Category Archives: Alternative Cancer Treatment

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

WHO Says Bacon and Sausage is Dangerous Like Cigarettes for Causing Cancer

High Protein Diets Linked to Cancer
Who Says Sausage and Bacon is Bad

For years, a patient’s overall lifestyle has been one of the factors considered in developing our alternative cancer treatments at Issels®. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently provided additional evidence for this approach by placing popular breakfast meats on their list of cancer-causing substances.

Pork is #1 on the hit list

Last October, WHO issued their updated list of commonly-used substances that can cause cancer. Bacon, ham and sausage were added to the list, with processed meats joining asbestos and cigarettes as the highest-ranking carcinogenic substances.

Studies indicate that haem, a pigment that gives red meat its color, may irritate the linings of the intestines. Another possible cause comes from the preservatives used to keep meat for a longer time, which can ultimately form carcinogenic substances.

Should you give up red meat?

Some researchers remain unconvinced of the link between processed meats and bowel cancer. Neurobiology professor Robert Pickard of the University of Cardiff maintains that eliminating red meat from your diet is not as valuable a protection against cancer as reducing smoking, drinking alcohol and overeating.

Nevertheless, the World Cancer Research Fund International advises that you can reduce your risk of bowel cancer by limiting consumption of red meat to 500 grams cooked weight per week. Meat-eaters also tend to have a lower intake of fruits and vegetables, which are loaded with fiber along with antioxidants and other healthy nutrients, so upping produce consumption can also lower your risk.

Our Issels® alternative cancer treatments incorporate a healthy lifestyle as an element of our individually created protocols. Visit our website to learn more.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, News

March is National Kidney Cancer Awareness Month

Kidney Cancer Awareness
Kidney Cancer Awareness

Have you recently noticed people sporting orange pins, t-shirts or bracelets? These colorful accessories demonstrate support of National Kidney Cancer Awareness Month, which occurs each March. While more than 50,000 new cases of kidney cancer were diagnosed last year, cutting-edge treatments such as cancer immunotherapy have made valuable inroads in defeating the disease.

Causes and symptoms of kidney cancer

Research has found that certain genetic factors, such as the hereditary disorders von-Hippel-Lindau disease and Birt Hogg Dube Syndrome, can increase the risk of kidney cancer. Scientists have managed to isolate the gene that carries VHL disease, which could lead to advancements in diagnosis and treatment.

Symptoms of kidney cancer often don’t present in the early stages of the disease, so it’s frequently discovered during testing for other conditions. Painless urination of blood is the most common symptom, occurring in more than 50 percent of patients.

Other symptoms include back pain, the appearance of an abdominal mass, or unexplained weight loss. Unfortunately, many of the symptoms are also characteristic of unrelated health conditions, complicating the matter of diagnosis.

What does the future hold?

Improvements in diagnosis and treatment have resulted in more than 200,000 kidney cancer survivors living in the U.S. today. Researchers continue to develop more sophisticated drugs for treatment, while specialized testing like PET scans are being evaluated as more effective means of diagnosis.

State-of-the-art cancer immunotherapy treatments at Issels® are tailored to meet each patient’s individual case. Visit our website for testimonials from survivors of kidney cancer, leukemia, melanoma and other forms of the disease.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, News

Oxford University Shares Their View on the Future of Cancer Treatment

Oxfords Opinion on The Future of Cancer
Oxfords Opinion on The Future of Cancer

February 4, 2016 marked the annual observance of World Cancer Day, an event that originated in 2000 during the first World Summit against Cancer. Professor Colin Goding, a cancer researcher at Oxford University, took the opportunity to sit down for an interview about the current and future state of cancer treatment.

How researchers study cancer

According to Dr. Goding, the cellular events leading to the development of cancer are relatively complicated. Our bodies have systems to block mutated cells that lead to tumors, so those systems need to break down, allowing the mutations to take hold while accelerator cells push growth into overdrive.

Melanoma, or skin cancer, is one of the more common forms of the disease. It begins in the cells that manufacture melanin, which is a pigment controlling skin, eye and hair color. Dr. Goding cited melanoma as a good model for researchers to follow all stages of development, as opposed to forms like lung cancer that have already progressed by the time symptoms present.

Where does treatment go from here?

Dr. Goding sees the most promise for the future in two methods that are used in our immuno-oncology center. One is the ongoing development of drugs that reactivate the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells. The other is a focus on changing the micro-environment, which consists of the elements involved in the growth or regression of tumors.

Our Issels® immuno-oncology centers have been ahead of the curve in the use of non-toxic therapies that stimulate the immune system and target a tumor’s micro-environment. Visit our website to learn more about our personalized treatment protocols.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Caregivers, Living with Cancer

Cancer Treatment Fairness Act Pushed at Tennessee Legislature

Fighting For Fair Cancer Treatment
Fighting For Fair Cancer Treatment

While researchers continue to make progress with improvements in cancer treatments, it’s often financially prohibitive for patients to make use of them. This past January, Tennessee took a step toward joining 40 other states and the District of Columbia in making it easier for patients to get the most appropriate treatment available.

Senator Bill Ketron and Representative William Lamberth jointly introduced the Cancer Treatment Fairness Act in the state Senate and House. If passed, the legislation would equalize costs between traditional and newer cancer treatments.

The changing form of cancer treatments

Traditional treatments, which are usually administered via IV or injection, generally fall under regular health care benefits. As a result, patients are charged nominal co-pay or nothing at all.

Newer treatments, such as gene-targeted therapies, block the growth and spread of cancerous cells by interfering with specific molecules needed for tumor growth and progression. They also have the benefit of fewer side effects. Since they come in pill form, they are placed under a health care plan’s pharmacy coverage. The high out-of-pocket costs can force patients to discontinue treatment, even if it’s effective.

Why the Fairness Act is needed now

Access to oral medications will become even more important, as more than 25 percent of treatments in the works are in pill form. In addition to lower health care costs, oral cancer treatments have been shown to have a positive effect on patients’ quality of life.

Issels® has long been a leader in the use of integrative immunotherapy treatments to stimulate the body’s natural immune response. Contact us for more information about our special testing methods and innovative personalized therapies.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy Arises as the Closest Thing to Cure for Cancer Yet

The Cure is Coming
The Cure is Coming

For decades, the cure for cancer has been the holy grail of medical research. While there have been significant advances in treatment, an actual cure remains elusive. Thanks to its innovative approach, integrative immunotherapy has emerged as the closest thing to a cure for cancer.

What’s the difference between immunotherapy and conventional treatments?

Traditional chemotherapy can be effective, but it kills healthy cells along with cancer cells, leaving the door open for the disease to return. Immunotherapy is unique in that it trains the body’s own immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells, much as they do with a common cold.

James Larkin is a consultant at London’s Royal Marsden, the leading cancer hospital in the world. He explains that cancer can become resistant to conventional drugs, while immunotherapy works from the inside to boost the body’s natural resources. The idea is that the immune system is “programmed” to change in response to a tumor’s evolution.

A real-life success

Sandra Sayce is a living example of the benefits of integrative immunotherapy. The 52-year-old was originally treated for melanoma in 2001, when lesions were discovered on her lower leg. After the disease returned in 2005 and was diagnosed as stage four, she participated in a trial for an immunotherapy drug called ipilimumab. With no further treatment, the tumors disappeared and she has been cancer-free for nearly 10 years.

Issels® has long been at the forefront of the movement toward integrative immunotherapy. Our programs are individually designed to meet each patient’s specific needs. Visit our website for testimonials from the many people who have been successfully treated with our non-toxic protocols.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

Cancer Experts Find New Dietary Guidelines Lacking

Where Does Red Meat Fit In?
Where Does Red Meat Fit In?

Your 10-year-old may object to the omission of candy and pizza from the U.S. government’s eating guidelines. The revised version, issued this past January, has gained more influential critics who believe the guidelines don’t go far enough to discourage consumption of foods linked to cancer.

Is there a place for red meat in a healthy diet?

Katie McMahon of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is one of the experts questioning the new guidelines, particularly the failure to recommend limiting red meats. Decades of research clearly indicates a link to development of cancer, which is one reason integrative immunotherapy considers lifestyle factors along with the disease itself.

Are industry lobbyists to blame?

The Health and Human Services Department and U.S. Department of Agriculture are the government agencies responsible for creating the guidelines. Lately they have come under fire from accusations of succumbing to pressure from meat industry lobbyists.

Dr. Walter Willett, head of the nutrition department at Harvard School of Public Health, is among those speaking out. He points out that consumption of red meat, even when it’s lean, has been shown to increase risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as certain types of cancer.

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell dismisses charges of catering to special interest groups. Alice Lichtenstein, a nutrition professor from Tufts University who was a member of the advisory committee, claims the guidelines were focused more on preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes than on cancer.

The integrative immunotherapy programs at Issels® address nutrition and other lifestyle factors. Visit our website for more information about our state-of-the-art non-toxic treatments.