Alternative approaches to treating cancer cited

COPING WITH CANCER: After years of saying that chemotherapy is the best way to treat cancer, Johns Hopkins is now supposedly talking of alternative approaches.

Readers with Internet access or are wide readers may have come across this item on cancer circulating since last year. Postscript believes that many readers will still find it informative.

We are alarmed by the rising prevalence of cancer in the country and the difficulty of dealing with it. Hence this public service item below attributed in part to Johns Hopkins:

*      *      *

WE ALL HAVE ‘EM:  Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billions.

When doctors tell patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached a detectable magnitude.

Cancer cells occur between six to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime.

When the person’s immune system is strong, the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

When a person has cancer, that indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

*      *      *

CHEMO & RADIATION RISKS: Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells.

But it also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract, etc., and can cause organ damage, such as in the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, etc.

Radiation, while destroying cancer cells, also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation does not result in more tumor destruction.

When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation, the immune system is either compromised or destroyed. The person may then succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other places in the body.

*      *      *

STARVING CANCER: An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding them with the foods they need to multiply.

Sugar is a cancer-feeder. Cutting off sugar removes one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc., are made with Aspartame which is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts.

Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. A better alternative is Bragg’s amino or sea salt.

Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting it with unsweetened soy milk, we starve cancer cells.

*      *      *

ACIDIC AMBIENCE: Cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment.

A meat-based diet is acidic, so it is better to eat fish and a little chicken than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

A diet made of 80 percent fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and some fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20 percent of the diet can be from cooked food, including beans.

Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed. They reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells.

To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells, drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat raw vegetables two or three times a day. Remember that enzymes are destroyed at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

Avoid coffee, tea and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties.

Distilled water is acidic, avoid it. It is best to drink purified or filtered water to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water.

*      *      *

SUPPLEMENTS: Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat, you free more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allow the body’s own killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

Meat protein is hard to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Florssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs, etc.) to enable the body’s killer cells to destroy cancer cells.

Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

*      *      *

LIVING SPIRIT: Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

Cancer is a disease of the mind, body and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor.

Anger, being unforgiving and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

*      *      *

ePOSTSCRIPT: Read current and old POSTSCRIPTs at www.manilamail.com. E-mail feedback to [email protected]