Leukemia [Bone Marrow/Blood Cancer]: Possible Natural Treatments

[faith]

we just heard a friends of our son in law's  brother's 9 year old son Ryan, became pale and collapsed in school today. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with leukemia. They have given him a blood transfusion.
We are praying. Please pray for Ryan and his family. 
I was also wondering if there is anything health wise that can be done.
Thank you for your prayers. Faith

[Whiterock]

I don't have much to base this on but my first thoughts are to suggest you research Pau D'arco and also Goldenseal.

WR

[healthybratt]

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[ForeverGirl]

My mom researched childhood leukemia and kept up with a few parents of kids that were diagnosed this way. She noted that in many cases a fungal systemic yeast problem was also present. One child she knew was sent home to die as a no-hope-of-recovery case, and given Nystatin for the yeast overgrowth, to help insure comfort until he died. He recovered. The parents linked it to Nystatin (anti-yeast drug.) http://health.howstuffworks.com/define-nystatin.htm
 
A second couple read mom's research (just a letter) and asked that their child be taken off of chemo and put on Nystatin. The hospital refused, of course. I believe the child was also released to go home, between chemo, with very little hope of survival. The parents treated for yeast, and the child recovered. I don't know the end of that story, or how it turned out...

Some doctors implicate fungi as a cause of leukemia. In 1999 Meinolf Karthaus, MD, watched three different children with leukemia suddenly go into remission upon receiving a triple antifungal drug cocktail for their "secondary" fungal infections.

In 1997 Mark Bielski stated that leukemia, whether acute or chronic, is intimately associated with the yeast, Candida albicans, which mutates into a fungal form when it overgrows.

Milton White, MD. believed that cancer is a chronic, infectious, fungus disease. He was able to find fungal spores in every sample of cancer tissue he studied. Some other doctors agree with him. Such as the Italian doctor who has his patients take a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, baking soda, in a glass of water half an hour before breakfast. This alkalinized the digestive tract so that it would help eliminate candida.

http://www.cancerfightingstrategies.com/fungalconnection.html
http://www.loveoffering.com/fungus.htm

Rebekah

[naturalgirl]

That is very intresting. My younger sister had a friend who died from leukemia after having two reocurrences. She too was sent home to die and did. Her diet never changed-- typical SAD diet. Her parents believed the doctors so completely that at the end of the girl's life she was treated to special meals. One of her external last symptoms was bleeding steadilly from the nose and ears. We became good friends with their family after she was having her last recurrence, and I don't think she ever was anything but an unnatural pale. Blood transfusions were the norm. I wonder if on top of treating for yeast infection some herbs that strengthen and clean the blood and blood vessels would help as well, like Burdock.

[Whiterock]

Interesting. Both Pau D'arco and Goldenseal are powerful yeast-killers. (I wonder if I read something on this before and don't remember.)
WR

[Jemima]

Isn't leukemia also an auto-immune disease?  My first thought would be to build up the immune system with LOTS of Vit.C, and other immune boosters, which would also help the whole body. My brother had leukemia as a small child, and while he was treated with chemo and the whole medical route, he made it through, went into remission and has been cancer-free for almost 15 years. My parents found a naturopath dr. after he was "cured' who gave him a whole bunch of herbal supplements to detox his system from all the treatments he received. Echinacea/goldenseal was a big one I remember, along with others, and we also all started taking garlic regularly.  I know you're looking for more treatment options, but if you have to go the typical way, it's good to know you can help yourself at the end. 

May God's healing hand be on Ryan! It's a devastating change in life, but God's grace is sufficient.

[boysmama]

  I have been thinking about autoimmune diseases recently. These are only thoughts  but is purposeful immune boosting the best way to go? The immune system is already hyper active...what about anti-inflammatory supplements and diet instead. Cleansing and diet restrictions to reduce internal irritations and supplements to calm the immune system so that it can reset?

[Jemima]

I can see where you're coming from...  I guess one would have to learn what exactly the immune system is doing, in order to know how to treat it. I had thought that being the immune system was not working properly, it would be good to help it, but it makes sense to not over activate it too. Hmm, guess it'd be good to read up some more.

[healthybratt]

  I have been thinking about autoimmune diseases recently. These are only thoughts  but is purposeful immune boosting the best way to go? The immune system is already hyper active...what about anti-inflammatory supplements and diet instead. Cleansing and diet restrictions to reduce internal irritations and supplements to calm the immune system so that it can reset?

I can see where you're coming from...  I guess one would have to learn what exactly the immune system is doing, in order to know how to treat it. I had thought that being the immune system was not working properly, it would be good to help it, but it makes sense to not over activate it too. Hmm, guess it'd be good to read up some more.

http://www.drkaslow.com/html/immune_restoration.html

[Jemima]

http://www.drkaslow.com/html/immune_restoration.html

Wow, HB, did that all make sense to you?    I enjoy stretching my mind when I read, but that was a real stretch! I think I got a few points, though.

I can see the prevention of cancer there... What do you know, it starts with the diet - surprise, surprise! (not)  I guess if I had cancer then, I would start with a yeast cleanse and total diet change as the very first step...

[healthybratt]

http://www.drkaslow.com/html/immune_restoration.html

Wow, HB, did that all make sense to you?    I enjoy stretching my mind when I read, but that was a real stretch! I think I got a few points, though.

I can see the prevention of cancer there... What do you know, it starts with the diet - surprise, surprise! (not)  I guess if I had cancer then, I would start with a yeast cleanse and total diet change as the very first step...

Here's a translation/summary I wrote awhile back.

http://www.welltellme.com/discuss/index.php/topic,2545.msg14532.html#msg14532

[Whiterock]

Study shows that 76% of leukemia cells exposed to Grape-seed Extract, died within 24% hours.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231005257.htm

I also wanted to say that I did find that Pau d'Arco is effective against some cancers and a mainstream hospital in Brazil has used it that way. Leukemia was one of the cancers they treat with it.

WR

[lotsagirls]

Study shows that 76% of leukemia cells exposed to Grape-seed Extract, died within 24% hours.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231005257.htm

I also wanted to say that I did find that Pau d'Arco is effective against some cancers and a mainstream hospital in Brazil has used it that way. Leukemia was one of the cancers they treat with it.

WR

Thanks WR!  Someone (else ) told my dad about the Grapeseed Extract, so he's been taking it.  He goes back in for blood tests in a couple of weeks, so we will see if it has helped any.

I've also read about Pau d'Arco being used for leukemia.

[HeyMom]

I recently began doing some research on the benefits of Barley Grass Powder....and we have begun putting it in our smoothies each morning.

There were some research facts listed regarding different forms of Cancer with Barley Grass extract being found effective.....

"There have been no clinical trials of barley grass. In an experiment at George Washington University, Goldstein and his colleagues exposed leukemic cancer cells to dehydrated barley grass extract. The extract killed virtually all of them. Encouraged, the researchers then subjected brain cancer cells to the extract. It eradicated 30 to 50 percent of these cells. In a third trial, the extract inhibited the growth of three types of prostate cancer cells by 90 to 100 percent."

here is the link to the site/article
http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/barley-green-powder-medicine.html

also I found the cheapest place to purchase it was
www.vitacost.com
I bought it in a one pound package and am very happy with the product...it was under $10
NUTRIENT PROFILE for barley grass

BY WEIGHT, dehydrated barley grass has 11 times the calcium of cow's milk, 5 times the iron of spinach, and more protein than sirloin steak. About 2 teaspoons (6 g) of barley grass powder contains the following*;

CALORIES 17
PROTEIN  1.4g
CALCIUM  30mg
IRON 3mg
POTASSIUM  170mg
VITAMIN A  3,120 IU
VITAMIN B1 15 mcg
VITAMIN B2 140 mcg
FOLIC ACID 52 mcg
VITAMIN B12  1.7 mcg
VITAMIN C  19 mg
CHLOROPHYLL  32.6 mg

[boysmama]

posted by sickmomgirl

here is an interesting article on link of fungus to leukemia:



    I recently spoke with a nurse who was diagnosed, as an adult, with leukemia. She endured the chemotherapy regimen her doctors prescribed, only to suffer from a secondary fungal infection during that time. The intensity and duration of the antifungal treatment rivaled that of the chemotherapy. At any rate, she recovered from both afflictions and went back to work.

    Later, as a result of another workup -- which included a liver biopsy -- for some returning symptoms she had, bad news was again brought up. "Your leukemia has returned," her oncologist told her, and he proceeded to lay out the next line of chemotherapy drugs she would have to take.

    Given that her chances of dying were much higher now that her cancer had returned, she opted to get a second opinion on her biopsy before proceeding with her next round of chemotherapy. She took her tissue sample to another hospital, and what she was told there was absolutely stunning: "You don't have leukemia," remarked the pathologist, "what you have is a fungal infection!"

    The scenario that her doctors figured was that her previous fungal infection had returned -- a total possibility. But for this nurse, more questions were raised. She thought, for example, "If they diagnosed my fungal infection as leukemia this time, is it possible that they were wrong the FIRST time? Was my leukemia really a fungal infection to begin with, and was my so-called 'secondary' fungal infection I had earlier really a full-blown manifestation of what originally might have looked like leukemia?"

    Of course, she would never get answers to these questions, for to fully investigate thoughts like these might imply that a diagnostic error was made on the part of either her initial oncologist or pathologist.

    Nevertheless, an intense six months later -- some of it spent in the hospital -- of high-dose, powerful antifungals finally achieved a cure for her fungal infection. Today, she is again back at work, exuding more than ever with compassion for her patients. It really struck me when she told me where she works, because in her case, her occupation may very well relate to what she had suffered over the past two years. It turns out that she works at a bone-marrow transplant center, and is in daily contact with children with leukemia.

    Now, the thought of her "acquiring" something as grave as leukemia would almost be preposterous to some. But the temptation to scratch our heads and wonder about this is unbearable. What if she really did have a fungal infection -- and NOT leukemia -- her first time around? And if so, did she "catch" this from her precious little patients?

    Fungal infections not only can be extremely contagious, but they also go hand in hand with leukemia -- every oncologist knows this. And these infections are devastating: once a child who has become a bone marrow transplant recipient gets a "secondary" fungal infection, his chances of living, despite all the antifungals in the world, are only 20%, at best.

    And then the unthinkable thought arises: what if all of these children didn't even have leukemia, but rather a fungal infection, just as this nurse did? If doctors, in the 21st century, could mistake a fungal infection for leukemia in this nurse, could the same fate have fallen upon these children?

    Doctors in general are not very good at diagnosing fungal infections because their medical school training is based so heavily on the role of bacteria and viruses in the area of infectious diseases. Fungi have been a forgotten foe ever since the advent of antibiotics. Once we had a drug that could kill bacteria, the interest in and the study of fungi fell to the wayside.

    Laboratories display the same difficulty in diagnosing fungal infections: current tests for detecting the presence of fungi are both terribly scant and sorely antiquated.

    Despite these training and technical inadequacies, there have been at least a few good reports that implicate the role of fungi in causing leukemia.

    For example, in 1999 Meinolf Karthaus, MD, watched three different children with leukemia suddenly go into remission upon receiving a triple antifungal drug cocktail for their "secondary" fungal infections.(1)

    Pre-dating that, Mark Bielski stated back in 1997 that leukemia, whether acute or chronic, is intimately associated with the yeast, Candida albicans. (2)

    Finally, almost 50 years ago, Dr. J. Walter Wilson, in his textbook of clinical mycology, said that "it has been established that histoplasmosis and such reticuloendothelioses as leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, lymphosarcoma, and sarcoidosis are found to be coexistent much more frequently than is statistically justifiable on the basis of coincidence." (3)

    Histoplasmosis is what we call an "endemic" fungal infection. It is most commonly acquired in regions surrounding the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys in the United States. One becomes ill by merely inhaling the tiny fungal spores of this fungus. (For more information on histoplasmosis and other endemic fungi, you can visit: http://www.doctorfungus.org/). Three similar reports like this over the span of 40 years should convince us to at least study the role of fungi in cancers like leukemia a little more thoroughly.

    The late Milton White, MD., did exactly this. He fully believed that cancer is a "chronic, intracellular, infectious, biologically induced spore (fungus) transformation disease." (4) Using the proper isolation techniques (involving saline instead of formaldehyde as a tissue transportation medium between the operating room and the pathology lab), he was able to find fungal spores in every sample of cancer tissue he studied. His lifetime work has been routinely dismissed as nothing more than an unproven postulate.

    Regardless, wouldn't you expect all of this information to make front-page headlines in every newspaper across the country, if not the world? Instead, every one of these findings was merely a brief mention -- only curious thoughts that one might entertain but never take seriously.

    The fact is, if leukemia and fungal infections "co-exist" so frequently, and if an antifungal drug cocktail effectively cured at least these three children of their leukemia, then I say we put the brakes on right there. Is there a need to go any farther, except to more deeply investigate the need for antifungals in treating leukemia and not just the secondary infections that arise in the course of chemotherapy?

    In his book, The Germ that Causes Cancer (http://iknowthecause.com), author and television host Doug Kaufmann asserts that not only fungi, but also foods play a role in the etiology of cancer. He has seen children become free of their documented leukemia once the child's parents simply changed the child's diet. Kaufmann's diet is base on the widely-published problem of mycotoxin contamination of our grain foods.

    Grains such as corn, wheat, barley, sorghum, and other foods such as peanuts, are commonly contaminated with cancer-causing fungal poisons, or "mycotoxins." (5,6) One of them, called aflatoxin, just happens to be the most carcinogenic substance on earth. If this is indeed a problem, Kaufmann asserts, then cereal for breakfast and soda pop for dinner may not be conducive to a cancer-free lifestyle.

    A case in point: in a grain-based diet, we consume, on average, from 0.15mg to 0.5mg of aflatoxin per day. (7) Further, he states, it is not the sugar alone that is the problem in our western diet, but the fungal toxins that are found in the sugary grains. More than once has Kaufmann interviewed a caller (on his health talk show) who absolutely craved peanut butter and popcorn just prior to their diagnosis of cancer.

    Fungi are such a nuisance in carbohydrate foods in particular because fungi need carbohydrates to thrive. Therefore, it is rarer to see fungal contamination problems in foods like vegetables and high-protein foods.

    Kaufmann goes on further to explain how even antibiotics may play a role in the disease process. Antibiotics destroy the normal, protective gut bacteria, allowing intestinal yeast and fungi to grow unchecked. These internal, gut yeast make toxins, too. This can lead to immune suppression, symptoms of any autoimmune disease, or even cancer. "If the onset of any symptom or disease- cancer included- was preceded by a course of antibiotics," he maintains, "then look for a fungus to be at the root of your problem."

    Doug and I will be talking more about the role of fungi in cancer and other diseases, such as diabetes, in our upcoming seminars. Check out our website (http://iknowthecause.com) to find the location nearest you.

David Holland, MD
Co-author, The Fungus Link, Infectious Diabetes.
20 May 2003
MediaTrition, Inc.