In the great debate over which is better for you — coffee or tea — both offer excellent health benefits, including the ability to help prevent certain types of cancer. For cancer survivors and those actively fighting cancer, the substances in coffee and tea may give your immune system a boost and improve mind-body function, particularly your ability to cope with cancer-related stress.
In our previous post we discussed the benefits of coffee; today we focus on the cancer-fighting benefits of tea (some findings may be preliminary or based on small patient samplings, but all offer promising avenues for further research). It should be noted that while herbal teas may confer their own benefits, they do not offer the benefits noted below.
Tea. Many people find the ritual of drinking tea to be a relaxing and comforting experience. There is a mindfulness to “having a cuppa” that creates a feeling of harmony between mind and body.
Antioxidants. Tea contains high concentrations of free radical-neutralizing antioxidants. Free radicals can cause cell damage that contributes to the development of all types of cancers. When possible choose green tea which contains the highest concentration of polyphenol antioxidants.
Skin cancer. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of tea may help protect your skin against sun damage, decreasing your risk of skin cancer.
Breast cancer. In studies, drinking green tea was associated with lower breast cancer risk. Tea can interfere with chemotherapy drugs, so talk to your oncologist.
Tea and coffee offer general benefits in the battle against cancer; whereas Issels’ cancer vaccines are formulated to provide specifically targeted cancer-fighting results.
Coffee or tea? Whichever side of the beverage debate you stand on, you’ll be pleased to know that both popular beverages offer health benefits that may help prevent certain types of cancer. If you are already fighting cancer, substances in coffee and tea may boost your immune system and improve mind-body function, enhancing your ability to cope with the stress of having cancer.
Here’s a rundown on the latest findings (some findings are preliminary or based on small samplings, but all offer provocative avenues for further research):
Coffee. If you’re one of those people who can’t get their motor revving in the morning without a jolt of java, you’ll be happy to know that your morning cup of coffee comes with quite a few unsuspected benefits. If coffee gives you heartburn, try a darker roast. A substance in dark roast coffees inhibits the production of stomach acid. Just remember; as in all things, moderation is the key. The benefits listed are based on consumption of 2 to 4 cups of coffee per day.
Skin cancer. Just one cup of coffee a day may lower melanoma risk by 11%. Coffee may also aid cell repair and help the body absorb harmful ultraviolet rays, decreasing skin cancer risk.
Endometrial cancer. Coffee decreases the body’s levels of estrogen and insulin which may help lower endometrial cancer risk.
Mind-body benefits. Women benefit from coffee drinking more than men. Drinking 3 cups of coffee a day can lower women’s risk of depression by 15%. Drink a fourth cup of coffee and depression risk drops by 20%. Coffee also helps women cope with stress.
Immunotherapy was again validated as an effective means of fighting cancer and prolonging life when new cancer research results were presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, study results were heralded by many of the 30,000 cancer specialists in attendance as “a breakthrough” with the potential to change the direction of mainstream cancer treatment protocols.
Among the more interesting cancer study results were increased survival rates for some of the new immunotherapy drugs either alone or in combination with other drugs. The conference was the first time long-term results were reported for some of the most promising new cancer drugs currently in development.
Immunotherapy treatments are designed to work with the patient’s own immune system, stimulating it to target and destroy cancer cells. Many members of the cancer community believe immunotherapy is revolutionizing the way we treat cancer. A growing history of success indicates that immunotherapy treatment protocols have the potential to significantly improve survival rates in patients with many types of tumors, including often fatal lung and kidney cancer. Of equal importance is growing evidence that immunotherapy can successfully treat advanced stages of cancer.
Immunotherapy cancer treatments are already used extensively in alternative cancer therapy. Our founder, the renowned German cancer specialist Dr. Josef M. Issels, was an early pioneer in the use of immunotherapy to treat cancer. Issels Integrative Oncology Centers have more than 60 years of experience using immunotherapy to successfully treat a wide variety of cancers at all stages of development.
