A New Approach to Pancreatic Cancer...

So, here's the thing... we talk a lot about Hope on these pages.  Hope in the fight.  Hope for the cure.  Hope for better days ahead...

When mom was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, her options were limited.  We have shared so much about the treatments here on the blog and the website.  They were traditional/conventional therapies, the standard treatments of chemo and radiation... with an abysmal cure rate.

Somewhere along that road we hit the wall and started to question everything we knew about this cancer and the journey we were on...

In 2016, those thoughts and the ensuing research resulted in a series called The Truth About Cancer: And a Little Hope.

We spent our time exploring the current state of affairs with pancreatic cancer and braved the nay-sayers, opening the door to question the value of alternative therapies and treatments.

It was an eye-opener and one that has marshaled in a season of curiosity and research... We have come to believe that we fall somewhere in the camp between the traditional and alternative... more of a complementarian approach, if you will.  Some call it Integrative Cancer Care, taking the best from each world and attacking the cancer with no holds barred.

As Integrative care has become more widely practiced, we've taken a very personal interest in this innovative approach.

And here's why... when mom was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, her symptoms were pronounced and urgent.  The mass on her pancreas had grown large enough to press in on her bile duct and pancreatic duct, effectively closing them off, trapping bile and digestive enzymes.

The pain was intense, and the jaundice was terribly alarming.  Doctors performed an ERCP (surgical procedure under anesthesia) and inserted stents (small plastic tubes) to open the ducts and allow the trapped bile to drain.

Mom's physical relief was almost instant, even as our emotional world was collapsing with the news of her cancer diagnosis.

But the truth here is that conventional/surgical treatment probably saved mom's life at the very beginning of her cancer journey.  So yes, we fall into the traditional camp...

However...

We also believe that some alternative therapies are truly life-savers too.  You might have heard of this one!  The year was 1535, with a brutal winter upon the St. Lawrence River.  Captain Jacques Cartier was up to his hip boots in dying sailors.  A strange disease had taken hold on his ship and most of his men were in misery.  Bone-deep fatigue, frightening skin rashes, bleeding gums, partial paralysis.  Many feared witchcraft or spells cast on them by the native populace.

With a dying crew, Cartier was out of options.  In a last ditch effort, he turned to those same natives for help.  The locals boiled the needles of the tall White Cedar trees that lined the river banks and made a tea for the crew.  Almost immediately the crew began to feel better.

Jacques Cartier was astounded at the miraculous turn-around.  Little did he know that he had just witnessed a simple, natural cure for Scurvy.

The needles of the White Cedar trees are chock full of Vitamin C.  And Vitamin C deficiency is what his sailors were experiencing.

Just a quick fact:  it is estimated that between the years 1500 and 1800, scurvy claimed the lives of at least 2 million sailors.

All for the lack of Vitamin C...  Adding this vitamin from healthy sources to our diet is what, today, we call an alternative or non-traditional approach to medical treatment.

So, yes, we believe in certain Alternative therapies.

Quite a confusing dilemma.  Conventional?  Alternative?  Both approaches have merit.  And as the saying goes Never throw the baby out with the bathwater... So, then, the cancer patient is faced with the very difficult job of weeding through the treatments that have merit and are backed by scientific research... And the treatments that are nothing but fancy snake oils sold by unscrupulous quacks.

Which brings me to point of this post, yes, there is a point, and I know that was a long intro (the farmer is right, I can always make a long story, longer... truth!)

But here is the point... in our research, we have just discovered a therapy that may have merit for every pancreatic cancer patient.  And it falls into the Complementarian Camp, a mix of both Conventional and Alternative.

First of all, meet Dr. Mirko Beljanski (1923-1998)

Dr. Beljanski believed in complementary medicine long before it was accepted.  Perhaps that is the reason his research and studies have been buried for so many years.

Just recently renewed interest in his work has brought the spotlight to bear on his body of work and the possibilities it has for treating pancreatic cancer.  

But first, let's back up and explore a little about Dr. Beljanski and his background.

As a molecular biologist, Dr. Beljanski pursued the cellular route to eradicating cancer.  In very simplified terms, he discovered that cancer cells "relax" the DNA helix of each cell, which opens a large area of the cell and allows replication of the mutated or cancerous cells.

His premise was that if the cancerous cells could be altered or mutated to open their cells, there must be a way to close the cell and stop the cancer from replicating or growing.

Dr. Beljanski spent over 50 years devoted to the scientific study of these cancerous cells.  I could never condense a lifetime of work into one small post... his research covered things like cancer DNA, Oncogenes, RNA replication, Cancer Stem Cells... He published over a hundered scientific papers, wrote 2 books and filed for 11 patents during this time... 

But in the effort to get to the point ;-) this is Jane's-condensed version:

Through the years of research, Dr. Beljanski identified 2 particular plant extracts that targeted the damaged DNA in cancer cells, prevented the DNA replication and thus caused death of the tumor cells.

In a word, these plant extracts eliminated the cancer cells in study after study.  And not just any cancer cells, they stopped pancreatic cancer cells in their tracks! Without damaging healthy cells, so no nasty side effects.

So, curious what the plants are?  Ya, me too!

It is the Pao pereira plant and the Rauwolfia vomitoria plant.  Kind of wished they had more catchy names, but no matter, they are now the subject of extensive scientific research in numerous medical trials.   

Don't just take my word... go explore these studies and make your own determination:

1.  The Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics at KU Integrative Medicine:  Inhibition of pancreatic cancer stem cells by Rauwolfia vomitoria extract.  Dec. 2018  

Study results showed that Rau preferentially inhibited pancreatic cancer stem cells.  Further investigation is warranted to examine the potential of Rau as a novel treatment for pancreatic cancer.

2.  The University of Kansas Medical Center:  Extract of the Medicinal Plant Pao Pereira Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Stem-Like Cell In Vitro and In Vivo.

Their study model:  "In the present study (July 2018), we investigated a natural product, the extract of Pao Pereira (Pao), for its anti-pancreatic cancer effect in vitro and in vivo, either alone or in combination with the first-line chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine (Gem).  Pao induced dose-dependent apoptosis to all five tested pancreatic cancer cell lines.  The combination of Pao and Gem had a synergistic effect in the inhibition of cell growth."

Ok... in plain speak... their study put the plant extract and the chemo drug, Gemzar, to work together (synergistically) to stop pancreatic cancer cell growth.  That's complementarian medicine at work... both the traditional and alternative working together to stop pancreatic cancer in its tracks. Oh, yes... that's the news we want to shout from rooftops!

Today, Dr. Beljanski's work continues at The Beljanski Foundation here in the United States.  And his products, the plant extracts, are distributed by Natural Source International, Ltd.

Jean Le Guen shares his story with pancreatic cancer and Dr. Beljanski's natural products here.  It is an amazing story of surviving a terminal diagnosis with an integrative approach.  Well worth the read.

Dr. Beljanski's protocol for treating pancreatic cancer is as follows: 

This is an extremely difficult malignancy to overcome inasmuch as it has a mere 1.5 % rate of survival for up to 5 years.  In addition to conventional treatments (generally radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy), take:

Pao Pereira:  10 capsules or more each day

Rauwolfia vomitoria:  5 capsules per day
Ginkgo biloba:  6-8 capsules per day

***And please, remember, nothing on this website construes medical advice... always, always, speak with your oncology team before attempting or changing your treatment plan.

The jury is still out on Dr. Beljanski's protocol.  More studies and clinical trials are needed.  We share it here because preliminary studies are exciting and showing promise.  And that means Hope for the fight!

Mom's cancer treatment consisted of the conventional treatments available at the time, chemotherapy and radiation.  It was a year-long study in how not to battle pancreatic cancer... the nausea, vomiting, weight-loss, abdominal pain, complications... all signals that we were losing the fight, inch by excruciating inch.

So... in a nutshell, mom benefited from that immediate surgery to open her bile and pancreatic ducts.  We believe she would have died if not for that life-saving surgery.  And the chemo and radiation extended her life for a short time, that we believe as well... but at what cost?

Because the truth is that she did die of pancreatic cancer, while receiving the very best conventional treatments her doctors could make available.  

This is the why, when asked if we think alternative treatments have merit... Why we would think alternative therapy should be considered... for mom's story is not unique.  Conventional pancreatic cancer treatments have just not been able to breach the wall.  Too many precious ones are losing the fight.  We have to do better.

Dr. Beljanski would agree and he spent his life devoted to finding a better way.  A complementarian approach that brings the best of both worlds to the table.

Graced tonight that the work continues.  Believing in a cure in our lifetime.  Trusting in Grace to carry us through the storm while we fight.

That is Hope!

Could this Tiny Little Herb be a Game-Changer in the Cancer Fight?

Sometimes when we're in the trenches fighting cancer, struggling with the emotional and physical weariness, it's very easy to feel all alone.

And to forget that their are angels working diligently in their labs around the world to find new treatments that will turn the tide on this cancer fight.  Their work continues, often in the shadows, to investigate and track down leads that give hope to each and every cancer fighter.

Some of those angels work at the Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia. Their team in the cancer center has focused their work on a traditional  herbal medicine called Nigella Sativa.

They have found that this ancient herb can actually kill Pancreatic Cancer cells... in controlled studies... in their lab.

Can I get a shout out?!!

Very exciting news on the pancreatic cancer front.  But... you knew there would be a But right?!

But... the research is still so very preliminary.  The work is yet to be replicated in a large human study.

Yet, this is a breakthrough worthy of sharing.  And worthy of watching.

So what, exactly, is Nigella Sativa?  You might be surprised to find it sitting in your spice rack already.

You may know it by one of its more common names: 

Black Seed

Black Cumin

Black Caraway

Small Fennel

Kalonji

Nigella Sativa is actually an annual flowering plant found in mostly in Asia.  

The flowers are small, usually a pale blue and white, growing up to 12 inches tall, producing a fruit with seeds that are used to flavor many cuisines.

In addition to its culinary uses, the Nigella Sativa's seeds are also know for their medicinal properties.  Through the ages, the black cumin seeds, or Black Seed Oil, have been used in various traditional herbal remedies for a wide range of ailments such as respiratory disorders, headache and back pain, diabetes, infection, hypertension and digestive tract afflictions.

Among the wide range of illnesses treated with Nigella sativa there were some early studies showing the black seeds had some anti-cancer properties in both prostate and colon cancers.  Dr. Hwyda Arafat led her team at the Kimmel Cancer Center in using the active ingredient in the black seed extract, called Thymoquinone, to treat a human pancreatic cancer cell line in the lab.

The results were nothing short of amazing.  The team found that adding thymoquinone killed approximately 80% of the cancer cells.  Their work demonstrated that the thymoquinone triggered programmed cell death in the pancreatic cancer cells.

While the Kimmel Cancer Center has still not been able to pursue a human trial, there has been a small study done at the Bezmialem Vakif University in Turkey with 20 pancreatic cancer patients...

The study used the nigella sativa seed and pure honey in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation and was conducted by a team of 8 doctors in the Department of Oncology. The results were reported in the Journal of Nutritional Health and Food Engineering.  

Again, news worth sharing!

The results from their trial revealed that chemotherapy supported by Nigella Sativa and pure honey consumption increased the survival time when used before and during treatment of pancreatic cancer patients. 

And that is a Huge win for the pancreatic cancer world!  Still not the cure we are fighting for, but it is a breakthrough for more time.  

More time to spend with family... More time to fulfill those dreams... More time to say I love you...

And more time to find the Cure!

Graced to Hope this night,

            Jane

P.S. Always, always check with your oncology team before adding or changing your diet and/or supplements.  Nigella sativa may be a game-changer in the cancer fight, but it also comes with its fair share of warnings... when used in high doses, the black seed oil can become toxic.  Never try to dose yourself with herbal remedies without the care and guidance of a qualified doctor... 

My Love, Always!

• 
  

Tea Time!

If you've been around the pancreatic cancer journey long enough, you will have heard us mention Essiac Tea... 

And recently, we shared the story of Kathryn Hahn, a pancreatic cancer survivor, who has included Essiac Tea as part of her disciplined regimen...

So what exactly makes this tea so extraordinary?  The Truth About Cancer shares a little of its history and its use as a natural, alternative therapy for cancer patients:


"Cancer is the second leading cause of death (behind heart disease) in the United States according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The western world spends trillions of dollars each year on conventional cancer treatments with limited results. Natural and inexpensive herbs and botanicals such as Essiac tea have great promise to help many who are suffering from cancer and other chronic diseases.

Powerful and effective natural cancer treatments that aid the body in healing have been discovered and utilized for years. Unfortunately, many of these natural strategies have been opposed by public health agencies and the medical mainstream. One natural approach that has been used successfully with cancer is Essiac tea.

The History of Essiac Tea

Essiac tea is said to have been an ancient recipe made by the Ojibwe tribes of Native Americans who populate areas of Canada and the northern United States. It was referred to as the “Ojibwa Tea of Life.” A Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse, was the first to use it to help her patients who were recovering from various forms of cancer. (Essiac is “Caisse” spelled backwards.)
Caisse began to see remarkable results with her patients and wanted to make this elixir available for widespread usage. In the 1920s she began working with Dr. Charles Brusch to formulate an herbal mixture similar to the original drink that could be studied in a laboratory setting.^1,2
Caisse and Dr. Brusch began promoting the use of Essiac tea as an effective and affordable alternative cancer treatment. This caught the attention of the mainstream medical industry who went about spreading rumors about health risks associated with consuming Essiac tea. Due to this pressure, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved Essiac tea for use as a cancer treatment.³ Currently, the FDA  lists Essiac tea as a new drug that is not generally recognized as safe.⁴
In spite of the negative attention they got from the public health agencies, Caisse and Dr. Brusch saw numerous patient testimonial stories using Essiac tea to overcome various forms of cancer. In 1938 (long before the internet), Caisse had over 55,000 people sign a petition to allow her to continue to treat cancer patients after she was accused of practicing medicine without a license. Thousands of patient testimonials lead to the popularity of Essiac tea far beyond Caisse, who passed away in 1978 at the age of 90. This herbal remedy can now be found in health stores all over the US and Canada and is a popular product sold in online markets.^3,5

The Essiac Tea Recipe

There are four primary herbs that make Essiac tea so effective.^1,5 These herbs help to destroy overgrowth of bad bacteria, viruses and parasites, and detoxify the colon, liver and kidneys.^6,7
These major herbs include:

1. Burdock Root
2. The inner bark of slippery elm
3. Sheep sorrel
4. Indian rhubarb root

A newer recipe named Flor Essence contains this original recipe and includes the addition of 4 more herbs:¹

1. Watercress
2. Blessed thistle
3. Red clover
4. Kelp

Essiac Tea Enhances Immune Function

Conventional cancer treatments increase the body’s toxic load and they destroy the individual’s immune system. Essiac tea, on the other hand, has shown the ability to strengthen the immune system and improve its ability to respond to infection. It also helps the body to eliminate toxins and provides pain relief which is welcome to anyone suffering from a chronic disease.^2,6,8
Some of the companies that make Essiac tea recommend that the tea should not be used in conjunction with conventional cancer treatments. This is based off the idea that the immune system gets so damaged through conventional treatments that Essiac is unable to resuscitate the body’s immune response.
Many others believe that all cancer patients or immunocompromised individuals will benefit from the use of Essiac tea due to its powerful immune supportive nutrients.⁸ Clinical data remains limited, however, due to lack of research-based funding for the elixir.

A Concentrated Source of Antioxidants

Oxidative stress is a condition characterized by free radical damage within the body that causes cellular instability and chronic inflammation. This state of high oxidative stress is a major player in the formation of cancer cells and other chronic disease states. Anti-oxidant compounds neutralize free radicals and quench oxidative stress and are therefore key components in a cancer prevention strategy.
Essiac tea is rich in phytonutrient antioxidant flavones, anthraquinones, and tannins. It is also rich in immune supportive polysaccharides such as beta-sitosterol that feed and strengthen immune cells.⁵ Studies have shown that varying concentrations of Essiac tea reduce free radical development by up to 84 percent.⁹
Pharmaceutical drugs make cancer drugs from these same antioxidant sources. Adriamycin, a chemotherapeutic drug approved by the FDA to treat 13 forms of cancer contains these same anthraquinones.^5,10
The anti-oxidant cocktail within Essiac tea is also a potent defense against superoxide free radicals. Superoxide radicals activate other free radicals and create a nightmarish storm of oxidative stress within the body.⁹ Immune supportive beta-sitosterol help to neutralize the dangerous superoxide radicals.^5,11

Essiac May Reduce Cell Mutations

Burdock root is the major ingredient in Essiac tea and it is rich in the anti-oxidant anthraquinone which has been shown to reduce cell mutations and prevent tumor growth. Several case studies have been written up that have reported claims that Essiac tea helped see a regression of tumor size and severity of symptoms. These patients suffered from different forms of cancer including uterus, prostate, and bowel cancer as well as growths on the skin’s surface.^2,5,6
Several animal studies have shown that Essiac tea usage decreases the ability of tumor cells to multiply. The researchers did note a decrease in growth of normal cells in these cases but the herbal extract was effective at preventing the proliferation of cancerous cells at a higher rate.⁸

Using Essiac Tea Safely 

The use of Essiac tea has been a very effective strategy for thousands of people over the last century. The herbs are safe and typically well-tolerated by the body. Using Essiac tea may be a great therapeutic tool for you in your cancer prevention and immune supportive health plan.
The typical dosage that is recommended is 1 fluid ounce (30ml) once daily, diluted with 2 fluid ounces of hot water. This should be sipped slowly like a hot tea and should be done preferably before bedtime and at least two hours after eating. Food should be avoided within at least an hour after drinking the tea.
It is always advisable to consult with your physician and holistic practitioner before starting any sort of new treatment."

               *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

As we get Back to the Basics, and tend our cancer diets, Essiac Tea may be a strong contender as a potential cancer fighting agent.

Always, always talk to your healthcare provider.  I can't stress this enough... many people just assume that herbs are harmless. Not So!  They can be powerful and potent and interact with other treatments that your doctor has already prescribed.  Please check before adding Essiac tea to your cancer diet...

But please don't let these warnings discourage you, Essiac tea has shown promise and should definitely be considered in your cancer regimen.

On this 31 Day Challenge, we are choosing honest, we are choosing brave and we are choosing to open the door of research and discussion as we wrestle with the nightmare of  this cancer journey.

Graced to be walking together,

My Love, Always,
         Jane

She Rises with Strength and Purpose

Felicity Corbin Wheeler is a passionate fighter.

She has faced the hardest of adversity in her life.

The loss of a beautiful 20-year old daughter to cancer...

And then the devastating diagnosis of pancreatic cancer that she herself faced in 2003.

Felicity's journey into the world of cancer led her down paths of heartache and pain, but she has risen with an astounding strength and purpose to see others healed with the inexpensive, immune system building, detoxing, body-mind-spirt-environment program that she says saved her life.

She shares this life-saving, common sense information in her Get Well Stay Well course and is a staunch advocate of natural healing therapies.

But if you're like me, and either have cancer or are waking beside a loved one with cancer, you want the nitty-gritty details... Ok, so you survived and did it naturally.  What exactly does that mean???

Felicity's generosity is larger than the Texas sky... on her website she shares in great detail her path out of the cancer wasteland... Here is a portion:

Six weeks to live! That was my diagnosis in 2003

But I have been blessed with a complete healing from a terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis with this Bible based nutritional and cleansing information. I have the scans to prove it!
And this information, which heals EVERY disease, is here for anyone with the intelligence to do some research.

IT IS  ALL ABOUT HEALING OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.

Now, at last there is a paradigm shift in medicine.

The most intelligent, experienced doctors around the world know that chronic degenerative diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, digestive diseases, and all other diseases are not eliminated by chemical medicine.

We need to detox from the chemical foods, drinks, air and stressful lifestyle that we have become addicted to.  We also need to revert to living plant foods, juices, and the peace of natural surroundings, exercise and fresh air.

Caffeinated drinks, loaded with sugar and chemicals make us sick. So does animal protein, which is dead flesh. Life can never come from dead flesh of another animal, with all the contaminants that animal carried. This includes dairy, which doctors now know is the main cause of sickness in the 21st century. Mother’s milk is the perfect food for offspring of each particular species, but drinking the milk of another animal makes mucoid placque in the body. This is the root cause of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and digestive disease. Meat and Dairy are now known as the “MAD DIET.”

For generations we have been duped by the multinational food corporations, backed by politicians, into believing food myths, which are killing us.

The gullible public have believed that governments are looking out after them, that health experts have our best interests at heart.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Goverments are only interested in the bottom line, financially. They want to have a healthy, productive workforce, who are expendable. Once we have passed our working usefulness, governments do not want to have to pay out pensions and health care. So they are NOT interested in our living to a long retirement!

Through the internet, brave doctors are now defying the laws brought in by Big Pharma and the lucrative, multinational power lobbies, and coming out with the truth at last. Many have been threatened with fines, imprisonment and loss of practice, but they have overcome.
These doctors are now reverting from chemical medicine which has been so fashionable and LUCRATIVE over the last 200 years, to natural biological medicine through organic plant food. They acknowledge the basic laws of nature, the plant based diet God gives us in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible Genesis 1:29 and 30.

This rebuilds the immune system God gave us, but many remain entrenched in the orthodox treatments of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. If you seek a non toxic and lifelong cure and a healthy life for yourself and your children, read on….

One in two of us now  will now develop cancer. One of my three children suddenly developed Hodgkin’s Lymphoma stage 4b when she was eighteen and an undergraduate at London University. She died only two years later, despite all the “best” chemotherapy and radiation orthodox treatment available.

I lived in the hospital in England with her for the last six months. All through the harsh treatment, including a bone marrow transplant which eventually killed her, she and I knew there had to be a better way. I promised her I would try to find it so that other people would not have to go through what she went through.

The repeated poisoning of the chemotherapy and burning from the radiation at famous London teaching hospitals, and finally one of Britain’s leading cancer hospitals, just did not stop the cancer returning, and each time she was weaker and less able to recover. She eventually died with great grace and courage, surrounded by her loving family back at home in Jersey at Easter 1989.

Having worked as a researcher in the Houses of Parliament in London, I wanted to know why young, fit people could get this dreadful disease, and investigated cancer causes and cures. Many of the young people who were being treated at the cancer hospital had come from areas where there were nuclear power stations. For us in the Channel Islands, the proximity of Cap de la Hague, 30 miles away in France, the radon in granite farm houses has also been suspect.

Scientific confirmation eventually came when tests on the well water at our farm showed a high level of toxicity which had seeped down to the level of the well from the chemicals sprayed on the farm by previous owners.

We have polluted our beautiful natural world in many ways, and the pollution is killing us.

I studied in London and America. I researched in Europe, the Far East, South Africa and Australia and New Zealand. However, I did not find the ultimate answer until I was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in September 2003.

I went to my London church for prayer after I had been given only a few weeks to live. I was in gut wrenching pain, only partially controlled by morphine, suffering horribly from nausea and jaundice and had lost a quarter of my body weight in two weeks.

A stent had been fitted to relieve the jaundice and liver failure that was killing me, by a kind and very competent consultant gastro-enterologist in the finest London military hospital, but after a week of tests it was decided the tumour was too large to be operated on. I had a no hope, no treatment diagnosis.

In my London church I was prayed for most powerfully by a woman pastor. Afterwards, she told me she had previously been a gastro-enterology nurse for one of the finest specialists in London.

The only hope I had in the natural, she said, was a cancer treatment called LAETRILE, or VITAMIN B17, based on God’s Word about our diet in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible.

A Christian cancer hospital in Mexico, had already helped one hundred thousand cancer patients with unprecedented success. Their treatment was based on the seeds God tells us to eat in Genesis.

In Genesis 1:29 and 30, God says “I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it, I give green plant for food.” The green plant is wheat and barley grass, which can be consumed by juicing, and all green vegetables.

She reminded me that we have removed most of these seeds and raw, natural, living enzymes from our diet, which is why cancer rates are escalating. For instance grapes are now mass produced without their precious seeds which contain the cancer preventing living enzymes. Supermarket bread is made from bleached refined wheat, with the wheat germ removed, whilst our ancestors ate bread made with whole grains including the life-giving seeds of millet and spelt rich in B17.

She also taught me that the richest source of the essence of seeds is the apricot kernel. The world famous biochemist Dr. Ernst Krebs, known to medical students for the “Krebs Cycle”, developed this life-giving substance into a liquid called laetrile, which can be given intravenously. It was given vitamin status and is known as vitamin B17. This intravenous laetrile, or vitamin B17, based on God’s Word in Genesis, was the only thing that could heal me in the natural in the few weeks I had left. God can do miracles when we come into obedience with His Word. She gave me the address of a website which my husband and I could research.

I obtained the B17 in the natural kernel form the next day. I went on the Genesis diet of herbs, vegetables, fruit, seeds, juices and green plants, took enzymes and detoxifying COFFEE ENEMAS, recommended by the GERSON THERAPY.   I did these five times a day to detox my liver. I also had the ampoules of laetrile sent from the hospital in Mexico.

The Oasis of Hope Hospital was founded by Dr. Ernesto Contreras, who was a Mexican Army doctor. He was curing patients with integrated health back in 1963.
His son Dr. Francisco Contreras, has directed the Hospital since his father’s passing, follows his father’s tradition of caring for the patients as though they were his own family. He says he would not give any treatment that he would not give to his own mother or wife. The hospital abounds with love and compassion.

Dr. Contreras rebuilds patient’s immune systems with his Integrative Regulatory therapy, always tries to do this naturally, but being one of the world’s top surgical oncologist he can operate as and when necessary and even gives the refined, individualised, insulin potentiated chemo when necessary.
Look at the website www.OasisofHope.com to see all the treatments used, such as Integrative Regulatory therapy, ozone treatments with UV, oxidative pre-conditioning, immune stimulation, signal transduction, cytoxic therapy, neutraceuticals, emotional and spiritual support.
Patients usually stay three weeks, and a companion is included in the cost.   This companion shares the suite offered, all juices and healthy food for the stay. Patients have treatments and lectures every day, and cooking classes to teach them now to STAY well once they go home. The dining room is a delight of beautiful healthy food, served by smiling Mexican staff, and abuzz with patients and their companions from all over the world, sharing their healing experiences. As a nurse as well as a patient, I can confirm Oasis really is the most caring hospital I have ever been in.

My own doctor in Jersey had no training in B17. He showed me in his medical journal that it contained powerful cyanide and was afraid to administer it. I had already read that the special hydrocyanic acid is only released on contact with a cancer cell, and is harmless to ordinary cells. But he was adamant. He was afraid of litigation. I tried another doctor who told me B17 would not work. It was interesting that one thought it too strong to be safe, and the other thought it not strong enough. For me, it was based on God’s Word, and I trusted Him completely.

Then a friend introduced me to a young woman doctor who did Hospice work. She understood B17, and gave it to me intravenously thirteen times, every other day. Within two months the pain reduced, and after eight months the scans show the tumour reduced to a mere scar. The medical establishment calls this a Medical Miracle, or excused it as a misdiagnosis. However, it was confirmed by three consultants. No misdiagnosis.

I know it was simply that from the moment I was prayed for, God brought the right people and the right information into my path and I came into obedience to His food laws, given in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible.

Our family, like most British families, had believed in eating a “balanced diet” which comprised mainly cooked food, animal protein, salt, sugar and refined grains. We ate eggs and bacon for breakfast, we drank packaged orange juice and had caffeine rich coffee and tea and chocolate. We drank very little alcohol in our family, but we did drink rich Jersey milk, ate cooked meat, fish and, chicken, and sweet deserts made with cream and sugar.
I had tried out the delicious new food offered over the last thirty years in supermarkets. I read the labels of contents and had not been concerned. I had bought a microwave, to make cooking quicker. Little did I realize that this kills ALL living enzymes in the food. I thought we had a healthy diet, but I had a lot to learn.

Cancer is a nutritional DEFICIENCY DISEASE, like scurvy or pellagra. It is not caused by bacterium, a virus or a mysterious toxin, but by the DEFICIENCY of a substance that we have removed from our diet. That substance is vitamin B17, derived from the seeds and living enzymes in the fresh raw vegetables, fruit and plants God tells us to eat in Genesis. When we add the toxicity of 21st century lifestyle to this deficiency we are living in a perfect storm. No wonder one in two of us now develops cancer.

We now know why we get sick. Despite all the prayer you can offer, God cannot heal us when we have blatantly disobeyed his basic rules for our diet.

Hosea 4:6 says “my people die for lack of knowledge”

If we lived on the food God ordains in Genesis 1:29 and 30, herbs, vegetables, fruit, seeds and green plant, we could not become sick. But our western diet is mainly dead cooked food; all enzymes and vitamins are destroyed when they are heated by whatever means to 107 degrees. We are simply not living on the raw, organic, living fruit, vegetables, seeds and green plants that God ordained. Processed juices, which I had previously used, are pasteurised and no longer contain living enzymes.

They are finding that cancer is a metabolic degenerative disease of deficiency, occurring in a vulnerable site of the body that has been damaged by pollution such as chemicals, smoke, alcohol, cortisol or any other stressor. Cutting, poisoning and burning will not address the real problem, which is the body’s desperate need for the vital living enzymes God designed us to consume.

Laetrile, found in the seeds of apricots, grapes and apples, and also in wheatgrass and barleygrass, gives the body the richest source of vitamins A, B including B17, C, organic calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, organic iron to build the blood, and 92 out of 102 trace minerals. It is the best form of chlorophyll, it reduces blood pressure, eliminates deposits, purifies the liver, heals wounds, counteracts toxins, corrects blood sugar, combats hair loss and greying, relieves constipation, helps the body to resist radiation, kills bacteria in the blood, contains all the amino acids, and is the complete food.

No wonder people heal when they start drinking it. Because it is the complete food, we find we dont need much else, which permits the body to concentrate on eliminating toxins, healing cells and organs, rather than using that energy to digest empty foods.

Having seen my teenage daughter tortured to death by chemo and radiation in 1989, on my own diagnosis in 2003 I adopted the natural, non toxic, immune boosting protocol immediately and with absolute conviction.

Over eight months my massive tumor, which was in the head of the pancreas, next to the lung and aorta, and therefore “inoperable and incurable,” was reduced to a mere scar. I still maintain the diet and lifestyle that healed me, and know that God is my healer and give Him thanks every day.
Psalm 118.17 says “I shall not die but live, and proclaim what the Lord has done”.

And proclaim it she has done.  Her website is a wealth of information, as is her Get Well Stay Well course.
Thank you Felicity!  You have graced us with Hope and another strong option in our fight against cancer!

My Love, Always,
                        Jane

A Pancreatic Cancer Success Story...

When we began our 31 Day Challenge: The Truth About Cancer, I was so excited to share a little hope for those walking this cancer road.  The following interview with Ty Bollinger from The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest is just that: living, breathing, joyful hope... A pancreatic cancer survivor that is flourishing 40 years from her diagnosis!

Friends, come meet Pamela Kelsey:

Ty: I’m here at the BioMedical Center, the Hoxsey clinic, with Pam Kelsey. I so thank you for joining us today. I’m so grateful to be able to get your story because you had a very difficult type of cancer to treat, didn’t you?

Pam: I did.

Ty: Tell us your story, Pam.

Pam: I actually had two. I started with cancer of the pancreas.

Ty: Pancreatic cancer.

Pam: Pancreatic cancer.

Ty: Very difficult cancer to treat.

Pam: Very horrible.

Ty: What year was this?

Pam: This was 1975. Way back. I was 34.

Ty: Forty years ago.

Pam: Yes, 40 years ago. I first was diagnosed with some hypoglycemia. I started having low blood sugar problems and finally it got worse and worse, terrible pain through my abdomen. A friend had been to Hoxsey, as it was called in those days, and she had a friend who was cured of inoperable colon cancer.
So she recommended that I see the clinic. So we came down immediately and I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. They said I was fortunate because it was just beginning, just starting to go into the intestinal area. It was really good to know.
I felt like I was in good hands because they showed me the x-rays of exactly what was going on. And it was just a day, just like now. They still have the same regimen. You’ll get your tonic, they gave me supplements. At that time they giving yeast, vitamin C, calcium, and digestive enzymes. They said in three months I should start to feel better. I was just in intense pain, it was really right through my middle, which I understand is a symptom of pancreatic cancer, just like having a knife go through to your back.

Ty: So you had stomach pain and back pain?

Pam: Yes. It was just like right through the center. And it came out in the back, like literally going through the middle of my chest. And so I went home, started the treatment. I was very religious about what I did. I checked with Mildred Nelson, who was very good to me. If I had questions, I’d call her up, she’d immediately tell me what to do. So within about three months, it was actually almost three months to the day, I noticed a change. I didn’t have to take as much pain medication for my headaches. My abdomen started to feel better. I started being able to digest food better. And gradually, from that period of time, I just felt better and better.

Ty: That’s really fascinating. I mean, that’s fast. Three months with pancreatic cancer. Which many people are dead in three months from pancreatic cancer.

Pam: I know. I followed people that have had pancreatic cancer over the years. Jack Benny had it, and with all the doctors and money he had, he didn’t know he had it until it was too late. Michael Landon had it, Steve Jobs, different people that - it’s very hard to treat and very low success for recovery.

Ty: I don’t know anyone that has had pancreatic cancer that has treated it conventionally that’s still alive.

Pam: I don’t either. Over all the years
.
Ty: And you’re alive 40 years later. That’s amazing.

Pam: I know, it is, truly. And to have those symptoms, like I said, the pain. And to know that it was just so deadly. And so then I was clear all the years, until 2011. In 2011, I’d had a good physical in January, but I noticed that my abdomen started feeling tighter and tighter. I felt like maybe it was back pain, or just something muscular. But it got tighter and tighter. And I started to have pain on my right side, right in the middle of my right side. So I got more concerned about it. The pain started getting gradually worse and on a Friday afternoon I thought, “This is to the point where it isn’t my imagination, I better find out about this.” So I called a nurse that was a friend and she suggested that I get to the hospital because it could be appendicitis, it could be a number of things.
So I knew it was too late to come down to BioMedical. So my husband and I got in the car and drove to St. John’s hospital, which I had also for medical reasons, I had checked with some of the doctors there.
It was a renowned hospital. Elizabeth Taylor went there, Michael Jackson. It was a very well-known hospital, and very reputable. It was a Friday afternoon. I had more symptoms, called a nurse, she said I should get to the hospital to find out what was going on. So my husband and I got in the car, drove to St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, and told them what was going on. They gave me a CT scan and sent me home because it was the weekend and said to follow up with the doctor on Monday.
So the pain got worse and worse. I called on Monday. I told him what was going on. He said, “Let me call you right back.” He read the report and he said, “You need to get to the hospital right away.” I said, “Do you think I have cancer?” And then he said, “I think you have what you said.” So I knew that I wasn’t going to go for further treatment. I said, “Let me think about it.” And my husband and I immediately came down to the clinic, got the CT scan here. And Dr. Gutierrez, my old family friend, he informed me that 50 percent of the liver was affected by 22 lesions. And they were up to - St. John’s hospital had done the CT scan and they found a number of lesions.
They said they were up to 3.9 centimeters, and they were hypoechoic which means that there was a low echo when they did the CT scan. There was a low echo which indicated a very dense tissue. And they said liver neoplasm could not be excluded. So that’s what their diagnosis was. The CT scan here said that there were 22 focal lesions. And the same thing, that they were up from one to five centimeters in size. So I decided to go on the tonic, of course, again. And they put me this time on an organic vegan diet which was more strict. No animal products. I couldn’t wait for the three months. I was supposed to come back in three months but I couldn’t wait. I was nervous but I was also wanting to find out. Because I know 50 percent, you don’t want to wait too long. So I came back in two and a half months and they found that only three of the lesions were remaining in that short of a time.


Ty: Twenty two down to three?
Pam: Twenty two down to three. And I just, home free. I felt really secure and I came down a few weeks later and they were all gone. So it’s just been an amazing experience, truly.

Ty: That is amazing. And that was four years ago?

Pam: Yes. Four years ago. And I’ve done ultrasounds since then. I had one more CT scan and it was clear.
And now when Dr. Rodriguez gives me the ultrasounds, he said not only - he checks my whole body, and the abdomen, the pancreas is clear. He said, “It looks like you never - you would never know that you had anything wrong with your pancreas or your liver.” Even the scar tissue has healed on my liver.

Ty: That is just amazing.

Pam: Yes. It’s incredible.

Ty: I think you’re the longest living pancreatic cancer survivor that I’ve ever heard of.

Pam: I know. And the sad thing, Ty, was that the doctor in the hospital emergency when I went in - I called. I wanted St. John’s to know what happened because they have that CT scan. And so I wanted them to know what happened. That I got the treatment and to see what Hoxsey did, what BioMedical did for me.
And he said, “that’s a very interesting story,” but he never followed up to want to see it or anything.
Which was just shocking, you know? To have them do that CT and to know that there it was. And he said that it was very interesting.

Ty: I say it’s shocking, but it’s not shocking anymore. It used to be shocking to me but throughout these interviews, everyone that I talk to that has been diagnosed with some kind of an advanced cancer, they go back to the oncologist and they don’t want to know. It’s not really shocking. It’s a shame. That they don’t want to know.

Pam: It’s a tragedy really, and I’m so glad you’re doing this. Because for a long time - we have a business where we publish a magazine and have a website, and it’s kind of known all over the world. And I always wanted the clinic to do more publicity. Of course, they kept a fairly low profile with referrals. But it’s really nice to have more publicity and to have more people be able to know that this is such an amazing, simple treatment. That we’ve known people all over the world, over the years, have been treated for colon cancer, breast cancer, two particular ones were prostate cancer. Given up to die and they’re doing well.

Ty: That’s really amazing and people need to know this. They need to know that they have options.

Pam: Absolutely. This is so simple, and there’s no pain, there’s no deterioration of your body, there’s no harmful treatment. But it works.

Ty: And it’s affordable for most people.

Pam: I know, and it’s so fast. The thing that I would really like to always recommend to people is that they come down first. Because for a lot of the patients it’s a last resort. And that’s the only reason why some people do die. One of two things I’ve found over the years is that either they’re not following their diet and their instructions carefully. Because people think, “well you can cheat here, you can cheat there on your diet.” But the tonic is very sensitive to different chemicals like in tomatoes and things like that.

Ty: We heard that from Dr. Gutierrez.

Pam: Yes. So you have to follow it completely and then also they’re too weak. We knew one man from Germany who didn’t make it but he was absolutely given up to die. He was a skeleton when he walked in here. And it was just too late. So that’s the only reason that we’ve seen anyone not do well.

Ty: What’s your message to somebody that’s been diagnosed with cancer and they’re told that they’re terminal? Because you had pancreatic cancer. What would you like to tell them?

Pam: I would just like to tell them, no matter what they’re doing, and this is what I tell people whenever I’m contacted or whenever I find out about anyone, to just come here. Even if it’s for a second opinion.
Send your records down here. Come and see and talk to the doctors. And decide, make an informed decision. Because once you get here and you feel that you just can talk to people, it’s so faith-building.
Don’t give in to just a treatment that’s promised. My own mother died of lymphoma and it was just so sad that she completely trusted the doctors. They thought she would do well. She didn’t. And so it’s a matter of trust. And the medical situation, like with pancreatic cancer, they don’t have good records of success rates.

Ty: Is there always hope?

Pam: Absolutely. I mean, here, there really is.

Ty: Pam, you’re living proof. Forty years out from pancreatic cancer.

Pam: I feel like a poster child. And they’ve helped me through different things too over the years. Mildred knew so much. And Dr. Gutierrez - I will say one more thing that might be interesting to people. The doctor that is head of the clinic, Dr. Rodriguez, had his own clinic. He was a radiologist. He had his own clinic in Tijuana. So Mildred used to have him come up at lunchtime to read the x-rays and all the radiology and do the radiology for all the doctors. They’d get together and meet at lunch. He’d come up, help read the x-rays, and then he’d go back.
And he found that when he - because he treated multiple people all over the city - he found that the people that he treated that came here, he would see results on the X-rays. He’d be doing the follow up.
And he said, “You’re curing cancer. I can see all these results.” It was so astounding. So Mildred gradually had him come more and more and now he’s head of the clinic. So I think that’s very faithinspiring.

Ty: That really is. He said, “You’re curing cancer.” Harry Hoxsey was always the quack that cured cancer.
He’s no quack.

Pam: Reading his story was very interesting too, how it originated. He treated Barnum & Bailey Circus animals and then people wanted to go to him. And it wasn’t, well you probably have that story, but anyway. He was a very famous. He was a horseman who raised thoroughbreds. So he had a horse that he put out to pasture. The horse had cancer and he put him out to pasture and the horse healed up.
And he thought, “What is this horse doing?”
And so he came up with the formula and then he began treating the Barnum & Bailey Circus animals and they had success. So one man in town had found out he had cancer and he was, I think he was a doctor I’m not sure of that, but anyway, he begged him to treat him. Hoxsey said, “Well this is just for animals.” He said, “I don’t care. I’ve got cancer. I don’t want to die.”
So he gave him the treatment and he did well. And in the beginning days, then the American Medical Association, the AMA, was just starting. There was a political thing. They wanted to go into partnership with Hoxsey and charge $10,000 a patient. And Hoxsey said, “I can’t do that, because my father promised I would never refuse to treat patients if they couldn’t pay.” So he refused that. And then, of course, that was what led to coming south of the border. Because they were in Dallas for many years.

Ty: What would you tell Harry if you could talk to him?

Pam: I’d tell him, thank you, thank you, thank you. You saved my life. I wouldn’t still be alive.

Ty: Well thank you, Pam, for sharing your story. Very inspiring.

Pam: Thank you, Ty.

Ty: Forty years out.

Pam: I just want to encourage anyone to come and send their records. Dr. Gutierrez is even available by telephone.

Ty: Good people here.

Pam: Very good.

Ty: Thank you so much.

Pam: You’re welcome.


You can go directly to this interview by watching the first episode of The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest right here.

Ty's interview with Pamela begins around the 1:45 mark... along with a boatload of information for everyone that may be traveling the cancer road themselves or with a loved one.

There is so much to share... Join us tomorrow as we break down the Hoxsey Formula and see what it's all about!

Graced to Smile Joy this day,
                                    Always,  Jane

The Top 3 Alternative Pancreatic Cancer Treatments

The top 3, according to Jane that is... Nothing about this 31 day series is scientific in any way...

{Just thought you should know that.}

However, I'd like to think my research skills aren't too terribly rusty.  These past 6 years since mom's pancreatic cancer diagnosis have seen us digging in deep as we combed the internet, the literature and the well-schooled brains of each of her specialists for hope and healing. 

We have asked questions, read journals and most importantly, we have talked endlessly with other pancreatic cancer patients.

Here, on the blog, and on our website, we have "met" hundreds of fellow cancer warriors... and the question is always, always:

 What treatments are you using???  How are they working???  What more can we do???

And we've shared cheers and prayers from the trenches of this cancer battle ... agonized over the failures and rejoiced over the victories.

Until I realized that the victories almost always ended in agonizing failures.

... I can't even. type. that...  My heart simply breaks...

All these precious ones that we have lost in the past 6 years.  Lost to a cancer whose survival rates with the current Gold Standard treatment have hardly changed at all in over 40 years.  40 years!!!

{I'm shouting... forgive me...}

For those who have followed our journey from the beginning (you are blessing to me...my peeps! I love you, truly), you have probably noticed the shift in our focus...

Conventional, Traditional treatment was mom's mainstay (Chemotherapy and Radiation).  She implicitly trusted her doctors, and I believe, now, that they truly didn't have anything else to offer her.

As we have knelt with, prayed with, and walked with so many pancreatic cancer patients since, I have lost count of the tears we have shed as the Conventional, Traditional treatments for this cancer have failed.  Over and over again.  Utterly devastating, heart achingly personal...

*  71% of pancreatic cancer patients will lose their fight in that first year.
*  93% of pancreatic cancer patients will never make it 5 years out.

2 years ago we dipped our timid toes into uncharted water with this post Back Roads and the Journey Less Traveled that began to explore Alternative Treatments for pancreatic cancer.

And since that post, we have pushed the envelope and shared countless stories about Alternative and Integrated Therapies... Why the shift?  Perhaps Albert Einstein (or was it Benjamin Franklin??) said it best:

Remember the statistics from yesterday?  The statistic I repeated above??  The one about pancreatic cancer survival rates not changing in over 40 years??  With the current traditional therapies??? That statistic??

{Shouting again... Sorry}

40 years of conventional pancreatic cancer treatment... and nothing has changed.  But tomorrow we will get up and do it all over again...

Ok, so here's the thing.  I don't know if the Alternative, Integrated therapies are working to change the story of pancreatic cancer treatments... But I do know that there are pancreatic cancer survivors sharing their stories...

Sharing their stories of success.  Of walking away from this disease whole.

And that is what resonated with me as I watched The Truth About Cancer documentary.  The pancreatic cancer patients who shared their stories, using alternative methods.

And here are the top 3 alternative pancreatic cancer treatments that I heard repeated time and time again through-out the documentary (in no particular order) : 

The Cellect-Budwig Protocol

The Hoxsey Formula

The Gerson Therapy

In the days ahead we will meet Pamela, and Kay and others and learn how these treatments worked in their particular cases and what exactly it means to turn to Integrated Cancer Therapy.

And here's a secret... there are more than these 3 alternative pancreatic cancer treatments.   I just (unscientifically) presented the 3 that seem to be first up in targeting pancreatic cancer.  Targeted treatments that amazingly don't seem to be breaking the body to heal it.

Perhaps there is a little Hope rising this night? 

In Grace, Always,

                  Jane

Healing Pancreatic Cancer... Naturally?

All along this journey, the one theme that overwhelms is finding a cure... A cure for pancreatic cancer...

Fighting pancreatic cancer until the battle is won.  Healing. Wholeness. 

Becoming a pancreatic cancer survivor, living life glorious beyond cancer's grip...

We have shared many stories along the way... and laughed and cried... and celebrated those stories... today there is another...

And it is a good story.  With abundant thanksgiving for a good God.  And healing from the terrifying diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Please meet Kathryn Hahn. 

She writes and inspires at her blog Kay's Hope For Cancer.

And her story began like so many with pancreatic cancer.  Fear, despair, and debilitating treatments.  7 types of chemotherapy that first year... and still she worsened.

Until a friend set her on a path to alternative healing...

She shares a general rundown on her protocol of healing cancer naturally on her blog, with updates here... here is just a little sample:

"I am using the Gerson Therapy. I have done a lot of research and talked to people who have healed using this protocol and I completely believe in it. This means following the above steps, with eating a certain way, and 10-13 specific vegetable juices a day and 3-4 coffee enemas. Drinking this many vegetable juices a day, which is about 7-8 pounds of carrots a day along with all of the green vegetables, floods your system with a ton of good enzymes and nutrients. This will push all the bad toxins into blood stream. The coffee enemas cleanse the toxins out and detox's the liver. www.gerson.com

My green juice consists of:

Organic.
Dark green lettuces – ¼ to ½ of a head (depending on the size of the lettuce): red and green leaf    lettuces, romaine, endives.  Iceberg is useless and do not use  Escarole – 2 or 3 leaves  Beet tops (young inner leaves) – 2 to 3 leaves  Watercress – 5 or 6 leaves  Red cabbage – 2 or 3 leaves  Green bell pepper – ¼  Swiss chard – little  Green apple – 1   

Then I drink 2 plain 8 oz carrot juices a day and 3-5 carrot/apple juices"

Kathryn also discusses the essential supplements, including Essiac Tea as well as the Budwig formula that she includes in her healing regimen...

Read her blog.  Research, research, research.  Talk with your loved ones, talk with your medical team... If Chemotherapy and Radiation are not working for you, perhaps her story will be an encouragement.

This, of course, is not a promise of healing or a cure.  How we wish it were so.  But it is the story of one woman's journey through pancreatic cancer and her choices to use alternative treatments and natural therapies.

We could never replace your doctor or medical team.  These are decisions that only you can make.

Just another option.  An option that perhaps we need to explore. 

Mom's doctor gave her 3 to 6 months, even with the best known cancer treatment he had available.  I wonder, so many times I wonder, would she still be here with us now if we had explored this option and given it our serious attention...

Our journey presses on.  Praying for the healing we long for... each one...

May Grace light the way, Always,
                                                 Jane

Graviola and PawPaw

Autumn and Pepaw

Oh wait... Was that PawPaw you say?  My mistake... Pepaw's one of my most favorite people in the world, it's understandable that I would hear Pepaw instead of PawPaw... Tomato, Tom-ah-to and all that, besides we needed a picture that smiles after a whole month of Mapping the Journey with Pancreatic Cancer!

But back to Graviola and PawPaw... I am already very intrigued by an alternative pancreatic cancer treatment called PawPaw.

So,what's up with these two?  Let's get down to some serious research...

Graviola is a tree found predominantly in the rainforests of Africa and South America.  It produces a fruit that many believe possesses amazing cancer fighting potential.

The Graviola fruit is also called Soursop, Custard Apple or Brazilian PawPaw.

But don't get confused.  There is actually a PawPaw tree that grows throughout much of North America.

The Graviola tree and the PawPaw tree are "cousins."  And both have reported cancer fighting potential.

Here's the Graviola Tree:

 

And here's the PawPaw tree:

 

I found a lot of detailed medical information. For example...

Graviola extracts were effective against the growth of adriamucin-resistant human mammary adenocarcinoma (MCF-7Adr) by blocking access of cancer cells to ATP and by inhibiting the actions of plasma membrane glycoprotein.  They also inhibited expressionof HIF-1a, NF-kB, glucose transporters, and glycolytic enzymes resulting in decreased glucose uptake and ATP production in pancreatic cancer cells.

I'm feeling a headache coming on...  The only words the average person understands in that paragraph is cancer cells.  From there it's all Blah-Blah-Blah....

Thank goodness for a simpler version... for folks like me...

In the 1970's, a study by the Purdue University was funded by the National Cancer Institute to research the cancer fighting potential of these plants.  They found that the graviola seed was 10,000 times more powerful than Adriamycin, a chemotherapy drug.

Can I just say Wow?  And this was, ummm, 40 years ago?  But wait, it gets better.

The scientists, led by Dr. Jerry McGuire found that the PawPaw plant was 24 times more effective than Graviola.

I might be a little speechless...

Are you asking the same thing?  Why haven't we heard more about these trees and their amazing anti-cancer potential?

I don't have an answer (still speechless)

But I do have some more ancedotal information.

It appears that these trees (the bark, leaves, roots, fruit, seeds and pulp) contain natural chemicals that effectively stop the growth of certain cancer cells.  

These natural chemicals are called Acetogenins.  They are fatty acids that somehow (that's my shortcut to a long biological explantion) shut down the growth of blood vessels in these cancer cells, so they are unable to get energy and therefore die.  The acetogenins also slow the growth of multiple drug resistant cells (like cancer cells).  So all in all, the Graviola and PawPaw trees sound pretty amazing...

One particular study found that the leaves of the PawPaw tree had the strongest effective against pancreatic cancer cells.

Unfortunately, all these past studies have been done in the lab, not on humans... Sigh... Of course, something that sounds so good, just might be...too good.

Which brings me to the critics of such amazing claims...  there's just not enough clinical evidence using human trials to verify some of these astonishing claims.  The Cancer Treatment Centers of Amercia have posted this article concerned over the possible neurotoxicity of using Graviola.

And their concern is valid, in the sense that more human clinical trials are needed.  Does that diminish the hope that preliminary trials in the lab have given us?  I, for one, believe that we are so close to unraveling the pancreatic cancer riddle.

Will it be Graviola or PawPaw?

I just don't know... but I can leave you with one woman's personal battle with pancreatic cancer and how she implemented graviola into her treatment plan... 

As always, please, please discuss these treatments with your healthcare team.  The use of Graviola and/or PawPaw may lead to serious complications, side-effects and neurotoxicity... of course, chemotherapy and radiation aren't too gentle either... just saying...

Praying hard through this journey, for wisdom, for grace, for understanding.  May each day bring us closer to the time we can say with confidence... I am a Pancreatic Cancer Survivor.

Hallelujah Moments in the Making.
                                           My Love, Always,
                                                                   Jane