On natural supplements and breast cancer

In bold prints are my comments on the newspaper article of the Oct 28th issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer  about the press conference sponsored by the PSMO (Philippine Society of Medical Oncologists) called "Dietary Supplements in Cancer Treatment."

A well-informed cancer patient is an empowered patient. But the barrage of often-conflicting information sourced from the Internet can be overwhelming, and deciding which to believe can be paralyzing.

ON THE CONTRARY, CYBER INFORMATION HAS OPENED THE DOORS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY CONFINED TO THE MEDICAL & SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND HAS NOW ALLOWED THE PRINCIPAL STAKEHOLDERS TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN SEEKING THE TRUTH! PARALYZING FOR THE MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR CANCER INDUSTRY BUT EMPOWERING FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC!

Green tea, malunggay oil, vitamin C, guyabano and even red wine are believed to have properties that can cure cancer. How true are the claims?

“I am telling you right now, guyabano is not an anti-cancer fruit,” said Dr. Ellie May Villegas, the feisty, petite vice president of the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology (PSMO).

IT MAY NOT BE A TRULY ANTI-CANCER FRUIT BUT IF IT EVEN ACTS AS A PLACEBO IN ADDRESSING NON-CANCEROUS SYMPTOMS, THEN WHY NOT? FURTHERMORE, IT CAN DO NO HARM.

“We rely only on evidence. Guyabano is not proven to kill cancer cells, and yet it is marketed as 10 times more potent than Adriamycin, a commonly used drug in chemotherapy. Adriamycin is a very potent anti-cancer drug. Why do you associate it with a fruit? They don’t even know what they’re saying.”

NOT TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF GUYABANO BUT INSTEAD OF SHOOTING IT DOWN, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH MUST BE DONE TO INVESTIGATE WHATEVER CURATIVE OR PREVENTIVE BENEFITS WHATEVER FRUIT OR HERB HAVE, NO MATTER HOW MINIMAL. BUT THEN, WHO WOULD FUND THE RESEARCH ON FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND HERBS WHEN THESE ARE WIDELY ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC WHILE DRUGS ARE NOT!

Confusion

In a press conference sponsored by PSMO called “Dietary Supplements in Cancer Treatment: Investigating the Claims,” Villegas said guyabano, also called Brazilian pawpaw, is confused with the pawpaw tree Asimina triloba (Annonaceae), known as the North American pawpaw.

The Asimina triloba fruit, which in no way resembles the guyabano, contains the natural compounds acetogenins that are proven to help regulate various types of cancers.

“When the North American pawpaw is taken with chemotherapy, patients and physicians noticed an above average amount of tumor shrinkage after the first treatment than normally expected with chemotherapy alone,” she said.

PSMO PRESIDENT Dr. Felycette Gay Lapus

Villegas was expressing concern over networking companies that profit from making bogus claims about natural cures.

CONCERN MUST NOT BE ON PROFITS OF NETWORKING COMPANIES BUT ON THE BENEFITS OF ANY SUPPLEMENT. TRUE THAT A LOT OF EXAGERATION IS DONE TO SELL THESE SUPPLEMENTS BUT THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT BUSINESS AND MARKETING IS ALL ABOUT! EVEN SODA IS BEING ADVERTISED TO HAVE VITAMIN C!  IT MATTERS NOT IF THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY RAKES UP BILLIONS OF PROFITS FOR AS LONG AS THEIR DRUGS CAN CURE CANCER!

PSMO believes in the multidisciplinary approach: surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and, when proven safe and effective, dietary supplements to complement the treatment.

“With the proliferation of scientifically unsupported alternative cancer treatments, PSMO has established that there is a need to educate the public on how to address the cancer problem. We put together a position paper to help guide fellow oncologists, doctors and patients in making correct choices,” said PSMO president Dr. Felycette Gay Lapus.

THE NEED IS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON THE CAUSES OF BREAST CANCER AND NOT ON SURGERY, CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIATION. THE MEDICAL APPROACH IS NOT NECESSARILY THE CORRECT CHOICE. WHAT MATTERS MOST IS THE PATIENT’S FULLY INFORMED DECISION AND NOT THE DOCTOR'S. THIS IS THE REASON FOR THE PROLIFERATION OF WHATEVER ANTI-CANCER SUPPLEMENTS – BECAUSE PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO GET CANCER AND FOR THOSE AFFLICTED WITH CANCER, THE FEAR OF MEDICAL APPROACHES HAVE BEEN MOUNTING DUE TO THE FAILURE OF MEDICAL SCIENCE TO CURE CANCER.

Scientific evidence

In a PowerPoint presentation, Villegas said commonly used supplements not supported by high-level scientific evidence include homeopathic products, high doses of oral multivitamin supplements, vitamin C + collagen, high doses of oral vitamin C, oral stem cell enhancers/fibroblast growth factor enhancers, ozone therapy (IV), and heavy metal chelation therapy that removes heavy metal toxins supposed to cause cancer.

“Randomized controlled trials in advanced cancer patients taking 10 grams per day of oral vitamin C did not demonstrate any significant benefits. These can, in fact, interfere with the action of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. That’s why we always advise our patients to tell us what they’re taking,” Villegas said.

ON THE OTHER HAND, CHEMO AND RADIATION RENDERS NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS USELESS! IN FACT, TO APPEASE PATIENTS IN COMPLYING WITH TOXIC AND INVASIVE TREATMENTS, SUPPLEMENTS ARE BEING ALLOWED AS SUPPOSED COMPLIMENTARY MEASURES. BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT CONVENTIONAL AND NON-CONVENTIONAL APPROACHES CANNOT EXIST ALONSIDE EACH OTHER.

Villegas said that metabolic therapies such as nutritional therapies, Gerson Regimen, Kelley Therapy, Gonzalez Regimen, Contreras Therapy and Manner Therapy—also known as detoxification/cleansing regimens—do not work.

They can even cause nutritional deficiencies, she said, while some entail potentially toxic doses of supplements or agents. Coffee enemas, for instance, can cause sepsis, dangerous electrolyte deficiencies, and even death.

“The colon or large intestine is there for the stool to pass through. Why do you have to clean an organ that is supposed to be dirty? It is supposed to facilitate the removal of toxins via the stool. The American Cancer Society strongly urges cancer patients not to seek treatment with metabolic therapies. No published evidence supports their claims,” she said.

UNFORTUNATELY, VILLEGAS IS HIGHLY UNINFORMED AND MISEDUCATED. HAD SHE ATTENDED THE WORLD CONFERENCES ON BREAST CANCER IN CANADA SINCE 1997, SHE WOULD HAVE NOT HAVE STOOD HER GROUND. IN FACT, THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY IS A VERY POOR AND BIASED SOURCE OF INFORMATION.

Lactic acidosis

Commonly used supplements supported by very limited scientific evidence, but not enough to suggest use, include transfer factor, malunggay oil, intravenous hydrogen peroxide, mangosteen extract pills, guyabano extract pills and resveratrol/grapeseed extract (provided they are not used with Tamoxifen).

AGAIN, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCES WHICH ARE NOW SLOWLY BUT SURELY ENTERING MEDICAL JOURNAL IN NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE. THE BREAST CANCER DRUG, AVASTIN CARRIED SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE WHEN IT WAS RELEASED TO THE MARKET, ONLY TO BE PULLED OUT BY THE US FDA BECAUSE IT WAS LATER FOUND TO BE INEFFECTIVE!

“We cannot promote malunggay oil to be used as an anticancer agent because this has never been used on humans. What you can eat in a diet, eat it. Do not put it in a capsule or tea,” she said.

HUH? AND THE FOOD CAPSULES TAKEN BY ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE IS NOT NUTRITIOUS? HELLO, THERE IS SUCH A THING AS FOOD TECHNOLOGY!

  

Severe lactic acidosis was reported with mangosteen juice daily for 12 months, and patients eventually died not from their cancers, but from the lactic acidosis from mangosteen, Villegas said. Mangosteen may also interfere with certain chemotherapy drugs, and must be used with caution by diabetics due to its high sugar content.

AGAIN, VEGETABLE AND FRUIT JUICES ARE EVALUATED ON HOW THEY INTERFERE WITH DRUGS! SO WHY ARE NATURAL FOODS VIEWED FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CHEMO? BUT OF COURSE, DIABETIC CASES HAVE RESTRICTED FOOD INTAKES – AND SO ALSO DO HYPERTENSION, OBESITY, PREGNANCY AND ALL OTHER HEALTH CONDITIONS!

Resveratrol, which can be found in red wine, is also consumed as a dietary supplement for its purported antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

“Because resveratrol exhibits estrogen-like properties and activates transcription by both the estrogen and androgen receptors that lead to stimulation of cancer cell proliferation, patients with hormone-sensitive cancer should use it with caution,” she said.

ALL SUPPLEMENTS JUST LIKE DRUGS ARE TAKEN FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE INDICATIONS AND ACTIONS. THIS IS THE REASON WHY THERE CAN BE NO ONE SUPPLEMENT FOR ALL INDICATIONS AND AILMENTS.

It may also protect against chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity, although more studies are needed to confirm its effect on humans, Villegas said.

“I caution breast cancer patients taking Tamoxifen not to take these supplements with resveratrol or grapeseed,” she said.

DO NOT TAKE TAMOXIFEN IN THE VERY FIRST PLACE! TAMOXIFEN CAN EVEN LEAD TO SECONDARY CANCERS!

Scientifically supported

Among the commonly used supplements supported by high-level scientific evidence are CoQ10 (decreases cardiotoxicity in Anthracycline chemotherapy); R-alpha lipolic acid (decreases neuropathy); American ginseng, rhodiola, ashwanga (decreases fatigue); calcium citrate/carbonate (bone support); ferrous sulphate (anemia support); vitamin B12 (anemia support for gastropathy and post-gastric resection in patients with B12 deficiency); whey protein/L-glutamine and branched chain amino acids (protein support for patients undergoing surgery); and polyglycoplex (viscuous fiber for patients needing weight loss and modulation of body mass index).

As for omega-3 fatty acids, although studies on their role in cancer prevention are inconclusive, Villegas said, they may reduce colon cancer risk, improve immune response in patients with colorectal cancer, and are associated with reduced occurrence of renal cell carcinoma in women.

Fish oil supplementation may reduce the risk of breast cancer, she said, although high-blood concentration of omega-3 is associated with increased risk of prostate cancer.

Other commonly used supplements supported by high-level scientific evidence include vitamin D, beta glucans, bio-available curcumin, green tea, pomegranate, acetogenin molecules and bio-available silymarin phytosome.

SO NOW THERE ARE SUPPLEMENTS THAT ARE SCIENTIFICALLY SUPPORTED? OH WELL, LET THE PUBLIC WAIT AND SUFFER UNTIL SCIENCE COMES TO THE PUBLIC’S RESCUE WAITING FOR SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGHS IN CANCER CURE. BUT WHEN YOU HAVE CANCER, YOU CAN NOT WAIT! ONE WILL HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT ROUTE TO TAKE. 

Safe, efficacious

“We’re not saying no to supplements. We just want to direct patients to those which work and how to safely combine them in a complementary fashion with chemotherapy drugs in a safe and efficacious manner,” said Dr. Omid Etemadi, a board-certified integrative medicine doctor who trained at the National Cancer Institute in the US.

Etemadi said no supplement has been shown to cure cancer on its own.

YES, NO SUPPLEMENT CAN CURE ON ITS OWN. AS A MATTER OF FACT, CANCER HAS NO CURE. ONE THING FOR SURE THOUGH, CHEMOTHERAPY WILL MAKE MATTERS WORSE. AND BY THE WAY, TRAINING IN THE US NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE DOES NOT MAKE ONE A GURU.

“There are anecdotal reports, case reports that patients have been cured through very significant lifestyle changes, but these are very rare—more the exception than the rule. More than 99.9 percent of them will not benefit from diet and supplement alone,” he said.

I BEG TO STRONGLY DISAGREE!

He said surgery may cure stage 1 cancer, while surgery or radiation with chemotherapy or targeted therapy may cure stage 2.

IN MANY INSTANCES, STAGE 1 CANCER CAN DO EVEN WITHOUT SURGERY AND WILL EVEN BE AGGRAVATED WITH RADIATION AND CHEMO.

“For stage 3 and 4, we prolong the lives of patients if we use standard care. The cancer doesn’t completely regress, but it doesn’t grow anymore.”

PROLONG LIFE? MORE OF EITHER HASTEN DEATH OR PROLONG UNDUE SUFFERING.

“Dietary supplements may help reduce the side effects of standard care, may help survival rate and prevent cancer recurrence. But I would not recommend that patients use them alone,” said Etemadi.

SURGERY, CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIATION WILL NOT HELP SURVIVAL RATES NOR PREVENT RECURRENCE.

Read more: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/133877/guyabano-and-supplements-alone-wont-beat-cancer-doctors-say#ixzz2jC2v5v00