Respecting the traditional in cancer treatment
When it comes to products made in China, a lot of consumers are pretty leery, thanks to a string of toxic-products that have made it across the ocean and into our homes.
But when it comes to Chinese medicine, there are many scientists who refuse to turn their backs on 2,000 years of traditional remedies that have been well honed and can offer proven track records.
No one does it better than Mother Nature herself when it comes to powerful compounds with the potential to beat tough diseases—especially cancer. Researchers estimate that ¾ of natural pharmaceutical compounds come from plants used in traditional medicine.
Scientists are constantly searching for new compounds to add to a repertoire that already includes derivatives of the yew tree, maitake mushrooms and the periwinkle plant in the treatment of cancer.
One research team has been testing extracts from 76 plants used in Chinese medicine believed to be powerful enough to fight malignant tumors. Of these, 18 of the plants have been found to contain compounds successful in anti-cancer experiments. These compounds are being isolated and looked at using powerful magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy to analyze them at their molecular levels.
Some of these compounds are doing what current anti-cancer drugs have been unable to achieve: suppressing further growth of tumors.
The research being done holds much promise in terms of future treatments for this treacherous disease process. The goal is to attack the cancer cell where it hurts most, with the intention of eradicating it completely.
If you're undergoing treatment for cancer, it will likely be difficult to get your oncologist to consider working with Chinese herbs. Most oncologists are scared to death about doing anything outside of the narrowly prescribed treatments allowed inside the mainstream box, no doubt due in part to the current medico- legal climate. But don't let that concern keep you from bringing up the discussion and asking him to review the research. In the fight of your life, it's good to have something with a 2,000-year track record in your corner.
