In cancer fight, a spice brings hope to the table

Houston Chronicle ^ | July 11, 2005 | TODD ACKERMAN

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Thanks!

[John Robertson]

"Most intriguing, the rate of colon,
breast, prostate and lung cancer is
10 times lower in India than in the
United States."

Yeah. Because nobodly lives long enough over there to get those. I'm betting our death rates from starvation, instestinal worms and honor killings are 1000 times lower.

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

Bookmark.

[Freebird Forever]

In Alexander Solzhenitsyn's novel, CANCER WARD, the patients have a long discussion about a tree bark tea that is supposed to work wonders.

Do you recall if the name of the tree was mentioned?

Two which come to mind are:

the Pacific yew tree (Taxus brevifolia), from which the drug Paclitaxel (aka Taxol) is derived; and

Taheebo (Tabebuia Avellanedae or Tabebuia Impetiginosa) from which Pao d'Arco is obtained.

[Monterrosa-24]

I still have the book in English and in Russian. I'll track it down and get back to you.

CANCER WARD is a great novel. On one level it is about socialized medicine in the Soviet Union, but on a deeper level it is about the Soviet Union, and on a still deeper level it is about life and its universal truths.

[Rushgrrl]

In my opinion, anything that is found to kill or inhibit the growth of cancer cells will quickly be dashed by the FDA. There are MANY many foods/combination of foods that are so rich in cancer-killing nutrients that they are too many to list here, but until doctors increase their knowledge of these, cancer will continue to be a money-making disease with no cure.

My husband is a Hodgkins lymphoma survivor and trust me, after the intense amount of research he and I have done on this, there is nothing that will convince me that a doctor knows the best treatment.

To sit and watch them hand out soda at the cancer center to people going through chemotherapy is a joke to me - sugar actually feeds cancer cells (for those of you who aren't aware of that), so you see, it does pay off to do your own research.

Strawberries have huge cancer-killing agents, as does juicing wheatgrass, along with a huge amount of other foods that aren't necessarily found in special retailers. Do your own research, don't always take someone else's word for it. Find out for yourself. Don't even take my word for it, but don't just sit and do nothing and expect the medical field to be the end-all-be-all of health, because it isn't. There are lives riding on it, your parents, your children, maybe even your spouse's or your own. So much money is made in the cancer-fighting industry it isn't funny and call me jaded, but just think about what the results would be if there were a cure found? I hope that makes a few people think. It sure did make me think.

[A CA Guy]

You have to wonder if they also drink a lot less soda, coffee, sugar and smoke less?

Is it a cultural reason or mostly a spice reason?

[little jeremiah]

Ah - I kind of thought that's what it must mean, but being very literal minded, I sometimes need things explained.

[little jeremiah]

As I noted up the thread, life expectancy figures are often misleading. Since in India the infant mortality is quite high, this brings down the life expectancy #s. There are plenty of old people in India.

"Honor" killings are a Muslim thing. India is primarily Hindu, about 15% Muslim. Pakistan is where the "honor" killins primarily happen.

[little jeremiah]

I have had good iron levels almost my whole despite eating no meat for 35 yrs. With one pregnancy and one bad miscarriage, the levels got low. Eating iron rich foods like dried fruit, beans, whole wheat, sesame tahini, and a wonderful herbal supplement called "Floradix" brought it back in no time.


In case you're wondering, I'm Mrs LJ)

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

We'd all die from cancer if we lived long enough. It sounds a bit warped, but if you live long enough to get cancer, it usually shows you've done something right--e.g., you didn't do something young and dumb like drugs or drinking and driving.

I'd rather be an average American with a lifespan of 75 and a much higher risk of cancer than an average Indian with a lifespan of less than 60 with a lower risk of cancer.

[justshutupandtakeit]

God graced my life with Arlene for a little more than twenty years and our sons help fill the hole left by her absence. Without her I doubt I would have done anything worthwhile except chase skirts and pleasure. But Love transforms even the meanest of creatures.

One of my greatest regrets is that she cannot see how well her boys turned out. At the time of her death the elder had just (somehow) graduated from high school. He went on to do an about-face, graduated from college and is now a Navy Nuke. The younger will be a college senior next year Dean's List last term. Both are fine handsome young gentlemen as well.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Cancer brought me to a firm conclusion Pray for a Heart Attack. Arlene was as gorgeous a woman as ever lived. At her death she had wasted away to concentration camp appearance. Thanks for your kind thoughts.

[who knows what evil?]

I don't think the medical researchers will find a cure for cancer but from what I've been reading, there are natural cures out there. If you can keep your body alkaline, they say you can't get cancer. It can't exist in a body that's alkaline. An acid body catches all kinds of diseases. I wish they'd look more into that. Diet is an important part of staying and getting healthy.

You're on the right track. I have read the info re: alkalinity, as well. "Curing" cancer isn't the avenue we should be pursuing, but rather preventing it in the first place. Diet is priority one!

[basil]

I hope you take comfort in knowing that you will be with Arlene in eternity, and that as long as you and your sons live, she is alive in you.

[Old Professer]

The life expectancy in India for males is 58.5 years and only slightly greater for females.

[Old Professer]

One of these days, I'm going to read the whole thread before I sound off; I promise, really, sure, one of these days...

[justshutupandtakeit]

I see her in their handsome faces (and sometimes their hot tempers lol.)

I thank God for the time he gave mr with her.