CANCER TREATMENTS

These therapies should be approached with caution since they may be harmful in some circumstances.

Livingston Therapy
Livingston Therapy, which uses a vegetative diet, vaccines, as well as additional nutrition, may strengthen the immune system to its original working condition. The effectiveness of the Livingston therapy usually depends upon the condition of the cancer at hand. A seventy to ninety-five percent rate of remission was observed in patients whose cancer had remained at one part of the body and hadn`t spread elsewhere (*note: no conventional forms of cancer therapy were given to the patients prior to the Livingston therapy). In cases where the cancer had in fact metastasized, a forty to fifty percent rate of remission was observed. However, if the cancer is terminal then the rate of remission is only twenty percent.

Macrobiotics
The word "macrobiotic" is derived from the Greek macros (large, long) and bios (life). The philosophy underlying the diet is that two antagonistic but complementary forces, yin and yang, are operative in the universe.

All of life, including food and disease, is seen as a play between these forces of yin and yang. As seen from a yin/yang perspective, foods range from the most dense animal meats such as beef to the less dense such as fish, and then in the center of this continuum can be found root vegetables, whole grains and cereals, followed by the stalks and leaves of vegetables. Continuing on toward more expansive foods, one finds fruits followed by refined sugars, alcohol, and various drugs. Following the concept of extremes seeking their opposites, eating too much on one end of the scale (e.g., beef) will create a craving for food at the opposite end (e.g., pie or alcohol). Constantly being driven by unmanageable cravings from one extreme to another can be disruptive to one`s metabolism leaving one vulnerable to stress and disease. Centering one`s diet on whole grains and cereals is seen as a way to center one`s energies and life.

In addition to the type of food consumed, macrobiotic teachings encourage a variety of different methods of preparing and cooking food. Cooking with electricity and microwaves are generally avoided as are chemically treated or heavily processed foods, including vitamin and mineral supplements. The practice of chewing solid foods until they become liquid is encouraged to aid in their digestion. Food, in accordance with many religious teachings, is considered sacred, and both its preparation and eating are to be done in a calm and peaceful environment.

Today`s macrobiotic teachers recommend a less restrictive approach, with 50% to 60% of foods to be from whole cereals and grains, and the rest from vegetables, beans, fermented soy products, sea vegetables (i.e., seaweed such as kombu, wakame, hijiki, arame, and mojaban), plus tea and soups made from appropriate ingredients. Small amounts of white-meat fish and fresh organic fruits can be included in the diet, while lightly roasted nuts and seeds are permitted as occasional snacks. The eating of eggs and dairy foods is discouraged

Concerning its efficacy as a treatment for cancer, the studies conducted did not find any evidence of this. In 1993, an editorial in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition stated that perhaps the efficacy reported in some of the case reports and retrospective studies was a result of the diet being deficient in several nutrients, thus having the effect of controlling the growth of cancer as well. The editorial called for an expansion of nutritional concepts concerning cancer and other special needs.

A word of caution is appropriate here. Ideas of somehow feeding the body while starving the tumor have been tried unsuccessfully in the past (not reviewed here) with the tumor simply continuing to derive its nutrients from the patient.

Care should be exercised with any diet especially for patients with cancer who have unique nutritional requirements and challenges from both the disease and conventional treatments. Particular care must be exercised for infants and children with cancer, since adequate nutrients must be supplied for growth as well as the metabolic requirements of the individual disease challenges.

Kelley`s Nutritional-Metabolic Therapy
Kelley`s Nutritional-Metabolic Therapyconsists of specific nutrition, detoxification, and pancreatic enzyme supplementation. The detoxification therapy does not include the intake of protein; however, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are required. Each person must be handled individually because everyone requires different amounts of supplementation.

Interest in Kelley`s therapy has increased dramatically in recent years, largely due to the work of Nicholas Gonzalez, a New York City physician who treats cancer patients in advanced or terminal stages using a modified version of the Kelley program. In a study conducted by Dr. Gonzalez, fifty terminal patients, whose ages varied from twenty-one to seventy-one, were given Kelley`s therapy. The patients survived for ten years after treatment and were still functioning.

Dr. Gonzalez developed his own form of therapy that was based upon Kelley`s therapy. Gonzalez`s therapy consisted of a specific nutrition, consumption of raw beef organs and glands, "digestive aids, proteolytic enzyme supplementation, and detoxification." An eighty percent effective rate was observed when patients used Gaonzalez`s therapy.