All posts by Chris

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, News

National Cancer Institute: Vitamin D and the Cancer Risk Connection

Vitamin D To Reduce Risks of Cancer
Vitamin D To Reduce Risks of Cancer

Remember how Mom always told you to drink your milk so you would have strong bones? Researchers have discovered that vitamin D, found in fortified milk and other sources, may also reduce your risk of getting cancer.

Can Vitamin D Lower Your Risk of Cancer?

Vitamin D is actually a group of fat-soluble prohormones that the body uses to synthesize hormones. In addition to foods, sunshine is a valuable source of vitamin D, which is absorbed through the skin.

The possible link between vitamin D and cancer risk first arose during studies of cancer incidence and death rates based on geographic location. Numbers were found to be lower among people living in southern latitudes, where exposure to sunlight is more frequent.

Analysis of the results led researchers to consider the possibility of different vitamin D levels accounting for the incidence rates. Tests on mice have shown that vitamin D intake can slow down or prevent cancer cell growth, tumor blood vessel formation, and other processes that aid the development of cancer.

Ongoing Vitamin D Clinical Trials

At this point, most of the medical evidence has come from tests designed to study other health-related issues. Clinical researchers are now conducting tests specifically focused on the relationship between vitamin D and cancer. These studies include trials of vitamin D supplements and vitamin D analogs, which are substances that resemble the chemical but don’t have the calcium-boosting properties.

State-of-the-Art Immunotherapy for Cancer

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Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips

American Institute for Cancer Research List Cancer-Fighting Foods

Cancer Fighting Foods
Cancer Fighting Foods

Do you need more motivation to consume a healthy diet? According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), excess body weight is a cause of more than 130,000 new cases of cancer in the United States each year.

Consuming nutritious plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, provides a double-whammy against cancer. Fewer calories mean no weight gain, while the vitamins and minerals are strong tools against developing cancer.

What’s on Your Grocery List?

Fortunately, there’s a wide variety of delicious foods to choose from. Here are some of the products that rank high on AICR’s list.

  • Dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach and romaine lettuce contain carotenoids that attack free radicals, which are unstable molecules that cause cell and tissue damage.
  • Tomatoes get their red color from an antioxidant called lycopene. They’re also rich in fiber, which protects against colorectal cancer.
  • Coffee has gained a bad reputation with some, but it’s actually full of antioxidants that may become more potent during the roasting process.
  • Kidneys, black beans and other legumes are a good source of fiber and protein. They also contain a resistant starch used by “good” bacteria in the colon to manufacture protective short-chain fatty acids.
  • Blueberries are considered one of the “superfoods” that have some of the highest antioxidant content.

Good Nutrition and Immunotherapy for Cancer: A Powerful Combination

At our Issels® center, diet and other lifestyle factors are taken into consideration when creating our personalized immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Contact us for more information about non-toxic protocols such as cancer vaccines and NK cells.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy, News

National Cancer Institute Advances Research on Cancer Diagnosis

Advances In Fighting Cancer
Advances In Fighting Cancer

Diagnosing cancer goes far beyond simply confirming its existence. The effectiveness of immunotherapy for cancer and other forms of treatment improves greatly with timely and accurate information from high-tech diagnostic tools.

National Cancer Institute Spearheads Diagnostic Research

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) supports development of sophisticated equipment and testing through its Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis. Ongoing programs maintained by the division include:

  • Program for the Assessment of Clinical Cancer Tests (PACCT), which aims to break down barriers that hinder accurate diagnostic testing.
  • Strategic Partnering to Evaluate Cancer Signatures (SPECS), which looks for ways to use data from molecular analyses to improve care and treatment of cancer patients.
  • Cancer Imaging Program (CIP), which focuses on non-invasive imaging techniques to diagnose cancer along with specific subsets.

Why Diagnostic Procedures are Important

In addition to identifying the presence and extent of cancer, diagnostic tools are useful throughout the course of a patient’s treatment. Healthcare teams use them to recognize and classify specific genetic changes, determine the best course of treatment, and monitor patients for recurrence of cancer cells.

Ironically, as the effectiveness of tools and techniques has increased, so has the number of over-diagnosed tumors that are unlikely to have serious consequences. Researchers are also concentrating on ways to more accurately evaluate the data being provided by diagnostics.

Issels® is in the Forefront of Modern Diagnostic and Treatment Techniques

Our Issels® team stays up-to-date on the most advanced diagnostic methods as well as state-of-the-art immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Contact us today to learn how our personally tailored treatment protocols have helped patients with all forms of cancer.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research

National Cancer Institute: Environmental Cancer Causing Agents Act at the DNA Level

Cancer Can Be Caused at The DNA Level
Cancer Can Be Caused at The DNA Level

Reducing your risk of cancer involves more than eating a healthy diet that is low in fat and high in nutrients. Exposure to certain environmental factors can set the stage for development of cancer by actually causing damage to your DNA.

Everyday Exposure to Cancer-Causing Elements

As explained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), cancer occurs when genes mutate in such a way that cell replication and growth is severely altered. While this can occur naturally, specific elements of the environment have been found to inflict this type of damage on DNA.

Here are some of the environmental carcinogens that present the biggest risk of causing cancer. Some are difficult to avoid, but others are more easily controlled.

  • Aflatoxins, which are associated with risk of liver cancer, are produced by mold that’s most often found on crops such as corn and peanuts. Aspergillus is the most common variety of aflatoxin-producing mold.
  • Tobacco smoke is one of the more highly publicized carcinogens. One obvious solution is to quit smoking or never start, but second-hand smoke is harder to avoid.
  • Asbestos releases minute fibers into the air when damaged. Ingesting these fibers can lead to lung cancer or mesothelioma. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration has instituted strict measures governing the use of asbestos, which have greatly reduced its risk.

NCI emphasizes that exposure to these elements doesn’t guarantee cancer. Factors such as length of exposure and individual genetic makeup also play a part.

Issels® and Non-Toxic Immunotherapy for Cancer

At Issels®, we understand that lifestyle and environment make each patient’s case unique. Contact us to learn more about our individually tailored immunotherapy for cancer.

Cancer Research, News

World Cancer Research Fund: Your Weight Does Impact Cancer Risk

Maintaining a Healthy Weight Reduces Cancer Risk
Maintaining a Healthy Weight Reduces Cancer Risk

Maintaining a healthy weight is beneficial mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Excess weight is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many other serious health problems. In addition, statistics show that obesity presents the strongest cancer risk of any lifestyle factors.

The Link between Cancer and Lifestyle

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, 20 percent of cancer cases in the United States are at least partially attributable to one or more of these lifestyle factors:

  • Obesity
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Excessive alcohol consumption
  • Inadequate nutrition

Out of these four elements, excess body weight contributes to 20 percent of all cancer-related deaths.

How Excess Weight Affects Cancer Risk

Excess body fat creates a number of imbalances that can lead to the development or growth of cancer cells, such as:

  • Interference with the immune system response
  • Skewed levels of hormones, as well as the proteins that help the body process them
  • Improper levels of substances that control cell growth

Does Weight Loss Help?

While studies regarding weight loss and cancer are still limited, growing evidence suggests that it can reduce the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer and more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. Ongoing tests are examining the relationship between weight loss and other forms of cancer.

The weight per se is not the contributing factor. It’s the physical changes weight loss brings, such as normalizing hormone levels that help reduce cancer risk.

Immunotherapy for Cancer Includes Lifestyle Considerations

Cancer Research, News

Very Hot Beverages Classed as Cancer Causing by WHO

Coffee Is Unlikely To Cause Cancer
Coffee Is Unlikely To Cause Cancer

If you’re a coffee drinker, you’ll be happy to hear that the World Health Organization (WHO) has downgraded coffee as a cancer risk. But make sure you’re not drinking it at excessively high temperatures, as hot beverages are now classified as carcinogens.

Coffee is “Unlikely to Cause” Cancer

WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), composed of 23 scientists from 10 countries, put coffee on its list of possible cancer risks in 1991, when studies revealed a link to bladder cancer. Modern, more sophisticated tests have shown there is no way to prove a definitive connection.

Further review of current studies has led IARC to conclude that coffee most likely does not cause breast cancer, prostate cancer or pancreatic cancer, while risks of liver cancer and endometrial cancer may actually be reduced. Coffee beans contain antioxidants, which are believed to protect against cancer, but increased consumption of caffeine can lead to other health problems, including insomnia and migraines.

Link between Cancer and Excessively Hot Beverages

Studies of hot beverages focused on consumption of mate, a caffeine-rich tea popular in South America. A link was found between mate and esophageal cancer, but the drink is traditionally served at temperatures above 149°F, while in the United States coffee and other hot drinks are served at lower temperatures.

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