Pain-Less Cancer Therapies
Reagan Houston, MS, PE, February 21, 2011
|
Facts for cancer
patients: 1. Vitamin C
Can Kill Cancers. 2. Doctors cannot prescribe vitamin C
for cancer. State Medical Boards could revoke their license. 3. Patients
can safely and legally take vitamin C to control their cancer. 4. Vitamin C
works for widespread and metastatic
cancers of all types. |
Please choose: 1. Introduction 7. Appendix 8. ÒUnderstanding
Cancer and Natural MedicineÓ
by R. Houston, Townsend Letter. 2008;301/302:109-112 9. ÒVitamins vs
Radiation and ChemotherapyÓ Townsend Letter. 2009; 313/314:60-61/ 10. My book, Vitamins Can Kill Cancer, |
With proper nutrition, cancer changes from a painful, acute disease to a simple, chronic, often 00painless disease. Present cancer therapies of radiation, surgery, hormones and even surgery weaken the body unnecessarily. Unfortunately, we generally avoid the obvious strengthening that good nutrition has demonstrated for thousands of patients.
Doctors treating cancer can use only the approved therapies just mentioned. Vitamin C and nutritional therapies are not approved. Approval comes only from state medical boards. In Texas, for example, the board follows ÒRule 190 et. seq, [which] provides the Board with sole and exclusive authority to determine the charges on the merits, to impose sanctions for violation of the Act or a Board rule, and to issue a Final Order.Ó Note that Rule 190 provides legislative, executive and judicial power to state medical boards! All states have medical boards composed mostly of doctors who put profit above patients. Cheap therapies are not approved. This explains why cancer has become far too expensive and cure rates stagnate.
When your doctor says vitamin C is not approved for cancer, he is following his state medical board but also preserving his job. Fortunately, patients can safely and legally use vitamin C to control their cancer, as explained in this book.
Patients can frequently avoid being sucked into the maelstrom of medical misery. I did. I got well without ever getting sick! For 14 years, I have successfully treated my aggressive prostate cancer mostly with vitamin C and nutrition. In many cases, you can too.
In
1969 The National Cancer Institute1 found that vitamin C killed
cancer cells without harming normal cells. Dr. Abram Hoffer, 2
M.D., Ph.D., developed this laboratory test into a clinically demonstrated
procedure for using vitamin C and other standard supplements to help patients with many types of cancer live longer
and with less pain. This web site is based on improving regular therapies by
strengthening our bodies by adding vitamins and over-the-counter supplements.
The mainline therapies for cancer: surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and
hormones, work quite well and we should continue them. However, they
weaken the body. Many clinical tests show that strengthening the body can
greatly improve the results of using these mainline therapies. Vitamins
and supplements have helped many types of advanced cancer patients live much
longer than those patients not strengthening their bodies.
Linus
Pauling2 estimated that for every 8 patients who die of cancer, 7
could be saved by enough vitamins if started early. Irwin Stone3
said that Òthe cancer problem has been
solved, and all that is needed now is the routine large-scale tests to verify
this conclusion.Ó HofferÕs extensive demonstrations, confirmed by others,
shows that vitamin therapy can be used now and large-scale tests are not
needed.
The author is a chemical engineer, not a physician. He was diagnosed with
early but aggressive prostate cancer. After an initial PSA of 8.1 and a
Gleason of 6, he used vitamins and triple hormones for about 1 year and then
Proscar plus vitamins for the next 13 years. His cancer is nicely in
remission with an average of PSA of 0.6. His latest PSA is 0.34. Normal
PSA is 0 to 4.0. He has never had chemotherapy, radiation, surgery,
or pain. This is written in love to help others who have cancer. He
has no financial interest in any product or service mentioned here except book
sales. This memo may be distributed for noncommercial use, in part or in
full, in whatever manner the reader wishes without further
permission. Please advise author of such use. Reagan Houston, 600
Carolina Village #165, Hendersonville, NC 28792, phone and fax
828-692-3722. Send comments to h@CancerTherapies.org.
This
web site is provided for information only and not as medical advice or
instruction. No action should be taken based solely on this web site;
instead, readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the
risk of all injuries or harm.
Thanks
are due Townsend Letter for publishing several of my articles with some
included here. We also thank Doctors Abram Hoffer and Steve Hickey for
extensive comments and discussion.
Chemotherapy
and radiation are good, standard cancer therapies but even with these,
one-third of cancer patients die in five years.4 Can we improve these therapies? Dr. Abram Hoffer,2 a physician who had earned his Ph.D. in
vitamins and is the author of Vitamin C
and Cancer, chose diet and vitamins to help patients live longer and to
combat the weakening caused by regular therapies. One of HofferÕs early
patients with pancreatic cancer had failed surgery because the tumor at the
head of her pancreas was inoperable. However a bypass was installed. Her doctor
offered no hope. He said she would be dead in three months. But she had hope.
She knew that Norman Cousins (Anatomy of
an Illness) had recovered after his doctors had given up. Cousins had used
15,000 mg/day of vitamin C. Hoffer gave her vitamin C at 35,000 mg/day plus
other supplements. Seven months later a CT scan showed no sign of cancer. Five
years later, she decreased her daily dose of vitamin C. Twenty years after her
terrible prognosis, she died at age 79. Even pancreatic cancer has been
controlled! The American Cancer Society4 reports that 96% of pancreatic cancer patients die within
five years.
Hoffer's Multivitamins.
Beginning
in 1978, Hoffer5,6started a 15-year test on 134 advanced cancer patients.
His approach was to counter the weakening caused by cancer, surgery, radiation,
and chemotherapy by strengthening the body and the immune system. He offered
vitamins, Table 1, and diet (low meat, low sugar, high fruits and vegetables).
In his test group with patients having many types of advanced cancers, those
who refused vitamins lived a median of 2.6 months. Those who
accepted vitamins lived 45 months or 17 times longer.
|
Table 1. Dr. Hoffer's Regimens |
||
|
|
Early |
Later6 |
|
Vitamin
C mg |
12,000 |
12,000 |
|
range |
3,000
to 40,000 |
3,000
to 40,000 |
|
*Vitamin
A, IU |
10-50,000 |
|
|
*Beta
carotene |
30K-75K |
30,000
IU |
|
Vitamin
B complex |
B-50
to B-100 |
1
or 2 of B-100 |
|
Vitamin
D-3 |
5,000
IU |
To
19,000 |
|
Vitamin
E, IU |
300 |
|
|
Vitamin
E succinate |
|
800
IU. |
|
Selenium |
600
mcg |
400
to 600 |
|
Zinc
as citrate |
60
mg |
60
mg |
|
Coenzyme
Q10 |
|
300
IU |
|
Curcumin |
|
300
mg |
|
*Bioperin |
|
15
mg |
|
*
Optional |
|
|
Use
surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy in moderation. Then add pills each
day in divided doses with meals. The vitamin C can be the regular ascorbic
acid, sodium ascorbate or a mixture. Hoffer occasionally included calcium and
magnesium.
Hoffer6 has improved his average regimen by
adding vitamin D3 at 4,000 to 6,000 IU, Coenzyme Q10 at 300 mg and a
combination of curcumin 300 mg with bioperin 15 mg. As a major change,7
he recommends that patients receive 100,000 mg of sodium ascorbate by IV daily.
Actually, his patients usually received only oral vitamin C.
To all of his cancer patients, Hoffer offered the vitamin regimen, diet, and
hope based on the results with earlier patients. Those who accepted vitamins
thus had the advantages of vitamins, diet and hope compared to those who
rejected vitamins. Self-selection is not ideal for statistical purposes, but is
typical of real life. Patients who chose vitamins demonstrated hope and hope
helps healing.
What Types Of Cancer?
Hoffer has
treated over thirty types of cancers with impressive results, Table 2. Most of
his patients had advanced cancers that could not be helped by additional
surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. For example, all 32 of the breast cancer
patients had surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy. The median life of these
very sick patients who chose to take vitamins was 70 months while those without
vitamins had a median life of only 3.7 months.
|
Table 2.
Median Survival of Hoffer's Patients with Various Types of Cancer, Months |
||
|
Type of |
With |
Without |
|
Cancer |
Vitamins |
Vitamins |
|
Breast |
70 |
3.7 |
|
Uterus |
99 |
4.0 |
|
Ovary |
16 |
3.6 |
|
Lung |
17 |
2.0 |
|
Pancreas |
40 |
2.4 |
|
All types |
45 |
2.6 |
High-dose
vitamin C appears to act as an antioxidant in most of the body but as a
cancer-killing oxidant within cancer cells. Hoffer's vitamin therapy Òhas given [his patients] more energy, has improved depression and
anxiety, has created a sense of well being, has eased pain and has often eliminated pain entirely.Ó2
As
reported by Hoffer, Pauling said ÒThe
cancer death rate could be reduced by 25% of its present value...if a
reasonable multivitamin regimen were to be followed regularly by every person.Ó
Cameron's Vitamin C Regimen
Instead of a handful of common vitamins, Dr. Ewan Cameron, MB, ChB,8 Senior Consultant Surgeon in Scotland,
started his patients on vitamin C only. He administered vitamin C in the
form of sodium ascorbate and mostly 10,000 mg/day either orally or
intravenously, IV, for two weeks followed by oral vitamin C
continuously. His vitamin-taking patients lived four times longer than
similar patients at the same hospital who were not given vitamins. Cameron
joined with Dr. Linus Pauling, Ph.D. a double Nobel Laureate, to publish the
results in Cancer and Vitamin C in
1993.
Cameron
described his first very advanced cancer patients. "They responded dramatically indeed, being converted from a hopeless,
terminal 'dying' situation into a hopeful 'recovering' situation." After
8 years and 500 terminal patients with many types of cancer, Cameron concluded
that vitamin C is not a miraculous cure but a major step forward.
Cameron
and a few doctors report "ascorbic acid" when they mean sodium
ascorbate. Ascorbic acid is too acid for intravenous injection. Cameron's
patients took vitamin C as sodium ascorbate solution, Table 3. Intravenous
sodium ascorbate can be made as Cathcart9 indicated.
|
Table 3. Sodium Ascorbate Solution |
|
|
Ascorbic acid |
167 grams |
|
Sodium bicarbonate |
80 grams |
|
(baking soda) |
|
|
Water and then juice to |
1000 ml |
Fifteen
ml taken four times a day preferably with meals provides 10,000 mg/day of
ascorbate. The refrigerated solution has a shelf life of about one month. The
water solution has almost no taste. Add water first and then juice to minimize
foaming.
Example, Prostate Cancer
Cameron
reported many specific cases in considerable detail. Case VÕ was for a retired
navy admiral with widespread prostatic cancer, diagnosed in January 1971 and
confirmed by a biopsy. He refused hormone therapy as possibly feminizing, and
started vitamin C at 8,000 mg/day. After 14 months, the cancer was somewhat
smaller and the dose reduced to 1,000 mg/day. After 2 years, the cancer was
again growing and he increased the dose to 10,000 mg/day. In 1978 surgery was
required to remove the bladder-neck obstruction caused by the cancerous
prostate gland. At this time a bone scan showed metastases to the pelvic bone.
He increased his vitamin C to 12,000 and then 20,000 mg/day, added high doses
of vitamin A and a vegetarian diet with good effect. He suffered a stroke in
1979 but recovered nearly completely. At age 78 and 8 years after diagnosis, he
is active and apparently free cancer symptoms. His unorthodox and unadvisable
treatment, according to Cameron, shows the effect of variable amounts of
vitamin C on changing cancer growth.
Other Regimens
Many other doctors have successively used vitamin C as cancer therapy and
published their results. Irwin Stone, D.Sc.,10 author of The Healing
Factor: Vitamin C against Disease; Robert Cathcart, MD11 a physician in Los Altos, California;
Fukumi Morishige, MD12 in Fukuoka,
Japan and Hugh Riordan, MD13 in Wichita, Kansas, successfully used vitamin C in the form
of intravenous sodium ascorbate. Hoffer was able to successfully use oral
vitamin C by including vitamin E and other vitamins.
Drs. Edward Creagan,14 and Charles
Moertel,15 physicians at Mayo Clinic, used ascorbic
acid at 10,000 mg/day without success. Creagan's randomized test used patients
whose immune system had been decimated by prior chemotherapy. Moertel
administered vitamin C for an average of only 2.5 months although the test
lasted over 14 months. Also, they did not administer IV sodium ascorbate or
other vitamins. Dr. Mary L. Lesperance16 followed most of HofferÕs Average Regimen but omitted vitamin
E and E succinate. She also chose control patients who were less sick than the
test patients. Her test patients did not live longer than the controls.
Importantly, none of these three trials used CameronÕs or HofferÕs regimens.
The regimens of Creagan, Moertel, and Lesperance showed that some regimens do
not work. They do not show that all regimens
for vitamin C do not work.
Immune System Strength
With
a strong immune system, IS, and strong white blood cells, the IS can fight
infections, bacteria, viruses, toxins, poisons, dead cells and other problems.
The white blood cells are weak if the vitamin C level in the blood (called
plasma ascorbate level) is low. Doctors routinely measure white blood cell
count but rarely plasma ascorbate or white blood cell strength.
Ask
your doctor to measure your plasma ascorbate as an indication of your IS
strength. If that doesnÕt work, you can measure it yourself. Suitable urine
dipsticks are available from The Bright Spot.17,18 If the dark blue
spot shows little or no change, your blood ascorbate indicates scurvy or near
scurvy. Light blue-green is normal and light yellow indicates a high plasma
ascorbate and strong white blood cells. Cancer patients recover far better with
a high plasma ascorbate (Personal communication from Dr. J. A. Jackson at the
Bright Spot) Chemotherapy, radiation and cancer all lower the plasma ascorbate
and may cause scurvy.
Scurvy? DidnÕt scurvy disappear when sailors started eating citrus fruit? No! In the last few years, several groups19,20 have had their plasma ascorbate measured. At 3 different hospitals, out patients tested with 5, 6, and 6.3% scurvy. Probably none of them knew they had scurvy since symptoms are so common and variable. At a hospital,19 19% of inpatients had scurvy, as did 30% of cancer patients in a hospice.21 With low plasma ascorbate our health is weakened. If your oncologists says to stay away from crowds to avoid catching something, he is saying what he would say if you had scurvy. While we are fighting cancer, we should fight poor health simultaneously. Vitamin C can be a big part of cancer therapy and good health.
Vitamin C Is Safe
Many
people have taken 30,000 mg/day for years. Several doctors11,13 have given 200,000 mg/day by IV. Some
claim that vitamin C ÒmightÓ cause kidney stones although doctors who give
large doses of vitamin C rarely if ever see stones in these patients. Ascorbic
acid can make the urine acidic to possible dissolve some types of stones.
Excessive vitamin C can cause diarrhea. People with cancer can frequently take
30,000 mg/day while well people have a typical limit of 3,000 to 10,000 mg/day.
If people on therapeutic doses of vitamin C develop diarrhea, the dose should
be reduced. Actually, diarrhea is a useful blessing because it provides a
simple measure of the proper dosage for each individual.11 HofferÕs
patients took from 3,000 to 40,000 mg/day. This illustrates the wide range of
dosages for individual cancer control. Humans cannot make the vitamin C they
need3 although most animals can. A 150-pound goat can make 13,000
mg/day- -a reasonable dose for people with cancer. Hoffer and Cameron both
advised their patients to continue a high dose of vitamin C indefinitely. Table
4 includes some of the precautions, side effects, and alternatives listed by
Riordan.13 However, Cameron and Hoffer did not report that they
followed the precautions in step 5.
|
Table 4. Precautions with High-Dose
Vitamin C |
|
1. Build up the dose by about
1,000 or 2,000 mg/day to minimize diarrhea and other problems. |
|
2. If necessary, decrease the
dose slowly to allow the body to adjust. |
|
3. Vitamin C -- especially
ascorbic acid -- may cause gas, upset stomach or skin itch. If this problem
occurs, consider using sodium ascorbate or calcium ascorbate. |
|
4. Excess sodium intake from
sodium ascorbate is possible. Consider using calcium ascorbate or ascorbic
acid. |
|
5. Some people have a rare
immune deficiency called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme. These
people may not be able to take large, IV doses of vitamin C without getting
acute anemia. |
|
6. For their own safety people
should work with a doctor knowledgeable about vitamins. All people may not be
able to use high doses of vitamin C. |
As
reported in 1969, Dr. L Benade1 et al at the National Cancer Institute found that, in
cultures, vitamin C selectively destroyed cancer cells by generating excess
intracellular H2O2. When vitamin C acts as an antioxidant
and neutralizes free radicals, it produces dehydroascorbate, DHA, an oxidant.
The DHA is then converted to ascorbate and hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, by an
oxidation/reduction process. Cancer cells are less able than normal cells to
neutralize H2O2 because they are deficient in an enzyme
called catalase. Dr. D.B Agus22 et al reported that cancer cells have extra glucose channels
that rapidly bring in glucose and excess DHA. Cancer cells are defective in
that they cannot fully distinguish between glucose and DHA. Normal cells need
and take in DHA, but they can control the amount taken in. This may explain why
vitamin C is safe in large doses for normal cells but toxic to cancer cells.
The good results of Cameron and Hoffer with humans confirm the National Cancer
Institute lab tests.
Boik23 presents
another view of how vitamins might kill cancer. He lists seven traits that
distinguish cancer, Table 5, and vitamins that are or may be therapeutic for
each step. He describes how various vitamins combat each of these traits. He
does not give any test results.
HofferÕs vitamins fight each of the traits with at least four vitamins and
minerals. Vitamin C combats 6 of the 7 traits. Cancer mutates as it tries to
survive but vitamins can continue to combat each trait. Based on the long-term
experiences of Hoffer and Cameron, cancer mutation may not be a problem with
vitamin C. BoikÕs vitamins appear to be better suited to early or less
aggressive cancers. Hoffer and Cameron reported success with very advanced
cancer patients.
|
Table 5. Seven Traits of
Cancer And Their Therapeutic Vitamins |
|
1. Defective DNA or bad
genes, |
|
Vitamins A, C, D, E and selenium |
|
2. Abnormal growth
factors within the cells, |
|
Vitamins A, C, D, E calcium and selenium |
|
3. Abnormal growth
factors outside the cells, |
|
Vitamins A, B-6, B-12, C, D, E and selenium |
|
4. Excess growth despite
surrounding cells and tissue, |
|
Vitamins A, C, D, E and selenium |
|
5. Abnormal blood-vessel
growth, angiogenesis, |
|
Vitamins A, C, D, E and selenium |
|
6. Spread of cancer to
new locations and |
|
Vitamins A, B-12, C, D, E and selenium |
|
7. Ability to hide from
the immune system. |
|
Vitamins A, E, zinc and selenium. |
Hickey
and Roberts24 in their excellent book Ascorbate, The Science of Vitamin C,
2004, carefully explain the basic science and delve deeply into the controversy
of vitamin requirements and therapy results. They list 6 references that
attempt to explain the mechanism by which vitamin C controls cancer. The
important point is that vitamin C does combat cancer with excellent success.
Vitamins without Radiation and
Chemotherapy
Can
vitamins lengthen the lives of patients who do not receive radiation or
chemotherapy? Surgery for operable cancer is usually advisable to remove all or
almost all of the cancer. The body than has less cancer to fight. Radiation
aims to kill cancer locally while chemotherapy works throughout the body. Both
therapies are poisons that kill healthy cells. An unfortunate disadvantage for
standard therapies is that they provide only surgery, radiation, chemotherapy,
and occasionally hormones as tools to fight cancer. When these cease to control
the cancer, the oncologist can only give up or continue radiation and
chemotherapy hoping to give slight hope to the patient. This is often false
hope.15 If given beyond the therapeutic dosage; radiation and
chemotherapy may even shorten the life of the patient while decreasing his
quality of life. Excess chemotherapy may be harmful to the patient but a
placebo for the doctor. However, radiation is often helpful for pain
control, even though not helpful for treating the cancer.
All of Cameron's early 100 patients had had surgery and radiation as
appropriate. Chemotherapy was generally not offered in Scotland at the
time. The use of vitamin C without surgery or radiation was thus
untested. Almost all of Hoffer's early patients had prior surgery,
radiation, and/or chemotherapy as prescribed by their oncologists. Some
patients continued these therapies. Of HofferÕs initial test group of 134
patients, Table 6 describes the results of patients who avoided radiation and
chemotherapy although many had surgery.
|
Table
6. Median Life of Patients Who Avoided Radiation and Chemotherapy, months
after seeing Hoffer |
||
|
Therapy |
With |
Without |
|
|
Vitamins |
Vitamins |
|
No surgery |
16 |
1.6 |
|
With surgery |
68 |
8 |
|
No. of
patients |
43 |
13 |
These results are from a very small group and may not be typical.
Vitamins appear to be better than nothing but this is only indicated.
Medical Politics
Vitamin Acceptance
In
1973 Cameron reported on an experimental but successful clinical test of
vitamin C for 50 cancer patients. However, the medical community says they
require that new cancer therapies pass large, randomized and preferably double
blind tests. In reality, the FDA, acting through the various state medical
boards, will not approve a therapy such as vitamin C because it not profitable
to doctors!! Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy were each accepted in
desperation without randomized tests against each other. Neither radiation nor
chemotherapy can be given randomized, double blind tests versus each other
because of the obvious and debilitating side effects. These therapies were
accepted in comparison with historic experience. To require vitamins to pass
tests that radiation and chemotherapies have not and cannot pass raises
questionable logic. Based on common sense, the randomized and double blind
tests should be required only on poisonous or hazardous therapies.
Hickey24 gives a thorough review of how to
evaluate a proposed therapy. A few simple questions are sufficient:
1. Has it helped others?
2. Might it help me?
3. Is it safe?
4. Does it assist other therapies?
Vitamins rate ÔyesÕ on all questions. The new question becomes, "Doctor, why are you not giving me high-dose vitamin C?"
There are reasons that oncologists don't administer high-dose vitamin C, but
are they good reasons? Many doctors object to people taking antioxidants
simultaneously with radiation or chemotherapy because they believe that the
vitamin C, acting as an antioxidant, ÒmightÓ protect the cancer cells. However
Davis W. Lamson,25 M.S., N.D.,
summarized thirty-six clinical tests where antioxidants were used with
radiation or chemotherapy. The antioxidants were helpful in thirty-one cases,
neutral or possibly helpful in five and adverse in none. Judith O. Stoute26 reviewed 44 articles regarding the use
of vitamin C with chemotherapy. She found 36 positive studies or reviews, one
neutral study, 2 negative reviews and 4 responses to the negative reviews.
Because vitamin C, radiation, and some chemotherapies appear to kill cancer by
a similar mechanism, vitamin C can generally be used with radiation and
chemotherapy.
Oncologists are trained in the use of mainline therapies. They are frequently
not allowed by peer pressure or state medical boards to recommend ÒunapprovedÓ
therapies such as vitamin C. Doctors are not allowed to recommend other doctors
or patients who know about vitamins as therapy. Doctors donÕt want their
peers or prospective patients calling them quacks! Doctors knowledgeable about
vitamins are not allowed to treat cancer but they can strengthen people with
cancer. This distinction is important and most useful. Patients can
decide to take vitamin C and tell their doctors. They should not ask their
doctors to approve vitamin C—doctors could lose income and stature. Many
doctors work with patients who are taking vitamin C. Patients need oncologists
and their extensive knowledge.
Doctors
who can assist cancer patients with nutrition and vitamins may be located at
The American College for Advancement of Medicine (www.acam.org). Also the phone
book may list integrative, complementary, or alternative doctors. One can
inquire of dietitians, home care nurses, compounding pharmacists,
chiropractors, naturopathic physicians, and support group members to locate
medical professionals who know vitamins.
Medical Politics, c/o
State Medical Boards
FACTS:
1. Vitamin C Can Kill Cancers.
2. Doctors cannot prescribe vitamin C for cancer. State
Medical Boards could revoke their license.
3. Patients can safely and legally take vitamin C to control their cancer.
4. Vitamin C works for widespread and metastatic cancers of all types.
Why doctors canÕt prescribe vitamin C for cancer patients:
Every state has a state medical board authorized to certify doctors and approve safe and effective therapies. The problem is in the application or this simple law. The boards choose to approve only expensive drugs and therapies. Radiation and chemotherapy are approved because they are profitable to the cancer community. Vitamin C for cancer therapy is not approved since it is cheap and does not require a doctor. State medical boards penalize only a few doctors but put fear into many doctors who use or might use vitamin C to treat cancer, heart attack, autism or other diseases. Low cost therapies are not approved.
A therapy can be approved only by arbitrary state medical boards, not by peer reviewed clinical tests. For example Jesus Caquias, MD. was accused of ÒIV vitamin infusionÓ and Òinappropriate treatmentÓ and Òfailure to treat patient according to generally accepted standard of care.Ó Judgment was based on ÒRule 190 et. seq., [which] provides the Board with sole and exclusive authority to determine the charges on the merits, to impose sanctions for violation of the Act or a Board rule, and to issue a Final Order.Ó Note that Rule 190 provides legislative, executive and judicial power to doctors who put profit ahead of patients!
Reference: Barrett, Stephen. More disciplinary
action against Jesus Caquias. Casewatch,
Downloaded 10/10/2010. http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/caquias/2010_complaint.shtml.
But the power of state medical boards is limited. Patients can safely and legally take high-dose vitamin C. Dr. Abram HofferÕs regimen is safe, simple and easy to do. It uses available, over the counter supplements. In one test, advanced cancer patients of many types lived about 4 times as long as similar (not matched) patients who were offered HofferÕs vitamins but refused. His therapy does not cause pain and frequently reduces or even eliminates pain.
Patients have a big advantage when they know why doctors cannot prescribe high-dose vitamin C but that patients can take them. I suggest that current cancer patients discuss with their doctors about adding vitamin C to their present therapies of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormones.
HofferÕs regimen should also be good for preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Vitamin C changes cancer from a wicked disease into an easy, chronic disease. HofferÕs easy chronic disease therapy is actually a good lifestyle to prevent cancer, heart disease and other maladies.
As I see it, cancer pain and deaths can be
greatly decreased, starting right now. For many cancers, HofferÕs multivitamin
therapy might well be the initial therapy for all types and stages of cancer
for the first week or month or more.
For some patients, his
multivitamins may be the only therapy needed.
The
author was diagnosed 14 years ago with aggressive prostate cancer. He refused
radiation but chose short-term hormones plus HofferÕs regimen. He is in
remission with no surgery ... no radiation ... no chemotherapy ... no pain or
fear ... no hospitalization ... and almost no side effects. Vitamins worked for
him!
Tests on Vitamins
Large, randomized tests are useful for poisonous therapies that are expected to
show small improvements. These tests are sufficiently expensive that the drug
companies will probably never support low-profit vitamins. The U.S. government,
in close contact with the drug companies, has not repeated either Cameron's or
Hoffer's therapy. Creagan's and Moertel's two tests with different procedures
and results did not show that vitamin C to be harmful. Their claim (that
vitamin C does not help cancer patients) applies only to their regimens.
Cameron's clinical trial (even with retrospectively matched controls) is
convincing because the vitamin-taking patients lived four times as long as
those without vitamin C. Hoffer's multivitamin detailed results are also
convincing. Many doctors have used high-dose vitamins for cancer therapy: 1,300
patients by Hoffer and 1,000 by Cameron. They believe that vitamins for cancer
therapy are sufficiently tested that they can now be used with proper medical
supervision.
As Hickey points out, the benefits of ascorbate therapy clearly outweigh the
risks.
Patient Options
Patients
in a hospice situation have much to gain from ascorbate vitamins. CameronÕs
early patients would mostly qualify as hospice-like. Many of CameronÕs patients
improved from bedridden to comfortably at home. An oncologist at a
hospice realizes that surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy have helped as much
as they can and doctors knowledgeable about vitamins are available. Terminal
patients are frequently willing to try experimental therapies. Terminal
patients often enter experimental clinical trials. In these tests half of the
patients often get a placebo and thus are not helped. Vitamins are safer
and offer more hope to terminal patients--hope based on clinical trials of over
a thousand people. CameronÕs first patients were too sick to be helped by
regular therapies but vitamin C did help them considerably and also reduced
their pain. Patients with an initial cancer diagnosis might also consider
Cameron's or Hoffer's vitamin therapy. This situation is less tested but
general experience says that early treatments often work better than the same
treatment given later.
The government's recommended amount of vitamins is based on healthy people.
Sick patients need extra vitamins. Hoffer's success is at least partly due to a
good diet and extra vitamins. Some patients, at their own risk, may
quietly add vitamins to regular therapies without the knowledge of their
oncologist. Keeping everyone fully involved is safer.
Discussion
Regular cancer
therapies are only moderately successful. CameronÕs vitamin C therapy and
HofferÕs multivitamin cancer therapies are reasonably well tested even if not
given a randomized, double blind test. Vitamin C is very safe and its side
effects are temporary. A therapy based on work at the National Cancer Institute
may explain why vitamin C, an antioxidant, can act as an oxidant within cancer
cells. This mechanism applies to all types of cancer that take in excess
glucose. This may explain why Hoffer obtained good results with 30 types of
cancer. We have the hope that all, yes all, cancer patients may eventually
be helped by HofferÕs safe and economical therapy.
The therapies of Cameron and Hoffer have not been given randomized tests and
probably wonÕt--for lack of money. Most oncologists do not study vitamins as
cancer therapy and are not trained or allowed to prescribe vitamins as cancer
therapy. Doctors knowledgeable about vitamins but not certified as
oncologists can prescribe vitamins to strengthen cancer patients but not as
cancer therapy. Thus two types of doctors may be needed for a patientÕs care
and safety. Vitamin therapies may be given to terminal cancer patients under
proper medical supervision.
The
advantages of vitamin C are tabulated in Table 7.
|
Table 7. Advantages of Vitamin C
Therapies1,2,6,8 |
|
¥ Systemic therapy rather than
local, |
|
¥ No long-term side effects, |
|
¥ Often relieve pain within two
weeks, |
|
¥ Fifteen-year clinical test
with 134 patients by Hoffer |
|
¥ Over 1,300 patients treated
by Hoffer and 1,000 by Cameron |
|
¥ Helpful with most or all
types of cancer, |
|
¥ Apparently are not limited by
cancer mutation, |
|
¥ Economical |
|
¥ Materials available over the
counter (use with professional
supervision for safety) |
|
¥ Safe for use now but
development should improve results. |
|
á
Doctors can allow vitamin C therapy but only if patients
ask/demand vitamin C. |
Conclusion
Although CameronÕs and HofferÕs vitamin therapies are demonstrated effective,
they are Ôunapproved. ÔUnapproved does not mean unworkable or unsafe.
Unapproved is a political conclusion of the Federal Drug Administration, and
state medical boards. Radiation and chemotherapies were accepted by
comparison with existing therapies. Vitamin therapies, being very safe,
can also be accepted by comparison with historic results. Patients
choosing vitamin therapy should work proper medical supervision for their own
safety and for best results.
Patients with any stage or type of cancer
might well consider Doctor HofferÕs multivitamin therapy for the first week or
month. Reduction of pain, symptoms or cancer size indicates that multivitamins
might well be continued longer.
*******************************************************************************************
The author, a research chemical engineer, was leader of a prostate cancer
support group. When his prostate cancer was diagnosed fourteen years ago,
his PSA, a measure of the cancer, was eight and doubling every six months -- a
sign of aggressive cancer. A PSA of four or less is normal. He chose
intermittent triple hormone therapy (Lupron, Eulexin and Proscar) and Hoffer
type vitamins, both highly experimental in 1997. After one year, he stopped the
Lupron and Eulexin but continued the Proscar and vitamins. His PSA has averaged
0.6 for the last 12 years and is now 0.3. He has never had nor needed surgery
... chemotherapy ... radiation of any kind ... pain ... or hospitalization for
cancer. He has never had pain from
cancer or its therapy.
References for Vitamins, Cancer, and
Hope
1. Benade L, Howard T and Burke
D. Synergistic killings of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells by ascorbate and 3
amino-1, 2, 4-triazole. Oncology.1969;23:33-43.
2. Hoffer A. Vitamin C and cancer, discovery, recovery, controversy. 2000,
Kingston, Ontario: Quarry Press.
3. Stone I. Scurvy and the cancer
problem. American Laboratory.
September 1976: 21-30.
4. Cancer facts and figures 2005.
American Cancer Society. American
Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA.
5. Hoffer A and Pauling L. Hardin
Jones biostatistical analysis of mortality data for cohorts of cancer patients
with a large fraction surviving at the termination of the study and a
comparison of survival times of cancer patients receiving large regular doses
of vitamin C and other nutrients with similar patients not receiving those doses.
J of Orthomolecular Medicine.
1990;5:143-154.
6. Hoffer A and Pauling L. Hardin Jones
biostatistical analysis of mortality data for a second set of cohorts of cancer
patients with a large fraction surviving at the termination of the study and a
comparison of survival times of cancer patients not receiving these doses. J of Orthomolecular Medicine.1993;8:1547-167.
7. Letter, A. Hoffer to R.
Houston, January 18, 2005.
8. Cameron E and Pauling L. Cancer and Vitamin C. 1993,
Philadelphia, PA: Camino Books.
9. Cathcart RF. Preparation of
Sodium Ascorbate for IV and IM Use (For M.D.'s only). Downloaded July 1,
2005, http://www.doctoryourself.com/vitciv.html.
10. Stone I, The healing factor -- vitamin C against disease. 1972, New York,
NY: Grosset and Dunlap.
11. Cathcart RF. Vitamin C,
titrating to bowel tolerance, anascorbia, and acute induced scurvy. Medical Hypotheses.1981;7:1359-1376.
12. Morishige F & Murata A.
Prolongation of survival in terminal human cancer by administration of
supplemental ascorbate. Journal of
International Academy of Preventative Medicine.1979;5:47-52.
13. Riordan NH, Riordan HD, Meng
X, Li Y and Jackson JA. Intravenous ascorbate as a tumor cytotoxic
chemotherapeutic agent. Medical
Hypotheses.
1995;44:207-213.
14. Creagan ET, Moertel CG,
O'Fallon JR et al. Failure of high-dose vitamin C (ascorbic acid) therapy to
benefit patients with advanced cancer. New
England J of Medicine.1979;301:687-690.
15. Moertel CG, Fleming TR,
Creagan ET, Rubin J, OÕConnell MJ and Ames MM. High-dose vitamin C versus
placebo in the treatment of patients with advanced cancer who have had no prior
chemotherapy. New England J of Medicine.
1985;312:137-41.
16. Lesperance ML, Olivotto IA,
Forde N et al. Mega-dose vitamins and minerals in the treatment of
non-metastatic breast cancer: an historical cohort study. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2002;76:137-143.
17. The Bright Spot, 3100 N. Hillside Ave., Wichita, KS, 67219, phone 800-447-7276, Fifty dipsticks cost about $16.00
including shipping.
18. Jackson JA, Wong K, Krier C and Riordan HD. Screening
for vitamin C in the urine: is it clinically significant?
Journal of
Orthomolecular Medicine,
2005;204(4):259-262 and personal communication May 31, 2008.).
19. Gan R, Eintracht S and Hoffer J. Vitamin C deficiency in a
university teaching hospital. J of
American College of Nutrition. 2008;27(3):428-433.
20. Johnston CS and Thompson LL.
Vitamin C status of an outpatient population. J of the American College of Nutrition. 1998;17(40):366-370.
21. Mayland CR, Bennett MI and Allan
K. Vitamin C deficiency in cancer patients. Palliative
Medicine. 2006;19:17-20.
22. Agus DB, Vera JC and Golde
DW. Stromal cell oxidation: a mechanism by which tumors obtain vitamin C. Cancer Research. 1999;59:4555-4558.
23. Boik J. Natural compounds in cancer therapy. 2001, Princeton, Mn: Oregon
Medical Press.
24. Hickey S & Roberts H. Ascorbate, The Science of Vitamin C.2004,
United Kingdom: Lightning Source UK.
25. Lamson DW and Brignall MS.
Antioxidants and cancer therapy II: quick reference guide. Alternative Medical Review. 2000;5(2):152-163.
26. Stoute JA. The use of vitamin
C with chemotherapy in cancer treatment: an annotated bibliography. J of Orthomolecular Medicine.
2004;19(4):198-245.
Other
Cancer Therapies
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is an optional therapy that may be added to the vitamin therapy.
Coenzyme Q10 or Co Q10 is a vitamin or vitamin-like enzyme that is present in
foods and also made by the body. Absorption varies from person to person.
Oil based gel caps allow better absorption than dry pills. Co Q10
strengthens the immune system and is basic to the energy production of every
cell in the body. It strengthens white blood cells rather than just
producing more of them. It helps the T cells to recognize cancer cells. Co
Q10 reportedly can minimize high blood pressure, heart attack, angina,
periodontal disease, lack of energy and obesity. Co Q10 also has
cancer-killing abilities.
As you might expect from this wide list of helps, it can extend the life of
animals and probably humans. For example, few mice of one type live longer
than 104 weeks. In one test, half of the cancer-free mice were given
weekly injections of Co Q10 when they were 68 weeks old. That is already old
for a mouse. At week 96, 70 % of the controls had died of old age but only
40 % of the treated mice. At week 104, all of the control mice were dead
but 40 % of the treated mice were still alive. All of the treated mice
were dead by week 150.
In one small test 15 patients had hormone refractory prostate cancer and a
rising PSA. They were given 600 mg/day of oil based Co Q10. In 100
days, 10 of the patients (67 %) had shrinkage of the prostate gland size and
stabilized PSA readings. Excellent. Therapies that work fairly well
with advanced cancer often work wonderfully well for early cancer.
Apparently 10 % of the Japanese do or did take Co Q10. For them it is a
prescription drug. In Denmark, Lockwood1-3 had 32 breast cancer patients whose
cancer had spread to the lymph nodes. The regular treatment protocol
included vitamin C 2850 mg, vitamin E 2500 I.U., beta carotene 32.5 I.U.,
selenium 387 mcg, linolenic acid (an omega 3 essential fatty acid) 3.5
gm. To the test patients, Lockwood added Co Q10 at 90 mg. Results
were excellent in the 18-month trial.
1. None died although 4 deaths
were expected.
2. There was no sign of further
distant spread of the cancer.
3. Their Quality of Life
improved. None lost weight and there was reduced use of painkillers.
4. 6 patients of the 32 showed
partial remission.
5. For two of these 6, the Co Q10
was increased from 90 to 300 and 390 mg/day. After 2 months, x-ray showed
an absence of the tumor in one patient. The other patient had had a
lumpectomy that did not remove the entire tumor. After 3 months at 390 mg
there was no residual tumor. This was not a good test procedure but indicate a
possible, safe and painless therapy.
Folkers4 found increased survival of 5 to 15
years in 8 case studies. Most studies of Co Q10 have been on the
cardiovascular system and periodontal disease. Cancer is third in
studies. The common connection is probably strengthening the immune
system.
References for CoQ10
1. Lockwood K. Apparent partial
remission of breast cancer in Ôhigh riskÕ patients supplemented with
nutritional antioxidants, essential fatty acids and coenzyme Q10. Molecular Aspects of Medicine. 1994;15
Suppl: s231-40.
2. Lockwood K. Progress on therapy of
breast cancer with vitamin Q10 and the regression of metastases. Biochemical Biophysical Research
Communications.1995 July 6; 212(1):172-177.
3. Lockwood K. Partial and Complete
Regression of Breast Cancer in Patients in Relation to Dosage of Coenzyme Q10. Biochemical and Biophysical Research
Communications.March 30, 1994;199(3):1504-1508.
4. Folkers K. Survival of cancer
patients on therapy with coenzyme Q10. Biochemical
Biophysical Research Communications. April 15, 1993;192(1):241-5.
Flaxseed Oil and Cottage Cheese
Flaxseed and flaxseed oil sound too simple to be a cancer therapy. Yet
there is strong technical evidence to show that flaxseed helps. Combining
flaxseed oil with cottage cheese gives a spectacular set of
testimonials. For someone dying of advanced cancer, the combination has
essentially no risk, negligible cost but great hope and a reasonable
possibility of cancer remission. It appears that actual tests on a specific
group of patients have not been reported. But if patients have advanced
cancer, what have they got to lose? More important, what have they got to
gain? Life!
Testimonials indicate that many advanced cancer patients taking flaxseed oil
and cottage cheese can have good pain relief within 2 weeks. Measurable
improvement in the cancer size and blood cell counts can be expected within
about 3 months if the therapy is working for a particular patient. Side
effects are apparently negligible.
The procedure for using flaxseed oil, FO, is simple. For a 150-pound
person, 3 to 6 tablespoons, TBS, of fresh flaxseed oil are thoroughly mixed
with half to 1 cup of low fat cottage cheese, then flavored to taste such as
with fruit, onion or honey and eaten in one or more servings during the
day. The success rate is unknown but some reports give 90 % with many
types of cancer including breast and prostate cancer. In a few cases where
the patient could not swallow, therapy was started by an enema of flaxseed oil
and skim milk.
There are important warnings. The flaxseed oil must be cold pressed and
kept refrigerated to prevent oxidation of the omega 3 fatty acid. If it tastes
bad, it is. In local health food stores, ÒBarleanÕsÓ is one brand. Storage
life of the oil is 1 year in the freezer and 4 months in the
refrigerator. Do not substitute any pills or processed or heated flaxseed
product for the oil. Three TBS. of flaxseed can be used instead of one of
the TBS of flaxseed oil if the seed is ground (in a coffee grinder) immediately
before mixing with the cottage cheese. Do not grind more than will be consumed
in one day. After the cancer is in remission, the above dosage can be cut
but FO and cottage cheese must be continued or the cancer will return.
Dr. Johanna Budwig, M. D.1,2 in Germany
apparently developed and publicized the flaxseed oil and cottage cheese
therapy. Budwig developed the steps of using very fresh flaxseed oil and
mixing it with low fat cottage cheese before consumption. For some
patients, she recommended a low sugar and vegetarian diet as well as FO.
Budwig
claims that cottage cheese is a necessary ingredient for cancer therapy and
that without cottage cheese, flaxseed oil is harmful to cancer
patients. Dr. Charles E. Myers, Jr., M. D.,3 also advises against flaxseed oil for prostate cancer
patients. He cites several studies showing that flaxseed oil increases the
risk of getting prostate cancer. Dr. Myers did not comment on cottage cheese
with the flaxseed oil therapy.
Some patients have taken chemotherapy or radiation with FO. Frequently the
white blood cell count will go up or not drop as rapidly as a doctor would
expect. Some of these patients have continued FO therapy only and gone
into remission. Some patients who continued FO plus chemotherapy or
radiation have DIED. A possible guess as to the cause is that the FO
improved the blood cell counts more than it strengthened the bodyÕs ability to
withstand chemotherapy or radiation. This could lead the doctor to give an
excessive dose. As a possible alternate, a patient can consider continuing the
FO, discontinuing or minimizing the chemotherapy or radiation but checking
frequently to see if the cancer is going into or staying in remission. Remember,
vitamin therapy strengthens the immune system while chemotherapy and radiation
weaken it. In addition to cancer, flaxseed oil and cottage cheese are reported
by some to also be good for arthritis, cardiovascular health, diabetes, energy,
and impotence.
The effectiveness of flaxseed oil and cottage cheese has not been proven nor do
I know of a good demonstration. Boik4 lists good technical references on flaxseed and omega 3 fatty
acids. Karmali5 finds that omega 3
fatty acids and flaxseed oil are beneficial in the control of DU-145 human
prostate cancer implanted in mice. Other references are included.
Flaxseed oil contains 55 % of an omega 3 fatty acid called linolenic
acid. Linolenic acid tends to balance the omega 6, hydrogenated, and
saturated fatty acids that we consume. Boik lists the following ways in
which omega 3 fatty acid can help control cancer.
1. Inhibits the development of colon
and pancreatic cancers.
2. Inhibits the growth of prostate,
mammary, colon and pancreatic cancers.
3. Increase the fluidity of tumor cell
membranes and thus their sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs.
4. Omega 3 fatty acid is cytotoxic to
human breast, prostate and lung cancer cells but not toward normal cells when
tested in cultures.
5. Increases the amount of
prostaglandin PGE3, which is good, and decreases the amount of PGE2. PGE2
promotes the spread of cancer to the bone, decreases survival, and inhibits
natural killer cell activity.
6. Decreases new blood vessel growth,
angiogenesis.
7. Decreases cachexia or body wasting
which finally kills many cancer patients.
The following anecdotes are by permission from Cliff Beckwith.
ÒIn
ÔHow to Fight Cancer and WinÕ,6 an
account is given of a young women, 35, who had cancer so advanced she could no
longer eat. She was given enemas of flaxseed oil and skim milk. In a
short time she was able to eat and in 3 months she was home taking care of the
family.Ó
In another case from a man using flaxseed oil and cottage cheese: Òthe doctor
said his bladder had crystallized and lost its elasticity. He couldnÕt
stay out of the bathroom 15 minutes... The doctor said it was a condition heÕd
just have to live with. After taking flaxseed oil and cottage cheese for a
while, he went to the doctor for a physical. ...The doctor examined him and
said, ÔMr. C., youÕve had cancer in your bladder and itÕs gone. The
bladder is elastic again and everything is back to normal.ÕÓ
ÒA friend of ours has an uncle, 72, who was badly off with prostate cancer and
preparing to die...He got the information and began using the oil. We
didnÕt hear for some time, but one day I saw his brother-in-law and he said,
ÔOh, heÕs doing great! HeÕs going to meetings and thereÕs no more thought
of dying. HeÕs telling everyone about the value of flax oilÕ.Ó
Flaxseed Alone
Dr. Wendy Demark-Wahnefried,7 a
research professor at Duke University, had a prostate cancer patient whose
biopsy showed high levels of pre-cancerous cells throughout his prostate
gland. He was put on a low fat (20 %) diet plus 30 grams (3 tablespoons)
of freshly ground flaxseed. Cottage cheese was not included. Three months
later, his PSA had fallen from 5.9 to 2.7. Six months after the start, his
PSA was 2.6 and a biopsy indicated a complete absence of pre-cancerous
cells. Next, she worked with about two dozen patients who were scheduled
to have a radical prostatectomy. They were put on about the same
diet. In 2 to 3 weeks, their average cholesterol dropped from 196 to 162
mg/dl. For those patients who started with a Gleason score of 6 or less,
the average PSA dropped from 8.3 to 6.7. Pathological examination of the
prostate showed beneficial changes, even in this short period. The authors
commented, ÒThese data provide evidence that a flaxseed supplemented, fat
restricted diet may have a biological effect on established prostate cancer
which may be mediated through a hormonal mechanism ...Ó The lignan in
flaxseed is estrogenic and may act similarly to Lupron.
Testimonials are generally a poor basis for choosing a therapy. However
the cost and hazards are minimal with flax.
References for Flax
1. Erasmus, Udo. Fats That Heal - Fats That Kill. 1993,
Vancouver, British Columbia:Alive Books.
2. Budwig, Johanna, M.D. Flaxoil As a True Aid Against Arthritis,
Heart Infraction, Cancer and Other Diseases.1994, Vancouver, BC: Apple
Publishing Co.
3. Myers CE, Prostate Forum, August 2000.
4. Boik, John. Cancer & Natural Medicine. 1996, Princeton, MN: Oregon Medical
Press.
5. Karmali, Rashid. The effects of
dietary omega-3 fatty acids on the DU-145 transplantable human prostatic tumor.
Anticancer Research.
1987;7:1173-1180.
6. Fisher W. How to Fight Cancer and Win. 1997, Baltimore, MD:Fischer
Publishing Corp.
7. Demark-Wahnefried Wendy. Cancer Communication Newsletter.April,
2000;7.
8. Simopoulos, Artemis and Robinson J. The Omega Plan(hard cover) or The Omega Diet (paperback). 1998, New
York, NY:HarperCollins.
9. Gillian EC. et al. The effect on
human tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 production on diets enriched in
n-3 fatty acids. Am Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, 1996;63.
10. Yan L et al. Dietary flaxseed
supplementation and experimental metastasis of melanoma cells in mice. Cancer Letters.1998;124(2):181-6.
11. Thompson LU et al. Flaxseed and its
lignan and oil components reduce mammary tumor growth at a late stage of
carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis.1996;17(6):1373-6.
Essiac Tea
Essiac tea as a cancer therapy is supported by thousands of favorable
testimonials1,2,3 but no formal studies. Essiac (EE
see ak) is Caisse spelled backward. Rene Caisse was a Canadian nurse who
got the formula from an Indian woman. Caisse tested and improved it over
the years. She was afraid that if she disclosed the formula, the
government would outlaw it or make it very expensive. Eventually she sold
the 4-herb formula to the Resperin Corp. She expected that they would develop
and distribute the tea. They did not. Later she worked with Dr.
Charles Brusch, MD, who was a physician to President John F.
Kennedy. Brusch was able to buy the 8-herb formula that she developed
later.
Numerous companies sell Essiac tea even though the exact or real formula is in
doubt. Several brands seem to work. One published formula gives 16 oz of
Sheep Sorrel Herb (Rumex Acetosella), 6.5 cups of Burdock Root (Arctium Lappa),
1 oz of Turkey Rhubarb Root (Rheum Palmatum) and 4 oz of Slippery Elm Bark
(Ulmus Fulva) to make about 4 gallons of tea. Local health stores sell
ÒFlor-EssenceÓ brand for about $25 a box. This contains 3 packets which
each make 32 ounces of tea. One box is enough for 2 to 6 weeks. For
advanced cancer, some people start with 6 oz. per day and drop to 4 or 2 oz
when the symptoms decrease significantly. Caisse recommended a maintenance dose
of 1 oz. The tea can be taken in 2 oz portions somewhat before a meal or 1
to 2 hours after a meal. This brand also sells a liquid version to use.
Side effects of the tea reportedly are few and usually due to taking too much,
such as 12 oz. per day. Possible side effects include aches in the lower
back or head, flu-like feelings, allergy, itches or diarrhea. By all
means, work with a cooperative doctor. Since a patient is likely to use
other therapies along with Essiac tea, the doctor might want to check liver and
cardiovascular functions. The doctor may be able to verify measurable results
in 3 months if the therapy is working. Obviously a healthy life style is
important. Stop smoking, eat your vegetables, and do all those things your
mother told you.
References for Essiac
1. Glum, Gary. Calling of an Angel. 1988, Los Angeles,
CA:Silent Walker Publishing, ISBN 0-9620364-0-4 1988.
2. Fraser, Sheila S. & Allen,
Carroll. Could Essiac Halt Cancer? HomemakersÕ
Magazine. 1977;June/July/August.
3. Thomas R. The Essiac Report. 1993, Los Angeles, CA:The Alternative Treatment
Information Network.
Melatonin
Ah, that wee sleeping pill that sometimes helps with jet lag. As a strong
antioxidant, it is effective against two types of free radicals. It
increases the expression of p53 in breast and other cancers.1 Thus
melatonin can significantly reduce cell proliferation. It modifies many
cytokines such as TNF and some interleukins to help the body resist cancer.2
Lissoni3 found that 20 mg/day slowed cancer
progression to 53 % in test patients vs 90 % in controls receiving only
supportive care. Melatonin was helpful with cisplatin-refractory non-small cell
lung cancer,4 brain cancer metastases and malignant
melanoma. Animal tests indicate that doses as high as 250 mg/kg are
nontoxic. Take melatonin near bedtime, as it is a sleeping pill. As
always, check with your doctor first.
References for Melatonin
1. Peller S. Clinical implications of
p53: effect on prognosis, tumor progression and chemotherapy response. Semin Cancer Biology.1998;8:379-387.
2. Neri B et al, Melatonin as a
biological response modifier in cancer patients. Anticancer Research.1998;18:1329-1332.
3. Lissoni P et al. Is there a role for
melatonin in the treatment on neoplastic cachexia. Euro J Cancer.1996;32A:1340-1343.
4. Lissoni P et al. Randomized study
with pineal hormone melatonin versus supportive care alone in advanced
non-small cell lung cancer resistant to first-line chemotherapy containing
cisplatin. Oncology.1992;49:336-339.
5. Lissoni P et al. A randomized study
with subcutaneous low-dose interlukin 2 alone vs. Interlukin 2 plus the pineal
neurohormone melatonin in advanced neoplasms. British J Cancer.1994;69:196-199.
6. Lissoni P et al. Endocrine and
immune effects of melatonin therapy in metastastic cancer patients. Euro J Cancer Clin Oncology.
1989;25:789-795.
7. Lissoni P et al. A randomized study
with subcutaneous low-dose interlukin 2 alone vs. interlukin 2 plus the pineal
neurohormone melatonin...for advanced lung cancer. Tumori.1994;80:464-467.
8. Mediavilla MD et al. Melatonin
increases p53 and p21WAF1 expression in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in
vitro. Life Science. 1999;65:415-420.
Aredia for Pain Control in Bone Cancer
Aredia, palmadronate, a prescription drug, was initially used as a therapy for
osteoporosis since it helped to prevent the loss of bone and frequently to
restore bone mass. However, cancer loves bone and Aredia was found to
relieve bone pain, prevent loss of bone due to cancer, reduce excess calcium in
the blood, improve the quality of life for cancer patients, and (at high doses)
possibly lengthen ones life.
As cancer eats bone, two things happen. Pain is obvious. The other is
that, as the cancer eats bone, the byproducts cause the cancer to grow much
faster. Aredia, a bisphosphonate, is strongly attracted to
bone. Aredia appears to coat the bone to slow down the cancer
growth. Aredia is usually administered as a 4 hour IV.
The Physicians Desk Reference recommends doses such as 60 or 90 mg once per
month for osteoporosis. Some doctors give a small dose initially to test
for adverse reaction, then 150 mg/day for 3 days and then 90 to 150 mg
monthly. Since Aredia is more effective at slowing cancer growth than in
killing cancer, it is frequently used with chemotherapy drugs. Most of
Aredia is adsorbed on the bones where some of it remains for about 300
hours. The rest of the Aredia in the body has a half-life of about 26
hours. From this it follows that single large doses may be better than
frequent, small doses. In large doses, Aredia may be effective against
non-bone solid tumors and may lengthen life.
Aredia is apparently not effective against rapidly growing cancer. Most
tests have been done with multiple myeloma (spinal), breast, and prostate
cancer. In 20 or 30% of patients, Aredia causes flu-like symptoms for 2 or
3 days. In one quite sick man, symptoms lasted about 2 weeks. Lack of
calcium intake caused pain for one person. Irritation at the injection
point, nausea, and a 1 deg. C fever are also reported. Aredia was
successful at decreasing pain in half of the patients. It is also good at
stabilizing or regressing cancer and at preventing bone fractures and spinal
compression.
For those men who have prostate cancer and take Lupron or Zoladex, these
hormones can cause osteoporosis. If they experience joint pain from the
hormones, Aredia and Fosamax might help. This has not been
tested. There are many bisphosphonates with Aredia, Fosamax,
and Risedronate (Zometa) being the ones approved in the U. S. Zometa can
be given in a 1 hour IV. Before starting Zometa, check to see if any dental
work needs to be done. Narcosis of the jaw bone happens occasionally with
various bisphosphonates.
References and Summaries for Aredia
1. Berenson JR et al. New England Journal of Medicine.1996;334(8):488-93,
gave multiple myeloma patients 90 mg every 4 weeks for 9 months. Half of
the 392 patients also received chemotherapy. Aredia was helpful towards
reducing skeletal events (24 vs. 41%). Aredia also reduced bone pain and
improved quality of life.
2. Clarke NW et al. British Journal of Cancer.1991;63:420-423.
25 patients received 30 mg of Aredia weekly for 4 weeks and then every other
month. Eleven of 17 patients with initial pain were pain free at the
end. Five of 17 patients who had been progressing either stabilized or
regressed.
3. Conte PF et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology.1996;14(9): 2552-9, treated 295
patients with chemotherapy only or chemotherapy plus Aredia at 45 mg every 3
weeks. Aredia was advantageous in increasing the time to cancer
progression (249 vs 168 days) and pain relief (44 vs 30%).
4. Coleman, Robert. Am. Society of Clinical Oncology Symposium.1998;16019
outlined 17 trials using pamidronate (10) and clodronate (7). Overall,
there was a 50% reduction in pain and bone healing in 25%.
5. Gucap R et al. Archives of Internal Medicine. 1994;154(17):1935-44 found that a 4
hour IV was as effective as a 24 hr IV.
6. Hortobagyi GN et al. New England Journal of Medicine.1996;335(24):1785-91,
used 90 mg of Aredia or placebo every month for 12 months. With 380
patients, the first occurrence of bone complication was 13.1 months with Aredia
vs. 7.0 months for placebo.
7. Lipton A et al. Annals of Oncology. 1994;Suppl 7: S31-5, treated 61 breast cancer
and 58 prostate cancer patients with 60 mg every 4 weeks, 60 mg every 2 weeks
or 90 mg every 4 weeks for 3 months. 30 mg every 2 weeks was not effective
for breast cancer patients although the higher doses caused healing of the bone
in 25%. For prostate cancer patients, these 3 doses produced a reduction
in bone pain but no healing of bone lesions. The prostate patients may
have been sicker at the beginning.
8. Lipton, Alan. New England Journal of Medicine.1996;Dec. 12, 1996, treated breast
cancer patients with 150 mg/day for 3 days and then monthly infusions of 90 to
150 mg/month. This large dose was well tolerated.
9. Tyrrel CT et al. European Journal of Cancer.1995
Nov;31A(12):1976-80, treated 69 breast cancer patients with 60 mg of Aredia
every 2 weeks for a maximum of 13 weeks. No other cancer therapy was
allowed. Pain, mobility and analgesic scores improved in 61, 50 and 30% of
patients. At 8 weeks, the improvements were 33, 21 and 16% for 40%
improvement.
Megadoses of Vitamin C for Various Ills
Megadoses
of vitamin C have a long and successful history of therapy for many sicknesses,
Stone.1,2 The
following describes actual tests with humans. Dosages are actual rather
than optimum. Unfortunately, success/failure rates are given
rarely. Ills other than cancer are also listed to show the broad
usefulness of vitamin C.
Some doctors recommend vitamin C at 3,000 to 6,000 mg/day for healthy people. They
may increase this up to perhaps 40,000 or even higher during periods of high
stress or disease. However the government RDA is around 100
mg/day. Most animals produce vitamin C as needed in amounts depending on
their stress or illness. We could get a dose of 5,000 mg/day of vitamin C,
for example, by drinking 6 gallons of
orange juice. Obviously, supplements are necessary. Supplements
should include vitamins B, C, D, and E. Note that A, C and E especially
work together, Lieberman.3
Thousands of tests were run on vitamin C at low doses with only modest results
toward cancer. Thus most doctors do not recommend it. Vitamin C is
cheap at $6.00 per month for 5,000 mg/day. Vitamin C can usually be used
in conjunction with other therapies.
TEST RESULTS with dosages
in mg/day, spaced, for a 150 lb adult, often by I.V.
COMMON COLD: 1,000 to 3,000 as
preventative, up to 1,000 per hour as needed by mouth for therapy.
POLIOMYELITIS: 27,000 to 210,000,
divided doses @ 2 or 4 hours, by IV, 60 of 60 cases cured.
HEPATITIS: Children: 5,000 to
10,000, more for adults.
HERPES and SHINGLES: 25,000 for a
few days
PNEUMONIA, infant: 4,000,
injected, much more for an adult
WHOOPING COUGH (82 %
helped): 2,000
CANCER, many types, over 700 patients at
3 locations: 10,000 to 20,000 mg/day, 10% to remission, 20% didn't live
longer, 70% helped some, gave dramatic relief of bone pain to 80% of the first
patients.4
CANCER, bladder: 4,500.
LEUKEMIA + cirrhosis of
liver: 24,000 to 42,000, single case, able to return to work, lived 21
months.
PANCREATIC CANCER, 6 cm diameter:
12,000 increasing to 35,000. All pain and symptoms relieved. Cat scan
after 9 months: no residual pancreatic cancer. Patient died after 20 years at
age 79.
BRAIN TUMOR, 2.5 cm dia, confirmed by
brain scan: 10,000 mg/day. In 2 or 3 months, brain scan showed no tumor
and almost all symptoms gone.
BREAST CANCER spread to bones and
abdomen, bed ridden: 24,000 mg/day, much pain relief and able to walk
again. Died after 3 months.
CANCER in both lungs, a smoker, labeled
"hopeless and incurable": 15,000 mg/day. After 2 years, she
claims to be in perfect health. X-rays show regression in both lungs.
ARTHRITIS: 10,000 to 25,000
AGING: 3,000 to 5,000 suggested
ASTHMA: 70,000
GLAUCOMA: 2,000 or more
BARBITURATE poisoning: 54,000, one
test
TETANUS: 140,000 for 3 days
SNAKE bite: 3,000, divided doses
injected every 3 hours.
BURNS, severe: 3 % solution,
topically, plus 35 gm every 8 hours for several days, then less. Gave
immediate pain relief and faster healing
GANGRENE: 5,000 for a few weeks
SCHIZOPHRENIA: 36,000, 10 of 10
patients improved.
References for Megadose Vitamin C
1. Stone I. The healing factor, Ôvitamin CÕ, against disease.1972, New
York, NY:Putnam Publishing Group. The book is out of print but located in
the Carson Library, Lees-McRae College, Banner Elk, NC 28804.
2. Stone I. Scurvy and the cancer
problem. American Laboratory.
September 1976:21-30.
3. Lieberman S and Bruning N. The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book.1997,
Garden City Park, NY:Avery Publishing Group.
4. Cameron E and Pauling L. Cancer and Vitamin C, 1993,
Philadelphia, PA: Camino Books.
Prostate
Cancer Therapies
So you just found out that you have
prostate cancer.
You can expect to live a long time.
This cancer grows slowly.
You have time to learn before you
decide on a therapy.
On the day you were diagnosed, you
didn't hear everything your doctor said.
There are many good
therapies. Some are gentle.
For most patients, there are several
reasonable therapies.
You need knowledge to make decisions.
For every therapy, ask what is the
success rate at 5 and 10 years.
For every suggested therapy, ask what
are ALL the side effects. What are the percentages for each?
What side effects do you hate? Are the
side effects worse than the benefits from a longer expected life?
Is a cure better than long term
remission, considering the side effects?
Vitamins and supplements have helped
many cancer patients.
YOU decide which therapy, not your
doctors.
But work with your doctors.
Be an active survivor, not a passive
patient.
As you learn more, you will have more
hope.
Join a support group. Pray.
Diagnosis and Staging.
When
to run prostate cancer tests is still highly debated even after 14 years. I
believe that PSA tests should be started around age 35 or so and continued as
long as a man is active. The problem is not the test as much as what it means
and what to do next. The presence of cancer does not require immediate
surgery or radiation. Hormone therapy is a good, gentle therapy for many men.
HofferÕs multivitamin therapy is always gentle of often sufficient. If the
diagnosis was for a false positive or for slow-growing cancer, vitamin therapy
has minimum side effects and cost. If I had waited a year or two for a PSA
test, I could well have had widespread cancer often called incurable.
Obviously, I would not be writing this article now!
Prostate
cancer probability increases as men age. A few men will get cancer at age 35,
especially African-Americans or those with blood relatives who have or had
cancer. One little boy got prostate cancer at age two! I suggest a PSA, prostate specific antigen,
test beginning at age 35. Infection, ejaculation, and certain exercises can
raise the PSA reading. Repeat the test a year later to establish a base
line. An annual PSA rise of 0.75 or less is good. I recommend earlier
testing than most people because there are now gentle therapies in addition to
surgery or radiation. If either the DRE or the PSA is unfavorable, there
is a 70% chance that cancer is present. A biopsy (tissue sample) is then
necessary to determine if cancer is present and how aggressive it
is. During a biopsy the doctor uses a hollow needle machine to jump
through the skin and grab a small sample of the prostate gland. Six or
more samples are taken to sample various parts of the gland. If this is
painful, ask for a painkiller before the next needle insertion. There is a
small, perhaps 10 or 20% chance of missing a cancer.
A pathologist then examines each needle sample to determine if cancer is
present and how aggressive it is. The Gleason number is a grade of 1 to 5
where 1 is benign and 5 is very aggressive. The Gleason score is the sum
of the two numbers. The score should be reported as two individual numbers
such as 3+3 or 4+5. The first of the two numbers is the more
important. A score of 3+4 or less indicates moderately active
cancer. A score of 4+3 or higher is aggressive. The Gleason score
tells the doctor and the patient how hard to fight. The patient should
demand a copy of the pathology report and the doctorÕs reports. Ask the doctor
to explain words as necessary. A wise patient takes his spouse or a friend
and a tape recorder to the meeting where these test results are discussed with
the doctor.
Therapies
There
are many therapies, not just surgery or radiation. Let me list them in the
order that they might be used and then describe them.
A. Watchful
waiting for early stage cancer. This might better be called active watching.
B. Hormones. The
side effects are objectionable but usually temporary.
C. Surgery
if under age 70 or 75. The side effects can be bad and permanent.
D. Radiation,
including seeds or brachytherapy, also has bad side effects that can get worse
over the years.
E. Cryotherapy
or freezing can also have bad and permanent side effects.
F. Vitamins
as a therapy are new. They have negligible side effects, can be used alone
or with all of the above therapies and often gives excellent results. Vitamins
may completely control cancer, especially if started at the early,
watchful-waiting stage. Vitamins for widespread cancer may be far better than
either a double blind regimen, or too much chemotherapy.
G. State Medical Boards (every state has
one) forbid doctors from prescribing vitamin C for cancer therapy. The boards
can take away the doctorÕs license or fine him.
No
therapy promises life everlasting. Surgery, radiation, and cryotherapy can
often give a cure. The doctorÕs definition of cure is for the patient to
die from something other than cancer and have no obvious cancer
symptoms. The patientsÕ usual definition is to have no cancer cells
anywhere in the body. Since cancer cells develop frequently (daily?) in
everybody, the doctorÕs definition is preferred. The body, the immune
system, kills most cancers before they cause symptoms or become detectable.
As a strong recommendation, don't wait for symptoms to develop or get worse.
Fight cancer immediately. DonÕt wait until the flames come out the windows
before calling the fire department. Also, follow the cancer by watching the PSA
and usually at least one other marker. PAP, prostatic acid phosphatase,
and CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen, are often suitable. PSA is not
foolproof. Prostate cancer cells with a Gleason of 9 or 10 may generate little
or no PSA even though the cancer is growing. Also consider Quality of
Life. Is the therapy worse than the disease? What is the success rate
for a given therapy?
Which Therapy to Choose?
The patient
should choose his therapy but with the doctorÕs advice and guidance. This
requires knowledge and study by the patient for the best long-term
results. Aggressive therapies like surgery, radiation, and cryotherapy can
have bad and permanent side effects. They can preclude other
therapies. There is no single, best therapy for a given patient. Knowledge
has not advanced to that point and may never get there. Much depends
on the patientÕs willingness to learn, to work toward controlling the cancer,
to get the best possible doctor for his chosen therapy. The patient must
think positively. If you donÕt like your garage mechanic, you get
another. If you donÕt like your doctor, his suggested therapy, or his
ability, hopefully you can get a new doctor or HMO.
The author knows more about vitamins as therapy than about the aggressive therapies. He
emphasizes vitamins and hormones. He is using intermittent hormone therapy
plus vitamins with excellent success. He is in remission. Excellent
information on therapies other than vitamins is available in Dr. Stephen
StrumÕs1 ÒA Primer on Prostate Cancer.Ó
Description of Therapies
A patient
diagnosed with cancer, especially prostate cancer, has many options. The
body has been fighting cancers for thousands of years and the body usually
wins. Most people donÕt get cancer. I think the patient has the obligation to
help strengthen his body to live the longest and most comfortable
life. With the PSA test, the patient can better select the best therapy
for himself.
Watchful Waiting
Active watching
should be a time to learn more, to get second opinions from urologists
regarding surgery, from oncologists regarding radiation and from a medical
oncologist with a broad point of view of many therapies including hormone
therapy. Aggressive treatments and hormone therapies weaken the body and
should be balanced by strengthening the body. A good life style is obvious
but important: NO smoking, good diet with very low sugar, good exercise, faith,
and hope. Many would recommend a diet with low fat, minimum red meat, low
alcohol and sugar but high in fruits, vegetables and chicken. Fortunately,
prostate cancer is one of the better cancers to have since the doctor can
follow the progress or control of the disease by the DRE and PSA
tests. These may be repeated about every 6 months. If a stronger
therapy is required, it can be chosen and started.
Surgery
or
radical prostatectomy, RP, is the surgical removal of the prostate gland and
the cancer it contains. It is rarely done on men over 70. Most
doctors do not operate if the cancer has spread beyond the prostate
gland. The ability and experience of the doctor are frequently more
important than the choice between surgery and radiation.
Radiation, either externally or by
seeds implanted within the prostate gland, aims to kill the cancer while
killing as few normal calls as possible. I refused radiation but because of
probability of side effects and return of cancer in a few years. Both surgery
and radiation have improved only slightly in the last few years.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
is not very good with prostate cancer because this type of cancer grows
relatively slowly. If your doctor recommends chemotherapy, ask to speak to
some of his long-term chemotherapy patients. After the standard treatments
of surgery, seeds, cryotherapy and hormones have failed, a doctor might use
Nizoral, Ketoconozole, Prednisone, Hydrocortisone, Estramustine and Etoposide
as chemotherapy agents. They add perhaps 10 months to a manÕs life.
Chemotherapy greatly weakens the immune system. New chemotherapy drugs
such as Tomaxofen for breast cancer may be helpful for prostate
cancer. The side effects of
chemotherapy, nausea, weakness, hair loss and pain, may make the extra
life undesirable.
For
many or most of the above therapies, when the PSA starts to rise after
treatment failure, one can expect several years before clinical evidence such
as pain and then a few more years before death. Hormones are usually
started after failure of the above therapies and sometimes before or during.
Hormones
When I was diagnosed in 1997, hormone therapy was highly experimental if used
as the initial therapy before surgery or radiation. Fortunately, my urologist
prescribed hormones when I requested them. Now (2011) patients are frequently
getting hormone therapy as initial treatment. In 1997, almost all doctors
though that hormones, once started, had to be continued forever. Now,
intermittent therapy is popular and provides longer life than continuous Lupron
therapy.
Types and Functions of Various Hormones
1. Lupron, Zoladex and similar
compounds stop the testes from producing testosterone. Prostate cancer
uses testosterone to grow.
2. Casodex or Eulexin shield the
prostate cancer from the testosterone that comes from the adrenal gland, a
second step.
3. Proscar minimizes the
conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, a compound that is 5 times
as bad in making cancer grow, a third step.
The first 2 steps are called ADT-2 for androgen deprivation
therapy. Adding Proscar makes ADT-3. The different hormones in ADT-3 or
ADT-3 do different things and can be much
more effective if used simultaneously. Another therapy is Casodex at 3
pills/day plus Proscar.
Intermittent Hormone Therapy
Intermittent
hormone therapy, ADT-2, is done by taking Lupron and Casodex (or Eulexin) for a
period such as twelve months, the Òon time.Ó Then the Lupron and Casodex
are stopped during the Òoff time.Ó Proscar is added to ADT-2 to make ADT-3
and the Proscar is continued indefinitely after the Lupron and Casodex are
stopped. The on-off cycle can be repeated a few times. For me, the first cycle
is lasting 14 years and continuing. One more cycle and IÕll be over 100 years
old.
Selecting a Therapy
With
so many therapies, how do we choose? Realize that each patient, each
cancer, and each doctor is different. And things change as we get sicker
or heal. Let me make a few comments.
1. If
we are relatively old based on our health and lives of our blood relatives -
not on our calendar years - just watching and checking may the
best. Active watching means improving our general health with vitamins,
diet, exercise and getting a PSA and DRE test every 6 months or so.
2. Vitamins
to strengthen the body can be called part of active watching. Vitamins at
therapeutic dosages can be the first step if active watching becomes
inadvisable. Likewise, vitamins can be part of surgery or radiation or
most types of chemotherapy.
3. Surgery
is probably warranted for young men (under 60 or so). It is rarely used if
the cancer has escaped outside of the prostate gland.
4. Radiation,
external or seeds, is commonly used as the initial treatment or if cancer
returns after surgery.
5. Hormone
therapy, especially intermittent triple hormone therapy, is gaining wider use
even as the initial therapy
6. Most
doctors use chemotherapy if hormones, surgery, and radiation have
failed. The quality of life is poor with chemotherapy and actual life
extension is minimal. Doctors have no other approved therapy.
7. Chemotherapy
using several agents and combined with hormones have been successful for a few
doctors: Leibowitz,3 Bagley,4 and Servadio,5 as noted later.
Getting a second opinion from a doctor with a different specialty is
recommended.
If Prostate Cancer Returns
Surgery, radiation, hormone therapies, and vitamins usually control prostate
cancer. If cancer returns (PSA rises) after these, there are several good
options with more being developed. Increasing the vitamin C dosage almost
to the point of diarrhea may improve the vitamin therapy. Other vitamins
can also be increased. When regular hormone therapies fail with prostate
cancer, the cancer is called hormone refractory. The first option is to
stop the use of Lupron and Casodex or Eulexin. The cancer, which may have
learned to use these hormones as food suddenly, becomes starved. In about
half of patients, the PSA will drop significantly for a period of 3 months to 6
years or longer. This is called antiandrogen withdrawal syndrome.
Surprisingly, this is a cancer therapy that is easy and economical.
You can strengthen the immune system whether you have early or late stage
cancer. You have stopped smoking, haven't you? Control your stress,
get enough exercise if possible, and eat 6 to 10 servings of fruits and
vegetables a day and you are well started. A low fat diet is highly
recommended along with a generous intake of vitamins and minerals. If you
are too thin, some people donÕt recommend red meat because that puts an extra
burden on the stomach.
If pain occurs where the cancer eats the bone, local radiation is a good
palliative. Vitamin C is also excelent. As cancer eats bone, the byproducts
cause the cancer to grow even faster. Aredia6 is very good at stopping pain, especially when used at a
dosage of 90 mg infused over 60 minutes at weekly intervals.7 Aredia8 sticks tightly to the bone as a shield. It has a 26-hour
half-life in the tissues but some of it sticks to the bone surface even after
300 hours.
Several therapies are documented in small studies but not widely
known. These therapies work by strengthening the immune system and several
can often be used at the same time. Coenzyme Q10, CoQ10,9 at 90 mg/day plus 2,700 mg/day of vitamin C was used with 32
advanced breast cancer patients. In the 18-month test, none died although
4 were expected to die. Two of the 32 patients were then given 300 or 390
mg/day of CoQ10 and reportedly obtained complete remission. Fifteen
advanced stage prostate cancer patients were fed 600 mg/day of CoQ10 for 8
weeks,10 a very short test. In 67 %, the
cancer shrank or became stable.
Green tea is extensively consumed in the orient where cancer is less frequently
diagnosed. Tests on human prostate cancer11,12 implanted in mice showed that
green tea extract slowed the growth and decreased the size of
cancer. Implanted cancers grew only about 20 % in 14 days in mice given a
green tea extract (EGCG). In the controls, the cancer grew to three times
its original size. Therapy was reversed and EGCG was then given to the
former controls. In 14 days more, their cancer decreased almost to its
original size. For the mice started on EGCG, when the EGCG was stopped,
the cancer grew to five times its original size in the next 14
days. Hopefully, green tea or its extract will work well in humans with
prostate cancer.
Thalidomide prevents the growth of new blood vessels. In a fetus, this is
disastrous. In a cancer patient, this is helpful, even life
saving. Without new blood vessels, solid cancers cannot grow bigger than
about 1/8 inch. Simultaneous other therapies (including strengthening
the immune system) can then kill the cancer. Thalidomide is not the best
antiangeogenesis drug because of side effects (sleepiness and diarrhea) but it
is available now.
The combination of chemotherapy and hormones has worked extremely well for two
long-term tests. Bagley4 used Velban,
Adriamycin, Mitomycin, and orchiectomy with 27 patients and obtained
outstanding results. After 5 years, there were 22 with an undetectable PSA
level. Of the remaining 5 patients, three had a PSA less than 2.0 and two
had PSA's of 13 and 33. Nausea and vomiting were minimal. No deaths
were reported in the 5-year study. Strum13 would modify this regimen using newer medicines and knowledge
but he gives no results.
Servadio5 gave cytoxan, 5FU, orchiectomy, and DES
to over 36 patients with advanced, stage D2 metastastic prostate
cancer. Seventy five percent had pain relief, 50 % had both subjective and
objective improvement, 82 % had regression, or stabilization of the primary
tumor and 55 % had disappearance or stabilization of bone lesions as shown by
bone scans. Most importantly, 58 % were alive after 5 years and 55 % alive
after 15 years. This is wonderful. Dosages were fairly strong the
first 2 years when compared to regular chemotherapy doses. On the third
and fourth years, dosages were decreased and for the fifth year decreased
further. Mild radiation was initially given to prevent breast
enlargement. Strum thinks that the Servadio regimen may be over treatment
but the excellent results (considering the available knowledge in the 1970Õs)
are more important.
Leibowitz3 often prescribes Proscar, Taxotere,
Emcyt, Decadron, Aredia, and sometimes Carboplatinum. Aredia is primarily
for osteoporosis but it is also known for pain relief from cancer in the bone
and for preventing cancer from getting into the bone. In a group of about
16 men, 9 had a PSA drop of at least 89% and 14 had a PSA drop of at least
50%. I phoned Dr. Leibowitz's office, 310-229-3555, to get the names of 7
of his patients taking Taxotere and willing to talk. I called three of
them and I am very favorably impressed with their successes. I was able to
find a South Carolina doctor who can use the therapy.
PC-SPES is no longer available. As a substitute, consider compounds called
PC-Hope (on the internet), PEENUTS, or PC PLUS at 1-800-860-9583.
Hope
My main
message is hope. Compared to a few years ago, life expectancy and Quality
of Life are vastly improved. Even without the wonder drugs promised Òin a
few yearsÓ, we can live longer and happier than expected. Remember, there
is much hope even with advanced cancer. Your doctor may not be accustomed
to strengthening the immune system to control cancer, so work with him, educate
him if necessary. Find an additional doctor if necessary. Your life is
more important than being polite to your doctor. But you need him. He
needs you.
Know
that the various state medical boards can penalize doctors who prescribe
vitamin C for cancer therapy, but that patients can take therapeutic doses of
vitamin C while working with their doctors.
AuthorÕs Regimen, Revised 2/2/2011
AIM: As of 1997, to keep my cancer in
remission for 25 years. Now in 2011, I am over half way there.
DIAGNOSIS: In March 1997 at age 74, a
biopsy showed prostate cancer with a Gleason of 3+3 in 1 of 6 needles, stage
T1c. PSA was 8.1 but had doubled in the prior 6 months. Thus I had
aggressive, early stage cancer, probably confined.
THERAPY: External radiation was
recommended but refused because of the side effects of possible incontinence,
impotence and probable return of cancer in 5 or 10 years. Started Lupron
and Eulexin on 3/97. On 5/1/97 started Proscar at 5 mg/day to give triple
androgen deprivation therapy, ADT-3. Lupron and Eulexin were continued for
13 months followed by Proscar only and Hoffer-type vitamins during the ÒoffÓ
period. With study I realized that I should greatly improve my immune system
in addition to ADT-3. I increased my vitamins, did somewhat more exercise,
and decreased wine and red meat consumption.
SUPPLEMENTS are now (February 2011)
about as follows: B complex 100 and 2 pills; vitamin B12, 2,000 mcg; vitamin C
10,000 mg as ascorbic acid pills divide to breakfast, dinner and evening,
vitamin D-3, 2,000 IU, vitamin E succinate 800 I.U. and a strong multivitamin
which includes some of the these supplements. Selenium 225 mcg, calcium
carbonate 2000 mg, Coenzyme Q10, 200 mg, mostly fish and chicken for protein,
magnesium 400 mg.
RESULTS: Latest PSA is
0.3. Initially, PSA of 8.1 before Lupron dropped to 0.1 at 3 months and
then to less than 0.1 until start of Òoff periodÓ on 5/98. PSA rose slowly
to 1.1 on 9/99. As of 6/10/2009, my PSA has drifted down and leveled off
at an average of 0.6 for 124years. This is wonderful and probably due to
the vitamins and Proscar. Bone density was good on 4/98 and better on
11/04. Good energy level and no pains since diagnosis. Mild hot
flashes continue and low libido, probably from the Proscar.
PROGNOSIS: Based on the above good
results and Dr. StrumÕs report, I expect to stay on the off period (Proscar and
vitamins) for several more years. If PSA trends up, then I can increase
the vitamin C or restart Lupron and Eulexin (or Casodex). Please check back in
15 years to see how IÕm doing. Other things I might try if need be include
a low glucose & carbohydrate diet, flaxseed oil and cottage cheese,
Essiac tea, more CoQ10, green tea extract and a high-vegetable diet. I plan to
never take chemotherapy.
References for Prostate Cancer
Therapies
1. Strum SB & Pogliano D. A Primer on Prostate Cancer. 2002,
Hollywood:Florida, The Life Extension Foundation.
2. Homberg L et al. A randomized
trial comparing radical prostatectomy with watchful waiting in early stage
prostate cancer. New England Journal of
Medicine.2002;347 (11):781-789.
3. Leibowitz R, Hormone refractory
cancer, www.prostatepointers.org/prostate
/Leibowitz/leib20.html.
4. Bagley C et al. Adjuvant Chemotherapy
and Hormonal Therapy of High-risk Prostate Cancer. Proc. Amer. Soc. Clinical Oncology.1995;14:230.
5. Servadio C et al, Combined
Hormone chemotherapy for Metastastic Prostate Carcinoma. Urology.1987;30:352-355.
6. Hortobagyi GN et al. Efficacy of
Pamidronate in Reducing Skeletal Complications in Patients with Breast Cancer
and Lytic Bone Metastases. Protocol 19 Aredia. New England Journal of Medicine.1996;335(24):1785-91.
7. Tyrrell CJ et al. Intravenous
Pamidronate: Infusion Rate and Safety. Annals
of Oncology.1994;Suppl 7:S27-29.
8. Physicians Desk Reference,2002.
9. Lockwood-K et al. Progress on
Therapy of Breast Cancer with Vitamin Q10 and the Regression of metastases. Biochemical Biophysical Research
Communication.1995;212(1):172-7.
10. Lewis, James. Co Enzyme Q10. Prostate Cancer Exchange.1998;July/August.
11. Liao U et al. Growth Inhibition and
Regression of Human Prostate and Breast Tumors in Athymic Mice by Tea
Epigallocatechin Gallate. Cancer Letters.1995;96:239-243.
12. Strum S, Prostate. Cancer Research Insights.1999;2(3):15-16.
13. Strum S, Prostate. Cancer Research Insights.1998; 1(1):9,
11.
Details of Dr
HofferÕs 134 Patients after 15-years of follow up.
Pt. Patient No.;
Age, Patient age; Cancer, Type of cancer; Treat, S surgery,
R radiation, C chemotherapy; Gm. Grams per day of Vitamin C;
A.H.Months under
HofferÕs care; Life, life after
diagnosis, months;
Alive. Y if alive
at end of test.
|
Pt. |
Age |
Cancer |
Treat |
Gm |
A.H. |
Life |
Alive |
|
13 |
68 |
ABDOMINAL |
NONE |
0 |
1.1 |
3.1 |
N |
|
128 |
79 |
ABDOMINAL |
S R |
5.4 |
11 |
35 |
N |
|
46 |
63 |
ABDOMINAL |
S C |
12 |
15 |
17 |
N |
|
49 |
39 |
ABDOMINAL |
S |
15 |
101 |
104 |
Y |
|
24 |
62 |
BLADDER |
S R |
12 |
64 |
70 |
N |
|
101 |
56 |
BOWEL |
R |
12 |
16 |
21 |
N |
|
114 |
68 |
BOWEL |
S |
0 |
4 |
6 |
N |
|
69 |
8 |
BRAIN |
S R C |
6 |
6 |
28 |
N |
|
72 |
48 |
BRAIN |
S R C |
12 |
28 |
88 |
N |
|
7 |
57 |
BREAST |
S C |
0 |
3.7 |
6.7 |
N |
|
59 |
30 |
BREAST |
S R C |
0 |
6 |
27 |
N |
|
79 |
65 |
BREAST |
S |
0 |
1.8 |
37.8 |
N |
|
81 |
53 |
BREAST |
S C |
0 |
2.2 |
50.2 |
N |
|
115 |
57 |
BREAST |
S R C |
0 |
4.2 |
16.2 |
N |
|
10 |
46 |
BREAST |
S R |
1.2 |
53 |
54 |
Y |
|
25 |
38 |
BREAST |
S C |
1.2 |
23 |
28 |
Y |
|
38 |
65 |
BREAST |
S R C |
1.2 |
96 |
97 |
Y |
|
44 |
69 |
BREAST |
S R |
1.2 |
64 |
66 |
Y |
|
Pt. |
Age |
Cancer |
Treat |
Gm |
A.H. |
Life |
Alive |
|
48 |
39 |
BREAST |
S |
1.2 |
70 |
88 |
Y |
|
53 |
41 |
BREAST |
S C |
1.2 |
9 |
10 |
N |
|
61 |
65 |
BREAST |
S R |
1.2 |
40 |
52 |
N |
|
55 |
56 |
BREAST |
S |
4 |
80 |
122 |
Y |
|
117 |
46 |
BREAST |
S R C |
4 |
32 |
68 |
Y |
|
36 |
70 |
BREAST |
S C |
6 |
58 |
82 |
N |
|
124 |
60 |
BREAST |
S C |
6 |
45 |
66 |
Y |
|
62 |
47 |
BREAST |
S |
8 |
89 |
104 |
Y |
|
5 |
48 |
BREAST |
R |
10 |
78 |
79 |
Y |
|
27 |
46 |
BREAST |
S R |
10 |
73 |
77 |
Y |
|
20 |
49 |
BREAST |
S R |
12 |
14 |
32 |
N |
|
21 |
47 |
BREAST |
S C |
12 |
22 |
40 |
N |
|
35 |
56 |
BREAST |
S C |
12 |
120 |
132 |
Y |
|
40 |
58 |
BREAST |
S R |
12 |
85 |
86 |
Y |
|
63 |
45 |
BREAST |
S |
12 |
74 |
75 |
Y |
|
82 |
50 |
BREAST |
R C |
12 |
51 |
63 |
N |
|
88 |
56 |
BREAST |
S C |
12 |
73 |
73 |
Y |
|
93 |
71 |
BREAST |
S R |
12 |
74 |
75 |
Y |
|
108 |
43 |
BREAST |
S C |
12 |
6 |
12 |
N |
|
Pt. |
Age |
Cancer |
Treat |
Gm |
A.H. |
Life |
Alive |
|
118 |
49 |
BREAST |
R |
12 |
62 |
62 |
Y |
|
129 |
45 |
BREAST |
S R |
12 |
25 |
37 |
Y |
|
133 |
41 |
BREAST |
S C |
12 |
16 |
76 |
N |
|
83 |
52 |
BREAST |
S R C |
18 |
43 |
66 |
N |
|
100 |
62 |
BRONCUS |
R |
12 |
10 |
14 |
N |
|
8 |
63 |
CARCINOID |
S R |
0 |
1.5 |
25.5 |
N |
|
60 |
37 |
CERVIX |
NONE |
9 |
116 |
118 |
Y |
|
67 |
46 |
CERVIX |
S R C |
12 |
3 |
75 |
N |
|
120 |
73 |
CERVIX |
R |
12 |
3 |
39 |
N |
|
12 |
60 |
COLON |
S R |
0 |
0.4 |
11.4 |
N |
|
30 |
35 |
COLON |
S |
0 |
19 |
55 |
N |
|
78 |
53 |
COLON |
S |
0 |
2 |
9 |
N |
|
15 |
59 |
COLON |
S |
2 |
79 |
84 |
Y |
|
45 |
73 |
COLON |
S R |
5 |
10 |
39 |
N |
|
87 |
30 |
COLON |
S |
12 |
127 |
145 |
Y |
|
92 |
61 |
COLON |
S R |
12 |
17 |
137 |
N |
|
95 |
59 |
COLON |
S |
12 |
74 |
74 |
Y |
|
122 |
64 |
COLON |
S R |
12 |
29 |
77 |
Y |
|
80 |
54 |
COLON |
S |
24 |
13 |
73 |
N |
|
Pt. |
Age |
Cancer |
Treat |
Gm |
A.H. |
Life |
Alive |
|
22 |
16 |
EWING'S SARCOM |
R C |
12 |
111 |
133 |
Y |
|
31 |
50 |
FALLOPIAN TUBE |
S |
0 |
49 |
51 |
Y |
|
17 |
60 |
GLIOBLASTOMA |
S |
6 |
15 |
23 |