Research - the weight of evidence indicates that plants and not chemicals are the solution for reversing the global cancer epidemic.

Research: Plants Cure Cancer, Not Chemicals

Posted on:

Sunday, December 21st 2014 at 1:45 pm

Written By:

Sayer Ji, Founder

 

Unbeknownst to most, a Copernican revolution has already taken place in cancer theory. Today, the weight of evidence indicates that plants and not chemicals are the solution for reversing the global cancer epidemic.

Our understanding of what causes cancer has undergone something akin to a Copernican revolution in the past decade. Biological fatalism has been the predominant force in medicine over the past half century, where most conditions including cancer were believed predestined 'in the genes,' and therefore impossible to reverse. Instead of looking for root cause resolution of disease (RCRD), we resigned ourselves to 'finding it early' and in the case of cancer, when doing so (even when it was benign), we waged war against it, quite literally using weapons grade materials (mustard gas- and nuclear materials-derived agents). Now, however, in this post-Genomic era, factors above (epi-) the control of the genes – epigenetic factors – are taking center stage; these include environmental exposures, stress, nutritional factors, and various lifestyle-based variables that are within the ambit of our control and volition, and which are often reversible.

In other words, cancer is now being understood as epigenetic dysfunction, a direct and even adaptive response to the post-industrial, carcinogen-saturated environment, in addition to a diet of faux, mostly chemically-produced 'food,' combining to produce an environment – 'inner terrain--  within the body ideal for cancer promotion.

Indeed, in a new study published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology titled, "The use of plant-derived bioactive compounds to target cancer stem cells and modulate tumor microenvironment," the authors note the powerful implications of this new epigenetic view of cancer:

"A fundamental aspect to be taken into account is that epigenetic changes can possibly be reversed by modifying epigenetic factors, such as diet and lifestyle. Nowadays, identification of these factors is crucial to develop epigenetically-based preventions and more effective anti-cancer intervention strategies."

Moreover, they note that natural interventions are once again (after countless millennia of worldwide use), at the cutting edge of medical intervention:

"Virtually, all dietary compounds have the ability to act at the epigenetic level in cancer cells thus influencing the epigenome in a positive or negative way. Particularly, plant derived compounds, such as polyphenols, have the capacity to reverse adverse epigenetic mutations in cancer cells, to inhibit tumorigenesis progression, to prevent the metastatic process or to sensitize cancer cells to chemo and radiotherapy (Vanden Berghe, 2012)."

The new study highlighted the following points, the implications for the future of cancer treatment are truly revolutionary:

• Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are chemo-radiotherapy resistant, causing tumor relapse.
• CSCs are known to reside within specific hypoxic and acidic tumor niches.
• Phytocompounds affect CSC self-renewal, metabolism and microenvironment.
• Phytocompounds might be exploited for cancer prevention and treatment.

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Prostate Cancer : Research finds more than half of a group of men whose cancer was classified as slow-growing turned out to be more dangerous

Prostate cancer tests underestimate aggressiveness of disease, says study

• Press Association
• The Guardian, Thursday 10 April 2014

A surgeon sitting in front of screens of a Focal One device performs a robot-assisted prostate tumorectomy. Photograph: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images

Men with prostate cancer are being given false hope by tests that underestimate the aggressiveness of their disease, according to a study.
Researchers found that more than half of a group of men whose cancers were initially classified as slow-growing and confined later turned out to have more dangerous tumours.
The findings, published in the British Journal of Cancer, call into question the ability of experts to grade and stage prostate cancers on the basis of biopsy samples.
It also casts doubt on the "active surveillance" strategy of avoiding unnecessary radical treatment for patients with slow-growing prostate cancer.
Instead, these patients are closely monitored but left alone until tests suggest their condition has worsened.
Urological surgeon Greg Shaw, from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, said: "Our results show that the severity of up to half of men's prostate cancers may be underestimated when relying on tests before they have surgery."
Slow-growing prostate cancers, known as "pussycats", are very different from the more aggressive "tiger" variety.
In some cases, especially when he is older when diagnosed, a patient can live to the end of his normal life span before a "pussycat" cancer becomes a threat.
An aggressive "tiger", on the other hand, may quickly spread if it is not surgically removed or destroyed.
Biopsy samples examined under a microscope are used to rate prostate tumour aggressiveness with a score ranging from two to 10. A score of between two and six is a low-grade "pussycat". A score of seven is intermediate, while scores of eight to 10 are high-grade "tigers".
Tumours are also staged according to how far they have spread. A T2 tumour is contained completely inside the prostate gland, while a T3 tumour has started to break out, and one classified T4 has spread to other organs or sites in the pelvic cavity.
The Cambridge scientists compared the staging and grading of more than 800 men's cancers before and after they had surgery to remove their prostate.
They found that of 415 patients whose cancer was classified as slow-growing and confined to the prostate, just over half (209) were found to have a more aggressive disease than originally thought when assessed after surgery.

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