Natural cancer prevention or cures?

Cancer is a very hot topic among people, especially so with health newsletters, and I suspect, even more so with the drug companies. On the other hand, there are people who are opposed to drugs and they have turned to nature and other sources to prevent or cure cancers.

Treating cancer is a very complicated matter. It depends on a lot of things and not just some anti-cancer stuff. Our lifestyle - diet, mindset, environment, everything about ourselves and around us play a part. One of my friend's husband said it is 'karma'. If it is 'karma', I hope to have paid my dues.

I think cancer is the ultimate disease. The cost of treatment is very expensive and the treatment itself is not so simple. A combination of sorts may help.

A word of caution, it is not advisable to jump at anything that is recommended. Always bear in mind that what works for some does not necessarily mean that it works for all. Sometimes we have to consider the long term effects of some of the products on our systems.

As for nuts, although it is good, I have now become allergic to practically all nuts. It is not recommended to consume too much nuts everyday.

I find it ridiculous that some research teams have made their claims public when all they have done is conducted the test on mice in the laboratory. Common on, how to compare lab mice to humans. Lab mice, all they do is eat, sleep, play all day without a care and their world is the lab. Humans are complicated beings and we never run out of things to be concerned about.

Instead of subjecting mice to all these tests, I think it would be more realistic if the researchers used cultured cancer cells.

The following is a list of products which have been claimed to be able to prevent or cure cancer.

1. Graviola (Also commonly known as the soursop tree)
My comment : I am currently taking this in capsule form. My supplier has cautioned that the effects may be different after chemo. So only time will tell if it really works for me. So far, I am fine.

2. Venus fly-trap
My comment : I am also currently taking this in capsule form and liquid extract. This is from the same supplier as graviola.

3. Acai berry (sold through multi-level-marketing)
Claim : antioxidant and cancer fighting
My comment : I have never tried it.

4. Enoki Mushroom

This was from an email sent by a friend :
Research done by Singapore U shows that eating this mushroom can destroy 95% of cancer cells in our body by boosting our immune system.

Professor Phan Hwai Chong of Yang Ming Research Centre in Taiwan told Reporter that consuming this kind of mushroom, one of the ingredients in the mushroom can trigger the multiplication of our healthy "defensive" cells. By out-numbering the cancer cells, healthy cells help eradicate cancer cells.

American scientists have since run tests on this particular type of mushroom extract with blood, done outside human body. Results show that mushroom extract is able to destroy cancer cells.
According to Taiwan professor, since healthy "fighting" cells can be multiplied to tens & thousands of times, it can either be used as drip or just by eating mushroom.

The mushroom is most frequently taken with steam boat. Cooking time should be less than 3 minutes, or the healing property would greatly diminish.

My comment : Mushroom is nice, but eating too much of it, especially if it is not thoroughly cooked may cause indigestion and gas reflux.

About 2 years ago, I had a bowl of Japanese noodles with a mixture of mushrooms which were partially cooked. Not long after, I had severe chest pain. I thought it was heart attack. I went to my family doctor who did an ECG for me. The ECG was fine and my doctor attributed the chest pain to gastritis and gas reflux. I was given pain killers and gastric pills with advice that if my condition did not improve, I was to go to the hospital A and E. The pain did not ease off and I felt like my chest was exploding, so I was rushed to A and E.

A more detailed ECG was done and the hospital also said it could not be a heart attack. I was given more painkillers and gastric pills and sent home. After some time the pain subsided, but my chest muscles were very sore the next day. After doing some research and deduction, I realisd that the bowl of noodles with mushrooms was the culprit.

5. Figs
My comment : I have taken figs, more as a healthy snack than for cancer fighting.

6. Garlic - this other site says otherwise
Claim : generally accepted as a natural antibiotic and thought to be able to prevent cancer
My comment : One school of thought said that garlic and red dates should never be consumed together as this combination can cause cancer. Another said garlic should not be taken raw and should be fried lightly to get rid of toxins. I don't eat that much garlic, so I don't really know.

7. Goji berry juice (or Chinese wolfberry - sold through multi-level-marketing)
Claim : improves immune system, has some anti-cancer properties
My comment : I have never tried it.

8. Green Tea
Claim : Supposed to prevent cancer
My comment : I have drank a fair amount of this before and yet I was still hit by cancer.

9. Lemon Grass
Claim : consuming the drink causes cancer cells to commit suicide
My comment : This seems to be quite popular. I have drank it myself and found it pleasant. I have sometimes added it to soups. This is one where there is no harm in consuming, but I cannot comment on the cancer cells committing suicide part, unless I can see with my own eyes cancer cells dying when lemon grass drink is added to it.

10. Mangosteen Juice - (sold through multi-level-marketing)
Claim : support immune system
My comment : I have not tried this.

11. Walnuts, Brazil nuts

This was from an email by another friend :
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - By eating walnuts, women could reduce their risk of breast cancer, researchers said on Tuesday.

Researchers at Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, West Virginia, found that lab mice bred to develop breast cancer had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer if fed the human equivalent of a handful of walnuts a day.

"Walnuts are better than cookies, french fries or potato chips when you need a snack," Elaine Hardman, one of the researchers working on the study, said in a statement.

"We know that a healthy diet overall prevents all manner of chronic diseases," she said.

Hardman said while the study was done with laboratory animals, likely the same mechanism would be at work in people.

"Walnuts contain multiple ingredients that, individually, have been shown to slow cancer growth including omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols," Hardman's team wrote in a summary presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting in Denver.

The researchers used specially bred mice that normally always develop breast cancer. Half got the human equivalent of two ounces of walnuts per day and half got a normal diet.

The mice eating the walnuts had fewer and smaller breast tumors and those that did get them got them later than the other mice.

"These laboratory mice typically have 100 percent tumor incidence at five months; walnut consumption delayed those tumors by at least three weeks,"

Hardman said in a statement. "It is clear that walnuts contribute to a healthy diet that can reduce breast cancer."

The study adds to evidence that omega-3 fatty acids can provide a range of health benefits, from preventing heart disease to lowering cancer risks.

Scientists have been unsure whether the types found in nuts and leafy green vegetables work as well as the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil.

(Reporting by Deborah Charles; Editing by Maggie Fox and Paul Simao)

My comment : I believed most nuts are good, especially walnuts and Brazil nuts, with the exception of peanuts. But how much nuts can we eat in a day?

12. Detox
Claim : clean your system to get rid of toxins and you are fine
My comment : Detox is not for everybody and cannot be done too often. My health condition now is not suitable for detoxing.

There are others, but I think that is all for now.