Dr R Steinman - Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine

Ralph M. Steinman, a Nobel Recipient for Research on Immunology, Dies at 68

By WILLIAM GRIMES

Published: October 3, 2011

Dr. Ralph M. Steinman, a cell biologist who was named one of three winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine on Monday for his work on the human immune response, died Friday in Manhattan, a fact unknown to the prize committee when it made its announcement. He was 68.

Rockefeller University, via Getty Images
Dr. Ralph M. Steinman died three days
before the Nobel Committee announced that
he was a winner of this year's prize in medicine

                     

The cause was pancreatic cancer, his daughter Lesley said.

Dr. Steinman, the director of the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology at Rockefeller University and a senior physician at the Rockefeller University Hospital, shared the award with Bruce A. Beutler, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and the Scripps Research Center in San Diego, and Jules A. Hoffmann, a former research director of the National Center for Scientific Research in Strasbourg, France. The three scientists were honored for discovering the essential steps in the immune system’s response to infection.

In 1973, Dr. Steinman and Dr. Zanvil A. Cohn discovered a new class of cells, known as dendritic cells, that play a critical role in activating the body’s adaptive immune system, and his subsequent research led to a new understanding of how they function.

“Ralph’s research has laid the foundation for numerous discoveries in the critically important field of immunology, and it has led to innovative new approaches in how we treat cancer, infectious diseases and disorders of the immune system,” said Marc Tessier-Lavigne, the president of Rockefeller University, in a statement published on the university’s Web site.

       

Dr. Steinman, who had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for four years, had been undergoing treatment using a pioneering immunotherapy based on his own research. Dendritic cells from his body were deployed to mount an assault on his cancer.

“He was very enthusiastic about the possibilities of immunotherapy,” Lesley Steinman said. “As soon as he was diagnosed, he said, ‘I’m going to get right on this with some things I’ve been working on.’ ”

Dr. Steinman’s research extended the insights made possible by Dr. Hoffmann’s discovery, in 1996, of cell receptors in fruit flies that are activated by pathogenic bacteria or fungi, and Dr. Beutler’s identification of cell receptors in mice, genetically similar to the receptors in fruit flies, that can cause septic shock when stimulated.

The receptors studied by Dr. Hoffmann and Dr. Beutler act as a first line of defense in the immune response by recognizing potentially harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. Dr. Steinman focused on the dendritic cells that play a critical role in adaptive immunity, activating T-cells that help the body mount a defense against infections that breach the first line of defense.

       

Dr. Steinman was awarded half the prize, which totals $1.45 million, and the other half was divided between the two other winners, but the award was called into question because the rules governing the Nobel Prize do not allow it to be awarded posthumously unless death occurs after the announcement is made.

Citing this exception, the prize committee announced Monday that the award would stand. “An interpretation of the purpose of this rule leads to the conclusion that Ralph Steinman shall be awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine,” it said.

Ralph Marvin Steinman was born on Jan. 14, 1943, in Montreal. He received a bachelor of science degree from McGill University in 1963 and a degree from Harvard Medical School in 1968.

After completing an internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, he joined Rockefeller University in 1970 as a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology. Working with Dr. Cohn, he began researching the primary white cells of the immune system — the large macrophages and the highly specific lymphocytes — which operate in a variety of ways to spot, apprehend and destroy infectious microorganisms and tumor cells.

       

He later concentrated on the role of dendritic cells in the onset of several immune responses, including graft rejection, resistance to tumors, autoimmune diseases and infections, including AIDS. He and Dr. Cohn coined the term, whose Greek root, “dendron,” or “tree,” refers to the branched projections that the cells develop.

Dr. Steinman lived in Westport, Conn. In addition to his daughter Lesley, of Seattle, he is survived by his wife, the former Claudia Hoeffel; his mother, Nettie, of Montreal; a son, Adam, of Brooklyn; another daughter, Alexis, of Los Angeles; two brothers, Seymour, of Montreal, and Mark, of Toronto; a sister, Joni, of Toronto; and three grandchildren.

 A version of this article appeared in print on October 4, 2011, on page A20 of the New York edition with the headline: Ralph M. Steinman, a Nobel Recipient For Research on Immunology, Dies at 68.

See link for Nobel prize announcement:-
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2011/press.html#


 This article taken from:-
 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/science/04steinman.html#h[]

Dr R Steinman - The Man behind Dendritic Cell Cancer Treatment

For his biography, see  http://lab.rockefeller.edu/steinman/drSteinman, copied below, before it is taken down or amended.

Biography of Ralph Steinman

Ralph M. Steinman, Henry G. Kunkel Professor at The Rockefeller University and a senior physician at The Rockefeller University Hospital, is a cell biologist whose research focuses on the immune system, including the human immune system in the setting of several diseases.

The body's immune defense system involves extremely complex interactions of specialized cells and molecules. Steinman's early research, conducted in collaboration with the late Zanvil A. Cohn at Rockefeller, began as an attempt to understand the primary white cells of the immune system — the large "eating" macrophages and the exquisitely specific lymphocytes, which operate in a variety of ways to spot, apprehend and destroy infectious microorganisms and tumor cells.

In the course of their studies, Steinman and Cohn discovered a previously unknown class of immune cells, which they called dendritic cells. Steinman's subsequent research points to dendritic cells as important and unique accessories in the onset of several immune responses, including clinically important situations such as graft rejection, resistance to tumors, autoimmune diseases, and infections including AIDS. In other words, when the immune system is presented with antigens in association with dendritic cells, a vigorous immune response ensues. ("Antigens" are the molecules on the surface of invader cells that are recognized by the body's lymphocytes, which are the cellular mediators of immunity.) Additionally, dendritic cells can be exploited during the development of many immunebased diseases.

Steinman heads the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology at The Rockefeller University. His current research address the fundamental mechanisms of immunity and the interface of several disease states with the immune system, including studies aimed at developing vaccines and immune-based therapies for tumors, infections and autoimmune diseases. Steinman's research points to dendritic cells as critical sentinels of the immune system controlling many of their early responses from immune silencing (tolerance) to resistance (immunity).

Steinman was born in Montreal, Canada on January 14, 1943. He received a B.S. degree, with honors, from McGill University in 1963, and an M.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Medical School in 1968. After completing an internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, he joined The Rockefeller University in 1970 as a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology headed by Cohn and the late James G. Hirsch. He was appointed an assistant professor in 1972, associate professor in 1976, and professor in 1988. He was named Henry G. Kunkel Professor in 1995, and Director of the Christopher H. Browne Center for Immunology and Immune Diseases in 1998.

Steinman is editor of the Journal of Experimental Medicine and advisory editor of Human Immunology, the Journal of Clinical Immunology, the Journal of Immunological Methods, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Steinman is a trustee of the Trudeau Institute, in Saranac Lake, NY, and serves as a scientific advisor to several organizations including the Charles A. Dana Foundation; a European consortium on the development of HIV vaccines; the Campbell Family Institute of Breast Cancer Research in Toronto, Canada; the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for Immunology Research in Houston, TX; the RIKEN Center for Allergy and Immunology Research in Yokohama, Japan; and the CHAVI Center for HIV AIDS Vaccine Immunology, Durham, NC. Steinman is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the American Society of Cell Biology, the American Association of Immunologists, the Harvey, the Kunkel and Practitioner's Societies and the Society for Leukocyte Biology.

Steinman is a recipient of the Freidrich-Sasse, Emil von Behring, and Robert Koch Prizes, the Rudolf Virchow and Coley Medals, the New York City Mayor's Award, the Gairdner Foundation International Award, the Debrecen Award in Molecular Medicine, the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research and the Albany Medical Center Prize. He has been awarded honorary degrees from the University of Innsbruck, Free University of Brussels, Erlangen University, and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is a corresponding fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a member of the National Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Medicine.

Steinman, a resident of Westport, Connecticut, is married to the former Claudia Hoeffel. They have three children: Adam, Alexis and Lesley.

October 1, 2009

 http://lab.rockefeller.edu/steinman/drSteinman

Dr R Steinman - Dendritic Cell Cancer Treatment

Sunday October 23, 2011

A cell of a discovery

Research following the discovery of dendritic cells 35 years ago is profoundly changing the science of immunology and its many interfaces with medicine.

DENDRITIC cells were discovered in 1973 by Ralph Steinman and Zanvil A. Cohn at the Rockefeller University. At the time, Steinman and Cohn were studying spleen cells to understand the induction of immune responses in a major lymphoid organ of the mouse.

They were aware from research in other laboratories that the development of immunity by mouse spleen required both lymphocytes and “accessory cells”, which were of uncertain identity and function. The accessory cells were thought to be typical macrophages (a type of white blood cell that engulfs and digests cellular debris and pathogens), but despite extensive laboratory experience with macrophages, Steinman and Cohn encountered a population of cells with unusual shapes and movements that had not been seen before. Because the cells had unusual tree-like or “dendritic” processes, Steinman named them “dendritic cells”
.
When Steinman evaluated this population of cells, they had little, if any, resemblance to the well-known macrophages. Accordingly, these cells were identified as novel cells having distinct properties, and eventually, functions.

Laboratories worldwide have studied dendritic cells and 
demonstrated their potent immune stimulatory functions.

Functional studies revealed their potent stimulatory role in immune function. Subsets of dendritic cells were identified, each having its own surface markers. Dendritic cells were seen in the T-cell areas of organs of the lymph system, the ideal location for initiating immunity. Laboratories worldwide started to study dendritic cells and demonstrate their potent immune stimulatory functions.

Star performers

Dendritic cells exist throughout the body. As seen in the tissues of skin, airway, and lymphoid organs, the cells are shaped like stars.

When isolated and spun onto slides, they display numerous fine branches. When looked at with an electron microscope, these branches are long and thin and can appear spiny or sheet-like. When alive and viewed by phase-contrast microscopy, dendritic cells extend large, delicate, sheet-like processes that can drape around the cell bodies of lymphocytes, which can bind to dendritic cells in large numbers.

The processes of dendritic cells continually form, bend, and retract. The tentacular shape and constant movement of dendritic cells fit precisely with their functions: to snatch invaders, embrace other cells of the immune system, and deliver the antigens and other signals that are needed to initiate vigorous responses.

Dendritic cells are found in lymphoid or immune organs, and at the interfaces between our bodies and the environment. The epidermal layer of the skin has a rich network of dendritic cells, which were first described in 1868 by a medical student in Germany, Paul Langerhans, who thought they were part of the nervous system.

In addition, dendritic cells line the surfaces of the airway and intestine, where they function as sentinels that sample proteins and particulates from the environment. It took until 1973 for Ralph Steinman and Zanvil Cohn to begin the modern era of dendritic cell science by showing that dendritic cells are a new class of white blood cells with a number of distinctive features and functions.

Dendritic cells arise from proliferating progenitors, primarily in the bone marrow, a process driven by chemical messengers, to become precursors such as the monocytes in blood, and these in turn give rise to immature dendritic cells.

The cells develop further or mature as they capture, process antigens, and migrate under the influence of other chemical messengers to tissues such as spleen and lymph nodes. There they attract and stimulate T and B cells to produce strong immune responses.

The dendritic cells die unless they receive signals from the activated T cells to prolong their life span. These previously unknown cells are now recognised as controllers that both create and curtail immunity.

In the steady state, and when the body is challenged by injury and infection, dendritic cells travel from body surfaces to immune or lymphoid tissues, where they home to regions rich in T cells. There, dendritic cells deliver two types of information: they display antigens, the substances that are recognised by T cells, and they alert these lymphocytes to the presence of injury or infection.
This directs the T cells to make an immune response that is matched to the challenge at hand.

Orchestrating immunity

Dendritic cells are a critical, and previously missing, link in the immune system. As sentinels, dendritic cells patrol the body seeking out foreign invaders, whether these are bacteria, viruses, or dangerous toxins.

After capturing the invaders, often termed antigens, dendritic cells convert them into smaller pieces and display the antigenic fragments on their cell surfaces.

The dendritic cells then travel to lymph nodes or the spleen where they stimulate other cells of the immune system to make vigorous responses, in particular, the B cells that make antibodies to neutralise the invaders, and killer T cells that launch specific attacks to destroy them.

New research is showing that dendritic cells are equally responsible for a seemingly opposite role in health called immune tolerance, which silences dangerous immune cells and prevents them from attacking innocuous materials in the body or the body’s own tissues.

The use of dendritic cells in cancer treatment is
an example of the impact of Steinman’s discovery.

 

Given these functions of dendritic cells, it is not surprising that they are the subject of much research in medicine. During infection and cancer, microbes and tumours exploit dendritic cells to evade immunity, but dendritic cells can also capture infection- and tumour-derived protein and lipid antigens and generate resistance, including new strategies for vaccines.

During allergy, autoimmunity and transplantation, dendritic cells instigate unwanted innate and adaptive responses that cause disease, but dendritic cells also can suppress these conditions.
In other words, dendritic cells, because they orchestrate innate and adaptive immune responses, are an unavoidable target in studying disease and in designing treatments.

Studies of immunology and disease have long focused on antigens and lymphocytes (B cells, T cells, NK cells) as the mediators of immune responses. However, accumulating evidence shows that dendritic cells provide vital links between antigens and all types of lymphocytes.

Migration of dendritic cells

Before dendritic cells can perform their major function – to initiate the immune response – two events typically need to take place, migration and maturation.

Most dendritic cells circulate in the body in an “immature” state and lack many features that lead to a strong T-cell response. Immature dendritic cells are, nonetheless, ideally poised and well equipped to capture microbes and other sources of antigens.

Dendritic cells are stationed at surfaces where antigens gain access to the body. For example, they are positioned in the skin, where they are termed Langerhans cells. There, dendritic cells are involved with two of the body’s most powerful immune responses, organ transplantation and contact allergy.

Dendritic cells are also located in lymphatic vessels, which allow cells to move from peripheral tissues to lymphoid organs. There, they can encounter immune lymphocytes, selecting those cells that specifically recognise the antigens being carried by the dendritic cells.

At this point, the immune response begins. The lymphocytes begin to grow vigorously and they start to produce products that will serve to eliminate infections and other sources of antigens.

Initiating the immune response

Dendritic cells are professional antigen processing cells. They have a number of receptors that enhance the uptake of antigens, and they are specialised to convert these antigens into complexes that can be recognised by lymphocytes.

However, the dendritic cells need to do more than present antigens to T cells. They are also potent accessory cells that directly trigger and control responses by T cells and by all other types of lymphocytes.

Some early studies showed that dendritic cells carry on their surface high levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) products, which are critically recognised by T-lymphocytes. The high levels of MHC led Steinman to test these cells in the mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR), a well-known clinical assay for identifying the compatibility of tissue transplants between donors and recipients.

At the time, this assay was known as mixed “lymphocyte” reaction, because it presumed that the B lymphocytes were presenting MHC products from the organ transplant donor to the recipient’s T cells.
Instead, Steinman found that dendritic cells were the major stimulators and were unusually potent. In fact, a dendritic cell to T cell ratio of one to 100 sufficed to initiate vigorous and optimal responses.
Moreover, the dendritic cells directly activated both the subset of helper T cells as well as the killer T cells. Once activated by dendritic cells, the T cells could also interact vigorously with other antigen-presenting B cells and macrophages to produce additional immune responses from these cells.

The term “accessory” has since been replaced by the terms “professional” and “co-stimulatory”, but the basic concept is unchanged. Dendritic cells provide the T cells with needed accessory or co-stimulatory substances, in addition to giving them a signal to begin to grow and function.

Dendritic cells also influence the type or quality of the response. A T cell, for example, has to know whether the enemy is a virus that needs to be resisted with its own interferons and cytolytic molecules, or whether the pathogen is a parasite that requires a different set of protective cells to respond with antibodies.

Therefore, when dendritic cells migrate to the body’s pool of T cells areas in the lymph nodes, they need to orchestrate two fundamental components from the repertoire of lymphocyte functions.

First the dendritic cells select the specific T cells from the assembled repertoire that recognise the specific peptide information the dendritic cells are carrying. Amazingly, only one in 10,000-100,000 of the T cells in that repertoire are able to respond to this information.

Second, the rare T cells that are selected for expansion then differentiate into helper and killer T cells that have the appropriate functions to eliminate the infection or disease-causing stimulus.

After these two decisions have been made, the newly activated T cells leave the lymph node to return to the body surface or peripheral organ to eliminate the antigens.

For orchestrating these various processes efficiently and precisely, the dendritic cells are considered to be “conductors of the immune orchestra”.

Dendritic cells and immune tolerance

Most studies have focused on the dendritic cells’ role in activating T cells to resist foreign antigens, especially infections.

Recent research in Steinman’s laboratory, in close collaboration with other laboratories at Rockefeller, is showing that dendritic cells can also make the immune system tolerate harmless antigens, including those from the body’s own tissues, cells, and proteins. This is necessary to keep the body from making an immune attack on itself.

The dendritic cell system appears to play a pivotal role in two kinds of immune tolerance. Usually, when young T cells are launched from the thymus, the dendritic cells participate in eliminating those cells bearing “self-reactive antigens” before they can harm the body’s own tissues, a mechanism known as central tolerance.

Since some T cells may slip through this process, or other self-antigens do not access the thymus, or still others arise later in life, the dendritic cells also participate in the mechanism known as peripheral tolerance that restrains their activity.

In the absence of infection or inflammation, the dendritic cells are in an immature state, but they are not quiescent. Like perpetual custodians, they clean house and collect trash.

Sweeping non-stop through tissues and into lymphoid organs, the dendritic cells capture all kinds of antigens – the harmless self-antigens, those from dying cells, and the many non-pathogenic antigens encountered from the environment.

Two mechanisms have been identified that allow dendritic cells to induce tolerance. The antigen-loaded immature dendritic cells silence T cells by either deleting them or by inducing regulatory T cells that suppress the reactions of other immune cells.

When the dendritic cells subsequently mature in response to infection, the pre-existing tolerance nullifies any reaction to innocuous antigens and allows the dendritic cells to focus the immune response on the pathogen.

Other current research is providing clues about the dendritic cells’ occasional failures to maintain tolerance. Failure to silence the immune system can lead to autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.

If dendritic cells are too tolerant, this can create a permissive environment for chronic infectious agents, such as HIV. Infections and tumours can exploit the tolerogenic function of dendritic cells, shut down the normal immune defenses, and perpetuate disease.

References:

1. Steinman, R.M., and H. Hemmi. 2006. Dendritic cells: translating innate to adaptive immunity. In Innate Imunity to Imunological Memory. eds Pulendran, B., and R. Ahmed, Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology. 311, 17-58. (Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag).
2. Silverstein, S.C., Steinman, R.M., and Cohn, Z.A. Endocytosis (review). Ann. Rev. Biochem. 46: 669-722, 1977.
3. Steinman, R.M., and Nussenzweig, M.C. Dendritic cells: features and functions (review). Immun. Rev. 53: 127-147, 1980.
4. Steinman, R.M. Dendritic cells (review). Transplant. 31: 151-155, 1981.
5. Tew, J.G., Thorbecke, J., and Steinman, R.M. Dendritic cells in the immune response: characteristics and recommended nomenclature. J. Reticuloendothelial Soc. 31: 371-380, 1982.

http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2011/10/23/health/9730368&sec=health

HITV - New Cancer Treatment

Sunday October 23, 2011

Anti-cancer application

A Japanese physician and researcher has based his cancer treatment protocol on dendritic cells’ ability to enable selective and effective attack against tumour cells by the body’s own T cells.

SINCE the discovery of dendritic cells by Dr Ralph Steinman in 1973, much research has been carried out to elucidate the basic functional mechanism of dendritic cells.

Many medical research institutes and universities have conducted research in the use of dendritic cells in anti-cancer immunotherapy.

The ability of dendritic cells to enable selective and effective attack against tumour cells by T cells gave rise to great hopes that it would be an ideal cancer treatment.

Dr Hasumi is the man behind
the Human Initiated Therapeutic 
Vaccine therapy.

HITV (Human Initiated Therapeutic Vaccine) therapy was developed by Japan’s Dr Kenichiro Hasumi. He is a researcher physician, specialising in cancer immunotherapy. He has been involved in cancer immunotherapy research for more than 40 years.

His current protocol involves intra-tumoural injection (injecting directly into the tumour) of immature autologous (from the patient’s own body) dendritic cells in combination with tomotherapy (a type of radiation therapy).

Since 2008, over 360 late stage cancer patients have received this therapy in his Tokyo clinic and a remarkably high complete/partial recovery rate has been noted. His most recent results involving 26 patients with advanced treatment refractory cancer were published in the April edition of the journal, Cancers.

In summary, he has shown that combining immunotherapy with radiation therapy successfully eliminated metastatic and recurrent tumours on initial treatment in 21 of the 26 patients, with 13 of the 26 having no evidence of recurrent disease when evaluated by CT scans at various intervals of follow-up.

The overall disease-free period of the responding patients at the current time stands at about a year.

New strategies for cancer treatment

There are currently a few new directions that are being pursued in cancer therapy. They include:

Strategy 1: Remove the tumour’s mask. Cancer cells hide within normal structures like blood vessels. In order to conceal themselves, cancer cells rely on proteins from nearby healthy cells to hide their malignant proteins. New agents such as engineered peptide antibodies are increasingly able to strip away these disguises, exposing the tumours.

Strategy 2: Make the tumour less productive. Cancer cells actively pump out factors called immune system suppressors that wave off immune sentries and mislead them into thinking that the tumours are normal, healthy cells.

New compounds currently being tested can suppress the suppressors. Cancers are also rich in suppressor T cells, which direct the natural killer cells not to attack the cancer cells, resulting in immune tolerance. Drugs and radiation can wipe out these suppressor T cells and break the immune tolerance.

Strategy 3: Stack the immune system’s deck. The body’s T cells, which target invaders, may not be able to recognise the cancer cells. However, it is now possible to take from a patient some mononuclear cells and induce them to differentiate into immature dendritic cells (or antigen presenting cells).

When mixed with cancer cells, the dendritic cells will identify the cancer cell proteins and pass the information to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (natural killer T cells), thereby training the infantry T cells to spot the bad guys. The killer T cell population can also be enhanced in the lab and then injected back into the body.

Strategy 4: Build the right immune cells. Another way to sensitise T cells to detect cancer cells is to redesign them for the job. Scientists do this by extracting the cells, genetically modifying them to recognise tell-tale cancer proteins, and then using these supercells to treat the patient.

The HITV protocol

Dr Hasumi’s HITV protocol is basically Strategies 2 and 3 in combination with conventional radiotherapy.

This patient-specific induced therapeutic cancer vaccine is believed to be effective in killing off microscopic and tiny nests of cancer cells, thereby preventing any future cancer recurrence.

There are three essential steps:

1. Firstly, the intra-tumoural injection of immature dendritic cells, followed by infusion of cytokine induced natural killer cells results in millions of cytotoxic T cells which have been trained to zero in on the cancer cells.

The direct injection of immature dendritic cells into the tumour allows for adequate numbers of dendritic cells to reach the tumour site. The dendritic cells also have the benefit of an ideal in vivo environment in the patient’s body and there is less chance of antigenic difference.

2. This is followed by radiotherapy a week later, which causes further DNA damage, protein damage and apoptosis of the cancer cells, resulting in debulking of the tumour.

Radiotherapy also wipes out the regulatory T cells, thereby helping to break up the cancer’s immune tolerance.

Combination with radiotherapy achieves two goals – damaging the cancer cells to kill them and to expose their DNA and proteins, and wiping out the regulatory T cells within the tumours.

3. A second intra-tumoural injection of immature dendritic cells, followed by cytotoxic T cells infusion, allows the immune system to mop up all remaining cancer cells, including those which could have undergone transformation or mutation.

This second round of HITV treatment aims to wipe out newly mutated cancer cells.

HITV therapy has been found to be highly effective in the following patient conditions:

1. Solid tumours
HITV is applicable for any type of solid cancers and any stage. However it is not suitable for haematopoietic cancers such as leukaemia.

2. Tumours are localised in treatable sites
As intra-tumoural injection of dendritic cells is the hallmark of HITV, it is important that the tumour is located in sites which are accessible by needle.

3. Tumour size of less than 3cm in diameter
This limitation is due to the standard beam diameter of tomotherapy, which is 3cm. Dendritic cell vaccine is also ineffective when injected into the necrotic centre of large tumours.

4. Less than five metastatic tumour lesions
Again, the limitation is due to the adverse reactions to radiotherapy that may occur when multiple sites have to be treated in one sitting. However, Dr Hasumi has experience in treating up to 15 lesions in one go.

5. No pleural or ascitic effusion
Pleural and ascitic effusion are typical signs of extensive cancer dissemination and the chances of success in such cases is greatly diminished.

He’s in town
Dr Kenichiro Hasumi will be in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 24 to deliver a lecture entitled “Breakthrough in Cancer Treatment – The Cure to Cancer Is Now In Malaysia”. The lecture will be held at the Le Meridien Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, at 7.30pm. For enquiries, call 03 7784 6686.

http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2011/10/23/health/9730370&sec=health

HITV Therapy: Cancer cure is now in Malaysia

Bernama

Monday, October 24th, 2011 23:24:00

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a new hope for cancer patients in Malaysia.

A vaccine widely known for treating late-stage cancer -- almost all types of cancer, except leukemia -- is now available in the country.

The Human Initiated Therapeutic Vaccine (HITV), which was only available in Japan previously, is able to completely destroy microscopic and tiny nests of cancer cells, thus preventing any future recurrences.

Discovered in 2005 by Dr Kenichiro Hasumi, a Japanese physician and researcher, HITV is an autologus (patient derived) active cell-based immunotherapy for metastatic or late-stage cancer patients.

It is based on immunology that harnesses human immune system's innate and adaptive ability to combat diseases.

Dr Hasumi, founder and chairman of Hasumi International Research Foundation in the United States, has dedicated more than 40 years of his life to find a cure to cancer.

Speaking at a media conference today, Dr Hasumi said the therapy was highly effective for patients suffering from late-stage cancer, when used in combination with radiotherapy.

"The use of tomotherapy (a type of radiation therapy) is important in this protocol. It can target the tumors precisely in one sweep, while reducing the radiation exposure to the surrounding tissues," he said.

The treatment includes harvesting immune cells from the patient, culturing them in the laboratory to become immature dentritic cells, and then re-introducing them into the patient's body, through injection into the tumor.

HITV course takes about three weeks, with 10 days of actual treatment. Patients will have to be examined with PET-CT scan after the treatment periodically, to monitor the tumors for regression.

While the treatment was only available in Japan, nine Malaysians suffering late stage of various types of cancer have decided to give it a try. Five of them have shown complete response.

They include Goh Sai Wah, 58, a non-smoker who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer with extensive spread to the spine and bone in May, last year.

She underwent the HITV therapy in Japan on Oct 30, last year and in her follow-up check, six weeks later, almost all cancer cells had disappeared.

Now, 365 days later, and counting, she is very much alive and well.

Dr Hasumi said, since late stage cancer was a very difficult stage to cure, he hoped that in future, there would be innovations to cure cancer in the early stages.

HITV therapy costs about RM200,000, if patients decide to have it in Japan.

In Malaysia, it will cost about RM150,000.

The therapy is now available at the Mahameru International Medical Centre but medical practitioners are trying their very best to introduce HITV to all hospitals in the Klang Valley, in an effort to give late-stage cancer patients a new hope in life.


http://www.mmail.com.my/content/85014-hitv-therapy-cancer-cure-now-malaysia

Prostate cancer - resveratrol and propolis application

Project Title:	Composition of resveratrol and propolis application for anticancer
Area:	Health
Status:	Precompetitive

Synthesis of the idea:

It has been designed and developed a mix of resveratrol and propolis, which showed potent anti-cancer applications for prostate cancer. This composition can also be used as a supplement prior chemotherapy. This project also showed the acquisition of a patent for a national character. At the international level has been submitted and accepted in part but not permanently, and therefore not confirmed due to lack of resources useful to carry out the necessary further experimental verification requests. Later studies were carried out by concentrating more on metilresveratrolo (a derivative of resveratrol), which has proved to be a more effective and active component of resveratrol.

http://www.meta-group.com/scoutingprovinciadicatania/index.php/progetti-di-scouting/7-composition-of-resveratrol-and-propolis-application-for-anticancer

Brocolli vs Diabetes

Broccoli Reverses Diabetes Damage

Posted By Dr. Mercola | August 23 2008 | 46,022views

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Eating broccoli could reverse the damage that diabetes inflicts on heart blood vessels. The key is most likely a compound in the vegetable called sulforaphane.

Sulforaphane encourages production of enzymes that protect the blood vessels, and reduces the number of molecules that cause cell damage -- known as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) -- by up to 73 percent.

People with diabetes are up to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes -- both of which are linked to damaged blood vessels.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Keeping your heart healthy is extremely important if you have diabetes. Heart disease is actually the most common side effect of the condition, and 65 percent of people with diabetes die from heart attack or stroke.

If diabetes is not controlled, it can damage blood vessels, including those leading to the brain and heart. This encourages the formation of plaques (also known as atherosclerosis), which can ultimately make it difficult for blood to flow through the vessels and cause your blood pressure to rise.

The Mayo Clinic actually has some revealing statistics on this topic. If you have diabetes you:

• Are two to four times as likely to have a heart attack or stroke (compared to someone without diabetes)
• Are more likely to die from a heart attack
• Have the same risk for sudden death from a heart attack as someone who has already had a heart attack. Tim Russert, the NBC correspondent who recently died without warning of a heart attack, actually had diabetes and coronary artery disease, both of which increased his risk of sudden death.

Yet, it’s estimated that 70 percent of people with diabetes are not aware of these increased risks.

On the flip side, if you’ve had a heart attack, you should be checked for diabetes or pre-diabetes. One study found that over two-thirds of heart attack patients had blood sugar abnormalities in the form of undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes.

How Might Broccoli Help?

One of broccoli’s most powerful compounds is the phytochemical sulforaphane. This compound has been found to restore your immune system as you age and increase your liver's ability to detoxify carcinogenic compounds and free radicals. This in turn protects against cell mutations, cancer and other harmful effects.

It turns out sulforaphane also protects your heart, via two routes:

1. It reduces levels of harmful molecules called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
2. It activates a protein called nrf2, which triggers protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes that protect your cells and tissues.

Broccoli is not the only vegetable that contains sulforaphane, though. Most of the veggies in the cruciferous family also contain it, and this includes vegetables such as turnips, cabbage, bok choy, rutabaga, mustard greens, cauliflower, radishes and many others.

To really get the most benefit, it helps to find out your nutritional type, as some people actually do not do well with broccoli.

For instance, one of the most serious mistakes is for a protein nutritional type to consume a lot of dark green vegetables. This tends to over-alkalinize your system and worsens rather than improves your health if you’re a protein type. This is despite the many beneficial phytonutrients that are present. I am very familiar with this mistake as it’s one that I made prior to understanding nutritional typing.

However, other cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, which happens to be beneficial for protein types, can have a similar beneficial effect.

I want you to be aware of just how important it is to understand your body at a deeper level, because if you are a protein type and were to eat broccoli, the other effects of broccoli might push your metabolic biochemistry in the wrong direction and thus override its benefits.

What’s the Best Way to Eat Broccoli?

If you want to get even more of broccoli’s benefits, opt for the sprouts. Just 5 grams (0.17 ounces) of broccoli sprouts contain concentrations of the compound glucoraphanin (a precursor to sulforaphane) equal to that found in 150 grams (5.2 ounces) of mature broccoli.

If you opt to eat mature broccoli, keep in mind that the way you cook it can greatly alter its nutrient content. Lightly steaming this vegetable should keep most of its phytonutrients intact, but if you decide to microwave it you could be reducing the beneficial compounds by 74-90 percent.

You can always just eat broccoli raw, of course, and this will ensure that most all of its phytonutrients are intact.

Other Natural Methods to Prevent Diabetes and Protect Your Heart

Eating broccoli and other veggies is only one small piece of the puzzle when it comes to keeping healthy.

Swapping out your grains and sugar for high-quality sources of protein, healthy fat (which INCLUDES saturated fat) and vegetables according to your nutritional type, all of which is outlined in my book Take Control of Your Health, is also essential, especially for those of you with diabetes.

Next, add in regular exercise. This, combined with diet, will help you to shed excess weight, and a weight loss of 10 pounds can reduce your risk of diabetes by nearly 60 percent.

Diet and exercise are your two keys to preventing both heart disease and diabetes, but the third factor, especially for heart disease, is your emotions. Stress is the most common cause of heart attacks, so make sure you know how to keep your emotions under control using methods like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), meditation, or even just a long soak in the tub with a really good book.

Source: Diabetes August 4, 2008

Source: BBC News August 5, 2008

Related Links:

Diabetes Is Not A Disease Of Blood Sugar!

How Broccoli Fights Cancer

Broccoli Boosts Aging Immune Systems

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/23/broccoli-reverses-diabetes-damage.aspx

Sleep - You Need It!

A Simple Way to Get Smarter

Posted By Dr. Mercola | August 23 2008 | 66,117views 

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The latest research suggests that while you are asleep, your brain is busily processing the day’s information. It combs through recently formed memories, stabilizing, copying, filing, and making them more useful for the next day.

A night of sleep can make memories resistant to interference from other information and allow you to recall them more effectively. It also lets your brain sift through newly formed memories, possibly even identifying what is worth keeping and what to let go of.

During sleep, your mind analyzes collections of memories, helping you discover hidden relations between seemingly random pieces of information, and helps you find the meaning in what you have learned.

It’s been discovered that you need a minimum of six hours of sleep to see an improvement in your performance over the 24 hours following a learning session.

Memories are created by altering the strengths of connections among hundreds, thousands or perhaps even millions of neurons, making certain patterns of activity more likely to recur. These patterns of activity, when reactivated, lead to the recall of a memory—whether that memory is where you left your car keys or something you’re trying to memorize.

These changes in synaptic strength are thought to arise from a molecular process known as long-term potentiation, which strengthens the connections between pairs of neurons that fire at the same time. Thus, cells that fire together wire together, locking the pattern in place for future recall.

During sleep, your brain reactivates the patterns of neural activity that it performed during the day, thus strengthening your memories by long-term potentiation.

As this unconscious rehearsing strengthens memory, something more complex is happening as well—your brain may be selectively rehearsing the more difficult aspects of a task. It seems your brain needs time to process or “rehearse” new information, connecting the dots, so to speak—and sleep provides the maximum benefit.

As exciting new findings about sleep come in more and more rapidly, it becomes more and more clear that your brain is anything but inactive during sleep.

It is now clear that sleep can consolidate memories by enhancing and stabilizing them, and by finding patterns within studied material even when you don’t know that patterns might be there. It’s also clear that skimping on sleep can interfere with crucial cognitive processes. Miss a night of sleep, and the day’s memories might be compromised.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

You sleep through one-third of your life, yet why you have to sleep is one of the most important unanswered mysteries of life. What is known is that humans are the only animals that continually push the limits of sleep -- and try to function without enough of it.

Scientific research is getting closer to solving the riddle of the purpose of sleep, however, and the article above offers up some really fascinating insights. In addition to their findings of just how sleep enhances your memories and helps you “practice” and improve particularly difficult skills, other sleep researchers from across the United States have discovered that:

• You can die from sleep deprivation, just like you can die from being deprived of food.
• A single night of sleeping only four to six hours can impact your ability to think clearly the next day.
• Good sleepers and poor sleepers experience about the same number of daily minor stressful events, but good sleepers are less disturbed by them. Poor sleepers experience both their minor and major life events as being more negative than do those who sleep well.
• Sleep deprivation can cause changes in your brain activity similar to those experienced by people with psychiatric disorders.
• Sleep deprivation puts your body into a pre-diabetic state, and makes you feel hungry, even if you’ve already eaten.
• Interrupted sleep can significantly.weaken your immune system
• Tumors grow two to three times faster in laboratory animals with severe sleep dysfunctions.

Is Your Biological Clock Set For the Right Time?
Your body depends on your biological clock (circadian rhythm) to steadily regulate your sleep/wake cycles. When this process gets thrown off balance – which is, unfortunately, very easy to do -- it can wreak havoc on your health.

For instance, all of the following can confuse your body and make it think you should be awake when you should be sleeping, or vice versa:

• Staying up late
• Working the night shift
• Turning on a light in the middle of the night
• Using a night light
• Switching time zones (jet lag)
• Eating in the middle of the night or too close to bedtime

Your body’s internal clocks (you actually have many, in your brain, lungs, liver, heart and even your skeletal muscles) influence so many things -- from your heart rate to body temperature and hormone production -- that when they’re disrupted, a cascade of negative health effects can occur. For instance, too little sleep can:

1. Make you fat: People who sleep less than seven hours a night tend to have a higher body mass index (BMI) than people who sleep more. This could be because sleep deprivation alters metabolism. Leptin (the hormone that signals satiety) falls, while ghrelin (which signals hunger) rises, which boosts your appetite.

2. Harm your brain: Lack of sleep may cause your brain to stop producing new cells.

3. Increase your risk of cancer: How well you sleep can seriously alter the balance of hormones in your body. This can then disrupt your sleep/wake cycle, also called your circadian rhythm. A disrupted circadian rhythm may influence cancer progression through shifts in hormones like melatonin, which your brain makes during sleep.

4. Increase your risk of diabetes: Too little sleep may reduce levels of leptin, possibly causing you to gain weight and then develop diabetes.

5. Accelerate aging: Regularly catching only a few hours of sleep can hinder metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging.

Studies have also linked sleep deprivation to heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. And it’s during sleep that your body does most of its repairs, so not getting enough of it can impair your immune system, leaving you less able to fight off diseases of all kinds.

Despite all of this, in today’s society the ability to get just four or five hours of sleep a night is touted like a badge of honor. Unfortunately, you may think that you can function on just a little bit of sleep, but you cannot fool your body. All of the caffeine in the world cannot make up for the sleep you missed.

How Much Sleep Do You Need?
Generally speaking, adults need to get between six and eight hours of sleep a night. But there are definitely exceptions. Some people can, in fact, function well on as few as five hours a night, while others need up to 10. However there is some suggestion that sleeping more than 8 hours may actually cause problems similar to not enough sleep.

Oftentimes you will need more sleep during times of illness or emotional stress, or during the winter months. And pregnant women often need several hours more sleep than usual during their first three months of pregnancy.

A good rule of thumb to follow is that if you feel tired when you wake up, you probably aren’t getting enough sleep. Another clue is if you find yourself frequently yawning throughout the day. Most of us have set times that we need to wake up in the morning, so getting more sleep, for most of us, means going to bed earlier.

Personally, I usually sleep between six and seven hours a night, but sometimes as little as four. However, there are some major caveats here. I do not use an alarm clock, and sleep in a pitch dark room that is dark even at noon. So I wake up naturally once I am rested.

I have come to realize that if you aren’t jumping out of bed feeling rested, filled with joy, passion and enthusiasm for all the day has to offer you, you may need to do some serious life reflection.

Optimal Wellness Includes Sleeping Well
There is no better example of optimal wellness than to be in harmony with your deepest function… sleep.

The first step is to value sleep as one of your most precious resources for health and happiness. If you do that, you can figure out all the other things that would help you to sleep really well, and you’ll be better able to make health conscious choices during the day.

If you have trouble sleeping – whether it’s trouble falling asleep or waking repeatedly -- take advantage of some of the practical solutions I’ve outlined in my 33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep.

Also consider whether there may be some chronic emotional challenges such as anxiety or even depression that is impairing your sleep. I recommend using the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) if you’re suffering with disturbed sleep as it effectively addresses emotional reasons for insomnia. See Using EFT for Insomnia

Source: Scientific American August 7, 2008

Related Links:

Sleep Drugs Are Wildly Popular Despite Barely Working

Tired of Not Being Able to Sleep? Here's a Real Solution

The Most Common Sleep Disorder: Insufficient Sleep

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/23/a-simple-way-to-get-smarter.aspx

Healthy Food

Ten Healthiest Foods Under $1

Posted By Dr. Mercola | August 23 2008 | 302,570views

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HOW MUCH For That Bag of Groceries?

By Dr. Mercola

You can’t tune into the news today without hearing about the rising cost of living, be it gas for your car, heat for your home, or food for your family. Many baby boomers are giving up -- or at least stretching out -- food luxury items such as those coveted fancy coffees, because their pocketbooks are thinning, along with their hairlines.

In this report, I will give you some ideas for selecting delicious, nutritious items that won’t empty out your bank account.

In 2007, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all food rose by 4.0 percent, the highest annual increase since 1990. The CPI for food is forecast to increase another 4.5 to 5.5 percent in 2008 as retailers continue to pass down higher commodity and energy costs to consumers in the form of higher retail prices.[i]

Most of you are aware of how the skyrocketing cost of oil is driving food prices rapidly skyward, but you might not be aware of the huge role biofuels have played in this increase. According to a confidential World Bank report, biofuels alone have forced global food prices up by 75 percent.[ii] According to an Iowa State University study published in May 2008, food prices have climbed an average of $47 per person since last July due to the ethanol surge alone.[iii]

Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that your food bill has gone through the roof. Is there anything you can do to stretch your food dollar, without having to sacrifice nutrition?

Fortunately, you can still find many affordable, nutritious foods at your farmers market or local nutrition store, or even at the corner grocery. With a little creative use of your dollar, you can enjoy the best foods while getting the most “bang for your buck”.

Below are ten excellent, nutrient-packed food choices that you can still find for around $1 per serving.

1. Two Cage Free Organic Eggs: $0.84
 

Eggs can be one of the most healthful foods in the world. However, not all eggs are equal. There is mounting evidence of a monumental nutritional difference between true free-ranging chicken eggs and commercially farmed eggs. This is a result of the diets eaten by the two groups of chickens.[iv]

Commercially farmed hens subsist mostly on corn, soy and cottonseed whereas hens that forage in a pasture for seeds, green plants, insects and worms receive a smorgasbord of other nutrients. Remember: garbage in, garbage out. It applies equally to hens, cattle, and people.

Don’t be fooled by the egg industry’s double-speak definitions of what free-range really means. The UDSA defines “free-range” as chickens that have “access to the outside”. This does not specify whether the “outside” is a field for foraging or a cement courtyard and does not define their diets.

It is always best to obtain your eggs from a local farmer whose methods are known. To find free-range pasture farmers, ask your local health food store or refer to www.eatwild.com or www.localharvest.com. Many people are finding it rewarding to raise their own eggs. You can read about this at Mother Earth News.

If you must get your eggs from the grocery store, your best bet is to look for free-range organic.

Avoid all omega-3 eggs since they are actually less healthful for you. Typically, these hens are fed poor quality omega-3 fat sources that are already oxidized.

It is best to eat your eggs raw. Yes, you read that correctly. Raw.

Eggs are often one of the most allergenic foods, but this is because of the changes that take place in the cooking process. Eating eggs raw also helps preserve many of the highly perishable nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are powerful agents in preventing macular degeneration. Raw eggs are not a likely cause of salmonella poisoning. For more about this, read my 2002 article.

2. Raw Organic Milk, 8 oz: $0.62
 

Despite the bad press that raw milk has received, it is one of the best foods out there for nutrient value. The downside is that it remains a bit difficult to come by, depending on where you live. Not only does raw milk taste better than pasteurized milk, it contains more nutrients that are beneficial because they haven’t been destroyed by heat.[v]

Why has the FDA selected raw milk as its whipping boy? The reason is likely far more political than nutritional. Just like the drug industry, the dairy industry has strong lobbying powers. And when I say “dairy industry”, I’m not referring to the small farmer who provides your raw milk.

If raw milk really caught on, big commercial dairy farmers would have to clean up their acts -- raise healthier cows, provide pastures, etc. This would cost them a lot of money. So they use their substantial weight to shine raw milk in a negative light, making it appear as unappealing or dangerous as possible.

Raw milk is neither unappealing nor dangerous and is far better for you than pasteurized milk. Its popularity is growing all the time.[vi] To find a site near you, go to the Real Milk website. Not only does it give you links to raw milk farmers but also provides excellent information on the nutritional benefits of raw milk.

3. Raw Nuts and Seeds:

Sunflower seeds, raw, 1 oz. = $0.82

Mixed raw nuts, 1/2 oz. = $1.00

Nuts are a good substitute protein for meat, for those of you preferring a vegetarian diet, as long as they aren’t eaten in excess. The reason for moderation is that, except for walnuts, almost all nuts are top heavy in omega-6 fats and can upset the omega 6/omega 3 ratio. The average American has an omega 6:3 ratio of 15:1. It should be 1:1. Therefore, any amount of omega-6 fat is not a good thing for most Americans.

You need to be cautious with the quantity of nuts you eat, especially if you have high levels of insulin. Nuts are not your best choice if you suffer from high blood pressure, excess weight, high cholesterol, or diabetes.

My favorite nuts are pecans, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. I normally avoid peanuts because they are one of the most pesticide-laden foods you can eat. Most peanuts are also contaminated with aflatoxin, a carcinogenic mold.

Seeds are similar to nuts in that they are relatively high in omega-6 fats. They have fewer carbohydrates than nuts, so they are a little less problematic. Two exceptions are flax seeds and chia seeds, which are higher in the desirable omega-3 fats.

The best way to obtain flax is not from the oil but to grind fresh flax seeds. A coffee grinder will do this very nicely. This way, you will also get the benefits from the lignin fiber in the seeds and obtain the freshest (i.e., least oxidized and damaged) fats.

To summarize then, raw nuts and seeds can be an economical, healthful addition to your diet if eaten in moderation, particularly walnuts, flax and chia seeds.

4. Berries: 1 cup fresh organic blueberries = $0.95
 

Berries are among the best fruits on the planet. Not only do they taste great, they are densely packed with a variety of potent phytochemicals that can do wonders to normalize and improve your health. They are high in fiber and low in sugar, so they won’t cause drastic insulin swings if eaten in moderation.

The best way to eat berries is in their raw, natural state, since heating and freezing can damage some of the antioxidants. The different varieties of berries contain different types and levels of antioxidants, so berries have a range of health benefits.

Blueberries are one of the most powerful antioxidant-rich foods on the planet. Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center (HNRCA) have ranked blueberries #1 in antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables.[vii] One of the beneficial phytochemicals is anthocyanin, which is what gives blueberries their deep blue color. They also contain vitamins A and C, zinc, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium.

Blueberries offer many health benefits, including protection against urinary tract infections, cancer, age-related health conditions and brain damage from strokes. The European blueberry, or bilberry, is known to prevent and even reverse macular degeneration.

Cranberries are also loaded with antioxidants and are famous for treating and preventing urinary tract infections. In addition, they offer protection against cancer, stroke and heart disease. Cranberries are rich in polyphenols, which might inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells and reduce the risk of gum disease and stomach ulcers.

The best way to eat cranberries is to eat them raw and whole. Commercially prepared cranberry juice is loaded with sugar, which undoes any health benefits of the fruit. Whole, fresh cranberries are especially good when added to vegetable juice.

Strawberries came in second to blueberries in the USDA’s analysis of antioxidant capacity of 40 common fruits and vegetables. They are rich in fiber, manganese, folic acid, potassium, and contain more vitamin C than any other berry. Among strawberries’ antioxidants are anthocyanins and ellagic acid, a phytochemical that has been shown to fight carcinogens.

Raspberries are another one of nature’s little health-packages. They are rich in anthocyanins and cancer-fighting phytochemicals such as ellagic, coumaric and ferulic acid. They contain calcium, vitamins A, C, E, fiber and folic acid. Raspberries are thought to offer protection against esophageal and other cancers.

As with all fruits, berries should be eaten in moderation and should be washed well before eating. Keep in mind that too many at one time can spike your insulin level.

5. Watermelon: One-pound slice = $0.59
 

On a hot, summer day, who can resist a big, juicy slice of watermelon at the family picnic? As it turns out, this universally loved melon has health benefits as well, and it won’t break the bank.

Like berries, watermelon is loaded with phytochemicals, including lycopene, beta-carotene, and citrulline. When citrulline is consumed, it is converted to arginine. Arginine is an amino acid that has beneficial effects on the heart and circulatory system, as well as the immune system. Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, leading to another beneficial side benefit of watermelon ... a Viagra-like effect without the hazards of a toxic drug!

Watermelon -- an aphrodisiac? Who knew?

Arginine also helps the urea cycle by removing ammonia and other toxic compounds from your body.[viii]

6. Coconut Milk: 7 ounces = $0.98
 

Coconut is quite nutritious (unless your primary source is macaroons). The oil in coconut is one of the best oils for your body because of its medium chain fatty acids, or triglycerides (MCT’s). MCT’s have many health benefits, including raising your body’s metabolism and fighting off pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Coconut milk is quite versatile -- ask anyone who has been doing vegetarian cooking for a while. It can be used as a milk substitute and is delicious in sauces and dressings, as well as baked goods. Coconut milk has been a staple in the Thai diet for centuries.

Coconut is nature’s richest source of MCT outside of human breast milk. Coconut oil is very stable and does not oxidize and break down quickly like other oils, and it has a shelf life of more than two years. It is absolutely the best oil for cooking.

Your body needs fat but it needs the right kinds of fat to function optimally. Coconut fat is one of those fats. People have actually lost weight by incorporating coconut into their diets. This is because the MCTs promote thermogenesis, increasing your body’s metabolism, producing energy. Coconut has also been found to be helpful to thyroid function, as well as digestion.[ix]

Fresh coconut is delicious although a little difficult to find sometimes, but there are now some good canned coconut varieties available. More and more research is emerging all the time about the health benefits of coconut.

7. Spinach: 5 oz. fresh organic spinach = $0.95
 

Popeye was correct. Spinach is extremely good for you! Regardless of your nutritional type, eating more vegetables is recommended for everyone. Spinach is high in antioxidants and has a very high ORAC score. ORAC is Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, which is a measurement of a food’s ability to destroy the free radicals that cause your body damage.

The higher the ORAC score, the better a food is for you. Your own body’s ORAC can also be measured as an indication of how many antioxidants you have working for you.

Spinach’s ORAC score is surpassed only by prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and kale. Of course, you should not overdo fruits due to the high carbohydrate content, but there is no such risk of eating too many leafy greens. Some research has shown that it might be the “brain food” needed to help avoid memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease.

In one study, women given 10 ounces of fresh, raw spinach saw their ORAC score go up more than when they took 1,250 mg of vitamin C daily. In a study involving rats, a daily serving of spinach prevented the memory loss and slowdown in learning capacity usually seen as the animals age. Rats given spinach or vitamin E from the age of six months were less likely to forget where things were as they got older than rats given nothing extra, or rats that got strawberries.

Spinach is also rich in folic acid, which can help lower blood pressure. In addition, it is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which can lower the risk for age-related macular degeneration.

8. Garlic: 2 cloves = $0.05
 

Whether you are dodging vampires, hypertension or cancer, garlic should be on your menu daily. Garlic boosts your body’s natural abilities to protect you from hypertension and osteoporosis, and research is mounting that it decreases your risk for various forms of cancer. It is a potent antimicrobial as well, working as a natural antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic agent.[x]

Garlic’s main active ingredient is allicin, but this agent vanishes about an hour after you cut into it. This is why you must eat garlic fresh! You can’t swallow cloves whole -- they must be crushed first. Taking a garlic pill is a waste of time.

You can add 1-2 cloves to your vegetable juice to cut down on the pungent taste. The chlorophyll in the juice also tends to cut down on the potentially offensive garlic odor.

9. Wild Rice: One serving = $0.99
 

Contrary to its name, wild rice is not a rice at all but a grass. Wild rice is really the annual aquatic seed Zizania aquatica, mostly found in the upper freshwater lakes of Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Wild rice towers over other grains when it comes to nutritional content. It is higher in protein, fiber, minerals, B vitamins, folic acid, and complex carbohydrates. It is particularly rich in niacin, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. If you are going to choose a grain, you just can’t do better than this.

This versatile grain can be used to make a pilaf, a breakfast “cereal,” stuffed into a bell pepper or a tomato, or tossed with fruit and nuts and made into a salad.

10. Krill Oil: Two capsules = $0.84
 

There was a time when I would have placed fish on this list as one of the top ten foods, but unfortunately, today, the dangers of eating fish outweigh the benefits due to the toxic mercury levels they now contain, with very few exceptions. Fortunately, I have discovered a cost effective way for you to receive all of the benefits of fish without the danger of heavy metal contamination.

Antarctic krill oil is a pure marine oil loaded with powerful antioxidants and essential omega-3 oils, with NO heavy metal contamination. Krill are small shrimp or prawn-like creatures that feed the world’s most mammoth animals—the great whales. Toothless great whales gulp down huge quantities of krill to provide the energy they need to fuel their massive bulk. A blue whale eats up to 8,000 pounds of krill each day!

There are many ways krill oil can help you. These are just a few:

• A healthy heart
• Healthy joints
• Fighting aging
• Supporting your brain and nervous system
• Stabilizing your cholesterol levels
• Optimizing your mood
• Keeping your skin healthy

This unusual oil boasts a very comprehensive set of necessary antioxidants not seen in fish or cod liver oil, and it is stable and well absorbed with a good deal of research to back it up. Generally, I am not a huge fan of supplements, but this is one important exception.

I hope that you have found these suggestions helpful in making the most of your food dollar in these economically challenging times. I am sure you will come up with many other excellent ideas as you become familiar with your local farmers market and nutrition stores. It might take a little more effort, but I am confident you will discover ways to eat within your budget, without having to sacrifice your health.

---

[i] USDA Economic Research Service: Briefing Rooms, Food CPI, prices, and expenditures, http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/CPIFoodAndExpenditures/ (Accessed July 28, 2008)

[ii] The Guardian July 4, 2008, Aditya Chakrabortty, Special report: Biofuel caused food crisis: Internal World Bank study delivers blow to plant energy drive, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy (Accessed July 28, 2008)

[iii] Bloomberg.com, July 23, 2008, John F. Wasik, Forget the ethanol myth—Avoid biofuel bubble, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy (Accessed July 28, 2008)

[iv] Mercola.com, November 8, 2007, What are the best type of eggs to get? http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/11/08/what-are-the-best-type-of-eggs-to-get.aspx

[v] Mercola.com, September 7, 2006, The “experts” are wrong about raw milk, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/09/07/the-expert-are-wrong-about-raw-milk.aspx

[vi] Mercola.com, May 1, 2008, Demand for raw milk continues to grow, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/01/demand-for-raw-milk-continues-to-grow.aspx

[vii] Mercola.com, September 24, 2003, Berries—the best overall fruits for your health, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/09/24/berries-health.aspx

[viii] Science Blog, Watermelon may have Viagra-effect, http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/watermelon-may-have-viagra-effect-16792.html (Accessed July 28, 2008)

[ix] Mercola.com, Cherie Calbom, M.S. and Brian Shilhavy, How to help your thyroid with virgin coconut oil, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/11/08/thyroid-health-part-two.aspx

[x] Mercola.com, March 17, 2001, RAW garlic for parasites and viral infections, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/03/17/garlic-infections.aspx

Related Links:

How to Shop for Organic Foods Without Breaking Your Budget

Budget Savvy Tips For Healthy Eating

A Single Meal Can Lead to Good (or Bad) Health

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/23/ten-healthiest-foods-under-1.aspx