Overcoming oncologists' objections: safe & effective non-drug support for prostate and breast cancers

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, June, 2002 by Shari Lieberman

Patients with prostate and breast cancer often are faced with a discouraging dilemma. Many people diagnosed with cancer have spent a great deal of time seeking out and researching the medical literature relating to their diseases. Ultimately, they encounter the large body of published research and clinical data that reveals how antioxidants and other natural compounds can either directly support recovery from their disease or protect them from the terrible side effects of conventional anticancer therapies. Once they discover this information, it is only natural that they want to incorporate these compounds into their therapy -- until they talk to their oncologist.

By training, cancer specialists will not allow their patients to use any compound they're unfamiliar with. Consequently, when cancer patients want to start taking antioxidants to help them deal with the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, their oncologist usually objects. This leaves patients in a quandary.

In this article, I will address how I overcame this obstacle to using nutritional therapy in breast and prostate cancer. In addition, I will talk about the proper nutrients cancer patients can use (either alone or along with conventional therapies) without worrying about potential interactions between conventional anticancer treatments and alternative therapies.

Safe Support

The best way to overcome the objections of oncologists, I decided, was to work with an oncologist versed in the medical research on natural therapies. Specifically, I was looking for a cancer specialist who could not only verify the benefits of certain natural compounds based on peer-reviewed studies, but ideally someone who was experienced in the use of these natural agents in his own clinical practice. I wanted to obtain input from an oncologist who had experience using a natural approach and who could verify the safety and effectiveness of these compounds in treating cancer.

My search led me to Dr. Friedrich Douwes, a noted oncologist and the Executive Medical Director of the St. George Hospital Cancer Treatment Center in Bad Aibling, Germany. I had visited his clinic several times and was aware of his tremendous experience in using these compounds with many patients. I knew that Dr. Douwes was very familiar with using natural therapies along with conventional treatments and that he had reviewed the literature and clinical data on alternative therapies.

Dr. Douwes is one of the few oncologists I've ever met who really knows about these natural compounds. He has been using natural treatments for more than two decades. In my experience that is extremely rare for an oncologist. I have many colleagues treating cancer patients with nutritional therapies, but very few of them are oncologists.

Collaborating with Dr. Douwes allowed me to develop BCF (Breast Care Formula) and PCF (Prostate Care Formula). When we sat down to begin working on these formulas, we outlined four guiding principles.

First, each ingredient had to be backed by published research. Second, the mechanism of a given compound's actions had to be understood. Third, the ingredients had to be completely nontoxic. And fourth, we would only include ingredients that would not interfere in any way, with conventional anticancer therapies.

We set out to review the ingredients that we knew were helpful in cancer. Some of the ingredients were proven to help patients by protecting healthy cells while making chemotherapeutic drugs more selective for cancer. Other ingredients were shown to help by making chemotherapy in and of itself more effective.

By combining these safe and effective ingredients, Dr. Douwes and I hoped that the patients wouldn't find themselves locking horns with their oncologists. The following nutrients have no downside and can be used alone or concomitantly with all of the current anticancer therapies.

Selenium

Epidemiological studies have consistently shown that low serum levels of selenium are directly linked to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. In fact, selenium has been shown to block the growth cycle of cell reproduction and induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in prostate cancer cells. In women, selenium has been shown to inhibit VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) in breast cancer cells. Research also shows that selenium reduces the incidence of malignant cells in animal models, and enhances the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, such as Taxol[R] and adriamycin.

Coenzyme Q10

Cancer patients are often very seriously deficient in this nutrient. CoQ10 is an antioxidant that protects against numerous reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are involved in cancers, particularly breast cancer. Most impressively, researchers have reported cases of induced remission in late stage breast cancer patients taking CoQ10, and published reports indicate that it may also be therapeutic for patients with prostate cancer.

Boswellia Serrata

The major constituent -- boswellic acid -- has been shown to demonstrate anti-carcinogenic and anti-tumor activity in several animal models. It also reduces inflammation and favors the production of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, which prevent metastasis.