Jan. 1, was $14,000, and the company was refusing to pay.
The news was dumbfounding. This is a woman who had an affordable health plan that covered her condition. Our lawmakers weren't happy with that because . . . they wanted plans that were affordable and covered her condition. So they gave her a new one. It doesn't cover her condition and it's completely unaffordable.
Though I'm no expert on ObamaCare (at 10,000 pages, who could be?), I understand that the intention—or at least the rhetorical justification—of this legislation was to provide coverage for those who didn't have it. But there is something deeply and incontestably perverse about a law that so distorts and undermines the free activity of individuals that they can no longer buy and sell the goods and services that keep them alive. ObamaCare made my mother's old plan illegal, and it forced her to buy a new plan that would accelerate her disease and death. She awaits an appeal with her insurer.
Will this injustice be remedied, for her and for millions of others? Or is my mother to die because she can no longer afford the treatment that keeps her alive?
Like every American, I want affordable health care, and I'm open to innovative solutions of all kinds—individual, corporate, for-profit, nonprofit and public. It will take all of these, and all the intelligence, creativity and self-discipline we have, as well as everything we can offer one another as families, neighbors, friends and citizens—and it still won't be perfect. But it is precisely because health care for 300 million people is so complicated that it cannot be centrally managed.
The "Affordable" Care Act is a brutal, Procrustean disaster. In principle, it violates the irreducible particularity of human life, and in practice it will cause many individuals to suffer and die. We can do better, and we must.
Mr. Blackwood is the president of Ralston College, a planned liberal-arts institution in Savannah, Ga., and is on the board of the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation. His mother, Catherine, manages the Family Medicine Center in Virginia Beach, Va.
Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman, eldest child and daughter of Dr. Robert H. and Arvella Schuller, announced that her father had esophageal cancer during her sermon on 8/25/13 at the Shepherd’s Grove church made up of what is left of Dr. Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral Congregation. You can listen to the info at HopeCenter.org - http://hopecenteroc.org/sunday20130825.htm starting around 1:18:30
Sheila said her father has esophageal cancer. It is about 3 inches long and has spread to some lymph nodes. He will go through chemo and radiation and the prognosis is between 3-months and up to 2-years, obviously the lesser time without treatment. He will be (has been) undergoing treatment. It was reported that the elder Schuller decided to pursue radiation and chemo after praying with his wife, Arvella, and other family members.
Schuller daughter, Carol Schuller Milner, told the associated press that the oncologists say her father’s tumor is either at or near stage 4, but it has yet to reach his vital organs and he has been strong enough for treatment.
Milner said her father "doesn't have a lot of energy" but has been "very reflective, very peaceful and truly beautiful."
"He's closer to Heaven than he is to this tangible world," Milner said.
Let us all keep RHS is our prayers.
Robert Marvin, a commenter on the Pens-Open Blog said:
I am a 17-year survivor of this same cancer. However, I am now 70 and was only 53 when diagnosed. The chemo and radiation put me the hospital for 45 days with a very bad pneumonia from which my team of doctors thought I would not recover. I fooled them along with a lot of prayers and positive thoughts. I subsequently had surgery to remove my esophagus in 1998 when the cancer started to reappear. This is a very deadly cancer. Mostly because it is not discovered in its early stages. From my experience, it sounds like a stage two or three diagnosis. I know many survivors of this disease at this stage and at this age. That being said, however, it must be noted that response to treatment is a very individual thing.
But keep up the prayers for Dr. Schuller, Sr. There is always hope and prayer is powerful. Just yesterday we heard that actress Valerie Harper is close to remission from brain cancer. Valerie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer earlier this year and given only a short time to live. But she fought back and is winning the battle, her cancer is close to remission; so much so that it was announced that she will be participating in season 17 of Dancing with the Stars.
We have several friends who have beaten the odds through prayer, positive thinking, combining alternative with traditional treatments and shear determination. Miracles happen every day!!
Dr. Schuller says he has had a wonderful life. He did what God called him to do and he has no regrets. It really has been quite the life:
Dr. Schuller began preaching in 1955 from the top of a drive-in movie theater concession stand in Orange County with wife Arvella playing the organ and by 1970 they had launched their TV ministry with the "Hour of Power." The landmark cathedral was built in 1980 and with it were born the long-running Glory of Christmas and Easter pageants and their one season Glory of Creation counterpart.
At its peak, the Hour of Power broadcast attracted a viewership of 20 million around the world. “But in recent years, Schuller's ministry was hamstrung by a disastrous leadership transition and then a decline in viewership and donations. The once-popular televangelist resigned from the church's board in 2012; about two years after that the ministry filed for bankruptcy”, said Carol Milner.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange bought the cathedral in bankruptcy proceedings and renamed the building Christ Cathedral and their southern campus which included a school, retreat center and small church was purchased by Hobby Lobby who leases it to Saddleback, another OC mega-church.
Dr. Nancy Scanlan, Executive Director of both the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVHMF) and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) talks with Dr. Becker about holistic therapies in the treatment of cancer in pets, and the role of the AHVM Foundation.
Major drug companies pay for most of the cancer research (human and animal) in the U.S. Unfortunately, these companies are only motivated to fund studies that facilitate the development of new drugs to sell. Natural anti-cancer agents are of little or no interest to them.
Raising independent funding for research into holistic and integrative cancer therapies is a very important focus of the AHVM Foundation. The goal is to provide scientific proof to veterinarians and the public of the uses and benefits of alternative therapies to treat animal cancer and its symptoms.
Between now and March 17, 2013, every $1 donated to the AHVM Foundation will be automatically tripled. That’s right – Mercola Healthy Pets will contribute $2 for every $1 donation to the foundation from March 11 through March 17, 2013.
In this week’s third and final video, I’m chatting with another very special guest, Dr. Nancy Scanlan. Dr. Scanlan is the Executive Director of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVHMF) and also the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA).
Dr. Scanlan has been a small animal practitioner for most of her veterinary career. She also spent 10 years teaching veterinary technicians. Dr. Scanlan is an authority on the use of nutraceuticals in veterinary medicine, and was certified as an acupuncturist in 1988. She gradually increased her use of holistic therapies in her practice and ultimately spent 16 years as the sole holistic veterinarian in a seven-person practice in Southern California. Since then, she’s been very involved in a variety of wonderful endeavors for the AVHMA and the Foundation.
Dr. Scanlan currently lives in the woods of northern California. Her home is off the grid, meaning that among other things, she uses solar panels as her source of electricity. I think that’s very cool!
Studies in holistic veterinary medicine – including the prevention and treatment of pet cancers -- get very little funding.
The theme of this year’s AHVM Foundation Be One in a Million fundraising campaign is “Advancing Research and Education in Holistic Veterinary Medicine.” I asked Dr. Scanlan to talk about why cancer research for companion animals is such a vitally important area for the AHVMF to be involved in.
Dr. Scanlan explained that studies in holistic medicine get very little funding. If she has an herb that is beneficial in treating cancer, chances are it will be ignored by the big drug companies, which are the major source of funding for most human and animal cancer research. Drug companies only fund research that results in new drugs they can sell, so natural healing substances like herbs are of no interest to them. And this is truly a shame, because many holistic therapies used for cancer have fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy and radiation treatments. They are less toxic to the patient and the environment, and are generally better for the patient’s overall health.
So raising independent funding for holistic and integrative cancer therapies is a very important focus of the AHVM Foundation. The goal is to provide scientific proof to veterinarians and pet owners of the benefits of alternative therapies. Currently there is no “proof” of the type the medical community relies on. It’s really not enough to say “The Indians used it all the time,” or “In China they’ve used this for thousands of years.” MDs and DVMs want and need this research.
Another reason we need independent studies of holistic remedies is to determine how natural substances can and should be used. For example, what parts of a plant are beneficial to treat different diseases and symptoms … what strengths or dosages are most effective … what type of growth environment is best … should we source only the wild-crafted plants, and so on.
As Dr. Scanlan points out, this type of research would be helpful not just in advancing the field of holistic veterinary medicine, but also for current and future holistic practitioners who want to understand the most effective ways to use natural healing remedies. And in general, good standardized research in holistic treatments is needed.
When it comes to raising funds for research and education in holistic veterinary medicine, there's only ONE resource in the U.S. – the AHVM Foundation.
Next I asked Dr. Scanlan to give her perspective on why there is a need for a foundation for holistic veterinary medicine. She explained that the AHVM Foundation is the only organization in the U.S. specifically dedicated to research into holistic methods of treating animals. No other group currently in existence raises funds for research into holistic or alternative or integrative veterinary therapies exclusively.
As Dr. Scanlan points out, there are plenty of organizations out there dedicated to raising money for conventional medicine research (human and animal). But if you as a pet owner, pet caretaker, pet guardian or animal lover believe holistic and integrative veterinary medicine has value, then the organization you want to give your hard-earned money to is the AHVM Foundation.
I asked Dr. Scanlan what projects are on the horizon that the AHVMF is involved with. She responded that one of the Foundation’s biggest supporters is Dr. Greg Ogilvie, a DVM in southern California (you might remember his name from my recent interview with author Ted Kerasote).
Dr. Ogilvie developed the foundational research on the anti-cancer effects of omega-3 fatty acids, especially fish oil, on dogs. He has a long list of projects he would love to do if he had the funding.
I’d like to thank Dr. Nancy Scanlan, Executive Director of the AHVM Foundation, for making time in her busy schedule to chat with me today. I look forward to working with Dr. Scanlan and all the members of the Foundation to raise awareness of their Be One in a Million fundraising efforts.
How you can make a difference.
I’m tremendously excited to announce that now through March 17, 2013, all donations will be automatically tripled. That’s right! For every $1 donated, Mercola Healthy Pets will donate an additional $2. So please, take a moment right now to Be One in a Million and make a donation to the AHVM Foundation.
An experimental cancer drug called DCA (dichloroacetate) shows promise in the fight against cancer by altering cancer cell metabolism and inducing apoptosis (cellular suicide); DCA appears to exert anti-tumor effects against several forms of cancer, including brain, endometrial, cervical, prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers
DCA forces cancer cells to shift from their preferred method of generating energy (glycolysis) to the method normal cells prefer (glucose oxidation) and “reawakens” cancer cells’ mitochondria
There are serious side effects reported by some adults self-administering DCA, including peripheral neuropathy and encephalopathy, so more research is needed before DCA can be considered safe
Optimizing your vitamin D level is one of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself from cancer
Certain foods mimic the actions of DCA without ANY side effects, such as broccoli and the spice turmeric
According to the American Cancer Society, the odds you'll develop cancer in your lifetime are one in two, if you're a man, and one in three, if you're a woman.1 But an experimental cancer drug shown to shrink tumors by correcting metabolic oddities in cancer cells shows promise in the fight against this deadly disease. The synthetic drug DCA (dichloroacetate) DOES indeed kill cancer cells, both in the lab and in human beings. However, whether it can reverse tumor growth without harming you in other ways remains to be seen.
The first clinical trial, although small, involving patients with brain cancer (glioblastoma) was encouraging, and the results were published in Science of Translational Medicine in 20102 . However, there is still a great deal more work to be done before DCA can be pronounced a safe and effective cancer treatment.
An interesting aspect of DCA is that it's an inexpensive, non-patentable molecule, which makes it of minimal value to pharmaceutical companies that profit by patenting expensive new drugs. Therefore, clinical trials are slow to get going due to lack of funding by Big Pharma. Researchers must await sufficient money to trickle in from government sources and public donations before moving forward.
In the paragraphs below, my aim is to give you information from both sides of the story—the potential benefits as well as the possible risks.
Rats Fed DCA Showed Dramatic Tumor Regression
The impetus behind most of the DCA research has been cardiologist Evangelos Michelakis of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. In 2007, Michelakis and his colleagues sparked a firestorm of interest when they announced rats fed DCA showed rapid tumor regression without any apparent side effects. Michelakis has been the first to say these results are preliminary and cautions cancer patients to refrain from running out and buying the drug, prior to clinical trials.
Yet, many desperate cancer patients with few remaining options are doing just that, and side effects ARE being reported.
There are currently three clinical trials involving use of DCA to treat cancer that are currently recruiting participants3. Some of these studies plan to combine DCA with other chemotherapy drugs and radiation, all known to have damaging effects in your body. However, if you have cancer and are tempted to participate, there are some things you should know in order to make an informed decision about the risk versus the benefits of this experimental treatment.
Cancer Cells and Healthy Cells Have Different Metabolic Processes
In order to understand how DCA kills cancer cells, it is necessary to understand a bit about how the cellular metabolism of cancer cells differs from that of your normal, healthy cells. Cancer cells have very different metabolic processes than normal cells, in terms of how they derive their energy.4 It's a rather complicated distinction, so please bear with me as I try to explain it in the simplest terms possible.
There are two major pathways your cells use to covert sugar into energy: glucose oxidation and glycolysis:
Glucose oxidationis the primary energy metabolism in normal cells and takes place in your mitochondria, which are the little "power plants" inside your cell; it requires the presence of oxygen, as its name suggests. This is why you breathe and your heart beats to circulate oxygen throughout your body. Glucose oxidation is sometimes referred to as cellular respiration.
Glycolysis takes place in your cell's cytoplasm. It can occur without the presence of oxygen. Glycolysis is less efficient for normal cells, but it is a cancer cell's preferred means of energy metabolism, and it depends on the availability of sugar.
So, when your cells are oxygen-starved they have a backup plan. They can extract energy from sugar without the presence of oxygen, by glycolysis.
Pyruvate is required for glucose oxidation. There is an enzyme (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, or PDK) that acts as gatekeeper to regulate the flow of pyruvate into the mitochondria. If PDK is active, it suppresses the transport of pyruvate into the mitochondria, and your cell is forced to rely on glycolysis, even if oxygen is available. If PDK is inactive, pyruvate is shuttled into the mitochondria, even if oxygen is low.
Unlike normal cells, cancer cells are masterful at deriving energy from glycolysis—they have very active PDK. The way to make a cancer cell unhappy is by suppressing PDK, forcing the cell to use glucose oxidation, instead of glycolysis. This is called the Warburg theory of cancer, or the Warburg hypothesis5.
This is where DCA comes in.
DCA Instigates Mass Suicide among Cancer Cells
DCA suppresses PDK (the mitochondrial gatekeeper), and this fires up the cell's mitochondria. Not only does this force the cancer cell to abandon its preferred metabolic process, but it flips the cell's "suicide switch" as well. This happens because mitochondria are the primary regulators of apoptosis, or cellular suicide—they are loaded with sensors that react to abnormalities by pushing the cell's self-destruct button.
When a cancer cell's mitochondria realize it's a cancer cell, it spontaneously kills itself. This is the reason chemotherapy and radiation result in such terrible side effects—your healthy cells actually die much more easily because of this self-destruct button.
The reason cancer is so fast growing is that the mitochondria have been deactivated, so the cells evade apoptosis, as well as being able to grow in the absence of oxygen (glycolysis)6. DCA reverses this.In effect, DCA directly causes cancer cell apoptosis and works synergistically other cancer therapies, such as radiation, gene therapy, and viral therapy. A number of scientific studies have been performed to date, and most are encouraging.
DCA--Cancer Research Review
Most of the studies thus far have been done on cell cultures in the lab (in vitro), as opposed to on cancer patients themselves (in vivo). Yet the results are impressively consistent across the board, suggesting DCA is effective against a wide variety of cancer types. The DCA Site7 has a good list of all clinical studies through 2011.
The study that sparked the DCA excitement appeared in Cancer Cell in January 20078 According to an article in the Edmonton Journal9 in the 2007 rat study, DCA killed lung, breast, and brain cancer cells but left healthy cells alone. The rats' tumors decreased by up to 70 percent in three weeks of DCA treatment, without negative side effects.
This announcement led to a cyclone of excitement from cancer patients everywhere who scrambled to get their hands on the new "cancer cure," in spite of warnings from Michelakis himself (and others) against prematurely self-medicating with the compound.
Several more studies soon followed, including the first clinical trial2 involving brain cancer patients. In that trial, the research team selected five glioblastoma patients with a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer. They treated them with oral DCA for 15 months.
Tumor tissue was compared before and after DCA treatment in three of the five patients. In all three, there were signs that the tumor growth had slowed, and more cancer cells were undergoing programmed cell death after the treatment with DCA. Unfortunately, one of the five patients died. Another had "debulking" surgery before completing the full course of DCA treatment.Below are some of the other DCA cancer studies, all within the past five years. (Note that none of these involved human subjects.)
Endometrial Cancer: DCA causes apoptosis in endometrial cancer cells.10
Prostate Cancer: DCA produces significant cytotoxic effects in prostate cancer cells11
Breast Cancer: DCA has anti-proliferative properties against breast cancer cells and caused apoptosis of those cells12
Colorectal Cancer: DCA reduced colon cancer tumors by 20 to 40 percent13
Cervical Cancer: Researchers concluded DCA is a quick and effective cure for advanced cervical carcinoma14
For comprehensive information about DCA's method of action, history, and related scientific research, refers to The DCA Site7, and to this 2011 article in the International Journal of Cancer15. It should be noted that caffeine may radically increases the effects of DCA16. In fact, this effect is so pronounced that some researchers are working on developing a "DCA-caffeine" cancer treatment protocol.
Now that you're aware of DCA's cancer-fighting effects, let's take a look at the adverse effects identified thus far.
DCA's Side Effects Can Be Daunting
DCA is not a natural agent—it's a chemical produced in the water chlorination process. It's a small molecule, which accounts for one of its major advantages: DCA is easily absorbed by your body and can reach areas other drugs can't, such as your brain, which is why it's of particular interest for treating brain cancers. This, however, can be a two-edged sword, because any compound that easily permeates your brain can exert all sorts of unexpected and worrisome neurological effects.
DCA is a byproduct of another chemical called trichloroethylene (TCE), a volatile organic compound believed to cause cancer. TCE is used mainly as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts, but is also used in adhesives, paint removers, and typewriter correction fluids. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reports TCE is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" and may cause birth defects. They state TCE may also cause the following17:
Skin rashes
Nerve, kidney, and liver damage
Impaired heart and immune function
Unconsciousness
Death
When DCA is added to the drinking water of laboratory mice, it causes liver cancer. While DCA may offer hope and a novel approach to treating cancer, it is far from a "miracle cure." Of course, chemotherapy drugs are quite toxic as well!
DCA has been used successfully in children with metabolic disorders, with no signs of toxic poisoning. But adults appear to suffer more adverse effects—especially peripheral neuropathy and encephalopathy, such as the case described in a letter to the editor of the Journal of Neurology18. According to a survey performed by The DCA Site19, there are a fair number of serious side effects reported by those taking DCA, many of them neurological. Research suggests the side effects are at least somewhat dose-dependent, but safe dosing guidelines have not yet been established.
In the online survey, the side effects reported by DCA users include:
Tingling and numbness in the fingers, toes and lips; peripheral neuropathy Leg weakness Hand tremors Ankle swelling Increased urination
Mild nausea Anxiety and depression Dizziness Sleepiness Breathing "heavier" than usual
In some studies, under some circumstances, DCA seems to actually make cancer cells stronger. For example, an in-vitro animal study20 published in May 2010 revealed that some types of colon cancer cells are actually protected by DCA when grown under anoxic conditions or as xenografts in mice (xenografts are tissues transplanted into one species from a dissimilar species). And when DCA is combined with frontline drugs, it sometimes interferes with their effectiveness. The neurological side effects are compounded when DCA is used with other anti-cancer drugs, which are also neurotoxic.
So, if you're already using a cancer medication, DCA's effects are going to be unpredictable and potentially dangerous. This underscores the importance of fully understanding the mechanisms of action of an agent before it enters clinical trials.
A Safer Alternative: FOODS that Cause Cancer Cells to Self-Destruct
What if there were natural agents that induced cancer cell suicide, without the side effects of DCA? As it turns out, these agents DO exist—and you may already have some in your kitchen pantry or supplement cabinet. Here are a few21:
Capsaicin (the compound that makes hot peppers hot)
Se-methylselenocysteine aka methylselenocysteine (found in garlic and broccoli)
Ellagic acid (from pomegranates and other fruits)
There are many all-natural cancer-prevention strategies, and research shows they may cut your risk in half. Consequently, by implementing multiple strategies, you can radically lower your risk of cancer as well as other chronic diseases.
Lifestyle Factors that Influence Your Cancer Risk
A healthful lifestyle encourages proper gene expression, as the science of epigenetics has shown. We now know you are in control of your genes, instead of being controlled by them. You actually have tremendous power to shape and direct your health! Your thoughts, your environmental exposures, and your food choices all directly affect your gene expression.
The best "cancer cure" is to prevent it from taking hold in the first place. Cancer cells are circulating in everyone, all the time. The stronger your immune system is, the less likely your cellular function will run amok. Your diet is extremely important in keeping your immune system strong. One of the primary cancer-promoters is sugar. Cancer cells love sugar and use it to fuel their rapid proliferation (by glycolysis, as discussed earlier). This includes ALL forms of sugar, including fructose and grains. The higher your blood glucose level, the more prolific the cancer cells will be.
According to breast cancer expert, author, and board certified surgeon Dr. Christine Horner:
"To me, sugar has no redeeming value at all, because they found that the more we consume it, the more we're fuelling every single chronic disease," Dr. Horner says. "In fact, there was a study done about a year ago… and the conclusion was that sugar is a universal mechanism for chronic disease. It kicks up inflammation. It kicks up oxygen free radicals. Those are the two main processes we see that underlie any single chronic disorder, including cancers. It fuels the growth of breast cancers, because glucose is cancer's favorite food. The more you consume, the faster it grows."
Your diet is the one of the best ways to either feed or prevent cancer. Processed foods, soft drinks, red meat from CAFO-raised animals, trans fats, and any food containing or contaminated with xenoestrogens promote cancer growth. Plant foods, particularly cruciferous vegetables and flax seeds, as well as many herbs and spices are cancer-preventive. Beneficial fats of particular importance for cancer prevention are omega-3 and omega-9, which effectively slow down tumor growth in estrogen-sensitive cancers, such as those of the breast, prostate and colon.
Generally speaking, your diet should focus on fresh, whole, unprocessed foods (vegetables, meats, raw dairy, nuts, and so forth) that come from healthy, sustainable, local sources, such as small organic farms. For the highest nutrient content, you will want to make raw food a significant portion of your diet.
Personally, I aim to eat about 80 to 85 percent of my food raw, including raw eggs and humanely raised organic animal products that have not been raised on a CAFO (confined animal feeding operation).
For more information about which foods to eat and which to avoid, please consult my comprehensive nutrition plan.
Vitamin D May Cut Your Cancer Risk in Half
There's overwhelming evidence pointing to the fact that vitamin D deficiency plays a roll in cancer development. If there were something close to a silver bullet for cancer, vitamin D would be it.
If you currently have cancer, evidence shows that higher blood levels of vitamin D—probably around 80-90 ng/ml—are beneficial. If natural sun exposure is not practical, then a safe tanning bed or oral supplement are the next best things. Just keep in mind that it's BEST to get your vitamin D from natural sun exposure. It appears vitamin D may play an important role in sulfur metabolism, and taking it orally may not provide the same benefit as deriving it from the sun. To learn the details about how to optimize your vitamin D, including dosage and blood testing, please review our comprehensive vitamin D article.
Vitamin D has been found to offer protection from cancer by several mechanisms, including:
Regulating genetic expression
Increasing apoptosis of defective, mutant cells thereby reducing cancer cell replication
Causing cells to become differentiated (cancer cells often lack differentiation)
Choking off the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, which is a step in the transition of dormant tumors turning cancerous
Exercise Can Also Slash Your Cancer Risk
If you are like most people, when you think of reducing your risk of cancer, exercise doesn't immediately come to mind. However, there is some fairly compelling evidence that exercise can slash your cancer risk. One of the primary ways exercise lowers your risk for cancer is by reducing elevated insulin levels, which creates a low sugar environment—and remember, cancer cells LOVE sugar! Additionally, exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood. Consider integrating exercise with intermittent fasting to greatly catalyze your healing and rejuvenation.
Restore Your Sleep
Getting proper sleep is critical, both in terms of getting enough sleep and sleeping during the right hours. According to Ayurvedic medicine, the ideal sleeping hours are between 10 pm and 6 am. Modern research has confirmed the value of this recommendation as certain hormonal fluctuations occur throughout the day and night, and if you engage in the appropriate activities during those times, you'll "ride the wave," so to speak. Working against your biology by staying awake when you should be sleeping, or vice versa, interferes with these natural hormone rhythms.
Manage Your Stress
Research tells us that if you experience a traumatic or highly stressful event, such as a death in the family or loss of a job, your risk of breast cancer is 12 times higher in the five years that follows. It is imperative to your health and longevity that you address your emotional well-being. Stress has a direct impact on inflammation, and inflammation drives many of the chronic diseases that kill people prematurely every day.
Meditation, prayer, yoga, and EFT (an energy psychology tool) are all viable options that can help you maintain emotional/psychological equilibrium. I'm sure you can think of others—the bottom line is, find what works best to de-stress yourself and practice it daily.
Avoid as Many Chemicals, Toxins, and Pollutants as Possible
Just as stress is toxic to your emotional health, chemical overload is toxic to your physical health, and both can weaken your immune system. Get rid of as much toxic junk as you can. This includes harsh chemical household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides, insecticides and the rest. Replace them all with green, non-toxic alternatives.
For more suggestions about how to prevent and heal from cancer, please refer to the cancer section of our website, which contains a wealth of free, research-based information. 12
Scanning electron micrograph of a human T lymphocyte (also called a T cell) from the immune system of a healthy donor. Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). 
