Does Essiac Tea Cure Cancer?

In the mid-1920’s, Rene Caisse (pronounced “reen case”) was head nurse at the Sisters of Providence Hospital in a small town in northern Ontario, Canada.  While nursing an elderly patient, Rene noticed that the patient had a scar on her breast.  The patient said it was left over from an advanced breast cancer which she had over 30 years earlier.  Her doctors had wanted to remove her breast immediately, but having no money for the surgery, she decided instead to use a natural herbal remedy suggested by an old Indian Medicine Man from the local Ajibe tribe.  

The Medicine Man showed her certain herbs (such as burdock root, sheep sorrel herb, slippery elm bark, and turkey rhubarb root), and instructed her to make a tea from those herbs, and to drink it every day. She was immediately cured of cancer, and there had been no recurrence in the 30 years since then.

Rene Caisse promptly jotted down the names of the herbs that the patient told her she had used, and decided that if she should ever have cancer in the future, she would use that herbal tea.

A few months thereafter, Rene received word that her aunt had been diagnosed with cancer of the stomach, and the doctors gave her only six months to live.  Rene spoke to her aunt’s physician, Dr. R.O. Fisher, told him about the herb tea, and asked if she could give the tea to her aunt, under his supervision.  Upon his consent, she obtained the herbs and proceeded to make the tea for her aunt to drink every day.  Her aunt’s cancer went into remission, and she lived for 21 years without any recurrence of cancer.

After that successful experience Rene quit the hospital and began curing people privately, using the same mixture of herbs that would become known as Essiac (Rene’s last name spelled backwards).  Word spread quickly, and soon, the number of patients healed from cancer started to multiply.

When a doctor from the town of Bracebridge in Ontario sent Rene a patient who had cancer of the bowel, Rene cured the patient using the same herbal mixture.  As a result of that miraculous cure, the doctor went before the town council and mayor and urged them to give Rene a building where she could treat cancer patients with her natural cancer remedy.  The clinic was established soon thereafter, and in a few months’ time, it was busy with activity because patients began flocking in from different places.  She treated 3 to 600 patients a week.  The only condition required by the city was that she had to provide the treatments free of charge — and there had to be a doctor’s diagnosis for every case she treated.

Despite the success stories and undeniable healings accomplished at the clinic, Rene attracted unwanted attention, particular from a Doctor Leonardo, a cancer surgeon from Buffalo, New York, who warned her that the medical profession would never allow her to continue giving free cancer treatments because it threatened doctors’ livelihoods.  Not long thereafter, a mysterious group of entrepreneurs showed up at Rene’s clinic offering her a million dollars for her secret herbal formula.  Rene refused to sell the formula because the entrepreneurs would not guarantee that her natural remedy would be made available for free to anyone who needed it.

In 1938, Rene was called before the Legislature to determine the legality of the Essiac remedy.  Over 55,000 people had signed a petition to legalize Essiac, but when the matter went before the Legislature, it lost by 3 votes.

Before long, a cancer commission was established to investigate herbal remedies.  The majority of Rene’s case studies and evidence of hundreds of patients being cured of cancer were rejected, and she was soon forced to shut down her clinic and turn away desperate cancer patients who sought her out when the medical profession could do nothing for them.  Rene suffered a nervous breakdown over the investigation and the medical profession’s refusal to admit that Essiac was a cure for cancer.

After Rene recovered from the breakdown, she started her health practice again from scratch, brewing the herbal mixture and curing patients in the basement of her house.  However, authorities didn’t leave her alone, and instead, began harassing her again, arresting her a few times for the most absurd reasons.  Nevertheless, the fame of Essiac continued to spread and crossed the border to the United States.  Proponents of Essiac, including Dr. Charles Brush, President Kennedy’s personal physician and friend, endeavored to study the effects of the non-toxic natural remedy in the treatment of cancer.  At some point, Dr. Brush even recommended Essiac to be approved by the FDA as a possible cancer cure.

The medical establishment immediately set up obstacles to prevent this from happening, and eventually, Essiac was not approved by the FDA.  Throughout the 5 decades from the 1920s through the 1970s, the response from the medical authorities had always been the same; and they concocted preposterous excuses to reduce the chances of future FDA approval — even at the cost of making themselves look ridiculous.

Some even went as far as to prevent Essiac from being used in the future by doctors, who might eventually give in to a higher calling and medical responsibility.   In the state of California, for example, the state legislature declared it a felony for a doctor to use any other than the accepted methods of treatment for cancer—namely, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

After years of her exhausting battle against the medical establishment, Rene withdrew to her home and continued treating patients quietly on a private, one-on-one basis until the day she died in 1978 at the age of 90.

Note:  Essiac is just one of the many proven natural remedies for cancer that have subsequently been suppressed by the medical establishment.  Chapter 5 of The Top 10 Natural Cancer Cures presents the growing body of evidence that supports the efficacy of Essiac tea in the treatment of cancer, almost 50 years after Rene’s passing.  It also details the herbal tea’s other spectacular health benefits (including its promising potential against AIDS), and shows the exact ingredients, recipe and instructions for making Essiac Tea – www.Top10CancerCures.com.

http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/does-essiac-tea-cure-cancer/

Sugar, carbs and cancer links

In August of 2016, the New England Journal of Medicine published a striking report on cancer and body fat: Thirteen separate cancers can now be linked to being overweight or obese, among them a number of the most common and deadly cancers of all - colon, thyroid, ovarian, uterine, pancreatic and (in postmenopausal women) breast cancer.

November 2, 2017 by Sam Apple, Los Angeles Times

Earlier this month, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added more detail: Approximately 631,000 Americans were diagnosed with a body fat-related cancer in 2014, accounting for 40 percent of all cancers diagnosed that year.

Increasingly, it seems not only that we are losing the war on cancer, but that we are losing it to what we eat and drink.

These new findings, while important, only tell us so much. The studies reflect whether someone is overweight upon being diagnosed with cancer, but they don't show that the excess weight is responsible for the cancer. They are best understood as a warning sign that something about what or how much we eat is intimately linked to cancer. But what?

The possibility that much of our cancer burden can be traced to diet isn't a new idea. In 1937, Frederick Hoffman, an actuary for the Prudential Life Insurance Co., devoted more than 700 pages to a review of all the medical thinking on the topic at the time. But with little in the way of evidence, Hoffman could only guess at which of the many theories might be correct. If we've made little progress since then in pinpointing specific foods that cause cancer, it's in large part because nutrition studies aren't well-suited to cracking the problem.

A cancer typically arises over years, or decades, making the type of study that might definitively establish cause and effect - an experiment in which people are randomly assigned to different diets - nearly impossible to carry out. The next-best option - observational studies that track what a specific group of individuals eats and which members of the group are later diagnosed with cancer - tends to generate as much confusion as knowledge. One day we read that a study has linked eating meat to cancer; a month later, a new headline declares the exact opposite.

And yet researchers have made progress in understanding the diet-cancer connection. The advances have emerged in the somewhat esoteric field of cancer metabolism, which investigates how cancer cells turn the nutrients we consume into fuel and building blocks for new cancer cells.

Largely ignored in the last decades of the 20th century, cancer metabolism has undergone a revival as researchers have come to appreciate that some of the most well-known cancer-causing genes, long feared for their role in allowing cancer cells to proliferate without restraint, have another, arguably even more fundamental role: allowing cancer cells to "eat" without restraint. This research may yield a blockbuster cancer treatment, but in the meantime it can provide us with something just as crucial - knowledge about how to prevent the disease in the first place.

Lewis Cantley, the director of the Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been at the forefront of the cancer metabolism revival. Cantley's best explanation for the obesity-cancer connection is that both conditions are also linked to elevated levels of the hormone insulin. His research has revealed how insulin drives cells to grow and take up glucose (blood sugar) by activating a series of genes, a pathway that has been implicated in most human cancers.

The problem isn't the presence of insulin in our blood. We all need insulin to live. But when insulin rises to abnormally high levels and remains elevated (a condition known as insulin resistance, common in obesity), it can promote the growth of tumors directly and indirectly. Too much insulin and many of our tissues are bombarded with more growth signals and more fuel than they would ever see under normal metabolic conditions. And because elevated insulin directs our bodies to store fat, it can also be linked to the various ways the fat tissue itself is thought to contribute to cancer.

Having recognized the risks of excess insulin-signaling, Cantley and other metabolism researchers are following the science to its logical conclusion: The danger may not be simply eating too much, as is commonly thought, but rather eating too much of the specific foods most likely to lead to elevated insulin levels - easily digestible carbohydrates in general, and sugar in particular.

This is not to say that all cancers are caused by too much insulin or that we should never eat sugar again. Michael Pollak, a metabolism researcher and director of cancer prevention at McGill University in Canada, says that the best approach to sugar is to think of it like a spice - something to occasionally sprinkle on foods, as opposed to an ingredient in nearly every meal and too many drinks.

Nutrition is an inherently messy science. But recent advances in cancer metabolism research are sending us an increasingly clear message about our diet. Winning the war on cancer may depend upon whether we're ready to hear it.

 Explore further: Obesity linked to 13 types of cancer (Update)

Journal reference: New England Journal of Medicine

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-11-sugar-carbs-cancer-links.html

Obesity Responsible for 40 Percent of Diagnosed Cancers

Many still hold fast to the idea that you can be metabolically healthy no matter what your scale says. With this new alarming research, we now know that's not true and may be giving you false reassurance. Even if you're not too heavy pound-wise, but have a pooch, you're still at risk.

October 18, 2017

Story at-a-glance

• Cancers unrelated to obesity declined 13 percent between 2005 and 2014 while obesity-related cancer incidence rose by 7 percent; in 2014 more than 630,000 Americans were diagnosed with obesity-related cancer
• Obesity-related cancers accounted for 40 percent of all diagnosed cancers in 2014; 55 percent of all cancers in women and 24 percent of cancers in men were related to obesity
• Considering more than 20 percent of American adolescents are already in the obese category; awareness of the obesity-cancer link needs to grow if we’re to successfully combat cancer rates in coming decades
• Visceral fat is particularly hazardous. Recent research links excess belly fat alone (regardless of bodyweight) to an increased risk for lung and gastrointestinal cancers in postmenopausal women
• Obesity is associated with significant medical costs and lost productivity. An obese 20-year-old who sheds enough weight to drop down into the overweight category will save nearly two-thirds of his or her lifetime costs

By Dr. Mercola

Nearly 30 percent of the global population is overweight or obese and this has a significant impact on cancer rates, experts say. In a 2014 report, obesity was linked to an estimated 500,000 cancer cases worldwide each year.1,2 More recent statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the reality is far grimmer than that — at least in the U.S.

Obesity-Related Cancers on the Rise in the US

While cancers unrelated to obesity declined by 13 percent between 2005 and 2014, obesity-related cancer incidence rose by 7 percent, and in 2014 more than 630,000 people were diagnosed with obesity-related cancer in the U.S. alone.3,4,5 Overall, obesity-related cancers accounted for a whopping 40 percent of all diagnosed cancers in 2014. As reported by Reuters: 6

“According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, 13 cancers are associated with overweight and obesity. They include meningioma, multiple myeloma, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, and cancers of the thyroid, postmenopausal breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovaries, uterus and colon and rectum (colorectal).” 

Previous data from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) suggests excess body weight is responsible for about 25 percent of the relative contribution to cancer incidence, ranking second only to smoking.7 When combined with other high-risk behaviors, such as a poor diet and lack of exercise, the relative contribution rises to 33 percent, making optional lifestyle-related factors a significant contributor to many cancers.

Obesity-Related Cancers Disproportionally Affect Women

Women are at greatest risk. Compared to men, women are more than twice as likely to develop obesity-related cancer,8 and the longer a woman is overweight, the greater her risk.9 The latest CDC data shows that 55 percent of all cancers in women were related to obesity whereas obesity accounted for “just” 24 percent of male cancer cases.10 Overall, endometrial, ovarian and postmenopausal breast cancer accounted for 42 percent of all obesity-related cancers.

According to the authors, “Observational studies have provided evidence that even a 5-kg (11-pound) increase in weight since early adulthood is associated with increased risk of overweight- and obesity-related cancers.” Despite such evidence, few people are fully aware of this association.

As noted by CDC deputy director Dr. Anne Schuchat,11 “That obesity and overweight are affecting cancers may be surprising to many Americans. The awareness of some cancers being associated with obesity and overweight is not yet widespread.” Considering the fact that nearly 71 percent of American adults are either overweight or obese, and over 20 percent of adolescents are already in the obese category,12 awareness of this link needs to grow if we’re to successfully combat rising cancer rates in coming decades.

‘Fat and Fit’ Myth Promotes Unhealthy Ideals

Many still hold fast to the idea that you can be overweight and metabolically healthy, or “fat and fit,” but the cases in which this might be true are few and far in between. While this notion helps combat weight-related depression and poor self-esteem, it ignores the very real health risks associated with excess body weight.

As noted in a 2013 review and meta-analysis13 that included data from more than 61,000 people, obese individuals were more likely to die sooner or have heart-related problems than people of normal weight — even if they were otherwise healthy — causing the researchers to conclude that:

"Compared with metabolically healthy normal-weight individuals, obese persons are at increased risk for adverse long-term outcomes even in the absence of metabolic abnormalities, suggesting that there is no healthy pattern of increased weight."

More recent research confirms that visceral fat — the fat buildup around your internal organs, which typically shows as an increased waist size — is directly associated with insulin resistance, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and cancer. In the U.S., Greece, Iceland and New Zealand, over 90 percent of adult men and half of all children were found to have this risk factor.14

Belly Fat Especially Risky for Postmenopausal Women

As noted by Medical News Today,15 “So-called metabolically obese normal weight individuals may still have impaired health, and up to 50 percent of these individuals may be ignored by current BMI [body mass index] measurements.” Other recent research has linked excess belly fat alone (regardless of bodyweight) to an increased risk for lung and gastrointestinal cancers in postmenopausal women. According to study author Line Maersk Staunstrup, a doctoral student at Nordic Bioscience ProScion in Denmark:16

"The average elderly women can very much use this information, as it is known that the menopause transition initiates a shift in body fat towards the central trunk area. Therefore, elderly women should be especially aware of their lifestyle when they approach the pre-menopause age."

How to Measure Your Body Composition

Indeed, BMI has been repeatedly shown to be an unreliable way to measure a person’s body composition as it fails to take into account muscle mass and intra-abdominal (visceral) fat mass.

A far more accurate measurement is to measure your waistline (the distance around the smallest area below the rib cage, above your belly button) in relation to your height. Waist circumference is the easiest anthropometric measure of total body fat. A general guide for healthy waist circumference is as follows:

Alternatively, you can measure your waist-to-hip ratio. This is done by measuring the circumference of your hips at the widest part, across your buttocks. Then measure your waist at the smallest circumference of your natural waist, just above your belly button. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to get the ratio, or use the University of Maryland’s online waist-to-hip ratio calculator.17

The High Cost of Obesity

Other research also deconstructs the “fat and fit” notion, showing obesity eventually takes a toll on health — and finances — even if the person is currently healthy. Using computer modeling, the researchers estimated the financial cost of obesity for different age groups. As an example, a 50-year-old obese individual with normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels has a price tag in excess of $36,000 in direct medical care and lost productivity.

Not surprisingly, weight loss was associated with significant savings. Not only could health insurance premiums be lowered across the board if society as a whole did not struggle with an excess of obesity-related health problems, but individuals would also save on co-pays, and they’d be able to maintain their productivity in the workforce. As reported by Medicine Net:18

“The researchers estimated that if an obese 20-year-old shed enough pounds to drop to the overweight category, almost two-thirds of his lifetime costs to society could be avoided … If a healthy but obese 70-year-old crossed to the overweight category, her lifetime costs could be cut by about 40 percent …”

How Excess Weight Contributes to Cancer

Obesity can raise your risk of cancer in several ways. Some cancers, especially breast and endometrial cancer, are sensitive to the female sex hormone estrogen, and fat cells produce an excess of this hormone. This is also why obesity in young children is such a grave concern. By carrying excess weight (and excess estrogen) for many years, if not decades, they’re at a significantly heightened risk of cancer as adults.  

Obesity is also associated with elevated inflammation levels in your body, which can contribute to cancer growth. One of the basic reasons why nutritional ketosis works so well against cancer is because it very effectively and efficiently lowers inflammation. A high-sugar diet, which tends to pack on the pounds, also feeds cancer by providing cancer cells with their preferred fuel.

A healthy high-fat diet, on the other hand, tends to discourage cancer growth, as cancer cells lack the metabolic flexibility to use ketones derived from fat as fuel.

It is likely that obesity represents an indirect marker for the true cause of the problem that contributes to both obesity and cancer, namely insulin resistance, which is also associated with leptin resistance and activation of the mTOR pathway. By lowering your blood sugar levels and normalizing your insulin receptor sensitivity, exercise has a similar effect, as this too creates an environment less conducive to cancer growth.

Cutting Carbs Is More Effective Than Cutting Calories

Calorie counting used to be the go-to solution for weight loss. However, research shows it’s not the cutting of calories that has the most profound effect, it’s cutting down on net carbs. One of the reasons for this is because, compared to fat and protein, carbohydrates have the greatest effect on insulin, which drives fat storage. Carbohydrate restriction also activates AMPK, an enzyme and powerful signaling protein that monitors cellular energy levels and drives several important metabolic pathways.

This includes pathways involved in fat burning, the building of mitochondria, insulin regulation and glycogen breakdown — all of which have important implications not only for fat loss but also for general health. Importantly, recent research19 (summarized in the video above) shows a high-carb diet — even if you reduce calories to a level designed for weight loss — will prevent AMPK activation.

What’s more, eating a low-carb diet will activate AMPK even if your calorie count is excessive! This can help explain why it’s so difficult to lose weight on a low-calorie diet when a large portion of those calories come from carbohydrates. That said, calorie restriction does have its merits, especially when you start talking about calorie restriction in terms of cyclical fasting. From my perspective, the timing and frequency of your meals is really the key to unlocking healthy metabolism.

Nutritional Ketosis — The Key to Cancer Prevention and Treatment

I’ve written a number of articles detailing the anticancer potential of nutritional ketosis. For a more in-depth review, revisit my interview with Thomas Seyfried, one of the leading pioneers in the nutritional treatment of cancer. He's been teaching neurogenetics and neurochemistry as it relates to cancer treatment at Yale University and Boston College for more than 25 years.

He wrote an excellent medical textbook for alternative oncologists on this topic called “Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer,” and is currently involved in preclinical research at Boston College. His book costs over $100 but you can get a free summary20 of it here. Earlier this year, I announced my pledge to raise $1 million to support Seyfried’s work by matching donations.

Another front-runner in this field is Dr. Abdul Slocum with the ChemoThermia Oncology Center in Turkey, where they’re reporting remarkable successes using metabolically supported cancer therapies in a broad range of advanced stage cancers, including those involving the pancreas, lung, breasts, ovaries and stomach. Many of Slocum's patients have failed traditional therapies and some have even been sent home to die.

When they enter his clinic, they’re immediately placed on a ketogenic diet and remain on it throughout their treatment. By incorporating nutritional ketosis, they’re able to minimize the amount of chemotherapy required without sacrificing effectiveness. On the contrary, effectiveness is massively increased, as their bodies are put into a metabolic state that is inhospitable to cancer cells, making them more vulnerable and easier to eradicate.

Cyclical Ketogenic Diet for Optimal Health and Disease Prevention

Research reveals a vast majority of Americans eat all day long. Most also consume a majority of their daily calories late in the evening and this type of eating pattern is a recipe for weight gain and metabolic dysfunction. The reason so many struggle with their weight (aside from eating processed foods that have been grossly altered from their natural state) is because they rarely, if ever, skip a meal.

As discussed above, carrying excess weight is a significant risk factor for 13 different types of cancer. The good news is that by eating the right foods and reducing the frequency of your eating, you not only will shed weight as a natural side effect of normalizing your metabolism, you’ll also reduce your risk of chronic disease, including cancer, to a significant degree.

If you already have cancer, the combination of a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting can significantly improve your chances of recovery. This is the kind of eating plan I detail in my latest book, “Fat for Fuel.” From my perspective, it's nothing short of medical negligence to fail to integrate this type of dietary strategy into a patient's cancer treatment plan (along with optimizing vitamin D).

A ketogenic diet along with intermittent fasting can be easily integrated into whatever cancer treatment plan you decide to follow. Personally, I believe it's absolutely crucial, no matter what type of cancer you're trying to address. To learn more, please see “Burning Fat for Fuel Increases Quality and Quantity of Life.”

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/10/18/obesity-health-risks.aspx

New blood DNA analysis can detect early-stage cancer, study says

AN AMERICAN study published in Science Translational Medicine, which followed 200 cancer patients in the US, Denmark, and the Netherlands, has paved the way for the early detection of several types of cancer in apparently healthy subjects. That could help people avoid the aggressive treatments required by the later, metastasized stages of the disease.

Posted on 20 August 2017 - 03:49am

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A new blood test developed in the US can diagnose early stage cancers by examining the sequencing of plasma DNA. — AFP Relaxnews

Using a new blood test, researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Centre in Baltimore in the US were able to successfully diagnose, in 62% of cases, stage 1 and stage 2 cancers among 138 patients suffering from colorectal, breast, lung, and ovarian cancer.

The most promising results concerned ovarian cancer, with 67% detected at stage 1 and 75% at stage 2 of the disease.

The effectiveness of the test for lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer-related death, was also encouraging: of the 71 patients in the study affected by lung cancer, 45% were correctly diagnosed at stage 1 and 72% at stage 2 of the disease.

Colorectal cancer was detected among 89% of affected patients at stage 2, and among 50% of those affected at stage 1.

The screening approach used by the study is based on a new technique called targeted error correction sequencing (TEC-Seq) that allows ultrasensitive direct evaluation of sequence changes in plasma DNA using machinery that reads each chemical code in DNA 30,000 times.

A new type of blood test

"The challenge was to develop a blood test that could predict the probable presence of cancer without knowing the genetic mutations present in a person's tumour," said Victor Velculescu, Professor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

The new research is reminiscent of the work of French oncologist Patrizia Paterlini-Bréchot, at the Faculté de Médecine Necker-Enfants Malades, who has developed a blood test – which currently retails at €486 (RM2,454)– that allows the early detection of all types of cancer without recourse to DNA analysis.

The French test, christened Iset ("Isolation by size of epithelial tumour cells"), can reveal the presence of tumour cells, which are bigger than healthy blood cells, in a 10ml blood sample, or among 50 billion red blood cells and 50 to 100 million white blood cells.

According to the American researchers who developed the new TEC-Seq technique, in the future, DNA testing could be used for population groups that have a high risk of cancer, smokers at risk of lung cancer, and women with hereditary mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that make them vulnerable to breast and ovarian cancer.

The study is at stm.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/scitrans. — AFP Relaxnews

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2017/08/20/new-blood-dna-analysis-can-detect-early-stage-cancer-study-says

4 incredible benefits of ginseng

Ever since giving birth to our second child, I have used ginseng to help with my fatigue. As any new parent or grandparent knows, having a newborn in the house can prevent anyone from getting a good night’s sleep.

Dr. Adria Schmedthorst

And, it’s been such a lifesaver for me that I’ve never stopped using it.

In fact, just a single cup of ginseng tea in the morning is better than coffee for giving me the energy I need to make it through my day.

However, I recently discovered four other amazing benefits this super herb has to offer.

Before I get to the benefits of this herbal powerhouse, please note that the ginseng I’m writing about is American ginseng and Korean red ginseng. Siberian ginseng is also marketed as a supplement, but its benefits haven’t been studied, as it’s not a true variety.

Now, let’s look at what ginseng can offer…

Ginseng benefit #1 – Improved cognition

Besides the extra energy benefit, ginseng has been shown to improve cognitive function, including enhanced focus and clarity.

Research involving 58 Alzheimer’s patients demonstrated increased cognition after only 12 weeks, as seen by improved ADAS scores. Those scores declined quickly after removing ginseng from the patients, suggesting a direct link to the effectiveness of the herb.

So, kick the caffeine to the curb and try ginseng to keep you on top of your game.

Ginseng benefit #2 – Cancer prevention

Ginseng may also possess broad-based anticancer properties according to a study in Asia. These include protection against cancers of the:

• Lung
• Stomach
• Pancreas
• Ovary
• Colorectal
• Lip
• Larynx
• Oral cavity
• Liver

These long-term studies indicate real potential for ginseng as a useful preventative against several forms of cancer.

So, if you want to amp up your cancer-fighting power, it’s time to give ginseng a try.

Ginseng benefit #3 – Anti-viral

Then there is the possible prevention of Influenza A and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) with the use of ginseng. One study reported that red ginseng extract improved the survival rate of lung cells infected with the influenza virus.

Dosage recommendations range from 100mg to 400mg daily, and up to 2,000mg for 3 months during the flu season.

If you want to forego the side effects of Tamiflu, including headaches, nose bleed, confusion, insomnia and even mood changes, consider using ginseng instead.

Ginseng benefit #4 – Anti-inflammatory

If you suffer from arthritis or another inflammatory condition, ginseng could give you the relief you’ve been waiting for.

Researchers have found that seven constituents in ginseng actually inhibit the expression of the “inflammatory gene”, demonstrating why this root has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine for its anti-inflammatory effects.

And as a bonus, ginseng doesn’t come with a laundry list of side effects like those prescription arthritis medications or potentially dangerous short-term steroids.

Tips on using ginseng

You can find ginseng tea and supplements at your natural health food store or online. Just remember to choose either American ginseng or Korean red ginseng.

And, whether you drink a hot cup of ginseng tea, like I do, or take it in supplement form, make sure to take a 1-week break from it after every 3-4 weeks, as it can lose its effectiveness with continual use.

Now, a word of caution – Don’t take ginseng if you’re already taking an MAOI, blood pressure or heart medications, or any blood clotting medications like aspirin or warfarin. If you are on any of these medicines or others you take regularly, it wouldn’t hurt to ask your doctor if he thinks energy-boosting ginseng might interfere with them.

Sources:

1. Panax ginseng enhances cognitive performance in Alzheimer disease — Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders

2. Experimental and epidemiological evidence on non-organ specific cancer preventive effect of Korean ginseng and identification of active compounds — Mutation Research

3. Immunomodulatory Activity of Red Ginseng against Influenza A Virus Infection — Nutrients

4. Ginseng: Nature’s Anti-inflammatory? — Journal of Translational Medicine

https://easyhealthoptions.com/4-incredible-benefits-ginseng/

Fighting cancer with fat

Way back in the 1920s, researchers observed that compared to healthy cells, cancer cells capture large amounts of glucose.

On top of this, cancer cells metabolize that glucose in a very different way than healthy cells. It’s this altered metabolism that is linked to the growth, survival, maintenance and proliferation of cancer cells.

Jedha Dening

In other words, glucose (or sugar) makes you more susceptible to cancer, 14 different types in fact, according to research referenced in a post by Dr. Michael Cutler.

This knowledge that sugar sours your health has recently sparked researchers to explore this metabolic pathway as a way to prevent cancer and possibly treat it…

Anti-cancer diet

You’ve probably heard a bit about the ketogenic diet. Lots of athletes are following it these days, but athlete or not, a ketogenic diet may help you avoid cancer…

The ketogenic diet is based on a high fat (90%), moderate-to-low protein (8%) intake, and minimizes the intake of carbohydrates (2%) as low as 20 to 50 grams per day in total.

This creates a state in the body known as ketosis where the body produces more ketone bodies in the blood. Ketones are molecules that can be used by cells throughout the body as an alternative ‘fuel’ source to glucose. Other metabolic offsets of the diet include lower blood glucose, lower insulin production and more balanced blood pH levels.

And researchers believe all these benefits offer some cancer prevention and treatment potential…

To date there have been some great findings — decreased tumor tissue, changes to metabolism in cancer cells, stabilization of tumors in cancer patients, increased immune function and more.

But while it’s true that we do need more research (and there are currently more than a dozen trials still underway), one great finding of particular importance is that a ketogenic diet can reduce lactate levels in cells. And it’s high lactate that often leads to a worsened prognosis, particularly in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Besides cancer, a ketogenic diet has been shown to be beneficial for many other chronic health conditions — epilepsy, obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and respiratory conditions.

But what about the fat?         

A ketogenic diet is not a typical diet that most large organizations recommend. And for you, as is the case for most people, it is way off track from what you’re used to.

One of the first objections most people have is: won’t all that fat make me fat and give me high cholesterol?

The answer is no — particularly when you eat fat as your main macronutrient.

There are many nutritional myths around fat and in recent years it has been shown that excessive carbohydrate intake contributes more to the development of heart disease than fat.

In fact if you really want to be a lean machine, forget the low-fat nonsense and ditch the carbs. Omitting carbs switches your body from a glucose-burning engine to a fat-burning one. So just by eating a low-carb or ketogenic-like diet, you can burn fat just by eating the right way.

Another thing that many people struggle with is the super low carbohydrate intake of a ketogenic diet. Most ketogenic dieters limit themselves to 20-50 grams. The good news here is, in many cases (especially in terms of prevention) there is no need to go that low. Significant health benefits can be found by lowering carbs to 120 grams per day maximum.

I have previously covered what types of carbs to eat and avoid over here and if you’re interest in reducing your risk of a number of chronic lifestyle diseases, lowering your carbs is well worth the effort.

The ketogenic diet is not recommended for children, unless directly by a physician for certain conditions. If you’re an adult on blood pressure-lowering medications, talk to your doctor or seek the guidance of a nutritional professional when you begin an ketogenic diet. The diet is typically beneficial at lowering high blood pressure, but in combination with medication you could experience a sudden drop.

Sources:                                                                     

1. Oliveira CLP, et al.  A Nutritional Perspective of Ketogenic Diet in Cancer: A Narrative Review. — J Acad Nutr Diet. 2017

2. Low-carb diets should be reinstated as pillars of diabetes control, suggests new study — Diabetes.co.uk. (2017). Retrieved 11 May, 2017

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