In the first article we saw that the Oasis of Hope statistics clearly demonstrate that a combined approach of detoxification, nutritional, emotional and spiritual healing has much better results than orthodox approaches to cancer treatment. Here we suggest some ways that you can help clients with cancer.  It would require several books to detail all the different approaches.  This is by no means a comprehensive listing but includes those treatments which are not toxic in therapeutic doses, and have strong evidence to suggest that they are beneficial. Treatment is aimed at detoxifying the body, supporting the immune system and supporting the liver which has to deal with the breakdown of toxins as the cancer cells are destroyed.  As Kinesiologists we recognise that each person is unique and will have his own individual needs.  And as Kinesiologists we are blessed with the tool of muscle testing which can help to determine which particular treatments are appropriate for each individual client.

Dr Otto Warburg 1883-1970 received a Nobel Prize in 1931for his work on cancer and cellular respiration. He was also awarded a second Nobel prize but, as a Jew in Hitler’s Germany, he was not allowed to receive it.  He showed that the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.  All normal body cells meet their energy needs by respiration of oxygen whereas cancer cells meet their energy needs in great part by fermentation.  Cancer cells do not like an alkaline environment – they thrive in acidic environment – and they do not like oxygen.  Dr Warburg showed that an alkali environment increases cellular uptake of oxygen.  Thus by maintaining an alkaline body we can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

When we talk about alkali foods we do not refer to the taste but to the residue or “ash” which is left after digestion.  Meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, coffee, sugar and soft drinks are strongly acidic and it is best to avoid them.  Fruit and vegetable are mildly alkaline and calcium, magnesium and potassium supplements are strongly alkaline.

Many treatments are based on an alkalising diet.  The Gerson diet is well established – a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and which omits the acidifying “foods” like bread, wheat and dairy products, coffee, and alcohol (see the first article for lists of acid and alkaline foods).  As far as possible foods should be organically produced and fresh.  Raw foods provide many enzymes and nutrients which are lost in cooking – so eat lots of them.  The Gerson Therapy includes frequent fruit and vegetable juices to maximise the nutrient intake.  If you haven’t tried juicing then give it a go.  When fresh fruit and vegetable juice goes into your stomach you can actually feel it doing you good.  The Gerson Therapy also includes a regime of coffee enemas(see next issue)

I believe that a programme of juicing is an important part of treatment – and not just for cancer patients.  Juicing is a good source of raw food. Cooked food can contribute to chronic illness as the enzymes in cooked food are altered or destroyed.  We then have to manufacture our own enzymes to digest the food. Digesting cooked food requires more energy than digesting raw food and in the long term the pancreas can become overburdened and finally exhausted.  As we will see later pancreatic supplements can be an essential part of cancer treatment.  Fruit and vegetable juicing allows us to consume a large amount of vitamins, minerals and enzymes in a relatively small volume and in their natural state.  The disadvantage of fruit juicing is that it tends to increase insulin levels, so vegetable juicing may be a better option.  It’s a good idea to use a variety of different vegetables though carrots (a good source of beta-carotene), cabbage and leafy green vegetables are good foundations for a juice.  And you can add in your daily dose of fish oil or flaxseed oil.

Magnetised, distilled, reverse osmosis, vortexed, filtered, bottled or just plain ordinary tap water?  I am not going to get into a debate about which one is best.  Just drink lots of water.  If you can’t afford more expensive installations get a jug filter –and change the filter frequently.  And for those of you who appreciate the work of Dr Masaru Emoto, write the word “Healing” or “Joy” on your glass or bottle – it changes the energy of the water.  And we also know that simply saying a prayer changes the properties of the water – so bless your water and your food.

Hugely controversial, Amygdalin or Vitamin B17 has been the main thrust of treatment for more than 40 years at the Oasis of Hope hospital. Other practitioners have also demonstrated success with a protocol based on B17 therapy –see the book “Alive and Well” by Philip Binzel Jr, M.D.   Amygdalin is found in over 1000 plants around the world and is found in high concentrations – around 2% -in apricot and peach kernels.  Apricot kernels have been a staple of Chinese medicine for more than 2000 years.  Its opponents argue that B17 releases cyanide (HCN) and therefore is poisonous (It is worth mentioning that it is part of orthodox medical practice to inject cyanide into patients with B12 deficiency anaemia – in the form of Cyanocobalamin). B17 supporters say that cyanide is released only in the cancer cell thus killing off only cancer cells – nature’s “magic bullet”.  The science goes something like this: 
Cancer cells have high levels of glucuronidase.

Cyanide is released in the cancer cell under the influence of glucuronidase.

Vitamin B17 can be obtained in Britain only with a doctor’s prescription.  Many people who are unable to find a sympathetic doctor use apricot kernels as their source of B17.  Most people start with 4 or 5 kernels a day and build up to 20 or 30 a day.  Again, muscle testing is a reliable indicator for each individual.

At the beginning of the 20th century Professor John Beard of Edinburgh University proposed the trophoblastic theory of cancer.  In pregnancy stem cells, under the influence of oestrogen, erode into the wall of the uterus so that the embryo can attach to the uterine wall.  Around the 56th day of pregnancy the baby’s pancreatic enzymes kick in and destroy the outer coating of the trophoblast, which is then broken down by the immune system.  Professor Beard discovered that the healing process in humans is stimulated in the same way – with oestrogen stimulating stem cells to produce trophoblasts.  The healing process is then terminated by pancreatic enzymes.  He successfully treated cancer cells by injecting trypsin and chymotrypsin. His trophoblastic theory of cancer has stood for a century without being disproved.  When we consider today’s diet, the increasing problems with diabetes and obesity, and a corresponding increase in all kinds of cancer, the role of pancreatic enzymes seems to tie in very well.  Leucocytes, the white cells, carry a negative electrostatic charge.  The cunning cancer cell also has a negatively charged outer coat.  Basic physics informs us that like charges repel.  Pancreatic enzymes break down the surface of the cancer cell and allow the white cells of the immune system to attack the cancer cell.  This is also one of the reasons that many authorities recommend a meat free diet –to avoid using up your body’s trypsin and chymotripsin in breaking down protein

Professor Gerry Potter leads the Cancer Drug Discovery Group at De Montfort University in Leicester.  If you were at the Kinesiology conference you may have heard Professor Potter’s illuminating talk on Salvestrols.  Salvestrols are compounds found in foods –especially in organic green vegetables and red fruits – which are triggered by enzymes in cancer cells to have anti cancer activity.  This seems to be a similar “magic bullet” scenario as the B17 process.  As we know, orthodox chemotherapy agents are toxic (and sometimes more toxic) to healthy cells as well as to cancer cells.  Salvestrols have no toxicity to healthy cells when taken at recommended levels.  This appears to be an exciting way forward for cancer treatment and hopefully over the next few years after proper trials are conducted we will see salvestrols in the hospital anti cancer armoury.  In the meantime food grade salvestrols are available through www.fruitforce.co.uk   Professor Potter  says that these supplements should not be taken with B17.

Ambrotose is a glyconutritional supplement. Glyconutritionals are monosaccharides which are essential to life.  They attach to cell walls and conjugate with proteins to form glycoproteins.  These glycoproteins form the communication system of the body.  Cellular          communication relies on these glycoproteins.  Recognising another cell as self or non-self relies on these glycoproteins.  This is important in all diseases but especially in auto-immune disease.  In addition these supplements boost the immune system and have anti oxidant, anti-viral and anti-fungal benefits.  In a study published in 1999 in the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association Dr Darryl See compared the efficacy and toxicity of 196 products.  Only glyconutritional products and aloe and garlic showed a significant benefit in boosting Natural Killer Cells, anti-oxidant activity and anti-fungal activity without any toxicity.  Ambrotose performed significantly better in elevating numbers of Natural Killer Cells and in anti-viral activity.  You can find out more about glyconutritionals at www.glycoscience.org

Low levels of vitamin A have been linked with cancer since 1941.  It appears to mop up free radicals and block the proliferation of cancer cells.  You can obtain vitamin a from Cod liver oil.  Too much vitamin A is toxic so you can additionally supplement beta carotene which is the vitamin A precursor.  In one study  30mg per day caused cancer inhibition in 44% of patients with colon cancer. Beta carotene should be taken with meals and in divided doses for best absorption.

Many studies, and especially large-scale studies in Finland, have shown a relationship between low vitamin E and increased susceptibility to cancer.  Vitamin E is known to enhance the immune system and can be taken in doses of 400-800 units a day.

Vitamin C must be the most researched of nutrients.  In the 18th century Dr Lind’s research connected scurvy  to a lack of citrus fruit in the diet. In the 20th  century Sir Linus Pauling –(the only person to win 2 solo Nobel prizes) extensively researched the health benefits of Vitamin C. In fact some of his research into the cancer connection was done with Dr Cameron in Scotland at the Vale of Leven hospital.  There is no doubt that supplementing large doses (up to to 20grams or more per day) improved survival times.  In one of their studies terminally ill cancer patients on Vitamin C lived four times as long as control patients.  In another study (Pauling and Hoffer 1990) patients on a nutritional programme including beta carotene and 10 grams daily of Vitamin C survived up to 16 times longer than the control group – and some were still alive at the publication of the report.   I find patients require 5-15 grams a day. It may be easier to take in powder form in a little fruit juice and in divided doses.  It is certainly much cheaper in powder form. Occasionally a patient can get loose stools in which case you may want reduce the dose.