My Unexpected Guide; learning from cancer: September 2018

Sunday 30 September 2018

Can we starve our cancer?

Oh my... this book so resonated with me and was a great read. I learnt lots more about cancer and it's helping me rethink my approach - but more of that in a moment. I first heard Jane McLelland speak at Trew Fields then again met her last weekend in Guildford. You can see my short film below of Jane outlining her approach.

At both these talks and in her book Jane shares her amazing story; how 16 years ago she was diagnosed with stage 4 (terminal) cervical cancer and used a combination of cheap, easy to use drugs with minimal side effects - many of these are off label drug combinations. Off label as they are not prescribed for cancer, for example Metformin is used for diabetes while Statins are for people with high cholesterol. Jane hasn’t had a cancer ‘episode’ for years.

Jane writes that there are around 60 drugs with anti-cancer effects and that certain combinations of these are proving to be extremely powerful. Furthermore new studies are showing remissions with late stage cancers and raising the possibility of cures, especially when the drug combinations are used at earlier stages. We have also seen that their appears to be no genetic answer to cancer; instead altered metabolism, the increased uptake of glucose and/or glutamine has been found to be common to all cancers.

The idea of drug combinations makes sense. This approach is used with HIV and AIDS. Cancer cells are constantly adapting and in order to grow they need sources of energy, mainly glucose with access to proteins and fat. If you starve a cancer cell of its energy from glucose then it redirects to other sources of energy like glutamine and fat. So we need to see how we can block the ‘fuel pipelines’ with our own drug cocktails.

Jane has produced an easy-to-follow ‘Metro Map’ that shows how this can be done using diet, supplements, off label drugs and exercise. This is the main part of her approach although there are other key elements that need tacking into consideration. I would strongly urge getting hold of Jane’s book. Here are a couple of key things I learnt which now seem commonsense;

1. Cancers can be fuelled in different ways. For example brain cancer and colorectal cancer are particularly responsive to glucose while prostate cancer is fed by fat and protein. This fits with a story I heard about a guy with prostate cancer who followed a Ketogenic Diet (ie a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that mimics the metabolic state of long-term fasting). He found his PSA climbing but when he looked more at reducing fats, that led to his PSA falling again. It would seem those with prostate cancer (and those with breast cancer) should perhaps avoid a Ketogenic Diet with it’s high fats(i)? Or perhaps take more care over the fats we eat? That of course doesn’t mean stopping a low glycemic diet so sadly Millionaires slices, Victoria sponges, white rice and more are not in my diet! It seems virtually all cancers respond to a reduced glucose intake. More on nutrition and diets in a future blog.

2. There is a distinction between supplements that prevent cancer and those that treat it. Some antioxidants are useful for prevention, like low oral doses of Vitamin C and E. However, there is a tipping point in cancer progression when, in Jane’s words, they ‘switch allegiance and support the enemy; they help promote and fuel cancer’s resistance to apoptosis (death). I’ve stopped low dose oral Vitamin C supplementation! I did have Intravenous Vitamin C (IVC) following my Transurethral Hyperthermia in Germany, which behaves in a completely different way to low dose - and would consider it in the future if part of a whole plan to tackle my cancer. IVC has been shown to be very effective at killing cancer stem cells, at high dose it is a pro-oxidant producing hydrogen peroxide around the tumour, so stem cells cannot survive, but as Jane warns, it is risky if not part of a combination strategy. Indeed I recall mixed information regarding IVC and prostate cancer - probably because IVC can push the cancer up the glutamine and fat pathways instead?

Jo Lawrance cartoon

It is interesting to notice my first reactions to this approach. Drugs?! I wanted to take a more natural approach to healing and didn’t drugs have nasty side-effects? However the more I’ve read the more I consider this integrative approach to have value; drawing on the best of orthodox and complimentary medicine. This seems to me another example of the mind-body revolution that is underway.

Next steps for me include some more reading then finding out more about treatment (ii). See more of Jane when she spoke at Trew Fields in 2017 before her book came out: https://youtu.be/93F5zIe6PTU

Update March 2019: Useful article: https://integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2019/03/blocking-cancer-with-combinations-of-supplements-and-off-label-drugs/?fbclid=IwAR2q6hxbwwP7mMoyYmxnLjvgh2CgU0iX6um3BgeXovBSwwoF2AhdE-hxWkU

Update June 2019: Useful video of Jane talking about how to start researching which pathways need blocking: https://youtu.be/t0ks0Eehg3Y

Update 7/11/20: just listened to Dr Nasha Winters in a video Q and A and she disagrees that oral Vitamin C can play a role in promoting cancer.

Notes

(i) See "Dr. Gonzalez Dismantles the Ketogenic Diet For Cancer” including short film interviewing Dr Gonzalez:

https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/dr-gonzalez-dismantles-ketogenic-diet-for-cancer/

(ii) See Jane's great Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/off.label.drugsforcancer/

This blog post was updated on 4th October 2018 to make it clearer regarding Vitamin C.

Sunday 23 September 2018

Why is Yes to Life the first charity to get a logo on this site?

Sue Cesare, Executive Director, Yes To Life

Since diagnosis, just over a year ago, I’ve come into contact with quite a number of the cancer charities through workshops, events and more. Some have disappointed but others have impressed me like Penny Brohn and CancerActive. However in terms of a national charity that provides support, info, funding and a helpline I wanted to start with highlighting Yes to Life. It is a good resource, particularly if new to cancer and Integrative Medicine - as is their book ‘The Cancer Revolution. Integrative Medicine. The Future of Cancer Care” by Patricia Peat.

One of the things I like about the charity is the integrative approach. It does seem extraordinary to me how little attention oncologists seem to pay to Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). A study five years ago found that almost a third of UK cancer patients have used CAM since their cancer diagnosis (i). This figure is similar to the one found globally for prostate cancer (ii). In a talk at the Guildford Wellness Day yesterday Professor Dr Alexander Herzog suggests that up to 80% of cancer patients are looking at CAM. Others have also suggested similar high numbers of cancer patients using CAM.

Cartoon by Stroud artist, Russ

What is perhaps concerning is that most patients don’t feel able to tell their physicians’ about their use of CAM. Dr Herzog suggests there is a problem of confidence; in part due to physicians lack of knowledge around such treatments and their often negative attitude. Indeed most doctors have had little or no training in CAM - and for that matter in exercise or nutrition (iii).

There are also relentless attacks by media about alternative medicine ‘cancer quackery’; some of it justified. However this has helped create a climate where people feel less able to share with their doctors any CAM they might be trying.

Interestingly I just read a new blog by Jerome Burne on the Yes To Life’s website about perhaps an even bigger deception by the press (iv). It was revealed in the BMJ that the UK national press had been engaging in a mass Fake News exercise about something called the Cancer Drug Fund. The press reported the exact opposite of the truth suggesting that this Fund was good at approving safe and effective cancer drugs. Incredibly 1.4 billion pounds of taxpayers money was spent on very expensive cancer drugs for no benefit.

Amazingly there is still no call for enquiries into this shocking story.

As I noted in my last blog a Mind-Body Revolution is coming, but it is slow! Yes To Life and their Integrative approach are part of supporting that move. To me it makes total sense to use both Orthodox and Complimentary approaches, but we all need to consider very carefully the treatments on offer. It is not just CAM quackery, there are also some very dodgy treatments as this Cancer Drug Fund story illustrates.

Here’s Sue De Cesare in the film below introducing Yes To Life. I met her yesterday in Guildford at Surrey’s Wellness Day with it's ‘acclaimed holistic exhibition’ and their series of speakers about cancer. More from that day coming soon to this blog!

Yes to Life have added this blog to their website here.