Beating Prostate Cancer Naturally
January 3, 2009 Written by JP [Font too small?]Prostate cancer (PC) is the leading form of cancer among men. It is estimated that nearly 30,000 men will die from this dreaded condition this year alone. That’s the problem. The solution may be found, in part, in the judicious use of natural medicines.
No Coughing Aloud
Noscapine is a natural substance that is most often used as a cough suppressant. It’s been used for that purpose for almost 50 years. But recently, it has also become the focus of serious interest with regard to the treatment of various cancers. Brain, breast, colon, lung and ovarian cancers all seem responsive to noscapine. Leukemia and melanoma also appear to be good candidates for noscapine therapy.
With this knowledge in mind, Dr. Israel Barken, a scientist working at the Prostate Cancer Research and Educational Foundation, wondered whether it might also help patients with PC. He experimented with a handful of his own patients and found promising results. Based on that limited success, his foundation decided to fund a clinical investigation on the effects of noscadine on PC.
Dr. Barken’s initiative may be a reason for all men to rejoice. The study he instigated found that this old and unassuming natural substance could:
- Reduce tumor growth in mice by about 60%
- Limit the spread of PC by about 65%
- Do all this without provoking adverse side-effects
Noscadine isn’t currently approved as a treatment for cancer. There isn’t nearly enough research to allow for that at this time. Such research would involve a serious financial investment. And since natural substances generally can’t be patented or used for profit, the likelihood of much additional study seems grim. But, all hope is not lost.
There is a practice called “off-label use”. It refers to the use of an approved medication for an unapproved condition. In this case, noscadine is approved for treating coughs. But, it is being used in an “off-label” manner to treat cancer experimentally.
Prostate Meet Pom
Two recent studies have added to the increasing volume of evidence indicating that pomegranate extract may be a promising treatment for PC.
In one study, the pomegranate extract was shown to:
- Promote cell death in PC cells
- Inhibit the proliferation (growth) of PC cells
In prostate cancer, one of the major concerns is that the cancer will shift from being dependent on hormones (like testosterone) to grow to being “androgen independent” (grow even in the absence of hormonal stimulation). This is one of the deadliest processes in prostate cancer, which often leads to the spread of cancer and, often, death.
In the second study, a pomegranate extract was found to inhibit this process on a genetic level. This led the authors of the study to state that pomegranate extract “may be of particular importance in androgen-independent prostate cancer”.
All of the research I’ve shared today is highly preliminary. Well, that’s one way of looking at it. Another way is to view it as cutting-edge. It’s research that I hope other scientists will further in the interest of mankind. And if they do, I’ll be sure to report about it.
Note: Please check out the “Comments & Updates” section of this blog – at the bottom of the page. You can find the latest research about this topic there!
Be well!
JP
Tags: Cancer, Pomegranate, Prostate
Posted in Alternative Therapies, Men's Health, Nutritional Supplements
November 12th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Don’t claim to have beaten prostate cancer. Was diagnosed with prostate cancer in Sept 2009. Tested positive on 2 of 12 cores, intermediate grade, Gleason score 6.
Chose ‘active surveillance’ and started taking PectaSol-C, DIM, BroccoMax, genistein, LEF Ultra Natural Prostate, Astaxanthin, 7-HMRlignans, Apigenin, Ibuprofen, D-3, OptiZinc, metformin, and a host of other vitamins and nutrients.
Sept of this year (2010), my biopsy was clean and my PSA was 1/2 of last year’s reading. A clean biopsy doesn’t translate to being cancer-free. A biopsy needle only samples a tiny portion of the tissue. Never-the-less, my urologist is pleased. Have recently added finasteride (Proscar) and reishi mushrooms to my regimen.
Will consider more aggressive treatment but as long as my cancer is small and slow growing, I refuse to submit to risky treatment.
November 13th, 2010 at 12:51 am
Excellent news, Iggy. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your success and inspiring me and others.
Be well!
JP
October 19th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Even my urologist recommends pomegranate. I make tea from matcha green tea powder and pomegranate powder (both from Nuts-on-Line).
March 1st, 2015 at 8:22 pm
Update: Coffee may reduce prostate cancer risk in a dose dependent manner …
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01635581.2015.1004727#abstract
Nutr Cancer. 2015 Feb 23:1-9.
Coffee Consumption and Prostate Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies.
This meta-analysis was conducted to assess the association between coffee consumption and prostate cancer risk. Thirteen cohort studies with 34,105 cases and 539,577 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The summary relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for different coffee intake levels were calculated. Dose-response relationship was assessed using generalized least square trend estimation. The pooled RR for the highest vs. lowest coffee intake was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85-0.95), with no significant heterogeneity across studies (P = 0.267; I2= 17.5%). The dose-response analysis showed a lower cancer risk decreased by 2.5% (RR = 0.975; 95% CI: 0.957-0.995) for every 2 cups/day increment in coffee consumption. Stratifying by geographic region, there was a statistically significant protective influence of coffee on prostate cancer risk among European populations. In subgroup analysis of prostate cancer grade, the summary RRs were 0.89 (95% CI: 0.83-0.96) for nonadvanced, 0.82 (95% CI: 0.61-1.10) for advanced and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.55-1.06) for fatal diseases. Our findings suggest that coffee consumption may be associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer and it also has an inverse association with nonadvanced prostate cancer. Because of the limited number of studies, more prospective studies with large sample size are needed to confirm this association.
Be well!
JP
June 6th, 2015 at 4:53 pm
Update 06/06/15:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.29421/abstract
Cancer. 2015 May 18.
A phase I trial of mushroom powder in patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer: Roles of cytokines and myeloid-derived suppressor cells for Agaricus bisporus-induced prostate-specific antigen responses.
BACKGROUND: Each year in the United States, nearly 50,000 prostate cancer patients exhibit a rise in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, which can indicate disease recurrence. For patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer, we evaluated the effects of white button mushroom (WBM) powder on serum PSA levels and determined the tolerability and biological activity of WBM.
METHODS: Patients with continuously rising PSA levels were enrolled in the study. Dose escalation was conducted in cohorts of 6; this ensured that no more than 1 patient per cohort experienced dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). The primary objective was to evaluate treatment feasibility and associated toxicity. The secondary objectives were to determine WBM’s effect on serum PSA/androgen levels; myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs); and cytokine levels.
RESULTS: Thirty-six patients were treated; no DLTs were encountered. The overall PSA response rate was 11%. Two patients receiving 8 and 14 g/d demonstrated complete response (CR): their PSA declined to undetectable levels that continued for 49 and 30 months. Two patients who received 8 and 12 g/d experienced partial response (PR). After 3 months of therapy, 13 (36%) patients experienced some PSA decrease below baseline. Patients with CR and PR demonstrated higher levels of baseline interleukin-15 than nonresponders; for this group, we observed therapy-associated declines in MDSCs.
CONCLUSIONS: Therapy with WBM appears to both impact PSA levels and modulate the biology of biochemically recurrent prostate cancer by decreasing immunosuppressive factors.
Be well!
JP
July 14th, 2015 at 2:28 pm
Update 07/14/15:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26157638
PeerJ. 2015 Jul 2;3:e1080.
A pilot study to investigate if New Zealand men with prostate cancer benefit from a Mediterranean-style diet.
Carcinoma of the prostate is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the third leading cause of mortality in New Zealand men, making it a significant health issue in this country. Global distribution patterns suggest that diet and lifestyle factors may be linked to the development and progression of this cancer. Twenty men with diagnosed prostate cancer adhered to a Mediterranean diet, with specific adaptations, for three months. Prostate-specific antigen, C-reactive protein and DNA damage were evaluated at baseline and after three months of following the diet. Dietary data were collated from diet diaries and an adaptation of a validated Mediterranean diet questionnaire. A significant reduction in DNA damage compared to baseline was apparent, with particular benefit noted for overall adherence to the diet (p = 0.013), increased intake of folate (p = 0.023), vitamin C (p = 0.007), legumes (p = 0.004) and green tea (p = 0.002). Higher intakes of red meat and dairy products were inversely associated with DNA damage (p = 0.003 and p = 0.008 respectively). The results from this small feasibility study suggest that a high-antioxidant diet, modelled on Mediterranean traditions, may be of benefit for men with prostate cancer. Protection against DNA damage appears to be associated with the diet implemented, ostensibly due to reduction in reactive oxidant species. These findings warrant further exploration in a longer trial, with a larger cohort.
Be well!
JP
June 13th, 2016 at 11:05 pm
http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/bjc2016181a.html
Br J Cancer. 2016 Jun 9.
Nut consumption and prostate cancer risk and mortality.
BACKGROUND: Little is known of the association between nut consumption, and prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and survivorship.
METHODS: We conducted an incidence analysis and a case-only survival analysis in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study on the associations of nut consumption (updated every 4 years) with PCa diagnosis, and PCa-specific and overall mortality.
RESULTS: In 26 years, 6810 incident PCa cases were identified from 47 299 men. There was no association between nut consumption and being diagnosed with PCa or PCa-specific mortality. However, patients who consumed nuts five or more times per week after diagnosis had a significant 34% lower rate of overall mortality than those who consumed nuts less than once per month (HR=0.66, 95% CI: 0.52-0.83, P-trend=0.0005).
CONCLUSIONS: There were no statistically significant associations between nut consumption, and PCa incidence or PCa-specific mortality. Frequent nut consumption after diagnosis was associated with significantly reduced overall mortality.
Be well!
JP