Alternative Therapies

Cancer Treatments and Supplements Breakdown

This list does not include all and every treatment and/or supplement but does give a good overview of some of the most popular ones used today. Use caution when using any of these and I would recommend getting with a healthcare professional that is familiar with alternative/complementary therapies to help guide you.

A-B | C-D | E-G | H-I | J-O | P-R | S-Z

Ellagic Acid
The Hollings Cancer Institute at the University of South Carolina has conducted a double blind study on a group of 500 cervical cancer patients.  For years now, ongoing studies have shown that a natural product called Ellagic acid is causing so-called G-arrest within 48 hours (inhibiting and stopping mitosis-cancer cell division), and apoptosis (cell death) within 72 hours, for breast, pancreas, esophageal, skin, colon and prostate cancer cells. Ellagic Acid Clinical Tests on cultured human cells also show that it prevents the destruction of the p53 gene by cancer cells. Additional studies suggest that one of the mechanisms by which Ellagic acid inhibits mutagenesis and carcinogenesis is by forming adducts with DNA, thus masking binding sites to be occupied by a mutagen or carcinogenic substance. Ellagic acid can be found in different foods; it is especially effective for those with a genetic predisposition to cancer.  
 
Epican Forte®
Epican Forte™, developed by a German physician, Dr. Mathias Rath, uses four primary nutrients that work together synergistically to inhibit a certain type of enzymatic activity associated with cancer cells . It also strengthens connective tissues that contribute to normal cell growth. These nutrients are Vitamin C, Lysine, Proline, and high-potency standardized green tea extract containing 80% polyphenols. Normally, healthy cells produce certain enzymes that temporarily digest connective tissue so that these cells can move through the body to renew organs and other tissues. In a cancerous condition, this specialized enzymatic process can be inhibited so that excessive cell growth does not occur and the health of organs and other tissues is maintained.  
 
Essiac tea
One of the oldest and most highly regarded of all alternative cancer treatments is Essiac tea.  This tea is comprised primarily of Burdock, Indian Rhubarb, Sheep Sorrel, and Slippery Elm. Note that some companies are substituting yellow dock herb or curly dock herb these days for the sheep sorrel; this is not acceptable. Essiac was used by a Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse (Essiac is her name spelled backward) to successfully treat thousands of cancer patients starting in the 1920s. Claiming the formula was given to her by Canadian Ojibway Indians, she worked tirelessly with cancer patients for decades never charging them a penny. Her reputation grew along with her success much to the displeasure of the Canadian medical profession, and she was arrested and jailed many times for "practicing medicine without a license". At her funeral in 1978 at age 90, hundreds of former cancer patients attended and paid their last respects to her for saving their lives.
 
Far Infrared therapy
Similar to Coley's Toxins and the success of Dr. Josef Issels (see both above), Far Infrared Heat actually helps kill cancer cells, increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reduces the side effects of toxic conventional treatments. In this approach, heat caused by Far Infrared energy artificially raises the temperature of the whole body or specific body part. Far infrared heat energy penetrates deeply—four to five centimeters into the skin, the body’s largest detoxifying organ. Its molecular vibrations “jiggle” the tissues and speed up metabolic exchanges between cells. At the same time, it boosts the body’s regenerative abilities and decreases pain by increasing circulation.
 
Flavonoids
The following came from a March 30, 2000 CNN news report. Written by Miriam Falco:
(CNN) -- A recent study shows that flavonoids, biological compounds found in more than 4,000 fruits and vegetables, seem to inhibit the growth of human cancer cells in laboratory tests. The preliminary findings were presented by KGK Synergize Inc. Thursday at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco. The study was conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and focused on the 22 flavonoids found naturally in orange and tangerine juice. Dr. Najla Guthrie, president of the research company, said the results are "very encouraging" that these compounds could be effective against lung cancer, prostate cancer and melanoma cells. The study also found that synthetically produced flavonoids effectively inhibited the growth of colon cancer cells. Previous research conducted by Guthrie indicated that components found in citrus juices were shown to reduce the growth of human breast cancer cells in laboratory tests.
 

Fucoidan
For years scientists and researchers were puzzled as to why the people in Okinawa, Japan rarely get any kind of cancer and have the world's highest percentage of people over 100. Finally a long chain carbohydrate, called fucoidan, was discovered in a seaweed delicacy Okinawans love called Kombu. It appears to have an amazing array of health producing properties, including the fact that it is lethal to most types of cancer cells. Fucoidan is sometimes referred to as U-fucoidan. Today there are more than 600 scientific studies in the US National Library of Medicine's database regarding the medical use of this amazing substance.
 
GEIPE therapy
First reported in 1959 in Science magazine, Geipe is a gentle form of DC electrotherapy (commonly 2.4 milliamperes at less than 3 volts) administered for only a few days. Current experimental evidence suggests that this new therapy is best suited for treating solid cancers (tumors) such as bladder, bone, brain, breast, cervical, colon, esophageal, kidney, liver, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, rectal, skin, stomach, testicular, throat and uterine. Geipe therapy deactivates the ribonucleotide reductase enzyme cancer cells use for their uncontrolled growth. In a perfect world, this is the ideal form of cancer therapy as it is simple to administer, virtually free and fast acting. As such this phenomena works against it - there is little profit anyone could make. So it remains ignored today by the conventional medical establishment.
 
Gerson's Diet
A rigorous but effective nutritional approach to fighting disease. Max Gerson (1881-1958) became a doctor in Germany in 1907. He developed his diet and detoxification treatments for various cancers in a round-about way. He initially began experimenting with diet to treat his own recurrent migraine headaches, and it worked. Gerson began to treat other patients with skin tuberculosis and other chronic diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, chronic sinusitis, ulcers, colitis, high blood pressure, and psoriasis. In 1928, a woman with cancer came to Gerson and asked him to treat her. Up to this time, Gerson had not treated any cancer patients and knew little about cancer. The woman insisted and Gerson instructed her on his diet regime. Her cancer responded well and other cancer patients came to Gerson for treatments.  He had observed that impaired liver function always predated the appearance of cancer, he believed that the key to recovery was to restore proper function of the liver which was done through various detoxification methods. Gerson also believed it was important to restore a proper sodium/potassium balance as well as provide oxygen to the cells.
 
Germanium
A versatile, health-giving mineral that is found in high concentration in many medicinal plants. Germanium is an oxygen catalyst, antioxidant, electro-¬stimulant and immune enhancer. Researched heavily in both the United States and Europe, Germanium is capable of strengthening the body's immune system, enriching its oxygen supplies and freeing it from toxic substances. Treatment of human cancer patients over almost two decades has occurred in parallel with the careful scientific studies in animals, establishing its anti-cancer action and resulting in a wealth of documentation from the human side, as well as laboratory data.
 
Graviola (See also N-Tense)
Nearly 25 years ago it was discovered that the leaf of the Peruvian Graviola tree contained natural compounds having exceptional cytotoxic activity. In other words, they had a very strong ability to prevent abnormal cellular division. In the early 1990s, extensive independent research--including research by one of today's leading drug companies and by the National Cancer Institute--confirms that the tree's chemical extracts attack and destroy cancer cells with lethal precision. Although not yet tested in wide scale human trials, Graviola has been studied in more than 20 laboratory tests since the 1970s, where it's been shown to effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 different types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung, and pancreatic cancer. Further it is shown to be 10,000 times stronger in killing colon cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug. It exhibits the ability to selectively hunt down and kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells, much unlike chemotherapy. Today it is commonly available on the Internet in pill or liquid form.  
 
Green Tea
Exciting research studies have been published on green tea and its anti-cancer qualities. A recent study from Japan demonstrates that green tea goes way beyond its role as a well-known antioxidant. If the study is confirmed, it will propel the ancient beverage squarely into the middle of 21st century science. One of the factors that set cancer cells apart from normal cells is that they have telomerase, an enzyme that maintains telomeres on the ends of DNA. Most normal cells do not have telomerase to maintain their telomeres. Every time a normal cell divides, telomeres are lost. When all the telomeres are gone, the cell dies. Cancer cells' ability to maintain their telomeres may be the secret to their immortality. Consequently, inhibiting telomerase and causing cancer cells' telomeres to shorten has become a focus of cancer therapy. The first natural telomerase inhibitor has been discovered, green tea. Japanese researchers have been able to show that green tea extract (ECGC) inhibits telomerase of cancer cells in two different types of cancers in the test tube: leukemia and the solid tumor type. Within a month of treatment, some of the cancer cells began dying and within three months most were dead. The experiment has been repeated several times with the same result. Curiously, the telomeres of normal cells will remain unaffected. Extracts of green tea in pill form are now available. 

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