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NUTRITION AND ITS
IMPORTANCE
IN CANCER THERAPY: PART ONE
Article by herbalist Dave
Hawkins, MH, CNC
With cancer overtaking heart
disease as the leading killer in this
country, with nearly 600,000 deaths annually (a death a
minute), and with 1.5 million new cases
surfacing yearly, it becomes
critically important to assess the nutrition of the
individual in any cancer treatment
protocols.
I recently lectured to the Mid-Ohio
Valley Cancer Support Group, and the following article
will be a summary of the lecture and information I have
been studying for many years now.
This information comes from many
sources: Beating Cancer With
Nutrition by Patrick Quillin,
PHD, RD, CNS; Cancer and Natural Medicine by
John Boik; Nutritional
Oncology and Cancer and The Search For Selective
Biochemical Inhibitors by Hoffman. These are only a
small percentage of my resources. Since this is a large
topic and there is not enough room in this article, I
will have room for only a short discussion.
There is a
changing paradigm when it comes to treating
cancer with nutrition.
Conventional medicine uses three main ways for
treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and
radiation) in its fight against cancer. Basically,
bringing out the big guns to attack and kill
cancer cells, many times at the demise of the organism.
This new
paradigm is stating that cancer cells
developed due to internal environmental
conditions that need to be assessed
on an individual basis. By changing the
environment, we see changes in the organism.
This is not intended to dissuade those from the use of
the other treatments but to use nutrition
concurrently with them.
First, it
is important that we understand a little about
how cancer cells function. In 1931 Nobel
Prize winner Otto Warburg, PhD, discovered that cancer
cells have a fundamentally different energy metabolism
compared to healthy cells. When we talk about
metabolism, we look at two processes: aerobic and
anaerobic.
Healthy cellular metabolism is referred to as aerobic,
which requires the nutrient oxygen that can burn sugar,
fat and protein in its energy processing.
Anaerobic metabolism does not require oxygen
while normal cells do. Cancer cells are
anaerobic, also called sugar feeders. Due
to these metabolic differences, this is the first clue
to working with diet and nutrition.
Cancer cells love:
· Animal
proteins – It is recommended to
eliminate and reduce high fat red meats and
dairy products. Fish protein, egg and vegetable source
proteins do not tend to drive cancer cells and are
preferred. A condition called
cachexia is the wasting syndrome attributed to
late stage cancers when the body is basically using
muscle tissue for protein. Approximately 40%
of cancer patients die of malnutrition.
Protein is important but the
quality and quantity become an issue.
·
Sugars – The generic term to refer to all
simple carbohydrates. Cancer cells love
glucose and any food that has a
high glycemic index can
contribute to cancer growth. Dr. Keith Block, an
oncologist in the Chicago area, states
that all sugars must be reduced,
even fruits and fruit juices. White flour products,
corn, potatoes and soft drinks are to be eliminated.
Especially artificial sweeteners like
aspartame.
·
Refined Fats – It is well documented that a
high fat intake is a contributor to cancer
cell proliferation due to a complex process
of how the body deals with fat
metabolization. Cancer is considered an
inflammatory disorder so hydrogenated highly processed
fats become a problem. Trans fatty acids found
in margarine are known to create
cancer-causing compounds. Flax, olive, and
sesame are good oils to use due to
anti-inflammatory properties. Of course, they must be
unprocessed.
Some other characteristics that cancer cells exhibit
are:
· Cancer
cells
thrive in an altered
potassium to sodium balance. For normal
metabolism the ratio of potassium to sodium is 4:1;
however, it has been noted that cancer patients have a
ratio of 1:4, just the opposite. The average
daily requirement for sodium is
approximately 1,800 to 2,200 mg. The
average American consumes approximately
between 10,000 to 14,000 mg per day.
It is important to reduce all refined salt
that is hidden in many readily prepared food
products. Switch to sea salt
(reducing the amount is recommended). Also eat more
potassium rich foods.
·
An
Altered Acid vs. Alkaline Balance – The
body has a specific PH that needs to be attended to
when dealing with cancer. Cancer cells prefer
a more acidic environment for
proliferation. Acidic foods would include red
meats, sugars, dairy, and refined grains
like white rice and wheat products. Alkaline foods are
the plant foods, mainly fruits and vegetables.
One way to tell if you are over-acidic
is if your jewelry turns colors
when next to the skin, if insects like mosquitoes are
not attracted to you (not too bad), and if you are
prone to yeast and fungal infections.
A simple way for you to test yourself
is with the use of litmus paper. You will need to
check the PH of the saliva and the urine
at least three times per day. This is fun because it
changes throughout the day.
You
will want to get an average reading over the
period of one or two weeks.
· Altered
Immune System – Cancer cells have
the ability to hide from our own immune
system. This is best described in relation to
fetal cells that are recognized as self in
the womb. Altered immune communication is a very
in-depth topic that I have been studying. Dr. Jesse
Stoff, who works with
immune modulation therapy, is a leader in this country;
and I have attended numerous hours of his lectures.
Restoring communication is critically important
when dealing with NK (Natural Killer Cells) and
macrophages. More on this topic will follow later.
Another
area of importance with cancer and nutrition is
the liver’s involvement. The liver is
considered a digestive organ along with
hundreds of other functions to life
processes. Reducing the toxic
load to the liver is critical when dealing with cancer.
This is important when dealing with the use of
nutrition concurrent with chemo-toxic drugs and
radiation therapy.
Aiding detoxification processes and protecting the
liver cells with the use of
nutritional supplements like selenium and milk thistle
extract have both shown good
results. It is important to
eliminate alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Also,
one needs to reduce chemical laden
foods with preservatives and artificial
colorants.
I want to
stress that this is a simplified overview of
how important nutrition becomes when
dealing with cancer. I have given some brief
dietary recommendation and will address
the use of supplementation of specific nutrients
in my next article.
As stated
by Nobel Laureate in 1949, Albert Schweitzer, MD. "Each
patient carries his own doctor inside him. We
are at our best when we give the doctor who resides
within a chance to go to work."
Click for
PART 2
NUTRITION AND ITS IMPORTANCE
IN
CANCER THERAPY
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