Originally Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008    

Longtime Massachusetts Democrat is likely diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a cancer in which there has been no significant improvement in survival in 30 years

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 76, the longtime Massachusetts Democrat has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.  Preliminary results from the biopsy revealed a malignant glioma.  The most common type of malignant glioma is called glioblastoma multiforme or “GBM.”

As reported in the New York Times published on May 21, 2008, Kennedy’s doctors have stated that “the usual course of treatment includes combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy” and that “decisions regarding the best course of treatment for Senator Kennedy will be determined after further testing and analysis.”

According to published medical information, survival for patients with GBM is typically about 12 months.  Our prayers go out to Mr. Kennedy and his family.  Perhaps this unfortunate diagnosis may initiate a more global discussion on the continued lack of progress in treating malignant brain cancers.

No Progress in 30 Years

Despite the occasional pronouncements of “breakthroughs” the improvement in survival for GBM is practically zero over the last 30 years.  According to The Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States, the two year Relative Survival Rate for GBM from 1973-1994 was 8.8%.  It was 8.7% for the period 1973-2002.  The five year Relative Survival Rate for GBM from 1973-1994 was 3.4%.  It was 3.3% for the period 1973-2002.  And the ten year rate for GBM from 1973-1994 and 1973-2002 was 2.3%.  After nearly 30 years there has been essentially no improvement in survival despite the millions of dollars spent on research and treatment.

Targeted Therapies – “Disappointing”

In the last several years there has been research in the area of targeted therapies like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).  VEGF is an important signaling protein involved in the growth of blood vessels.  A theory called “anti-angiogenesis” is based on the concept that it may be possible to starve a tumor by stopping the growth of new blood vessels that feed the cancer.  While the theory is promising, in clinical practice with malignant gliomas the results to date have been disappointing.  According to a report published in March of this year in the journal Expert Opinion on Emerging Drugs, “Experience with targeted therapeutics for malignant glioma has been to date disappointing. These agents are generally well tolerated, but activity is limited.”

Unconventional Thinking – Poly MVA and Antineoplastons

Has there been any progress whatsoever in treating GBM and other malignant gliomas?  There has been some intriguing results, but they have not come from leading medical centers or drug companies.

Poly MVA

Poly MVA was invented by Dr. Merrill Garnett, a biochemist.  It is a dietary supplement based on the nontoxic chemotherapeutic lipoic acid-palladium complex (LAPd).  LAPd is a liquid crystal that works in cancer cells by transferring excess electrons from membrane fatty acids to DNA via the mitochondria.  It has been used as a dietary supplement by thousands of cancer patients.  According to anecdotal reports published on websites some patients who have survived glioblastoma and other malignant brain tumors believe their use of this dietary supplement may have been partly responsible.  Are mainstream oncologists intrigued by these results?  No.  Nearly all conventional oncologists reject this dietary supplement as a potential therapeutic modality.

Dr. Burzynski’s Antineplastons

According to a National Cancer Institute Factsheet:

“Antineoplastons are a group of synthetic compounds that were originally isolated from human blood and urine by Stanislaw Burzynski, M.D., Ph.D., in Houston, Texas. Dr. Burzynski has used antineoplastons to treat patients with a variety of cancers. In 1991, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) conducted a review to evaluate the clinical responses in a group of patients treated with antineoplastons at the Burzynski Research Institute in Houston.  The medical records of seven brain tumor patients who were thought to have benefited from treatment with antineoplastons were reviewed by NCI. This did not constitute a clinical trial but, rather, was a retrospective review of medical records, called a “best case series.” The reviewers of this series found evidence of antitumor activity, and NCI proposed that formal clinical trials be conducted to further evaluate the response rate and toxicity of antineoplastons in adults with advanced brain tumors.” 

These clinical trials never occurred.  Nonetheless, the Burzynski Research Institute is conducting FDA approved clinical trials using antineoplastons for a variety of cancers.  Results in brain tumor continue to be encouraging. In a March 2006 study published in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies, four patients with glioblastoma were treated with antineoplastons.  One of the four patients had survived (at the time of publication) more than 5 years.  The results of only four patients may not be statistically valid, but if they are validated with further results it would suggest a 5-year survival of 25% compared to 3.3% with conventional therapies. 

Are mainstream oncologists intrigued by the potential therapeutic value of antineoplastons?  No.  Nearly all oncologists reject this modality.

Conventional Oncologists Reject Unorthodox Approaches

Why do oncologists reject any potential therapy, like lipoic acid-palladium complex and Burzynski’s antineoplastons, that was not created by a major medical center or a pharmaceutical company?  There are many reasons possibly including:

1) These approaches represent fundamental shifts in thinking about how to treat brain cancer.  To understand how Poly MVA or antineoplastons may work in the human body requires a different understanding of the biochemistry of cancer and the role of our immune systems.
 
2) The experience and skills of mainstream oncologists are dictated to a large degree by what they leaned in medical school and the studies they have been involved in subsequent to their graduation.  These studies are often financed or partly financed by drug companies who focus on therapies that are easily patentable.  Chemotherapy fits this model. 

3) There may be an emotional investment.  In the case of malignant gliomas many oncologists have seen hundreds of their patients pass away.  To admit that they, the doctor, have been on the wrong path all along, maybe too tough to bear.

Whatever the reasons, the result has been no dramatic improvement in survival with GBM over decades.  Because patients who are the ultimate consumer of these therapies generally put their lives in their doctor’s hands, there is no “market demand” for thinking outside the box.  Because drug companies finance the lion’s share of research in this area, corporations continue to decide what is developed and what is not based on their own financial incentives.  Because doctors get paid regardless of whether their patients live or die there is no burning incentive for physicians to break from the status quo.  What all this means, unfortunately, is that the lack of progress will most likely continue.

But, there is hope for Mr. Kennedy and other patients diagnosed with malignant gliomas.  If you are willing to be your own best advocate and expand your universe of possible treatment modalities outside of chemo, radiation, and surgery, you may be able to blaze your own path to health as others have done.
 
Original story can be viewed at http://www.cancermonthly.com/iNP/view.asp?ID=216

We hear a lot of information about detoxification and how that relates to poor health. What many people don’t know is that many diseases thrive in toxic or unbalanced environment in our bodies. Cancer is very common these days. Many of us have had a loved one, a relative or close friend trying to find a solution for their situation. Finding a reasonable treatment when one is already diagnosed with cancer is definitely more difficult and nerve-wrenching than adopting good prevention habits in the first place. Learning how to prevent disease is a must for everyone because cancer does not discriminate - anyone can get it.

New ideas are being thrown out there everyday on how to treat and prevent cancer. Interestingly enough, most of them are based on living a healthy lifestyle. Going on a detoxification diet is a newer form of disease/cancer prevention that has really taken off.

Cancer prevention is possible if you keep your body healthy and free of toxins. Eating healthily is always advisable, no matter what disease you are fighting. The reason for this is that healthy foods contain vitamins and nutrients and have properties that help your body function properly. A body that functions properly and at an efficient level stays healthier. And let’s not forget exercise. Exercise helps your body to function properly, move things along, burn fat and keeps your muscles toned. It also helps your heart and lungs work better which allows your blood to flow better and keeps waste moving through your body properly. Keeping a healthy lifestyle prepares your body to be healthy.

A detox diet helps your body organs to work at its optimal level and without obstruction. It also helps to remove toxins from your body and remove waste more efficiently. A detox program usually involves lots of fiber and water, and giving your body organs a break. Fiber helps your body to remove waste, which frees up your system to digest food better. This in return gives you more energy. Water has an overall effect on your energy levels and how your body functions. Instead of letting waste build up and causing possibly  problems, the detox diet helps remove the body of waste that frees up your colon to keep you healthy. In a nutshell, the detox diet lets your colon get back to good health in order to work optimally once again, which plays a major role in hormone release and metabolism function. A colon that is not working can diminish health very quickly.

Because many of the actual causes of cancer are unknown, it is important to become healthier in all aspects of cancer prevention because it can do so much for your health and future outlook.

As spring swings into gear, there’s no better time to give your body a healthy, fresh start! Plus, if you’re thinking about lowering your weight, “eating clean” is a great first step. Add these 10 foods to your grocery cart and you’ll get three terrific benefits: lots of super-healthy liquids to flush out the body while pouring in nutrients, fiber to keep your GI tract fit, and foods that energize cleansing enzymes in the liver, your body’s built-in detox center.

1. Green leafy vegetables  Eat them raw, throw them into a broth, add them to juices. Their chlorophyll helps swab out environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides) and protects the liver.

2. Lemons  You need to keep the fluids flowing to wash out the body and fresh lemonade is ideal. Its vitamin C, considered the detox vitamin, helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that’s easily flushed away.

3. Watercress   Put a handful into salads, soups, and sandwiches. The peppery little green leaves have a diuretic effect that helps move things through your system. And cress is rich in minerals too.

4. Garlic  Add it to everything — salads, sauces, spreads. In addition to the bulb’s cardio benefits, it activates liver enzymes that help filter out junk.

5. Green tea  This antioxidant-rich brew is one of the healthiest ways to get more fluids into your system. Bonus: It contains catechins, which speed up liver activity.

6. Broccoli sprouts  Get them at your health-food store. They pack 20 to 50 times more cancer-fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than the grown-up vegetable.

7. Sesame seeds  They’re credited with protecting liver cells from the damaging effects of alcohol and other chemicals. For a concentrated form, try tahini, the yummy sesame seed paste that’s a staple of Asian cooking.

8. Cabbage  There are two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver; this potent veggie helps activate both of them. Coleslaw, anyone?

9. Psyllium  A plant that’s rich in soluble fiber, like oat bran, but more versatile. It mops up toxins (cholesterol too) and helps clear them out. Stir powdered psyllium into juice to help cleanse your colon, or have psyllium-fortified Bran Buds for breakfast.

10. Fruits, fruits, fruits  They’re full of almost all the good things above: vitamin C, fiber, nutritious fluids, and all kinds of antioxidants. Besides, nothing tastes better than a ripe mango, fresh berries, or a perfect pear.

Use of vitamin and mineral supplements among cancer survivors is widespread, according to a comprehensive review of scientific literature conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

In reviewing 32 studies conducted between 1999 and 2006, senior author Cornelia (Neli) Ulrich, Ph.D., an associate member of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division, and co-author Christine Velicer, Ph.D., formerly a postdoctoral fellow at the Hutchinson Center (now an epidemiologist at Merck Research Laboratory in North Wales, Pa.), found that many of the nation’s 10 million adult cancer survivors use nutritional supplements.
 
They found 64 percent to 81 percent of cancer survivors overall reported using vitamins or minerals (excluding multivitamins), whereas in the general population only 50 percent of adults reported taking dietary supplements.

Survivors of breast cancer reported the highest use (75 percent to 87 percent), whereas prostate-cancer survivors reported the least (26 percent to 35 percent). Factors associated with the highest level of supplement use overall included a higher level of education and being female.

The researchers also found that many people initiate the use of vitamins and supplements after cancer diagnosis; between 14 percent and 32 percent start taking them after learning they have cancer.

“Cancer survivors report that they hope to strengthen their immune system with supplement use or gain a sense of control and empowerment,” Ulrich said. However, many cancer survivors who use supplements do not let their doctors know; 31 percent to 68 percent of cancer patients and survivors who use supplements may not disclose this information or their doctors may fail to record it in their charts.

“This is disconcerting and suggests that many physicians may not recognize the importance of understanding whether their patients are taking supplements,” Ulrich said.

Knowing about supplement use is crucial, she continues, because of potential effects. The authors urge health care professionals to communicate openly with their patients about supplement use to determine the best course of action for the patient’s particular situation.

Editor’s Note: Physicians need to understand how supplements and other compounds can actually support and help their patients. They are in a difficult spot and many times don’t really want to know. There is much research out there supporting the use of supplements and various nutriceuticals, but for legal and medical board reasons they simply say across the board to most patients to stop using all things until their treatments are done. So the patient is left to fend for themselves and take matters into their own hands when it comes to their treatments. Case in point, look at all cancer treatments combined and the relatively low success rate they really have. There has to be a better way.

Editor’s Note: What is most noteworthy about this research is that it continues to speak of the significant benefits of including resveratrol in your diet, for curative as well as preventative reasons. This powerful antioxidant can also be taken in a readily-available supplement form. For the best option, we recommend simply eating the grapes! Not only are grapes a good source of vitamins A and C, but you’ll also find vitamin B6 and folate in them. And that’s not all. Minerals like potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and selenium, as well as trace amounts of copper, manganese, and zinc are also present in grapes. What’s more, you’ll also get some fiber and protein.
 
The antioxidant resveratrol, naturally found in grape skins and red wine, can cripple the function of pancreatic cancer cells while sensitising them to chemotherapy, says new research.

Resveratrol is known for its ability to protect plants from bacteria and fungi, while previous research has also found it helps prevent the negative effects of high-calorie diets and has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer potential.

While this study, published this month in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, looked at the way the antioxidant may aid pancreatic cancer treatment, it also contributes to the growing knowledge on the health benefits arising from ingredients of red wine.

As well as disabling the function of the cancer cells by reaching and reacting with the mitochondria (the cell’s energy source), researchers found that when they were pre-treated with resveratrol before being irradiated, it resulted in a type of cell death called apoptosis. This is an important goal of cancer therapy.

“Antioxidant research is very active and very seductive right now,” said Paul Okunieff, chief of radiation oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Centre.

“The challenge lies in finding the right concentration and how it works inside the cell. Resveratrol seems to have a therapeutic gain by making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation and making normal tissue less sensitive.”

The study

To build on such findings, Okunieff began studying resveratrol as a tumor sensitizer, which is when the link to the mitochondria was uncovered.

Researchers divided pancreatic cancer cells into two groups: cells treated without resveratrol then iodised, and ones treated with resveratrol at a relatively high dose of 50mg per ml before being iodised.

The amount of resveratrol in red wine can vary between types of grapes and growing seasons, and ranges can be as high as 30 mg per ml. But the researchers said higher doses are expected to be safe as long as a physician monitors the patient.

The study found that resveratrol reduced the function of proteins in the pancreatic cancer cell membranes responsible for pumping chemotherapy out of the cell, therefore making them more sensitive to the treatment.

Additionally, the antioxidant triggered the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing apoptosis, and depolarised the mitochondrial membranes, indicating a decrease in the cell’s potential to function.

The researchers said the discovery is important because the mitochnodria contains its own DNA and can continuously supply the cell with energy when functioning fully. Stopping the energy flow can therefore help stop cancer.

In investigating why the pancreatic cancer cells are particularly resistant to chemotherapy and therefore reactive to the inclusion of resveratrol, the team found that the natural pumping of digestive enzymes to the duodenum actually flushes out chemotherapy from pancreas cells.

But as resveratrol interferes with the cancer cells’ energy source, it also may decrease the power available to pump the treatment out of the cell.

Okunieff said: “While additional studies are needed, this research indicated that resveratrol has a promising future as part of the treatment for cancer.”

Sources

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
2008;614:179-86
“Anti-cancer effect of resveratrol is associated with induction of apoptosis via a mitochondrial pathway alignment”
Authors: Paul Okunieff, Weimin Sun, Wei Wang, Jung Kim, Shanmin Yang

Article by Laura Crowley

The steady stream of good news about green tea is getting so hard to ignore that even java junkies are beginning to sip mugs of the deceptively delicate brew. You’d think the daily dose of disease-fighting, inflammation-squelching antioxidants–long linked with heart protection–would be enough incentive, but wait, there’s more! Lots more.

Cut your cancer risk
Several polyphenols - the potent antioxidants green tea’s famous for - seem to help keep cancer cells from gaining a foothold in the body, by discouraging their growth and then squelching the creation of new blood vessels that tumors need to thrive. Study after study has found that people who regularly drink green tea reduce their risk of breast, stomach, esophagus, colon, and/or prostate cancer.

Sooth your skin
Got a cut, scrape, or bite, and a little leftover green tea? Soak a cotton pad in it. The tea is a natural antiseptic that relieves itching and swelling. Try it on inflamed breakouts and blemishes, sunburns, even puffy eyelids.

Protect your skin
In the lab, green tea applied directly to the skin (or consumed) helps block sun-triggered skin cancer, which is why you’re seeing green tea in more and more sunscreens and moisturizers.

Steady your blood pressure
Having healthy blood pressure - meaning below 120/80 - is one thing. Keeping it that way is quite another. But people who sip just half a cup a day are almost 50 percent less likely to wind up with hypertension than non-drinkers. Credit goes to the polyphenols again (especially one known as ECGC). They help keep blood vessels from contracting and raising blood pressure.

Protect your memory, or your mom’s
Green tea may also keep the brain from turning fuzzy. Getting-up-there adults who drink at least two cups a day are half as likely to develop cognitive problems as those who drink less. Why? It appears that the tea’s big dose of antioxidants fights the free-radical damage to brain nerves seen in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Stay young
The younger and healthier your arteries are, the younger and healthier you are. So fight plaque build-up in your blood vessels, which ups the risk of heart disease and stroke, adds years to your biological age (or RealAge), and saps your energy too. How much green tea does this vital job take? About 10 ounces a day, which also deters your body from absorbing artery-clogging fat and cholesterol.

Lose weight
Oh yeah, one more thing. Turns out that green tea speeds up your body’s calorie-burning process. In the every-little-bit-counts department, this is good news!

A probiotic is a beneficial bacteria culture found in some foods and supplements that can help the naturally occurring flora in the body’s gut re-establish themselves, thereby helping to strengthen the body’s immune system and overall digestive system. Most nutrient absorption of foods and supplements occurs in the gut–also known as the intestinal system. A healthy gut means your absorption-and-elimination system works better, and that benefits the entire body.

The body’s digestive system is very complicated. And like all complex machines, it takes not one action to help keep it healthy, but a variety of actions. When the body is not cared for properly, it doesn’t eliminate well, it can’t absorb and utilize nutrients effectively, and it begins to lose its ability to function in an efficient manner. Then the breakdown begins.

In the fast-paced world of today, what we eat, when we eat it, plus the stresses of the day and our personal lifestyle habits can affect our health in subtle ways that may not be apparent until a health issue occurs. Then we usually stop and ask, “What can I do to make my body work better?” These health issues can materialize as persistent yeast infections (Candida), tiredness, allergies, very bad breath, constipation and/or diarrhea, as well as an impaired immune system resulting in recurring colds, sick days, and so on. That is when a probiotic–which literally means “for life”–enters the picture.

What can a body do?

Change your lifestyle! At AMARC, we highly recommend lifestyle change as well as daily probiotics to all our clients. Here are some tips to help you take better care of your body:

o Better food choices: Fast foods that are high in fat, low in fiber, or high in sugars should be restricted or eliminated from the diet. The gut operates best with a healthy diet of lean meats, fruits and vegetables, and unrefined grains.
o Better living habits: Limiting or eliminating alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and refined sugars from the daily diet can help the body keep a better balance. And get the eight or nine hours of sleep your body needs every night. Yes, I know that’s easier said than done! But I’m willing to bet there are ways you can get to bed earlier if you look for them hard enough, and there are ways to sleep better once you get there.
o Better stress management: We all react differently to stress, but it’s well documented that those people who have out-of-control stress in their lives seem to have more immune-system health problems than those who have learned how to deal with stress. You really can learn how to manage stress–just make the effort to seek out more information on what works.
o Better exercise habits: It’s well-documented that a regular exercise program is most important for a healthy life. This doesn’t mean you must start running marathons–it simply means that regular daily exercise is a very important factor in life and in overall health, including your gut.
o Better nutrition: Not only should you try to improve your lifestyle as suggested above, but you should also include foods and supplements that can help the gut work better. The foods and supplements that are high in probiotics are foods such as yogurts and kefirs that contain a range of probiotic bacteria, and supplements such as acidophilus. Here are some examples of these beneficial bacteria–look for them on the labels as you buy foods and supplements:
 Bifidobacterium animalis, breve, longum, and infantis found in some yogurts and kefirs.
 Lactobacillus acidophilus, casei, johnsonii, lactis, plantarum, reuteri, rhamnosus, and salivarius.

Remember, there’s no quick fix, nor is there a silver bullet. But a healthy lifestyle that includes probiotics is a great start!

Strengthen your immune system by kicking these defense-impairing habits. Follow this advice, and your body will thank you. 

1. Stop Smoking
Smoking, and breathing in secondhand smoke, are terrible for your entire body. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds. Of these, at least 43 are known carcinogens.
 
Here are just some of the ways it wreaks havoc: Smoking causes heart disease, lung and esophageal cancer, and chronic lung disease. It contributes to cancer of the bladder, pancreas, and kidneys. Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have problems, including babies with low birth weights, which is a leading cause of infant death.
 
In fact, smoking kills more than two times as many people as AIDS, alcohol abuse, motor vehicle accidents, homicides, drugs, and suicide combined. One out of every five deaths in America is smoking-related. On average, smokers die nearly 7 years earlier than nonsmokers!
 
Secondhand smoke is almost as deadly. Each year, because of exposure to tobacco smoke, an estimated 3,000 nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer and 300,000 children suffer from lower respiratory tract infections. Secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack and aggravate symptoms in people with allergies. In addition, tobacco smoke has been shown to make asthma worse in preschool children and may even cause it.

2. Dodge Those PCBs
It takes just one exposure of less than one-millionth of a gram for immunotoxic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, certain pesticides, and dioxin-like substances to disrupt the immune function of innocent wildlife. Since these chemicals can stay in the environment for decades, vulnerable wildlife species have no escape from their devastation. Moreover, not only do these toxins become more concentrated as they move their way up the food chain, they can also cause life-threatening autoimmune reactions–the immune system’s inability to tell the difference between the body’s own tissues and foreign invaders.
 
So, what does this have to do with your immune system? A lot. Evidence suggests that some of these same chemicals may be putting us at risk. A few examples: In Aberdeen, N.C.–home of the Aberdeen pesticides dump–scientists found that young adults were two times more likely than nonresidents to have shingles, a painful condition caused by a herpes virus. In another study, researchers found that chlordane, a termite-killing substance, caused weaker immune responses in people who had been exposed.
 
So what can you do? Reduce your exposure as much as possible to unnecessary toxins. Stay away from cigarette smoke, excess alcohol, and illicit drugs. Buy organic produce when possible. Rinse your fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove pesticides. Switch to natural gardening methods and stay indoors or go away when your neighbors are using pesticides. Choose cleansers, paper goods, and other products that are made with less toxic materials. Read food labels vigilantly and avoid products that contain unnecessary chemicals.

3. Avoid Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation has a powerfully detrimental effect on your immune system. The perfect example is college students who get sick after pulling all-nighters cramming for exams.
 
If you’re tired when you wake up in the morning, you’re not getting enough sleep, or maybe not enough quality sleep. Either way, your immunity is probably compromised. Poor sleep is associated with lower immune system function and reduced numbers of killer cells that fight germs. Killer cells are also the part of the immune system that combats cells that divide too rapidly, as they do in cancer. Lower their numbers and you may be at greater risk for illness.
 
Studies have shown that chronic sleep deprivation also contributes to heart disease, gastrointestinal problems, and other medical illnesses. One study on the effects of sleep deprivation showed that a group of men restricted to 4 to 6 hours of sleep per night experienced changes in hormone function and carbohydrate metabolism that mimic aging changes; the lack of sleep was making them older faster.
 
4. Release Yourself from the Stress Trap
No doubt about it, stress is an Immune Buster. The loss of a job, the death of a spouse, the breakup of a marriage–these are all examples of situations that can trigger a vigorous stress response in the body.
 
There is compelling scientific evidence that chronic stress causes a measurable decline in the immune system’s ability to fight disease. Severe and chronic stress have a direct impact on the immune system that can cause disease or change the course of a preexisting disease. For example, studies have indicated that higher levels of stress hormones lead to more rapid cancer progression.
 
Other research has shown that people who are stressed are more prone to developing cardiovascular disease. Studies show that women with cardiovascular disease who are better able to manage their stress live longer and remain healthier than women with cardiovascular disease who undergo a lot of stress and don’t know how to manage it.
 
Periods of extreme stress can result in lower natural killer cell count, sluggish “killer T” cells, and diminished macrophage activity that can amplify the immune response. In fact, widows and widowers are much more likely to get sick during the first year following the death of their spouse than their peers who have not experienced a major loss.
 
5. Adopt an Optimistic Outlook
Even subtle shades of sadness can weaken your immune system. Here’s why:
 
Studies show that pessimists who look at a half-glass of water and think that it’s half-empty don’t live as long as optimists, who see the same glass as half-full. When pessimists put a more positive spin on the calamities in their lives, they have less stress and better health. One reason for this could be that optimists take better care of themselves. It could also be due to less stress-related damage to your immune system, such as killer cells that suddenly become pacifists. In one study, cancer patients who completed a special course designed to make them more optimistic had stronger immune systems than those who maintained their woesome ways.
 
Other research supports the idea that having a negative outlook when under stress can make you and your immune system miss out. A 1998 study at UCLA found that law students who began their first semester optimistic about the experience had more helper T cells midsemester, which can amplify the immune response, and more powerful natural killer cells. The reason? They experienced events such as their grueling first year as less stressful than did their more pessimistic classmates. Researchers say that this establishes the possibility that a person’s outlook and mood when stressed might affect responses to common immune challenges such as exposure to cold viruses.

6. Avoid Sedentary Lifestyles
One in four American women doesn’t exercise at all, making sedentary lifestyles even more common in women than in men. Sedentary ways have a tremendous impact on health. The benefits of exercise are so great that choosing not to exercise is like throwing away a winning lottery ticket. Millions of Americans suffer from illnesses that can be prevented or treated through exercise, including 50 million people with high blood pressure, 13.5 million with coronary heart disease, and 8 million with type 2 diabetes.
 
Studies show the dangers of a sedentary life. One study compared inactive people with those who walked briskly almost every day. Researchers found that those who didn’t walk took twice as many sick days in 4 months as those who walked.
 
Over time, you should work up to the standard recommendation of five times a week for at least 30 minutes. Experts say that it takes a half-hour of aerobic exercise to sweep white blood cells, key immune system components that are stuck on the blood vessel walls, back into circulation.
 
Moderate exercise is the key. If your exercise is too intense, it can actually suppress your immune system, which is why marathon runners often get colds after a race. What defines overexertion depends on your fitness level. Consult with your doctor to determine yours before starting an exercise program.
 
7. Avoid Social Isolation
The cost of social isolation may be higher than we think. Studies show that the fewer human connections we have at home, at work, and in the community, the more likely we are to get sick, flood our brains with anxiety-causing chemicals, and die prematurely.
 
One study in Sweden showed that those who frequented cultural events such as concerts, museum exhibits, and even ball games tended to live longer than their stay-at-home peers. The key factors could be increased social contact and reduced stress. Other studies have found that people who are isolated may live only half as long as those who have a lot of human contact. Love seems to be an immune system nutrient.
 
The good news is that these same studies also show that the more human connections we have, the more likely we are to live longer and healthier. Connectedness is the unacknowledged key to emotional and physical health. The more ties you have, the more likely you are to stay well in the first place. Researchers who monitored 276 people between the ages of 18 and 55 found that those who had six or more connections were four times better at fighting off the viruses that cause colds.
 
8. Junk the Junk Food
Combined with sedentary lives, a poor diet is estimated to kill between 310,000 and 580,000 Americans each year.   So, how bad is junk food for your immune system?
 
Experts have known for some time that when a person is malnourished, her immune system is weakened. When you restore the person to normal nutrition, her immune system improves, which is no surprise. But what they’re just learning is that when you continue to improve nutrition beyond mere adequacy, the immune system continues to improve, even in healthy people.
 
One thing that a lot of junk food has in common is excess fat. Fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, tend to suppress the immune system. Cut your total fat intake to no more than 25% of daily calories.
 
Another bad component of junk food is excess sugar. Sugar inhibits phagocytosis, the process by which viruses and bacteria are engulfed and then literally chewed up by white blood cells.

9. Arm Yourself Against Too Many Antibiotics
The cost of antibiotic resistance is high, both literally and from a health perspective. Literally, while it costs only $12,000 to treat a patient who has tuberculosis that responds to antibiotics, the cost soars to $180,000 for a patient with a multidrug-resistant strain.
 
From a health perspective, the cost of antibiotic resistance is an increase in the seriousness of disease. For example, treating a person with tuberculosis caused by a strain that is killed by antibiotics is highly effective. In contrast, between 40 and 60% of people who get antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis die.
 
The cost of misuse of antibiotics can be a weakened immune system. Researchers found that certain patients taking antibiotics had reduced levels of cytokines, the hormone messengers of the immune system. When your immune system is suppressed, you’re more likely to develop resistant bacteria or to become sick in the future.
 
Here are steps to take to use antibiotics properly:
•  Take antibiotics only for bacterial infections.
•  Take antibiotics the right way. If you are prescribed an antibiotic, it’s crucial that you take the entire course.
•  Don’t use antibiotics to try to prevent infection.
•  Don’t save or share antibiotics.
•  Avoid antibacterial hand soaps and lotions.

10. Use Laughter to Beat Stress
Researchers have found that the positive emotions associated with laughter decrease stress hormones and increase certain immune cells while activating others. In one study conducted at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California, 10 healthy men who watched a funny video for an hour had significant increases in one particular hormone of the immune system that activates other components of the immune system.
 
So how can you add a little humor to your life? Simply find reasons to laugh. Rent a funny video; read a book of jokes. Have lunch with a friend known for her sense of humor. Lightening up can really light up your immune system.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay

Weight management, exercise and proper nutrition are key to reducing your risk of cancer. And the earlier in life you adopt these practices, the better off you’ll be, a recent study suggests.

Factors such as birth weight, childbearing, breast-feeding, and adult height and weight also influence cancer risk, according to the report released by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the Britain-based World Cancer Research Fund. Understanding how these factors affect cancer risk, and how to put this information to use to prevent the disease, offer promising new directions for cancer research, the study authors said.

“We need to think about cancer as the product of many long-term influences, not as something that ‘just happens,’ ” Dr. Walter J. Willett said in a prepared statement. Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, was one of 21 authors of the report Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective.

“Examining the causes of cancer this way, across the entire lifetime, is called the life course approach,” he added.

The report, an analysis by scientists from around the world of more than 7,000 studies, offers 10 recommendations to help prevent cancer. They include staying lean, getting at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, limiting your intake of red meat and alcohol, informed supplementation and avoiding processed meats.

“These findings are right on,” said Colleen Doyle, director of nutrition and physical activity at the American Cancer Society. “They are consistent with our own nutrition and physical activity guidelines. They clearly put the emphasis where the emphasis needs to be, and that’s on controlling your weight.”

“This is a good-news report,” added Karen Collins, a nutrition adviser at the American Institute for Cancer Research. “If we are watching our weight, working regular physical activity into our daily life and eating a healthy balance of foods, we could prevent a third of cancers,” she said. “Extra weight is not dead weight,” she said. “It’s an active metabolic tissue that produces substances that promote the development of cancer.”

“People should take this message to be empowering,” Collins said.

The analysis of the studies found a definite link between excess fat and cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, colon and rectum, endometrium, kidney as well as breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

The risk from excess weight begins at birth, according to the report. The reason for the link between birth weight and breast cancer has to do with body fat. Excess body fat influences the body’s hormones, and these changes can make it more likely for cells to undergo the kind of abnormal growth that leads to cancer, the researchers said.

In addition, overweight girls can start menstruating at an earlier age. So, over their lifetime, they will have more menstrual cycles. This extended exposure to estrogen is associated with increased risk for premenopausal breast cancer, the report found.

Not smoking is the most important thing one can do to reduce the risk of cancer, Doyle said. But, she added, “there are estimates that obesity will overtake smoking as the leading preventable cause of death.

“It’s great to see another report that emphasizes being active, watching your weight and eating a healthy diet are not only going to help you reduce your risk of cancer but heart disease and diabetes as well,” Doyle said.

The report also found that breast-feeding can lower a mother’s risk for developing breast cancer. In addition, breast-fed infants have a lower risk of becoming overweight or obese, and this means a lower risk of developing cancer.

“The evidence is uniformly strong on breast-feeding, and the fact that it offers cancer protection to both mothers and their children is why we made breast-feeding one of our 10 Recommendations to Prevent Cancer,” Willett said.

In addition, tall people seem to have a higher risk of colorectal and postmenopausal breast cancer, according to the report.

“We found that tallness is also probably linked to increased risk for ovarian, pancreatic and premenopausal cancer as well,” Willett said. Although the association between height and cancer is convincing, tall people are not destined to get cancer, he added.

Willett noted that being at increased risk is not a guarantee that you are going to develop cancer. “Risk isn’t fate,” he said. “The evidence clearly shows that risk can be changed.”

“We wanted to point these emerging links out, because we now believe them to be more important than the scientific community, much less the public, has yet realized,” Willett added. “Whether or not we get cancer has to do with our genes and with the choices we make everyday. Our cancer risk is also influenced by our whole accumulated life experience, from conception onwards.

“Body weight and composition is a big factor,” one expert said.

“This report really reinforces the connection between being overweight or obese and the increased risk of many, if not all, cancers,” said Carolyn Lammersfeld, the national director of nutrition at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. “The majority of Americans are not aware of that connection. They are more concerned with pesticides and environmental contaminants, but obesity is a much greater risk factor,” she said.

But risks can be minimized, she added. “If you don’t have cancer, it’s never too late to try to do what you can to lower your risk,” Lammersfeld said. “In addition, cancer survivors should follow the diet and weight recommendations to prevent a return of cancer.”

The report said that people should not depend solely on dietary supplements to try to offset cancer risk — something Lammersfeld agreed with. “You can’t simply fix a crappy diet with supplements,” she said. “You need a balanced diet and specific supplements to augment your food intake, as well as atenuate the effects of the foods themselves. Also, daily exercise and a positive mental state are integral.”

WebMD Feature

By Suz Redfearn

It’s true—they do make it hard to get the money you’re entitled to. Here’s how to get them to pay up.

Health insurance companies like to keep secrets. And they like to save money. Example: You have surgery, and weeks later you get a bill for using an out-of-network anesthesiologist. Ridiculous, right? You didn’t choose who put you under, so you shouldn’t have to pay extra. But your insurer sent the bill anyway, hoping you wouldn’t notice.

Fighting back against this kind of trickery—and winning—is a lot easier than you think, says Kevin Flynn, president of Healthcare Advocates, a Philadelphia-based firm that helps patients wrangle with their health plans. We checked with Flynn and other insurance-industry insiders, lawyers, doctors, and regulators to uncover nine little-known ways to get the health coverage you deserve—for less.

Don’t pay if you don’t have a say.

When you purposely see an out-of-network doctor, your plan usually makes it clear that it’ll cost you. But when you have surgery, the hospital chooses the anesthesiologist. If you get that annoying “out-of-network” bill, Flynn says, draft a strongly worded letter stating you had no say about the anesthesiologist—in-network or otherwise—and, therefore, won’t pay any additional fees. “If you don’t have direct control, you are not liable,” Flynn says, adding that this tack is likely to work every time, but few consumers know about it.

You may be eligible for more coverage.

Depending on your state, you could be eligible for more benefits than your plan is telling you about. Take Maryland, for instance. Health plans operating there must pay for expensive infertility coverage. But one state over, in Virginia, they don’t. It’s unlikely that your plan is trumpeting info about state-mandated coverage, though. It’s up to you to get the scoop. One good place to check is Families USA (www.familiesusa.org), a consumer group that keeps tabs on state rules, suggests Kevin Lembo, Connecticut’s official health care advocate for consumers. Another option: Contact your state’s insurance commissioner (http://www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm).

To get tested, talk up your symptoms.

Your insurer doesn’t want to pay for a colonoscopy if it’s not necessary. But if your best friend is diagnosed with colon cancer and you want the $675 test to put your mind at ease, here’s how to get one covered: Mention to your doctor that you’ve had some blood in your stool and a lot of gas lately—or simply that your bowel habits have changed. Your plan has to pay for the test if you have gastro complaints, health experts say. (Only 21 states require insurers to cover colonoscopies for general screening.)

Stall first, answer questions later.

When Wendy Decenzo became pregnant with twins, she wasn’t worried about health insurance. Her husband, Chris, had made sure to get a health plan that covered pregnancy well before they started trying. But when Wendy began going for prenatal visits, coverage was denied. Their plan, Blue Cross of California, wouldn’t say why. Instead, the insurer asked the Decenzos to sign release forms allowing the plan to view their medical histories, which the law says are private.

Chris believes the company was looking for any info that the Decenzos may have accidentally omitted when they applied for coverage. If an omission were found, the couple might have been denied coverage. “It seemed like a fishing expedition in order to deny us,” Chris says. So they refused to sign, and three months later the plan started paying for the prenatal appointments, even going back and paying for earlier visits that hadn’t been covered. Flynn says lots of insurers try this trick, but since their review process usually lasts only 60 to 90 days, they often drop the inquiry after that. Sometimes, procrastination pays.

Letters are your best bet.

It may seem a bit inconvenient, but the old-fashioned letter is by far the best way to communicate with your health plan. “Don’t do anything over the phone. It takes forever and when you’re done there’s no record of it, so it didn’t happen,” says Rhonda Orin, a Washington, D.C.–based attorney and author of Making Them Pay: How to Get the Most From Health Insurance and Managed Care.

Letters almost always get a response, adds Lembo, the Connecticut health care advocate. Some plans will answer e-mail, but many won’t. And to whom, exactly, should you address your mail? Experts recommend following your plan’s appeal process for letters and sending copies to your state insurance commissioner. Also, keep copies of every letter you’ve sent your plan and everything they’ve sent back. That way, when your insurer says, “We never said we’d cover that,” you can say, “I have it right here in writing.”

Doctors can be good weapons.

You just got four massage sessions, under doctor’s orders, for lower-back pain—but your insurer refuses to pay for them? Ask your doctor for help. He can tell the insurer he’s going to complain to the state board that regulates health plans.

“Health plans may not fear you, but they do respect the board,” says James Moss, a retired Kentucky surgeon. He intervened on a patient’s behalf and, by pressuring the board, helped the patient win coverage. Another option: Say you’ll call your congressman and/or state Medicare office to lodge a formal complaint, Moss says.

Caveat: Don’t actually contact your state board yourself if a claim is denied. Janice Weiss, a Jupiter, Florida–based attorney who fights health plans for consumers, says some of her clients who went this route ended up hurting their cases when the state agency ruled their claims invalid; that left them little recourse with their insurance companies. Instead, while working your plan’s appeals process, just suggest you may take the matter to your state.

A little research can go a long way.

If you want a special CT scan or MRI, your doc probably won’t authorize it unless it’s an absolute must. Persuade her with expert info from the American College of Radiology’s Appropriateness Criteria, says Anne Roberts, executive vice chair of the department of radiology at the University of California, San Diego. Used primarily by doctors but open to the public, it’s an up-to-date list of the types of imaging that are right for various conditions. Arming yourself with the info doesn’t guarantee coverage, but it’s a proactive step in the right direction.

There are ways to get drugs cheaper.

Doctors are often wowed by the latest and greatest drugs, which tend to be the most expensive. Make sure these newer, high-end meds are what you need before you leave the doctor’s office. Sometimes your insurance plan won’t pay for them at all; other times it’ll charge higher co-pays. In many cases, drugs have generic versions that are just as effective but cheaper than the newer ones. Always ask your doc (or the pharmacist) for generics. And if you really need a medicine that doesn’t have a generic version, order it by mail. Many plans have a less-expensive mail-order pharmacy option. Another prescription trick for people who have chronic conditions like allergies: Ask your doc to write you a prescription for two or three months’ worth of medication instead of one. Goodbye, extra co-pays.

An advocate can help you win.

Imagine being turned down for coverage after running up $125,000 in medical bills. That’s what happened to the parents of a daughter with anorexia just before they sought help from Kevin Flynn, of Healthcare Advocates. For $400, he took over the fight with their insurer and—after a year’s worth of combat—won.

Flynn is a patient advocate, part of a growing industry that makes its money from helping you. Some advo-cates help you interact with your doctor, while others specialize in insurance disputes. Most of all, firms like Flynn’s keep the letters going out on your behalf, saving you time, energy, and headaches. “The insurers know that advocates know the laws, the regulations—things a regular consumer might not know. That makes them nervous,” Flynn says.

Advocates can even get policies changed. One of Flynn’s clients, who had rectal cancer, was having trouble getting his insurance plan to pay for a new radiation therapy. The insurer claimed the treatment wasn’t ready for prime time, but Flynn found six studies showing its usefulness for the disease, got the coverage—and got the insurer to rewrite its policy.

To find an advocate, contact the Patient Advocate Foundation, says Laura Weil, interim director of Sarah Lawrence College’s Health Advocacy Program. Another helpful resource is the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy. Also try checking with the medical association for a particular condition, like the Multiple Myeloma Association or the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders; many of these groups keep lists of advocates.

Because prevention is the most powerful cure!

Not surprisingly, our animals’ health is beginning to mirror our own. Today we’re seeing many of the epidemics that have plagued humans, such as obesity, diabetes and chronic inflammation, and even cancer, manifest at epidemic levels in our pets. If you take a good look around, you’ll find that people really do look like their pets. More accurately, they tend to have similar characteristics, and unfortunately, that includes similar health problems.

Some professionals claim this is caused by the emotional burden that pets absorb from the family environment; the animals manifest similar symptoms as the people. This emotional influence does, in fact, play a larger role than most of us think. But the majority of symptoms are a result of similar eating habits – a heavily processed diet. Research shows that the high glycemic (raises blood sugar dramatically) state of processed food promotes inflammation throughout the body. This inflammation is too small to diagnose but it does increase the incidence of chronic inflammation.

Processed foods, like low quality pet kibbles, tend to be higher in glycemic index than whole foods, and the addition of low cost grain or other starch sources are mostly to blame. These higher glycemic diets have also been linked to insulin resistance, which also increases the risk of obesity.

Obesity and cancer affect a huge number of canines these days, and our felines seem to be suffering from diabetes and obesity in epic proportions. Recent genetic research shows that a greater free radical load on the body caused, in large part, by poor quality food, adversely affects gene function. One of the gene systems pinpointed is directly involved in the production of hormones (prostaglandins) that contribute to inflammation and tumor formation.

What’s the significance of this? It provides a direct scientific link between processed, high glycemic index foods, and diseases like cancer, chronic inflammation, and obesity.

For our animals, these risks increase as they get older. Just like us, our furry companions can tolerate metabolic strains imposed by diet, environment and/or emotion when they are young. But as we age, our ability to produce internal antioxidants to protect us from these strains declines.

Supplements to consider

Fortunately, there are things we can do to block these nasty metabolic influences, starting with supplementation. Here’s what you should consider:

Antioxidants — Research shows that uncontrolled free radicals accelerate genes beyond their normal activity. This causes us to age faster. For our companion animals, this is an even greater problem since they already have a faster rate of aging then we do. Antioxidant supplementation literally helps protect us from the unnatural influence our food and environment deliver. Supplementing our animal companion’s food with a basic multivitamin/mineral formula that contains a healthy concentration of bioavailable, active forms of antioxidants and mineral and vitamin cofactors, is the key to better health and improved quality of life. Recommended is lipoic acid, specifically in the form of palladium lipoic complexes, which can help to neutralize the free radicals within your pet’s body that are thought to influence the aging and disease processes and convert them into energy.

Grapeseed proanthocyanidins and boswellic acid (from the herb boswelia serrata) – These contain protective and anti-inflammatory effects as well. However, many who administer these herbs, or other nutrient-based therapies such as glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate for joint problems, experience limited results due to a failure to address the animal’s primary needs. This involves more basic daily nutritional requirements such as active essential fat, vitamin and mineral nutrients.

Manganese, copper, sulfur, vitamin C, and vitamin E – Our bodies and those of our companion animals are complex, requiring multiples of nutrients in tandem. Cartilage regeneration, for example, depends on much more than just glucosamine. Canned and dry kibble foods are fortified with many of these essentials, including vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. However, the gut’s ability to absorb them in this form may be limited. Vitamins degrade rapidly in these environments and the integrity and activity of essential fatty acids cannot be protected even if they are added back to the denatured food.

Choosing the right supplement for therapy or prevention

Our pets’ digestive system is shorter than ours; it runs faster than our own. Liquid forms, or properly manufactured powdered forms which do not contain binders, are absorbed more efficiently. If you are using tablets, make sure your animal chews them thoroughly. Additionally, these nutrients must be provided in the correct proportionsfor the specialized metabolism of your canine or feline companion. Human supplements are designed for our own metabolic needs and are not best suited to treat and maintain our pet’s health. Instead, use products formulated especially for animals.

Remember, prevention is extremey important. A correctly proportioned vitamin supplement is the most powerful health support you can offer your loyal friend.

by Franco Cavaleri