Health News. Lots of resources and information

The question the reader will ask at this point is ‘Given all this epidemiological study, do we know the causes of cancer?’ Broadly the answer is ‘yes’ in many circumstances and for many cancers, and the opportunities for prevention that this understanding generates are there to be taken. We do not always know how the factors that have been identified by the epidemiological studies discussed in this chapter link up to what is being learned in the laboratories of the molecular biologists. This connection is being made rapidly and will be increasingly clear by the end of the century. Epidemiology has been very successful in discovering or confirming which features of our lives in the Western world can be now identified as causes of cancer. Most cancers are not inherited. Environmental influences are far more important. However, we must consider genetics in relation to cancer in three ways. First, we have already mentioned that when cells within the body undergo malignant change and then divide to form two daughter cells, these daughter cells will retain the genetic features of the parent cells. In this sense cancer is a genetic disease between the cells. When we use the term ‘daughter’ in this context, this is simply scientific jargon for cells within one person. We are not implying that parents pass on generic risks to daughters. The second role of genetics lies in the genetic make-up of the person at risk. It may be the case that the genetic make-up of individuals makes them more or less susceptible to cancer-causing agents in the environment. A good example is that of skin cancer. Some individuals and races inherit dark pigmentation which is capable of preventing the cancer-causing effects of ultraviolet sunlight. Black people very rarely get the kind of skin cancer called melanoma. Other races are born with complexions which mean they are at risk from the effects of environmental cancer-causing agents. Fair-skinned people are at risk from melanoma if they get sunburn. This is the second sense in which we can consider cancer in relation to genes.*36\194\4*

It is generally agreed that people usually eat more than their requirements. This leads to obesity, which is one of the most important causes of diseases of modern civilization and most degenerative diseases, including cancer. Studies on animals conducted by Dr. Issels indicate that those animals that were allowed to eat as much as they wished had 5.3 times more spontaneous cancer tumours than those animals that fasted every second day. During both the World Wars and immediately thereafter, when there was scarcity of food, cancer and other degenerative diseases virtually disappeared. The incidence of cancer again increased when food rationing was withdrawn. Even the National Cancer Institute in the United States acknowledges the relationship between overeating and cancer.
For the same reasons, it has generally been observed that a high calorie diet and consequent increase in body weight beyond the optimum, increase the chances of developing cancer, especially in elderly men.
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There are numerous factors which play a role in the development of a cancer, but the prime cause of cancer is not known. Certain cancer-causing substances, known as carcinogens, however, increase the chances of getting the disease. About 80 per cent of cancers are caused by environmental factors. Many cancers are caused by habits, customs and usages.

Smoking
The most important cause of cancer is excessive smoking. This has been firmly established by various research studies conducted all over the world. These studies have shown that excessive smoking causes cancer of the lungs, stomach, respiratory organs, lips and mouth.
Approximately 40 per cent of male cancers are linked with tobacco, a known cancer-causing agent. The consumption tobacco and slaked lime has been linked with cancer of the tongue, lips, mouth and throat. Cigarettes are linked with lung and throat cancers.

Alcohol
Alcohol is injurious to health. Its excessive use can lead to development of cancer and many other serious diseases.
It can increase the risk of cancers of the upper and lower digestive tract, liver, prostate and breast. Those who consume excessive alcohol are particularly prone to colon cancer.
Smoking and drinking together makes matters worse. According to a study of European men by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, the combination of heavy smoking and drinking can make persons 43 times more likely to develop throat cancer and 135 times more apt to get nasal cancer. Heavy beer drinking is especially linked to rectal cancer. Usually, the more alcohol consumed, the greater the risk of various cancers.
Moreover, new research suggests that drinking a lot of alcohol at one time can stimulate cancer to spread, by depressing the immune system. According to Gayle Page of the University of California at Los Angeles, even a few incidences of intoxication at feasts are considered sufficient to promote tumour progression. She says that in animals, the equivalent of four to five drinks in an hour, doubled the number of new lung tumours that had spread from the breast. Persons who are already suffering from cancer should be especially careful and avoid the consumption of alcohol completely.
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CANCER AND NUTRITION: NATURAL FOOD PROTECTORSFor a number of years researchers, prompted by epidemiological evidence in the United States and abroad, have begun to study the importance of foods that can enhance your health. Although the research is still in progress and none of the findings are conclusive, and it is known that any substance can be toxic when taken in excess, the following are among the most studied foods today.
CaroteneThere are now fourteen ongoing prospective randomized studies sponsored by the National Cancer Institute that look at the anticancer potential of carotene in high risk patients. Over thirty studies have shown that people who consume foods with high amounts of carotene have a low risk for developing cancer.Carotene has also been shown to be the most potent antioxidant, i.e., which neutralizes free radicals and also single oxygen radicals. In addition, it has been shown to be one of the more important enhancers of the human immune system and can also reverse precancer conditions.
IndolesIndoles, found in the cabbage family, can destroy or otherwise inactivate estrogen. Estrogen is known to initiate new cancers, especially breast cancer.
IsoflavonesThis is one of the more exciting areas of cancer prevention. Isoflavones, predominantly found in legumes, have been shown to inhibit or block estrogen receptors thereby prohibiting the cell from its normal cellular function without estrogen- Isoflavones also inhibit estrogens from being effective in the first place, and have been shown to destroy certain cancer gene enzymes that can propagate and transform a normal cell into a cancer cell.
LignansLignans are predominantly found in flaxseed, walnuts, and fatty fish. Each of these is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to inhibit the production of prostaglandins, hormones that modulate cell metabolism. Numerous studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids have been used to reduce cholesterol, hypertension, heart disease, and the risk for developing breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. Lignans have also been shown to inhibit the action of estrogens on cells that are responsive to estrogen.
PolyacetylenePolyacetylene, mainly found in parsley, inhibits the action of prostaglandins and destroys a potent carcinogen called benzopyrene.
Protease Inhibitors
Protease inhibitors, mainly found in soybean, have been shown to inhibit the development of colon cancer, lung cancer, mouth cancer, liver cancer, and esophageal cancers in animals. Protease inhibitors do this by inhibiting the action of the enzymes chymotrypsin and trypsin, as well as by preventing the conversion of normal cells to malignant cells in the early stages of carcinogenesis, but not in the late stages. These protease inhibitors have been shown to cause an irreversible suppressive effect on the process of carcinogenesis. They can also inhibit oncogene expression.QuinonesQuinones are mainly found in rosemary, and these chemical agents have been shown to inhibit carcinogens and co-carcinogens, chemicals that help carcinogens work more effectively to cause cancer.
SterolsSterols are mainly found in cucumbers, especially the skin of cucumbers. Sterols have been shown to decrease cholesterol; and by lowering the cholesterol, you lower most of the fat content that is linked and associated with multiple cancers, including colon and rectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and cancer of the uterus, endometrial cancer.SulfurSulfur is found in large amounts of garlic. Garlic has been used in Japan as a painkiller. The National Cancer Institute, the United States Department of Agriculture, and Loma Linda University are currently studying garlic as an immune system enhancer, a cancer preventive agent, a blood clot inhibitor, and an agent to lower high blood pressure. Sulfur compounds from garlic inhibit carcinogens, and inhibit the enzymes that allow cancers to spread.TerpenesTerpenes are mainly found in citrus fruits. The National Cancer Institute is sponsoring studies to investigate the use of vitamin С and citrus fruits to treat certain viruses, to lower blood cholesterol, to reduce arterial plaque, and to prevent certain forms of cancer. Terpenes also have been shown to increase enzymes known to break down carcinogens.
TriterpenoidsTriterpenoids are found in licorice. The National Cancer Institute is studying the potential of licorice to fight cancer, protect the liver, and slow cell mutation. Triterpenoids inhibit estrogens, prostaglandins, and slow down rapidly dividing cells like cancer cells to prevent them from having daughter cells.
Phenylalanine and TyrosineInvestigators at Washington State University found that cancer did not spread in animals if they were kept on a stringent diet that eliminated two amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Although these animal experiments have been repeated many times, human studies of this nature have not been done. However, the foods that have a high content of phenylalanine and tyrosine are those that are high in fats or high in protein: meats, eggs, and dairy products. Avoid or limit these, and increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates.*60\360\2*

One popular theory on the origin of cancer states that, throughout life, cancer cells continually develop in our body by a process of mutation. Mutation means a spontaneous change in the basic genetic makeup of a cell so that it is distinctly different from its parent cell. In all of us, mutations occur continually and most are harmless, but occasionally a mutation gives a cell the qualities which make it into a cancer cell — failure to differentiate, escape from growth regulation, ability to metastasize and ability to invade normal tissues. Because the change is in the cancerous cell’s genetic makeup, it can pass it on to all cells which develop from it. Usually, the immune system detects new cancer cells very quickly and destroys them before they have a chance to multiply. Unfortunately, with most cancers, the immune system is only capable of dealing with a very few cells. Thus, if for some reason the cancer manages to grow to more than a few thousand cells (smaller than a pinhead), it is then beyond the control of the immune system. However, if some form of treatment destroys most of the cells, the immune system can again come in useful in getting rid of any odd ones which remain.

Many attempts have been made to artificially stimulate the body’s natural immune system to deal with large numbers of cancer cells. On the whole, the results have been very disappointing.

This means that once a cancer has reached a size where it can be detected (millions of cells), it is growing independently, regardless of the body’s immune system and normal controls on growth.

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Boron

Apples, carrots, grains, grapes, leafy green vegetables, nuts, and pears.

Calcium

Almonds, apricots, avocado, brazil nuts, broccoli, cabbage, carob powder, chick peas, collard, currants, dates, figs, fish, green leafy vegetables, hazelnuts, kale leaves, kelp, lentils, linseed, molasses, mung beans, okra, olives, parsley, pinto beans, prunes, raisins, rhubarb, sardines, sesame seeds, silverbeet, soybeans, spinach, sunflower seeds, turnip greens, walnuts and white beans.

Copper

Almonds, crab, dry stone fruit, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, organ meats, pecans, perch, seafood (crayfish, prawns, and mussel), Spanish onions, sunflower seeds, and whole grains.

Chromium

Asparagus, black pepper, brewer’s yeast, clams, grape juice, haddock, lobster, molasses, mushrooms, nuts, oysters, peanuts, prunes, raisins, shrimp and whole grains,

Chlorine

Beans, cabbage, celery, cow’s milk, fish, fresh dried figs, kelp, lentils, lettuce, spinach and tomatoes.

Fluorine

Asparagus, cabbage, egg yolk, garlic, goat’s milk, mackerel, oats, parsley, rice, sardines and sea salt.

Germanium

Aloe vera, comfrey, garlic, ginseng, onions, shitake mushrooms, and suma.

Iodine

Cucumbers, dairy products, dulse, garlic, iodized salt, Irish moss, kelp, lima beans, mushrooms, saltwater fish, sea salt, seafood, sesame seeds, soybeans, spinach, sunflower seeds, turnip greens and watermelons.

Iron

Apricots, asparagus, barley, broccoli, cabbage, chlorophyll, dates, eggs, figs, fish, kelp, leeks, legumes, lentils, lettuce, oats, onion, organ meats, oysters, parsley, pine nuts, poultry, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin, radish, raisins, red grape juice, red wine, silverbeet, soybeans, spinach, sunflower seeds wheat and wheat germ.

Magnesium

Almonds, beans, beet greens, brewer’s yeast, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cashews, corn, dark green vegetables, dates, figs, kelp, molasses, parsley, silverbeet, soybeans, spinach, walnuts and wholegrain cereals.

Manganese

Almonds, avocados, blueberries, buckwheat, coconuts, corn, dried fruits, dried peas, kelp, nuts, olives, pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and whole-grains.

Molybdenum

Buckwheat, dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, lentils, lima beans, liver, oats, peas, soybeans, sunflower seeds, sweet peas and wheat-germ.

Phosphorus

Almonds, asparagus, barley, beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chickpeas, corn, cucumbers, egg yolk, fish, garlic, kale, leafy greens, lentils, mushrooms, oats, peas, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rice, rye, salmon, soybeans, tuna, walnuts, watercress, wheat and whole-grains.

Potassium

Apricots, avocados, bamboo shoots, bananas, barley, beans, beetroots, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, citrus fruits, dried fruits, eggplant, garlic, kale, kelp, leafy greens, lettuce, mushrooms, nuts (except macadamias), olives, parsley, peas, potatoes, rhubarb, seeds, silverbeet, soybeans, spinach, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, whole wheat and yams.

Selenium

Brazil nuts, brewers yeast, broccoli, brown rice, cashews, chicken, crab, dulse, eggs, garlic, herring, human breast milk, kelp, onions, salmon, seafood, tomatoes, tuna, vegetables and whole-grains.

Silica

Alfalfa, barley, beets, brown rice, dates, dried figs, green leafy vegetables, horsetail plants, oats, root vegetables, soybeans and strawberries.

Sodium

Beans, celery, dates, dried figs, eggs, fish, green olives, kelp, leafy greens, lentils, peas, sardines, silverbeet, spinach, strawberries and tomatoes.

Sulphur

Beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, dates, dried figs, eggs, fish, garlic, horseradish, kale, leafy greens, onions, radish, spinach, turnips and watercress.

Zinc

Brewer’s yeast, ginger, mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, seafood – especially oysters, soybeans, sunflower seeds and whole-grains.

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