ALTERNATIVE CANCER TREATMENT

Co-Enzyme Q10
Co-enzyme Q10 is a naturally occurring enzyme; that is, it is a catalyst that promotes chemical reactions without being destroyed or changed by the reactions. One of the major functions of this enzyme is as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that protect cells from getting damaged by oxygen or oxidation. For example, oxidation occurs when a sliced apple turns brown after exposed to air. Coating the apple slice with an orange or other citrus juice prevents this reaction. Therefore, citrus - or vitamin C is a well-known antioxidant. CoQ10 has been shown to stimulate immune function. Deficiencies of CoQ10 in humans and other air breathing life forms are thought to contribute to illness; some studies have found deficiencies in CoQ10 levels in cancer patients. In the early 1970s, Dr. Karl Folkers began testing CoQ10 as a supplement for cancer patients and documented unexpectedly longer survival with CoQ10 use. CoQ10 has been found to protect against chemotherapy induced cardiac toxicity, specifically from Adriamycin, which is known to cause heart damage.

Studies have shown that cancer patients who take 90mg of CoQ10 per day may experience a reduction in pain and weight loss, increase in appetite, and decrease of metastases. However, when doses are increased to 300-390mg daily, studies have reported partial and total tumor remission in some cancer patients. CoQ10 is available either in pressed tablets, powder-filled capsules, or oil-based gelcaps. CoQ10 is fat-soluble and absorption is significantly improved when it is chewed with a fat-containing food.

Immuno-Augmentative Therapybr/> Immuno-augmentative therapy is based on the theory of Dr. Lawrence Burton, a zoologist, that cancer cells multiply when four factors of the immune system fail to recognize and destroy them. The four factors, which are given in the form of daily self-injections, are:

Tumor antibody (responsible for the destruction of cancer cells); tumor complement (responsible for the stimulation of the "tumor antibody"); blocking protein (responsible for the repression of the "tumor antibody"); and deblocking protein (responsible for the blocking protein neutralization). By simply analyzing the blood of a cancer patient, the equivalence for the four proteins may be determined.

The injection of the four proteins into the body controls the cancer so that the patient may lead a normal life. The immuno-augmentative therapy resulted in a forty to sixty percent tumor reduction rate, and total recovery in some cases. IAT is especially effective against colon and abdomen cancer. However, IAT may not be effective against cancers of the bone.

Bovine And Shark Cartilage
Bovine and shark cartilage has been investigated as a cure for cancer and a number of other medical conditions for more than 30 years. At least some of the interest in cartilage as a treatment for cancer arose from the mistaken belief that this disease does not affect sharks, whose skeletons are made primarily of cartilage. Nonetheless, several substances that have antitumor activity have been identified in cartilage. More than a dozen clinical studies of cartilage as a treatment for cancer have already been conducted.

The absence of blood vessels in cartilage led to the hypothesis that cartilage cells (also known as chondrocytes) produce one or more substances that inhibit blood vessel formation. The formation of new blood vessels, or angiogenesis, is necessary for tumors to grow larger because tumors, like normal tissues, must obtain most of their oxygen and nutrients from blood. Inhibition of angiogenesis at this early stage may, in some instances, lead to complete tumor regression. The possibility that cartilage could be a source of one or more types of angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of cancer has prompted much research.

Some properties in cartilage reportedly have anti-inflammatory and immune system-stimulating properties, and it has been suggested that either they or some of their breakdown products are toxic to tumor cells. Thus, the antitumor potential of cartilage may involve more than one mechanism of action.

Cartilage products are sold commercially in the United States as dietary supplements. Because manufacturers of cartilage products are not required to show evidence of anticancer or other biologic effects, it is unclear whether any of these products has therapeutic potential.

In human studies, cartilage products have been administered topically or orally, or they have been given by enema or subcutaneous injection. Only three human studies have been published to date, and the results are inconclusive about the effectiveness of cartilage as a treatment for cancer.