cancer, one disease?

April 2, 2009

There has been a short discussion on this list as to whether cancer

is one disease or many different diseases. There are a great number

of commonalities among the many different cancers. These can be some

of the surface markers, the changes in the cancer cell membrane, some

of the biochemical pathways, and the devices that cancer uses to

disarm immune function. To the degree that these traits are shared

the practitioner can find many useful general purpose

treatments. The usefulness of these treatments tends to steer one in

the direction of thinking of cancer as one disease with perhaps many faces.

On the other hand there are thousands of unique attributes that

characterize the different cancers. These can be individually

targeted. If one focuses only on the uniqueness of a cancer then it

would be easy to conclude that there are hundreds or thousands of

discrete types of cancer.

Anything you do in cancer therapy affects a change in a biological

pathway. Anytime you affect a biological pathway you are also

affecting many other pathways. Some of the changes are desirable,

some undesirable, some unknown or inconsequential. I would be hard

pressed to think of any effective treatment without a downside, and

any poison without an upside.

Do enzymes cause metastasis? Sure they do, but a person might well

die of other aspects of the disease, or get cured of the disease,

before significant metastasis occurs. It is through enzymes (the

matrix metalloproteinases) that all metastasis occurs. There is much

research in both conventional and alternative medicine to inhibit

these enzymes. Whenever I find a patient with inexplicably fast

metastasis I always ask if they were taking enzymes. Surprisingly

often I hear yes.

Enzymes are one of nature's greatest inventions. It was enzymes that

allowed life to evolve outside of the ocean, otherwise we would be

forever stuck to wiggling around in catalytic seas. Enzymes could

snatch up a mineral when available, be it magnesium, cobalt, zinc,

selenium, etc., and pack it to go. One of the most fascinating areas

of scientific research is the concordance of enzymes and catalysts.

We want to be very, very selective with our intentional use of

enzymes. We could chew up the world with their willy-nilly use.

Likewise we can bring the whole world of the living to a screeching

halt with the unfettered use of enzyme inhibitors.

Yes, list, I believe in evolution. I just don't care enough to find

conflicts between science and religion. I leave that business to

people who are more warlike than me. It is personally interesting to

me that the vast majority of people who do my program are religious

and from every religion. Part of the joy of my work is teaching

people how to compartmentalize their belief systems. Sometimes it

seems that my program becomes filled with fundamentalist

preachers. I don't know what draws them to me; maybe for them it is

walk on the wild side. Maybe I am ripe for saving. Some people are

just born without the gene for religion.just as some people are

incapable of appreciating art. When I was younger I tried to pray,

but just felt like a total fraud.

Religion has to be genetic. My father who was extremely intelligent

would always go to church on Sunday and was a big contributor. He

thought that the church did good work and he enjoyed the social

aspects of it, but just couldn't connect with any unwarranted

belief. My two sons are ultra smart. I offered to take them to any

church, or synagogue, or masjid. I think it is important to be well

rounded. My boys just look at me like I'm crazy. They are

wrong. Religion can be an enriching part of the human experience --

for those with the gene.

April 2, 2009

Contrary to what , Director of a Non-Profit Integrative Cancer Treatment

Center, states there are others who would disagree.

My doctor who also holds high credentials places his patients on enyzmes.

He is from a multi-generation family of botanical medical practitioners and the

only Naturopathic Doctor and Acupuncturist to Direct two(2) Hospital based

Integrative Medicine Centers. The New York Association of Naturopathic

Physicians named him 2006 Physician of the Year. He lectures internationally and

has authored two leading books on healing. He holds a Doctor of Naturopathic

Medicine and a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from the National College

of Natural Medicine in Portland OR, is Board Certified by the National

Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and is a Fellow

of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology. He also holds a Master of Arts

in Applied Theology, what a blessing to have your doctor pray for you.

If you live in the Upstate New York area, have cancer, I would highly recommend

him as he has extended the lives of many.

....Do enzymes cause metastasis? Sure they do, but a person might well die of

other aspects of the disease, or get cured of the disease, before significant

metastasis occurs. It is through enzymes (the matrix metalloproteinases) that

all metastasis occurs. There is much research in both conventional and

alternative medicine to inhibit these enzymes. Whenever I find a patient with

inexplicably fast metastasis I always ask if they were taking enzymes.

Surprisingly often I hear yes.....

We want to be very, very selective with our intentional use of

enzymes. We could chew up the world with their willy-nilly use....

Yes, list, I believe in evolution. I just don't care enough to find

conflicts between science and religion....Some people are

just born without the gene for religion.just as some people are

incapable of appreciating art. When I was younger I tried to pray,

but just felt like a total fraud....

April 2, 2009

Dr Kelley has a book called one answer to cancer. read it on his

web site. http://www.drkelley.com/

I never heard of enzymes causing cancer to spread. Maybe they did not

take enough to kill the cancer.

I want to check out this information.

>

> ...Do enzymes cause metastasis? Sure they do, but a person might well

die of other aspects of the disease, or get cured of the disease, before

significant metastasis occurs. It is through enzymes (the matrix

metalloproteinases) that all metastasis occurs. There is much research

in both conventional and alternative medicine to inhibit these enzymes.

Whenever I find a patient with inexplicably fast metastasis I always ask

if they were taking enzymes. Surprisingly often I hear yes.....

>

> We want to be very, very selective with our intentional use of

> enzymes. We could chew up the world with their willy-nilly use....

>

> Yes, list, I believe in evolution. I just don't care enough to find

> conflicts between science and religion....Some people are

> just born without the gene for religion.just as some people are

> incapable of appreciating art. When I was younger I tried to pray,

> but just felt like a total fraud....

>

April 2, 2009

Let me add to my earlier post from the National Cancer Institute regarding " A

group of Enzymes "

First: " matrix metalloproteinase

" A member of a group of enzymes that can break down proteins, such as

collagen, that are normally found in the spaces between cells in tissues (i.e.,

extracellular matrix proteins). Because these enzymes need zinc or calcium atoms

to work properly, they are called metalloproteinases. Matrix metalloproteinases

are involved in wound healing, angiogenesis, and tumor cell metastasis. "

Second:

From this report I get that they speak of a " member of a group of enzymes "

not all enzymes and perhaps I'm being picky here but apparently there are

certain enzymes that have been found to be involved with 'tumor cell

metastasis'. Perhaps it is just these enzymes that are problems and that some

are not? Again, as I said earlier, it is too deep for me. It also says,

" involved " and involved like everything else does not mean 'always'.

April 2, 2009

Joe: There are thousands of enzymes. Yes, there is a specific enzyme (or group

of related enzymes) that is involved with allowing tumors to cut into tissue and

establish themselves.

But does this mean that pancreatic enzymes are bad? I can't see how, any more

than saying that all Englishmen are bad because Jack the Ripper was an

Englishman.

>

> Let me add to my earlier post from the National Cancer Institute regarding " A

group of Enzymes "

>

> First: " matrix metalloproteinase

>

> " A member of a group of enzymes that can break down proteins, such as

collagen, that are normally found in the spaces between cells in tissues (i.e.,

extracellular matrix proteins). Because these enzymes need zinc or calcium atoms

to work properly, they are called metalloproteinases. Matrix metalloproteinases

are involved in wound healing, angiogenesis, and tumor cell metastasis. "

>

> Second:

>

> From this report I get that they speak of a " member of a group of

enzymes " not all enzymes and perhaps I'm being picky here but apparently there

are certain enzymes that have been found to be involved with 'tumor cell

metastasis'. Perhaps it is just these enzymes that are problems and that some

are not? Again, as I said earlier, it is too deep for me. It also says,

" involved " and involved like everything else does not mean 'always'.

>

April 2, 2009

Of course there are thousands of enzymes and in food too not just beefed up

supplements.

However, what I read about these 'certain' enzymes pertain more to the 'eating

away of the protective coating cells have thereby allowing the seeding of cells'

not about a tumor " cutting into tissue " . When a subject like this comes up

it starts getting into a much deeper thought process than most of us can dance

in. Neither what I wrote or others have written clear up whether or not there

is a very limited number of enzymes or a lot that are problematic but it is

obvious that 'some' enzymes actually are involved with tumor metastasis and

angiogenesis as well as wound healing as the NCI definition claims.

While I do not go to the NCI for methods to keep or get well, I would find it

difficult to take their statement about enzymes and define it as wrong. That's

about it for me and enzymes. It's late here on the East Coast.

Joe C.

April 3, 2009

What percentage of cancer patients use high-dose enzymes as a cancer

treatment. My guess is about ten percent use enzymes and perhaps

half of these (5%) use high dose proteolytic enzymes as their main

therapy. I always ask to see all their meds when they first come in.

Of those patients who seem to have inexplicably high rates of

metastasis that number reaches up to about 50%. I would be derelict

if I did not advise them to immediately discontinue their use.

There was an article several years ago in New York magazine on the

use of enzymes by . The authors could find

virtually no documentable cures. I thought that perhaps there was

bias. It is almost impossible to find any area of medicine

(conventional or naturopathic) nor any area of journalism that is not

completely sullied with bias. I tried to track back to every study

that I could find that would give guidance in the use of enzymes.

The early theories sounded great and conventional researchers jumped

in with enthusiasm. The research is reported in Kemp's " Diseases of

the Stomach, Intestines, and Pancreas " in 1917. Wm. S. Bainbridge

reported on 100 cases in the Medical Record of July 17, 1909 and

found the method to be an absolute failure.

I tracked down everything I could find in support of the use of

enzyme therapies, but all the information came second or third or

forth hand from true believers or from those who make a living from

it. When ' teacher, the Texas dentist Wm. Kelley, was called

to task about the ineffectiveness the enzymes he would claim that the

medical industry conspirators took the good stuff off the

market. Most practitioners who used oral enzymes claimed only theirs

have efficacy and all others are suspect.

The whole enzyme paradigm was based on the speculations and

observations of biologist Beard in 1906 and in 1911. Unlike

Kelley, Beard's research seems quite reasonable. Beard used

injections of trypsin with amylopsin (pancreatic amylase) and there

is evidence that he may have been on to something. If he were alive

today I think he would be appalled at what people are doing in his

name. There have been too many good ideas in medicine that have

degenerated into a belief system characterized by fantasy,

convenience, and marketing.

If we look at medicine as practiced 150 years ago by either

conventional or botanic practitioners, we find very little that is of

use today. Does anyone doubt that in another 150 years today's

medicine will be considered almost idiotic? Would it not make sense

to examine all of today's practices in this light and try to get a

head start on rational medicine of the future? Some might object

that we can't know tomorrow's science. Well, we can certainly get a

head start by reserving no respect for revered teachers, authorities,

and doctrines. We must attack and purge all our biases with a brutal

honesty that would shock our most mean-spirited critics.

April 3, 2009

Dear ,

What does one do if they no longer have a gall bladder? It is my understanding

that without a gallbladder, one can no longer break down vitamins ADEand K.

Should one take enzymes in that case with a uterine sarcoma cancer dignosis? Or

just eat foods that help break certain foods down such as papaya and pineapple.

I do have to wonder if enzymes are what made the cancer metasticize from the

uterus to the ovary??Thanks for your insight. Kay

Re: [ ] cancer, one disease?