Supplement Suppresses Breast Cancer Cells

For so very long all you have hears is that the only way to treat breast cancer is to screen with cancer causing x-ray (mammogram) and treat with more cancer causing radiation and cancer causing chemo therapy drugs.

No one wanted you to learn that there are safer screening methods (thermography) and safer therapy approaches that include nutrition, herbs, vitamins, and other natural therapies ( ex: JBNI herbal formulas all tested at Dana Farber), all well documented over time.

Here is a new look at the use of supplements with similar positive results.

Suppression of Proliferation and Invasive Behavior of Human Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells by Dietary Supplement BreastDefend

Read commentary from Ralph Moss

Investigators:

Jiahua Jiang
1. Methodist Research Institute

Rachael Wojnowski
1. Methodist Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine

Andrej Jedinak
1. Methodist Research Institute

Daniel Sliva
1. Methodist Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine

Abstract

Aim. The study was to evaluate the effect of the dietary supplement BreastDefend (BD) on the proliferation and invasive behavior of highly metastatic human breast cancer cells in vitro. Methods. Cell proliferation and cytotoxicity of BD was evaluated in MDA-MB-231 cells treated with BD (0-40 μg/mL) by MTT assay and trypan blue staining, respectively. Expression of cell cycle regulatory genes were determined by DNA-microarray analysis. Effect of BD on invasiveness was assessed by cellular adhesion, migration, and invasion assays. Results. BD treatment of cells MDA-MB-231 resulted in the cytostatic inhibition of cell proliferation with IC₅₀ 22.2, 19.1, and 17.5 μg/mL for 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. The inhibition of proliferation was mediated by the upregulation expression of CCNG1, CHEK1, CDKN1C, GADD45A, and E2F2, whereas BD downregulated expression of CCNA1 and CDK6 genes. The induction of expression of GADD45A and inhibition of expression of cyclin A1 (gene CCNA1) by BD was also confirmed on the protein level. BD treatment suppressed the invasive behavior of MDA-MB-231 cells by the inhibition of cellular adhesion, migration, and invasion. This inhibition of invasiveness was mediated by the suppression of secretion of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), and by the downregulation of expression of CXCR4 in breast cancer cells treated with BD. Conclusion: BD inhibits proliferation and invasive behavior of the highly metastatic human breast cancer cells in vitro. BD may have a therapeutic potential for prevention or treatment of highly metastatic breast cancers.

Articles and issues of interest

11 October 2010 - Omega3 Comment
The concern regarding conversion of plant based omega3 (EPA-DHA) has long been an issue we have addressed in our work, and a reason why we have not endorsed the soy and canola based "plant sterol" products. This quote from Dr. Newport is very much the same as we have written many times. It is a reason too why I am a firm supporter of spirulina.

"While flax oil, walnuts and other vegetable sources of omega-3 are beneficial, they may not be converted efficiently in the body, especially in older people, to DHA and EPA, the two forms of omega-3 that are extremely important to brain function. It is therefore important to take a marine source of omega-3; for most of us this is fish oil. This would be a problem for vegans. I have recently learned that there is a high DHA oil available that is from algae rather than fish or other animal marine life. The supplements suggested for pregnant women are often made from this. Specifically, schizochytrium oil, is available over the counter at health food stores and pharmacies."

Original post date April 2006

Well the media spin of course will now tell you that Omega3s are unhealthy. This comment might make you more interested in having skepticism about mass media reports, at least I hope so,
herbalYODA

24th March: Fish oil may not be so healthy after all says the British Medical Journal

According to a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), researchers analysed 89 studies to assess the effects of Omega-3 fats on death rates, heart disease, cancer and strokes. Their findings (which we vigorously contest): no strong evidence that Omega-3 fats had any benefits! It's important to realise that this is not a new study, but rather a study of studies (a meta-analysis). The conclusions drawn by the authors are, in our view, deeply misleading. They ignore the very large body of evidence that shows great benefits of Omega-3 (especially marine-derived, long chain Omega-3 fatty acids [EPA and DHA] that are known to be free of mercury and PCB contamination) with respect to reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as for proper immune system function. Lee Hooper (lead author) and colleagues omitted numerous important studies, they selected studies mainly involving diseased subjects (whose conditions were likely to have been triggered well before they started supplementing in the trials), they included great ranges in dosages (meaning that direct comparisons between studies are of little value) and they masked the benefits of marine oils by diluting the high quality studies in with weaker studies assessing affects of non-marine sources of short-chain Omega-3 fatty acids (e.g., as found in some margarines).

Of interest is the recent release by Norwegian scientists (30th March), who are developing a chewable Omega-3 candy, stating that Omega-3-containing products have experienced massive growth in recent years backed up by scientific research that has linked the fish oils to a range of health benefits.

Drugs Causing Other Diseases

This is the Black Box warning for VIDEX

PANCREATITIS, LACTIC ACIDOSIS and HEPATOMEGALY with STEATOSIS
Fatal and nonfatal pancreatitis has occurred during therapy with VIDEX used alone or in combination regimens in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients, regardless of degree of immunosuppression. VIDEX should be suspended in patients with suspected pancreatitis and discontinued in patients with confirmed pancreatitis [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS].
Lactic acidosis and severe hepatomegaly with steatosis, including fatal cases, have been reported with the use of nucleoside analogues alone or in combination, including didanosine and other antiretrovirals. Fatal lactic acidosis has been reported in pregnant women who received the combination of didanosine and stavudine with other antiretroviral agents. The combination of didanosine and stavudine should be used with caution during pregnancy and is recommended only if the potential benefit clearly outweighs the potential risk [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS].

In January of this year the FDA announced its concern about the problems caused by this drug, discovered only from a review of adverse reaction reports in post marketing data.

from MedPage Today

FDA Revises HIV Drug Label for Liver Complication

By Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: January 31, 2010

WASHINGTON -- The FDA has updated labels of the HIV drug didanosine (Videx and Videx EC) to include warnings for potentially serious liver damage.
Although these cases are rare, the drug may cause noncirrhotic hypertension in patients, a potentially fatal complication which the FDA discovered through 42 postmarket, adverse event reports.
Of those patients, three required liver transplant and four died. Two deaths were caused by esophageal hemorrhage, while two more were caused by progressive liver failure.
One patient suffered multiorgan failure, cerebral hemorrhage, sepsis, and lactic acidosis.
The FDA said in a statement that it chose not to recall the drug because it believes its benefits outweigh potential risks, but advised that treatment decisions be made on an individual basis between healthcare professionals and patients.
The agency added that causal association is difficult to determine in postmarket reports, but that alternative causes of the hypertension were ruled out in well-documented cases.
Healthcare professionals who determine didanosine is effective in treating a patient should monitor that patient for the development of portal hypertension and esophageal varices, the agency said.
Didanosine is used in combination with other HIV medications to help maintain CD4 cells in patients.
The drug already has a black box warning for lactic acidosis and hepatomegaly with steatosis.
Like the antiretroviral agents hydroxyurea and ribavirin, didanosine has been associated with the development of liver toxicity.

US Health Care Continues to Rank Last

October 2010 - U.S. Life Expectancy Continues to Lag Behind Other Nations

Another non-surprise! Flaws in the nation's health-care system are the main culprit.

"For example, 15-year survival rates for men and women ages 45 and 65 in the U.S. have fallen relative to the other 12 countries over the past 30 years. Forty-five-year-old U.S. white women fared worst. By 2005 their 15-year survival rates were lower than that of all the other countries."

and the article continues - "Dr. David J. Ores, a general practitioner on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, said that the American health-care system is designed around profit, and aims to make a few people extremely wealthy.

"The system works flawlessly," he told AOL Health. "The same is true for our centralized national food supply system with fats and meats heavily taxed as well as ubiquitous toxic, high volume fatty foods. That's why we see chips, soda, cakes and toxic fast foods every 10 feet. Even schools have candy vending machines. All the focus is on profit, bottom line, how much money can we make? None of the focus is on wellness, healthy balanced diets or what is best for the health and wellness of the population.

"All that toxic, fatty food with little or no access to doctors adds up to a lot of tragic sickness, suffering and death," he continued. "All because the 'mission statement' of the American Corporate Machine is profit, profit, profit over all else in every sector. The system works exactly as designed. Too bad for us." Read complete article

June 2010 - This is no surprise to me as this trend has been continuing for years. We have moved from a common sense approach to health to one ruled by pharmaceuticals and insurance. Your health care provider really has little say in your care, and you have even less.

Also consider that while the pharma cartel keeps trying to take over all your supplements, and the ignorati in government tell you that vitamins are worthless, it is proven again and again - vitamins and minerals help your health. You can't get enough from food.

D. Mail 22.6.10 "EASE ASTHMA WITH A SIMPLE SUPPLEMENT"
Magnesium supplements may help reduce asthma symptoms. Trial results show patients given oral supplements daily for six & a half months needed fewer asthma medications. Although previous studies found a link between low magnesium levels & more frequent & worse asthma attacks, there has been little research into taking supplements. In the US study men & women with mild to moderate asthma were given 340mg of magnesium citrate daily or a placebo. Those on magnesium had improved lung function & improved quality of life. It's thought that low magnesium increases histamine levels which is released by the body's immune system
& is responsible for asthma symptoms.-

D. Mail 22.6.10 "HOW VITAMIN PILLS COULD SAVE YOU FROM A HEART ATTACK" By Jerome Burne.
Researchers recently found that bad cholesterol has a twin called lipoprotein (a) which can raise heart attack risks. Lead research by Dr. Robert Clarke of Clinical Trial Service Unit at Oxford Uni. The good news is that that LP(a) responds to vitamins such as the B vitamin niacin. "Niacin is a fantastic all-round treatment for protecting hearts" says Dr. Sarah Jarvis of Royal College of GPs. "It brings down both LDL & Lp(a) & pushes up HLD." 2 grams of niacin a day are given, more than could be received from food. Some clinicians say Lp(a) also responds to other supplements such as vitamin C.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. ranks last in study on healthcare
United States ranked last and had a healthcare per capita cost of $7,290
For any category, the highest the United States ranked was fourth.

NEW YORK, June 24 (UPI) -- Despite paying almost double for healthcare compared to any other country, the United States ranked last in a study of seven developed nations, a survey says.

The non-profit group, the Commonwealth Fund, used data from the 2007 International Health Policy Survey, conducted by telephone in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States; the 2008 International Health Policy Survey of Sicker Adults and the Commonwealth Fund 2009 International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians.

The United States ranked last for access to healthcare -- 54 percent of U.S. adults with chronic conditions reported not getting a recommended test, treatment or follow-up care because of cost.

U.S. patients are most likely to report being given the wrong medication or the wrong dose of their medication -- a preventable medical error, the study found.

In measuring efficiency, the U.S ranked last due to high administrative costs, lack of use of information technology, re-hospitalization rates of patients and duplicative medical testing. U.S. patients were three times as likely as those in Germany or the Netherlands to visit an emergency department for something a regular doctor could have treated.

For any category, the highest the United States ranked was fourth.

The Netherlands ranked first and has a per capita cost of healthcare of $3,837, the United States ranked last and had a healthcare per capita cost of $7,290. © 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Consider this: Mainstream Medicine May Not Work

Some years ago the Harvard School of Public Health published studies that established a 20 per cent effectiveness rate for methods and treatments used in medical care.

In the UK the Health Technology Assessment programme (HTA) is part of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It produces independent research information about the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of healthcare treatments and tests for those who plan, provide or receive care.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) says the following, from its Clinical Evidence project -

Clinical Evidence aims to help people make informed decisions about which treatments to use. It can also show where more research is needed. For clinicians and patients we wish to highlight treatments that work and for which the benefits outweigh the harms, especially those treatments that may currently be underused. We also wish to highlight treatments that do not work or for which the harms outweigh the benefits. For the research community our intention is to highlight gaps in the evidence, where there are currently no good RCTs or no RCTs that look at groups of people or at important patient outcomes.

So what can Clinical Evidence tell us about the state of our current knowledge? Figure 1 illustrates the percentage of treatments falling into each category. Dividing treatments into categories is never easy hence our reliance on our large team of experienced information specialists, editors, peer reviewers and expert authors. Categorisation always involves a degree of subjective judgement and is sometimes controversial. We do it because users tell us it is helpful, but judged by its own rules the categorisation is certainly of unknown effectiveness and may well have trade offs between benefits and harms. However, the figures above suggest that the research community has a large task ahead and that most decisions about treatments still rest on the individual judgements of clinicians and patients.

We are continuing to make use of what is ‘unknown’ in Clinical Evidence by feeding back to the UK NHS Health Technology Assessment Programme (HTA) with a view to help inform the commissioning of primary research. Every six months we evaluate Clinical Evidence interventions categorised as ‘unknown effectiveness’ and submit those fitting the appropriate criteria to the HTA.

BMJ Clinical Evidence published this report, with intervention effectiveness shown to be quite a concern because of the high level of ineffectiveness and unknowns. Source: http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/about/knowledge.jsp

Background, 2006:

For those of you unfortunate enough to read any articles or see any television reports featuring Professor Jonathan Waxman, a natural products-hating oncologist from Imperial College, London, indulge yourself in some soothing words from Dr Damien Downing.

On seeing Professor Waxman's 'personal view' issued in the pages of the British Medical Journal yesterday (BMJ 2006; 333:1129), Damien immediately responded via the BMJ's Rapid Response pages and posted the following response:

Professor Waxman employs and perpetuates a crucial medical myth - that, in contrast to complementary therapies, conventional therapies are all evidence-based, on sound science. But the BMJ's website Clinical Evidence reports that, of the 2404 treatments they have surveyed, only 15% are rated as beneficial, while 47% are of unknown effectiveness1. In his own speciality, indeed, chemotherapy for cancer was found in a 2004 systematic review of studies in the USA and Australia2 to improve overall 5-year survival chances by less than 2.5%. Interestingly, the review of dietary interventions he cites3 derived an odds ratio for the effect of a healthy diet, with or without dietary supplements, of 0.90 - which appears to make them probably 4 times as effective as chemotherapy. Different end-points, granted, and a big confidence interval, but nevertheless "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".

Talk of "vile and cynical exploitation" could with equal justification be applied to the cancer industry, into which billions has been poured in recent decades, to very little effect. Surely Professor Waxman should be careful not to become, as discussed in the same issue of BMJ, "a lapdog to drug firms"?

1 http://www.clinical evidence. com/ceweb/ about/knowledge. jsp
2 Morgan G, Ward R, Barton M. The contribution of cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adult malignancies. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol), 2004; 16(8): 549-60.
3 Davies AA, Davey Smith G, et al.. Nutritional interventions and outcome in patients with cancer or preinvasive lesions: systematic review. J Natl Cancer Inst 2006; 14: 961-73.

It's clear from Professor Waxman's response that a threat is perceived not only from dietary/food supplements used by millions to support their health, he has also taken a sideswipe at organic food, produced by a branch of agriculture supported by increasing numbers of consumers that is threatening Big Food and agri-business. The irony, of course, is that those most interested in reducing the burden on the healthcare system and spending time in doctor's waiting rooms are those that will be more likely to consume both organic foods and high quality food supplements. Market research has demonstrated that most users of food supplements do not use these products to counter poor diet, but rather use them to add nutrients that they believe are missing as a result of modern agriculture and food products.

The increasingly vocal hatred expressed by key opinion leaders within the orthodox medical community has to be an expression of the threat that they perceive from the millions of people around the world who continue to use products derived from nature as key components of their healthcare regime.
You'll appreciate that this is no time for anyone to put their head in the sand!

Please feel free to forward this as widely as you can to anyone who you feel may be interested.

Antioxidants Extend Longevity, Protect Your Health

What really amazes me is the ignorance and stupidity that rules at agencies like FDA and FTC.

With this in mind, just how can you believe what they tell you when the science refutes their position, especially on their new attack on pomegranate juice.

At the same time the attacks go against real food, the nutritional status of food is decreasing rapidly and the need for more antioxidant intake comes from the mouths of FDA paid pundits who really seem never to read the plethora of available science.

You have to guess that they do not think the science is good if they are always on the attack, or that they only want certain sources to produce the science.

Sounds like "bait and switch" to me.

In defense of antioxidants, from such sources as pomegranate, how about digesting this science -

A report published online on September 1, 2010 in the British Journal of Nutrition revealed a protective effect for a number of antioxidant nutrients against all-cause and disease-specific mortality in older individuals over a 13 year average period. "The purpose of the present paper is to explore the predictive significance of a selection of biochemical indices for nutrients that are believed to mediate redox-modulatory (antioxidant or pro-oxidant) functions in living tissues," the authors write. "Evidence that subsequent all-cause mortality may be predicted by vitamin C intakes and/or status has been obtained in several previous studies, and similarly for carotene and selenium."
Researchers at MRC Human Nutrition Research in Cambridge and University College in London evaluated data from 1,054 participants in the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which enrolled men and women aged 65 and older from 1994 to 1995. Blood samples obtained upon enrollment were analyzed for plasma vitamin C, retinol, alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, carotenoids, zinc, copper, iron, selenium and a1-antichymotrypsin, a serine protease inhibitor that is increased during inflammation. Four day dietary records were analyzed for the intake of these nutrients and energy intake. The participants were followed through September, 2008 and the causes of any deaths were documented.
Seventy-four percent of the men and 62 percent of the women enrolled in the Survey died over the course of follow-up. Increased plasma vitamin C, alpha-carotene, selenium, zinc and iron were signficantly associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality, as was the dietary intake of vitamin C, carotenoids, zinc, copper and total energy. These patterns remained fundamentally similar when deaths from vascular, cancer and respiratory diseases were separately considered, however, increased dietary vitamins C and E were found to confer a significant protective effect against cancer, and dietary vitamin E protected against respiratory disease in males (while carotenoid intake was protective in women). An association of elevated plasma copper and a1-antichymotrypsin levels with increased mortality was explained by the fact that a1-antichymotrypsin and a major copper-containing plasma protein increase during inflammatory states.
"A number of baseline nutrient status indices with ‘redox-modulatory’ connotations appear to predict all cause, primary vascular disease, cancer or respiratory disease mortality in older British adults," the authors conclude. "Future studies should attempt to determine, first, which nutrients are the most frequent predictors of all-cause and specific-cause mortality in different populations, and second, whether these predictions can imply causal relationships, such that dietary or other interventions might promote disease-free longevity."

from Natural Health News

More Foods for Health

Apr 22, 2010

Pomegranate Enhances sunscreen protection Lowers "bad" cholesterol Fights prostate cancer. Pumpkin Protects joints against polyarthritis Lowers lung and prostate cancer risk Reduces inflammation. Raspberries Inhibit growth of oral, ...

Learn more about antioxidants

Mar 02, 2009

The anti-prostate cancer effects of pomegranate and its extracts may be related to stopping an enzyme in the liver that processes environmental carcinogens, according to a new study. Pomegranate, a rich source of antioxidants, ...

More natural substances on their way to drug status

Nov 05, 2008

A few days ago I make a smoothie with pomegranate juice, goji juice crystals, plums, and Concord grapes, plus all my hemp protein and other nutritionals I add in. I even shared a little of this thick, velvety purple blend with my Golden ...

Avoiding Harsh Chemicals in Egg Dyes

Apr 11, 2009

Red: Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled), Canned Cherries with Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Raspberries. This information is provided by Creating Health Institute through our Health Matters(c) project.

October Pink Promotions

Oct 01, 2008

Vitamin D, pomegranate, and curcumin may help promote breast health and reduce breast cancer risk. * These foods contain an abundant variety of polyphenols, healthful compounds that regulate cell growth and metabolism. ...

Get a Flu Shot, Get Cancer

Since this year the mainstream is pushing flu vaccine with the H1N1 and seasonal flu solutions combined, in an untested combination, consider that your risk is much greater.

Make sure that you understand what informed consent is and how to protect your choice to say no.

This is especially important for women who are pregnant, a.s last year's experiment led to many miscarriages and still births.

excerpt from FLU VACCINES AND THE RISK OF CANCER
"Much concern has been generated over the upcoming new swine flu H1N1 vaccines that are being rushed to market. Clinical trials will be short – less than three weeks – and the potential for the addition of toxic oil-in-water adjuvants to be added at the last minute to stretch the vaccine supply is disconcerting. However, the problems with flu shots go beyond current concerns. The new manufacturing process for flu shots, called cell-line technologies, are little understood and have the potential for serious, long term consequences." Complete article

Remember that making sure your vitamin D level and vitamin C levels are adequate or higher, drinking adequate fluids, using good hand washing technique, getting good sleep, getting good nutrition - all are safer way s to stay flu free.

More about flu shots and cancer
HHS sees cell based flu vaccine in 2011, from dog kidney cells
When you 'assume' vaccines are safe