Recently a study came out and stated that cholesterol drugs known as statins helped to prevent prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction.  (Source) As soon as I read this, a red flag popped up for me.  Why you may ask?  Well look at this statement made in the article:

One study found that men who were taking statins before undergoing surgical removal of their prostate had a lower risk of having the cancer return. “The use of statins at the time of surgery was associated with a 30 percent reduction in the risk of recurrence of prostate cancer,” said lead researcher Dr. Robert J. Hamilton, a urology resident at the University of Toronto Medical Center in Ontario, Canada.

Hamilton thinks that the anti-inflammatory properties of statins may explain the finding. However, it might also be the ability of these drugs to lower cholesterol that has an effect on cancer cells, he said.

Another study focused on inflammation inside prostate cancer tumors. “We looked at the association between statin use and prostate tumor inflammation,” Banez said.

“We found that men who were using statins prior to surgery had a significantly lower risk for inflammation within their prostate tumor,” Banez said.

In fact, men taking statins had a 72 percent reduction in the risk for inflammation of the prostate tumor. The researchers also found that obesity appears to be associated with increased inflammation and more aggressive prostate cancer.

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Today we honor “Cancer Awareness.”  I like the term “awareness” rather than “fight against,” because it’s relatively useless to fight against anything.  Becoming aware empowers you.

With that said I’d like to talk a little about what cancer awareness means to me.

When we hear the word cancer, fear strikes at our hearts.  It’s a natural response because of how we’ve been conditioned to the idea of cancer.

A hundred years ago, cancer of any type was a rarity.  Today it is one of the most common causes of death in the US and around the world.  So what has changed?  Have we as human beings changed?  Have we evolved a new cancer gene?

The truth of the matter is that our world has changed.  We live in a fast paced, instant gratification, highly processed, toxic world.  The world we live in today can sometimes over burden our dynamic bodies.  Easy access to cheap, highly processed, nutrient devoid foods causes an imbalance in our bodies.

There are signs along the way to destination cancer.  Cancer is not something that magically and instantaneously pops up one day.  Basically prolonged abuse of your body may lead to some form of cancer.  If you make & intake more toxins than you excrete, you are much more susceptible to cellular damage and DNA mutations.

In my previous post I mentioned some things you can do to PREVENT cancer.

Here are some alternative treatment methods:

• Radio Frequency Ablation – a thin needle is inserted into the tumor and an electrical current is passed through the needle, which then heats and destroys the tumor.
• Insulin Potentiation Therapy – uses low doses of chemotherapy attached to insulin.  The theory is that cancer cells have 10 times the affinity for insulin than normal cells.  (There is some controversy behind this, but hey, there’s controversy over using radiation and chemotherapy).
• General detoxification and making your body more alkaline by eating dark green leafy vegetables.
• Go to Sanoviv.  You need to check out their website to get the full picture.

In honor of Lance Armstrong’s foundation (Livestrong.org) we’re going to celebrate “Live Strong Day” on May 13th.

I’ve followed Lance through his bout with cancer and each of the Tour de France.  He is a great athlete and a humanitarian.

Cancer is a preventable disease.  Yes it is preventable.

Here are some tips you can implement right now to prevent cancer:

• Eat “whole foods.”  This means you try to eat the food as close to its natural state as possible.  Studies have shown that foods digest more slowly and fully if they are in their natural state.  Highly processed foods are absorbed rapidly and aren’t fully digested.  This causes an increase in the immune response leading to hypersensitivity reactions.
• Keep yourself fully hydrated.  Rule of thumb: 1 Liter of water per 50 lbs of body weight (you can throw one or two extra liters on top for good luck)
• Proper supplementation to provide the nutrients for cellular metabolism and detoxification.  Optimal levels of B-vitamins ensures proper cellular metabolism particularly in the arena of energy production.  Detoxification systems need adequate levels of minerals such as selenium, zinc and copper and methyl donors such as N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), methionine and tri-methylglycine (TMG).  Another very important aspect of supplementation is antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, & E and OPCs (oligoproanthocyanidins) from sources such as grape seed extract.  These help to reduce oxidative damage which is the major cause of cancer formation.

Join us in celebrating cancer prevention on May 13th.  You can buy gear at http://www.store-laf.org