There is much passing reference to the need to eat more vegetables in order to avoid cancer, but beyond the urging of some health promotion staff little seems to be written in the lay press in any detail at all. In addition to this, or perhaps because of the simplistic message that is out there, many doctors do not yet recognize the importance of diet in relation both to reducing the chances of the disease occurring but also in the care of patients who have already got cancer. They do not recognize that good nutrition is a natural cancer treatment.

Many doctors are wedded to the fast effects of antibiotics. They really, really want any and every drug to be as effective as antibiotics were when they were first used. And if foods cannot give that sort of effect with the majority of people then a goodly number of them will dismiss the impact of food as being “not really important”.

However there are many drugs which are not very effective. For example chemotherapy increases survival overall at the 5-year stage by only just over 2%, with it being ineffective in many cancers, despite its ongoing use. With this in mind, any “natural” activity without negative side effects should be embraced with open arms.

There are many foods which have been shown in epidemiological studies to reduce the chances of getting cancer by 25%, 50%, 75% and sometimes even more when you compare high consuming groups with low consuming groups.

There are foods which seem to prevent cells from mutating into cancer cells. There are foods which encourage mutated cells to die off. There are foods which stop the cancer cells from growing, or reduce the speed of growth and foods which stop the cancer cells from moving around the body. In biomedical words foods can be antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, encouraging apoptosis, cytotoxic, with antimetastatic effects. Of course not all fruit and vegetables have all these effects, but they have enough to be useful.

So which are the most important vegetables and fruits? I would urge you to go for variety and not get hung up on just one or two thinking that will be enough. Plants act synergistically. That is, they work better when you eat a number of them together.

Having said that, the onion family are reported to have some of the strongest effects in preventing cancer. As I trawled through the medical literature there was a huge interest in tomatoes and the cruciferous vegetables, but when I compared the numbers in the studies it seemed that onions, garlic and others in the allium family (like leeks and chives) had the greatest effectiveness.

Tomatoes are good, and so are the cruciferous vegetables – cabbage, red cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, arugula, beet greens, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, garden cress, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, radishes, rutabaga, Swiss chard and turnips.

Lettuce, carrots, summer and winter squash, oranges, lemons, blueberries, dark raspberries, grapes, cucurmin (of curry fame) and herbs (such as oregano, rosemary and thyme) have all been shown to improve immune functioning and are associated with reduced numbers of cases of cancer in epidemiological studies.

So what does this mean in practice? Ideally fresh fruit and vegetables should be part of every meal. If you can’t make it three meals a day, then settle for fruit and vegetables taking up three quarters of your plate at two meals each day.

We are talking about eating – this is not medicine, except that these foods do you good. It is important to choose foods that you enjoy. I really do not like curries or pepper. I do not do well on Indian food, so I do not eat it very often. I was brought up on North European foods and really enjoy those fruit and vegetables my family has eaten for generations. So start by eating fruits and vegetables you enjoy, then go for a little variety and try some that are new to you.

If you are wedded to fried chips, packet foods and hamburgers it might take a little getting used to have three quarters of your plate with fresh vegetables (cooked and raw) with fruit for dessert, but give it a go. It might take a few weeks for your body to develop the enzymes needed to digest your new diet, but once that has happened your body will love you for this change. And as a natural cancer treatment it is both enjoyable and of no more cost than other types of eating.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harriet_Denz-Penhey
Technorati Tag: Cancer Treatment

Over the past 13 years, I’ve lost 7 close family members due to cancer. I have devoted the last decade of my life to medical research to find alternative cancer treatments & cures so you and your family don’t have to experience the same thing…

Why wait till you or someone you love is diagnosed with cancer and doctors are trying to hustle you onto the operating table? Find out about your options now, and be ready. My book, Cancer – Step Outside the Box, will set your mind at ease, even if you don’t need treatment now.

Ty Bollinger
Alternative Health Researcher and Author

After a diagnosis of cancer there are generally two paths open to people. They can undergo an orthodox medical treatment program for the cancer or they can look at alternative treatments for cancer. A third option involves doing nothing and hoping things sort themselves out. So which is best?

Unfortunately it is practically impossible to say because there is no absolute research into this. The reason that there is no research is because medical professionals are not allowed to prescribe alternative treatments. The result is that in almost all cases a patient who is diagnosed with cancer undergoes an orthodox treatment program including chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Very few choose to either do nothing or to pursue alternative treatment options.

The reasons that people tend to go the orthodox medical route are varied and complex, but if we want to simplify things as much as possible they boil down to this: Chemotherapy and Orthodox medication are the treatment of choice of those seen as ‘experts’ on cancer, the doctors, and it is doctors who will usually diagnose cancer. In other words, the choice is a bogus one and a combination of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation are usually presented as the only options there are.

But suppose you were to be told that there is an alternative to this trio of invasive medication. Suppose it had no side effects. Suppose it not only helped your cancer but also greatly improved your general health overall and suppose it wasn’t going to cost you over quarter of a million dollars(The US department of commerce reported that a cancer patients treatment will cost over $375,000).

The alternative does actually exist, and it remarkably simple. Where chemotherapy destroys the immune system, alternative treatment enhances it. Where radiation kills cells indiscriminately alternative medication only targets cancerous cells. Where surgery can often aid in the spread of cancer alternative therapy helps your body to use it’s naturally defenses to suppress that spread. The ‘cure’ is nothing new, it is merely hidden from the public as a viable option, or ridiculed as ‘quakery’. Perhaps most surprising of all is that it has been supported by some very reputable names who have put their reputation and careers on the line to get word of it to the public, and without fail that is exactly what they have lost.

When a doctor makes a diagnosis of cancer he will also usually include a prescribed course of action. This usually consists of 3 parts. First they will attempt a surgical removal of the cancer tumor, secondly chemotherapy and radiation will be used to kill the cancer cells. Alternative medicine will usually start with building up the immune system and cleansing the body of toxins. Which is better?

The statistics take a little wading through, but it has been suggested that around 45% of people will achieve a 5-year cure from cancer by following orthodox treatment methods. This is a misleading statistic – it is a 5 year cure not a total cure. Alternative medicine tends not to measure 5 year cures but rather total cure rate. Orthodox medicine does not release total cure rates though it has been suggested that their cure rate is around 3%. Of those who attempt orthodox treatment and, when told there is nothing more orthodox medicine can do for them ( or that they can afford to pay for) attempt alternative medication the total cure rate could be as high as 50%. Of those who seek alternative treatment instead of any orthodox treatment the likely total cure rate is close to 90%.

So if we have a 90% cure rate from alternative medicine and a 3% cure rate from orthodox medicine, why does the alternative approach not become the standard one. The answer is a little cloudy and is based on those numbers being very hard to prove. Orthodox medicine does not compare itself with alternative medicine and so the only official numbers we see are the increase in effectiveness of their own treatments. So to help you with your decision let’s examine what danger cancer presents and how it is dealt with.

The first thing that is probably not explained to you is that a cancer tumor usually is not fatal. A cancer can be benign or malignant, and only if it is malignant does it pose a serious threat(note that a benign tumor that places pressure on a major organ or blocks an artery is dangerous by itself – but not because of the cancer). Thus it is not the cancer that is dangerous to our health, but the spread of the cancer.

Alternative medication looks at the cause of this cancerous growth which is usually the combination of a weakened immunity system and a carcinogen. The alternative therapy will then seek to address this problem and destroy the atmosphere which leads to the cancer. The increased immune system, combined with fresh delivery of oxygen prevents the cancer from spreading and eventually starves it to death. The beauty is that this process targets only foreign cells, killing off the cancer but not harming (and usually benefiting) the healthy cells.

Orthodox medicine treats the tumor very differently. The tumor is very much the focal point of attack. It is treated as the problem when in fact it is merely a symptom of the problem. Often surgery is the first method of dealing with this problem and while this can remove the tumor it can also release cancer cells into the bloodstream. Remember that it is the spread of cancer that can be fatal, not the cancer itself. Surgery may very well contribute to that spread.

Secondly radiation treats cancer by killing off the cancer cells, but it does so indiscriminately and kills many healthy cells at the same time. Chemotherapy drugs also seek to reduce the size of the tumor and break down the cancer cells, but in doing so they can damage healthy cells and decimate the immune system. Chemotherapy drugs must be administered gradually. The reason for this is that is given all at once they would destroy too many healthy cells and probably kill the patient. The body must be given time to recover between chemotherapy sessions. For some reason it is assumed the cancer will not also recover in that time, when it will most likely spread as a result of damaged adjoining cells and a crippled immunity system.

The biggest frustration for the advancement of alternative cancer treatments is not providing evidence that alternative treatments work, but getting that proof recognized. Registered doctors are not permitted to practice alternative treatment if they wish to remain a member of the AMA, and experiments outside the AMA are usually rubbished as not being performed by real medical professionals. In 1976 when a ‘real medical professional’, two time Nobel prize winner Linus Pauling, took his experiments outside the country he was able to show in his Scottish study that a cancer patients life expectancy could be extended by 600% by merely administering 10 grams of vitamin C intravenously. Vitamin C is well know for it’s ability to build up the human immune system.

30 years ago this research by a Nobel Prize winner proved that natural treatment can greatly improve the life expectancy of a cancer sufferer. Natural treatment advocates have been able to refine that research to provide even more efficient vitamin C treatments, but mainstream medicine has not even replicated the study.

While the evidence is blurred, lied about, hidden and in same cases destroyed, it seems clear that there is plenty of merit in pursuing further investigation of alternative cancer therapies. There is at enough examples of successful treatment using alternative medicines that it cannot simply be dismissed out of hand as ‘quackery’ as has been the official line. There are plenty of examples of medical practitioners who have set out to prove alternative natural treatments wrong and have subsequently changed their opinion to support it. Alternative therapy is at least an adequate alternative for orthodox medicine and most likely a very suitable replacement.

About the Author:Mark Branyon collaborates with international experts in continually improving existing protocols. Their treatment strategy incorporates the best modalities of both worlds mainstream and alternative according to individual needs. http://www.newhopemedicalcenter.com
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Alternative Cancer Treatments and How They Increase Your Chance of Survival
Technorati Tag: Cancer Treatment

Cost of chemotherapy is important factor of consideration when you decide to opt for chemotherapy treatment. Cost of chemotherapy treatment depends on many factors which include type of drugs used, amount of dose, duration of treatment and place of the treatment (hospital, clinic or home).

Some of the drugs such as 5 FU or leucovorin which are used in chemotherapy treatment are comparatively inexpensive. However, drugs which are recently available are quite expensive. Cost of chemotherapy increases more if these drugs are administered in combination which sound much expensive. Cost of chemotherapy using inexpensive therapy is around $ 100 to 300 while when expensive drugs are used cost might go to 20000 to 30000 $. These expenses include only drug cost and if you take combination of drug, cost of chemotherapy treatment may increase.

Many patients who are suffering from cancer can not afford such high cost of treatment. It becomes more difficult for extended treatment. Many patients get delay treatment or even skip it entirely just because of cost of chemotherapy. Though uninsured patients suffer the most due to cost of chemotherapy, patients with medical insurance are also affected considerably by the cost of treatment.

Chemotherapy treatment for cancer which improves survivals only by few months troubles not only to patients and their families but also to doctors, insures and society as whole. New chemotherapy drugs which are coming in market are very expensive. Their high cost leads to increase co pays and policy premiums which is not affordable to even for affluent person.

Since people can not afford effective chemotherapy treatment due to high cost, patient may suffer earlier death or disability. And no one provide adequate attention towards this issue.

There are insurance companies which cover part of total cost of chemotherapy treatment. However, some private insurance refuse to pay for some chemotherapy drugs even though this drugs are proven cancer therapies. Companies do this for the sake of reducing their cost.

When you are opting for chemotherapy treatment, make sure that clinical trial that you are going for is covered by your insurance. Consult with your medical team if you are denied payment. You can also ask hospitals, social service office or cancer centers for help regarding your payments. Last option that you can do is to sue insurance company to get money. Many times court takes decision in favor of patient and insurance company to pay for treatment.

Some pharmaceutical companies sponsor some programs related to cancer treatment to help needy patients. You can check whether such program suits your need of treatment.

Such companies sometimes provide treatment free of charge or they pay some part of treatment. Many communities have such programs to help patients suffering from cancer.

Chemotherapy treatment sounds very effective for treating cancer. Do not avoid your treatment because of its cost. Discuss the situation with your doctor, medical team and family and find a way out. Many insurance companies and other social organization are there to help the patients suffering from cancer.

About the Author:For more information on chemotherapy and cancer symptoms, please visit our resource sites.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – What is the Cost of Chemotherapy

Related articles by Cancer Treatment Pro

• Analyzing Cancer Cells to Choose Treatments (technologyreview.com)
• New cancer drug test promises safer and more effective clinical trials (scienceblog.com)

Technorati Tag: Cancer Treatment, Chemotherapy