Asparagus..known to cure Cancer

Three types of asparagus on a shop display, with white asparagus at the back and green asparagus in the middle. The plant at the front is Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, is commonly called wild asparagus,

Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy of an article,entitled, `Asparagus for cancer ' printed in Cancer News Journal, December 1979.

I will share it here, just as it was shared with me: ' I am a biochemist,and have specialized in the relation of diet to health for over 5 years.

Several years ago, I learned of the discovery of Richard R.Vensal, D.D.S. that asparagus might cure cancer. Since then, I have worked with him on his project. We have accumulated a number of favourable case histories.

Here are a few examples:

Case No. 1,

A man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin ' s disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of strenuous exercise.

Case No. 2,

A successful businessman 68 years old who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years. After years of medical treatments, including radiation without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3 months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumor had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

Case No. 3,

A man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971, he was put on the operating table where they found lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable. The surgeon sewed him up and declared his case hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the asparagus therapy and immediately started taking it. By August, x-ray pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had disappeared. He is back at his regular business routine.

Case No. 4,

A woman who was troubled for a number of years with skin cancer. She finally developed different skin cancers which were diagnosed by asking specialist as advanced. Within 3 months after starting on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman reported that the asparagus therapy also cured her kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10 operations for kidney stones, and was receiving government disability payments for an inoperable, terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus.

I was not surprised at this result, as `The elements of Material Medica ' , edited in 1854 by a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania , stated that asparagus was used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of asparagus in dissolving stones.

We would have other case histories but the medical establishment has interfered with our obtaining some of the records. I am therefore appealing to readers to spread this good 20news and help us to gather a large number of case histories that will overwhelm the medical skeptics about this unbelievably simple and natural remedy. For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as fresh.

I have corresponded with the two leading canners of asparagus, Giant Giant and Stokely, and I am satisfied that these brands contain no pesticides or preservatives.

* * PROCEDURE:

1) Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy t make a puree, and store in the refrigerator.

2) Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening.

Patients usually show some improvement in from 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.

As a biochemist I am convinced of the old saying that `what cures can prevent ' . Based on this theory, my wife and I have been using asparagus puree as a beverage with our meals. We take 2 tablespoons diluted in water to suit our taste wit breakfast and with dinner. I take mine hot and my wife prefers hers cold.

For years we have made it a practice to have blood surveys taken as part of our regular checkups.

The last blood survey, taken=2 0by a medical doctor who specializes in the nutritional approach to health, showed substantial improvements in all categories over the last one, and we can attribute these improvements to nothing but the asparagus drink...

As a biochemist, I have made an extensive study of all aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. As a result, I am convinced that asparagus fits in better with the latest theorie about cancer. Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called histones, which are believed to be active in controlling cell growth. For that reason, I believe asparagus can be said to contain a substance that I call cell growth normalizer. That accounts for its action on cancer and inacting as a general body tonic. In any event, regardless of theory, asparagus used as we suggest, is a harmless substance.

The FDA cannot prevent you from using it and it may do you much good.. It has been reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione, which is considered one of the body ' s most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.

The French had a lower incidence of coronary heart disease despite their diet high in fat.

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

Some coworkers have been talking about how everyone should drink wine for their health! Is it true that drinking wine is now good for you? How much is good?

Signed,

Nondrinker

Dear Nondrinker,

Drinking wine for good health seems to be getting all the press instead of healthier alternatives, probably because it's an intoxicating beverage.

However, there have been studies supporting intake of nonalcoholic beverages such as grape juice, cranberry juice, or tea with lower incidence of cancer, heart disease, and other diseases.

Support for moderate consumption of wine, 1-2 glasses, and a decrease in coronary heart disease first came to public attention via the "60 Minutes" report on the "French Paradox" (CBS News, 2003). The French had a lower incidence of coronary heart disease despite their diet high in fat. One possible reason given for the low rate of coronary heart disease in France was the French habit of drinking wine with meals. Antioxidants such as flavonoids or resveratrol are in grapes. Resveratrol lowers the "bad" LDL cholesterol, but elevates the "good" HDL cholesterol levels.

However, University of Pennsylvania researchers found smaller food portions may explain the 'French Paradox' of rich cuisine and slender population. The researchers noted that food portions are significantly smaller in French restaurants and supermarkets than in their American counterparts (see http://www.upenn.edu/).

Beverages High in Resveratrol

Red wines have a higher level of resveratrol than white wines. In particular, the red wine, pinot noir, has about twice as much as other reds.

For people who do not want to drink alcohol, there are alternatives. Some research has pointed out that cranberry juice, red or purple grape juice work as well, maybe better, than red wine.

However, fresh grapes do not have as high a concentration of antioxidants as processed grape juice or wine.

Although some health food stores sell resveratrol as a nutritional supplement., more research needs to be done on this supplement to see if it has the same benefits as wine or grape juice.

In addition, other studies indicate that black or green tea may be more beneficial than wine in reducing heart disease as well as cancer and other diseases.

Two cups of tea have an equivalent antioxidant as 2 glasses of purple grape juice, one glass of red wine, 12 glasses of white wine, 7 glasses of orange juice, 12 glasses of beer, 20 glasses of apple juice (Halpern, 2005).

However, tea, grape juice, or wine consumption doesn't take the place of a healthy lifestyle, which should include exercise, no smoking, low fat foods, and lots of fruits, vegetables, grains, and water.

Leukemia: Development of White Blood Cells

There are five types of leukocytes (white blood cells) found in the blood:

Basophils
Eosinophils
Lymphocytes
Monocytes
Neutrophils

Each cell type has a specific role to play in our body's immune system. Important overall functions of the immune system include defense against invading microorganisms, removal of dead or damaged cells, and destruction of cancer cells.

Blood cell formation begins with a special cell located in the bone marrow called a hematopoietic stem cell. Unlike most cells, the hematopoietic stem cell has the capability for self-renewal as well as the ability to give rise to any one of the separate blood cell types. This means that as the stem cell divides in two, one cell replaces the original stem cell and the other begins the multi-step process of developing into a mature blood cell.

It is important to note that hematopoietic stem cells are different from embryonic stem cells. While hematopoietic stem cells can develop into any type of blood cell, embryonic stem cells can develop into any cell type in the body.

Blood cell precursors usually progress through a series of stages in the bone marrow before entering the circulating blood stream. Signals from surrounding cells in the bone marrow can help stimulate stem cells to divide as well as develop and mature into specific blood cell types. Normal cell division is also regulated by an important process known as the cell cycle. Disruption of this process is central to the development of leukemia.

Conflicts of Interest Still Exist in Cancer Research

MONDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- A recent analysis of major medical journals has found many potential conflicts of interest between researchers and medical industry companies, raising concern that investigators may at least be tempted to report favorable results to help the financial backers of their work.

The analysis, to be published in the June 15 issue of Cancer and headed by the University of Michigan, looked at more than 1,500 cancer studies published in eight authoritative journals, including Cancer, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Lancet, during a recent year and found:

-Randomized clinical trials that assessed patient survival were more likely to link a survival advantage to the medical treatment being studied when a conflict of interest was present.

-These trials, the authors noted, are how drugs, technologies, procedures and so on eventually get approved for use in medical practices.

-Apparent conflicts of interest (such as industry funding, consulting fees to authors and co-authorship by industry employees) found simply by reviewing the authorship credits were noted in 29% of studies, while 17% actually declared industry funding.

-Industry-funded studies focused on treatment in 62% of cases, whereas only 36% of studies done without industry funding focused on treatment.

-While 47% of studies done without industry funding looked at epidemiology, prevention, risk factors, screening or diagnostic methods, only 20% of industry-funded studies focused on these areas.

Researchers are often required to disclose potential conflicts of interest to medical journals when they submit articles, but the lines can get blurry. While taking a consulting fee or holding a job in the companies whose products they are evaluating is an obvious potential conflict of interest, some researchers may knowingly or unknowingly hold stock in the companies, for example.

As a result, the authors of the analysis wrote that "attempts to disentangle the cancer research effort from industry merit further attention, and journals should embrace both rigorous standards of disclosure and heightened scrutiny when conflicts exist."

-- Kevin McKeever
SOURCE: American Cancer Society, news release, May 11, 2009

Mushroom-Possible Therapeutic Benefits and Facts

Possible Therapeutic Benefits:

- Thins the blood

- Prevents cancer in animal

- Lowers blood cholesterol

- Stimulates the immune system

- Inactivates viruses

Facts:

So far few medicinal benefits are linked to the common button mushroom popular in the United States, but Oriental mushrooms contain compounds that can stimulate the immune system, inhibit blood clotting, and retard the development of cancer. The magical four with proven value: shiitake, oyster, enoki, and tree ear, also called wood ear and mo-er.

Japanese scientists have extensively analyzed the medicinal qualities of mushrooms, especailly shiitake, increasinly cultivated and eaten in United States. What makes these mushrooms unusually exciting to scientists is that some possess stimulating or potentiating properties that may strengthen the immune system against not only a variety of infections, but cancer and possibly autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, polyarthritis, and multiple sclerosis.

Gastric Cancer Overview

Overview

The stomach is part of the digestive system. It is located in the upper abdomen, between the esophagus and the small intestine. Stomach cancer is also called gastric cancer.

Most (85%) cases of gastric cancer are adenocarcinomas that occur in the lining of the stomach (mucosa). Approximately 40% of cases develop in the lower part of the stomach (pylorus); 40% develop in the middle part (body); and 15% develop in the upper part (cardia). In about 10% of cases, cancer develops in more than one part of the organ.

Stomach cancer can spread (metastasize) to the esophagus or the small intestine, and can extend through the stomach wall to nearby lymph nodes and organs (e.g., liver, pancreas, colon). It also can metastasize to other parts of the body (e.g., lungs, ovaries, bones).

Incidence

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), approximately 760,000 cases of stomach cancer are diagnosed worldwide and more than 24,000 cases are diagnosed in the United States each year. Incidence is highest in Japan, South America, Eastern Europe, and parts of the Middle East. Worldwide, stomach cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths.

Stomach cancer occurs twice as often in men and it is more common in people over the age of 55. In the United States, incidence is higher in African Americans than in Caucasians.

Changes in diet and food preparation have led to a recent decrease in the incidence of cancer of the lower stomach (distal gastric cancer). However, incidence of cancer of the upper stomach (proximal gastric cancer) has increased, primarily as a result of the prevalence of obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

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Banana Build a Better Stomach

Wonder of wonders, that's what experts say plantains do; they strengthen the surface cells of the stomach lining, forming a sturdier barrier against noxious juices. The British experimenters were stunned to notice that the mucosa, or stomach lining, was actually visibly much thicker in rats fed banana powder. As a sideline experiment, they deliberately fed rats banana powder or aspirin and other chemicals to see what happened to this critical barrier. It grew considerably thicker with banana powder, decreased substantially with aspirin, and ever more with Tagamet. But the rats fed both banana and aspirin, the banana counteracted the drug's detrimental erosive effects; the lining still jumped in thickness by about twenty percent.

Thus, researchers say banana stimulates the proliferation of cell in the stomach lining, and also triggers the release of a protecting stomach hydrochloric acid and pepsin from doing further damage. The British researchers' bottom line: "The role of banana is folk medicine as an anti-ulcerogenic agent, at least against gastric ulcers, appears justified..."