Tag Archives: Cancer Cell

Ketogenic Diet and Cancer

August 1, 2014

The Role of Calorie Restriction, Amino Acid Restriction, Carbohydrate Restriction And The Ketogenic Diet

It is good to appreciate this fact; just like any other normal, healthy body cell, cancer cells also need reliable supply of nutrients to keep living. The best cancer cure that can kill the cancerous cells without affecting the normal cells would be to starve them. Basing our arguments on past research works that have investigated how the cancer cell survives it will be easier to alter diets to ensure that their best sources of nutrients are cut. However in the past it was never easy to starve the cancerous cells while ensuring that the normal healthy cells are well supplied with the nutrients as well as oxygen that are needed in metabolism by the healthy cells. The researchers have tried all experiments to find ways of killing the cancer cells by starving them while leaving the nutrient supplies to the healthy cells unaffected. One of the findings that may help this approach work is that cancer cells depend entirely on glucose to survive. The healthy body cells however can find other sources of nutrients in case the glucose supply is interrupted. Because of this loophole plus others, cancer doctors have developed dietary manipulations that can help in curbing cancer and increase survival rates to those battling with cancer.

Some of the dietary manipulations have proved to be very effective in fighting cancer while others are still not well understood. The researchers are still working on other dietary approaches to cancer treatment and we can only hope that sooner or later we will be able to treat cancer more safely with these dietary approaches. Some of the dietary manipulations that are popularly used in cancer treatment include;

Ketogenic Diet and cancer

A ketogenic diet features high quality proteins and healthy fats while it eliminates all but non-starchy vegetable carbohydrates. The logic behind the ketogenic diet is that: since cancer cells need glucose to survive and the carbohydrates turn to glucose in the body, reducing the amount of carbohydrates in your body starves the cancer cells. Just like cancer cells, the healthy cells rely on glucose but are flexible enough to turn to ketone bodies for energy unlike the cancer cells that suffer defects that deny them this flexibility to turn to ketone sources of energy. This is a loophole that has been used by doctors to kill the cancer cell without affecting the healthy cells.

The ketogenic diet also minimizes the mTOR pathway that enhances cell proliferation. This diet that restricts all starchy vegetable carbohydrates but advocates for healthy fats and high quality is a better way to kill the cancer cells and should be adopted by anybody not only to treat cancer but as a daily feeding lifestyle as it is an ideal fat burning diet.

Dr. Dalal Akoury is one of the sought after integrative cancer doctors that can help in personalizing even the dietary manipulations to suit you cancer therapy. She has personalized ketogenic cancer treatment for many cancer patients and you may consider seeking her for the same.

Calorie restriction and cancer

Cancer patients who have reduced their calories intake respond better to treatment and are mostly victorious in their fight against cancer. This is a fact that has been supported by many research findings. When calories consumption is reduced, expression of certain proteins that foster cancer cells survival will be inhibited. Basically eating calories results in the calories being broken down to provide energy for building of proteins so when calorie intake is restricted there will be slowed rate of metabolism and the functions of  most proteins will be inhibited. The researchers have also found out that reducing calories intake will help in minimizing over expression of Mcl-1 which is the protein linked to formation and growth of cancer cells.

As I have said glucose is the sole energy for cancer that if restricted then the cancer cells will be starved to death. In this approach sugar is replaced by another energy source; fat, which will help healthy cells but leave the cancer cells with no energy source to keep living. The cancerous cells lack the flexibility to feed on fat as with the healthy cells hence they will starve to death in absence of glucose.

Amino acid restriction and cancer

Amino acids are vital building blocks in our bodies and the cancerous cells are dependent on the amino acids for growth. Two of the amino acids these are phenylalanine and tyrosine have an ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Most cancer cells are dependent on these two amino acids but melanomas, breast cancer and prostate cancer are greatly affected by restriction of these two amino acids. When the amino acids are restricted the growth of cancer cells is inhibited greatly. Restriction of amino acids has also induced apoptosis on many cancer cells. A research that was led by Dr. Meadows who is the Director of the Cancer Prevention & Research Center at Washington State University showed that amino acid restriction can be a very valid alternative cancer treatment.

Carbohydrate Restriction and cancer

DietCarbohydrates are a major source of glucose and the cancer cells solely depend on the glucose for their survival. The cancer cells need more of the glucose than the healthy cells. When there are lots of carbohydrates in the diet the cancer cells are poised to grow and spread even faster. Since the cancer cells can only survive on the glucose when the carbohydrates are restricted they will not find enough glucose to feed on and will therefore starve to death. The normal cells are able to adapt to other sources of energy like fats in the body.

Dr. Dalal Akoury has been helpful to many cancer patients by availing personalized treatment. He has vast experience in integrative cancer treatment and will use this experience to get the best cancer treatment that will not leave you with severe side effects. Call on her for consultations.

The Role of Calorie Restriction, Amino Acid Restriction, Carbohydrate Restriction And The Ketogenic Diet

 

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Targeted Cancer Therapies

July 23, 2014

 

  Targeted Cancer Therapies are effective in cancer treatment

Targeted cancer therapies are drugs designed to interfere with specific molecules necessary for tumor growth and metastasis. Conventional chemotherapy is a treatment that targets cell division. It kills rapidly dividing cells hence affecting their spread. However as known conventional chemotherapy has side effects as healthy cells are also affected. The aim of target therapies is to fight cancer more strategically with few side effects.

The target therapies are always pre tested before they are used on a patient. This is mostly done on animals like mice. However in some cases it may be tested on humans. The target therapies are mostly used with other treatment methods such as chemotherapy. They help in killing the culprits behind the uncontrolled cancer cell growth and metastasis making such treatments more effective.

Typically the body cells grow and divide to give rise to new cells that will replace them when they grow old and die. However this circle maybe broken and that is where all problems begin, new cells may come up earlier before the body requires them while the old cells may refuse to die and leave space for new cells. The many cells may initiate a growth which divides without control. Eventually these cancerous cells will break away from the parent tumor and spread to the rest of the body causing damage to healthy tissues.

The growth and division of cancer cells is not controlled. The growth of healthy body cells is controlled by the certain enzymes, chemicals and molecular signals that issue instructions to the cells to divide when they ought to. Genes are also involved in cell growth. Hormone proto-oncogenesis is involved in cell growth and division. Changes in these genes may result in formation of cancer cells. The change otherwise known as oncogenesis promotes excessive cell growth and division. To help save this situation, tumor suppressor genes need to stop the cell from dividing rapidly but in case they don’t work as needed the tumor growth begins.

If the changes in the genes are not corrected appropriately by the cell, abnormal proteins may be produced. Proteins help the cells to accomplish some of their duties. The growth factors are and growth factor receptors help in growth and division of cells. In some cases case of abnormal proteins may over respond to signals or may not respond at all. The cancer cells are the result of abnormal proteins that have signaled the cells to reproduce excessively.

Therefore changes in the genes may play a very important role in the formation and growth of tumors. By use of target therapy, the excessive growth of cells can be inhibited and hence put a control to the rise of cancer cells.

How can target cancer therapies help in cancer treatment?

Target cancer therapies are useful in cancer treatments as they work in a number of ways to inhibit the growth and division of cancerous cells at various stages in cancer cell development, growth and metastasis. These therapies interfere with the signals that are sent to the cancer cells to divide. These signals are sent by the abnormal proteins. The target therapies may do away with these proteins completely blocking the signals that trigger excessive cell division and spread of the cancer cells.

By interfering with the signals that promote growth and division of the cancer cells, the target therapies help in controlling cancer. These therapies are always pre tested for effectiveness and so they are precise in executing their intended duties.

Target cancer therapies provide doctors with a better means to personalize cancer treatments. With unique molecular targets produced the treatment of a cancer patient can be individualized hence avoiding the standard treatment where cancer patients are given the same drugs that may not work well in treating the patient. Another advantage of target cancer therapies is that they are more selective hence few healthy cells are affected. It also has few side effects as well as enhances the effectiveness to cancer treatment. It is also convenient to the patients as it may save the patient from repeat chemotherapies that is always the case with haphazard cancer treatment.

Examples of target cancer therapies

Small Molecule Inhibitors

Small molecule inhibitors typically interrupt cellular processes by interfering with the intracellular signaling of tyrosine kinases which are enzymes that transfer phosphate groups from adenosine triphosphate to tyrosine amino acid residues in proteins. Tyrosine kinase signaling initiates a molecular surge that can lead to cell growth, proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in normal and malignant tissues. EGFR, HER2/neu, and VEGF receptors are tyrosine kinases.

The small molecule inhibitors are therefore very helpful in controlling the spread of cancer. One of the most powerful small molecule inhibitors is Imatinib which was approved in 2002 for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Monoclonal antibodies

Targeted cancer therapy

Monoclonal antibodies  can help in fighting cancer through many ways. Monoclonal antibodies may trigger the natural body killer cells to fight the cancer cells. They help in interrupting the cancer cell growth process by binding ligands and receptors. They may also use toxins or radioisotope to harm the cancer cells. Monoclonal has a denatured protein structure and are administered intravenously, they are subject to drug interactions as they do not undergo hepatic metabolism. Their ability to interact favorably with drugs allows them to be used alongside other treatment methods.

To be cancer free you need updates on cancer to know more about cancer. Dr. Dalal Akoury runs a website that equips people with relevant information about cancer. Check on her website regularly to benefit from her wealth of health knowledge

            Targeted Cancer Therapies are effective in cancer treatment

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Cancer Treatment Options

July 20, 2014

What Are The Treatment Options Available To Cancer Victims?

There are many methods used in the treatment of cancer. They include radiation treatment, chemotherapy treatment and surgery. All this methods are meant to stop the spread of cancerous cells. However, when you look at the statistics, details it reveals about the ailment is a bit shocking.  In the modern times, more focus is now being placed on detox, liver flushes methods and the diet as better methods of managing cancer.

Existing Cancer treatments in our Century

RadiationIt makes use of higher energy radiation that kills the cancer cells. The rays damage the DNA of the cancerous cells destroying them completely. The problem with this method is that it damages both the normal and the cancer cells. This makes it necessary to have the treatment planned carefully so as to minimize the side effect.  A machine may be used to produce these rays or doctors may place a radioactive material close to the tumor cells or inject it in the bloodstream. A patient may receive the radiation during or after surgery depending on the type of cancer that is being treated, the radiation shrinks tumors and kills the cancerous cells. The rays that are popularly used include the X-ray, and the gamma rays which have charged particles that are used to treat radiation.

  • Surgery

It can be used to diagnose, prevent or treat cancer. In most cases, cancer patients may have to undergo some form of surgery. Surgery has often offered the greatest chances for cure especially in cases where the cancer has not spread to most parts of the body.

  • Chemotherapy

This is where drugs or medicine is used to treat cancer. The term chemotherapy is always misunderstood and the thought of having it has always frightened many people. However, when the patients are told what chemotherapy is and how it works it can help allay their fear and calm them down. It also enables the patients have a better sense of control over the treatment.

  • Targeted therapy

This is a new method of treating cancer that utilizes drugs and other substances that identifies and attacks the cancer cells while doing little or no damage to the normal cells. This method is becoming popular in the treatment of cancer.

  • Immunotherapy

This treatment uses the body’s own immune system to help one fight cancer

  • Hyperthermia

This is where heat is used to treat cancer that has been with the patient for a long period of time. With the invention of new tools, more precise delivery of heat will be more effective in treating cancer.

  • Stem cell transplant

This method is also referred to as peripheral blood, cord blood transplant and Bone Marrow transplant.

  • Photodynamic therapy

PDT is a treatment that makes use of special drugs referred to as photosensitizing agents. It also makes use of light in its effort to kill the cancer cells. The drugs work after being activated by some kind of light

CancerAll this methods have for many years been used to treat cancer but none of them has been 100 % effective in managing and treating cancer. The latest research shows that diet and nutrition play an important part in the cancer treatment. Patients suffering from cancer are strongly advised to eat the right kind of diet which helps them to feel better and stronger. Good nutrition is necessary since the disease may affect your appetite or can affect the body’s ability to tolerate certain types of food. Low fiber diet may be recommended if you have trouble with digesting food, cramping or if you have undergone some type of surgery. The patient may also be put on dietary supplement to help improve the quality of his life.

Liver flushes is a method intended to get rid of microbes in various organs of the body such as  such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, the colon so that the cancer treatment can take place.  These microbes steel some energy from the cells, they intercept nutrients and at the same time excrete mycotoxins. This makes the organ to become weak and lowers the immune system of their body.  Liver flushes thus supercharges the immune system and allows various cancer treatment methods to be used.

  • Detrofication

Detrofication may take place through sweating and colonics removal of toxins from the body. This may to some extend reverse cancer.  Some research show that coffee enemas detoxification may be used to cure cancer. Juicing and good dieting strengthens the immune system and the healing of the body.  However,the emotions must be healed and traumatizing events forgotten if the treatment of cancer is to succeed. Detoxification can be done in the health center or it can be done at home. Avoid foods that have toxins. Remember the air we breathe as well as the water we take has toxic substances. The bags used to package processed foods have toxins and they should also be avoided.

Use the following to remove toxins in your body at home.

  • Bentonite clay
  • Castor oil
  • Coffee enemas
  • Engaging in activities which can lead to sweating helps the body of eliminate toxics from the body

What Are The Treatment Options Available To Cancer Victims?

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Chemosensitivity Testing

July 20, 2014

RGCC chemosensitivity testing in cancer treatment

ChemosensitityTreatment of cancer involves the doctors analyzing some of the research findings and drug test results to give a patient a preferable cancer treatment that is thought of as the best for the type of cancer he or she has. The essence of personalized cancer treatment has attracted the attention of many doctors and the Research Genetic cancer center have  adopted a test; chemosensitivity testing that may help them know which treatment is good for a patient depending on the state and type of his cancer.

Chemosensitivity testing helps the doctors to know which drugs are good for your type of cancer. It involves extraction of the individual’s cancer cells and testing the cancer cells in lab to see which drug they are most responsive to. The chemosensitivity testing offers a guide to the doctors on which treatment methods to implement when treating the patient.

Chemosensitivity is more strategic and not haphazard and so is most effective as the drugs and the treatment procedures the patient is subjected to are pretested to know how effective they will be in treating the patient’s type of cancer.

RGCC testing may use blood or tissues and it is used to test the viability of the chemotherapy drugs in treating the cancer. It also involves genetic profiling of the cancer cell that will help the doctors decide on which treatment best suits the patient. It also checks on viability of other treatment methods that may be used alongside chemotherapy in killing the cancer.

CTCs and cancer stem cells

The circulating tumor cells (CTCs) plays a major role in metastasis. Scientists have established that metastasis can never take place without circulating tumor cells. They work as the single haematological neoplasias hence are a necessity for metastasis.

Tumor initiating cells are generally known as the cancer stem cells. They refer to tumor cells that have stems and are responsible for tumor progression. The circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells have similar genotypic and phenotypic characteristics.

The circulating tumor cells are very effective in spreading cancer in the body and helping in its growth. It has the ability to divide asymmetrically and give rise to many cancer cells. They can also circulate as non-proliferating tumor cells hence becoming resistant to chemotherapy however they can change from this state to proliferating pluripotent progenitor cancer cells due to dissemination.

 

To effectively treat cancer and avoid metastasis, the circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells needs to be targeted and eliminated. Treatment that is not strategic in targeting the circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells may not yield long term health benefits.

What information can be found by identification and analysis of CTCs

The study of the circulating tumor cells provides very valuable information in tumor growth and progression as well as an insight of the long term prognosis. It will also give information to whether a specific patient will be able to respond to the treatment to be offered. The doctors will study CTCs to find out the possibility of the cancer cell reoccurring after treatment.

The doctors are finding CTCs identification and analysis as an effective tool in the diagnosis, monitoring cancer cell progression as well as cancer treatment.

Some of the information that doctors find through the identification and analysis of the CTCs include;

v  Possibility of long-term prognosis

v  Avails information that helps in identifying treatment method that a patients can positively respond to treatment

v  Possibility of the disease reoccurring after treatment

v  Evaluation of tumor regression at the right time

Chemosensitivity testing of CTCs and cancer stem cells

Chemosensitivity is a very effective way of cancer treatment. It is more personalized to fit an individual’s condition hence offer the best treatment. Chemosensitivity of CTCs is done by exposing monocultures of enriched CTCs to the available cancer therapy agents. The reaction of the cells to the treatment is analyzed. The doctors will choose the best treatment by checking on which cancer therapy agent induced apoptosis of cultured cells by a great extent. The pathologists can also learn the resistance ability of the CTCs to the cancer therapy agent by checking on how long they maintain normal behavior even after exposure to the cancer therapy agent.

Chemosensitivity helps the doctors in giving effective cancer treatments to patients as the tumor cells ability to resist certain drugs are tested before the drugs are given to the patients. The ability of the circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells to be resistant to the treatment offered makes treatment of cancer very difficult and this explains why some cancer patients have to go through numerous chemotherapies. Through testing in labs the doctors will be able to know the cancer treatment that will wipe out all the Circulating cancer cells as well as the cancer stem cells.

For individualized cancer treatment to be effective, the identification and analysis of the circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells helps a great deal. Haphazard administering of cancer drugs without testing the CTCs and the stem cells resistance ability to the drug will not work well.

Chemosensitivity testing of the circulating tumor cells and the cancer stem cells is an effective approach to cancer treatment as the CTCs and the cancer stem cells are responsible for cancer cell formation and metastasis hence must be dealt with if the disease is to be effectively treated. It also hastens the recovery process as opposed to the cases where drugs given are rendered ineffective due to the CTCs resistance. Dr. Dalal Akoury runs a website that equips people with relevant information about cancer. Check on her website regularly to benefit from her wealth of health knowledge.

RGCC chemosensitivity testing in cancer treatment

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pH Therapy in Cancer Treatment

July 18, 2014

 Ph Therapy Gains Popularity as an Alternative Cancer Treatment

Cancer is a very dangerous if not the most dangerous disease that has continued to depopulate the world. But that said cancer and cancer treatment is a very interesting study. It is amazing to note how a single change in the physiological conditions in the human body can affect the growth of cancer cell. Nevertheless there is always something new that you need to know about cancer as doctors and medical researchers are still trying to find out the best cure of the disease. Due to the numerous researches that had been done in the past , a number of alternative cancer treatments have been created some of which are still controversial, some of which have been dismissed as ineffective and some of which have become popular with both the cancer patients and cancer doctors.

Previously the most known forms of cancer treatment were chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. But due to the loopholes that doctors wanted filled, new treatment methods have become even more popular with the cancer patients most of whom are trying to evade some of these conventional treatments for their respective side effects. One of these alternative cancer treatments is the pH therapy which is commonly known as the cesium chloride protocol.

What is cesium Chloride?

 

Cesium is a rare, naturally occurring element of alkali metal, similar in chemical structure to lithium, sodium, and potassium. Cesium chloride is a salt form of this element. Cesium chloride is most commonly associated with High pH Therapy and cancer, due to the work of Keith Brewer, Otto Warburg, and H.E. Sartori, among others. They found that cancer cells thrive in an low oxygen environment with low pH values, and that raising the cell pH makes it hard for cancer cells to survive. Cesium is one of the most alkaline elements hence has a high pH value. Cesium is readily taken up by the cancerous cells which then raise the pH level in the cancerous cells slowing their growth and reducing their survival ability.

Typically the pH level in the cancer cells is always low. The cancerous cells are more acidic as compared to healthy body cells. When a cancer patient takes a cesium chloride supplement, the pH levels in the cancer cells are increased. High pH levels are not good for the cancer cells and therefore the rate of the tumor growth becomes slowed. The treatment of cancer through use of cesium chloride supplements is often called the pH therapy.

The thought that cesium chloride could be used in cancer treatment began long ago when doctors found out that certain areas that had high concentration of alkali metals were devoid of certain type of cancers. In the early 1920’s researchers suggested that the cesium chloride could be used effectively in treatment of cancer. This claims were thwarted by other researchers who investigated the possibility of cesium being used in cancer treatment, they said that cesium chloride has no effect in tumor growth. However by 1980 the use of cesium chloride in cancer treatment was made public.

Cancer patients can buy the cesium chloride supplements that are available in pills and in syrup.  The patient can use between 1-6 grams of the cesium chloride as the daily dosage. It can also be mixed with juices, vitamins as well as minerals. Those who have used the pH therapy recommend using potassium supplements during that period to avoid abnormal heart rhythms. It can also be given intravenously that is, it can be injected into the vein through an IV.

Past tests on pH therapy effectiveness

A research study done by American University in Washington, DC involving tests on mice fed cesium and rubidium showed marked shrinkage in the tumor masses within 2 weeks. Another advantage of the pH therapy derived from the experiment was that the mice did not show any side effects from the therapy. The tests involved implanting tumors into the mice that were left for 8 days for the tumor to grow. Some of the mice were fed 1.11g of rubidium per day. After 13 days the mice that were not fed rubidium began dying. The tumors were removed and it was found that the mice fed rubidium daily had tumor shrinkage.

Tests have also been carried out on over 30 humans by H.Nieper in Germany and H.Sartori in Washington, DC. In both tests as well as other tests done by other physicians showed very positive results as in each case the tumor masses disappeared. The pains and other effects related to cancer also disappeared within 12 to 36 hrs. However in some cases the healing process took longer due to patients’ reacting to morphine.

pHOtto Warburg who is known for relating cell oxygenation to cancer also features here. When the cell is low in oxygen its pH drops creating a good environment for cancer cells to grow but with the pH therapy the cancer cells are easily managed as their growth and metastasis is inhibited.

Cancer has continued to threaten the human race but with doctors still working to curb its effects, there is hope that it will be curbed someday. You however need to learn on ways to prevent the disease. You need reliable information to help you do this. Contact Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) for more information on health matters and be empowered to take good care of your life. Check her website for more information

Ph Therapy Gains Popularity as an Alternative Cancer Treatment

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