Nutrition and Cancer – Part 2 - Inflammation

Researchers are now considering the possibility that Silent Inflammation in the body may be the leading cause of major chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, neuropathy, chronic pain, and more. “It is almost universally accepted that the most common underlying mechanism of many diseases is inflammation”, Frank Lipman, MD. “There’s a silent killer on the loose, and it’s called chronic inflammation”, Dr Barry Sears. “We don’t have an obesity epidemic, we have an inflammation epidemic”, Dr Rimm, Harvard Medical School. “Having high cholesterol is not the cause of chronic illness, but rather a symptom. The real problem, it turns out is an underlying inflammatory condition”, Dr Beverely Teeter. A new 2014 study published from Denmark lists Inflammation as the cause of Type 2 Diabetes. So what’s Silent and Chronic Inflammation all about?

We all understand classic inflammation. It hurts. You get a cut and it gets red, hot and hurts as part of the healing process. You sprain you ankle. It becomes swollen and hurts as it heals. Your body fights an infection and you develop a temperature as part of the healing process. In each instance your body is doing its job to remove infection, and repair cell damage. Silent inflammation on the other hand may or may not have telltale signs. Some of the outward signs that suggest silent inflammation at work include high blood sugar levels including diabetes, being overweight, craving carbohydrates, constant hunger, being tired especially after exercise, brittle fingernails, constipation, groggy thinking and difficulty concentrating, chronic headaches or chronic ‘unexplained’ pain. Silent inflammation presents itself at a cellular level and drains energy from your body as your body continuously tries to heal the condition. Through this process your immune system is weakened and becomes vulnerable to attack. As in our previous example, when the soldiers, firefighters, EMT responders, and trash collectors all are involved trying to clear up chronic silent inflammation, the infant stages of cancer cell development may be overlooked.

The really interesting part of this silent inflammation process is that we do it to ourselves. Just like pouring gasoline on a fire, the average American daily feeds their silent inflammation thus overwhelming their body’s defenses. Silent inflammation is created by Eicosanoids within the vary cells of our bodies. Eicosanoids are considered to be our 1^st hormone, and a master hormone that controls other hormones. There have been more than 100 (and still counting) types of eicosanoids discovered. Their actions and level of activity, is directly controlled by the Omega-3 and Omega-6 in nearly everything you eat!

Omega-3 driven eicosanoids decrease blood clotting, widen blood vessels, are anti-inflammatory, enhance the immune system, increase oxygen flow, decrease cell proliferation, decrease pain, widen respiratory passages, and increase endurance. Omega-6 driven eicosanoids do the opposite. They increase blood clotting, narrow vessels, create inflammation, suppress the immune system, decrease oxygen flow, increase cell growth, increase pain, narrow respiratory passages, and lower endurance. YOU MUST HAVE BOTH OF THESE WORKING IN HARMONY TO SURVIVE AND BE HEALTHY. Omega-3 and Omega-6 only come from what we eat and are not made by our bodies. Because they are so important and necessary for life, they are called the ‘essential oils’. Humans were designed to run on an even balance of the two. Our ancestors lived with a 1:1 balance. Then came the agricultural revolution, and we gradually developed into consuming a 1:4 ratio, acceptable as our bodies adjusted. Beyond that, with processed foods flooding the market, our ratio today of Omega-3 to Omega-6 has jumped totally out of whack to 1:20 or 1:25. In fact there are some near death people consuming a ratio as high as 1:40.

So where are we getting all the extra Omega-6… mostly from the vegetable oils in the processed foods eaten today. One tablespoon of Sunflower oil has essentially no Omega-3 to around 4 grams of Omega-6 pending on the variety . Safflower oil is even worse with almost no Omega-3 to 10 grams of Omega-6. Canola oil ratios can vary, but much of it is in the 1:4 ratio ranges. All you need do is start reading labels, or go to nutritional internet sites, to see how much of these oils you consume daily. This of course doesn’t begin to consider the amount of these oils you consume in home cooked and fast foods. Consider french fries for example, and butter substitutes. Add to this the naturally high Omega-6 foods such as almonds (0g to 3.4g), walnuts (2.6g to 10.8g), soybean oil (0.4g to 4.7g), avocados (0.2g to 2.3g), etc. Nearly all foods have Omega-3 and Omega-6 at some levels. As a direct result of our modern processed food diet, Americans are overdosing on Omega-6, flooding their bodies with unnecessary pain and Silent Inflammation thereby opening the doors for cancer and all manner of chronic diseases.

But wait, there’s more, an over abundance of Omega-6 driven eicosanoids are not only creating silent inflammation throughout your body, they are thought to be the root cause of diabetes. Whereas supplementing with Omega-3 tends to reverse this process, in addition to reducing fat storage and fighting cancer. Through their process, inflammatory cells make pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines. These cytokines then enter the pancreas and start to destroy its ability to make insulin. At the same time the Omega-6 eicosanoids affect the brain to artificially drive hunger and appetite to higher and higher levels. With high Omega-6 concentrations you find yourself hungry all the time while your body becomes insulin resistant. Over time you body turns into a fat storage machine and you find yourself joining the millions of Americans who are overweight or obese. This is just one more stressor to monopolize and overcome your body’s defenses allowing cancer its foothold.

Is there some good news in all of this? Yes, this deadly process is easily fixed. Start eating healthy whole foods, and stop eating the foods that are killing you. A study published December 25, 2013 emphasizes this point. Fourteen clinical trials were analyzed involving 32,656 participants over a varying 4.6 year period. Their results were conclusive. Participants receiving supplements of Omega-3 to bring their essential oil ratios back into balance had a significant reduction from dying of cardiac problems or ‘Any Other Causes’. So if you want to be healthy, live longer with less pain, reduce weight, avoid diabetes, and have a chance at fighting cancer, then reduce your intake of high Omega-6 fats and increase your Omega-3 fats to bring your body back into balance. This is the natural state in which it was originally designed to be.

When you start to think about it, reducing unnecessary Omega-6 fats is easy. Learn to read labels. Stop eating processed foods with the Sunflower, Safflower and Canola oils. Instead start using Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin Olive Oil. High in Omega-9 it lowers cholesterol, raises HDL, and keeps your heart healthy. You can also use Organic Flax seed oil high in Omega-3 with low temperature foods or as a supplement. For high temperature cooking Macadamia Nut Oil is high in Omega-9 with a balanced Omega-3/Omega-6 ratio, and coconut oil is an excellent choice. The best high temperature cooking oil appears to be Camelina oil. It's light, stable, has a delightful nutty taste, and is 34.2% Omega-3, 19.8% Omega-6, and 16.2% Omega-9 with a smoke point at 475ºF. (As an aside, If you like nuts, raw macadamia nuts for a snack appear to have the best Omega ratios in the nutty world.) It is important to note that these Omega-3's are plant based; therefore the Omega-3 is in its ALA (a-linolenic acid) form. Here’s the rub. Our bodies must convert the ALA into the more usable EPA and DHA forms of Omega-3 for it to be used properly. As we get older this becomes a harder process, and let’s face it prostate cancer is a more mature man’s concern. While it is very important to switch to high Omega-3 and Omega-9 plant based sources, it is even more important to supplement with a quality EPA and DHA supplement. The best sources of these appear to be marine fish oils from krill or fatty fish like wild Alaskan salmon. Omega-3 is found in abundance in fish oil from salmon and has multiple components: EPA, DHA, and DPA. The EPA (iecosapentaenoic acid) in fish oil acts to reduce inflammation, clot blood, and reduce heart attacks. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is essential for brain, nerve and eye tissue. It also assists the liver, kidneys, heart and muscles to stay healthy. DPA (docosapentaenoic acid) is found in blood vessel walls, reduces inflammation, and promotes wound healing. Not surprising, studies have shown that cancer patients who supplemented with Omega-3 fish oil had less inflammation and cancer proliferation

Many people are already taking fish oil to enhance their Omega-3 intake. Unfortunately there can be dangerous toxic substances allowed to remain in fish oil supplements on the market. You will want the purest, cleanest possible supplements. Here are a few hints to use in your quest to choose the best one that’s right for you.

            1) Start by looking for the highest ‘Total Omega-3’ to ‘Total Fat’ ratio.

                        An amount of 60% to 70% Omega-3 is desired.

            2) Raw fish oil may be full of toxins, heavy metals, and dangerous compounds.

                        Look for molecular distillation filtration, and independent quality batch testing.

            3) Make sure no chemicals or excessive heat is used in the manufacturing process.

            4) Look for an oxygen free environment for processing and storage.

I currently supplement with Nordic Naturals, Ultimate Omega Extra in liquid form. Because of its quality, there is no fish oil taste, or aftertaste.

So how much do you take as an Omega-3 supplement. That should be decided between you and your doctor or professional nutritional advisor. I hear that medical professionals suggest upwards of 2g per day for a healthy person, and as high as 6g to 8g per day for someone dealing with cancer. Since Omega-3 driven eicosanoids act upon so many bodily systems, be sure to consult a medical professional especially if you are taking prescription drugs or are scheduled for surgery.

Next step, let’s look at sugar, how it can cause and feed cancer, while fattening America.

Looking for more help and support?

Go to: http://steve-warren.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/ 

……..

Nutrition and Cancer – Part 1 of a Multi-Part Series

What an amazing piece of work, our bodies.
They are composed of over 37 Trillion cells. (37,000,000,000,000) Approximately every 5 seconds a million cells in your body will die and be replaced with new cells. In fact, it is said that your body will almost completely replace (renew) itself on average every 7-10 years. So what does that have to do with Prostate Cancer and Nutrition?

For a moment think of your body as a very large community of cells, a country if you will. Each cell has a specific lifespan and task, doing its job to keep you healthy and alive. There are all sorts of jobs within the system. Some cells, or grouping of cells, are tasked with cleaning up trash, some work as soldiers fighting off invaders, some like firefighters put out fires and inflammation, some like EMT responders or doctors repair damage, while others work behind scenes to keep everything running smoothly, and the list goes on.

Each of these cells is preprogrammed to do its job, die, and then be replaced as a new healthy cell starting the process all over. But sometimes, something goes wrong with the programming. Whether its overloaded with toxins, chemicals, stress, or just too much unhealthy food, a cell goes a bit crazy and decides not to follow its given blueprint. It not only doesn’t die but also continues to divide into more toxic cells, and cancer is born. This happens on a regular basis throughout your body. Fortunately the body’s soldiers, firefighters, EMT responders, and trash collectors are called into action to clear away these abnormal cells before they become malignant tumors. Now consider like any country you have a limited supply of these soldiers, firefighters, EMT responders, and trash collectors. Not only do you have a limited supply, but they may become overworked and ineffective. What happens when they are all busy doing their jobs at their maximum elsewhere and some abnormal cells start to grow unhindered? As the abnormal cells grow and divide further they build barricades and then walls to protect their position. They divert resources and build highways to fortify their position. They band together for added strength and soon become an impregnable fortress of cells with the only purpose of self-growth and self-preservation. By now your body’s soldiers, firefighters, EMT responders, and trash collectors have taken notice of their growth; but these abnormal cells have grown too strong, have multiplied too many times, and have too many defenses established. You start to notice a pain, or lump somewhere. You go to your doctor and find out, surprise, you have cancer. You next wonder, why me. What did I do to deserve this?

The answer to these questions is relatively simple and comes in the form of another question.  How do you expect to win the war against cancer if most of your troops are fighting battles on other fronts? This speaks not only to the reason for the cancer, but also to the current battle. When your body’s defense systems are overloaded there is little hope of staying healthy, let alone recovering from cancer. So our focus to avoid, or fight, prostate cancer now becomes how do we relieve ourselves from the other unnecessary battles facing our body daily so we can focus all our troops, and energy, on curing ourselves of prostate cancer.

There are many steps in this process. Let’s begin with a major one...  
Removing Silent Inflammation.

Looking for more help and support?

Go to: http://steve-warren.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/ 

Mind over Prostate Cancer

The other day I was speaking with a new to me prostate specialist medical doctor about cancer. I shared my plan for overall treatment, some procedures not currently included, or officially approved, within our standard Western treatment protocols. He presented a disapproving look and said, “You know, there is no cure for prostate cancer, nor is there any supplement or food that will make a difference.” At that moment, I made the decision to never return to that doctor.

While I strongly advocate finding a physician you trust, it is equally important that each of us finds a doctor that truly supports our health. The doctor I had just spoken to was clearly not the right person for me. Wendell Berry said, “We are fed by the Food Industry, which pays no attention to Health; and are treated by the Health Industry, which pays no attention to Food”. The attitude many doctors hold that only their special protocol, or limited field or expertise, will stave off deaths’ door, is far too prevalent in the US. When did it become the norm to focus on specialized disease management rather than true healing?

In all fairness it is not the doctors fault. They are plied from inception with a system that supports massive medication distribution and expensive procedures. Then they are placed in an impossible situation, given only 20 to 30 minutes to see each patient. How can they be expected to help promote health when the doctor has mere minutes to glance at a chart, for a patient they can’t remember, who is just one of a multitude seen throughout their day. I visited a primary care doctor with a pain in my shoulders and neck. After doing a few blood tests that came out fine, he said he “had nothing for me, learn to live with it. You are just getting old”. He then suggested I start taking pain pills. I on the other hand was looking for the root cause, or some kernel of advice to point me in the right direction towards better health. Instead I received a backhanded band aide to cover up pain, using a process that might cause more serious long-term issues. In the United States today we spend more money on medications than the total spent throughout Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina… combined; yet as a country we are less healthy than much of the world. What’s wrong with this picture?

To me, the issue is much more insidious. It goes beyond just telling me there is no cure, or saying I was getting old. Because they lack the solution, they try to project their negative thoughts into my life without offering hope or options. The true issue is, these doctors don’t have a clue as to the power of their word. Nor do they realize the damage they are doing to patients by spreading such hopeless thoughts. They obviously have never heard of quantum theory, string theory, or entanglement. Studies have shown that our thoughts and expectations can change an experiment’s outcome, and/or change matter at a quantum level. It is also believed that subatomic particles demonstrate both properties of particle and wave (energy), and that these particles can jump from one spot to another without traveling through the space between. Also the frequency at which a particle vibrates appears to be the key to its properties and our thoughts may modify the frequency. Add to this that certain unconnected particles appear to move in a connected fashion which could coordinate biochemical reactions in different parts of a cell or between organs, and you have the basic scientific understanding as to how our thoughts affect our health and the world in which we interact.

This is powerful healing information. Ask yourself, what is the daily focus of your thoughts around prostate cancer? Do you dwell on a fearful outcome? Are you so terrified by cancer’s future prospects that you’ve forgotten the simple joys in life? Certainly cancer can be a frightening thing. Now consider what these negative, even paralyzing, thoughts are doing to your overall health. Believing that our thoughts create our reality, that our thoughts can change the very fiber of our being beginning at the subatomic level, then wouldn’t thoughts of health and happiness be a better investment for the future. But how do we hold onto positive thoughts in the space of a perceived negative reality?

My solution: I like to focus on a time in my life when all is right with the world. In relation to feelings, the mind doesn’t define the difference between past and present; and thoughts with strong feelings may be the strongest healing tool available. Any thought I choose to bring to the forefront of my consciousness has its own positive or negative emotions and feelings. Daily I choose to think of the time I had just finished climbing the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland. I place myself on the trail headed down the mountain near Schwarzsee and turn and look back to where I had been. At that moment I am joyously happy, vibrantly healthy, strong and successful. I had conquered the world and nothing was beyond my reach. I let these thoughts and feeling flow through my body, owning every joyous moment. Each time I do this, it fills my heart with joy and gratitude, and like the mustard seed fills my being with the knowledge that I am healthy.

This is my process, my moment in time. Yours may revolve around any moment in your life were you felt happy, healthy, strong and successful. The key is, to own your moment and make it part of your being. For more information about this process read “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” and “Evolve Your Brain” by Joe Dispenza. You may wish to also follow his guided meditation, “Blessing of the Energy Centers”. As for the two negative doctors I recently met, we shouldn’t be so hard on them. They’re just products of a dysfunctional system. Many quality doctors still exist. Your task is to search until you find the right one for you. Just don’t be afraid to say, ‘next’, when one doesn’t meet your standards, or support your health in the way you truly deserve.

  

Thyroid and Prostate Cancer

Your Thyroid is a small gland found

partially wrapping your neck just below what is often called the Adam’s apple. Through a very complex process, involving the entire Thyroid System (including pituitary gland and liver), it controls how your body uses energy, makes proteins, and how your body reacts to other hormones. It influences your metabolism, growth, development, and body temperature. When your thyroid becomes sick, injured, or inflamed it either makes excessive thyroid hormone, called Hyperthyroidism, or it may restrict its production of thyroid hormone, called Hypothyroidism. Then too, because of lack of necessary trace elements or nutrients in your body, the thyroid hormones may not even be used effectively which exacerbates the situation. A struggling thyroid often goes through both stages of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism before becoming too damaged to continue. At this point you are left with the sad reality of needing to take marginally effective and problematic thyroid supplements for the rest of your life. How do you know your thyroid is struggling? You may experience symptoms such as fatigue or racing heart, unexplained weight changes, unexplained muscle and joint pains, swelling in your neck, hair loss (especially eyebrows) and skin changes, extended constipation or diarrhea, menstrual abnormalities, depression, carpal tunnel, difficulty with sleep, increased cholesterol, feelings of cold or hot extremities, and more. In other words, if your thyroid isn’t working properly, you’ll feel lousy and may not be able to function on a daily basis.

So what does a sick thyroid system have to do with prostate cancer? Ask yourself this simple question. If your entire body isn’t functioning properly because of your thyroid, how do you expect it to ward off cancer, or heal itself? Many have seen a connection between a poorly functioning thyroid and prostate cancer. A 2009 study looking at 29,691 people found that those with Hyperthyroidism did in fact have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Before you take an easy breath with your Hypothyroidism, just remember you most likely went through Hyperthyroidism getting to Hypo- today.

Then there are the causal links between a malfunctioning thyroid and prostate. In order for the thyroid to do its job it needs adequate supplies of Iodine, Selenium, Magnesium, Zinc and Vitamins D, C, B-12, and E. We have already discussed the importance of Vitamin D regarding prostate cancer. Next let’s consider iodine. One report lists iodine deficiency in the US at over 11% of our population, while recent comments suggest it may be as high as 74%. Anyway you look at it, that’s a lot of people. Many also believe due to competing uptakes of bromine, perchlorate, fluoride and chlorine that the iodine we are consuming can’t be used effectively. This lack of effective iodine not only damages the thyroid, it weakens our entire immune system allowing invading organisms and cancers to take hold. There are many correlations between iodine deficiency and cancer. Magnesium is also vital to our body’s health. Over 300 enzymes and ion transport require magnesium. Magnesium’s role in fatty acid and phospholipids acid metabolism also affects permeability and stability of membranes. Without proper magnesium our cells decline, thus opening the door for cancer. It has been shown that high levels of magnesium actually inhibit cancer. Sad to note about 57% of the US population doesn’t even meet the US RDA for dietary magnesium. On the other hand an over abundance of supplemental Selenium and Vitamin-E may promote prostate cancer, while ‘too much’ as well as ‘too little’ iodine will be detrimental to the thyroid. That’s why it is so important to get your levels checked before any supplementation, and to watch your levels of supplementation together with a professional medical provider you can trust.

In addition to these connections between your thyroid and prostate cancer, there’s one more important consideration. There are many foods and supplements thought to be very healthy in fighting prostate cancer that may aggravate your thyroid. Difficult foods for your thyroid include soy, corn, flax, lima beans, sweet potato, Quercetin, and all cruciferous vegetables (including broccoli, cauliflower and kale). Ouch! Why is it that the very things we often believe will cure us, has side effects possible causing harm in other areas? Though the list is long, there are important cooking considerations that may mitigate many of these thyroid problem foods. In addition to this list, you can add any foods causing you an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions arising from a ‘Leaky Gut' have also been attributed to thyroid malfunction as well as generalized silent inflammation throughout the body and a contributing factor to prostate cancer. It has been said that as much as 50% of thyroid autoimmune problems are caused by food allergies. Finally get your Omega-6 consumption under control as it affects both thyroid and prostate. (More about this coming soon.)

With all this said, if you have concerns or thyroid symptoms it may be time to get it checked. If you are dealing with prostate cancer, whether you are in treatment or not, I feel it important to obtain a full thyroid panel to assure it’s working at optimal efficiency. At the very least you will then know what steps to take, and most of those steps will help your prostate. Start by having your levels of Iodine, Selenium, Magnesium, Zinc and Vitamins D, C, B-12, and E checked. At the same time get your TSH, Free T3, Free T4, antibody protein antithyroglobulin (AB Test), and thyroid antibody TPO (TPO) tested. Add to this list any other tests your doctor recommends. These will give you a good start to evaluate your thyroid and overall health.

Is there a link between thyroid problems and prostate cancer? It sure appears to me one exists. My recent TSH came in at 3.02, with a Free T3 at 2.2, and a Free T4 at 1.15. This puts me in a sub-clinical hypothyroid level confirmed with multiple symptoms. I’m waiting on results of additional tests, though I already know a few years ago prior to the diagnosis of prostate cancer I was living the American dream diet and deficient in iodine, magnesium, selenium, zinc, vitamin D, E and B-12. I was also experiencing increasing food allergies. My next step in this process is to heal my thyroid to the greatest extent possible. I will be looking at balancing my nutritional intakes, maximizing the effectiveness of my liver, and healing my gut. Only after I have attempted a natural route will I consider synthetic T3 or T4, or a more natural T3/T4 treatment such as desiccated thyroid. Once going down that path there is little turning back. For those interested in finding out more about thyroid treatment you may want to browse the website, Stop The Thyroid Madness  or contact Dr Adiel Tel-Oren at Ecopolitan with questions.

 

 

Vitamin D3 Healing Prostate Cancer

             You see Vitamin D everywhere. It’s in multivitamins and sold on grocery shelves, added to milk, discussed on talk shows. If you’ve Prostate Cancer, there are some important facts you should know about Vitamin D. First - even the staunchest supporters of our medical system will agree certain levels are needed for a body to function at optimal health. Second - most men over 50, and especially those with Prostate Cancer, are deficient in Vitamin D. Third - most medical researchers will agree that Vitamin D appears to decrease the risk of death from cancer, and that higher levels of Vitamin D may be linked to lower cancer risk. So what is it, and what does it do? Vitamin D is a group of ‘fat soluble’ secosteroids (This means it’s best taken with a large meal that includes fat!). It’s said that D3 is the most important part of Vitamin D, and the less problematic. Most all agree Vitamin D is responsible for the regulation of calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, boron, and zinc. 

             Many understand its more complex nature, and believe it guides healthy DNA replication, cellular division and is responsible for producing over 200 anti-microbial peptides, thereby reducing cellular mutation, fighting infections and reducing silent inflammation. Since cancer is believed to be caused by mutations in genes that regulate cellular proliferation, and Vitamin D protects against cancer by affecting over 200 genes to regulate important aspects of cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, you can see the importance of Vitamin D. If fact studies have shown that those deficient in Vitamin D stand a 30% to 50% increased rate of Prostate Cancer. 

             In one study supplementing with D3 to raise Vitamin D blood level saturation above 50 ng/ml cut in half the risk of developing certain cancers, MS, and diabetes.  Vitamin D has been used for many health issues including preventing and treating: rickets, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, COPD, skin conditions, PMS, autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation, autism, cancers, and more.

            The human body is an amazing machine. We obviously need Vitamin D to survive, so the body makes its own Vitamin D with exposure to sunlight. It’s said just 6 days of quality sunlight exposure will make up for 49 cloudy days for a ‘healthy young body’ producing Vitamin D. When we’re young, and living in a sunny climate, our skin exposed to sun generally makes all the Vitamin D we need. As we get older we loose many of the skin receptors necessary to make Vitamin D. We also spend less time in the sun because of work and health issues. Many of us live in climates that don’t provide the necessary sunshine. With that said, if you have Prostate Cancer you have a 60% to 70% chance of having inadequate, low levels of Vitamin D.

            So what does it all mean for Prostate Cancer? Recent studies have shown the importance of Vitamin D. In a 2012 study supplementation with 4,000iu of D3 per day for one year resulted in a reduction of positive cores upon a repeat biopsy. While the exact mechanism may not be understood the results suggest that the cancer load has been reduced due to the Vitamin D. In a 2011 study it was found that D3 and testosterone work together to have a positive affect on cell proliferation, cell death, and cell motility, thereby affecting prostate cancer progression and therapeutic outcomes. This study suggests that supplementation with D3 may slow or halt the progression of Prostate Cancer. 

A laboratory study found that supplementation with D3 may suppress Circulating Prostate Cancer Cell’s ability to adhere and metastasize. If you are on the watch and wait program, this certainly could help you sleep better at night. In another laboratory study it was found that Vitamin D Deficiency stimulates Prostate Cancer growth in bone, whereas more Vitamin D retards its growth. 

            With supplements of Vitamin D3 so easily available, then why is it so many are deficient in Vitamin D. Possibly because our standard medical profession is great at fixing broken bones, and patching obvious medical issues but when it comes to nutrition, and sustainable health, they are sorely lacking. How many times has you doctor suggested you get a Vitamin D check? It obviously should be a primary test if you are diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. Now knowing the importance of Vitamin D, you may decide to start supplementation on your own, but here’s the rub. Too much Vitamin D can be Toxic, and there are optimal blood saturation levels to support you cancer healing. Vitamin D overdose can show up as a buildup of calcium in your blood causing loss of appetite, even nausea and vomiting. It can also show up as weakness, frequent urination, and kidney problems. This is why it’s 'so important' to get your doctor involved, get tested, and monitor your Vitamin D on a regular basis.

            Start with a doctor ordered 25(OH)D Test (also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D test), it’s more accurate than the 1,25(OH)D test. My original test came back at 32.7 ng/ml, which is considered insufficient… and here I’m dealing with Prostate Cancer.  The Vitamin D council has set the following ranges for test results: 0-30 ng/ml = Deficient, 31-39 ng/ml = Insufficient, 40-80 ng/ml = Sufficient, and over 150 = Toxic. The Endocrine Society and the Food and Nutrition Board have lower guidelines while most testing laboratories generally consider 32-100 ng/ml to be in an acceptable range. With baseline test in hand, discuss with your doctor the best amount of D3 supplementation to reach your target goal. Because of my Prostate Cancer we set my target at 70-80ng/ml. I started taking 10,000iu of a high quality D3 per day. (Note: D3 may also be included in other supplements such as fish oil and multivitamins. Be sure to account for all your different sources. Also adjust according to how much time you’re spending soaking up sunshine.) After approximately 2 months my Vitamin D serum level had risen to 53.4 ng/ml. It’s an acceptable level and healthy change, but not yet where I need to be. I reduced my D3 intake to 8,000iu per day and will have it checked again concurrent with my PSA test next month. Thereafter I’ll go on a maintenance dose, probably around 4,000iu to 6,000iu per day with regular tests. Many believe that 4,000iu is the maximum acceptable D3 supplementation without doctor supervision. I believe it’s important to get tested.

            Vitamin D is just one more piece of the healing puzzle for Prostate Cancer. Most likely there will not be a magic pill that completely handles the situation, but with all the healing pieces put together there’s tremendous power; and I have to believe I’m a whole lot healthier than when I first stared this journey.    

           

ONCOblot vs Biopsy - A Safer Test

Over 248,000 New Cases of Prostate Cancer will be diagnosed just in the USA this year. Ouch! Overall, as an American male, you stand a 1 in 6 chance of getting prostate cancer in your lifetime. Not happy odds. The standard medical process for diagnosing prostate cancer is through a digital rectal exam and PSA test. Unfortunately neither of these is accurate, but up until now they’re that's available. The problem with the PSA test is that many things throw it off. Riding a motorcycle - even a bicycle, having prostatitis or anther infection, even making love to your wife to soon before the test may cause results to skyrocket. When PSA climbs, the first words out of your doctor’s mouth will probably be, “We need a biopsy to check for cancer”.

There are around One Million prostate cancer biopsies performed each year in the USA. Many of these, as much as 75%, will be negative for cancer. The process is reasonably, to minimally painful. It is usually performed as an outpatient procedure. What doctors don’t often tell you is that cancer cells can be missed even when the biopsy is guided with trans-rectal ultrasound; that up to 4% of men who have a biopsy need hospitalization for infections that are resistant to antibiotics; and even a single biopsy may over time spread cancer outside the prostate, increasing the need for more drastic treatment. As one senior oncologist put it, the biopsy process creates wounds in the prostate. These are along the paths where needles are inserted to obtain tissues for testing. To heal that wound the body brings in growth hormone causing cells to grow faster. Prostate cancer loves growth hormone and when a biopsy needle punctures a cancer cluster, the cancer cells will grow out along the path of the wound (like little pacmen gobbling the growth hormone) until they eventually escape from the prostate. The cancer then starts circulating within the body looking for another place to attach and grow.

While a prostate biopsy does define the presence and severity of any cancer it finds and may never be completely eliminated, the issue becomes what of the approximate 75% of men where cancer is not found. Are these 750,000 biopsies putting men to unnecessary risk? What about the prostate cancers the biopsy needles miss? Are these men missing a chance to take early steps that might help their bodies to fend off an initial cancer attack, or be more easily cured? Fortunately there are a few new tests promising better reliability, and a safer process. Unfortunately some of these are so new that they are not yet covered by insurance. They include the ONCOblot Test looking for the ENOX2 protein, the MiPS Test looking for a specific gene fusion in urine to define the probability of prostate cancer, and better MRI/ultrasound imaging. Just click on these links, or go Prostate Screening Tests at the top of this page to find out more.

Hyperthermia for Cancer Treatment

            Hyperthermia treatment for many forms of cancer has been around for a very long time. Most consider the treatment safe with no known major complications. Of course we are all different and any medical treatment can have some issues. Always check for these with your medical provider prior to treatment, and review their hold-harmless clauses. Hyperthermia is used in varying procedures around the world. In the USA all medical procedures are tightly regulated, and only certain forms of hyperthermia treatment are approved regardless of results. The most common use of hyperthermia in the USA is as a supplemental treatment to increase the effectiveness of radiation or chemotherapy. There are generally three categories of hyperthermia treatment that include localized, regional and whole body. The goal of each of these treatments is to raise the cancerous tissue to a temperature above 107º F for an extended period of time. According to studies temperatures between 104º F and approximately 111º F are cytotoxic for cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unchanged. Pending on type of treatment and treating facility, higher temperatures may be applied. While hyperthermia treatment in the US is used sparingly with limited results, doctors in Europe using more refined procedures are having much greater success.

            Initially I was intrigued with this treatment by a hyperthermia article over the internet. I then began an extensive research into the process and interviewed previous prostate cancer patients in the USA and around the world. Based on this information, I decided in April of 2013 to travel to Germany for Hyperthermia treatment for my prostate cancer. The official terminology for this treatment is Transurethral Hyperthermia. It has been nearly a year since the treatment, and while I have not seen the dramatic improvement other patients experienced, I believe my prostate cancer is marginally better. It definitely has not gotten any worse. My article in this Blog is a complete recount of the treatment at Klinik St Georg in Bad Aidling, Germany, along with results, comments and suggestions. It’s a bit long, but it covers a year of treatment and follow-up. Should you be looking for alternative treatments for your prostate cancer, I would urge you to read the complete article on my Transurethral Hyprethermia, located by clicking the ‘Noteworthy Special Cancer Treatments’ tab at the top of this page.

            After reading my post, I would appreciate the comments of anyone else who has experienced Transurethral Hyperthermia along with the short and long term results they received from the process. In the USA alone this year there will be over 248,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed. It’s time we started talking about prostate cancer more, and giving it the attention it deserves. Our lives, and the quality of life for our loved ones, depends on it.