Dr.Steve's BOTTOM LINE: Prevention of cancer rather than suffering, treatment side effects, misery and death is THE goal as we move into the future. For the past 20 years or so researchers and big pharma have begun to appreciate this and various pharmaceuticals have been tested in clinical trials. The most memorable were Tamoxifen and Raloxifene to prevent breast cancer. There are many other examples as we being to understand the exact biochemical pathways which cause each type of cancer. In most cases, these prevention drugs target ONE biochemical pathway at at time. This is perhaps the purest scientific way to find out what works but, as we find out what pathways exist, attacking or interrupting them at multiple points at a time seems like a better idea. Enter the herbs of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). They have been reputed to prevent cancer for eons. Do they work and why?

A recently published review looked at how TCM herbs might work. Lo and behold they target pathways that some pharma drugs target, and more than one at a time! These include pathways that prevent cancer cell growth, invasion and metastasis by modulating a wide range of molecular targets, including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor-Kappa B (NF- B) and nuclear factor erythroid 2 -related factor 2 (Nrf2)-mediated antioxidant signaling pathways. This all sounds like a lot of medical gobbledeegook, but suffice it to say that this is a VERY promising result which strongly suggests that the TCM herbal claims of cancer prevention are plausible and backed by scientific proof. We still have a long way to go to determine exactly which active components of various herbs affect what pathways. However, this will lead to a non-toxic alternative to drug-based prevention, done naturally!

Molecular Basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Cancer Chemoprevention.

Curr Drug Discov Technol. 2010 Mar 15;

Authors: Wang S, Penchala S, Prabhu S, Wang J, Huang Y

Cancer is the second leading cause of death, for which current therapeutic approaches are still very limited. Chemoprevention is an important approach to decrease cancer morbidity and mortality by the use of non-toxic natural or synthetic substances to reverse the processes of initiation and subsequent development of cancer. A substantial amount of evidence from human, animal and cell line studies has shown that many herbal products used for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can exert chemopreventive effects. The underlying theory for TCM to treat or prevent cancer is to bring the patient back to a healthy state by modifying multiple cancer-causing events. Since carcinogenesis involves multiple abnormal genes/pathways, using TCM in cancer chemoprevention may be superior to the agents targeting a single molecular target alone. However, before TCM can be accepted universally as complementary and alternative medicine for cancer treatment and prevention, it is crucial to understand the molecular basis for their effects. This review highlights several known molecular mechanisms of selected TCM in chemoprevention. Many TCM products or single active components have been reported to inhibit a variety of processes in cancer cell growth, invasion and metastasis by modulating a wide range of molecular targets, including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor-Kappa B (NF- B) and nuclear factor erythroid 2 -related factor 2 (Nrf2)-mediated antioxidant signaling pathways. The TCM and their active components with potent chemopreventive effects can be considered as promising lead agents for the design of more effective and less toxic agents for cancer chemoprevention.

PMID: 20226002 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Technorati Tags: alternative cures, chemoprevention, chinese herbs, herbal cancer prevention, natural cures

Tagged as: alternative cures, chemoprevention, chinese herbs, herbal cancer prevention, natural cures

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

DrSteve March 22, 2010 at 5:31 pm: Tell me what you think. Show me that you are alive! This is really exciting stuff since we are poisoning the crap out of patients with cancer currently. After the diagnosis is often too late for many, or at least a lot of suffering. Prevention is key and natural prevention can be awesome!

Jennifer - Omaha Weight Loss April 17, 2010 at 8:26 am: I love hearing about alternatives in the healthcare arena. I think a lot of details are missing here as far as, how would one utilize this information? By finding someone trained in TCM? I had a friend who had cancer many years ago and she made her own herbal concoctions (along with the standard protocols, I believe but not 100%) that she took hourly(!) and she has been clear all this time. There are powerful alternatives out there. That I believe. I look forward to reading more of your posts, Dr. Steve.

James Sliney April 19, 2010 at 11:46 am: Thank you for giving the details about how the Chinese herbal approach blocks cancer from starting and how it parallels some of the Western medical prescription approaches to blocking cancer. Please keep up your good work Dr. Steve.

Ken Turner-Natural Herbal Remedies Guide February 3, 2011 at 6:52 pm: Although no certain food can cure or prevent diseases like cancer alone, antioxidants play an important role in prevention over the long run. Bright tomatoes and fresh peppers are foods that are essential for good nutrients and enzymes. Dark broccoli is particularly known for being a super antioxidant. Garlic, spinach, and carrots are also a few more of the vegetables I would recommend to boost the immune system.