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Leukemia

June 14, 2005 01:30 PM

A question from a reader.

"Hello Dr. DeVany. I would like to know your opinion on treating leukemia by means of elevating the immune system through antioxidants, cold water dousing, exercise and diet. My sister has just been diagnosed with acute myologenous leukemia, and will start Chemo soon. I want her to have some quality of life, and would like to help her if I can. Links or information would be welcome. Your blog is very informative. Thank you, Ron."

My answer...

Ron:

One in every three persons alive will face this problem at some point in their lives. It is part of our evolutionary legacy.

Sorry I know so little about this I don't have an opinion about some of these "interventions". Doctors might call exercise or glutathione an intervention, but they are how our species lived for millions of years. I would certainly listen carefully to your doctors as you ask them to answer your questions. I like to do a benefit cost analysis when possible, realizing that nobody knows how these things go over the course of time. And I always ask the doctor to help me do this kind of analysis. I ask for references to the literature too.

Unless this is an autoimmune problem (not likely) helping the immune system is always a good idea. Exercise, only brief strength building not wearing her down, will keep her strength and spirits higher. If it were me, I would have her on glutathione, though I have no reference to point to. Do visit Dr. Demopulous site HMPScience and see what references and points he might have for you.

I do think you have the right attitude. Do the research and see what you can do to shape the future evolution of the disease.

I suggest a book called Cancer: The Evolutionary Legacy (Oxford) by a scientist named Mel Greaves. He is an expert on leukaemia (as the Brits spell it). He puts forth a Darwinian explanation of cancer in contrast to the somewhat silly models of genetic disorder or infectious disease.

The most promising, at least in my mind, work on cancer is attempting to keep the cancer cells from expressing telomerase, the enzyme that maintains the length of the telomeres on the tail of the cell genes. Cancer cells outlast the Hayflick limit on cell reproduction because they have found a way to make telomerase that restores the tail of telomeres on the genes. Cancer cells are social non-cooperating cells that refuse to obey the apoptosis signal.

· Evolutionary Fitness

Comments

Posted by: Flower Online [TypeKey Profile Page] at September 12, 2006 3:41 AM

..i would also check out Dr Nick Gonzales MD
He trained at Sloan Kettering.
His regime is sometimes paleo but look at the web site http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/regimen_txt.htm
He's been doing his thing for 23 years and if i had cancer i would seriously read what he says vis enzymes, efa's, nutrition etc.
Hope of some use

Posted by: simon FELLOWS at June 14, 2005 4:44 PM

Hello,
This is actually a comment for Ron. I would suggest going to Dr. Ralph Moss' website www.cancerdecisions.com.

Dr. Moss is a research oriented doctor that, for a fee, will provide you with a complete report on whatever type of cancer you request info on. This report will include the latest research on all legitimate therapies found to be helpful for the cancer in question, conventional and alternative.

As a naturopathic physician, it is the most comprehensive resource for cancer info I have been able to find.

Good luck!

Posted by: Daniel at June 14, 2005 2:33 PM

Many new anti-cancer drugs attempt to foul tumor cell energetics. There is an "old-school" approach that achieves similar results:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=7790697&query_hl=2

Effects of a ketogenic diet on tumor metabolism and nutritional status in pediatric oncology patients: two case reports.

Nebeling LC, Miraldi F, Shurin SB, Lerner E.

Nutrition Department, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

OBJECTIVE: Establish dietary-induced ketosis in pediatric oncology patients to determine if a ketogenic state would decrease glucose availability to certain tumors, thereby potentially impairing tumor metabolism without adversely affecting the patient's overall nutritional status. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: University Hospitals of Cleveland. SUBJECTS: Two female pediatric patients with advanced stage malignant Astrocytoma tumors. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were followed as outpatients for 8 weeks. Ketosis was maintained by consuming a 60% medium chain triglyceride oil-based diet. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Tumor glucose metabolism was assessed by Positron Emission Tomography (PET), comparing [Fluorine-18] 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake at the tumor site before and following the trial period. RESULTS: Within 7 days of initiating the ketogenic diet, blood glucose levels declined to low-normal levels and blood ketones were elevated twenty to thirty fold. Results of PET scans indicated a 21.8% average decrease in glucose uptake at the tumor site in both subjects. One patient exhibited significant clinical improvements in mood and new skill development during the study. She continued the ketogenic diet for an additional twelve months, remaining free of disease progression. CONCLUSION: While this diet does not replace conventional antineoplastic treatments, these preliminary results suggest a potential for clinical application which merits further research.

Publication Types:
Case Reports

PMID: 7790697 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Posted by: Robert Cooney at June 14, 2005 2:30 PM

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