Archive for August 2008
Tong Ren Therapy Kills Cancer Cells In Vitro
Click here for Miles Sarill’s blog (the high school student who did the in vitro experiment). Miles seems to be a very gifted jr. chemist and biologist. I was surprised he wasn’t homeschooled – to be honest with you. His experiments with cancer cells are amazing. So much so, that major cancer institutes (like Harvard Medical Center) are looking at the Tong Ren therapy with renewed interest.
Blonde Joke
What do you do if a blonde throws a grenade at you?
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Pull the pin and and throw it back!
Two Priests Go to Hawaii (Joke)
When two priests went to Hawaii, they were determined to make this a real vacation by not wearing anything that would identify them as clergy. As soon as the plane landed they headed for a store and bought some really outrageous shorts, shirts, sandals, sunglasses, etc.
The next morning they went to the beach dressed in their ‘tourist’ garb. They were sitting on beach chairs, enjoying a drink, the sunshine and the scenery when a ‘drop dead gorgeous’ blonde in a topless bikini came walking straight towards them. They couldn’t help but stare.
As the blonde passed them she smiled and said ‘Good Morning, Father ~ Good Morning, Father,’ nodding and addressing each of them individually, then she passed on by. They were both stunned. How in the world did she know they were priests? So the next day, they went back to the store and bought even more outrageous outfits.
These were so loud you could hear them before you even saw them!
‘Good morning, Father ~ Goodmorning, Father,’ and started to walk away. One of the priests couldn’t stand it any longer and said, ‘Just a minute, young lady.’ ‘Yes, Father?’ ‘We are priests and proud of it, but I have to know, how in the world do you know we are priests, dressed as we are?’
Selected Vegetables / Sun’s Soup
Dr. Sun
- What is Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup? “Selected Vegetables” and “ Sun’s Soup ” are names given to several different mixtures of vegetables and herbs that are being studied as treatments for cancer and other medical conditions, including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The following versions have been used:
- Original Mixture
- Shiitake mushroom.
- Mung beans.
- Hedyotis diffusa .
- Scutellaria barbata (barbat skullcap).
This mixture is not sold in the United States.
- Freeze-dried Selected Vegetables (DSV), a freeze-dried mixture of vegetables and herbs sold in the United States as a dietary supplement. DSV is reported to contain the following ingredients:
- Soybean.
- Shiitake mushroom.
- Mung bean.
- Red date.
- Scallion.
- Garlic.
- Leek.
- Lentils.
- Hawthorn fruit.
- Onion.
- Ginseng.
- Angelica root.
- Licorice.
- Dandelion root.
- Senega root.
- Ginger.
- Olive.
- Sesame seed.
- Parsley.
- Frozen Selected Vegetables (FSV), a frozen mixture of fresh vegetables and herbs, sold in the United States as a dietary supplement. It contains the same vegetables and herbs as in DSV.
- Original Mixture
- What is the history of the discovery and use of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup as a complementary and alternative treatment for cancer? The vegetable and herb mixture now called Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup was created by Dr. Alexander Sun to treat cancer.
- In the mid-1980’s, Sun created the mixture to treat his mother who was diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer and not helped by standard treatment. The mixture contained shiitake mushroom, mung bean, and the herbs Hedyotis diffusa and barbat skullcap. Sun believed these ingredients contain substances that may block the growth of cancer cells and/or help the body’s immune system attack cancer cells. His mother was reported to be alive and free of cancer more than 17 years later. Three more patients with advanced cancer were treated with a combination of shiitake mushroom and mung bean. These patients were also reported to benefit from the treatment.
- In 1992, Sun applied for a patent for Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup as an herbal treatment of cancer. He reported on animal studies done in mice (see Question 5). Sun then began doing clinical trials (see Question 6) to test Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup in cancer patients.
- In 1995, Sun was awarded a patent for Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup.
- In 1998, Sun reported at a scientific meeting that patients with different types of cancer had been helped by treatment with Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup.
Many of the vegetables and herbs in Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup were chosen because previous research and traditional Chinese medicine suggest they contain anticancer phytochemicals (substances found in plants that may have effects on the body). These include substances such as protease inhibitors, plant sterols, and isoflavones. These ingredients may block the growth of cancer cells and/or improve the way the body’s immune system attacks cancer cells.
- What is the theory behind the claim that Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup is useful in treating cancer? The theory is that certain ingredients in Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup may contain phytochemicals that have significant anticancer effects in humans. One of these ingredients is shiitake mushroom. Lentinan, which is taken from shiitake mushroom, has been used in Japan to treat stomach and colon cancer after surgery. Treatment with lentinan is reported to help patients with stomach cancer live longer and have a better quality of life. Lentinan may not be easily absorbed by the body from food, so it is usually given by injection. Other substances in shiitake mushroom that are more easily used by the body from food have shown anticancer activity in animal tests.
- How is Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup administered? Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup is eaten as part of the diet. Daily doses of either 1 ounce of the DSV (mixed with water or other soup) or 10 ounces of the FSV were used in clinical trials.
- Have any preclinical (laboratory or animal) studies been conducted using Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup? Few preclinical studies have been done with Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup. Research in a laboratory or using animals is done to find out if a drug, procedure, or treatment is likely to be useful in humans. Preclinical studies are done before clinical trials (in humans) are begun.A small number of mice were injected with tumor cells and fed either standard food or food mixed with one or more ingredients from Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup. The researchers reported that the growth of tumors was slower in the mice that were fed the Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup ingredients, compared to the mice that ate standard food. The tumor growth was slowest when the mice were fed both mung bean and shiitake mushroom.
- Have any clinical trials (research studies with people) of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup been conducted? Clinical trials using Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup to treat cancer have been done with small numbers of patients. These patients received other types of treatment, either before or during treatment with Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup, and different vegetable mixtures were used in the different studies.The results of these trials were compared with published information on similar patients who did not receive Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup. Most patients receiving the vegetable mixtures lived longer, were better able to carry out their daily activities, and either gained weight or did not lose weight. In some patients who ate Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup, tumor growth slowed or the tumor completely went away. Because patients in these trials received other treatments, it is not known if their responses were caused by Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup, the other treatments, or both. None of the trials were randomized or controlled. Randomized clinical trials give the highest level of evidence. In randomized trials, volunteers are put randomly (by chance) into one of 2 or more groups that compare different treatments. In a controlled trial, one group (called the control group) does not receive the new treatment being studied. The control group is then compared to the groups that receive the new treatment, to see if the new treatment works. Randomized controlled trials, enrolling larger numbers of people, are needed to confirm the results of studies done so far on Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup.One randomized clinical trial of patients with stage IIIB or stage IV non-small cell lung cancer is now being conducted. The trial is comparing the survival of patients receiving Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup with patients receiving a placebo (inactive substance). Both groups are receiving treatment with supportive care, such as radiation therapy, surgery, or palliative care.
- Have any side effects or risks been reported from Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup? No harmful side effects or risks have been reported in the use of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup. Some patients felt full or bloated after eating the dry form, but patients who ate the frozen mixture did not report this.
- Is Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a cancer treatment in the United States? The FDA has not approved any form of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup for the treatment of cancer or any other medical condition. Well-designed clinical trials that test identical mixtures of vegetables and herbs are needed to prove whether Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup is useful in treating cancer.
Source: The National Cancer Institute
Isothiocyanates, huh? (Cruciferous Vegetables)
Brussel Sprouts
Cruciferous Vegetables
While fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of nutrients, the consumption of vegetables is more helpful in reducing cancer because they contain much higher amounts of cancer-protective compounds— especially green vegetables. Among these green vegetables, the cruciferous family has demonstrated the most dramatic protection against cancer.
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, bok choy, collards, arugala, watercress, and cabbage) contain a symphony of phytonutrients with potent anti-cancer effects. Isothiocyanates (ITCs), which are perhaps the best studied, have been shown to provide protection against environmental carcinogen exposure by inducing detoxification pathways, thereby neutralizing potential carcinogens.
These vegetables also contain indole-3- carbinol (I3C). Indole-3-carbinol has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer by decreasing estrogen activity. Important recent studies have shown that cruciferous vegetables and the compounds they contain can do the following:
- halt the growth of breast cancer cells;
- dramatically reduce the risk of colon cancer;
- prevent the replication of prostate cancer cells and induce death of cancerous cells;
- inhibit the progression of lung cancer.
What makes these studies even more fascinating is the discovery of the gene/diet interaction, which has shown that high intake of greens and cruciferous vegetables provides the food factors necessary to interact with—and prevent— genetic defects from creating disease. This gene/diet interaction activates a battery of many genes, initiating DNA repair and other protection mechanisms.
These cellular repair and detoxification mechanisms are most powerfully induced by eating a mixture of both raw and cooked cruciferous plant foods. Some of the compounds are water soluble and heat stable, and absorption is increased when cooked, for example, in a soup. Other critical ITCs are heat sensitive and are better transmitted in the raw form.
Genistein (Supplement)
Soy Beans
Genistein is an isoflavone extracted from soybeans. In the body, Genistein inhibits various enzymes that have many wide-ranging actions on the tissues. The half-life of these supplements is about 8 hours. Clinical trials, animal studies, cell-culture experiments, and epidemiological studies have provided evidence for the following physiological effects of genistein:
- strengthening the bone (especially the spine) due to estrogen deficiency
- inhibition of growth and spread of various cancers – including lung cancer
Tissue culture experiments suggest that Genistein’s cancer-fighting effects occur at dosages that are hard to attain from food alone. Reliable dosing requires the use of concentrated supplements.
The ability of genistein to reduce post-menopausal bone-loss is attested to by many studies. These substances prevent bone loss and promote bone formation, especially in the spine. Among the dosage regimens found to be effective are: 1 mg/day genistein + 0.5 mg/day daidzein + 42 mg/day other isoflavones (biochanin A and formononetin, in this case).
Source: The Delano Report
What’s With the Name of This Blog?
Healthy Starfish Family
I sat here this evening trying to figure out what to call this blog. What would be meaningful for my family – especially my Mom. The concept of how a starfish regenerates itself when it’s damaged or injured came to my mind. Their powers of regeneration are amazing! They can lose all of their arms except one and lose all of their center except 1/5 and they can still regenerate themselves and be whole again! Amazing!
So, it was easy to make the next logical leap and use the word “starfish” in the blog name.
Next, I had to find something to go with “starfish” that expressed the purpose of the blog. I finally decided that it’s a project we’re working on — all of us — to help Mom rejuvenate her body and be healed. So, the “Starfish Project” was selected as the name for the blog.
I hope Mom and Dad (and anyone they invite) will come here and find encouraging information and stories about healing, therapies, nutrition, courage, and humor.
The Starfish Project 