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Cancer, the Immune System and Beta Glucan
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Reprinted by permission of NSCTM: IMMUNITIONTM: Report© Volume
I, No. 9
What is Cancer and How Does It Attack the Body?
The second most common cause of death in the U.S. is cancer, accounting
for 1 in 4 deaths in the year 2003. In 2003, according to the American Cancer Society, 1,334,100 new cancer cases
or a 3.8% increase will occur with 556,500 deaths. That equates to three jet commercial aircraft carrying 1,500
people going down per day with all lost! 2.5+ per minute will be diagnosed with cancer with 1+ per minute dying.
The most new cases for 2003 are estimated for prostate cancer (220,900 new cases - 28,900 deaths). Next is Breast
Cancer with 212,600 new cases and 40,200 deaths, followed by Colorectal Cancer with 147,500 new cases and 57,100
deaths.
But what is cancer?
Cancer is any of a group of more than 100 diseases which symptoms are
unrestrained growth of cells in one of the body organs or tissues. The fact is you probably will get cancer up
to six times during your life, but your immune system when at peak destroys the cancerous cells before growth and
multiplication! When not destroyed immediately by your immune system, the cancer-invaded cells deviate from the
usual controls over cell growth.
The growth begins when the genes controlling cell growth and multiplication (oncogenes) are transformed by cancer-causing
agents known as carcinogens. After a cell has a malignant transformation, the small group of abnormal cells divide
more rapidly than the normal surrounding cells. The abnormal cells usually show a lack of "differentiation,"
meaning they no longer perform the specialized task of their host tissue. Thus, the cancerous cells are in fact
parasites avoiding control of hormones and nerves and consuming nutrients while contributing nothing. This rapid
multiplication results in invasion and destruction of other body cells. These cancerous cells can then spread (metastasize)
via the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body from their original site.
A cancer differs from a benign (non-dangerous) tumor in two ways: cancers grow, spread and infiltrate the tissues
around them, in addition to spreading to form new tumors that grow independently. Cancerous tumors develop and
multiply when the immune system surveillance team fails to identify the cancerous cell invaders and then is overwhelmed
when recognition does occur, due to the massive number of corrupted cancer cells that have multiplied rapidly when
undetected and unchecked. We are our own worst enemies in that we first suppress our immune systems with excessive
free radicals, or rogue molecules, that damage cells due to the impact of toxins on our systems. Polluted air,
water, fast food; in addition to pathogens such as parasites, fungi, bacteria and viruses joined with heavy metals
and toxic chemicals, assault us daily. Genetic factors join immunological weakness in certain cancer cases.
Cancer Treatments
The most common treatment in 50% of cases is chemotherapy, but success
occurs in only a few cases (2 to 25%), such as ovarian cancer in women and testicular cancer in men, in addition
to Duke's C, a form of colon cancer. The logical question to ask would be, if chemotherapy has such a low rate
of success, why is it used so often? Dr. Ralph Moss, author of Questioning Chemotherapy, explains that most people
confuse decreased tumor size with disappearance of disease. The association appears logical, but no known proof
exists to support the connection.
Fractionated chemotherapy is gaining acceptance, including at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and involves
spacing smaller amounts of chemotherapy drugs over more treatments in an extended period of time. The theory is
to allow the body more time to recover from the poison effects in essential functions excepting the killing of
the cancer cells. Results appear to be positive.
It is troubling that alternative therapies are often criticized for not being tested according to scientific standards,
but many "accepted" treatments, including chemotherapy, have only limited success and little correlation
between tumor shrinkage and patient survival. The answer unfortunately often appears to be economics, with chemotherapy
treatments frequently costing six figures. We must understand the facts, which are often difficult to accept in
the midst of such suffering and fear for life caused by these dreaded cancer diseases.
How Beta 1,3/1,6 Glucan Nutritionally Fights Back Through the
Immune Response Against Cancer and Aids in Chemotherapy Effectiveness
The most common form of cancer is carcinoma, which originates in the
skin, or in the glandular tissue such as the breast or prostate gland. Another form of cancer, sarcoma, affects
connective and supportive tissue such as bone, muscle, cartilage and fat. Still another type are melanomas which
are skin cancers. Lymphomas affect the lymphatic system, while leukemias are cancers of the blood-forming organs.
The inability of the immune system to first recognize and then to appropriately respond to cancer tumors is a major
contributing factor to the ability of the disease to multiply and spread before recognition by the body.
Good news!
The immune response can be potentiated to more ably recognize the cancer
attempting to hide in normal cells by a naturally occurring biomolecule named Beta 1,3/1,6 glucan. A particularly
potent immune potentiator is an insoluble particulate Beta 1,3/1,6 glucan extracted and purified from Baker's yeast
(no harmful yeast proteins remain that cause an allergic reaction). Beta glucan is a non-toxic nutritional biomolecule
classified G.R.A.S. by the FDA, that significantly potentiates the macrophage, the large white immune cell; increasing
its ability to recognize cancerous cells, particularly as we age.
According to research by Peter Mansell, Donald Carrow, M.D., Nicholas DiLuzio, D.L. Williams, M.L. Patchen and
others at Harvard, Baylor, Tulane, the Armed Services Radiobiology Research Institute and a multitude of other
scientific research centers, Beta glucan extracted from yeast cell wall enhances immune system awareness of the
cancerous cells and nutritionally aids in control. When potentiated by Beta 1,3/1,6 glucan, the immune alarm to
activate the entire immune response is sounded against the cancer, enabling the macrophages to attack the cancerous
cells with enhanced cytotoxic granules (toxic chemicals) that kill the cancer cell and prevent further multiplication
and spreading. Results have been particularly dramatic in breast, sarcoma and melanoma cancers.
The research demonstrates Beta 1,3/1,6 glucan, particularly in small particle sizes (microparticulate vs globular)
for better absorption and more rapid response, increases protection of the immune cells from the damage of radiation
treatments and then, after treatments, enhances recovery of platelets and white immune cells. The macrophage is
also enhanced to more ably and rapidly remove the toxic debris (phagocytosis) created by radiation and hemotherapy
in the body, thus reducing or eliminating the negative side effects such as nausea, hair loss, inability to sleep
and skin radiation injury.
In a Research Summary Report issued in 2001 by The University of Nevada School of Medicine and Nutritional Supply
Corporation it was found, "MPG Glucan has been shown to enhance the envelopment and digestion (phagocytosis)
of pathogenic microorganisms that cause infectious disease. The Beta-1,3/1-6 glucans additionally enhance the ability
of Macrophages, one of the most important immune cells in the immune system, to kill tumor cells. Laboratory studies
have revealed the new MPG Glucan is significantly effective at activating Macrophages, and via the Macrophages,
in turn the entire immune cascade including T-Cells and B-Cells."
Beta 1,3/1,6 glucan is most effective in nonaggregated, microparticulate form additionally purified in a patent-pending
proprietary process to provide enhanced potentiation of the macrophage immune cell with minimum amounts. Science
demonstrates particulate Beta glucan can nutritionally enable your immune response to fight back against cancer
invasion, reduce or eliminate the negative side effects of many treatments including chemotherapy and radiation
and, as an adjuvant, make chemotherapy treatments more effective than acting alone.
A nonaggregated microparticulate Beta glucan containing 10 mg per capsule (U.S. Patented MPG Beta glucan), with
potent nutritional phagocytic potentiation capabilities and the ability to increase natural production of TNF Alpha
(tumor necrosis factor - necrosis meaning "killing") in the immune cells, is the nutritional oral supplement
ingredient suggested.
Cancer affects us all and we must now utilize all available science to provide answers. Nature has provided Beta
glucan; science has demonstrated the benefits; now we must begin using this incredible biomolecule for nutritionally
potentiating the immune response not only to fight cancer, but the legion of pathogens that attempt to rob us of
good health daily. Reprinted by permission of Immunition Reports Research Notes to Report: (Entire transcripts
of the referenced research are available through PubMed) Cancer - Carcinoma of the Breast: Mansell P.W.A., Ichinose
H., Reed R.J., Krements E.T., McNamee R.B., Di Luzio N.R.; "Macrophage-mediated Destruction of Human Malignant
Cells in Vitro". Journal of National Cancer Institute; 54: 571-580. 1975.
Quote: "The initial 9 patients studied had malignant carcinoma of the breast. Control and experimental lesions
were injected; subsequently biopsies were performed at varying intervals for histologic evaluation. Always when
glucan or glucan and RF fraction were administered intra-lesionally, the size of the lesion was strikingly reduced
in as short a period as 5 days. In small lesions, resolution was complete, whereas in large lesions, resolutions
was partial." Cancer - Melanoma: DiLuzio N.R. Williams D.L. et al, "Comparative evaluation of the tumor
inhibitory and antibacterial activity of solubilized and particulate glucan," Recent Results Cancer Res 75:165-172.
1980.*
Quote: "Intravenous administration of soluble or particulate glucan resulted in significant reduction in the
growth of a syngeneic anaplastic mammary carcinoma and melanoma B16 and enhanced survival." Cancer - Sarcoma
and Melanoma: Williams DL, et al, "Therapeutic efficacy of glucan in a murine model of hepatic metastatic
disease," Hepatology 5(2):198-206. Mar 1985.*
Quote: ".coincubation of particulate glucan with diverse populations of normal or tumor cells in vitro indicated
that glucan exerted a direct cytostatic effect on sarcoma and melanoma cells and, in contrast, had a proliferative
effect on normal spleen and bone marrow cells." Cancer : Carrow, D.J.; "Beta-1,3-glucan as a Primary
Immune Activator," Townsend Letter; June 1996.
Quote: "Over the past 11 months I have been able to convince five out of eight breast cancer patients who
were undergoing radiation therapy, to consume one capsule of beta 1,3/1,6 glucan (NSC-24 3 mg) three times per
day. To date, I have observed that none of the patients using NSC-24 have suffered from any type of radiation injury
to the skin, while the three patients who chose not to use NSC-24 all show signs of extensive radiation damage
to the skin." Hemopoietic Stimulation: Patchen M.L., McVittie T.J.; Temporal Response of Murine Pluripotent
Stem Cells and Myeloid and Erythroid Progenitor Cells to Low-dose Glucan Treatment. Acta Hemat; 70:281-288. Experimental
Hematology Dept, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Insti, Bethesda, MD. 1983.
Quote: "Clearly, there are numerous possible uses for an agent such as glucan, which is a potent stimulator
of hemopoietic [formation of blood cells] activity. Currently, we [U.S. Armed Services] are using glucan to enhance
hemopoietic proliferation in conjunction with hemopoietic injury induced by radiation." Platelet and White
Blood Cell Recovery: Pachen ML, MacVittie TJ, "Comparative effects of soluble and particulate glucans on survival
in irradiated mice," J Biol Response Mod 5(1):45-60. Experimental Hematology Dept, Armed Forces Radiobiology
Research Inst, Bethesda, MD. Feb 1986.
Quote: "Both glucan-P and glucan-F enhanced the recovery of peripheral blood white cell numbers, platelet
numbers, and hematocrit values. In addition, both agents increased endogenous pluripotent hemopoietic stem cell
numbers in sublethally irradiated mice."
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