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Fighting Cancer
by author Lorna Vanderhaeghe, BSc

No other medical diagnosis strikes more fear in the hearts of people than cancer. Forty percent of Canadians will contract cancer; one in nine women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Over 3 million North Americans have cancer today, and another 1.7 million will be diagnosed this year.

Risk Factors for Cancer

Why does the body allow cancers to grow? A poor diet, i.e., one consisting of primarily processed and nonorganic foods and insufficient dietary antioxidants, environmental toxins, viruses, genetics, chronic stress, and feelings of hopelessness are some of the possible reasons that have been suggested.

Viruses are known risk factors for certain cancers. The Helicobacter pylori virus is now thought to be a causative agent for stomach cancer; human T-cell lymphoma virus is responsible for T-cell lymphoma; human papilloma viruses are involved in cervical cancer; and the hepatitis virus has been linked to liver cancer.

Some researchers are now exploring the possibility that genetic predisposition to cancer may be checked if the body’s toxic load is kept under control and the immune system boosted.

Cells Turned Traitors

Normal, healthy cells go through a series of steps to ensure life. They grow, divide, and create new cells in a carefully performed, predetermined symphony. During this highly complex reproductive process, the cell’s genetic code or DNA is duplicated and transferred to new cells. Normally, this process takes place without error, but every once in a while (approximately one in a thousand cell divisions), a mistake may occur. Most mistakes are quickly repaired, but on occasion a mistake is not detected, and cells perform differently from how they were intended.

Cancer begins when normal cells become renegades in the cell-division process, multiply unchecked, steal nutrients, and reroute blood supplies away from normal body functions. If the body’s defence system (the immune system) is not functioning optimally, it can miss these marauding cells. Cancer cells mutate as often as possible, avoiding detection by the immune system, and seem programmed to survive at all costs, even if they kill their host.

Cancer is a complicated disease. Each type of cancer has different traits. Some are slow growing and easy to treat while others are aggressive and require a much more diverse treatment approach. Treatments that work for one cancer may not have any effect on another. Similarly, each person has a unique biochemistry that must be considered in treatment.

Natural Therapies Pack a Punch

Several complementary treatments combined with a wide range of immune nutrients should be adopted. A number of fruits and vegetables are especially rich in cancer-blocking agents. Broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes (rich in lycopene), Brussels sprouts, turnips, and mustard greens are a few of the most notable cancer fighters. Citrus fruits are rich in D-limonene, another powerful anticarcinogenic that stops toxic agents from damaging the DNA of our cells. Researchers in one study noted that it only took three half-cup servings per week of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or cauliflower–which contain high levels of indoles, a chemical thought to possess cancer preventive properties–to decrease the risk of prostate cancer by 41 percent.

Coenzyme Q₁₀

CoQ₁₀ plays an essential role in producing energy in the cells. A powerful antioxidant with antiviral and antibacterial properties, it is most noted for its heart-protective effects; now researchers have also realized it is a potent immune nutrient. Promising research has also shown that CoQ₁₀ in doses over 300 mg daily inhibits the growth of breast tumours.

Zinc

Without a healthy thymus gland, the immune system doesn’t send out enough T-cells to fight invaders. Zinc is the most important mineral to the thymus gland and can rejuvenate a small or malfunctioning thymus.

Selenium

Without enough selenium we are highly susceptible to cancer, viruses, and free-radical damage. Selenium is one of the most potent free-radical scavengers that we call antioxidants. Areas of the world that have low selenium levels have correspondingly high levels of cancer and viruses.

Beta-glucan

Lorna Vanderhaeghe, BSc, author of seven books including The Body Sense Natural Diet (Wiley, 2004), is a health journalist, researching and writing about nutritional medicine for over twenty years. healthyimmunity.com.

Source: alive #270, April 2005